This gene encodes a 105 kD protein which can undergo cotranslational processing by the 26S proteasome to produce a 50 kD protein. The 105 kD protein is a Rel protein-specific transcription inhibitor and the 50 kD protein is a DNA binding subunit of the NF-kappa-B (NFKB) protein complex. NFKB is a transcription regulator that is activated by various intra- and extra-cellular stimuli such as cytokines, oxidant-free radicals, ultraviolet irradiation, and bacterial or viral products. Activated NFKB translocates into the nucleus and stimulates the expression of genes involved in a wide variety of biological functions. Inappropriate activation of NFKB has been associated with a number of inflammatory diseases while persistent inhibition of NFKB leads to inappropriate immune cell development or delayed cell growth. Two transcript variants encoding different isoforms have been found for this gene.
As a pleiotropic transcription factor and an endpoint of a series of signal transduction events, nuclear factor kappa B (NFkB) has been detected in numerous tissues, mainly in the bone marrow, appendix, lymph node, spleen, gall bladder, expressing cytokines, chemokines, growth factors, cell adhesion molecules, and some acute phase proteins in health and in various disease states. NFKB is activated by a wide variety of stimuli such as cytokines, oxidant-free radicals, inhaled particles, ultraviolet irradiation, and bacterial or viral products, getting involve in many biological processes such as inflammation, immunity, differentiation, cell growth, tumorigenesis and apoptosis. Nuclear factor kappa B subunit 1 (NFkB1) was first reported as interacting with an 11-bp cis-acting sequence in the immunoglobulin light-chain enhancer. NFkB1 is bound to REL, RELA, or RELB to form the NFKB complex.
NFkB is a homo- or heterodimeric complex formed by the Rel-like domain, containing proteins RELA/p65, RELB, NFkB1/p105, NFkB1/p50, REL and NFkB2/p52 and the heterodimeric p65-p50 complex appears to be most abundant one. The dimers bind at kappa-B sites in the DNA of their target genes and the individual dimers have distinct preferences for different kappa-B sites that they can bind with distinguishable affinity and specificity. Transcriptional activators or repressors consist of different dimer combinations, respectively. Various mechanisms such as post-translational modification and subcellular compartmentalization as well as by interactions with other cofactors or corepressors plays an essential role in the regulation of NFkB.
NFkB complexes are held in the cytoplasm and inhibited by I-kappa-B proteins, which inactivate NFkB by trapping it in the cytoplasm. In a conventional activation pathway, phosphorylation of serine residues on the I-kappa-B proteins by I-kappa-B kinases (IKKs) marks them for destruction via the ubiquitination pathway in response to different activators, subsequently degraded thus liberating the active NF-kappa-B complex which translocates to the nucleus. Activated NFKB complex translocates into the nucleus and binds DNA at kappa-B-binding motifs such as 5-prime GGGRNNYYCC 3-prime or 5-prime HGGARNYYCC 3-prime (where H is A, C, or T; R is an A or G purine; and Y is a C or T pyrimidine). NF-kappa-B heterodimeric p65-p50 and RelB-p50 complexes are transcriptional activators. The NF-kappa-B p50-p50 homodimer is a transcriptional repressor, but can act as a transcriptional activator when associated with BCL3.
NFKB1 appears to have dual functions such as cytoplasmic retention of attached NF-kappa-B proteins by p105 and generation of p50 by a cotranslational processing. The proteasome-mediated process ensures the production of both p50 and p105 and preserves their independent function, although processing of NFKB1/p105 also appears to occur post-translationally. p50 binds to the kappa-B consensus sequence 5'-GGRNNYYCC-3', located in the enhancer region of genes involved in immune response and acute phase reactions. In a complex with MAP3K8, NFKB1/p105 represses MAP3K8-induced MAPK signaling; active MAP3K8 is released by proteasome-dependent degradation of NFKB1/p105.
Inappropriate activation of NF-kappa-B has been reported to link with inflammatory events, including autoimmune arthritis, asthma, septic shock, lung fibrosis, glomerulonephritis, atherosclerosis, and AIDS.
Fig 1. Dysregulation of NFkB pathway .
There are a large number of evidences that NF-κB is essential for maintaining immunological tolerance, on account of its actions during thymic selection, both for negative selection of autoreactive T cells, and selection and maintenance of Tregs.
NF-KB is the master transcriptional regulators of tumor-associated macrophages, which are central regulators of tumour progression and metastasis by matrix metalloproteinases. NF-KB activated in cancer cells by IL-1, TNF-Alfa proinflammatory cytokines, hypoxia, and ROI is expressed by leukocytes as well as the pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP) and STAT-3 transcriptional factor, activated by IL-6 and EGF which in turn up-regulates HIF-1 responsible for cancer cell survival and tumour progression by cell proliferation, angiogenesis, genomic instability through anti-apoptotic activity, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, invasion, and metastasis.
There are some mechanisms by which HIV transcription can be reactivated. In J-Lat 9.2 cells, HIV is integrated in the same orientation as the estrogen-dependent PP5 gene and reactivates upon removal of the hormone. Cytokines and the activation state of the infected T cell also contribute to HIV reactivation via NFkB. Up regulated level of nuclear NFkB bind tightly to DNA, thereby impeding the progress of upstream RNAPII and initiating some transcription from the 5′LTR. Depending on the degree of transcriptional interference, these processes compete with each other, such that low levels of host gene transcription are overcome more rapidly by cellular activation and vice versa.
NFkB is an important transcription factor expressed in human being. It is responsible for regulating gene expression of factors that control cell adhesion, proliferation, inflammation, redox state, and tissue-specific enzymes. Activation of NFkB mediates inflammation in metabolic and age-related diseases. The research of NFkB is meaningful to cure major human disease.
Marfella, R., et al., The possible role of the ubiquitin proteasome system in the development of atherosclerosis in diabetes. Cardiovasc Diabetol, 2007. 6: p. 35.
Miraghazadeh, B. and M.C. Cook, Nuclear Factor-kappaB in Autoimmunity: Man and Mouse. Front Immunol, 2018. 9: p. 613.
Shrihari, T.G., Dual role of inflammatory mediators in cancer. Ecancermedicalscience, 2017. 11: p. 721.
Cary, D.C., K. Fujinaga, and B.M. Peterlin, Molecular mechanisms of HIV latency. J Clin Invest, 2016. 126(2): p. 448-54.


The insurance industry consistently publicizes how much fraud there is in disability claims made. This is done for several reasons. This consistent propaganda campaign serves to dissuade workers from applying for benefits due to an artificially created social stigma. The insurers want workers to feel guilty when they apply for disability benefits and to feel lesser of themselves. Further, it serves to create peer pressure in which healthy workers will scorn ill workers for filing for disability. It is common for healthy workers to say that ill workers are "scamming the system" or are "not willing to do what is necessary," and the like. This phenomenon is reinforced by the videosurveillance footage shown on some television programming catching workers "caught in the act" of committing a fraud.
This group admits that despite the efforts of its "army of dedicated fraud fighters" still can be defeated by new crime techniques. The group was perplexed by its own performance indicators which were believed to be "misleading" since they were uncertain as to whether an apparent increase in fraud was the product of a higher incidence of this activity or because of better detection. Further, they questioned more efficient claims processing techniques as allowing for greater fraud possibilities.
Given this information, you can understand why insurers invest millions into convincing the public that fraud is a moral wrong which requires harsh penalties and great vigilence.
Recently, a new alert has been sounded concerning persons receiving disability benefits who have retired outside of the United States, especially those residing in central or South America. It is alleged that these persons have moved there due to a lack of resources that insurers have in these countries by which to investigate their fraudulent claims. No statistics are offered to back up this claim. It is just another tactic by which to dissuade people from making claims and recruiting insurers to hire agencies to perform even more investigation of claimants.
What is truly surprising is the very little fraud that takes place in the disability area and the reasons why it could never occur in substantial numbers.
First, it is very difficult to defraud an disability insurer. Any time you file for disability, you have to produce voluminous information and allow insurers complete access to your personal health care and work information during the claim review process. It is very common for insurers to employ background checks, land record and court searches as well as videosurveillance to check on persons applying for disability benefits. This investigation process tends to defeat most fraud attempts.
The reality is that there is little disability claim fraud at all. The Coalition Against Insurance Fraud reviewed all fraud cases in 2010. This Coalition found 24 cases of fraud in disability cases reported. Whereas, there were far more fraud cases involving Medicare (391), medical claims (146), drug diversion (124), insider insurer (106), insider agent (95), auto giveup (93), padding auto claims (69), stage auto accidents (65), homeowner arson (119), business owner arson (46), and life insurance claims (35).
This point is reinforced by the Florida Department of Financial Services, Division of Insurance Fraud Statistics for 2008 – 9 which cited that 12,084 referrals were made on fraud cases resulting in 532 convictions with only 60 referrals for disability cases and 2 convictions (both for fictitious claims). The gross majority of cases involved personal injury, worker's compensation, vehicle, homeowner, mortgage fraud, and healthcare cases.
Fraud in the Social Security system primarily involves false or counterfeit social security numbers, converting benefits payments made to another, false endorsement of treasury checks, concealing evidence of a continued right to payment, and making false statements or representations in a claim application.


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Dua Lipa Grabs Gwen Stefani, Madonna, and More for 'Future Nostalgia' Remix Album
on Tuesday night Dua announced that on August 21, she will be dropping 'Club Future Nostalgia: The Remix Album' featuring collaborations with Madonna, Missy Elliot Gwen Stefani, Mark Ronson and more.
Dua Lipa and Anwar Hadid Add an Adorable New Puppy to Their Family
Dua and Anwar proudly showed off the newest addition to their crew of two, sharing a series of photos on Instagram of the little cutie black rescue pup they named Dexter.
Dua Lipa Enlists Madonna and Missy Elliott for 'Levitating' Remix
Dua Lipa is making all of our remix dreams come true. The Pop star behind 'Future Nostalgia' took to Twitter to announce a collaboration of epic proportions on her song "Levitating."
Dua Lipa Gets Saucy on 'Hot Ones' Discussing Her Favorite Videos and 50 Cent
On her "date with destiny against the wings of death," the British beauty was ready to dig in. Starting off with The Classic Hot, Scoville level of of 1,700, Dua was asked about her decision to release her latest album 'Future Nostalgia' in March.
Dua Lipa Goes Dark 'by Popular Demand'
The "Don't Start Now" singer appears to be in New York City, according to photos posted on JustJared: She was seen leaving a recording studio Thursday in the Big Apple while wearing the same outfit she was wearing in the selfie.
Dua Lipa Sees the 'Upside' to Quarantine, but It Probably Won't Influence Her Music
In a new interview with Elle UK, Dua says, "I'd probably have been planning to go on tour, and thinking about when we'd be able to see each other. Having all that extra time was really nice. We're trying to see the bright side."
Dua Lipa and Anwar Hadid Celebrate One Year 'Joint at the Hip'
Dua Lipa and Anwar Hadid took to Instagram to celebrate the couple's one year anniversary together. "Nothing sweeter than 365 days joint at the hip with you," she wrote in her tribute post alongside a slideshow of photos featuring the couple.
Your Ultimate Pop Queen Playlist for the Long Weekend
With the long weekend coming right around the corner we felt that it was the perfect opportunity to serve you with an all encompassing pop queen playlist. We're serving bops from Lady Gaga, to Katy Perry to Ariana Grande.
Dua Lipa, Coldplay, and More Sing Foo Fighters for Charity Cover
BBC Radio 1 has assembled an all-star lineup of artists for a special cover of the Foo Fighters song "Times Like These." The track featuring Dua Lipa, Coldplay's Chris Martin, and more will be released on Thursday.
Celebrate International Women's Day With the 5 Current Biggest Female Artists
International Women's Day is the perfect excuse to hype up some of our favorite ladies in the music industry.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Vanhelgd – Deimos Sanktuarium Review
By TheKenWord on October 12, 2018 in 2018, Dark Descent Records, Death Metal, Pulverised Records, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Death Metal, 64 comments
"October is here! In one all-too-short month, we receive Halloween, fall colors, pumpkin spice everything, and a veritable smorgasbord of quality metal releases. My first October release comes courtesy of Vanhelgd with their fifth LP, Deimos Sanktuarium. To get a good baseline for the band, I decided to take a stroll down Vanhelgd's back catalog. What I beheld was doom-laden but familiar Swedish death metal á la At the Gates. I am a fan of Swedeath, but Vanheldg's more established contemporaries haven't won me over as of late." Pumpkins, goblins and Swedeath.
Desultory – Through Aching Aeons Review
By Ferrous Beuller on June 21, 2017 in 2017, Death Metal, Pulverised Records, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Death Metal, 17 comments
"A strange analogue runs alongside my taste in traditional Swedish death — namely, my love for the classic horror fiction circulated by American publisher EC Comics in the mid 50's. If you're unaware of their pulp pressings, first of all: be ashamed, and second: do yourself a favor and Google the morbid pencil-work of Graham Ingels and scare yourself up some culture. The dark yet direct content of that material emphasized familiar characteristics I would soon come to recognize in the Stockholm death metal scene, infamous for its D.I.Y. brand of incipient malcontent, braced by a dirge of funeral winds and sci-fi malice aforethought." Hello and goodbye again.


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Cheeseburger in Paradise
Welcome to Saturday: 9. What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so-to-speak. We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love memes, however, and here is today's meme!
Cheeseburger in Paradise (1978)
1) In this song, Jimmy briefly attempts a healthier diet, which included sunflower seeds, carrot juice, zucchini and bulgur wheat. Do you pay attention to your daily consumption of vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, etc.?
2) Jimmy sings that he'd like french fries with his burger. Do you prefer to dip your fries or drizzle the ketchup over them?
3) Which cheese would make yours a cheeseburger in paradise: American, cheddar, Swiss, bleu, Muenster, or Monterrey Jack?
4) Buffett fans call themselves Parrotheads. Concert attire for a well-dressed Parrothead often includes a Hawaiian shirt and a foam fin hat. What will you be wearing tonight?
5) For someone with such an easygoing and laidback vibe, Jimmy is a very busy man. His business ventures include liquors, restaurants and hotels. He's also published eight books. All this in addition to making music! On a scale of 1 to 10 -- with 1 being lazy and 10 being highly motivated -- how would you rate yourself this morning?
6) Jimmy has some very famous fans. Paul McCartney asked him to play at one of his parties, and Barack Obama invited him to perform at a fundraiser. If you could invite anyone -- anyone at all! -- to play at your party, who would you ask?
7) Jimmy was born on Christmas Day. Does your birthday fall on a major holiday? If yes, do you mind "sharing" your special day?
8) In 1978, the year this song was popular, the Susan B. Anthony Dollar was first minted. The initial design was not a hit with the public because vending machines could not accept it. What's the last thing you bought from a vending machine?
9) Random question -- If today's your birthday, your zodiac sign is Libra. When did you last check your horoscope?
Posted by The Gal Herself at 5:06 AM 1 comment:
Welcome to Saturday 9. What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every
Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so-to-speak. We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love memes, however, and here is today's meme!
Saturday 9: Cardigan (2020)
1) When she's feeling low, Taylor Swift compares herself to an old cardigan, forgotten under the bed. Do you store anything under your bed? Or do you try to keep that area clear (except for dust bunnies)?
2) The lyrics begin with a reference to a new phone. Do you foresee yourself getting a new phone before 2021 ends? Or are you happy with the one you've got?
3) She sings that her lover haunts all of her "what if's." Have you recently wondered, "what if?" What were you musing about?
4) Taylor Swift admits that she rewinds after concerts by watching Friends reruns. What do you do to relax?
5) Thinking of TV shows, Taylor appeared on a 2009 episode of CSI. That series was about crime-scene investigators who use forensics to solve murders. Do you enjoy crime shows?
6) Taylor grew up on an 11-acre tree farm where she learned to ride. Her mother was a horsewoman and hoped riding was a passion they could share. When she was 12, Taylor admitted to her mother that she really wasn't that into it and wished she could spend more time on her music. Her mother was supportive. Tell us about a tough conversation you've had that turned out well.
7) She enjoys good, old-fashioned mysteries, especially those by Agatha Christie. Are you currently reading a book?
8) In 2020, the year this song was released, Jeopardy host Alex Trebek died. The search for a new host has caused interest and even controversy. Would you enjoy the job?
9) Random question: Of Superman's three superpowers -- tremendous strength, the ability to fly, and x-ray vision -- which would you choose?
Welcome to Saturday 9. What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so-to-speak. We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love memes, however, and here is today's meme!
Saturday 9: I Left My Heart in San Francisco (1962)
1) This song is a valentine to the city of San Francisco. Songwriters George Cory and Douglas Cross moved to New York to find fame and fortune and found themselves homesick for the city by the bay. Have you ever been homesick? Or, in the parlance of the song, where have you left your heart?
2) Cory and Cross were buddies with Ralph Sharon, a piano player who often worked with Tony Bennett. Ralph brought the song to Tony and the results were very happy for all involved. Have you more recently done, or been on the receiving end of, a favor?
3) The lyrics compare San Francisco to Paris, Rome and Manhattan. Have you visited those cities?
4) This week's artist, Tony Bennett, sang professionally for the last time in August. He retired after performing at Radio City Music Hall with Lady Gaga. Their musical collaboration dates back to when they both performed at President Obama's inauguration. Though 60 years apart in age, they became fast friends based on their shared love of jazz. Do you find that most of your friends are older than you, younger than you, or within 5 years of you?
5) While Lady Gaga grew up listening to Tony Bennett, as a young man Tony recalled listening to Bing Crosby, Judy Garland and Joe Venuti. Which singers did you enjoy during your teen years?
6) While he's famous for singing about San Francisco, Tony is a proud son of New York. Born in Queens, he chose to end his career at Radio City Music Hall and was excited to perform "New York State of Mind" with Billy Joel at Shea Stadium in 2008. Do you have a favorite Billy Joel song?
7) Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra may have been competitors but they shared mutual admiration. Sinatra called Bennett "the best singer in the business," and Bennett did a Sinatra homage album called Perfectly Frank. Think of people you have worked with over the years. Tell us about someone who has impressed you, and why.
8) The 1970s were a difficult period for Tony. During the days of disco and Studio 54, he said singing new songs made him feel like his mother, a talented seamstress, when she was forced to make a cheap dress. OK, so Tony doesn't like disco! Is there a genre of music you just don't care for?
9) Random question: Imagine you're the passenger in a long car ride. Are you more likely to be calm or fidgety?
Saturday 9: Jose Cuervo (1983)
1) In this song, Shelly West sings that she woke up late on a sunny morning. How's the weather in your part of the world?
2) She wonders if she started any fights while under the influence. Who's the last person you quarreled with?
3) OK, margaritas for everyone! Shelly sings that she likes hers with salt. What's your order? Classic or strawberry? Salt or sugar on the rim?
4) Jose Cuervo was a real person. He was one of the first to put tequila in bottles instead of barrels. Since bottles are easier to ship, it was a good decision. Tell us about a recent choice you're glad you made.
5) This week's featured artist, Shelly West, decided upon a career in music while still very young. She went on the road and sang backup for her mom, country music legend Dottie West, when she was still in her teens. When Sam was in her teens, she really didn't give her professional future that much thought. How about you? Did you already have career ambitions when you were in your teens?
6) In 1983, the year this song was popular, Sally Ride became the first American woman in space. Do you ever fantasize about being an astronaut?
7) Also in 1983, quarterback Aaron Rodgers was born. The NFL season is just kicking off. Do you have high hopes for your team this year?
8) In 1983, Motorola introduced the first cell phone. Do you have an easy time adapting to new technology?
9) Think of the last potato chip you had. Was it plain, sea salt, barbecue, sour cream and onion ...?
1) John Lennon sings that he's been working like a dog. What's the hardest job you've ever had? What made it so difficult?
2) Despite the hard work, he likes his life and asks, "So why on earth should I moan?" What's the last thing you complained about? Who were you talking to?
3) John was raised by his Aunt Mimi. She meant well when she told the teen-aged John, "The guitar's all right, but you'll never make a living out of it." What's the worst advice you've ever received?
4) This week's song was cowritten and also sung with Paul McCartney. Paul's father was more supportive of the lads' show business aspirations than Aunt Mimi was, but he still worried that his son wouldn't be able fully support himself as a musician. To please his dad, 17-year-old Paul worked over the Christmas holiday season as the "second man" on a delivery truck. Paul would be the one to hop off the truck and drop off the packages while the driver could keep the motor running and the heat on. Where was the last package you received from? (Extra points if you share what was in it.)
5) After Christmas was over, Dad insisted Paul get a full-time, year-around job. He ended up at a factory, winding heavy coils to be used in electric motors. He hated the work but enjoyed the lunch hours, eating jam sandwiches and, weather permitting, kicking a soccer ball around the yard with his coworkers. What's for lunch at your house today?
6) In early March 1961, the Beatles accepted a booking to play lunch hour gigs at Liverpool's Cavern Club, and so February 28, after less than two full months, Paul said goodbye to factory work. What's the shortest you ever stayed at a job?
7) Enough about these Brits! Labor Day was introduced to celebrate the achievements of the American worker. How many different employers have you had?
8) This weekend may offer a golden opportunity for napping and sleeping in. Do you snore?
9) Labor Day traditionally marks the beginning of the new school year. When she was a kid, Samantha was crazy for her brand new box of 96 Crayola Crayons. It even had a sharpener in the back! What do you remember about preparing to go back to school? If you're an educator, let us know how you get the classroom ready for the kids.
We Are Everywhere! - Even on the highest mountains! *Meet the mountaineer flying the trans Pride flag on the world's highest peaks* *Colorado native Erin Parisi said being ab...


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Google Cloud Search takes cloud document management to the next level
Home » Digital transformation advice from a UK Google Cloud Premier Partner » Google Cloud Search takes cloud document management to the next level
02. 04. 2019 Anne-Laure McLeman
We waste a lot of time at work searching for the information we need to do our jobs. Consultants at McKinsey estimate that 20% of the average employee's time is spent looking for information. Even worse, research by IDC suggests workers spend a third of their time recreating content that already exists but which they couldn't find.
Shouldn't searching all the information in your business be as easy as using Google Search to search the internet? That's where Google Cloud Search comes in. It makes searching across all your company's information just as convenient, intuitive and fast as using Google for the web.
Google Cloud Search lets users:
search content from any data source or application in any location. That could be on-premise or in the cloud and include enterprise SaaS applications and in-house systems as well as G Suite.
search from within the applications they're already using, so they don't have to switch apps to look for content.
find all the relevant content the company holds — but only if they already have permission to access it. Cloud Search results respect the security and permissions of each source system. If permissions are changed in the source system, that's quickly reflected in Cloud Search results.
search by asking questions using natural language, just like they would with Google Web Search.
see the most relevant results first, with rankings driven both by who the user is and the application they're working in when they make the search.
How can you use Cloud Search in your business?
Cloud Search is designed for organisations which hold lots of information but struggle to organise it and share it. It helps employees find information, access it and make use of it.
Cloud Search is ideal for businesses where:
staff need to find corporate documents and policies, content authored by colleagues and internal information about projects. Cloud Search helps reduce the time spent searching for information or re-creating information that already exists. It also encourages innovation and improves business collaboration by spreading good ideas and best practice more easily.
field service technicians, helpdesk staff and customer service representatives need to find product schematics, reference manuals and records of previous service and support calls. Cloud Search can help reduce the cost of delivering aftercare service, improve the reliability of installed equipment by ensuring it's correctly serviced, and even enable aftercare service to become a new revenue stream.
dealers and distribution partners need on-demand access to up-to-date information about the latest models and finance options. Implementing a cloud document management solution based on Cloud Search will cut the cost of servicing dealer networks while improving the customer experience.
product development lifecycles are long and complex, and traceability and regulatory approvals are core requirements. Cloud search helps accelerate time to market and simplifies traceability by providing a single source of truth that links data in the many business and technical systems used in each stage of the product lifecycle.
Two companies putting Cloud Search at the heart of their digital transformation efforts are Whirlpool Corporation and Colgate-Palmolive. Whirlpool is using Google Cloud Search to give its engineering teams one place to access content held in numerous systems. With one search, employees can find content whether it's stored in the company's product lifecycle management application, global engineering system, any one of dozens of team intranets running on Google Sites or the company's people directory.
Colgate-Palmolive is using Google Cloud Search to power a new intranet portal. Cloud Search lets the company quickly add new sources of information while ensuring users don't suddenly start drowning in data but only see relevant search results. The portal draws in data from G Suite, a SAP R&D system and an internal IT helpdesk support content management system.
How does Cloud Search work?
Cloud Search is designed to make it quick and easy to add powerful search capabilities in your business.
For each content source, you deploy a connector that links to the Cloud Search Indexing API. Google already offers ready-to-use APIs and connectors for more than 60 common enterprise sources, including Salesforce, SAP, ServiceNow and Microsoft Sharepoint. A Software Developer Kit (SDK) makes it easy for you (or Google Cloud Premier Partners like Ancoris) to quickly develop robust custom connectors for any other source, including proprietary in-house systems.
Using data supplied through the Indexing API, Cloud Search quickly builds an index of all your content. Whirlpool Corporation, for example, was able to build an index of 12 million documents — using 21 different connectors — in just one week. The index is constantly updated in near real-time to reflect the latest changes to your content or to security permissions in the source systems.
Users access the index and search for content using embeddable search widgets incorporated into your current business systems. That provides a Google-like search experience from within the applications employees are already using.
In contrast to traditional server-based search appliances, you get all the advantages of a cloud-based solution running on the same Google cloud infrastructure that powers billion-user products like Google Web Search and G Suite:
fast and reliable indexing and searching — at any scale — without you having to worry about availability and reliability or about provisioning servers or virtual machines to match your search load.
quick and easy deployment. All you have to think about is how many documents you want to index and how many queries you expect to make — and even if your estimates are wrong, it's not a big deal.
You don't even need to already be a Google customer to benefit from Cloud Search. As well as being an option for G Suite Enterprise users, Cloud Search is available as a standalone solution for customers who don't have a G Suite domain.
If you'd like to find out more about how Cloud Search could help your users quickly, easily, and securely find information across the business, come and talk to the experts in our Google Cloud team.


Ben 10 is going to fight intruders and release imprisoned friends. Select your ultimate appearance and start missions. Move your character and shoot enemies, dodge their bullets and get coins for kills. Spend them to upgrade your traits and become more powerful. Repeat missions and get three stars for perfect performance.


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Q: System.Thearding.TheardStateExeption:текущий поток должен быть задан как поток однопоточного контейнера  Как сделать так чтобы метод Clipboard.Clear работал? Сейчас выдает такую ошибку:

System.Thearding.TheardStateExeption:текущий поток должен быть задан как поток однопоточного контейнера .

Код приложения:
namespace ConsoleApp6
{
    [SerializableAttribute] [ComVisible(true)]
    public classThreadStateException : SystemException
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            Clipboard.Clear();
            if (Clipboard.ContainsText() == true)
            {
                string someText = Clipboard.GetText();
                MessageBox.Show(someText, "Сообщение",
                                MessageBoxButtons.OK, MessageBoxIcon.Asterisk);
            }
            else
            {
                MessageBox.Show("Вбуфереобменанеттекста",
                                MessageBoxButtons.OKMessageBoxIcon.Warning);
            }
        }
    }
}

A: Дело в том, что типы из пространства имен System.Windows.Forms интенсивно вызывают Win32-код, разработанный в расчете на работу в однопоточном апартаменте, об этом, в частности, говорится в документации на класс System.Windows.Forms.Clipboard (см. подразделы Комментарии и Исключения).
Для того, чтобы главный поток приложения вошел в однопоточный апартамент, пометьте метод Main атрибутом [STAThread]:
[STAThread]
static void Main(string[] args)
{
    ...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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(Black and White) Birds of the West Indies: A Guide to the species of birds that inhabit the Greater Antilles, Lesser Antilles and Bahama Islands
George Mayfield Caribbean, Cuba February 24, 2017
A Bird-Finding Guide to Mexico (Comstock Books)
George Mayfield Mexico April 12, 2017
A Bird-Finding Guide to Panama
George Mayfield Birds, Panama April 1, 2016
A Birders Guide to Belize
George Mayfield Belize February 24, 2017
A Birdwatchers' Guide to Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico and the Caymans (Prion Birdwatchers' Guide Series)
George Mayfield Cuba February 24, 2017
A Field Guide to Mexican Birds: Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador (Peterson Field Guides)
George Mayfield Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Mexico & Central America April 11, 2017
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Techtrends Zambia
For all the latest tech news!
e-payments / Newsfeed
Mukuru launches WhatsApp Business service platform for users
by TechTrends 16th January 2019
Mukuru announced today that they are one of the first money transfer companies in South Africa to allow customers to use WhatsApp to initiate transactions. As a leading money transfer service in Southern Africa, Mukuru strives to be the most convenient, safe and reliable option for financially underserved customers living away from home to help them support their families and realise their dreams. The WhatsApp Business API integration adds immensely to the world class service Mukuru provides to customers.
"We have integrated with the WhatsApp Business API to allow our customers to both create money transfer orders as well as managing their account details" says Oliver O'Brien, Head of Strategy and Business Development at Mukuru. He added, "It has taken a few months, and being one of the first to market, the overall process of integration has been relatively smooth sailing."
One of the many benefits is that the technology can work anywhere. Mukuru customers can be in any country in which the company operates and still interact with Mukuru via WhatsApp. The service is multilingual and has been translated into French, Shona, Ndebele, Chewa, Sesotho, and Portuguese. Customers can easily request to chat with an agent in their home language.
Mukuru prides itself in ensuring the safety of their customer transactions. WhatsApp's end-to-end encryption applies to all interactions, which means that even WhatsApp cannot see the contents of a user's messages to Mukuru.
"The introduction of WhatsApp will not replace our existing methods of sending money, rather this is a new and innovative use of existing technology that helps to replace inefficiencies of the old (SMS/USSD)."said O'Brien.
Adding to Mukuru's long list of industry firsts, the addition of the WhatsApp Business Solution simply allows the company to provide an even more convenient, safe and reliable service to their customers.
Mukuru announced today that they are one of the first money transfer companies in South Africa to allow customers to use WhatsApp to initiate transactions. As a leading money transfer service in Southern Africa, Mukuru strives to be the most convenient, safe and reliable option for financially underserved customers living away from home to help them support their families and realize their dreams. The WhatsApp Business API integration adds immensely to the world class service Mukuru provides to customers.
"We have integrated with the WhatsApp Business API to allow our customers to both create money transfer orders as well as managing their account details" says Oliver O'Brien, Head of Strategy and Business Development at Mukuru.
He added, "It has taken a few months, and being one of the first to market, the overall process of integration has been relatively smooth sailing."
Source: Mukuru
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Taylor Swift Surprised The World With A New Song: 'Ready For It'
It's on brand.
by Laura Beck | Sep 4, 2017
On September 3, one Ms. Taylor Swift took to Instagram to unleash her second single, "Ready for It," unto the world. A clip from the song was first played during a Florida State vs. Alabama's college football match on ABC, and it's catchy AF, as per usual:
Are you #readyforit?
No. 1 Alabama. No. 3 Florida State. Right NOW on ABC and streaming live on the ESPN App. pic.twitter.com/pojroWJRHL
— ESPN (@espn) September 3, 2017
A full audio track was released:
And here are some of the lyrics for singing along:
Are you ready for it?
Baby, let the games begin. Let the games begin. Let the games begin.
I see how this is gonna go.
Touch me, and you'll never be alone.
I-island breeze, and lights down low. No one has to know.In the middle of the night, in my dreams (in my dreams), you should see the things we do (we do).
Baby (baby), in the middle of the night, in my dreams, I know I'm gonna be with you, so I take my time in the middle of the night.
Baby, let the games begin. Let the games begin. Let the games begin. Are you ready for it?
I guess we're ready for it, because it's here. The game is afoot, as they say.
This article originally appeared on Cosmopolitan.com. Minor edits have been made by the Cosmo.ph editors.
song,
new songs,


text:
Question: Does Russia Have Its Own GPS System?
Which country have own GPS system?
Who owns the GPS network?
Which country does not have GPS system?
Who pays for the GPS system?
What's the easiest GPS to use?
Which Garmin GPS is the best?
How accurate are GPS?
Who uses BeiDou?
Which country has best navigation system?
How does GPS work without Internet?
How many GPS satellites are there 2020?
What is the most accurate GPS system?
Does China have their own GPS?
Does Russia have a GPS system?
Which one is better GPS or Glonass?
How much does a GPS cost?
Who invented GPS?
Does China have a GPS system?
The four global GNSS systems are – GPS (US), GLONASS (Russia), Galileo (EU), BeiDou (China).
Additionally, there are two regional systems – QZSS (Japan) and IRNSS or NavIC (India)..
GPS is owned and operated by the United States government as a national resource. The Department of Defense is the steward of GPS.
The four global GNSS systems are – GPS (US), GLONASS (Russia), Galileo (EU), BeiDou (China). Additionally, there are two regional systems – QZSS (Japan) and IRNSS or NavIC (India). So No each country doesn't have their own GPS system and I don't understand why the EU and Japan have bothered.
The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a free service that is owned and operated by the U.S. Government and is always available. When we buy a GPS device, we don't pay a monthly fee or pay a tax for GPS support. We only pay the price of the device.
Easiest Handheld GPS to Use for BeginnersHow does a handheld GPS work? A handheld GPS unit uses the same technology as any other GPS device out there. … What are some of the easiest handheld GPS to use as a beginner? … Garmin Oregon 600. … Garmin GPSMAP 64st. … Magellan eXplorist XL. … Garmin eTrex 20. … DeLorme inReach Explorer. … Garmin Rino 750.More items…
The Best Car GPSOur pick. Garmin DriveSmart 55. The best car GPS. … Also great. TomTom Go 520. Better GPS for world travelers. … Budget pick. Garmin Drive 52. If you want a basic navigator with fewer features.
If you're outside and can see the open sky, the GPS accuracy from your phone is about five meters, and that's been constant for a while.
The US, Russian and now Chinese Beidou systems are either partially owned or operated by the military, Song said. The Galileo network is the only purely civilian GNSS system. All four of those systems are made up of at least 20 satellites, according to GPS's website.
IndianAll thanks to the efforts of Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), which made India the proud owner of indigenous GPS and navigation system called NAVIC, since 2016.
Yes. On both iOS and Android phones, any mapping app has the ability to track your location without needing an internet connection. … When you have a data connection, your phone uses Assisted GPS, or A-GPS. This uses the locations of cell phone towers and known Wi-Fi networks to figure out roughly where you are.
In total, there are at least 24 operational satellites in the GPS constellation, with 3-5 additional satellites in reserve that can be activated when needed. As of May 2020, GPS.gov confirms there are 29 operational satellites. The satellites circle the Earth two times a day at 20,200 km (12,550 miles) up.
Today, the US military's GPS is still more accurate than what most of us can access. It's good to the centimetre level, because it uses two frequencies to ping between satellites and receivers, one of which is encrypted.
Yesterday, China launched its 30th and last satellite to complete its own global navigation system BeiDou. The country started the program in the 1990s to launch the first phase. … With this completion, China joins the US' GPS, Russia's GLONASS, and the EU's Galileo navigation services that provide global services.
Today, the only global alternative to that system is Russia's GLONASS, which reached full global coverage a couple of years ago following an aggressive program by Russian president Vladimir Putin to rebuild it after it had degraded following the break-up of the Soviet Union.
For GPS, the US has committed to maintaining at least 24 operational GPS satellites, 95% of the time. … In terms of positional accuracy GPS is slightly better than GLONASS overall, but due to the different positioning of the GLONASS satellites, GLONASS has better accuracy at high latitudes (far north or south).
Most of the time, you are not purchasing the software directly. You are buying the full service. The most basic service plans will likely cost between $14.95-$29.95 per vehicle per month. The most while advanced GPS fleet tracking might cost up to $50 monthly per vehicle.
Ivan A. GettingRoger L. EastonBradford ParkinsonGlobal Positioning System/Inventors
China's domestically developed BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, designed to rival the U.S.-owned Global Positioning System (GPS), is now offering worldwide coverage, allowing global users to access its high-accuracy positioning, navigation and timing services, which are vital to the modern economy.
Question: What Is Roblox Premium?
How can I get Robux without premium? Giving to a friend
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What is Zeno known for? 495 bce—died c. 430 bce), Greek
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Is FMJ good in warzone? Damage Range with FMJ According
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Is Poland a poor country? Around 17% of Poles live
Is It Safe To Visit Oahu?
What is the most dangerous place in Hawaii?


Now that you know what RAM is, we'll show you how to preserve it. In this first part, we focus on tips for non-rooted devices. For those devices you can't magically add more memory, but you can how to get small waves in hair 4/10/2013 · In this video see how to upgrade RAM on a Laptop and also how to install Laptop Memory quick and easy. Watch hands on laptop memory installation on my Acer laptop computer.
If not, then install your RAM into the new motherboard—either the DIMMs you just removed or the ones you've bought for compatibility with the new board. Re-install your M.2 drive if you're using it.
14/08/2013 · As Calum said you cannot install a PCI card into a laptop. Your laptop model also lacks the "expresscard" slot used by laptop firewire cards.


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On 5-6 November, 2012 the 9th Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM9) will take place in Vientiane, Lao PDR. Under the theme 'Friends for Peace, Partners for Prosperity', leaders of 49 member states and governments in Asia and Europe will exchange views, priorities and plans on regional and global issues that are of common interest to both regions at the summit.
'People's Solidarity against Poverty and for Sustainable Development: Challenging Unjust and Unequal Development, Building States of Citizens for Citizens'.
and Just Work and Sustainable Livelihoods.


The Quote tab allows you to communicate with a FTP server in a command line mode while your connection to the server is active.
To dismiss the Quote dialog, just select another tab from the main TabForm.
Different FTP servers can support different subsets of available FTP commands. This may cause a server to be unable to execute certain commands.
Choose Show commands supported by the server.
A list of commands supported by that server will be displayed in the Response field.
You can get help for any individual command.
Choose Get help on command and enter the name for the command in the input field.
The FTP server's help for that command will be displayed in the Response field.
You can forward a command directly to the FTP server to execute it.
Make sure your current local/remote directories are as you need.
Enter a command with proper arguments in the input field.
A response from the server will be displayed in the Response field.
Note: commands that require a data connection, such as STOR, NLST, and LIST, will not work with the current version of the FTP utility.


A young woman, riding a city bus to her journalism class, enjoys using the time to scroll through an independent news site that can be scathing in its reports on Russia's authoritarian president — leaving her to wrestle with a paradox, the paradox of her generation.
Dmitry Shaburov, 18, is a budding entrepreneur from Kurgan, Russia, and a Putin supporter.
On March 18, Russians will go to the polls to confirm a fourth presidential term for the 65-year-old former KGB officer who turned this country's young, chaotic democracy into an authoritarian system beholden to his rule. He has batted back the opposition thanks to his control over Russia's main television channels, the security services and the judiciary — but also because, as even many of his opponents acknowledge, most of the country supports him.
According to a December survey by independent polling firm Levada Center, 81 percent of adults approve of Putin as president — including 86 percent of Russians 18 to 24 years old. Among the age group, 67 percent told Levada they believed the country was going in the right direction, compared to 56 percent of the general public.
Rather than dwell on Putin's crackdown on his opponents, young Russians draw a sense of personal liberty from those freedoms they do enjoy — a mostly open Internet, an open job market and open borders. Many of them reject state TV as propaganda but nevertheless repeat its central tenet — that Russia needs Putin to stand up to U.S. aggression. And perhaps most important, these Russians seem shaped by a collective history they never knew — by fear of a return of the crisis-stricken 1990s or the stifling Soviet era.
Young Russians made headlines in the past year for forming the backbone of thousands-strong street protests backing opposition leader Alexei Navalny, inspired by the youthful anti-corruption activist's YouTube videos spotlighting apparent wrongdoing. But analysts warn it's wrong to take those protests as a sign of a wave of anti-Putin fury reminiscent of the Arab Spring.
The stories of three young people in Kurgan — a city of about 300,000 on the Trans-Siberian Railway near the Kazakh border — help explain why. All three are voting for Putin out of a mix of hope, resignation and fear.
Their reasoning begins with a visceral sense of a darker, poorer past. In the 1990s — before Putin came to power — lawlessness in Kurgan was such that innocent locals could get killed simply for sitting in the wrong seat on a bus or in a movie theater, Mamay recalls her grandmother telling her when she was little.
Later, her father — a firefighter — told her grandfather, "I live better than you, and I hope that my children will live better than me." Mamay says she now has the same hope for her own future in Putin's Russia.
Mamay wants to be a journalist, but she says the press in Russia is not free. She follows the news on Meduza, a Latvian-based Russian-language news outlet frequently critical of Putin. Privately owned news outlets sell their reporting to the highest bidder, while state television amounts to government propaganda, she said.
It was Putin, when Mamay was little, who forced some of Russia's richest men to yield control of the country's main television networks. But she doesn't fault the president for Russia's stifled media atmosphere. In fact, she recently found a way to practice her chosen craft. She joined the local Vladimir Putin youth fan club as its press secretary.
Shaburov, the 18-year-old entrepreneur, recently moved from the countryside to Kurgan, where he first tried to make ends meet by delivering sushi and pizza and working as a taxi driver. His latest venture is called "crowd investing," and he said he was hoping to move to Moscow to take advantage of the greater opportunities in the capital.
He said he realizes that Russia offers its citizens fewer freedoms than Western countries do — and that Putin may have something to do with this. But he prefers to focus on the freedoms he does have, such as being able to start a business and traveling abroad.
Shaburov said he has watched Navalny's videos highlighting apparent government corruption. He said he is upset to see officials steal public money in broad daylight and "grandmothers and kids" dragged from Navalny rallies by the riot police. But this is no time for an untested leader like Navalny, he said, given Russia's tumultuous history.
The sense that things used to be much worse — and could again get much worse — is a defining characteristic of the Putin Generation, researchers say. In a study of more than 6,000 Russian university students last year, 80 percent of respondents said, like Mamay, that they believed they had more opportunities than their parents. At the same time, a clear majority said they worried about an uncertain future and the threat of a new world war.
That sense of an improved lot and fear of the future, say the authors of the study, conducted by the Laboratory for Politics Studies at Moscow's Higher School of Economics, enhance the appeal of the status quo — which in Russia is personified by Putin. More than 47 percent of the students surveyed said they would vote for Putin in the presidential election, compared to 7 percent who chose Navalny, the No. 2 candidate among the responses.
The community theater where Rybin works part-time used to be filled with snow and dead birds because of a hole in the roof, the aspiring director recalls. It was finally renovated last year and now features about 500 plush blue seats — thanks to a Putin-ordered regional development program.
But to Rybin, who sports bright red, thick-frame glasses and boasts a collection of more than 30 bow ties, Putin's biggest achievement is keeping Russia safe. He has prevented the war in Ukraine, Rybin said, from spreading into Russian territory.
Pavel Rybin, 20, is an aspiring theater director from Kurgan, Russia, and a Putin supporter.
The idea that Ukraine threatens its much bigger neighbor Russia sounds jarring to Western ears, since it was Russia that backed separatists there and annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea. But Rybin learns about current events from Russian state TV — which scholars say continues to influence many young Russians even if they watch less television than their elders. Rybin said he hadn't heard anything about allegations that Russia interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential elections.
Not everyone is convinced of the staying power of young Russians' pro-Putin views. Journalist Alexey Dedov, who teaches television journalism at the local university and works for the Kurgan office of state broadcaster Rossiya 1, said he felt many youths were going along as Kremlin supporters just to fit in.
But young Russians' acceptance of the status quo goes beyond whom they'll vote for. For people like Rybin, Shaburov and Mamay, the Kremlin's years-old strategy of "managed democracy" — creating the appearance of political freedom despite an increasingly authoritarian reality — appears to be working. Asked whether Russia had free speech, Rybin responded by referring to the raucous talk shows on state television, in which politicians and journalists hurl invective at one another but hardly ever criticize Putin.
"People say all kinds of crazy things, so that means [free speech] exists," Rybin said.
To the Navalny activists in Kurgan, many of whom are also in their late teens and early 20s, Putin's backers are living with blinders on. They say that people who support Putin because they fear the worst should recognize that accepting the status quo means things will only get worse. Russia's stagnant economy has been growing at an average of just over 1 percent a year since 2008, and some analysts predict that the Kremlin crackdown on political dissent will intensify after the election.
"Russian people just don't understand that everything is awful and it's possible to fix it," said one of the Navalny volunteers, 19-year-old Nikita Ilyin.
Shaburov, however, sees no major change on the horizon. A Putin presidency for life, said the young man born just months before the leader took power, may well be better than a lurch into the unknown.
"I think it will be like in Cuba, Fidel Castro, all the way until death," Shaburov said.
Credits: Story by Anton Troianovski. Designed by Kazi Awal.


text:
Appeared in the Edmonton Sun, December 8, 2021
According to last week's fiscal update, Alberta will incur a $5.8 billion deficit in 2021/22—the province's 13th budget deficit in the last 14 years—but our fiscal challenges don't end there. According to recent projections, absent a change in policy, the province will likely not see a balanced budget until at least 2040 as an aging population will put significant pressure on provincial finances.
Alberta's fertility rate—and relatedly, population growth—is expected to decline in the coming decades. For context, Alberta's average annual population growth rate was 2.0 per cent over the most recent 20-year period from 2001 to 2020, but that rate is expected to be as low as 1.6 per cent from now until 2040.
At the same time, Albertans are living longer. A slower population growth rate coupled with increasing life expectancy means seniors will constitute a greater share of Alberta's population in the future than they do today. In 2020, Albertans aged 65 or older accounted for 13.8 per cent of the total population. According to projections, that proportion will reach 18.8 per cent by 2040. This will slow growth in revenues and drive health-care spending increases.
A new study published by the Fraser Institute explored long-term projections for provincial finances incorporating these effects. Let's start with the revenue side. The working-age (15 to 64) share of Alberta's population is projected to decline from 67.6 per cent in 2020 to 64.8 per cent by 2040. Unless there's a marked increase in senior's participation in the workforce, this will likely mean a marked decline in the share of Albertans that are working, driving economic growth and generating tax revenue.
At the same time, a growing senior population will put pressure on health-care spending because seniors use more health-care resources than other age groups as they are more vulnerable to illness and chronic disease that require acute care. Alber¬tans aged 65 or older accounted for 36.9 per¬ cent of all provincial health-care spending in 2018 despite accounting for only approximately 12.8 per cent of the provincial population. In contrast, Albertans under the age of 25 accounted for just 17.7 per ¬cent of all provincial health-care spending while constituting a much larger share (31.1 per cent) of the population.
Correspondingly, health-care spending is projected to increase by approximately 5.6 per cent annually (on average) from now until 2040/41. In other words, this area of spending is projected to increase from 6.3 per cent of the provincial economy in 2019 to 7.0 per cent of the economy by 2040.
Overall, the province is expected to incur persistent budget deficits until at least 2040, absent a change in spending or tax policy. And remember, the risk of future recessions, rising interest rates and other unexpected events would only compound the province's problems.
Alberta's finances continue to face challenges. If the government in Edmonton wants to avoid even more red ink in the future as the population ages, it will have to make policy changes.
Tegan Hill
Economist, Fraser Institute
Jake Fuss
Senior Economist, Fraser Institute
The Implications of an Aging Population for Government Finances in Alberta Jake Fuss, Tegan Hill
The Implications of an Aging Population for Government Finances in the Prairies Jake Fuss, Nathaniel Li
Single-rate personal income tax critical to restoring Alberta Advantage Tegan Hill, Niels Veldhuis
Don't be fooled by positive short-term news in Alberta fiscal update Tegan Hill


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Your doctor or nurse will administer CosmoFer by injection or infusion into your vein or you may have it injected into your muscle; the CosmoFer will be administered in a structure where immunoallergic events can receive appropriate and prompt treatment.
You will be observed for at least 30 minutes by your doctor or nurse after each administration.
The dose depends on your blood iron (haemoglobin) level and your weight. Your doctor will calculate the dose for you. It is usually given to you two or three times each week.
A trained and qualified person will give you CosmoFer. It is unlikely that you will have too much. They will monitor your dose so that an iron build up does not happen in your body.
If you think you have been given too much, tell your doctor or nurse straight away.
sometimes a high temperature (fever).
Please contact your doctor if you have any of these signs.
in pregnancy, the baby's heart rate may slow.
Some other side effects have been reported. People with 'rheumatoid' arthritis may have worsening of joint pain.
If you have CosmoFer into a vein, there may be reactions, such as soreness and swelling (inflammation) around the vein. There have also been reports of inflammation of the vein.
If you have CosmoFer into a muscle, there may be reactions, such as staining of the skin, bleeding, formation of boils, tissue damage (necrosis or atrophy) and pain.
This medicinal product does not require any special storage conditions. Do not freeze. Inspect ampoules visually for sediment and damage before use. Use only those containing sediment-free, homogeneous solution.
Hospital staff will make sure that the product is stored and disposed of correctly. CosmoFer should not be used after the expiry date which is stated on the ampoule. Exp. is the abbreviation used for expiry date. The expiry date refers to the last day of that month. Keep out of the reach and sight of children.
The total cumulative dose of CosmoFer is determined by haemoglobin level and body weight.
The dose and dosage schedule for CosmoFer must be individually estimated for each patient based on a calculation of the total iron deficit.
The CosmoFer injection should not be administered concomitantly with oral iron preparations as the absorption of oral iron will be reduced.


text:
Q: Libxml2 installation onto Mac I'm trying to install "libxml2" and "libxslt" in order to use scrapy (web scraping with python) on a mac.
I have homebrew and I ran
$ brew install libxml2 libxslt
I get this message
OS X already provides this software and installing another version in parallel can cause all kinds of trouble.
When I try to instal scrapy, using
$ pip install scrapy
I get this error:
Could not find function xmlCheckVersion in library libxml2. Is libxml2 installed?
    Perhaps try: xcode-select --install

When I try
$ xcode-select libxml2 install
I get an invalid argument error.
Any suggestions?

A: You should run $ xcode-select --install. This will install the XCode command line tools which include libxml2.


text:
Home » Blog » What I Played: 2009 Edition
What I Played: 2009 Edition
Posted on Jan 13, 2010 | 1 comment
For all the time I spent working, I still managed to play a lot of games in 2009. I'm late on the decons, but in the meantime I've put together a list of (almost) every game I played this year with a couple thoughts on things that stuck out to me about each of them.
Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney – Capcom, Nintendo DS
I was hesitant about the series ditching Phoenix, but in the end, I still got to yell "OBJECTION" at my handheld and that makes everything in the world OK. The updated investigation phase mechanics weren't all that compelling even though they made good use of the DS. Maybe I was burnt out from the previous three games, but this one couldn't keep my attention long enough to make it past the third case. Finished: NO
Auditorium – EA, iPhone
I played it first on PC, so buying the iPhone version was a no-brainer for me. It's a great mobile game. The puzzles lend themselves well to the touchscreen, and levels can played in two or three minutes while waiting for a bus. I found the gameplay to be addicting enough that I finished it before I had the opportunity to play while waiting for a bus, opting to play it over Thanksgiving when I should have been socializing with family. EA offers more levels, but you have to feed the microtransaction monster to get to them. Finished: YES
Batman: Arkham Asylum – Rocksteady, PS3
As most of the mainstream reviews have already noted, this one was a pleasant surprise. It's one of the best stealth action games out there, even if the AI is fairly predictable. The combat system was intuitive and fun despite being so repetitive. None of the mechanics would have meant anything if Rocksteady hadn't done such an amazing job with the game's presentation. It truly makes the player feel like Batman, and even the collect-a-thon elements (Riddler trophies) were rewarding with Bioshock-esque tape recordings and backstory that went far beyond the genre's usual offering. It's a licensed game, but it's also fun and innovative. What a concept! Finished: YES
Boom Blox Bash Party – EA, Wii
I'm clearly not biased at all when I say that every Wii owner should drop everything and buy this game right now. It's a great puzzle game, and even now that I'm home without any obligation to play it daily, I occasionally find myself breaking it out to play around in the level editor or see what other users have created online. Finished: YES
Borderlands – Gearbox Software, PC
I was never much of a Diablo fan, but I loved the mission system in Borderlands. You can take on multiple missions at once and work on them in whatever order you choose, even stopping mid-mission to complete objectives from other ones. It's one of the few open-world games that truly feels free. It's also remarkably huge. I mostly played it alone, but my bad experience with multiplayer (on public servers) seems to have been one of the few bad ones. I'm looking forward to giving it a try with some friends. Still playing it now. Finished: NO
Brutal Legend – Double Fine, Xbox 360
I thought this would be one of the year's best releases, and it let me down. It's still a great experience. The first third of the game is a blast, filled with excellent writing and creative gameplay with lots of variation. The rest of it, though, falls short of the quality I expected from Tim Schafer and Double Fine. The RTS segments ("stage battles") are extremely lengthy, and they happen in rapid succession. It also didn't seem to scale well in terms of difficulty – there was precisely one strategy for beating each of the stage battles, and although I was laughing throughout, it was more fun to watch than to play. The side quests were extremely repetitive as well. I understand it was originally designed as a multiplayer-only game, but the single-player experience is what was talked up during development, and it didn't deliver. Finished: YES
Burnout Paradise – Criterion/EA, PS3
I'm late to the party on this one. I downloaded the game when it was released over PlayStation Network, and then slowly played through all the events over the course of a few months. At first I didn't like the series' change to open-world gameplay, but now I can't go back. Even though all of the events took place in the same world, it didn't feel repetitive. I actually enjoyed learning the map and remembering landmarks to find shortcuts in each race. Speeding through the streets or across a narrow mountain path is exhilarating, but the crashes are absolutely beautiful too. It's one of the few games I've played where failure is equally as rewarding as success – it's just fun all around. My biggest complaint would have to be the lack of customization on the vehicles – there's little reason to return to old cars once you unlock new ones, so the garage gets unnecessarily cluttered by the end. Finished: YES
Chrono Trigger DS – SquareEnix, Nintendo DS
I own this game on Super Nintendo and PS1. It's my favorite game of all time. I picked up the DS version after seeing one of my friends play it (on my recommendation). I couldn't resist giving it another go and I have no regrets. There aren't any graphical upgrades, but it's a very sleek port. The new translation bothered me a bit, and then I was more upset that I'm enough of a nerd to notice the differences. The stylus controls leave a lot to be desired, but they didn't mess up the standard controls. Can you ask for much more on a game that's already great? Finished: YES
Command & Conquer Red Alert 3 – EA, PC
My roommates and I played some skirmishes this summer and it played just like I would expect an RTS to play. The single player campaigns weren't particularly fun in terms of gameplay – for me, at least, removing the social element of online play kills the genre – but I loved the cutscenes in all their cheesy glory. You can't go wrong with Tim Curry. It's a fun game, but every RTS is doomed to being released in the shadow of StarCraft 2. Finished: NO
Critter Crunch – Capybara Games, iPhone
If Katamari was crazy for instructing players to roll up the world with a giant snowball, then Critter Crunch deserves equal recognition for featuring a mechanic that equates to eating and vomiting cute little creatures. Feeding little critters to bigger ones is such a simple concept, but the addition of chaining (or "food chaining") adds a level of strategy just thick enough to make it interesting without overcomplicating the brilliance of its simplicity. The presentation is top-notch, both of the gameplay modes are fun, and there's enough content to last a good while. Finished: NO
DJ Hero – Neversoft/Activision, Xbox 360
At the very least, Neversoft deserves credit for not making this as a complete Guitar Hero clone. The controller is well-made and there isn't as much carry-over from the guitar as you'd expect. My biggest criticism is the design of the note charts. Whereas Guitar Hero's notes are placed on a vertical fret board that moves towards the player, DJ Hero uses a circular turntable. The notes come in from the side and curve down to eventually straighten out. Unfortunately, this makes it very difficult to play the game with muscle memory because it means the horizontal positions of the notes are changing as they get closer to the target zone. The game also doesn't provide enough feedback when the player misses a note – I was often left wondering why my combo broke, and when you don't know what you did wrong, it's easy to blame the game and get frustrated. Design issues aside, only a few of the mixes are worth listening to more than once and many of them reuse the same songs. If you can get past that, it's the most original music game in quite some time and it's every bit as innovative as the original Guitar Hero. Finished: NO
FarmVille – Zynga, Facebook
Check out my decon if you haven't already. Millions and millions of users can't be wrong, right? Finished: N/A
Flight Control – Firemint, iPhone
Another great example of a simple concept made into a fantastic product thanks to high production value. The basic concept is to use your finger to draw paths guiding planes to landing strips without letting them crash into each other. It's surprisingly difficult, but the player can't blame the game because it provides such excellent feedback. That makes it challenging and addictive rather than frustrating and passable. Flight Control is the new Snake. Finished: N/A
Flower – ThatGameCompany, PS3
I generally aligned with the critics on this one too. It's the best implementation of motion controls I've experienced thus far on any console. When I say "experienced," I also intend to imply that Flower is more of an "experience" than it is a "game." Rather than putting you in the role of a character or the pedals that you ultimately move around, the game puts you in the role of the wind. It's oddly empowering and creates a sensation of flying unmatched by any other game. I don't think I can categorize it as "casual" or "hardcore." That said, it's not for everyone – there isn't much in the way of difficulty, and it's very short-lived. Finished: YES
Geometry Wars Retro Evolved 2 – Bizarre Creations, Xbox 360
As much as I like Everyday Shooter, I could never get into Geometry Wars. My roommates bought this through my Xbox Live account and it became their nightly addiction for a good while. We have a 60″ DLP 1080p HDTV, a 7.1 surround sound system, and somehow game gets more play time than anything else. I think I enjoy watching people play it more than playing it myself. I'm not particularly bad at it or anything, it's just that I find playing it to be frustrating in the wrong ways. Losing in the game is an even split between knowing exactly what I did wrong and blaming the game for being cheap with its enemy spawn locations. Finished: N/A
Ghostbusters: The Videogame – Terminal Reality, Xbox 360
I found Ghostbusters to be an enjoyable one-time-playthrough sort of game despite its repetitive gameplay mechanics because it does such a good job of making you feel like you're in one of the movies – sort of like Arkham Asylum. Without the nostalgia, it might have seemed like a rather mediocre Gears of War clone. I got very far in the game but didn't have the desire to finish after I got distracted by work and other new releases. Terminal Reality shows a lot of promise with this game's polish and presentation, though – much more than in their previous titles – so I'm actually hoping for a proper sequel. Finished: NO
Henry Hatsworth and the Puzzling Adventure – EA, Nintendo DS
On paper, Hatsworth shouldn't work. It asks you to constantly switch screens between a platformer and a puzzle game – neither of which are remarkably innovative or compelling – but somehow, the combination of the two makes it seem like a fresh experience. I had a blast in the game's first set of levels, but then the difficulty curve went out of control. It was frustrating because it would take 10 or 15 minutes to play through a level and reach a boss, but after running out of lives at the boss, you have to repeat the entire level again. Sometimes that can be a good punishment – take a look at Mega Man for example. But the puzzle aspect of Hatsworth makes it unreasonable because it's nearly impossible to get the Mega Man focus of precision platforming when your attention is split between two screens. Finished: NO
Hook Champ – RocketCat, iPhone
I fell in love with Hook Champ after grabbing it on sale shortly after its launch thanks to a nod from users over at CheapAssGamer. It's a swinging-adventure game where the goal is to use a grappling hook to swing through underground caves as quickly as possible. The controls are masterfully executed for the touch screen – touching on either side next to the character makes him move in that direction, and touching on either side above the character makes him fire his hook towards your finger. The developers add a couple twists to the formula like one-time-use rockets that give you an extra boost if you miss a swing and need to try again. There's a lot of content for the asking price, and everything is extremely polished. It's everything a good indie game should be. Finished: YES
I Love Katamari – Namco, iPhone
The reviews said this was a decent port, but it had a really sluggish framerate on the iPhone 3G that ruined the experience. I have a 3GS, so I thought I'd give it a try because it's supposed to be a lot faster. It was still far too slow to be enjoyable after playing through the PS2 and Xbox 360 incarnations of the series once you get past the first level. The tilt controls are a bit awkward as well, making it the only time I've found myself cursing while listening to the game's trademark happy music. Finished: NO
iBlast Moki – Godzilab, iPhone
I picked this up when it was free during the Appvent Calendar promotion, and it ended up being one of the better puzzle games I've played for the iPhone. The core mechanic consists of setting time bombs around a level to propel the cute, round little Rolandos Mokis from the start to the goal. The formula gets interesting in each new set of levels where new features are introduced. One world's levels take place underwater, so bombs also be set to prevent the Mokis from rising to the surface. There isn't a lot of replay value aside from a basic gold/silver/bronze medal system, but it's fun while it lasts. Finished: YES
Left 4 Dead 2 – Valve, PC
Although it's not typical for Valve to release a quick sequel, you'd think they do it all the time by looking at Left 4 Dead 2. It's an improvement over the first game in every way, and there's more than enough content to warrant the price tag. Scavenge mode has all the fun of the original game's Versus mode without asking for the huge investment of time to play through a whole campaign. Valve is just one of those companies that doesn't make bad games even when they set themselves up for high expectations. Finished: N/A
Madden 10 – EA, Xbox 360
The last Madden game I purchased was Madden 93 for the Sega Genesis. I've stuck to the NCAA series since then, but my EA employee discount over the summer tempted me to pick this one up. I ended up playing it a lot more than NCAA 10. It's extremely polished, the graphics and animations are stunning, and the presentation is unmatched. But that's why the annual entries of Madden always sell so well, right? Finished: N/A
MadWorld – Platinum Games, Wii
It's really gory, it's really stylized, and it's really repetitive. Most of the time, it fires infinite waves of enemies at you and lets you kill them with standard attacks or quicktime-event based special attacks. Fun for a few hours, but I lost interest fast. For what it's worth, it is one of the most graphically impressive games on the Wii. Finished: NO
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames – Pandemic/EA , Xbox 360
Mercenaries 2 is one of the few games that delivers on the promise of destructible environments, and it does destruction very well. The first two hours are a blast because the game gives you all the toys at the beginning, but then it gets stuck in the fetch or kill quests that most mission-based games succumb to. Blowing stuff up is so awesome that it makes everything else less interesting in context. Finished: NO
NCAA 10 – EA, Xbox 360
It's always fun to create a player and rise to lead my own school's team to a national championship, but after playing Madden 10 it's hard to go back. I can understand that the presentation can't be as sleek when there are hundreds of teams to worry about as opposed to the 32 NFL franchises, but it's one of the few games where graphics make a huge difference in the gameplay. Madden's animation engine is better too – it's almost as if the NCAA series' tech is a year behind. Despite my insane levels of school spirit, I see little reason to own both games. Finished: N/A
Need for Speed Underground – EA, iPhone
When I got my iPhone, I heard that this was the best racing game on the platform. It sports great graphics, fully rendered cutscenes, and intuitive controls. In terms of gameplay, it feels stripped down from what I've come to expect out of the Need for Speed name, likely due to the smaller screen. It's still a competent racer, but it lacks all the adrenaline of its console counterpart – and that's a huge part of the genre for me. Finished: NO
Noby Noby Boy – Namco, PS3
It's even stranger than Katamari, which I suppose is an achievement. There isn't really any "game" here, it's just a playground. I ended up wasting enough time with it to justify the $5 price tag. Finished: N/A
PixelJunk Eden – Q Games, PS3
I became bored with this game because I didn't really understand how to play it. One of my roommates fooled around with it, and after hours of watching him play through it I wanted to pick it up and try again. It has a great visual style and the sound design is absolutely fantastic. I don't like how the game makes you re-play each level multiple times without changing the scenarios – imagine being forced to re-earn each star in Super Mario 64 before getting the next – but it's a great overall experience that's worth checking out. Finished: NO
Plants vs. Zombies – PopCap Games, PC
My first day at EA, my co-workers told me to go home and buy this game. I obliged, and I wasn't disappointed. It's a great spin on the tower defense formula with tons of character. The Zen Garden was an awesome idea that encouraged me to finish the extra challenges after completing the adventure mode. Once I finally finished everything the game had to offer, I cleared my profile and started all over again to see if I could do it faster. I'll probably do it again when it comes out for iPhone later this month. Finished: YES
Prince of Persia – Ubisoft, Xbox 360
I was a fan of the last generation's Prince of Persia games, but this entry was a massive disappointment. The art style and presentation were great, but taking away the ability to die totally ruins the series' formula of adventure. There's never any danger or sense of urgency because you can die as many times as necessary to complete an area. There's no reward for doing something correctly on the first try. For me, this meant progressing in the game wasn't rewarding either, which translated to it not being fun. Finished: NO
Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time – Insomniac, PS3
I've been loyal to the Ratchet series since the second game hit the PS2. Tools of Destruction was its enjoyable next-gen debut, and Quest for Booty was a decent downloadable distraction. A Crack in Time is a fairly standard sequel. The best thing it brings to the series is the moon exploration system. I went through the entire game and found every last collectible item because I actually enjoyed doing it – each sidequest is on a different moon, so it always feels fresh. Aside from that, I actually missed not having Clank for the majority of the game. The constant banter between the two protagonists gives the series a lot of character, and this game felt a little empty without it. Finished: YES
Rhythm Heaven – Nintendo, Nintendo DS
Everyone who attended Iwata's keynote at GDC 2009 received a copy of this game for free. I played it on the trip home and long after. Unlike Rock Band which tests muscle memory, Rhythm Heaven actually challenges players with real rhythm puzzles. The controls are limited to tapping or swiping the stylus across the screen. It's frustrating at times because it seems like it should be simple, but it's quite difficult and the game isn't very kind with its feedback – about as different as you can get from other recent Nintendo games – but it's designed in a way that makes it hard to "blame the game." It does allow the player to skip levels and come back later after failing three or four times. The amount of content they packed into the cartridge was a lot more than standard Nintendo fare as well. I still haven't unlocked a handful of the mini games because I'm trying to get perfect scores on some of the other ones first. Finished: NO
Scramble 2 – Zynga, iPhone
Scramble is available for just about every social networking platform, and the free iPhone version is everything it should be. Online multiplayer, easy touch screen controls, accelerometer support, and slick Facebook integration make it a no-brainer for the low, low price of free. It might not have the fancy 3D graphics of EA's Boggle, but the gameplay is identical between the two. Finished: N/A
Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood – Bioware/Sega, Nintendo DS
At a recruiting event, I joked with a Bioware rep that this could be the worst game they ever made but it would still be the best Sonic game in at least a decade. It's not terrible, but it's a letdown for anyone who expected a Paper Mario quality adventure. The plot is weak, the graphics look rushed (it sparingly uses 3D models on a pre-rendered 2D environment, Final Fantasy VII style), and the gameplay is extremely repetitive. The Elite Beat Agents-inspired battle system is decent, but it takes too long to get through each fight. That problem is maximized by the game's affinity for backtracking. Every part of the game shows promise, but no single piece is polished enough to warrant a recommendation. I invested about 7 hours into it before getting out the old Mario & Luigi game for GBA for a second playthrough instead. Finished: NO
South Park Let's Go Tower Defense Play! – Microsoft, Xbox 360
2009 was the year of the tower defense game. While Plants vs Zombies dominated the PC, South Park dominated Xbox Live. I bought it and played through the entire campaign with my roommates in a single night. Without the multiplayer component, it probably wouldn't have been anywhere near as much fun. It features everything you'd expect from an honest tower defense game – mazing, upgrading, selling, etc. The South Park franchise adds a layer of charm to the formula, but it doesn't really bring anything new to the genre. It simply does everything well. Finished: YES
'Splosion Man – Twisted Pixel, Xbox 360
Check out my decon for a detailed breakdown of the game. Easily one of my favorite games from 2009. Finished: YES
Sudoku – EA, iPhone
Sudoku puzzles are a great way to pass the time while waiting for the bus or sitting in an office. EA's offering can be as simple or fancy as you want it to be. It can fill in all the possible numbers for each square, highlight specific numbers on the board to make it easier to find sequences, or pull in puzzles from the newspaper and solve them instantly. My complaint is that the options to get help – hints or fill ins – are on the main game screen. This means it's really easy to accidentally hit them from time to time, and there is no "undo" button. I don't regret picking it up, but it could be better. Finished: N/A
Tales of Vesperia – Namco, Xbox 360
It's doesn't say much to call it the definitive JRPG for the Xbox 360, but Vesperia is my personal favorite of the Tales series. The characters are likable, the plot is decent, the graphics are beautiful, and the battle system is fantastic. The main story is also remarkably long with numerous sidequests to spare. I've invested about 35 hours into Vesperia, and I still don't think I'm near the end. I typically can't sit and play it for long periods of time, but it offers a detailed summary of the plot so far from the pause menu to refresh my memory when I need it. Hopefully I'll get around to finishing it soon. Finished: NO
The Beatles: Rock Band – Harmonix, Xbox 360
It's an understatement to say that The Beatles: Rock Band is the best version of Rock Band available anywhere. In addition to all the features of Rock Band 2, it offers harmonization support for three vocalists, unique dreamscapes (trippy backgrounds and venues) for most of the 40+ songs, and truly meaningful unlockables. It won't make anyone like The Beatles' music, but it's gaming nirvana for anyone who does. Finished: YES
The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition – LucasArts, PC
Apart from graphical upgrades and a new hint system, there isn't anything Monkey Island fans haven't seen before. I was disappointed that the "HD upgrade" simply replaced art assets. It looks great in screenshots, but the animations are still just as choppy as in the original. This made sense for something like Street Fighter 2's HD version, where framecounts matter to players for strategical purposes, but it seemed sloppy in Monkey Island. Still, I can't complain too much because it gave me an excuse to revisit an excellent game. Finished: YES
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves – Naughty Dog, PS3
The first Uncharted was a mystery – it was Prince of Persia with gunplay and a decent plot until the last hour or so, when it became Gears of War with zombies and monsters. The sequel outdoes the original in every way. It's like a Michael Bay movie, except it's enjoyable. The combat hasn't changed much, but there's a bigger emphasis on mixing combat with parkour and acrobatics. Between a lengthy single player campaign and a thriving online multiplayer mode, there isn't any reason to pass it up if you have a PS3. As a designer, I found myself creating save checkpoints so I could go back and try to figure out how they made certain areas of the levels. For example, one fight takes place in a building that is literally falling over while you're still inside it. Everything is sliding towards one side of the room, and the outside world is visible through the windows. It turns out they built a physics engine that allows them to do it without any tricks. Hats off, Naughty Dog. Finished: YES
Valkyria Chronicles – Sega, PS3
Another game I'm late to the party on, Valkyria Chronicles is an innovative strategy RPG that turned heads last summer. I was addicted to the game for the first seven or eight battles, but when they take over an hour each, it starts to feel more like work than play. It has a great cast of characters, but the developers seem to think the numerous cutscenes are a lot better than they actually are. There are at least six or seven of them between every battle. The difficulty curve is all over the place – each battle is harder than the last, and the game suggests that you re-play older battles to level up. The problem is that replaying the older battles are extremely easy because of the amount of experience you gain for completing them the first time. The battle system doesn't lend itself well to grinding, and the game wants way too much of it. Finished: NO
That's it! Keep in mind that these are merely my opinions, and I'm not claiming to be any sort of an expert critic. Looking back is a useful exercise for me to identify trends and mechanics that are working across the entire industry, and hopefully I'll be able to implement some of them in my own projects.
Andrew Ash	January 13, 2010
Thanks for the shoutout in Geometry Wars and Pixeljunk Eden! I didn't realize we went through this many games in a single year, but I can look back and remember the good times on each of the games we played together. Great work on this post.