text:
\section{Introduction }
The evolution of asexual populations is driven by novel mutations as
the sole source of genetic diversity. Although the vast majority of
mutations is expected to decrease fitness, these
deleterious mutations often play only a minor role because they
are efficiently purged by natural selection. However, in small
populations deleterious mutations may spread and fix due to stochastic drift.
When all mutations are deleterious this leads to an irreversible
decline of the fitness of the population that is known as \textit{Muller's
ratchet}.

The ratchet mechanism was first described verbally by Hermann Muller
in the context of identifying possible evolutionary advantages of genetic
recombination \cite{Muller1964}. Recombination counteracts the
accumulation of deleterious mutations, because the number of mutations
of an individual (its mutational load) can be reduced by
recombining with another individual that carries mutations at different
genetic loci. The standard mathematical formulation of Muller's
ratchet considers an asexual population that is
well-mixed, in the sense that competition between individuals is
implemented only through the constraint of constant population size
$N$. Deleterious mutations occur at rate $U_d$ per individual and
generation, and each mutation decreases the fitness of the individual
by a constant factor that we denote by $e^{-s}$ with $s > 0$ \cite{Felsenstein1974,Haigh1978}. Despite
the simplicity of the model, the computation of the speed of fitness
decline as a function of $N$, $U_d$ and $s$ is a hard problem that
has attracted the attention of population geneticists for more than 40
years \cite{Stephan1993,Gordo2000,Gordo2000a,Rouzine2008,Etheridge2009,Waxman2010,Neher2012,Metzger2013}.

A key parameter governing the behavior of the ratchet is the deterministic expectation of the
number of individuals that carry the smallest mutational load, which
is given by  \cite{Haigh1978}
\begin{equation}
\label{Eq:n0}
n_0 = N e^{-U_d/s}.
\end{equation}
A click of the ratchet occurs when the least loaded class goes extinct and the minimal number of deleterious
mutations carried by any individual increases by one.
When $n_0 \gg 1$ this event is rare and the fitness declines slowly, whereas for $n_0 \sim
1$ the decline is rapid and continuous. Importantly, for sufficiently
large populations the speed of the ratchet becomes immeasurably small,
irrespective of the values of $U_d$ and $s$. Correspondingly, in large
populations any positive rate $U_b > 0$  of beneficial mutations is sufficient to halt
and reverse the ratchet such that the fitness of the population
increases \cite{Rouzine2008,Yu2010}.

Here we show that the scenario is fundamentally different in
spatial populations, where the competition between individuals is
limited to their local neighborhood. Spatial models of adaptive
evolution driven by \textit{beneficial} mutations have been developed in
various contexts, and a number of characteristic features have
been identified that differ from the well-mixed setting
\cite{Komarova2006,Gordo2006,Korolev2010,Otwinowski2011,Martens2011,Lavrentovich2013,Lavrentovich2015,Durrett2015,Durrett2016}.
In particular, provided the density of individuals is bounded, the
speed of adaptation remains finite when the habitat size tends to
infinity \cite{Martens2011}. This is in contrast to well-mixed
populations, where the speed of fitness increase diverges
logarithmically with the population size \cite{Rouzine2008,Yu2010,Park2010SK}.

The effect of spatial structure is even more pronounced for the
accumulation of deleterious mutations. It was shown in
\cite{Otwinowski2014} that the spatial Muller's ratchet in an infinite
habitat displays a sharp phase transition at a critical value $U_d^c$
of the deleterious mutation rate such that the fitness declines at a
finite rate for $U_d > U_d^c$ and remains constant for $U_d < U_d^c$.
In the following these two dynamical states will be referred to as the
\textit{moving ratchet} (MR) regime and the
\textit{halting ratchet} (HR) regime, respectively.

The existence of a phase transition in the spatial ratchet,
together with the observation that the speed of adaptation is bounded
and vanishes when the beneficial mutation rate tends to zero, suggests
that a small amount of beneficial mutations will not be able
to halt or reverse the ratchet when $U_d > U_d^c$.
The purpose of this Letter is to verify and corroborate this
conjecture using extensive simulations in one and two-dimensional
habitats. Based on these simulations and the known relation of the
spatial Muller's ratchet problem to directed percolation and
nonequilibrium wetting \cite{Otwinowski2014}, we develop a scaling
theory for the (positive
or negative) speed of fitness change as a function of
the parameters $U_d, U_b$ and $s$. In the next section we introduce
the spatial evolution model and outline its relation to other problems
in nonequilibrium statistical physics. We then present our scaling
theory and the numerical results, and conclude the paper with a summary and a
discussion of some biological implications.

\section{Model}
We first define the spatial model in a general setting and later specify
the rules that are suitable for our purpose. We consider a system with $N$ sites, each of
which is indexed by an integer $x=1,2,\ldots,N$.
At each site, a single individual is accommodated and the individual
is characterized by its fitness $w_x$.
By ${\cal N}_x$ we denote the set of indices of nearest neighbors of site $x$.
For later purposes the union of ${\cal N}_x$ and $\{x\}$ is denoted by ${\cal A}_x$.
Our main interest is in the behavior of a population in the infinite $N$ limit.

We consider a nonoverlapping-generation model with parallel update in
the spirit of Wright and Fisher (WF) \cite{Park2010SK,Wright1931,Fisher1930Book}.
If the fitness at site $x$ is $w_x$ in generation $t$, the fitness
distribution in the next generation $t+1$ is determined in two steps.
\begin{description}
	\item[Selection step:]Fitness at site $x$ is replaced by fitness at site $y$,
where $y$ is chosen among ${\cal A}_x$ according to the probability
\begin{equation}
	S_{x,y}  = w_y \left ( \sum_{z\in {\cal A}_x} w_z \right )^{-1}.
	\label{Eq:sel_prob}
\end{equation}
Needless to say, $y$ can be $x$ itself. The fitness values at all sites are updated simultaneously.
\item[Mutation step:]
After the selection step, the fitness at every site can be modified by mutation.
We denote the mutation probability (density) by $\mu(w'|w)$ which means
that fitness becomes $w'$ if $w$ is the fitness after the selection step.
\end{description}
In this Letter, we limit ourselves to the case
that fitness takes the form $w_x = e^{s h_x}$, where $s$ is a nonnegative
real number and $h_x$ is an integer,
and mutation can change $h_x$ by an integer value $m$ with probability $U(m)$.
That is, $\mu(w'|w) = \sum_m U(m) \delta\left (w'-we^{sm}\right )$,
where $m$ runs over all integers.
In the following, $s$ will be called the selection coefficient and
$h_x$ will be referred to as the number of mutations, where
deleterious mutations are counted negatively.
For convenience (and anticipating the connection of this model to surface growth models),
we will also call $h_x$ the height (at $x$).
This mutation scheme is multiplicative in terms of the $w_x$ and
additive in terms of the $h_x$, which implies that epistatic
interactions between mutations are excluded \cite{Jain2008}.

To be specific, we define $U(m)$ as the convolution of two probabilities $\mu_b(m)$ and
$\mu_d(n)$ with
\begin{align}
	\nonumber
	\mu_d(n) &= \frac{U_d^{-n}}{(-n)!} e^{-U_d},\\
	\mu_b(m) &= (1-U_b) \delta_{m,0} + U_b \delta_{m,1},
	\label{Eq:mut}
\end{align}
where $1/k!$ with a negative integer $k$ is interpreted as 0, and
$U_d$ and $U_b$ denote the probabilities of deleterious and beneficial mutations.
The Poisson distribution for deleterious mutations is the typical choice in
studies of Muller's ratchet~\cite{Haigh1978}, but other forms of
$\mu_d$ will not
change our conclusions as long as $U_d \ll 1$.

\subsection{Speed of fitness change}
We are mainly interested in the speed of fitness change which is defined as
\begin{align}
	v(t) =\frac{1}{N} \sum_x \left \langle \frac{dh_x}{dt} \right \rangle, \;
	V_h =  \lim_{t\rightarrow\infty}v(t),\;
	V_A = s V_h.
\end{align}
Here the time derivative of $h_x$ should be understood as
$h_x(t+1) - h_x(t)$
and $\langle \ldots \rangle$ stands for an average over all realizations.
Whereas trivially $V_A =0$ if $s=0$, $V_h$ can be nonzero even for $s=0$. We will
therefore focus on the more informative quantity $V_h$ in the
following. For $V_h > 0$ the population adapts whereas for $V_h < 0$
it is subject to fitness decline.

For the general class of models defined above it can be shown that the speed is
related to the steady state distribution of the height configurations as \cite{ParkKrugUnpub}
\begin{equation}
	v(t)  = M + \left \langle \sum_{y \in {\cal N}_x} \left ( h_{{y}} - h_{{x}}\right ) S_{{x},{y}}  \right \rangle,
	\label{Eq:speed}
\end{equation}
where $M$ is the average change of height by mutations per generation per capita, that is,
$M  \equiv \sum_m m U(m)$, and the average on the right hand side is taken at
generation $t$.  For the mutation scheme in Eq.~\eqref{Eq:mut}, $M = U_b -U_d$.

This equation has a simple interpretation.
The contribution to the speed is twofold, by mutation and selection.
Since mutation and selection are operating separately, the contributions just add up.
Obviously, mutation changes the height by $M$ on average.
Selection can change the height at site $x$ only if a neighbor is chosen as a parent.
For a given configuration, the increase is $h_{y} - h_{x}$, which
happens with probability $S_{{x},{y}}$. Hence we obtain
Eq.~\eqref{Eq:speed}.

The spatial structure is determined by ${\cal N}_x$.
For the one dimensional system we take ${\cal N}_x = \{x+1\}$ with periodic
boundary conditions as in Ref.~\cite{Otwinowski2014}.
For two and higher dimensional systems, we distribute the sites on a
hypercubic lattice with size $N = L^D$ and choose ${\cal N}_x$ as the
conventional nearest-neighbor neighborhood with periodic
boundary conditions.
If ${\cal A}_x$ is the set of all indices for any $x$, the model becomes
the well-mixed WF model whose infinite population-size limit has an exact
solution~\cite{Park2010SK,Park2007K}.
In this case Eq.~\eqref{Eq:speed} is identical to the relation
first obtained by Guess~\cite{Guess1974A} (see also Ref.~\cite{Park2013K}
for the case with recombination). In all the simulations reported below we
will use~\eqref{Eq:speed} to determine the speed, but fitting the mean height by a linear function
gives consistent results.

\subsection{Relation to other models}
The model without beneficial mutations, that is $U_b=0$, is related to other
well-studied  models of statistical physics \cite{HHLBook}.
Consider first the case $U_d = 0$. If $s$ is allowed to take also negative values and $h_x$
is restricted to two consecutive heights  (say, $-1$ and 0) as initial condition,
the model becomes equivalent to a biased voter model or compact directed percolation~(CDP)~\cite{Lavrentovich2013,Domany1984,Essam1989,Dickman1995}.
For $s > 0$ ($s < 0$) the system converges to the uniform state $h_x
\equiv 0$ ($h_x \equiv -1$), and the CDP critical  point is located at $s =
s_0 = 0$.
If $U_d$ and $s$ are both positive and we choose the initial condition as $h_x = 0$ for all $x$,
the model becomes a growth model with a nonequilibrium wetting
transition of the kind
first studied in~\cite{Alon1996,Alon1998}.
The critical behavior of such models can be described by a multilayer extension of
directed percolation (DP) known as unidirectionally coupled
directed percolation (UCDP)~\cite{Tauber1998,Goldschmidt1999}.
In particular, the depinning of the
surface from the initial level $h_x=0$ that occurs above a critical
value $U_d^c$ is driven by the extinction of a DP process defined
in the $h_x = 0$ layer.

In the present context this implies that
the deleterious mutation rate $U_d$ mediates a crossover from CDP to
DP~\cite{Lavrentovich2015}.
According to scaling theory, the critical point is
expected to be shifted by an amount
$s_c - s_0 \sim U_d^{1/\phi}$ for small $U_d$,
where $\phi$ is the crossover exponent ~\cite{Janssen2005,Lubeck2006}.
Since $\phi = 2/D$ for $D<2$, $\phi = 1$ for $D\ge 2$, and $s_0=0$, we get
\begin{align}
	\label{Eq:cross}
	U_d^c \sim
	\begin{cases} s^{2} & D=1\\
		s & D \ge 2
	\end{cases}
\end{align}
with logarithmic corrections for $D=2$~\cite{Janssen2005}.
The scaling of $U_d^c$ with $s$ was previously derived and verified
numerically in \cite{Lavrentovich2013,Otwinowski2014} for $D=1$ and in
\cite{Lavrentovich2015} for $D=2$.
The fact that $U_d^c \sim s$ for $D>2$ is consistent with the scaling
of $s$ and $U_d$ in the well-mixed population, see
Eq.~\eqref{Eq:n0}. However, in that case there is no phase transition at
any finite value of $U_d$.

\section{Results}
\begin{figure}
	\onefigure[width=0.8\linewidth]{Fig1.eps}
	\caption{Plot of $s/U_d^c$ vs $-\ln s$ for the  two-dimensional system.
	Inset: Plot of $U_d^c/s^2$ vs $s$ for the one dimensional system.}
\label{Fig:cross}
\end{figure}
In this section we present and interpret our simulation results.
We first determined the critical point $U_d^c$ for various values of the selection coefficient $s$
by exploiting the fact that the density $\rho_0(t)$ of sites with $h_x=0$ decays as
$t^{-\delta}$ at the critical point, where $\delta$ is the critical decay exponent of DP.
The numerical values of $\delta$ are $\approx 0.159~464$~\cite{Jensen1999}
and $0.4510$~\cite{Wang2013} for $D=1$ and $D=2$, respectively.
We located the critical point by analyzing how $\rho_0(t) t^{\delta}$ behaves with time.
It should veer up (down) if the system is in the HR (MR) regime and saturate to a constant if the system
is at the critical point.

Using these estimates we verified the validity of the crossover scaling~\eqref{Eq:cross}.
To confirm the logarithmic correction in two dimensions we plot
$s/U_d^c$ as a function of $-\ln s$ in Fig.~\ref{Fig:cross}.
In the inset of Fig.~\ref{Fig:cross}, we also plot $U_d^c/s^2$ as a function of
$s$ for the one-dimensional case.
As $s$ decreases, $U_d^c/s^2$ approaches a constant with a finite slope,
which indicates that the leading term of corrections to scaling is $\sim s$.
That is, $U_d^c \sim s^2 ( c_1 + c_2 s )$ with (nonuniversal) constants $c_1\approx 0.49$ and
$c_2\approx 0.46$.

\subsection{Scaling theory}
As was mentioned previously, the model with $U_b =0$ shares the (universal) critical
behavior of the nonequilibrium wetting models of Refs.~\cite{Alon1996,Alon1998}.
When $U_d \neq U_d^c$, the system has a single time scale
$|U_d - U_d^c|^{-\nu_\|}$, where $\nu_\|$ is the correlation time
exponent of DP. Numerical values of $\nu_\|$ are 1.733~847~\cite{Jensen1999} and 1.287~\cite{Wang2013} for
one and two dimensions, respectively. If $U_d > U_d^c$, the ratchet is moving and
the speed is proportional to the inverse of the characteristic time scale,
because this is the time scale on which the currently least loaded type
goes extinct. Accordingly, the speed in the MR regime
is $V_h \sim (U_d - U_d^c)^{\nu_\|}$~\cite{Otwinowski2014}.

\begin{figure}
	\onefigure[width=0.8\linewidth]{Fig2.eps}
	\caption{\label{Fig:mupara} Semilogarithmic plots of $v U_b^{-\nu_b}$ vs $t U_b^{\nu_b}$
	at the critical point with $\nu_b = 0.76$ and 0.81 for the
	one-dimensional (bottom) and two-dimensional (top) systems,
        respectively. The selection coefficient is $s=2.5$ and the
        corresponding deleterious mutation rates are $U_d^c \approx 0.304725$
        ($D=1$) and $U_d^c \approx 1.215433$ ($D=2$). The values for
        the beneficial mutation rate $U_b$ are displayed in the figure.
	}
\end{figure}
Based on these considerations we can make a scaling ansatz
\begin{align}
	v(t) = |\Delta_d|^{\nu_\|} G_0\left ( \Delta_dt^{1/\nu_\|}  \right ),
\end{align}
where $\Delta_d \equiv U_d-U_d^c$, and $G_0$ is a scaling
function with the (anticipated) asymptotic behavior
\begin{align}
	G_0(x) \sim \begin{cases}
		|x|^{-\nu_\|}, & x\rightarrow 0,\\
		\text{(negative) const}, &x \rightarrow \infty,\\
		0, & x\rightarrow -\infty.
	\end{cases}
\end{align}
Note that this predicts that the speed decays as $t^{-1}$
at the critical point, which corresponds to the logarithmic growth of the mean height~\cite{Hinrichsen2003}.

For nonzero $U_b$, the scaling ansatz needs to be extended to incorporate the effect of beneficial
mutations. Assuming that $U_b$ affects the speed in a power-law fashion, we can write
\begin{align}
	v(t) = t^{-1} F \left ( \Delta_d t^{1/\nu_\|} , t U_b^{\nu_b} \right ),
\end{align}
where $\nu_b$ is a new exponent and the relation between $F$ and $G_0$ is $F(x,0) = G_0(x) |x|^{\nu_\|}$.
At the critical point ($\Delta_d = 0$), we rewrite $v(t)$ as
\begin{align}
	v(t) = t^{-1} F \left ( 0, t U_b^{\nu_b} \right )
	=U_b^{\nu_b} G\left ( t U_b^{\nu_b} \right ),
\end{align}
where $G(x) = F(0,x)/x$. The scaling ansatz suggests that a data collapse is expected when
$v U_b^{-\nu_b}$ is plotted against $t U_b^{\nu_b}$ for various $U_b$'s.
In Fig.~\ref{Fig:mupara}, we indeed observe a data collapse when we set $\nu_b = 0.76$ ($\nu_b = 0.81$) for
the one-dimensional (two-dimensional) system.
By observing where the scaling collapse becomes worse,
we conclude
that $\nu_b = 0.76 \pm 0.03$ in one dimension
and $\nu_b = 0.81 \pm 0.03$ in two dimensions,
and the behavior of the speed $V_h$ at the critical point for nonzero $U_b$ is
$V_h \sim U_b^{\nu_b}$.
The seeming deviation of the collapse of the 2D system in comparison to the 1D system is due to
strong corrections to scaling in the two-dimensional case.

At the critical point, $t_b \equiv U_b^{-\nu_b}$ is the unique characteristic time scale of the system.
If the system is not at the critical point, there is another time scale
$t_c \equiv |\Delta_d|^{-\nu_\|}$.
Since the speed $V_h$ is inversely proportional to the characteristic time scale (as long as
it is nonzero), the behavior of $V_h$ will be
determined by the smaller of the two time scales.
If $t_b \ll t_c$, $V_h$ is dominated by the behavior at the critical point, whereas
if $t_b \gg t_c$ it is dominated by the off-critical behavior for $U_b = 0$.
In this sense, there is a crossover from the
DP type behavior to a behavior dominated by beneficial mutations at
$t_b \simeq t_c$, or $U_b^{1/\varphi} \simeq |\Delta_d|$, where
$\varphi = \nu_\|/\nu_b$
is a crossover exponent.
In one (two) dimension, we get $\varphi \approx 2.28$ (1.59).
From these considerations, the asymptotic speed $V_h$ is expected to take the form
\begin{align}
	V_h = c_s^{-1} U_b^{\nu_b} H\left ( a_s \Delta_d  U_b^{-1/\varphi} \right ),
	\label{Eq:speed_ansatz}
\end{align}
where $H$ is a universal function with geometric constants $c_s$ and
$a_s$, which are determined by requiring $H(1) =0$ and $H(0)=1$.

\begin{figure}
	\onefigure[width=0.8\linewidth]{Fig3.eps}
	\caption{\label{Fig:PB} Plots of $U_b^c$ vs $\Delta_d$ for one- (square) and two-dimensional (circle) systems
	for $s=2.5$. The straight lines show Eq.~\eqref{Eq:Ubc}
	with the numerical values for $\varphi$ mentioned in the text.}
\end{figure}
The scaling ansatz~\eqref{Eq:speed_ansatz} suggests another way of finding $\varphi$ by studying how the solution $U_b^c$ of
$V_h(U_b)=0$ behaves as $\Delta_d$ varies.
Since $U_b^c$ quantifies the beneficial mutation rate that is required to reverse the ratchet,
we will refer to it as the turning point. From the scaling ansatz, we expect
\begin{equation}
\label{Eq:Ubc}
	U_b^c \approx  (a_s \Delta_d)^{\varphi}.
\end{equation}
In Fig.~\ref{Fig:PB}, we depict $U_b^c$ as a function of $\Delta_d$ for $s=2.5$. The power-law behavior
for small $\Delta_d$ is consistent with the numerical estimate of $\varphi$ mentioned above.

In Figs.~\ref{Fig:col1} and \ref{Fig:col2}, we show the scaling collapse predicted by~\eqref{Eq:speed_ansatz} for
one- and two-dimensional systems, respectively.
The number of individuals is $N=2^{18}$ ($2^{20}$) for the one-dimensional (two-dimensional) simulations.
The number of independent runs for each data point is in the range $400 - 1000$ for the one-dimensional model
and $5000 - 7000$ for the two dimensional model.
The initial condition is always $h_x = 0$ for all $x$.
By adjusting the geometric constants $a_s$ and $c_s$ for different $s$, all data
are indeed collapsed into a single curve for various values of $s$.
The curves possess two branches corresponding to the MR and
HR regimes. Along the lower MR branch the speed changes sign at the turning point $U_b^c$.

We also analyzed how $a_s$ and $c_s$ behave for small $s$.
As shown in the insets of Figs.~\ref{Fig:col1} and \ref{Fig:col2},
we found power-law behaviors $a_s \sim s^{-\alpha}$  and $c_s \sim s^{-\gamma}$
with $\alpha \approx 1$ ($0.33$) and $\gamma \approx 0.46$ (0.16) for $D=1$ ($D=2$).
Including also the prefactor in the relation for $a_s$ we conclude that the turning point in the
one-dimensional system is located approximately at
$U_b^c \approx (0.34 \Delta_d/s)^{2.28}$.
Due to the substantial logarithmic corrections, obtaining an accurate
approximation formula for $U_b^c$ in two dimensions would require
more extensive simulations.

\begin{figure}
	\onefigure[width=0.8\linewidth]{Fig4.eps}
	\caption{Scaling collapse plot of $c_s V_h U_b^{-\nu_b}$ vs $a_s |\Delta_d| U_b^{-1/\varphi}$
	for the one dimensional model for $s=2.5$ (square),
	$1$ (circle), $0.2$ (triangle), 0.1 (inverted triangle), 0.05 (diamond), 0.02 (pentagon), 0.01 ($\times$),
	and 0.005 ($+$) on a semilogarithmic scale.
	Solid (empty) symbols are results in the HR (MR) regime.
	The large cross formed by a vertical and a horizontal line
        segment marks the position of the turning point, which is
        (1,0) in the rescaled variables.
	Large symbols (in red color) indicate simulation results without deleterious mutations.
	Inset: (bottom) Plot of $a_s$ vs $1/s$. (top) Double logarithmic plot of $c_s$ vs $1/s$. The straight line
	is the result of a two-parameter fit $c_s \approx C s^{-\gamma}$ with $\gamma \approx 0.46$ and $C=0.35$.
	}
\label{Fig:col1}
\end{figure}

\subsection{Relation to DP exponents}
The numerical estimates of $\nu_b$ presented above are very close to the value of
$1/(1+\eta)$, where $\eta$ is the initial slip exponent of the DP universality class,
with $\eta \approx 0.313~686$  [$1/(1+\eta) \approx 0.7612$]
in one dimension~\cite{Jensen1999} and $\eta \approx 0.2307$ [$1/(1+\eta) = 0.813$] in two dimensions~\cite{Wang2013}.
Here we present an argument in favor of this relation.

For this we need to recall the relation of the model with $U_b = 0$ to UCDP \cite{Tauber1998,Goldschmidt1999}.
The connection is clearly seen by defining that site $x$ is occupied by species $A_m$ if $h_x \ge -m$ ($m\ge 0$).
Each species undergoes its own DP process. In order
to maintain a well-defined height function it is assumed that a site occupied by species $m$ is also
occupied by all species $l > m$. In our setting the coupling between the species is not strictly unidirectional,
because the probability that $A_m$ increases by selection is affected by species with $l > m$.
However, this feedback, which is present also in some nonequilibrium wetting models, was argued to be
irrelevant in the renormalization group sense~\cite{Goldschmidt1999}.

By contrast, beneficial mutations induce a direct reverse coupling by which particles of species $m$ induce
the creation of particles of species $l < m$.
We start from the observation that the critical behavior of the species at the
lowest level is identical to DP.
Let us start the process at height $h_x = 0$ and place the system at the critical point $U_d^c$ with $0 < U_b \ll 1$.
At generation $t=1$, the density of sites with $h_x = 1$ is then roughly $U_b$.
In terms of the UCDP, the new species $A_{-1}$ now becomes the lowest level species which
should perform the defect dynamics of DP at the critical point.
It follows that the density $\rho_{-1}$ of species $A_{-1}$ at generation $t$ is
$\rho_{-1}(t) \sim U_b t^\eta$.
Notice that $\eta$ already incorporates the effect of deleterious mutations, which correspond to the death of $A_{-1}$ particles.
Since $A_{-1}$ can change into $A_{-2}$ by
another beneficial mutation which occurs with probability $U_b$,
the expected density of species $A_{-2}$ up to generation $t$ is
$\rho_{-2}(t) \sim U_b^2 t^{1+\eta}$.
If we define $t_b$ as the time when $\rho_{-2}(t_b) = U_b$, which satisfies
$t_b \sim U_b^{-1/(1+\eta)}$, species $A_{-2}$ at generation $t_b$ takes
the place of $A_{-1}$ at generation $t=1$.
Hence, we conclude that the mean height of the whole system increases
by one at generation $t_b$, which gives $V_h \sim U_b^{1/(1+\eta)}$ at the critical point
and therefore $\nu_b  = 1/(1+\eta)$.
Since we neglected the effect of increasing $A_{-2}$ by its own dynamics as well as the dynamics of
higher level species, this argument is not exact.
Nevertheless our numerical estimates lend strong support to the proposed scaling relation.

\begin{figure}
	\onefigure[width=0.8\linewidth]{Fig5.eps}
	\caption{Scaling collapse plot of $c_s V_h U_b^{-\nu_b}$ vs $a_s |\Delta_d| U_b^{-1/\varphi}$
	for the two-dimensional model on a semilogarithmic scale.
	We use the same symbols as in Fig.~\ref{Fig:col1} for different values of $s$.
	Inset: Double logarithmic plots of (bottom) $a_s$ and (top) $c_s$ vs $1/s$.  The straight lines
	are results of power-law fittings with slopes $\alpha = 0.33$
        and $\gamma = 0.16$ for $a_s$ and $c_s$, respectively.
	}
\label{Fig:col2}
\end{figure}
\subsection{Asymptotics of the scaling function}

To complete the scaling theory, it remains to determine the asymptotic behaviors of the scaling function $H(x)$ in
Eq.~\eqref{Eq:speed_ansatz}. This is straightforward in the MR regime ($x > 0$).
Because $V_h \sim \Delta_d^{\nu_\|}$ for $U_b = 0$ and $\Delta_d >0$,
it is expected that $H(x) \sim x^{\nu_\|}$ for large $x$. As a consequence,
$V_h$ becomes independent of $U_b$ in this regime.

The behavior for $x \to -\infty$ can be inferred from known results for the case of adaptation in the presence
of purely beneficial mutations \cite{Martens2011}.
Since selection should dominate when $U_d \ll U_b$, it is plausible to assume that the speed is continuous at $U_d = 0$ for
positive $s$ and $U_b$. This suggests that
the speed for the model without deleterious mutations should also conform to
the scaling ansatz Eq.~\eqref{Eq:speed_ansatz}, as long as $s$, $U_b$, and $U_d^c$ are small.
Figures~\ref{Fig:col1} and \ref{Fig:col2} include simulation results for $U_d = 0$ (with bigger symbol size) and
indeed confirm this anticipation.
Assuming therefore that the case $U_d = 0$ ($\Delta_d = - U_d^c$) is representative of the
$\Delta_d < 0$ (HR) regime, we conclude that the scaling $V_h\sim U_b^{1/(1+D)}$
known from the model without deleterious mutations~\cite{Martens2011} should be recovered when
$|\Delta_d| U_b^{-1/\varphi}$ is large.
Thus, we expect for large $-x$ that $H(x) \sim |x|^\chi$ with
\begin{equation}
\label{Eq:chi}
\chi = \nu_\| \left( 1 - \frac{1}{\nu_b (D+1)} \right) = \frac{\nu_\|(D-\eta)}{D+1},
\end{equation}
where the scaling relation between $\nu_b$ and $\eta$ has been used in the second step.
Accordingly, we get
\begin{align}
	H(x) \sim
	\begin{cases}
		|x|^\chi & x \rightarrow -\infty\\
		\text{const} & x\rightarrow 0\\
		x^{\nu_\|} & x\rightarrow \infty.
	\end{cases}
	\label{Eq:asymH}
\end{align}
The behavior for $x \to -\infty$ is confirmed by the simulation results in Fig.~\ref{Fig:asymH}. Note that the applicability of the scaling form
\eqref{Eq:speed_ansatz} to the model without deleterious mutations
implies the existence of a second, previously
unnoticed scaling regime for adapting spatial populations that appears when $U_b$ is large in the sense of
$a_s U_d^c U_b^{-1/\varphi} \sim s^{\phi-\alpha} U_b^{-1/\varphi} \ll
1$ \cite{ParkKrugUnpub}. The onset of this regime is discernible in
the departure of the data from the straight line in  Fig.~\ref{Fig:asymH}.
 \begin{figure}
	\onefigure[width=0.8\linewidth]{Fig6.eps}
	 \caption{Double logarithmic plot of $c_s V_h U_b^{-\nu_b}$ vs $a_s |\Delta_d| U_b^{-1/\varphi}$
	 for the two dimensional model at $U_d = 0$ ($\Delta_d =-U_d^c$).
	 The slope $\chi$ of the straight line takes the value predicted by Eq.~\eqref{Eq:chi}.
	The inset shows the same plot for the one dimensional case.
	}
\label{Fig:asymH}
\end{figure}

\section{Summary and conclusions}
In this paper we have studied the speed of adaptation or fitness decline of a population with spatial
structure when both beneficial and deleterious mutations are present.
We do not take epistasis into account, not only because the absence of epistasis
is a prerequisite for the existence of a constant asymptotic speed of fitness change, but also because
epistasis provides an alternative and independent mechanism by which Muller's ratchet
can be halted \cite{Jain2008}.
Within this setting, we found a general formula Eq.~\eqref{Eq:speed}
which allowed us to accurately estimate the speed from simulations without invoking any extrapolation.

When both types of mutations are present the speed turns out to take
a rather complicated form. In particular, it does not reduce to the sum of the two speeds caused by beneficial or deleterious
mutations acting in isolation, as would be the case in small populations where mutations spread and fix independently
\cite{Klatt2017Book}.
We developed a scaling theory based on the critical behavior of directed
percolation and its unidirectionally coupled multi-species extension.
The predicted scaling relations are confirmed numerically for $D=1$ and $D=2$, but the theory
should apply in any dimension.

The dramatic enhancement of the efficacy of Muller's ratchet in spatial habitats that we describe
is a consequence of the general weakening of natural selection when competition is local rather than global.
Experiments aimed at verifying the ratchet
mechanism have mostly been conducted in well-mixed populations
without spatial structure. The first experiments used RNA viruses,
which are distinguished by their large deleterious mutation rates $U_d \sim {\cal{O}}(1)$ \cite{Chao1990}.
Since the corresponding selection coefficients are relatively small \cite{Elena1999}, these
systems would be predicted to operate deep in the MR regime.

Deleterious
mutation rates in bacteria are much lower. For example, the estimates
$U_d = 5 \cdot 10^{-3}$ and $s = 0.03$ were obtained for a mutator strain
of \textit{Escherichia coli} \cite{Trindade2010}.
Although our simplified model cannot be expected to be quantitatively
applicable to this specific microbial system, it is nevertheless instructive to compare these values
to the critical deleterious mutation rate $U_d^c$ obtained from our simulations.
This comparison would place the \textit{E. coli} strain
in the MR regime for 1D populations and in the HR regime for 2D populations. Moreover, using
Eq.~\eqref{Eq:Ubc} we find that a beneficial mutation rate of $U_b \approx 1.2 \cdot 10^{-3} \approx 0.25 \cdot U_d$ would be required
to reverse the ratchet in one-dimensional populations. Whereas two- and three-dimensional habitats are naturally realized
in bacterial colonies, effectively one-dimensional
geometries appear, e.g., at the edge of expanding microbial colonies
\cite{Lavrentovich2013,Lavrentovich2015,Lavrentovich2016,Bosshard2017}.

We are therefore confident that an experimental
test of our predictions is principally feasible. In fact, two recent experiments have provided direct evidence for the
enhanced effect of deleterious mutations in spatial habitats \cite{Lavrentovich2016,Bosshard2017}, and it has been suggested
that the exceptionally low mutation rates in bacteria may have evolved as a consequence of biofilm formation, which requires
a more stringent control of deleterious mutations \cite{Gralka2016}. Taken together, these results indicate an important
role for deleterious mutations in spatial habitats which should be explored further in experimental and theoretical work.

\acknowledgments
S-CP acknowledges the support by the Basic Science Research Program through the
National Research Foundation of Korea~(NRF) funded by the Ministry of
Science and ICT~(Grant No. 2017R1D1A1B03034878) and by the Catholic University of Korea,
research fund 2018. JK was supported by DFG within SPP 1590 and CRC 1310.
We furthermore thank the Regional Computing Center of the
University of Cologne (RRZK) for providing computing time on the DFG-funded High
Performance Computing (HPC) system CHEOPS.

\bibliographystyle{./eplbib.bst}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


Pyruvate kinase (PK) deficiency is one of the most common enzymatic defects of the RBCs, it manifests clinically as a hemolytic anemia that can range from mild to severe.
Pyruvate kinase (PK) deficiency is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern.
The birth history of patients with pyruvate kinase deficiency includes severe anemia, severe jaundice, kernicterus, and a history of exchange transfusion.
The enzyme activity rate in most patients with pyruvate kinase deficiency is 5-25% of normal.
In patients with mild to moderate pyruvate kinase deficiency, care is predominantly supportive.
Red blood cell transfusion may be necessary if the anemia is significant.
Splenectomy is indicated only for patients with severe anemia.
Hassan M Yaish, MD. Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency: Practice Essentials, Background, Pathophysiology http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/2196589-overview Accessed: April 2014.
Abdel Fattah M, Abdel Ghany E, Adel A, Mosallam D, Kamal S. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and red cell pyruvate kinase deficiency in neonatal jaundice cases in Egypt. Pediatr Hematol Oncol. 2010 May. 27(4):262-71.


CAREER FAIR: Don't miss this GREAT opportunity to engage fresh talent from colleges across the region. STUDENTS and ALUMNI from area colleges and universities have been invited to attend. (Bellevue College alone has 440 students with disabilities looking for opportunities.) In addition, skilled JOB SEEKERS are being referred by our community partners.
EMPLOYER LUNCH FORUM: Registered employers are invited to a networking lunch and admission to their choice of one of two educational workshops on hiring people with disabilities.


text:
57 Shot and Wounded, 10 Killed in Gun-Controlled Chicago
Joshua Lott/Getty Images
Fifty-seven people where shot and wounded and 10 were killed as another weekend came and went in gun-controlled Chicago.
The dead included 32-year-old Nykea Aldridge, a mother of four and cousin of Chicago Bulls' star Dwayne Wade. She was shot and killed Friday while pushing one of her children in a stroller. The Associated Press reports that two men have been charged in Aldridge's death, both of whom "were on parole for prior criminal activity."
NBC 5 reports that 9 persons in addition to Aldridge were killed in weekend violence, while "at least" 57 others were shot and wounded between 4 pm Friday and 1 am Monday.
Breitbart News reported that 52 individuals were shot with nine fatalities during the weekend of August 12-15, and dozens were shot the following weekend with four fatalities. ABC News reported that the dozens shot included a 7-year-old girl and a 36-year-old woman who were attending a vigil for someone who had been shot and killed previously.
The Chicago Tribune reports that the most recent string of weekend violence brings the total number of Chicago gunshot victims to 2,818. The total number of victims for the whole of 2015 was 2,988. The number of homicides year-to-date is 464. There were 490 for the whole of 2015.
AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.
2nd AmendmentPoliticsSportsChicago Gun Violencegun violenceGun-Controlled ChicagoSecond AmendmentSelf-Defense

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Former Tenaris scholarship winner turned Global Trainee carves out opportunities for growth at Texas mill
A scholarship award winner turned global trainee finds a galaxy of opportunity at Tenaris's seamless pipe mill in Bay City, TX.
For Madison O'Neal, Global Trainee in the plant's hot rolling mill, home matters. Having lived her whole life in Matagorda County, she knows and loves the area, and she is thrilled to begin her career right in her own backyard. "I like the small-town feel, going everywhere and knowing everyone. Here, I have family relationships with everyone; I know their grandparents," she says, "and I love the coast."
It was in Matagorda County where O'Neal discovered her passion for mechanical engineering. She'd always had a love for math and problem solving, and thanks to her family, she saw mechanical engineering at work from a young age. Growing up, she got a front row seat to her father's drag racing as well as the chance to get her hands dirty at her granddad's machine shop. Mechanics appealed to her. "Hot rolling mill tooling," says O'Neal, "is a machine shop on a large industrial scale."
In high school, O'Neal first connected with Tenaris, which started construction on the Bay City plant in 2013 and commissioned fall 2017, as a scholarship applicant. During her senior year, she applied for and received a Tenaris Merit Award; she was one of fifty students in the U.S. to receive a scholarship from the company. The $20,000, life-changing scholarship, awarded to her and another student in 2017, paid for half of her college tuition.
With excellent grades, varsity sports, and a drive to succeed, O'Neal could have gone anywhere across the country to pursue engineering, but her love for the area propelled her to choose Texas A&M in Corpus Christi, TX.
O'Neal stayed in touch with Tenaris in college and expressed interest in an internship to Courtney Stevens, former Community Relations Manager at Tenaris. Her work and persistence led to internships in 2018 and 2019 as an operations engineer intern at the TenarisBayCity hot rolling mill, where she revised and created critical operative practice procedures as well as trained shift leaders, supervisors, and managers on new elements added to critical operative practice procedures. She was one of 20 interns at Tenaris in Texas. "I had to learn how everything worked and the entire process from start to finish," says O'Neal. Much of what she learned hands-on at Tenaris in the summers she revisited again in the classroom in college. "It was neat," she says of the textbook-to-real-world connection. "Especially with material science."
Tenaris was impressed with her work and offered her a full-time position and entrance in the Global Trainee Program, which she began this past May, two days after her college graduation. In the two-year rotational program, O'Neal has the opportunity to take leadership training, work in two different positions, and participate in an international training opportunity to learn Tenaris fundamentals and accelerate professional development.
Besides embracing the ever-present challenge to be better, O'Neal says one of the many aspects that draws her to Tenaris is the diversity of people. "The collaboration with everyone is great. I love the teamwork and how we come to a solution by working together."
Over the course of her internships and the start of her new position, O'Neal credits many people with teaching her and supporting her in her work, namely Marcelo Alvarez, rolling mill director, and colleagues. "This team was very welcoming and supportive during my time as an intern," says O'Neal. "They were always available to answer any questions that I had and included me in a variety of other projects and discussions outside my internship projects." She credits the team with giving her a fantastic view of what Tenaris is like. "Working for Marcelo [Alvarez] has had a tremendous impact on my decision to come back to work at Tenaris full-time," says O'Neal. "Throughout my internships, Marcelo continuously challenged me with various tasks so that I would be able to learn as much as possible within the short timeframe I was at Tenaris."
She continues her work with this team as a Global Trainee, under a new, direct supervisor. "I could not ask for more than these two managers. Their support and insight have had a significant impact on my desire to continue developing a career within the company."
Tenaris has brought the worlds of mechanical engineering, collaboration, learning and global diversity to Matagorda County, and Madison O'Neal could not be happier. The opportunities to develop professionally stretch worldwide for her, right at home. She hopes to stay at Tenaris's Bay City hot rolling mill; it has been the perfect fit.
For more information about Tenaris, please follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.
How Tenaris is supporting at-risk youth in Argentina finish school through recycling
Tenaris in Argentina has donated over 24,000 lbs of cardboard to the non-profit organization, Fundación Reciduca, to promote environmental care and support at-risk youth finish their secondary education and enter the workforce.
Tenaris boosts production at its welded pipe mill in Arkansas
Tenaris is boosting production at its welded mill in Hickman, Arkansas, amid the company's ongoing manufacturing growth across the US that it kick-started in early 2021.
Tenaris designs, produces and delivers its most challenging coiled tubing strings yet
Following a calculated manufacturing and logistics execution, Tenaris has successfully produced its largest and most complex coiled tubing string for delivery to Alaska.
Our brand name is derived from the word tenacity, representing our determination to serve our customers wherever they are and pursue and achieve the goals that we set ourselves. It is about striving for excellence in everything we do.
The colors in our multi-bar represent the diversity of the people that make up Tenaris around the world.


text:
Q: PHP GD creating thumbnails with one black pixel in the top left corner Warning: I don't have much experience with CodeIgniter and I am updating a site originally created by another developer.
For some reason the CodeIgniter image class is creating thumbnails with a black pixel in the top left corner.  Here is an example:
alt text http://jnjnjn.com/images/codeigniter_bad_thumb.jpg
This only seems to happen in production (this site is being hosted on a super lame shared host).  Thumbnails are created just fine on my OS X dev machine and my Ubuntu machine on Slicehost.
The code is pretty boilerplate, and from what I can tell the image library doesn't have a whole lot of options to screw up.
The options look like this:
$this->Image_Resize['image_library'] = 'gd2';
$this->Image_Resize['thumb_marker'] = 'thumb_';
$this->Image_Resize['create_thumb'] = TRUE;
$this->Image_Resize['maintain_ratio'] = TRUE;
$this->Image_Resize['width'] = 200;
$this->Image_Resize['height'] = 200;

And then the image is processed like this:
$this->Image_Resize['source_image'] = 'images/news/'.$image['file_name'];
$this->image_lib->initialize($this->Image_Resize);
$this->image_lib->resize();

Has anyone run into this issue before?  Google & SO searches aren't getting me anywhere.  These pixels are driving me nuts.
Update: As I was afraid, this didn't have anything to do with CodeIgniter.  Something is screwy with the host's GD library and they don't support anything else.  It's just weird that I can't find anyone else in the world who's had this problem.
Anyway my advice is to never, ever, ever use Doteasy.  They are a nightmare.

A: If it's the host that's causing it, maybe it's their image library that's having problems. The codeigniter Image Manipulation class is really just abstracted above that level, so you can actually choose what image library to use. Find out what ones are available from your host and maybe try a different one and see if the results are the same. Possible options for the ['image_library'] are:

*

*GD

*GD2

*ImageMagick

*NetPBM

Image Manipulation Class - Codeigniter Documentation

A: I'm running into the same issue, and after some digging here's what I've come up with for my situation. I figured I would share it with everyone else incase there's something useful. Keep in mind, this is straight PHP not code ignitor, but this is one of the first responses when you do a google search.
This appears to only happen for me with a 24bit transparent png, when resized and then sharpened using imageconvolution function. As soon as I comment out the portion of code which is applying the convolution, the black pixel disappears.

A: I had the same thing, seems to happen only with PNG32 format - try exporting your image in PNG24 or PNG8 and see if that helps, worked for me.

A: .$image['file_name'];
^---- see period

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
(settings) | Login RSC Home > Cars > Morgan
Note: These statistics are based only on the results available in the RSC archive database.
They cannot be modified or updated on their own and do not necessary cover all events ever held
but rather just major sports car events plus meetings selected by RSC.
Click Here for Racing Sports Cars for Sale on RaceCarsDirect.com
Photo GalleryFull ArchiveResults
General figures:
Data covers years: 1937-1939, 1946-1971, 1973, 1979-1982, 1993-1997, 2002-2010, 2012-2016
Number of events: 1367 (including 31 races where did not start and 25 official tests)
Total entries: 1984 (contains 1516 finishes and 253 retirements, finishing ratio: 85%)
Photos in Gallery: 253 (12% of all entries)
Wins: 130 Additional class wins 173
Second place finishes: 159 Top 3 finishes 2
Third place finishes: 143 Races finished on podium 387
Best result (count): 1st (131x) Pole positions 14
Most frequent drivers: Lew Spencer (74), Chris Lawrence (52), Keith Ahlers (49), Olivier Pla (36), G. B. Sterne (36), Jeff Sparrowe (30), Arch McNeill (29), Gaston Andrey (25), Jacques Nicolet (25), David Heinemeier Hansson (23), Bob Oker (23), William Wykeham (22)
Most frequent types: Plus 4 (1108), 4/4 (165), LM P2 (160), Aero 8 (111), Plus 8 (43), Aero Super Sport (13), Special (4), TR3 (2), Spezial (2), 4+4 (2)
Most frequent chassis: SA9AERO8004G0200 (48), 01-15 (31), 01-17 (26), 01-14 (24), 01-18 (21), 01-20 (20), 4811710 (19), 4588 (17), M A8.Gt/N-003 (14), 01-16 (13), SA9AERO89000490272 (13), M A8.Gt/N-002 (10)
Most frequent tracks: Silverstone (159), Oulton Park (118), Goodwood (102), Santa Barbara (80), Pomona (74), Thompson (65), Brands Hatch (52), Lime Rock (51), Watkins Glen (51), Westwood (43), Le Mans (42)
Most frequent countries: USA (1026), GB (586), CDN (100), F (97), B (26), D (25), I (24), S (12), BRN (11), J (10), PRC (9)
Chassis Numbers:


The financial burden of fighting breast cancer can be devastating.
The out of pocket costs not covered by insurance can be overwhelming to a patient battling breast cancer.
"Without your help, I wouldn't have been able to get to my chemo treatments.
SOS Lowcountry enhances the quality of life for breast cancer patients in South Carolina.
Our mission is to honor the spirit of Suzy Mcgrane by raising money and resources to assist and support breast cancer patients from diagnosis to remission.
SOS helps breast cancer patients and their families by providing assistance to ease their journey from diagnosis to recovery. A breast cancer patient or their medical team may contact the SOS Lowcountry requesting assistance. Referrals may also be made by friends and family for any breast cancer patient in South Carolina.
Provide financial support to a patient now.
Sponsor one of our fundraising events!
It can be financially devastating to battle breast cancer. SOS provides these women with the ability to focus on fighting their disease and not on the mounting medical bills. We are lucky to have SOS Lowcountry in our community.
"I am so thankful to you for providing the funding to help me pay some of my utility bills while I was in the hospital. You are amazing and really helped me in a very desperate time.
Thank you for helping me. I don't know where we would be without SOS. I didn't have the money to pay for gas to get to my chemo treatments – the gas cards you gave me saved my life.
© 2016 Share Our Suzy.


HOUSTON, Nov. 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Vantage Drilling International ("Vantage" or the "Company") reported a net loss of approximately $26.1 million or $5.21 per share for the three months ended September 30, 2018 as compared to a net loss of $40.1 million or $8.01 per share for the three months ended September 30, 2017.
Vantage, a Cayman Islands exempted company, is an offshore drilling contractor, with a fleet of three ultra-deepwater drillships and four premium jackup drilling rigs. Vantage's primary business is to contract drilling units, related equipment and work crews primarily on a dayrate basis to drill oil and natural gas wells globally for major, national and independent oil and natural gas companies. Vantage also provides construction supervision services and preservation management services for, and will operate and manage, drilling units owned by others.
The information above includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions identified above or as disclosed from time to time in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. As a result of these factors, actual results may differ materially from those indicated or implied by such forward-looking statements. Vantage disclaims any intention or obligation to update publicly or revise such statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.


GREAT OPPORTUNITY AWAITS IN BAY CROSSING's 55+ COMMUNITY! Spacious Spinnaker model end unit boasts 1st floor master suite w/luxury bath, vaulted ceilings, breakfast room w/bay window, 2nd floor loft & 2-car garage! Community amenities include clubhouse w/activities, pool, tennis, fitness & more!


The "Forum" section is an area where visitors and members may post messages, replies and comments subject to the Acceptable Use(acceptable-use) policy of Free Zone America.
The emphasis here is not on how much one can say but on how direct and to the point one can be in an open and honest communication.
From the mind of Man come all sorts of tricks and traps. It can be especially difficult to leave these at the door when entering here so watch for it's demonstration and correct it as necessary.
Taking something personal demonstrates the ever-opportunistic mind. Know it when it happens and move on.
This is not a love fest for mind experience.
Be your Self. Your true Self.


text:
The Virtual School is now open for enrollment
November 1, 2021 at 11:12 am UTC
Eric Whitacre's Virtual School offers direct access to practical and artistic insights gained over more than thirty years by one of the most frequently performed of all contemporary composers. The Beautiful Mess: Masterclass in Composition & Creativity comprises a dozen video masterclasses, in which Eric explores key concepts drawn from his personal approach to composition; an accompanying series of short videos entitled 'Things I've Learned'; and comprehensive educational materials written by the acclaimed composer and teacher Emily Crocker and Dr Christopher Peterson (California State University, Fullerton). The Beautiful Mess is designed for students, educators, composers, performers, lifelong learners, and music-lovers of all ages and abilities.
More information and Enroll
Guest Curator for The Space on Scala Radio
BBC Radio 3 – Music Matters
The Sacred Veil with VOCES8
Visiting Composer at Pembroke College, Cambridge
The Midwest Clinic 2021
Now in print: October for full orchestra
Welcome to The Beautiful Mess: Masterclass in Composition and Creativity
Interview with MusicRoom
Live Zoom Webinar – Introduction to the Virtual School


What should I use to clean my piece before painting it?
Try cleaning your pieces without traditional chemical cleaners and opt for soap and water or warm moist rags. Artisan Enhancements products are truly "green" and no VOC, so cleaning with harsh chemicals can alter their appearance and can effect dry times.
What is a paint medium?
The term medium is typically used to describe either a product added to paint as a binding agent or a product added to paint to change the consistency/properties of the paint.
What does the term "VOC" mean?
Simply explained, products with low or zero VOC, emit less or no toxic gases, fumes, and odors.
Can you apply Clear Topcoat Sealer over wax?
Yes, you can apply it over wax (or under) or both. Your wax needs to be wiped back fully and allowed to cure a little before applying Clear Topcoat Sealer. We recommend only only one very thin layer.
How long after you've waxed a piece do you have to wait before applying your Clear Topcoat Sealer?
24 hours is optimal is you have properly wiped your wax back after application.
Is Clear Topcoat Sealer exterior grade?
Yes. It is a durable, exterior grade penetrating sealer. We recommend a two coat minimum for exterior use.
How long does it take Clear Topcoat Sealer to dry?
Dry time is approx. 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on weather. Make sure the sealer is applied thinly for optimal dry time.
Can you sand Clear Topcoat Sealer? Clear Finish?
Clear Topcoat Sealer is considered a sand-able sealer, between applications (due to being penetrable and matte). Clear Finish is an acrylic and not intended to be sanded, however, if you need to remove it from a surface you can sand it back.
When should I use Clear Topcoat Sealer?
Clear Topcoat Sealer is an exterior grade, NO VOC, penetrating, soy oil based sealer that can be used to seal surfaces prior to painting or for sealing afterwards (or both). It has a creamy color (no oils are truly clear before they dry) and dries clear with a matte finish.
What should I use to apply Clear Finish and Clear Topcoat Sealer?
We recommend Artisan Enhancements Topcoat Brush for the most optimal result. It is designed with a combination of natural and synthetic bristles and a flat edge for a smooth finish. If you don't have one of our brushes use a flat edge synthetic bristle brush, but apply a very small amount to the brush (most brushes tend to grab too much product).
How long does it take Clear Finish to dry?
Dry time is approx. 30 minutes. Make sure the sealer is applied thinly for optimal dry time.
Can you apply Clear Finish over wax?
When should I use Clear Finish?
Clear Finish is a water based, NO VOC, acrylic varnish intended for interior use. It dries clear with a satin to glossy finish and a silky feel (sheen level depends on how many layers you apply). We recommend it over cabinets, foils, your white paints or anything you want to have a higher sheen level.
Can you use wax over Pearl Plaster?
Yes. You can wax over any Artisan Enhancements product except Clear Finish.


Tired of battling cold and dry winter weather? If you think your beauty blues are bad, imagine the life of snowboarding gold medalist Hannah Teter. The blonde athlete has perfected a routine for high altitudes and lots and lots of snow. We quizzed her on her secrets and cold weather beauty tips she's picked up from a life on the slopes.
Real Beauty: What are the beauty problems that plague you when you're training, and how do you deal?
Hannah Teter: My skin tends to get dry and chapped from spending a lot of time on the slopes, so I'm always moisturizing. I'll get small breakouts around the areas where my goggles touch my face, but I keep them in check with Clearasil.
RB: What essentials do you always pack in your bag?
HT: A light moisturizer with SPF—who doesn't like to multi-task? I also always make sure I've got a really great lip balm on me to avoid chapped lips.
RB: And when you're traveling for competitions, is there anything special you bring?
HT: A deep conditioning mask or treatment. My hair can get super dry after a long day on the slopes, and it helps to take care of, and prevent, any split ends.
RB: What kind of products do you wear on a regular day of practicing?
HT: Moisturizer and SPF are key for me. People forget, but you can get sunburned from being up on the mountain just as easily as you can from a day on the beach. I usually like dual-products that include SPF since it's both hydrating and providing my sun protection. No need to use two different bottles!
RB: If you know you'll be televised, does your routine change at all?
HT: When I'm on TV, I'll add bronzer and eyeliner to the mix. I still like to keep my look pretty natural, but those are definitely my go-to products when I need a little something extra.
RB: How has being a professional athlete affected your definition of what's beautiful?
HT: To me, beauty is really about being healthy and strong, both physically and mentally.


text:
Tag Archives: Gene Kelly
Tag Archives: "Gene Kelly"
John Tesh the Twitter Expat, 'Home Alone' and 'Say You, Say Me' Memories & More!
Links to the past, with relevance today: Wait, so right-wingers aren't vicious? (Image via Twitter) TWITTER: Is there something inherently conservative about reporting entertainment news? Do many of the reporters have a contempt for celebrity that goes hand-in-glove with tear-down gossip? Just wondering, because not only is former Entertainment Tonight host Mary Hart, 70, full…
Stanley Donen, Last of the Golden Age Directors, Dies @ 94
Stanley Donen, the final surviving director from the Golden Age of Hollywood — and one of its most acclaimed — died of heart failure February 21 at home in Manhattan, his sons confirmed. (See ExtraTV.com for a version of his obit.) He was 94. Donen was born April 13, 1924, in South Carolina. To deal…
Choreographer Patricia Birch Remembers the Creation of 'Grease'
I'm a fan of Grease (1978), of course, but hadn't sat down and watched it all the way through in forever. That was one reason I high-tailed it over to Metrograph here in NYC. The other? Its legendary choreographer (and the director of its much-maligned sequel) Patricia Birch was appearing for a Q&A. (more…)


text:
EMAIL: susanmalonehoyle@gmail.com
Susan Malone-Hoyle
(BACP Accredited)
Welcome to my website,
please feel free to browse as much as you like and if there is anything you want to know or discuss don't hesitate to contact me.
If you have Time to Talk, I have time to listen.
COUNSELLING SUPERVISION
TESTOMONIALS
"I came to therapy knowing that I had low self-esteem but really felt like I was the only person in the world having such a low valuation of themselves. What Susan taught me was that having low self-esteem really is not the end of the world and gave me hope by showing me it really was quite a rational situation that many others have experienced, and it could be overcome. Each session made me motivated, and truly believe that it was possible to change. This was done through simply being treated with kindness and respect, giving me tools and directionality in how to act out my life and treat myself better, and spotting where I was being too harsh on myself. I am very grateful, thank you."
Thank-you for all your help,
Vincent (Dec 21)
Susan has helped me along my journey of self discovery and healing with a kind and open heart. She held space for me beautifully - sometimes for processing difficult emotions, other times just kindly and gently guiding me and reminding me of my own worth and kindness. She is very intuitive and can often feel and see what I'm needing way before I can! It has been great working with you and I'm sure I will call on you again for support should I need it!
I wish you the best of luck and I hope you go on to help many people as you've helped me.
Thank you Alex (Nov 21)
"I've been working with Susan in relation to trauma and eating issues. Her kindness, patience, and nurturing demeanor have enabled me to feel more positive about myself. Her steadfastness has shaped my confidence enough to move towards freedom after decades of being in a 'stuck place. You can immediately sense her years of experience, quiet strength, and empathy, no matter the situation or subject being discussed. GR(Nov 21)
Facing the impacts of sexual abuse in my childhood, I approached Susan for therapy and help. Over 12 sessions she helped me to understand, reconcile and move closer towards closure. Susan offered a gentle understanding and therapeutic guidance. Highly recommended. Rob (Nov 21)
I have spent the last 8 months speaking with Susan via zoom at various intervals to suit my changing schedule. Susan has been incredibly accommodating with my time and I have found that despite the physical distance between us this process has been completely invaluable. When I began my sessions with Susan my self worth and esteem was very low, I was in a relationship that I had lost confidence in and was suffering with the after shocks of sexual assault. Slowly and gently over time Susan has helped me grow and realize my own worth and power, as a woman I find this to be incredibly empowering and enlightening. At the point in which I write this, I have never felt stronger in my own abilities and body. Susan has been a complete lifeline to me and a grounding force when I felt afloat. I would undoubtedly highly recommend her to anyone.
Hattie (Oct 2021)
We had a series of sessions with our adult children, and found her approach really helpful, particularly around addiction issues. but also with communication and understanding.
Susan has a friendly, warm manner, and not at all formal. She also knew when to challenge and push for change - which is of course why we needed to go for therapy!
Susan's style helped us all to what we wanted and needed to say, and to bring about the changes that we hoped for. We would have no hesitation in highly recommending Susan as a therapist Ann, Dave and Family (June 2021)
"I worked with Susan during a very stressful breakup of my long-term relationship. She provided a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere that I felt comfortable with from the very beginning. She allowed me to express my feelings in a safe environment whilst helping me to un-ravel the years of living in a toxic relationship. She also counselled my teenage daughter as part of the family work and was able to get her to open up about her feelings which she said for her was life-changing, and this, I am really grateful to Susan for. I have since recommended Susan to a number of friends for their children and would highly recommend her as a counsellor and someone who can relate to all ages. Elaine (June 2021)
Susan guided me out of a pretty dark place with empathy and compassion. She helped me build my own set of tools and techniques to combat the anxiety. Through our weekly conversations she helped me learn how to love myself again and live the life I've wanted to for what seemed a long time. Since our sessions I use her word of encouragement daily to help me through dips and tough times. It's an ongoing journey to battle the anxiety, but Susan has made it something that I feel I can take head on.
I couldn't have done it without her and would (and have) recommended her with maximum enthusiasm!
Thank you Susan. Francois (June 2021)
Susan is a wonderful counsellor who helped me through a difficult and stressful time, encouraging me to find deeper appreciation for myself as well as giving me brilliant techniques and tools to combat the anxiety I was experiencing. I found weekly sessions with Susan to be nurturing, eye opening and overall very positive experience. Susan helped me to dispute the negative feelings I had about myself and rebuild my self esteem, as well as helping me to have a better relationship with my school work and overall to have greater belief in my abilities. Thanks to Susan I feel as though I take better care of myself, as well as feeling optimistic and excited for my future, thank you Susan. Hannah (March 2021)
It was my Son who initially contacted Susan as I was struggling to get through each day both Mentally and Physically, it's something I will be eternally grateful for , when I first met her she listened to my story she was warm , understanding, and professional therefore I felt confident to talk about issues that had bothered me for many years , on each session Susan made me feel valued then I started to believe in myself again , I always found her easy to talk to , she is genuine and encouraging and helped me to move forward with my Life , I have already recommended her to another person . R G (March 2021)
You've helped me enormously in working through the difficulties I was having with anxiety and anger. By careful listening, and skillful questioning you quickly helped identify the areas where I was getting "stuck", and have given me strategies for dealing with that when it happens. You've helped me to achieve a shift of perspective which has transformed my approach to the things that were troubling me and sabotaging my sleep, and given me an acceptance that to look after myself is both a kind and a responsible thing to do. I especially appreciate your introducing me to mindfulness meditation, which is proving profoundly useful. Thank you for your kindness, your empathy and your warmth. This was my first experience of counselling, and you made it easy and productive. The sense of ease and freedom I feel now, for the first time in many years, comes from realising that somehow, through this process, I've left some unhealthy overthinking behind, and (equally important) that I'm far better equipped to care for myself in the present and resolve any similar difficulties in the future. Lynn ( December 2020)
At the end of 2017 I literally stumbled and fell. Broken and unsure how to repair years of damage I reached out and found Susan. My profession is extremely precarious for an alcoholic and the environment and people which surround me makes my recovery journey atypical to say the least. Susan took on this challenge as I suspect she takes on all challenges....with a professional but compassionate calmness. I found her to be a fantastic guide on a painful journey. Her gentle but powerful influence has had a profound and lasting effect and I have just passed 1000 days sober.
I am lucky to have a loving and supportive family but it is fair to say that without Susan I probably would have lost everything. The process was extremely difficult but going through it with Susan as an anchor and a constant made it possible. As a testimony to her ability as an addiction counsellor I cannot speak highly enough. The fact I am sober and a publican and now the best version of me I have ever been is all I can offer. May this be enough to persuade anyone who is in doubt to try and take that first terrifying step on the road to recovery with Susan as your guide you stand more than a fair chance!! If I can do it anyone can. Miranda (September 2020)
I spent over a year working with Susan and found her personable and easy to get along with. When I first worked with her, I was needing support as I was reducing my long-term medication for OCD and anxiety. (with my GP support)
Susan was able to help me rationalize often complicated thoughts /emotions and help me reach a better understanding of the 'mechanics' of the disorder. Thanks to her, I now find it easier to stay in a healthier, more stable place.
Jerry (December 2019)
If you had told me at the start of our first session what a positive impact you would have had on me, I wouldn't have believed you! However, you have accompanied me on a journey that was much more complex, challenging and rewarding than I was expecting. Crucially, I find myself in a better place psychologically, emotionally and physically than I ever expected to be, and this is due to the way you have guided me, with unfailing wisdom, empathy, good humour and good will.
Having been very daunted about seeking counselling, I count myself very fortunate to have found you and benefitted from your skill and experience. I sincerely hope that others will have a similar opportunity and would therefore be very happy for you to use this as a testimonial to encourage anyone who is unsure about whether counselling will be of benefit to them.
With very best wishes and many thanks.
David - (June 2019)
I saw Susan for weekly sessions for the best part of a year, and I can honestly say it changed my life. It's quite amazing to look back to where I was a year ago and think about how far I have come emotionally. Susan has helped me with confidence and self- esteem issues, as well as supporting me through trauma, and was my guide during a very difficult time. She helped me see the world through a different lens, and has given me so many tools, that I continue to practice every day. I cannot recommend Susan highly enough! She helped me to be excited about life when I didn't think it was possible, and for that I will be forever grateful.
Molly - (April 2019)
My life before I met Susan was a front, suppressed emotions, painted smile, all pushed so deep in my mind I was not allowed to feel or express them.
I was drinking myself into an early grave, with shame and embarrassment in the fore front of my mind. I began to isolate myself from friends and family which lead to me shut in my room so one could see the effects of addiction and depression.
But with the help of my mum who supported me through everything I decided I was worth spending my benefits on help rather than drink. Through our weekly meetings where Susan allowed me to be myself without judgement, I was able to get an understanding of the reason why this was happening, and with her support and knowledge I have been referred to Rehab. This would not have happened without her, so I only have to say she was my guidance through this difficult time and without her help I would still be in that dark room.
Trust me when I say if you need help to change then please seek help. You are worth it!!!
You could be where I am today...getting the help I so need.
Thankyou from the bottom of my heart Susan. You are one in a million.
Lisa M - (April 2019)
Susan was a brilliant counsellor. She really spent the time getting to know me for who I am and worked with various techniques to help me work through the issues I was dealing with at the time. I can definitely say although it was not an easy journey I came out the other side a healthier and happy human being and more aware of the inner work I needed to do..
(Male - December 2018) (anonymous)
From the very first session with Susan she made me feel so comfortable and at ease, above all else I felt Susan had genuine concern for me and wanted to create a genuine connection. Working with Susan has provided me with much needed clarity and guidance. It is not an exaggeration to say that Susan has provided me with fundamental tools that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. Lauren - (May 2018)
It was not easy when I first started counselling, but I soon felt at ease with Susan. She gave me the impression she really cared about my recovery and wanted to help. It was one thing she said that stuck in my mind and I will never forget it. I have now been sober for many years am working full time and have a life. Reg W.
Susan gave me the chance to explore what I needed. She offered a safe space to do this and I will always be grateful for that. Celia H.
Susan was there for me when I needed an ear, someone to listen to everything I had gone through and to not judge me. She stood by me and was there every step of the way. I did not want to rush and never felt rushed we went at my pace. My life is different now and I am so glad I had the opportunity to have counselling. Sharon B.
I felt as though I could talk to Susan about anything. She has such a gentle nature and I always felt supported. She is quietly spoken but a strong woman and you can feel that when you are around her. She has a presence a gentle calm presence with a quiet strength. We worked together for a few years and I always found her knowledgeable and kind. Claire B.
I always felt safe and held in the counselling space. She listened with her eyes and this was felt. I felt she understood everything I had gone through and could identify with my situation. She did not say this, but I felt it. I went through a difficult time during counselling because what I talked about was painful and hard, but I always felt safe and never felt judged. Susan is kind, warm and open. She is the best counsellor I ever had. M B.
Susan is one of the hardest working, dedicated and passionate women I have ever met. She cares deeply for the poor, vulnerable and marginalized in society. She is a skilled and experienced counsellor and manager. Susan has an in depth understanding of women and women's issues. She pours love, care and skill into all she does and all she offers.
Gill Nowland MBE (One25 CEO from 2010 - 2016)
© 2020 Susan Malone-Hoyle proudly created with Wix.com


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Street Entertainer with Bagpipes and Marionettes 'a la Planchette': C.25-1992
Current Location: Gallery 26 (Lower Marlay)
Street Entertainer with Bagpipes and Marionettes 'a la Planchette'
Factory: Bow Porcelain Manufactory
Engraver: Daullé, Jean (Adapted from)
France: Dumont, Jacques (After)
Soft-paste porcelain
Soft-paste porcelain containing bone ash, figure of a Street Entertainer, press-moulded, with hand-modelled details, and painted overglaze in polychrome enamels, and gilt.
Soft-paste porcelain containing bone ash, figure of a Street Entertainer, press-moulded, with hand-modelled details, and painted over lead-glaze in blue, yellowish-green, bluish-green, yellow, pink, flesh-pink, dark pink, red, purplish-grey, brown, and black enamels, and gilt. The underside is flat with a few patches of glaze here and there, and a circular ventilation hole at the back. The base has an irregular wavy leaf-shaped outline with scrolled edge, and four areas covered with impressed points. It rises up at the back into a tree trunk with a square aperture at the bottom to take an attachment.
The piper stands on his left leg with his right slightly advanced and resting on the planchette, which is attached to his calf by a strap. The planchette supports two female figures facing each other. In front of it there is a begging dog. The piper holds the bagpipes in both hands and blows into the mouthpiece. He wears a black hat, a blue neck cloth, a bluish-green waistcoat, a pale pink coat with yellow collar, cuffs and lining, and gold buttons; flowered breeches, white stockings and black shoes with gold buckles. Suspended on his back by a black strap is a small brown box which rests on the top of the green and brown mottled tree stump. The dog is yellow and purplish-grey. The figures on the planchette wear black caps. One has a red jacket and blue skirt and the other a pink bodice and green skirt. The top of the base is decorated with two yellow applied flowers and one dark pink one with leaves of two shades of green. The scrolls on the base are picked out in dark greyish-black, and the tuffa-like areas are bluish-green.
History note: Dr and Mrs Hugh Statham; Dr Statham died 1967; Mrs Statham died 1970; their daughter, Miss Beryl Statham by whom lent anonymously in 1970 (Statham Loan 24-1970). Bequeathed by Miss Statham, 1990, accepted by H.M. Government in lieu of Inheritance Tax and allocated to the Fitzwilliam Museum
Bequeathed by Miss Statham, accepted by H.M.Government in 1990 in lieu of Inheritance Tax and allocated to the Fitzwilliam Museum
Place(s) associated
Stratford-le-Bow ⪼ Essex ⪼ England
Method of acquisition: Allocated (1992-01-20) by H.M. Government
Mid-18th Century
Circa 1760 CE - 1770 CE
This model was adapted from a print by Jean Daullé (1703-63) after Jacques Dumont le Romain (1701-81), and example of which is in the British Museum Print Room (1944,10-14,577). An earlier model depicting the bagpiper alone, see C.29-1992, may have been copied from either the print, or the Meissen model of 1741 by J.J. Kaendler, known as the 'Piedmontese Bagpiper'. In this rare later version, the entertainer has lost his Piedmontese character, but is otherwise shown as he is in the print, operating two marionettes, and accompanied by a dog.
People, subjects and objects depicted
Decoration composed of enamels ( blue, yellowish-green, bluish-green, yellow, pink, flesh-pink, dark pink, red, purplish-grey, brown, and black) lead-glaze ( presumed lead) gold
presumed phosphatic and containing bone ash Soft-paste porcelain
Press-moulding : Soft-paste porcelain containing bone ash, press-moulded, with hand-modelled details, and painted overglaze in polychrome enamels, and gilt
Glazing (coating)
Plagiarism Personified? European Pottery and Porcelain Figures page(s): p. 41
Bow Porcelain and the London Theatre: vivitur ingenio page(s): pp. 15, 87-8
Bibliothèque Nationale, Inventaire des fonds français graveurs du XVIIIe siècle page(s): p. 75
18th-Century English Porcelain
Bow Porcelain Figures circa 1748-1774 page(s): pp. 131, 175
Dresden China: An Introduction to the Study of Meissen Porcelain
Early Meissen Figures, The Fisher Collection page(s): p. 98
Bow Porcelain: The Collection formed by Geoffrey Freeman page(s): p. 125
Plagiarism Personified? European Pottery and Porcelain Figures
Accession number: C.25-1992
Old loan number: Statham Loan 24-1970
Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Tuesday 9 August 2016 Last processed: Friday 11 November 2022
The Fitzwilliam Museum (2023) "Street Entertainer with Bagpipes and Marionettes 'a la Planchette'" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/42484 Accessed: 2023-01-28 21:32:38
{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/42484 |title=Street Entertainer with Bagpipes and Marionettes 'a la Planchette' |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2023-01-28 21:32:38|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}
Man Dancing to the Bagpipes
Accession Number: C.1741-1928
Accession Number: 34.15-27
Botanical Dessert - Tin plate
Votes for Women Pin Badge
Votes for Women Mug
The Virgin Assumpta (Illuminated letter A) - Christmas card pack
The Rock Needle and Porte d'Aval, Etrétat, c.1885 -1886
Rocks at Port-Coton, the Lion Rock, Belle-Île, 1886
Female cook holding a larded hare Meissen Porcelain Factory
Fans Unfolded: Conserving the Lennox-Boyd collection


Fancy a confidence boost? Then regular saving could be the key according to a recent survey from AXA Life.
It's claimed that actively saving for retirement generates confidence and creates a positive psychological impact, regardless of the amount being saved. And going by the results of the firm's Retirement Confidence Index 2015, the most confident UK adults are those approaching retirement age.
The firm recently conducted an online study of more than 1,000 non-retired UK adults who are over 50, basing their conclusions on a series of financial and non-traditional metrics proven to influence retirement confidence. And the research shows, it doesn't matter how much you earn – but it does matter how much you save.
These findings will come as welcome news to those who may not be in the higher earning spectrum. They can take heart in the fact that the wealthiest people in the UK are not necessarily the most confident in, or prepared for, their future retirement, because when that income stream switches off, they'll be in the same boat as everyone else.
On average, higher income earners are only six percentage points higher in terms of retirement confidence than middle-income earners, at 62 per cent compared to 56 per cent confident, respectively.
They factored in two sectors, 'confidents' and 'champions'. Champions are defined as confident now and increasing in confidence over the past year, while confidents are defined as confident now, with no change in confidence over the past year.
Almost half of those with a household income of £30,000 to £40,000 are defined as 'confidents' or 'champions'. And this proportion rises to 58 per cent for those with a household income of £50,000-£60,000 a year.
And overall, a current household income of £39,091 a year appears to be the 'tipping point' for retirement confidence.
So going by these results it would appear saving is actually good for you. Actively saving for retirement generates confidence and creates a positive psychological impact, with confidence levels rising dramatically the more you save.
Only 24 per cent of people who do not save at all can be classed as 'confidents' or 'champions' when it comes to retirement confidence, but this rises to 37 per cent for those who save £100-£300, 53 per cent for £300-£500 and 57 per cent for over savings of over £500 a month.
So what is the leading driver of retirement confidence?
Well it would appear that forward planning is the key though non-financial factors were also important. The emotional drivers of fulfilment and quality of life constituted a quarter of retirement confidence, the firm said.
Getting the right advice seems to play its part too in fuelling the confidence levels. 75 per cent of non-retired adults said that financial advice had played a crucial role in their plans for a comfortable retirement.
By contrast, only 45 per cent of people who did not receive advice said they expected to get a comfortable retirement.
So it looks like if you want to feel good, get the endorphins racing and your confidence levels at a high, then get actively saving – funding your retirement feels good.


The Nets beat the Hornets on Wednesday at home, 134-132, in double overtime. Brooklyn has won two in a row and nine of its last 10 overall -- this makes up the team's best 10-game stretch since going 9-1 between January 4 and 26, 2014.
Spencer Dinwiddie scored 37 points off the bench in the win over Charlotte -- Dinwiddie now has the two highest-scoring bench games this season (39 vs. Phi on 12/12). He has played the most minutes (949) and scored the most points (612) off the bench this season.
The Hornets have lost two straight games, falling on the road to Boston (119-103) and Brooklyn. They won their two most recent home games over Cleveland (110-99) and Detroit (98-86) -- it was the first time this season Charlotte held opponents under 100 points in consecutive games.
Kemba Walker scored 35 points in the loss to Brooklyn while Jeremy Lamb scored 31 -- no other Charlotte player scored more than 14 points. Walker has accounted for 22.2 percent of his team's points this season, third most in the Eastern Conference (B. Griffin -- 22.5%, J. Embiid -- 22.5%).
Charlotte has won 9 of its last 12 games versus Brooklyn dating back to the 2015-16 season. The Hornets' .750 win percentage versus the Nets in this span is their second best versus any opponent (12-1, .923 vs. Orl).
The Hornets lead the Eastern Conference in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.92, while the Nets rank ninth at 1.57. Charlotte has gone 6-3 (.667) when picking up at least 27 assists compared to 10-14 (.417) otherwise.
CHARLOTTE -- The Charlotte Hornets hope to extract revenge on the Brooklyn Nets in the same manner that they did on the Chicago Bulls earlier this season when the clubs meet in a rematch Friday night.
The Nets shocked the Hornets 134-132 in two overtimes Wednesday night, getting the winning hoop when Charlotte's Malik Monk fumbled the ball in the final seconds to Brooklyn's Joe Harris, who turned it into a tie-breaking layup.
"We'll see this team again on Friday night," Hornets coach James Borrego vowed to reporters afterward. "We'll play hard on Friday night. I expect our guys to respond."
The Nets' ninth win in their last 10 games came in improbable fashion. The Hornets blew a late eight-point lead in regulation, then fouled DeMarre Carroll in the backcourt with 1.2 seconds left Brooklyn one point behind.
Carroll then made one of what turned out to be three free throws because of a lane violation, sending the game into the first overtime.
"Great fight," Nets coach Kenny Atkinson assessed after the game. "We lost the game three or four times.
"Just a total team win. There were a lot of big plays from the whole group, and that's kind of how we're built, that's how we're going to keep going forward."
In a historic effort, Spencer Dinwiddie bombed in 37 points to lead a Nets bench that outscored its Charlotte counterparts 55-35.
Among several individual, team and league distinctions, Dinwiddie matched his season-high with 11 assists, tied a Nets record with seven 3-pointers off the bench and became just the fifth player in NBA history to record 35 or more points and 10 or more assists in the same game as a reserve.
Dinwiddie's 30-point game was his third of the season, tying Cliff Robinson's all-time franchise record, and was his eighth time scoring 25 or more this season, the most among NBA reserves.
The loss for the Hornets was similar to their 112-110 nail-biter at Chicago in October.
Two nights later, the clubs met again, with Charlotte getting more than even with a 135-106 pounding.
It was the Hornets' only previous home-and-home series this year.
Charlotte has lost two in a row in the wake of a two-game winning streak. The losses both came on the road after they'd completed a 3-2 homestand with wins over Cleveland and Detroit.
Kemba Walker had 35 points and Jeremy Lamb 31 in Wednesday's loss.
The day off between games should help the Hornets design a way to combat a Nets box-and-one defense that stalled Walker late in the game and in regulation.
Walker had 31 points in the game's first 45 minutes, but then was held to just one field goal in the final three minutes of regulation and 10 minutes of overtime.
"The way they guarded me, I don't know if anyone else in this league is getting guarded like they guarded me," he insisted to reporters afterward. "It was like a box-and-one. I haven't seen that since I was in college. It was crazy. I guess that's what teams are going to do. I have to trust in my teammates to make plays."


How exciting is that! Our 100 A0 billboard posters designed for LCC (London College of Communication) summer shows 2011 have arrived! Aren't they fab? The colours look amazing. One is brighter than another… Looking forward to see them going up. Not long to wait.
This entry was posted in Work and tagged 2011, foundation, LCC summer show, London, london college of communication, Morag Myerscough, posters, round about, Studio Myerscough, Vilma Jaruseviciute, wide open, www.vilmajar.com by Vilma. Bookmark the permalink.


text:
#pragma once
#include <aws/autoscaling/AutoScaling_EXPORTS.h>
#include <aws/autoscaling/AutoScalingRequest.h>
#include <aws/core/utils/memory/stl/AWSString.h>
#include <aws/core/utils/memory/stl/AWSVector.h>
#include <utility>

namespace Aws
{
namespace AutoScaling
{
namespace Model
{

  /**
   */
  class AWS_AUTOSCALING_API DetachLoadBalancersRequest : public AutoScalingRequest
  {
  public:
    DetachLoadBalancersRequest();
    Aws::String SerializePayload() const override;

  protected:
    void DumpBodyToUrl(Aws::Http::URI& uri ) const override;

  public:
    /**
     *
The name of the Auto Scaling group.

     */
    inline const Aws::String& GetAutoScalingGroupName() const{ return m_autoScalingGroupName; }

    /**
     *
The name of the Auto Scaling group.

     */
    inline void SetAutoScalingGroupName(const Aws::String& value) { m_autoScalingGroupNameHasBeenSet = true; m_autoScalingGroupName = value; }

    /**
     *
The name of the Auto Scaling group.

     */
    inline void SetAutoScalingGroupName(Aws::String&& value) { m_autoScalingGroupNameHasBeenSet = true; m_autoScalingGroupName = std::move(value); }

    /**
     *
The name of the Auto Scaling group.

     */
    inline void SetAutoScalingGroupName(const char* value) { m_autoScalingGroupNameHasBeenSet = true; m_autoScalingGroupName.assign(value); }

    /**
     *
The name of the Auto Scaling group.

     */
    inline DetachLoadBalancersRequest& WithAutoScalingGroupName(const Aws::String& value) { SetAutoScalingGroupName(value); return *this;}

    /**
     *
The name of the Auto Scaling group.

     */
    inline DetachLoadBalancersRequest& WithAutoScalingGroupName(Aws::String&& value) { SetAutoScalingGroupName(std::move(value)); return *this;}

    /**
     *
The name of the Auto Scaling group.

     */
    inline DetachLoadBalancersRequest& WithAutoScalingGroupName(const char* value) { SetAutoScalingGroupName(value); return *this;}

    /**
     *
One or more load balancer names.

     */
    inline const Aws::Vector<Aws::String>& GetLoadBalancerNames() const{ return m_loadBalancerNames; }

    /**
     *
One or more load balancer names.

     */
    inline void SetLoadBalancerNames(const Aws::Vector<Aws::String>& value) { m_loadBalancerNamesHasBeenSet = true; m_loadBalancerNames = value; }

    /**
     *
One or more load balancer names.

     */
    inline void SetLoadBalancerNames(Aws::Vector<Aws::String>&& value) { m_loadBalancerNamesHasBeenSet = true; m_loadBalancerNames = std::move(value); }

    /**
     *
One or more load balancer names.

     */
    inline DetachLoadBalancersRequest& WithLoadBalancerNames(const Aws::Vector<Aws::String>& value) { SetLoadBalancerNames(value); return *this;}

    /**
     *
One or more load balancer names.

     */
    inline DetachLoadBalancersRequest& WithLoadBalancerNames(Aws::Vector<Aws::String>&& value) { SetLoadBalancerNames(std::move(value)); return *this;}

    /**
     *
One or more load balancer names.

     */
    inline DetachLoadBalancersRequest& AddLoadBalancerNames(const Aws::String& value) { m_loadBalancerNamesHasBeenSet = true; m_loadBalancerNames.push_back(value); return *this; }

    /**
     *
One or more load balancer names.

     */
    inline DetachLoadBalancersRequest& AddLoadBalancerNames(Aws::String&& value) { m_loadBalancerNamesHasBeenSet = true; m_loadBalancerNames.push_back(std::move(value)); return *this; }

    /**
     *
One or more load balancer names.

     */
    inline DetachLoadBalancersRequest& AddLoadBalancerNames(const char* value) { m_loadBalancerNamesHasBeenSet = true; m_loadBalancerNames.push_back(value); return *this; }

  private:
    Aws::String m_autoScalingGroupName;
    bool m_autoScalingGroupNameHasBeenSet;
    Aws::Vector<Aws::String> m_loadBalancerNames;
    bool m_loadBalancerNamesHasBeenSet;
  };

} // namespace Model
} // namespace AutoScaling
} // namespace Aws

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


the time of the convening of the meeting.
meeting, at the location of the meeting.
§ 712.1. Notification of agency business required.
or agreement by the agency.
agreement, the agency may take official action on the matter.


text:
The Other SCOTUS Case We Should Care About
March 10, 2015 by Ari Ezra Waldman
By KELLAN BAKER and KATIE KEITH
Edited by ARI EZRA WALDMAN.
There is another Supreme Court case that matters to the LGBT community. Last week, the justices met to hear arguments in King v. Burwell, and to decide, once again, the fate of the Affordable Care Act.
Health reform may not seem like an equality issue, but it is. We are more likely to benefit from the law because we're more likely to be low-income, uninsured, and discriminated against in the health care system. But the Affordable Care Act is already working for our community by addressing these gaps: between 2013 and 2014, the uninsured rate for low- and middle-income LGBT people fell from 34 percent to 26 percent. And, of those who purchased coverage through the marketplace, 48 percent are paying less than $100/month in premiums. Although LGBT people are still disproportionately likely to be uninsured, the law is having a significant positive impact—just ask our friends Aurora in Houston or Robbie in Nashville.
So what is at issue in King v. Burwell? The petitioners—vocal opponents of the Affordable Care Act—claim that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) misinterpreted a four-word phrase in the Affordable Care Act to incorrectly offer health insurance subsidies to eligible Americans in every state. They claim that subsidies should only be available to people purchasing coverage through a marketplace "established by the state." Since 34 states are relying on the federal government to operate their marketplaces, the petitioners argue that subsidies should not be available in those states. If they succeed, millions of people—including an estimated three-quarters of a million LGBT people, according to data analyzed by the Center for American Progress and the Williams Institute—will lose access to financial assistance that can help them afford health insurance. As a result, a decision in King v. Burwell that eliminates these subsidies has the potential to wreak havoc on the lives of millions of newly insured Americans and destabilize state insurance markets across the country.
We'll discuss the arguments, what to expect, and the impact of the decision AFTER THE JUMP…
King v. Burwell is one of several cases challenging the legality of subsidies offered through the federally run marketplaces, and the argument itself—initially advanced at a conference at the American Enterprise Institute in late 2010 but overlooked until much later—has a colorful history[KK1] . As the various cases have wound their way through the system, some federal courts (including the Fourth Circuit) found the subsidies in states with a federally run marketplace to be legal, while others (including a three-judge panel at the D.C. Circuit) found the subsidies to be illegal. (The D.C. Circuit granted a rehearing en banc before the Supreme Court unexpectedly accepted King v. Burwell in November 2014.)
Leading up to the oral arguments, attention has increasingly focused on the four petitioners themselves and whether they have standing to challenge the IRS rule. These four individuals do not want to purchase insurance in Virginia—a state with a federally run marketplace—and claim they would be exempt from the law's individual mandate without the marketplace subsidies, because the cost of an unsubsidized health insurance plan would not be considered "affordable" under the law. However, the subsidies reduce the cost of their premiums to the point where the coverage is deemed "affordable," which means that the petitioners are subject to the individual mandate—they must get health insurance or pay a penalty.
Two of the petitioners (including the lead petitioner, David King) are veterans and potentially eligible for health care through the Veteran's Administration, which would independently exempt them from the law's individual mandate. Other reports have found that one petitioner will soon be eligible for Medicare, while one may no longer live in a state with a federally run marketplace. Despite the questions about standing that these reports have raised, however, the justices appear poised to consider the case on its merits.
The petitioners want the Supreme Court to strike down the IRS regulation that allows health insurance subsidies for eligible Americans in every state, including states that use the federally run marketplace through www.healthcare.gov. They argue that the statutory language—"established by the state"—makes it clear that subsidies are only available to individuals living in states with a state-based marketplace, and they contend that the IRS exceeded its authority by issuing the rule authorizing subsidies in states using the federally run marketplace.
In contrast, the government argues that the IRS rule is consistent with the regulatory scheme established by the Affordable Care Act and that, in the context of the entire statute, Congress clearly intended that subsidies be available to Americans in all states, regardless of who runs the marketplace. In the event that the Supreme Court finds the statutory text to be ambiguous, the government argues that the Court should defer to the IRS's interpretation of the law.
For more background on what's at stake in King v. Burwell, the Kaiser Family Foundation has a great guide to the case, including key questions and a summary of the arguments. The Constitutional Accountability Center—which filed a brief in support of the government—does an excellent job outlining five key myths about the case, and highly regarded legal scholars such as Abbe Gluck have argued that the case more accurately centers on federalism and states' rights rather than health care.
Although today's arguments could provide insight into the direction the justices are leaning, those who follow the Supreme Court readily admit that it's difficult to know each justice's inclination based on oral arguments alone. We—along with the 11.4 million people and counting that got covered through the marketplaces this year—will be eagerly awaiting the Supreme Court's decision. The fate of financial help for millions of Americans, including the LGBT community, rests in their hands.
Kellan Baker, M.P.H., M.A., is a Senior Fellow with the LGBT Research and Communications Project at the Center for American Progress and can be reached at [email protected]. Katie Keith, J.D., M.P.H., is the Director of Research at Trimpa Group and can be reached at [email protected].
Filed Under: News, Obamacare, Supreme Court Tagged With: Ari Ezra Waldman, Health, Law - Gay, LGBT, News, Obamacare, Supreme Court
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Wazir Khans Mosque, Lahore is part of the Tentative list of Pakistan in order to qualify for inclusion in the World Heritage List.
Masjid Wazir Khan is the 2nd Lahori Mosque on Pakistan's T List. It was constructed in the 1630s during the reign of Shah Jahan around 40 years before the Badshahi. Thus both are examples of "Mughal" architecture - but in almost every other aspect they are significantly different.
Whilst the vast Badshahi sits in isolated splendour opposite the Fort, exuding calmness with its subdued pastel colours, the Wazir Khan mosque is crowded inside the old city and reached from the Delhi Gate through a series of narrow hawker-filled streets. And when you get there it presents a riot of brightly coloured glazed tiles/frescos inside and out. The courtyard is reached via an arcade of shops built into the structure and inside is a space cluttered with tombs and bathing areas – so different from the giant empty space which greets one on entering the Badshahi.
I have seen no formal statement that World Heritage status is an ultimate objective of all this but the attempt by Delhi to become a "World Heritage City" would seem likely to stimulate Pakistan to do the same with Lahore – nothing unites Pakistanis as much as a determination to match/surpass India wherever possible (though their "dislike" of the USA might run it close)! The restoration plan extends to at least 20 years so, if I am correct and the Masjid Wazir Khan would only be nominated as part of a possible nomination of the Walled City, then any action is likely to be many years away. I would also presume that any such nomination would encompass Lahore Fort together with the Badshahi Mosque if that had not previously been added to the Fort inscription.