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What Black America Means for Europe
The Russia File
A blog of the Kennan Institute
Ukraine's Decentralization will Empower the Center, but Not in Ways You Think
By Olena Lennon on January 19, 2021
Moscow Tells Its Story in the Passive Voice
By Maxim Trudolyubov on September 28, 2020
GovernanceSociety and CultureRussia
BY MAXIM TRUDOLYUBOV
The story of Alexei Navalny's poisoning has created a new divide between Russia and the world. The government of Germany, where the Russian opposition politician is recovering, maintains that a banned nerve agent was used to poison him. Some Russian officials have denied Navalny was poisoned, some have implied that he was poisoned in Germany, and still others suggest that the poisoning story was a Western hoax. According to French media, Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a phone conversation with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, even suggested that Navalny might have poisoned himself in an attempt to discredit Russia.
The Kremlin seems to be improvising on the fly, apparently thinking that the story will go away all by itself. Chemical weapons specialists from Germany as well as experts from France and Sweden confirmed that the substance used to attack Navalny belonged to the Novichok family, a group of highly toxic agents originally developed in the Soviet Union in the 1970s and 1980s. Russia's officials, meanwhile, may tie themselves into knots and constantly change their story but they are consistent in one respect. Grammatically, the Kremlin's story is always told in the passive voice: this allows for the conspicuous absence of an actor, a perpetrator. Officials rarely deny that things may be "done" to people but they are always fuzzy about the doer.
Moscow called the 2018 poisoning of the former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter a "provocation," even though British authorities had identified and named Russian spies that Scotland Yard said were responsible for the attack. The Kremlin spokesman said back then that Russia had no knowledge of who the suspects were. Later, when interviewed by the RT television channel, the two alleged poisoners claimed that they were tourists who had gone to Salisbury to take a look at the city's cathedral and admire its tall, impressive spire.
Four years before that incident, in 2014, the Russian authorities said that Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, a passenger jet on route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, had merely "crashed." The crash happened in eastern Ukraine amid the hostilities between Russia-supported rebels and the Ukrainian military. A Dutch-led investigating team concluded later that a surface-to-air missile had hit the plane and caused the crash. After sifting through hundreds of thousands of documents and questioning hundreds of witnesses, the analysts and detectives identified the exact missile launcher, its position at the moment of the firing, and the fact that the equipment had been transported from Russia to the rebel-controlled part of Ukraine and then back to Russia after the downing. Moscow, however, volunteered a number of alternative explanations for the crash of MH17, including a bomb on board, Ukrainian fighter jets, or Ukrainian missile launchers. When the investigative team dismissed all of these claims, the Kremlin eventually ended up saying, in Vladimir Putin's wording, that Russia had no reasons to "trust the results of this investigation."
With Alexei Navalny's poisoning, Moscow is replaying its deniability game but its claims somehow get sillier each time. A doctor from Omsk, the Siberian city where Navalny was treated immediately after the poisoning, said that the politician's illness could have been caused by a strict diet. The editor-in-chief of RT, Russia's state-funded television network broadcasting in foreign languages, said a lack of sugar might have sent Navalny into a coma. Alexander Lukashenko, the embattled president of Belarus, has presented Moscow with an "intercepted" conversation between Berlin and Warsaw that, Lukashenko said, was proof that the poisoning was a Western hoax against Russia. The conversation—in English, complete with a Russian-language voiceover—sounded like a clip from an old Cold War movie. Russia is supporting Lukashenko's campaign to stay in power despite nationwide protests in Belarus, and for that reason the Kremlin apparently decided to keep a straight face and not to dismiss Lukashenko's clumsy assistance.
Moscow's media figures and politicians are never shy to air old and trusted denials. "Killing a very public critic would not be advantageous for Putin," is one such cliché denial. "The 'blogger' in question was too lightweight a figure for Putin to even think about," is another. A Western provocation adage is also popular. "When Alexei Navalny was leaving the Russian territory no toxic substances were found in his body," the head of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service, Sergei Naryshkin, told reporters on Tuesday. "In this respect we have lots of questions to ask the German side."
For Russia's official spokespersons, the reason why Navalny could have been poisoned in Germany is readily available. "Everything that is going on around Navalny has nothing to do with Novichok or the opposition, or the regime. . . . It has everything to do with one thing only, it's Nord Stream 2," the head of the Russian Agency for Ties With Compatriots Living Abroad and International Humanitarian Cooperation Yevgeny Primakov wrote on Facebook. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has indicated that the German government might indeed consider sealing off the nearly completed Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. Yet Germany has refrained from taking such measures before. Consistent with German politicians' long-standing belief in economic interdependence as a basis for peaceful coexistence and political change, Chancellor Merkel has sought to decouple various Moscow-related crises from business dealings with Russia. It is because of this political attitude—and vested business interests as well—that Germany did not stop Nord Stream or, later, Nord Stream 2 after the annexation of Crimea, the war in Ukraine, the downing of MH17, or the Skripal poisoning.
It is not just in international relations that the Kremlin evades responsibility for publicly significant events. The stories presented domestically are often crude and are told in the passive voice, the essential grammatical tool of evading responsibility.
This strategic irresponsibility is pervasive. Even parts of Russia's history, for example the story of the Stalinist past, are told grammatically, in the passive. Under Putin, Russia's official position—evident in school textbooks and in government-run media—has been to recognize the suffering of the victims but to be vague about those who sent the "kulaks" to camps and executed the innocent. People "were" executed, "sent" to camps, or jailed—no one disputes that in Russia, it is the perpetrators who are kept out of the picture.
Being exposed to this sort of language day in and day out cannot but entail consequences. No one in Russia is deceived by the evasion of responsibility but the constant war on the truth takes its toll. If it is the state that is busy covering up crimes, then silence and lies become part of the public sphere. Irresponsible speech "poisons" the relationship between the state and society. Exposed to constant public lies, people stop taking public statements seriously and do not believe that they can affect change through public politics. The toxic cynicism that is so common in Russia's public life is not, of course, a feature of the Russian culture. Nor is the passive voice somehow inherent in the Russian language. Russia needs a deep detoxification of all spheres of public life, from its political system to its political language.
The opinions expressed in this article are those solely of the author and do not reflect the views of the Kennan Institute.
Maxim Trudolyubov
Senior Advisor; Editor-in-Chief, Russia File;
Editor-at-Large, Meduza
Maxim Trudolyubov is a Senior Fellow at the Kennan Institute and the Editor-at-Large of Vedomosti, an independent Russian daily. Mr. Trudolyubov was the editorial page editor of Vedomosti between 2003 and 2015. He has been a contributing opinion writer for The International New York Times since the fall of 2013. Mr. Trudolyubov writes The Russia File blog for the Kennan Institute and oversees special publications.
The Kennan Institute is the premier U.S. center for advanced research on Russia and Eurasia and the oldest and largest regional program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. The Kennan Institute is committed to improving American understanding of Russia, Ukraine, and the region through research and exchange. Read more
Ukraine's Local Elections: A Reality Check for Decentralization and Electoral Reforms
By Vita Dumanska on January 12, 2021
Economic Reform Agenda Stalled in 2020 Amid COVID-19 Despite Congressional Activism
By The Brazilian Report on January 8, 2021
Statement from Aaron Jones, Director of Congressional Affairs.
By Aaron C. Jones on December 28, 2020
Moscow's Waning Influence Creates Security Vacuum In the Post-Soviet Space
By Stefan Meister on December 18, 2020
La Grieta Goes Global
By Benjamin Gedan on December 18, 2020
Kennan Cable No. 62: Moldova's Presidential Election: A Real Turning Point?
Bowling Together: Young Russians and a Visa-Free Regime
By Kirill Shamiev on December 9, 2020
Eta, Iota, & COVID-19: A Perfect Storm Hits Central America
Fixing Dayton: A New Deal for Bosnia and Herzegovina
Kennan Cable No. 61: Russia in the Changing Post-Soviet Space
Kennan Cable No. 60: Bested by Russia: Abe's Failed Northern Territories Negotiations


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News Business & Policy
Facebook Uses Open-Air Cooling in Super Efficienct N.C. Data Center
Megan Treacy
Megan Treacy is a freelance writer from Austin, TX. A former editor at EcoGeek, she worked as a technology columnist for Treehugger from 2012 to 2018.
The outside air cooling system at Facebook's Prineville, Oregon data center that the North Carolina system was based on.
Facebook published a blog post today over at its Open Compute Project discussing the success of the outdoor air cooling system at its Forest City, North Carolina data center. The company had utilized the same system in place of mechanical chillers at its Prineville, Oregon data center, but the climate there is much more mild.
Here's what the blog post has to say about the different approach required in North Carolina:
When we started looking at Forest City, the bin weather data suggested that refrigeration might not be required, but ASHRAE 50-year design weather maximums suggested otherwise. We ultimately decided to install a direct expansion (DX) coil system in the facility, just in case it might be needed, but it was important to us to find a way to make the free cooling system work — the potential efficiency gains to be found in keeping those DX units switched off were just too great to ignore.
To try to make the free cooling system work in Forest City, we expanded the maximum allowable temperature and humidity conditions for our server environment. Because wet-bulb temperatures are higher in western North Carolina than they are in central Oregon, we set the upper end of the server inlet temperature range at 85°F, instead of at 80°F. And because of the higher humidity in North Carolina, we expanded the relative humidity (RH) maximum from 65% RH to 90% RH.
And guess what? Despite July being the second hottest month on record in North Carolina and the past summer being the third hottest in U.S. history, Facebook didn't have to run the DX coils at all. Luckily, on the days that saw record heat, the humidity was relatively low so a misting system was able to provide necessary cooling and when relative humidity was high, the dry bulb temperature tended to be lower so the outside air didn't need to be cooled before being sent into the data hall.
So, here's the kicker. Not only did the outside cooling system work just as well in the hotter and more humid environment in North Carolina, but that data center actually achieved a lower PUE this summer than the Prineville, Oregon data center. Forest City was able to hit 1.07 while Prineville hit 1.09. Both of those are very efficient PUE scores or Power Usage Effectiveness -- a measurement of how much energy going into the data center is used on IT machinery instead of other power loads like heating, cooling, and other facility management. The lower the PUE number, the more energy-efficient the data center, with 1.0 being a perfect PUE.
You can see a couple of the temperature and humidity charts Facebook compiled from this past summer below.
© Open Compute Project
Facebook Launches Live Data Center Efficiency Dashboard
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Minotair "Magic Box" Heats, Cools, Ventilates and Dehumidifies
I Give Up. Air Conditioning Is a Necessity Now.
Old Is New Again as HouseZero Focuses on Natural Ventilation and Light
Old Holloway Passive House Is All About Comfort and Luxury
20 Ways for Renters to Stay Cool and Save Money This Summer
The Phononic Solid State Heating and Cooling Revolution Is Almost Here
10 Overlooked Low-Tech Ways of Keeping Your Home Cool
As Cities Grow, So Does the Need for Urban Trees
How L.A. Is Beating the Heat With White-Painted Streets
Happy Birthday Thomas Alva Edison. You Were Right About Direct Current After All
22 Awesome Projects for Raspberry Pi
Why Are We So Reliant on Air Conditioning? (It's Not Just Climate Change, It's Bad Design)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Fruit Brute
Being Bullied
5 Best Food Mascots of the 80's and 90's
Remembering Rainy Days
Forum » Chew The Fat » I realized something today
By PeZZ!
At 17:14 On 23 June 2015
it's funny how more than 90% of all Americans eat meat but the grand majority of those people don't actually have the guts to kill and gut an animal for it's meat, they expect other people to do it for them, it shows how dependent people are on other people for things like that without even realizing it. talk about ironic.
By Vaporman87
I've thought about that myself. I could bring myself to kill and prep an animal if necessary. But if not necessary, I choose to not bother with it. Perhaps I could stand to kill/scale a fish, but that'd be about it.
Quote Disable Sigs
You love this signature.
By shakin steak
Turtle Powered
Yeah. People want to think that meat magically appears in a styrofoam tray wrapped in plastic. I have actually heard people say that they don't want to know about it. I think it's a big sign of what's wrong with our society. We avoid empathy for other living things, the reality of nature and our bodies, and the difference between processed and unprocessed food. Some people are so sanitized that they can't experience anything or allow kids to either. I believe this actually makes us less respectful and compassionate. Despite the apparent effort otherwise I think it is self-defeating in the long run.
I put my money where my mouth is. I was involved with the killing and butchering of a goat once, and I would do it again. Did the goat understand when I thanked it before a bullet went through its head? Highly doubtful. We talked later about how we could see when it gave up. The guy who pulled the trigger didn't want to miss. Immediate death was, we hoped, more merciful than a wound that doesn't kill and then a second, fatal hit. So that goat struggled against his ties for a while, then stopped. But I choose sustenance over suicide. And he lived a much better life than any creature bred in a CAFO, where most of our meat in USA comes from. Since learning about those, I have reduced my consumption. There is research into growing meat replacements in a lab. It's all about the taste for me and I will be happy if we can stop clearcutting rainforests and wasting water.
By the way, we are now learning that plants experience pain too. They don't have faces and we don't see them walk around, but they feel. I for one am very interested to hear more about this and to what degree plants can be considered sentient.


Midtown Comics Episode 076 Yabba Dabba Rebirth!
This week! Ted and Gavin try something new, as well as chat about the DC Comics Rebirth rumors swirling around, the new Hanna-Barbera line from DC, as well as TV chat that includes Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, The Flash, Agent Carter, and FX's new show Legion. Plus a new $20 gift card give-a-way, and as always TOP PICKS!


Eastbourne's Towner Art Gallery presents the seventh annual East Sussex Open, bringing together the best artists from across the region, from Rye to Eastbourne, Brighton and Hove.
The show runs from July 23-September 25.
From 330 entries, seventy artists were selected for the exhibition, spanning a wide range of media, from painting, drawing and photography to sculpture, installation and moving image works.
The artists in this year's exhibition were selected by Jenni Lomax, director of Camden Arts Centre, artist Melanie Manchot, who has recently presented a major exhibition at Towner, and Brian Cass.
In 2015 the exhibition enjoyed 30,000 visitors, and artists who have previously shown work in the East Sussex Open include Joseph Long, selected for the John Moore's Painting Prize 2010; Judith Alder shortlisted for the Jerwood Drawing Prize 2013; Toby Tatum whose work screened in the Experimenta film category at the 58th BFI London Film Festival 2014; and Hermione Allsopp who was shortlisted for the Mark Tanner Sculpture Prize in 2013.
East Sussex Open artists: Rachael Adams, Victoria Albuquerque, Moram Ali, Emily Allchurch, Hermione Allsopp, Jane Andrews, George Antoni, Andrea G Artz, Vicki Atkinson, Ian Baker, Alex Bamford, Simon Barker and Jason Wood,Irving Bartlett, Hester Berry, Dominic Bradnum, Julian Brown, Lucy Brown,Clare Buckle, Helen Buckall, Rachel Cohen, Sandra Collee, Shona Davies, David Monaghan, Jon Klein, Stuart Dodman, Louise Evans, Anny Evason, Rosalind Faram, Michael Ferguson, Sharon Fraser Hall, Sam Frederick, Stephanie Grainger, Sharon Haward, Oliver Hein, Fergus Heron, Jaye Ho, Christopher Hughes, Christopher James, Emily Johns, Susan Keshet, Jane King, Helen Kirwan, Andrew Kotting, Eden Kotting, Michael Leale, Joseph Long, Emma Marks, Jennifer Mehra, Tim Maslen, Shuby and Delete, Susan Miller, Janet Milner,Shelley Morrow, James Murray, Patrick O'Donnell and Dawei Zhang, Annalaura Palma, Sean Roy Parker, Sam Pullen, Katherine Reekie, Brian Rybolt, Helen Samuels, David Slack, Kiki Stickl, David Stubbs, James Taylor, Adrian Turner, Mew Welch, Benno White.
Open Tuesday-Sunday, 10am-5pm and Bank Holiday Mondays, 10am-5pm. Admission free. www.townereastbourne.org.uk.


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Three essential elements must come together to make revolutionary change: A program, a party, and leaders. Movements without leaders are doomed to fail.
For a while, we had the fantasy that the digital world was making leadership obsolete. Ordinary people, connected without mediation by the power elites, now held power in their hands. A new age was dawning. Glory hallelujah.
The romance that in this era of Facebook and Tweets we don't need leadership to change the world would not survive the catastrophic cascade of failed revolutions that began, so hopefully, with social media.
Exhibit one is the Arab Spring. The Arab spring sprang when spunky kids rose up in flash mobs throughout the authoritarian Middle East and sent the bad old dictators packing. It was glorious, joyful anarchy. For about six months.
Then the people with a program, party and leaders showed up. Say goodbye to the block party, say hello to the Muslim Brotherhood. They didn't last long either. Inside of two years, Egypt was right back where it started: military dictatorship.
There was no Arab Summer. Not in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya or Syria. The harvest of the leaderless Arab Spring was sectarian strife and death. In most of those places, they'd take a decent dictator now. In some of them, they have.
Such is the result of a leaderless revolution. Power abhors a vacuum and abhorrent people are always ready to fill it.
Sometimes a leaderless revolution does not end in disaster. Sometimes fortune smiles on the leaderless revolution and it ends in abject failure.
Take Occupy Wall Street. (Okay, first find Occupy Wall Street.) Here was another children's crusade, leaderless, party-less and paradigm-free. Here at last was the future. The implacable power of money overcome by the anarchistic joy of connected kids.
Occupy Wall Street had everything going for it. The timing was impeccable; Wall Street had sucked the blood out of the nation, and when we ran dry, they had the nerve to ask for a transfusion. The country was ready, the bankers were scared, the symbolism resonated strongly with millions of Americans. Here was the fighting spirit we'd all been waiting for.
We're still waiting. Occupy Wall Street vanished as quickly as it came. You have look it up on YouTube to convince yourself it ever happened. Occupy Wall Street blew itself out like a dust devil. But it could have been a tornado.
To make a revolution, or even significant change, you need a program to provide the message, a party to provide the discipline, and a leader to provide the indispensable requirement for any revolution: Followers.
The Founding Fathers understood that. So did the Bolsheviks. A democratic revolution and a communist revolution are worlds apart in purpose, morality and results. But they followed the same road to success. Program, party and leadership.
A revolution with those essential items can fail. But a revolution without them won't even get the chance to fail. It will fizzle out before it can catch fire. It will be stillborn.
Now, let's look at a revolution that did work. One that contained nothing but bad ideas and repulsive rhetoric: The Tea Party.
The Tea Party also started out as a leaderless explosion of mass emotion, mostly hatred. For a while, it wasn't clear which way the Tea Party was heading: to the Brown Shirt right or the populist left.


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Motivate and Meet: the New Methods Marketplace
Open Access and Open Scholarship have revolutionized the way scholarly artefacts are evaluated and published, while the introduction of new technologies and media in scientific workflows has changed the "how and to whom" science is communicated, and how stakeholders interact with the scientific community. At the OpenUP Final Conference (5-6 September 2018) state-of-the-art ideas and services for opening up the review-disseminate-assess phases of the research lifecycle were showcased, recent hot topics were covered (e.g. Plan S and its 10 principles), and different Motivate and Meet sessions, including a Marketplace for innovative tools, methods and ideas, fostered interaction and exchange in the context of Open Science. The Marketplace setting hosted key players of the Open Science scenery. Let's meet them!
OpenAIRE is a European project supporting Open Science. On the one hand OpenAIRE is an network of dedicated Open Science experts promoting and providing training on Open Science. On the other hand OpenAIRE is a technical infrastructure harvesting research output from connected data providers. OpenAIRE aims to establish an open and sustainable scholarly communication infrastructure responsible for the overall management, analysis, manipulation, provision, monitoring and cross-linking of all research outcomes.
During the Marketplace, delegates were informed about how OpenAIRE fosters Open Science in Europe, among others, through its repositories network stressing the value added to the research processes and outputs through OpenAIRE activities such as interlinking and contextualisation of research information. With its pool of services and tools and with assistance of dedicated experts, the so-called National Open Access Desks or NOADs, OpenAIRE supports all kind of stakeholders, from researchers to SMEs and citizens, in their "open" activities and endeavours. Hence, it is considered to be a pillar of the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) for Open Science and Open Scholarship matters.
Image 1: OpenAIRE poster - OpenAIRE advancing Open Science
OpenUP pilots in Peer Review
Three OpenUP pilot studies were presented at this booth. Pilot 1: Open Peer Review for Conferences presented a demo of the adapted HotCRP software, which integrated Open Peer Review (OPR) options into the conference management system. The tool was applied and tested in two conference venues: the Second European Machine Vision Forum 2017 (EMVA 2017) and the second venue was the eHealth2018 Master Student Competition. The conference organisers agreed to test the four OPR principles "Open Identity", "Open Participation", "Open Report" and "Open final-version comments" for papers submitted through the submission system, and the software was adapted accordingly. The resulting source code has been released to the public under an open source license at the HotCRP GitHub repository linked above.
Image 2: Poster of pilot 2 - Open Peer Review for Research Data (left) Poster of pilot 3 - A data journal for the Arts and Humanities (right)
Two posters were displayed as well. OpenUP's Pilot 2: Open Peer Review for Research Data was devoted to analysing OPR for research data in the scientific community of the Human Mortality Database (HMD). OpenUP interviewed HMD managers and country specialists and did a survey with HMD users. The interviews gave valuable insight into origin, motivations and organisational features of HMD, the goal and main features of the database, its data quality assessment process, and the interviewees' pinion on Open Access to data. The survey specifically focused on the HMD user's practices and attitudes in data access and use.
Pilot 3: A data journal for the Arts and Humanities analysed and demonstrated the feasibility of a basic workflow that will combine the publication of data with commenting and reviewing systems. The pilot had a dual purpose: on the one hand, it described the data sharing practices within Humanities research. On the other hand, the study evaluated how quality assessment and (open) peer review can be applied to research data within this field of study.
The EU-funded project FOSTER Plus (2017-19) aims at fostering a cultural change towards Open Science. In order to support the practical implementation of Open Science, the project provides various training opportunities for researchers with a strong emphasis on e-learning. The interactive training courses cover key Open Science topics and focus on the burning questions academics may have about practicing open Science. The courses include discipline-specific examples and tools, where relevant, to meet different needs of the scientific communities. In addition, FOSTER follows a train-the-trainer approach building support structures and materials, such as the Open Science Training Handbook, to bring together and support the Open Science trainer community.
Image 3: Foster poster - Fostering the practical implementation of Open Science in Horizon 2020 and beyond https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1412660
OpenUP Pilots in Innovative Dissemination
Two OpenUP pilots were presented. Pilot 4: Transferring the research lifecycle to the web interactively demonstrated and tested the OpenOnlineResearch (OOR) tool that was developed further in OpenUP. We invited conference participants to use the interpretation features of OOR, visually observe the use of it, and asked them about usability, instructions and meaning of the interpretations given. Six participants have gone through the software and performed the main operations. It turned out that users understand the flow and meaning of the software swiftly and are able to produce meaningful content. It also turned out that we omitted a small number of instructions. The test also triggered participants to think about the applicability of the tool. For example: one participant suggested to try the tool for peer-review.
A poster of Pilot 5: Reaching businesses and the public with research output was presented. Based on input gathered from seven interviewed science communication experts, OpenUP created guidelines and recommendations for researchers who want to communicate their research to target audiences beyond academia. The guidelines were tested by the European ReFlex project and were improved further according to their feedback. Based on the provided recommendations and guidelines, the research community re-shaped and evaluated their dissemination strategy and produced targeted dissemination content tailored to its stakeholders.
Image 5: Poster of OpenUP Pilot 5 - Reaching businesses and the public with research output
Open Knowledge Maps
Open Knowledge Maps is a non-profit dedicated to revolutionizing discovery of scientific knowledge. We are developing a visual interface that dramatically increases the visibility of research findings for science and society alike. On our website, users can create knowledge maps of research topics in any discipline. These visual overviews show the main areas in a field and provide relevant papers and concepts. So far, more than half a million people have leveraged Open Knowledge Maps for their research, work and studies.
Image 5: Open Knowledge Maps: A Visual Interface to the World's Scientific Knowledge https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1410307
OpenUP Hub
OpenUP Hub is one of the most important outputs of the OpenUP project. OpenUP Hub is an open, dynamic and collaborative knowledge environment that systematically captures, organizes and categorizes research outcomes, best practices, tools, and guidelines relevant to review-dissemination-assessment phases of the research lifecycle through the prism of Open Science.
It is an end-to-end tool from researchers to researchers that shifts from one-way to multi-way communication opening multiple channels and giving the opportunity to all users to interact with the hosted material and connect with other users. Interaction is encouraged and supported by several means, the three most indicative services of OpenUP Hub are the following:
Three toolboxes for open science solutions, trainings and services addressing specific needs & questions on alternative peer review, altmetrics and innovative dissemination methods.
A Blog where articles and point of views on Open Science are collected, uploaded and promoted. Scientists, librarians, open science advocates and all community members are motivated to promote and advance their work, share innovative ideas, receive feedback from experts and interact with other community members.
A Suggestion Box, where all users can suggest new tools, material, events, ideas.
DARIAH
The OpenMethods platform brings together all formats of Open Access publications in different languages about methods in Digital Humanities to spread the knowledge and raise peer recognition for them. The platform has been developed in close partnership with and supervision of the DARIAH community since it is an offspring of the DARIAH "Humanities at Scale" project.
Image 6: DARIAH "Humanities at Scale" poster- OpenMethids platform
OpenUP Pilots in Impact Assessment
Two OpenUP pilots were dedicated to Impact Assessment topics. Pilot Study No 6: Reflexivity of metrics on medical research and dissemination practices explored how biomedical research communities deal with opening up their research enterprise and how reflexive engagement with research practices at their facilities might help to develop metrics and incentives for research organization. We analysed debates in editorials of major biomedical journals and interviewed researchers and managers at the Berlin Institute of Health (BIH). Based on this analysis and the discussion, we found that there may be different cultures of dealing with data in the biomedical sciences.
Image 7: Poster of OpenUP pilot 6 - Reflexivity of metrics on medical research and dissemination practices
Pilot 7: Piratical demand as a form of impact indicator and reaching unexpected audiences demoed the results of the quantitative, statistical and econometric analysis of large scale datasets on the supply of and demand for scholarly works on illegal platforms. The study is based on a number of data sources to analyse the supply and demand of pirated scholarly publications. The analysis of supply is based on the catalogue of Library Genesis. The shadow library publishes its catalogue with basic bibliographic metadata as daily database dumps. Usage data is based on to two sets of access log data provided to us by the administrators of one of the mirror services that distribute the titles in Library Genesis.
Videos: OpenUP pilot No 7: Animations showing the use of one of the shadow libraries over the course of several months in Europe and USA
RDA Early Career and Engagement Interest Group
The purpose of the RDA Early Career and Engagement Interest Group (ECEIG) is to provide a focal point for Early and Mid-Career Researchers and Professionals, including those involved in various RDA-related fellowships and Early Career programs. RDA members recognize that there is a need to create a space in RDA for those who are at the beginning stages of their careers. Specifically, RDA members recognized that Early Career Researchers and Professionals usually need additional support for:
networking amongst themselves to learn about other Early Career scientists and their research, i.e., establishing a "network of peers", and
mentoring from senior RDA members who are interested in mentoring Early Career Researchers and Professionals.
Specifically, objectives of this IG are to:
Focus on Early Career Researchers and Professionals because they need the most support
Establish a volunteer-based mentoring progamme
Network across domains to establish an interdisciplinary network of peers
Provide a space for people who have more experience with RDA to pass on knowledge and lessons learned to Early Career Researchers and Professionals
Create a social outlet specifically for Early Career Researchers and Professionals
Image 8: ECEIG cards
HIRMEOS
Open Science means more than mere Open Access, and Open Access does not mean just journals.
Not enough has been done yet to integrate Open Access monographs into the open science ecosystem in a systematic and coordinated fashion. That's the main goal of High Integration of Research Monographs in the European Open Science (HIRMEOS) project. The project addresses the particularities of academic monographs as a specific support for scientific communication in the Social Sciences and the Humanities and tackles the main obstacles of the full integration of monographs into the European Open Science Cloud. It aims at prototyping innovative services for monographs in support of Open Science infrastructure by providing additional data, links and interactions to the documents, at the same time paving the way to new potential tools for research assessment, which is still a major challenge in the Humanities and Social Sciences.
HIRMEOS will prototype and set up a common layer of added value services on top of existing e-publishing platforms for open access monographs by implementing common standards and crosslinking the documents with others and with various types of digital objects related to the research process. The project builds on two combined pillars: integration and innovation. HIRMEOS won't develop new technologies from scratch but rather use already existing ones and prototype their implementation on the specific types of digital objects that are academic monographs. The technologies used will be the most innovative of the moment although mature enough to be implemented.
HIRMEOS is also a sort of proof of concept of a broader project, OPERAS, whose aim is to certify, discover and activate research (https://operas.hypotheses.org/).
Image 9: HIRMEOS poster
FIT4RRI is an EU-funded project (2017-20) that aims at bridging the gap between the potential and the actual role RRI and Open Science play in helping RFPOs to manage the rapid transformation processes affecting science. The project analyses general trends, barriers and drivers to RRI and Open Science to develop actions, strategies and improved training tools that activate institutional change and create an enabling environment for RRI and OS. Conducting four co-creation experiments in partner institutions, FIT4RRI observes RRI and OS in action to complement the theoretical analysis and test first results.
Image 10: FIT4RRI poster - Fostering improved training tools for responsible research and innovation https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1413526
Presenters' Views (Quotes)
Different Motivate and Meet initiatives like the Marketplace offer a great opportunity to interactively present research work directly to the community. What benefits do the presenters see in this setting? Let's explore what do they think.
OpenAIRE & RDA ECEIG
"The Marketplace was the perfect opportunity for people to get a better understanding of represented projects activities and outcomes; for OpenAIRE, in particular, it provided insight to services and tools other than the validator for interoperability of repositories, with most popular being Amnesia for anonymisation of data and Research Community Dashboard for ease in communication, monitoring and reporting of research."
"Given the participation of early career researchers at the conference as winners of the OpenUP blog competition, this proved to be a great chance to open discussions about the mission of the ECEIG focusing mainly on the Mentoring Programme which has been established and the monthly calls organised with RDA ECEIG members and beyond."
Elli Papadopoulou
Foster & Fit4RRI
"The OpenUP marketplace was a great opportunity for FOSTER. Showing the new training materials directly to the community, allowed us to discuss, answer questions and listen to feedback.
[Fit4RRI] Being part of the OpenUP marketplace was a perfect opportunity to connect and exchange with the community and various stakeholders."
Helene Brinken
"The marketplace was very beneficial for us. It enabled us to engage with (potential) users and receive valuable feedback, but also to talk to potential new collaborators. We would certainly participate in such an event again."
Peter Kraker
"As HIRMEOS aims at building services and addressing the community needs, the Marketplace was a perfect way to receive comments and useful feedbacks from researchers and publishers. The idea of the stalls is useful as it allows a lot more interaction than the traditional poster session. "
Elena Giglia
"It was our great pleasure to present OpenMethods on the colourful palette of the OpenUp Marketplace. Continuous cross-stakeholder exchange is inevitable for the development of great ideas, essential services and a better functioning scholarly communication ecosystem at large."
Erzsébet Tóth-Czifra
Register to Submit Article
Innovative Dissemination
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text:
Q: All I want to see are the specs Is there a way to see the processor and speed of a Cisco UCS B230 Blade Server without the enclosure that runs it?
The enclosure that we have does not power on and all I need is to see what cpu and processor speed is in it.

A: You have shown 0 effort on this.
As per Google:

*

*Cisco UCS B230 M2 Blade Server | Cisco

*Cisco UCS B230 M2 Blade Server specsheet.pdf | Cisco

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Vs > Montpellier
Puerto Princesa, Palawan vs Montpellier Climate & Distance Between
Puerto Princesa, Palawan vs En Nahud, Sudan
Puerto Princesa, Palawan vs Goteborg, Sweden
Puerto Princesa, Palawan vs Bluffields, Nicaragua
Puerto Princesa, Palawan vs Kaitoke, New Zealand
Montpellier vs Novosibirsk, Russia
Montpellier vs Ubatuba, Brazil
Montpellier vs Fort Morgan, Co, Usa
Montpellier vs Lafayette, La, Usa
Daniels Harbour, Nf vs Taoyuan
Rockville, In vs Uummannaq
Nikopol' vs Senanga
Salta vs Merida
The distance between Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines and Montpellier, France is approximately 11,176 km or 6,945 mi.
To reach Puerto Princesa, Palawan in this distance one would set out from Montpellier bearing 65.5° or ENE and follow the great circles arc to approach Puerto Princesa, Palawan bearing 138° or SE .
Puerto Princesa, Palawan has a tropical wet and dry/ savanna climate with dry winters (Aw) whereas Montpellier has a Mediterranean hot climate (Csa).
Puerto Princesa, Palawan is in or near the tropical moist forest biome whereas Montpellier is in or near the cool temperate moist forest biome.
The mean annual temperature is 13.5 °C (24.2°F) warmer.
Average monthly temperatures vary by 14.5 °C (26.1°F) less in Puerto Princesa, Palawan. The continentality subtype is extremely hyperoceanic as opposed to truly oceanic.
The altitude of the sun at midday is overall 27.2° higher in Puerto Princesa, Palawan than in Montpellier.
Relative humidity levels are 12.1% higher.
The mean dew point temperature is 15.7°C (28.3°F) higher.
The table shows values for Puerto Princesa, Palawan relative to Montpellier. You can also view this comparison the other way around from the perspective of Montpellier vs Puerto Princesa, Palawan.
Average Min Temperature °C ( °F) +20 (+36) +19 (+34) +16 (+29) +14 (+25) +12 (+22) +9 (+16) +7 (+13) +6 (+11) +8 (+14) +12 (+22) +17 (+31) +20 (+36) +13 (+24)
Average Precipitation mm (in) -18 (-1) -2 (0) -12 (0) -14 (-1) +89 (+4) +138 (+5) +161 (+6) +161 (+6) +121 (+5) +112 (+4) +134 (+5) +28 (+1) +898 (+35)
Number of Precipitation Days (% chance of precip. on a day ) -4 ( -13) -3 ( -11) -4 ( -13) -3 ( -10) +4 (+13) +10 (+33) +12 (+39) +11 (+35) +10 (+33) +8 (+26) +6 (+20) -1 ( -3) +46 (+12)
Sun altitude at solar noon on the 21st day (°) +33.7 +33.5 +33.6 +29.6 +13 +6.4 +12.4 +29 +33.8 +33.7 +33.8 +33.8 +27.2
Relative Humidity (%) +4 +9 +3 +6 +11 +19 +26 +20 +16 +14 +12 +5 +12.1
Average Dew Point Temperature °C & (°F) +20.8 (+37) +20.8 (+37) +17.6 (+32) +16.5 (+30) +15 (+27) +11.4 (+21) +11.2 (+20) +9.9 (+18) +11.1 (+20) +14.6 (+26) +18.9 (+34) +20.7 (+37) +15.7 (+28)
http://www.puerto-princesa.climatemps.com/vs/montpellier.php
Puerto Princesa, Palawan vs Dryden, On, Canada
Puerto Princesa, Palawan vs Irece, Brazil
Puerto Princesa, Palawan vs Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Usa
Puerto Princesa, Palawan vs Watertown, Ny, Usa
Montpellier vs Monte Alegre, Brazil
Montpellier vs Macquarie Island, Australia
Montpellier vs Altamira, Dominican Republic
Montpellier vs Baghdad, Iraq
Keene, Nh vs Bage
Mcinnes Island, Bc vs Antananarivo
Jackson, Ms vs Pyongyang
Urbana, Il vs Cabrera
Puerto Princesa, Palawan vs Montpellier Discussion
Climate Guides for Locations near Montpellier
Gourdon, France - 243.5 kms (151.3 miles) WNW
Toulouse, France - 208.4 kms (129.5 miles) W
Perpignan, France - 129.3 kms (80.4 miles) SW
Les Escaldes, Andorra - 232.7 kms (144.6 miles) WSW
Gerona/ Costa Brava, Spain - 210.2 kms (130.6 miles) SSW
Barcelona, Spain - 298.5 kms (185.5 miles) SSW
Geneva, Switzerland - 341.6 kms (212.3 miles) NNE
Lyon, France - 250.3 kms (155.6 miles) NNE
Torino/ Caselle, Italy - 343.5 kms (213.5 miles) ENE
Grenoble, France - 225.2 kms (139.9 miles) NE
Turin, Piedmont, Italy - 337.3 kms (209.6 miles) ENE
Torino, Italy - 340.2 kms (211.4 miles) ENE
Albenga, Italy - 337.6 kms (209.8 miles) E
Cape Mele, Italy - 340 kms (211.3 miles) E
Nîmes/ Courbessac, France - 46.5 kms (28.9 miles) NE
San Remo, Liguria, Italy - 306.4 kms (190.4 miles) E
Nice, France - 261.1 kms (162.2 miles) E
Marseille, France - 102.1 kms (63.4 miles) E
Toulon, France - 166.6 kms (103.5 miles) ESE


text:
Widow Forgives Man Who Killed Her Soldier Husband
December 18, 2013 directorifi No comments
MailOnline, London, England – The widow of a former decorated soldier who was killed by a single punch during an early-morning fight over a taxi has offered her complete forgiveness to his killer.
David Ryding, 26, died after being knocked out by Ben Hartwell, 22, on July 7 during a heated argument while the pair waited at a taxi stand in Rugby, Warwickshire. The recently married father-of-one, who left active duty in 2011, hit his head on the ground after being struck by Hartwell. He died in a hospital the following day. An inquest into his death determined that Hartwell acted in self-defense and no charges were filed.
Following the inquest, Ryding's widow Nicola requested a meeting with Hartwell where she told him she did not blame him and wanted him to move forward with his life.
"Our family and Mr. Hartwell's family have been deeply affected by the events which took place and just hope that if any good can come from this tragedy, it is that awareness will be raised regarding the tragic results an instantaneous event such as this can lead to," Nicola Ryding said. "Our thoughts are with Mr. Hartwell and all his family and we hope he can come to terms with what happened and move on with his life."
"David will be in our hearts forever and live on in the wonderful memories we shared," she added. "We are satisfied that the inquest was conducted thoroughly and we respect the verdict made."
Read the full story: Widow's extraordinary forgiveness towards the man who killed her soldier husband.
Categories: Forgiveness News, News


text:
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10 ways to rewire your mindset and start thriving today
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The WomanUP! Conference, which took place last week, was jampacked with insights and inspiration for agents. Here are 10 important takeaways agents should consider when making a survive-to-thrive mindset shift
by Bernice Ross
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The WomanUP! Conference, which took place last week, was jampacked with insights and inspiration for agents. Here are 10 important takeaways agents should consider when making a survive-to-thrive mindset shift.
Attend Inman Connect Las Vegas to gain takeaways to achieve success in 2023.
Have you allowed pandemic-related fears and challenges to impact your mindset? Would you like to move past the fear and take action anyway? If you're ready to move from surviving to "sur-thriving" in your business, here are ten insider tips from last week's WomanUP! event to help you make the shift.
One of the biggest surprises from this year's WomanUP! Conference was how many women had discovered there were silver linings from the pandemic. Their families grew closer. They had time to pursue new interests and hobbies, as well as time to carefully evaluate where they could improve their business. In other words, they made a conscious decision to "sur-thrive," no matter what happens.
If fear is holding you back in any area of your life, take a deep breath, consider the options, and then choose the best response. Here are 10 steps you can take to create a "sur-thrive" mindset.
1. Dump the 'Twinkies'
Eating a whole box of Twinkies in a single sitting certainly doesn't support you physically. When it comes to creating a sur-thrive mindset, what "twinkies" (fear, worry, anger, etc.) have you let in?
Jennifer Berman, co-founder of Berman and Pollinger, said the process of creating a positive mindset begins by asking three questions:
What's your intent?
What's your focus?
What's your purpose for you and for your life?
When you can answer these questions, you will know what type of client you will attract.
2. Like Covid-19, 'toxic' is infectious
There's a coaching principle that says, "You attract who you are." Take a hard look at the type of clients you're attracting right now.
If you're attracting chaotic people, either there is chaos in your life you need to eliminate, or you said "yes" to a client when you should have said "no." Escape from the toxic people in your life — it matters to both your physical and mental health.
3. Understand which social media platforms support you to 'sur-thrive'
More than ever, pay close attention to what you post on social media. According to Berman, it's important to recognize the types of audiences various social media platforms attract. For example, LinkedIn is all business, even for millennials who know they need to be there. Instagram is personal and fun.
On the other hand, Facebook and Twitter have shifted. Berman spent 20 years working with the Millionaire Real Estate Agent shows and was the manager of Hilton & Hyland, one of the top luxury brokerages in the world.
From working so closely with these celebrities, she said she learned to leave Facebook and Twitter to the politicians. Stay out of it no matter how much of a diehard you are for your side of the aisle. Screaming at someone on social media can quickly destroy both you and your business. She said that while it's one thing to have a private conversation offline, the damage can't be undone once it's posted online.
Berman knows firsthand — she has helped the agents she worked with extricate themselves from the career-destroying messes they created with a single social media post.
Remember, politicians come and go. In contrast, many of the same real estate agents and homeowners will still be in your community 20-30 years from now.
4. Build your business on your strengths
Lesley Everett, keynote speaker and brand strategist, strongly urged agents to seek the help of a coach or someone else they trust to help them identify their strengths. As she explained, you can't see the label from the inside of the bottle.
Strengths include what you do well naturally. Consequently, you may not recognize some of your strengths because they are so easy for you. Everett advised to ask others what you do well, especially if it's something that differentiates you from others. As my friend Joeann Fossland says, "No one ever got to the top by developing their weaknesses."
5. Focus on how you make them feel
According to Everett, today's clients care most about the end result, not necessarily what you have to do to create that result. To strengthen your connection, strive to discover their fears and challenges, and then be a solution to their problems.
Kendall Bonner, Esq. and broker-owner of RE/MAX Capital Realty summed it up by saying, "How you make people feel is what makes them talk about you."
Focus on what's personal and relevant to your clients, and search for the value you can bring to them. As Tami Bonnell observed, value equals income.
6. Focus on short-term opportunities
Everyone recognizes the importance of having a written business plan. Nevertheless, Sherry Chris, CEO of Realogy Expansion Brands, advised the WomanUP! audience to seek short-term business opportunities due to today's rapidly shifting market. At the top of the list is any activity that generates salable listings.
Chris went on to say that long-term planning will make a comeback, but for the immediate future, a more short-term focus will probably serve you best.
7. Change your tactics, not who you are
Julie Del Santo, broker-owner with the Dudum Real Estate Group, advised agents to stay true to who they are. She urged them to do their best to stick with their business plan by changing tactics, not the plan itself.
For example, if you had a client appreciation event scheduled this fall, and you can't be there face-to-face, shift it to a drive-through event instead, she said.
8. How to create a happiness mindset
Valerie Alexander led a powerful session on how to create a happiness mindset. She began by explaining how repetition creates and then strengthens neural pathways.
When you're feeling unhappy, immediately identify five things that make you happy in this moment, she recommended. It can be simple things, such as "I slept well last night," "the sun is shining," or how good breakfast was that morning.
According to Alexander, repeating this process whenever you feel unhappy becomes a "signal booster" that strengthens the neural pathway. It also disrupts any unhappy feelings you may be experiencing.
9. Rid yourself of the 'I-didn't-get-anything-done-today' mindset
Have you ever said, "I didn't get anything done today"? In most cases, this statement is false. To train your brain to laser-focus on what matters most, take the following steps:
Write down the most important thing you have to accomplish on a post-it note either the night before or first thing in the morning. Stick it where you can see it while you're working.
Once you complete the task, take the post-it note and put it in your "completed" container, and celebrate completing the task.
At the end of the day, take the note from its container, crumple it up, and throw it away.
This does two things. First, it ends the day for your brain. Second, it's a reminder that you did accomplish the task that mattered most today.
10. Pithy advice for strengthening your 'sur-thrive' mindset
When you begin each day, ask yourself, "What would it take to make today a 'wow' day?"
Write down your vision, and record it on your cell phone. Listen to it daily, and actively pursue it.
The task is to ask, "How can I help you?"
If you're procrastinating, ask yourself, "If not now, when?"
Remove the word "impossible" from your vocabulary and replace it with "I'm possible."
A final piece of advice from Del Santo for when you're facing an illness or another difficult situation? When it comes to "illness," drop the "i" and replace it with "we." Shift from "illness" to "wellness."
She went on to draw an analogy about sunflowers. She said that when the sun is shining, the sunflowers turn towards the sun. When it's cloudy or rainy, they turn to each other. It's how they thrive, not just survive.
Bernice Ross, President and CEO of BrokerageUP and RealEstateCoach.com, is a national speaker, author and trainer with over 1,000 published articles. If you're ready to List & Sell Real Estate Like Crazy, learn more about how to do it https://realestatecoach.com/training/list-sell/ If you're a new agent who wants to successfully compete even against even the best agents, check out our online new agent sales training at RealEstateCoach.com/newagent
Topics: agent advice | productivity | social media
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From the sunny side… Believe – Greene Publishing, Inc.
First of all, I should probably put a disclaimer or warning here. If you have young, impressionable readers, you may want to read through this little piece before you put it into their hands. I don't want to be responsible for putting anyone into a situation wherein they might risk bursting some major bubbles.
A couple of days ago, a subject of discussion reared its head here at the newspaper office. That is, the subject of Santa Claus. Now for me, there isn't, nor has there ever been, any major question about the jolly guy dressed in red. But it seems, among some of my fellow workers here, that there is some room for disagreement. I have one particular co-worker who admits that he was so devastated when his parents told him Santa wasn't real that he vowed he would never subject his children to such a "lie." Now, I am not about to tell anyone what they should or should not believe; much less what they should or should not teach their children. Not my circus, not my monkeys. But, speaking for myself, I have a much different view.
I once dated a girl who was never allowed to "believe" in Santa. She insisted she didn't feel her childhood had been diminished by that and I always took her at her word. But, I couldn't help but think she missed out on some fun along the way. Once, not long after we had started dating, we were walking through the mall at Christmas time. We saw Santa, and of course, I waved and said "hello." She asked if I knew him and of course, my immediate response was, "Sure, that's Santa. He and I go way back." She just rolled her eyes as if she realized she should have known better.
When I was much younger and at the age when one begins to question such things, I asked my mom if Santa was real. Her response to me was pure genius, I thought. She told me, "Rickey, Santa is part of the Christmas spirit. As long as you believe in him, then he will always be real. But if you ever stop believing in him, he won't be real anymore." I think I should add here that those who don't believe get socks and underwear for Christmas; I'm just sayin'.
Personally, I think it's okay to allow children to believe in something magical. In fact, I would even encourage it. If we allow children to believe in big things, wouldn't that pave the way for them to believe in big things for themselves? I think a youngster who believes a man in a red suit can go all around the world delivering presents to children will be likely to believe they, themselves, can do great things. Just a little morsel of food for thought.
So, I still take the wise words my mother gave me to heart. Do I still believe? I most certainly do.


text:
<?php

namespace Oro\Bundle\TestFrameworkBundle\Test\DataFixtures\Resolver;

use Doctrine\Common\Persistence\ManagerRegistry;
use Doctrine\ORM\Proxy\Proxy;
use Oro\Bundle\TestFrameworkBundle\Test\DataFixtures\Collection;
use Symfony\Component\PropertyAccess\PropertyAccessor;

/**
 * AliceReferenceResolver parse reference path to return the appropriate value
 */
class AliceReferenceResolver implements ResolverInterface, ReferencesAwareInterface
{
    /**
     * @var string
     */
    private static $regex = '/^@(?P<ref>[^<*]*)$/';

    /**
     * @var ManagerRegistry
     */
    protected $registry;

    /**
     * @var Collection
     */
    protected $references;

    /**
     * @param ManagerRegistry $registry
     */
    public function __construct(ManagerRegistry $registry)
    {
        $this->registry = $registry;
    }

    /**
     * {@inheritdoc}
     */
    public function setReferences(Collection $references)
    {
        $this->references = $references;
    }

    /**
     * {@inheritdoc}
     */
    public function resolve($value)
    {
        if (!\is_string($value) || !\preg_match(self::$regex, $value, $matches)) {
            return $value;
        }

        $reference = $matches['ref'] ?: null;
        $refParts = explode('->', $reference);
        $reference = array_shift($refParts);

        if (!$this->references->containsKey($reference)) {
            throw new \RuntimeException(sprintf('Reference "%s" not found', $reference));
        }

        $object = $this->references->get($reference);
        $result = $this->actualizeObject($object);
        $propertyAccessor = new PropertyAccessor();

        foreach ($refParts as $refPart) {
            if (preg_match('/\(/', $refPart)) {
                $result = $this->callObjectMethod($result, $refPart);
            } else {
                $result = $propertyAccessor->getValue($result, $refPart);
            }
        }

        return $result;
    }

    /**
     * @param object $object
     * @param string $refPart
     * @return mixed
     */
    private function callObjectMethod($object, $refPart)
    {
        $regexp = '/(?P<methodName>[a-zA-Z]*)\((?P<parameters>[^\)]*)\)/';
        preg_match($regexp, $refPart, $matches);

        $parameters = explode(',', $matches['parameters']);
        $parameters = array_map(function ($item) {
            return preg_replace('/^[\s\'"]*|[\s\'"]*$/', '', $item);
        }, $parameters);
        $method = $matches['methodName'];

        return call_user_func_array([$object, $method], $parameters);
    }

    /**
     * Reload the object, because it can be detached from doctrine by previous moves
     *
     * @param object $object
     * @return object
     */
    private function actualizeObject($object)
    {
        $class = get_class($object);
        $manager = $this->registry->getManagerForClass($class);

        if ($object instanceof Proxy && !$object->__isInitialized() && !$manager->contains($object)) {
            $identifier = $manager->getClassMetadata($class)->getIdentifierValues($object);
            $object = $manager->find($class, $identifier);
        }

        return $object;
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Audrey Weasley/Percy Weasley
Percy Weasley
Audrey Weasley
Book 7: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
← Previous Work Part 30 of the Missing Hogwarts Moments series Next Work →
The Bureaucrats
FloreatCastellum
Audrey has always been someone who keeps her head down. But some situations call for paperwork and bravery.
'I have something to tell you,' he said.
What had started as her turning a blind eye to inconsistencies in his usually meticulous paperwork had gradually moved into outright covering up his tracks for him, and then eventually actively helping him create nightmarish bureaucracy to trap officials in apparently never-ending loops. No, you can't transfer that muggleborn to Azkaban because you haven't filled out form H8-B12 yet. You need to have it signed off by three members of the Wizengamot. I'm sorry, you can't enter the Wizengamot unless you have a prior appointment with a notarised Purple Slip. There's a huge backlog for Purple Slips at the moment because they're so busy, but you can jump ahead of the queue with a completed H8-B12 form. They were good at that, the pair of them, because they had really been the only ones that had understood all the systems and procedures before anyway, so it didn't feel any different, and they could gradually, softly, gently, muddle things further, add extra little requirements and blocks. By the time it was clear that the new Ministry regime was locked in paperwork, no one could really say who was at fault. She could. It was her and Percy.
It was funny how they had never discussed this plan, just quietly got on with it, so much so that she thought they had probably worked together on it for several months unsure if the other was really trustworthy or not. Everything was hidden. 'Mr Weasley,' she'd say briskly, 'some wanted posters went out yesterday for Kingsley Shacklebolt, but there was a misplaced apostrophe. This cannot stand.'
'I completely agree,' he would bluster angrily. 'Recall them at once and issue a direct order for them to be reprinted entirely.'
'But that would take a week!' she protested. 'Besides which I really think to prevent mistakes like this again, we should be adding a new step to the process for proof-reading. I think all Ministry literature should be proof-read and signed off by at least two members of senior leadership - for accountability.'
'That sounds sensible. I agree it's frustrating that Shacklebolt may get a head start, but I have every faith in our Aurors. Grammar is not something I am willing to compromise on, Miss Fawley. Recall the posters and have them reprinted.'
But eventually he had been more open. 'Audrey,' he'd said quietly, closing the door behind him. 'I need you to tie up this arrest warrant in some way. I won't need long, but I can't find anything wrong with it and it's been signed by Dolores so-'
He had only seconds, she knew that. He had probably been sent to take it directly to the Aurors, and he was risking time stopping by her office as it was.
'Well take it straight to them now,' she said, and his face paled a little, 'but take the second elevator on the right. What's the name of the individual?'
'Manning,' he said hurriedly. 'Zoe Manning.'
She swallowed. 'From my year?' she asked, her voice barely more than a whisper.
'Quickly then.'
He left the room at once, and so did she, though she went the opposite direction, through a little door that went around the central column where the lifts were, and then, checking over her shoulder to ensure the coast was clear, into another little door usually only used by Magical Maintenance.
The second elevator on the ground to a screeching, juddering halt. Percy was flung sideways into Travers as the packed elevator was filled with gasps and shrieks.
'For Merlin's sake!' Percy roared, kicking the wall as people gathered to their feet. 'Can't Magical Maintenance ever keep these things running properly? I have an urgent matter to attend to!'
By the time the elevator had been repaired and Percy was able to sprint to the Auror department, Zoe Manning was interrupted in her job as a receptionist on the front desk of St Mungos by an owl. In his beak, he held a small note.
Run immediately. Do not return home.
From then on, Audrey and Percy had no choice but to trust one another with their lives, completely and utterly. They were both complicit, now, in quiet acts of rebellion that they could no longer pretend were out of their hands, or coincidences, or quirks of their personality and obsession over grammar and proper procedure that they could not, under and circumstance, look past.
So for him to turn up now, at her flat in the dead of night, with the words 'I have something to tell you,' filled her with terror. 'There's no danger,' he assured her. 'Not immediately anyway.'
She gulped as she stared at him through the small gap of her slightly opened door. He had never come to her flat before. 'How do you sign a 75(A) category form for the seizure of personal possessions?' she asked him.
'It can only be signed with green ink,' he told her. 'And the form must be on red paper. Why did we devise that policy?'
'Because Travers must sign it and he's colourblind,' she said, and, both satisfied that they could trust one another, they smiled and she took the chain off the door.
'Come in,' she said, 'quickly.'
She could see his eyes flitting around her neat, neutrally toned flat, the only mess being the odd little piles of books left on the glass coffee table and her embroidery left on the arm of the sofa. She turned off her wireless, which had been tuned to the classical channel, and gestured for him to sit. 'Tea?' she suggested.
'Please.'
She did not need to ask him how he took it, because she knew very well that he liked his quite strong, and she watched him out of the corner of her eye as she busied herself making it. He was sitting nervously on the edge of her sofa, his knee bouncing, his hands wringing, his eyes occasionally closing behind his horn-rimmed glasses.
'Here.'
'Thank you.'
She sat beside him and they were silent for a few moments. Though the tea was still much too hot, he took a large gulp; she saw him wince as it burned his tongue. 'I'm sorry to come here like this,' he said. 'Out of the blue.'
'Is everything all right?'
She waited, unsure and even a little frightened. Had they been discovered? Was he here to tell her that he had let something slip and they would have to run?
Eventually, he took a breath, and said, 'you know… you know Arthur Weasley?'
'Not well, but yes.'
'He… I lied, before. He's not a distant relation.' He looked at her intently with his blue eyes, and she realised he was terrified. 'He's my father.'
'Oh,' she said, blinking. Her hands instinctively curled around her own mug of tea. 'Oh, I see,' she said, though she didn't. Not at all. Percy had been two years below her at school, she had barely known him at all. It had felt, at one point, that the entire place was full of Weasleys - she had just assumed they were a big family in general, with lots of cousins and so on, but as a Slytherin she had had nothing to do with any of them anyway, so she had never cared to find out what the relation between them all was. Percy was simply one of the Prefects she had to organise in her duties as Head Girl, and that was as much thought as she had ever given the name Weasley. She had never really thought it was odd that Percy never mentioned his family, beyond saying, 'yes, distantly,' when someone had asked if he was related to Arthur, she had just assumed that, like her, he was from a small family of no particular interest, and he did not have any strong relationship with the distant cousins that might be dotted about.
'We - we fell out, some years ago,' Percy said, his ears reddening. 'It was quite public, so I haven't been… I haven't been compromised in his love of Muggle things or his associations or anything like that.'
She put down her mug of tea, thinking very hard. She still, in all honesty, knew very little about the Weasley family or Arthur Weasley, but you didn't have to know much to know that Arthur Weasley was regarded as a blood traitor. On her very first day at the Ministry, as she'd been shown round, Arthur Weasley had breezed past with a cheery, 'hello, Mafalda!'
Mafalda had chuckled as he left. 'Oh, he's a funny one, that Arthur Weasley. Fanatic about all things muggle, you know, it can get a little embarrassing - not that there's anything wrong with it, of course! But he doesn't exactly help himself against accusations of being a blood traitor… I do like him though, decent chap. Now, up here is the cafeteria…'
'It was no secret that I was quite different to the rest of my family, or at least people though I was,' Percy continued hurriedly. 'But… anyway, that's not important, I… I just…'
She placed her hand on his knee, and he blinked at it. 'Has something happened?' she asked him again.
He swallowed, and looked up at her face again. 'They've… they've had to go into hiding,' he said. 'My family. Tonight.'
'How do you know?'
He closed his eyes, and took a shuddering breath. 'Dolores and Travers and some Aurors… they… they just came to my flat.'
'What?' she whispered, and that terror was back, rising in her throat like bile.
'It's all right, I think,' he said, speaking very fast again. 'I think they were just checking that I wasn't hiding any of them, or - or in contact with them or maybe they just wanted to see my reaction or something, I'm not sure-'
'But… Dolores? That's top level, Percy, what can your father have done that-'
'Not my father,' he muttered, and he put his tea down now too, and took off his glasses to rub his eyes. 'He hasn't… well, I don't know, he might have done, but as far as I'm aware his only crimes are associations, he hasn't done anything…'
'Associations? With muggles?' she prompted. 'Or the - oh, heavens, Percy, not the Order of the-?'
'Yes,' he said, and she stood quickly.
She couldn't help it, she began to pace, clutching at her hair, trying to steady her breathing. 'You - you never told me you have associations with the Order of the Phoenix, Percy, that's - that's - quiet sabotage is one thing, open rebellion is another, I - are you in it?' she demanded.
'No,' he said urgently, looking up at her desperately. 'No, I'm not-'
'Because they're all very admirable and brave and everything, but I'm risking enough, Percy, I'm trying my best but I-'
'I'm not part of it, and I'm not trying to recruit you,' he said swiftly. 'And don't worry, no one at the Ministry thinks I have anything to do with it. I haven't spoken to my family - not properly - in years.'
'Why not?'
He winced. 'Sit down.'
'Percy…' she said, in a dreading voice.
'Please, sit down. Have some tea.'
She did so, and waited, and eventually, with an expression somewhere between resigned fear and sheepishness, he told her.
'Harry Potter is a family friend. Has been since about 1991.'
She sat in frozen silence, the tea still warm in her hands. Then she giggled. 'Sorry?' she said, and she couldn't understand why she was laughing, because she had never heard anything so terrifying in her life.
'Harry Potter,' Percy repeated quietly. 'He's a very close friend of my youngest brother. He… my mother sort of took him in. He… he stayed in my family home during the summer.'
In her final year at Hogwarts, the school had erupted in gossip. They had all watched in captivated silence as Professor McGonagall read out a name that she rather thought people had forgotten was attached to a living person, that had always been so heavily tied into bedtime stories or long reminiscence from parents about the war that she might have announced 'Merlin' or 'Salazar Slytherin' or 'Beedle the Bard' instead.
And then this small boy had walked up to the three-legged stool, like all the other children. Audrey had been right at the back of the hall, so she struggled to see clearly, but even from a distance she had noted the mess of unruly dark hair, the thin, nervous face and round glasses as the hat was placed on his head.
'Doesn't look like much, does he?' Serena Selwyn had muttered next to her. 'Wouldn't think he'd defeated anyone in his life, would you?'
Gryffindor got him - Audrey had somehow known they would, and had been surprised that the hat seemed to consider for so long - and she had gone about her life without much further thought to him, panicking about her exams and applications for the Ministry graduate schemes, stressing about her Head Girl duties, only occasionally staring as he passed in the corridors, a slightly, skinny little thing, with the air of someone who was a bit fragile, but always felt disconcertingly mysterious. She'd glimpsed the scar a couple of times, an ugly, jagged thing it was, and it felt all the more brutal because it did exist, it wasn't some colour that had been added to the tale over the years. It was evidence of something extraordinary and violent, something no one could explain, something her mother had darkly speculated, 'we're not being told the whole truth about that. You mark my words, there's some kind of cover up.'
And for the next few years he became nothing more than an odd little anecdote. 'I was at school with him, you know. For my final year.' Then people would ask her what he was like, and she didn't have a clue what he was like, because seventh years didn't exactly befriend first years, especially not from rival houses. She would tell them this and they would look irritated or disappointed, and so she learnt to stop mentioning him at all, and instead returned to reading about him in the press, her feelings towards him ebbing and flowing with the tide of public opinion. Often she forgot that she had ever seen him in the flesh at all.
But now Percy was sat here, on her sofa, telling her that Harry Potter had stayed in his childhood home, that he had had many conversations with him, sat beside him at dinners, given him advice on subjects to pick for OWL, had shared a tent with him to watch the Quidditch World cup…
It was ludicrous, bizarre, alien - yet Percy sat there and mumbled through his confession of his connection to the most wanted man in the country, and Audrey could do nothing but stare at him, wide eyed and gripping at her hair, bewildered that he was talking about Harry Potter like he was any other boy, like he was a normal, real person. They never could have known, she realised. They were just taking a little boy into the family, just making friends, looking past the legend. They could never have known that the legend would only grow and grow and grow like a vine, wrapping itself around their family and squeezing it as it clung, and even if they had cut it back when it put them at risk, how could they? Not when it had become such a part of them.
'But then I… I fell out with them all,' said Percy, blushing now more than ever. 'I was… stupid. Foolish…' he seemed to choke slightly. 'It's… it's really complicated, and I suppose I… I don't know, I ended up thinking things I didn't believe. I ended up… forgetting the… the Harry Potter I knew and… Anyway,' he said, sniffing slightly, and putting his glasses back on his face. 'The Ministry has been aware of that family connection, and I know that my father was being watched for it, and by all accounts my brother was seriously ill at home, but it's come out tonight that that's not the case - he's with Harry. I think something must have happened, they must have been sighted together or something. They must be… on the… on the run somewhere-'
His voice cracked and she rushed forward to embrace him, kneeling beside him as he suddenly began to sob, his face crumpled and red, his hands trembling. 'They've been sheltering him all this time, I think,' he said, his voice so strained with emotion that it was quite hard to understand him. 'I thought maybe he'd distanced himself from them - maybe the Order was hiding him or he was on the run on his own or just with Hermione, but… my brother's with him at the very least. My brother's with him. My little brother.'
Without thinking, without considering that she had never done it before, she kissed his head, rubbing his back comfortingly with one hand, the other caressing his sobbing face.
'He's going to die, they're all going to die,' Percy blurted out uncontrollably. 'Dolores and Travers came round to check - they said the - the whole family will now have warrants for their arrest for aiding him - thank God Ginny wasn't still at school -'
'But they haven't been caught?' she asked urgently. 'They haven't been found?'
'No - no, I don't think so, not yet - but, Audrey, they already had the warrants, they bypassed us completely, we can't do anything about it-'
'No, it's too late for that now,' she agreed. 'Don't worry about that now, that's done - they're in hiding, they've lasted this long, haven't they?'
'But how much longer?' he moaned. 'God…'
He sobbed again, and she held him, her mind swimming. Helping Muggleborns where she could had felt darkly thrilling as it was, each piece of paperwork making her heart thud as she invented more and more ways for it to be wrong, or to delay it, each time she denied Runcorn what he wanted keeping her on the edge of a panic attack as he roared at her and she tried to stare confusedly back, feigning bafflement that he didn't understand the ludicrously complex system she had invented. That had all felt more heroic and daring than she had even envisioned being comfortable with, and now Percy was confessing things that entangled her in the very heart of the war. She could be killed simply for listening to him…
'Do you know where they are?' she asked him softly.
He shook his head, still gulping and sniffing. 'No. No I don't know. I haven't spoken to them in years. I suppose they might have gone to my Aunt Muriel's, she's got the space-' he was starting to babble and sob again.
'It's all right,' she said soothingly. 'Percy, it's going to be all right.'
'I'm sorry,' he gasped. 'I shouldn't have told you, I've put you in danger - but I - I had to… I couldn't hide it anymore - I had to tell someone-'
'I know. It's all right,' she said.
The dawn was starting to seep through the gap in her curtains, a soft grey light cutting through the yellow of her lamps. Audrey was not an impulsive woman. She never made decisions without carefully calculating the consequences, weighing up the evidence, estimating the risk to the best of her ability.
She touched her fingers to his chin, and kissed him gently. He kissed her back, both of them soft and mild and slow. They had not done this before, though the thought had occurred to her many times before. She was still too full of fear to be happy, but there was a sense of relief, a burst of hope, a security of trust. He was kissing her back, and that made her feel safer.
'Stay here today,' she told him, when they broke apart and he blinked at her in a stunned sort of way. 'I'll worry that you're not safe if you go home.'
'If…' he said, and his voice was hoarse, so he cleared it. 'If I stay here, that drags you into it all.'
'I'm not being dragged,' she said. 'We can't do anything now but keep our ear to the ground for news. It's going to be all right, Percy. We're right in the heart of it, we're in the best place for hearing if anything changes, it's our best chance of being able to help.'
He nodded, staring at her intently. 'Thank you,' he said, his voice barely more than a whisper.
Just a few weeks later, the Ministry was in chaos as news spread. Harry Potter was at Hogwarts. The students were being evacuated. There was going to be a battle, and the thought hung in the air as people rushed from one department to another. It might all end today. Or it might begin on a terrible scale they had scarcely imagined.
Percy burst into her little office. 'I'm going,' he said at once, and she didn't need to ask what he was talking about.
'I'll go with you,' she said, and he smiled, his eyes shining with tears.
'You're terrible at Defence,' he said, with a watery laugh. 'You don't want to be in a battle.'
'You're not much better,' she replied, though she nodded in acceptance. She was no fighter. Outside her office, she could hear chaos; shouting and running. They were headless chickens panicking but with nothing to do. She saw Travers storming past, roaring at someone, yelling at them to fetch Yaxley, bellowing that he was going to go to the school and find Potter, that he would be tortured and slaughtered, that his body would be strung up - but in it, she saw opportunity. 'While you're gone,' she said, 'I'm going to go to Yaxley's office and destroy everything he has on the fugitives.'
He strode forward and seized her with uncharacteristic boldness, kissing her deeply. 'Come back,' she told him, when they broke apart. 'Please come back.'
'I love you,' he said, and then he kissed her again. 'I will.'
'Take the elevator now,' she whispered. 'So I can break them before Yaxley and Travers get in.'
He kissed her once more, and then within seconds he was gone.
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AVENUE OF STARS (GB) is a 5 year old GELDING which was most recently trained by Karen McLintock. This GELDING was foaled in 2013, and is by the sire MAKFI (GB) and dam CLIFTON DANCER (GB).
Whenever an item is posted to this site relating to AVENUE OF STARS (GB) it will be listed below, in reverse chronological order (the most recently listed items will be nearest the top of this page, below).


text:
The eighth season of King of the Hill originally aired Sundays at 7:30–8:00 p.m. (EST) on the Fox Broadcasting Company from November 2, 2003 to May 23, 2004. The Region 1 DVD was released on November 18, 2014.

Production
The showrunners for the season were John Altschuler and Dave Krinsky. The eighth production season was the first to fully utilize digital ink and paint, although four episodes ("New Cowboy on the Block", "After the Mold Rush", "Flirting with the Master" and "Rich Hank, Poor Hank") were Season 7 holdovers from the 7ABE production line and were still traditionally colored. The last of these produced was "Flirting with the Master", while the last aired was "Rich Hank, Poor Hank".

This season saw Luanne have more of a prominent role again, after several seasons as a minor character due to Britney Murphy's rising film career. In a 2003 interview with Cinescape, Altschuler commented "she [Brittany Murphy] came to us and was actually pitching ideas to us about how to get Luanne more involved in the show. She's just truly a great team player who loves the show and does anything we ask her to do. She's how we got Elijah Wood to do the show."

Episodes

References

2003 American television seasons
2004 American television seasons
King of the Hill 08

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Cundy,, Darryl Steven (Died on April 3, 2018)
appeared in Woodstock Sentinel, 5 Apr 2018, A, p. 11, column 1
CUNDY, Darryl Steven - It is with great sadness we announce the passing of Darryl Cundy on Tuesday, April 3, 2018 in his 46th year. Beloved son of Eileen Briggs (Hurley). Loving brother of Brad Cundy (Claudia), Barbara Janssens (Nathan Moore), Coralea Haun, Bill Briggs (Deb), Brenda Bishop (Randy), and Donna Bos (Rick). Special uncle to Jordan and Valerie and survived by many. Dear nephew of John Puspoky (Joan), Jack McCoubrey (Janet), and Ron Hurley. Predeceased by his father Ron Cundy, step-father Don Briggs, grandparents Wilfred and Beatrice Hurley, Jack and Pat Cundy, and aunt Barb Hurley. Friends will be received at the McBEATH-DYNES FUNERAL HOME 246 Thames Street South, Ingersoll on Friday 2-4 and 6-8 pm. The complete funeral service will be held in the funeral home on Saturday, April 7, 2018 at 11am with cremation to follow. Memorial donations to the Canadian Mental Health Association (cheques accepted) would be appreciated. Personal condolences may be sent at www.gffh.ca
Photo included with obit.
Cundy,


text:
Propel Finance appoints Andy Higgins as new head of credit to underpin plans for growth
Home » News » Propel Finance appoints Andy Higgins as new head of credit to underpin plans for growth
Propel Finance, the leading UK independent asset finance lender, has appointed Andy Higgins as its new head of credit following the continued expansion of the business. Andy takes up his role with immediate effect and will be responsible for leading Propel's business-wide credit activities, including underwriting, portfolio management and risk distribution, supporting Propel's important next phase of growth.
Andy has over three decades of experience in credit and broader risk management gained at top-tier names in commercial banking and asset finance. Andy was one of four founders to successfully launch Investec Asset Finance in 2006. Andy spent a decade as head of credit at Investec, and most recently had responsibility for reviewing the Bank's entire operational risk framework.
Mark Catton, CEO at Propel said: "I'm delighted to welcome Andy Higgins to the Propel team as head of credit as we enter the next exciting chapter of our growth. He brings a wealth of experience in building and leading outstanding credit teams, as well as being able to contribute to our wider business priorities. Andy has a huge affinity with asset finance and our various customer channels, as demonstrated throughout his career. This is a key leadership role within our business and his experience will be invaluable as we continue on our rapid growth trajectory."
Andy Higgins, the new head of credit, at Propel said: "I am thrilled to be joining the Propel team. Against a backdrop of challenging market conditions, the fact that Propel continues to strengthen its asset finance offering and capabilities is testament to the firm's expertise, exemplary customer service and cutting-edge technology. I look forward to applying my experience to continue to develop robust commercial credit and risk management controls as a platform for governance and growth."


text:
Teens inhale cancer-causing chemicals in e-cigarettes
Fruit flavors have the most chemicals, study finds.
March 6, 2018, 3:51 PM UTC / Source: NBC News
By Maggie Fox
Smoking e-cigarettes delivers cancer-causing chemicals that get into the body — and popular fruity flavors appear to be the worst, researchers reported Monday.
They said teenagers who try vaping are poisoning themselves with many of the same chemicals that make traditional cigarettes so deadly.
Tests on teenagers show that those who smoke tobacco-based cigarettes have the highest levels of these chemicals in their bodies, but those who vape e-cigarettes also have higher levels of the cancer-causing chemicals than nonsmokers, the team at the University of California, San Francisco, found.
Vaping can lead to regular cigarette smoking, new report says
"The presence of harmful ingredients in e-cigarette vapor has been established; we can now say that these chemicals are found in the body of human adolescents who use these products," they wrote in their report, published in the journal Pediatrics.
E-cigarettes use a device that delivers fluid laced with nicotine and flavors, creating a smoke-like haze.
They're promoted as a safer way to use tobacco — e-cigarette use is called vaping — and as a way to quit smoking. But public health groups, the surgeon general's office, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention worry about evidence that vaping can get teens addicted to nicotine, and will lead them to smoking cigarettes.
Many studies support the theory that kids who vape are more likely to go on to use other tobacco products, but there hasn't been much hard evidence about how directly dangerous e-cigarettes are.
Monday's study shows vaping delivers harmful chemicals and potentially harmful chemicals.
The chemicals are not listed on the ingredients of the vape liquid. They're found under the catch-all description of "flavorings", the researchers said.
Dr. Mark Rubinstein, of UCSF's Division of Adolescent Medicine, and colleagues tested 67 teenagers who vape and compared them to 16 teens who both vape and smoke tobacco cigarettes and to 20 teens who do not use either type of cigarette.
E-cigarettes can hook teens, raise risk of smoking, report finds
They tested their urine and saliva and asked questions about cigarette use.
Those who used both types of cigarette had significantly higher levels of dangerous chemicals, including acrylonitrile, acrolein, propylene oxide, acrylamide and crotonaldehyde, the team reported. And those who used only e-cigarettes had much higher levels than those who used neither product.
"Among our e-cigarette–only participants, the use of fruit-flavored products produced significantly higher levels of the metabolites of acrylonitrile," they wrote.
"Acrylonitrile is a highly poisonous compound used widely in the manufacture of plastics, adhesives and synthetic rubber," the National Center for Biotechnology Information says on its website.
Acrolein "is toxic to humans following inhalation, oral or dermal exposure," the Environmental Protection Agency said. Some studies show it can play a part in bringing about lung cancer, although the EPA noted that there is not enough data to show whether it causes cancer in people.
Propylene oxide and crotonaldeyde are probable carcinogens, the EPA says, while acrylamide's role in causing cancer is more controversial.
Other teams have found other potentially cancer-causing chemicals in e-cigarette vapor, including diacetyl, the chemical blamed for causing "Popcorn lung" in workers at microwave popcorn packaging plants.
Teens are vaping more often than they are smoking cigarettes, the CDC says. The latest report on teen smoking shows 20 percent of high school students have used at least one tobacco product recently — mostly e-cigarettes. In 2016, 11 percent of high school students had used an e-cigarette in the past 30 days at the time of the survey — the CDC's definition of current use.
"Teenagers need to be warned that the vapor produced by e-cigarettes is not harmless water vapor, but actually contains some of the same toxic chemicals found in smoke from traditional cigarettes," Rubinstein said in a statement.
"Teenagers should be inhaling air, not products with toxins in them."