The Andrews golf kit takes its name from the University of Saint Andrews, home to one of the world's oldest and most prestigious golf clubs. In keeping with its traditional theme, it is crafted from signature Monogram canvas. It features contrasting trims and a metal hook for easy transportation. The set includes three golf balls and four tees.


Church. Say the word and you'll get a cacophony of reactions. From the sound of a tweener screaming her lungs out a Hillsong concert to a barrage of cuss words not fit for a sailor's ears. Why is the church so intriguing, yet so controversial? How has it continued to grow over the centuries yet seems to be dead at times? I don't know. But, I do know this. I love church. I love going to it. I love receiving from it. I love wrestling with it. I love being a part of it.
That doesn't mean that my church experience has always been rainbows and unicorns nor have I always had the best attitude about the church. To me, the relationship between a Christian and the church is kind of like a relationship between a child and their mother. The child loves and needs her. They think she is beautiful and they depend on her for everything. Sometimes, however, the child gets his priorities mixed up and the mom gets ignored or even rejected. No mom is perfect. Likewise, there are no perfect churches. However, the more the child leans into the mother for support, the more likely the mom will be able to meet their needs especially in the hard times.
Personally, the church has been there for me in ways that I can't put into words. She has given me a safe harbor during the storm. She has also challenged me to shed my confused mindsets and embrace the God-reality of love. She embraced me and corrected me. She has accepted me and given me opportunity. More specifically, she helped me see the opportunity that was already in front of me.
Yes, I am talking about my home church, but I am also talking about the church as a whole. The bride of Christ. In moments unexpected and much needed, she has stepped in and welcomed me home. Broken and ashamed, she wrapped me up and helped me believe who I truly was in Christ.
My relationship with the church has been a journey of heartache and bliss. A journey I chose and also rejected. A journey that has brought me back to the Father's heart again and again.
We all need each other. We need those who are strong to be strong when we are weak, and they need our strength when they struggle. No one is strong all the time because we are human. Even Jesus struggled when faced with the reality of His assignment. Yet, He endured for our sake.
Like kids who remind the adults not to take themselves so seriously, we need all of God's children to remind us of all the different ways He loves us. To keep us from getting too far on one side that we forget why we were saved in the first place…freedom. He set us free so we could be free. And when we surround ourselves with others who have experienced that same freedom from sin and shame, we'll find our shoulders become a little lighter and our steps a little more sure.


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Q: Как разбить файловый путь и получить последний элемент? Пытаюсь получить файловый путь в php7:
$keywords = preg_split("/[\\,]+/", dirname($filename));

Как получить последний элемент если строка:
upload/iblock/faa/file.jpg

A: Для получения последней секции строк пути с помощью регулярных выражений вы можете использовать, например, следующий вариант: ([\w\s]+)\/?$. Последний слэш опциональный. В \w\s попадают символы A-Za-z0-9_ и пробел. Можно дополнить, добавив туда, например, А-Яа-я-, и т.п.
preg_match("/([\w\s]+)\/?$/", "/upload/iblock/faa/", $matches);
print_r($matches);

В первой группе будет искомая строка:
Array (
    [0] => faa/
    [1] => faa
)

В целом, зная о функции dirname(), которую вы используете в своем коде, вы, наверное, также знаете и о функции basename(), возвращающей как раз последний элемент пути, а так же pathinfo(), SplFileInfo::getFilename. Для получения пути можно даже разбить его с помощью explode() и достать последний элемент, используя array_pop. Поэтому если ваша задача - работать с путями, а не тренировать регулярные выражения, то используете соответствующие функции.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Yeltsin: epitome of 1990s Russia remembered
Boris Yeltsin in office in Moscow, February 1989
Russia is marking the 80th birthday of the man who took Perestroika to another level when the Soviet Union dissolved - Boris Yeltsin.
Starting early in the morning, people began laying flowers at the first Russian president's grave at Moscow's Novodevichy cemetery.
Yeltsin's family traveled from his home town of Ekaterinburg to join those paying their respects.
Watch RT's exclusive interview with Naina Yeltsina, widow of President Yeltsin
Four years after his death, the first President of Russia is remembered for his reforms, free market aspirations and privatization policies.
Yeltsin's 80th birthday is being celebrated with much greater pomp than his 70th – a whole series of events are planned throughout the country: rock concerts, a tennis [Yeltsin's favorite game] tournament for children to name just a few.
Certainly the main event is Tuesday's unveiling of a white marble obelisk dedicate to him in Ekaterinburg where he lived for most of his life. It was in Ekaterinburg that he gained a university degree and got married. He advanced through the Communist Party ranks up to the very top.
The only other Yeltsin monument is on his grave at Novodevichy cemetery.
A Boris Yeltsin memorial center has also been opened – a tradition borrowed from the US, where there is a wide net of presidential libraries dedicated to the legacies of former presidents. The Yeltsin center will be dedicated to the promotion of civil society and human rights.
Boris Yeltsin will always remain a very polarizing figure for Russian society. He is generally credited for bringing democracy to Russia. Both of his successors, Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev commended him for making Russian democracy irreversible.
He was also known for overseeing a major transition of the world's largest command economy into a free market but all of his reforms came at a very high price for Russia.
During his rule, Russia's external debt increased by 60 per cent and the suicide rate increased by 70 per cent. For most Russia's citizens the transition period turned into a nightmare. Yeltsin is blamed for not preventing the collapse of the Soviet Union, something that the overwhelming majority of citizens were against and voted against during a specially organized referendum. For most people the blow of the reforms was too hard and Yeltsin was blamed for not softening it.
The latest polls suggest that as time goes by Russians tend to forget the bad and are growing a little bit more sympathetic for the first Russian president.
According to the Levada-center, an independent polling organization, the number of those who viewed Yeltsin's legacy in a negative light has decreased from some 60 per cent in 2000 to 35 per cent in 2011, while the percentage of positive opinions about his reforms has correspondingly grown.
The current President of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, attended the monument's unveiling ceremony and will be presiding during a meeting of a council dedicated to civil society and human rights.
"The path of our first president was a very difficult one. Every single citizen of our country realizes this today. The first president always has his work cut out for him. He needs to change the entire political system and this was the fate that befell Boris Yeltsin. We must admit that he was up to the task and stood his ground honorably," Dmitry Medvedev said. "The modern, but not perfect, country we live in today was created thanks to Boris Yeltsin and everyone who helped him to build the foundation of a new nation."
Boris Yeltsin himself never doubted he would live to celebrate his 100th birthday but instead his widow has to fight back tears while opening an exhibition timed to what would have been his 80th birthday.
In nearly four years since Boris Yeltsin's death, the agony of loss has given way to quiet remembrance.
"He really liked family gatherings, birthdays. We usually celebrated with our daughters," remembers the first president's widow Naina Yeltsina.
Most of the photos exhibited at a photographic exhibition coinciding with the anniversary show Yeltsin in his early years in power when he had the backing of almost the entire country. When voicing your political position was still an act of novelty and courage and when hopes of a different life in a better country were still untainted by the harsh reality.
The war in Chechnya, which Yeltsin himself admitted was a mistake, the banking crisis that would cripple the already impoverished population – all that would come later. And as some argue, would unfairly obscure all the good that Yeltsin had done.
Yeltsin's press secretary Sergey Yastrzhembsky believes that "Anything large is better perceived from a distance, especially in history. I think we still need more time for the emotions and trifles to give way to serious analysis of what a titanic figure Yeltsin really was."
Vladimir Shevchenko served as his head of protocol for more than eight years.
And while Yeltsin's explosive character and unpredictable temperament often contravened the dry rules of diplomatic engagement, Vladimir says he had never had a better boss.
"He never thwarted a single event and he was never late. But emotionally he could be absolutely unpredictable and do what no one expected him to do like his famous conducting of an orchestra, for example," Vladimir Shevchenko, head of Yeltsin's protocol, remembers. "And again, he was overwhelmed by emotions. He turned his head and saw that Shevchenko was the only one who was objecting and dragging him away. All the other people around him were applauding."
He was ushered into power by the great hopes of his people and left office full of regret for not fulfilling all of them. And it was only after Yeltsin passed away that his country could start to examine his legacy in all its complexity.
Boris Yeltsin's 70th birthday was celebrated with far fewer accolades. But one decade later even those who used to criticize him very harshly are growing a bit more gracious in their assessment of his character and his policies because even they have also come to realize that, with all his ups and downs, Yeltsin was the very epitome of Russia in the 1990s.
A deputy director of the Yeltsin Foundation, Evgeny Volk, says that Yeltsin managed to demolish the totalitarian cabinet system which represented the dramatic threat for both sides – Russian citizens and the whole world, and that it took Russia-US relations to a new level.
"I think that Yeltsin has over-wisely rejected the legacy of the Cold War. The American-Russian relationship was based on the "zero-some" game, which meant what is good for Russia, for the Soviet Union, was meant to be bad for America. Otherwise, what was good for the United States was interpreted to be bad for Russia. Yeltsin established a cooperative kind of relationship with Washington. He had a personal friendship with American president Bill Clinton. And he made Russia a part of the civilized international community, establishing a new kind of partnership with the United States."
Read related column by Nikolay Svanidze here
The first Russian president was never ever under pressure from anyone, points out Leon Aron, the director of Russian Studies at the American Enterprise Institute and the author of a book on Boris Yeltsin. While he was in office, it was a time of complete media freedom and it was a time of unimpeded access to the electoral process for the opposition in terms of formation of parties and candidates running in the elections.
"Yeltsin allowed free and fair elections, including two referendums, three general elections and the presidential election, which were considered by both the opposition and the international observers completely free and fair," said Aron.
"It is most impressive that even after the armed rebellion in Moscow, in October 1993, within two weeks Yeltsin lifted all the censorship on the opposition media and also allowed all the parties which participated in the rebellion – with the exception of five radical ones – to actually participate in the elections to the newly established parliament," Aron explained, reminding that "everybody was allowed, including the opposition, to the counting of the votes."
Political analyst from Russia's Kommersant newspaper Sergey Strokan says even though Russia remains divided over Yeltsin's controversial legacy, it is hard to underestimate what the first president of Russia did for the country.
"It's equally true that we've managed to undergo those tests and re-emerged as a strong power. And at present when we speak about President Medvedev and his modernization drive I see certain similarity with what Yeltsin was doing, because Yeltsin was also a reformer, a modernizer of Russia", believes Strokan.
Boris Yeltsin buried in Moscow
Orthodox Church remembers Yeltsin
National digital library to open in St. Petersburg
Yeltsin's library opens in his home region
Yeltsin's legacy – 10 years on
Russia 10 years after Yeltsin: results

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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St Albans: Providing Micro Suction Ear Wax Removal St Albans Hertfordshire AL1 (Now Open!)
Microsuction Ear Wax Removal At Our Clinic In St Albans
If you are looking for great value private ear wax removal in St Albans Herts AL1, our St Albans Micro Suction Ear wax Removal Clinic can be found within Maltings Eyecare at:
Herts St Albans: Microsuction Ear Wax Removal St Albans Herts AL1
9 The Maltings
Maltings Eyecare,
St Albans, Hertfordshire AL1 3HL
Our prices (see below) are the lowest in North London!
What Happens At A St Albans Ear Wax Removal Appointment
You will find us in the Maltings shopping centre, within Maltings Eyecare.
Please note: The clinic is downstairs, and therefore we regret that there is no disabled access.
Please visit our nearby clinics in Rickmansworth or Welwyn Garden City if you require disabled access.
You can find our private ear wax removal St Albans location here.
You can get directions to private ear wax removal St Albans from Google Maps here.
Nearby Hertfordshire Microsuction Clinics include:
Microsuction Ear Wax Removal Clinic In Rickmansworth, Watford, Herts WD3
Microsuction Ear Wax Removal Clinic In Welwyn Garden City, Herts AL8
You can get information on other London microsuction clinic locations here.
Due to high demand, microsuction ear wax removal in Barnet is strictly by appointment.
You can book a microsuction appointment in Barnet online here, or click on the Book Now button below.
Saturday Microsuction Appointments
Private ear wax removal in London on Saturday is available at our out of hours clinic in Baker Street NW1 from 10am until 4pm. Please try to book by 5.30pm on Friday evening, as Saturday microsuction appointments are very popular. You can call us on Saturday between 8.30am and 1.00pm to book, as we sometimes have same day ear wax removal appointments available. Book online now to reserve your private microsuction appointment in our Saturday clinic.
The best place to park is in the Spires Shopping Centre multi storey car park, and then it will take about 4 minutes to walk through the shopping centre to the High Street. From the shopping centre entrance, turn left and we are about 4 shops down.
Parking costs £1 per hour, or £5.50 all day.
Ear Wax Removal St Albans Herts AL1 Map and Directions
No route could be calculated.
Book your private earwax removal appointment in St Albans, and say goodbye to ear wax!
Our private ear wax removal clinic in St Albans also serves clients in Herts, AL1, Radlett, Chiswell Green, Hatfield, Harpenden, Redbourn, Hemel Hempstead, Tyttenhanger, Napsbury, Park Street, Potter's Crouch, Frogmore, Welham GreenColeman Green, Sandridge, Chidwickbury, Bedmond, Brickett Wood, London Colney, Colney Heath, Abbots Langley, Kings Langley, East Hyde, Wheathamstead, Shenleybury, Porters Wood, New Greens, Batchwood, Bernards Heath, Townsend, St Stephens, St Julians, Cottonmill, The Camp, Fleetville, Oaklands, Smallford, Sleapshyde, Marshalswick, Jersey Farm and Leavesden.
St Albans Microsuction Prices - BEST IN ST ALBANS
Upgrade from one to both ears £25
Out of hours microsuction appointment Thursday 5.30pm-7.00pm Saturday 10am-4.00pm (one or both ears / no wax present / wax too impacted)
* Prices shown include a £5 discount for micro suction appointments booked online. Appointments booked by telephone are £5 more than the prices shown. 36 hours notice required for alterations and cancellations. Thank you.BOOK NOW! SAVE £5
23 Interesting Facts About St Albans
The Hot Cross Bun is said to originate in St Albans,. Brother Thomas Rocliffe, a 14th century Monk at St Albans Abbey, developed the original recipe and distributed the bun to the local poor on Good Friday, starting in 1381.
Childwickbury goats cheese was served at Prince William and Duchess of Cambridge Kate's wedding breakfast.
The history of St Albans began about 20 BC when the local Celtic tribe built their capital there. It would have been a 'town' of wooden huts with thatched roofs surrounded by a ditch and an earth rampart with a wooden palisade on top. In 43 AD the Romans invaded Britain. When they subdued Hertfordshire they took over the Celtic settlement and called it Verulamium.
Roman St Albans was burned by Boudicca when she led a rebellion against the Romans in 61 AD. However the town was soon rebuilt and slowly the wooden buildings were replaced with stone ones. Temples were built in Roman St Albans and a theater with seating for 6,000 people.
There are towns and cities called St Albans in Australia, Canada, and in five different locations across the United States including Vermont.
Walk upwards from from the Cathedral and in a minute you're in the heart of city, marked by the Clock Tower. Completed by 1405, It's the only standing medieval bell tower in England. You can climb its 93 narrow steps up to the top, where the views over the city and surrounding countryside are spectacular.
The 84 bus route from St Albans to New Barnet is over 100 years old.
Stephen Hawking attended St Albans High School for Girls for a few months when young boys were allowed to attend one of the houses.
The 1957 April Fool's Day spoof edition of BBC documentary series Panorama, which dealt with the fictitious Swiss spaghetti harvest, was filmed partly at the (now closed) Pasta Foods factory on London Road, St Albans.
St Albans takes its name from the first British saint, Alban. The most elaborate version of his story, Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People, relates that he lived in Verulamium, sometime during the 3rd or 4th century, when Christians were suffering persecution. Alban met a Christian priest fleeing from his persecutors and sheltered him in his house, where he became so impressed with the priest's piety that he converted to Christianity. When the authorities searched Alban's house, he put on the priest's cloak and presented himself in place of his guest. Consequently, he was sentenced to endure the punishments that were to be inflicted upon the priest, unless he renounced Christianity.
In the English Civil War which saw the overthrow and execution of Charles I, the High Sheriff of Hertfordshire entered Market Place with troops in 1643 and called on the men of the town to join the king. They were attacked by troops led by Oliver Cromwell and a battle took place in the High Street. The parliamentary troops won resoundingly, and St Albans remained on the side of the parliamentarians.
Every year St Albans holds its own Film Festival which turns open spaces, shops, offices and bars into cinemas for everyone to enjoy.
Following Amstrad's sale to BSkyB's in 2007, parts of Lord Sugar's The Apprentice have been filmed in St Albans. The series introduction and post-firing 'walk of shame' exit sequences from series four onwards have been filmed at the Viglen HQ building in St Albans. This venue is also used for the infamous Week 11 interviews task.
The main gate of "Slade Prison" in the sitcom Porridge was filmed at The Gate House in St Albans. This was originally built as the town jail back in the Victorian era.
In 2012, Hollywood Star Tom Cruise surprised diners when he popped into favourite Indian restaurant, Veer Dhara, for a lobster and chicken tikka masala.
Jason Priestly, from the original Beverly Hills 90210, has said that he feels a kinship with Brits, even though he is from Canada, as his wife is from St. Albans.
St Albans is referenced in the following songs: There was a time by Donovan, Swiss Cottage Manoeuvres by Al Stewart, Go Cut Creator by LL Cool J, All Eyes on the Saint by Enter Shikari.
Whereas Hatfield is referenced in the following songs: Hatfield by Widespread Panic, Hatfield 1980 by Everything But The Girl.
Mcfly's Harry Judd and his wife Izzy married in St Nicholas's Church in Harpenden.
Craig Charles, comedian and actor in Red Dwarf and Coronation Street and host of the Funk and Soul Show and Robot Wars currently lives in Harpenden.
Singer David Essex lives in St Albans.
Lyricist Tim Rice attended St Albans School.
St Albans Market has lined the city streets since the 9th century, and was giving a Royal Charter in 1553. Some families have been on the market for over 80 years.
Sources: The Herts Advertiser, St Albans & Harpenden Review, Local Histories, Enjoy St Albans
Why Do We Have Earwax?
Ear wax (medical name cerumen) is made by specialised glands in the outer two thirds of the ear canal. It helps protect the ear by moisturising the skin in the ear canal, providing a physical barrier against infection, and by being acidic it has antibacterial properties. Because it is sticky, it helps to catch dust, pollen and small insects and prevent them from establishing themselves in your ears! The skin in your ear canal grows differently to the skin that covers the rest of our body, and grows along the ear canal from the ear drum to the canal entrance. It acts like a conveyor belt, bringing the ear wax, and any dust, pollen or other debris with it, out of the ear. This way, the ear canal cleans itself naturally.
Why Do Ear Wax Blockages Happen?
Typically, ear wax blocks the ear canal and becomes impacted when it is pushed back against the natural outward movement that is part of the natural cleaning process. This can be done using cotton buds, matchsticks, paper clips, rolled up tissue, hair pins amongst other objects. Other causes of ear wax impaction can be narrow or winding ear canals, excessive, excessively dry or excessively sticky ear wax production. Everybody has an S bend in their ear canals - this is to reduce the chance of twigs and other objects from perforating the ear drum. However, ear wax can build up on very sharp bends in the canal. Where the ear canal is very narrow, there is less space for ear wax to accumulate, and this can lead to frequent ear wax blockages. Excessive, sticky, or dry ear wax production can also lead to impacted ear wax. The most obvious symptom of a blocked ear is a partial or total loss of hearing, but other symptoms can include pain, itching, a feeling of fullness, or hissing, whooshing, buzzing or ringing sounds.
How To Get Rid Of Ear Wax
Unfortunately, the size and shape of your ear canal, as well as the amount and type of ear wax is genetically determined. In order to reduce ear wax build up we recommend applying one squirt of Earol (a sterile, sealed olive oil spray) into each ear once or twice a week. If you have a blocked ear, we recommend you apply two squirts of Earol twice or three times a day for three or four days and then attend one of our expert microsuction ear wax removal clinics. You can book an appointment at our Barnet microsuction ear wax removal clinic here. Please don't put cotton wool in after applying Earol, as it will just absorb the olive oil and stop it from doing its work. We don't recommend self-syringing as this can push the ear wax further into your ear. We particularly recommend you avoid ear candles, as these do not remove ear wax and can potentially cause serious problems. We have an article on ear candles and their pitfalls here.
If you'd like to read about the various methods of ear wax removal, including syringing and microsuction, we have an article on different ear wax removal methods here.
If You Wear Hearing Aids
If you wear hearing aids, to prevent oil and wax from blocking up your hearing aids just apply the Earol at night, and then wipe out the entrance of your ear canal with a tissue in the morning before you put your hearing aids in. You'll ideally need to use Earol for five to eight days before your microsuction appointment.
Ear Wax Microsuction In St Albans From £55
So, after reading the above if you have wax in your ear and would like it removed safely without any water being syringed or jetted into your ear, you may want to choose to have your ears microsuctioned.
We provide the most affordable ear wax microsuction service in Bernet, provided by HCPC-registered Audiologists and NMC-registered nurses. We take payment for the appointment up front - we are sorry that we have to do this, but many patients have booked and not turned up, which is frustrating for other patients who cannot get an appointment.
Our Audiologist will inspect your ears using surgical loupes or an otoscope to determine whether your ear canals are full of wax and if microsuction is therefore necessary.
If there is no ear wax, we will give you advice and/or a hearing test as appropriate.
If there is wax, we will remove the ear wax expertly using a low power medical suction unit with a tiny, sterile 2 mm suction tube on the end. This is so gentle, it feels like barely even a kiss on the cheek. Sometimes, despite applying Earol for several days, the ear wax is too stubborn to be removed by microsuction, so we may use special disposable instruments, such as a Jobson Horne Probe, or a St Barts or Rosen Cerumen Hook. Whatever method we use, you safety is our top priority at all times. If you would like to book a microsuction appointment in Barnet, click here.
We never use a Propulse Ear Irrigator, which has now largely replaced the ear syringe, as according to the British Medical Journal (article here) irrigation or syringing is associated with a high risk of complications, such as failure of wax removal or further impaction of the wax, ear infection, trauma to the ear canal, or perforation of the ear drum. Other complications of syringing that have been reported are pain, tinnitus, vertigo (dizziness), and loss of balance or hearing.


text:
Al Unser Jr. Returns to Competition at IMS
April 21, 2014 by SVRA
Joins Growing Field of Indy Legends in Brickyard Vintage Race
The Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) today announced one of the giants of the sport, two-time Indianapolis 500 Mile Race winner Al Unser Jr., will compete in the "Indy Legends Pro-Am," a special feature to its June 6 – 8 "Brickyard Invitational" vintage race weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS). The SVRA, America's premier vintage racing organization, is creating a return to competition for veterans of the Indianapolis 500 with a 40 minute race of American muscle cars on the Speedway's 2.43-mile Grand Prix road course on Sunday, June 8. Unser joins Lyn St. James, Willy T. Ribbs and Mark Dismore who agreed to compete last week.
"I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to really racing again at Indy," said Unser, a two-time IndyCar champion and the winner of 34 IndyCar races including the 1992 and '94 Indianapolis 500s. "Vintage racing is emerging on a whole new level as a wonderful sport and it's the real deal when you are going up against the likes of Lyn, Willy T and Diz. I can't wait to see the fans – they're the greatest in the world."
The cars for the Pro-Am will be 1967 to 1972 vintage Corvettes, Camaros and Mustangs of "Group 6," with an engine displacement limit of 355 cubic inches. The Indianapolis 500 veterans will be paired with amateur drivers, each taking a 20-minute stint. Five minutes will be allotted for driver change.
The "Brickyard Invitational" weekend will be the largest gathering of race cars ever assembled for competition in America. The SVRA has 11 groups of cars spanning 100 years of vintage machines and all will be in action at IMS. The exciting array of entries include exquisite examples of select pre-war machines, classic sports cars, Formula One and Le Mans prototypes as current as 2008. The storied 2.5-mile oval will be utilized as well with exhibition runs by a wide variety of cars including several of the crowd-favorite 1950's-vintage Indianapolis 500 "roadsters." Race fans can enjoy every minute of the action by taking advantage of overnight camping inside the Speedway.
"It just doesn't get any better for vintage racing than to have a superstar Hall of Fame driver like Al Unser Jr. race in an SVRA race," said SVRA President and CEO Tony Parella. "I am overwhelmed by the interest of Indy race fans as well as the drivers. We will be making some additional exciting announcements soon."
The Pro-Am cars and drivers will also participate in a Fan Walk through the starting grid prior to the opening ceremonies allowing fans to see the cars up close, take photos and chat with the drivers. Driver pairings and starting positions will be determined by a lottery. Entries to this event will be limited and all entry fees will be donated to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum Foundation.


Over the past year, I've read countless books and articles about screen time. You'll notice that when you study one topic in depth, you start to become familiar with experts on that topic because their name will pop up in just about every book.
On the topic of screen time, the name Dr. Dimitri Christakis frequently appears. Christakis is a pediatrician at Seattle Children's Hospital in Seattle and a professor in the School of Medicine at University of Washington. He has spent years researching how a child's early experiences affect the brain.
I was fortunate enough to hear Dr. Christakis speak last week about screen time and the developing brain. Not only is a well-known researcher, but he's an incredible speaker. He is so knowledgeable and relatable.
There are three components of executive function in the brain: self-control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility. In his research, self-control is the most important. Self-control as children leads to better functioning as adults.
Little kids need developmental experiences to learn emotional cues and real world dimensional skills.
Life changed on April 3rd, 2010 when Apple introduced the iPad. As you may know, Steve Job's kids hadn't ever used it. Inventors often have more insight about the real power behind the tool they created.
Digital addiction is defined as a compulsion to use all things digital.
He talked about the dopamine reward pathway and how we are rewarded by our phones. If you reward behavior, you encourage it.
If you or your child are at high risk for behavior addictions, then you need to be even more mindful of your tech use.
It's never going to be convenient for our kids to get off of a device. Give a warning and teach kids that they have to walk away at some point—the end result will be the same no matter when they walk away. The time has to end at some point!
Remember that the physical act of writing helps our brain to remember the material better.
Screens are not a substitute for a good teacher!
Work with schools to help ensure that we are introducing tech to maximize benefits. Kids need real world experiences–not a screen.
Dr. Christakis talked about the PROBLEMATIC AND RISKY INTERNET USE SCREENING SCALE, also known as PRIUSS. If you or someone in your life is wondering if they are on the verge of addiction, this assessment can help.
Click here to access a PDF you can download or print.
The word Internet might be too broad in some circumstances. You can replace the word 'Internet' with 'video games,' 'social media,' etc.
If you like to read about the science behind PRIUSS, click here to read more from the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health.
All of these tips are spot on and are things we've been writing and talking about at Better Screen Time. I loved hearing it straight from Dr. Christakis and it was a pleasure to meet him briefly.
How do you pick your battles? Which ones are worth winning for you?


text:
Dhrubo Jyoti
Queer Struggle Doesn't End With Section 377 Or Same-Sex Marriage Laws
Despite this onslaught of high-voltage atrocity and the continual thumping of nationalist chests, complaints have poured in that by talking about the various kinds of hate, crimes and oppressions – one is derailing pride and a fight for queer issues
Video Series Captures Life Experiences of LGBTQ People
A new set of videos by 101 India is capturing the life and experiences of a whole spectrum of LGBTQ people. The videos, most of which are between five and six minutes long, cover the life stories, struggles, negotiations and triumph of queer individuals.
Exclusive 0
Two LGBT Activists Hacked To Death In Bangladesh
Two prominent LGBT activists, Xulhaz Mannan and Tonoy Mahbub, were hacked to death on Monday evening in Bangladesh.
Kapoor and Sons: The Real Reason Why I Liked Fawad Khan's Gay Character Is The Erasure of Effeminacy
Every time I complained about stereotyping, all I wanted was for a beefy 'just like you' man replace the effeminate man on screen
Openly Gay Singer Singer Sam Smith Wins Oscar for 'Writing's on the Wall'
Singer songwriter Sam Smith possibly became the first openly gay person to win an Oscar for
Whatever the Courts Decide, This Isn't The End of the Road
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Two Day Queer Film and Theatre Festival to Begin from Dec 12 in Delhi
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Queer people cannot be free in a world where people of various hues are shackled, not just because a common oppressor – overarching patriarchy – attacks us all, but also because many of us straddle multiple identities – we're Dalit and queer, Muslim and queer, Tribal and queer, Disabled and queer.
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Karnataka Govt Honours Trans Activist Akkai with Rajyotsava Award
30-year-old Akkai Padmashali became the first transgender person this Sunday to receive a top state award when she was given the Rajyotsava award, the second-highest civilian honour in Karnataka, for social service.
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A journalist by profession, a physicist by training. Works with the Hindustan Times, New Delhi. Makes better use of time with Gaylaxy.


Telangana Excise Department is on the vigil to prevent sale and consumption of illicitly distilled liquor during the Medaram jatara in Warangal district which draws lakhs of devotees.
After the policy decision of the Government to ban 'gudumba' and promote liquor brewed in distilleries permitted by the government and through the Telangana State Beverages Corporation Ltd., the sale of ordinary liquor increased by 100 per cent as those hitherto consuming the 'gudumba' apparently shifted to the safer variety.
But department sources said that the Medaram congregation would be the time to be vigilant to prevent brewing and sale of illicitly distilled liquor. Apart from the loss of revenue to the government, the concern is more about ill effects of the illicit liquour.
The Beverages Corporation proactively set up new additional depots at Tadvai and Reddygudem in Warangal so that permit holders who should be only tribals could take stocks and sell them to cater to those lakhs of people coming for Medaram Jatara from February 14 to 20.The actual dates of jatara are from February 17 to 20. "We already sent the stocks to the new depots and they will be wound up after February 20," official sources said.


text:
The ghost of nestedness in ecological networks
Reinterpreting the relationship between number of species and number of links connects community structure and stability
Camille Carpentier, György Barabás, … Frederik De Laender
The spatial scaling of species interaction networks
Nuria Galiana, Miguel Lurgi, … José M. Montoya
Robustness to extinction and plasticity derived from mutualistic bipartite ecological networks
Somaye Sheykhali, Juan Fernández-Gracia, … Víctor M. Eguíluz
Ecological network complexity scales with area
Núria Galiana, Miguel Lurgi, … José M. Montoya
Coexistence of many species in random ecosystems
Carlos A. Serván, José A. Capitán, … Stefano Allesina
The stability of mutualism
Lewi Stone
Assessment of congruence between co-occurrence and functional networks: A new framework for revealing community assembly rules
Gaëlle Legras, Nicolas Loiseau, … Bastien Mérigot
Interaction strength promotes robustness against cascading effects in mutualistic networks
Marília P. Gaiarsa & Paulo R. Guimarães Jr.
The ambiguity of nestedness under soft and hard constraints
Matteo Bruno, Fabio Saracco, … Guido Caldarelli
Phillip P. A. Staniczenko1,
Jason C. Kopp1 &
Stefano Allesina1,2
Nature Communications volume 4, Article number: 1391 (2013) Cite this article
Ecological networks
Theoretical ecology
Ecologists are fascinated by the prevalence of nestedness in biogeographic and community data, where it is thought to promote biodiversity in mutualistic systems. Traditionally, nestedness has been treated in a binary sense: species and their interactions are either present or absent, neglecting information on abundances and interaction frequencies. Extending nestedness to quantitative data facilitates the study of species preferences, and we propose a new detection method that follows from a basic property of bipartite networks: large dominant eigenvalues are associated with highly nested configurations. We show that complex ecological networks are binary nested, but quantitative preferences are non-nested, indicating limited consumer overlap of favoured resources. The spectral graph approach provides a formal link to local dynamical stability analysis, where we demonstrate that nested mutualistic structures are minimally stable. We conclude that, within the binary constraint of interaction plausibility, species preferences are partitioned to avoid competition, thereby benefiting system-wide resource allocation.
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Nestedness has been studied in a wide range of ecological systems. The concept was first proposed in the early twentieth century but only became popular among ecologists with its application to the biogeographic pattern of species occurrence in islands and other fragmented landscapes1,2. More recently, nestedness in species interaction networks has received significant attention3,4,5,6,7, where it has been suggested that a nested pattern of interactions leads to greater biodiversity in mutualistic systems such as plant–pollinator networks8,9. In a nested bipartite network or graph, interactions are organized such that specialists (for example, pollinators that visit few plants) interact with subsets of the species with whom generalists (for example, pollinators that visit many plants) interact. A nested structure corresponds to a systematic arrangement of non-zero entries in the binary matrix used to represent a network, and existing detection methods are based on distinguishing the nested pattern from other possible arrangements of matrix elements10,11. However, these methods are often computationally expensive for large matrices and are not applicable to quantitative networks (binary metrics extended to work with quantitative data, such as WNODF12, do not make full use of the available quantitative information).
Quantitative networks contain the number or frequency of pairwise interactions between species, and we show how empirical data can be rescaled to permit investigation of feeding or visitation preferences in addition to the basic presence–absence structure. If preferences are quantitatively nested, then the most generalist resources are preferred by all consumers—most strongly by generalist consumers, closely followed by specialist consumers—and specialist resources are neglected. We formally extend the definition of nestedness to include quantitative networks and propose a new and robust detection method based on the eigenvalue spectrum of a graph's adjacency matrix. The spectral properties of perfectly nested graphs were first discussed in the mathematical literature, where they are known as double-nested graphs (DNGs)13 or chain graphs14, and we show that large dominant eigenvalues are associated with highly nested structures (for both binary and quantitative matrices). A spectral method is advantageous because the eigenvalues of a matrix can be computed extremely quickly—even for large matrices—and results are invariant to matrix permutation15. Of 52 bipartite ecological networks from the literature, including plant–pollinator, parasitoid–host, and seed dispersal types, 51 (98%) were binary nested; however, only 3 (6%) had preference structures that were quantitatively nested. These results agree with our analysis of the dynamical (local) stability of nested graphs, where we demonstrate that perfectly nested configurations are minimally stable. Within the restriction of interaction plausibility—whether an interaction is forbidden or not, and identifiable with a binary structure16—species preferences are partitioned to avoid competition. Thus, ecological systems are organized such that niches are exploited and the efficient use of available resources is promoted.
Nestedness and bipartite graphs
Before explicitly considering ecological systems and empirical data, we begin by formally defining nestedness for both binary and quantitative bipartite networks, and present a general detection method that follows naturally from the matrix properties of nested graphs.
A bipartite network or graph contains S nodes (species) that can be partitioned into two disjoint sets, A (animals in pollination networks) and P (plants), such that each of the E undirected edges (an animal–plant interaction) connects a node in the set A with another in the set P. For the binary case, the adjacency matrix is a square matrix in which if i and j are connected and is 0 otherwise; for quantitative networks can take positive non-zero values other than 1. The set of eigenvalues is an invariant property of a matrix (they do not change if rows and columns are permuted). Because is a symmetric matrix, all of its eigenvalues are real, and because the graph is bipartite, the eigenvalues are distributed symmetrically about 0. The largest eigenvalue of , the dominant eigenvalue, is known as its spectral radius , and for binary matrices its value is bounded from above by (13,15).
Since matrix is symmetric and the graph bipartite, we need draw only the |P| × |A| incidence matrix (for example, Fig. 1). Nestedness can be defined as a property of the matrix . If is a perfectly nested binary matrix then there exists a permutation of rows and columns such that the set of edges in each row i contains the edges in row i+1, while the set of edges in each column j contains those in column j+1. More formally, the rows and columns of can be sorted (with ∀j and ∀i) such that . This definition of perfect nestedness extends to quantitative as well as binary matrices. Matrices A, C, D, I, K and N in Fig. 1 are perfectly nested, as is matrix C in Fig. 2, while the others are not. An example of perfect binary nestedness and the corresponding DNG notation used in graph theory is given in Supplementary Fig. S1.
Figure 1: Binary nestedness and eigenvalues.
Spectral radius (ρ, largest eigenvalue) distribution for all connected graphs with |P|=6, |A|=4 and |E|=17. There are 346,104 possible incidence matrices with this parameter combination, and of these, 339,192 are connected (shown in the figure). Among the connected graphs, 7,560 are perfectly nested (coloured orange), and have higher spectral radii than most other matrices (all perfectly nested matrices are contained in the top 4.59% of the distribution). The maximum spectral radius is found for matrix N, and all matrices with spectral radius greater than that of matrix A are either perfectly nested or very close to being perfectly nested (bottom series): matrices B, E, F, G, H, J, L and M would become perfectly nested if we were to move just one edge. Matrices with the lowest spectral radii depart most severely from perfect nestedness (top series).
Figure 2: Quantitative nestedness and eigenvalues.
Spectral radius (ρ, largest eigenvalue) distribution for a perfectly nested binary structure (matrix A from Fig. 1) with randomized quantitative overlay. A single set of |E|=17 coefficient values are shuffled within the binary structure 10,000 times, and each time the spectral radius is computed. High spectral radius is associated with a highly nested quantitative configuration (for example, matrix C, where darker colours indicate higher relative element values), medium spectral radius with a non-specific quantitative configuration (for example, matrix B) and low spectral radius with an anti-nested quantitative configuration (for example, matrix A). Thus, the positive relationship between spectral radius and nestedness found for binary matrices extends to quantitative matrices.
In the mathematical literature regarding DNGs, Bell et al.17 provide a theorem that states: among all the connected bipartite graphs with |S| nodes and |E| edges, the one yielding the largest spectral radius is a perfectly nested graph. It was subsequently proved that the same holds if the number of nodes in each set P and A are fixed18, rather than choosing among all possible sizes such that |P|+|A|=|S| as in the original theorem. We confirm numerically that among all the bipartite graphs with |P| plants, |A| animals and |E| edges, the configuration leading to the largest spectral radius is a perfectly nested graph, with all other perfectly nested graphs having spectral radii close to this maximum value (Fig. 1 and Supplementary Figs S2–S4). This finding extends to quantitative matrices and quantitative nestedness (Fig. 2). The right tail of the spectral radius distribution contains either perfectly nested graphs—of which there can be many configurations (see Supplementary Methods)—or graphs that are very close to being perfectly nested, while the left tail contains graphs that are far from being perfectly nested.
The spectral radius therefore represents a natural scale for nestedness, with larger obtained for more nested matrices with the same size and number of edges, and we have developed a set of statistical tests to determine the significance of nestedness for matrices that are not necessarily perfectly nested (see Methods and Supplementary Fig. S5). Matrices that are significantly non-nested in their binary form can become significantly nested when a sufficiently strong nested quantitative pattern is overlaid. This suggests that the quantitative structure of a network can dominate its underlying binary pattern (Supplementary Fig. S6).
The eigenvector associated with the spectral radius, besides being of interest in its own right19, provides a natural way of ordering nodes that best illustrates matrix nestedness. This follows from the standard eigenvalue equation : Because any eigenvector multiplied by the original adjacency matrix yields a vector parallel to the original adjacency matrix, the spectral radius (dominant eigenvalue) represents a scale factor λ for the dominant eigenvector. Conversely, if the spectral radius is understood to be a measure of nestedness, then the entries of the dominant eigenvector (of size the number of species) provide a way of ordering the species with respect to nestedness.
Nestedness and ecological networks
We now turn our attention to the specific case of ecological systems. In general, interactions among species can be described by a set of dynamical equations: , where xi is the density of a given species i, f(xi) describes the effect of its density on population growth and is the contribution to growth from interactions with other species in the system20,21,22. We can divide the interaction term between two species, , into two parts: the frequency of interactions γi,jxixj, and the effect of each interaction , and so . Typically, takes the form of a functional response that captures the effect of an interaction between i and all of its partners (for example, Holling's Type II23). For each pair of species, xixj is a mass action term, and γi,j indicates the relative frequency or probability of interaction compared to mass action. Under the mass action hypothesis, the basic affinity between two species—the expected magnitude of encounters—is directly proportional to the product of their densities, and factors such as the spatial layout of the environment, consumer search efficiency or handling time are not accounted for. These additional factors are aggregated in γi,j. For each plausible (γi,j≠0) interaction, γi,j can be thought of as a preference parameter: if γi,j>1 then the interaction is more likely to occur than expected and is therefore favoured, γi,j<1 indicates that the interaction is less favourable and γi,j=1 is exactly the expectation based on mass action. When we record ecological data such as the number of pollinator–plant visits—data that can be organized in the form of a quantitative incidence matrix —we implicitly record . So in practice, empirical data must be adjusted for mass action (xixj) to isolate species preference γi,j.
We are particularly interested in whether the pattern of nestedness observed in binary bipartite ecological networks4 is maintained in the quantitative preference structure represented by the γ-matrix. In a nested quantitative network, generalist–generalist species interactions are strongest, followed by generalist–specialist interactions, whereas specialist–specialist interactions are much weaker (and may be absent altogether).
Effective abundance
Before applying the tests for nestedness to empirical data, we first remove the effect of mass action in order to isolate species preferences. As interaction data are rarely accompanied by independent measures of species density, we use a method based on solving overdetermined sets of equations24 to infer effective species abundances from quantitative interaction networks. These effective abundances should not be interpreted as field-measurable equivalents; rather, they are best-fit abundances under the mass action hypothesis. In some regards their use is more appropriate than the use of raw abundance data because they incorporate confounding factors such as life-cycle turnover, partner co-occurrence overlap and unevenness in spatial distribution.
To obtain effective abundances, recall that we can write empirical count data . If no interaction is recorded, and we set the estimate for species preference . For the remaining set of recorded counts with , we take logarithms and perform a linear regression. However, rather than regressing 'y' against 'x' as is commonly done, we do the opposite such that we infer the log-transformed effective abundances and from the log-transformed counts (see Supplementary Methods). The preference γ-term then represents errors or residuals, and as log γi,j's are minimized during regression the estimated 's are constrained to be as close to 1 as possible. In this way, binary matrices can be seen as a special case in which interaction magnitude is completely explained by mass action, and, as required, preferences are scaled relative to mass action—based on the inferred effective abundances—with . This quantitative -matrix can be assessed for nested patterns.
Binary and quantitative nestedness of empirical networks
We tested 52 bipartite empirical networks for binary and quantitative nestedness (Table 1 and Supplementary Table S1). For each network and test, we computed the probability p that a randomly constructed matrix , which preserves some of the properties of the empirical adjacency matrix , is associated with spectral radius (see Methods). All but one of the networks were binary nested (defined as having P<0.05), in agreement with earlier studies4. However, nestedness was not observed in species preferences: for the vast majority of networks, the quantitative structure of the -matrix was indistinguishable from random configurations, and in some cases, anti-nestedness (defined as having P>0.95) became apparent (Table 1, Fig. 3). The lack of nestedness in the dominant quantitative structure of empirical networks is consistent with our mathematical treatment of the local stability of nested structures. Although local stability analysis captures only one aspect of ecological system dynamics, its mathematical tractability provides a good starting point for assessing the dynamical consequences of network structure25.
Table 1 Nestedness of ecological networks using quantitative null model (iv) (maintain binary structure and shuffle non-zero coefficients, see Methods).
Figure 3: Empirical nestedness.
Three versions of a seed-dispersal mutualistic network with |P|=19, |A|=29 and |E|=211 (web 37 in Supplementary Table S1). In each incidence matrix, darker colours indicate higher relative element values. Applying tests for nestedness based on the spectral radius (see Methods) with 10,000 null model randomizations, we find: (a) the binary structure is nested, P<0.001 for the binary null model (i) and (ii); (b) the empirical count structure is quantitatively nested, P<0.05 for the quantitative null model (iv); and (c) the quantitative preference structure (the -matrix) is anti-nested, P>0.95 for the quantitative null model (iv). Therefore, within the restriction of interaction plausibility (matrix a), and after rescaling the raw data (matrix b) according to mass action, species preferences are found to be distributed in an anti-nested manner (matrix c).
Local stability analysis
Local stability analysis is concerned with how a dynamical system resting at equilibrium responds to perturbations. If an equilibrium point is stable, then the system returns to that point following small perturbations. For unstable equilibrium points, small perturbations will move the system away from the original resting state. Mathematically, the stability of an equilibrium point is completely defined by the sign of the real parts of the eigenvalues of the so-called community matrix M25,26,27 (these eigenvalues are distinct from the adjacency matrix eigenvalues we have been considering so far). If all of the signs are negative then the equilibrium point is stable. Contemporary work has shown that nested mutualistic networks are less likely to be stable than their random counterparts25. We now demonstrate that a nested structure within M minimizes local stability.
A community matrix can be written as the sum of a matrix with zeros on its diagonal, M′, and a corresponding diagonal matrix, −D, that is, M=M′−D. For very large systems, the spectral radius of M is , where is the average value of the diagonal25. Stability is therefore achieved whenever . Analogous to arranging coefficients in an adjacency or incidence matrix (as we did above), among all possible ways of arranging the coefficients of M′ the configuration yielding the largest spectral radius is perfect nestedness (binary or quantitative). (Note that the community matrix is often considered non-symmetric, that is, the effect of an animal on a plant is often assumed to be different from that of the plant on the animal. However, the maximum spectral radius is obtained for symmetric matrices.) Hence, for a given diagonal and set of coefficients, nestedness of the community matrix minimizes local stability.
This is seemingly at odds with the prevailing view that nestedness promotes the persistence of species in mutualistic systems8,9 (although recent work has begun to question this proposition28). As an approach to assessing system robustness, persistence encompasses local stability analysis—in many models of mutualism, local stability guarantees species persistence but locally unstable states may yet display persistence. Repeating precisely the analysis of Thébault and Fontaine9, we show that many dynamical models inadvertently build in trivial local stability and hence guarantee persistence: the diagonal elements of the community matrix are always large enough to compensate for the potential destabilizing effect of nestedness, thereby precluding nestedness—or, indeed, any other configuration of interactions—from having a significant contribution to local stability or persistence in such models (see Supplementary Methods and Supplementary Fig. S7). The claimed positive relationship between nestedness and persistence actually reflects a trivial positive relationship between connectance and persistence in obligate mutualistic systems—trivial because species without partners immediately go extinct (a feature not considered by Thébault and Fontaine9), and species with initial densities close to zero will quickly go extinct unless they have sufficient (binary) mutualistic partners to 'pull' them to larger densities, after which they are guaranteed to persist29.
Traditionally, nestedness has been associated with the plausibility of interaction: if the length of a pollinator's proboscis is sufficient to obtain nectar from plants with deep corolla tubes, then it can also obtain nectar from species with shallower tubes, otherwise its visitation partners are restricted—for a community with many pollinator species, each with a different proboscis length, a nested binary interaction pattern emerges. Quantitative data allow us to investigate whether pollinators interact with particular plants more or less frequently than would be expected through random encounter, and whether they do so in any systematic fashion. With a nested preference structure, almost all consumers disproportionately interact with a common subset of the most generalist resources, while ignoring more specialist resources.
While we found empirical networks to be binary nested, after adjusting for uneven species abundances according to mass action, their quantitative preference structures were distinctly non-nested. The need to account for abundances has been highlighted using synthetic networks, where heterogeneous abundance distributions combined with random species associations was sufficient to produce significantly nested binary patterns, leading to the conclusion that complex trait-based models were not necessary to explain nestedness30. Our results extend this argument to quantitative networks: The vast majority of empirical networks analysed had quantitative preference structures indistinguishable from random graphs, meaning that no systematic process is required to promote or constrain observed levels of nestedness.
The lack of quantitative nestedness also finds support from mathematical analysis, where we showed that nested configurations of mutualistic interactions are minimally stable from the perspective of local stability analysis. How other types of interaction—such as antagonistic or facilitative pairings8—formally combine with mutualism to determine the overall stability and persistence of a network requires further work. At the community level, compared to quantitatively nested preference structures, non-nested structures suggest that species preferences are partitioned to avoid competition. Species rarely forgo abundant and accessible resources; rather, less abundant resources are disproportionately favoured by different sets of consumers—niches naturally arise. It would be instructive to see whether this kind of niche partitioning is also apparent at the level of individuals within a single-species population31.
Much like the solar spectrum of light can be used to infer the constituent elements of our sun, we used a spectral approach—spectrum derived from the Latin for ghost—to detect nestedness in complex ecological networks. And like a ghost, nestedness, which was strongly apparent in binary structures, disappeared when quantitative preference structures were analysed. As the size of ecological data grows, the advantages of a spectral approach will become more pronounced; in addition to the dominant eigenvalue and eigenvector of a network's adjacency matrix, considered here, the relationship between other spectral properties and ecological phenomena warrants further investigation. Our findings suggest that nestedness may not be the preeminent structure we once thought it was, but spectral analysis may further elucidate which structural features influence the function of large complex ecological networks.
Tests for nestedness based on the spectral radius
We showed that perfectly nested binary and quantitative matrices are associated with large spectral radius. Already, we have a strong test for nestedness: compute the spectral radius of an empirical matrix, and, if it is greater than the smallest spectral radius of a corresponding perfectly nested matrix, then the empirical matrix is almost guaranteed to be nested. However, in general, empirical data are incompatible with perfect nestedness (in many ecological networks, no super-generalists interacting with all of the species in the other class are observed). Here we describe four statistical tests for (not necessarily perfect) nestedness that are more applicable to real-world data sets.
For each test, we compute the probability p that a randomly constructed incidence matrix has spectral radius , where and are the adjacency matrices of and , respectively. For both binary and quantitative matrices, we define three null models for constructing : (i) preserve |P|, |A| and place |E| edges at random within the matrix; (ii) as in (i), but accept only connected matrices; and (iii) as in (ii), but conserve the degree distribution (the row and column sums of ). As measures of nestedness can be very sensitive to matrix size, fill and configuration10,11, we used null model implementations that preserve |P|, |A| and |E| (null models (i) and (ii)) and degree distribution (iii) exactly, and not just their expected values.
For quantitative matrices only, we introduce a fourth null model: (iv) preserve |P|, |A| and |E|, and shuffle the coefficient values of but not their positions. That is, maintain the binary structure of the matrix (where the non-zero entries are located) but randomize which coefficient values occupy which non-zero positions. Using this null model, the P-value is to equal to 1 when all the coefficients have the same value (for example, a binary matrix).
In all tests, for all but the smallest of networks, P<0.05 is a suitable general significance level for nestedness, with P>0.95 indicating anti-nestedness. We encourage the use of null model (ii) for determining the nestedness of the binary network structure due to some important limitations of null models (i) and (iii), and null model (iv) for determining the nestedness of species preferences because it is the only null model that isolates quantitative structure (see Supplementary Methods).
Condition for finding connected graphs
Null models (ii) and (iii) require connected matrices. To ensure that there is a reasonable probability of finding randomized matrices that are connected, we calculate the percolation point for random bipartite graphs.
A classical result for Erdös–Rényi random graphs is the percolation point of connected graphs. For n nodes with a probability of connection C=|E|/(|P|·|A|), graphs in which C>log(n)/n are almost surely connected, while those in which C<log(n)/n are almost surely disconnected (for the limit n→∞).
Without loss of generality, we will assume |P|⩾|A|. Saltykov32 showed that in bipartite graphs the number of isolated nodes (that is, those that are not part of the giant component) is Poisson distributed. Using this result, Blasiak and Durrett33 provided the following extension: for a random bipartite graph with |P| rows, |A| columns and |E| edges, whenever |E|>|P| log(|P|+|A|), the graph is almost surely connected (again, for the limit n→∞).
From this, one can see that the probability of finding a connected graph approaches 1 whenever the probability of connection C>|P| log(|P|+|A|)/(|P|·|A|)=log(|P|+|A|)/|A|. For matrices with C around this threshold, it can take a long time to find connected matrices through random sampling.
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We thank A. Eklöf, J. Landau, F. Marquitti, C. Melián, M. Pires and S. Tang for discussion. This research was supported by NSF SMA Grant Number 1042164 (to P.P.A.S.) and NSF DEB Grant Number 1148867 (to S.A.)
Department of Ecology & Evolution, University of Chicago, 1101 E. 57th, Chicago, 60637, Illinois, USA
Phillip P. A. Staniczenko, Jason C. Kopp & Stefano Allesina
Computation Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, 60637, Illinois, USA
Stefano Allesina
Phillip P. A. Staniczenko
Jason C. Kopp
P.P.A.S. and S.A. designed the analysis and performed the mathematical derivation. S.A. wrote the code. J.C.K. obtained data and performed simulations. All authors wrote the manuscript
Correspondence to Phillip P. A. Staniczenko.
Supplementary Figures S1-S7, Supplementary Table S1, Supplementary Methods and Supplementary References. (PDF 544 kb)
Staniczenko, P., Kopp, J. & Allesina, S. The ghost of nestedness in ecological networks. Nat Commun 4, 1391 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms2422
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms2422
Network structure of resource use and niche overlap within the endophytic microbiome
Matthew Michalska-Smith
Zewei Song
Linda L. Kinkel
The ISME Journal (2022)
Estimating comparable distances to tipping points across mutualistic systems by scaled recovery rates
Huixin Zhang
Qi Wang
Jianxi Gao
Nature Ecology & Evolution (2022)
Quantifying the relationship between specialisation and reputation in an online platform
Giacomo Livan
Giuseppe Pappalardo
Rosario N. Mantegna
Scientific Reports (2022)
Predicting mammalian hosts in which novel coronaviruses can be generated
Maya Wardeh
Matthew Baylis
Marcus S. C. Blagrove
Nature Communications (2021)
An ecological approach to structural flexibility in online communication systems
María J. Palazzi
Albert Solé-Ribalta
Javier Borge-Holthoefer
Editors' Highlights
Nature Communications (Nat Commun) ISSN 2041-1723 (online)


You are here: Home / Charities / Happy 125th Anniversary!
Last month I was delighted to be part of a large gathering of 600 supporters, friends and former staff members of Scripture Gift Mission Inc, now SGM Lifewords, for which I worked for 17 years. As I had started the organisation of the 100th Celebrations in 1988 and my twins were born a week after the event, which allowed me to attend, I had a particular interest in being part of this 125th Anniversary, held at Westminster Chapel. I had forgotten quite how big that venue is! There is still such a feeling of 'family' among those who used to work there. I think it is very special, if not unique, and to see Alison again after 28 years was a highlight. It was a superb reunion and, even better, one that I only needed to turn up to and not make any of the arrangements. Those who had put the programme together and provided lunch had done a wonderful job. Happy 125th Anniversary, SGM!
You can click on the link in my sidebar for more information on SGM Lifewords.


For long-duration missions there is more than one CAPCOM, each assigned to a different shift team. After control of U.S. spaceflights moved to the Johnson Space Center in the early 1960s, each CAPCOM used the radio call-sign Houston. When non-astronauts are communicating directly with the spacecraft, CAPCOM acts as the communications controller.


The $100 Dollar Bills design is available in an assortment of decor goods from posters, to duvet covers, to rugs and custom size curtains, and even backdrops or hand towels.
Entire Money themed collections are available for your bedroom, bathroom and almost any room in your house. How about a custom size floor mat for your entryway?
We can change the background color or any color within this pattern to ANY color you desire. VisionBedding can also print a unique message anywhere within the pattern. Our custom choices are nearly infinite. Let us adjust the accessory objects or the central object within this specific $100 Dollar Bills pattern.
Bring your festivities to the next level with a $100 Dollar Bills photography backdrop.
Researching ideas to gear up your upcoming get together? If you haven't considered one yet, how about purchasing a photography backdrop? With the amount of people using social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat, it makes sense that you should step up your celebrations with picture-worthy activities. Halloween coming up? Purchase a monster-themed backdrop! Fourth of July BBQ around the corner? A photography backdrop is an ideal way to capture that experience. There is a theme for basically every season. And you can make your party even more interactive by grabbing some props for your fellow partygoers to use. Crowns, bracelets, signs and wigs are all fantastic items. Another positive aspect of photography backdrops is that they are also easy to clean and put away. You can simply roll them up and put them in the shed or on a shelf. Also, these backdrops are inexpensive, making them a ideal option for any party. You can even get them at online stores. Keep in mind that the rods to hold them up may be sold by itself. Without them, you can just adhere your backdrop to a wall. So get that photography backdrop and impress your visitors!
Proper decorating with your brand new $100 Dollar Bills area rug.
When a room has an area rug, you might be uncertain as to how your furniture ought to be positioned. Here is a basic standard: if the rug is large enough so that each one of the furniture legs can be on it, then it works. However, if the rug is not large enough for all of the legs, leave them all off. This will end any confusion as to where to position your items.


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Hawaii Health Care Forums: Building Bridges to Better Health
Pomaika'i Ballrooms at Dole Cannery
735 Iwilei Road
8:30 – 9:00 am	Continental breakfast
9:00 – Noon Program
There is no charge for participation, but registration in advance is required.
Please note that there is also an October 14th forum in Kailua covering the same material.
These forums are designed to create cross-sector solutions to improving the health of people living throughout the State of Hawaii. Invitees include representatives from the certain health and community development sectors, including Healthcare Association of Hawaii's members, government agencies, nonprofit organizations and financial institutions.
The health of the State of Hawaii depends on the health of its people. Reducing health disparities and encouraging healthy choices can foster greater health outcomes and less negative impacts on individuals, families and society. Healthier people are more able to obtain employment, support their families, and contribute to society as a whole. In fact, studies show that over 80% of the factors that affect our health are within our control, and that a significant determinant of our health is how we live our lives and the surrounding economic, social and physical environment.
The connections between health and community development have become increasingly apparent, allowing foundations, health institutions, government, community development organizations, private sector lenders and others to seek new ways to collaborate and leverage resources.
Participants at these meetings will learn they could collaborate to accomplish their organization's mission and contribute to improving health outcomes. They will also have the opportunity to recommend large or small projects and allow others to offer their support.
Rachael Wong
Healthcare Association of Hawaii
Craig Nolte
Hawaii Department of Health
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Or maybe it is stress. In Schulte's book, she delves into the physical effects of stress, and one includes the shrinking of the brain. No wonder we become so forgetful!
Susan Snell, a health educator in WellSpan Community Health and Wellness, said we live in a multitasking world, but more and more research is showing that too much multitasking can actually harm us mentally and physically. A little multitasking isn't bad, but too much isn't good, Snell said.
In "Overwhelmed," I learned that the brain can only hold about seven pieces of information at one time -- the same as our Cro-Magnon ancestors 40,000 years ago (Torkel Klingberg, "The Overflowing Brain"). Furthermore, "multitasking makes you stupid -- dumber than getting stoned," Shulte cites in her book (pg. 65).
"In the land of doing so many things at one time ... give your brain a break," Snell said.
But back to breaks. Do you take them? Do you go grab lunch or at least sit in the break room, or is it eaten at your desk? Do you at least go to the bathroom in the eight hours at work, or do you hold it and not realize you had to go until you are on your way home?
Snell said more and more jobs are sedentary, but the research is showing that all this sitting is detrimental to our health.
"This is even for the exercisers, those who get 150 hours a week, known as active couch potatoes," Snell said.
Snell said, "Stand up!" She said to get up when you are on the phone or another task not requiring the computer. Also, when you print off something, go get it right away and don't let it linger. She suggested walking to the farthest bathroom or water fountain, to give your legs a chance to stretch. Also, go chat with a co-worker instead of calling or emailing to ask a question.
"We have so much technology that allow us to work and sit," Snell said. "It doesn't give us the opportunity to move and re-fire the brain."
What if all your co-workers aren't in the habit of taking a break and you will be the only one?
"Lead by example, be a quiet role model," Snell said. "And do it joyfully. You will win more people with a smile on your face."
It doesn't have to be 30 minutes all together, either. Snell said take 5 minutes here, 5 minutes there, to give yourself a constant break and be more mentally alert.
"It's better to get up 25 times than to just sitting all day," she said.
Here is a recap and additional tips for taking your break:
Get up when your phone rings.
Talk to a co-worker face-to-face than a phone call or email.
Walk to the farthest bathroom or water fountain.
When you print something, get up and get it immediately.
Every 30 minutes, get up!
Set timers -- use a pop-up on your computer's calendar or another software program, or write it down.
Change your activity every hour -- before you go into your next activity, get up and walk.
Stretch and do some belly breathing to de-stress.
For further reading, check out this LA Times' article "'Get up!' or lose hours of your life every day, scientists say"
Answer the Brown Bag Challenge question of the day: How important is it to you to take a break each day?


The Insurance Association of Guyana (IAG), warning that flood damage and loss could soon become uninsurable, signalled that the conditions for flood-related insurance would soon change and remain in force until the drainage situation improves.
"The insurance industry will shortly inform policyholders of the new structure of underwriting measures applicable to flood cover.
These measures will impact businesses as well as private homeowners and will continue until the industry is satisfied that meaningful action is being taken by the relevant authorities and the citizenry to correct the deficiencies which have given rise to the escalated frequency and severity of flooding," said the IAG in a statement published in Sunday's newspapers.
Endorsed by 12 insurance companies, the IAG said if the authorities do not take steps address the poor upkeep of drainage facilities and ensure that all pumps that drain Georgetown are working no insurance would be given to cover flood-related losses. "The inaction of the relevant authorities to correct this unsatisfactory situation will soon cause the risk of loss by flooding to become uninsurable," the association said.
The IAG pointed out that insurable risks were subjected to fortuitous occurrences and when an event leading to a loss becomes inevitable then the risk becomes uninsurable.
Expressing "serious concern" about the "severe flooding" that occurred on November 27, 2013 and January 14, 2014; the association noted that the unsatisfactory maintenance of drainage facilities and the "culture of disposing garbage in drains and canals" were the main causes of frequent flooding in Georgetown and its environs. "What was especially disturbing about this latest round of flooding was the admissions that some pumps necessary to drain the city were not working. Of even greater concern, was the absence of any assurance as to when they might be repaired," the IAG added.
The concerns were expressed by the Demerara Mutual Life Assurance Society Limited, Demerara Fire and General Insurance, Caricom General Insurance Inc; GCIS Inc; Guyana and Trinidad Mutual Group of Insurance Companies Ltd; Hand-in-Hand Life, Hand-in-Hand Fire, John Fernandes Insurance Services Ltd; North American Life Insurance, North American Fire Insurance, Assuria Life and General (Guy) Inc, and Guyana Insurance Brokers.


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City's Investment In Full Bloom
Shoreline and Windmill Park areas enter first growing season.
Scene from South Union Street. Photo by Mike Salmon.
Although the ribbon was cut for the completion of the Windmill Hill Park Shoreline Project last November, it took a rainy spring and hot days in June for the "living shoreline" along South Union Street to come alive. On Sunday, June 23, the temperatures were in the 80s, the sun was out and the new garden was awash in yellow flowers that are favorites of butterflies and bees.
"We do have pollinator flowers," said Jack Browand, division chief at the City of Alexandria's Recreation, Parks & Cultural Activities. The new plantings on the shoreline and surrounding parks are 75 percent grasses and 25 percent flowering plants, he said. "It's natural vegetation, it's turning out great," he said.
But this area of the shoreline a few blocks south of King Street was in bad shape at one time, and the city stepped up to address it, and came up with a plan in 2003. At that time, the wooden pier work in the water that supported the retaining walls was rotting away and the concrete bulkheads were cracked. It was clear something had to be done, so the city looked at options that included rebuilt bulkheads, rip rap stone supports or the living shoreline, which turned out to be everyone's preferred choice. In June 2015, the City Council approved the living shoreline plan, and construction began in September 2016.
To the naked eye, it's all city parkland, and the vegetation is rooted in the soil to keep it from washing away into the river. Upon further examination though, the parks are spliced up, and the city project includes the bulkhead of a former shipping area where there is now a rainwater drainage creek.
Old Town resident George F. Jewsbury takes daily walks through this area off Union Street and thinks the project was "very well done."
Sophia Farino comes in from her home in the Fairfax County portion of Alexandria, and likes the river views from South Union Street. "It gives a really nice view of the water and the bridge," she said.
The northern part of the shoreline is Shipyard Park, and maintained by the Harborside Condominium Homeowners Association with permanent public access to the riverside park and public wharf, according to city information. Then there's Windmill Park on the east and west side of Union Street, and a new dog park just south of that, and then Ford's Landing City Park. It all seems like one continuous piece of land. "This area's very complicated," said Browand.
The city planted aquatic plants close to the water and along the shore, and pollinator flowers on the dryer parts of the parcels. Currently there are strings and stakes "to keep the geese out" who eat the new plants before they have a chance to root. "Projects within this scope can take a couple of growing seasons," Browand added.
Like everything else in Old Town, this area has a history too. Beginning in 1851, the Orange & Alexandria Railroad used the Wilkes Tunnel to get to the bulkhead at the Potomac River. The trains stopped rolling through the tunnel in 1975, but Browand did say they found rails and materials under the dirt while clearing the land for this project. "That whole area was industrial," he said.
Dyke Marsh Is Lush and Dotted with Colors in Summer
Sunflower Fields Attract Birds, Bees, Nature Lovers
Waterfront Construction Casts a Long Shadow Over Sightseeing
Bees, Birds, Photographers Flock to Fields of Sunflowers
Photographers Will Flock to McKee-Beshers Sunflower Fields


A French court has found the producers of a French reality TV show liable for the death of a cameraman killed in a twin helicopter crash while filming in Argentina, according to a ruling seen by AFP Wednesday.
Ten people were killed when the two helicopters collided on March 9, 2015, during filming for the French television series "Dropped".
Renowned yachtswoman Florence Arthaud, Olympic champion swimmer Camille Muffat, Olympic boxer Alexis Vastine were among the victims.
The family of cameraman Laurent Sbasnik, who was among the five French crew members killed, sued the production company SAS Adventure Line Productions for negligence.
In a ruling dated April 20 a labour tribunal near Paris sided with the family, declaring that his death was the result of an "unforgivable mistake" on the part of the producers.
It said that the conditions in which Sbasnik was filming -- through the open door of the helicopter, wearing a harness, as the aircraft flew close to another Eurocopter -- entailed "particular risks for his health and safety" for which he had not received appropriate training.
The court ordered the company to pay €120,000 ($146,000) in compensation to Sbasnik's widow, mother and two children and to reimburse nearly €400,000 paid out by the French state to the family.
In 2015, an investigation in Argentina concluded that the crash was caused by errors on the part of the two Argentine pilots, who died in the accident.
"Dropped," which was to air on French channel TF1 but was immediately cancelled, featured sports stars taken blindfolded into rugged environments and given 72 hours to get to a place where they could charge a cell phone.
Arthaud, 57, was considered one of the best sailors in the world, conquering what had been a male-dominated sport.
Muffat, 25, won three medals at the 2012 London Olympics, including gold in the 400-meter freestyle. Vastine, 28, won bronze at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.


In a jar of 120 candies, one in every six candies is orange flavored.
This Math quiz is called 'Numbers - Fractions - Multiplication and Division' and it has been written by teachers to help you if you are studying the subject at middle school. Playing educational quizzes is a fabulous way to learn if you are in the 6th, 7th or 8th grade - aged 11 to 14.
Multiplication (or 'times') and division of fractions is an important subject in Math and you will come across fractions not only in your lessons but in everyday life too.
Practice your numbers skills in the following quiz on multiplication and division of fractions.
A piece of copper wire is 72⁄3m long. What is the total length of three of these wires?
What is 3/8 of £48.00?
What is 3⁄10 ÷ 6⁄25?
What is 21⁄4 x 21⁄5?
What is 9⁄14 ÷ 11⁄2?
14,000 fans attended the soccer match yesterday. 6/7 of them wore scarves. How many were without scarves?
In a jar of 120 candies, one in every six candies is orange flavored. If half the orange candies are eaten, what fraction of the candies is left?
What is 1/9 x 3/5?
Daniel is making pancakes. Each pancake uses 1⁄8 of a liter of batter. How much batter is used if Daniel makes 20 pancakes?
I'll have lemon and sugar on mine please!
What is 23⁄4 ÷ 41⁄8?


Roasted vegetables are a perfect food for older babies because they are easy to prepare, filled with flavor, and the rest of the family will enjoy them too. There's a whole range of vegetables that are great for roasting, though texture is key—you want ones that roast up with a soft interior without becoming too crispy so they are easy for baby to eat. Here's a step-by-step guide to making quick and delicious roasted vegetables for babies.
2. Pick your pan. A rimmed baking sheet is the ideal pan for roasting veggies, though a cast iron skillet can also work in a pinch. You want a pan that's big enough to comfortably hold the vegetables without them overlapping much. This will ensure that each piece will caramelize slightly and turn a light golden brown.
3. Add the seasoning. Olive oil is a great option for roasting vegetables for babies since it adds some good fats, and it helps prevent the vegetables from sticking to the pan. Most vegetables are delicious without any extra flavoring, but if you want to make things a little more interesting, you can add a small sprinkle of salt (for toddlers), a touch of dried herbs such as crushed thyme or rosemary, or even a little grated garlic. Toss everything together well and spread evenly on the pan. For easier clean-up, line the baking pan with parchment paper first.
4. Roast until tender. Preheat your oven to 425, place the vegetables into the oven, and roast for 20-25 minutes or until tender. Depending on the variety, potatoes and winter squash might take longer, but checking for tenderness by poking with a fork is the best way to test for doneness.
5. Let cool. Straight out of the oven, roasted veggies will be piping hot, so give them a few minutes to cool down before serving them up to your family. Potatoes can hold a lot of heat in the center, so be sure to slice a piece to check the internal temperature too.
Serve these roasted vegetables plain or with a simple dipping sauce and watch your baby dig in. Store any leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the refrigerator. Reheat slightly before serving.


Select the required viscosity of the fork oil below.
Putoline HPX suspension fluid is formulated from special, highly refined, synthetic blended base oils. The addition of the most advanced additives produces a high-tech, top quality product for use Grand-Prix level. HPX suspension fluid prevents corrosion, oxidation, leaking seal rings and foaming. HPX suspension fluid particularly suitable for machines used in high performance street, Moto-X, Road Racing and Enduro applications, whether is cross country races, road racing, enduro racing, trails or off-the-road racing.


A ton of cool mods for Doom 3 around the corner!
Thanks to the public release of Doom 3's source code.
If you were a big fan of one of the hottest FPS hits in 2004, Doom 3, you might be particularly excited to know that creator John Carmack has just tweeted news that Doom 3's Source Code is about to be released to the public.
doom 3 source is packaged and tested, we are waiting on final lawyer clearance for release.
The result will inevitably bring us some terrific spin-offs and a ton of funky mods from all directions!


Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums - Camaro5.com - View Single Post - irpq11, L99 Dyno results.
Thread: irpq11, L99 Dyno results.
irpq, you've said that you randomly had the car 'wake up' the other day, though it seems intermittent?
I've been thinking about my theory that the car doesn't respond as well to mashing the throttle from the get-go...all my best launches have been in situations where I smoothly feed the throttle in and I've had some disappointing launches where I rammed it...is it possible that some aspect of the L99 software is limiting maximum torque from a dead stop? Perhaps some sort of break-in software?


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Monday, Jan 7 2019
Frustrated Scientists Warn That Ripple Effects From Shutdown Could Echo For Years To Come
The shutdown is upending important work and research, and scientists say it could put a damper on future recruitment possibilities and morale. Some agencies, like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health, have been insulated somewhat from the shutdown because Congress had already passed their funding bills earlier in the year.
The New York Times: Toll On Science And Research Mounts As Government Shutdown Continues
One of the first sessions of the American Meteorological Society's annual conference in Phoenix this weekend seemed like just the sort to attract plenty of government scientists: "Building Resilience to Extreme Political Weather: Advice for Unpredictable Times." But the conference, where more than 700 federal employees had been expected, will have few federal scientists in attendance. Many are barred from participating during the partial government shutdown, just one of the numerous consequences for the science community during the capital's latest spending standoff. (Blinder, 1/5)
The Washington Post: As Shutdown Drags On, Trump Officials Make New Offer, Seek Novel Ways To Cope With Its Impacts
Trump administration officials began taking extraordinary steps to contain the fallout from the partial federal government shutdown Sunday, as the budget impasse between the president and congressional Democrats showed no signs of nearing a breakthrough. As agencies sought to deal with cascading problems across the federal bureaucracy, acting White House budget director Russell T. Vought sent congressional leaders a letter detailing the administration's latest offer to end the shutdown. (Costa, Eilperin, Paletta and Miroff, 1/6)
The Washington Post: U.S. Towns With Federal Workers Brace For Impact As The Shutdown Continues
The snowy streets of Ogden are quiet these days. Parking lots are half-empty. Restaurant sales have dropped. Without federal workers to serve, Bickering Sisters cafe has cut the hours of its lunch service. More than 4,000 federal employees who work for the Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Forest Service have been furloughed from their jobs in this outdoorsy haven north of Salt Lake City as part of the partial government shutdown. (May, Gowen and Achenbach, 1/6)
Wyoming Public Radio: Government Shutdown Strikes Home On Wind River Reservation
The Wind River Reservation's tribes signed treaties with the government in the late 1800s, giving up vast expanses of land in exchange for health care, police services and other basic needs like food. Eastern Shoshone councilor Leslie Shakespeare said, already some seasonal transportation employees had to be laid off because of the shutdown. (Edwards, 1/4)