Are you ready to move to the next level in your web design journey?
If you are freelancing, a self-employed web designer, or run your own digital agency it is safe to assume you have a high level of technical knowledge and skills.
But in order to kick things up a notch, you need more than technical skills. You also need some business savvy under your belt. Combining business savvy with your skills is going to give your digital agency a much better shot at successful growth and development.
A good marketing strategy is essential for connecting with new customers and staying engaged with existing ones. There are different marketing channels to explore including SEO, social media, online advertising, and sometimes even print advertising.
If you don't have the time or knowledge to develop a marketing strategy, it's a good idea to engage a marketing professional to do this for you. It is a very important part of your business and is worth the investment.
Another great option is to network within your community. Reach out to people who know your work and might have a need for your services. Attend professional events and get your name and face out there. Build a network of people who can refer your services to others.
Designers make a living out of building and portraying the brands of other businesses – make sure your own brand doesn't fall by the wayside in the process. Your brand should be individual and memorable, and highly visible on all of your marketing content.
It should tell the story of your business and highlight the benefits of your service to your clients. Be consistent so that your brand is immediately recognisable regardless of where people come across it.
Deciding to provide specialist services to a particular industry might seem like a hindrance to your horizons, but it can actually have the opposite impact on your business.
Setting yourself up as a web design leader for a particular market can set you apart from other generalist services and put you in the top go-to spot. Some good market analysis should be undertaken before committing to this sort of decision.
You won't get very far without happy customers. The first thing potential clients will do is check out online reviews and testimonials, so it is in your best interest to keep these as positive as possible.
Good customer service is also crucial for getting loyal repeat customers who keep your workflow (and income) steady. The probability of selling more of a service to an existing happy customer is up to 14 times higher than selling to a prospective customer!
Measuring your customer satisfaction regularly and accurately is crucial to success. An easy to understand, effective, and low-cost way to measure customer satisfaction is through NPS surveys. Delighted have a free calculator that make NPS scoring easy.
It's true of any successful business that you have to be on top of your finances at all times. Even if you have an accountant taking care of the big stuff for you, you should still have a basic idea of your incomings and outgoings. You should also have your finger on the market pulse – keeping an eye on competition charge-out rates and reviewing yours as required.
It is useful to have a budget and a cash flow forecast. That will help you to know when you are expecting funds in, and when you have to pay funds out. It ensures you have the funds available to pay your bills at the right time and have enough left over to pay yourself!
Efficiency is key to growing any business. Time is a precious currency; you only have so many hours in a day. You don't want to be spending too much time on admin tasks and not enough on the work that is going to drive you forward.
Make sure you are using the best possible software or apps for streamlining your business processes. If you really want to give yourself more free time, consider outsourcing some of your smaller tasks to a virtual assistant.
The thing about the technology industry is that it is always changing. In order to keep up and offer your clients the very best in service, you need to upskill yourself. Stay on top of innovations in the field and always take the opportunity to learn where you can.


Margie Wells and I (Jennifer Escamilla aka JenE) were fortunate to attend CASBO's Northern Section Annual Holiday Meeting, Luncheon & Toy Drive on December 8th. The luncheon was held at Castlewood Country Club in Pleasanton, which is a beautiful venue. It's not a bad way to spend a Friday afternoon.
Jennifer Escamilla and Margie Wells enjoying the sunshine in Pleasanton.
The keynote speaker this year was Nina Boyd, CASBO President. She discussed diversity and inclusion. One of the videos Nina showed was called Take a Seat, Make a Friend, where two strangers sat in a ball pit (the kind that kids play in at McDonald's) and discussed life's big questions. It is a good reminder that on the surface we may not see the commonalities between us, but the deeper you dig the more common experiences and ideas we share. Without diving deep, you would never find the shared interests or experiences.
We also had the opportunity to meet up with our friends from Livermore Valley JUSD. Theirs was the lucky table during the raffle. I think they won half the prizes! They are currently in the implementation phase and will be going live on Escape Online in July 2018. Margie has been working closely with them on their data conversions, so was able to chat with them about HR/Pay Setup files that were being processed, as well as the upcoming Employee Management training at Alameda COE.


text:
A Cancer Fighting Tree In China
Cancer Fighting Trees
A cancer fighting tree – Researchers are studying a tiny family of fir trees in China in hopes of finding its potential to decrease cancer-causing proteins. It is special work because there are only a few of the trees left in the world.
Native to China
The trees can grow as high as 6,000 feet and are known as Abies beshanzuensi, native to Baishanzu Shanin, the southern Zheijiang province in eastern China.
Cancer fighting trees – look at Special Molecules
The trees have special molecules, which include proteins that are inhibitors of SHP2, a type of cancer-causing protein. As a result, scientists are pinpointing the protein for treating cancer, according to the Purdue University, citing a study in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
Targeted Molecules
Targeting proteins are not unusual because some can assist with the growth and spread of tumors. In addition, targeted therapies interfere with specific proteins that helps tumors grow and spread.
Forms a Chemical bond
Unlike many of the molecules now used to target Shp2 now, the molecule discovered by Purdue researchers form a chemical bond with the Shp2 protein. That bond is considered longer lasting. It bonded with an FDA approved cancer drug that targets DNA for potential combination therapy. The drug Etoposide, which is used for multiple types of cancer.
Important cancer target
"This is one of the most important anti-cancer targets in the pharmaceutical industry right now, for a wide variety of tumors," said Mingji Dai, an organic chemist at Purdue University said, according to the journal. "A lot of companies are trying to develop drugs that work."
SHP2 linked to cancers
Studies show that Shp2 is associated with many cancers, including breast cancer, leukemia, lung cancer, liver cancer, gastric cancer and others. Because of that link to many cancers, Shp2 is being investigated. "Based on the structure and function of Shp2, scientists have investigated specific mechanisms involved in cancer. Shp2 may be a potential therapeutic target," according to the Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine.
It adds: "In cancer, Shp2 plays different roles in various (tumors) and different microenvironments. Although great progress has been observed in studies focused on Shp2-related mechanisms, specific processes involved in such mechanisms should be further investigated."
Many molecular interactions
While targeted therapy and drug resistance is a main focus in cancer research, many molecular interactions are unknown and therefore more study is important, researchers said.
Researchers are examining the structural features of Abies beshanzuensis, particularly on lignin. structural materials that support some plants. "Lignin are particularly important in the formation of cell walls, especially in wood and bark" and do not rot easily, experts say.
Tree studied for diabetes
Chemists in China were initially studying the tree Abies beshanzuensis, for the possibility of treating diabetes and obesity. But the tree apparently wasn't as effective for those conditions.
Nearly extinct
Examining the tree for its potential cancer-fighting potential has opened the door for more studies and scientists don't want to waste time. That's because the tree is almost extinct, according to Purdue researchers. Organizations described the tree as critically endangered.
Tree still endangered
When the tree was discovered years ago, only several trees were found. By 1987, there were only three trees left in the wild, making it among the most rare – if not the rarest – conifer in the world, according to the Purdue study. New plantings have been successful, but the species is still endangered.
As a result, researchers are racing against the extinction-clock to better understand these trees, as they could inspire powerful new ways to treat various cancer," according to Dai, the journal said.
Dexter C. Davis, Dominic G. Hoch, Li Wu, Daniel Abegg, Brandon S. Martin, Zhong-Yin Zhang, Alexander Adibekian, Mingji Dai. Total Synthesis, Biological Evaluation, and Target Identification of Rare Abies Sesquiterpenoids. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2018; 140 (50): 17465 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.8b07652
Zhang, J, Zhang, F et al. Functions of Shp2 in cancer. Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine. 2015. Sep; 19(9): 2-75-2083. Doi: 10.111/jcmm.12681. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4568912/
Purdue University. Science News. Researchers race against extinction to uncover tree's cancer-fighting properties. Are we killing the cure? Retrieved from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/01/190117115906.htm
Tags: Cancer Fighting
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Rwanda Geography
Rwanda is located a little south of the equator in the transition from East Africa to Central Africa. The landscape is taken up by a plateau. The west with the large Kiwu Lake belongs to the area of the Central African Rift. In the north rise the Virunga volcanoes with the 4507 m high Karisimbi as the highest mountain in Rwanda. In an easterly direction, the land descends into a landscape of lakes and swamps. Most of the country is formed by the hilly plateau, to which Rwanda also owes the name "Land of a Thousand Hills". There are fertile farmland and large pastures here.
The tropical climate is rather moderate due to the altitude with average temperatures of 18 to 21 degrees Celsius. There are two rainy seasons and a distinct dry season between June and August. Tropical rainforest is growing in the west, which the endangered mountain gorillas use as a habitat. Visit harvardshoes.com for Rwanda – the land of the 1000 hills.
As a result of global climate change, Rwanda suffers from extreme weather conditions such as droughts and floods. Environmental problems also include landslides from deforestation and soil erosion. The government is committed to protecting the environment. It promotes renewable energies in the form of hydropower and passed a ban on plastic bags as early as 2006. Plastic waste had increasingly become a problem for the environment in Rwanda. The bags, ironically also called "African Flowers", were found everywhere in the landscape, in the trees, rivers and lakes. In the meantime, other African countries such as Kenya and Tanzania have followed Rwanda's example and have also banned plastic bags.
Population and Religion
Rwanda has 12.3 million residents. Rwanda is one of 499 people per km 2 to the most densely populated countries of Africa (Kenya: 90 Einw./km 2; Ethiopia: 109 Einw./km 2). Most of the people live in the country. The capital Kigali is the only major city. The average age in Rwanda is 19.2 years, and many children are born. But the high birth rate is on the decline.
The population is made up of three groups: The Hutu form the majority, followed by the Tutsi and the minority of the Twa, a mountain people who belong to the pygmy peoples. These three population groups have lived in what is now Rwanda for centuries. The Twa are the oldest residents. The Hutu used to be mainly arable farmers, the Tutsi herdsmen. From the 14th century. the groups were mixed up and people were then divided according to their property: Anyone who owned more than ten cattle was referred to as a Tutsi. Whoever had fewer cattle was a Hutu and thus a farmer.
For a long time, the Tutsi ruled over the majority of the Hutu population. Tensions existed between the two groups, which in 1994 led to the genocide of Tutsi and dissident Hutu. Around 1 million people died in the process. Since this devastating event, the distinction between Hutu and Tutsi has been avoided in Rwanda in order not to stir up new conflicts. Instead, efforts are made to highlight the similarities between the people living in Rwanda.
The common language is Kinyaruanda. English and French are also used as official languages. Most of the people are Christians, but traditional African beliefs are also widespread.
A large part of the population still lives in poverty. The number of people living in absolute poverty is falling steadily. The health insurance system reaches 91% of the population. Medical care is still inadequate, especially in rural areas. When it comes to nutrition, the country is dependent on food aid from abroad.
After the 1994 genocide, Rwanda reshaped itself as a state. According to the 2003 Constitution, the country is a multi-party presidential republic.
At the top is the president, who is directly elected by the people and has extensive rights. He is Commander in Chief of the Army and appoints the Prime Minister and some of the Senate members. Paul Kagame ( * 1957 ), a Tutsi, has been President since 2000. When he took office, he laid down the »Vision 2020«. The aim of this government program is to put Rwanda on a socially and economically successful path. In order to achieve stable development, Kagame pursues a strict, authoritarian course against critics of his government. At the same time, the population supports him because he has stabilized the country and strengthened the economy.
Reconciliation among the population is one of the most important challenges facing government. In 1994 the UN created the International Tribunal for Rwanda to deal with the genocide under criminal law, which until 2015 was based in Arusha (Tanzania). In addition, in Rwanda itself, more than 12,000 traditional gacaca courts have tried alleged perpetrators of genocide.
At the head of the government is the Prime Minister, Edouard Ngirente ( * 1973 ), who has been independent since 2017. Parliament passes laws. It consists of two chambers, the lower house with 80 members and the upper house with 26 senators. The people elect a part of the members of parliament, the rest are appointed by representatives of the provinces and various organizations. Some of the parliamentary seats are occupied by women through a quota for women. Equality between men and women is particularly promoted by the state. In Rwanda, at least in urban areas, it is more pronounced than in other African countries.
Critical voices against the government are suppressed, the work of the free press is severely restricted. When it comes to political rights and civil liberties, Rwanda always ranks lower in international ratings. The human rights situation is bad. However, the government has achieved great success in the fight against corruption.
In Rwanda, school attendance is compulsory for children between the ages of 7-15. First there is a six-year primary level, which is followed by a two-level secondary level of 3 years each. Primary school and first secondary school are free of charge. The language of instruction is English, and the national language Kinyaruanda is also taught. Almost 98% of the children start school, but only 65% finish primary school. The reasons for this include a lack of teachers and the poor equipment in schools. In addition to various public universities, there are also numerous smaller private universities.
Tagged Rwanda
Central Africa East Africa North Africa South Africa West Africa
Africa's Economy
The economy of Africa is marked by the exploitation of natural resources such as oil, gas and minerals such as gold and diamonds. The continent, however, is the poorest in the world, the result of colonial and neo-colonialist exploitation. Agriculture, tourism, manufacturing and services are still poorly practiced in most African nations. The same is true for the […]
Uganda History
Ancient kingdoms Since the 10th century, Bantu-speaking groups formed small agricultural states in what is now Uganda. The Kitara empire was founded around 1350 and extended (starting from Bunyoro ) to what is now northern Rwanda and western Kenya. After its decline and a phase of instability, the Bunyoro Empire expanded from around 1500 and […]
Imperialism in Africa
The European imperialism in Africa took place during the nineteenth century. Until 1876, 10.8% of the African territory was in the possession of settlers. Already in 1900, the European domain corresponded to 90.4%. At first European exploitation was scattered along the coast, with strong trading posts that ensured slave trade. The first large-scale dominations began with France and Great […]
Egypt Economy
Ivory Coast Culture and Literature


Outstanding opportunity to acquire an IT Consulting, Solutions and Professional Services Company with two offices located in the UK and with back office in Mumbai.
The Company provides application development, support, maintenance and testing services in the Digital, Web, On Line and Mobile arena.
The Company works with large blue chip organisations to define and implement enterprise level digital, ecommerce and mobile strategies and solutions. Long standing client relationships are in place.
The Company has Master Services Agreements with some of the highest profile Systems Integrators in the market and as such would provide an excellent gateway for any acquirer with a range of technology products and/or services that would be relevant to the client base of these integrators.
Established in 2007, the Company is privately owned and the team consists of a strong and experienced team of business development managers, resourcing staff and a delivery manager.
The Company, through this flexible and scalable resourcing model, is in a position to rapidly mobilise project teams without undermining quality of deliverables.
The Company provides end to end services for web development, offering extensive industry experience and up-to-date information on the latest trends in the market.
Forecasted sales revenue for the financial year to June 2017 is £4.68m with a gross profit of £890k.
The Company would be an excellent opportunity for a larger company in the same space and would provide further access to already valuable client relationships and a profitable and flexible project resource.
2 offices in the UK and 1 for back office in Mumbai.
Fully serviced rent of £4,000 per month (for 3 locations).
The vendors set up the business with a 10-year exit in mind. They now feel that they have taken the business as far as they can and that to exploit the significant future opportunities and achieve substantial growth, the company would be better served by being part of a bigger organisation.
Both vendors are flexible regarding a potential handover of the business and are happy to accommodate any reasonable preferences of the acquirer. One of the vendors anticipates being required for a shorter period due to the succession in place for his role. The other vendor would support a medium-term handover if required and would also consider a longer-term role if this suited the acquirer.


text:
Q: Replace openstack controller node? CPU utilization is high on openstack controller node.
I want to know how to replace the controller node or any other way to fix this issue.
I dont find any documentation for this online. Need help.

A: *

*Add a new Node as a Controller node, HA setup

*After new Controller works and enough (a strong Node), deactivate first one.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


About CashFlow Beats: Cash Flow Productions was started by a young Cliff "Cash Flow" Pope in 2003, as an avenue to provide original Rap, Crunk, R&B, Pop, Soul, and Hip Hop beats to rising artists in the DC Metropolitan Area. The Cash Flow Productions team continues to provide these services to artists on the rise. Cliff "Cash Flow" Pope's recent projects comprise of producing "Interlude" on Young Money's Lil Twist Class President Mixtape, mixtape albums for well-known local artist and former BET's 106th & Park's Freestyle Friday consecutive champion, Adversary.
From Cash Flow: As a producer and composer for over seven years I have a keen ear for the radio and an understanding for what it takes to succeed in the music industry. For listeners I can make them dance or fall in love with the right patterns and sounds that I put together. I have a nationwide hit single that I produced called "Looky Lookie" for Don Juan who is with Battery/ Jive Records. This accomplishment has paved the way for me to become a not only a producer but an empowered businessman.


Travel destinations in Mumbai, India you shouldn't miss!
Home » Travel destinations in Mumbai, India you shouldn't miss!
Looking for more travel destinations for future plans? Here's a suggestion, why don't you go and visit the city of Mumbai, India? Let us give you a sneak peek of what to expect from this city in India.
It is in India's west coast where you can find Mumbai, a city filled with all kinds of people from dreamers to artists, to servants and workers. This city is always busy as it is considered India's financial powerhouse, fashion hub and religious core.
Make yourself ready to get in some action and plan your travel itinerary to Mumbai now as we show you the attractions in Mumbai that are worth your visit!
It was the visit of King George V and Queen Mary to the city that made the commemoration in the form of the Gateway of India. This is the first thing visitors will see if they come in Mumbai through boat or ferry.
Considered a symbol of the British Raj movement, it is in the Gateway of India where the last of the British troops departed in 1947.
The Taj Palace Hotel was built in 1903 and has a combination of Oriental, Moorish and Florentine styles with the many chandeliers, domes, turrets and archways you can find inside.
You can also see a collection of artifacts and artworks inside. When you visit, treat yourself for some high tea at the famous Sea Lounge located in the Heritage Wing, or maybe indulge in some meal at Souk, where you can see the Mumbai harbour.
A UNESCO World Heritage, the Elephanta Cave is located in Elephanta, about 11 kilometres from Mumbai city. You may take a ferry ride that will take an hour long. The ferries operate from Gateway of India to Elephanta Islands and are available daily.
Though there have been speculations, it is still a mystery as to who built the Elephanta Caves and when they were made. But nevertheless, appreciate the beauty of rock art inside every cave in the Elephanta Island.
One of the travel destinations you must visit when you are in Mumbai is Bollywood!
India's film industry is blooming and what better way to experience it than having a Bollywood tour! Get a first-hand experience in making Indian films, and gain information in historical and creative aspects of the film industry in India.
Khotachiwadi as a travel destination is perfect especially for travellers who are into history and architecture. Aside from escaping the hustle and bustle of Mumbai city, stepping into Khotachiwadi, you will be welcomed by the Portuguese-styled homes, one of the oldest establishments in Mumbai.
This small village in Gigaum locality of Mumbai is known for the distinctive characters of its old houses that will make you feel like you've stepped back in time as these beautiful designed homes have been around for quite a long time.
Already excited to visit Mumbai? Do flights checking in Bangkok Airway's website. Book and check schedules of different flights in one of the Bangkok Airlines and complete all your travel destination plans!
Top 5 attractions in Samui you shouldn't miss!


Pretend this post came out on Friday for Fashion Friday even though I'm writing about our Saturday. I know, I'm completely off on my dates.
There were so many spectacular events this weekend, including the Maker Faire. I have always wanted to check that out; I know a lot of Burners go and showcase their inventions. But alas, I opted to attend two of three big art fairs happening in the city all this weekend. I guess I care more about art than science!
We started the day at the SF Fine Art Fair at Fort Mason. More than 70 contemporary galleries exhibited with most of the art ranging in price from $1,000-$20,000. I had my eye on several pieces and made sure to get business cards to track these galleries. I was really into these paintings of guns used in famous movies, particularly one with a bright pink background. I have to have it! Here are some pics from the SF Fine Art Fair.
We ended the day at artMKT, an inaugural art show at the Concourse Exhibition Center with a mix of contemporary and historical work from several famous artists. The work that I fell in love with were actual guns where the artist had removed all of the firing parts, plated the gun in gold, and reupholstered a part of it with a fashion designer label like Gucci. I really want to buy one, but Dean insists it's way too expensive. Boo. It's the very first picture on this blog post.
Here are pics from artMKT.


David Filkin and Stephen Hawking. Stephen Hawking's Universe: The Cosmos Explained. BBC Books, London, October 1997. ISBN: 0465081983.
 Stephen Hawking. The Universe in a Nutshell, Hoffmann und Campe, November 2001. ISBN: 3-553-80202-X.
 Li Hongzhi. Zhuan Falun. The Universe Publishing Company, New York, 1999. ISBN 1-58613-101-X, English Translation.
 Li Hongzhi. Teaching the Fa at the 2001 Toronto/Canada Falun Dafa Cultivation Experience Sharing Conference. Master Li's New Articles, May 19th, 2001.
 Bertrand Russel. A History of Western Philosophy, New York: Simon and Schuster; London: George Allen & Unwin, 1945.
 SPECTRUM Medienagentur, Spektrum der Wissenschaft, Volume 10, October 2000.


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A leading sports management agency with 20 years experience in the talent industry
Entourage Management is a leading sports agency with over 20 years experience in the talent industry.
The Entourage team has forged a reputation as a global market leader, offering high-end commercial expertise, media and playing career advice.
We offer a top-to-tail talent management service, with an impressive track record for negotiating the world's richest playing and sponsorship contracts, through to mentoring emerging talent.
Overseas playing contract negotiation.
Rugby Union – With more than 50 Australian clients under contract in Europe, 30 in Japan and dedicated offices located around the world, Entourage provides its client base with a global reach unmatched in this market.
Rugby League – Super League
Cricket – IPL, County and global T20 tournaments.
Domestic Contracts
Domestic playing contract negotiation.
Our agents are accredited in cricket, rugby union and rugby league.
In association with ACA, RUPA, and NRL.
Procurement, negotiation and management of sponsorship deals.
Managing relationships with the media and sourcing deals for players.
Mentoring and general career advice.
Assisting our talent in making the successful transition from competition to coaching, media careers and the next phase of their life.
We are a passionate team dedicated towards helping our talent achieve their goals on and off the field.
From career starting opportunities through to the transition into life after a sporting career, we maximise earning potential and commercial opportunities.
Entourage has negotiated multiple global sponsorship and media deals for its clients with a key focus on developing and maintaining relationships with talent, governing bodies and commercial entities.
Entourage also has long standing media relationships with all key media outlets which allow us to effectively promote and manage the reputation and public image of our clients.
Cameron Day
Damien McGregor-Lownsdes
James Hilgendorf
Client Manager, Rugby Union
Angus Sinclair
For any sport or media management enquiries, please feel free to contact one of our team members or email head office.
73 Australia Street,
Founder & Legacy
Tony Connelly founded Entourage Management in 2008, quickly establishing the business as a market leader in the sports & entertainment industries. Coming from a journalistic background, Tony was at the forefront of the sports media explosion in this country, as dedicated sports channels and the online streaming boom created unprecedented commercial opportunities for both on-air and on-field talent.
Intelligent, aggressive, passionate and fiercely loyal, Tony built Entourage Management into the multi-layered and thriving business that it is today.
Tony sadly passed away in September 2020, leaving a lasting legacy for the Entourage Management team to build upon. Entourage Management is immensely proud to continue Tony's great work, to both honour his memory, and support his family.
Copyright © 2020 Entourage – Sports + Media Management. All rights reserved.


text:
\section{Introduction}\label{sec:intro}
Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) have been successfully applied to solve many different computer vision problems. As the state of the art has been consequently pushed, research was mostly devoted at improving the performance (validation accuracy, along speed and others). However, recently it has been shown that these models are sensitive to distribution shifts in image data. Even small, for humans almost imperceptible, perturbations applied to input images can force the networks to make high-confidence, false predictions on samples that would otherwise have been classified correctly\cite{Szegedy2013Dec,Moosavi-Dezfooli2015Nov}. Normal training on off-the-shelf architectures typically results in zero validation accuracy against perturbed samples. This raises the question on whether current deep learning models should be used in safety-critical applications \cite{MA2021107332,doi:10.1126/science.aaw4399, deng2020analysis}. Consequently, researchers have devoted their work on studying the sensitivity to distribution shifts \eg by finding and understanding adversarial inputs \cite{Carlini2016Aug,akhtar2018threat}, and building defenses to those \cite{Papernot2015Nov,Goodfellow2014Dec,madry2018towards,Shafahi2019Apr}.
While most explanatory methods study the distribution shifts in the input data and activations, we propose to evaluate differences in learned convolutional filters and, therefore, round out previous findings through a different perspective. More specifically, we investigate shifts in the dominantly used $3\times 3$ filters in CNN classification models trained on \textit{CIFAR-10/100}\cite{cifar} and \textit{ImageNet1k}\cite{imnet} datasets that were trained to withstand $\ell_\infty$-bound adversarial attacks. However, we believe that our results also apply to other tasks, datasets, and perhaps even to other attack vectors.
We summarize our key contributions and findings as follows:
\begin{figure}
  \centering
  \includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{figs/divergence_by_depth.pdf}
  \caption{Filter structure divergence between learned $3\times 3$ filter structures of robust and normal models by depth decile. The first convolutional layer is displayed separately. The most significant shifts (large KL values) appear in the primary convolution layer and deeper stages.}
  \label{fig:divergence_by_depth}
\end{figure}

\begin{itemize}[leftmargin=*]
\setlength\itemsep{-.3em}
\item We collect 71 public robust models with 13 different architectures trained on 3 image datasets. These models contain a total of 615,863,744 filters with a size of $3\times 3$. Additionally, the therein used architectures are trained from scratch without the employed robustness regularizations.
\item We show an in depth empirical comparison of learned $3\times~3$ convolution filters between robust and normal models. The resulting filter dataset is made available publicly\cite{cnnfilterdb_robust}.
\item Our analysis shows that differences in filter structure increase with layer depth, but significantly explode towards the end of the model, with a dominant outlier showing in the primary convolution layer.
\item We visualize the primary layer of robust models and its activations, and observe a large presence of  thresholding-filters that can remove perturbations from regions of interest.
\item We discover that robust models appear to form more diverse, less sparse, and more orthogonal convolution filters.
\end{itemize}
\section{Related Work}\label{sec:related_work}
\paragraph{Adversarial attacks and defenses}
Let $\mathcal{F}$ denote a model parameterized by $\theta$, $x$ an input sample with the corresponding class label $y$, and $\mathcal{L}$ the loss function. Adversarial attacks attempt to maximize the loss $\mathcal{L}$ by finding an additive perturbation to an input sample $x'$ in the $\mathcal{B}_{\epsilon}(x)$ ball that is centered at $x$ with a radius of $\epsilon$. $\|\cdot\|_p$ depicts the $\ell_p$-norm with usually $p=2$ or $\infty$.
\begin{equation}
    \begin{gathered}
        \displaystyle\max_{x'\in \mathcal{B}_{\epsilon}(x)}\mathcal{L}\left(\mathcal{F}\left(x'; \theta\right), y\right)\\
        \mathcal{B}_{\epsilon}(x) = \{x':\|x-x'\|_{p}\leq\epsilon\}
    \end{gathered}
\end{equation}
On the other hand, to achieve robustness, the loss caused by the perturbation has to be mitigated by finding more suitable set of model parameters $\theta$. One of the most successful approaches is seen in \textit{adversarial training}\cite{madry2018towards} where adversarial perturbations are found and reintroduced into training, alongside with the inclusion of external data \cite{carmon2022unlabeled}.\\

\paragraph{Robustness evaluation} A common framework for adversarial robustness benchmarks is \textit{RobustBench} \cite{croce2021robustbench}. The framework applies $\text{APGD}_{ce}$, $\text{APGD}_{t}$ \cite{madry2018towards, croce2020reliable}, \textit{FAB} \cite{croce2020minimally}, and \textit{Square} \cite{10.1007/978-3-030-58592-1_29} attacks via \textit{AutoAttack} \cite{croce2020reliable} to obtain a comparable robustness accuracy. Perturbations are obtained from $\mathcal{B}_{\epsilon}$ with $p=2, \epsilon = 0.5$ on \textit{CIFAR-10}, as well as $p=\infty, \epsilon=8/255$ on \textit{CIFAR-10/100}, and $p=\infty, \epsilon=4/255$ on \textit{ImageNet1k}, respectively.
This methodology was questioned more recently, as the established $\epsilon$-thresholds are disputed as being too large and generate perturbations that can easily be detected\cite{lorenz2021detecting}.\\

\paragraph{Filter analysis}
\textit{Yosinski et. al.} \cite{Yosinski2014} studied filters of \textit{ImageNet1k} CNN classification models and concluded that early vision layers will form similar features, namely Gabor-filters and color-blobs, independent of task or dataset. On the other hand, deeper layers will capture specifics of the dataset by forming increasingly specialized filters.
A thorough analysis of filters limited to a specific \textit{InceptionV1} \cite{inception} model trained on \textit{ImageNet1k} was presented in \cite{Olah2020,olah2020an,cammarata2020curve,olah2020naturally,schubert2021high-low,cammarata2021curve,voss2021visualizing,voss2021branch,petrov2021weight}. The authors back \textit{Yosinski et. al.} and even go beyond by arguing that models are not only forming similar filters, but also connections (i.e. consecutive transformations). As model capacity increased, little to no research was devoted to understanding learned filters. More recently, we presented an empirical analysis of 1.4B filters obtained from models with different architectures, datasets, and training tasks \cite{anonCVPRPaper}. We also introduced a PCA-based method to compare the structure of learned filters, alongside two metrics to evaluate their quality (\textit{sparsity} and \textit{variance entropy}). Our findings showed that learned filter distributions remain largely similar across various splits, but many models show a large ration of degradation in filters. Within our study, we also briefly touched up on filter quality in robust models on \textit{ImageNet1k} and noticed that robust models form more diverse filters than their non-robust counterparts. The presented study builds on top of this previous work, and explores differences specifically focused at the robustness aspect and with significantly more details. Instead of comparing robust models to a large collection of various \textit{ImageNet1k}-classifiers, we compare differences to the same architectures trained without robustness regularization to allow for a less biased analysis. Additionally, we extend our analysis to other datasets, refine previous quality metrics, and evaluate a new metric to capture the orthogonality of filterbanks. Regarding robust filter analysis, we observe that models trained for $\ell_\infty$ robustness form thresholding filters in early vision which are able to remove perturbations.\\

\paragraph{Connection to other model analysis}
\cite{frankle2018lottery} presented the \textit{Lottery Ticket Hypothesis}, which claims that CNNs form various redundant subnetworks that each increase the odds of finding a solution. Once a solution was found, the ``loosing'' subnetworks can be removed without any significant impacts on accuracy. Upon that, \cite{bai2021improving} observed that adversarial samples activate channels of the feature extractor more uniformly, and with larger magnitudes, and propose to suppress channels to increase robustness. Instead of suppressing channels, \cite{guo2022improving} showed that enhancing subnetworks can boost robustness to adversarial perturbations. \cite{utrera2021adversariallytrained} argue that adversarially-trained networks transfer better as they form richer representations.
We hypothesize that these findings correlate with filter quality and believe that degenerated filters are the ``loosing'' subnetworks, that are activated by adversarial attacks. Improving the filter quality, in theory, should be a necessary, but not sufficient criterion to achieve robustness.

\section{Methods}
\begin{figure}
        \centering
        \begin{subfigure}{\columnwidth}
        \centering
            \includegraphics[width=0.9\linewidth]{figs/pca_basis_full.pdf}
            \caption{All filters.}
            \label{fig:pca_basis_all}
        \end{subfigure}
        \begin{subfigure}{\columnwidth}
        \centering
            \includegraphics[width=0.9\linewidth]{figs/pca_basis_robust.pdf}
            \caption{Filters from robust models.}
            \label{fig:pca_basis_robust}
        \end{subfigure}
        \begin{subfigure}{\columnwidth}
        \centering
            \includegraphics[width=0.9\linewidth]{figs/pca_basis_normal.pdf}
            \caption{Filters from normal models.}
            \label{fig:pca_basis_normal}
        \end{subfigure}
    \caption{Filter basis and (cumulative) explained variance ratio per component (below) for filters from \protect\subref{fig:pca_basis_all} all models, \protect\subref{fig:pca_basis_robust} adversarially-robust models, \protect\subref{fig:pca_basis_normal} normal models. Basis vectors are sorted by decreasing variance.}
    \label{fig:pca_basis}
\end{figure}
For the following sections, let $\boldsymbol {W}^{(i)}\in\mathbb{R}^{c_{\text{out}}\times c_{\text{in}}\times k_{1} \times k_{2}}$ be the layer weight of the $i$-th convolution layer with $c_{\text{in}}$ input-channels, $c_{\text{out}}$ output-channels, and $\boldsymbol {F}\in \boldsymbol {W}^{(i)}$ being a filter with shape $k_1 \times k_2$ (here: $k_1=k_2=3$). For the following methods we reshape the layer weights into matrices that represent stacks of $n = c_{\text{out}}\times c_{\text{in}}$ flattened convolution filters:
\begin{equation}
\boldsymbol {W}^{(i)}\in\mathbb{R}^{c_{\text{out}}\times c_{\text{in}}\times k_{1} \times k_{2}} \rightarrow \boldsymbol {W}^{(i)}\in\mathbb{R}^{n\times (k_{1} \cdot k_{2})}
\end{equation}

\paragraph{Comparing filter structure}
As in \cite{anonCVPRPaper} we perform a principal component analysis (PCA) via singular-value decomposition (SVD)\cite{Jolliffe1986} to understand the filter structure. In this work, however, we aim at reducing the previously hefty impact of sparse filters, by removing them from layer weights (for details see the next paragraph). Then we normalize each filter $\boldsymbol {F}\in \boldsymbol {W}^{(i)}$ individually to $\boldsymbol {F}'$:
\begin{equation}
    \begin{split}
        \displaystyle d_i &= \max_{i,j} \left|\boldsymbol {F}_{ij}\right|\\
        \boldsymbol {F}_{ij}' &= \left.
        \begin{cases}
            \boldsymbol {F}_{ij} / d_i, & \text{if } d_i \neq 0 \\
            \boldsymbol {F}_{ij}, & \text{else}
      \end{cases}
      \right.\\
    \end{split}
\end{equation}
The resulting layer weight matrix is centered and decomposed via SVD into a ${n\times k_{1} \cdot k_{2}}$ rotation matrix $\boldsymbol {U}$, a $k_{1} \cdot k_{2}\times k_{1} \cdot k_{2}$ diagonal scaling matrix $\boldsymbol {\Sigma}$, and a $k_{1} \cdot k_{2}\times k_{1} \cdot k_{2}$ rotation matrix $\boldsymbol {V}^{T}$. The diagonal entries $\sigma_{i}, i=0,\dotsc ,n-1$ of $\boldsymbol {\Sigma}$ form the singular values in decreasing order of their explained variance. The row vectors $v_{i}, i=0,\dotsc ,k_{1} \cdot k_{2}-1$ in $\boldsymbol {V}^{T}$ are called principal components/basis vectors. Every row vector $c_{ij}, j=0,\dotsc ,k_{1} \cdot k_{2}-1$ in $\boldsymbol {U}$ is the coefficient vector for $F'_{i}$.%
\begin{equation}
    \begin{split}
        \boldsymbol {W} - \bar{\boldsymbol {W}} &= \boldsymbol {U}\boldsymbol {\Sigma} \boldsymbol {V}^{T} \\
    \end{split}
\end{equation}
Where $\bar{\boldsymbol {W}}$ denotes the vector of column-wise mean values of any matrix $\boldsymbol {W}$. We can then measure the explained variance ratio $\hat{a}$ of each principal component.%
\begin{equation}
    \begin{split}
        {a} &= {(\boldsymbol {\Sigma}\boldsymbol {I})^{2}}/{(n - 1)} \\
        \hat{a} &= {{a}}/{\|{a}\|_{1}}
    \end{split}
\end{equation}
The sum of principal components $v_{i}$ weighted by the coefficients $c_{i}$ allows to reconstruct every scaled filter $\boldsymbol {F'} \in \boldsymbol {W}^{(i)}$.
\begin{equation}
    \begin{split}
        \displaystyle \boldsymbol {F}'&=\sum_{i}c_{i}v_{i} + \bar{\boldsymbol {W}}_{i}
    \end{split}
\end{equation}

\paragraph{Measuring layer quality}
A static measurement of the layer quality (meaning by only using learned parameters) can be obtained by measuring the ratio of filters where all weights are near-zero (\textit{sparsity}) as these filters do not contribute to the feature maps due to their low magnitudes. We apply the criterion presented in \cite{anonCVPRPaper} and call a filter $\boldsymbol {F} \in \boldsymbol {W}^{(i)}$ sparse if $\max |\boldsymbol {F}| \leq \max |\boldsymbol {W}^{(i)}|/100$.
The ratio is then defined by:
\begin{equation}
    \begin{split}
        |\{\boldsymbol {F} | \boldsymbol {F} \in \boldsymbol {W}^{(i)} \land (\forall x \in \boldsymbol {F}: -\epsilon_{0} \leq x \leq \epsilon_{0})\}|/ n
    \end{split}
\end{equation}
Additionally, it is possible to quantify the diversity of filter structure in a given layer. We fit the PCA to individual layer weights $\boldsymbol {W}^{(i)}$ without normalization of filters and again remove sparse filters. The diversity can be then estimated by the non-negative $log_{10}$ entropy of the explained variance of each basis vector $H(\hat{a})$ (\textit{variance entropy}) \cite{anonCVPRPaper}.%
\begin{equation}
    H(\mathcal{X})=\sum _{x\in\mathcal{X}}{x\log_{10} x}
\end{equation}
An entropy variance value of $H([1, 0, \dotsm, 0])=0$ indicates a homogeneity of present filters, while the maximum $H(\mathbbm{1})$ (here: $0.954$) indicates a uniformly spread variance across all basis vectors, as found in random, non-initialized layers \cite{anonCVPRPaper}. Values close to both edges indicate a degeneration.

Additionally, \textit{orthogonality} is a desirable property in convolutional weights \cite{brock2017neural, brock2018large}, as it helps with gradient propagation and is directly coupled with diversity of generated feature maps. Due to computational limits we measure the orthogonality between filterbanks (i.e. stacks of $c_{\text{in}}$ filters) instead of individual filters. The filterbanks are normalized to unit-length.
\begin{equation}
    \begin{gathered}
    1 - \frac{
        \|\boldsymbol {W}^{(i)}(\boldsymbol {W}^{(i)})^{T} - \boldsymbol {I}\|_{1}
    }{c_{\text{out}}\cdot(c_{\text{out}}-1)}
    \end{gathered}
\end{equation}
An orthogonality value of 1 stipulates the orthogonality of all filterbanks in a layer, whereas 0 indicates parallel filterbanks that produce perhaps differently scaled but otherwise identical feature maps.

\paragraph{Quantifying distribution shifts}
We quantify distribution shifts between two distributions $P, Q$ by a symmetric, non-negative variant of KL-divergence \cite{kullback1951}. For multi-dimensional distributions we compute the divergence on each axis $i$ and sum it weighted them by a factor $w_i$:
\begin{equation}
    \begin{split}
        \displaystyle\sum_{i}{w}_{i}\sum_{x\in {\mathcal {X}}}P_i(x)\log {\frac {P_i(x)}{Q_i(x)}}+Q_i(x)\log {\frac {Q_i(x)}{P_i(x)}}
        \end{split}
\end{equation}

\paragraph{Models}
We collected 71 robust model checkpoints \cite{rebuffi2021fixing,huang2022exploring,zhang2020attacks,zhang2019propagate,hendrycks2019using,zhang2021geometryaware,chen2021ltd,andriushchenko2020understanding,cui2021learnable,rice2020overfitting,dai2021parameterizing,gowal2021uncovering,sitawarin2021sat,chen2021efficient,zhang2019theoretically,wu2020adversarial,wong2020fast,huang2020selfadaptive,carmon2022unlabeled,pang2020boosting,gowal2021improving,sehwag2020hydra,sridhar2021improving,chen2020adversarial,sehwag2021robust,addepalli2021towards,Ding2020MMA,rade2021helperbased,Wang2020Improving,robustness} from the $\ell_\infty$-\textit{RobustBench} leaderboard \cite{croce2021robustbench}.
Additionally, for each appearing architecture we trained an individual model, without any specific robustness regularization, and without any external data (even if the robust counterpart relied on it).
Training \textit{ImageNet1k} architectures with these parameters resulted in rather poor performance and we replaced these models with pretrained \textit{ImageNet1k} models included from the \textit{timm}-library \cite{rw2019timm}.
\begin{table}
    \centering
    \small
    \begin{tabular}{p{1.1cm}p{1.25cm}p{1.25cm}p{1.25cm}p{1.25cm}}
        \toprule

        {} & {} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{Normal} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{Robust}\\
        \cmidrule{4-5}
        {Dataset} & {$3\times 3$ Filters [M]} & {Clean Acc.} & {Clean Acc.} & {Robust Acc.}\\
        \midrule
        cifar10  & $9.1\pm 10.5$ &             $92.2\pm 4.2$ &          $86.9\pm 2.6$ &             $56.7\pm 5.9$ \\
        cifar100 & $9.3\pm 10.6$ &             $72.7\pm 8.5$ &         $62.2\pm 3.9$ &             $29.0\pm 3.9$ \\
        imnet & $2.0\pm 1.7$ &             $78.5\pm 4.9$ &           $60.7\pm 6.3$ &             $30.8\pm 5.6$ \\
        \bottomrule
    \end{tabular}
    \caption{Comparison between average (and \textit{std}) performance and parameter size on all evaluated datasets. Clean Acc. refers to the regular validation accuracy, while Robust Acc. refers to the robust accuracy as measured by \textit{RobustBench}.}
    \label{tab:model_performance}
\end{table}
\section{Results}
\subsection{Filter basis}
In a first step, we investigate the basis forming the obtained filters. We therefore separate the filters extracted from all models into three filter sets: all filters, only filters from robust models, and only filters from normal models. Then we apply the filter structure measurement to each set individually.

We observe that the basis-vectors obtained from all three sets do not significantly differ (\cref{fig:pca_basis}). Changes only include minor fluctuations (note that basis vectors can be inverted which is equivalent with inverting the coefficients). However, while $67\%$ of the normal filter variance can be reconstructed from the first basis vector alone, robust models show a more uniform distribution of the variance, suggesting that these models form more structurally diverse filters.
\begin{figure*}
  \centering
  \includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{figs/ridge_dataset_by_robust.pdf}
  \caption{Coefficient distribution along every basis of robust (adversarially-trained) vs. normal models on different datasets. Shifts between robust and normal models appear to decrease with dataset complexity.}
  \label{fig:ridge_dataset_by_robust}
\end{figure*}
\subsection{Filter structure}
In this section we aim at understanding the differences in the filter structure. For this, we compute a common basis consisting of all collected filters and measure shifts between coefficients separated by dataset and regularization. We weigh the distributions by the explained variance ratio of the respective axis.\\

\paragraph{Coefficient shifts by dataset}
The coefficient distributions (\cref{fig:ridge_dataset_by_robust}) show clear shifts between robust and normal models, but this shift decreases with increasing complexity of the dataset. We obtain a weighted KL-divergence of 0.55, 0.16, and 0.01 for \textit{CIFAR-10/100}, and \textit{ImageNet1k} respectively. Interestingly, we also see a reduced drift for \textit{CIFAR-100} compared to \textit{CIFAR-10}, although it has the same amount of training samples but more classes. This suggests that more complex datasets lead to smaller distribution shifts between robust and normal models, with an emphasis on the fact that complexity does not only refer to the amount of input training data.
It is worth noting that robust models achieve a significantly worse clean accuracy than their counterparts and this performance gap increases with dataset complexity (\cref{tab:model_performance}). On average, robust accuracy is an additionally 30\% worse for all studied datasets. And \textit{ImageNet1k} models are evaluated with a different $\epsilon$, which may hide their true (non)-robustness. Additionally, the studied \textit{ImageNet1k} models on average only employ 2M $3\times 3$ filters (plus a negligible amount of larger filters), while the models on the arguably simpler datasets employ 9M on average. It is therefore likely, that \textit{CIFAR-10/100} shows an increased effect of degeneration, and, that \textit{ImageNet1k} pairs similarity is due to smaller architectures, and lesser robustness performance, rather than intrinsic similarity.\\

\paragraph{Coefficient shifts by depth}
Following the previous observation, we investigate the most significant shifts in filter coefficients and measure the divergence at various stages of depth. To compare models with different depths, we group filter coefficients in deciles of their relative depth in the model. The obtained shifts (\cref{fig:divergence_by_depth}) seem to increase with convolution depth and peak in the last 20\% of the depth for \textit{CIFAR-10/100}. For \textit{ImageNet1k} the peak shift is measured in the 8th decile, whereas the shift in later stages is minimal. Aside of the shifts in later stages, for all datasets, there is relatively low shift throughout the depth with the most salient outlier being seen in the very first convolution layer.\footnote{The primary convolution stage in \textit{ImageNet1k}-models use a larger kernel-size and is therefore not included in this study, yet we expect similar observations there.} This outlier is indeed limited to the first layer, adding filters from the secondary layers vanishes the shift. Once again the maximum shift appears to decrease with dataset complexity.
\begin{figure}
    \centering
    \begin{subfigure}{\columnwidth}
        \includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{figs/rgb_filters_robustbench_Addepalli2021Towards_WRN34_cifar10_linf_13.pdf}
        \caption{Adversarial training.}\label{fig:addepalli2021towards_rgb_filters_robust}
    \end{subfigure}
    \begin{subfigure}{\columnwidth}
        \includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{figs/rgb_filters_hso_normal_training_robustbench_Addepalli2021Towards_WRN34_cifar10_13.pdf}
        \caption{Normal training.}
        \label{fig:addepalli2021towards_rgb_filters_normal}
    \end{subfigure}
    \caption{Full set of first stage convolution filters of a \textit{WideResNet-34-10} trained with \protect\subref{fig:addepalli2021towards_rgb_filters_robust} adversarial training as provided by \cite{addepalli2021towards} on \textit{CIFAR-10} and \protect\subref{fig:addepalli2021towards_rgb_filters_normal} normal training.}
    \label{fig:rgb_filters}
\end{figure}
\begin{figure}
    \centering
   \begin{subfigure}{\columnwidth}
        \includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{figs/last_filters_robust.pdf}
        \caption{Adversarial training.}\label{fig:last_filters_robust}
    \end{subfigure}
    \begin{subfigure}{\columnwidth}
        \includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{figs/last_filters_normal.pdf}
        \caption{Normal training.}
        \label{fig:last_filters_normal}
    \end{subfigure}
    \caption{Randomly selected convolution filters of the last convolution layer in a \textit{WideResNet-34-10} trained with \protect\subref{fig:last_filters_robust} adversarial training as provided by \cite{addepalli2021towards} on \textit{CIFAR-10} and \protect\subref{fig:last_filters_normal} normal training.}
    \label{fig:last_filters}
\end{figure}

\paragraph{First and last convolution layer}
To better understand the cause of the observed distribution shifts we visualize the first and last convolution layers.
The primary convolution stage (\cref{fig:rgb_filters}) shows a striking difference: Normal models show an expected \cite{Yosinski2014} diverse set of various filters, yet, almost all robust models develop a large presence of filters performing a weighted summation of the input channels (as $1\times 1$ convolutions would do). We hypothesize that in combination with the common \textit{ReLU}-activations (and their derivatives) these filters perform a thresholding of the input data which can eliminate small perturbations. Indeed, plotting the difference in activations for natural and perturbed samples ( \cref{fig:primary_thresholding}), allows us to obtain visual confirmation that these filters are successful in removing perturbations from various regions of interest (ROI), \eg from the cat, background, foreground.
For the deepest convolution layers (\cref{fig:last_filters}) we observe the opposite: normal filters show a clear lack of diversity, and mostly remind of gaussian blur filters, while adversarially-trained filters appear to be richer in structure and are more likely to perform complex transformations. Contrary to the distinct primary layer, this observation is visible across multiple deeper layers.

\begin{figure}
  \centering
  \includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{figs/primary_thresholding.pdf}
  \caption{Activations generated by (randomly selected) thresholding-filterbanks (top) in the primary convolution stage of a robust \textit{WideResNet-34-10} by \cite{addepalli2021towards}. The first row shows the thresholding-filters. The second row shows the activations of each filter for an input sample, and the same sample with perturbations, respectively. Finally, the last row shows the difference in activations: perturbations (red, blue) are removed from ROIs (white).}
  \label{fig:primary_thresholding}
\end{figure}

\subsection{Filter quality}
\begin{figure*}
  \centering
  \includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{figs/metrics_normal_vs_robust.pdf}

  \caption{Distribution of filter quality comparison by depth measured via \textit{sparsity} (top), \textit{variance entropy} (center), and \textit{orthogonality} (bottom) between normal and adversarial-training for \textit{CIFAR-10} (left), \textit{CIFAR-100} (center), \textit{ImageNet1k} (right) datasets.}
  \label{fig:metrics_normal_vs_robust}
\end{figure*}
While the prevenient analysis focused on distribution shifts in filter structure this section focuses on the related quality aspect of filters. In particular, we measure the amount of contributing filters through \textit{sparsity}; the diversity of filters through \textit{variance entropy}; and the redundancy of filterbanks through \textit{orthogonality}. Similarly to the findings in structure, we observe fewer differences in quality with dataset complexity (\cref{fig:metrics_normal_vs_robust}), but also a general increase in quality for both robust and normal models. The results on \textit{ImageNet1k} are less conclusive due to a near-optimal baseline and a low sample size.\\

\paragraph{Sparsity} We observe a very high span of sparsity across all layers for normal models that decreases with dataset complexity. Robust training significantly further minimizes sparsity and it's span across all depths.  Notable outliers include the primary stages, as well as the deepest convolution layers for \textit{CIFAR-10}. Generally, sparsity seems to be lower in middle-stages.\\

\paragraph{Variance entropy} The average variance entropy is relatively constant throughout the model but decreases with deeper layers. The entropy of robust models starts to decrease later and less significantly but the difference between diminishes with dataset complexity. Compared to \textit{CIFAR-10}, robust \textit{CIFAR-100} models shows a lower entropy in deeper layers, while there is no clear difference between normal models. \textit{ImageNet1k} models show a higher entropy across all depths. \\

\paragraph{Orthogonality} Robust models show an almost monotonic increase in orthogonality with depth, except for the last decile, whereas normal models eventually begin to decrease in orthogonality. Again the differences diminish with dataset complexity and the span in obtained measurements of non-robust models is crucially increased.

\section{Conclusion}

Adversarially-trained models appear to learn a particularly more diverse, less redundant, and less sparse set of convolution filters than their non-regularized variants do. We assume that the increase in quality is a response to the additional training strain, as the more challenging adversarial problem occupies more of the available model capacity that would otherwise be degenerated. We observe a similar effect during normal training with increasing dataset complexity. However, although the filter quality of normally trained \textit{ImageNet1k} models is exceptionally high, their robustness is not. So, filter quality alone is not a sufficient criterion to establish robustness. We end with the following currently unanswered questions: \textit{Is dataset complexity the cause for lower quality shifts, or, is the difference we measure merely a side effect of heavily overparameterized architectures in which adversarial training can close the gap to more complex datasets? If not, can we increase robustness by filter quality regularization during training?}

\clearpage
{\small
\bibliographystyle{ieeetr_fullname}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


Jane Jackson is Professor in the Department of English at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
A growing number of foreign language students are taking part in study and residence abroad programs but what actually happens when they cross cultures in an unfamiliar land? What effect can a sojourn have on their sense of self and their perceptions of the target language and culture? What factors affect their willingness to use the target language in social settings? This book is based on the premise that student sojourners and educators can benefit from a deeper understanding of the language, identity, and cultural factors that impact on the development of intercultural communicative competence and intercultural personhood, "a new, alternative identity that is broader, more inclusive, more intercultural… something that will always contain the old and the new side by side to form "a third kind" – a kind that allows more openness and acceptance of differences in people" (Kim, 2001: 232-3). Linking contemporary sociocultural/ identity theories with practice, the relationship between language and cultural learning and identity reconstruction are examined through an ethnographic exploration of the actual experiences of study abroad participants. The book provides a unique, interdisciplinary perspective, addressing issues of importance to professionals in second language acquisition, sociolinguistics, cross-cultural psychology, speech communication, and intercultural communication.
In this chapter I synthesize specific aspects of Vygotskian and Bakhtinian theories that link language, culture, context, and identity (selfhood) – core elements in the journeys of L2 sojourners and, in truth, anyone who interacts across cultures. I then discuss the work of Pierre Bourdieu, exploring his concepts of field, habitus, and capital, which heightened my awareness of the complex relationship between power (resistance and inequality), social context, and linguistic practices.
Building on the earlier work of Vygotsky, Bakhtin, and Bourdieu that was discussed in the previous chapter, I now move to more recent poststructuralist conceptions of language, identity, and culture. In particular, I investigate sociocultural understandings of the relationships between these constructs, highlighting the importance of power, agency, and investment in language and cultural learning, and identity expansion. Border crossings and the potential for identity reconstruction are also discussed in relation to current notions of 'thirdspace' and the 'intercultural speaker'.
In this chapter I introduce the Special English Stream (SES), a short-term study and residence abroad programme for English majors at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. After briefly describing the elements of this programme, I discuss the methodological framework for my investigation of the language and cultural learning and identity reconstruction of SES students at home and abroad. Focusing on the third cohort, I outline the central research questions that guided my ethnographic study and discuss the roles that I played. The remainder of the chapter provides a detailed description of the procedures and modes of analysis that I employed, as well as the rationale for focusing on four of the participants. I conclude the chapter by providing an overview of the structure and content of the illustrative case studies that are presented in Chapters 5 to 8.
As I worked with the cases that were presented in Chapters 5 to 8, I discovered how diverse and complex these young women's individual journeys actually were. Weaving together data from various sources deepened my understanding of the challenges they faced and the choices they made as they crossed languages and cultures. This reiterative process sensitized me to the ways in which their linguistic practices were shaped by the constraints of their sociocultural, sociopolitical context. The longitudinal nature of my study also heightened my awareness of how contradictory, relational, and dynamic their identities were as each woman's sense of self shifted over historical time and space.
Drawing on my ethnography of the L2 sojourn, Chapter 9 examined the complex connections between discourse, language learning/use, and identity reconstruction, bearing in mind sociocultural, political, and historical contexts. How might these new understandings inform the design and delivery of study abroad (SA) programmes? How can SA educators and L2 sojourners be empowered to effect change in existing practices? What action might we take to harness the transformative potential of sojourns/border crossings?
…this book provides a unique, interdisciplinary perspective on SA research and practice, addressing issues in second language acquisition, second/foreign language teaching, sociolinguistics, cross-cultural psychology, sociology, postcolonial studies, race relations, speech communication and intercultural communication. This broad relevance makes it an important resource for a range of audiences, from students in SA programs, to graduate students in applied linguistics or intercultural communication as well as to international educators, second or foreign language students, international business people or indeed anyone who crosses cultures in today's globalised world.
…this book stands as a highly original and substantial addition to the body of study abroad research, essential reading for linguists interested in identity and intercultural issues, and fascinating for all those who enjoy accounts of meetings with others.


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The job outlook for a Diet Counselor remains excellent across the USA. According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the growth rate for job opportunities in this profession may rise 21% from 2012 to 2022, higher than the average for all occupations. The average annual salary of a Diet Counselor was $55,240 in May 2012.


important management lessons he learnt from a 500-rupee note. Read on.
It happened some years ago but I can recall the evening like it happened just last week.
Holding it up, he asked, "Who wants this five hundred rupee note?"
A slow chorus began to build as people began to shout "Me!" "Me!"
And I also secretly wondered -- and I am sure others did too -- why he would simply give away five hundred rupees.
Even as the shouts of "I want it" grew louder, I noticed a young woman running down the aisle.
hundred-rupee note from his hand. "Well done, young lady," said the speaker into the microphone.
But the problem is we don't take action.
Several years later, it was another day, another time.
to see, I thought I knew what he was going to do next. But he just asked a simple question. "How much is this worth?"
"Five Hundred rupees!" the crowd yelled in unison.
"Right," said the speaker. He then took the note and crumpled it into a ball and asked "How much is it worth now?"
"Five Hundred rupees!" screamed the audience.
He then threw the note on the ground, stamped all over it and picked up the note and asked one more time: "And how much is it worth now?"
"Five Hundred rupees!" was the response.
"I want you to remember this," said the speaker.
"Just because someone crumples it, or stamps on it, the value of the note does not diminish.
In our lives, there will be times when we feel crushed, stamped over, beaten. But never let your self-worth diminish. Just because someone chooses to crush you -- that doesn't change your worth one bit!
nasty -- or does something dirty -- to you."


text:
Q: Top-left pixel outside 100% width of the browser window Is it possible to load my webpage so that top-left pixel isn't the first one but rather somewhere else?
This is my current webpage layout and I'd like my webpage to be loaded so that top-left pixel is right where red arrow lands

A: I think I understand your request: it sounds like your goal is to have a single-column page and then exclusively in the about section with the right/left blocks you'd like to be able to scroll left/right.
If that's correct, I would restructure your page to have just the middle column, and then use css positioning on your #about section like this:
#about {position: relative;}
#left {position:absolute; left:-100%; width:100%; min-height:100%;}
#right {position:absolute; left:100%; width:100%; min-height:100%;}

You might need to do something with your body overflow, too:
body {overflow-x:hidden;}

Then to actually create the functionality you want, you could use javascript/jQuery to animate the sections left/right when you click on the anchors in the #about section.
Or you could use this js plugin, which works extremely well and is designed for just this type of layout: http://alvarotrigo.com/fullPage/

A: For whole container or body tag apply this css
position: absolute;
top:0;
left:0;


Since 1999, UVM Innovations has enabled new and existing companies to commercialize profitable new technologies that benefit society and the environment.
We understand that successful collaboration is based on the merging of cultural and intellectual objectives, as well as reasonable economic expectations.
Timely response to licensing activity is a core competency that has been developed over time and is a constant focus of our improvement efforts. Our unique networking situation enables us to combine technologies from a variety of sources. This allows the technologies to reach critical mass and increases the probability that each will achieve its full potential.
In recent years, the University of Vermont has seen a dramatic increase in its intellectual property and technology transfer activity. 60 of our 133 patents were issued in the past 5 years. 73 companies and institutions have licensed patents from UVM and are commercializing the technologies. 16 startups have been formed, including 14 companies in Vermont.


text:
Ems Aim to Strike Out Measure 105
Local minor league team takes hard stance against immigration ballot measure
News by Henry HoustonPosted on 10/11/2018
The Eugene Emeralds have received nationwide attention for the team's miraculous championship win: Even though the Ems had a losing season record, the team went on to win the championship.
Now the team is warmed up to take on its real rival: Measure 105.
The Ems, which celebrate Latino heritage through the branding of Las Monarcas, have publicly opposed Measure 105, the ballot initiative that would end Oregon's 30-year history as a sanctuary state for immigrants. The Emeralds are the only sports team to join Oregonians United Against Profiling's coalition of organizations to oppose the measure.
"We feel strongly with this, otherwise we wouldn't have made a stance on it," says Allan Benevides, the team's general manager.
Opposing Measure 105 isn't doing anything too crazy, he adds, although it's the first time the team has publicly taken a stand on a political issue.
Since making the public announcement, he says he's heard an "overwhelmingly positive" response overall, though a few negative responses have argued the team should stick to baseball.
In addition to baseball being one of the most popular sports in Latin America, Benevides says that on opening day, the Emeralds' player roster was 70 percent Latino.
In March 2018, the Emeralds announced they would participate in the "Copa de la diversión," a season-long series meant to bridge fans with cultures and values that align with a team's local Latino community.
The team chose Las Monarcas because the Monarch butterfly is a symbol for the migrant community, the team said in a March 20 statement that announced the branding.
The Ems transformed into Las Monarcas for its Tuesday home games, but Benevides says the team will move that to Sunday home games for the 2019 season because it's had such a positive result.
The team's re-branding is intended to mean more than just "fun, family and fiesta." It should also be directed at making an impact in the community, Benevides says.
The Emeralds' front office was trying to decide how to engage with Measure 105 in the ballpark since early August. They didn't want to wait until canvassing season in September, Benevides says.
The team put out a video that played before games showing community members (including Eugene Mayor Lucy Vinis) and Eugene Emeralds staff asking viewers to vote no on Measure 105.
"As Emeralds, as Monarcas, we believe that all Oregonians deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. This fall, Measure 105 threatens the health of our diverse community," the video said. "Say no to discrimination. Say no to unjust profiling. Vote no to Measure 105."
Measure 105 would repeal Oregon's law that prohibits state and local law enforcement agencies from using their resources to enforce federal immigration laws.
Standing up against Measure 105 shouldn't be left to just individuals, nonprofits and activists, Benevides says. Businesses need to stand up, too, because undoing the law "isn't right."
"I just know this country is better than this," he says. "It's frustrating to see [Latinos] under attack. I believe we all deserve a shot."
Wave of Warning
Weekend tsunami advisory serves as reminder to be prepared for Cascadia quake
News 17 hours ago
NOAA's GOES West satellite captured another explosive eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano, located in the South Pacific Kingdom of Tonga
It took several hours for a tsunami wave to hit the West Coast after the underwater volcanic eruption in Tonga Jan. 14. But when the … Continue reading →
A 'Forward-Thinking' Republican
Jessica Gomez is a tech CEO and is running for governor to transform how Oregon addresses homelessness
Jessica Gomez
Jessica Gomez is one of the few Latina CEOs in the U.S. and wants to be Oregon's first Latina governor. But she doesn't see running … Continue reading →
A Death Dishonored
Attackers who beat a homeless man and left him for dead in 2017 went free when the Lane County DA dropped charges
By Scott McKee Steven Ray Scott was beaten and left for dead during a senseless argument over a crack pipe in Springfield. The reason his … Continue reading →


I have been able to successfully execute tests in IE 7, however when I attempt to execute the same test in Chrome v14.0, the test fails on either clicking a hyperlink or verifying text. I have completed the browser configuration instructions...are there any other suggestions or minor nuances I should check?
We will need details on the specific steps to troubleshoot why they are failing. The "Export Result to File" feature from the Step Failure Details is a good start.
If the test was recorded against a publicly accessible site, we'd like to run it first-hand and see the issue directly. You can attach the test files (within a zip file) or instructions for reproduction to a support ticket which is confidential, unlike this forum post.
I have attached the results export. Let me know if you need anything else.
Thanks for the additional information. Unfortunately, even with the logs, it isn't clear why your test passes in IE yet fails in Chrome.
The next step is for me to test the issue directly. I noticed your app is publicly accessible. Please provide a test that logs into your app, navigates to the problematic page, and demonstrates the issue. Be sure to add the tests files to a .zip file first.
You can start a support ticket and attach the .zip file there. Tickets are confidential, unlike forum posts.
Thanks for attempting to look at it. I have submitted ticket 468555 with login instructions.


text:
Liverpool won the FA Cup after a penalty shootout drama
Najuma Ojukwu May 15, 2022 4 min read
Chelsea – Liverpool 0-0 (0-0) 56- After extra games and penalty kicks.
The fencers met again in this season's final, after Liverpool pulled the longest straw in the League Cup.
And again, the final went to extra runs and penalties after a goalless fight at Wembley.
Sadio Mane had the opportunity to decide the final match with the fifth penalty kick for Liverpool, but his compatriot Edward Mendy saved it. By that time, Cesar Azpilicueta had missed Chelsea earlier.
Mason Mount eventually became the culprit when Allison Becker saved the attempt with a tiger leap. Substitute Kostas Tsimikas became the Reds' big hero, when he scored from the decisive kick in the match.
– It's very special to me. The manager asked what penalty I would take and I said number seven. I am so happy. You chose the right page! Tsimikas tells the BBC.
– It was great, we put on a good show, says Alison Becker.
About the penalty kick, the Brazilian says:
– Was it good, or what? All my goalkeeper coaches helped me make decisions. They are great players, Chelsea did a great job, but we deserved to win.
Meet the fans: Erling Braut Haaland met the fans on Friday before his last game for the club. Photo: Kjetil Kjær Andersland / Dagbladet
– tense
This means that Liverpool won the cup in England this season and coach Jurgen Klopp got the trophy they lost.
It was a great and exciting match against Chelsea. They deserved to win in the same way, in the same way as in the League Cup – the margins are very small, says Klopp.
The German feels with his fellow manager Thomas Tuchel.
See also Elverum into the new NM final after the excitement against Drammen
The penalty shootout was nerve-wracking, I had no nails left, but I feel with Chelsea, for the second time. 120 minutes and you don't get anything, it's really hard. But I'm happy on our behalf, says Klopp.
Tuchel felt his crew deserved more.
We have proven four times this season that we can perform at the top and fight with them at this level. The results were all due and could have gone our way. The difference is that they can do it Wednesday, Sunday, Wednesday and Sunday, Tuchel said after the FA Cup final, over the course of the season. football londonreproduced by NTB
Tuchel believes he and the team couldn't have done anything different.
Like in the League Cup final, I don't regret anything. I told the players that I was proud of them. We played 240 minutes in the final against perhaps the most dangerous attack in the world, and the score was 0-0. We lose on penalties and we are disappointed and sad, but at the same time we are proud that we showed everything we needed.
– He will be welcomed
KLOPP FIRST TEAM: Jurgen Klopp has never won an FA Cup. Photo: Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP/NTB
Liverpool started the game better and a racy Luis Diaz could have given the Reds the lead, but Mendy stopped the winger who came alone with the goalkeeper after an excellent outside pass from Trent Alexander-Arnold.
A pass liked by Monaco's Cesc Fabregas:
TAA 🫣
– Cesc Fabregas Soler (@cesc4official) May 14, 2022
Jurgen Klopp's men could not take advantage of this initiative, and Chelsea entered the game more and more before the break. Christian Pulisic and Marcos Alonso both had ample opportunities to put the ball in the net – but to no avail.
extra rolls
Right after the break, Pulisic and Alonso continued to create great chances, but either Alisson got in his way, or the yellow-clad team missed. Alonso also sent the ball across the crossbar with a free kick from a corner.
Liverpool shook.
Diaz and Diogo Jota tried a few long shots before the hour of play, but no one had the right title.
It was unbelievable that there were no goals after 90 plus the extras. Diaz and Andy Robertson both hit the post. The latter after a superb attack, in which the full-back got the ball to the back post and hit the ball into the metal.
Thus, there were additional rounds again, as it was in the League Cup Final. There were two exhausted teams who had to play an extra half hour, and the teams made almost nothing.
Then it ended in a big way.
Flow Kings: The singing skills of Erling Braut Haaland received plaudits from the character Braydon Bennett. Video / Correspondence: Melina Bamboo Healthy / Red Card.
Salah exits with injury
Jurgen Klopp has led the Reds to win the most trophies since the German came to Liverpool, but he has lacked the FA Cup in his prize treasury. Chelsea were in the FA Cup Final for the third time in a row, and were looking for revenge after the last loss in the previous two seasons. Instead, it was a record with three consecutive final losses.
The two teams also met the last time Liverpool was in the FA Cup Final, and the London club won 2-1 again in the 2011/12 season. Chelsea have been in the final for five of the past six (!) Liverpool last won in the 2005/06 season (against West Ham).
Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah was forced to leave due to an injury a little less than half an hour later. Al-Masry stuck to the thigh, and it could be bad before the Champions League final against Real Madrid on May 28. Stopper was replaced Virgil van Dijk prior to the additional roles, and the question is whether this change was also caused by an injury.
– I think it's a little worse with Mo (Salah) than Virgil, he's fine. Felt it a little. I hope it is good. After the match, Klopp says: We have the right squad.
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Today I took a break from planning our fashion editors' London Fashion Week schedule to stop by the launch of a new label called Leifsdottir. The line, which will be available this fall at select Anthropologie stores and most likely a plethora of retailers nationwide, is super cute! The line features quirky classics in vibrant fabrics and with unique trimmings. Each piece is intended to be a collectible, or at least an antidote to "fast" or disposable fashion. I, for one, will start collecting come fallâ¿¿.


text:
Application of a STUDENT WITH A DISABILITY, by his parents, for review of a determination of a hearing officer relating to the provision of educational services by the New York City Department of Education
The Law Offices of Skyer, Castro, Cutler and Gersten, attorneys for petitioners, Gregory Cangiano, Esq., of counsel
Michael Best, Special Assistant Corporation Counsel, attorney for respondent, G. Christopher Harriss, Esq., of counsel
Petitioners (the parents) appeal from the decision of an impartial hearing officer which determined that the educational program and services recommended by respondent's (the district's) Committee on Special Education (CSE) for their son for the 2008-09 school year were appropriate. In a cross-appeal, the district seeks to recoup the funds it paid during the pendency of the proceedings. The appeal must be dismissed. The cross-appeal must be dismissed.
The student's eligibility for special education services as a student with autism is not in dispute in this proceeding (see 34 C.F.R. § 300.8[c][1]; 8 NYCRR 200.1[zz][1]).
As relevant to the instant appeal, the CSE met on April 29, 2008 for a review to develop an individualized education program (IEP) for the student for the 2008-09 school year (Tr. p. 32; Dist. Ex. 1 at p. 1).[1] Attendees included a school psychologist (who also acted as the district representative), a regular education teacher, two special education teachers, an additional parent member, and the parents (Dist. Ex. 1 at p. 2). At the time of the review, the student was receiving special education services as a preschool student with a disability (Tr. p. 33; Dist. Ex. 3 at p. 1). As a result of the review, the CSE found the student eligible for special education programs and services as a student with autism and recommended a collaborative team teaching (CTT) kindergarten program with related services (Tr. pp. 36-37; Dist. Exs. 1 at p. 1; 2).
In a due process complaint notice dated August 14, 2008, the parents alleged that the district failed to offer the student a free appropriate public education (FAPE) and sought funding of the student's private preschool program until an appropriate school age program was agreed to by the parents and the district (Parent Ex. A). The impartial hearing convened on October 20, 2008 and concluded on December 23, 2008, after three days of testimony (Tr. pp. 19, 115, 195; IHO Decision at p. 3).[2] By decision dated February 4, 2009, the impartial hearing officer found that the district offered the student a FAPE (IHO Decision at p. 16). The determinations by the impartial hearing officer included: (1) that the April 2008 CSE was properly constituted; (2) that the reduction in the student's related services was appropriate and would allow the student to progress academically and socially; (3) that the CSE relied upon its own reports as well as those provided by the parents, related service providers, and the student's preschool special education teacher; (4) that the CTT class was appropriate; and (5) that the evidence did not support an additional year of preschool or a 12-month program to address the student's special education needs (id. at pp. 14-16).
Initially, I will address a procedural issue that has arisen since the parents filed the August 14, 2008 due process complaint notice. The parents state in the wherefore clause of their petition that the district has already provided and paid for the services requested in the August 14, 2008 due process complaint notice under an unappealed pendency order and that the student no longer receives such services, therefore, they assert that the issue of payment for those services is moot (Pet. at p. 17, n.2). Moreover, it appears that the services were "largely discontinued voluntarily" by the parents after enrolling the student in another program for the "latter" portion of the 2008-09 school year (Answer ¶¶ 61, 99). Notably, the parents request in their petition that a State Review Officer dismiss the appeal "without prejudice," but further request that the impartial hearing officer's finding that the April 2008 CSE offered the student a FAPE for the 2008-09 school year be set aside (Pet. at p. 17). I find that based upon the parents' assertions in their petition, the parents have received the relief that they were seeking at the impartial hearing under pendency (see Application of a Child with a Disability, Appeal No. 07-085; Application of a Child with a Disability, Appeal No. 07-077). The parents now request in their petition that the case be deemed moot because the student no longer receives the services that the parents sought in their due process complaint notice (Pet. at p. 17; see Answer ¶¶ 61, 99). I therefore must determine whether this case has been rendered moot.
The dispute between the parties in an appeal must at all stages be "real and live," and not "academic," or it risks becoming moot (see Lillbask v. State of Conn. Dep't of Educ., 397 F.3d 77, 84 [2d Cir. 2005]; Patskin v. Bd. of Educ., 583 F. Supp. 2d 422, 428 [W.D.N.Y. 2008]; J.N. v. Depew Union Free Sch. Dist., 2008 WL 4501940, at *3-*4 [W.D.N.Y. Sept. 30, 2008]; see also Chenier v. Richard W., 82 N.Y.2d 830, 832 [1993]; Hearst Corp. v. Clyne, 50 N.Y.2d 707, 714 [1980]; Application of a Child with a Disability, Appeal No. 07-139). In general, cases dealing with issues such as desired changes in IEPs, specific placements, and implementation disputes may become moot at the end of the school year because no meaningful relief can be granted (see, e.g., Application of the Bd. of Educ., Appeal No. 06-044; Application of the Bd. of Educ., Appeal No. 05-058; Application of a Child with a Disability, Appeal No. 04-027; Application of a Child with a Disability, Appeal No. 00-037; Application of the Bd. of Educ., Appeal No. 00-016; Application of a Child with a Disability, Appeal No. 96-37). Administrative decisions rendered in cases that concern such issues that arise out of school years since expired may no longer appropriately address the current needs of the student (see Daniel R.R. v. El Paso Indep. Sch. Dist., 874 F.2d 1036, 1040 [5th Cir. 1989]; Application of a Child with a Disability, Appeal No. 07-139; Application of the Bd. of Educ., Appeal No. 07-028; Application of a Child with a Disability, Appeal No. 06-070; Application of a Child with a Disability, Appeal No. 04-007). However, a claim may not be moot despite the end of a school year for which the student's IEP was written, if the conduct complained of is "capable of repetition, yet evading review" (see Honig v. Doe, 484 U.S. 305, 318-23 [1988]; Lillbask, 397 F.3d at 84-85; Daniel R.R., 874 F.2d at 1040; Application of a Child with a Disability, Appeal No. 04-038).
The exception applies only in limited situations (City of Los Angeles v. Lyons, 461 U.S. 95, 109 [1983]), and is severely circumscribed (Knaust v. City of Kingston, 157 F.3d 86, 88 [2d Cir. 1998]). It must be apparent that "the challenged action was in its duration too short to be fully litigated prior to its cessation or expiration" (Murphy v. Hunt, 455 U.S. 478, 482 [1982]; see Knaust, 157 F.3d at 88; Application of a Child with a Disability, Appeal No. 07-139). Controversies are "capable of repetition" when there is a reasonable expectation that the same complaining party would be subjected to the same action again (Weinstein v. Bradford, 423 U.S. 147, 149 [1975]; see Hearst Corp., 50 N.Y.2d at 714-15; Application of a Child with a Disability, Appeal No. 07-139). To create a reasonable expectation of recurrence, repetition must be more than theoretically possible (Murphy, 455 U.S. at 482; Russman v. Bd. of Educ., 260 F.3d 114, 120 [2d Cir. 2001]; Application of a Child with a Disability, Appeal No. 07-139). Mere speculation that the parties will be involved in a dispute over the same issue does not rise to the level of a reasonable expectation or demonstrated probability of recurrence (Russman, 260 F.3d at 120; Application of a Child with a Disability, Appeal No. 07-139). Mootness may be raised at any stage of litigation (In re Kurtzman, 194 F.3d 54, 58 [2d Cir. 1999]; Application of a Child with a Disability, Appeal No. 07-139).
In this case, there is no longer any live controversy relating to the parties' dispute over the services offered by the district for the 2008-09 school year. I find that even if I were to make a determination that the program offered to the student in April 2008 was inappropriate, in this instance, it would have no actual effect on the parties pertaining to the 2008-09 school year. Both the parents and the district agree that the student has received the relief that the parents sought in their due process complaint notice by virtue of pendency, and the parents contend in their petition that the student no longer receives the services requested in their due process complaint notice rendering the case moot (Pet. at p. 17, Answer ¶¶ 61, 99). Therefore, the parents' claims relating to the April 2008 IEP need not be further addressed here. A State Review Officer is not required to make a determination that is academic or which will have no actual impact upon the parties (Application of a Child with a Disability, Appeal No. 07-077; Application of the Bd. of Educ., Appeal No. 06-044; Application of a Child with a Disability, Appeal No. 02-086; see also Application of the Bd. of Educ., Appeal No. 04-006; Application of a Child with a Disability, Appeal No. 02-011; Application of a Child with a Disability, Appeal No. 97-64). Under the circumstances presented here, I decline to review the merits of the parents' appeal.
As to the parents' specific request that the petition be dismissed "without prejudice" (see Pet. at p. 17), I find that such would be inconsistent with the finality provisions set forth in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and its implementing regulations, which mandate that, where there is an appeal to a State Review Officer, the independent decision on review becomes final unless a party seeks judicial review of the decision (34 C.F.R. § 300.514[d]; 8 NYCRR 200.5[k][3]). Accordingly, the parents' request for dismissal "without prejudice" is denied.
As to the district's cross-appeal seeking recoupment of the funds paid during the student's pendency placement, the IDEA and the New York State Education Law require that a student remain in his or her current educational placement, unless the student's parents and the board of education otherwise agree, during the pendency of any proceedings relating to the identification, evaluation, or placement of the student (20 U.S.C. § 1415[j]; Educ. Law §§ 4404[4], 4410[7][c]; 34 C.F.R. § 300.518[a]; 8 NYCRR 200.5[m]; see Student X v. New York City Dep't of Educ., 2008 WL 4890440, at *20 [E.D.N.Y. Oct. 30, 2008]; Bd. of Educ. of Poughkeepsie City Sch. Dist. v. O'Shea, 353 F. Supp. 2d 449, 455-56 [S.D.N.Y. Jan. 18, 2005]; Application of the Dep't of Educ., Appeal No. 08-061; Application of a Student with a Disability, Appeal No. 08-050; Application of the Dep't of Educ., Appeal No. 08-009; Application of a Student with a Disability, Appeal No. 08-003; Application of a Student with a Disability, Appeal No. 08-001; Application of a Child with a Disability, Appeal No. 07-095; Application of a Child with a Disability, Appeal No. 07-062). In addition, during the pendency of administrative and judicial proceedings, a student remains at his current educational placement, "unless the State or local educational agency and the parents or guardian otherwise agree" (20 U.S.C. § 1415[e][3]; Educ. Law § 4404[4]; 34 C.F.R. § 300.518[a]; 8 NYCRR 200.5[m]).
While the district acknowledges that requests by the district to recoup funds it paid pursuant to pendency have been denied in prior appeals to a State Review Officer, the district asserts that the instant case is distinguishable because the parents in the instant case were represented by counsel throughout the hearing process and were on actual notice prior to the first day of hearings that the district would seek reimbursement of funds. In support of its claim of entitlement to reimbursement of funds paid pursuant to pendency, the district asserts public policy and fairness considerations. I have considered the district's arguments favoring recoupment of funds paid under pendency and find them to be unpersuasive (see Application of a Student with a Disability, Appeal No. 09-019; Application of a Student with a Disability, Appeal Nos. 09-008 & 09-010; Application of a Student with a Disability, Appeal No. 08-134; Application of the Dep't of Educ., Appeal No. 08-061; Application of a Child with a Disability, Appeal No. 05-091). Accordingly, I decline to order the parents to reimburse the district for costs incurred by the district in maintaining the student's pendency placement, an expense it was required to pay in order to comply with the pendency provisions of State and federal law (see Murphy v. Arlington Cent. Sch. Dist., 297 F.3d 195 [2d Cir. 2002]; Bd. of Educ. v. Schutz, 290 F.3d 476 [2d Cir. 2002], cert. denied, 537 U.S. 1227 [2003]; see also 20 U.S.C. § 1415[j]; 34 C.F.R. § 300.51[8]; Educ. Law § 4404[4]; 8 NYCRR 200.5[m]).
I have considered the parties' remaining contentions and find that I need not reach them in light of my determination.
THE CROSS-APPEAL IS DISMISSED.
[1] I note that the hearing record contains multiple duplicative exhibits. For purposes of this decision, only the district exhibit was cited where both a district and parent exhibit were identical. It is the responsibility of the impartial hearing officer to exclude evidence that he determines to be irrelevant, immaterial, unreliable or unduly repetitious (8 NYCRR 200.5[j][3][xii][c]).
[2] A pendency hearing took place on September 4, 2008.
12-Month Services/Extended School Year (ESY)
CSE Process›CSE Composition
CSE Process›Consideration of Evaluative Info
Educational Placement›Integrated Co-Teaching
Pendency
Preliminary Matters›Mootness


Hit the link below if you would like to participate!
Our artists have backtracked into their harddrives and extracted these singular moments, scattered them over the floor and are hoping you can assist in pasting them back together into something wonderful.
We would like to invite you to participate in Astor Bell's 1st Anniversary Remixes.
Your submissions can be uploaded to us using the SoundCloud dropbox. The deadline for entries is May 1st, 2010.
The remixes that we enjoy the most will be released as a compilation in June 2010.
For questions use: remix (at) astorbell.com.
Thanks for listening and happy remixing!
mmmm sexual, you having a bash?
this sounds great might try some.
Subject: Re: Aster Bell Remix Competition!