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Home > Journals > Medicine & Healthcare > WJA
WJA> Vol.7 No.1, March 2017
Feasibility of Using Two versus Three Rapid Tests for HIV Diagnosis in India: Analysis of Public Health Program Data
Abstract Full-Text HTML XML Download as PDF (Size:295KB) PP. 16-22
DOI: 10.4236/wja.2017.71002 1,226 Downloads 1,869 Views Citations
Varsha Kale1*, Archana Beri2, Madhuri Thakar1, Veenita Sinha Dar3, Shilpa Bembalkar1, Naresh Goel3, Arun Risbud1, Ramesh Paranjape1
1National AIDS Research Institute, Pune, India.
2Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, New Delhi, India.
3National AIDS Control Organisation, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, New Delhi, India.
Under India's National AIDS Control Program (NACP), WHO recommended strategy of using three rapid tests is adopted for diagnosis of HIV in an asymptomatic individual. Since the NACP has a stringent kit evaluation procedure and due to the availability of newer third generation Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDTs) it may be possible to adapt two test strategy for HIV diagnosis instead of the recommended three test strategy. The authors reviewed programmatic data on HIV testing to explore whether use of two rapid tests for HIV diagnosis as against three tests could be a feasible approach without compromising the quality and readability of testing. Data on the HIV diagnosis performed on serum specimens collected for the period of one year (2011-12) from 82 Integrated Testing and Counselling Centers (ICTCs) or Prevention of Parent to Child Transmission Centers (PPTCTs) associated with State reference Laboratories (SRLs) was analysed. Out of 654258 results that were analysed 25168 (3.84%) specimens were positives. It was observed that both two and three test algorithms provided similar results for majority (>99%) of the HIV positive specimens. Discordance was observed in labelling of specimen with inconclusive status (N = 21), however the true status of these samples could not be obtained. The analysis indicated that the use of two test algorithm will have programmatic benefits in terms of reduced financial burden to the programme and ease of procurement, shipment and storage before and after distribution without comprising the quality of the testing. The prospective study would confirm this observation.
HIV Testing, Two Test Strategy, Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDT), National AIDS Control Program (NACP)
1. Introduction/Background
The mainstay of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) diagnosis is the detection of HIV specific antibodies in an individual. As per WHO 2015 HIV Testing guidelines, sequential testing of the sample for HIV specific antibodies by three Rapid Tests is recommended for confirmation of HIV diagnosis in settings of low HIV prevalence (less than 5%) [1] . In India, under the National Acquired Immunodeficiency Disease Syndrome (AIDS) Control Program (NACP) the HIV diagnosis is carried out at number of the integrated counselling and testing centres (ICTC) and Prevention of Parent to Child Transmission centres (PPTCT). To ensure reliable testing, NACP has developed a large network of linkages between its ICTCs and 130 HIV testing reference laboratories for monitoring of quality through executing External Quality Assurance (EQA) Program and retesting mechanisms and training. Induction trainings are conducted for newly appointed laboratory staff at the testing centres. In addition, refresher trainings are conducted to keep staff updated on latest techniques and procedures.
All these testing centres use a three test strategy, where three RDTs are used sequentially for HIV diagnosis. Several RDTs that use recombinant and/or synthetic antigens are commercially available. The most commonly used RDTs are based on the principle of either immuno-concentration or dot blot immunoassay or immuno-chromatography. These tests are simple to perform and fast and easy to interpret. They do not require any special equipment to carry out the test. For this reason, RDTs have been used at the peripheral counselling and testing sites across different countries. This also has helped India to scale up HIV testing services in the national program to 22 million clients through 15606 testing centres in 2013-14 [2] . While most of the RDTs can differentiate between anti HIV-1 and HIV-2 antibodies, some of them are non-differentiating.
The three test strategy used for diagnosis of HIV infection in asymptomatic individuals at the ICTCs includes a screening test with high sensitivity (>99.5%) and specificity above 98%. [3] . The sample is considered negative if the screening test gives a nonreactive result. If the screening test is reactive, the sample is tested by two more tests. Three different kits with different antigen systems and/or different principles are used in the three test strategy. This strategy enables to identify "HIV positive", "HIV negative" or "HIV indeterminate" (Inconclusive status-reactive by two assays and nonreactive by one assay) status of an individual. The samples with "Indeterminate" results are sent to the reference laboratories to resolve the true status of the individual tested in context with HIV infection and also to identify quality related issues in testing if any. If the sample showing "indeterminate" result by RDT is found to be "Indeterminate" by western blot at the reference laboratory, patient is called back after two weeks for a retest to confirm HIV status.
However, diagnosis using three test strategy is not free from challenges, importantly due to the challenges in the continuous supply of three different HIV kits to all the testing centres across the country. In a large country like India, where ICTCs are spread out over a large geographical area, transport of large number of kits is a tedious procedure. Storage of kits at ICTCs is also a problem due to shortage of space. The use of three tests pressurizes the procurement system for continuous availability of the three tests, also delays the diagnosis and reporting in absence of any one test. The two test algorithm could reduce this pressure and also the cost of the testing in the National programme. The turnaround time of reporting results will be reduced thus improving the efficiency of HIV testing centres. Also with advances in technology, the newer third generation diagnostic kits are performing better with higher sensitivity & specificity.
Hence, it would be pertinent to assess if the two test strategy could be adopted in place of three test strategy for HIV diagnosis. The retrospective data on HIV testing was analysed in the present study for determining the ability of two test strategy to correctly identify HIV infected individuals compared to the three test strategy. For this, retrospective data on HIV testing of 654258 individuals at ICTCs/PPTCTs attached to 82 State Reference laboratories was collected for the period 2011-12. The study was intended to build evidence for NACP on whether two test strategy can be used in place of three test strategy without compromising the quality of testing.
2. Methods
Retrospective data on the HIV diagnosis performed on 654258 serum specimens collected over the period of one year (2011-2012) from 82 ICTCs or PPTCTs associated with State reference Laboratories was analysed. These sites are representative of all states of the country. The data of samples received from these la- boratories was unlinked and anonymous with no identifier linked to any human subjects. The information on age, sex or risk group was unavailable for analysis.
In spite of large scale testing, quality standards were well maintained at these testing centres. The testing centres are under continuous quality control through EQA and retesting programmes and have successfully participated in EQA and retesting programme during the period of analysis. Additionally, utmost care is being taken in ensuring accuracy and reliability of kits used for HIV testing. Under NACP prior to procurement, the kits are being evaluated by a group of four laboratories forming a "Consortium for kit Quality" using a standardised SOP based on internationally accepted procedures. Kits successfully passed from Consortium for kit Quality only were procured for HIV diagnosis by the national programme.
The testing at the ICTCs/PPTCTs was performed using a standard strategy using three rapid tests (T1, T2 and T3) in a sequence as per the national guideline [3] . A number of rapid kits based on different principles have been used at the testing centres during the period of analysis. Test kits used at different centres are listed in Table 1. SD Bioline HIV1/2, Combaids RS Advantage, and
Table 1. List of HIV kits used at centres during period of analysis.
Pareekshak HIV1/2 Triline, are the most commonly used rapid kits. The three test strategy provided three outcomes or results viz. Positive, Negative and Indeterminate (Inconclusive). For two test strategy, the diagnosis based on the first two RDTs was considered and the result of the third test was disregarded for the purpose of analysis.
The case definitions for this analysis were taken as;
For Two test strategy (henceforth referred as 2TS):
HIV Positive: Defined as any specimen reactive with both, T1 and T2,
HIV Negative: Defined as any specimen nonreactive with T1 rapid test
HIV Indeterminate: Defined as a sample reactive by T1 and negative by T2
For Three test Strategy (henceforth referred as 3TS):
HIV Positive: Defined as any specimen reactive with all three T1, T2 and T3 rapid tests
HIV Negative: a) defined as any specimen nonreactive with T1 rapid test
b) defined as a sample reactive by the T1 and negative by both T2 and T3
HIV Indeterminate: defined as a sample reactive by T1 and nonreactive by either of T2 or T3.
Data from all ICTCs and PPTCTs were merged for the analysis. The number of HIV positives, HIV negatives and Indeterminates (inconclusive results) obtained by using two test and three test strategies were compared and the percentage of concordance was calculated. Results were summarized by cross tabulating HIV status by 2TS and 3TS. Also the cost of HIV testing by 2TS versus 3TS was compared.
3. Results & Discussion
The analysis of the retrospective (data collected in 2011-12) HIV diagnosis data of 654258 specimens from ICTCs and PPTCTs is presented here. Out of a total 654258 entries, 25168 (3.84%) results were positive, 629009 (96.1%) negative and 81 (0.01%) were Indeterminate (inconclusive) as per the 3TS. In comparison, 2TS labelled 25189 (3.85%) results as positive, 628956 (96.1%) as negative and 113 (0.017%) as Indeterminate. (Inconclusive). Twenty one samples (0.003%) were labelled as positive by 2TS which were reported as Indeterminate (inconclusive) by 3TS. While 53 samples (0.008%) were reported as Indeterminate (inconclusive) by 2TS, these samples were reported as negative by 3 TS (Table 2).
The analysis indicated that the 2TS correctly identified all HIV positive (25168) and all HIV negative (628956) samples as identified by 3TS. As per the set procedure in NACP, the 113 samples indeterminate by 2TS will be required to be tested by a confirmatory assay to assign correct status. Out of 113, 60 were indeterminate by 3TS also. Thus, additional 53 (0.008%) samples were indeterminate by 2TS which were negative by 3TS. Also 21 samples (0.003%) were reactive by first and second test and nonreactive by third test, hence labelled as positive by 2TS whereas indeterminate by 3TS. Since these patients did not turn up for follow up visit, there was no way to identify the correct status of these 21 samples.
This was one of the limitations of the retrospective analysis carried out in the study. Since the HIV diagnosis is associated with stigma and discrimination, the specificity of HIV testing is an important consideration in a public health setting. Hence, it is utmost important to address the false positivity if 2TS is used. A prospective study should be considered to evaluate what percent of samples are likely to be falsely shown as positive by 2TS.
The cost implication analysis was also carried out to understand the differences in the costs of 2TS and 3TS.
The analysis showed that the 2TS would require Rs. 3,60,866 (around US $5314) less as compared to the cost of 3TS (3TS cost versus 2TS cost) (Table 3). This reduction in the cost of testing while using 2 TS is limited for 82 ICTCs/ PPTCTs considered for this analysis. Actually, in the year 2011-12, a total of 90,52,015 individuals were tested for HIV in the national programme, out of which a total of 2,30,880 clients were found to be HIV positive. [4] If two test strategy had been used for testing these number of HIV positive clients, the reduction in the cost of testing would have been around Rs. 43,00,000 (US$ 63328) which is quite significant in any resource limited setting including India and merits the importance of assessing two test strategy further.
Table 2. Comparison of 3TS with 2TS results.
Table 3. Costs of the procurement of kits required for 2TS and 3TS.
The study showed that 2TS could give comparable results to 3TS without compromising quality and is less expensive. Swaminathan et al have also shown on a limited no of samples that two step rapid HIV testing algorithms could provide good cumulative sensitivity (96.6% - 98.6%) and specificity (100%), and high positive and negative predictive values. [5] . However it should be kept in mind that the high PPV could be due to the nature of the HIV status of the tuberculosis patients analysed in this study. Since it was observed that the two test strategy might give false positive results, though in a small (0.003%) percent of individuals, it would be worthwhile to further explore the utility of two test strategy in a planned prospective study.
Being programme data, there are limitations to the availability of data. However the strength lies in the large sample size used for analysis and reliability of the data due to the robust system under which the testing is being carried out.
2TS appears to be as good as 3TS for diagnosing HIV infection in programme setting. False positive results may be seen in a very small percentage of sample. This issue could not be definitively resolved due to non-availability of samples/data for further confirmation. The analysis indicates that it may be possible to replace 3TS by 2TS though additional evidence from a planned prospective study is needed before it is implemented in NACP.
The authors are thankful to all NRLS, SRLs and ICTCs/PPTCTs for providing HIV testing data.
Kale, V. , Beri, A. , Thakar, M. , Dar, V. , Bembalkar, S. , Goel, N. , Risbud, A. and Paranjape, R. (2017) Feasibility of Using Two versus Three Rapid Tests for HIV Diagnosis in India: Analysis of Public Health Program Data. World Journal of AIDS, 7, 16-22. doi: 10.4236/wja.2017.71002.
[1] World Health Organisation Consolidated Guidelines on HIV Testing Services WHO Testing Guidelines July 2015.
www.who.int/hiv/pub/guidelines/hiv-testing-services/en/
[2] Annual Report 2013-14, NACO, Department of AIDS Control, Ministry of Family Welfare, 50.
http://naco.gov.in/sites/default/files/NACO_English%202013-14.pdf
[3] National Guidelines on HIV Testing, NACO.
www.naco.gov.in/sites/.../National_Guidelines_for_HIV_Testing
http://naco.gov.in/sites/default/files/NACO_AR_Eng%202011-12.pdf
[5] Swaminathan, S., Antony, L., Venkatesan, P., Hanna, L.E., Angayarkanni, B., et al. (2008) Sensitivity and Specificity of Combination Testing Algorithms for HIV in a Tuberculosis Clinic. Indian Journal of Medical Research, 128, 772-774.
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text:
Fontana della Navicella (pol. Fontanna ze stateczkiem) – fontanna w rzymskim rione Celio, przed bazyliką Santa Maria in Domnica, przy Via della Navicella.

Lokalizacja
Fontanna znajduje się tuż przed fasadą bazyliki Santa Maria in Domnica, nazywanej również Santa Maria alla navicella, właśnie ze względu na stanowiącą część górną fontanny kopię rzymskiej galery.

Historia
W starożytności na Celio znajdowały się koszary marynarzy z okolic Bacoli (Capo Miseno) odpowiedzialnych za zwijanie i rozwijanie ogromnej zasłony stanowiącej zadaszenie Koloseum, tzw. velarium. Marynarze ci ufundowali na wzgórzu dla swej patronki Izydy kamienny model statku.

Pierwsza wzmianka o istnieniu rzeźby, być może rzymskiej, przedstawiającej starożytny statek, pochodzi z 1484. Obecna rzeźba, najprawdopodobniej autorstwa Andrei Sansovina, pochodzi z 1518-1519. Zamówił ją kard. Giovanni de' Medici, którego diakonią była sąsiadująca z fontanną świątynia. W latach 1513-1514 artysta prowadził prace restauracyjne w bazylice. W 1931 rzeźbę Sansovina, która była ustawiona prostopadle do fasady, obrócono, ustawiając na nowym cokole. Monument ustawiono w nowym owalnym basenie. Barka i cokół wykonane zostały z białego marmuru. Na cokole znajduje się herb Medyceuszy, natomiast na dnie basenu mozaika, wykonana z kamieni rzecznych, przedstawiająca rzekę z łodziami i rybami. Fontannę restaurowano w latach 2003 i 2004. W 2005 fontanna ucierpiała w wyniku aktu wandalizmu.

Galeria

Przypisy

Navicella

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text: A FuelPHP Package to help cleaning some data

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Business Aspect appoints joint general managers
By Chris Player on Nov 30, 2021 10:29AM
Data#3 subsidiary Business Aspect has appointed Kristian Hanlon and Peter Jarrett as co-leaders and joint General Managers.
The company specialises in advisory, project delivery, security and analytics.
Business Aspect said in a statement that the two will be responsible for the development and implementation of the strategic, operational and financial direction.
Hanlon will run the company's sales territories and all territory managers will report to him. Jarrett will lead the practice side of the business and build out capability, go-to-market and intellectual property.
Data#3 CEO Laurence Baynham said both were "proven leaders and have been fundamental to the success of Business Aspect to date".
"The company has built a stable and profitable foundation to position itself well for future growth. I'm confident that together in this co-leadership structure, they will lead the Business Aspect team in continuing to improve the performance of organisations by delivering business transformation through technology."
Jarrett said he was "delighted to have been appointed to the co-leader general manager position alongside Kristian".
"Co-leadership can be an extremely powerful lever for building a great company. This model will help further align our multiple territories and bolster the consulting practice to ultimately realise Business Aspect's market growth potential. I look forward to working with Kristian to accelerate services and help our customers to solve their ICT and digital transformation challenges by providing insightful business and technology consulting services delivered by our talented team."
Hanlon added that he was also "excited to be part of this next chapter for Business Aspect, as co-general manager with Peter".
"This shared leadership model will allow us to provide diversity of thought, different perspectives and improved decision making for Business Aspect. This will be extremely beneficial in contributing to the future growth of the company. We'll continue to attract and retain talented, trusted, passionate and pragmatic leaders and advisors to provide specialist technology consulting and advisory services that solve customers' complex business challenges."
Business Aspect employs more than 100 staff across Australia.
Copyright © CRN Australia. All rights reserved.
business aspect strategy
Magrabi safeguards clinical care with managed cybersecurity
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By Chris Player
The Great Resignation is everywhere, except in the statistics
Microsoft invests US$50 million in alcohol-to-jet fuel biorefinery
2021's biggest IT channel mergers and acquisitions


text:
package org.hsqldb.persist;

import java.io.EOFException;
import java.io.FileDescriptor;
import java.io.FileNotFoundException;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.io.RandomAccessFile;
import java.lang.reflect.Constructor;

import org.hsqldb.Database;
import org.hsqldb.error.Error;
import org.hsqldb.error.ErrorCode;
import org.hsqldb.lib.ArrayUtil;
import org.hsqldb.lib.HsqlByteArrayInputStream;
import org.hsqldb.lib.HsqlByteArrayOutputStream;
import org.hsqldb.lib.Storage;

/**
 * This class is a wrapper for a random access file such as that used for
 * CACHED table storage.
 *
 * @author Fred Toussi (fredt@users dot sourceforge.net)
 * @version 2.3.0
 * @since  1.7.2
 */
final class RAFile implements RandomAccessInterface {

    static final int DATA_FILE_RAF    = 0;
    static final int DATA_FILE_NIO    = 1;
    static final int DATA_FILE_JAR    = 2;
    static final int DATA_FILE_STORED = 3;
    static final int DATA_FILE_SINGLE = 4;
    static final int DATA_FILE_TEXT   = 5;

    //
    static final int  bufferScale = 12;
    static final int  bufferSize  = 1 << bufferScale;
    static final long bufferMask  = 0xffffffffffffffffl << bufferScale;

    //
    final Database                  database;
    final RandomAccessFile          file;
    final FileDescriptor            fileDescriptor;
    private final boolean           readOnly;
    final String                    fileName;
    final byte[]                    buffer;
    final HsqlByteArrayInputStream  ba;
    final byte[]                    valueBuffer;
    final HsqlByteArrayOutputStream vbao;
    final HsqlByteArrayInputStream  vbai;
    long                            bufferOffset;
    long                            fileLength;
    final boolean                   extendLength;

    //
    long seekPosition;
    int  cacheHit;

    /**
     * seekPosition is the position in seek() calls or after reading or writing
     * realPosition is the file position
     */
    static RandomAccessInterface newScaledRAFile(Database database,
            String name, boolean readonly,
            int type) throws FileNotFoundException, IOException {

        if (type == DATA_FILE_STORED) {
            try {
                String cname = database.getURLProperties().getProperty(
                    HsqlDatabaseProperties.url_storage_class_name);
                String skey = database.getURLProperties().getProperty(
                    HsqlDatabaseProperties.url_storage_key);
                Class storageClass;

                try {
                    ClassLoader classLoader =
                        Thread.currentThread().getContextClassLoader();

                    storageClass = classLoader.loadClass(cname);
                } catch (ClassNotFoundException e) {
                    storageClass = Class.forName(cname);
                }

                Constructor constructor =
                    storageClass.getConstructor(new Class[] {
                    String.class, Boolean.class, Object.class
                });
                Object accessor = constructor.newInstance(new Object[] {
                    name, Boolean.valueOf(readonly), skey
                });

                if (accessor instanceof RandomAccessInterface) {
                    return (RandomAccessInterface) accessor;
                } else if (accessor instanceof org.hsqldb.lib.Storage) {
                    return new RAStorageWrapper((Storage) accessor);
                } else {
                    throw new IOException();
                }
            } catch (ClassNotFoundException e) {
                throw new IOException();
            } catch (NoSuchMethodException e) {
                throw new IOException();
            } catch (InstantiationException e) {
                throw new IOException();
            } catch (IllegalAccessException e) {
                throw new IOException();
            } catch (java.lang.reflect.InvocationTargetException e) {
                throw new IOException();
            }
        }

        if (type == DATA_FILE_JAR) {
            return new RAFileInJar(name);
        } else if (type == DATA_FILE_TEXT) {
            RAFile ra = new RAFile(database, name, readonly, false, true);

            return ra;
        } else if (type == DATA_FILE_RAF) {
            return new RAFile(database, name, readonly, true, false);
        } else {
            java.io.File fi     = new java.io.File(name);
            long         length = fi.length();

            if (length > database.logger.propNioMaxSize) {
                return new RAFile(database, name, readonly, true, false);
            }

            try {
                Class.forName("java.nio.MappedByteBuffer");

                return new RAFileHybrid(database, name, readonly);
            } catch (Exception e) {
                return new RAFile(database, name, readonly, true, false);
            }
        }
    }

    RAFile(Database database, String name, boolean readonly,
            boolean extendLengthToBlock,
            boolean commitOnChange) throws FileNotFoundException, IOException {

        this.database     = database;
        this.fileName     = name;
        this.readOnly     = readonly;
        this.extendLength = extendLengthToBlock;

        String accessMode = readonly ? "r"
                                     : commitOnChange ? "rws"
                                                      : "rw";

        this.file      = new RandomAccessFile(name, accessMode);
        buffer         = new byte[bufferSize];
        ba             = new HsqlByteArrayInputStream(buffer);
        valueBuffer    = new byte[8];
        vbao           = new HsqlByteArrayOutputStream(valueBuffer);
        vbai           = new HsqlByteArrayInputStream(valueBuffer);
        fileDescriptor = file.getFD();
        fileLength     = length();

        readIntoBuffer();
    }

    public long length() throws IOException {
        return file.length();
    }

    public void seek(long position) throws IOException {

        if (readOnly && fileLength < position) {
            throw new IOException("read beyond end of file");
        }

        seekPosition = position;
    }

    public long getFilePointer() throws IOException {
        return seekPosition;
    }

    private void readIntoBuffer() throws IOException {

        long filePos    = seekPosition & bufferMask;
        long readLength = fileLength - filePos;

        if (readLength > buffer.length) {
            readLength = buffer.length;
        }

        if (readLength < 0) {
            throw new IOException("read beyond end of file");
        }

        try {
            file.seek(filePos);
            file.readFully(buffer, 0, (int) readLength);

            bufferOffset = filePos;
        } catch (IOException e) {
            resetPointer();
            database.logger.logWarningEvent(" " + filePos + " " + readLength,
                                            e);

            throw e;
        }
    }

    public int read() throws IOException {

        try {
            if (seekPosition >= fileLength) {
                return -1;
            }

            if (seekPosition < bufferOffset
                    || seekPosition >= bufferOffset + buffer.length) {
                readIntoBuffer();
            } else {
                cacheHit++;
            }

            int val = buffer[(int) (seekPosition - bufferOffset)] & 0xff;

            seekPosition++;

            return val;
        } catch (IOException e) {
            resetPointer();
            database.logger.logWarningEvent("read failed", e);

            throw e;
        }
    }

    public long readLong() throws IOException {

        vbai.reset();
        read(valueBuffer, 0, 8);

        return vbai.readLong();
    }

    public int readInt() throws IOException {

        vbai.reset();
        read(valueBuffer, 0, 4);

        return vbai.readInt();
    }

    public void read(byte[] b, int offset, int length) throws IOException {

        try {
            if (seekPosition + length > fileLength) {
                throw new EOFException();
            }

            if (length > buffer.length
                    && (seekPosition < bufferOffset
                        || seekPosition >= bufferOffset + buffer.length)) {
                file.seek(seekPosition);
                file.readFully(b, offset, length);

                seekPosition += length;

                return;
            }

            if (seekPosition < bufferOffset
                    || seekPosition >= bufferOffset + buffer.length) {
                readIntoBuffer();
            } else {
                cacheHit++;
            }

            ba.reset();

            if (seekPosition - bufferOffset
                    != ba.skip(seekPosition - bufferOffset)) {
                throw new EOFException();
            }

            int bytesRead = ba.read(b, offset, length);

            seekPosition += bytesRead;

            if (bytesRead < length) {
                file.seek(seekPosition);
                file.readFully(b, offset + bytesRead, length - bytesRead);

                seekPosition += (length - bytesRead);
            }
        } catch (IOException e) {
            resetPointer();
            database.logger.logWarningEvent("failed to read a byte array", e);

            throw e;
        }
    }

    public void write(byte[] b, int off, int length) throws IOException {

        try {
            file.seek(seekPosition);

            if (seekPosition < bufferOffset + buffer.length
                    && seekPosition + length > bufferOffset) {
                writeToBuffer(b, off, length);
            }

            file.write(b, off, length);

            seekPosition += length;

            if (!extendLength && fileLength < seekPosition) {
                fileLength = seekPosition;
            }
        } catch (IOException e) {
            resetPointer();
            database.logger.logWarningEvent("failed to write a byte array", e);

            throw e;
        }
    }

    public void writeInt(int i) throws IOException {

        vbao.reset();
        vbao.writeInt(i);
        write(valueBuffer, 0, 4);
    }

    public void writeLong(long i) throws IOException {

        vbao.reset();
        vbao.writeLong(i);
        write(valueBuffer, 0, 8);
    }

    public void close() throws IOException {
        file.close();
    }

    public boolean isReadOnly() {
        return readOnly;
    }

    public boolean ensureLength(long newLength) {

        if (newLength <= fileLength) {
            return true;
        }

        try {
            extendLength(newLength);
        } catch (IOException e) {
            return false;
        }

        return true;
    }

    public boolean setLength(long newLength) {

        try {
            file.setLength(newLength);
            file.seek(0);

            fileLength   = file.length();
            seekPosition = 0;

            readIntoBuffer();

            return true;
        } catch (Throwable t) {
            return false;
        }
    }

    public void synch() {

        try {
            fileDescriptor.sync();
        } catch (Throwable t) {
            try {
                fileDescriptor.sync();
            } catch (Throwable tt) {
                database.logger.logSevereEvent("RA file sync error ", tt);

                throw Error.error(t, ErrorCode.FILE_IO_ERROR, null);
            }
        }
    }

    private int writeToBuffer(byte[] b, int off, int len) throws IOException {
        return ArrayUtil.copyBytes(seekPosition - off, b, off, len,
                                   bufferOffset, buffer, buffer.length);
    }

    private long getExtendLength(long position) {

        if (!extendLength) {
            return position;
        }

        int scaleUp;

        if (position < 256 * 1024) {
            scaleUp = 2;
        } else if (position < 1024 * 1024) {
            scaleUp = 6;
        } else if (position < 32 * 1024 * 1024) {
            scaleUp = 8;
        } else {
            scaleUp = 12;
        }

        position = getBinaryNormalisedCeiling(position, bufferScale + scaleUp);

        return position;
    }

    /**
     * Some old JVM's do not allow seek beyond end of file, so zeros must be written
     * first in that case. Reported by bohgammer@users in Open Disucssion
     * Forum.
     */
    private void extendLength(long position) throws IOException {

        long newSize = getExtendLength(position);

        if (newSize > fileLength) {
            try {
                file.seek(newSize - 1);
                file.write(0);

                fileLength = newSize;
            } catch (IOException e) {
                database.logger.logWarningEvent("data file enlarge failed ",
                                                e);

                throw e;
            }
        }
    }

    private void resetPointer() {

        try {
            seekPosition = 0;
            fileLength   = length();

            readIntoBuffer();
        } catch (Throwable e) {}
    }

    /**
     * uses 2**scale form and returns a multipe of this that is larger or equal to value
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    static long getBinaryNormalisedCeiling(long value, int scale) {

        long mask    = 0xffffffffffffffffl << scale;
        long newSize = value & mask;

        if (newSize != value) {
            newSize += 1 << scale;
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        return newSize;
    }
}


We continue our look at players who have already committed to UW with the linebacker position.
Washington has just two listed at LB at the moment, though it's worth remembering a couple of the DEs listed earlier could eventually land at linebacker spots.
For now, each of the two listed LB commits are regarded as potential middle linebackers, a spot the Huskies need to begin adding some depth at with the loss to graduation of Cort Dennison, the departure before the season of Victor Burnett and the move during the season of Tim Tucker to fullback. JC transfer Thomas Tutogi looms as the starting MLB heading into the spring, having been the backup there this season. But there could be some shuffling of personnel all over the defense with the new coaches coming in on that side of the ball.
MLB Ryan McDaniel, 6-2, 220, Torrance, Calif. (North): McDaniel committed in early December and some have listed him as also potentially a running back at Washington — he played both spots in high school.
Here's a feature on McDaniel from September in which he said he planned to graduate early and enroll in time for spring football. However, he later suffered a knee injury that caused him to miss the rest of his senior season. As noted here at the time, UW under Steve Sarkisian has not been shy about taking players with knee injures — both John Timu and Will Shamburger, to name two, signed with the Huskies after suffering knee injuries in high school.
Here's a recent story on Rodgers' workout routine and a recent photo.


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The ClassVR online course has been designed to help you get the most from your investment. The course consists of comprehensive, bite-sized lectures – with short videos and quizzes, which allows you to learn at your own convenience.
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Particularly useful for technicians or those responsible for making sure ClassVR is up and running.
Learn about the headset, gesture controls, how to charge the devices and how to access content.
Find your way around 600+ experiences, create and deliver customized 'playlists' of 360 content and find supporting resources.
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CoSpaces is a fantastic online tool for creating 3D worlds. Learn how to use this platform with ClassVR headsets.
You can choose to do each course individually or try the complete course in one go.


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Posts Tagged 'racial representation'
Star Wars ft. CAPSLOCK OF JOY
Posted: December 31, 2015 in Critical Hit, Uncategorized
Tags: Fan culture, Fandom, Fanfic, Feminism, Film Review, Finn/Poe, Finn/Rey, Queer representation, racial representation, Star Wars, Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Warning: Spoilers for Star Wars: TFA
Tonight, I went with my husband to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens, courtesy of a marvellous friend who agreed to childsit for us. (Which is, in case you were wondering, the reason why I hadn't seen it sooner.) Here's the short review: I LOVED IT. I loved it SO MUCH that, even hours later, I'm still humming the Star Wars theme under my breath and while vibrating with joy, because whatever criticisms my rational brain might have of the structure, the rest of me doesn't care, not because it's Star Wars and therefore inviolate, but because it's been a long time since watching a film made me feel that purely happy.
Here's the longer review:
Inevitably, because I live online, I went in slightly spoiled. I knew who Kylo Ren was, as well as the ultimate fate of Han Solo, though I managed to suppress that latter piece of information sufficiently to still be slightly surprised by it. And of course – of course, internets, have you met me? – I knew that Finn/Poe was the big queer ship that everyone was thrilled about. Crucially, both Oscar Isaac and John Boyega have said, in interview, that their onscreen relationship was being played as a romance, and while I recognise that a great many people will likely assume they're joking – because valid queer subtext, such joke, amirite? – I'm going to calmly point out that if one of them was female, the media and its attendant critics would likely have accepted this as Word of God confirmation that they'll be canon in the future.
So: with all that established, what struck me right from the off was how the three main characters – Rey, Finn and Poe – were all introduced in ways that evoked direct comparison with the original trio. Rey, a mechanic, pilot and trainee Jedi abandoned by her birth parents on a desert world, reminds us of Luke Skywalker. Poe, a member of the rebellion on a secret mission captured by the Dark Side, but not before smuggling out vital information in a droid, reminds us of Leia Organa. And Finn, a good guy trying to make a break from bad people, initially bent on running, but who ultimately stays to help his friends, reminds us of Han Solo. Each new character has a clear forerunner, yet still develops in original directions.
This is not accidental. It is, in fact, both purposeful and obvious, and in light of all the attention surrounding Finn and Poe, it seems extremely pertinent to note that their dynamic, not Finn and Rey's, is the one held up as a mirror to Han and Leia's. When Rey flies off to find Luke at the end of the film, echoing Luke's earlier quest to find Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back, she leaves an unconscious Finn with a forehead kiss, murmuring "thank you, my friend" – a declaration which reads as more platonic than romantic. Which isn't to deny at all that the two have chemistry; far from it, in fact, and as a card-carrying bisexual, I'm more than happy to endorse the idea that Finn is equally attracted to both Rey and Poe. But as the fierce initial pushback to the deliberate lack of a romantic relationship between Sherlock and Joan Watson on Elementary makes clear, our cultural narrative has almost as much trouble accepting platonic friendships between men and women as with explicit queerness of any kind, which makes it all the more vital to at least consider them options.
Arguably, in fact, the former is a direct consequence of the latter. If queer relationships are dangerous things to portray, then letting men and women interact without any sexual/romantic pressure is a gateway crime: a means of undermining the sexist, heteronormative mandate that members of the opposite sex can't ever be just friends. Narratively, if a man isn't shown to be interested in an available woman, the worry becomes that we'll think him interested in men, which – you know that cultural, learned tendency we have, to assume that everyone is straight unless it's explicitly stated otherwise? The reason why coming out is a thing? Shit like this is where that comes from: a constant barrage of narrative cues designed to reassure us that The Hero Is Hetero, even if nothing sexual happens, their usage so deeply tied to proof of straightness that identical cues presented between members of the same sex are frequently considered insufficient proof of queerness.
All that being said, examining Finn/Rey as a romantic Luke/Han dynamic is similarly fascinating, and also of potential queer interest. Considering that Harrison Ford kissed Mark Hamill during a take of one or their more emotive scenes, it's clear that Ford, at least, was aware of the potential to take the subtext in a different direction. In fact, to delve briefly into the annals of fannish history, people did ship Han/Luke at the time of the original trilogy, though it was considered taboo to do so, not least because Lucasfilm issued protocols asking that fanzines stick to family friendly content, which – thanks to homophobia – was not considered to include queer romance. I would therefore argue that The Force Awakens, regardless of how you divvy up the romantic potential, is deliberately evoking queer subtext: if Finn/Rey, you're retroactively queering up Han/Luke, albeit by inference, and if Finn/Poe, you're acknowledging explicit queerness in Episode VII.
Given the directness of these comparisons, it doesn't escape notice either that Rey and Poe, who recall Luke and Leia, have no scenes together. Not only does this nix the creation of a traditional love triangle firmly in the bud, but it has the effect of making Finn – not Rey – the central romantic object. Off the top of my head, I can list approximately ninety-eight million narratives in which a central trio comprised of two men and one woman will focus on the woman as a sexual lynchpin without actually making her the hero. Even if, as per Harry Potter and Hermoine Granger, the tension for potential Girl Theft only exists in the mind of the jealous third party, it's a dynamic we've seen over and over and over again – but in The Force Awakens, it's Finn who has the key relationships with Rey and Poe, who never meet, and Rey who saves the day.
Plus, well. It's pretty hard to deny the validity of a queer interpretation when Poe tells Finn to keep his jacket because he looks good in it, then leans back, looks him up and down, and bites his fucking lip. I mean, come on.
Nor is it insignificant that Finn and Poe are both played by men of colour. Fandom – and particularly that aspect of fandom focused on m/m pairings – is frequently a sea of white: that Finn/Poe has been embraced so quickly, so prominently is an enormously positive thing in its own right. Similarly, at a time when black children, and particularly black boys, are viciously denied the right to childhood by the evils of ingrained, systematic racism, John Boyega's portrayal of Finn is even more important. As anyone who's seen Attack the Block could already attest, Boyega is a talented, versatile actor, deserving of this and many more major roles. But in terms of representation, the fact that Finn is not only a joyful, comedic character, but consistently welcomed by his new allies, is doubly significant. Narratively, it would be easy to justify members of the Resistence being sceptical of, even hostile towards, a confessed former Stormtrooper, regardless of his actions. Instead, Finn is never once viewed with suspicion; is never called upon to justify his goodness; is always viewed with humanity, praised for his strength and kindness in resisting familiar evils, rather than being forced to prove himself worthy of trust.
When was the last time the big screen allowed a kind, funny black boy to become a hero without demanding first that he suffer suspicion for his origins? When was the last time a kind, funny black boy became a hero at all, let alone an arguably queer one?
And then there's Rey: a competent, quick-witted heroine whose skills are exactly those of Luke and Anakin Skywalker – a great mechanic, pilot and an instinctively capable Jedi warrior, equally at home when talking to droids or climbing walls – and who, for her gender, is being called a Mary Sue. Dear anyone who has made this argument: shut the fuck up forever. The ultimate Mary Sue is Batman, and you've never given two shits about how he's an inventor and a badass vigilante and a billionaire and a businessmen and a detective and totally hot right now, because he's a guy, and you expect male protagonists to be awesome at everything, whereas girls should have a few flaws so we don't forget about Eve being ultimately responsible for Original Sin. Daisy Ridley does an amazing job of conveying Rey's complex mix of strengths and vulnerabilities, and I loved every minute of it. (And no, I don't give a shit that she successfully used a lightsabre on her first try. So did Finn, and I don't see you calling him overpowered.)
Yes, there were times when the structure of The Force Awakens lagged a little, when the plot either jumped or ran thin, but it's hardly the only Star Wars film of which that can be said, and it certainly succeeded in many other ways that the previous films didn't, up to and including the spine-tingling sight of gorgeous wrecked star destroyers littering the desert. Yes, it would've been nice to see more Maz and Captain Phasma and women of colour, and for Leia and Rey to have had an actual conversation; and yes, it would've been brilliant for the queerness to be explicit. But right at this moment, I honestly don't care. Whatever its flaws, The Force Awakens left me feeling utterly joyful: I smiled the entire way through it, because for the first time, that nameless galaxy far far away finally feels big enough for all of us.


Welcome home to your beautiful 3 bed 2 bath home on 2.57 acres! Country living at its finest, but just minutes from 1-5. Beautiful vaulted ceilings with plenty of natural light and open floor plan. Enjoy the large covered deck which is great for year round entertaining. Flat 2.57 acres gives you plenty of room for a shop.


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Twin Cities Daily Planet (https://www.tcdailyplanet.net/)
Best of Neighborhoods News 06/19/2019: Minneapolis CAN stop landlords from screening out Section 8 tenants
By Bee Vang | June 19, 2019
Minneapolis CAN stop landlords from screening out Section 8 tenantsA Court of Appeals ruling last Monday now prevents landlords in the city of Minneapolis from rejecting applications from tenants with Section 8 vouchers, a federal housing assistant program. It is what many are hailing as a significant step towards advancing affordable housing amidst the city's ongoing housing crisis. The ruling favors the ordinance that was originally passed in 2017; and it overturns a Hennepin County judge's ruling made last year that struck down the ordinance after a cohort of landlords contended with it. The recent appeals court ruling now allows the city to continue to enforce the ordinance to ban unscrupulous screening practices that discriminates against recipients of Section 8 rental subsidy vouchers.
Best of Neighborhoods News 06/11/2019: Roxanne Anderson leads the charge for Minnesota's first LGBTQ center
Roxanne Anderson leads the charge for Minnesota's first LGBTQ centerMinnesota is one of six U.S. states currently without an LGBTQ center, though there is an already-existing hub of LGBTQ-focused organizations in the Twin Cities. But in about three years, in the navel of Minnesota, this will change. Founder of the Minnesota Transgender Health Coalition, RARE Productions and Cafe SouthSide, Roxanne Anderson is leading the charge to build what will become the state's first LGBTQ center in the Twin Cities, what Anderson envisages will centralize LGBTQ resources and more into a physical, collective location.
Best of Neighborhoods News 06/05/2019: Landlords push back on Minneapolis proposal to limit tenant screenings
Landlords push back on Minneapolis proposal to limit tenant screeningsA proposed ordinance by the Minneapolis City Council is generating the criticisms of landlords across the city. Championed by Council Members Lisa Bender and Jeremiah Ellison, the ordinance is set to change how landlords screen prospective tenants. Its aim: to improve accessibility to the city's housing system and to address the growing racial disparities borne out of the city's affordable housing crisis.
Best of Neighborhoods News 05/29/2019: Rep. Ilhan Omar introduces bill to ease path for mobile home residents to buy their parks
Rep. Ilhan Omar introduces bill to ease path for mobile home residents to buy their parksFrank Adelmann was a resident, of many, evicted from Lowry Grove, a mobile park in the city of St. Anthony that was home to nearly 100 families. Days before the park's closure in the summer of 2017, after the property was sold for $6 million the year before, Adelmann took his own life.
Best of Neighborhoods News 05/21/2019: UMN student government reaffirms push to rename campus buildings
Best of Neighborhoods News 05/15/2019: 'Missing Middle' housing pilot program
Best of Neighborhoods News 05/08/2019: Bde Maka Ska is Lake Calhoun again, appeals court rules
Minneapolis CAN stop landlords from screening out Section 8 tenantsA Court of Appeals ruling last Monday now prevents landlords in the city of Minneapolis from rejecting applications from tenants with Section 8 vouchers, a federal housing assistant program. It is what many are hailing as a significant step towards advancing affordable housing amidst the city's ongoing housing crisis.
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macro(CHECK_TIME_FUNCTION FUNCTION VARIABLE)

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    ${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/INSTALL
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    TIMING secondtst_${FUNCTION}
    OUTPUT_VARIABLE OUTPUT)

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      set(${VARIABLE} ${FUNCTION} CACHE INTERNAL "Have Fortran function ${FUNCTION}")
      message(STATUS "Looking for Fortran ${FUNCTION} - found")
      file(APPEND ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}${CMAKE_FILES_DIRECTORY}/CMakeOutput.log
        "Fortran ${FUNCTION} exists. ${OUTPUT} \n\n")
    else()
      message(STATUS "Looking for Fortran ${FUNCTION} - not found")
      file(APPEND ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}${CMAKE_FILES_DIRECTORY}/CMakeError.log
        "Fortran ${FUNCTION} does not exist. \n ${OUTPUT} \n")
    endif()
endmacro()


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EDUCATION RACE
Megyn Kelly announces she pulled her sons from private school after letter compared white boys to killer cops
by Peter Heck · Nov 19th, 2020 8:43 am
News personality Megyn Kelly announced on her podcast that "after years of resisting it," she and her husband were pulling their sons from an Upper West Side private school. The decision was prompted by a letter that was circulated among parents following the death of George Floyd in May that compared white children to future killer cops.
The letter was written by a woman named Nahliah Webber, who is employed as the executive director of a nonprofit called Orleans Public Education Network. It appeared in a full blog post entitled, "If you really want to make a difference in black lives, change how you teach white kids."
"There is a killer cop sitting in every school where white children learn," the letter reads. "They gleefully soak in their whitewashed history that downplays the holocaust of indigenous native peoples and Africans in the Americas. They happily believe their all-white spaces exist as a matter of personal effort and willingly use violence against black bodies to keep those spaces white.
I am tired of white people reveling in their state-sanctioned depravity, snuffing out black life with no consequences. Where's the urgency for school reform for white kids being indoctrinated in black death and protected from the consequences? Where are the government-sponsored reports looking into how white mothers are raising culturally deprived children who think black death is okay?"
Though Kelly did not mention her sons' school by name, previous podcasts have indicated it is Collegiate School, a K-12 all boys school.
The former Fox and NBC News personality said that though she never agreed with the school's "far-left" ideology, it was the letter, which the school allegedly wanted circulated to all faculty, that finalized her decision.
"Which boy in my kid's school is the future killer cop?" Kelly asked rhetorically. "Is it my boy? Which boy is it? Because I don't happen to believe that they're in there."
Gov. Cuomo becomes irate, yells at reporters during press conference on COVID-19
Firefighters surprise colleague's 4-year-old son battling cancer
L.A. county public schools superintendent says students must receive COVID-19 vaccine in order to attend school
Pelosi says people who stormed U.S. Capitol building chose "their whiteness over democracy"


Brother of Adam Macrow. Son of Peter Macrow.
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The following graph shows the change in the DriverDB Rating of Tim Macrow over time since January 1st 2013. The rolling average of the graph is 10 days.


Is that a Smore I see!!!
I love the picture of Leko that looks like he is saying, "Mommy pick me up."
Have you played Words with Friends on your iPhone yet?
I love the kitty; he is too cute!
Those smores look so good. Leko is so cute hiding in the bag! And this is random but your hair is so long. I'm not sure why but I didn't know it was that long. How do you get it to grow like that, while keeping the ends so healthy looking? I'd love to grow mine out for our wedding, but my ends look terrible - I hardly use heat on them, so I'm not sure why.


3 hour cruise along the stunning Barcelona coastline.
Catch some rays on the nets aboard this stunning white catamaran before we dock for a swim break. After you're done splashing we'll serve up your BBQ lunch and the bar is open!
Each guest receives drink coupons which can be exchanged for beer, sangria and mimosas after the swim.
With our on board DJ and magician you'll be sure to have a ball of a time!
* Responsible drinking policies are upheld on boat parties in Barcelona. A drink coupon is given to each guest for 4 drinks.
Anyone exhibiting drunken behavior will not be granted entry, or if on board already will not be granted further alcoholic drinks, and strictly no hard liquor. If there is a swim stop, alcoholic drinks will be served after the swim.


November 3, 2015 by Leah. Average Reading Time: about 5 minutes.
Lack of join up between local services, voluntary sector organisations and the Barracks.
And the particular need to support army wives and families. Army families are frequently on the move, sometimes as often as every few years, and this makes it difficult for army wives to access training and job opportunities. The Army Families Federation Families Concerns report for Quarter 1 2014 (Jan-March) stated that 128 families had contacted them about employment and training issues which was a 31% increase from the previous quarter. Particular issues are: accessing funded training so that spouses can get back to work after a long period of absence – usually due to posting overseas.
Highlight and share good practice and identify learning opportunities that have emerged from the project delivery.
SW Connects acted as a catalyst to develop partnerships in South Westminster for the benefit of the armed forces community. During the 10 month period partners delivered activities and events that were focused on the needs of both local residents and on the needs of servicemen and women and their families. These activities mainly took place outside of the barracks in libraries, schools and community venues to support further interaction with the local community and services.
Pop Up Photography Studios from June – September 2015, the SW Connects project in partnership with Photofusion (the UK's largest independent photographic resource centre) produced 3 Pop-Up Photo Studios.
Participants were encouraged to take part in group photos as well as individual portraits, all taken by professional photographer, Andy Barker. Each participant was given a free copy of their portrait and the images also appeared on the SW Connects project Facebook page.
The Pop ups created an opportunity for us to visually show what the community of South Westminster actually looks like. The portraits from all these activities show a cross section of local residents, council staff, voluntary sector representatives, army personnel and families based in South Westminster. The Pop ups themselves also became platforms of collective, community activity – raising the profile of Wellington Barracks to local residents and ensuring that we were promoting the project activities to residents and army personnel alike.
We chose to hold most of the pop up studios in places that are key community resources, such Libraries, Children's Centre and the longstanding community festival SouthWest Fest – to reinforce that standing as places for continuing community and social engagement.
The portraits from all these activities show a cross section of council staff, local residents, army personnel and army families – giving us an opportunity to challenge preconceived notions about what we think people look like – who is an army family? Who is a Librarian? Who is an officer? And by inviting them all to take part in the pop up studios we were able to create a platform for engagement – army and local residents alike – in the work of the SW connects project.
As a pilot we have delivered on our initial aims and we are pleased that all the partners can see the benefit of sustaining our partnership working. We exceeded our initial targets for engagement. Our target was to reach 500 individuals (a mixture of army families and local residents). Our final figures showed that we reached 5,076 people with 20% being army families and service personnel, this is represents a 9 fold increase on our target figure.
Advocate for the specialized needs of army families in the Borough of Westminster.


Super Woman Syndrome | Letting go of my super powers and letting God help me fly.
Welcome to the Super Woman Syndrome!
Visit the Super Woman Syndrome blog HERE.
I am so glad that you decided to stop by, read a few words, and join the community of women seeking to let go of their super powers and let God help them fly! Amen. Amen.
Me… I am a wife. I am a mother. I am a part-time therapist and a full-time administrative assistant. I am a friend, a sister, a daughter, a mentor, a writer, a speaker, and a once-in-a-while gourmet chef, crafter, scrapbooker, and pinterest actualizer.
Some might say I'm a super woman.
I say… I'm a mess.
I am busy (or at least I keep using that excuse) and I am still learning to balance.
Something inside of me says I need to be busy, completely organized and perfectly scheduled. I need to keep going. I need to do everything, or I will miss something.
Yes, I try to be Super Woman. I try to do it all. But I fail. I have no super powers. I cannot do it all and I cannot do it alone.
I cannot be the perfect wife, perfect mother, perfect student, or perfect employee. I need to let it go.
Perhaps you can relate. Are you a perfectionist? Are you too busy? Are you the A-Type, organizational, control freak just like me? Do you try to do it all, only to fall so far from perfection?
My prayer is that you can join me on this journey of learning to let go, learning to say no, learning to surrender, and learning to BE still and know that He is God, and we are not! Amen. Amen.
Now is a great time for you as a wife, mother, employee, student, sister, daughter, and friend…to let go of your super powers and let God help you fly.
Contact Mary Davidson for speaking engagements HERE.
Time for an update, super woman.
By the way, do you know that you teach me so much? That, of course, is the sign of a good parent, that is that when your children grow up they have become such amazing human beings that they are now your best teachers. And, just for the record, I still think you are a "super woman," in Jesus name.
SUPER!!!! I recognize the journal.


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Do You Have a Major League Pet? Of Course | Pet Jerseys & Apparel, NFL, MLB, NHL, NCAA, NBA, MLS & Costumes
Home › Coach John's Corner › Do You Have a Major League Pet? Of Course
Do You Have a Major League Pet? Of Course
Posted by John Leeds
"When you're part of a team, you stand up for your teammates. Your loyalty is to them. You protect them through good and bad because they'd do the same for you." - Yogi Berra
Being a pet of a sports fan means there's no jealousy. There's no competition between fans. No one cares who loves Aaron Rodgers the most. Sports have always brought people and their pets together, even in the toughest times.
Finding someone who loves your team as much as you do means you have someone to watch games with, talk about their season and pretty much anything else that happens to the side. There is no jealousy between fans because they all want the same thing: to win.
Major League Pets brings the true sports fan and their pet to the next level. Are you a fan of the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS, or NCAA? Shop Officially Licensed Sports Team Apparel by category for all of your pets sports gear needs including Team Jerseys, Team Bandannas, Team Bowls, Plush Team Toys, Cheerleader Uniforms, Team Sweaters, Team Sweatshirts, Team Caps, Team Jackets, Team Rope Toys, Team Leashes, and Team Collars.
All sports Fan Apparel is in Official Home, Away, and Alternative, Unique color combinations!
Finally, being a fan of sports means you have crazy loyalty. These teams and games have been around for the longest time, so the odds of your favorite team up and quitting are very slim. A lot of people have become fans of their sport/team because of their parents and families.
The loyalty people and families have for these teams are ridiculous. Even if the unit is having a terrible season, we will always stay loyal to them because there's still another season, another trophy, and another chance.
Pre Season Top Ten NFL T...
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Take Me Out To The Ballgame, Major League Pet-Friendly Events


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24″ depth x 60 mil thick
36″ depth x 100 mil thick
Clamp/Connecting Kit
How to control bamboo
Picking a size
Barrier Instructions
Clamp Kit Instructions
How bamboo grows
Barrier for Clumping Bamboo
Plastic vs Concrete/Metal
Bamboo Shield for Warmer Climates – 80 mil thick x 30″ depth
15 feet 20 feet 25 feet 30 feet 35 feet 40 feet 45 feet 50 feet 55 feet 60 feet 65 feet 70 feet 75 feet 80 feet 90 feet 100 feet 125 feet
15 feet - $73.13 USD 20 feet - $97.50 USD 25 feet - $121.88 USD 30 feet - $146.25 USD 35 feet - $170.63 USD 40 feet - $195.00 USD 45 feet - $219.38 USD 50 feet - $243.75 USD 55 feet - $268.13 USD 60 feet - $292.50 USD 65 feet - $316.88 USD 70 feet - $341.25 USD 75 feet - $365.63 USD 80 feet - $390.00 USD 90 feet - $438.75 USD 100 feet - $487.50 USD 125 feet - $609.38 USD
$4.88 per linear foot + free shipping.
Controls growth of bamboo by limiting rhizome (root) expansion
80 mil is effective for warm to hot climates with medium to large size bamboo.
Superior to metals because it will not rust and easier to install
Protective side is chrome rolled to provide a better rhizome deflection surface.
80 mil (5/64th inch or 2 mm) material thickness that provides 155 pound-force puncture resistance.
Bamboo Barrier is a diversion-type control method with a smooth surface on the side facing your bamboo planting. It is made from HDPE, high-density polyethylene. Superior to metals because it will not rust and is easier to install. Bamboo roots typically travel in the first 12 inches of topsoil. Barrier is sold in 24″, 30″, and 36″ depths to provide extra protection from stray growth.
The polyethylene barrier is made from post-industrial recycled regrind material when possible, in the USA. Bamboo Shield is impermeable to water as well which acts as a water barrier. Plastic thinner than 30 mil has been shown to crack when ground temperatures 24 inches deep get below -15 degrees F. This would be extremely cold and the thickness greater than 30 mil does great at handling very cold temperatures without damage. The plastic barrier has a better chance of not cracking when frozen like other materials. Even concrete will freeze and crack over the years. Driveways are poured 4 to 6 inches deep to allow heavy vehicle passage and parking. Seldom are driveways seen without cracks. Concrete was used many years ago ( Byron Agriculture Station in Byron, Georgia) as a below-ground barrier system and found to crack below the frost line allowing bamboo rhizomes to emerge through to the other side. One of the many myths of bamboo is its ability to crack solid concrete. While a clumping type bamboo may do this, given enough years, a running type bamboo just runs and does not usually apply the outward pressure of a clumping bamboo or hardwood tree.
Bamboo is not magical, but persistent and its root system will eventually find cracks in concrete and emerge through them. If the environment ( sunlight & soil ) is suitable once it emerges the bamboo will grow if not terminated. The rhizome ( root ) when growing is very soft and flexible and will always turn when it encounters something harder. Furthermore, the installation of a barrier will accelerate the growth of a bamboo screen. The growth will be denser because of the confinements and stimulate the screening effect. The Bamboo Barrier in the 60mil x 24″ width is our most popular size and we have been selling it for over 15 years without any reported problems.
← Back to Bamboo Barrier
© 2023, Bamboo Shield


text:
Kings, Queens and Poets
Posted on May 5, 2019 May 5, 2019 by jar101
Prior to yesterday's last round of the season's 36 league matches in the Ladbrokes Scottish Championship – the second tier of the country's professional football hierarchy – four teams (Falkirk, Alloa Athletic, Queen of the South and Partick Thistle) were scrambling to avoid relegation to League One. At the end of the day's play, the bottom-placed club would be relegated automatically, whilst the second-bottom would need to come through play-offs with three sides from League One in order to survive.
Falkirk began the day three points adrift and, therefore, needed to win their match (against the divisional champions, Ross County ) and hope that the side immediately above them (Alloa) lost to third-placed Ayr United. In that event, Alloa would be related and Falkirk would go into the play-offs. Queen of the South were level on points with Alloa, but had a much better goal difference so, for them, a draw (against Partick) would prevent automatic relegation, but would mean the play-offs if Alloa were to win; likewise, a defeat would also lead to the play-offs, if Alloa were to draw. For their part, a win or a draw for Partick would bring safety, but a loss would take them to the play-offs if Alloa were to join Queen of the South as winners of their respective matches. (As ever with these possible end-of-season permutations, a cold towel and a stiff drink are essential).
When I was a young boy in Leeds studying the league tables before filling in my mother's football pools coupon – whilst, at the same time, coming to grips with the geography of Britain – I used to look at the names of several Scottish clubs with an air of some perplexity. Where, exactly, were the locations of Raith Rovers and Hibernian and St Johnstone and Third Lanark…? However, I was quite clear that the most romantic name of them all – alongside Heart of Midlothian – was that of Queen of the South. I subsequently learned that the club is based in Dumfries and, so, it was there that I ventured yesterday: Queen of the South versus Partick Thistle at Palmerston Park .
In preparing for my trip, I realised that I was completing a medieval link that I had commenced last year on the other side of the country. In "700-plus years after Edward I – a two-all draw" (26th February 2018) – my account of attending a match between Berwick Rangers and Montrose – I noted that, above the steps leading down to the platforms at Berwick railway station, is a large plaque marking the spot where, in 1292, Edward the First's arbitration in favour of John Balliol (rather than Robert the Bruce) in the contest for the Scottish crown was announced.
It was in Dumfries in 1300 that Edward signed a (short-lived) armistice solicited by Pope Boniface VIII, following his (Edward's) latest invasion of Scotland. In the following years, the town remained central to the political events of Scotland culminating, in February 1306, with Bruce stabbing to death his rival for the Scottish crown, John "The Red" Comyn, at the high altar of the Greyfriars friary. Bruce was crowned Kings of Scots at Scone a few weeks later.
Before the match, I planned (and took) a short town-centre walking tour, courtesy of the information provided by the local tourist office. I walked up the High Street to the Greyfriars Kirk, which dates from 1868 and is roughly half a football pitch from the location of the original Franciscan friary at the top of Friars Vennel. On the other side of the road, a bronze plaque on the wall of an unoccupied shop marks the site of Comyn's murder. Inside the next shop – a branch of Greggs, no less – there is a neatly mounted display summarising the events of the period, whilst the interior walls contain a number of photographs and historical images. I made a short inspection, largely ignored by the local patrons, who tucked in to their sausage baps and vegan rolls and fizzy drinks.
Outside, in the centre of a half-pedestrianised traffic island, the statue of Robert Burns – a resident of Dumfries for five years until his death in 1796 – looks straight down the High Street. The selection of his verse on the plinth provides a neat – and well-chosen – summary of the poet's philosophies on life and humanity. I then walked down Friars Vennel and, after pausing briefly in a coffee shop, continued on to cross Devorgilla's Bridge – the oldest multi-spanned stone bridge in Scotland, dating from the 15th Century – and make my way to Palmerston Park . (The original timber bridge was commissioned by Lady Devorgilla of Galloway, the mother of John Balliol, in about 1280). Take a walk through the centre of any town or city in Britain and there is history everywhere you look.
Partick Thistle won the match in something of a canter. They started the game much more positively that their opponents and took the lead with a Lewis Mansell volley after 14 minutes. A second goal came after just before half-time and a second-half penalty secured a 3-0 victory to the huge acclaim of their 1500-plus travelling supporters (most of whom, it had seemed to me earlier, had been on the two-carriage train that ScotRail had thoughtfully provided for the 1¾ hour-long journey from Glasgow Central). Stuart Bannigan, the captain, had an influential role in midfield and the two centre-backs, Steven Anderson and Sean McGinty, kept a close eye on the prolific Queens centre-forward, Stephen Dobbie.
The 36 year-old Dobbie has scored 40 goals this season – only one behind the club record for a single year that has stood since 1932 – and I was interested to see him in action. However, apart from one early attempt that went outside a post and several nice pieces of linking play, he did not have an impact on the game, as Partick successfully cut off his supply lines.
The final score meant that the long run of disappointing results for the home team – only 2 wins in the 15 league matches since the middle of January – was continued. A Queens-supporting neighbour in the queue for the coach service back to Buchanan Street Bus Station – I had decided to eschew the potential delights of the return train journey – told me that it had been their worst home performance of the season, and he wondered how long the manager, Gary Naysmith, might remain in post.
The consolation for Dobbie – such as it is – is that he now has a couple of additional matches in which to break the goal-scoring record. At the end of the day's play, Alloa Athletic's draw at Ayr United meant that Queen of the South would have to line up against Montrose from League 1 on Tuesday evening in the first leg of the play-off semi-final. (Falkirk were relegated, despite beating Ross County. Partick Thistle's victory meant that they were safe, of course). I wondered if it had been with this next challenge in mind – the player having returned from injury for the Partick match – that Naysmith had taken Dobbie off with a few minutes to go. In the event, whilst Dobbie might feature against Montrose, Naysmith unfortunately won't. My source (who alighted from the coach in Moffat) had been correct in his speculation; the manager was relieved of his duties yesterday evening.
In the course of my sojourn to watch Queen of the South, I learned that the name was coined not by Sir Walter Scott, as I had previously thought, but by a local poet, David Dunbar, who referred to the town of Dumfries as such when standing for Parliament in the General Election of 1857. The football club adopted the name on its formation in 1919. (It will be an anti-climactic end to Queen of the South's centenary season if it is marked by relegation). However, in the comfort of my coach seat on the journey back up the M74, as I thought back to the Devorgilla Bridge and the branch of Greggs and the friendly welcome by the stewards of Palmerston Park, it was some of the words of the other poet associated with the town of Dumfries – captured on the plinth of his statue – that came to mind.
Man's inhumanity to man,
Makes countless thousands mourn!
Affliction's sons are brothers in distress;
A brother to relieve, how exquisite the bliss!
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text:
Q: Android studio no detecta la carpeta Estoy crendo un menu en android studio, pero al iniciarlo en MainActivity.java, donde me debería estar leyendo el menu, no lo detecta y no ser porque. He probado a poner la dirección entera pero tampoco.
@Override
public boolean onCreateOptionsMenu(Menu menu) {
    MenuInflater inflater = getMenuInflater();
    inflater.inflate(R.menu.game_menu, menu);

    return true;
}

Si intento borrar el menú y crearlo desde el acceso directo tampoco lo detecta

A: Debes crear el directorio /menu que contiene el archivo game_menu.xml dentro del directorio de recursos /res :

Asegura de volver a construir tu proyecto y verificar que ningún .xml tenga algún error.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Ariel. . HD Wallpaper and background images in the क्लॅसिक डिज़्नी club tagged: disney ariel part of your world red hair the little mermaid.
This क्लॅसिक डिज़्नी fan art might contain भ्रूण कोशिका, प्रारंभिक सेल, कृत्रिम कोशिका, भ्रूण कक्ष, प्रारंभिक कक्ष, प्रोटोजोआ, protozoon, प्रोटोजोअन, प्रोटोजोइन, and protozoan.


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Ask Kate about the elusive mortgage rate lock guarantee: You can bet your bottom-dollar as soon as interest rates begin to climb, lock-ins get dicey. In the case of home buyer Maxine, the increase in rates makes the lender's lack of guarantee more painful. Other times, there is just no excuse for lender behavior! Continue reading to learn how to avoid these mistakes when locking your mortgage rate.
Dear Kate, My husband and I locked in a great interest rate for a VA loan for the purchase of a new home. Our offer was contingent on a successful inspection. Subsequently, the house inspection revealed a few problems so major that we have decided to terminate the contract.
The rate we had locked in was to last until our closing, the date if which is still nearly 60 days away.
Our lender tells us that even if we make an offer on another house and have a ratified contract in the near term, and close within the 50 day window, that we will not be able to keep the interest rate we had locked in.
He explained that an interest rate is tied to a specific property. Is this true and do we have any room to contend or negotiate that? The rates have gone up considerably in just one week.
How I wish I could tell you it isn't so.
But yes, in general, actually almost always, a locked interest rate runs with the property address.
Not to say there have never been exceptions to the fact. During the glory days of Countrywide Funding, the lock 'n shop home buyer policy of locking in a rate that included a free float down annihilated their lending competition. Home buyers could lock in without much forethought, shop for homes, and if the market improved, even float down to a lower rate.
As much as I know this hurts to lose such a low interest rate, perhaps there is a lesson to learn here. It is a must to read and understand lenders' individual policies before locking in a rate.
I have a list of questions to ask a lender before locking in and will add your scenario today. You can see the current list here: Questions to Ask Before Locking Your Interest Rate.
I think you will also want to read about Rita's lock experience. Read what happened to this first time home buyer at Mortgage Rate Lock Advice for First Time Home Buyer.
Hi Kate. I am refinancing my home and was given the Truth In Lending Letter and Good Faith Estimate after my credit pull, etc. and now the lender is stating that they never locked in the quoted rate and still aren't until it is time for closing!
Now she is saying the rate has gone up .50 or more yet still has not locked as she is 'monitoring' the market for best rate, which have all gone up since having started the process with her.
I was told what my rate could/would be dependent on above mentioned factors yet it still has not been locked? Is this permissible?
I chose them because of the rate they quoted and now they're not holding up any end of their somewhat guarantees. Could you give me so insight to my rights in this situation? Thank you.
It is not up to the mortgage originator's discretion to monitor the market after you told her to lock in your rate. While rates are climbing, she can 'monitor' them until the cows come home and it won't get you a better rate.
But you should know a Truth in Lending statement with the annual percentage rate (APR) as well as a Good Faith Estimate does not mean your quoted interest rate has been locked.
A locked rate should always be followed by a written mortgage rate lock disclosure. When you think about it, how else can the terms of your lock be confirmed? Here is how to get a written copy, even when locking your rate over the phone.
You should know, while many excellent and conscientious lenders exist, some are untrained and inexperienced. A few are dishonest. Read Mortgage Closing Costs and Rate Lock Policies to see why I say this.
This is why I also say to never pick a lender based on an interest rate quote, a practice that begs for trouble. See Broken Mortgage Rate Lock Agreement and Good Faith Estimate of Closing Costs.
That being said, you need to stick up for yourself and see what can be done to salvage a decent rate. Start with your banking representative, next the supervisor, then his or her manager, and so on until you exhaust the company resources.
The last resort is filing a complaint with your state's attorney general which you can locate with an online search for your state's official government website.
My goal is to empower homeowners! Please share Elusive Mortgage Rate Lock Guarantee with your friends!


text:
Federal Government Looks to Ban Investments in Chinese AI Giant
SenseTime Group Inc. | Image from Caixin Golbal
According to a Wall Street Journal report on December 9, 2021, U.S. officials are planning on pursuing a ban on American investment in the Chinese artificial intelligence company SenseTime Group Inc.
In addition, U.S. policymakers are also seeking to prevent China's largest chip manufacturer from purchasing U.S. manufacturing tools as a part of the Biden administration's attempts to act against Chinese technology firms.
On December 10, 2021, SenseTime, was placed on a Treasury Department blacklist of Chinese companies that allegedly have strong connections to the Chinese People's Liberation Army.
This move prevents Americans from investing in the company and is likely to be an obstacle ahead of SenseTime's initial public offering in Hong Kong, which is expected to raise up to $767 million this month.
Although officials at various government agencies are calling for tougher measures against China, Commerce Department leaders are still opposed to some of the proposals because they claim they will have a negative impact on US companies.
The chip manufacturer, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC), was placed on the blacklisted entity list, which restricts companies' ability to export US-origin technology without a license.
Under its present designation, SMIC faces restrictions on purchasing US tools "uniquely required" to manufacture chips with circuits ten nanometers and smaller.
The Defense Department is joining officials at the State and Energy Departments, along with the National Security Council, to change the language to limit SMIC's access to items "capable of" producing semiconductors with 14-nanometer circuits and smaller.
In changing the wording to the blacklist, the list of items SMIC won't be able to acquire will be broadened.
The Biden administration views technology as an area in which the US is competing with China.
Several Commerce Department officials are attempting to block the Defense Department's restrictions for SMIC.
Commerce officials and US toolmakers have informed other government officials that any changes to the SMIC restrictions will negatively impact US companies' profits and worsen a global chip shortage that has affected numerous industries.
China is a major supplier of lower-end chips.
Supporters of the Defense Department's proposal believe that because China isn't currently a significant manufacturer of cutting-edge chips, enacting restrictions on tools for Chinese companies to make them wouldn't haven't an impact on global supply.
Proponents of these restrictions argue that the tighter restrictions would only apply to a small number of the products these US companies sell.


text:
The Issues that matter to you
Marc has a proven track record of bringing good-paying jobs to North Texas families.
Marc is a longstanding supporter of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which to date has provided quality, affordable health coverage for hundreds of thousands of North Texans. Marc has also been a longtime champion of women's health care.
As a former substitute teacher, Marc knows that a great education is the key to opportunity for our families – and to economic growth for our region.
Marc has been a strong advocate for immigrant communities throughout his public service career.
Civil Rights and Equality
Marc believes that every Texan – and every Texas family – deserves the same fundamental rights and protections.
Marc understands the importance of a strong defense to both our national security and our local economy.
Marc understands that a strong transportation system that keeps pace with our population growth is essential for the Metroplex to stay competitive in today's economy.
Marc believes that we owe a commitment to our friends, neighbors and family members who have sacrificed to fight for our country.
The parents, grandparents, and neighbors who built our communities deserve our support and care as they age.


China issued a red alert, the highest level, for forest fire risks in arid northern and southwestern regions, including Sichuan province, where a forest fire broke out on Saturday, leaving 27 firefighters and three others dead.
Beijing, Tianjin, and the provinces of Hebei, Shanxi and Sichuan, will see the risk of forest fires stay at the highest level until Monday, and "under the red alert, no open fires are allowed in forests and grasslands", Yang Xiaodan, chief forecaster of the National Meteorological Center's Public Information Center, said on Tuesday.
The alert was issued based on comprehensive considerations, including the persistent dry weather, strong winds and high temperatures, and also the coming Tomb Sweeping Day, which falls on Friday, when thousands will travel to ancestors' grave sites and in some cases, burn offerings.
"Recent satellite data has shown areas of heat and fire were much more numerous than average levels in recent years," Yang said.
It is the first red alert for forest fire risks this year, with the last one issued in March 2016, the center said in a statement.
The red alert was announced after the deadly high-altitude forest fire broke out on Saturday in the Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture, engulfing around 15 hectares of forest.
It was the deadliest event for rescue workers since the Ministry of Emergency Management formed last year.
The authorities have applied for them to be officially declared heroes, the center said on Tuesday.
The forest fire was brought under control at 3 pm on Tuesday through joint efforts from five helicopters and over 500 firefighters, said Tang Yi, director of Liangshan's security enforcement team, on Tuesday afternoon.
Sichuan has opened a special investigation into the cause of the blaze and will release the results in due time, he said.
By Tuesday afternoon, 23 bodies had been transported to a funeral home in Xichang, Liangshan Yi, where the firefighting team was based.
Some 3,000 locals visited the mortuary, holding chrysanthemums, wreaths and hada-white ceremonial scarves-in their hands. Many had tears in their eyes, said Song Ming, an information officer with the prefectural government information office.
Of the 30 victims, the oldest was 49 and the youngest 19.
Zhang Hao, a 29-year-old victim, had recently married. Before the tragedy, all the information he uploaded in his WeChat Moments was about his firefighting missions. In one photo, he showed how difficult it was for him to clean his hands after one mission.
Jiang Feifei, another 29-year-old victim, said via his WeChat Moments that he was washing his clothes when he was asked to rush to the deadly blaze after just two missions.


> Are Onion Rings Healthy?
Onion is a bulb-vegetable commonly used in recipes all over the world. From classic and exquisite dishes to appetizers in fast food chains, it plays an important role in our eating habits. Usually, onion is preferred as a side dish in the form of onion rings. The rings are battered or dipped in breadcrumbs and then deep-fried. However, you have to bear in mind that there are healthier ways to make onion rings. For instance, you can bake them instead of deep frying them, or you can eat gluten free onion rings. The choice is really yours. No matter how you like to eat your onion rings, onions have some healthy benefits that few people are aware of.
But What If You Eat Deep-fried Onions?
Moderate amounts of onion can be beneficial for your heart. The sulfur in onion prevents clotting of blood vessels. It also lowers cholesterol level and prevent heart attacks. It also reduces blood sugar and keeps it at healthy levels. Still, those findings are based of overall diet containing abundant consumption of vegetables and fruits.
Bone and connective tissue also benefit from onion consumption on a regular basis. This vegetable increases the density of bones, which makes it a must in the menu of women who are going through menopause.
Onion relieves chronic inflammation. Onion has a unique molecule that is found in its bulb. Its activity is similar to that of a macrophage, a specialized blood cell that actively participates in the defense of the immune system.
The layered vegetable prevents cancer. It is beneficial for lowering the risk of several types of cancer such as cancers of the ovarian, laryngeal, colorectal and prostate. The risk of these types of cancer is significantly decreased if a person eats a moderate amount of onion.
Onions benefits sleep and mood. Folate, a component found in onion, can prevent mood disorders such as depression. It is also beneficial for healthy sleep and normal appetite.
Onion also possesses vitamin C, a vitamin vital for healthy hair and skin.
Calories intake may get out of control. Frying can multiply the amount of calories many more times than you care to imagine. Deep-frying also depletes onions of its minerals, vitamins and antioxidants. Deep-fried onion rings may be tasty but they are usually nothing more than fats and calories. Excess fats leads to obesity, which brings on other serious illnesses such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, bone disease, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, body pain and some types of cancers.
What If You Eat Deep-fried Onions?
The use of hydrogenated vegetable oil for deep frying is extremely unhealthy. It adds trans fat which increases cholesterol levels. High cholesterol levels may lead to heart diseases and strokes. Moreover, fast food chains and joints use their oil over and over again which can be extremely harmful for your health. Overused oil starts to form toxic compounds which leads to health conditions such as glucose intolerance, protein malfunction and high cholesterol.
Deep frying releases chemicals that are responsible for cell mutation which could lead to cancer. A diet based solely on fried food can lead to inflammatory conditions of the lungs and various types of cancer, including breast and pancreas cancers.
Deep frying destroys nutrients. The only things that are left in deep fried food are fats and empty calories. Avoid eating vegetables that have been deep fried (such as onion rings) and enrich your menu with healthy, raw veggies.
Although onion itself is healthy, avoid eating it deep fried. Although onion rings are great appetizers, try to resist the temptation. The process of deep frying depletes all healthy benefits in the onion. Calories in onion rings can reach staggering levels. The only benefit left in onion rings is the great taste but that is not worth the harmful side effects that they may bring to your health.
Still it is a mystery how greasy, deep-fried food can have so many fans around the world. Though deep-fried food are extremely tasty and go well with beer, but try to avoid eating onion rings. Try a healthier option instead. A healthy substitute for onion rings is rice pilaf because it is low on calories and fat and has plenty of vitamin C. Fried calamari is also a good alternative. It contains 150 calories, 15 grams of protein and only 6 grams of fat per portion. It has 6 grams of carbohydrates and plenty of zing and vitamins from the B group. If you cannot live without onion rings, try to make them at home. There are plenty of healthy recipes for onion rings such as baking them instead of deep-frying them. Take a look at the nutritional differences between deep-fried onion rings and baked onion rings below. You definitely realize which is the healthier option.
<< Chicken Nuggets: Serving Up Chicken or Preservatives?
I appreciate your article. But please avoid contradictory sentences right after each other. You've made your point. Don't oversee a conclusion.
That's your answer to your own question!!
It just looks nonsensical. Better to not ask the question. Especially that way.


text:
#if GOOGLE_CUDA

#define EIGEN_USE_GPU

#include "tensorflow/core/kernels/slice_op.h"

#include "tensorflow/core/framework/register_types.h"
#include "tensorflow/core/framework/tensor_types.h"
#include "tensorflow/core/platform/types.h"

namespace tensorflow {

typedef Eigen::GpuDevice GPUDevice;

#define DEFINE_GPU_KERNELS(T)                      \
  template struct functor::Slice<GPUDevice, T, 1>; \
  template struct functor::Slice<GPUDevice, T, 2>; \
  template struct functor::Slice<GPUDevice, T, 3>; \
  template struct functor::Slice<GPUDevice, T, 4>; \
  template struct functor::Slice<GPUDevice, T, 5>; \
  template struct functor::Slice<GPUDevice, T, 6>;

TF_CALL_GPU_NUMBER_TYPES(DEFINE_GPU_KERNELS);
DEFINE_GPU_KERNELS(int32);

#undef DEFINE_GPU_KERNELS

}  // end namespace tensorflow

#endif  // GOOGLE_CUDA


text:
Q: How to limit the Activation bar so that I can use the exp () function for type ? I am trying to make a sigmoid function that works with the numbers f32 and f64.
This code gets an error - no method named exp found for type& T in the current scope.
I think I know why this happens, and I want to explain to the compiler that the numbers will be F32 and F64, but I don't know how. Sorry for my English .
pub trait Activation<T> {
  fn compute(&self,input:&Vec<T>) -> Vec<T>;
}

pub struct Sigmoid {}
  impl Sigmoid {
    pub fn new() -> Sigmoid {
      Sigmoid{}
    }
  }

  impl<T> Activation<T> for Sigmoid {
  fn compute(&self, input: &Vec<T>) -> Vec<> {
    let mut out:Vec<T> = vec![];
      for (i,v) in input.iter().enumerate() {
        let mut z =  *v.exp() ;
        out.push(z);
      }
    out
  }
}

A: Looks like you could use the num_traits crate:
use num_traits::float::Float;

pub trait Activation<T: Float> {
    fn compute(&self, input: &Vec<T>) -> Vec<T>;
}

pub struct Sigmoid {}
impl Sigmoid {
    pub fn new() -> Sigmoid {
        Sigmoid {}
    }
}

impl<T> Activation<T> for Sigmoid
    where T: Float {

    fn compute(&self, input: &Vec<T>) -> Vec<T> {
        let mut out: Vec<T> = vec![];
        for (_, v) in input.iter().enumerate() {
            let z = v.exp();
            out.push(z);
        }

        out
    }
}

You can also implement this without the num crate, but its a tad ugly:
pub trait LocalFloat {
    fn exp(self) -> Self;
}

impl LocalFloat for f32 {
    fn exp(self) -> Self {
        f32::exp(self)
    }
}

impl LocalFloat for f64 {
    fn exp(self) -> Self {
        f64::exp(self)
    }
}

pub trait Activation<T: LocalFloat> {
    fn compute(&self, input: &Vec<T>) -> Vec<T>;
}

pub struct Sigmoid {}
impl Sigmoid {
    pub fn new() -> Sigmoid {
        Sigmoid {}
    }
}

impl<T> Activation<T> for Sigmoid
    where T: LocalFloat + Copy {

    fn compute(&self, input: &Vec<T>) -> Vec<T> {
        let mut out: Vec<T> = vec![];
        for (_, v) in input.iter().enumerate() {
            let z = v.exp();
            out.push(z);
        }

        out
    }
}