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DW: Kerblam! Review
November 20, 2018 November 19, 2018 David Hogan
While "Kerblam!" might not be the best title in Who history by any means, it's still better than Arachnids in the UK… and a better episode too! We dive head first into some political commentary again, but this time against major corporations (*cough* Amazon *cough*) and their treatment of workers, but also against radicals taking things too far. So let's have a look and see if this works at all in the world of Doctor Who…
When the Doctor finds a mysterious call for help packaged with a delivery from the galaxy's largest retailer, she and her friends get to work in finding out the cause of the distress. However, is the human 10% of the workforce rebelling against the robots, or is there a much more complicated plot going on?
*spoilers appear from here on out!*
Cast of Characters:
"Wow look down there! … Boxes."
The Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) – The Doctor receives a box from famed delivery company Kerblam!, and inside the box she gets just what she always wants: a message of help to answer!
Ryan Sinclair (Tosin Cole) – Ryan isn't thrilled with the idea of going to a large warehouse to pack things, as that was his regular life back on Earth… minus the robots.
Yasmin Kahn (Mandip Gill) – Yaz is always up for helping someone who is calling out for it, so she's up to the task of… working in a warehouse.
Graham O'Brien (Bradley Walsh) – Graham is also more than happy to help get to the bottom of the mystery, though having to play the role of a cleaner isn't what he signed up for…
Charlie Duffy (Leo Flanagan) – Charlie is a cleaner in the Kerblam! warehouse, and someone with some dangerous thoughts running around in his head…
Kira Arlo (Claudia Jessie) – Kira has had a lonely and quite sad life, but she is always the optimist, and can always find a way to make herself smile…
Judy Maddox and Jarva Slade (Julie Hesmondhalgh and Callum Dixon) – Two employees of Kerblam!'s higher office, they soon find out that people have gone missing and both wish to help, without trusting the other…
Dan Cooper (Lee Mack) – Dan is a simple warehouse worker, likes to have a bit of a joke, and talks about the lovely daughter he has at home… Uh-oh.
Plus more!
"Hey look, a label! We put these in the boxes…. *sigh*"
This story could have easily fallen into rogue A.I. and killer robot territory, so I'm glad in the end it turned everything on its head. We're lead to believe that the workers who have been vanishing was the work of the Kerblam! operating system controlling the robots, and so The Doctor, her companions, shy and nice worker Kira and pleasant and slightly awkward cleaner Charlie all do a bit of a runaround trying to stop it, and the person at the top who is probably responsible. It turns out that greedy and arrogant looking/sounding foreman Jarva Slade and people manager Judy Maddox aren't behind it, both actually doing their best to get to the bottom of it. So surely it is just a rogue A.I.?
Turns out that nice guy cleaner Charlie has been behind it! He is against Kerblam! only hiring 10% human workforce and causing so many lost jobs, so he kidnapped the other works to test a small explosive concoction that will explode whenever someone pops some bubble wrap in their package. The cry for help The Doctor received was actually from the operating system itself asking for help in stopping Charlie from delivering an army-sized group of robots with explosives to people's homes in order to get the masses to rally against robots and robot-controlled companies. The OS tried to deter Charlie from his plan by arranging his romantic crush, naive and nice Kira, to pop some of his explosive bubble wrap in front of his eyes and die, showing him the pain he'll cause to all the other families by completing his plan… Cruel and harsh A.I. logic there… and it doesn't even work!
In the end The Doctor arranges the robots to simultaneously open all the packages and pop the bubble wrap while they're still in the warehouse, taking Charlie with them. Throw in nice guy father Dan Cooper who is killed early on in the story, and there are only a couple of deaths, but they all really hit home. It was a good story, nothing that will blow you away or make you rush to watch it again, but it was good. A message against companies treating their workforces badly as well as against people killing innocents to prove a point.
"Did you just say this necklace was made by your young daughter and you can't wait to see her again? … You idiot, don't you know what kind of story you're in!"
While they ended up going in a different way, there was a lot of samey-ness to the story, specifically robot servants who "couldn't possible betray us" killing people, though like I said the only times they did that were reprogrammed ones and one the OS sent after Charlie (which also makes you wonder why it didn't just send all of the remaining robots after him en masse to stop him rather than kill an innocent woman…) The same can be said for business people-person with a clipboard Judy and harsh and goatee'd businessman Mr. Slade, who despite turning out to be good people, still spent most of the story being boring. It lead to the good ending, but it still meant 40 odd minutes of "seen it all before".
I guess as a consequence of not being written by Chris Chibnall (though neither was last week's episode…), this felt more like a traditional Who run about and lacked the focus on the companions and their relationships with each other that the other stories had. I don't mind it, after six episodes of it there was quite a refreshing feeling, but I thought I'd mention it. At least this story didn't fall victim to the "lack of a villain" problem the others did.
The Continuity:
"Wait, did that new cleaner mention Arachnids in the UK? … What's an arachnid? … or the UK for that matter?… Oh well, back to killing!"
There are a couple of references, from The Doctor's delivery being a fez (ala her Eleventh self) to her mentioning the phrase "Robophobia", which has been used for a lot of the "robots gone rogue" stories featuring the Voc Robots of Kaldor, including as the title of one!
Two more links are The Doctor, when the topic of bees was brought up, began to tell Yaz and Ryan about a "time with Agatha Christie", which is a reference to the 10th Doctor story "The Unicorn and the Wasp". I also have to mention the Seventh Doctor audio story "The Warehouse", which features a moon-sized warehouse with a rogue A.I. at the centre of the story…
Kerblam! is another one of those Doctor Who stories that you'll soon forget about until someone brings it up somewhere, then you'll exclaim "Oh yeah! That one! That was quite good if I remember…" It's not bad, not great, it's just a good little episode tucked away in the middle of a series. It's a fine way to spend an hour.
Doctor Who13th Doctor, Doctor Who, Who TV
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Dog flu: How to protect your pets
Michael W. Curley, Jr.
Getting a flu shot might be routine for many people, but local veterinarians say dogs are also at risk of catching the flu.
North Jersey veterinarians are urging owners to protect their pets and be aware of the signs of canine influenza, or dog flu, which can be dangerous to pets.
The symptoms of canine influenza, which include coughing, nasal or eye discharge, fever, lethargy and loss of appetite, are similar to symptoms of other diseases, so proper diagnosis requires lab testing, according to Blue Pearl Pet Hospital in Paramus.
"There are tests that can be done to detect the virus, then we can provide supportive care," Dr. Tara Fetzer of Blue Pearl said.
She added that there have been cases in North Jersey, but she has not yet seen any at Blue Pearl.
Fetzer said pet owners who suspect their dog has the flu should call ahead to their vet first, so they can take proper precautions to avoid infecting other animals.
Sometimes the infection is self-limiting, with dogs having a mild cough and fever for a few weeks before recovering, she said, but other dogs can get much sicker and develop secondary infections like pneumonia.
While most pets make a full recovery, the disease can be fatal for very young or very old pets, or those whose immune systems have been weakened, according to a report from the American Veterinary Medical Association.
"It's one of those viruses where we can't predict how it will react in every patient," Fetzer said.
RELATED:'Intense flare-ups' of dog flu reported, infection can be deadly
PET Q&A:I have heard that there is now a vaccine available for canine influenza. Does my dog need the vaccine?
PET Q&A: Is it OK to give my dog grapes and raisins?
Dog flu is spread by contact, through secretions from barking, coughing or sneezing, and can be spread indirectly through shared food or water bowls and leashes.
Dogs in close contact at areas such as dog parks, dog shows or overnight kennels are most at risk, Fetzer said.
Vaccines are available for the dog flu and can help reduce the severity and duration of the illness, but may not completely prevent infection, the American Veterinary Medical Association report says.
Fetzer said while Blue Pearl does not perform vaccinations, the vaccine typically costs between $30 and $40. If it's the first time the dog is receiving the flu vaccine, additional boosters are necessary, which can bring the cost closer to $100.
For any dog that has a lot of contact with other dogs — especially "nose to nose" contact — owners should consult with a veterinarian about getting vaccinated, Fetzer said, adding they should also consider vaccination if people in the house regularly have contact with other dogs.
Dogs who do not have much contact with other dogs may not need the flu vaccine, she said.
While there is no specific treatment for canine influenza, antibiotics can help prevent or treat secondary infections and cough suppressants can help the animal rest comfortably.
In severe cases, hospitalization may be required.
Though humans can spread the virus via contact — it can survive up to 48 hours in the environment, 24 hours on clothing and 12 hours on hands — they cannot contract the disease themselves.
Canine influenza was first discovered in 2004 and is believed to have developed from an equine strain of the virus, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association report.
Email: curley@northjersey.com

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Despite coronavirus and clapping, the Tories remain hostile to a public NHS
Posted on April 5, 2020 November 23, 2020
In recent weeks we have among others seen Boris Johnson, Matt Hancock and members of the Royal family (all of whom it's safe to guess have never used the NHS) joining in the public applause for key workers. Additionally, there have been a number of structural changes and commitments to increased funding that make it feel as if the strengths of a truly public National Health Service are now being acknowledged, together with an implied criticism of many of the reforms of the last near decade.
Taking over CCGs
On March 23rd it was announced that NHS England was taking on extensive special powers normally held by clinical commissioning groups to support efforts in the face of coronavirus. Dr. Tony O'Sullivan (co-chair of Keep Our NHS Public) commented on the NHS England website: "at this time of national tragedy, we should remember the function of a national health service and how politicians and the seismic restructuring policies in the Long Term Plan have weakened the NHS. I hope that this ends the fragmentation into 42 separate commissioning units and integrated care systems. How wrong that strategy has been. As we welcome some steps towards the re-integration of the NHS in our hour of need, let us not forget the follies that weakened it and that have put NHS staff and the public at risk. We need the NHS to go forward as a single coordinated public service, there for everyone in time of 'war' and nurtured once again in post-COVID-19 peacetime."
Taking over the private sector?
These special powers will be in place until at least the end of 2020, and one of the principal reasons for them was to gain access to independent sector beds. Taking over the independent sector in times of national need is to be applauded. Spain for example has just requisitioned its large private sector. In stark contrast, however, the UK government is paying private hospitals £300 per bed per day. Business analysts have observed that this is a huge boost to independent hospitals. A private hospital working on an NHS tariff at 100% capacity is far better than conducting private medical insurance work at 50% capacity.
Abolishing debt?
The government announced that from April 1st it would "write-off" £13bn of historic debt across the NHS. In recent years financially struggling trusts have been routinely forced to seek emergency bailout loans from the Department of Health and Social Care. Last year, trusts' total debts reached £14bn, of which £10bn was related to emergency loans. While Matt Hancock declared this a "landmark step" made by himself to help the NHS COVID-19 response, the plans had in fact already been discussed at a January meeting called by NHS England and NHS Improvement, and had been under consideration for at least 20 months.
As tax expert Richard Murphy explains, the government has not written off hospital debt. "All it did was make a book-keeping adjustment. What it actually did was allow NHS trusts to record the sums they had spent for the populations they served as having been funded by central government when previously the government were claiming they had overspent."
John Lister writing for the KONP website also noted that "it's like a gang of burglars seeking gratitude after handing back some of the jewels they have stolen. £13.4bn averages to a refund of just £1.3bn per year for the last ten years – far less than the real terms cuts that have been imposed by the virtual freeze on funding while the population and its health needs have grown." It would be much more valuable to the NHS if the government were to write off the huge outstanding payments for new buildings paid for through the Private Finance Initiative, but strangely, Rishi Sunak does not seem to be stepping forward with this proposal.
Xenophobia is alive and well
Before the pandemic, the UK had only 4100 critical care beds, 6.6/100,000 population compared with Germany's 29.2. An urgent need to find more ventilators was identified at the start of the outbreak, yet Downing Street chose not to participate in an EU scheme to source such vital equipment, leading to the charge of putting "brexit over breathing". The government's attempts to justify this through claims of having accidentally missed a deadline due to communication errors were quickly exposed as groundless by EU officials.
Despite the need for both trust and a unified response to the crisis by members of the public, it is notable that the hostile environment in the NHS has not been lifted. As one member of KONP writing in the British Medical Journal observed, "it is simply not good enough for the UK to add the novel coronavirus to its list of exemptions from charges, which few people will know. To tackle this epidemic and protect everyone's health, all barriers to accessing NHS treatment – including charges and reporting of debt to the Home Office – should be suspended immediately."
References to COVID-19 as the 'Chinese virus' and promising a reckoning with China after the pandemic are diversions of attention from the failings of our government ministers. Zoonoses (infectious diseases that spread from animals to humans) are linked to climate change and intensive farming methods among other things, and are destined to be a recurrent event. Michael Gove would do well to reflect that not long ago Bovine Spongioform Encephalopathy resulted in the slaughter of 4.4 million cows in the UK and was responsible for variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans. The World Health Organisation has warned against use of the term 'Chinese virus' saying that it could lead to racial profiling against Asians when "there is no blame in this". In the UK we have already seen reports of Asian people being physically attacked in the street.
Writing in the nineteenth century in his book The Housing Question, Frederick Engels made a highly relevant comment on the self-interest that motivates those who are in control of society through virtue of their wealth and position. "Capitalist rule cannot allow itself the pleasure of creating epidemic diseases among the working class with impunity; the consequences fall back on it and the angel of death rages in its ranks as ruthlessly as in the ranks of the workers."
Having said that, the competence of the ruling elite in preventing and controlling epidemics is always in doubt, since their desire for profit is in opposition to any inclination to spend money on public services until it is too late. Thus an opportunity to avert a crisis is lost, and a pandemic that could have been limited if planning advice had been implemented and intervention had been timely must instead run its miserable course. We have known for the past 13 years, for example, that a pandemic at least as lethal as coronavirus represented an ever present major threat.
At the same time we can be sure that history will be busily rewritten in order to exculpate ministers and make sure any temporary steps towards 'nationalisation' of services are quickly reversed. There may even be calls to continue the restrictions on civil liberty for much longer than the medical situation necessitates.
Charles Moore (former editor of the Daily Telegraph, where he was Boris Johnson's exasperated boss) is jockeying for position in this vanguard, explaining to readers that it is in fact deficiencies in the public sector that has brought the country to lockdown. In a sense Moore is correct, but for the wrong reasons. It is the underfunding and weakening of the NHS at the hands of the Tories that has made it much less able to deal with the current crisis, making lockdown even more crucial in order to limit demand. We can also expect to hear from other ideologues about how our small and parasitic private sector came to the rescue of the NHS in its time of need.
However much the Tories are now clapping for our NHS, we must remember that they are fundamentally opposed to public services, and will soon forget their panic and revert to form. A former Tory insider, now disillusioned with the world view that anything funded by the state is wrong (except of course infrastructure that furthers the interests of the rich), has written a tell-all piece stating as much.
Our job as health campaigners is to now make sure the right lessons are learned during the coming weeks and months. We need to keep the Tories on the hook, and harness the public anger which will no doubt grow over time. We must rally the vast majority of society around our vision of a health and social care service that exemplifies a more just, equal and caring society.
Dr John Puntis is a consultant paediatric gastroenterologist, the co-chair of Keep Our NHS Public, and a member of Doctors In Unite.
Posted in Commisssioning, COVID-19, Defend the NHS, Government Guidelines, Government Policy, PrivatisationTagged beds, clapping, commissioning, coronavirus, independent sector, Privatisation
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ONLINE SUPPORT: Once enrolled, your teacher will be in touch to determine which materials will be shipped out to you. This page will contain some materials that you may begin with. You should also have access to an art page and a resource page for additional materials.
SHIPPING: Our traditional SCIDES Kindergarten program is made up of thematic units called modules that cover all subject areas, except Mathematics, which is a separate program. Each unit includes a module guide for the parent, outlining each day of learning. A variety of resources relating to each theme is provided with each module. These resources include textbooks, storybooks, non-fiction books, and CDs. Now that the BC curriculum has been updated, your teacher will supplement your program with additional units to meet the new outcomes.
OPTIONS: Contact your teacher for alternatives to the traditional module program.


1800s Pilot Construction - The Home Machinist!
During the construction of the pilot for my 1.6" scale NYC & HR 999 project I was faced with how to effectively generate the helical face of the staves.
The attached top view photo of the pilot of my Disney 4-4-0 shows a typical 1800s pilot with the helical face of the staves. The faces of top of the staves are parallel with the front face of the pilot beam while the bottom of the stave face is parallel with the front edge of the lower frame. The top and bottom faces are connected by a form of a helix having straight edges on the inner and outer faces. It can be seen that the staves are handed to the right and left sides of the pilot. Because each stave per side is a different length the angle it intersects the lower frame is different.
Prototype 1800s pilots were made of wood. The pattern maker or carpenter who built them could scribe a straight line for the inner and outer edges then with a plane or draw knife shape the helix. However, the pilot staves were made of hard wood, usually oak, and 2" to 2 1/2" wide. So it must have been a tough job. Maybe the locomotive builders had some sort of machine to make the staves.
Since the frame of my pilot is steel and the staves aluminum I had to come with an alternative method. One alternative would be to rough mill than file and sand to shape, although a lot of hand work. I decided to machine the helix.
I decided the way to go was helical milling. Helical milling is described in detail in the Machinery's Handbook. Basically the process is to connect the spindle of a dividing head to the miller table lead screw with a set of gears so that the part rotates the proper number of degrees for the number of rotations of the lead screw corresponding with the length of the helix.
The 2nd attached photo shows my fixture with a stave mounted on it. The fixture is vertical and the cutter is over the top end of the stave. As the cutter enters the stave the start of the cut will be parallel to the front face of the pilot beam. Note that at other end of the stave the scribe line on the face of the end. The scribe line is the angle of the helix and is flush with the pilot bottom frame front face.
Originally the face of the fixture that the stave is clamped to was on the dividing head center line. However, this created an arch of about .030" on the outer edge of the milled helix. I added an adjustable center pivoting on a 1/4" dowel on each end. By moving the height of the centers relative to the original position I found that set to the center of the stave thickness created an arch of equal height on the inside and outside of the stave of .010" to .015" and not noticeable when assembled into the pilot.
The 3rd attached photo shows the cutter at the end of the cut and bottom of the stave. The fixture has rotated through it'd required number of degrees to generate the helix. The scribe line on the bottom of the stave is now horizontal.
The attached photo shows the finished results on the pilot left side staves. The stave ends are flush with the pilot beam and bottom frame faces with a helix connecting them. The fit and finish are acceptable so I'm satisfied. Now I have to do the right side staves.
I suspect that the prototype wooden staves were shaped into the proper helix by steaming and clamping.
Nice work. My Railroad Supply Corporation CP-173 has a pilot fabricated from 1/4" aluminum with lots of filing and sanding to get the form right.
Could you post a couple more photos of the coupler? Is it made to the Disney drawings? If so, I can dig through the Disney drawing set that I have. I have a drawbar, but it's not very practical.
Two wooden pilots are shown in Modern Locomotive Construction, circa 1892. Neither shows a twist in the staves.
...aw shucks. After machining helical pilot staves, the rest of the loco ought to be a "piece of cake"! What other neat machining processes have you got up your sleeve(s)? After all...sometimes we find the journey more interesting and fun than the destination! Looks great! Carl B.
Dick_Morris wrote: Nice work. My Railroad Supply Corporation CP-173 has a pilot fabricated from 1/4" aluminum with lots of filing and sanding to get the form right.
I have the same book. It was actually one of my references. The staves are not twisted. The back and two sides are parallel just like rectangular bar. It is just the front face that has the helix shape. Look again at the 1892 book. The top view shows the stave sides as straight and parallel, but at the bottom angled to match the angle of the frame front edge. Then scan downward to the side view. You'll see two lines for each stave. The lines are spread at the bottom to match the lower frame angle as seen in the top view. Follow the same two lines to the top and you see they converge to a point. What your looking at is the side view of the helix. Stare at it for a while and you'll see it.
I'll take a couple more photos of the Disney coupler for you. Any particular view you need? I'll also check my Disney drawings to confirm what is there matches the drawings.
Side and front view would be helpful.
The two or three prototypes photos I have found that show conversion of the front draw bar to a coupler on with a long pilot show diagonal braces from the corner of the pilot beam to somewhere around the front of the coupler mount. That looked like a good idea. I didn't have any luck finding the photo today.
I made an index of the Disney drawings long ago. I forgot I had it. Send me your email via PM if you want a copy. The "automatic coupler mount" is on the sheet with the pilot.
I gotta say - that mill is a thing of beauty as well.
Dick_Morris wrote: Side and front view would be helpful.
The Disney pilot drawing is No. 37. On the drawing is part No. 3 "Automatic Coupler Mount" and part No. 6 "Pilot Draw Bar Pocket". I could not find a drawing for the coupler. Attached are photos of both side of the coupler and a front view. I hope this is what your looking for. Let me know.
wewilliams wrote: I gotta say - that mill is a thing of beauty as well.
Heh! Guess I'm not the only one who thinks so.
Such machines aren't commonly found in the home shop. How nice it would be to have a well tooled #3 universal horizontal mill at my disposal.


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Comparative FISH mapping of ribosomal DNA clusters and TTAGG telomeric sequences to holokinetic chromosomes of eight species of the insect order Psocoptera
Natalia Golub‡, Boris Anokhin‡, Valentina Kuznetsova‡
‡ Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia
Corresponding author: Natalia Golub ( nvgolub@mail.ru )
Academic editor: Vladimir Gokhman
© 2019 Natalia Golub, Boris Anokhin, Valentina Kuznetsova.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation: Golub N, Anokhin B, Kuznetsova V (2019) Comparative FISH mapping of ribosomal DNA clusters and TTAGG telomeric sequences to holokinetic chromosomes of eight species of the insect order Psocoptera. Comparative Cytogenetics 13(4): 403-410. https://doi.org/10.3897/CompCytogen.v13i4.48891
ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:EEB9D81A-FBC1-4312-8157-07B468F8E87A
Repetitive DNAs are the main components of eukaryotic genome. We mapped the 18S rDNA and TTAGG telomeric probe sequences by FISH to meiotic chromosomes of eight species of the order Psocoptera considered a basal taxon of Paraneoptera: Valenzuela burmeisteri (Brauer, 1876), Stenopsocus lachlani Kolbe, 1960, Graphopsocus cruciatus (Linnaeus, 1768), Peripsocus phaeopterus (Stephens, 1836), Philotarsus picicornis (Fabricius, 1793), Amphigerontia bifasciata (Latreille, 1799), Psococerastis gibbosa (Sulzer, 1766), and Metylophorus nebulosus (Stephens, 1836). These species belong to five distantly related families of the largest psocid suborder Psocomorpha: Caeciliusidae, Stenopsocidae, Peripsocidae, Philotarsidae, and Psocidae. We show that all the examined species share a similar location of 18S rDNA on a medium-sized pair of autosomes. This is the first study of rDNA clusters in the order Psocoptera using FISH. We also demonstrate that these species have the classical insect (TTAGG)n telomere organization. Our results provide a foundation for further cytogenetic characterization and chromosome evolution studies in Psocoptera.
Insecta, psocids, Psocomorpha, meiosis, holokinetic chromosomes, (TTAGG)n, 18S rDNA, FISH
Psocoptera (booklice and barklice) are a small insect order considered a basal taxon of Paraneoptera (Yoshizawa and Saigusa 2001). The order includes 5941 species in 485 genera, 41 families and 3 suborders: Trogiomorpha, Troctomorpha and Psocomorpha (Mockford 2018). To date, 90 psocopteran species (51 genera, 21 families) have been cytogenetically studied, most of them (80 species, 43 genera, 16 families) belonging to the largest suborder Psocomorpha (reviewed in Golub and Nokkala 2009). In this suborder, the majority of species (71 species from 36 genera and 15 families) display 2n = 16 + XX/X(0) indicative of a particular karyotype conservatism of the group. This karyotype is considered modal and ancestral both for Psocomorpha and for the order Psocoptera in general (Wong and Thornton 1966, Golub 1999, Golub and Nokkala 2009). To date, different derived karyotypes have been reported only for nine species: Amphipsocus japonicus Enderlein, 1906 and Kolbia quisquiliarum Bertkau, 1882 from the family Amphipsocidae (2n = 14 + XX/neo-XY); Elipsocus moebiusi Tetens, 1891 and Loensia variegata (Latreilee, 1799) from the families Elipsocidae and Psocidae, respectively (2n = 12 +XX/X(0); Neopsocopsis hitricornis (Reuter, 1893), Metylophorus nebulosus (Stephens, 1836), and Amphigerontia jezoensis Okamoto, 1907 from the family Psocidae (2n = 14 +XX/X(0); Stenopsocus lachlani Kolbe, 1960 and Stenopsocus aphidiformis Enderlein, 1906 from the family Stenopsocidae (2n = 22 +XX/X(0)).
Psocoptera are characterized by holokinetic chromosomes (Meinander et al. 1974, Golub and Nokkala 2009), which are known to lack such physical landmarks as primary constrictions (the centromeres) and, thus, show no distinguishable markers that could be studied by conventional techniques. In the majority of psocid species, the chromosomes are small and of similar size, making it impossible to identify individual chromosomes. Although karyotypes have been described for many psocid species, individual chromosomes were not identified in most of these reported karyotypes. Such chromosome sets, therefore, are not comparable among related species and cannot be used for evolutionary studies.
The application of banding techniques to chromosome studies of Psocoptera is scarce (Golub and Nokkala 2001, Golub et al. 2004). Golub et al. (2004) used C-banding, silver impregnation and sequence-specific fluorochromes CMA3 and DAPI to study male meiotic karyotypes of Psococerastis gibbosa (Sulzer, 1766) with 2n = 16 + X(0), Blaste conspurcata (Rambur, 1842) with 2n = 16 + X(0), and Amphipsocus japonicus with 2n = 14 + neo-XY. Based on the results obtained, the authors had concluded that NORs (nucleolus organizer regions) were located differently in these species: on an autosomal bivalent, on the X chromosome, and on the neo-XY bivalent, respectively. We believe however that additional studies are needed to confirm the precise localization of NORs in the above species. Using C-banding, the authors found minor interspecific differences in amount, molecular composition and localization of C-heterochromatin as well as some analogous differences between various chromosomes of a particular species.
Our knowledge of karyotype structure and evolution in Psocoptera could be improved by the implementation of molecular cytogenetic approaches. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) has become the most important technique for tracing individual chromosomes in holokinetic insects (e.g., Panzera et al. 2012, 2015, Maryańska-Nadachowska et al. 2013, 2018, Mandrioli et al. 2014, Kuznetsova et al. 2015, Anjos et al. 2016, Golub et al. 2017, Salanitro et al. 2017, Grozeva et al. 2019). It was shown in some case studies that species with the same chromosome complement differ in the number and location of rDNA sites (Panzera et al. 2012, 2015, Maryańska-Nadachowska et al. 2013, Golub et al. 2017). Moreover, some higher insect taxa were shown to differ in respect to the presence/absence of the insect-type telomere motif (TTAGG)n. Specifically, such variation has been demonstrated for some Paraneoptera, e.g. Hemiptera, where more basal taxa appear to have the ancestral insect telomere motif (TTAGG)n while more advanced taxa have lost this telomeric sequence (reviewed in Kuznetsova et al. 2019). The only psocid species studied so far by FISH, Stenopsocus lachlani (Psocomorpha, Stenopsocidae), was documented to have the (TTAGG)n telomere motif (Frydrychová et al. 2004).
Here, we used FISH with the telomeric TTAGG and 18S rDNA probes to study male meiotic chromosomes of Valenzuela burmeisteri (Brauer, 1876), Stenopsocus lachlani, Graphopsocus cruciatus (Linnaeus, 1768), Peripsocus phaeopterus (Stephens, 1836), Philotarsus picicornis (Fabricius, 1793), Amphigerontia bifasciata (Latreille, 1799), Psococerastis gibbosa, and Metylophorus nebulosus. The standard karyotypes of these species were previously reported (reviewed in Golub and Nokkala 2009). We demonstrate that the above species, belonging to five different families of the largest suborder Psocomorpha (Caeciliusidae, Stenopsocidae, Peripsocidae, Philotarsidae, and Psocidae), are characterized by conserved karyotypes in respect to telomere composition and rDNA location. This is the first study of rDNA clusters in the order Psocoptera using FISH.
The information on the localities where the specimens were collected and on the number of specimens/nuclei examined is presented in Table 1. Only male adult specimens were analyzed. Males were fixed in the Carnoy fixative (3:1; 96% ethanol and glacial acetic acid) and stored at 4 °C. Testes were dissected out in a drop of 45% acetic acid and squashed. The cover slips were removed using dry ice. Prior to staining, the preparations were examined by phase contrast microscopy.
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Material studied.
Collection date and localities
Number of studied males / nuclei
Fam. Caeciliusidae
Valenzuela burmeisteri Russia, the Altai Republic, Artybash vic., 51°47'28"N, 87°15'21"W, July, 2019 4/12
Fam. Stenopsocidae
Stenopsocus lachlani Russia, the Altai Republic, Artybash vic., 51°47'28"N, 87°15'21"W, July, 2019 2/22
Graphopsocus cruciatus Russia, Voronezh region, Maklok vic., 51°48'42"N, 39°24'51"W, August, 2018 4/18
Fam. Peripsocidae
Peripsocus phaeopterus Russia, the Altai Republic, Artybash vic., 51°47'28"N, 87°15'21"W, July, 2019 6/30
Fam. Philotarsidae
Philotarsus picicornis Russia, the Altai Republic, Artybash vic., 51°47'28"N, 87°15'21"W, July, 2019 6/42
Fam. Psocidae
Amphigerontia bifasciata Russia, Karachay-Cherkess Republic, Teberda vic., 43°27'00"N, 41°45'00"W, July, 2017 2/10
Metylophorus nebulosus Russia, the Altai Republic, Artybash vic., 51°47'28"N, 87°15'21"W, July, 2019 5/28
Psococerastis gibbosa Russia, the Altai Republic, Artybash vic., 51°47'28"N, 87°15'21"W, July, 2019 4/46
Fluorescence in situ hybridization was performed according to the published protocol (Grozeva et al. 2015) with minor modifications. The target 18S rDNA probe (about 1200 bp fragment) was PCR amplified and labelled with biotin-11-dUTP (Fermentas, EU) using primers: 18SrRNA_F 5'-GATCCTGCCAGTAGTCATATG-3', 18SrRNA_R 5'-GAGTCAAATTAAGCCGCAGG-3' (Anokhin et al. 2010). Genomic DNA was extracted from the true bug Pyrrhocoris apterus (Linnaeus, 1758). An initial denaturation period of 3 min at 94 °C was followed by 35 cycles of 30 s at 94 °C, annealing for 30 s at 55.5 °C and extension for 1.5 min at 72 °C, with a final extension step of 3 min at 72 °C. The telomere probe (TTAGG)n was amplified by PCR and labeled with rhodamine-5-dUTP (GeneCraft, Köln, Germany) using primers: TTAGG_F 5'-TAACCTAACCTAACCTAACCTAA-3' and TTAGG_R 5'-GGTTAGGTTAGGTTAGGTTAGG-3' (Grozeva et al. 2011). An initial denaturation period of 3 min at 94 °C was followed by 30 cycles of 45 s at 94 °C, annealing for 30 s at 50 °C and extension for 50 s at 72 °C, with a final extension step of 3 min at 72 °C. The chromosome preparations were treated with 100 μg/ml RNase A and 5 mg/ml pepsin solution to remove excess RNA and proteins. Chromosomes were denatured in the hybridization mixture containing labelled 18S rDNA and (TTAGG)n probes with an addition of salmon sperm blocking reagent and then hybridized for 42 h at 37 °C. 18S rDNA probes were detected with NeutrAvidin-Fluorescein conjugate (Invitrogen, Karlsbad, CA, USA). The chromosomes were mounted in an antifade medium (ProLong Gold antifade reagent with DAPI, Invitrogen) and covered with a glass coverslip.
Standard karyotypes
All chromosome numbers fully correspond to the previously published karyotype data for all studied species (reviewed in Golub and Nokkala 2009). Males of Valenzuela burmeisteri, Graphopsocus cruciatus, Peripsocus phaeopterus, Philotarsus picicornis, Amphigerontia bifasciata, and Psococerastis gibbosa were confirmed to have 2n = 16 + X(0), the chromosome complement known to be the most characteristic and presumably ancestral for Psocoptera (Wong and Thornton 1966, Golub 1999, Golub and Nokkala 2009). Males of Stenopsocus lachlani and Metylophorus nebulosus were confirmed to have 2n = 22 + X(0) and 2n = 14 + X(0), respectively. Thus, even though the sex chromosome system is the same among all studied species, the number of autosomes differs considerably between them. Based on the meiotic figures, we can infer that the karyotype structure of these species is uniform: all the bivalents constitute a decreasing size series, which makes identifying individual bivalents almost impossible. The only exception to this rule is the karyotype of M. nebulosus. In this species, metaphase I nuclei were shown to include seven bivalents with a particular element being significantly larger than the other ones (Meinander et al. 1974, Golub 1999, present study).
FISH mapping of 18S rDNA repeats
In each of the species studied, FISH mapping with the 18S rDNA probe revealed two large clusters located in a sub-terminal position on the homologues of a medium-sized bivalent (Fig. 1a–h). The signals could be observed either in the chiasmate or the opposite region of the rDNA-carrying bivalent, thus suggesting that the same homologue is able to orient differently within the bivalent. Following current knowledge, all the studied species are suggested to share a similar chromosomal location of the rRNA genes on the same pair of autosomes. However, this speculation is premature, since the precise identification of particular bivalents in psocid karyotypes is currently impossible due to the absence of additional differential chromosomal landmarks.
FISH mapping of TTAGG telomeric sequences (red signals) and 18S rDNA (green signals) to meiotic chromosomes of Psocoptera a Valenzuela burmeisteri, MI, n = 8 + X b Stenopsocus lachlani, MI, n = 11 + X c Graphopsocus cruciatus, MI, n = 8 + X d Peripsocus phaeopterus, MI, n = 8 + X e Philotarsus picicornis, MI, n = 8 + X f Amphigerontia bifasciata, diakinesis, n = 8 + X g Psococerastis gibbosa, MI, n = 8 + X h Metylophorus nebulosus, MI, n = 7 + X. Arrowheads and arrows indicate sex chromosomes and 18S rDNA signals, respectively. Scale bar: 10 μm.
FISH mapping of TTAGG telomeric repeats
In each of the species studied, FISH mapping with TTAGG repeats revealed signals located in a telomeric position on the chromosomes. The signals were visible in most but not all terminal regions of meiotic chromosomes. Moreover, in some species, the signals were bright (Fig. 1b, e, g, h), whereas in other species they were not so clearly defined (Fig. 1a, c, d, f).
A previous investigation by Frydrychová et al. (2004) documented presence of the (TTAGG)n telomere motif in S. lachlani (Stenopsocidae). Despite the variability in the signal intensity, the currently existing data on eight genera from five different families lead to the conclusion that psocids, at least those from the suborder Psocomorpha, share the telomere structure (TTAGG)n known to be characteristic of the majority of insect orders and considered ancestral for the class Insecta in general (Kuznetsova et al. 2019).
In conclusion, the present study contributes to the understanding of the chromosome structure of Psocoptera and provides a foundation for further cytogenetic characterization and chromosome evolution studies in this group.
The present study was supported by the research project no. AAAA-A19-119020790106-0, by the research grants from the Russian Foundation for Basic Research Nos 17-04-00828 and 19-54-18002, and by the Presidium of the RAS, Program No. 41 "Biodiversity of natural systems and biological resources of Russia".
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I was passing through Portmarnock yesterday. The place where I grew up. On the way, I stopped on the coast road to Malahide and took a few photos at High Rock. It was quiet, being morning time, and a working day. During the 20 minutes that I was there, the weather changed from idyllic summer to apocalyptic stormy. Either way, it's beautiful.
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Home > Journals > Affiliated Journals > SJIS > Vol. 10 (1998) > Iss. 1
Scandinavian Journal of Information Systems
Multimedia: interdisciplinary challenges to design
Susanne Bødker, University of Aarhus, DenmarkFollow
Kaj Grftnbrek, University of Aarhus, DenmarkFollow
The term multimedia is often used for research into getting new media, like sound and video, into the computer. In recent years activities have escalated. Many new research and educational activities have been initiated, also in Scandinavia. The label multimedia has been broadened to include research in, e.g. video-conferencing, hypermedia, CSCW, virtual reality, robotics, and digital theater. Accordingly, the field is opening for many new and exciting interdisciplinary challenges. We propose that the IS community could get an important role in engaging in re-conceptualisation of computer artifacts from the perspective of use. We should focus on concerns for advances in interaction technology, new domains beyond work, new ways of working in interdisciplinary teams, and new ways of working with users who are not established in a well-defined work setting.
Bødker, Susanne and Grftnbrek, Kaj (1998) "Multimedia: interdisciplinary challenges to design," Scandinavian Journal of Information Systems: Vol. 10 : Iss. 1 , Article 4.
Available at: https://aisel.aisnet.org/sjis/vol10/iss1/4
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In May, The HCA Foundation participated in the 2015 Collective Impact Forum Funders Convening in New Orleans. The key themes for this convening included equity, leadership, effectiveness, and community engagement and inclusion.
Angela Glover Blackwell presented a keynote address entitled, "Equity Matters in Collective Impact." You can watch the video from the convening below and find more resources for collective impact at the Collective Impact Forum.


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RÚV2
Live coverage of the Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final in Rotterdam with English commentary. Presented by Alex Elliott.
Second semi-final
Live coverage of the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam with English commentary. Presented by Alex Elliott.
First semi-final
Live coverage of the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam with English commentary. Presented by Alex Elliott.
Barnalæsing óvirk


For decades now, the majority of cancer therapies have spawned from a combination of understanding the human genome, the cancer genome, and aberrant signaling proteins in cancer cells. However, exciting new developments in immunotherapy revolve around T cells, including antibodies that relieve T cell checkpoints and genetic modification and transfer of T cells. Even though T cells are naturally poised to recognize cancer mutations, the field of immunotherapy for cancer has progressed in quiet parallel to the field of cancer genetics. Now, Tran and colleagues have merged T cell therapy with tumor exome sequencing and show a proof of concept that T cells recognize tumor-specific mutations and that merely culturing and expanding these T cells and transferring them back to the patient is enough to mediate tumor regression.
Here, resected lung metastases from a patient with metastatic cholangiocarcinoma were used as a source of tumor and T cells. After identification of 26 nonsynonymous mutations, a CD4+ T cell population that specifically recognized a mutant epitope from erbb2-interacting protein (ERBB2IP) was identified, expanded, and cloned; the T cell receptor was sequenced; and its specificity confirmed. The patient received two infusions of cultured and expanded tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes; conditioning chemotherapy and cytokine support were administered to improve engraftment of the cells. The patient experienced a marked tumor regression after each infusion.
The wedding of cancer genomics with T cell immunotherapy is exciting and raises scientific and practical questions; Could this dormant T cell population have mediated tumor regression with checkpoint blockade? The patient was not cured; what if the specific T cell receptor had been genetically introduced into circulating T cells? Could these have a better functional profile than the ones isolated from tumor? What is the implication of the fact that these were CD4+ T cells, which are not expected to recognize intracellular epitopes by the classical immunologic pathways? The process of identifying mutations and generating specific T cells for each patient is probably too slow and expensive to treat all patients, but one can imagine beginning to build a library of T cell receptors that recognize common tumor mutations in multiple tumor types and, in the future, combining personalized tumor diagnostics with personalized cell therapy.
A cholangiocarcinoma patient responded to adoptive T cell therapy specific to a mutation identified by whole-exome sequencing.


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Guidetti ist der Familienname folgender Personen:

 Daria Guidetti (* 1978), italienische Astronomin
 Giovanni Guidetti (* 1972), italienischer Volleyballtrainer
 John Guidetti (* 1992), schwedischer Fußballspieler

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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« Update on Smallpox Virus Destruction
US National Assessment of GM Crops Confirms GM Critics' Fears »
US National Assessment of GM Crops Confirms GM Critics' Fears
Re: US National Assessment of GM Crops Confirms GM Critics' Fears
Overuse of herbicides that comes as a package with genetically modified (GM) herbicide tolerant crops has resulted in weed resistance, according to a study by a United States national science advisory body.
Nine species of weeds have developed resistance to glyphosate, a major component in herbicides such as Roundup produced by Monsanto. And some populations of two insect pests have become immune to the toxin produced by GM plants like Bt corn and Bt cotton. These developments confirm GM critics' long-held fears about the environmental impacts of GM crops.
The National Research Council's report released on April 13 is the first major assessment of the impacts of GM crops on US farmers since GM crops were introduced in 1996 and embraced by cotton, soybean and corn farmers attracted to promises of high yields, low costs and environmental benefits.
The report – Impact of Biotechnology on Farm-Level Economics and Sustainability – also warned of a potential increase in the use of more toxic chemicals, thus negating the so-called environmental benefits of GM crops and rendering the controversial technology useless.
While the report claimed that American farmers are enjoying higher profits and reducing harm to the environment, critics pointed to the skewed calculation that only focuses on the initial years before real impacts such as weed resistance emerged and the costs of patented seeds increased.
The report is available at http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=12804&page=7
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Study Says Overuse Threatens Gains From Modified Crops
By ANDREW POLLACK
New York Times, April 13 2010
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/14/business/energy-environment/14crop.html?src=busln
Genetically engineered crops have provided "substantial" environmental and economic benefits to American farmers, but overuse of the technology is threatening to erode the gains, a national science advisory organization said Tuesday in a report.
The report is described as the first comprehensive assessment of the impact of genetically modified crops on American farmers, who have rapidly adopted them since their introduction in 1996. The study was issued by the National Research Council, which is affiliated with the National Academy of Sciences and provides advice to the nation under a Congressional charter.
The report found that the crops allowed farmers to either reduce chemical spraying or to use less harmful chemicals. The crops also offered farmers lower production costs, higher output or extra convenience, benefits that generally outweighed the higher costs of the engineered seeds.
"Many American farmers are enjoying higher profits due to the widespread use of certain genetically engineered crops and are reducing environmental impacts on and off the farm," David Ervin, the chairman of the committee that wrote the report, said in a statement.
However, added Dr. Ervin, a professor of environmental management and economics at Portland State University in Oregon, "These benefits are not universal for all farmers."
Nor are they necessarily permanent. The report warned that farmers were jeopardizing the benefits by planting too many so-called Roundup Ready crops. These crops are genetically engineered to be impervious to the herbicide Roundup, allowing farmers to spray the chemical to kill weeds while leaving the crops unscathed.
Overuse of this seductively simple approach to weed control is starting to backfire. Use of Roundup, or its generic equivalent, glyphosate, has skyrocketed to the point that weeds are rapidly becoming resistant to the chemical. That is rendering the technology less useful, requiring farmers to start using additional herbicides, some of them more toxic than glyphosate.
"Farmer practices may be reducing the utility of some G.E. traits as pest-management tools and increasing the likelihood of a return to more environmentally damaging practices," the report concluded. It said the problem required national attention.
More than 80 percent of the corn, soybean and cotton grown in the United States is genetically engineered. The crops tolerate Roundup, are resistant to insects, or both.
American farmers were the first to widely adopt the technology and still account for about half of all the engineered crops grown. The crops are also being widely grown in Latin America and parts of Asia but still largely shunned in Europe.
The rapid adoption of the crops is evidence that American farmers see the technology as beneficial.
Nevertheless, in the fiercely polarized debate about genetically modified crops, there is little agreement on anything. Critics have issued studies saying that use of the crops have led to increased pesticide use and has had only a minimal effect on crop yields.
The National Research Council report was prepared by a committee of mainly academic scientists and relied primarily on peer reviewed papers.
Still, the report is not likely to win over critics of the crops.
One critic, Charles Benbrook, who reviewed a draft of the report, said the conclusion that the crops help farmers might no longer be true, or might not be true in the future. That is because the report relies mostly on data from the first few years, before prices of the biotech seeds rose sharply and the glyphosate-resistant weeds proliferated.
"This is a very different future," said Dr. Benbrook, an agricultural economist who is chief scientist at the Organic Center, which promotes organic food and farming. "The cost is going to be way higher. The environmental impacts are going to go up fairly dramatically."
As prices of the biotech seeds have risen sharply, even some farmers are now starting to question whether they are worth it. Just last week, Monsanto, the leading agricultural biotechnology company, said it would lower the prices of its newest genetically engineered soybeans and corn seeds because farmers were not buying as many of the seeds as it had expected.
The Department of Justice is now investigating whether Monsanto, which has patents on some of the fundamental technology including the Roundup Ready system, is violating antitrust laws, unduly increasing prices or hindering innovation.
The National Research Council report addresses this issue briefly without mentioning Monsanto. It says that issues of proprietary terms "has not adversely affected the economic welfare of farmers who adopt G.E. crops." But it said there is some evidence that the availability of non-engineered crops "may be restricted for some farmers."
The report said that the use of Roundup Ready crops has led to a huge increase in the spraying of glyphosate but a nearly concomitant decrease in the use of other herbicides. That is a net environmental benefit, the report said, because glyphosate is less toxic to animals than many other herbicides and does not last that long in the environment.
The use of herbicide-tolerant crops has also made it easier for farmers to forgo tilling their fields as a way to control weeds. So-called no-till farming helps prevent soil erosion and the runoff of rainwater containing sediments and chemicals.
The improvement in water quality could prove to be the largest benefit of the crops, the report said, though it added that efforts should be made to measure any such effects.
Still the biotech crops are only one factor promoting no-till farming. The report said that about half of soybeans were already being grown with little or no tillage by the time Roundup Ready soybeans were introduced in 1996. That rose to 63 percent in 2008.
The other major class of genetically engineered crops is the so-called BT corn and BT cotton, which contain bacterial genes allowing the plants to produce an insecticide.
The report said that use of chemical insecticides has declined as the BT crops have spread. In areas of with heavy insect pressure, it said, the use of the crops has increased farmer income because of higher yields and reduced expenditures on insecticide.
The report said that when genetically engineered crops were first introduced, some had lower yields than conventional varieties, a finding often cited by critics. But the report said that newer studies show either a modest increase in yield or a neutral effect.
FARMERS WHO PLANT BIOTECH CROPS GROW PESTICIDE-RESISTANT WEEDS
Environmental News Service, USA
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/apr2010/2010-04-13-091.html
WASHINGTON, DC, April 13, 2010 (ENS) – Weeds are developing resistance to the herbicide that genetically engineered crops are designed to tolerate, finds the first major assessment of how biotech crops are affecting all U.S. farmers, released today by the National Research Council.
Since genetically engineered crops were introduced in 1996, at least nine species of weeds in the United States have evolved resistance to glyphosate, a main component in Roundup and other commercial weed killers, according to the report.
The weeds have become resistant to glyphosate largely because of repeated exposure, the assessment found.
"Genetically engineered crops could lose their effectiveness unless farmers also use other proven weed and insect management practices," advises the committee that wrote the report, formally called the Committee on the Impact of Biotechnology on Farm-Level Economics and Sustainability.
Genetically engineered crops now constitute more than 80 percent of soybeans, corn, and cotton grown in the United States. In addition to glyphosate resistance these crops are engineered to produce Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), a bacterium that kills susceptible insect pests.
"Many American farmers are enjoying higher profits due to the widespread use of certain genetically engineered crops and are reducing environmental impacts on and off the farm," said David Ervin, professor of environmental management and economics, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon, and chair of the committee.
"However, these benefits are not universal for all farmers," he said.
Improvements in water quality could prove to be the largest single benefit of genetically engineered crops, the report finds.
Insecticide use has declined since genetically engineered crops were introduced, and farmers who grow genetically engineered crops use fewer insecticides and herbicides that linger in soil and waterways, the report notes.
In addition, farmers who grow GE herbicide-resistant crops till less often to control weeds and are more likely to practice conservation tillage, which improves soil quality and water filtration and reduces erosion.
But no infrastructure exists to track and analyze the effects that genetically engineered crops may have on water quality.
The U.S. Geological Survey, along with other federal and state environmental agencies, should be provided with financial resources to document effects of GE crops on U.S. watersheds, the committee recommends.
The report notes that although two types of insects have developed resistance to Bt, there have been few economic or agronomic consequences from resistance.
"Practices to prevent insects from developing resistance should continue, such as an EPA-mandated strategy that requires farmers to plant a certain amount of conventional plants alongside Bt plants in "refuge" areas," the committee recommends.
"And as more GE traits are developed and incorporated into a larger variety of crops, it's increasingly essential that we gain a better understanding of how genetic engineering technology will affect U.S. agriculture and the environment now and in the future," Ervin said.
"Such gaps in our knowledge are preventing a full assessment of the environmental, economic, and other impacts of GE crops on farm sustainability," he said.
Still, the committee was confident in its recommendation that farmers who grow GE herbicide-resistant crops "should not rely exclusively on glyphosate and need to incorporate a range of weed management practices, including using other herbicide mixes."
The higher costs associated with genetically engineered seeds are not always offset financially by lower production costs or higher yields, the report notes. For example, farmers in areas with fewer weed and pest problems may not have as much improvement in terms of reducing crop losses as farmers with more weeds and pests.
Even so, the report cites studies showing that farmers value the greater flexibility in pesticide spraying that genetically engineered crops provide and the increased safety for workers from less exposure to harmful pesticides.
Farmers have not been negatively affected by the proprietary terms involved in patent-protected genetically engineered seeds, the report says.
But some farmers have expressed concern that consolidation of the U.S. seed market will make it harder to buy conventional seeds or those that have only specific genetically engineered traits.
The committee recommends that research institutions receive government support to develop genetically engineered traits that could deliver valuable public benefits but provide little market incentive for the private sector to develop. These might be plants that decrease the likelihood of off-farm water pollution or plants that are resilient to changing climate conditions.
The committee recommends that intellectual property that has been patented in developing major crops should be made available for these purposes.
The study was funded by the National Research Council, an independent, nonprofit institution that provides science, technology, and health policy advice under an 1863 congressional charter.
Committee members, who serve pro bono as volunteers, are chosen by the National Academies for each study based on their expertise and experience and must satisfy the Academies' conflict-of-interest standards. The resulting consensus reports undergo external peer review before completion.
Click here to access the full report, "Impact of Genetically Engineered Crops on Farm Sustainability in the United States." http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12804
OVERUSE OF ROUNDUP SPROUTS RESISTANT WEEDS
By Philip Brasher
The Des Moines Register, USA
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20100414/BUSINESS01/4140349/-1/LIFE04/Overuse-of-Roundup-sprouts-resistant-weeds
Washington, D.C. – Farmers' overuse of a popular herbicide is producing weeds that are immune to the chemical and threatening to erase the environmental benefits of some biotech crops, according to a new study.
The use of genetically engineered soybeans, corn and other crops that are resistant to Roundup herbicide has allowed farmers to reduce their tillage, which cuts down on erosion and protects the water quality in neighboring streams and ponds. Farmers also have lowered their use of more toxic herbicides, such as atrazine, as they switched to the biotech seeds.
But crop-damaging weeds such as water hemp, lamb's-quarters and ragweed are evolving resistance to Roundup and becoming a major problem in farmers' fields, most significantly in the Southeast but increasingly in the Midwest as well, according to the study by the National Research Council, an arm of the National Academy of Sciences.
It's only a matter of time before the weeds are prevalent across Iowa unless farmers change their practices, said Michael Owen, an Iowa State University weed specialist who was one of the 10 scientists who conducted the study.
"This is simple Darwinian evolution in fast forward," Owen said.
The scientists measured the economic and environmental impacts of genetically engineered crops and looked into a variety of issues, including the effect on growers' production costs, chemical usage, worker safety and tillage practices, as well as weed management.
All in all, biotechnology "has produced substantial net environmental and economic benefits to U.S. farmers compared with" nonbiotech crops, the panel said in the 253-page report.
The gene-altered seeds cost more than conventional varieties, but farmers get higher yields for some crops, spend less on fuel and pesticides and save time, the study said. The use of corn varieties that resist a pest that attacks the plants' roots reduced pesticide use by 5.5 million pounds for every 10 million acres, according to one study cited by the scientists.
Crop yields were higher in some insect-resistant crops, especially during years when the pests were at their peak, the scientists said.
"If we're not going to get any value from it (the technology), we're not going to use it," said John Heisdorffer, who grows the biotech corn and soybeans west of Washington, Ia. "I don't think that's any different than any other business."
Heisdorffer is typical of many growers, according to the study. He saves on fuel and herbicide costs because he needs less of both; Roundup replaces several chemicals he had used and doesn't have to be applied as frequently as they did. He also gets a discount of as much as $4 an acre on crop insurance because the biotech varieties are considered more reliable. So far, he hasn't run into problems with Roundup-resistant weeds, he said.
The study would bolster some arguments of the technology's critics while undermining others. Some anti-biotech groups have long argued, for example, that the crops mainly benefited the companies that developed them, including Pioneer Hi-Bred in Johnston, a unit of DuPont, and Monsanto Co.
But some of those same critics have been warning, too, about an increase in Roundup-resistant weeds because of the use of herbicide-tolerant soybeans, corn and cotton.
Bacteria genes are inserted into the crops to make the plants toxic to insects, immune to Roundup or both. New varieties are under development that will be resistant to drought, make better use of nitrogen fertilizer and produce more healthful cooking oils.
Last year, farmers used biotech seed for 86 percent of the corn, 91 percent of the soybeans and 88 percent of the cotton planted nationwide, according to the Agriculture Department. All the biotech soybeans are herbicide resistant, as is much of the corn and cotton. A similar variety of sugar beets is in wide use.
Roundup is the trade name for glyphosate, a product of Monsanto, which also developed the first herbicide-tolerant crops. Roundup can control a wide variety of weeds with fewer environmental risks than chemicals that it replaced.
However, glyphosate-resistant weeds have become so common in Georgia that farmers have stopped using Roundup-immune cotton seeds, said Lareesa Wolfenbarger, a panel member from the University of Nebraska-Omaha.
Ron Heck, a former president of the American Soybean Association who farms near Perry, said he prevents the development of Roundup-resistant weeds by trying not to overuse the chemical. Some of his soybeans are resistant to a different herbicide, known as Ignite, glufosinate, and he plants some of his corn to varieties that aren't immune to any herbicide.
Weeds have become resistant to herbicides before, and farmers have always adapted, he said. He said farmers are broadly knowledgeable about the need not to overuse Roundup.
Owen, however, estimated based on his research that farmers are using the herbicide exclusively on 75 to 80 percent of the soybean acreage in the Midwest and about half the corn acreage. Farmers think they're saving money by using Roundup alone, but they often aren't because the weeds they fail to kill reduce crop yields, he said.
Farmers must be careful to preserve Roundup's effectiveness because the chemical companies don't have an alternative close to being ready, he said.
Margaret Mellon, who follows biotech issues for the Union of Concerned Scientists, told scientists at a briefing on the study that some farmers already were starting to use more toxic chemicals to treat their weeds.
"We are going back to the bad old herbicides that glyphosate was supposed to replace," she said.
The study urged government agencies and private companies to work with farmers to better manage the problem.
April 27th, 2010 | Category: Ecological
« US National Assessment of GM Crops Confirms GM Critics' Fears
Submission from Norway on the Risks of GMOs to Biodiversity and Human Health »
April 27th, 2010 | Category: Assessment & Impacts


text:
Q: Not able to get this link alligned properly Edit: I'm not an Html pro.
I want to add this text :
AIM -> Historian
AIM -> AIM
AIM -> PI
Historian -> PI
Perfectly aligned like the ones above in the picture. It is one link with all this text.

I have tried <p style ="text-indent:5em; and I have also tried to make a <ul style ="text-indent:5em; but the spacing is still weird an not what I want. As you can see there is an empty space above which is unneeded and the Text alignment is not proper.
The Code

Data Acquisition and Reporting

        High-Speed Data Acquisition

        Custom Driver Development

        Custom Reporting Solutions

15)  Historian Migration

AIM -> Historian
AIM -> AIM
AIM -> PI
Historian -> PI

Custom Windows Application

        SOE/TRA Suite

        TCP Time-Sync

        Power Calculations

Style Sheet
body { background: #000 url("../images/background.jpg") no-repeat center top; }
body, h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, h6, ol, ul, li, p, td { font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Tahoma, sans-serif; color: #fff; font-weight: normal; }

.frame { z-index: 10; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 970px; margin-bottom: 20px; position: relative;}

/*  CSS grid credit 960 Grid System http://960.gs  */
/*  Must declare this for all containers with widths in the layout grid so they properly align alongside of each other  */
.leftCol, .rightCol, .headerBox, .shadedBox ul, .rightSplitCol
    { display:inline; float:left; margin-left:0; margin-right:0; }

.topBox { display: block; height: 82px; background: url("../images/header.jpg") no-repeat left top; margin-bottom: 18px; }
.topNav { margin:0; padding:0; float: right; position: relative; top: 10px; right: 10px; text-align: right; font-size: 13px; }
.topNav a:link, .topNav a:visited { color: #fff; text-decoration: none; } .topNav a:hover { text-decoration: underline; }

.leftCol { width: 515px; }
.leftCol .box { margin: 15px 20px !important; }
.rightCol { width: 435px; margin-left: 20px; } .rightSplitCol { width: 232px; margin: 5px 0 0 0; } .splitColspace { margin-left: 10px;}
.rightSplitCol p { font-size: 13px !important; padding: 0 0 5px 0; }

.mission { padding: 10px 0 0 10px;}
.headerBox { color: #000; margin-bottom: 5px; padding: 5px 20px 5px 10px; font-size: 18px; } .headerBoxPink { color: #000; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 5px 20px 5px 10px; font-size: 15px; background-color: #d81c3f; }
.boxBlue { background-color: #00b9e4;} .boxOrange { background-color: #e87511;} .boxGreen { background-color: #c3cf21;}

.shadedBox { background: url("../images/bkgrdBox.png") repeat; }  .venue { margin-bottom: 9px; padding: 7px !important; } .boxMargin { padding: 7px;}
.shadedBox a:link, .shadedBox a:visited { color: #c3d603; } .shadedBox a:hover, .shadedBox a:visited:hover { text-decoration: none; }
.shadedBox ul { list-style: disc; padding: 7px 0 5px 10px; font-size: 13px;  } .shadedBox li { padding-bottom: 0.75em; line-height: 1.4em;}
ul.leftSide { width: 200px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 0;}  ul.rightSide { width: 210px; margin-left: 18px; margin-right: 0;}
.shadedBox p { font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.2em; }  .venue p { line-height: 1.3em !important; }

.small{ color: #ccc; font-size: 12px; }  .big { font-size: 26px; padding-top: 5px;}
.button { float: right; }
.iconSubscribe { float: right; padding: 25px 0 0 5px;}  .iconOpen { float:left; padding: 0 10px 0 0;}
a.whiteLink { color: #fff !important; }

.footer { background: url("../images/footerDots.png") no-repeat left top; margin: 10px 0 10px 20px;}
.footer p { font-size: 11px; margin-top: 20px;}
.brands { background-color: #636466; display:inline; float:right; color: #000; padding: 5px 10px; font-size: 13px;}
.brands a:link, .brands a:visited { color: #000; text-decoration:none; }  .brands a:hover, .brands a:visited:hover { text-decoration:none; }

/*  960 Grid System: Clear style used with various floated containers  */
html body * span.clear, html body * div.clear, html body * li.clear, html body * dd.clear {background:none;border:0;clear:both;display:block;float:none;font-size:0;list-style:none;margin:0;padding:0;overflow:hidden;visibility:hidden;width:0;height:0}
.clearfix:after {clear:both;content:'.';display:block;visibility:hidden;height:0}
.clearfix {display:inline-block}
* html .clearfix{height:1%}
.clearfix {display:block}

A: I'd suggest a simple rewrite of the base-code. Here, I use an H3 for the headers, and target the paragraphs. Unless you use white-space:pre white-space will always collapse to the width of one space.
The code can be cleaned up more, with less paragraph tags, but here's a quick idea.
http://jsfiddle.net/Ufx58/1/
HTML

Data Acquisition and Reporting

        High-Speed Data Acquisition

        Custom Driver Development

        Custom Reporting Solutions

15)  Historian Migration

AIM -> Historian
AIM -> AIM
AIM -> PI
Historian -> PI

Custom Windows Application

        SOE/TRA Suite

        TCP Time-Sync

        Power Calculations

CSS
h3{
    font-weight:bold;
    font-size:1.2em;
}

#tab1 p{
    padding-left:2em;
}

A: This is how I did it and it works

Data Acquisition and Reporting

High-Speed Data Acquisition

Custom Driver Development

Custom Reporting Solutions

Historian Migration

AIM -> HistorianAIM -> AIM

AIM -> PI

Historian -> PI

Custom Windows Application

SOE/TRA Suite

TCP Time-Sync

Power Calculations

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
West Coast Customs launches the "all pink" McLaren 570S Spider of star Jeffree Star Review
The McLaren 570S is a special car that was born to pave the way for McLaren's new Sport Series lineup. This car has the shape of a high-class supercar, but its power is equivalent to high-performance sports cars. Therefore, the 570S is positioned as the "entry-level" model of McLaren with a cheap price, full of appeal for those who want to play super cars with a good starting point.
McLaren 570S owns a pit design with fierce curves, headlights with boomerang-shaped headlights typical of British supercar brand, quite similar to the 650S senior. In particular, despite being in the low-end budget line, the 570S still owns a very unique scissor door, a characteristic often associated with expensive super cars.
West Coast Customs is a brand famous from television series like "Pimp My Ride" or "Streets Custom". With its unique style, quite new in the way of car tuning, West Coast Customs soon won the hearts of many customers, especially famous people. West Coast Customs has "real" customers like basketball superstar Shanquile O'Neal or male singer Justin Bieber, Will.i.am, lady Paris Hilton and rapper Travis Scott.
Recently, this famous car builder has continued to work on a new project. This is a project made to the personal order of star Jeffree Star. As a famous person in many fields such as cinema, music, most recently is the aesthetics segment with Jeffree Star Cosmetics. He is an avid man and has a strong personality, he is known for his unfamiliar fashion style as well as a collection of cars with custom made cars. At the same time, Jeffree Star is also the "regular customer" of West Coast Customs when most of his cars are painted pink and made by this cult brand such as BMW i8, Lamborghini Huracan, Audi. R8, Rolls-Royce Wraith, … and the latest is the McLaren 570S Spider.
With the car's signature orange color, West Coast Customs repainted the exterior and reworked the interior according to Jeffree Star's requirements. This McLaren 570S not only stands out with the iridescent pink color on the exterior but is also polished with many small details such as brake shackles, wheel logos or even cake logos. Details such as the front and back logo are also painted pink with a sporty carbon material.
The interior of this 570S is the most special thing in this project. The original black-orange interior has been removed. All details such as dashboard, door steps, driver's seat are upholstered in two tones of leather and pink suede. Combined with the main pink background is the alternating black details, bringing a balance in interior colors. Jeffrey Star logo is embroidered on the seat.
It can be said that this is a car with bold personalization as well as replacing the owner to speak his own style. This time-level work from West Coast Customs brings the absolute satisfaction of this star that he must say when he sees his favorite car.
The 570S Spider is equipped with an electric roof opening / closing system made of lightweight composite materials and chassis system tweaks that make the car more stable when the hood is open, increasing the weight of the vehicle by about 46 kg. compared to the 570S Coupe. To turn the McLaren 570S Spider from a convertible into a Coupe or vice versa, the driver needs to wait about 15 seconds. The hardtop hardware of the 570S Spider can be opened or closed at speeds below 40 km / h.
The car is equipped with a twin-turbocharged V8 engine, with a capacity of 3.8 liters, producing a maximum power of 562 horsepower and a maximum torque of 600 Nm. This power is transmitted to the rear wheels via a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission, so the car is capable of reaching 100 km / h from a stationary position in just 3.1 seconds and a top speed of 328 km / h. .
Source link: West Coast Customs launches the "all pink" McLaren 570S Spider of star Jeffree Star
What is a high-performance sports car under 20 – worth buying? Review
Ferrari LaFerrari Aperta Ferrari "super product" was sold for 4.6 million dollars Review
Ford Shelby GT500 worth more than $ 1 million will carry a special paint color Review


Learn more about quadcopter control board.
Drones, Quadcopters all you want to know about them. FirstQuadcopter is the world's chairlady in Drone reviews, Quadcopter news, Deals, FPV drones and How-tos.
In this role we give a general overview of the parts needed for a quadcopter, and purvey specific recommendations for your first quadcopter parts careen.
Drones, quadcopters, Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs): whatever they're called, remotely-controlled aircraft have changed the way we see the fraternity, the way we manage crops, the way we sell existent estate, and the way we make war. This book contains tutorials about how to empathize with what drones can do, and projects about how to make your own flying ability, from some of the earliest practitioners in the field.
Springer. 2018. ISBN: 9789811319068,9811319065. 823 pages.


text:
Australian Baptists Join Other Religious Leaders in Calling for Action on Global Warming
by Bob Allen | Aug 14, 2008 | News
In a rare interfaith effort, Australian Baptists joined other faith leaders in a letter calling for action by the federal government on climate change.
The National Council of the Baptist Union of Australia overwhelmingly endorsed an open letter calling on Australia to "take quick and decisive action" to reduce the nation's rising emissions of greenhouse gases.
Six Australian leaders added their signatures to the letter.
"It is unusual for Australian Baptists to join with leaders of other religions in expressions of co-belligerence, but on climate change action this has been possible," said Rod Benson, a Baptist ethicist and signatory.
"We believe that time is running out for the many communities across the globe who are already suffering from the devastating effects of climate change, including in the small island nations and low lying areas of the Pacific region," the letter said. "We recognize that livelihoods, communities and cultures in the Pacific are increasingly threatened by extreme weather events and sea level rise, foreshadowing what is to come if concerted action is not taken. The future impact of unabated climate change on families, communities and all other life will be significant."
As the largest greenhouse gas emitter in the Pacific, the religious leaders said, Australia "bears a disproportionate historical responsibility for this grave situation."
In addition to calling on the government to develop policies to combat climate change, the religious leaders committed themselves to "work for ecologically responsible and sustainable living in our faith communities; listen to, support, and advocate for our partners in the Pacific and in other communities worldwide which are already affected by climate change; and advocate towards all sectors of society to intensify cooperation in response to climate change."
"We are one human family and one creation," the religious leaders said. "Our future is shared, and can only be assured by living together in love and respect for each other and for the earth. We ask all Australians to join us in praying and working for this goal."
The Baptist World Alliance General Council adopted a resolution July 25 calling on Baptist leaders to "strongly support and encourage government, corporate and community initiatives to address the causes of human-induced climate change."
Those actions include "greater use of renewable energy technologies; caps on greenhouse gas emissions; carbon trading; greater use of 'green' architecture, town planning and transport; and encouragement to conserve, reuse and recycle goods."
The resolution confessed "that humans have often denied or ignored our interdependence with creation and abrogated our stewardship of creation, resulting in misuse of the earth's resources, environmental degradation, and damage to ecosystems" and recognized "our failure as Baptists to engage with these issues in an adequate and timely manner."
Other Australian Baptists signing the letter were Ross Clifford, president of Baptist Union of Australia; Ken Clendinning, director of ministry support and development for the Baptist Union of NSW; Alan Marr, director of ministries for the Baptist Union of Victoria; Trevor Spicer, treasurer of the Baptist Union of Australia; and Brian Winslade, national director of the Baptist Union of Australia.
Tags: Baptists, Bob Allen, BWA, Climate Change
Climate Reports Paint Bleak Picture of Global… by Zach Dawes Jr November 3, 2021
Reaction and Response: Big Changes Needed to Meet… by Zach Dawes Jr December 29, 2020
Interreligious Relations Must Become Imperative, Not… by John T. Pawlikowski April 28, 2020


Original and 10 limited edition prints available here.
The top 10 dresses have been chosen (and actually, it ended up being 11, because somehow I labeled two dresses as #39, and 39 won, so I'm painting both!). Starting tomorrow, I'll be revealing the chosen reader dresses--one day at a time--as I paint them ;) I'm excited to share the winners with you!!


Abstract: 基礎架構服務(Infrastructure-as-a-Service)是雲端服務的重要類型之一,它使用逐漸成熟的虛擬化技術(Virtualization Technology),將傳統的硬體資源以軟體的方式虛擬化呈現與整合多個虛擬機器(Virtual Machine) ,來運行服務或提供使用者使用,以此提高實體機器(Physical Machine)資源的使用效率與彈性。除了虛擬機器的虛擬化技術外,網路虛擬化是近年來用來強化IaaS的技術,可提供使用者設定自己所需的網路環境,並且建立自己所需的虛擬叢集(Virtual Cluster)或是虛擬機房(Virtual Datacenter)。然而,利用人工進行虛擬機房的建置與管理會造成效率的問題,也不適合管理大量動態產生與關閉的虛擬機房。因此我們研發虛擬機房的管理軟體SAMEVEDStackV2,來解決虛擬叢集與虛擬機房的資源配置與管理問題。SAMEVEDStackV2是由開放原始碼專案OpenStack所延伸發展的系統,它利用我們發展的虛擬機房監控機制來擷取虛擬叢集的資源使用量,做為系統資源配置的參考。此外,我們利用虛擬機房上的應用程式的特性去設計新的排程演算法,使得虛擬叢集配置時可以考慮實體機器負載,讓實體網路的負載達到最小化可能。我們透過多種實驗案例的測試與調整,發現我們的佈署策略在多組虛擬叢集的運算情況下可讓實體網路的負載大幅降低,但對於CPU使用量卻只有少量的影響。;Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) is an important type of cloud service. It uses server virtualization technology to provide users the software-based virtual machines as the computing power over the physical computing resources in a datacenter, such that the physical computing resources can achieve better utilization rate and manageability. The network virtualization technology is another key technology of IaaS, which can create virtual network environments on top of the physical network environment. With server virtualization and network virtualization, the IaaS users are able to create user-defined virtual clusters/datacenter. The problem is that, manual resources allocation and management for virtual clusters/datacenters is not practical because setting up virtual clusters/datacenters is time-consuming. In addition, the virtual cluster/datacenter placement problem is challenging because we need to consider the constraints of physical resources as well as the relationship among the virtual resources. To solve these problems, we have developed an IaaS management system, SAMEVEDStackV2, based on an open-source software package, OpenStack. The SAMEVEDStackV2 supports a high-level API for virtual clusters/datacenters management, and uses a monitoring/profiling mechanism for tracking and classifying virtual clusters/datacenters. The scheduler uses the information of virtual clusters/datacenters to reduce unnecessary network bandwidth consumption while placing virtual cluster/datacenters on physical computing resources. Our preliminary experimental results show that, the proposed placement strategy can reduce 37% of the physical network bandwidth consumption when comparing with the default OpenStack scheduler.


The Gift Shop, located on the first floor of the hospital, is staffed by volunteers and is open from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. On weekends, hours of operation are limited.
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