text:
Killing Of Fasoranti's Daughter: Igbo Group Issues Strong Warning To Buhari
EFCC Arrests Landlord For Housing 10 Internet Fraudsters
Cristiano Ronaldo Reaches 200 Million Followers On Instagram — The 1st Person In The World To Reach The Landmark
Pan-Igbo think-tank group, Nzuko Umunna has issued a strong warning to President Muhammadu Buhari over the spate of killing and insecurity in the country.
The group warned that if the situation is not tackled, the country risks being plunged into a cycle of violence that may make Rwanda and Burundi genocides seem like a child's play.
A statement signed by Paschal Mbanefo and Ngozi Odumuko, its General Secretary and Coordinator respectively, was in reaction to the murder of Funke Olakunrin, daughter to Afenifere leader, Reuben Fasoranti by suspected herdsmen.
The statement added, "We received with shock the killing of Mrs. Funke Olakunrin, daughter of nonagenarian and Afenifere Leader, Pa Reuben Fasoranti by suspected herdsmen.
"We commiserate with Pa Fasoranti over this tragic incident. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and the entire Yoruba nation. It is instructive that even at a ripe old age, Pa Fasoranti is still at the barricades battling for the soul of Nigeria.
"It is therefore very ironic and troubling that the 94-year-old elder statesman is made to suffer this heartbreak in his old age. No Nigerian deserves to go through this.
"We urge President Muhammadu Buhari to take immediate steps to arrest Nigeria's descent to lawlessness and speedily bring the perpetrators of this heinous crime to justice.
"We warn that if the current spate of insecurity is not tackled with the decisiveness it deserves, the country risks being plunged into a cycle of violence that may make Rwanda and Burundi seem like a child's play.
"The rising spate of insecurity in Nigeria is highly unacceptable. Nigerians are no longer safe in their homes and in the streets. This is bound to scare away investors. Investment thrives in an environment that places premium on security and law and order.
"We urge the Federal Government to overhaul the entire security architecture and design an effective framework to arrest the rampaging criminality that is threatening the unity and continued existence of the country.
"It must be said that Nigeria is clearly at the crossroads now. Aside from the security situation which has seemingly spiralled out of control, the ill-advised Ruga scheme which has been overheating the polity must be scrapped without delay.
"It will require political will at the highest level of governance to stem this unremitting descent into lawlessness. The government must show in clear terms that it has the capacity and sagacity to navigate these slippery slopes. The time to act is now!
"We urge Nigerians to be more vigilant and to give the government every support in order to commence the process of rebuilding the country into a united and prosperous nation devoid of banditry, cattle rustling and all forms of criminality."
Related Topics:Funke OlakunrinReuben Fasoranti
JUST IN: NAF Appoints New Branch Chiefs, Redeploys AOCs
BREAKING: Buhari, ECOWAS Bank Boss Meet In Aso Rock
Afenifere Leader's Daughter, Funke, Laid To Rest As Family, Governors, Nigerians Bid Her Farewell
Killing Of Fasoranti's Daughter Act Of Terrorism – Jonathan
BREAKING: Police Arrest Suspected Killers Of Pa Fasoranti's Daughter, Funke Olakunrin
Killings Should Not Divide Us — Tinubu
Don't Allow Them Use Fasoranti's Daughter's Death To Play APC Politics, Nnamdi Kanu Tells Yoruba Leaders
FG Will Deploy Soldiers On Highways To Stop Killings – Osinbajo
Okenna Ojiri
Who are these pan handlers marauding in the name of Pan-Igbo think-tank group? We are aware that by the time you published this stupid message both of you are in Abuja with your pans before the Fulani cabals. Are you idiots so stupid that you could not mention neither the Herdsmen nor the Myatt Allah who are perpetrators of these killings in your warnings. For sure you are afraid of your Arewa masters. You fools must desist from using the name of Igbo's in asking for favors. Don't worry what is coming soon will take care of saboteurs like your bastards. Nothing will stop it the worst is coming on Nigeria.
Cabals Are Not Controlling My Govt — Buhari
President Muhammadu Buhari has struck out claims of a cabal influencing decisions in his government.
First Lady, Aisha Buhari has been claiming for a while now that a cabal is controlling her husband's government.
President Buhari in an interview with The Interview Newspaper stated that he's the only one that took an oath for the office of the President and can exercise the power that comes with it.
He said: "I was the one who went round the country on campaigns, and I was the one voted into office as President, twice. No one else did, and no one else took the oath of office, and can exercise the powers of a President."
Reps Ask Service Chiefs To Resign Immediately
Members of the House of Representatives today passed a vote of no confidence on all the service chiefs, asking them to either resign their positions immediately or be sacked by President Buhari.
The lawmakers made the call during its plenary in Abuja Wednesday, January 29th.
While debating on the nation's rising insecurity, a member of the House, Abubakar Fulata, informed his colleagues that the service chiefs had outlived their usefulness and that it will be to the detriment of the country if these men keep doing the same thing repeatedly and expect a different result in tackling the security challenges Nigeria is grappling with.
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, thereafter put the question to the lawmakers whether the service chiefs should resign and leave their offices or be sacked. Although there was a divide among the members in their response, majority of the lawmakers answered in the affirmative and the resolution was passed.
The service chiefs include the Chief of Defence Staff, General Gabriel Olonisakin, Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Tukur Buratai, Chief of Naval Staff, and the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshall Sadiq Abubakar. They were appointed in July 2015.


It's simply one of the things we're going to get over, this business of thinking and writing about "women directors." To be sure, most movie directors are men. But they're no longer necessarily men, and when Claudia Weill goes on tour to promote her new movie, she would like to be asked about the movie, rather than about the fact that it was directed by a woman. "It used to be the first question," she recalled the other day during lunch at the Drake Hotel's Cape Cod Room.
"I'd meet an interviewer, and the first question had to do with the fact that I was undeniably a woman. Now, after this film, it's been downgraded to an afterthought: Oh, yeah, uh...how's it being a woman movie director?"
The truth is, Weill said, she doesn't even particularly care whether she makes movies about "woman's themes," although her first two movies belong in that category. First came "Girl Friends," the wonderful 1977 independent feature about two New York roommates and how one got married and the other went into photography. Now comes "It's My Turn," opening Friday, with Jill Clayburgh as a Chicago mathematician who leaves her apartment-mate and lover (Charles Grodin) to spend a week in New York, during which she thinks she may be falling in love with a retired New York Yankee (Michael Douglas).
"As far as the women's movement goes," she said, "the new film may actually be reactionary. Here's a woman who has too much 'space,' too much freedom. She finds that she wants a messy relationship. And among our peers, you see a lot more babies these days than you might expect. This liberation isn't enough. They feed women a line about having a career, realizing their potential, but by the time they hit 30, they realize it's getting a little thin unless there's someone to share it with. You can't throw out the whole notion of caring for someone...even on the most selfish grounds."
No, I said, I guess you can't. We pondered our bottles of Poland Spring Mineral Water. The waiter came, and she ordered vegetables: broccoli, spinach, boiled potatoes. "Carrots?" the waiter said. "Surely you love carrots?"
"And...some carrots," she said. "Surely I love carrots."
Ahem, I said, mentally. Apropos of your talk about relationships and careers and caring for someone, et cetera, ah, you're not married, are you, and you have a glamorous career as a movie director?
"No. I keep thinking I haven't met the right guy." But you'd like to?
This movie "It's My Turn" is a little bit about that? "A little bit about it. The screenplay is by Eleanor Bergstein, who wrote Advancing Paul Newman.
Some of the feelings in it and some of the situations no doubt come from Jill Clayburgh and myself. Jill plays a very much together woman, except that she's coming apart at the seams. She keeps tripping on herself. She meets Michael Douglas, who wants to play for keeps. She already has what she thinks she wants: Freedom, friendship, a big apartment with lots of closets. What does she do now?"
Claudia Weill shrugged, "I like the decision she makes. But I have to be honest. Changing the subject. I really don't care too much what I make movies about. I think I'd make a movie about anything, just so long as one element was there: I want to make movies about characters we're rooting for.
I love to be on the side of the people in movies. I don't really care what they're doing. They could be escaping from China, discovering an important cure, getting married. If we get involved with them, that's a movie."
"The funny thing is that it doesn't make all that much difference," she said. "I had about 30 people in the crew, about the same as before. I had a good rapport with Jill Clayburgh...We're about the same age, from about the same background, we knew one another's thoughts. No matter what size the movie is, you have the actors, the script, the camera, and what you can do with it. It doesn't matter what the budget is, or whether you're a woman."
No problems for a woman directing a mostly male crew? "No. Everybody's professional. What makes me so mad is when I forget I'm professional. The other day I was on Kup's Show. With John Huston? And John Huston has such a presence . . . He's so magnificent . . . His voice is so deep and he's so legendary and fascinating that instead of sitting there like a movie director, I sat there like a little girl. A girl! I've got to get over that."


text:
Chameleonovití (Chamaeleonidae) jsou čeleď vysoce specializovaných stromových ještěrů.

Charakteristika
Chameleoni jsou malí až středně velcí ještěři. Nejmenší druhy, jimiž jsou některé madagaskarské brokesie, měří okolo pouhých tří centimetrů zatímco ten největší, jímž je rovněž madagaskarský chameleon obrovský (Furcifer oustaleti) dorůstá délky až 80 cm.
Většina druhů chameleonů žije ve větvích stromů a keřů a tomuto způsobu života jsou dobře přizpůsobeni - mají bočně zploštělé tělo, dlouhý ovíjivý ocas a zygodaktilní nohy - prsty mají srostlé v klíšťky, které na předních končetinách tvoří tři vnější a dva vnitřní prsty, na pánevních je tomu naopak. Prsty jsou opatřené silnými drápy. Pouze několik málo druhů, např. chameleon pouštní (Chamaeleo namaquensis) z jižní Afriky, se sekundárně přizpůsobilo životu na zemi.
Chameleonovití nemají Jakobsonův orgán a podobně jako hadům jim chybí vnější i střední ucho. Proslulá je jejich schopnost barvoměny, která závisí nejen na barvě prostředí, ale také na vyladění a zdravotním stavu jedince. Většina druhů chameleonů má na hlavě vytvořenou kostěnou přilbu (velmi nápadná např. u chameleona jemenského), na hřbetě a hrdle se objevují kožnaté hřebeny a laloky, na čenichu nebo čele rohovité výrůstky (např. u chameleona Jacksonova), všechny tyto ozdoby jsou více vyvinuty u samců. Chameleoni tedy mají vytvořen pohlavní dimorfismus. Většina druhů chameleonů je vejcorodých, některé, zejména horské druhy z východní a jižní Afriky, však jsou vejcoživorodé. Počet vajec či mláďat ve snůšce bývá vysoký, často i více než 50, jen málo mláďat se však dožije dospělosti. Chameleoni nepatří mezi dlouhověká zvířata, některé druhy (chameleon kobercový, chameleon Labordův) se dožívají pouze jednoho roku a dospělí jedinci krátce po nakladení vajec hynou, většina druhů se dožívá 3-5 let, některé (chameleon jemenský, chameleon obecný) mohou v teráriu žít až 10 let.

Příslušníci podčeledi brokesií se vedle malé velikosti vyznačují kratším, jen částečně ovíjivým ocasem, jejich tělo není tak výrazně bočně zploštělé, hlava bývá krátká a zakulacená, bez přílby, ale nad očima bývají vytvořeny růžky. Mají vesměs nevýrazné, ochranné zbarvení v tónech šedé, hnědozelené a béžové, postrádají schopnost barvoměny. Většinu života tráví ve spadaném listí a na nízké vegetaci, kde se živí především chvostoskoky, mšicemi a drobnými mravenci. V ohrožení upadají do stavu strnulosti.

Oční víčka jsou srostlá a jemně šupinatá, každé oko se může pohybovat samostatně - oko chameleonovitých je svou stavbou považováno za evoluční vrchol vývoje zrakového orgánu obratlovců, zvíře může vidět v rozsahu 360°, vertikálně může otáčet očima o 90° a horizontálně o 180°. Podobné, ale méně dokonalé, uspořádání očí se v důsledku konvergence vyvinulo také u některých leguánovitých ještěrů v Jižní Americe (např. rod Polychrus).
Chameleoni se živí hmyzem a jinými bezobratlými, jako jsou chvostoskoci, pavouci nebo drobní plži, největší druhy příliežitostně loví i drobné obratlovce, např. gekony, žabky nebo ptářata. Některé druhy chameleonů v menší míře přijímají i sladké ovoce. Kořist lapají vymrštitelným, lepkavým jazykem, který je zpravidla stejně dlouhý jako tělo. Vodu přijímají olizováním kapek rosy z listů rostlin.

Systematika
Čeleď chameleonovitých se dělí na dvě podčeledi chameleony (Chamaeleoninae), k nimž patří 10 rodů a brokesie (Brookesiinae) se dvěma rody, které jsou endemity Madagaskaru. Je popsáno celkem 202 druhů chameleonovitých, z toho 31 druhů patří k podčeledi brokesií.

Rozšíření
Kontinentem, kde žije nejvíce druhů chameleonů, je Afrika, 101 popsaných druhů obývá prakticky celou kontinentální Afriku s výjimkou Sahary. Na Madagaskaru žije 63 druhů pravých chameleonů a všech 31 známých druhů brokesií, dva druhy chameleonů žijí endemicky na Komorách, jeden na Seychelách a jeden na Sokotře, celkem čtyři druhy se vyskytují také v Asii (Blízký východ, Arabský poloostrov, Indie, Srí Lanka), jedním z těchto čtyř druhů je chameleon obecný, který jako jediný zasahuje i do Evropy. Ve třetihorách se chameleoni vyskytovali i na území ČR, odkud byl popsán druh Chamaeleo caroliquarti ze spodního miocénu. Nejstarší fosilní nálezy pocházejí z paleocénu z Číny.

Chameleoni v teráriu
Pro svůj zajímavý vzhled jsou chameleoni přidmětem zájmu teraristů, většina druhů ale patří mezi náročné a choulostivé chovance. Chameleoni vyžadují vysoká terária s větvemi ke šplhání a pokud možno i s živými rostlinami. Většina druhů potřebuje vysokou vzdušnou vlhkost, terárium však současně musí být dobře větráno. Chameleonům prospívají výrazné výkyvy teploty mezi dnem a nocí. Druhy, které žijí v horských lesích, např. chameleon Jacksonův, jsou velmi citlivé na přehřátí. Nejčastěji se chová chameleon jemenský, který patří mezi nejpěknější, a současně i nejméně choulostivé druhy, protože snáší nižší vzdušnou vlhkost, v letním období ho lze s úspěchem chovat i ve venkovní voliéře na balkóně či na zahradě. Jako jeden z mála druhů se také v teráriu poměrně snadno rozmnožuje. Chameleoni se krmí živým hmyzem, pro malé druhy jsou vhodné octomilky, pro větší cvrčci, larvy potemníků, sarančata, mouchy, pakobylky a další dostupný hmyz, velcí chameleoni požírají i mláďata myší, drobné hlemýždě nebo ještěrky. Ačkoli rostlinnou potravu chameleoni přijímají jen v malé míře, chameleon jemenský nepohrdne ani ovocem a šťavnatými listy rostlin. Důležité je potravu obohacovat vitamíny a minerálními látkami, chameleoni jsou velmi citliví hlavně na nedostatek vápníku.

Odkazy

Reference

Literatura
 GAISLER, Jiří. Zoologie obratlovců. 1. vyd. Praha: Academia, 1983. 536 s.

Externí odkazy

Ještěři

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Classroom Page
About Mr. Sinn
Mr. Sinn's Syllabus
U.S. History Home Work
U.S. History Behavior and Referral Forms
Unit Topics
Origins of the Cold War >
Study Guide: Cold War
Monsters to Destroy: 9/11 to the War on Terrior
Partisan Politics: Bill Clinton
The Rise of Conservatism: Ronald Reagan
Ch. 1: Foundation of Civilization (Prehistory-300 B.C.)
Jr. High Boys Basketball
Containment: The Korean War
At the end of World War II, the Allies had divided the small peninsula of Korea, ceded by Japan, at the 38th parallel. Although all parties hoped to reunited the nation under its own government, the line between North and South instead hardened. The United States backed the unpopular government of Syngman Rhee (the Republic of Kore), and the Soviet Union sponsored a rival government in North Korea under Kim Il Sung.
The Korean War had profound implications for the use of executive power by approaching an "imperial presidency". Th president derived his authority from NSC-68, a paper released to him by the National Security Council in April 1950 that reinterpreted both the basic policy of containment and decision making a the highest levels of government.
NSC-68 pledged the United States not only to "contain" communism but to take a further step to drive back Communist influence wherever it appeared and to "foster the seeds of destruction within the Soviet Union." moreover, the document designated the struggle between the United States and Soviet Union as "permanent," the era one of "total war." It specified that American citizens must be willing to make sacrifices- "to give up so of the benefits which they have come to associate with their freedom"-to defend their way of life. NSC-68 articulated the intellectual and psychological rationale behind U.S. national security polices for the next forty years.
By the time it ended, the Korean War had cost the United States approximately $100 billion and inaugurated an era of huge deficits in the federal budget and massive national deb but did nothing to improve the case for rolling back communism. When a settlement was reached in which both North Korea and South Korea occupied almost the same territory as when the war began. Approximately 54,000 Americans died in Korea; the North Koreans and Chinese lost well over 2 million people. The majority of civilians killed were women and children. Nearly 1 million Koreans were left homeless.
For the United States, the Korean War enlarged the geographical range of the cold war to include East Asia. The war also lined up the People's Republic of China and the United States as unwavering enemies for the next twenty years and heightened the U.S. commitment to Southeast Asia.
Korean War Fast Facts
War Was Hell on Earth
U.S. leadership was committed following WWII to securing leadership throughout the world and, equally important, preventing communism from spreading further. As a doctrine uniting military, economic, and diplomatic strategies, the "containment" of communism.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Currently being one shot everywhere, can't survive much. tips?
Yeah i can't afford kaom's roots with endurance charge, it's too expensive. neck i bought for 1c just to get the stats needed.
Basically i just threw this together with the currency i had.
Main hand critical strike chance 15.8%, multiplier 409% in hideout.
What adjustments would I make to this build if all I wanted to do was run Uber Lab with it? I'm having trouble with survivability more than damage, so at some point I figure I don't really need more damage if all I'm doing is killing Izaro?
Is Loreweave still a good option?
Can i use brass dome for extra survivability :D.


A monthly, experimental workshop for women embodying the healing art of our creativity and connection to clay. This workshop is a blend of honoring ancestral skills with discovery through our own creative language with clay by coil-forming a ceramic vessel.
Private Sessions dive into the fundamentals of ceramics and it's healing modality for you. Individual's approach varies - whether you're new to the craft or itching to re-visit, private sessions will accommodate your experience.


A new version of our Mobile Banking App is now available. It is free to download and offers quick access for managing your bank accounts. Our app is fast, secure and free. You can use the same Access ID and password as Online Banking.
With Mobile Banking and the SASB Mobile Banking app for iPhone and Android, you are able to access accounts from your mobile phone anytime, anywhere.
Mobile banking is a browser based version of our online banking, made just for your mobile phone or other mobile devices. Visit our mobile page from your mobile phone, login to your Online Banking account with your existing user name and password, and your money is at your fingertips!
Internet charges may apply. Check with your mobile provider.
Our Mobile App is ready for download from Apple's App Store.
Our Mobile App is ready for download from the Google Play Store.


text:
Brookville distance to Manhattan
How far is Brookville from Manhattan?
Shortest distance between Brookville and Manhattan is 263.71 miles (424.41 km).
Flight distance from Brookville, NY to Manhattan, NY is 263.71 miles. Estimated flight time is 00 hours 42 minutes.
It takes 00 hours 37 minutes to travel from Brookville to Manhattan with an airplane (average speed of 550 miles).
The driving distance from Brookville, New York to Manhattan, New York is: 348.21 miles (560.39 km) by car.
Driving from Brookville to Manhattan will take approximately 05 hours 51 minutes.
#1 Brookville
Village in New York, United States
#2 Manhattan
Borough of New York City, New York, United States
40°47'0"N 73°57'59"W
Starting point in Brookville: Hunn Road (-78.212622,42.921)
Ending point in Manhattan: 86th Street Transverse Road (-73.965969,40.783967)
Estimated Travel Time Between Brookville and Manhattan
The distance between Brookville and Manhattan is 560 km if you choose to drive by road. You can go 06 hours 13 minutes if you drive your car at an average speed of 90 kilometers / hour. For different choices, please review the avg. speed travel time table on the below.
There is no time difference between Brookville and Manhattan. The current time is 18:26:37.
A car with a fuel efficiency of 8.3 l/100 km will need 46.51 liters (12.29 gallon) of gas to cover the route between Brookville and Manhattan.
The estimated cost of gas to go from Brookville to Manhattan is $40.49 (diesel $44.93).
The place names are translated into coordinates to approximate the distance between Brookville and Manhattan (latitude and longitude). Cities, states, and countries each have their own regional center. The Haversine formula is used to measure the radius.
Driving distance from Albany, NY to Brookville 259.02 miles (417 km)
Driving distance from Astoria, NY to Brookville 352.56 miles (567 km)
Driving distance from Babylon, NY to Brookville 392.2 miles (631 km)
The Bronx, NY
Driving distance from The Bronx, NY to Brookville 349.69 miles (563 km)
Brookhaven, NY
Driving distance from Brookhaven, NY to Brookville 405.59 miles (653 km)
Driving distance from Brooklyn, NY to Brookville 346.59 miles (558 km)
Driving distance from Buffalo, NY to Brookville 41.69 miles (67 km)
East Flatbush, NY
Driving distance from East Flatbush, NY to Brookville 350.12 miles (563 km)
Driving distance from Huntington, NY to Brookville 378.05 miles (608 km)
Islip, NY
Driving distance from Islip, NY to Brookville 391.98 miles (631 km)
Driving distance from Jamaica, NY to Brookville 364.04 miles (586 km)
Driving distance from New York City, NY to Brookville 339.54 miles (546 km)


my music libary contains mp3 and flac files and so I can see I've only trouble with mp3.
I looked at the slimserver database and see that all artists and albums has a correct musicbrainz id's.
This belongs also to many of the mp3 tracks but a couple of the mp3 tracks has no musicbrainz id's.
It seems on the same album there are tracks with musicbrainz id's and such tracks with non id's.
I can't recognise any association.
In the database all tracks (the good and the bad) marked same with content_type / tagversion mp3 / APEv2.
- I get the id's with Musicbrainz Picard (MUSICBRAINZ ARTIST ID, MUSICBRAINZ ALBUM ID, MUSICBRAINZ_TRACKID).
Presumably you are getting the IDs using Picard?
Are you sure that Picard is matching all of your music? Maybe it is failing to match against some.
no I'm shure. With mp3Tagger all tracks look like same. They has all the MUSICBRAINZ_TRACKID tag and an id.
ok, I maked further tests.
- Imported the libary in a windows squeezecenter installation (I normaly use readyNAS). The same as on the NAS. The same tracks have ids and have no ids.
- Full scan and scan about new tracks (deleted this tracks in the database before).
I'm helpless, what can I do next. Parsing the squeeze source code ? Where should I start (I'm no perl developer).
So you use ID3v2.3 as tag format.
So you use also APEv2 ?
The use of different tagformats must be avoided.
I have set the Musicbrainz picard to remove APEv2 tags out of the mp3files and use only ID3v2.4 UTF-8.
Mp3tag display the following tag formats ID3v1, ID3v2.4 and APEv2. Te correct and the wrong tracks tagged same and I tried different software (mp3tag, Picard, foobar2000).
At the moment my opinion is, that this is a bug in squeeze scanner.
My personal experience is that if you use the ID3V2.x and APEv2 at the same time, strange things are going to hapen with the scanner.
My advice is: remove the APEv2 tags and delete and rebuilt the library.
Further: there is in my opinion no need to uses 2 ID3 formats either. So you can also remove the ID3v2.1 tags.
You can use MP3tag for this.
No need to say to test it first on a few files.
I am pretty sure that this is the solution for you.
Have you also tryed to remove all the tags with mp3tag from the "problem files" and tagged them again with Musicbrainz or by hand with mp3tag ?
Otherwise I do not know what you can try.
In 99% of this cases is tagging the cause and not the scanning module.
ok this is the solution (but a bad one).
I removed all tags (the APEv2 was not enough) with mp3Tag and rebuild it. Unfortunately I don't know the real reason / solution, so now I must find out the bad tracks and do this work for all of them.
Maybe this is not a bug of the scanner but he is not really fault tolerant. All the tagger tools display the Musicbrainz Track-ID.


Hooray for the red, white and blue! The Fourth of July is such a fabulous day to celebrate freedom, friends and food. It's a day of spectacular traditions, when the "thwack" of ball hitting bat, the hum of lawnmowers and the smell of backyard barbeques fill the whole star-spangled neighborhood.
An All-American celebration is surely in order, and we have ideas for everything from parade-watching to fireworks and everything in between. A combination of traditional must-haves—like baked beans and potato salad—along with some new classics like simple yet delectable Turkey Bruschetta made with DI LUSSO® Sun Dried Tomato Turkey and mozzarella cheese, will make everyone feel patriotic.
Grissini Genoa Breadsticks make another party-ready snack that couldn't be easier to prepare—just spread cream cheese on thin crunchy breadsticks and wrap a slice of DI LUSSO® Genoa Salami.
Antipasto Skewers are fun and festive, too, made with zesty DI LUSSO® Hard Salami and Swiss Cheese, cherry tomatoes and marinated artichoke hearts.
Assemble a variety of All-American sandwiches filled with DI LUSSO® meats and cheeses and all the fixin's, and cut them into star shapes with a cookie cutter. Pile onto a platter and let guests help themselves.
Adult beverages can be equally simple: vodka and lemonade or Sangria seem summertime patriotic.-themed to us, as does root beer for the kids.
Put together a fruit salad of strawberries and/or raspberries and blueberries and/or blackberries for a gorgeous nod to the flag. A simple batch of brownies dusted with powdered sugar and adorned with tiny toothpick flags would be a perfect dessert. For the kids, red, white and blue frozen pops are just right for the day.
If you're lucky enough to have a fireworks show nearby, enjoy every "ooh" and "aah" moment. Or simply listen to them going off in the distance and reflect upon the day, its meaning, and how fortunate we are to live in the land of the free.


The initial phase 2 studies of cenobamate evaluated close to 1000 individuals, with efficacy demonstrated to the point that the FDA did not require additional efficacy studies.
The submission is based on data from pivotal trials that assessed the efficacy and safety of cenobamate in more than 1900 patients. The results of these trials were presented at the annual meetings of the American Epilepsy Society (AES) and the American Academy of Neurology (AAN).
"The decision was made, after careful consultation with experts, that the rate of titration of drug is critical in determining the incidence of allergic reactions, particularly for a serious idiosyncratic reaction like DRESS syndrome," Michael Sperling, MD, the director of the Jefferson Comprehensive Epilepsy Center and the Jefferson Clinical Neurophysiology Laboratory, told NeurologyLive.
In one of the trials presented at the 2018 AAN annual meeting, an 18-week, randomized, double-blind, dose-response study, 437 patients received 100 mg per day of cenobamate (n = 108), 200 mg per day of cenobamate (n = 110), 400 mg per day of cenobamate (n = 111), or placebo (n = 108).
Median seizure frequencies decreased for all doses of cenobamate, with the 100 mg/day experiencing a 35.5% reduction, the 200 mg/day observing a 55.0% reduction, and the 400 mg/day seeing a 55.0% reduction. In comparison, the placebo group experienced a 24.0% reduction.
The median frequencies for simple partial seizures also decreased with all doses of cenobamate—100 mg/day: 48.0%; 200 mg/day: 63.0%; and 400 mg/day: 58.5%—compared with placebo, which showed a 7.0% reduction.
The median frequencies for complex partial seizures and secondary generalized tonic-clonic seizures decreased with the 200 mg per day dose of cenobamate, 55.0% and 91.0%, respectively, as well as the 400 mg per day of cenobamate, 60.0% and 78.0%, respectively. In comparison, the placebo group saw 28.5% and 33.0% reductions, respectively.
When speaking with NeurologyLive, Sperling added a typical caution for physicians. "It is easy to be excited about new agents, and much of what we need to know will be learned over time. Initial enthusiasm is often tempered by experience. That said, I remain optimistic," he said.
The therapy's mechanism of action is not completely understood, though investigators believe that it works through 2 mechanisms: enhancing inhibitory currents through positive modulation of GABA-A receptors and decreasing excitatory currents by inhibiting the persistent sodium current.
1. SK life science announces FDA acceptance of NDA submission forcenobamate, an investigational antiepileptic drug [press release]. Fair Lawn, NJ: SK Life Science; Published February 4, 2019. sklifescienceinc.com/pdf/SKLSI%20NDA%20Acceptance%20Press%20Release%20-FINAL-Updated%202-3-19.pdf. Accessed February 6, 2019.
2. Sperling M, Klein P, Kamin M. Safety ofcenobamate (YKP3089) as adjunctive treatment for uncontrolled partial seizures in a large, multi-center, open-label study. Presented at: American Epilepsy Society Annual Meeting; New Orleans, LA; December 2, 2018. aesnet.org/meetings_events/annual_meeting_abstracts/view/500991.


To get set ready for the Blockchain hackathon @ 18th Softcom, I would recommend you to go through the following material and videos to help you setup your personal laptop in preparation for the event.
You will be utilizing the Hyperledger Fabric Composer blockchain platform to develop your blockchain projects.
I would recommend that everyone go through the Blockchain Essentials course so that you can familiarize yourself with blockchain in general and Hyperledger Fabric Composer. This is a great introduction provided by IBM and will provide you with a "badge" from IBM that can be used to share with others that you have completed the training.
The following tutorial and video will walk you through examining the Fabric Composer development environment, exploring and altering a blockchain business network, and generating a web-based application to interact with the blockchain.
These steps will introduce you to the environment and help you setup a development box so that you can practice and get comfortable with the environment prior to the event. We recommend that at a minimum you go through the above tutorials before the event so that you can utilize your team time most effectively.
Next Story Next post: 3rd Meetup | Blockchain Special Interest Group | SPINN LABS | FAST-NU Islamabad.


Easy On The Eyes Dark KDE Window Decoration theme.
Hi Bolimage, thank you very much for this theme! You're doing something really interesting with it, I can't figure out how to do in my themes. How did you manage, , that title bar is filled with decoration-top, not decoration-center?? I tried to "de-construct" your theme and see there is a kind of offset of ~66px where decoration-top is "tiled"? But I can't change this or find out how to do for myself... It would be so nice, if you could give some advice!
I installed the theme but it seems more light than dark.
The best window decoration for my Plasma, merci!


text:
Q: Add property to defined type in typescript I have this code:
const contacts = await this.prisma.contact.findMany({
  select: {
    id: true,
    name: true,
    mainSellerId: true,
    phone01: true

  }
})

And Prisma generates a custom type based on the parameters, like this:
const contacts: {
    id: number;
    name: string;
    mainSellerId: number;
    phone01: string;
}[]

I want to add the property lastMessage: string to the contacts array like this:
for (let i = 0; i < contacts.length; i++) {
  contacts[i].lastMessage = await findLastMessage(contacts[i])
}

Typescript will complain because there's no lastMessage property in contacts.
One solution is to create a new type and assign the contacts to another variable like this:
const losContacts: (typeof contacts[0] & { lastMessage?: string })[] = contacts

for (let i = 0; i < losContacts.length; i++) {
    losContacts[i].lastMessage = await findLastMessage(losContacts[i])
}

Another is to do this:
const findMany = () =>
    this.prisma.contact.findMany({
        select: {
            id: true,
            name: true,
            mainSellerId: true,
            phone01: true,
        },
    })

const contacts: (Awaited<ReturnType<typeof findMany>>[0] & { lastMessage?: string })[] = await findMany()

for (let i = 0; i < contacts.length; i++) {
    contacts[i].lastMessage = await findLastMessage(contacts[i])
}

But these options feel like to much effort...
Can I just, somehow, say somethig like:
const contacts = /* await this.prisma.contact.findMany ... */

contacts: AddPropertyOrSomething<{ lastMessage?: string }>

And for that line onward contacts will have another prop. Or something that doesn't require me to specify the object entirely, like this:
const contacts: { id: number; name: string; mainSellerId: number; phone01: string; lastMessage?: string }[] = await this.prisma.contact.findMany({
    select: {
        id: true,
        name: true,
        mainSellerId: true,
        phone01: true,
    },
})

A: Take advantage of spreading and map:
const contacts = await Promise.all((await this.prisma.contact.findMany({
  select: {
    id: true,
    name: true,
    mainSellerId: true,
    phone01: true
  }
})).map(async (contact, index) => ({
    ...concact,
    lastMessage: await findLastMessage(contacts[i])
})));

This is because { ...A, b: x } results in the type A & { b: x }.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Think it's hot now? Wait'll "American Idol" finalist David Hernandez hits town for a free show with Tomeka Williams at the Seasons Performance Hall this Saturday night (July 8).
The all-ages show is presented by 107.3 KFFM, Legends Casino in Toppenish and She Bully Marketing and Entertainment. Doors open at 7 p.m. at the Seasons, 101 N. Naches Ave.
Admission is free with two cans of non-perishable food to donate to the YWCA of Yakima.


Israel Folau's latest social media post condemning gay people to hell and damnation has no place in rugby union. His views have no place in society at all.
Guy Thompson's career so far has represented an encouraging case study for late developers everywhere.
Rugby union. Offside laws in rugby union are complex. However the basic principle is simple: a player may not derive any advantage from being in front of the ball. When the ball is carried by a single player in open play, any other player on the same team who is in front of the ball carrier is in an offside position.
World Rugby's Anti-Corruption web site. Stay informed about Anti-corruption Regulations by taking our online quiz. World Rugby ... Through this web site you can undertake an educational programme which will teach you all you need to know to stay onside with World Rugby Wagering Regulations. Start learning.
Beach Rugby Dubai 2019 will see UAE Rugby host its inaugural Beach Rugby Tournament in the UAE. In partnership with Onside Sports, and sanctioned by Middle East Touch, the 2019 edition will be hosted at Sheraton Jumeirah Beach Resort on Friday, April 26.


text:
Drug resistance markers within an evolving efficacy of anti-malarial drugs in Cameroon: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol
Peter Thelma Ngwa Niba, Akindeh M. Nji, Marie-Solange Evehe, Innocent M. Ali, and 22 more
posted 04 Dec, 2020
Background: Cameroon remains a country faced with high malaria burden despite enormous efforts made in the control of the disease. The rapid development and dispersal of mutations associated with anti-malarial drug resistance influenced policy changes from the use of chloroquine, amodiaquine and sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine to the adoption of artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) for the treatment of uncomplicated falciparum malaria. However, the impact of drug policy changes on the evolution of molecular markers of Plasmodium falciparum resistance in Cameroon has not been completely understood. Hence, this systematic review and meta-analysis aims to determine the prevalence and distribution of P. falciparum drug resistance markers within an evolving efficacy of anti-malarial drugs in Cameroon from 1998 to present.
Methods: The PRISMA, PRISMA-P and STREGA statements will be adopted in the quality assessments of studies to be included in this review. The electronic databases of Medline via Pubmed, EMBASE, Google Scholar and Science Direct will be searched by two independent researchers using different MeSH terms and Boolean operators (AND, OR). More so, unpublished data that will be sourced from academic libraries will also be extracted. Quantitative syntheses will be done using the "metaphor" and "meta" commands in the R statistical software package version 3.5.2. Heterogeneity will be assessed using the Cochran's Q and I2 statistics. The random effects model will be used as standard in the determination of heterogeneity between studies.
Discussion: The primary outcome of this review is to identify and describe molecular markers conferring drug resistance in Plasmodium falciparum parasites that have been circulating for a period of over 20 years in Cameroon. This review will be able to pool data from previously published and unpublished studies on anti-malarial drug resistance gene mutations. This will provide evidence to support the continuous use of ACTs in the treatment of uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria. Furthermore, data generated from the study will be used as baseline information for the design and adoption of a robust anti-malarial drug resistance surveillance system nationwide which is inexistent.
Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42020162620
anti-malarial
Plasmodium falciparum
According to the WHO global statistics, malaria accounted for 228 million cases and 405,000 related deaths in 2018 [1]. Cameroon remains a country with a high malaria burden and impact despite enormous efforts made in the control of the disease [1]. In Cameroon, the rapid emergence and dispersal of drug resistance was responsible for the change of chloroquine (CQ) use as the first-line therapy for treatment of uncomplicated Plasmodiumfalciparum malaria in 2002 and later amodiaquine (AQ) monotherapy and sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) between 2002 and 2004 [2]. A major drug policy change was recorded in 2004 when the government of Cameroon officially aligned with the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendations by adopting artesunate-amodiaquine (ASAQ) and later artemether-lumefantrine (AL) in 2006 as first-line treatments for uncomplicated malaria [2,3]. ASAQ and AL drugs are distributed in the proportions of 75% and 25% respectively in public health facilities [4]. It important to note that, the AL combination is relatively predominant within the private health facilities and vendors [4]. The efficacy of anti-malarial drugs is linked to the presence or absence of parasites resistant to these drugs in the population. Thus, regular monitoring of drug resistance markers is very essential to malaria control programmes in endemic regions.
The use of advanced molecular biology techniques has greatly facilitated the identification of key amino acid changes in the genes of Plasmodium falciparum chloroquine resistant transporter-Pfcrt (C72S, V73K, M74I, N75E, K76T, A220S, Q271E, N326S, I356T, R371I) [5], Plasmodium falciparum multi-drug resistant 1-Pfmdr1 (N86Y, Y184F, S1034C, N1042D, D1246Y, copy number variation) [5], Plasmodium falciparum dihydrofolate reductase-Pfdhfr (A16V, C50R, N51I, C59R, S108N/T) [6-8] and Plasmodium falciparum dihydropteroate synthase-Pfdhps (I431V, S436A/F, A437G, K540E/N, A581G, A613S/T) [9] associated with resistance to different anti-malarial drugs. These include the partner drugs in the much cherished artemisinin based-combination therapies (ACTs). The presence of Pfcrt K76T is associated with increased risk of treatment failure after administration of chloroquine whereas, Pfmdr1 N86Y is associated with both chloroquine and amodiaquine resistance [10]. For sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine, the Pfdhfr (108N) single mutant, Pfdhfr (51I, 59R, 108N) triple mutants and Pfdhfr-Pfdhps (51I, 59R, 108N, 437G, 540E) quintuple mutants have been shown to increase the risk of treatment failure [10]. It has also been documented that increased Pfmdr1 copy number is correlated with resistance to mefloquine and reduced sensitivity to lumefantrine [11–13]. A meta-analysis on AL and ASAQ showed opposing effects for Pfcrt K76T and Pfmdr1 N86Y [14]. This was further confirmed by another meta-analysis on the selection of Pfmdr1 NFD haplotype for AL and Pfmdr1 YYY haplotype for ASAQ from samples of efficacy studies conducted in Africa that led to reduced sensitivities of the two drugs [15].
In 2014, single nucleotide polymorphisms in the Pfk13 propeller domain of Cambodian parasite isolates were reported to be associated with delayed artemisinin clearance [16]. The epicentres driving the emergence and dispersal of artemisinin resistance have been identified in countries within the Greater Mekong sub-region (GMS) namely, Cambodia, China (Yunnan Province), Lao People's Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam [17]. Presently, about 200 non-synonymous mutations in the K13 gene have been identified and reported [17–20]. A total of 9 Pfk13 non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (F446I, N458Y, N458Y, Y493H, R539T, I543T, P553L, R561H, C580Y) have been validated with F446I, R539T, I543T, P574L and C580Y being the most common and with the highest occurrences [17,19,20]. There are 11 candidate gene polymorphisms associated with delayed parasite clearance [17,19,20]. A number of mutations have also been reported outside the K13 propeller region notably, K189T and E252Q [19,21–23]. In Africa, the highest geographical distribution is A578S [18,19,24] and the presence of R561H mutation has recently been reported in Tanzania [25] and Rwanda [26]. Hence, there are fears that ACT resistance may spread to other regions including sub-Saharan Africa where malaria is still a major burden, similar to what happened in the past with the chloroquine, amodiaquine, and sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine. The rationale for the use of ACT relies on the rapid reduction of the parasite biomass, reduction of transmission (reducing gametocytes), protection of partner drug against resistance, and rapid fever reduction [27]. The impact of drug policy changes on the selection of Plasmodium falciparum anti-malarial drug resistant parasites in Cameroon has not been completely understood. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to determine the prevalence and distribution of P. falciparum drug resistance markers within an evolving efficacy of anti-malarial drugs in Cameroon from January 1998 to present.
Methods/design
The systematic review and meta-analysis protocol has been developed following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-analysis Protocol (PRISMA-P) 2015 statement [28,29]. This format will also be followed when reporting the findings of the review (Additional file 1). The search and inclusion of articles will be done according to the population intervention comparator outcome (PECOS) format. This approach include: population (P), individuals infected P. falciparum parasites in Cameroon, exposure (E), use of non-artemsinin and artemisinin agents in the treatment of malaria, comparator (C), none, outcome (O), Pfcrt, Pfmdr1, Pfdhfr, Pfdhps, Pfk13 gene polymorphisms circulating in malaria endemic areas of Cameroon, study design (S), the review will include articles from cross-sectional studies and those reporting using P. falciparum DNA samples collected on pre-treatment day zero (D0) and during follow-ups of non-randomised and randomised clinical trial studies.
What is the reported prevalence of falciparum drug resistance markers before and after the adoption of artemisinin-based combination therapies in Cameroon?
What is the relationship between the ACTs (ASAQ and AL) and prevalence of falciparum drug resistance mutations (chloroquine resistance transporter mutation-K76T and multidrug resistance 1 mutation-N86Y) in Cameroon?
What is the impact of the proportions of artesunate-amodiaquine (ASAQ), artemether-lumefantrine (AL) and sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine deployed to the different Regions on the evolution of drug resistance markers (Pfcrt K76T, Pfmdr1 N86Y, Pfdhfr N51I, Pfdhfr C59R, Pfdhfr S108N) in Cameroon?
Objectives of the systematic review
This review aims to:
Determine the prevalence of falciparum drug resistance markers before and after the adoption of artemisinin-based combination therapies in Cameroon. The key Plasmodium falciparum anti-malarial drug resistance markers shall include: chloroquine resistance transporter (Pfcrt), multi-drug resistance 1 (Pfmdr1), dihydrofolate reductase (Pfdhfr), dihydropteroate synthase (Pfdhps), atpase 6 (Pfatp6), cytochrome b (Pfcytb) and kelch 13 (Pfk13).
Evaluate the relationship between the efficacy of ACTs (ASAQ and AL) and prevalence of falciparum drug resistance mutations (chloroquine resistance transporter mutation K76T and multidrug resistance 1 mutation N86Y).
Investigate the impact of the proportions of artesunate-amodiaquine (ASAQ), artemether-lumefantrine (AL) and sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine deployed to the different Regions on the evolution of drug resistance markers (Pfcrt K76T, Pfmdr1 N86Y, Pfdhfr N51I, Pfdhfr C59R, Pfdhfr S108N) in Cameroon.
Registration of the systematic review protocol
The review protocol has been registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO: http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero). The current review protocol is registered with the number CRD42020162620.
An electronic systematic strategy based on the combination of key words will be used to search articles from Medline via Pubmed, EMBASE, Google Scholar, and Science Direct databases. Both interventional and observational studies will be retrieved to be included in the review. Articles will cover a period from January 1998 to date.
The reference lists of published articles will be searched for eligible studies. Authors will be contacted in the case whereby full length articles cannot be accessed. Malaria annual reports will be obtained from the Cameroon National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) and Ministry of Public Health. In addition to published studies, unpublished Medical Doctor (MD), Master of Science (MSc) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) theses will be accessed for inclusion in the study.
The following Medical Search Heading (MeSH) search terms will be combined using the Boolean operators "OR" and "AND'': "malaria", "anti-malarial", "drug resistance", "Pfcrt", "Pfmdr1", "Pfdhfr", "Pfdhps", "Pfatp6'', "Pfcytb'', "Pfk13", "mutations", "gene polymorphisms", "amino acid changes", "Plasmodium falciparum", "efficacy", "artesunate-amodiaquine", "artemether-lumefantrine", "sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine", "Cameroon". The terms listed above will be used to develop the search string. The search string to be used for the identification and screening of articles in PubMed is provided as Additional file 2.
The systematic review and meta-analysis will include the following type of studies:
i) studies published from January 1998 to present; ii) studies on human participants of all ages; iii) original articles of studies that investigated either asymptomatic, uncomplicated or severe Plasmodium falciparum; iv) studies in which Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) genotyping of anti-malarial drug molecular resistance markers (Pfcrt, Pfmdr1, Pfdhfr, Pfdhps, Pfcytb, Pfatp6, Pfk13) were done; v) studies written in English or French; vi) studies done within Cameroon; and vii) all multi-centric studies in which Cameroon was one of the sites or cases of imported malaria from Cameroon (Additional file 3).
The following types of studies will not be included: i) abstracts; ii) studies on in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo anti-malarial drug resistance without Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) sequence genotyping; iii) genetic association studies on Pfcg2 gene; iv) studies on genetic diversity and population structure of Plasmodium falciparum without drug resistance; and v) studies on diagnostic accuracy of methods for detection of P. falciparum and mixed Plasmodium species infections.
The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) flow chart [30] will be adopted in the identification and screening for inclusion of articles. Articles identified from searches of the computerised databases will be screened for eligibility based on title and abstract. Ineligible articles and duplicates will eventually be removed. Full-length articles of the selected studies will be read to confirm for fulfilling of the inclusion criteria before data extraction begins. Two independent reviewers (Peter Thelma Ngwa Niba-PTNN and Lesley Ngum Ngum-LNN) will screen the titles and abstracts to identify potentially eligible studies and data from full-length articles that fulfil the inclusion criteria will be extracted. Discrepancies will be resolved by mutual consent or by independent review from the third researcher (Akindeh Mbuh Nji-AMN). The whole process will be supervised by Wilfred Fon Mbacham (WFM) and Michael Alifrangis (MA).
Data extraction procedure
The Strengthening Reporting of Genetic Association studies (STREGA) guideline [31] will be used in developing a data extraction form for extracting data from the included articles. Data extraction process will focus on the types of study design (observational versus interventional), year the studies were conducted, study site, sample size, age of participant, genotyping method, genotyping accuracy, drug resistance gene, type of amino acid changes, and prevalence of mutations (Additional file 4).
Studies (observational or interventional) published multiple times in similar topics by the same authors will be diligently screened to avoid duplication of data. These studies will be differentiated based on primary variables (anti-malarial drug resistance markers and frequency of single nucleotide polymorphisms) containing the datasets of interest.
Mixed genotypes will be considered as mutants during data collation on frequency of mutations derived from different studies. The Microsoft Excel 2010 (Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, Washington, United States of America) shall be used to design the data extraction sheet. The database in Microsoft Excel will be piloted and validated before completion of the review process.
Methodological quality assessment and sensitivity analysis
The quality of the reviewed studies will be assessed through sensitivity analysis, which classifies the included studies into low and high qualities according to modified Jadad scale for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) [32] and the strengthening the reporting of observational studies in epidemiology (STROBE) statement for observational studies [33]. Modified Jadad scale assesses the quality of a trial with the range from 0 to 8 (randomisation and its appropriate use, blinding and its appropriate use, withdrawals and dropouts, description of inclusion and exclusion criteria, assessment of adverse effects, and description of statistical analysis). The score for the modified Jadad scale range of 0-3 represents low or poor quality and score ranges of 4–8 represents good to excellent quality. The observational studies will be categorised as low quality with a score under 75% of the STROBE checklist and high quality with a score over 75% of the STROBE checklist. Two reviewers will independently assess the quality of the methodology of included studies.
Assessment of publication bias
The risk of publication bias in the included articles will be assessed using the asymmetry of funnel plot and Egger's regression test with P<0.05. This will be done at both the study and outcome levels. The funnel plot contains the standard error on the y-axis and proportion on the x-axis.
Data will be managed in the Zotero standalone software version 5.0.56 (Corporation for Digital Scholarship, Vienna, Virginia, United States). Eligible articles will be imported into the software and duplicates removed.
Data analysis, heterogeneity assessment and data interpretation
Quantitative syntheses will be done using the "metaphor" and "meta" commands in the R statistical software package version 3.5.2 (supported by the R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria). The heterogeneity of the included studies will be evaluated using the Cochran's Q and the I2 statistics. The random effects model will be used as standard in the determination of heterogeneity between studies [34]. The I2 values will be expressed in percentages. Heterogeneity will be classified as low, moderate and high, with upper limits of 25%, 50% and 75% for I2, respectively [35].
Forest plots will be used to present the data on pooled prevalence of mutations in anti-malarial drug resistance genes. Sub-group analyses shall be also done to demonstrate the aggregated prevalence of Pfcrt K76T, Pfmdr1 N86Y, Pfdhfr IRN haplotype and Pfk13 gene mutations.
Frequency distribution tables will be used to demonstrate the evolution of key anti-malarial drug resistance markers in Cameroon from 1998 to present. The Pearson Chi square test in the International Business Machines Statistical Software Package for Social Sciences (IBM SPSS) version 20.0 software package (IBM Corporation, Armonk, New York, United States of America) will be used to establish the evolution of drug resistance markers over time. Furthermore, the relationship between the efficacy of ACTs (ASAQ and AL) and anti-malarial drug resistance makers (Pfcrt 76T and Pfmdr1 86Y) will be assessed on line graphs. The correlation coefficient (r) will be used to assess the relationship between efficacy of ACTs (AL and ASAQ) and prevalence of Pfcrt 76T and Pfmdr1 86Y mutants over time after checking for normality using the Shapiro-Wilk test. In addition, the relationship between proportions of anti-malarial drugs (ASAQ, AL and SP) deployed in Cameroon and prevalence of drug resistance markers (Pfcrt 76T, Pfmdr1 86Y and Pfdhfr IRN) from 2006 to 2017 will also be explored using line graphs and r. The level of significance will be set at p<0.05 at 95 % confidence interval.
Malaria can effectively be prevented and cured with the use of appropriate anti-malarial drugs [36]. In the early 2000, the rapid development and spread of drug resistance markers compelled the Cameroon government to effect malaria treatment changes from monotherapies to artemisinin-based combination therapies in line with the WHO recommendations [2]. Since the ban on the use of chroroquine in many malaria endemic regions, trend analyses have showed the decline of the Pfcrt 76T mutant over the years, thus confirming the re-emergence of chloroquine sensitive parasites [37–39]. Moreover, different studies carried have also demonstrated an opposing effect in the selection of Pfmdr1 YYY triple haplotype for ASAQ and Pfmdr1 NFD triple haplotype for AL [15,40]. This can possibly slow down the emergence of drug resistance when the two drugs are used simultaneously [41]. Cameroon may benefit from this phenomenon since ASAQ and AL are used as multiple first-line treatments (MFTs) for uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria. Furthermore, high prevalence rates of Pfdhfr IRN and Pfdhfr/Pfdhps IRNG conferring resistance to the anti-folates have been recorded in Equatorial Guinea, a country bordering Cameroon [42,43]. In addition, the recent identification of the Pfk13 R561H gene polymorphisms in Tanzania [25] and Rwanda [26] should be of major concern to malaria endemic countries in sub-Saharan Africa including Cameroon. This is because the artemisinins either used singly or in combination with other drugs is the mainstay in the treatment of malaria globally.
The primary outcome of this review is to identify and describe molecular markers conferring drug resistance in P. falciparum parasites that have been circulating for a period of over 2 decades in Cameroon. This review will be able to pool data from previously published and unpublished studies on anti-malarial drug resistance gene mutations. This will provide evidence to support the continuous use of ACTs in the treatment of uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria. Furthermore, data generated from the study will be used as baseline information for the design and adoption of a robust anti-malarial drug resistance surveillance system nationwide which is inexistent.
Logically, there is a possibility to find variance across studies duration the collation and analysis processes. The origin of heterogeneity between studies can either be clinical, methodological or statistical. The Cochran's Q and I2 will be adopted to determine whether there are genuine differences underlying the findings of the studies, or whether the variation in results is compatible with chance alone. The degree of heterogeneity in this study may have an impact on the accuracy, interpretation and acceptability of findings.
ACT: Artemisinin-based combination therapy, AL: Artemether-lumefantrine, ASAQ: Artesunate-amodiaquine, DNA: Deoxyribonucleic Acid, MD: Medical Doctor, NMCP: National Malaria Control Programme, MSc: Master of Science, PCR: Polymerase Chain Reaction, PhD: Doctor of Philosophy, Pfcrt: Plasmodium falciparum chloroquine resistance transporter, Pfmdr1: Plasmodium falciparum multi-drug resistance 1, Pfdhfr: Plasmodium falciparum dihydrofolate reductase, Pfdhps: Plasmodium falciparum dihydropteroate synthase, Pfcytb: Plasmodium falciparum cytochrome b, Pfatp6: Plasmodium falciparum atpase 6, Pfk13: Plasmodium falciparum kelch 13, PRISMA: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses, PRISMA-P: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses Protocol, r: Correlation coefficient, SP: Sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine, SPAQ: Sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine-amodiaquine, STREGA: Strengthening the Reporting of Genetic Association Studies, STROBE: Strengthening the reporting of observational studies in epidemiology, WHO: World Health Organisation
Not applicable since it is a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Not applicable as this is still a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol with no data available for publication.
WFM, AMN, IMA and PTNN are supported by the Malaria Research Capacity Development in West and Central Africa (MARCAD) Consortium through the Developing Excellence in Leadership, Training and Science (DELTAS) Africa Initiative [grant # DEL-15-010] to the University of Yaounde I. The DELTAS Africa Initiative is an independent funding scheme of the African Academy of Sciences (AAS)'s Alliance for Accelerating Excellence in Science in Africa (AESA) and supported by the New Partnership for Africa's Development Planning and Coordinating Agency (NEPAD Agency) with funding from the Wellcome Trust [grant # 107741/A/15/Z] and the United Kingdom (UK) government.
WFM conceived the research and coordinated the study. AMN and PTNN drafted the manuscript, critically reviewed the manuscript, and wrote the final manuscript. The authors WFM, MA, MSE, IMA, PMN, RN, MNM, LNN, OEN, FAA, CMM, DAF, BAT, OAA, RDD, JPKC, JDB, CEEM, AA, EA, ET, RGFL, AT and PR proof read the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Authors' information
1MARCAD-DELTAS Programme, Laboratory for Public Health Research Biotechnologies, University of Yaounde I, Yaounde, Cameroon. 2The Biotechnology Centre, University of Yaounde I, Yaounde, Cameroon. 3Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Yaounde I, Yaounde, Cameroon. 4Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Dschang, Dschang, Cameroon. 5National Malaria Control Programme, Ministry of Public Health, Yaounde, Cameroon. 6Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon. 7Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaounde I, Yaounde, Cameroon. 8Institute of Medical Research and Medicinal Plant Studies, Ministry of Scientific Research and Innovation, Yaounde, Cameroon. 9Université des Montagnes, Banganté, West Region, Cameroon. 10Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, University of Yaounde I, Yaounde, Cameroon. 11Faculty of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Douala, Cameroon. 12Malaria Research Service, Centre Pasteur Cameroon, Yaounde, Cameroon. 13Malaria Consortium-Cameroon Coalition Against Malaria, Yaounde, Cameroon. 14The Cameroon Office of the World Health Organisation, Yaounde, Cameroon. 15Global Malaria Programme, World Health Organisation, Geneva, Switzerland. 16Centre for Medical Parasitology, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen. 17Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark.
The views expressed in this publication are those of the author (s) and not necessarily those of AAS, NEPAD Agency, Wellcome Trust, the UK government or the WHO Geneva.
World Health Organisation (WHO): World Malaria Report 2019. ttps://www.who.int/publications-detail/world-malaria-report-2019. Accessed on 8th December, 2019.
Cameroon National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) annual report of activities 2006.
World Health Organisation (WHO): World Malaria Report 2008. http://www.who.int/malaria/publications/atoz/9789241563697/en/. Accessed on 10th August, 2017.
Sayang C, Gausseres M, Vernazza-Licht N, Malvy D, Bley D, Millet P. Treatment of malaria from monotherapy to artemisinin-based combination therapy by health professionals in urban health facilities in Yaoundé, central province, Cameroon. Malar J [Internet]. 2009 Jul 29;8:176–176. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19640292.
Djimdé A, Doumbo OK, Cortese JF, Kayentao K, Doumbo S, Diourté Y, et al. A Molecular Marker for Chloroquine-Resistant falciparum Malaria. N Engl J Med [Internet]. 2001 Jan 25 [cited 2019 May 21];344(4):257–63. Available from: http://www.nejm.org/doi/abs/10.1056/NEJM200101253440403.
Cowman AF, Morry MJ, Biggs BA, Cross GA, Foote SJ. Amino acid changes linked to pyrimethamine resistance in the dihydrofolate reductase-thymidylate synthase gene of Plasmodium falciparum. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A [Internet]. 1988 Dec;85(23):9109–13. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3057499.
Foote SJ, Galatis D, Cowman AF. Amino acids in the dihydrofolate reductase-thymidylate synthase gene of Plasmodium falciparum involved in cycloguanil resistance differ from those involved in pyrimethamine resistance. Proc Natl Acad Sci [Internet]. 1990 Apr 1 [cited 2019 Dec 5];87(8):3014–7. Available from: http://www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.87.8.3014.
Peterson DS, Walliker D, Wellems TE. Evidence that a point mutation in dihydrofolate reductase-thymidylate synthase confers resistance to pyrimethamine in falciparum malaria. Proc Natl Acad Sci [Internet]. 1988 Dec 1;85(23):9114. Available from: http://www.pnas.org/content/85/23/9114.abstract.
Triglia T, Menting JGT, Wilson C, Cowman AF. Mutations in dihydropteroate synthase are responsible for sulfone and sulfonamide resistance in Plasmodium falciparum. Proc Natl Acad Sci [Internet]. 1997 Dec 9 [cited 2019 Dec 5];94(25):13944–9. Available from: http://www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.94.25.13944.
Picot S, Olliaro P, de Monbrison F, Bienvenu A-L, Price RN, Ringwald P. A systematic review and meta-analysis of evidence for correlation between molecular markers of parasite resistance and treatment outcome in falciparum malaria. Malar J [Internet]. 2009 May 4;8:89–89. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19413906.
Lim P, Alker AP, Khim N, Shah NK, Incardona S, Doung S, et al. Pfmdr1 copy number and arteminisin derivatives combination therapy failure in falciparum malaria in Cambodia. Malar J [Internet]. 2009 Jan 12;8:11–11. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19138391,
Sidhu ABS, Uhlemann A-C, Valderramos SG, Valderramos J-C, Krishna S, Fidock DA. Decreasing pfmdr1 copy number in Plasmodium falciparum malaria heightens susceptibility to mefloquine, lumefantrine, halofantrine, quinine, and artemisinin. J Infect Dis [Internet]. 2006/07/11 ed. 2006 Aug 15;194(4):528–35. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16845638.
Simpson JA, Jamsen KM, Anderson TJC, Zaloumis S, Nair S, Woodrow C, et al. Nonlinear mixed-effects modelling of in vitro drug susceptibility and molecular correlates of multidrug resistant Plasmodium falciparum. PloS One [Internet]. 2013 Jul 24;8(7):e69505–e69505. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23894496.
Venkatesan M, Gadalla NB, Stepniewska K, Dahal P, Nsanzabana C, Moriera C, et al. Polymorphisms in Plasmodium falciparum chloroquine resistance transporter and multidrug resistance 1 genes: parasite risk factors that affect treatment outcomes for P. falciparum malaria after artemether-lumefantrine and artesunate-amodiaquine. Am J Trop Med Hyg [Internet]. 2014/07/21 ed. 2014 Oct;91(4):833–43. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25048375.
Okell LC, Reiter LM, Ebbe LS, Baraka V, Bisanzio D, Watson OJ, et al. Emerging implications of policies on malaria treatment: genetic changes in the Pfmdr1 gene affecting susceptibility to artemether-lumefantrine and artesunate-amodiaquine in Africa. BMJ Glob Health [Internet]. 2018 Oct 19;3(5):e000999–e000999. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30397515.
Ariey F, Witkowski B, Amaratunga C, Beghain J, Langlois A-C, Khim N, et al. A molecular marker of artemisinin-resistant Plasmodium falciparum malaria. Nature [Internet]. 2014 Jan 2;505(7481):50–5. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24352242.
Ménard D, Khim N, Beghain J, Adegnika AA, Shafiul-Alam M, Amodu O, et al. A Worldwide Map of Plasmodium falciparum K13-Propeller Polymorphisms. N Engl J Med [Internet]. 2016 Jun 23;374(25):2453–64. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27332904.
Kamau E, Campino S, Amenga-Etego L, Drury E, Ishengoma D, Johnson K, et al. K13-Propeller Polymorphisms in Plasmodium falciparum Parasites From Sub-Saharan Africa. J Infect Dis [Internet]. 2014 Nov 2 [cited 2019 Jun 5]; Available from: https://academic.oup.com/jid/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/infdis/jiu608.
Ocan M, Akena D, Nsobya S, Kamya MR, Senono R, Kinengyere AA, et al. K13-propeller gene polymorphisms in Plasmodium falciparum parasite population in malaria affected countries: a systematic review of prevalence and risk factors. Malar J [Internet]. 2019 Mar 7;18(1):60. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-019-2701-6.
World Health Organisation. Artemisinin resistance and artemisinin-based combination therapy efficacy: status report [Internet]. Geneva: World Health Organisation; 2018. Available from: https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/274362.
Safeukui I, Fru-Cho J, Mbengue A, Suresh N, Njimoh DL, Bumah VV, et al. Investigation of polymorphisms in the P. falciparum artemisinin resistance marker kelch13 in asymptomatic infections in a rural area of Cameroon. bioRxiv [Internet]. 2017 Jan 1;148999. Available from: http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2017/06/12/148999.abstract.
Torrentino-Madamet M, Fall B, Benoit N, Camara C, Amalvict R, Fall M, et al. Limited polymorphisms in k13 gene in Plasmodium falciparum isolates from Dakar, Senegal in 2012-2013. Malar J [Internet]. 2014 Dec 4;13:472–472. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25471113.
Apinjoh TO, Mugri RN, Miotto O, Chi HF, Tata RB, Anchang-Kimbi JK, et al. Molecular markers for artemisinin and partner drug resistance in natural Plasmodium falciparum populations following increased insecticide treated net coverage along the slope of mount Cameroon: cross-sectional study. Infect Dis Poverty [Internet]. 2017 Dec [cited 2019 Jun 5];6(1). Available from: http://idpjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40249-017-0350-y.
Feng J, Kong X, Xu D, Yan H, Zhou H, Tu H, et al. Investigation and Evaluation of Genetic Diversity of Plasmodium falciparum Kelch 13 Polymorphisms Imported From Southeast Asia and Africa in Southern China. Front Public Health [Internet]. 2019 Apr 24;7:95–95. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31069209.
Bwire GM, Ngasala B, Mikomangwa WP, Kilonzi M, Kamuhabwa AAR. Detection of mutations associated with artemisinin resistance at k13-propeller gene and a near complete return of chloroquine susceptible falciparum malaria in Southeast of Tanzania. Sci Rep [Internet]. 2020 Feb 26;10(1):3500. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-60549-7.
Uwimana A, Legrand E, Stokes BH, Ndikumana J-LM, Warsame M, Umulisa N, et al. Emergence and clonal expansion of in vitro artemisinin-resistant Plasmodium falciparum kelch13 R561H mutant parasites in Rwanda. Nat Med [Internet]. 2020 Aug 3 [cited 2020 Aug 12]; Available from: http://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-020-1005-2.
Okell LC, Drakeley CJ, Bousema T, Whitty CJM, Ghani AC. Modelling the Impact of Artemisinin Combination Therapy and Long-Acting Treatments on Malaria Transmission Intensity. PLOS Med [Internet]. 2008 Nov 25;5(11):e226. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.0050226.
Moher D, Shamseer L, Clarke M, Ghersi D, Liberati A, Petticrew M, et al. Preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis protocols (PRISMA-P) 2015 statement. Syst Rev [Internet]. 2015 Jan 1;4(1):1–1. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25554246.
Shamseer L, Moher D, Clarke M, Ghersi D, Liberati A, Petticrew M, et al. Preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis protocols (PRISMA-P) 2015: elaboration and explanation. BMJ [Internet]. 2015 Jan 2 [cited 2019 Dec 10];349(jan02 1):g7647–g7647. Available from: http://www.bmj.com/cgi/doi/10.1136/bmj.g7647.
Liberati A, Altman DG, Tetzlaff J, Mulrow C, Gotzsche PC, Ioannidis JPA, et al. The PRISMA statement for reporting systematic reviews and meta-analyses of studies that evaluate healthcare interventions: explanation and elaboration. BMJ [Internet]. 2009 Dec 4 [cited 2019 Dec 10];339(jul21 1):b2700–b2700. Available from: http://www.bmj.com/cgi/doi/10.1136/bmj.b2700.
Little J, Higgins JPT, Ioannidis JPA, Moher D, Gagnon F, von Elm E, et al. STrengthening the REporting of Genetic Association Studies (STREGA)— An Extension of the STROBE Statement. PLOS Med [Internet]. 2009 Feb 3;6(2):e1000022. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000022.
Jadad AR, Moore RA, Carroll D, Jenkinson C, Reynolds DJ, Gavaghan DJ, et al. Assessing the quality of reports of randomized clinical trials: is blinding necessary? Control Clin Trials. 1996 Feb;17(1):1–12.
von Elm E, Altman DG, Egger M, Pocock SJ, Gøtzsche PC, Vandenbroucke JP, et al. The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) Statement: Guidelines for Reporting Observational Studies. PLOS Med [Internet]. 2007 Oct 16;4(10):e296. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.0040296.
Ryan R; Cochrane Consumers and Communication Review Group. Heterogeneity and subgroup analyses in Cochrane Consumers and Communication Group reviews: planning the analysis at protocol stage. http://cccrg.cochrane.org,
December 2016. Accessed on 12th February, 2019.
Kontopantelis E, Springate DA, Reeves D. A Re-Analysis of the Cochrane Library Data: The Dangers of Unobserved Heterogeneity in Meta-Analyses. PLOS ONE [Internet]. 2013 Jul 26;8(7):e69930. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0069930.
World Health Organisation (WHO). Guidelines for the treatment of malaria. Third edition April 2015. https://www.who.int/malaria/publications/atoz/9789241549127/en/. Accessed on 15th July, 2020.
Duah NO, Matrevi SA, de Souza DK, Binnah DD, Tamakloe MM, Opoku VS, et al. Increased pfmdr1 gene copy number and the decline in pfcrt and pfmdr1 resistance alleles in Ghanaian Plasmodium falciparum isolates after the change of anti-malarial drug treatment policy. Malar J [Internet]. 2013 Oct 30;12:377–377. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24172030.
Dagnogo O, Ako AB, Ouattara L, Dago ND, Coulibaly DN, Touré AO, et al. Towards a re-emergence of chloroquine sensitivity in Côte d'Ivoire? Malar J [Internet]. 2018 Nov 7;17(1):413. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-018-2551-7.
Wamae K, Okanda D, Ndwiga L, Osoti V, Kimenyi KM, Abdi AI, et al. No Evidence of Plasmodium falciparum k13 Artemisinin Resistance-Conferring Mutations over a 24-Year Analysis in Coastal Kenya but a Near Complete Reversion to Chloroquine-Sensitive Parasites. Antimicrob Agents Chemother [Internet]. 2019 Oct 7 [cited 2019 Dec 10];63(12):e01067-19, /aac/63/12/AAC.01067-19.atom. Available from: http://aac.asm.org/lookup/doi/10.1128/AAC.01067-19.
Sondo P, Derra K, Diallo Nakanabo S, Tarnagda Z, Kazienga A, Zampa O, et al. Artesunate-Amodiaquine and Artemether-Lumefantrine Therapies and Selection of Pfcrt and Pfmdr1 Alleles in Nanoro, Burkina Faso. PloS One [Internet]. 2016 Mar 31;11(3):e0151565–e0151565. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27031231.
Boni MF, Smith DL, Laxminarayan R. Benefits of using multiple first-line therapies against malaria. Proc Natl Acad Sci [Internet]. 2008 Sep 16;105(37):14216. Available from: http://www.pnas.org/content/105/37/14216.abstract.
Berzosa P, Esteban-Cantos A, García L, González V, Navarro M, Fernández T, et al. Profile of molecular mutations in pfdhfr, pfdhps, pfmdr1, and pfcrt genes of Plasmodium falciparum related to resistance to different anti-malarial drugs in the Bata District (Equatorial Guinea). Malar J [Internet]. 2017 Jan 13;16(1):28. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-016-1672-0.
Jiang T, Chen J, Fu H, Wu K, Yao Y, Eyi JUM, et al. High prevalence of Pfdhfr–Pfdhps quadruple mutations associated with sulfadoxine–pyrimethamine resistance in Plasmodium falciparum isolates from Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea. Malar J [Internet]. 2019 Mar 26;18(1):101. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-019-2734-x.
Additionalfile1PRISMAP2015Checklist.docx
Additional file 1: PRISMA-P 2015 Checklist
Additionalfile2SearchstringtobeusedinPubMed.docx
Additional file 2: Search string to be used for the identification and screening of articles in PubMed
Additionalfile3Pilotedscreeningchecklist.docx
Additional file 3: Piloted eligibility checklist
Additionalfile4Piloteddataextractionform.xlsx
Additional file 4: Piloted data extraction form


text:
Q: [HTML][CSS] Div containing another 3 divs won't center I am having another problem with one of my div containers. I tried every way to fix it but couldn't see the issue so this is why I am posting here again.
I have a big div container that has another 3 divs inside , and I can't find a way to center the big div...
Hope I pasted the html and css codes right , it gets confusing when I have to tap on space for each line lol

            Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do
            eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut
            enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris
            nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.

Placeholder_Name

            Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do
            eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut
            enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris
            nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.

Placeholder_Name

            Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do
            eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut
            enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris
            nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.

Placeholder_Name

 ----CSS----
.section3 {
  width:50%;
  height:500px;
  background-color:#adaba7;
}

.section3Container {
  margin-top:50px;
}

.person {
  width:30%;
  float:left;
}

.person img {
  display:table;
  margin:0 auto;
  margin-bottom:30px;
 }

.person h4 {
  text-align:center;
}

blockquote{
  text-align:center;
  font-size:15px;
  font-style:italic;
  color: #555555;
  padding:17px 15px;
  border-left:8px solid #b19530;
  position: relative;
  background:#e2e1dc;
  border-radius:50px;
  margin-bottom:20px;

}

blockquote::before{
  content: "\201C";
  color:#b19530;
  font-size:4em;
  position: absolute;
  left: 10px;
  top:-10px;
}

blockquote::after{
  content: '';
}

And this is the picture guys.Thanks!

A:
Updated my answer because of extra information - see comments for the
  discussion and relevant changes.

I've used Flex box to center the testimonials evenly.

* {
  margin: 0;
  padding: 0;
  border: 0 none;
  box-sizing: border-box;
  -webkit-box-sizing: border-box;
  -moz-box-sizing: border-box;
  -ms-box-sizing: border-box;
  -o-box-sizing: border-box;
}

html {
  width: 100%;
  margin: 0;
  padding: 0;
  border: 0 none;
}

.center {
  display: table;
  margin: auto;
}

.section3 {
  width: 50%;
  background-color: #adaba7;
}

.section3 p {
  color: white;
  text-align: center;
  font-size: 30px;
  margin-top: 30px;
  font-weight: bold;
}

.section3Container {
  margin-top: 50px;
  display: flex;
  flex-direction: row;
  justify-content: space-around;
}

.person {
  width: 30%;
  margin-bottom: 30px;
}

.person img {
  display: table;
  margin: 0 auto;
  margin-bottom: 30px;
}

.person h4 {
  text-align: center;
  color: white;
  font-size: 18px;
}

blockquote {
  text-align: center;
  font-size: 15px;
  font-style: italic;
  color: #555555;
  padding: 17px 15px;
  border-left: 8px solid #b19530;
  position: relative;
  background: #e2e1dc;
  border-radius: 50px;
  margin-bottom: 20px;
}

blockquote::before {
  content: "\201C";
  color: #b19530;
  font-size: 4em;
  position: absolute;
  left: 10px;
  top: -10px;
}

blockquote::after {
  content: '';
}

Testimonials

        Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.

Placeholder_Name

        Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.

Placeholder_Name

        Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.

Placeholder_Name


Got a question or comment about Map in Hong Kong? Ask a Travel Expert!
Free use of this map: please contact us using the link at the base of this page if you would like permission to use this map of Hong Kong on your website. We allow free use for most sites, provided you include a link back to this page, and the map image remains hosted by us.


text:
Tag: robots
Industrial Robots to the Rescue of the Skilled Labor Shortage
Hosted by Mark P. Mills
Robots aren't as far in the future as many people think, especially ones that can be put to work in the skilled trades and "hard industries." And we're going to need them because of the existing and expanding shortage of skilled (human) labor in those industries, and given the fact of rising demand for all the things produced by "hard industries" whether basic materials, from metals to grains, or advanced products, from cars to computers.
Member Post
Gossamer Cat
I'm new to Battlebots, the competition show of killer robots destroying each other for fame and glory. Apparently this has been going on for decades, but I only became aware of it sometime during the last year when I was over a friend's and they had multiple taped episodes playing in the background. It was, […]
This is a members-only post on Ricochet's Member Feed. Want to read it? Join Ricochet's community of conservatives and be part of the conversation. Join Ricochet for Free.
A roundup of stories/posts/videos I found interesting: The Jacquard Loom is historically important, not only for its direct impact on the textile industry but also for the inspirational role that it played in the emergence of punched cards and computers. Jacquards are still very much a live industrial technology, although the warp threads are now […]
Quote of the Day: Rossum's Universal Robots
"Robots of the world! The power of man has fallen! A new world has arisen: the Rule of the Robots!" — Karel Čapek
Rossumovi Univerzální Roboti (Rossum's Universal Robots), a once-popular 100-year old play by Czech writer Karel Čapek, made its television debut on the BBC, 82 years ago today, on February 11, 1938. It was the first televised science-fiction program in world history, introducing a wider audience to the term in the play's title, one which has endured with increasing significance in the English language ever since: "robot."
Čapek's play was first performed in Prague in January of 1921, and was subsequently translated into English, having fairly successful runs in London and New York over the next few years. I haven't read it myself, but a DePauw University plot summary is as follows:
How AI Is Like That Other General Purpose Technology: Electricity
James Pethokoukis
Do we live in a time of rapid, sweeping technological change or one of persistent, maddening stagnation? Even as politicians and pundits warn about robots stealing all the jobs, economic statistics show weak productivity growth. So perhaps a paradox similar to the 1980s when economist Robert Solow famously said, "You can see the computer age everywhere but in the productivity statistics."
Then the 1990s happened and so did an information technology revolution and productivity boom, finally. One takeaway from that experience is that it can take considerable time to fully understand and harness new technologies so that measured productivity increases. And that's not just the case with advanced tech such as incorporating artificial intelligence into a business. For example: The first barcode scan took place in the mid-1970s, but it took 30 years for organizations throughout the manufacturing-retail supply chain to make needed investments in "complementary technological, organisational, and process change," as explained in "Upstream, Downstream: Diffusion and Impacts of the Universal Product Code" by Emek Basker and Timothy Simcoe.
Maybe the most well-known example is research from economic historian Paul David who found that it took decades for American factories to electrify and reorganize production after the shift to polyphase alternating current. And here's a complementary finding in the new working paper "Does Electricity Drive Structural Transformation? Evidence from the United States" (bold by me):
Here Come the Robots: We Can Prepare for the Future Without Fearing the Future
Andrew Yang had his best policy moment of the Democratic debates last week when he said, "This country has been a magnet for human capital for generations. If we lose that, we lose something integral to our continued success." Yang should talk more about immigration. And more about thorium-fueled nuclear reactors. Maybe also flesh out his VAT idea.
But Yang's main idea, a universal basic income (UBI), is less appealing. It's an elegant idea that would quickly look less so when filtered through the reality of government sausage-making and flawed human behavior. Then there's Yang's alarmist argument that we need UBI to meet the looming and "unprecedented crisis" of widespread technological unemployment. Yang: "In the next 12 years, 1 out of 3 American workers are at risk of losing their jobs to new technologies—and unlike with previous waves of automation, this time new jobs will not appear quickly enough in large enough numbers to make up for it."
Maybe. But history would suggest probably not. Sure, you can find some pretty scary studies, but also reputable ones that are far rosier. In the paper "Automation and jobs: When technology boosts employment," Boston University's James Bessen writes that automation "often leads to growing employment in the affected industries," and although "automation may eliminate jobs in some industries, it creates jobs in others."
Young Americans #29
Welcoming Our New Robot Overlords
Hosted by Jack Butler
With guest Caleb Watney
In the latest episode, the Young Americans get super nerdy, with the help of real-life tech policy researcher Caleb Watney of the R Street Institute. He and Jack discuss the virtues of free markets vs. Millennial skepticism thereof, question the emerging conventional wisdom on tech addiction and Silicon Valley, rebut the Unabomber (!), and go full nerd with semi-related digressions about Blade Runner, The Matrix, and, of course, Dune.
Bob Is in Thrall to a Treat-Dispensing Device Called Dogness
KentForrester
There may be a lesson in human behavior from the addiction of Bob the dog to a device called Dogness. Or maybe not. Actually, I'm not sure I'll find a moral before I end this post. Wish me luck.
Marie and I will be taking a cruise around the Mediterranean in a couple of months, and I wanted to give Bob some comfort while we're gone. He's a terribly needy dog with a severe case of separation anxiety. The lady across the street is going to come to the house twice a day to look to Bob while we're gone, but I know Bob will still miss us. To ease his distress, then, I bought Dogness, the treat-dispensing device you see to your right.
Even aboard our ship sailing on the Mediterranean, I can talk to Bob through a speaker on the device ("Hi Bob! Good dog"), dispense a treat or two, and take a photo or video.
This Week's Book Review – Today I am Carey
Seawriter
I write a weekly book review for the Daily News of Galveston County. (It is not the biggest daily newspaper in Texas, but it is the oldest.) My review normally appears Wednesdays. When it appears, I post the review here on the following Sunday.
JimGoneWild
July 17, 2019 AP Reports are coming out of Central American and Southern Mexico that a new caravan has formed and is starting to move north. Latino and Hispanic NGO agencies in the US, Mexico and Central America are rushing representatives to area. A large team of lawyers has chartered several large commercial airliners and […]
Henry Castaigne
On the whole, human beings want to be good, but not too good, and not quite all the time.-George Orwell So what if non-religious people stop breeding because having sex with robots is more fun, safer and cheaper and less complicated than having sex with members of the opposite sex. As I understand it, non-religious […]
(The current riots and car-burnings in Sweden reminded me of this post from 2013) The government of Sweden didn't do a very good job of protecting its citizens and their property from the rampant rioting that took place in late May. Government agents did, however, fulfill their duty of issuing parking tickets…to burned-out cars. Preview […]
Yes, AI Can Create More Jobs Than It Destroys
Sophia, a robot integrating the latest technologies and artificial intelligence developed by Hanson Robotics.
The Luddites and technophobes have a point. Machines do displace workers. Always have. From the cotton gin, machine tools, and punch cards to combine harvesters, industrial robots, and business software. And it is this "displacement effect" that leads to scary forecasts about AI and robots leading to mass technological unemployment and underemployment.
The End of the Auto Era as We Know It May Be Approaching Faster Than You Think
Bob Lutz is a former vice chairman and head of product development at General Motors. And in this essay for Automotive News, he declares the end of the auto industry as we know it:
It saddens me to say it, but we are approaching the end of the automotive era. The auto industry is on an accelerating change curve. For hundreds of years, the horse was the prime mover of humans and for the past 120 years it has been the automobile. Now we are approaching the end of the line for the automobile because travel will be in standardized modules. The end state will be the fully autonomous module with no capability for the driver to exercise command. You will call for it, it will arrive at your location, you'll get in, input your destination and go to the freeway. . . .
Most of these standardized modules will be purchased and owned by the Ubers and Lyfts and God knows what other companies that will enter the transportation business in the future. A minority of individuals may elect to have personalized modules sitting at home so they can leave their vacation stuff and the kids' soccer gear in them. They'll still want that convenience. The vehicles, however, will no longer be driven by humans because in 15 to 20 years — at the latest — human-driven vehicles will be legislated off the highways. The tipping point will come when 20 to 30 percent of vehicles are fully autonomous. Countries will look at the accident statistics and figure out that human drivers are causing 99.9 percent of the accidents. . . .
Banter #283: John Yoo and Jeremy Rabkin on Striking Power
Hosted by Ceci Gallogly & Spencer Moore
This week on Banter, John Yoo and Jeremy Rabkin joined the show to discuss their new book, "Striking Power: How Cyber, Robots, and Space Weapons Change the Rules for War." Yoo is a visiting scholar at AEI and Emanuel S. Heller Professor of Law at the University of California, Berkeley. Rabkin is a law professor at George Mason University and serves on the board of directors of the US Institute of Peace, AEI's Board of Academic Advisers, and the board of directors of the Center for Individual Rights. They hosted a book launch event at AEI to discuss the use of new military technologies such as drones, autonomous robots, and cyber weapons. The link below will take you to the full event video.
New Study Finds that Minimum Wage Hikes are Great News for Robot Workers
Back in 2014, I wrote a post that asked, "Why are minimum wage proponents dismissing automation risk?" I just wasn't getting a sense from the "Fight for 15" crowd that it had thought much about the possibility that dramatically raising the minimum wage might worsen the competitive position of low-skill humans versus machines.
Or maybe it had, but the politics were so tantalizing that they took precedence over sound policy. My conclusion back then: "Pushing for an unprecedented boost in the minimum wage given both the weak economy and automation risk seems like foolhardy public policy." That, especially given the low-risk alternative of raising and expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit.
Now comes the new NBER working paper, "People Versus Machines: The Impact of Minimum Wages on Automatable Jobs" by Grace Lordan and David Neumark (bold is mine):
RightAngles
The sexbots are coming. To a bedroom near you. No longer the stuff of Hollywood fantasy, sexually "functioning" robots are now available to buy and try. And according to some commentators, they are the future of sex. Vanity Fair referred to the "the Rolls-Royce of sex dolls" in a recent profile of an American manufacturer. […]
Melissa Praemonitus
Robots will continue to disrupt labor markets, and like everything economic, there is a curve to go with it. At one end of the bell is Cave man society where everyone works all day just to survive, and at the other is idle humanity, where machines do everything. We're somewhere in the middle, but where, […]
Is Automation Really the Worst Enemy of the Middle Class?
This Axios headline is problematic: "Summers: Automation is the middle class' worst enemy."
The accompanying piece doesn't actually quote economist Larry Summers making that declaration. Rather it summarizes an interview in which Summers indeed points out the challenge automation poses for workers. He's right. Of course that's been the case for the past 200 years and will likely be the case for the next 200. But in exchange for a degree of instability and disruption, technological progress has dramatically raised living standards for workers.
Automation is kind of like alcohol, which, as Homer Simpson puts it, is "the cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems." It's the job of policymakers to make sure workers are ready to climb to the next foothold or ledge as the waters of automation continue to rise. It's also their job to make sure policy is as supportive as possible of innovation. Indeed, we need more tech progress, not less. "The U.S. economy currently suffers not from too much automation, but rather from too little investment in the sort of technology that would raise the country's lackluster productivity," writes Derek Thompson in an excellent new piece at the Atlantic.
Robots Rising: Here's What Happens to All Those Truckers
Techno-pessimists tend to be underwhelmed by recent innovations, like the smartphone, as well as most upcoming ones, like driverless cars. Especially driverless cars, it seems. In "The Rise and Fall of American Growth," economist Robert Gordon is dismissive of the productivity impact of all sorts of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and robotics. And he puts driverless cars right smack at the bottom: "This category of future progress is demoted to last place because it offers benefits that are minor compared to the innovation of the car itself or the improvements in safety that have created a ten-fold improvement in fatalities per vehicle mile since 1950."
I don't know how autonomous vehicles will affect measured productivity data. But they are going to be a pretty big deal, nonetheless. And I doubt too many analysts have thought through potential consequences as thoroughly as Benedict Evans of venture firm Andreessen Horowitz. His recent blog post, "Cars and second order consequences" is a must read on the subject. The first order consequences of electric — and they will be electric — autonomous vehicles are obvious. Fewer highway fatalities and a big drop in demand for gasoline, currently half of global oil production.
But what about the next order consequences? For instance, gas stations go away, but over half of US tobacco sales happen at gas stations, and they're often an impulse purchase. Evans: "Car crashes kill 35k people a year in the USA, but tobacco kills 500k." I wonder what happens to healthcare costs?
Bob Thompson · 10 Likes
Biden and Putin
GlennAmurgis · 9 Likes
'You're Wrong' With Mollie Hemingway And David Harsanyi, Ep. 30: Overclassification
Should Americans be worried about their debt?
Iowa Chooses School Choice, Adams' Border Complaints, Schiff's Senate Run
Michael Strain: What You Need to Know About the Debt Ceiling
Daily Dish: Trump to return to FB and IG, and 3 Dems go on a whining spree
The Committee To Wreck Everything
The Commentary Magazine Podcast
Helping Our Heroes: Task Force Dagger Assists Vets & Families Where the VA Falls Short
Lawmakers Quote Taylor Swift, Kamala Harris Omits Right to 'Life' In Declaration, Why Crime Is Rising
Antifa, Fusion and the First Amendment
What's Bugging Me
active 3 hours ago