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"Snowflake Crystal" Traps Light and Sound
Florian Marquardt
Experimentalists trap optical and acoustic oscillations together in a two dimensional structure that will make it easier to study their coupled behavior.
APS/Florian Marquardt
Figure 1: A planar slab of silicon with a periodic arrangement of snowflake-shaped holes (here viewed from above) forms a two-dimensional optomechanical crystal. (Left) By disrupting the alignment between successive horizontal lines and (not visible) locally altering the structure along that linear defect, Safavi-Naeini et al. produced a single localized defect mode (indicated here by a shaded ellipse) for optical radiation at the same place as a localized vibrational mode of the structure. (Right) In the future, a periodic arrangement of such defects could produce an "optomechanical array," with photons and phonons tunneling between each pair of neighboring sites (exemplified by the arrow) and interacting with each other.A planar slab of silicon with a periodic arrangement of snowflake-shaped holes (here viewed from above) forms a two-dimensional optomechanical crystal. (Left) By disrupting the alignment between successive horizontal lines and (not visible) locally a... Show more
Figure 1: A planar slab of silicon with a periodic arrangement of snowflake-shaped holes (here viewed from above) forms a two-dimensional optomechanical crystal. (Left) By disrupting the alignment between successive horizontal lines and (not visible) locally altering the structure along that linear defect, Safavi-Naeini et al. produced a single localized defect mode (indicated here by a shaded ellipse) for optical radiation at the same place as a localized vibrational mode of the structure. (Right) In the future, a periodic arrangement of such defects could produce an "optomechanical array," with photons and phonons tunneling between each pair of neighboring sites (exemplified by the arrow) and interacting with each other.
Research on cavity optomechanics, which concerns the interaction between light and mechanical vibrations in confined geometries, has blossomed during the past few years [1]. Potential applications include coherent microwave–optical conversion, sensitive mechanical measurements, quantum information processing, mechanical storage of light pulses, and coupling between different quantum systems, as well as new tests of the foundations of quantum mechanics. Of the many different optomechanics platforms, one of the most promising comprises "optomechanical crystals." In Physical Review Letters, Amir Safavi-Naeini et al. [2] and his colleagues in Oskar Painter's group at the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, exhibit a novel two-dimensional (2D) structure of this type.
The engineering of wave propagation by means of periodic patterning of materials has been applied for some time to optical and acoustic waves, leading to photonic and phononic crystals, respectively. Optomechanical crystals that combine the two have emerged in the last few years, as shown earlier by the Painter group [3]. They demonstrated that optical and vibrational modes of high quality can be created in this manner at the same micrometer-sized spot, producing an optomechanical coupling that exceeded that of previous devices by orders of magnitude. This has already been employed successfully in the demonstration of optomechanical laser cooling to phonon numbers below unity [4], close to the ground state, as well as other tasks. These first devices were fabricated by one-dimensional (1D) periodic patterning of freestanding nanobeams.
Extending optomechanical crystal structures to two dimensions would allow a greater variety of designs to be built, and the first steps have already been taken. For example, "phonon shields" reduce energy loss in mechanical resonators, as reflected in their "quality factor," which is roughly the number of oscillations before the energy leaks away. Researchers achieved this by surrounding the resonators with structures that have an acoustic band gap around the frequency of resonance, so that phonons cannot propagate and escape [4]. The new work reported by Safavi-Naeini et al. presents the first structure that has both an optical and an acoustic band gap [2]. The design is based on a triangular lattice of snowflake-shaped holes in a silicon slab. Alternatively, it can be viewed as an array of triangles connected by thin bridges of material (Fig.1).
The acoustic modes can be understood in terms of a simple model in which individual oscillators (the triangles), each with its own set of mechanical modes, are connected with springs (the bridges). As the bridges become thin, the structure becomes floppy, and the speed of sound waves, and thus their maximum frequency, decreases. At the same time, the band formed by coupling the finite-frequency normal modes becomes narrower. As a consequence, an acoustic band gap is produced between these two bands.
For the electromagnetic waves, a 2D slab can never support a complete band gap, since waves traveling nearly perpendicular to the plane will always escape. However, careful engineering can ensure that waves traveling inside the plane see a pseudo-band-gap, and that any localized modes of interest have very little overlap with the waves that can escape, so the optical quality factor will remain high.
In their new snowflake-crystal design, the authors first disrupted the regular arrangement to create a linear defect in the 2D periodic structure, which, on its own, would form a 1D waveguide. They then modified this structure along the waveguide direction to create localized modes. This approach simplifies the design, avoids overlap with waves that radiate out of the slab, and makes the structure more robust against disorder.
The authors measured two localized mechanical resonances with frequencies near 9 gigahertz, with a mechanical quality factor of more than 105, that couple strongly to an optical mode. This optical mode retains its energy for several cycles of the mechanical oscillation, so the device is firmly in the resolved-sideband limit, which is important for many applications such as sideband cooling or state transfer. The parameters of this device, including the large coupling strength between the optical and mechanical modes, are comparable to the record values that the group had previously attained for their 1D structures. Achieving them in a 2D device is very significant. For one thing, the planar geometry is much better at handling the heat load from residual laser absorption, because the heat can be transported away more easily. In addition, there is a lot of room for adding optical and acoustic waveguides and other localized modes to the structure.
Creating such 2D structures opens the door towards larger-scale optomechanical arrays and circuits, which would combine many optical and vibrational modes. The coupling between those localized modes can be pictured in terms of photons or phonons tunneling from site to site, depending on the overlap of the tails of the modes, similar to the situation for localized electronic orbitals. A periodic array of such defect modes will yield an optomechanical band structure for photons and phonons. The properties of this superlattice can easily be tuned in situ by varying the strength of the laser driving all the cells, in essence producing an optomechanical metamaterial. The features that could be explored range from slow light [5] to engineering optomechanical band structures [6] for observing graphene-type Dirac physics or generating synthetic magnetic fields for photons. In addition, optomechanical networks [7], long-range collective interactions [8], and transport [9] might be studied in such devices.
Even more intricate dynamics will be observed in the nonlinear regime. This regime would be reached if such an array is driven by a laser at higher frequencies (blue-detuned) from the optical resonances, taking the system beyond the instability towards self-induced mechanical oscillations. Coupling many such oscillators in an array gives rise to synchronization and pattern formation, as well as quantum many-body dynamics of photons and phonons [10].
The new 2D snowflake crystal structures will likely become the preferred experimental platform for exploring many of these theoretical proposals.
M. Aspelmeyer,T. J. Kippenberg, and F. Marquardt, "Cavity Optomechanics," arXiv:1303.0733
Amir H. Safavi-Naeini, Jeff T. Hill, Seán Meenehan, Jasper Chan, Simon Gröblacher, and Oskar Painter, "Two-Dimensional Phononic-Photonic Band Gap Optomechanical Crystal Cavity," Phys. Rev. Lett. 112, 153603 (2014)
M. Eichenfield, J. Chan, R. M. Camacho, K. J. Vahala, and O. Painter, "Optomechanical Crystals," Nature 462, 78 (2009)
J. Chan, T. P. M. Alegre, A. H. Safavi-Naeini, J. T. Hill, A. Krause, S. Gröblacher, M. Aspelmeyer, and O. Painter, "Laser Cooling of a Nanomechanical Oscillator into its Quantum Ground State," Nature 478, 89 (2011)
D. E. Chang, A. H. Safavi-Naeini, M. Hafezi, and O. Painter, "Slowing and Stopping Light Using an Optomechanical Crystal Array," New J. Phys. 13, 023003 (2011)
M. Schmidt, V. Peano, and F. Marquardt, "Optomechanical Metamaterials: Dirac polaritons, Gauge fields, and Instabilities," arXiv:1311.7095
S. J. M. Habraken,K. Stannigel, M. D. Lukin, P. Zoller, P. Rabl, "Continuous Mode Cooling and Phonon Routers for Phononic Quantum Networks," New J. Phys. 14, 115004 (2012)
A. Xuereb, C. Genes, G. Pupillo, M. Paternostro, and A. Dantan, "Reconfigurable Long-Range Phonon Dynamics in Optomechanical Arrays," arXiv:1312.5303
W. Chen and A. A. Clerk, "Photon Propagation in a One-Dimensional Optomechanical Lattice," Phys. Rev. A 89, 033854 (2014)
M. Ludwig and F. Marquardt, "Quantum Many-Body Dynamics in Optomechanical Arrays," Phys. Rev. Lett. 111, 073603 (2013)
Florian Marquardt is full professor of theoretical physics in the Department of Physics at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany. After receiving his Ph.D. from the University of Basel, Switzerland, in 2002, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Yale University (2003–2005). From 2005 to 2010, he headed a junior research group at the Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, before moving to Erlangen. His research topics at the intersection of nanophysics and quantum optics include quantum transport, decoherence, quantum many-body physics, and the fields of nano- and optomechanics.
Two-Dimensional Phononic-Photonic Band Gap Optomechanical Crystal Cavity
Amir H. Safavi-Naeini, Jeff T. Hill, Seán Meenehan, Jasper Chan, Simon Gröblacher, and Oskar Painter
OpticsMetamaterialsAcoustics
Designer Molecules for Fundamental-Symmetry Tests
Researchers design radioactive molecules that might have exceptional sensitivity to the symmetry violations explaining the matter-antimatter imbalance of the Universe. Read More »
Capturing the Path of a Light Pulse
Using a megapixel, high-speed camera, researchers reconstructed the complete trajectory of a laser pulse in time and space. Read More »


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Family and friends of mass murder victims say 'let killer rot in jail'
By David TooleyTelfordCrimePublished: Nov 10, 2021 Last Updated: Nov 10, 2021
It was a mass murder that sent shockwaves through communities in Shropshire and Cornwall more than 20 years ago.
Lee Ford. Photo: Devon and Cornwall Police
In the summer of 2000 Lee Ford went on a killing spree in the Cornish hilltop village of Carnkie, strangling his four Shropshire stepchildren from behind with a rope and bludgeoning his wife to death with her daughter's rounders bat.
Ford, aged 33, tried to cover up his crimes by inventing a story that 36-year-old Lesley had left him, taking the four children she had with fellow Telford-raised resident Michael Tranter away with her. It took a month for their bodies to be discovered.
Lesley and her boys Craig Tranter, 13, and Steven, 14, were found in the garden shed of her Cornish home. The two girls, Anne-Marie Tranter, 16, and Sarah-Jane Tranter 17, were found in a shallow grave in a nearby field.
Ford had asked a neighbour if he could store some Christmas presents at his home so the children would not find them. He also telephoned the school in Helston where three of the children studied to tell them they had left the area.
He continued to live at their bungalow with his and Lesley's own children, who were spared.
Ford has never publicly said why he killed five of the people he was closest to.
Craig Tranter, 13, Anne-Marie Tranter, 16, Sarah-Jane Tranter,17 and Steven Tranter with their mother, Lesley Ford, 36, were all killed by Lee Ford
But at the time police speculated that fears over the discovery of his relationship with his 17-year-old stepdaughter Sarah-Jane may have played a part.
Lesley had approached social services over fears her husband and daughter were in a relationship. But Sarah Jane was never interviewed, reports from the time revealed.
Lesley's former partner Michael Tranter has never got over the events of all those years ago, especially as there is a possibility that Ford could one day be released. Petitioners believe that could only be a few years away.
Ford was given five life sentences in 2001 and told he would serve a minimum of 35 years before being considered for parole. The 35 years was later appealed to 27.
Since the tragedy the courts have been given the power to hand down whole life sentences.
"Things still get difficult on certain days," said Mr Tranter, who works as a live-in carer for children in Stoke.
"Even though it happened 21 years ago it put me into a shell, I have never been myself since.
"I do go out and about but not as often as I used to.
"I work in care to give something back to children.
"I can help them to grow in a way that I can't with my own children."
Mr Tranter said: "I hear of other murderers getting whole life sentences and [Ford] should get the same."
A petition has been launched to urge lawmakers to prevent Ford from ever being released.
It has been started by Nicki Budden, whose ex-husband was Lesley's brother.
In the change.org petition she writes: "We have to live with what he did for the rest of our lives and feel that he should never be released.
"The effect their deaths had on anyone that knew them was catastrophic. From family to all their school friends."
Michael Tranter with the headstone to his children
She adds: "He has never given a reason as to why he did what he did or when he actually committed the murders, we don't even have a day that we can commemorate. He also shows no remorse.
"We feel if he were released he would still be a danger to the public. In the eyes of the law familial crime is not judged the same as stranger killing. In my opinion it's worse as the person who you loved and trusted the most commits the ultimate betrayal.
"I hope you will all sign this petition to ensure that Lee Ford stays in prison for the rest of his natural life, as someone that planned and executed the murder of five people and then covered it up is beyond words."
Friends of the children have spoken of the impact on them of the murders in Cornwall.
Carley Hamilton wrote: "Craig was my friend and to have him cruelly taken away by that monster was horrifying. I still remember that assembly at school and honestly, it was one of the worst days of my life. Sending my love to all of their family still fighting this and pray he doesn't get released. He doesn't deserve to live his life free. Death would be too good for him, let him rot in prison!"
And Donna Hopkins wrote: "Anne-Marie was my best friend and I miss them all every day. Time isn't a healer you just get used to the pain."
Petition backer Gemma Eden, who is a proud stepdaughter of Mr Tranter, added: "We want justice for them - Mike needs justice."
When the petition hits 15,000 the campaigners hope to get it debated in Parliament. It is currently on 10,800.
The petition can be found at change.org/p/government-ensure-a-killer-stays-inside-never-comes-out.
By David Tooley
Senior Reporter@TooleyMedia
Senior reporter at the Shropshire Star, focusing on the south of the county. Got a story? Get in touch at david.tooley@mnamedia.co.uk.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Non-Immigrant Visa
Immigration Court – Deportation Removal
Asylum and Credible Fear
Fiancé Visa
OFAC License
Criminal Defense for Non-U.S. Citizens
Law Office of Zahedi Forms
Located in Tyson's Corner Virginia
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A contract is a promise or set of promises that are legally enforceable and, if violated, allow the injured party access to legal remedies. Contract law recognizes and governs the rights and duties arising from agreements. In the Anglo-American common law, formation of a contract generally requires an offer, acceptance, consideration, and a mutual intent to be bound. Each party must have capacity to enter the contract. Although most oral contracts are binding, some types of contracts may require formalities such as being in the form of a signed, dated written agreement in order for a party to be bound to its terms.
In the civil law tradition, contract law is a branch of the law of obligations.
Law Office of Zahedi will prepare or review your contract for a personal or business use such as leasing or buying a business or place.
Located in Tyson's Corner Virginia at:
info@zahedilaw.com
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"Just Say No Deal" In The News
June 27, 2008 June 29, 2008 | Lady Boomer NYC
(Photo: Joshua Prezant for The Washington Post)
June 27, 2008 — On the day that the Democrats are attempting to unite disparate and passionate Obama and Clinton factions, Diane Mantouvalos says "Just Say No Deal" in Kevin Merida's WaPo Style Section feature interview. Puma PAC founder, Darragh Murphy, and therapist and video producer, Robin Murray, are also interviewed and linked. Read it here and write a comment!
Puma is making an impact. It was discussed on CNN, MSNBC, and C-SPAN in the commentary following the Unity event.
On C-SPAN's viewer call-in: 2:13 pm EDT — WaPo "The Fix" blogger, Chris Cillizza said the Just Say No Deal article was an important one. He continued that some Hillary supporters will not have their minds changed that she should be President. However, many ultimately will because issue upon issue they will have more in common with Obama than with McCain.
Puma also being discussed by pundits on MSNBC 2:20pm EDT. Question to a John McCain's campaign about how they're going to get the 23% of Hillary holdouts over to him?
On CNN, blogger Asma Gull Hasan wasn't feeling the Unity love. She wanted a female president, and said that the more qualified candidate isn't running. Originally a Republican, she feels that the candidates are being disingenuous by appearing together, and will be casting a protest vote for McCain.


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You are here: Home / How To Use The Internet – 50+ Free Tutorials (From Beginners To Advanced) / Defining The Internet – An Interactive Glossary To Help You Understand The Net / What Is A Modem? (And How Does It Differ From A Router) – WebsiteBuilders.com Glossary
What Is A Modem? (And How Does It Differ From A Router) – WebsiteBuilders.com Glossary
1 Modem
2 Frequently Asked Questions
2.1 What's the difference between a modem and a router?
2.2 Why do I need a different modem for a DSL Internet connection than for a Cable Internet connection?
3 Glossary Index
A modem is a piece of networking hardware that converts digital information into a signal that can be transmitted across the physical infrastructure of the Internet, and then decodes information received over the Internet back into a format understandable to a computer .
Modem is short for modulator-demodulator, and what a modem does is contained right in the name:
Modulator: Computers store and send information in digital format. However, Internet connections made over phone lines or cables must be transmitted in a specific format. A modem serves as modulator when it encodes digital information into a format suitable for transmission over the Internet.
Demodulator: When information is received over the Internet it must be decoded. A modem demodulates the signals received over cable and phone lines to decode the digital information that has been received.
When dial-up Internet connections were common, internal modems integrated into a computer were common. However, broadband modems, with integrated router functionality, are typically external devices and often supplied by an Internet Service Provider. The connection between the modem's integrated router and an Internet user's computer is usually made either with an Ethernet cable or wirelessly using WiFi.
Also See: Router, Broadband, WiFi
What's the difference between a modem and a router?
As we've just discussed, a modem is a device that establishes an Internet connection with an ISP over physical infrastructure such as a phone line or cable. While many modems include an integrated wireless router, a standalone modem without a router typically only includes a single Ethernet port which can be used to connect to the Internet.
A router cannot negotiate an Internet connection to an ISP without going through a modem. Instead, a router takes the Internet connection established by the modem and makes it accessible to more than one device at a time either by offering multiple Ethernet ports or by broadcasting the Internet connection as a WiFi signal.
Many modems today are modem-router combinations which can establish an Internet connection and then broadcast a WiFi signal. These types of devices are often supplied by an Internet Service Provider. However, wireless modems offering improved performance are also available from electronics retailers.
Why do I need a different modem for a DSL Internet connection than for a Cable Internet connection?
Phone lines, used to establish a DSL Internet connection, are used to carry information in the form of an electrical signal. Cables can be used to carry a signal using radio frequencies. Therefore, the signal emitted by a DSL modem and a cable modem are different to match the physical infrastructure over which the signal will be transmitted.
Glossary Index


The 70-744 episodes were produced in September, 2017, and Microsoft updated the objectives in November, 2017. We are currently in the process of updating all of the Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016 content to reflect the updates Microsoft has made to the exam objectives.
I enjoy you, Ronie and Don for the MS courses and I am hoping you three will continue to teach Microsoft courses. Please! and I mean please!
Hi Mike, would it be possible to let us know when the updated Windows Server 2016 content will be shot and released ?


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Home/Museum/About/Museum Blog/Searching for Jimmy
Searching for Jimmy
By: Christine B. Podmaniczky, Curator, N.C. Wyeth Collections and Historic Properties
In the winter of 1934-35, Andrew Wyeth and his soon-to-be brother-in-law, John McCoy, were studying under N. C. Wyeth in the famed artist's studio, working on many subjects side-by-side.
Andrew Wyeth (1917-2009), My Father's Studio, 1934, Oil on canvas, The Andrew and Betsy Wyeth Collection
John McCoy (1910-1989), Studio Still Life, 1934, Oil on canvas, Brandywine River Museum of Art, Gift of Anna B. McCoy, 2015
In the canvases above, young Wyeth and John McCoy painted the same still life composition, arranged on a table in N. C. Wyeth's studio. Each aspiring artist took a slightly different perspective, the result of easel placement, and each adopted his own sense of detail. The black hat seen hanging on a chair on the left must have been a studio prop, for it appears again in two portraits, one by Andrew and one by John, of the same model. The one by Andrew Wyeth is currently on display at the museum.
John McCoy, Jimmy, 1934, Oil on canvas, Brandywine River Museum of Art, Gift of Anna B. McCoy in honor of Frolic Weymouth's vision, 2015
In both Andrew Wyeth's portrait, and John McCoy's, pictured here, the sitter, with his gaunt face and inscrutable, taciturn expression, is presented as a compelling subject and Peter Hurd, another Wyeth brother-in-law, joined the two young artists as they painted. Hurd drew the sitter with the greasy black crayons used to make lithographs. The image below is of the lithographic print Peter Hurd made of the same man.
Peter Hurd (1904-1984), Pennsylvania Quaker, ca. 1934-35, Lithograph on paper, Brandywine River Museum of Art, Museum purchase, 2013
Which leads us to the question, who was the man? We know his first name was Jimmy—notes written later by John McCoy and Andrew Wyeth agree on this. He was referred to as a Quaker, but perhaps that only stems from the Quaker-style hat he wore while he posed. We believe he lived locally (in the Chadds Ford area) and we believe this portrait, titled Mita, was of his wife.
John McCoy (1910-1989), Mita, 1935, Oil on canvas, Gift of Anna B. McCoy in honor of Frolic Weymouth's vision, 2015
If anyone recognizes the man or his wife, please contact us at information@brandywine.org! We'd love to know more about this man who posed for 3 artists.
Coffee with a Curator: Annette Blaugrund
Andrew Stewart, Director of Marketing and Communications Learn More
The Brandywine River Museum of Art
1 Hoffman's Mill Road
Chadds Ford, PA 19317
The Brandywine River Museum of Art is a program of The Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art
Presenting Wyeth & American Art


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Dr. Huber's Research Team: The Masks "made COVID-19 Worse in Every Way... Masks have Quite a Hazardous Profile"
Huber has researched the mask issue extensively. The conclusion of her research team after publishing four peer-reviewed papers found that the masks "made COVID-19 worse in every way," due to oxygen deprivation, bacterial pneumonia, and more. Huber points to demographic data showing that mask use also correlated with higher rates of COVID-19, as well as the physics and chemistry of why.
"Masks have quite a hazardous profile," she said. - The Epoch Times and Dr. Colleen Huber's research team
The Epoch Times reported on the mask and what Naturopathic Medical Doctor, Dr. Colleen Huber, in her book "The Defeat of COVID" shows about "the scientific evidence related to COVID-1" and what her research team says about the "hazardous profile" of the mask:
Perhaps no aspect of COVID is more controversial than masks, and a lot of this confusion stems from very mixed messaging from the people promoting the practice. First, masks were said not to protect people from viral transmission, then, a month later they were considered essential daily wear for everyone. Earlier this year, two and three masks were recommended for even more protection.
The message on masks is still all over the place. A few months ago, officials stated that even after receiving a COVID vaccine, masks would still need to be worn until at least 2022 and possibly beyond. But recently, fully vaccinated individuals were permitted to go maskless indoors. However, many who have already received their jabs still choose to keep their face covered in public.
But the perceived safety features of mask wearing haven't stood up to real-world experience. In March, Texas and Mississippi lifted their state requirements on mask orders, despite warnings that the move would lead to a surge of new coronavirus cases and certain doom. Instead, death counts plummeted.
"Masks have quite a hazardous profile," she said. [https://www.theepochtimes.com/combing-through-the-science-of-covid_3859882.html]
Moreover, renowned statistician Dr. William Briggs, who is a consultant and adjunct Professor of Statistics at Cornell University with specialties in medicine and philosophy of science, gave a list of the "hazardous" effects of the mask:
Paper by Kai Kisielinski and a slew of others asks "Is a Mask That Covers the Mouth and Nose Free from Undesirable Side Effects in Everyday Use and Free of Potential Hazards?"
Before reading, guess the answer!
Le Abstract (with my added paragraphification):
Many countries introduced the requirement to wear masks in public spaces for containing SARS-CoV-2 making it commonplace in 2020…For a quantitative evaluation, 44 mostly experimental studies were referenced, and for a substantive evaluation, 65 publications were found. The literature revealed relevant adverse effects of masks in numerous disciplines. In this paper, we refer to the psychological and physical deterioration as well as multiple symptoms described because of their consistent, recurrent and uniform presentation from different disciplines as a Mask-Induced Exhaustion Syndrome (MIES).
We objectified evaluation evidenced changes in respiratory physiology of mask wearers with significant correlation of O2 drop and fatigue (p < 0.05), a clustered co-occurrence of respiratory impairment and O2 drop (67%), N95 mask and CO2 rise (82%), N95 mask and O2 drop (72%), N95 mask and headache (60%), respiratory impairment and temperature rise (88%), but also temperature rise and moisture (100%) under the masks. Extended mask-wearing by the general population could lead to relevant effects and consequences in many medical fields.
Here's the list of negative effects, documented across many papers (from their Figure 2, which I wish was a Table): lowered O2, uppered CO2, increased humidity and temp, increased breathing resistance, increased respiratory rate, increased blood pressure, cerebral vasodilation, increased heart rate, respiratory impairment, exhaustion and fatigue, drowsiness, dizziness, headache, psycho-vegetative effect (my favorite), decrease in empathy (brother!), itch, skin irritation, acne, rhinitis, voice disorder, false sense of security (ahem), bacterial contamination, fungal contamination, and, the best for last, viral contamination.
Even ignoring the wee p-values, the result are obvious. Masks are a cult. Don't think so? [https://wmbriggs.com/post/35507/]


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Nero Julius Caesar (c. AD 6–31) was the adopted grandson and heir of the Roman Emperor Tiberius, alongside his brother Drusus. Born into the prominent Julio-Claudian dynasty, Nero was the son of Tiberius' general and heir, Germanicus. After the deaths of his father and of Tiberius' son, Drusus the Younger, Nero and his brother Drusus were adopted together by Tiberius in September AD 23. As a result of being heirs of the emperor, he and his brother enjoyed accelerated political careers.

Sejanus, prefect of the Praetorian Guard, had become powerful in Rome and is believed by ancient writers such as Suetonius and Tacitus to have been responsible for the downfall of Drusus the Younger. As the power of Sejanus grew, other members of the imperial family began to fall as well. In AD 29, Tiberius wrote a letter to the Senate attacking Nero and his mother, and the Senate had them both exiled. Two years later, he died in exile on the island of Ponza. His brother Drusus also died in exile in AD 33. Their deaths allowed for the adoption and ascension of their younger brother, Caligula, following the death of Tiberius in AD 37.

Background and family
Nero was born around AD 6 to Germanicus and Agrippina the Elder. Nero's paternal grandparents were Nero Claudius Drusus (Drusus the Elder) and Antonia Minor, daughter of Mark Antony and Octavia Minor. His maternal grandparents were Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, a close friend of Augustus, and Augustus' daughter Julia the Elder. Nero had eight siblings: four brothers (Tiberius and Gaius Julius, who died young; Drusus Caesar; and Gaius, nicknamed "Caligula") , three sisters (Agrippina the Younger, Julia Drusilla, and Julia Livilla) and a brother or sister of unknown name (normally referenced as Ignotus).

As a member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, he was a close relative of all five Julio-Claudian emperors: his great-grandfather Augustus was the first emperor of the dynasty, his great-uncle Tiberius was the second emperor, his brother Gaius (Caligula) was the third emperor, his uncle Claudius was the fourth emperor, and his nephew Lucius Domitius (Nero) was the fifth and final emperor of the dynasty.

Nero's father was the adopted son of Tiberius, who was himself the adoptive son of Augustus, whose adoptions were the result of the death of Gaius Caesar in February AD 4. Gaius, who was the heir of Augustus, had died of illness in Syria. Germanicus was for some time considered the new heir by Augustus, but Augustus later decided in favour of his stepson Tiberius. As a result, in June AD 4, Augustus adopted Tiberius on the condition that Tiberius first adopt Germanicus. As a corollary to the adoption, Germanicus was wed to his second cousin Agrippina the Elder the following year.

In AD 13 Nero's  father was appointed commander of the forces on the Rhine, from where he led three campaigns into Germania against the forces of Arminius. His victories against the German tribes which had made him popular as he avenged the Roman defeat at the Battle of Teutoburg Forest. In October AD 14, Germanicus received a delegation from the Senate giving their condolences for the death of Augustus. Augustus had died in August and Tiberius became emperor, making Germanicus heir to the empire. At the direction of Tiberius, Germanicus was dispatched to Asia to reorganize the provinces and assert imperial authority there. However, after two years in the east, Germanicus came into conflict with the governor of Syria, Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso. During their feud, Germanicus fell ill and died in October AD 19.

While Nero's father was alive he had been betrothed to the daughter of Creticus Silanus, the one-time governor of Syria.  However, in AD 20, Nero married Julia, daughter of Livilla and Drusus the Younger (Tiberius' only son by Vipsania Agrippina).

Career

Nero's mother Agrippina believed her husband was murdered to promote Drusus the Younger as heir, and feared that the birth of his twin sons would give him a motive to displace her own sons. However, her fears were unfounded, with Nero being elevated by Tiberius. On 7 June AD 20, Nero was brought into the forum to receive the toga virilis, introduced into the Senate by Tiberius and Drusus the Younger, and was promised the office of quaestor in five years' time. He was excused from holding the lowest magistracy, the vigintivirate, and a congiaria of 60 denarii was distributed by Tiberius at his tirocinium. He was wed to Drusus the Younger's daughter, Julia, later that year combining the families of both possible lines of succession (that of Germanicus and Drusus the Younger). His brother Drusus was introduced to the Senate with similar honours in AD 23, and he too was promised the rank of quaestor in five years' time.

Heir to the principate
Following the death of Germanicus, Drusus the Younger was Tiberius' new heir. He received a second consulship in AD 21 and tribunicia potestas (tribunician power) in AD 22. At the same time, Praetorian Prefect Sejanus started to exert considerable influence over the emperor, who referred to Sejanus as Socius Laborum ("my partner in my toils"). Around AD 20, when Sejanus became the first of the equestrian order to hold the praetorship, a senatorial office, his daughter Aelia Junilla was born and swiftly betrothed to Nero's cousin, the boy Claudius Drusus, firstborn son of the future emperor Claudius. At the prospect of a familial bond between the Claudia gens and Sejanus's family, Drusus the Younger is reported by Tacitus to have said of Sejanus in disgust "the grandsons of us Drususes will be his grandsons too". (.) According to Tacitus and Cassius Dio, the Younger Drusus and Sejanus began bickering and entered a feud. Subsequently, Drusus became ill and died of seemingly natural causes on 14 September AD 23. Claudius Drusus also died before reaching adulthood. Ancient sources suggested that the cause of Drusus' death was poison, whereas modern authors like Barbara Levick are more sceptical, suggesting it may have been illness.

The death of the Younger Drusus left no immediate threat to Sejanus. Ultimately, his death elevated Nero and his brother Drusus to the position of heirs. In effect, this led to the formation of factions, with one faction around Nero and Drusus and their mother Agrippina and the other faction linked to Sejanus. While the full extent of Sejanus' power at this point is uncertain, it can be noted that Sejanus was not allowed to marry Livilla (Drusus the Younger's widow) and was thus denied entry into the imperial family. In the Senate, Sejanus encountered little opposition from the senators, but Tiberius expressed displeasure in the Senate, in AD 24, at the public prayers which had been offered for Nero and his brother Drusus' health.

In AD 28, the Senate voted that altars to Clementia (mercy) and Amicitia (friendship) be raised. At that time, Clementia was considered a virtue of the ruling class, for only the powerful could give clemency. The altar of Amicitia was flanked by statues of Sejanus and Tiberius. By this time, Sejanus' association with Tiberius had reached the point where members of Roman society were erected statues in his honour and gave prayers and made sacrifices in his honour. Sejanus' birthday was honoured as if he were a member of the imperial family. According to the author and historian Richard Alston, "Sejanus' association with Tiberius must have at least indicated to the people that he would be further elevated".

Downfall
The very next year saw a direct attack on Agrippina and Nero.  Tiberius sent a letter to the Senate in which he accused Agrippina and Nero of misconduct, but was unable to convict them of any attempt at rebellion.  The attitude of the former and the sexual activity of the latter were the primary accusations against them. Agrippina was popular with the people, as was the family of Germanicus, and the people surrounded the senate-house carrying likenesses of the two in protest against the latter. The Senate refused to come to a resolution on the matter until it received a clear direction from the emperor to do so. Tiberius found it necessary to repeat his charges, and when he did, the Senate no longer delayed; the fate of Agrippina and Nero was sealed. Nero was declared an enemy of the state, removed to the island of Pontia, and was killed or encouraged to kill himself in AD 31. According to Suetonius, he put an end to his own life when the executioner appeared before him with the instruments of death.

Post mortem
His brother Drusus was later also exiled on similar charges of sexual misdemeanours. Sejanus remained powerful until his sudden downfall and summary execution in October AD 31, just after the death of Nero.  The specific reasons for his downfall remain unclear. Alston suggests that Sejanus may have been doing a favour for Tiberius by removing Germanicus' family from power, noting that Agrippina and Nero's brother Drusus were left in exile even after Sejanus' death.

The deaths of Germanicus' oldest sons elevated his third son, Gaius Caesar (Caligula), to successor and he became princeps when Tiberius died in AD 37. Drusus the Younger's son Tiberius Gemellus was summoned to Capri by his grandfather Tiberius, where he and Gaius Caligula were made joint-heirs. When Caligula assumed power, he made Gemellus his adopted son, but Caligula soon had Gemellus killed for plotting against him.

In AD 37, Nero's bones were returned to Rome and interred at the Mausoleum of Augustus by Caligula.

Ancestry

See also
 Julio-Claudian family tree

References

Bibliography

Primary sources

 Cassius Dio, Roman History Book 58, English translation
 Suetonius, Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Life of Tiberius, Latin text with English translation
 Tacitus, Annals, I–IV, English translation

Secondary sources

 Rose, Charles Brian, Dynastic Commemoration and Imperial Portraiture in the Julio-Claudian Period. Cambridge, 1997, nr. 17, pp. 66–67.

External links

AD 6 births
31 deaths
Julio-Claudian dynasty
1st-century Romans
Nero
People executed by the Roman Empire
Executed ancient Roman people
Ancient Roman exiles
Burials at the Mausoleum of Augustus
Children of Tiberius
Children of Germanicus
Ancient Roman adoptees
Heirs apparent who never acceded

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Q: Retrieving image stored in a network folder? I am trying to create a header for a TeX file that includes an image.  The image in question is located in the network directory "\\FileStore1\Forms\IT Info\Apps\pdfTex\images\", and I am having a terrible time getting the pdflatex.exe to not throw an error.
Attached is my code, any and all help is greatly appreciated.
\documentclass[letterpaper]{article}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\usepackage{fancyhdr}
\usepackage{lipsum}
%\usepackage[space]{grffile}
\pagestyle{fancy}
\graphicspath{//FileStore1/Forms/IT Info/Apps/pdfTex/images}
%\graphicspath{{./../../images/}}
\setlength{\topmargin}{-.5in}
\setlength{\textheight}{8in}
\setlength{\headheight}{51.1pt}
\renewcommand{\headrulewidth}{0pt}
\renewcommand{\footrulewidth}{0pt}
\begin{document}
\lhead{\includegraphics[keepaspectratio=true]{head.png}}
\rhead{Company Name\\
Street Address\\
City, State ZIP\\
phone number}
\lfoot{This is an auto-generated report}
blah blah blah\\
foo bar\\
\begin{center}
\begin{tabular}{l c}
Key & Data\\
1 & 2
%<TableData>
\end{tabular}
\end{center}
\lipsum[1-10]
\end{document}

Edit 1:
Following a suggestion from Mr. Oberdiek, I changed/added the following 2 lines
\usepackage{grffile}
\graphicspath{{\\FileStore1\Forms\IT Info\Apps\pdfTex\images\}}

A: *

*\usepackage{grffile} adds support for the space.

*The path entries in \graphicspath are surrounded by braces. Thus if one path is used, two pair of braces are needed, e.g.: \graphicspath{{images/}}.

*The path entries in \graphicspath should end with the directory separator, because the graphics package makes a simple concatenation of the path and image name. It does not take care of directory separators, ...

*Backslashes are interpreted as start of TeX commands by TeX, thus forward slashes are used instead (Windows supports them except on the command line).

Summary:
\usepackage{grffile}% option space is the default for the supported drivers
\graphicspath{{//FileStore1/Forms/IT Info/Apps/pdfTex/images/}}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Fred graduated from Lafayette College in 2006 with a Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering. He then made his way out to the University of Washington to work on snow hydrology and field studies in Yosemite National Park. His research compared the performance of snowmelt models in complex terrain and their adaptability to changing climate patterns. After receiving his MSCE in 2008 he joined Northwest Hydraulic Consultants, where he primarily works on hydrologic & hydraulic modeling and field studies. Fred's newfound free time is spent traveling, seeing music, cooking, and getting out on the water.


What was expected to be like to be a day of consolidation turned out to be a day of buy-on-dips as the S&P BSE Sensex rallied over 250 points on March 19 while Nifty50 closed above March 18 intraday high of 11,530.
The final tally on D-Street: The S&P BSE Sensex rallied 268 points to 38,363 while the Nifty50 gained 70 points to close at 11,532.
Rallying for the seventh consecutive day in a row, benchmark indices hit a 6-month high. The Bank Nifty touched a record closing high, led by gains in PNB, Bank of Baroda, Federal Bank, SBI, and Axis Bank.
FMCG, telecom and energy indices rose over 1 percent each while capital goods, auto, and metal indices saw a bit of profit-taking.
The S&P BSE Mid-cap index rose 0.52 percent and the S&P BSE Small-cap index ended 0.37 percent higher.
On the technical charts, Nifty continues to trade above its 5-day exponential moving average (EMA) and nullified the negative implication of Long Legged Doji kind of pattern formed on March 18, which suggests the momentum remains intact.
Strong liquidity is something which is fuelling a rally in Indian markets suggest experts, and the index is on track to hit 11,700, possibly new highs by March-end.
"The trend is clearly heading north and given that we crossed 11,500 on the upside, it could lead to some bit of short coverings that can take the index towards 10,700," Ashish Chaturmohta, Head of Technical and Derivatives at Sanctum Wealth Management told Moneycontrol.
"In terms of talking about specific stocks in the mid-cap space, we like Bharat Electronics, Can Fin Homes, DCB Bank where we are seeing a strong breakout on weekly as well as monthly charts," he said.
He further added that Nifty stocks that are in momentum are likely to keep buzzing such as ICICI Bank, Axis Bank and IndusInd Bank as they still have room for another 5 percent upside. ITC has the potential to give 7-8 percent return from current levels, Chaturmohta said.
Shares of MindTree fell nearly 2 percent after L&T said on March 18 it would buy 20.32 percent stake at Rs 980 per share in MindTree for Rs 3,269 crore from early investor V G Siddhartha. L&T fell 1.5 percent on Nifty.
The share price of Jet Airways slipped 3 percent after Etihad Airways, who is the major holder in the company informed that it may not invest further in the company.
Shares of Reliance Communications rose 10 percent to hit the upper circuit after the Anil Ambani-led company said it paid Rs 550 crore to Swedish company Ericsson.
Hotel Leela Venture ended 5 percent higher after the company decided to sell its hospitality and hotel operations business on a slump sale basis to Brookfield.
European markets are trading higher ahead of the outcome of Federal Reserve's monetary policy meeting which set to kick off later on March 19.
Nikkei ended flat at 21,566.85 and Kospi closed marginally lower at 2,177.62.


text:
Samsung intros next Tizen smartphone for India
HomeDevicesNews
Samsung unveiled its next-generation Tizen-powered smartphone, targeting the Indian market, which it said will "provide the features that will help consumers capitalise on the growing Tizen ecosystem".
Targeting the Indian market, the device sees a general specification bump over the previous Z1, although it is still very much mid-tier. This is reflected in the pricing, at INR8,490 ($130).
"As a pioneer of Tizen platform, we have continuously introduced Tizen-based mobile devices, including Z1 and Gear S2, in our commitment to develop the Tizen ecosystem," said Jong-Kyun Shin, CEO and head of the IT & Mobile Business at Samsung Electronics.
Features highlighted include an "ultra power saving mode", which enables standby of up to 33 hours with less than ten per cent of battery life, and "ultra data saving mode", which uses data compression and management for up to 40 per cent less data usage.
Playing to the local market, it also features a My Galaxy app which offers "various exclusive services, local deals, entertainment content, continuous value on extensively used categories like recharge, travel, movies, fashion etc, and post purchase assistance".
It has a 5-inch HD screen, 1.3GHz quadcore processor with 1GB of RAM, 3G connectivity, 8MP rear and 5MP front cameras, 8GB of onboard storage and microSD slot.
In comparison, Z1 has a 4-inch WVGA screen, 1.2GHz dualcore processor with 768MB of RAM, 3.1MP rear and VGA front cameras, and 4GB of onboard storage with microSD slot.
According to reports earlier this year, Samsung was readying a range of Tizen devices, including higher-spec devices, although this does not appear to be the case for now.
It has been suggested that Samsung has shifted more than 1 million units of Z1, meaning that while the device is hardly a runaway success, it is also far from a flop.
Z3 will be available in India from October 2015, in gold, black and silver.
Previous ArticleOnePlus set for another product launch
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Steve works across all of Mobile World Live's channels and played a lead role in the launch and ongoing success of our apps and devices services. He has been a journalist...More
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The magic nomadic Tinariwen chose America's Mojave desert to record their sixth album and as in their previous efforts a barren landscape inspires fruitful music. A primordial coil of transcendent chemistry, "Emmaar," feverishly teeters between electric shaman trance-rock and acoustic tribal-blues grooves; knotted labyrinths twisted around hallucinogenic tensions drawing numerous luminous traditions to unleash waves upon waves of shimmering synergy. This six-piece band's steady meditations erupt in ecstatic flashes as thin whirlwind rhythms conjure hypnotics beats beneath murmuring prayers and snake-charmer guitar; Formed in an Algerian refugee camp thirty-five years ago, the band has literally fought to create their music, uniting a brotherhood that transcends political and cultural boundaries. In what will surely be a mind-altering performance, Mali's finest play Madison's Majestic Theater April 8th.


text:
Damn, double damn, and an extra pint of damn for the weekend.
Most gods throw dice, but Fate plays chess, and you don't find out til too late that he's been playing with two queens all along
I've been somewhat remiss in posting about the card & board game exploits of our irregular (in many senses) gaming group. Over the past couple of years we've tackled a fair assortment of cardboard-based diversions, many covered during Murdering of Time, or in textual form at The Azadian and Power Armoured Beard. Settlers of Catan, Carcassonne, Dominion, Thunderstone, Small World, Battlestar Galactica, Ticket to Ride, amongst others, have been big hits, and last weekend featured a couple of new additions to The Shute Library.
Gloom, as seen on Wil Wheaton's Tabletop, is a card game in which the objective is to make your family as miserable as possible, and then kill them off. Gloomy, eh? As well as making your own family unhappy, you can play cards on other families that make them more happy, although of course that makes their player unhappy. It's something of an emotional rollercoaster… The cards are nicely done, being transparent, so they can be stacked up to cancel out or enhance previous effects. A lot of the fun is in the storytelling that players are encouraged (though not obligated) to do to explain precisely how the family member in question became Popular in Parliament, or was Devoured by Weasels. In our game there was a particularly action-packed park where, amongst other improbable happenings, a teddy bear (with a human brain) Found Love by the Lake (in the form of a swan, apparently), while a hapless explorer was Drowned by Ducks after being Pursued by Poodles. We had six players, using additional families from a couple of expansion packs (but not the extra rules, while we got used to things), and the only slight problem was that the game dragged a little. We used all five family members for each player, and cutting that down to four as the rules suggested for a four player game, or even three, would've probably been ideal; as it was it took too long to kill off an entire family, especially with action cards preventing several untimely demises.
Lords of Waterdeep is a Dungeons & Dragons boardgame without many dungeons, or indeed dragons. It's about gaining power and influence in the city, mostly by collecting resources, then spending those resources to complete 'quests'. To stick to the D&D theme the resources you collect are Fighters, Rogues, Mages and Clerics, but with a bit of a tweak to the fluff text they could just as well be Brick, Wood, Sheep and Wheat. You might pick up a few references to Elminster or Zhentil Keep or something if you're into the Forgotten Realms, but there's no need to have any D&D knowledge at all. Like many games it seemed confusing and overcomplicated when pressing out hundreds of cardboard tokens and first reading the rules, but it only took a couple of turns to get the hang of things, and it rattled along very nicely after that.
On a bit of a stroll around the forums of boardgamegeek.com, I think I stumbled across the boardgame equivalent of the MMOG "theme park" vs "sandbox" debate: "German-style" vs "American-style" games. In neither argument do the terms have a concrete definition, more a series of characteristics; in neither argument is there a "right" answer, just personal preference, with many people perfectly happy to play games of, or with characteristics of, either or both types. Naturally, then, there's no shortage of flamewars burrowing into deep semantic rabbit warrens as participants attempt to convince each other that their subjective personal opinion is The Truth. As The Economist put it, "arguing over what the difference is seems to be gamers' second-favourite pastime." Today's xkcd is strangely aposite, fractal nesting of subcultures indeed.
It turns out I'm generally on the Eurogame side of the fence, particularly the element: "There is very little randomness or luck. Randomness that is there is mitigated by having the player decide what to do after a random event happens rather than before. Dice are rare, but not unheard of." It's something of a surprise; dice, for me, are inextricably linked to games, from early family games (Ludo, Monopoly etc.) through the polyhedral splendour of RPGs, but sure enough there's a remarkable paucity of dice in the games I've enjoyed; Small World and Battlestar Galactica feature a little bit of rolling, Settles of Catan uses 2d6 per turn, but as a randomising element rather than resolving actions. On the other hand Blood Bowl decides almost everything with dice, and I didn't get on with that at all, though I still haven't tried it against a human opponent. Blood Bowl: Team Manager, though, a card game, was excellent. We tried Last Night on Earth once as well, a zombie boardgame. It didn't help that, thanks to certain cards being played, two of us human players missed our first two turns, a pointlessly frustrating start that might've coloured my view of the rest of the game, but then there was all the rolling; roll a dice to see how far you move, roll dice to determine the outcome of fights, roll dice to see if more zombies turn up, yada yada. Not my cup of tea at all.
It's not that I've suddenly become dice-phobic; Zombie Dice are great fun, and there's something oddly satisfying about throwing a massive handful of dice to resolve a ludicrous short-range broadside in Uncharted Seas. I can certainly understand the arguments in their favour, the dramatic tension that dice rolls can bring, but for whatever reason I've enjoyed the diceless games more. It might retrospectively explain why I was more into the theory and fluff of RPGs and wargames than actually playing.
There'll never be an end to the debate, though. Even Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking are in on it, both trying to co-opt God to their side of the argument. Einstein's famous "God does not play dice" suggests He is more of a Eurogamer, whereas Hawking counters with "Not only does God definitely play dice, but He sometimes confuses us by throwing them where they can't be seen." So I'm definitely not inviting Him round for a game of Blood Bowl.
This entry was posted in boardgames, games, zoso on August 15, 2012 by Zoso.
Moving with superior velocity, achieving a more elevated altitude, raising an item of greater mass
"Hello sports fans! Welcome to this live coverage of the results of the bidding process for the inugral MMOlympics. I'm Clifford Prodger"
"And I'm Barry Bumgardener"
"Frequently. Now, as Olympic fever sweeps much of the world, it's surprising that, until now, no MMOGs have been getting in on the act, perhaps with some sort of in-game tie-in event"
"Perhaps not *that* surprising, Clifford, as those Olympic types are really rather keen on their brand protection, backed up by the Olympic Symbol etc. (Protection) Act 1995 (OSPA) to prevent unauthorised association with the games."
"That's true. Still, we…"
"In fact after consulting the Brand Protection document, I'm shocked by the flagrant manner in which many existing online entertainments are flouting the guidelines."
"Yes, anyway, it…"
"The Olympic rings, for example, are quite clearly a protected symbol, and yet how many MMOGs unashamedly include rings as items of jewellery, hmmm?"
"That's not really…"
"MORE DAMNING STILL! Listed expressions are: any two of the words in list A below OR any word in list A with one or more of the words in list B below:"
"I think we're straying slightly from the…"
"LIST A: Games, Two Thousand and Twelve, 2012, Twenty-Twelve. LIST B: London, medals, sponsors, summer, gold, silver, bronze. How many so-called massively multiplayer online GAMES (list A) feature items made of GOLD, SILVER or indeed BRONZE (list B), hmmm? Hmmm? ANSWER ME!"
"Why don't you have a little sit down and a couple of dried frog pills, Barry, you're frothing slightly there."
"Partially. Now, in no way cashing in on any other event taking place, the International MMOlympic Committee…"
"International MMO-generic sporting event Committee, you mean?"
"Yes, yes, we'll do a find-and-replace on the tape before its broadcast"
"We're live, Clifford"
"All right, we'll do find-and-replace on the brains of everyone watching. The International MMOlympic Committee have asked for bids to hold the inaugural MMOlympics, but as it's such a massive undertaking, too much for any single game, the process is broken down on an event-by-event basis."
"C'est vrai. That's right."
"Why the French, Barry?"
"Je ne sais pas, je viens juste à l'envie de tout dire en français d'abord, puis de le répéter en anglais. I don't know, I just got the urge to say everything in French first, and then repeat it in English."
"Probably the dried frog pills. Anyway, first up: the opening ceremony. What the Committee are really looking for here is spectacle, something with a real sense of scale, something that looks, as Oscar Wilde would say, batshit insane."
"And the winner is… a troop of werewolves wearing top hats riding rockets accompanied by flying carpets, mammoths, trikes and Lady Gaga's Poker Face dance. Yes, the opening ceremony will be held in Stormwind City, World of Warcraft."
"On to the actual sporting events now. First up: Archery. Now the bidding was particularly fierce for this one, wasn't it Barry?"
"It certainly was, Clifford, and it looks like the committee have hedged their bets slightly by awarding Archery to: All Of Them! Or, to be technically accurate, Almost All Of Them, Apart From A Few Of The Modern-Day Or Sci-Fi Ones, Though Even City Of Heroes Has Archery Powersets"
"And speaking of City of Heroes, there's celebration from Paragon Studios as their superhero MMOG is awarded the Athletics"
"In keeping with the brand-protection-compliant non-infringing motto of the MMOlympics, 'Moving with superior velocity, achieving a more elevated altitude, raising an item of greater mass', it was the travel powers of City of Heroes that clinched it, particularly Super Speed and Super Jump. There's some controversy over use of the Flight power, though, and whether it would result in a long jump distance of 'infinity' or 'until the map runs out'"
"More good news for hero games now, as Gymnastics goes to: Champions Online. DC Universe Online pushed them hard, both games featuring Acrobatics as a travel power, but the versatility of Champions clinched it with Swinging, Jet Boots and Ice Sliding offering a variety of performance options."
"It's the Swimming next, and the committee have opted for Lord of the Rings Online, thanks to fond memories of time spent swimming around Lake Evendim with a strange sort of butterfly-esque porpoising movement for maximum speed. LotRO also secures Equestrianism; though plenty of games allow players to ride horses, it already has (sort of) show jumping in its festival races, so only needs the addition of a mounted /dance emote for the horse to stage the dressage as well."
"On to Cycling; a bit trickier, bicycles being rather less common than horses in MMOGs, but the hi-tech approach of the British team that's aroused some suspicion must surely lead eventually to hover-speeder-bikes, so step forward Star Wars: The Old Republic, helped by the fact that the cycling helmets are already suitable for Sith Lords."
"Guns might not be quite as prevalent in the genre as bows, but there were still a lot of options for the Shooting. The committee felt that tab-targeting and AoE fire was a bit like cheating, though, ruling out bids from The Secret World and the superhero MMOs, amongst others. World of Tanks was a strong contender, but the vehicles had an unfortunate habit of demolishing the rifle range, so in the end they've opted for another game where you actually need to aim your weapon: Fallen Earth. There could be a shift in the future, though, as the possibility of laser guns being used in competition means that phaser shooting from Star Trek Online will also be in as a demonstration event."
"Now Barry, one of the more popular events is the Beach Volleyball"
"You're certainly a big fan, aren't you Clifford?"
"Who isn't, Barry? It needs great strength and endurance to run and jump on energy-sapping sand, so the competitors are supremely fit. Really fit. Supremely fit and toned. Lithe, toned, fit bodies, glistening with a supremely sheen of toned sweat, lithe…"
"Here, I think you might need these dried frog pills. Anyway, get your mind out of the gutter Clifford, there's far more to the sport than the stereotypical ogling of scantily clad ladies."
"They let *ladies* play now? Whatever next. Of course you're right, though, Barry, which is why the MMOlympic Beach Volleyball will be held in TERA, although there was a strong showing from the spellcasting classes of Guild Wars 2"
"'Showing' being the operative word, eh? Eh?"
"I rather think you'll find 'plinth' is the operative word, actually. A slight pause now, as we wait for the committee to announce the venue for Sailing"
"Now, Clifford, I've got a theory for this one. I reckon they'll opt for The Secret World"
"Correct me if I'm wrong, Barry, but… there's no sailing in The Secret World, is there? I mean Kingsmouth is a fishing port, but you don't actually go out sailing at all."
"Aaaah! You're thinking too literally, Clifford. Watching a sailing race, you see, is very confusing; there are boats everywhere, heading in different directions as they try and make best use of the wind, to the untrained eye it looks like complete chaos, but to an insider, one with secret knowledge, the scene resolves itself, as in television coverage when they project arcane lines and geometries to show who is actually leading, and that's a lot like the Dragon society in The Secret World, seeing order in chaos, aaaaaaahhhhh! Aaaahhhh!"
"No, not 'aaaahhh', Barry, the committee have opted for Pirates of the Burning Sea. Because you sail in it. With wind direction and everything."
"How unimaginative. Mind you, note for the actual Olympics: a couple of 12 pound bow chasers per yacht would definitely make things more exciting."
"Pirates of the Burning Sea also put a bid in for Fencing, pointing out that one of the fighting styles in the game actually is 'fencing', but the committee took a dim view of the additional use of flintlock pistols. From a packed field of All Of Them, Even The Modern Day And Sci-Fi Ones, they've opted for Age of Conan, as it at least tried to be a bit different with its directions of attack and blocking."
"On to the Diving. Several candidates here, but the committee felt that the title of "AHHHHHHH" in Warhammer: Age of Reckoning was a nice touch, and a bit of a consolation prize for unsuccessful competitors."
"A bit of a grab-bag now, as the committee have decided to combine Boxing, Judo, Taekwondo and Wrestling into a sort of Mixed Martial Art free-for-all contested by Monks from Dungeons and Dragons Online, Martial Arts Scrappers from City of Heroes, and pretty much anyone else, so long as they don't equip a weapon or cast a spell. Outside interference from party members or henchmen will be closely monitored."
"And to round it all off, another grab-bag of 'Sports ending in -ball', to be represented by the Huttball warzone in Star Wars: The Old Republic"
"It's not a perfect match, of course, Barry, with all that aggression and violence"
"You're quite right, Clifford, Handball had to be toned down rather for an online equivalent"
"That was a very humorous confounding of my expectations"
"Toned. Well that's the end of the major sporting events, the committee are just going through a few of the unsuccessful bids. They were very impressed by the Mechwarrior Online proposal to stage every sport using precisely re-created digital versions of the current Olympic stadiums and venues, but with all the human competitors replaced by 20 metre tall 100 ton Atlas Battlemechs, but felt the logistics might be too much for a single game. If the Athletics had been split into sub-events then the multiple soul options in Rift would have stood it in good stead for the heptathlon and decathlon, and the committee did concede that jumping between systems in EVE Online was, indeed, quite a long jump. The original Guild Wars application had to be turned down, though, as it turned out they thought it said non-jump, not long jump. Final Fantasy XI were going to submit an application for the marathon, but didn't get it in in time as they were stuck in a boss fight."
"And in terms of infrastructure, the MMOlympic Village is to be provided by EverQuest 2 and Wildstar housing."
"That just leaves the vital job of security, no less important for online games than real world sports."
"You're not wrong, Barry, and after studying the sterling work done by G4S for the London Olympics, only one company could offer similarly stringent online security: SOE."
"Or, in breaking news, Blizzard"
"That's strangely topical, didn't news of the battle.net hack happen the day after this post?"
"It certainly did, Clifford, which is why this segment was edited in afterwards."
"B-bye!"
This entry was posted in mmo, zoso on August 9, 2012 by Zoso.
Oh death, where is thy sting?
I had been having some trouble, I can admit that much; I wouldn't say that my dungeon run in Dungeons & Dragons Online was a nightmare, but I had been struggling through somewhat, with each fight having to be a careful pull and kite in order to maximise my time spent actually playing the game, rather than sitting around licking my wounds.
It's all part of my holding pattern while I wait for Guild Wars 2 to arrive: I dabble solo in this game and that, not really finding the enthusiasm to play any single game with the traditional idolatrous fervour of the MMO addict. We're on the taxiway with Air ArenaNet now, and the air of anticipation means that I can't concentrate on anything – sometimes snapping alert as though from a daze, whereupon I find myself staring blankly at a half-finished inflight magazine which I don't remember opening, let alone reading. Soon the engines of anticipation will build to full power, the excitement and tension palpable, the thrumming power of that passion, held in check, causing the cabin of the community to vibrate. The allotted take-off window arrives, and with the flip of a switch… release. A roar of exultation follows, our craft swiftly gathering momentum in its eager urgency, then with a swell and a sigh we launch, soaring onward to the peregrine climes of Tyria.
In the meantime, I really am an irascible git with respect to my gaming patience, to the point that I'm actually spending most of my time reading.
Nevertheless, I did, at some point, find myself struggling through a dungeon in DDO. It so happened that I reached a point where I could no longer progress without aid: a lever needed to be operated while another person would run through a series of gates. Having come quite far, I decided to purchase a hireling and complete my otherwise solo sortie with a little help. Being a melee sort, I decided to grab a cleric hireling, and that's when I was reminded by just how much healing changes the game.
Just like that, my character became an irrepressible and immortal being. Where before I was tentative and circumspect, I was now transformed into a hooligan – there are those who would think themselves hooligans, but they would be compelled to stare agape at my antics and call out 'Steady on there old chap, have a care!'. I was suddenly pulling whole groups of skeletons, pulling additional groups of skeletons, pulling the sisters of those groups of skeletons. It was carnage, at the end of which I would stand panting in the midst of a bone pile that would make Razorfen Downs blush, and my health bar would still be reading 'Don't know what all the fuss is about'. That was just for starters, then… then I got blasé. It's all a bit of a blur, but I do know that by the end of it I was running back and forth naked through a series of traps, dragging a train of skeletons behind me, while I sang U Can't Touch This. I do remember riding a clay golem. And trying to goose a fire elemental with a stick of dynamite. If we stopped to rest but briefly, I would imagine I was calmly sitting in the camp fire, stirring the embers with my feet and watching my health bar drop and rise, drop and rise.
I'm curious to see how Guild Wars 2's healing works — whether support classes and group healing will become the essential crutch that they are in other MMOs, or if ArenaNet will find a way to balance encounters such that they are required only in the direst of situations. That's what I hope for, not for a removal of healing altogether, but a return to it being a tactical decision, an occasional counter to an enemy's pressed attack, rather than a vital constant where defeat is ensured if it ever goes away. GW2 certainly seems to have less emphasis on healing, and the downed mechanic makes death less of a certainty once that health bar has dropped to zero.
It's somewhat sad that abundant healing enables our characters to achieve so much, yet restricts them so much the more if it is then ever absent. With GW2 I'm hoping to find a freer form of gameplay, although never so free as yee-hawing naked on a bucking golem through the impotent defensive lines of the minions of darkness, I grant you.
This entry was posted in ddo, guild wars 2, melmoth, mmo and tagged ddo, guild wars 2, melmoth, mmo on August 7, 2012 by Melmoth.
Egotism, n: Doing the New York Times crossword puzzle with a pen
(BBBC Spoiler Warning: this post contains light spoilers for the Dead Air mission of The Secret World)
There's an excellent example of an investigation mission early in The Secret World where you need to repair a radio mast. Examining a plate reveals the mast's model number and website of the manufacturer (http://manticore.orochi-group.com). Looking up the model number on the site reveals "… provisional repairs can be carried out without recourse to specialized parts and labour. Primary components: brackets, anchors, antennas, lightning arrestors. Provisional repair materials: household adhesives, conductors and amplifiers." It might as well say "Have you played an MMO before? Just go and click on anything that looks clickable", but y'know, it's a nice touch. Having taped a bunch of random bits of metal to the mast it starts working again, and strange beeps start emerging… Is it malfunctioning? Is it tuned to a radio station broadcasting the very cutting edge of monotonic electro jazz fusion funk? No, obviously it's Morse code, I was just trying to build tension there.
At this point you have two options: you could jot down the dots and dashes, find the Morse alphabet and manually decode the message, or you could download an app, hold a smartphone up to the speakers and have it do that hard work. Or you could just Google the solution, of course, so three options. Or find a friend who knows Morse code, four options… OK, *amongst* your options are such diverse elements as: fear, surprise, ruthless efficiency and a smartphone app. I downloaded "Morse Code Reader", cranked up the headphone volume, held the phone up, and as glowing green letters started appearing on the screen spelling out a message I thought "that's rather nifty".
For me the various elements were pitched about spot-on, interesting and diverting without being frustrating. Another mission, The Kingsmouth Code, was a *smidge* on the esoteric side in a couple of places; never the full head-scratching madness of adventure game logic, but at a couple of points I'd deduced some elements of a clue and needed a little nudge to put everything together (hurrah for Dulfy and some great guides that give hints as well as spoiler-tagged solutions).
Last night I was investigating one of the new missions added in the latest patch with Kris, and after some fun collaborative puzzle solving on voice chat ("A series of letters and numbers, what could it be? Co-ordinates? A numeric substitution cipher of some sort? Let's run around randomly and see if there's something to click on!") we found a van, and the headlights started blinking in (presumably) Morse code. Without an app to decode the message, though, the prospect of trying to manually decode the flashing didn't appeal at all, so it was straight off to Google for the solution. Of course not every player owns a smartphone, or would necessarily want to bother to download a Morse code app, but for me the audio version was a nifty puzzle, the visual version was some tedium to be avoided. Some players doubtless solved The Kingsmouth Code in seconds, while simultaneously doing cryptic crosswords in both The Times and The Telegraph, others probably didn't even pause to read the in-game text before hitting Google to find out where to go and what to click next, it must be difficult to pitch things for such a wide audience.
I got into codes and ciphers early with The KnowHow Book of Spycraft, simple things like pigpen, then later the work at Bletchley Park in World War II was the perfect combination of military and technological history to fire my interest. Simon Singh's The Code Book contained a £10,000 Cipher Challenge, I had a crack at it, and was pretty chuffed to solve some of the early ciphers with a bit of coding, like a program to calculate letter frequencies for various possible keyword lengths of a Vigenère cipher, but gave up on the later, really rather tough stages. A bit of deciphering in The Secret World could be fun, but again very difficult to pitch; Fez included a particularly challenging puzzle that's interesting to read about, but it sounded pretty frustrating to be involved with.
There is nothing new under the sun, though; Richard Bartle wrote an interesting post looking at some puzzles from MUD1, including a link to an article on the pros and cons from 1985. There's even a few unsolved puzzles, or at least solved puzzles where the derivation has been lost; I presume the pronunciation question is based on the heteronyms of Polish (nationality) and polish (make something shiny), but as there are other five letter heteronyms it's the sort of pub quiz question that causes fights in the car park, even if the "block capitals" part implies case is crucial…
This entry was posted in mmo, the secret world, zoso on August 3, 2012 by Zoso.
Take Courage! Whatever you decide to do, it will probably be the wrong thing.
I like the original on the left because I based her on Isabela from Dragon Age 2.
I like the one on the right because I think she looks more like a classic Norn, such as Jora[1]
But which one should I play as my Chesney Hawkes? My 'not going to re-roll, sticking to my guns, this is it, final answer, no alts until I hit the level cap'?
There's only one way to find out!
FIGHT![2]
[1] I still need to tweak the mouth somewhat, so it doesn't look as though her greatest enemy was not Jormag but an industrial class collagen injection machine.
[2] Or have a vote. Or roll a dice. Or see which one turns up first in my dreams wearing a wetsuit full of jelly—I've said too much.
This entry was posted in guild wars 2, melmoth, mmo and tagged guild wars 2, melmoth, mmo on August 1, 2012 by Melmoth.


text:
Асистентура-стажування — освітній рівень  вищої освіти призначений для одержання вищої кваліфікації з фаху на основі раніше здобутого рівня магістра (або освітньо-кваліфікаційного рівня «спеціаліста»).

Асистентура-стажування проводиться в університетах, академіях, інститутах і є основною післядипломною формою підготовки науково-педагогічних, творчих і виконавських фахівців мистецького спрямування.

Фінансування підготовки асистентів-стажистів здійснюється за рахунок держвного замовлення (за рахунок бюджету) або фізичних і юридичних осіб.

Прийом на навчання здійснюється на конкурсній основі незалежно від форми фінансування. Вступники до асистентури-стажування складають вступні іспити з спеціальності, яка відповідає обраній ними творчої спеціальності, а також з іноземної мови.

В рік закінчення вищого навчального закладу необхідно мати рекомендацію Вченої ради, в іншому випадку - не менше двох років практичної роботи за фахом і рекомендацію з місця роботи.

Навчання в асистентурі-стажування здійснюється з відривом від виробництва. Термін навчання – 2 роки. Періоди, коли стажист з поважних причин не має можливості займатися навчанням, не включається до терміну навчання.

Асистентам-стажистам, які успішно закінчили навчання в асистентурі-стажування, надається кваліфікація «викладач вищого навчального закладу мистецтв»

Примітки

Джерела

 Закон України «Про вищу освіту»
  Післядипломна освіта в Україні
  Аспірантура, докторантура, асистентура-стажування
 Термін асистентура-стажування
 Підготовка науково-педагогічних кадрів

Освітні ступені
Наукові ступені й учені звання


text:
23 Oct 2002 : Column 402W—continued
Drug-resistant Bacterium
Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what organisations the Government fund that conduct research into drug resistant bacterium; and if he will list the annual amounts. [73841]
23 Oct 2002 : Column 403W
Mr. Lammy: Information on research into antimicrobial resistance is not collated centrally. The table below shows the estimated spend on drug resistant bacteria for the main Government funding organisations for 2002–03. This research will be carried out by a variety of organisations including university departments, the Public Health Laboratory Service and the Royal Veterinary College. The research councils also support basic research, which underpins work on drug resistance.
Estimated Spend for the Financial Year 2002–03
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
Medical Research Council
Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department
Scottish Executive Health Department
Public Health Laboratory Service
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of his Department's ability to counter the risks and effects of bioterrorism (a) with the existing Public Health Laboratory Service arrangements, (b) after completion of the reorganisation of the Public Health Laboratory Service and (c) during the transitional period whilst new arrangements settle down; and if he will make a statement. [74815]
Ms Blears: The Department works closely with the Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS) and with the National Health Service to ensure that biological threats are rapidly identified and dealt with. We are confident that the United Kingdom is as well prepared as any country could be to protect the health of its citizens in the event of bioterrorism.
The transfer of most PHLS general microbiology services to the NHS will strengthen the public health outputs of the NHS. It will also improve surveillance and linkages between human, veterinary, food, water, and environmental surveillance systems, which are essential to identify new events and monitor the effectiveness of interventions.
In considering the transfer of the PHLS laboratories to the NHS, the Department is ensuring that there will be dedicated public health microbiology support at local and regional levels to make sure that incident response and public health surveillance continues.
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements will be put in place to require local public health laboratories to respond to requests for information and samples from the central Public Health Laboratory Service after reorganisation; and if he will make a statement. [74810]
Ms Blears: All National Health Service laboratories as well as laboratories in the proposed Health Protection Agency will be able to respond to requests for
information and samples from one central public health laboratory. These arrangements will be a continuation of the current system.
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to visit Public Health Laboratory Service, Colindale. [74808]
Ms Blears: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has no current plans to visit the Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS). The then Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Public Health (Yvette Cooper) visited the PHLS on 6 November 2000 and I plan to visit on 28 October 2002.
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the impact on the National Vaccination Campaign of the proposals to reorganize the Public Health Laboratory Service; and if he will make a statement. [74812]
Ms Blears: We do not anticipate any negative impact and hopefully there will be positive impact from the incorporation of Public Health Laboratory Service into the proposed new Health Protection Agency. It is clear that the immunisation priorities will remain priorities of the Agency.
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements he has made to consult trade unions and professional bodies over the reorganisation of Public Health Laboratory Service. [74816]
Ms Blears: A consultation document on the proposed establishment of the Health Protection Agency (HPA), which would assume many of the functions of the Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS) and a discussion document about proposals to transfer a number of PHLS laboratories to the National Health Service was issued in June 2002. Both were sent to relevant trades unions and professional bodies.
A trades union liaison group has been established between the relevant trades unions, officials and the current employing organisations to co-ordinate consultation and discussion about the proposed HPA. There are regular meetings with trades unions or professional bodies on a range of relevant issues.
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what representations his Department has received concerning the efficiency of systems in place to report results from radiotherapy and X-rays; [75765]
(2) what representations his Department has received concerning the failure of radiology departments to record all results of diagnostic tests leading to investigations being unnecessarily repeated; and what representations his Department has received concerning the risks associated with increasing the radiation exposure of the patient due to repetition of diagnostic tests; [75751]
(3) what representations his Department has received concerning (a) the failure of radiology departments to record all results of diagnostic tests leading to investigations being unnecessarily repeated and (b) the risks associated with increasing the radiation exposure of the patient due to the unneccessary repetition of diagnostic tests. [75755]
Ms Blears: The Department has received no representations concerning the efficiency of systems to report results from radiotherapy, X-rays and other diagnostic tests using ionising radiation. The use of ionising radiation in healthcare is governed by legislation.
The Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations 2000, which came into force on 1 January 2001, require that all exposures to ionising radiation are justified and that a clinical evaluation of each exposure is recorded. A major intention of the legislation is to minimise the inappropriate use of ionising radiation in patients' exposures.
The regulations also require that where an employer, such as a trust, believes that a person may have been exposed to a dose of radiation greater than intended, from a repeat diagnostic test or other error, it must report such an incident to the appropriate authority. In England this authority is the Secretary of State's Inspectorate for the Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations 2000.
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of child patients receive treatment for (a) testicular cancer and (b) acute leukaemia within one month of initial GP referral. [75777]
Ms Blears: The targets of a maximum one month wait from urgent general practitioner referral to first treatment for children's cancers, testicular cancer and acute leukaemia were introduced in December 2001. Central monitoring of the targets began in January 2002 and the table below shows performance for the three cancer sites in the last two quarters for which data are available. The table shows the proportion of patients treated within the target time.
One Month from Urgent Referral to First Treatment
Quarter 4 2001–02
Children's cancers 100% 100%
Testicular cancer 92% 93.5%
Acute Leukaemia 100% 99%
Linear Accelerators
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what representations his Department has received concerning the replacement linear accelerators that have been in service for 11 years or more; [75756]
(2) what representations his Department has received concerning the cost of replacing sub-standard radiotherapy equipment in use within the NHS; and what the cost is for each NHS health authority; [75764]
(3) what linear accelerators are due for replacement within the next 12 months, broken down by health authority; and how many years they will have been in service when replaced; [75758]
(4) what representations his Department has received concerning sub-standard radiotherapy equipment in the NHS; and what steps are being taken to ensure that radiotherapy equipment is (a) monitored and (b) maintained, and that machines identified for replacement are decommissioned and replaced when necessary; [75762]
(5) what linear accelerators have been replaced since the introduction of the NHS Cancer Plan broken down by health authority; and how many years they had been in service when replaced; [75757]
(6) if he will state, by health authority, the linear accelerators that (a) have been in service for more than 11 years, (b) the total number of years that they have been in service, and (c) the date that they are due for replacement; [75759]
(7) what representations his Department has received concerning the state of radiotherapy equipment within the NHS; [75767]
(8) what representations his Department has received concerning the number of linear accelerators in need of renewal within the NHS; and if he will list the NHS health authorities they belong to. [75763]
Ms Blears: The age of each linear accelerator in service in the National Health Service in January 2001 was published at www.canceruk.net. This lists each linear accelerator installed in the NHS along with the dates when each machine was commissioned. This database is expected to be updated in the next few months and will provide comprehensive details of equipment installed since the introduction of the NHS Cancer Plan, including those provided under the new opportunities fund cancer initiative.
The criteria for replacement of radiotherapy equipment will take into account age and whether spare parts can still be supplied by the original equipment manufacturer. There is no formal recommended replacement age for linear accelerators within the NHS in England. Older equipment is capable of delivering safe and appropriate treatment to many cancer patients. Careful maintenance can ensure that radiotherapy equipment can remain in service for periods in excess of 11 years and this is reflected in the age of some machines identified in the survey. It is recognised however that equipment older than 11 years may not be capable of providing the latest treatment techniques.
Standards regarding maintenance and safety of equipment are high in the United Kingdom and these are met by a combination of local scientific and technical staff and manufacturers providing servicing and quality assurance systems.
The Department is aware of the high cost of radiotherapy equipment and has initiated a number of central purchasing initiatives designed to exploit economies of scale. The new opportunities fund,
announced in September 1999, funded 42 replacement and 15 additional linear accelerators. The NHS Cancer Plan, published in September 2000, made a commitment for a further 20 replacement and 25 additional linear accelerators to be installed in the NHS by 2004. My
right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced the location of these machines in July 2002. Others will be replaced through local means. The 20 replacement machines under the Cancer Plan have been allocated to the 17 trusts identified in the table.
Strategic Health Authority
Installation date
Avon, Gloucestershire & Wiltshire Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Trust 1993
Avon, Gloucestershire & Wiltshire United Bristol Healthcare NHS Trust 1998
Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust 1991
Birmingham & the Black Country University Hospital Birmingham NHS Trust 1991
Greater Manchester Christie Hospital NHS Trust 1987
Hampshire & Isle of Wight Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust 1990
Kent & Medway Maidstone & Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust 1994
Norfolk, Suffolk & Cambridgeshire Addenbrooke's NHS Trust 1994
North Central London Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust 1990
North Central London University College London Hospitals NHS Trust 1983
Northumberland, Tyne & Wear The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust 1991
Shropshire & Staffordshire North Staffordshire Hospital NHS Trust 1992
South East London Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Trust 1990
South Yorkshire Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust 1990
Southern West Midlands South University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire NHS Trust 1993
Thames Valley Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust 1991
Trent Nottingham City Hospital NHS Trust 1993
Final equipment costs are dependent on local circumstances such as equipment specification and are subject to commercial confidentiality. It is therefore not possible to provide accurate costs by individual strategic health authority.


They had given a call of protest in March against this proposal. In this protest march four of our comrades had taken part. Recently news had come that 3 villages are excluded from this proposal and government will be doing land acquisition of 4 villages first.
We are planning to do a solidarity campaign to support these peasants in their struggle against this pro-corporate government. We are also planning to form a broad platform with different organisations from Pune to take this struggle forward.


I stumbled upon an ad for the Blackburne Tennis Racquet from 1998 while flipping through the pages of an old Tennis magazine. You might remember this racquet, especially if you were the one stringing it! It required that you actually string two complete string jobs on the frame. Although you were only stringing one bed at a time, it became a little tricky until you get the hang of it, at least you could charge for two restrings. The racquet boasted a more innovative form, created a three dimensional structure for more strength and stability, bigger sweet spot and more stable. Well just like most fads in tennis, it had its time in the limelight and perhaps now more of a unique part of the racquet history, some of us stringers won't forget. If you had any stories around stringing this frame, please share them here, would love to hear them.


text:
Q: iOS- BLE When I load any method at that time it shows me this warning where as I am using that characteristic which is retrieving from method
var cbChar :  CBCharacteristic
 func bleManagerPeripheral(_ peripheral: CBPeripheral!, didUpdateValueFor characteristic: CBCharacteristic!, error: Error!) {
   cbChar = characteristic
}

I get warning when I try to write following line
[self.cb  writeValue:aData forCharacteristic:cbChar type:1];

I am getting following warmning

[CoreBluetooth] WARNING: Characteristic , notifying = NO> does not specify the "Write Without Response" property - ignoring response-less write

Can any one help me?

A: The characteristic you are writing to does not support write without response, but when you call writeData you are passing 1 for the type parameter.  1 corresponds to CBCharacteristicWriteWithoutResponse.  The warning is telling you that Core Bluetooth can't do what you have asked.
You need to specify CBCharacteristicWriteWithResponse
[self.cb  writeValue:aData forCharacteristic:cbChar type: CBCharacteristicWriteWithResponse];


The new provincial government is planning a review of Alberta's 320 boards, agencies, and commissions to ensure they are fulfilling their mandates in a balanced, sustainable, and affordable manner.
The government retained Tony Dean formerly of the Ontario public service, to assist in drafting the scope of the review. Mr. Dean interviewed ACA to confirm that the review include examining governance, effectiveness, principles and policies.
ACA was able to share its perspectives on strengths and areas of concern for our membership. These include lead times to recruit employer representatives to the WCB Board of Directors, greater balance for employers in appeals representation, policy interpretation of application of no-fault, and processes for stakeholder input in the policy review process.
ACA had the opportunity to convey concerns arising from the unique nature of the construction business – the importance of Certificate of Recognition and the use of WCB stats by procurers of construction services, the impacts of cost relief when dealing with an aging workforce that moves across employers, and the impact of claims arising from captive workers. Timing of the formal review has yet to be announced.


text:
Why Baozun Stock Was Sliding Today
By Jeremy Bowman – Updated Aug 21, 2020 at 11:48AM
NASDAQ: BZUN
Baozun
Shares of the Chinese e-commerce specialist flopped after disappointing guidance in its earnings report.
Shares of Baozun (BZUN -3.60%) were pulling back today after the Chinese e-commerce services provider offered disappointing guidance in its second-quarter earnings report. Despite strong results, the outlook for the current quarter was dim enough to drive investors away, and the stock was down 7.5% as of 10:28 a.m. EDT on Friday.
For the second quarter, Baozun's revenue rose 26.3% to $304.6 million, ahead of analyst estimates at $299.1 million. Higher-margin services revenue increased 43.2% to $173.3 million and now makes up a majority of the company's revenue. Gross merchandise volume rose 31.2% to $1.8 billion.
Image source: Baozun.
Its number of brand partners, which include multinational companies like Philips, Nike (NYSE: NKE), and Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), rose from 212 a year ago to 250.
The strong performance in the services segment led to a surge in profits as adjusted operating income jumped 81.4% to $26.5 million, and adjusted earnings per share rose 72% to $0.34, easily beating expectations at $0.23.
CEO Vincent Qiu summed up the quarter, saying, "Strong recovery in e-commerce, our unique value proposition to brand partners and the tenacity of our team underpinned a solid set of results in the second quarter of 2020, with strong top line growth and remarkably improved profitability."
Despite the strong second-quarter results, management anticipated a slowdown in the third quarter, calling for revenue growth of 16% to 20%. CFO Robin Lu cited "stronger seasonality and continued macro uncertainties," which was causing the company to be cautious, but Lu also forecast strong adjusted operating-profit growth.
Nonetheless, the revenue forecast seemed to be enough to scare away investors since the expected slowdown comes as e-commerce is booming in China and much of the world during the pandemic.
Teresa Kersten, an employee of LinkedIn, a Microsoft subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Jeremy Bowman owns shares of Baozun and Nike. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Baozun, Microsoft, and Nike and recommends the following options: long January 2021 $85 calls on Microsoft and short January 2021 $115 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
BZUN
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