The surreptitious overthrow of mankind by cyborg duplicates is further advanced than we suspected. The AIEEE engine at Brunching Shuttlecocks will help you determine who the robots among us are. Another illuminated triumph -- we think the Synthetic Technician Engineered for Violence and Exploration will be pleased.
Comin' at you soon, pardner.
Deadlands, from Pinnacle Entertainment Group, has been hailed as one of the most exciting and original backgrounds to appear in years. Now that world will be linked to the GURPS roleplaying engine for a series of sourcebooks.
Said Pinnacle's CEO, Shane Hensley, who designed Deadlands: "I'm a long-time GURPS fan, so this is a very exciting project for us! We're thrilled to see the Weird West meet Steve Jackson's incredibly popular game system. Legions of GURPS fans will now be introduced to the world of Deadlands, and our own posses can explore SJ Games' phenomenal rules and sourcebooks. It's two great tastes that taste great together."
My own comment, as quoted in our official GAMA press release, was, "Deadlands rocks. This will make GURPS fans very happy."
The first book, GURPS Deadlands: Weird West, is slated to appear in 4th quarter 2000. More books will follow on a regular basis. "GURPS Traveller showed us that our fans really like to see a whole series of books in a good background," said SJ Games' Ross Jepson. "Deadlands will let us bring that approach to a great new, very different game world."
Tonight in the Pyramid chat room, David Pulver (GURPS tech-book and science-fiction author extraordinaire) and Sean Punch (GURPS Line Editor) will discuss GURPS Transhuman Space. Transhuman Space is an upcoming line of hard-SF worldbooks, set in the Solar System, which will feature biotech, black-hole mining, and pirates . . . and no aliens or FTL travel. The first releases will be in early 2001, but plans are being made now. Come to the chat and be among the first to hear about them!
This week, Pyramid crossed the 3,500-subscriber mark! Apologies to those of you who are utterly, completely not interested in online zines, but personally I think it's neat that the digital weekly is now reaching far more people than the dead-trees version did, and okay, I'm crowing a little bit . . . Congrats to new Pyramid editor Steven Marsh; the numbers say he's doing okay!
March 27, 2000: Scoville Strikes Again!
From the creator of the Silicon Valley Tarot . . . with apologies to Allen Ginsburg . . . . Howl.com.
It would appear that the U.S. Patent and Trademark office has issued a patent on a device which is claimed to open a portal to a "new dimension," through which radio signals can supposedly travel faster than light. The inventor also claims that it makes plants grow better.
According to the patent, "All known radio transmissions use known models of time and space dimensions for sending the RF signal. The present invention has discovered the apparent existence of a new dimension capable of acting as a medium for RE [sic] signals. Initial benefits of penetrating this new dimension include sending RF signals faster than the speed of light, extending the effective distance of RF transmitters at the same power radiated, penetrating known RF shielding devices, and accelerating plant growth exposed to the by-product energy of the RF transmissions."
March 25, 2000: Welcome To 2010. Here Are Your Gadgets.
Want to see what kind of techie toys we'll be playing with in 2010? Here's a Business Week article with some good clues.
Will Hertes seems to have a lot of time on his hands, time he fills up by writing twisted prank letters to corporations and notable individuals across America. Then he takes their unsuspecting responses and kills some more time posting them on the Internet for amusement. His or ours? Who can say?
March 23, 2000: Hello from GAMA!
It's a very good show this year - more than 300 retailers are registered. We're keeping very busy. Response to the upcoming schedule has been good. Most asked question: When will the Ogre miniatures return? Answer: We're talking to people about that right here at GAMA. Cross your fingers.
March 22, 2000: Is Your Computer Possessed?
One of our nation's leading bastions of journalism has broken the story that will, no doubt, send the whole NASDAQ tech index into a tumble. Yes, it's true; there's as much as a 10% chance that the forces of Hell are in your computer even as you read this. See the Weekly World News story.
Steve Jackson Games' online retail catalog, Warehouse 23 (www.warehouse23.com) has been successful in selling the SJ Games line – and other popular games, as well – over the Internet. Our stated purpose has been to serve those gamers who don't have a good local retailer. We want to continue to support both distributors and retailers; strong local retailers are vital to the hobby. But many retailers look askance at ANY kind of Net retailing, especially by publishers.
How can we show we mean it when we say that we really don't want to take sales away from existing stores? We think we have a way.
"We appreciate your business, but we hope you'll remember your local games retailer too. Retailers are important to the hobby, and if you have a good one nearby, he deserves your support. Our Illuminated retailer database shows that there are (whatever) retailers in your area. If you'd like to check out your local store options, go to www.sjgames.com/gamerfinder/ and search!"
With just a bit more programming, we'll have it set up so that if it only finds one or two stores, it will actually give the customer each store name, address and phone number!
That way, if Warehouse 23 gets a customer in your area . . . a customer who SHOULD be coming to your shop . . . we're doing what we can to SEND him to you.
And YOU can hit Gamer Finder any time, to check our information on your store and update it if need be. Or just mail stores@sjgames.com with info on your store, and we'll check our database and update it if necessary.
Initial comments have been favorable. Mike Hurdle, President/CEO of Zocchi Distributing Inc., said "This is a bold and innovative move. Anything that helps move customers into the retail stores is good for the whole hobby."
John Mansfield of Pendragon Games in Winnipeg said "I like it! If only other manufactures were so supportive, we might stock up on their lines too LIKE WE INTEND TO DO WITH Steve Jackson!"
The GAMA show starts today in Vegas. I'll be there along with Marketing Director Ross Jepson, She-Of-Many-Hats Monica Stephens, and MIBs John Mion and Seth Kimmel. We will be making a couple of interesting announcements t here, and we'll spill the beans HERE at the same time. Stay tuned.
In less than one day. Alive and well. The Illuminated network strikes again. Thanks, all . . .
March 19, 2000: Mike Naylor, Where Are You?
We're trying to get back in touch with Mike Naylor, who was a valuable Ogre contributor way back when. We would really like to get the Killing Zone manuscript, which he co-authored with David Graham, back into the pipeli ne, but we need to find Mike! So Mike, if you're out there, please phone home. Or if you know where Mike is, let us know, and let him know we are reduced to posting Illuminators to look for him . . .
We got preoccupied and let the auction run dry for a couple of days. But there's more stuff there now . . . check it out, starting with the ominously numbered Lot 223 and its clones. And Ogre fans in particular, keep watching, because we're going to put some prototype stuff up!
Christianity Meme maintains that religion is a "meme," a thought complex developed through millennia of evolution and spread by proselytization. Is there a cure? Find out before you become a heavenly host.
Stephan Beal has created an online gaming site which includes some generic wargaming maps, a utility to create Ogre record sheets, and plenty of links to freeware gaming aids. Check it out!
Patrol, trade, and Xboat routes are the lifelines of the Imperium, and starports are the anchors to which they are tethered. Serving as trade centers, customs offices and outposts of civilization in far-flung systems, they play a central role in the lives of starfarers, and are a crucial source of goods, wealth and information for even the most planetbound of souls. At the same time, they are havens for smugglers, fugitives and black marketeers.
GURPS Traveller Starports classifies standard starports and describes their facilities, organization and functions. It includes examples and plans, and guidelines for starport adventures and encounters. It is designed to complement Far Trader and the upcoming Starships supplement.
#6610, ISBN 1-55634-401-5. 128 pages. $19.95.
Ogre, first released in 1977, was Steve Jackson's first design. Now the classic boardgame of futuristic ground combat is being re-launched. Starting in March with the combined edition of Ogre and its sequel G.E.V., SJ Games will release new and reprinted Ogre material throughout 2000. This will include a whole new line of Ogre miniatures, giant OgreMacrotures (tm), an Ogre sourcebook for GURPS, a reprint of the famous "blueprint" poster, and more. Once again the killing machines will stalk the war-torn countryside as Paneuropean and Combine forces battle to the death. A new generation of gamers is about to learn what it means to face the Ogre.
This is a re-release of the original Ogre/GEV game. It should not beconfused with the Ogre Miniatures rules, which are still in print!
Last year, the new Cardboard Heroes set revived interest in low-cost miniatures support for roleplaying games. Now, Cardboard Heroes: Dungeon Floors continues that support with over 90 full-color rooms, stairways and corridors, from 1" square closets to 6" x 6" rooms and long hallways. Cut them out, put them down, and rearrange them to form an infinite variety of dungeons for your adventurers. Also included are pits, chests, furniture, shafts, walls, pillars, and other subterranean architectural paraphernalia. Cardboard Heroes: Dungeon Floors will help to answer every player's question, "Where are we now?"
Sorcery, Thaumaturgy, The Black Art, Necromancer, Alchemy or the Great Art. By any name, arcane knowledge brings great power to its possessor . . . for good or for evil. This book is the complete guide to magic for the Generic Universal RolePlaying System.
GURPS Magic presents a colorful, detailed magic system. But it's much more. It is designed for easy modification . . .for the GM who wants to create his own background, or set adventures in the world of his favorite fantasy author. And it's flexible. Players can create any sort of wizard character they choose, from eager apprentice to mad hermit, from saintly healer to sinister necromancer.
This book is completely compatible with the magic rules in the GURPS Basic Set. It amplifies the material there, as well as adding more than 300 new spells! Also included are a complete system for improvisational magic, optional rules for "inherent" magic abilities, special advantages and disadvantages for mages, and a system to let the GM create his own unique types of clerical magic.
#6023, ISBN 1-55634-286-1. 128 pages. $19.95.
GURPS Vehicles is your guide to any type of transportation you can imagine. From rowboats to racing cars, balloons to battlesuits. Greek galleys to GEVs -- if you can dream it, you can design it.
The second editon streamlines the design process, using the design order found in GURPS Robots, also by David Pulver.
#6505, ISBN 1-55634-325-6. 208 pages. $24.95.
Three brand new game boxes means three times the fun for Cyberboard owners! Two are designed for Ogre, and the other is for Triplanetary.
From the computer of Peter Lomax comes Ogre V1.0 for Cyberboard, just in time for the re-release of Ogre/GEV. From Robert Struble, the creator of the Necromancer Cyberboard, comes this Ogre Gamebox. Robert has also created a Triplanetary Gamebox.
These and lots more game aids are available from our Game Aids page.
March 13, 2000: GURPS Steampunk Now In Playtest!
GURPS Steampunk combines the mood of cyberpunk with the setting of an alternate Industrial Age, where computers run on steam power, walking colossi stalk the battlefields, flying ironclads rule the skies, and science is the new frontier.
Whether your destination is 20,000 leagues under the sea or into space to hear the music of the spheres, GURPS Steampunk can get you there. It covers the real events, politics, and personalities of the Industrial Age, as well as the weird science that could have been created . . . vehicles, robots, airships, and more. Choose from several different Steam Age settings described in the book, or make up your own!
GURPS Steampunk is now in playtest. Pyramid subscribers can access the playtest files. And if you're not already a subscri ber, subscribe today!
Our friends at the Church of the SubGenius have been inspired by "Bob" to make massive changes, all for the BETTER of course, to their website. Go gaze in awe.And if you haven't had a good rant lately, hit our Rant Generator and top off your Slack Tank.
Clearly someone is Illuminated at the Library of Congress. Check out the Copyright FAQs. It's good general information for anybody who has ever thought about writing. But, specifically, look at number 58.
Step aside, Jimmy Carter. Doing its part for global understanding is the I Can Eat Glass Project. They're dedicated to collecting the phrase "I can eat glass, it doesn't hurt me" in as many languages as possible.
The French have moved decisively against the latest English incursions into their language, establishing no less than seven different committees to stamp out the use of such words as "e-mail." French civil servants are now required to say "courrier electr onique" . Here's the UPI story.
March 8, 2000: GURPS Traveller: Rim of Fire Now In Playtest!
GURPS Traveller: Rim of Fire covers the Solomani Rim sector in detail. Writeups for over 400 worlds are included. Some are described in great detail, providing instant adventure settings, while others are merely sketched in to allow the indi vidual GM to customize his campaign. There is also an extensive history of the sector, including detailed descriptions of the Interstellar Wars and the rise of the Solomani Movement. And, of course, there are campaign and adventure seeds, and a trove of referee's information.
GURPS Traveller: Rim of Fire is now in playtest. Pyramid subscribers can access the playtest files. And if you're not already a subscriber, subscribe today!
The Artemis Society is a private venture to establish a permanent, self-supporting community on the Moon. Society members have now set up a MOO chat environment representing a future moonbase. You can read about it at moo.asi.org, or log in directly at moo.asi.org port 7777.
Well, we brainwashed another one. Seth Cohen has agreed to take over the role of volunteer assistant webmaster to update the INWO webpages. The goal would have been to get a volunteer who knows web design, EMACS, and UNIX. Instead, we're getting everything we're paying for. Expect updates t o change the site regularly, albeit in a piecemeal fashion. Seth holds down some other tasks (INWO Playtester, Man In Black) that take up free time, so he'll be doing what he can at the best possible speed to showcase INWO.
Phil Reed has assumed our Art Director duties. Congratulations, Phil; have fun. And that's all there is to that announcement fnord but I'll type in a bit more just so it won't look so bare and pathetic there on your computer screen.
March 4, 2000: GURPS Castle Falkenstein Now In Playtest!
GURPS Castle Falkenstein is now in playtest. Pyramid subscribers can access the playtest files. And if you're not already a subscriber, subscribe today!
Here's another great web feature scripted by the incredible Kira: the SJ Games Gamer Finder. It's just what it sounds like. Anybody can use it; you don't have to subscribe to one of our zines or mailing li sts. Log in; add yourself to the database if you like; and search the database by location, favorite games, or both. Best of all, perhaps, is that entries won't get stale; you automatically get a reminder after 3 months, and if you don't choose to renew o r update your entry, it vanishes.
It's also set up to access our mailing list of game retailers. When you search a location, you can choose to see all the stores in that area, or the individual gamers, or both.
At this writing, it's just out of beta, and has fewer than 50 gamers in it . . . but I'd like to see it in the thousands. So log in and enter your own preferences, and check back every so often to see who you can find in the way of new friends or opponent s!
Today is an important 10-year anniversary, though not exactly one to celebrate. On March 1, 1990, the Secret Service raided Steve Jackson Games.
Those who haven't heard the story will perhaps want to check out the extensive web archives, all the way from the initial "We're not sure what just happened to us" press release, to the announcement of final victory in the court case. O f course, that was a lot later. Now, the anniversary of the judge's final decision WILL be a day to celebrate -- because that decision went a long way to nail down your right to online free speech, and not to have your computers casually taken away becaus e they "might" contain evidence -- but that anniversary is still more than three years away.
Still . . . today we CAN celebrate the fact that ten years later, we're still here and still making games. That counts as a win, too.


text:
#ifndef WEBRTC_MODULES_UTILITY_SOURCE_CODER_H_
#define WEBRTC_MODULES_UTILITY_SOURCE_CODER_H_

#include "webrtc/base/scoped_ptr.h"
#include "webrtc/common_types.h"
#include "webrtc/modules/audio_coding/include/audio_coding_module.h"
#include "webrtc/typedefs.h"

namespace webrtc {
class AudioFrame;

class AudioCoder : public AudioPacketizationCallback
{
public:
    AudioCoder(uint32_t instanceID);
    ~AudioCoder();

    int32_t SetEncodeCodec(const CodecInst& codecInst);

    int32_t SetDecodeCodec(const CodecInst& codecInst);

    int32_t Decode(AudioFrame& decodedAudio, uint32_t sampFreqHz,
                   const int8_t* incomingPayload, size_t payloadLength);

    int32_t PlayoutData(AudioFrame& decodedAudio, uint16_t& sampFreqHz);

    int32_t Encode(const AudioFrame& audio, int8_t* encodedData,
                   size_t& encodedLengthInBytes);

protected:
 int32_t SendData(FrameType frameType,
                  uint8_t payloadType,
                  uint32_t timeStamp,
                  const uint8_t* payloadData,
                  size_t payloadSize,
                  const RTPFragmentationHeader* fragmentation) override;

private:
 rtc::scoped_ptr<AudioCodingModule> _acm;

    CodecInst _receiveCodec;

    uint32_t _encodeTimestamp;
    int8_t*  _encodedData;
    size_t _encodedLengthInBytes;

    uint32_t _decodeTimestamp;
};
}  // namespace webrtc

#endif // WEBRTC_MODULES_UTILITY_SOURCE_CODER_H_

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Teriyaki Madness, a national Asian grill concept, announces the addition of a new Salmon Bowl to their menu, available now for a limited time.
The new Salmon Bowl is made-to-order with your choice of Calrose rice or noodles served over a bed of Teriyaki Madness's fresh vegetables, which include green cabbage, broccoli, zucchini, carrots, and onions. The Salmon is sautéed and topped with the brand's thick teriyaki sauce, all of which is prepared fresh, in-house. The addition of the Salmon Bowl to Teriyaki Madness's menu provides guests with another delicious, healthy option. Each location already offers customers a choice of beef, chicken, or tofu.
The new Salmon Bowl will be available nationwide at each of the brand's 18 locations until June 20, 2015. The addition of this new menu item came from the newly implemented Franchisee Advisory Council (FAC), which provides a collaborative approach for the franchisees and the franchisor to work together.
Teriyaki Madness prides itself on an authentic Seattle Teriyaki menu that combines fresh ingredients with its signature sauces and proprietary cooking methods to create unique flavors. With made-to-order entrees featuring signature sauces, fresh vegetables, and real ingredients, thefresh Asian grill serves healthier, heartier, protein-packed portions that bring guests back as loyal fans!


text:
Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping to discuss 'aggressive' talk from US and NATO, Kremlin says
Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping to discuss 'aggressive' talk from US and NATO, Kremlin says
The conversation will take place at a moment of high tension in both countries' relations with the West, with Beijing under pressure over human rights and Moscow over its build-up of troops near the border with Ukraine.
By: Reuters | Moscow |
Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping during their meeting on the sidelines of a BRICS summit, in Brasilia, Brazil, November 13, 2019. (Reuters)
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping will discuss tensions in Europe and "aggressive" U.S. and NATO rhetoric during a video call on Wednesday, the Kremlin said.
The conversation will take place at a moment of high tension in both countries' relations with the West, with Beijing under pressure over human rights and Moscow over its build-up of troops near the border with Ukraine.
"The situation in international affairs, especially on the European continent, is very, very tense right now and requires discussion between allies," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, referring to Moscow and Beijing.
"We see very, very aggressive rhetoric on the NATO and U.S. side, and this requires discussion between us and the Chinese."
Russia has cultivated closer ties with China as its relations with the West have worsened, and Putin has used the partnership as a way of balancing U.S. influence while striking lucrative deals, especially on energy. He and Xi this year agreed to extend a 20-year friendship and cooperation treaty.
Peskov said they would hold a long conversation with a broad agenda including energy, trade and investment.
Their discussion will take place eight days after a Russia-U.S. video call in which U.S. President Joe Biden warned Putin against invading Ukraine and Putin told him Russia needed legally binding security guarantees from the West.
For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


On 31st January 2018, Kodak and Wenn Digital will be embarking on a mission to change the photography industry with the use of the very same technology and fundraising platform.
To-date, initial coin offerings have been launched by start-ups looking to develop blockchain technology to upgrade archaic processes in the interest of both businesses and consumers, whilst looking for a decentralized platform and a digital currency that sits away from the purview of governments and banks.
The world of photography is a maze when it comes to the licensing and registration of works and its KODAKOne's intention to revamp the market and provide photographers with a piece of the pie, by providing a platform for photographers to, not only register and license new and archived works on the platform, but also receive payment for the licensing of works and have a platform for the sale of works that has certainly been restrictive to the growth of the industry in recent years.
KODAKOne platform will also the identify unlicensed use of images, ensuring that such images enter into the licensing process in order to reward the relevant photographers.
KODAKCoin will be the cryptocurrency and will be the payment method for agencies and photographers to buy and sell works stored on KODAKOne's ledger and to make the fee payments in the licensing and registration process.
KODAK announced the partnership with WENN Digital and the planned Initial Coin Offering on 9th January 2018. Eastman KODAK Co's share price surged 119.36% to $6.80 on the New York Stock Exchange upon Kodak's announcement, with the returns more akin to a cryptocurrency move than that of a long-established stock listed on a long established stock exchange.
At the time of writing, the share price is up another 70% in the pre-market open, with the continued rally a clear indication of just how well the markets and investors have received the news and how well the KODAKOne ICO will likely perform at the end of January. While the KODAKOne platform will provide existing agencies and professional photographers with a platform to manage the licensing and registration of new and archived photography, the platform will also bring the market the amateur photographers and up-and-coming photographers looking to showcase their work in a bid to make a living from photography.
Payments will be made with KODAKCoins, replacing the use of fiat currency, which will make KODAKOne's cryptocurrency the photographic community's monetary unit of the future, taking the industry into the digital world, quite apt considering the fact that photography had transitioned to digital format many years ago.
With KODAK's entry into the crypto world gripping the financial markets by storm, the planned Telegram ICO in March of this year is also another one for investors to look out for, with the ICO expected to be the largest ever. There is a distinct difference between the intentions of the two companies, however, with KODAK looking to revamp the photography industry, while Telegram is looking to deliver a decentralized global payment system, taking advantage of it's more than 180m existing Telegram app users.
KODAK will certainly be the oldest company to-date to launch develop its own ICO, with Eastman KODAK established back in 1888. The announcement will likely lead to a domino effect and stock market investors may also begin to speculate on which companies will be next to announce blockchain tech that could deliver similar gains to those enjoyed by Eastman KODAK this week.


is it ethical to randomize clinical treatment trials? Meaning is it ok to hold treatment from one group and give it to another? Why is randomization important in research of a quantitative nature? ANSWER: It removes researcher bias and improves reliability. But what ethical questions are raised? The question as stated above is whether we are withholding treatment from one group while giving it to another, whether it be a clinical drug trial or a new training tool. Is this ethical? Why or Why not?
What are some of the ethical or human subjects issues that may exist in your own research direction? What do you need to be careful about regarding your design?
NOTE: for the second question: My research topic is about disabilities persons in Disaster planning. i will also upload paper that i have done in my research to help you answer this question.


text:
Bellulicauda dialii är en svampart som först beskrevs av Hans Sydow, och fick sitt nu gällande namn av B. Sutton 1967. Bellulicauda dialii ingår i släktet Bellulicauda, divisionen sporsäcksvampar och riket svampar.   Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

Källor

Sporsäcksvampar
dialii

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


To Cite: Hamidi M, Hajilooei M, Bazmani A. Association of transforming growth factor-β1 gene polymorphism with Visceral leishmaniasis in an Iranian population, Shiraz E-Med J. 1970 ; 14(2):123-129.
Introduction: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) or Kala-azar is a parasitic disease caused by a protozoan of Leishmania genus and in Iran by Leishmania infantum. Cytokines have a major role in determining progression and severity of clinical manifestations in VL. The role of TGF-β1 in VL has been recognized since 1992. We investigated polymorphism in the TGF-β1 gene, which is a cytokine known to have a role in onset and severity of the disease.
Methods: This descriptive and cross-sectional study was done on 85 pateints with confirmed VL, 106 healthy seronegative controls and 99 seropositive controls. Salting out method was used to extract DNA and the amplification refractory mutation system (AR1MS)-PCR procedure was used for detecting polymorphism at TGFβ1 (-509) C/T.
Results: The frequency of TGF-β1 CC, CT and TT genotypes among all subjects were 21.4%, 71% and 7.6% respectively. Statistical analysis of distribution of genotypes was performed using Chi-Square test and reveal a significant difference among groups (P = 0.00).
Conclusion: To our knowledge this study demonstrates for the first time the association of the cytokine transforming growth factor-β1 gene polymorphism in Iranian patients with VL. Individuals with the transforming growth factor-β1 (-509) CT genotype may have increased susceptibility to Visceral leishmaniasis.
Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) or Kala-azar is a chronic disease caused by protozoan parasites of the Leishmania donovani complex: L. donovani and L. infantum/chagasi that are transmitted by a female sandfly (1-3). The disease characterized by suppression of cell-mediated immune responses and unchecked parasite replication in macrophages of the liver, spleen, and bone marrow (2, 4). VL is predominantly pediatric with a large spectrum of clinical manifestations ranging from asymptomatic to a severe visceral involvement. Clinical disease is caused by parasites infecting the internal organs. In addition to effects due to inherent characteristics of the infecting parasite, the immune response against Leishmania can be substantially modified by factors such as the nutritional status, age, and genetic background of the host (1). Most human infections caused by the visceralizing strains of Leishmania run a subclinical and self-healing course, but in some a fatal visceral disease evolves for which treatment is required (2).
Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) is a 25kDa disulphide-linked homodimer or heterodimer protein with a broad range of biological functions (5). This multifunctional cytokine is produced by, and affects, every cell type in the human body. The gene encoding TGF- β1 has been mapped to the long arm of chromosome 19 (4, 6). In mammalian cells, there are three subtypes of TGF-β (TGF-β1, TGF-β2, and TGF-β3). TGF-β1 is the most abundant form. This molecule regulates cellular processes by binding to the receptor type II (TGF-β RII), resulting in binding and phosphorylation of the receptor type I (TGF-β RI). TGF-β RI then phosphorylates and activates SMADs. The SMADs complex then translocates into the nucleus and interacts with DNA directly or indirectly through other DNA-binding proteins, resulting in the transcription of the target genes and thus leading to proliferation and differentiation of cells, the release of cytokines and angiogenesis (7).
The role of TGF-β1 in Kala-azar has been recognized since 1992. TGF-β1 is directly involved in monocyte/macrophage activation, inhibiting the production of nitric oxide and oxygen free radicals that exert microbicidal activity against the parasite. It also inhibits production of the pro-inflammatory cytokine IFN-g by lymphocytes, directing the immune response to a Th2 profile and contributing to progression to a more severe form of VL in the infected patient. Studying peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with Kala-azar and post Kala-azar, from two endemic regions in India, showed increased production of TGF-β1 in response to specific antigen in patients with the active form of the disease (1). TGF-β1 plays an important role in the progression of leishmaniasis in rodents. TGF-β1 enhances the progression, or prevents the cure of leishmaniasis in murine models (4).
The level of TGF- β1 is under genetic control. Polymorphisms have recently been described for TGF-β1.2, 3. These polymorphisms were reported to affect the production of TGF-β proteins (5). Some of these polymorphisms are located in the promoter region at positions such as 988, 1572, 800, and 509. The -800 G/A and -509 C/T single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the TGF-β1 gene were not distributed similarly among different populations or diseases (7, 8). Both of these polymorphisms are functional and could affect the level of TGF-β1 secretion (7). For example, the plasma concentrations of TGF-β1 were approximately twice as high in homozygous individuals for the T allele compared with the concentrations for homozygous individuals for the C allele at position -509 in the TGF-β1 promoter region (9).
Our objective was to investigate the influence of the TGF-β1 gene (-509) C/T polymorphisms on the susceptibility to Visceral leishmaniasis in a group of Iranian patients.
In this study, three groups of individuals were recruited from meshkin shahr health centers. The patient group comprised 85 clinically and paraclinically confirmed visceral leishmaniasis. Second group comprised 99 serologically positive for VL by IFA test, but without any signs and symptoms and history of confirmed VL disease as well. Third group comprised also 106 healthy individuals without any history of VL and negative for VL serologically. Demographic data of patients were obtained from their medical records. From each subject, 10 mL of venous blood was collected into tubes containing 50 mM/L EDTA.
Genomic DNA was isolated by the salting-out method. Briefly, 5mL of blood was mixed with lysis buffer (EDTA 1mmol/L, NaCl 15mmol/L, TriseHCl 15mmol/L, pH 7.5). Leukocytes were spun down and washed with H2O. The pellet was incubated with proteinase K at 56 °C and subsequently salted out at 4°C using a saturated NaCl solution. Precipitated proteins were removed by centrifugation. The DNA in the supernatant fluid was dissolved in 5mL H2O. Amplification refractory mutation system–polymerase chain reaction (ARMS-PCR) method was used to genotype C–509T TGF–β1 polymorphism under investigation using primers as already described (10). Briefly, two complementary reactions were established for each allele consisting of target DNA, allele specific ARMS primer (ARl or AR2) and the common primer (CF). A 349 base pair region in the TGF-β1 promoter was targeted for amplification. The sequences of primers used in the study are AR1 5' AAGGGGCAACAGGACACCTGGG 3', AR2 5' AAGGGGCAACAGGACACCTGGA 3' and CF 5' CTACGGCGTGGAGTGCTGAG 3'. Amplification was carried out using a PCR Techne Flexigene apparatus (Roche, Mannheim, Germany) in a total volume of 15 µl that contained 100 ng of genomic DNA, each primer pair consisting of 2 µmol of allele specific and 0.5 µmol of common primers, 200 µmol L-1 each dNTP; 10 mM Tris–HC1 (pH 8.3); 50 mM KCI, 1.5 mM MgCl2 and 0.5 IU Taq DNA polymerase. PCR performed without DNA template represented the negative control. Amplification was carried out for 35 cycles, each cycle consisting of denaturation at 94°C for 30 s, annealing at 61°C for 20 s, extension at 72°C for 20 s and finally a 3 min extension at 72°C. The amplified PCR products were analyses by 2% agarose gel electrophoresis followed by 0.5 lg mL-1 ethidium bromide staining and ultraviolet visualization.
SPSS version 19 software (SPSS, Chicago, IL), Chi square test were used to study the differences in genotype and allele frequencies between patients and controls. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Table 1 summarizes the genotype distribution and allele frequencies of TGF-β1 gene polymorphisms at -509 C/T in healthy controls and patients with visceral leishmaniasis.
Of the 106 healthy control subjects, 5 had the CC genotype, 75 the CT type and 5 the TT type. Of the 99 serologically positive for VL subjects, 27 were CC type, 66 were CT and 6 were TT. Of the 85 patients with visceral leishmaniasis, 30 were CC type, 65 were CT and 11 were TT. The frequency of TGF-β1 CC, CT and TT genotypes among all subjects were 21.4%, 71% and 7.6% respectively. According to the results, -509 C/T was the dominant genotype among the groups.
Statistical analysis of distribution of genotypes was performed using Chi-Square test and reveal a significant difference among groups (P = 0.00).
Our study provides evidence for an association between TGF- β1 -509 C/T polymorphism and susceptibility to visceral leishmaniasis.
To our knowledge this study demonstrates for the first time the association of the cytokine transforming growth factor-β1 gene polymorphism in Iranian patients with VL. We found that Individuals with the transforming growth factor-β1 (-509) C/T genotype may have increased susceptibility to VL.
TGF-β1 is an immunoregulatory and predominantly an immunosuppressive cytokine. It has been suggested that the −509 (C/T) polymorphism is significantly associated with the plasma concentration of TGF-β1. Some studies indicated that polymorphisms in the promoter region of this cytokine resulted in altered transcriptional regulation and thereby, might influence the development and severity of TGF-β1-related diseases. The −800 (G/A) substitution is thought to disrupt a consensus half-site for binding of the nuclear transcription factor CRE binding protein, that consequently leads to a lower production of total TGF-β1 in the circulation. On the other hand, the T allele of the −509 (C/T) polymorphism has been reported to be associated with a higher transcriptional activity and therefore, higher production of total and active TGF-β1 (11).
Associations between genetic polymorphisms in TGF-β1 gene and disease status have been described in a diverse range of diseases, particularly with non-infectious diseases such as asthma, cancer, arthritis, osteoporosis, myocardial infarction and systemic lupus erythrmatosus. Only a few studies have evaluated the influence of these gene variants on infections, namely brucellosis and tuberculosis. A significant association has only been found between SNP at codons 10 and 25 of TGF β1 and the risk of brucellosis (12).
Our results is in agreement with a previous report on the -509 C/T polymorphism in a group of Brazilian patients with Visceral leishmaniasis. In that report, the presence of the T variant in position -509 of the TGF-β1 gene, was significantly increased in VL and DTH + (positive delayed-type hypersensitivity) individuals compared to DTH- (negative delayed-type hypersensitivity) controls (1).
Jose E. Calzada and coworkers studied several single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in the TGF-β1 gene in a Peruvian and Colombian population of patients with Chagas disease and healthy controls. They found that the presence of the T allele or T/T genotype coding for low production of TGF-β1 was found to be consistently higher in healthy individuals than in patients with Chagas disease, suggesting a possible protective effect of this allele to T. cruzi infection. Conversely, the frequency of the high producer allele C and the genotype C/C at codon 10 was invariably increased in the patients groups, indicating that this allele may be a risk factor for genetic susceptibility to Chagas disease. In the other hand, there was no difference in the genotype and allele distribution of -509 C/T and 10 T/C TGF-β1 genetic variants among asymptomatic and cardiac individuals, indicating no influence of these polymorphisms on Chagas disease progression (12). Fan XY and coworkers studied the association between genetic polymorphisms of TGF- β1 and susceptibility to pneumoconiosis. They conclude that TGF-β1 (-509) CC genotype may be the protective factor for the pneumoconiosis. The control group that was workers exposed to dust but without pneumoconiosis carrying TGF-β1 (-509)T allele were more susceptible to pneumoconiosis (13).
Our study has some limitations. We have analyzed one variants within the TGF-β1 gene that were frequently found in the studied populations. Other polymorphisms with known influence on differential TGF-β1 expression have been reported and thus, their analyzes will strength our results. Another limitation is that this study was restricted to only one Visceral leishmaniasis disease endemic populations in Iran. Our results should be validated in other endemic populations with different genetic background and with different eco-epidemiological features regarding Visceral leishmaniasis disease.
Our findings suggest an association between TGF-β1 polymorphism and susceptibility to Visceral leishmaniasis in Iranian patients. Individuals with the transforming growth factor-β1 (-509) CT genotype may have increased susceptibility to Visceral leishmaniasis.
This research has been supported by Young Researchers Club, Hamedan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Hamedan, Iran. We acknowledge Dr S. Sobhan for his collaboration.
Ethical issues No ethical issues to be declared.
Conflict of interests No conflict of interest to be declared.


text:
from django.conf.urls import include, url

from . import views

urlpatterns = [
    url(r'^api/v1/', include([
        url(r'^pastes/$', views.api_paste_list, name='api_paste_list'),
        url(r'^pastes/([a-zA-Z0-9]+)/$', views.api_paste_detail, name='api_paste_detail'),
        url(r'^star/$', views.api_star_create, name='api_star_create'),
        url(r'^star/list/$', views.api_star_list, name='api_star_list'),
        url(r'^star/delete/$', views.api_star_delete, name='api_star_delete'),
    ])),

    url(r'^$', views.home, name='home'),
    url(r'^new/$', views.paste_create, name='paste_create'),
    url(r'^recent/$', views.paste_list, name='paste_list'),
    url(r'^search/$', views.paste_list, name='paste_search'),

    url(r'^admin/$', views.admin, name='admin'),
    url(r'^admin/lexers/$', views.admin_lexers, name='admin_lexers'),

    url(r'^p/([a-zA-Z0-9]+)/$', views.paste_redirect, name='paste_redirect'),
    url(r'^([a-zA-Z0-9]+)/$', views.paste_detail, name='paste_detail'),
    url(r'^([a-zA-Z0-9]+).zip$', views.paste_download, name='paste_download'),
    url(r'^([a-zA-Z0-9]+)/(.+)$', views.paste_raw, name='paste_raw'),
]


The long expected reconstruction of Beethoven's unknown sixth piano concerto is now available in print, full orchestral scores and parts.
We have 75 copies available. Please contact me in case you are interested to receive one.


The Wexford-Missaukee ISD employs a Physical Therapist (PT) and two Physical Therapist Assistants (PTA) who service our seven local districts. All PTs and PTAs are college graduates and licensed practitioners in the State of Michigan.
All PTs and PTAs within the WMISD work with local school districts to provide direct and consult services to students who are identified as having a disability. PTs and PTAs also participate on teams addressing issues of at risk students. PTs and PTAs may service students with a disability who qualify for special education services. PTs and PTAs are members of school based problem solving teams, evaluation teams and Individualized Educational Planning (IEP) teams.
Addressing the student's ability to access the environment. This may include wheelchair mobility, ambulation, transfers, balance, coordination, and ramp/stair negotiation.
Making accommodations / adaptations within the educational setting. This may include assessing the facility and recommending changes or additions to the environment/equipment.
Improving posture, physical development, and mobility as it relates to school participation. This may include the recommendation of an activity program to improve strength, influence tone, endurance, neuro-developmental skills, or range of motion.
Facilitating the progression of gross motor skills for school tasks including positional changes, functional skills, balance, and coordination.
Consulting with resources involved in the student's education including parents, teachers, other school professionals and outside agencies.


The annex to the Toledo Museum of Art is both an exhibition space for the museum's glass collection, and a glass making facility.
Conceived as a single one-story volume penetrated by courtyards with sightlines through layers of transparent walls, the visitorís experience will always involve the surrounding greenery. Individually, each space is enclosed in clear glass, resulting in cavity walls that act as buffer zones between different climates; museum exhibition spaces, the glass making hot-shop, and the outdoors.
The plan is derived from a grid of various rectilinear shapes reflecting programmatic adjacencies, with room-to-room connections achieved using curving glass surfaces. Glass is wrapping the spaces forming continuous elevations, uninterrupted by corners.
The visitor flows with the form through a series of interconnected bubbles.


text:
Q: Selenium web driver: cannot be scrolled into view I am using Selenium IDE and Selenium web driver testng in eclipse ..
my testing is against ZK application ..
the test case works fine on Selenium IDE ..
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd">

<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />
<link rel="selenium.base" href="http://*****/>
<title>work it2</title>

work it2

    open
    /xxx

    click
    //li[2]/div/div/div/span

    pause
    3000
    3000

    doubleClick
    //div[2]/div[2]

    pause
    3000
    3000

but when I run it in eclipse with selenium web driver (testng) I got an error ..
    selenium.open("xxx");
selenium.click("//li[2]/div/div/div/span");
Thread.sleep(3000);
selenium.doubleClick("//div[2]/div[2]");
Thread.sleep(3000);

I also changed the code to
 driver.get("xxx");

        driver.findElement(By.xpath("//li[2]/div/div/div/span")).click();
        Thread.sleep(3000);
        WebElement ee = driver.findElement(By.xpath("//div[2]/div[2]"));
        Actions action = new Actions(driver);
        action.doubleClick(ee).perform();
        Thread.sleep(3000);

also getting the same error ...
the error was in this line
//div[2]/div[2]

com.thoughtworks.selenium.SeleniumException: Offset within element
  cannot be scrolled into view: (87, 118): [object XrayWrapper [object
  HTMLDivElement]] Command duration or timeout: 63 milliseconds Build
  info: version: '2.39.0', revision: 'ff23eac', time: '2013-12-16
  16:11:15' System info: host: 'EnD', ip: '192.168.17.76', os.name:
  'Windows 7', os.arch: 'amd64', os.version: '6.1', java.version:
  '1.7.0_51' Session ID: 3b79783c-2558-4c87-bd51-a72821696040 Driver
  info: org.openqa.selenium.firefox.FirefoxDriver Capabilities
  [{platform=XP, acceptSslCerts=true, javascriptEnabled=true,
  cssSelectorsEnabled=true, databaseEnabled=true, browserName=firefox,
  handlesAlerts=true, browserConnectionEnabled=true,
  webStorageEnabled=true, nativeEvents=false, rotatable=false,
  locationContextEnabled=true, applicationCacheEnabled=true,
  takesScreenshot=true, version=27.0.1}]

A: Try to execute the script and click the element
driver.executeScript("arguments[0].click();", element)

A: Naif,
Actually, your above question is different than the actual question hence you should have asked it as a separate question. Still, I'm answering to your previous question.
The error is because the element you're trying to click on isn't visible. Before you click on element, it should be visible. You can do this by following -
WebElement element = driver.findElement(By.xpath("//div[2]/div[2]"));
WebDriverWait wait = new WebDriverWait(driver, 20); //here, wait time is 20 seconds

wait.until(ExpectedConditions.visibilityOf(element)); //this will wait for elememt to be visible for 20 seconds
element.click(); //now it clicks on element

If above doesn't work, you can click on element by executing javascript(but this isn't a good practice)
JavascriptExecutor js = (JavascriptExecutor)driver;
js.executeScript("arguments[0].click();", element);

A: I'm not sure but try and see if following works for you. First, you've to make that element visible before interacting with it -
WebElement element = driver.findElement(By.xpath("//div[2]/div[2]"));
((JavascriptExecutor) driver).executeScript("arguments[0].scrollIntoView(true);", element);

The above code will scroll down till the element is visible and then you can click on it.

A: I was getting this error in slightly different context where I was trying to click anchor tag with the selenium RemoteWebDriver (I was trying to replace WebDriver). The fix was identifying the right set of capability for the driver for eg:
capability = DesiredCapabilities.chrome();
 capability.setPlatform(Platform.WIN10);
 capability.setCapability("version", "66");

A: I just resized my browser dimensions and it worked like so
driver = webdriver.Firefox()
driver.get(SOME_URL)
driver.set_window_position(0, 0)
driver.set_window_size(1024, 768)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: how to make the range in my chart database dynamic I am getting data (12) every 5 seconds and I want to put these on a chart after the data input has stopped. I want to make the chart dynamic by reading each row separately. How do I avoid having to write each line ? I need to get the offset code in the range somehow and make it loop.
Biggest problem is that I don't know anything about writing codes, I record and try to find out like that. I have no background in IT at all.
ActiveSheet.ChartObjects("Grafiek 1").Activate
    ActiveChart.PlotArea.Select
    ActiveChart.SetSourceData Source:=Sheets("Blad1").Range("A1:F2"), _
        PlotBy:=xlRows
    ActiveChart.SetSourceData Source:=Sheets("Blad1").Range("A1:F1,A3:F3"), _
        PlotBy:=xlRows
    ActiveChart.SetSourceData Source:=Sheets("Blad1").Range("A1:F1,A4:F4"), _
        PlotBy:=xlRows

I want the range to go up automatically (ie. a3:f3 --> a4:f4 -->...) so each row of data is put on the chart separately (I use a 1 second delay).

A: The Range object takes a string as an argument, so you should be able to loop through your rows like such:
Dim intRowCount as Integer
Dim intTotalRows as Integer 'You will have to give this a value

For intRowCount = 1 to intTotalRows
    'Your 1 second delay goes here
    Dim strRangeString as String
    strRangeString = "A1:F1,A" & Trim(Str(intRowCount + 2)) & ":F" & Trim(Str(intRowCount + 2)) 'Or whatever your row offset is
    ActiveChart.SetSourceData Source:=Sheets("Blad1").Range(strRangeString), _
        PlotBy:=xlRows
Next intRowCount


text:
Q: How to use methods from a global external java library in a Groovy Jenkins Pipeline? First, I´m new to Java, Groovy and Jenkins so please be patient with me ;)
I´m preparing a Jenkins server with Pipeline support for future use in our build environment.
We use a special inhouse scripting language for which i have to write a wrapper in java. There is no option to do the work only in Groovy, we have to use this special language.
I have tried many methods of referencing the java lib to this jenkins project but neither worked.
Mainly i´ve used the documentation on https://github.com/jenkinsci/workflow-cps-global-lib-plugin to implement this but also tried several approaches searching google or stackoverflow. Following the documentation, this include should be possible.
I´ve reduced the process to a test setup for testing purposes.
Assume the following...
I have a multibranch project in Jenkins named 'MultibranchTestProject01'.
The Jenkinsfile:
@Library('DeltaJenkinsScripts@develop')

def runStageCollect = true

if (runStageCollect)
{
    stage("Collect")
    {
        helloWorld("Joe")
    }
}

The referenced library is referenced globally via 'Global Pipeline Libraries' in the Jenkins settings but also explicitly here to clarify things.
It´s hosted in a git environment and the referencing seems to work.
The file structure of this library:
/vars/helloWorld.groovy
package de.dcomp.prod

def call(name) {
    def tt = new Test()
    tt.testText()
}

/src/de/dcomp/prod/Test.groovy
package de.dcomp.prod

import de.dcomp.ftel.*

def testText()
{
    def sRetVal = ""
    echo "testText - START"
    //sRetVal = ScriptRunner.GetStaticSampleText()
    def oSR = new ScriptRunner()
    sRetVal = oSR.GetInstanceSampleText()
    echo "ReturnValue: ${sRetVal}"
}

I have a java lib called ScriptRunner-0.0.1-SNAPSHOT.jar. This library has a single class:
package de.dcomp.ftel;

public class ScriptRunner
{
    public String GetInstanceSampleText()
    {
        return "ScriptRunner.GetInstanceSampleText() called...";
    }
    public static String GetStaticSampleText()
    {
        return "ScriptRunner.GetStaticSampleText() called...";
    }
}

I have no problem in referencing and using this library in a standalone java project.
I´ve tried several ways to include it:

*

*Put the jar file to 'C:\Users\cr.groovy\lib'

*Setting the Classpath in a testing linux environment.

*Using the plugin "Pipeline: Classpath Steps" to add the library to the classpath in different notations, e.g. 'C:\Users\cr.groovy\lib',  C:/Users/cr/.groovy/lib', 'C:\Users\cr.groovy\lib\ScriptRunner-0.0.1-SNAPSHOT.jar', 'C:/Users/cr/.groovy/lib/ScriptRunner-0.0.1-SNAPSHOT.jar', 'file:///C:/Users/cr/.groovy/lib/ScriptRunner-0.0.1-SNAPSHOT.jar'

*adding the lib to a local maven repository and referencing per @GrabResolver and @Grab, though this is not the solution i would like to have

or dynamic loading with:
this.class.classLoader.rootLoader.addURL(new URL("file:///C:/Users/cr/.groovy/lib/ScriptRunner-0.0.1-SNAPSHOT.jar"));
def srClass = Class.forName("de.dcomp.ftel.ScriptRunner")
def sr = srClass.newInstance()

The result is always something like this.
groovy.lang.MissingPropertyException: No such property: ScriptRunner for class: de.dcomp.prod.Test

or this:
de/dcomp/prod/Test.groovy: 10: unable to resolve class ScriptRunner
 @ line 10, column 12.
    def oSR = new ScriptRunner()

The error messages point always in the direction that the process cannot find the Java library. The same thing happened if i try to use some other library, e.g. from Apache Commons.
I would like to avoid writig it as a plugin if this is possible.
Thanks in advance!

A: The only method I've found so far that works was to run this in the pipeline to find out what directories are being checked:
println System.getProperty("java.ext.dirs")

And in my case, it was looking in
/usr/java/packages/lib/ext

So I put the jar I wanted to load in that location (after having to create the directory), and then restarted Jenkins.
Afterwards I was successfully able to do an import of the library and use it.
Seems very hacky and the sort of thing that might be considered a bug and removed without notice.

A: If you are using external library (@Library) in your pipeline, you can define grape dependencies via Grab. Example below from ciinabox-pipelines shared library. This will download jars and load them automatically in groovy script.
@Grab(group='com.amazonaws', module='aws-java-sdk-ec2', version='1.11.198')

import com.amazonaws.services.ec2.* import com.amazonaws.services.ec2.model.* import com.amazonaws.regions.*

What is important that code above probably won't work in pipeline itself, but when loaded as part of shared library, it should with latest plugin versions.


text:
Q: Faster way to download stock index components time series data in r I would like to optimize the time it takes me to go and retrieve stock prices
I have used this method suggested at http://blog.quanttrader.org/2011/03/downloading-sp-500-data-to-r/:
I store a list of the index components in .csv file
library(tseries)
library(timeDate)

symbols <- read.csv("/home/robo/workspace/R-Test/sp500.csv", header = F, stringsAsFactors = F)
nrStocks = length(symbols[,1])

dateStart<-"2000-01-01"

z <- zoo()

for (i in 1:nrStocks) {

    cat("Downloading ", i, " out of ", nrStocks , "\n")
    x <- get.hist.quote(instrument = symbols[i,], start = dateStart, quote = "AdjClose", retclass = "zoo", quiet = T)
    z <- merge(z, x)
}

This process takes quite some time. I remember there being another way of doing this by scraping components from html site.
There must be a more efficient, faster way.
Thank you
ps: here is a good post on retrieving multiple symbols.
Downloading Yahoo stock prices in R
My questions differs in that I want to find fastest way run through a large quantity of symbols
Reproducible Example on smaller subset of stocks:
library(tseries)
library(timeDate)

symbols <- c("AAPL","IBM","CSCO")
nrStocks = length(symbols)

dateStart<-"2000-01-01"

z <- zoo()

for (i in 1:nrStocks) {

    cat("Downloading ", i, " out of ", nrStocks , "\n")
    x <- get.hist.quote(instrument = symbols, start = dateStart, quote = "AdjClose", retclass = "zoo", quiet = T)
    z <- merge(z, x)
}


text:
Q: should land patterns match the typical or the maximum part footprint dimension? I've read that for QFN packages at least, the width of the pads on the board should exactly match the width of the feet on the bottom of the chip.  However, the datasheet for the part I'm working with (here) shows both typical and maximum sizes for the feet.  Which is best to use?
The same question applies for the thermal pad at the center of the chip.

A: Land pattern recommendations are in the realm of established best practice, rather than definitive proofs. The "same size" recommendation for QFN pads is indeed considered best practice. I'm not sure why, but suspect it has to do with providing a precise locating effect as the solder melts.
So the answer to which to use, typical (nominal) or maximum, is - what does the manufacturer/fab/IPC recommend? At the end of the day it's going to be a tradeoff between thermal performance, locating effect, likelihood of shorts between pads, etc. At 0.1mm, it's not going to be a big effect either way, particularly given board fab tolerances.
I would follow the advice from Freescale Semiconductor in their Application Note AN1902:

The PCB pad width should be approximately the same as the nominal package pad width

That's going to maximise the locating effect and minimise the potential of a short, with a negligible reduction in conductivity/thermal transfer.


The organizing committee of the AASPN 2019 Congress offers "Travel Grant" for the Under Developing Countries' Authors/Presenters.
Check the "World Bank List" and follow the application procedure.
Complete your abstract through online submission system of the AASPN 2019 by February 28.
Send the official application with the below information to the AASPN Central Office (centraloffice@aaspn.org).
Scientific Committee will review your application with the submitted abstract.
Selected winners will be individually noticed by the AASPN Central Office.


As the country gets ready to relive the O.J. Simpson trial in a new mini-series, old wounds are being reopened for those close to the victims. Kris Jenner, ex-wife of O.J. trial lawyer Robert Kardashian, spoke about losing her best friend, Nicole Brown Simpson, according to PEOPLE magazine on January 27.
The families grew close. Children played together and had birthdays together. And then it all fell apart. Few know that Kris had plans to have lunch with Nicole Brown Simpson the day her body was discovered. Kris's world was shattered.
Sadly, Kris wasn't aware of the abuse allegedly suffered by Nicole at O.J.'s hands until she heard the tapes played at trial. It horrified her. She wondered how she could have missed it. She wondered if she could have prevented it. These thoughts still haunt her.
Despite the pain from reliving the horror of the O.J. trial, Kris Jenner is getting involved in the production by helping David Schwimmer portray ex-husband Robert Kardashian, part of the O.J. defense team. Schwimmer told Entertainment Weekly that Kris was "so warm and generous with her time." He reached out to Kris to learn about Kardashian's personal life as a husband and father. Robert Kardashian died in 2003.
"The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story," a 10-part mini-series on FX, will begin on Tuesday night, February 2. Kris feels that one good thing that will come out of the retelling is the pain and possible prevention of domestic violence.
To get the full story about Kris Jenner and the O.J. Simpson trial, pick up a copy of PEOPLE magazine on Friday, January 29.


During My Checkride, Can I Do That Over?
While conducting a private pilot check ride recently, the importance of listening became a valuable lesson. We completed the oral portion of the exam, and we were ready to go flying.
No matter how we try to settle ourselves down on the day of our checkride, there is no denying it's a big day! It is normal to be a bit nervous. And, due to nerves or just a bad day, there will be a few mistakes during the checkride. As I often say, we just need to avoid the big mistakes.


Welcome To World Languages at Wilton High School!
The Department of World Languages encourages the study of one or more languages to promote global understanding. Language expresses the essence of a people and its study fosters a gradually deepening knowledge of the culture, geography, history and social institutions of another country or countries. In addition, it provides a differing perspective on one's own culture and language.
1) to understand the spoken world language, 2) to read it with ease and enjoyment, 3) to write it, and 4) to speak it. Attaining language proficiency is directly related to the learner's motivation and to the time and effort expended. All courses in the World Language Program have access to the audio and computer language laboratory facilities. Scheduled language lab programs are designed to reinforce linguistic and lexical skills learned in the classroom, as well as to expand the horizon of language study through the use of cultural materials.
The table below indicates which languages are taught, which sequences are offered, and which electives may be selected. Actual courses depend on sufficient enrollment.
*Please note that an Independent Study in Greek is also offered. Information on this offering is provided under the Independent Study section in the Special Programs section of the Program of Studies.
Prerequisite: Successful completion of French 8.
This course builds upon the basics of language learning (vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation) established in previous courses. Specific objectives at this level are to continue the study of grammar, develop reading, writing, listening and speaking skills, and foster cultural awareness of the francophone world. Emphasis will be placed on learning current vocabulary and idiomatic expressions to increase reading comprehension and oral fluency in authentic situations. Students will regularly practice all forms of communication (interpretive and presentational) in the context of writing, speaking, listening and reading. Aspects of French and francophone civilizations will be presented through a variety of materials and media.
Prerequisite: Successful completion of French III.
This course continues to stress the acquisition of the fundamental language skills of listening, writing, speaking, and reading (fiction and nonfiction) using an interdisciplinary approach. Formal grammatical structures are studied at a more complex level. Emphasis will be placed on learning current vocabulary and idiomatic expressions to increase reading comprehension and oral fluency. Students will hear and read selected materials varying in length and difficulty to develop greater word recognition in context. Students will regularly practice all forms of communication (interpretive and presentational) in the context of writing, speaking, listening and reading. Aspects of French and francophone civilizations will be presented through a variety of materials and media.
Prerequisite: A cumulative average of A for the first two quarters, an A on the midterm exam, and the teacher's recommendation in French III.
In addition to fulfilling the curriculum requirements of French IV, honors students will also complete additional advanced-level coursework and assessments. This may include selected literature, writing, portfolios, recordings, journals, teaching lessons, current events, projects and other performance-based assessments.
In this course, students will build upon the lexical, grammatical and cultural components learned in French IV. They will complete the second half of D'accord 2 (units 4, 5, 6, 7), the textbook that they used in French IV. These last four units of D'accord 2 incorporate more advanced vocabulary and grammatical constructions than those used in the first half of the book. Students will continue improving their speaking, listening, writing, and reading skills. They will regularly practice all forms of communication (interpretive and presentational). French and francophone culture and society will be studied through the use of various materials. Reading passages and listening exercises of a more advanced level will be used to enhance these skills. The class will be conducted entirely in French and students will be required to speak exclusively in the target language. Over the course of the year, students will prepare for the proficiency-based ACTFL testing in the spring and, upon passing all four of the sections (reading, writing, speaking and listening) will be awarded the Seal of Biliteracy on their transcript.
Prerequisite: Successful completion of French IV (Honors) and teacher recommendation.
In this course, students will work on several thematic units. Emphasis will be placed on advanced structures, syntax and idioms. Students will work on interpersonal and presentational communication. The course will be taught mostly in French and students will be expected to use the target language during communication in groups and with the teacher. Over the course of the year, students will prepare for the proficiency-based ACTFL testing in the spring and, upon passing all four of the sections (reading, writing, speaking and listening) will be awarded the Seal of Biliteracy on their transcript. Authentic short films from the Francophone world will be integrated in the instruction. An emphasis will also be placed on the study of the culture of diverse sections of the Francophone world. The Imaginez series provides students access to an e-text and an online supersite for interactive practice.
Prerequisite: Successful completion of French V (Honors) and teacher recommendation.
In this course, students will read authentic contemporary cultural documents and selected literary works of prose and poetry from the Middle Ages to the present. Frequent compositions and oral presentations will be made in French and all classroom discussions will be conducted entirely in the French language. Grammar review will be stressed through the composition segment of the program. Students will regularly practice all forms of communication (interpretive and presentational) in the context of writing, speaking, listening and reading. Students will be required to perform with greater accuracy the basic skills of listening, reading, writing, and speaking.
Prerequisite: B or better in French V (Honors), teacher recommendation, and completion of a preparatory summer assignment.
Students who elect this course will develop their proficiency in listening, speaking, reading and writing skills in preparation for the AP French Language and Culture examination. In addition to the material covered in French level VI Honors, AP students will write compositions regularly, prepare and submit recordings, read, analyze and discuss a variety of written text and audio segments, and will complete assigned grammatical review exercises. This course follows the prescript of the College Entrance Examination Board and is viewed as the equivalent of an intermediate level college course. Students will regularly practice all forms of communication (interpretive, interpersonal and presentational) in the context of writing, speaking, listening and reading. This course is taught entirely in French and only makes use of authentic French and francophone materials.
This course is offered to students wishing to begin the study of French in Grade 9 or to start the study of French as a second or third language. The students will practice the four skill areas of speaking, listening, reading, and writing. They will also learn about the cultures of France and other francophone countries. Emphasis will be placed on learning current and high frequency vocabulary and idiomatic expressions to increase reading comprehension and oral fluency in authentic situations.
This course is for students who have successfully completed French I. Students in this course will continue to develop and practice the skills of speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Additional verb conjugations and other grammatical concepts will be covered in this course. The culture of France and other francophone countries will also continue to be an integral part of French II.
This course is an introduction to German for students who are interested in starting a new language or studying a second language. The four skill areas of listening, reading, speaking, and writing are covered. Emphasis is placed on communication and vocabulary acquisition in real-world contexts. Students will interact using various modalities and using technology. Culture and geography are an integral part of the course and are reinforced through class projects, online activities, DVDs, and music.
Prerequisite: Successful completion of German I.
This course will continue to develop skills in listening, reading, speaking, and writing. More emphasis is placed on grammatical structures, idiomatic expressions, and oral communication in real-world contexts. Active participation in class is essential and students will interact using various modalities and technology. Culture and geography are an integral part of the course and are reinforced through class projects and online activities, DVDs and music.
Prerequisite: Successful completion of German II.
This course builds on the basics covered in levels one and two and introduces increasingly complex grammar necessary for effective communication. Students are expected to speak German as often as possible. Idiomatic expressions, as well as longer reading passages will accompany more advanced vocabulary. Poetry and song lyrics will help to build vocabulary acquisition. Culture will continue to play a key role. Students will use the technology available to challenge and enhance their skills. Students will write and perform a short play in the second semester in preparation for the Languages & Art Festival in the Spring.
Prerequisite: Successful completion of German III.
Emphasis is placed on speaking the language as frequently as possible. Topics for discussion will have a cultural basis and will include some aspects of current events in German-speaking countries and the EU. Students will be encouraged to use more complex language. Selected readings will provide an introduction to literature. Readings will include short stories, fairy tales, and the epic poem: Nibelungen. Students will also study the films, "Die Welle" and "Goodbye, Lenin" in the context of German culture and recent German history. The four skill areas will continue to be reinforced through practice and review. Students are expected to keep a journal. Over the course of the year, students will prepare for the proficiency-based ACTFL testing in the spring and, upon passing all four of the sections (reading, writing, speaking and listening) will be awarded the Seal of Biliteracy on their transcript.
Prerequisite: A cumulative average of A for the first two quarters, a B+ on the midterm exam, and the teacher's recommendation in German III.
In addition to fulfilling the curriculum requirements of German 4th Year, honors students will also complete additional advanced-level coursework and assessments. This may include selected literature, writing, journals, current events, projects and other performance-based assessments. Over the course of the year, students will prepare for the proficiency-based ACTFL testing in the spring and, upon passing all four of the sections (reading, writing, speaking and listening) will be awarded the Seal of Biliteracy on their transcript.
This course uses the Cambridge Latin Course, designed to teach the comprehension of the Latin language for reading purposes and to develop an understanding of the content, style and values of Roman civilization. Emphasis will also be placed on grammar, vocabulary building, and topics such as mythology, history, and Roman culture.
This course continues with the Cambridge Latin Course designed to teach the comprehension of the Latin language for reading purposes. Intermediate and advanced forms of syntax and vocabulary are emphasized, with selected readings from Catullus, Ovid, and Caesar. Students will also continue their study of Roman History, Government and Social Customs, as well as Classical Mythology and English words derived from Latin and Greek roots.
Prerequisite: Successful completion of Latin II.
This course focuses on the reading of original Latin literature. Advanced forms of syntax will be emphasized through selected readings from Vergil and Ovid. Students will read and interpret extensive selections from the Aeneid or Metamorphoses, focusing on figures of speech, diction, meter and the Latin literary tradition.
Prerequisite: Successful completion of Latin III and teacher recommendation.
This course emphasizes the development of language skills (including advanced grammar, syntax, and vocabulary) necessary for the reading of original Latin literature. Authors which students may read in this course include Vergil, Ovid, Catullus, Cicero or Caesar. In addition to advanced language study, students will also continue their study of such important topics as Roman history, government, and social customs, classical mythology and Graeco-Roman art. Latin IV students ordinarily take a field trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Over the course of the year, students will prepare for the proficiency-based ALIRA test in the spring and, upon passing will be awarded the Seal of Biliteracy on their transcript.
Prerequisite: A cumulative average of B+ for the first two quarters, a B+ on the midterm exam, and the teacher's recommendation in Latin III.
In addition to fulfilling the curriculum requirements of Latin IV, honors students will also complete additional advanced-level coursework and assessments. This may include selected literature, writing, portfolios, recordings, journals, teaching lessons, current events, projects and other performance-based assessments. Over the course of the year, students will prepare for the proficiency-based ALIRA test in the spring and, upon passing will be awarded the Seal of Biliteracy on their transcript.
Prerequisite: Completion of Spanish 8 at Middlebrook (or Spanish I at WHS) with lower than a B+ and the teacher's recommendation.
This course will continue to develop the basics of language learning in oral competence, reading skills, formal grammar and writing. Students will learn more verb tenses and other grammatical concepts as they develop oral and listening competence. A strong focus on vocabulary will also further enhance their reading and writing skills at this level. Cultural aspects will be an integral part of the class.
Prerequisite: Completion of Spanish 8 at Middlebrook (or Spanish II at WHS) with a B+ or better and the teacher's recommendation.
This course builds upon the basics of language learning begun in previous courses. By the end of the year students will be able to exchange written and oral information with other students about memorable experiences in their lives, the outdoors, art, and health. They will have to compare, contrast, analyze and apply the uses of the present, preterit, and imperfect tenses in everyday tasks, class discussions, and homework assignments; and integrate the learned concepts in performance based assessments such as quizzes, tests, and interpersonal and presentational tasks. Emphasis will be placed on learning vocabulary and idiomatic expressions to increase comprehension and fluency in authentic situations as well as fostering cultural awareness. A variety of materials and media will be used. The class will be conducted primarily in Spanish.
This course expands the understanding and production of the target language by using authentic resources from the Spanish speaking world. Specific cultural themes provide the context to learn and apply grammar and vocabulary and to develop reading, writing, listening and speaking skills in the presentational, interpretive and interpersonal modes. Resources include short stories, articles and videos. As the school year progresses, students are expected to increase the use of the target language when they collaborate in small group activities and participate in whole class discussions. Language labs are another resource used to apply concepts learned in class to simulated real world life situations. This class will be conducted primarily in Spanish.
Prerequisite: A cumulative average of A for the first two quarters, a proficient score on the qualifying speaking and written assessment as well as the Spanish III teacher's recommendation based on attitude, class participation and commitment to learn about the language and culture of the Spanish-speaking world.
This course expands on language acquisition by incorporating resources that will further develop students' communicative skills. Students will sharpen their writing skills by completing interpersonal and presentational writing samples. They will also develop interpretive reading skills through short stories and other authentic materials. Students will enhance their interpersonal and presentational speaking skills by producing recordings and participating in classroom oral activities. This class is conducted in the target language, at a faster pace and the content is explored more in-depth than Spanish IV. Students are expected to use the target language at all times.
Prerequisite: A cumulative average of A for the first two quarters, an exemplary score on the qualifying speaking and written assessment as well as the Spanish III teacher's recommendation based on attitude, class participation and commitment to learn about the language and culture of the Spanish-speaking world.
This is a compacted course that combines both Spanish IV Honors and Spanish V Honors into one academic year. It is aligned to prepare students for the AP Spanish Language & Culture and subsequently AP Spanish Literature & Culture courses. This course will broaden students' linguistic knowledge base and enhance their cultural awareness at an advanced level and accelerated pace. Over the course of the year, students will prepare for the proficiency-based ACTFL testing in the spring and, upon passing all four of the sections (reading, writing, speaking and listening) will be awarded the Seal of Biliteracy on their transcript. (See course descriptions for Spanish IV Honors and Spanish V Honors).
This class offers the opportunity for students to improve their listening, oral and writing skills and to strengthen their reading skills through the study of various literary pieces. Students are expected to participate in discussions in Spanish on authentic materials. Reading passages and listening exercises of a more advanced level will be used to enhance those skills. A review of grammar, idioms, and verb usage will be an ongoing process throughout the year. Films from Spanish-speaking countries will also be studied to emphasize culture and communication. This class is conducted in Spanish and students are required to speak exclusively in the target language. Over the course of the year, students will prepare for the proficiency-based ACTFL testing in the spring and, upon passing all four of the sections (reading, writing, speaking and listening) will be awarded the Seal of Biliteracy on their transcript.
Prerequisite: Successful completion of Spanish IV (Honors) and teacher recommendation.
In addition to fulfilling the curriculum requirements of Spanish V, Spanish V Honors students will complete advanced-level coursework and assessments. This course will broaden students' linguistic knowledge base and enhance their cultural awareness at a rigorous and accelerated pace. This may include selected literature, writing, portfolios, recordings, journals, teaching lessons, current events, projects and other performance-based assessments. Over the course of the year, students will prepare for the proficiency-based ACTFL testing in the spring and, upon passing all four of the sections (reading, writing, speaking and listening) will be awarded the Seal of Biliteracy on their transcript.
Prerequisite: Successful completion of Spanish V.
This course offers students the opportunity to improve their communication skills, placing emphasis on conversation and composition applied to real world scenarios. Students are expected to understand formal and informal Spanish. Resources such as literary works, articles and videos from Spanish speaking countries are used as context to write narratives, direct responses and essays; to participate in class discussions and interviews and to create skits and oral presentations. Language labs are used for more focused interactive speaking and collaborative tasks. This class is conducted entirely in Spanish.
Prerequisite: B or better in Spanish IV/V (Honors) or Spanish V (Honors) or Spanish VI or AP Spanish Language or AP Spanish Literature and the teacher's recommendation.
This is a semester course that aims at expanding and refining students writing skills through a variety of formal and informal formats and real life written communicative tasks. This course also prepares students and provides them with ample opportunities to demonstrate their proficiency in writing through the application of writing composition protocols such as purpose, intended reader of the texts, linguistic elements and structures.
The purpose of this course is to prepare students to demonstrate their oral proficiency in the Spanish language at an upper-intermediate university level (intermediate-advanced range speaking proficiency) in the three modes of communication (Interpersonal, Interpretive, and Presentational), using a variety of formal and informal formats and real life situation tasks. This course is conducted solely in Spanish .
Prerequisite: B or better in Spanish IV/V (Honors) or Spanish V (Honors), an acceptable performance on the placement test given in January, completion of preparatory summer assignments and teacher recommendation..
Students who elect this course will develop proficiency by integrating their language skills while using authentic materials and sources. In preparation for the AP Spanish language examination, students will make appropriate content and cultural inferences and predictions from written and listening resources, improve their interpersonal and presentational communicative skills, produce informal and formal writing samples, and read with increased speed and comprehension. In addition, students will complete assigned grammar review exercises and demonstrate competence in their knowledge of the culture of the Spanish speaking world. Students who enroll in this course typically take the AP Spanish Language and Culture Exam in May.
Prerequisite: A- or better in AP Spanish Language & Culture, completion of preparatory summer assignments and teacher recommendation..
This course is designed to provide students with a learning experience equivalent to that of a third-year college course in Peninsular and Latin American literature. Students will be introduced to the formal study of a representative body of literary texts, exposing them to a wide variety of genres and types of discourse from the 14th century through modern times. The course provides opportunities for students to demonstrate their proficiency in Spanish across three modes of communication (interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational) and the five goal areas (communication, cultures, connections, comparisons, and communities). The overarching aims of the course are to provide students with ongoing and varied opportunities to further develop their proficiencies across the full range of language skills - with special attention to critical reading and analytical writing - and to encourage them to reflect on the many voices and cultures included in a rich and diverse body of literature written in Spanish. Students who enroll in this course will be expected to take the AP Spanish Literature and Culture exam in early May.
This course is offered to students wishing to begin the study of Spanish in Grade 9 or to start the study of Spanish as a second or third language. Students will learn the basic sound structures of the language and stress oral accuracy in pronunciation. High frequency vocabulary will be presented in context and practiced in a variety of situations. Grammar will be taught to encourage accurate written and oral communication. Cultural aspects will be an integral part of the class. This class is designed for students who have had no previous Spanish language study.
This is a compacted course that combines both Spanish IV Honors and Spanish V Honors into one academic year. It is aligned to prepare students for the AP Spanish Language & Culture and subsequently AP Spanish Literature & Culture courses. This course will broaden students' linguistic knowledge base and enhance their cultural awareness at an advanced level and accelerated pace. (See course descriptions for Spanish IV Honors and Spanish V Honors).Over the course of the year, students will prepare for the proficiency-based ACTFL testing in the spring and, upon passing all four of the sections (reading, writing, speaking and listening) will be awarded the Seal of Biliteracy on their transcript.
Prerequisite: Teacher approval and independent study contract required.
This course covers essential grammar, vocabulary and readings for first year Attic Greek. Students move at an accelerated pace through all forms, including the Greek verb system, and switch to a Homeric Greek textbook in the fourth quarter.
Students continue their study of Homeric Greek with an intensive focus on the unique vocabulary and grammar of the Homeric poems. In the spring semester students read approximately 500 original lines from Odyssey Book 9.
Open to third and fourth year Greek students, this class focuses in the first semester on two selected books from the Homeric poems. In the spring semester students will read a complete tragedy of Sophocles or Euripides. In past years, students have read Euripides' Medea, Bacchae, and Electra, and Sophocles' Oedipus and Antigone.


Kris Kristofferson and Lyme Disease | What is Lyme Disease?
Kris Kristofferson is one of the many new celebrities coming forward about their infection with Lyme disease. Not too many celebrities in the past would talk about it openly but that is changing. Adding to the list of celebrities such as Yolanda Foster, Ally Hilfiger, Ashley Olsen Kris Kristofferson is now doing interviews and talking about his struggle to find doctors who could properly diagnose him and treat him.
Another important aspect of this is the point that he was getting diagnosed with Dementia. Many Lyme advocates often claim that Lyme disease is heavily misdiagnosed as other ailments, Dementia and Alzheimer being some of those misdiagnosis's.


I spent last evening with a group of people who were in ceremony, in practice, honoring the dead from a range of traditions, being intimate with the concrete truth of death and with the bodies that death has already claimed. This is new to me. I experienced a lot of death as a child. We went to funerals (sometimes) and told stories about the person who died in those immediate months after their passing (sometimes) but we did not practice intimacy with death.
My daughter was there at the ceremony last night. She's 15 and has her own life and privacy so I won't give too many details except this: for the first time in her life she had the experience of grieving a recent (violent) death within a circle of intimate strangers and feeling that transformation that happens when heaviness around death turns to something different, more connected, less isolating. I watched this happen and wondered what it is like to experience this for the first time at 15 as opposed to 54 or 3. I watched this happen and placed it in the context of the next story.
As we were telling stories about those who had passed, one woman, a friend, began to talk about a grandmother, a woman who does not know how to show the love she might feel in her heart. This friend talked about her grandmother's emotional distance and about the impact of this on my friend's feelings about her grandmother's eventual death. Then my friend said something that touched everyone in the room: she reflected on the chain of broken relationships, about what happens when a parent is not able to show their love to their child, that raw steady unconditional love. She noticed what this child does - and doesn't learn - and then what happens when this child becomes the parent and again, does not know how be that deep steady resource for their child's living. And on and on again, this line of grief and disconnection that becomes culture, family and the marker for what a person can most expect from the world around them.
The ACE study uses research to prove what all of us know by instinct: if you do not protect the children and keep them safe, then they will be hurt and that hurt will translate to many kinds of pain in their later lives. All of the ways that adults are not able to care for and sometimes are violent towards the children in their care, this generational chain of harm, is at the root of each child who grows up to be an adult who causes harm to their own body and the bodies of others.
One of my teachers talks about the difference between targeted trauma and matrix trauma. Targeted trauma is when a specific act happens to your individual body: you are in a car accident, you experience a racist attack, you are physically violated. These are targeted acts against your body that have a beginning and an end (in the concrete sense, not in the experience of their impact). Matrix trauma is what never ends; it's the ongoing everyday seems-almost-like-the-air-you-breathe systemic attack. The constancy of this is like a slow burn erosion of a person's - and community's - internal clarity about the importance of their own life and connection to others. All systems of oppression are a form of matrix trauma: ableism, white supremacy, patriarchy, homo- and transphobia. They are always there, working to constrict the expansiveness of individual and collective life. Tightening it. Policing it. Controlling it. Matrix trauma can sometimes be invisible, can feel like culture. We say it's just how we do things forgetting that how we do things evolved so that we could survive. This is what happens when the intensity of trauma gets embedded in our kin networks and then passed forward from one generation to the next.
There are multiple forms of cultural trauma that have impacted how children are raised. My friend, who is multiracial raised white, was talking about hers: this emotional disconnection between adults and children that freezes the loving heart, which will protect children when it's in response to protecting the stories the family tells about themselves, but will not protect or even see when the harm is coming from those who are supposed to be there to protect and care for them. This is the trauma which, within the cycle of violence, turns to perpetration and such are systems of supremacy maintained.
What does it mean that, outside of culturally-grounded and connected space, our movements are largely absent of children? I see portable babies in movement spaces, lives that are still in the enmeshment stage with their adult and so are held tight against the body, nursing or bottle feeding or sleeping on one lap after another. This is beautiful and right. I see far fewer children who are at the question asking stage, the interrupting, slow things down, let's play stage. Around age 2 or 3, they start to disappear from many and possibly most places of (non-culturally rooted) movement work. My question isn't just a form of inclusion politics, it's a question about how we imagine and experience community. And my asking is a form of linking arms with everyone reading this and looking at the question together. Even as a parent who has that special eye contact moment with other parents when organizing spaces are so obviously not centering the fact of children, I don't always know how to do this differently.
This is what happens when we don't do this work differently; the children disappear. And things happen when the children disappear - from mild disregard to deep and dangerous violence. That wound of separating families, of professionalizing or formalizing spaces, of putting the care of the children into a different category from the care of the communities: it continues forward, a kind of culture that was at one point the best way someone knew how to survive.
I had an experience at Standing Rock that has impacted me forever on all of this. Irna Landrum does an incredible job of describing what happened, but the bare details are this: all of us at the camp were awakened in the middle of the night to be part of a potential search party for a little girl who was missing (quick assurance: the little girl was found safe and ok). All of us, a moment in the camp when that meant hundreds and hundreds, maybe even thousands of us. We all got up, not knowing exactly what was happening, wondering if we were being raided, and went to wait on the road. While we were waiting, a white woman standing next to us complained about being awoken when people weren't sure if the child was actually missing. "Why couldn't they wait and wake us up when they knew for sure?" she asked. Many of us turned to her and said versions of, "I would rather be woken up for a false alarm than not being woken up and have that child turn up hurt." We were sleepy and not sure what was happening but many of us, including myself, were shocked into being awake by that white woman's question.
I want to live where I can assume that you are going to come and bang on my door when your or someone else's child is missing - or your grandmother or the person you never met who lives alone at the corner but there are now three days of mail sticking out of his mailbox. This is the normal that I want. It matters so much that my daughter, even just now at age 15, got to experience grief as a collective held and normalized thing, to not let the fact of a violent death go unwitnessed and uncared about. It shifted what happens after, and not just for her but for the small ones that she might someday be in relationship with. Healing justice is many things but to me, it's also about creating the conditions that support the deep shifting of unfinished survival histories that are held within the tissues of our physical selves and the tissues of our shared cultures. It's about remembering the descendants, not as someday concepts but as real live breathing small people who are tugging on our pant's legs and asking us to remember them, play with them, keep them safe from harm.
Written in deep care of so many of the adults I know who are living with and caring for small children every single day, theirs and others, while also working to pay the bills and working to change the world. All at the same time.


I will fill you all in later… but this meeting went well.
Hanging on the wall you may see a few concept art pictures of The Last Witch Hunter!
The plot hasn't been officially announced yet, but from what I read here and there, it would revolve around an immortal witch hunter who has to partners with his natural enemy, a female witch, to stop the evil covens of New York City from unleashing a plague on mankind.
It's kind of like Riddick vs Maleficent? Well sign me up for The Last Witch Hunter! Let's hope the project will go ahead and will start filming soon!
Anyway, stay tuned with us for more details about The Last Witch Hunter!


Instagram is flooded with pics of people who solemnly swear that wearing their waist trimmer is the best way to obtain the ultimate silhouette. Nevermind that their stomach is being sucked in so much that breathing isn't the most comfortable thing. Lets also not forget about all of the sweating their stomach is doing under that thing. No shade to my waist trim wearers out there but there's another way to achieve hourglass figure status. You can do it with style. A more comfortable, less sweaty solution is colorblocking!
Simply put, colorblocking is mixing bold, bright colors in one outfit. There can be an artform to colorblocking. It's a fun way to mix and play with different color palettes. But with proper color placement, it can give you the shape you want and it's super easy!
Place darker colors in the areas that you want to minimize. Wearing a darker color in the middle, like here, makes that waist look slim and trim.
Matching color-blocked panels on the curve of your hips give you a serious hourglass shape.
Keep accessories simple. They shouldn't compete with your outfit.
Take these quick tips, give your tummy a rest and colorblock instead! Thoughts?


text:
Bruyères () is a commune in the Vosges department in Grand Est in northeastern France.

The town built up around a castle built on a hill in the locality in the 6th century.  It was the birthplace of Jean Lurçat, in 1892.

History
In World War II, Bruyères was liberated from German occupation by Japanese-American soldiers of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. The Battle of Bruyères and the rescue of the "Lost Texas Battalion" is now considered to be one of the ten major military battles fought by the United States Armed Forces. The 100th/442nd Regiment became the most decorated Unit in the History of the US Army (8 Presidential Unit Citation, 21 Medal of Honor and 18,143 individual decorations). On July 8 & 9, 1989, the bicentennial of the presentation of the "Bill of Human Rights" by Mounier, Pierre Moulin created and inaugurated the "Peace and Freedom Trail." Encompassing 89 points of interest, the "Peace and Freedom Trail" highlights the actions of the 442nd RCT and their campaign to free Bruyères from German occupation during World War II.
 Arboretum du col du Haut-Jacques

Notable residents
Gaston About

Twin towns
 Vielsalm ()
 Honolulu ()

See also
Communes of the Vosges department

References

External links

Town website
 Le Chemin de la Paix et de la Liberte de Bruyeres

Communes of Vosges (department)
Duchy of Lorraine


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