Please help keep the ARTS in education!
All donations to ARTSpeaks are tax-deductible and go directly to our Events to promote the ARTS!
Please click on the button below to make your donation and receive a receipt.
NOTE: ARTSpeaks will send you a receipt for tax purposes. If you do not receive a receipt within one week of this transaction, please send an email to artspeaks204@gmail.com. Thank you so much for supporting the ARTS!
ARTSpeaks is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization comprised of ARTS education stakeholders in the Naperville/Aurora area who sponsor events raising awareness of the essential role the ARTS play in a comprehensive public school education, particularly in developing 21st Century skills. ARTSpeaks mission is to inspire our community to value and advocate for a quality ARTS education.
ARTSpeaks events feature speakers from a wide range of professions and industries who can share their personal stories about how the ARTS have directly impacted their lives - academically, professionally, and personally. Speakers have included a Harvard Law Professor, a Google Executive, Principal Trumpet of the LA Philharmonic, and an Argonne Laboratory Scientist. Each speaker explains the way the ARTS have influenced their thinking and helped them develop the skills needed to give them the competitive edge in their fields.


text:
Minnesota officer charged with manslaughter in Philando Castile death
By KYLE POTTER and AMY FORLITI
FILE: A memorial including a photo of Philando Castile adorns the gate to the governor's residence. / This Jan. 8, 2013, file photo shows St. Anthony police officer Jeronimo Yanez. (AP Images)
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- A Minnesota police officer has been charged with second-degree manslaughter in the killing of Philando Castile, a black man whose girlfriend streamed the gruesome aftermath of the fatal shooting live on Facebook, prosecutors announced Wednesday.
St. Anthony police officer Jeronimo Yanez shot the 32-year-old during a July 6 traffic stop in the St. Paul suburb of Falcon Heights. Castile's girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, was in the car along with her young daughter at the time. The woman said Castile was shot several times while reaching for his ID after telling Yanez he had a gun permit and was armed.
Yanez's attorney, Tom Kelly, has said Yanez, who is Latino, was reacting to the presence of a gun, and that one reason Yanez pulled Castile over was because he thought he looked like a possible match for an armed robbery suspect.
But family members claimed Castile, an elementary school cafeteria worker, was racially profiled.
Ramsey County Attorney John Choi got the case from investigators in late September and began reviewing the evidence for possible charges. Choi resisted pressure immediately after the shooting to turn the case over to a special prosecutor, but added one to his team to get an outside perspective. He also enlisted the help of national use-of-force consultants.
Choi's office has said a key question in his review was determining whether Yanez was justified in believing deadly force was necessary.
In Minnesota, second-degree manslaughter, or involuntary manslaughter, carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years.
The shooting prompted numerous protests, including a weekslong demonstration outside the governor's mansion and one protest that shut down Interstate 94 in St. Paul for hours. The interstate protest resulted in about 50 arrests and injuries to more than 20 officers, after police said they were hit with cement chunks, bottles, rocks and other objects.
The shooting also exposed a disproportionate number of arrests of African-Americans in St. Anthony, Lauderdale and Falcon Heights, which are all patrolled by the St. Anthony Police Department. The Associated Press reported in July that an analysis of police data showed black people made up nearly half of all arrests made by St. Anthony officers in 2016. Census data shows that just 7 percent of residents in the three cities are black.
The fatal shootings of black men and boys by police officers have come under heightened scrutiny since the 2014 death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and led to calls nationwide for officers to be held criminally responsible.
No charges were filed in the death of 18-year-old Brown, who was unarmed, after a grand jury found officer Darren Wilson acted in self-defense. The white officer had said Brown tried to grab his gun during a struggle through the window of the police vehicle and then came toward him threateningly after briefly running away.
Other police shooting deaths also did not result in charges, including the killings of 12-year-old Tamir Rice in 2014 in Cleveland and 24-year-old Jamar Clark last year in Minneapolis. A grand jury determined the white officer who shot Tamir had no way of knowing whether the boy, who was drawing a pellet gun from his waistband, was trying to hand it over or show them it wasn't real.
In the Clark case, prosecutors said the two white officers involved in the shooting feared for their lives when Clark tried to grab an officer's weapon during a struggle.
Officers have been charged in other cases, though. Michael Slager, a white officer in North Charleston, South Carolina, who has since been fired, is currently on trial for murder in the 2015 death of 50-year-old Walter Scott, an unarmed black man who was shot while running from a traffic stop. More recently, Betty Jo Shelby, a white Tulsa, Oklahoma, police officer was charged with first-degree manslaughter in the Sept. 16 shooting of Terence Crutcher, a 40-year-old unarmed black man whose car was stopped in the middle of the road.
When looking at whether to file charges, authorities must determine if the officer believed he or she, or fellow officers, were in danger in the moment the decision is made to shoot. If the fear of danger is deemed reasonable, charges are typically not filed. To prove a serious charge such as murder, prosecutors must also show that the officer was not just reckless, but had ill intentions.
Forliti reported from Minneapolis.
minnesotau.s. & world

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
New Executive Artistic Director Begins At The Rep, New Season Announced
By Michael Hibblen • Aug 17, 2019
Hear KUAR's interview with The Rep's Will Trice.
The Arkansas Repertory Theatre's new Executive Artistic Director Will Trice speaking with KUAR about his vision for the theater.
Credit Michael Hibblen / KUAR News
The new executive artistic director for the Arkansas Repertory Theatre is getting settled into his new position. In January it was announced that Tony Award-winning Broadway producer Will Trice, who is a Little Rock native, had accepted the position. But he had to spend several months in New York wrapping up affairs there before moving back to Arkansas.
The arrival of Trice comes more than a year after The Rep suspended operations because of financial difficulties involving a deficit of $750,000. But supporters came together, launching a campaign called "Rebuild The Rep." Donations were made, matched by the John and Robyn Horn Foundation and the Windgate Charitable Foundation, enabling the theater to reopen.
On Friday, The Rep announced its lineup of productions for the coming season. Before the announcement, KUAR News spoke with Trice about The Rep's current financial situation and his plans for the theater.
MICHAEL HIBBLEN: You just arrived in town two weeks ago, but we spoke by phone in January when it was announced that you had taken the position. Since that time you've been consulting for The Rep...
WILL TRICE: Yeah, working, coming back and forth, which is really for the birds. So I'm glad that that's over and working remotely from New York since January, but its great to actually be here on the ground and really dig into it.
HIBBLEN: A lot of people were real upset when The Rep shut down and obviously came together to help rebuild it. How is The Rep doing at this point financially?
TRICE: We're in probably as good a shape as we've ever been. The response was very strong and encouraging to the shutdown. It got us to a really manageable place with the debt. There's still a little bit to go on the capital campaign that was running at the time of the shutdown and that campaign was structured to take care of that debt. So, we're in sort of the last lap to close that out but very close to it and have a good set of operational reserves and we're in a great place. You know, professional theaters are very expensive to run. They're very labor intensive operations, so just to operate during a year, we have to raise a lot of money. Ticket sales alone only cover about half of our expenses, so we will always have to continue to raise funds in order to operate, but in terms of the debt load that we were carrying in that capital campaign, to be on a generally safe financial ground, we're in great shape.
HIBBLEN: And what's your role at the theater?
TRICE: Well, I have sort of both sides of that; sides of the branch that is sometimes fabricated, so I've got most of the artistic side and the executive or business side of it. Often there's an artist director and an executive or managing director that are two different people. The sort of other thing that sets me apart is that I won't be directing shows myself, which is something an artistic director typically does. So in theory, the extra capacity that not doing that gives me will allow me to also oversee the management side of it.
HIBBLEN: And what are you envisioning for The Rep?
TRICE: You know, much of it is what its always been. We have the same mission statement that we've always had to provide professional theater in central Arkansas that is locally produced with a variety of programming. That has always been a part of it and that will remain a part. You'll see slight changes here and there in terms of the programming and the marketing, but for the most part, it's what people have always wanted from The Rep. That'll continue.
HIBBLEN: Has the financial situation played a factor in what kind of productions you host? I understand musicals are more expensive than traditional plays because of the licensing. Are there any issues like that that are coming into play.
TRICE: Well musicals may be more expensive to produce, but they also tend to generate more sales too, so no. I think we start from, whether it's a play or a musical, you know, shows that we think people are really going to respond to and want to come see, and if that's true, then it'll be a great place financially no matter what it costs to put on. You know, it's a balancing act, sure, and across the season is a balancing act, and you want to have variety across the season as well and a mixture of both plays and musicals.
HIBBLEN: Yeah. Any thoughts in terms of more modern productions or more classics and old favorites or a little bit of both?
TRICE: Yeah, I think again, variety always plays a key element. You know, we live in a town that doesn't have dozens of professional resident theaters here that each could have these very specific identities. We feel a responsibility to have some sort of variety. That said, I personally tend to gravitate to things that are a little more contemporary, but just even thinking about the musical theater canon, a lot of it comes from the middle of the 20th century, and so just by default, you're going to have some stuff from there. But I focus on a mix and try to give everyone great experiences that are all a little bit different, but all enjoyable.
HIBBLEN: Well it will be announced the productions for the coming season later today. Can you give kind of a hint of what kind of productions you're looking at?
TRICE: It's three shows, three productions.
HIBBLEN: An abbreviated season.
TRICE: Yeah, because we're going to start the season clock back over if you will in the fall of 2020, so it will look more like the school year, which is what we've historically done. So we have a little trio, a little mini season starting in February, and yeah, it's a mix. We've got some musicals, got some plays, we've got some different sort of spans of time that they're from. But I very consciously went in wanting to program things that I thought people here would like and be able to easily come out of there feeling like they had a great night and be able to recommend it to their friends.
HIBBLEN: Well tell me a little bit about yourself. You're a native of Little Rock. Where did you grow up?
TRICE: I grew up here in Little Rock. I graduated from Central High, '97. Go Tigers! Yeah, was here all the way through that.
HIBBLEN: And how did you end up making it to Broadway?
TRICE: Pretty roundabout. My career before that went back and forth between more corporate, business endeavors, things more on the artistic side. And when I was about 30, I made a switch over into commercial theater, Broadway, and actually started as a really old intern, but luckily landed in a great spot in a great office with two great bosses who were very successful in the industry, and they made me a partner in their business pretty soon after I joined. It was an incredible experience, but I was looking forward to a different kind of experience and [have] always been drawn to institutional theaters, obviously drawn to the community that I grew up in, so I was upset as everyone else when The Rep went through its suspension last year. So it just seemed very serendipitous that it all came together when it did.
HIBBLEN: And how did you come to take this role?
TRICE: I had been talking with Ruth Shepherd who's the board chair and who'd been in an interim leadership position, as well as Cliff Baker, who sadly we lost last fall, but [Baker] was in an interim kind of artistic leadership position. And the conversation began very generally. Just a "what's going on?" "'Is there anything I can do to help?" And then it slowly veered into a, 'well, are you going to come down and run it?' So yeah, it happened rather organically, but I'm glad that it did.
HIBBLEN: Yeah. Is it hard coming back?
TRICE: Not at all. Not at all. There is an adjustment. I was in New York for 15 years. But it's interesting to see what has changed here since I lived here 20 years ago as a kid and what it's like now. Some things are very different, but some things are exactly the same.
HIBBLEN: Okay. Well a lot of people will be looking to you and also waiting to hear the lineup for this coming short season. Anything else you'd like to say? For supporters of The Rep and the people who have just really been following this saga.
TRICE: Well, I'd like to start with thank you. Thank you for the support and thank you for being interested in the cultural life of this city and wanting to make this city an interesting place and a fun place to live. I think The Rep is an essential component of that and it's all about us as a community wanting that for our town.
Later Friday the three productions for the coming short season were announced, along with descriptions of each.
Ann: Tony award winner Elizabeth Ashley is the legendary Ann Richards in Ann, a no-holds-barred look at the brassy, blue governor who changed the face of Texas politics.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time: 15-year-old Christopher has an extraordinary brain. He is exceptional at mathematics, but ill-equipped to interpret everyday life. He has never ventured alone beyond the end of his road, he detests being touched, and he distrusts strangers. And now he is on a mission – an investigative adventure that will upturn the world of his family and community forever.
Bye Bye Birdie: It's 1958 in Sweet Apple, Ohio, and the telephones are ringing off the hook. Hip-swinging, rock-and-roll heartthrob Conrad Birdie is coming to town to plant One Last Kiss on his #1 fan, broadcast live on the Ed Sullivan Show. Star-struck fathers, jealous boyfriends, struggling managers, and frustrated better-halves, are all caught up in a whirlwind of poodle skirts and letterman jackets … and the cameras haven't even started rolling.
You can learn more by visiting The Rep's website.
Arkansas Arts
Acclaimed Little Rock Native To Become The Rep's Executive Artistic Director
By Michael Hibblen • Jan 2, 2019
The Rep
The Arkansas Repertory Theatre says it is hiring Tony Award-winning Broadway producer William Trice to become its new executive artistic director.
The announcement late Wednesday comes after a turbulent year for The Rep. Financial difficulties forced it to suspend operations in April, but the arts community rallied in support of the theater which, after evaluating its operations, returned with plans for an abbreviated season this year.
The Rep Returns, Announcing Lineup Of Productions For 2019
By MaKayla Ealy • Nov 14, 2018
www.therep.org
The Arkansas Repertory Theater will return for a new season of productions after financial difficulties forced it to cease operations in April.
On Tuesday evening, The Rep announced its 2019 line-up. Due to a late start, the theater is opting for an abbreviated season. Instead of six main stage productions, there will be four shows as well as one for kids.
Theater Board Chair Ruth Shepherd says appealing to a broad audience is vital to the organization.
Arkansas Repertory Theatre Prepares To Resume Operations After Financial Problems
The Arkansas Repertory Theatre in Little Rock, which shut down in April because of financial difficulties, is preparing to reopen with a new season of performances in January.
The turnaround of the professional theater is thanks to more than $500,000 in donations, which was matched by the Windgate Charitable Foundation in Siloam Springs, according to Ruth Shepherd, the chair-elect for The Rep's board of directors.
'Rally For The Rep' A Plea For Support Of Arkansas Theatre
By Daniel Breen • May 1, 2018
Daniel Breen / KUAR News
Politicians, artists and fans of the performing arts gathered outside The Arkansas Repertory Theatre building on Main Street to show support for the venue during a time when its future is uncertain. The Rep is Arkansas's largest non-profit and professional theater company.
The Rep announced last week it was suspending operations, saying it is facing mounting debt and declining ticket sales. The theatre's website says its most pressing need is $750,000 to pay off its operating debt.
Rally In Support Of The Rep, Which Suspended Operations, To Take Place
By Michael Hibblen • May 1, 2018
A rally will take place Tuesday afternoon in support of the Arkansas Repertory Theatre. It comes after last week's announcement that The Rep was suspending operations because of financial problems. Since then people have been discussing ways to help the theater resume operations.
Skip Rutherford, dean of the Clinton School of Public Service, is helping to organize Tuesday's event, which begins at 5 p.m. in front of The Rep at 601 Main Street in Little Rock.
Rutherford spoke with KUAR in advance of the rally. You can listen to the interview above or read a transcript below.
Little Rock Theater Suspends Productions Citing Financial Problems
By Associated Press • Apr 25, 2018
Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism
A Little Rock theater has suspended its productions indefinitely.
The Arkansas Repertory Theatre's board of directors announced the decision Tuesday. Financial issues forced the theater to cancel its final production and cease future planning.
Board Chairman Brian Bush says a decline in ticket sales and an increase in theater options around the city contributed to the shuttering. But theater officials hope to eventually bring back the theater.
Bush says the theater hopes to fundraise $750,000 to ensure financial stability for The Rep when it returns.


On August 13, Chibo Okonomiyaki introduced more flavors to complement all palates looking for an enjoyable and satisfying dining experience. The new mouthwatering ala-carte goodness addition will drag you back for more chow down. Guaranteed!


text:
The Annunciation, from The Life of the Virgin, after Albrecht Dürer - Marcantonio Raimondi The Visitation, from The Life of the Virgin, after Albrecht Dürer - Marcantonio Raimondi The Flight into Egypt, from The Life of the Virgin, after Albrecht Dürer - Marcantonio Raimondi Glorification of the Virgin, from The Life of the Virgin, after Albrecht Dürer - Marcantonio Raimondi The Circumcision of Christ, from The Life of the Virgin, after Albrecht Dürer - Marcantonio Raimondi The Virgin and Child on the Clouds, after Raphael - Marcantonio Raimondi Saint Roch, after Raphael - Marcantonio Raimondi Adoration of the Magi, from The Life of the Virgin, after Albrecht Dürer - Marcantonio Raimondi
The Virgin and Child on the Clouds, after Raphael
Marcantonio Raimondi (Argini, Italy, circa 1470 or 1482 - circa 1527-1534, Bologna, Italy) Primary
Medium and Support: Engraving
Credit Line: Blanton Museum of Art, The University of Texas at Austin, The Leo Steinberg Collection, 2002
Accession Number: 2002.18
Catholics believe that when the Virgin Mary's body was assumed into Heaven, she was venerated there as queen because of her participation in the redemption of mankind – by allowing her body to be a vessel for God. The title Queen of Heaven appeared in devotional prayers and translated into art in the form of regal images of the Virgin. The coronation of the Virgin, in which a crown is placed on Mary's head, is usually set in a royal court or among the clouds with throngs of saints and angels looking on in admiration. The audience for these particular images was probably a wealthier one, more likely to venerate a regal Virgin than a peasant mother of God.
Prints - Italian 14th-19th c.
Your current search criteria is: Portfolio is "prints - Religious Images" and [Object]Century is "16th century" and [Object]Artist is "Marcantonio Raimondi".


What is Battle For the Hearts?
Source material which provided the basis for Battle For The Hearts was authored by Gehard Nehls of Life Challenge Africa and brings together teaching from leading Islam experts around the world. Through the series they share their knowledge and practical experience in Muslim evangelism. This is a solid teaching tool, and yet is appealing in the way creative and visual elements are used to drive home the learning points made throughout the series.
Christian evangelism to Muslims will only impact the world of Islam if the local church and lay leadership accept responsibility for reaching out to their Muslim neighbors. Our reason for producing this series is to empower you with a deeper understanding of Islam, who Muslims are, and how you can reach out to them effectively with the Gospel.
This series is not meant to be shown or given to Muslims to watch as it deals with subject matter which will be offensive to most Muslims and could work against your efforts to reach out to them. It is designed for Christian Audiences who desire to effectively reach out to Muslims.
The following sell BFTH DVD sets in English and/or French in NTSC or PAL format.
South Africa – Christian Concern for Muslims CCM's online store closed in 2015 due to unreliable mail service but seems to have reopened now. Contact service@ccm.org.za to arrange payment for purchases and shipping if you have problems.


Chat without seeing the guests enter and leave by going to the same chat room here.
This is why the site was shut down. I realized the site is worthless without the mp3 (which I could obviously not post anymore). I will have one more post tomorrow explaining how I get my music and my sources.
So this means the site is NOT coming back unfortunately, however with my sources and my links you will all be able to be up-to-date on your music just like before!
BTW: Comments are active! Leave me some love!
If you're gonna download, take a second to write a comment about today's music!
days. Feee free to contact me at any of the names on the right.


text:
Sarasota Manatee
Citrus Hernando
DeSoto Highlands Hardee
Quick links... News Hillsborough Pinellas Polk Pasco Sarasota Manatee Citrus Hernando DeSoto Highlands Hardee
NewsPolk County
3 Polk County deputies arrested for evidence tampering
The Polk County Sheriff's Office says three deputies are facing charges for evidence tampering in relation to a December arrest.
By: Emily McCain
POLK COUNTY, Fla. — The Polk County Sheriff's Office says three deputies are facing charges for evidence tampering in relation to a December arrest.
According to a press release, the three deputies were arrested Friday night after an investigation began March 15. The deputies are John Raczynski, 24, Jamal Lawson, 29, and Garrett Cook, 26.
RECOMMENDED: Home surveillance camera shows officer lied on report when charging man with major crimes
Sheriff Judd said the investigation into the deputies started on March 15 when a suspect who was arrested on December 21 called about her missing cellphone and $723 in cash.
Judd said the suspect was originally arrested during a traffic stop in Winter Haven, which was conducted by Raczynski. Cook and Lawson responded at the time as backup.
The suspect was arrested after drugs and cash we found in her vehicle and on her person, according to a press release. Raczynski documented the drugs and the cash in his report from the arrest.
Two days after the arrest, a release says Raczynski submitted 13 items into evidence but the cash was not one of them.
According to Judd, the deputies said they realized a few days after the arrest that the money was missing and decided to replace it with their own money. Judd said that never happened and the deputies never reported the missing money to their superiors.
Judd said officials don't believe the money was ever lost, but that one of the three men stole it. The sheriff said he doesn't know which one but added that it appears Raczynski had the money last before it disappeared.
Judd said he was "mad beyond words."
"They risked everything over a tiny amount of money," Judd said during a press conference. "If we're going to hold the community accountable, we're going to hold ourselves even more accountable."
According to the release, after the suspect contacted the sheriff's office on March 15 detectives found a supplemental report Raczynski created on March 16 adding the cash as an item of evidence. The release says Raczynski used Cook's login information to fraudulently sign the report as if Cook was an official witness.
After the suspect contacted the sheriff's office, the press release says Raczynski called Lawson. Lawson sent Raczynski $500 through CashApp, and the plan was for Raczynski to add the remaining $223 of his own money and submit it to evidence. That attempt failed and Lawson asked for the money back, according to the release.
The investigation was started after a PCSO Property & Evidence Officer reported a suspicious phone call from Raczynski on March 15.
According to the press release, Raczynski called the officer at work and asked her to call him on her personal phone. When she did he asked if there was anything he could to replace the money. The officer reported the call to her supervisor, who reported it to Raczynski's Sergeant.
Raczynski's Sergeant asked him about the call and the missing money. According to the release, Raczynski said he and Lawson were going to "make it right" by submitting their own money. The Sergeant told Raczynski to take no other action and the internal investigation was started.
Lawson, Cook and Raczynski were all interviewed on March 19.
Lawson confirmed that the money was removed during the initial arrest and gave conflicting stories on where it was placed after being seized, according to authorities.
Cook also confirmed that the money was removed and said he last saw the bag of evidence sitting in the truck of a vehicle but didn't say which vehicle. The release says when Raczynski told Cook a few days after the arrest that the money was missing, Cook said they should tell their Sergeant but Raczynski was worried about getting in trouble.
Authorities say Cook knew over the next few months of the plan to replace the money but took no steps to stop it.
Raczynski also confirmed the details of the original arrest. Authorities say he told them Lawson took the evidence and he took the suspect to jail. He told detectives the next day he noticed the money was missing and said the three searched for it but couldn't find it, so they created the plan to replace it. He also admitted to using Cook's password to fake the witness signature on the supplemental report he created on March 16.
Cook is charged with:
Conspiracy to commit tampering with evidence, for conspiring with Lawson and Raczynski in unlawful tampering or fabricating evidence (F3)
Lawson is charged with:
Conspiracy to commit tampering with evidence, for conspiring with Cook and Raczynski in unlawful tampering or fabricating evidence (F3)
Official misconduct, for knowingly and intentionally causing another person to falsify an official record to cover up the loss of evidence (F3)
Tampering or fabricating evidence, by transferring money to Raczynski via the CashApp, knowing it was to be unlawfully submitted as evidence (F3)
Raczynski is charged with:
Conspiracy to commit tampering with evidence, for conspiring with Lawson and Cook in unlawful tampering or fabricating evidence (F3)
Official misconduct, for knowingly and intentionally falsifying an official record to cover up the loss of evidence (F3)
Tampering or fabricating evidence, by obtaining money to submit into evidence, knowing it was to be unlawfully submitted (F3)
Forgery, for forging another deputy's signature to his report (F3)
Uttering forged instrument, for publishing as true a false and forged record (F3)
Raczynski and Lawson were hired by the department as detention deputies in 2017, and both later transferred to deputy sheriffs that same year. Cook was hired as a deputy sheriff in 2016. Sheriff Grady Judd said Lawson and Cook were also members of the SWAT team.
All of the deputies have resigned from the department when they were arrested on March 19.
Judd added that the charges against the suspect in the initial case have been dropped and that she will get her money back.


text:
Independent Health Technology Assessment (HTA) confirms: The LiMAx Liver Function Test from Humedics GmbH has both clinical and health economic advantages
Berlin, 20/11/2019 - The Austrian Competence Center for Medical Devices (CCMD) has conducted a Mini Health Technology Assessment to identify and analyze the clinical and economic benefits, as well as the potential clinical risks of the LiMAx system from Humedics GmbH. The institute confirms the clinical and health economic advantages of the LiMAx system for interventional use in liver surgery and highlights the noninvasive breath test as particularly innovative. The unique Liver Maximum Capacity Test (LiMAx) quantifies the functional health of the liver, thereby enabling the planning of better and safer interventional liver procedures. The HTA further concludes that the LiMAx system is a convenient and easy-to-implement way to reduce the cost of treatments associated with liver surgery. "For example, with 100 liver surgeries per year in a hospital, the use of the LiMAx system can save at least € 215,900 per year".
"We are pleased and encouraged that this HTA confirms the validity and healthcare impact of our clinical study data, as well as many of our own assessments of the potential benefits of the LiMAx test. This evaluation by independent experts shows that our unique diagnostic tool, which can measure the functional capacity of the liver in real time, not only helps patients and physicians alike, but also rewards the clinics and hospitals that choose to deploy the LiMAx test by providing them with considerable economic benefits", says Karsten Damgaard-Iversen, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Humedics GmbH, commenting on the publication of the CCMD Mini-HTA.
The HTA also investigated the non-interventional diagnostic use of the LiMAx test where published clinical study data show a wide range of use cases such as the diagnosis of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, the detection of fibrosis/cirrhosis and the prediction of mortality. However, the HTA concludes that despite the promising results of these mainly retrospective studies, the clinical usefulness of the LiMAx system in non-interventional diagnostics cannot currently be confirmed with a sufficient level of evidence and that additional studies are needed. "We are aware of the need for additional study data in other areas of clinical application of the LiMAx test, and we are therefore pleased that a large number of Investigator Initiated Trials (IITs) are currently ongoing, studying the utility and performance of our test in non-surgical areas such as transcutaneous liver interventions (e.g. SIRT, TACE & TIPPS), the diagnosis of NASH, LiMAx vs. Biopsy, monitoring of chronic liver diseases and chemotherapy toxicity", Damgaard-Iversen further commented.
Liver diseases lead to approximately two million deaths per year worldwide. Currently available diagnostic options often prove to be of limited use for the exact measurement of liver function or for the prediction of various pathologies associated with the liver. A novel form of determining global liver function is the LiMAx test (Maximum Liver Function Capacity), which measures the metabolism of an intravenously administered solution (13C-methacetin) in the exhaled air of the patient. As no Health Technology Assessment for this test procedure has so far been conducted, the aim of this Mini Health Technology Assessment was to systematically evaluate and analyse the clinical evidence and the economic benefits of the LiMAx test.
Numerous diseases, such as malignant liver tumours, require the removal of parts of the liver, a so-called liver resection. In surgical management, the use of the LiMAx system leads to safer procedures and a reduction in postoperative intensive care unit days and hospital days. The economic cost-benefit analysis confirms the economic efficiency of the LiMAx system for use in surgical management, as costs savings between € 4.51 and € 23.54 for every Euro spent can be realized. In addition, the LiMAx system features further clinical benefits such as for example reduced occurrence of postoperative liver failure and mortality and therefore, it can be recommended for application in everyday clinical routine.
To obtain a copy of the CCMD Mini HTA, please contact us at info@limaxtest.com.
For further information about Humedics and the LiMAx Test – please visit www.humedics.eu
PR-397-00 Press Release HTA Englisch.pdf (243.1 KiB)
Based in Berlin, Germany, Humedics GmbH is specialised in rapid and accurate liver function measurement using LiMAx®, an innovative technology for analysing exhaled air. The LiMAx® test provides physicians with a method for quantitatively assessing an individual patient's liver function capacity within minutes. This enables physicians to select treatment strategies and follow disease progression based on up-to-date knowledge of the functional health of the liver. Current applications, which have already been published in prestigious medical journals, include liver function diagnosis before and after liver transplantation, surgical planning for liver surgery (such as assessing how much liver tissue can be removed without increasing the risk of acute liver failure), and assessment of liver diseases such as fibrosis and cirrhosis. At present, more than 20 studies regarding new indications are being conducted. These include diagnosing and staging of chronic liver diseases such as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), as well as selecting, monitoring and managing different oncology treatment options. These studies, initiated by researchers, have already provided evidence of further potential for the LiMAx® tests. The LiMAx® test is in routine clinical use at more than 30 leading university hospitals in Europe. So far, more than 20,000 LiMAx® tests have been performed. The LiMAx® test is commercially available in Germany, Austria and the UK.
Dr. Ralf Kohnen
Tel.: +49 30 6293 955 0
E-Mail: info@limaxtest.com Homepage: www.limaxtest.com


Hydro-Clean Services Inc is located at the address 7675 Ridge Rd in Saraland, Alabama 36571. They can be contacted via phone at (251) 679-8567 for pricing, hours and directions.
For maps and directions to Hydro-Clean Services Inc view the map to the right. For reviews of Hydro-Clean Services Inc see below.


text:
Q: Show that the system $\ddot x+x\dot x+x=0$ is reversible Show that the system $\ddot x+x\dot x+x=0$ is reversible
My attempt was to use a property from the book that if the system
$\dot x = f(x,y)$
$\dot y = g(x,y)$
is reversible then $f(x,-y)=-f(x,y)$ and $g(x,-y)=g(x,y)$.
I tried to convert the system into a system like the one above by letting
$\dot x=y$
$\ddot x=\dot y=-x-xy$
However, this system does not satisfy the second criteria, namely that $g(x,y)=-x-xy \ne g(x,-y)=-x+xy$
Is there another way to show that this system is reversible?

A: To combine the (very useful!) comments of @Did and @Evgeny in an answer:
The definition of reversibility I'm using is that of time reversal symmetry, i.e. the motion described by the system backward in time is equivalent to that forward in time (I'm following James D. Meiss, Differential Dynamical Systems, SIAM MM14, 2007, p. 212 here). That means that there exists a diffeomorphism $S$ that conjugates the flow $\phi_t$ of the dynamical system with its inverse, so that $(\phi_{-t} \circ S)(z) = (S \circ \phi_t)(z)$, for a dynamical system $\dot{z} = f(z)$. A bit more concretely in terms of the dynamical system itself: this implies that
\begin{equation}
 -f(S(z)) = D S(z) f(z).
\end{equation}
So, what's this diffeomorphism $S$ in the case at hand? Well, the idea is that we're looking for a coordinate transformation on $(x,y)$ that will give us 'the same' dynamical system as we originally had, before we inverted the time direction.
Inverting time, i.e. mapping $t \mapsto -t$ leads to the system
\begin{align}
-\dot{x} &= y, \\ - \dot{y} &= -x(1+y).
\end{align}
We now see that there's a particularly simple coordinate transformation that will return the original system, namely $(x,y) \mapsto (-x,y)$. Using this coordinate transformation, we obtain
\begin{align}
\dot{x} &= y, \\ - \dot{y} &= x(1+y),
\end{align}
which is indeed equivalent to the original dynamical system. That means we've found our diffeomorphism $S$, which acts as $S(x,y) = (-x,y)$. Note that, as $S$ is linear, $D S = S$. Moreover, $S$ is an involution, i.e. $S \circ S = \text{Id}$.
Admittedly, this is somewhat different from the 'usual' notion of time reversibility. In that case, the system would be invariant under simultaneously changing the direction of time ($t \mapsto -t$) and the direction of the velocity ($y = \dot{x} \mapsto -y$). This is for example the case with the ODE $\ddot{x} + \dot{x}^2 + x = 0$. Also, this holds for every Hamiltonian system.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


On behalf of the Olive Food Pantry and the folks in this community that are being served, thank you for being a good neighbor. Remember this: in a small community like Olive, the door swings both directions. If you can give, that is a gift. If you ever need to receive, that also is a gift.
Previous PostPrev Article You Are Invited: CD RELEASE PARTY – Saturday, Oct. 18 at the Landmark!


text:
Q: How we can make thousands of set in ampl? I am wondering if there is a way to define sets in ampl for the following problem?!
I wanna make a model with parameter X which is n dimensional. It is about information of each person in a household. such as age, job, ...
now I have 1000 family and for each family I want to define a parameter which has information X for each person.For example if I have one family I can define:
set G,  default{1..p};
set F,  default{1..t}; #number of family
set K, within G cross F;
param X{K};

in the above example, X show the information of each person in the household.
How about if I have 1000 household? it does not make sense if I want to define 1000 sets with my hand!

A: You can index a set over another set; see Section 6.5 of the AMPL book.
As a side note, I would recommend that you create separate parameters for each piece of information (age, job, ...) rather than including them all in a single parameter X.


text:
Home Resources 39.6% of SA adults have been fully vaccinated against COVID
39.6% of SA adults have been fully vaccinated against COVID
Media Hack and Bhekisisa Team
South Africa is currently using two vaccines, the one-dose Johnson & Johnson (J&J) jab and the two-dose Pfizer. (Carlos M Vazquez, Flickr)
Every day the health department posts the latest information from its vaccine statistics dashboard on its SA Coronavirus website. At present the numbers shown on the dashboard are a snapshot as at 17:00 on a particular day. We use data from the dashboard in the vaccinations table and chart, to track the proportion of adults (people 18 years and older) in each province who have received a vaccine.
People 18 years and older are the target population of the vaccination roll-out. The estimated number of people in this age group used in the table was obtained from Statistics South Africa.
South Africa is currently using two vaccines, the one-dose Johnson & Johnson (J&J) shot and the two-dose Pfizer. People who receive a J&J shot are fully vaccinated, but people need to receive two doses of Pfizer to be fully vaccinated.
The health department vaccination dashboard has a disclaimer that states: "Data displayed in this dashboard only contains vaccination records captured on the live Electronic Vaccination Data System (EVDS) and excludes vaccination records captured on paper within the last 24 hours. Totals will be adjusted as back-capturing and data validation are done."
Find a vaccination site near you
The sites shown on this map are collected from the active vaccination sites published on the SA Coronavirus website, a list of pharmacies approved to vaccinate by the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority, lists published by provincial health departments and a list of accepted pharmacies and clinics compiled by the South African Pharmacy Council.
Some of these sites may not currently be vaccinating, so before you visit a site, phone to check that it is open for vaccinations. For example, a pharmacy we contacted in Calvinia in the Northern Cape, only operates for several days every few weeks to complete first and second vaccine doses.
You need to first register on the health department's Electronic Vaccination Data System (EVDS), and you will be placed in a virtual queue to be scheduled to a vaccination site, said Milani Wolmarans, the system's project manager.
The EVDS will send you an SMS with your allocated vaccination site.
Some facilities take walk-ins, but you will still need to be registered on the EVDS to be vaccinated (some centres can help you to get registered on-site). Although you can also do walk-ins at these sites, some venues, such as the Discovery sites or Dis-chem pharmacies, prefer that you make an online booking to be vaccinated. So please check this ahead of time.
This interactive map was created to make it easier for people to find vaccination sites close to where they live or work. We have tried to find the correct GPS coordinates for each of the sites, but sometimes errors slip through. If you find errors or if there is a site we have left off, please let us know at [email protected]iahack.co.za. This map will be updated once a week.
Media Hack
Media Hack are a group of independent journalists who just love a good story. They're dedicated to quality journalism and the craft of digital storytelling. While they specialise in data-driven and narrative journalism, they're a multi-talented bunch able to harness decades of journalism skills, combining them with state-of-the-art programming and presentation to create stories for all sorts of screens. They initiate their own media projects, but they also offer their services to civil society organisations and corporate social responsibility projects with a story to tell.
https://bhekisisa.org/author/media-hack/
How COVID-19 took hold in South Africa
#SayHerName: The faces of South Africa's femicide epidemic
When will you get your COVID jab? Find out
Bhekisisa Team
https://bhekisisa.org/author/bhekisisa-team/
Bhekisisa editor Mia Malan nabs CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Award
This low-tech 'app' could help you manage your blood pressure - and be a better cook
Finding South Africa's missing TB patients
No evidence of 'fake food', but tap water is sold as spring water, Motsoaledi says
Previous articleHow well is Pfizer's COVID jab working in SA? We break down some of the data
Next articleA pandemic without an end: How systemic racism is hampering vaccine uptake
The boosters are here. What does that mean?
The ABCs of DIY vaccines: Why tech transfer is a big thing


text:
\section{Introduction}

\IEEEPARstart{E}{xploring} the internal correlation structure of complex networks is an important research paradigm for understanding complex systems\cite{wang2003complex, small2014random}. In most cases, we hope to ensure network connectivity, which has promoted research on network robustness in recent decades\cite{gao2011robustness, Schneider11, neff2021changes, Liu2020}. However, if a network is harmful, such as terrorist networks\cite{eiselt2018destabilization}, criminal networks\cite{calderoni2017communities}, epidemic spreading networks\cite{liu2021efficient}, financial contagion networks\cite{Kobayashi14} and cancer networks\cite{Quayle06}, efficiently disrupting the structure and function of the network becomes a meaningful and challenging task. This so-called network disintegration problem has attracted increasing attention among researchers\cite{2002Attack, wang2014damage, tan2016efficient, ren2019generalized, Kaiser2021}.

The core of the network disintegration problem---also known as the ``network attack,''~\cite{albert2000error, 2002Attack} ``graph fragmentation,''~\cite{aprile2019graph} and ``network dismantling''~\cite{braunstein2016network, ren2019generalized}---is determining the node or link set to be removed under certain constraints and various disintegration goals~\cite{ventresca2014derandomized, li2019bi}. This problem is typically NP-hard for general graphs~\cite{lalou2018critical} and its mathematical essence is a combinatorial optimization problem. In addition to early research based on exact combinatorial optimization methods to find an optimal network disintegration solution~\cite{wollmer1964removing, arulselvan2009detecting, veremyev2014exact}, researchers have also attempted to calculate the centrality measures of the nodes and then remove them individually, starting with the nodes with the highest centrality values, to develop a network disintegration strategy~\cite{albert2000error, 2002Attack, lu2016vital}. However, the set composed of a single important node may not be the most critical set of nodes, and with the increased availability of large-scale networks, novel heuristic or approximate algorithms have been proposed to find vital nodes in complex networks~\cite{morone2015influence, mugisha2016identifying, zdeborova2016fast}. A recent study suggested an iterative algorithm to select multiple controlled nodes based on the spectral properties of the grounded Laplacian matrix obtained by deleting specific rows and columns from the Laplacian matrix of the network~\cite{liu2021optimizing}. Furthermore, some studies introduced evolutionary algorithms to the network disintegration problem and attempted to find a near-optimal strategy from the considerable solution space~\cite{lozano2017optimizing, deng2018optimal}. Inspired by advances in artificial intelligence to solve many practical problems, some studies have developed deep reinforcement learning or machine learning to find influential nodes in complex networks~\cite{fan2020finding, 2021Machine}.

An outstanding challenge in the network disintegration problem is to take into account the computational cost. Although considerable progress has been made in the study of network disintegration, it remains challenging to achieve a good balance between effectiveness and efficiency. Methods with good effectiveness (giving a more accurate estimate), such as mathematical programming, evolutionary algorithms, and deep learning approaches, typically have poor efficiency (effectiveness per running time), limiting their applications in large-scale networks. On the contrary, high-efficiency methods, such as centrality methods and heuristic algorithms, are typically unsatisfactory in terms of effectiveness, yielding nonoptimal solutions. Similar tradeoff problems have been studied for related tasks to estimate the highest degree and the optimal individuals to vaccinate~\cite{holme2017cost}. To find a compromise between effectiveness and efficiency, we propose a targeted enumeration method in this paper. We first extract a small-scale candidate set of nodes to reduce the scope of the enumeration, and then find the optimal combination among the candidate nodes through enumeration. The core and difficulty of the method is to efficiently determine the set of candidates. We propose solving this problem using rank aggregation. The resulting two-stage targeted enumeration method has a highly flexible framework that does not require domain-specific knowledge and leads to a cost-effective network disintegration strategy.

\section{Network disintegration model}

Consider an undirected and unweighted graph $G=(V, E)$ with a finite set of nonempty nodes $V$ and a set of links $E$. Let $N=|V|$ and $W=|E|$ be the number of nodes and links, respectively, and define different nodes as $1,2,\cdots ,N$. This paper focuses on the removal of nodes and assumes that all links connected to the node will be deleted after the node is removed. Let $\hat V \subseteq V\ $ denote the set of nodes to be removed; thus, $\hat G = (V - \hat V,\hat E)$ is the network that remains after removing the nodes in $\hat V$, and $n = | {\hat V} |$ is the strength of disintegration. As a reference, let $\tilde{G}$ be the residual network after randomly removing the $n$ nodes. We denote the network disintegration strategy as $X = [{{x_1},{x_2},\cdots,{x_N}} ]$, and its elements are $x_{i} = 1$ if the corresponding $i$th node satisfies $i\in \hat{V}$; otherwise, $x_{i} = 0$; thus, we can obtain the disintegration strength as $n=\sum\nolimits_{i=1}^N{x_i}$. Regardless of the type and scale of attacks to which the network is subject, it will inevitably damage its inherent structure and functions, which will also be reflected in the objective function of the network performance. Based on this, we introduce the following objective function to measure the disintegration effect
\begin{equation}\label{objective_function}
	{\Phi (X)=\frac{\varGamma (G)-\varGamma (\hat{G})}{\varGamma (G)-\varGamma (\tilde{G})},}
\end{equation}
where $\varGamma$ represents the measurement function of network performance. If $G_1=\left( V_1, E_1 \right)$ is a proper subgraph of $G_2=\left( V_2, E_2 \right)$, that is, $V_1\subset V_2$ or $E_1 \subset E_2$, we assume that $\varGamma \left( G_1 \right) < \varGamma \left( G_2 \right)$. The monotonicity of $\varGamma$ ensures that the network performance strictly decreases monotonically with the network disintegration process and leads to $\Phi>0$ if $n>0$. $\Phi$ reflects the disintegration effect of different network disintegration strategies. The larger $\Phi$ suggests a better disintegration effect. There is an important reference value, that is, $\Phi=1$. If $\Phi > 1$, it means that the disintegration strategy is superior to random removal of nodes. Eq.\eqref{objective_function} shows that the goal is to design a node removal strategy, that is, a subset of nodes to be removed, which can maximize the disintegration effect $\Phi$. Thus, the optimization model for the disintegration strategy can be described as the following general mathematical model
\begin{equation}\label{optimization_model}
	\begin{aligned}
		&\max \Phi (X = [ x_1,x_2,\cdots,x_N ]),\\
		&\mathrm{s.t.} ~
		\begin{cases}
			\sum_{i=1}^N{x_i}=n \\[12pt]
			x_i = 0 \ \mathrm{or}\ 1,&i = 1,2,\cdots,N.
		\end{cases}
	\end{aligned}
\end{equation}

Usually, the disintegration effect is measured by the size of the largest connected component~\cite{albert2000error}. However, it changes very little when removing a small number of nodes from the network. Therefore, in this study, we employ natural connectivity~\cite{jun2010natural, wu2011spectral} as a measure function $\varGamma$ among a variety of alternative ways. Natural connectivity is a measure function of structural robustness in complex networks, which can be mathematically derived from the graph spectrum~\cite{jun2010natural, wu2011spectral}. This measure characterizes the redundancy of alternative links by weighting the total number of closed walks with all lengths in the network and can also be interpreted as the Helmholtz free energy of a network~\cite{estrada2012physics}. From a mathematical perspective, it can be derived from the graph spectrum as an average eigenvalue:
\begin{equation}\label{natural_connectivity}
	{NC = \ln \!\left( {\frac{S}{N} }\right) = \ln \!\left( {\frac{1}{N}\sum_{i = 1}^N {{e^{{\lambda _i}}}} } \right),}
\end{equation}
where $S$ is the total weighted number of closed walks and $A(G)$ is the adjacency matrix of the network $G$ with eigenvalues ${\lambda _1}\geq{\lambda _2}\geq \cdots \geq {\lambda _N}$, which is called the spectrum of $G$.

Natural connectivity has been shown to change strictly monotonically with the addition or deletion of links and then provides a sensitive and reliable measure of the robustness of the graph~\cite{jun2010natural, wu2011spectral, wu2012robustness, wu2011robustness}. Moreover, for networks with a large spectral gap between the largest eigenvalue $\lambda_1$ and the second largest eigenvalue, we can consider the following approximation of natural connectivity~\cite{tan2016approximating}:
\begin{equation}
	{NC=\ln \!\left[ \left( \sum_{i=2}^N{e^{\lambda _i}+e^{\lambda _1}} \right) /N \right] \approx \lambda _1-\ln N.}
\end{equation}

\section{Searching the candidate objects by rank aggregation}

From a mathematical perspective, network disintegration is a typical combinatorial problem that considers $n$ nodes from $N$ nodes without repetition. For a small network size $N$, we can directly obtain an optimal solution by enumerating all combinations of $C_{N}^{n}=\frac{N!}{n!(N-n)!}$. However, for large-scale networks, there will be a problem of combinatorial explosion. To construct a heuristic method, the selected $n$ nodes should be important according to some criterion. If we extract a small-scale candidate set of vital nodes $\tilde{V}$ in advance and then enumerate all combinations only among the candidate set, it will dramatically improve the efficiency of the enumeration. We use $\tilde{N}$ to denote the size of the candidate set $\tilde{V}$, where $n \leq \tilde{N} \leq N $. Then, the enumeration range can be reduced from $C_{N}^{n}$ to $C_{\tilde{N}}^{n}$. Now, the core problem is to find candidate objects. There are numerous criteria that characterize the importance of nodes. If we only use a single criterion, then some potential key nodes may be missed. Therefore, we simultaneously consider multiple node importance criteria using rank aggregation (RA). In network science, the centrality of nodes is a common approach to assess the importance of nodes~\cite{lu2016vital}. Thus, we first generate multiple node rankings based on various centrality measures. Then we combine these individual rankings into a consensus ranking using the rank aggregation method. Finally, we determine the candidate objects $\tilde{V}$ based on the consensus ranking.

In this study, among a variety of alternative methods, we choose the graph-based rank aggregation method~\cite{xiao2019graph, zhang2021comprehensive} to aggregate these individual rankings into a single consensus ranking $\hat{R}$. The graph-based rank aggregation method has been shown to outperform other rank aggregation methods, particularly for high-dimensional ranking.

Consider $M$ rankings of $N$ nodes given by the $M$ node importance criterion and use $R_i=[r_{i1}, r_{i2}, \cdots, r_{iN}]$ to denote the node importance ranking given by the criterion $c_i$, where $r_{ij}$ represents the rank of the node $j$ based on the criterion $c_i (i=1,2,\cdots,M)$. The transition matrix for the criterion $c_i$ is denoted by $P^{c_i}=(p_{st}^{c_i})_{N\times N}$, where $p_{st}^{c_i}=1$ if node $s$ outranks node $t$ under $c_i$; otherwise, $p_{st}^{c_i}=0$. Based on the transition matrix, we denote the adjacency matrix for a competition graph as $A=(a_{st})_{N\times N}$ , where $a_{st}=\sum\nolimits_{i=1}^M{p_{st}^{c_i}}$. Furthermore, based on the adjacency matrix $A$, we denote the competition graph of the network nodes as $G_c$. The nodes in the directed and weighted graph $G_c$ represent the nodes in the real network, and each directed link $e_{st}$ represents an outranking relation from node $s$ to $t$. The weight of the directed link $e_{st}$ represents the number of times node $s$ is placed ahead of node $t$ in all aggregated measure rankings. We also denote the in-degree and out-degree of node $j$ in the competition graph $G_c$ by $d_{j}^{-}=\sum\nolimits_{s=1}^N{a_{sj}}$ and $d_{j}^{+}=\sum\nolimits_{t=1}^N{a_{jt}}$, respectively. Thus, we can define the ratio of out-in degrees (ROID) as follows:
\begin{equation}
{\alpha _j=\frac{d_{j}^{+}+1}{d_{j}^{-}+1}},
\end{equation}
which can be used to quantify the strength of node $j$ and rank all nodes according to their ROID~\cite{xiao2019graph}. The higher the ROID value, the higher the rank of the nodes.

To better understand the process of searching for candidate objects, an illustration is shown in Fig.~\ref{fig:1}. Taking into account a sample network that contains 10 nodes and 23 links and has a network topology as shown in Fig.~\ref{fig:1}(a), we employ three common centrality measures: degree centrality (DC)~\cite{albert2000error}, betweenness centrality (BC)~\cite{2002Attack}, eigenvector centrality (EC)~\cite{roddenberry2021blind}. The individual ranking of the nodes based on the three centrality measures is shown in Fig.~\ref{fig:1}(b), (c), and (d). The aggregated ranking $\hat{R}$ is shown in Fig.~\ref{fig:1}(e). Details on the ranking are provided in Table ~\ref{tab:1}. We set the disintegration strength $n$ as 2 and the size of the candidate set $\tilde{N}$ as 4 and then obtain the candidate set $\{2, 3, 8, 9\}$ based on the aggregated ranking, as shown in the orange node in Fig.~\ref{fig:1}(e). The comparison results of the node ranking with different centrality measures are visualized in Fig.~\ref{fig:1}(f). Each curve represents a node, and the height of the curve represents the node ranking according to the corresponding criterion. The wavy curves suggest that there are distinct differences between the three individual rankings. For example, node $2$ ranks first with DC but fifth with BC; node $10$ ranks first with EC but sixth with DC. In the far right of Fig.~\ref{fig:1}(f), the aggregated ranks are also presented. The RA method integrates all information from individual rankings and achieves a comprehensive ranking, effectively overcoming the one-sidedness of the individual measure. To some extent, this method takes the ``average'' of multiple rankings.

\begin{table}[htbp]
\centering
\setlength{\tabcolsep}{4pt}
\caption{The rankings and values of nodes in the sample network based on different centrality measures and rank aggregation}
\label{tab:1}
\begin{tabular}{ccccccccc}
      \hline
      Node ID   & \multicolumn{2}{c}{DC}    & \multicolumn{2}{c}{BC}
	  & \multicolumn{2}{c}{EC}     & \multicolumn{2}{c}{RA}    \\ \cline{2-9}
	  & \multicolumn{1}{c}{Rank}   & \multicolumn{1}{c}{Value} &  \multicolumn{1}{c}{Rank}
	  & \multicolumn{1}{c}{Value}  & \multicolumn{1}{c}{Rank}  & \multicolumn{1}{c}{Value}
	  & \multicolumn{1}{c}{Rank}   & \multicolumn{1}{c}{ROID}   \\ \hline
		$1$     & 7   & 4   & 10  & 0.0093 & 7   & 0.3002  & 8   & 0.3182   \\
		$2$     & 1   & 5   & 5   & 0.0694 & 2   & 0.3483  & 1   & 3.8333   \\
		$3$     & 2   & 5   & 2   & 0.0926 & 4   & 0.3431  & 2   & 3.8333   \\
		$4$     & 8   & 4   & 6   & 0.0648 & 8   & 0.2717  & 7   & 0.4500   \\
		$5$     & 3   & 5   & 4   & 0.0880 & 6   & 0.3165  & 5   & 1.6364   \\
		$6$     & 9   & 4   & 9   & 0.0278 & 10  & 0.2557  & 10  & 0.1154   \\
		$7$     & 10  & 4   & 8   & 0.0324 & 9   & 0.2689  & 9   & 0.1600   \\
		$8$     & 4   & 5   & 3   & 0.0926 & 5   & 0.3324  & 4   & 1.9000   \\
		$9$     & 5   & 5   & 1   & 0.1065 & 3   & 0.3459  & 3   & 3.1429   \\
		${10}$  & 6   & 5   & 7   & 0.0556 & 1   & 0.3591  & 6   & 1.4167   \\
		\hline
\end{tabular}
\end{table}

\begin{figure*
\centering
\includegraphics[width=1\textwidth]{fig1.eps}
\caption{Illustration of searching the set of candidates by aggregating the rankings. (a) The sample network, where $N=10$, $W=23$, $n=2$, and $\tilde{N}=4$. And the numbers represent the labels of the nodes. (b) to (d) Individual node rankings based on degree centrality, betweenness centrality, and eigenvector centrality, respectively. The size of the node is proportional to its ranking. (e) The aggregated ranking of the nodes. The orange nodes make up a set of candidates $\tilde{V}$. (f) Comparison of the ranking of nodes with various centrality measures.}
\label{fig:1}
\end{figure*}

Intuitively, the number of criteria for the importance of the node $M$ and the combination of these criteria will affect the candidate objects and further influence the disintegration effect. To explore the effect of the node importance criterion on the candidate set $\tilde{V}$, Fig.~\ref{fig:2} shows the Venn diagram of candidate sets obtained using various combinations of node importance criteria in three real-world networks. As we see in Fig.~\ref{fig:2}, if we only use a single criterion ($M=1$), the set of candidates with different combinations of criteria varies significantly. However, as $M$ increases, the intersection of candidate sets with different criteria also expands observably. For example, in the network shown in Fig.~\ref{fig:2}(a), there are only 4 overlapping nodes when $M=1$ but 9 overlapping nodes when $M=3$; these results indicate that rank aggregation can help us search for a stable and credible candidate set. Without loss of generality, we choose D-B-E as the combination of the node importance criterion in the following experimental analysis.

\begin{figure*
\centering
\includegraphics[width=0.95\textwidth]{fig2.pdf}
\caption{The Venn diagram of candidate sets based on various combinations of node importance criteria in real-world networks. In the figure, D, B, E, C, and S represent the degree centrality, betweenness centrality, eigenvector centrality, closeness centrality, and subgraph centrality, respectively. The size of the candidate set $\tilde{N}$ is 10. (a) The network contains friendships between boys in a small high school in Illinois, where a node represents a boy and an link between two boys shows that they are friends. And the numbers represent the labels of the nodes. (b) The metabolic network of \textit{Caenorhabditis elegans}. In this representation, a metabolic network is made up of nodes, substrates that are connected to each other through links, which are the actual metabolic reactions. (c) In the air traffic control network, the nodes represent airports or service centers, and links are created from the preferred routes recommended by the National Flight Data Center.}
\label{fig:2}
\end{figure*}

\section{Identifying the optimal solution by targeted enumeration}

In the previous section, we proposed selecting $\tilde{N}$ candidate nodes by rank aggregation. Now, we need to find the optimal combination among the candidate set through enumeration. The size of the candidate set $\tilde{N}$ will directly affect the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed method. Considering that $n \leq \tilde{N} \leq N$, we assume that $\tilde{N}=n+(N-n)\alpha$, where $0 \leq \alpha \leq 1$ is the redundancy coefficient. When $\alpha$ reaches the maximum value 1, it becomes an exhaustive enumeration. While $\alpha < 1$, we call it targeted enumeration (TE).

A higher $\alpha$ will lead to better effectiveness but worse efficiency. Fig.~\ref{fig:3}(a) shows the disintegration effect $\Phi$ as a function of the redundancy coefficient $\alpha$ in two typical synthetic networks: the Newman-Watts (NW) model of small-world network\cite{watts1998collective}, and the scale-free (SF) network\cite{barabasi1999emergence}. The curve shown first increases and then flattens, indicating that a small value of the redundancy coefficient is sufficient for the targeted enumeration and increasing $\alpha$ contributes little to the disintegration effect. These results also suggest that the process of selecting candidate objects is effective to some extent. In practical applications, the value of $\alpha$ can be determined based on real needs.

The algorithmic process of the TE is summarized below. First, we choose $\tilde{N}$ candidate nodes based on the aggregate ranking of the nodes. Then, we enumerate all possible combinations among the candidate set. Finally, we find the optimal solution that corresponds to the largest disintegration effect $\Phi$. In the example shown in Fig.~\ref{fig:1}, if the redundancy coefficient is considered to be $\alpha=0.25$, then there are $C_{\tilde{N}}^{n}=C_{4}^{2}=6$ combinations, among which the combination $\{2,8\}$ is the optimal solution.

Next, we briefly analyze the time complexity of the TE method. As described above, the time complexity of the TE method includes three parts: calculating the centrality of the nodes, aggregating multiple rankings, and enumerating among the candidate sets. In the first part, the time complexity for DC is $O(W)$, the time complexity for BC is $O(NW)$~\cite{brandes2001faster}, and the time complexity for EC is $O(N+W)$~\cite{bonacich1972factoring}. In the second part, the time complexity of the rank aggregation is $O(\tilde{N}^2)$. Considering that $n \ll N$ and $\alpha \ll 1$ in most realistic cases, we can also assume that $n = \log (N)$ and $\alpha = \log (N)/N$ and then obtain $\tilde{N}=n+(N-n)\alpha \approx  2\log(N)$. Thus, the time complexity of the second part is $O(\log ^2(N))$. In the third part, with the assumption that $n = \log (N)$ and $\alpha = \log (N)/N$, the number of enumerations can be given as:
\begin{equation}\label{enumeration}
   C_{\tilde{N}}^{n} = C_{2\log N}^{\log N}=\frac{\left(2\log N\right)!}{\left[\left(\log N\right)!\right]^2}.
\end{equation}
A schematic of the enumeration times $C_{\tilde{N}}^{n}$ with a varying network size $N$ when assuming $n = \log (N)$ and $\alpha = \log (N)/N$ is shown in Fig.~\ref{fig:3}(b). We see that the number of enumerations is less than 1000, even with the large network size $N=10^6$, which is acceptable.

\begin{figure*
\centering
\includegraphics[width=.95\textwidth]{fig3.eps}
\caption{The effectiveness and efficiency of the TE method. (a) The network disintegration effect $\Phi$ under different redundancy coefficients $\alpha$. The results shown are the average of 10 network instances under the same parameters. Results for the NW network of size $N=1000$. The NW network starts with a regular network with local connections in the range $K=6$, with the probability $p=0.2$ of adding a new link between a randomly selected unconnected pair of nodes. Scale-free network with size $N=1000$ and degree exponent $\gamma=3.0$. (b) The number of enumerations as a function of network size $N$ according to Eq.\eqref{enumeration}  when assuming $n = \log (N)$ and $\alpha = \log (N)/N$.}
\label{fig:3}
\end{figure*}

\section{Experimental analysis on synthetic and real-world networks}

\subsection{Experiments in synthetic networks}

To demonstrate the applicability of the proposed method, we next evaluate its performance on two kinds of typical synthetic networks: the NW network and the SF network. We use five other methods for comparison: degree centrality, betweenness centrality, eigenvector centrality, collective influence (CI)~\cite{morone2015influence} and tabu search (TS)~\cite{deng2019optimal}.

Fig.~\ref{fig:4}(a) and (b) show the disintegration effect $\Phi$ as a function of the disintegration strength $n$ with different disintegration methods. We also set $\alpha$ equal to 0.01. As shown in Fig.~\ref{fig:4}(a) and (b), the proposed method is almost close to the TS method, which can achieve a good disintegration effect. Both methods consistently outperform other methods on all synthetic networks. It is worth pointing out that, even for the heterogeneous SF network with $\gamma=2.5$, in which the vital nodes are apparent and then all methods work well, the TE method still maintains a weak advantage compared to other methods except for the TS method. In addition to improved effectiveness, the TE is also markedly efficient. Fig.~\ref{fig:4}(c) and (d) show the computation time of different methods as a function of network size. As shown in Fig.~\ref{fig:4}(c) and (d), with increasing network scale, the growth rate of the TS method is markedly higher than that of the other methods. In contrast, the proposed method is more efficient.

\begin{figure*
\centering
\includegraphics[width=.88\textwidth]{fig4.eps}
\caption{Performance of TE in synthetic networks. We set the geodesic distance $\ell$ as 2 for the CI method. For the TS algorithm, we assign the tabu list length to 5, the number of candidate solutions to 5, and the maximum number of iterations without improving the optimal solution will be 2000. The numerical results shown are the averages of 20 different network instances under the same parameters. (a) The disintegration effect of the TE method on NW network with size $N=1000$ of varying neighbor numbers $K$ and connection probability $p$. (b) The disintegration effect of the TE method on SF network with size $N=1000$ of varying degree exponent $\gamma$. (c) The computation time of different methods as a function of network size $N$ on the NW network. All simulation results are obtained on a desktop computer with an Intel Core i7-9700 CPU with 3.00GHz and 16.0 GB of RAM. (d) The computation time of different methods on the SF network.}
\label{fig:4}
\end{figure*}

\subsection{Experiments in real-world networks}

Since synthetic networks cannot completely summarize the typical properties of real-world networks, we apply the TE method to several realistic scenarios using the aforementioned methods. Table ~\ref{tab:2} shows details of real-world networks used in our study. The data sets are publicly accessible and are retrieved from the KONECT Project (http://konect.cc/), the Network Data Repository (https://networkrepository.com/index.php), and the Colorado Index of Complex Networks (https://icon.colorado.edu). We assume that the real-world networks considered in this paper are simple graphs with undirected, unweighted, and single links. We show the disintegration effect $\Phi$ and the running time of the six methods in Fig.~\ref{fig:5}. Along with the TS method, the proposed method achieves superior performance compared to the other four methods with respect to the disintegration effect. It is obvious that the disintegration effect of these two methods is more stable. For example, for the disintegration strategy based on EC, its effect is second only to TE and TS methods in 9-11 Hijackers, Infect-Dublin and Gnutella networks, but not so good in Autobahn and Facebook networks. However, the TS method leads to good effectiveness but poor efficiency. In other words, the proposed method has lower cost to obtain a disintegration effect that is similar to that achieved by the TS method. Compared to centrality-based methods, although the efficiency of the proposed method is lower than that of centrality-based methods, it is acceptable, indicating that the proposed method achieves a satisfying balance between effectiveness and efficiency.

\begin{table*}[htbp]
\centering
\caption{Details of the real-world networks}
\label{tab:2}
\resizebox{\linewidth}{!}{
\begin{tabular}{lllllll}
\hline
Name & Number of nodes & Number of links & Category & Network format & Node meaning & Edge meaning \\
\hline
9-11 Hijackers & 62 & 304 & Terrorist network & Undirected & Person & Association \\
PDZBase & 212 & 244 & Metabolic network & Undirected & Protein & Interaction \\
Infect-Dublin & 410 & 2765 & Human contact network & Undirected & Person & Proximity \\
Celegans & 453 & 2025 & Metabolic network & Undirected & Substrates & Metabolic reactions \\
Autobahn & 1168 & 2486 & Infrastructure network & Directed & Location & Highway \\
Air traffic control & 1226 & 2615 & Infrastructure network & Directed & Airport/Service center & Preferred route \\
Facebook & 2888 & 2981 & Social network & Undirected & Person & Social relationship \\
Human proteins & 3133 & 6726 & Metabolic network & Undirected & Protein & Interaction \\
Gnutella & 10876 & 39994 & Computer network & Directed & Host & Connection \\
\hline
\end{tabular}}
\end{table*}

\begin{figure*
\centering
\includegraphics[width=.85\textwidth]{fig5.eps}
\caption{Performance of TE in real-world networks. We evaluated the disintegration effect $\Phi$ and the running time of the six methods on nine real-world networks of different types and set the disintegration strength as $n=\ln N$ for different networks.}
\label{fig:5}
\end{figure*}

\section{Conclusion}

In summary, we proposed a cost-effective network disintegration method called targeted enumeration (TE). Specifically, the TE method was divided into two stages. In the first stage, we used rank aggregation to transform multiple rankings of nodes into a comprehensive ranking. We then selected the top $\tilde{N}$ nodes based on the aggregated ranking as the candidate set of nodes to remove. The size of the candidate set was controlled by the redundancy coefficient $0 \leq \alpha \leq 1$. We showed that rank aggregation can help to find a stable and credible candidate set. The second stage was a targeted enumeration, where, instead of enumerating all possible combinations in the general sense, we enumerated within the scope of the candidate set. The optimal solution was the combination of nodes corresponding to the largest disintegration effect $\Phi$. We showed that a small value of the redundancy coefficient $\alpha$ was sufficient for the targeted enumeration, which is crucial for the feasibility of the TE. Numerical experiments on synthetic and real-world networks have shown that the TE significantly outperforms conventional methods and achieves results that are close to those high-cost intelligent algorithms. In terms of efficiency, the TE was acceptable compared to conventional methods. The critical point of the proposed method was to determine a set of valid candidates. In this study, the introduction of rank aggregation ensured the validity of the candidate set. The aggregated ranking combined multiple node importance criteria and avoided missing potential key nodes from the candidate set. Although it is not the best one in terms of effectiveness or efficiency, the proposed method achieves a satisfying trade-off between effectiveness and efficiency.

The proposed TE method has a highly flexible framework that does not require domain-specific knowledge. Various node importance criteria, rank aggregation methods, and different levels of redundancy coefficient $\alpha$ can be used depending on the real situation. As a typical combinatorial optimization problem, selecting $n$ objects among $N$ objects ($n\ll N$) is common in many application scenarios, including personnel selection, portfolio investment, and drug design. For these problems, finding an optimal solution in a condensed scope is an intuitive approach. The proposed method provides a general executable framework for implementation.

\section*{Acknowledgments}

We thank the teachers and students of the International Academic Center of Complex Systems for their suggestions on this work.

\bibliographystyle{IEEEtran}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


Training goals: I plan to offer residents in Nnewi Nigeria relevant experience in evaluating and managing ambulatory HIV seropositive (HIV+) pregnant patients at all stages of infectious disease. This experience is currently lacking among the 08/GYN residents training in Nnewi, despite the high burden of HIV disease among pregnant women in Nnewi. Resident responsibilities will include the management of patients discharged from the hospital following an acute opportunistic infection, malignancy, or other HIV-associated complication, patients with recently diagnosed HIV infection initiating therapy, and managing patients with well controlled HIV infection. An important goal of this experience will be for Residents to establish a continuity of care for a cohort of HIV+ patients through a regular and focused interaction with these individuals. The Residents will also acquire experience in considering ethical issues related to HIV infection and AIDS (e.g., confidentiality I HIV disclosure/ partner notification issues, hospice options, conservatorships, and specific non- resuscitation orders). These goals are designed to be consistent with the six competencies outlined by the RRC/ACGME.
Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital | Nnewi, Nigeria.


Huawei is the most successful China-based smartphone manufacturer at the moment. This company is by far the first-placed smartphone manufacturer in China in terms of smartphone shipments this year, and they're also the third-placed smartphone manufacturer in the world, trumped only by Samsung and Apple. That being said, Huawei is going to host a press conference at IFA in Berlin later today, and they're expected to introduce the Huawei Nova smartphone that had leaked several times by now.
As we're waiting for Huawei to introduce their new smartphone, and quite probably some additional gadgets, their upcoming flagship phablet leaked, well, sort of. A number of Huawei Mate 9 renders popped up, and those renders do show off a familiarly looking design, though do keep in mind these are renders made by a third-party source based on Mate 9 leaks. In any case, the device does look quite sleek, it sports two camera sensors on the back which are flanked by a dual-LED flash and the laser autofocus, while you'll notice that the fingerprint scanner is placed below its camera sensors. The bezels on top and bottom of this device are quite thin as well, and the gold and black color combination in these renders looks quite odd, but not that bad at all, it all depends on what you prefer, of course. The Type-C USB port is placed on the bottom of this phone, and is flanked by two sets of speaker grills. There is no 3.5mm headphone jack in these renders, though that's probably because these are concept renders, but we won't know for sure until Huawei unveils the device. Speaking of which, that will probably happen in October or November, don't expect this phablet to land later today.
The Huawei Mate 9 will probably sport a 5.7-inch fullHD or QHD display (both variants are possible actually), 4GB / 6GB of RAM and will be fueled by the Kirin 960 SoC. Android 6.0 Marshmallow or Android 7.0 Nougat will come out of the box here, and on top of Google's OS you'll get Huawei's custom UI called Emotion UI (EMUI). The device will, as you've probably already noticed, going to be made out of metal, and its battery will not be removable.


text:
Tesla officially moves headquarters from California to Texas
World NewsPublished: Dec 1, 2021
The firm said the relocation from Palo Alto to what Tesla calls a "gigafactory" near Austin was done on Wednesday.
Tesla says it has officially moved its corporate headquarters from Silicon Valley to a large factory under construction near Austin, Texas.
The company made the announcement late on Wednesday in a filing with US securities regulators.
Chief executive Elon Musk had said at the company's annual meeting in October that the move was coming.
The filing said the relocation from Palo Alto, California, to what Tesla calls a "gigafactory" near Austin was done on Wednesday.
Elon Musk (Brian Lawless/PA)
In US regulatory filings at the end of last year, Tesla said it had about 71,000 employees worldwide. Company news releases in 2020 said about 10,000 worked at the Palo Alto headquarters and 10,000 at its factory in Fremont, California.
It was not clear if all of the headquarters employees would be required to move.
Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives said in October that he expected some of the 10,000 employees in Palo Alto will not want to leave the Bay Area, but a large number will, due to Austin's lower cost of living.
He said he thinks Tesla will give many the option of staying, but expects 40% to 50% to make the move.
"The tax incentives down the road, we believe, will be massive when you compare taxes versus California," Mr Ives said. "Getting employees is much cheaper and easier in Texas."
Mr Musk hinted at making a move after a dispute with health officials in Alameda County, California, over reopening the factory in Fremont last year at the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
He has said he has moved his residence from California to Texas, where there is no state personal income tax.


text:
Fans can't help but compare Aidan and Jordan Morris amid US-Serbia friendly
Bruno Cooke
Opinion: Leeds will finally give fans something to celebrate; now it will be even more special
Leeds United have lost their third player this season from the club's glory days following the sad loss of World Cup winner Jack Charlton. After the deaths of fellow defenders…
Who is West Ham prospect Amadou Diallo?
It may have been a disappointing season for West Ham, but when looking for reasons to be optimistic for the future you need look no further than Amadou Diallo. With…
Simon Butterfield
Who will now leave Norwich and where will they go?
After just 35 matches, Norwich City have seen their latest return to the Premier League come to an end. Having scored the least and conceded the most in the English…
Kaya Kaynak
When Swansea City were the Barcelona of South Wales
If you were asked for similarities between the cities of Barcelona and Swansea, the only meaningful link would be both being by the sea. However, there is one other thing…
Oli Trussler Jones
Michael Van Gerwen begins new-look darts season in style
PDC darts made its long-awaited return on Wednesday with the five-day Summer Series event at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes and Michael Van Gerwen quickly re-established his stronghold. Darts…
Who is Arsenal youngster being compared to Patrick Vieira; could debut be on its way?
Miguel Azeez is one of the most exciting prospects in the Arsenal youth ranks and he could be closing in on a first-team opportunity. The 17-year-old has caught the eye…
To buy or not to buy: Arsenal face £40m conundrum
A number of players stood out for Arsenal in their 1-1 draw with Leicester last night despite an ultimately disappointing result. Kieran Tierney was given the Man of the Match…
Was Arsenal youngster's cameo the worst sub appearance ever?
Eddie Nketiah wanted to make an impact off the bench against Leicester City, but sadly his appearance will be remembered for all the wrong reasons. Nketiah makes the wrong kind…
'This one hurts', 'too harsh'; some Arsenal fans hope this isn't the end for hotheaded midfielder
Reports have emerged that Matteo Guendouzi hasn't trained with his Arsenal teammates for two weeks and could be headed for the exit, but many fans want to see him get…
After Williams success, is Dutch youngster the next in line for Liverpool chance?
With the title wrapped up and games to spare, will we get to see Ki-Jana Hoever make his Premier League debut? While Jurgen Klopp has stressed that he won't be…
« Previous1…485486487488489…500Next »


General Dentistry in Charlotte NC Dr. Duc Tang says, in general dentistry, the dentist is the primary care provider for patients of all ages and is responsible for the prevention, diagnosis and dental treatments.
Even though general dentists primarily provide preventative care and minor restorative therapy, they are often able to perform a wide array of other dental procedures, including some minor cosmetic treatments.
Looking for general dentistry in Charlotte NC? Dr. Duc Tang provides top-notch dental services and excellent patient experiences in all fields of dentistry, including cosmetic dentistry, dental implants, sedation dentistry, Emergency Dental Care, Pediatric Dentistry, Teeth Whitening & More. Dr. Tang serves patients all over Charlotte NC & Nearby location. The best part about visiting Promenade Center For Dentistry is, Dr. Tang and his entire team always put their best possible effort in order to make the dental visit exciting and memorable that also without sacrificing value and quality of service.


Buffers: What are the Importance of Buffers in Biological system?
Buffers are the mixture of weak acids and their salts of strong bases (or) the mixture of weak bases and their salts of strong acids. Buffers help to maintain a normal pH of the biological systems. When an acid (or) alkali has added the pH of the solution changes in the absence of buffers.
What is Buffer in Biology?
An acid-base balancing or control reaction by which the pH of a solution is protected from major change when acid or base are added to it. The protection is afforded by the presence in the solution of a weak acid and related salt (for example, acetic acid, and sodium acetate), which maintains the equilibrium by means of ion transfer and neutralization.
The same effect can be obtained by use of a blend of two acid salts; phosphates, carbonates, and ammonium salts are common buffering agents. the ability to prevent large changes in pH is an important property of most intact biological organisms.
The cytoplasmic fluid which contains dissolved proteins, organic substrates, and inorganic salts resist excessive changes in pH. The blood plasma is a highly effective buffer solution almost ideally designed to keep the range of pH of the blood between 7.2 to 7.3. In animals, a complex and vital buffer system is found in the circulating blood. The components of this system are CO2-HCO3-: Na2HPO4; the oxygenated and mono-oxygenated forms of hemoglobin, and the plasma proteins. Many commercial products are approximately buffered to retain their original strength.
In animals, a complex and vital buffer system is found in the circulating blood. The components of this system are CO2-HCO3-: Na2HPO4; the oxygenated and mono-oxygenated forms of hemoglobin, and the plasma proteins. Many commercial products are approximately buffered to retain their original strength.
Many commercial products are approximately buffered to retain their original strength.
Buffers act as "Shock absorbers" against sudden changes of pH by converting injurious strong acids and bases into harmless weak acid salts.
The Handerson-Hasselbalch equation is an expression of great predictive value in protonic equilibria.
Therefore, at half neutralization, PH = PK.
If the equation is evaluated at several ratios of [A-] / [HA] between the limits 103 and 10-3 and the calculated pH values plotted, the result obtained describes the titration curves for a weak acid.
Buffer solutions are solutions in water that mark the combination of acids and bases. They help in a neutralization reaction to a certain extent. Acidic buffer solutions are those that have strong acids and weak bases as their components. They are used for neutralizing alkaline solutions. Alkaline or basic buffer solutions are those that have strong alkalis and weak acids in the mixture. They are used for neutralizing acidic aqueous solutions.
Blood itself tends to be a buffer solution by keeping its pH value constant. Buffer solutions help in the adjustment of the nature of blood. They play a major role in the anatomy of every human being. If the alkaline nature of blood increases, buffer solutions tend to bring down the pH value of blood. The reverse happens if blood becomes acidic. Acidic nature increases the pH value of blood.
Reactions inside the human body take place in the blood plasma. These reactions might fail to happen if the pH changes. For complete reaction to take place, the pH of the blood should remain constant. Biochemical reactions are quite sensitive to the nature of blood. The reaction inverts by changes in the pH of blood. However, these buffers generally prevent such mishap. These changes also affect the biological activity of a human being.
If the pH value of blood remains in either alkaline or acidic form then it could prove harmful to a human being. It may even lead to death. This may prevent the working of some organs also. This serves to be the best example as to why buffer solutions are important for the body. Buffer solutions prevent the body from permanent damage.
When carbon dioxide dissolves in blood, it decreases the pH value, thereby increasing the acidic content of blood. In this case, alkaline buffers come into play. They tend to mix with the plasma of blood and then neutralize its value. The same happens in the plasma when the alkaline value of blood increases. In this case, acidic buffers in the blood plasma play their role. If the alkalinity or the acidity of blood pertains for a longer period, the body gets into a hazardous state, which if left unaddressed, can prove fatal.
Without buffer solutions, our body may undergo a lot of changes. The enzyme action is regulated by blood. Therefore, the change of pH value also affects the enzymes indirectly. Enzyme actions require low energy involvement. Changes in the temperature of the body can affect enzyme action to a wider range.


Using DVD for system backup can be a tricky task, as DVD media cannot provide much reliability principally required for this backup type. The progress cannot stand still, and the glory of DVDs slowly shades in the past.
Nowadays, the best DVD for computer backup is a USB or SSD drive; this is a truth. However, as DVDs are cheap and widely available, many people are using DVD for computer backup, e.g., backing up system images to their DVDs. Let us discuss about this practice of providing Backup to DVD.
Choosing the best DVD for computer backup is quite simple; it can be any DVD-R dummy. No need for using DVR-RWs can emerge; if you are need to rewrite your system backups, use other media, a bit more proof to errors.
It be a common sense to say the DVD with a copy of your system must be kept in a box or envelope, properly marked with an exact name of your computer, type of the system and the date of backup. No orphan DVD lying at the corner can keep your system backup in safety!
Nowadays, this is no practical need to create a multi-boot DVD for system backup & recovery. The one key exception is when you are creating the image backup of the multi-boot disk using the third-party backup solution (e.g., Handy Backup).
When you are trying to find the best DVD for computer backup in an entire image (not just a copy of the system), please throw up the temptation to use and keep the spindled DVDs for keeping finalized backups. Always use envelopes or boxes!


The detention center used by Australia to house asylum seekers on Manus Island will close, Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister Peter O'Neill announced Wednesday, after the nation's Supreme Court ruled that the confinement of refugees at the camp was illegal.
About 850 men, half of whom have been awarded refugee status, are held on the tiny Pacific island north of PNG. On Tuesday, the nation's Supreme Court found the offshore processing center unconstitutional, ruling that it violates detainees' right to personal liberty.
Australia's hard-line approach to asylum seekers who arrive by boat — by transferring them to detention facilities on Manus Island and Nauru — has drawn criticism from human-rights groups and the U.N. refugee agency. In 2014, a report from Australian Human Rights Commission found evidence of abuse on Nauru, including allegations of sexual assault of children.
A time frame for the camp's closure still needs to be decided, PNG's Prime Minister said.


Police in the state of North Carolina need your help finding missing juvenile Hannah Peterson. Hannah was reported as a missing juvenile to the Henderson County Sheriff's Office on March 10, 2019. Family is concerned about Hannah's safety, as she is without her medication. Law enforcement is reaching out on social media to share her information in order to bring hre home safely. Hannah is described as a white female with curly brown hair and hazel eyes, 5'7" tall, and weighing between 180 and 190 pounds. Authorities report that Hannah has no tattoos or visible scars.
Law enforcement in North Carolina need your help finding 16 year old Candace Patten. Authorities are worried about Candace's safety and are reaching out on social media to bring attention to her disappearance and to help bring her home safely. Candace was last seen in the 1200 block of September Court in Fayetteville, North Caronlina on the evening of Saturday, August 18, 2018. Candace is described as a white female with brown hair and hazel eyes, 5'5" tall, and weighing 120 pounds.
Police in North Carolina need your help finding 16 year old Summer Brianna Locklear. Summer was last heard from on Wednesday, August 8, 2018 when she contacted her mother by phone. Since that time, nobody has seen or heard from Summer. Summer is known to drive a burgundy 2010 Chrysler Sebring with North Carolina license plate number EML5740. Summer is described as a white female with brown hair, hazel eyes, 5'1" and with a medium build. Additional information, including a last seen clothing description, was not available at this time.
Police in North Carolina need your help finding 13 year old Andrea Leann Wildcatt. Andrea was last seen on Friday, May 4, 2018 at a group home on South New Hope Road in Gastonia, North Carolina. Andrea is currently registered as an endangered juvenile. Andrea is described as a biracial female with black hair and green eyes, 5'3" tall, and weighing 115 pounds. Andrea is Native American and Hispanic. Andrea is also known to wear glasses. A last seen clothing description was not available about Andrea at the time of this missing person alert.
Police in North Carolina need your help finding 17 year old Samuel Sandlin. Samuel was last seen on foot leaving a friend's house in Walkertown, North Carolina around 3:30 pm on Sunday, April 22, 2018. Since that time, nobody has seen or heard from Samuel. Samuel is described as a white male with long blonde hair and brown eyes, 6'4" tall, and weighing 150 pounds. When last seen, Samuel was wearing a red t-shirt and jeans. Additional information was not available about Samuel at the time of this missing person alert.
Police in North Carolina need your help finding juvenile Emily Murphy. Emily was last seen in the early morning hours, around 2:00 am of Saturday, March 17, 2018 in Williamston, North Carolina and is currently considered to be an endangered runaway. Emily is described as a white female with long, brown hair, brown eyes, 5'2" tall, and weighing 250 pounds. Additional information, including a last seen clothing description, was not available about Emily at the time of this missing person alert.
Police in North Carolina need your help finding 40 year old Stephanie Langley. Stephanie was last seen in the area of Reba Drive in Greenville, North Carolina on Sunday, February 11, 2018. Stephanie is described as a white female with blonde hair and blue/green eyes, 5'8" tall, and weighing 140 pounds. Additional information about Stephanie, including a clothing description, was not available at the time of this alert.
Police in North Carolina need your help finding 15 year old Derrika Fields. Derrika was last seen on Tuesday, January 30, 2018 in the 3000 block of Fallswood Drive, Gastonia, North Carolina. Derrika is described as a black female with black hair and brown eyes, 5'3" tall, and weighing 175 pounds. When last seen, Jerrika was wearing light pink sweat pants, a white tank top, a black jacket, and black Addidas slide on sandals. Additional information was not available about Jerrika at the time of this alert.
Police in North Carolina need your help finding 15 year old Devin Willard. Devin was last seen around 9:00 pm on Wednesday, November 14, 2017 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Devin is described as a white male with light brown hair, blue eyes, and a slender but fit build. Additional information was not available about Devin at the time of this alert. If you have seen Devin or have any information about him, please cotnact the Winston Salem Police Department at 1-336-773-7700.
Police in North Carolina need your help finding 20 year old Abby Patterson. Abby's friends and family are offering a $5000 reward for information related to helping find her. Abby was last seen around 11:300 am on Tuesday, September 5, 2017 getting into a brown Buick car near 9th Street in Lumberton, North Carolina. Abby is described a white female with brown hair and brown eyes, 5'7" tall, and weighing 140 pounds. Abby has a birthmark on the back of her right thigh and a tattoo of a bird on her shoulder.