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Home > Online Dating > Article
Know Ya' Boo with the #1 Social Network for Two: Avocado
Hayley Matthews Updated: 3/11/16
TL;DR: Just like avocado trees need another tree nearby to bear fruit, relationships need two committed people to survive – and that's where Avocado comes in handy. Giving partners the ability to privately chat, share photos and more, Avocado is one of the top couples apps around.
Social media sites like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter make it easy for us to stay connected with our family, friends, co-workers and even total strangers, but what about our significant others? Is there an outlet that allows couples to privately interact?
Well, there is and it's called Avocado.
An essential tool for every duo, Avocado's #1 mission is to make connecting easier – and they've definitely done that!
"Technology is enabling you to connect to people all over the place, but there's not very many options for your most important relationship," said Rachel Lorencz, Avocado's customer specialist. "Our goal has always been to create the absolute best way for you to stay in touch with the most important person in your life."
A social network built for two
Founded by Chris Wetherell and Jenna Bilotta in 2012, Avocado is one of the few platforms that provides partners, or "boos" as employees call them, with the features they actually need and want to stay linked throughout the day, including real-time messaging, shared lists and calendars, digital hugs and kisses and more.
"We created Avocado to bring couples closer together," Wetherell said. "For some couples, that means creating a sense of closeness through messaging and hugs features, and for others, that means being able to share lists and calendars seamlessly in order to spend more time on things that really matter."
Avocado allows couples to write love notes, send virtual kisses and more.
Available in several different languages via iOS and Android, Avocado is quickly becoming one of the most popular and safest apps for couples all over the world.
"Couples are realizing the value of a secure and private space just for two, especially in light of the recent celebrity photo leaks," Bilotta said. "Couples should have the freedom to communicate and connect with their favorite person without worrying about privacy or security. That's where Avocado comes in."
Listening to what users want
Besides its cool features, sleek design and fun on-site personality, the main thing that sets Avocado apart from other couples apps is its dedication to its users.
When members are itching for a new feature, Avocado is intuitive enough to know what that next feature should be. In 2013, they added a feature that alerted users when their boo's battery was low.
"We feel like we are more utilitarian than other couples apps. We really listen to our users, and we try to build in the little things that will make the app that much more useful to couples," Lorencz said.
Avocado is available on iOS, Android and the Web.
So what's in the future for Avocado? Duh, more awesome tools for their users!
Along with prepping the app for iOS8, the Avocado crew is producing a custom camera for Android users, therefore marking its place as a true tech-savvy social network for couples.
"I think the most important thing for us is we are a part of technology that's helping couples become closer," Lorencz said.
Couples Dating Apps Interview
Hayley Matthews
As the editor-in-chief of DatingAdvice.com, I oversee content strategy, social media engagement, and media opportunities. When I'm not writing about cheese or my 22-year love affair with Leonardo DiCaprio, I'm listening to The Beatles, watching Harry Potter reruns (I'm a proud Slytherin!), or drinking IPAs.
Tastebuds: The Music App That's Striking a Chord with the Dating Industry
Down: The Dating App Taking the Shame Out of Getting Down
Couple: The App That's Connecting Partners Around the World
Coffee Meets Bagel: The Ideal Dating App for Women
Lulu: The App That Helps Women Make Smarter Dating Decisions
Alikewise: The #1 Dating Site for Bookworms


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A Tale of Two Saturdays: Team Portman Contacts Over 175K Voters
New Columbus Dispatch Poll Shows Portman up 21
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Yesterday, Rob wrapped up a successful day 15 of his "Countdown to Victory" RV tour making stops in Terrace Park, Dayton, Delaware, and Columbus to meet with and thank hundreds of interns and volunteers with less than three days until Election Day. The energy and excitement behind Rob's campaign can be felt all across Ohio and yesterday the campaign's grassroots efforts were on full display as more than 2,000 volunteers made just over 175,000 targeted voter contacts. Since May of last year, thousands of volunteers and interns have knocked on doors and made phone calls – including to 161,492 during our last Super Saturday – talking to more than 5.5 million voters about the issues they care most about and why Rob is the best choice in the race for Ohio's U.S. Senate seat.
Rob's "Countdown to Victory" RV Tour continues on to Toledo and Cleveland today, and by Election Day the tour will have made 80 stops across 35 counties and cover over 4,000 miles. The stops have included meetings with members of our campaign's seven coalitions, union members who have endorsed Rob, and thousands of volunteers who - just like 22 out of 24 newspapers - agree Ohio can't afford to go back to the days of Ted Strickland's Ohio.
Meanwhile, Ted Strickland faced a Columbus Dispatch poll showing Rob up 21 points (Portman 58 - Strickland 37). The retread candidate also faced this story:
Democrat Ted Strickland's challenge of U.S. Sen. Rob Portman sinking after high hopes
Within a few hours on the campaign trail last week, Ted Strickland was rained on, was heckled along with other Democrats by a man in a Chicago Cubs hat, and learned he was down 18 points in the latest poll. It was, as the children's book says, a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. But Strickland, who hopes to unseat U.S. Sen. Rob Portman on Tuesday, has had his share of those lately. He entered the Senate race with the highest of expectations. Democrats called him key to the party's effort to retake the Senate, and the party poured $20 million into his race. For a year, he led Portman in the polls and the race was on everyone's list of the most competitive Senate contests. Then it fell apart...
Here is a review of day 15 of Rob's "Countdown to Victory" RV Tour:
Saturday, November 5th:
Rob and Jane delivered lunch to interns and volunteers at the campaign's field office in Terrace Park. Here is what WLWT had to say:
Here are some pictures from Rob's Terrace Park visit:
Next, the RV went north to Dayton where Rob met with some of his army of interns and volunteers to get them energized and excited for the final days of the campaign. These students and volunteers have powered our grassroots efforts, which recently surpassed 5.5 million voter contacts. Here is what WDTN and WRGT had to say:
Here are some pictures from Rob's Dayton visit:
Next, Rob hit the road to Delaware where Congressman Pat Tiberi joined him to meet with and thank dozens of Portman interns and volunteers. Here is what WSYX had to say:
Here are some pictures from Rob's Delaware visit:
Finally, Rob, Jane, Will, and Sally made their way to The Ohio State University where they joined dozens of College Republicans for a tailgate before the Buckeyes took on Nebraska. Be sure to check out these great pictures from their stop:
Paid for by Portman for Senate Committee | Privacy Policy

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


(2) "District" means the West Fort Bend Management District.
Added by Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch. 894 (S.B. 1820), Sec. 1, eff. June 17, 2005.
Sec. 3835.002. WEST FORT BEND MANAGEMENT DISTRICT. The West Fort Bend Management District is a special district created under Section 59, Article XVI, Texas Constitution.
Sec. 3835.003. PURPOSE; DECLARATION OF INTENT. (a) The creation of the district is essential to accomplish the purposes of Sections 52 and 52-a, Article III, and Section 59, Article XVI, Texas Constitution, and other public purposes stated in this chapter. By creating the district and in authorizing the cities of Richmond and Rosenberg, Fort Bend County, and other political subdivisions to contract with the district, the legislature has established a program to accomplish the public purposes set out in Section 52-a, Article III, Texas Constitution.
(b) The creation of the district is necessary to promote, develop, encourage, and maintain employment, commerce, transportation, housing, tourism, recreation, the arts, entertainment, economic development, safety, and the public welfare in the district territory.
(c) The creation of the district will establish an economic climate that encourages sustainable growth and improves the quality of life of citizens.
(d) This chapter and the creation of the district may not be interpreted to relieve Fort Bend County and the Cities of Richmond and Rosenberg from providing the level of services provided as of the effective date of the Act enacting this chapter, to the area in the district. The district is created to supplement and not to supplant the county or city services provided in the area in the district.
Sec. 3835.004. FINDINGS OF BENEFIT AND PUBLIC PURPOSE. (a) The district is created to serve a public use and benefit.
Sec. 3835.007. APPLICABILITY OF MUNICIPAL MANAGEMENT DISTRICTS LAW. Except as otherwise provided by this chapter, Chapter 375, Local Government Code, applies to the district.
Sec. 3835.008. LIBERAL CONSTRUCTION OF CHAPTER. This chapter shall be liberally construed in conformity with the findings and purposes stated in this chapter.
Sec. 3835.051. BOARD OF DIRECTORS; TERMS. (a) The district is governed by a board of five voting directors who serve staggered terms of four years, with two or three directors' terms expiring June 1 of each odd-numbered year.
(b) The board by resolution may change the number of voting directors on the board, but only if the board determines that the change is in the best interest of the district. The board may not consist of fewer than five or more than 15 voting directors.
(3) the cities shall jointly appoint one voting director.
(b) For an appointment under Subsection (a)(1) or (2), a person is appointed if a majority of the members of the governing body of the city, including the mayor, vote to appoint that person. For an appointment under Subsection (a)(3), a person is appointed if a majority of the members of the governing body of each city, including the mayor, vote to appoint that person.
(c) If the board increases the number of voting directors from five, an equal number of directors must be appointed by the Cities of Richmond and Rosenberg. The remaining director, if any, must be appointed jointly by the cities as provided by this section.
Sec. 3835.053. NONVOTING DIRECTORS. The board may appoint nonvoting directors to serve at the pleasure of the voting directors.
(2) a housing finance corporation under Chapter 394, Local Government Code, to provide housing or residential development projects in the district.
Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 885 (H.B. 2278), Sec. 3.58, eff. April 1, 2009.
Sec. 3835.102. POWER TO ESTABLISH DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES; DISSOLUTION. (a) The board may establish architectural and landscaping standards and guidelines, and may require new construction, development, or redevelopment in the district to comply with those standards and guidelines. The board may not establish standards or guidelines under this section unless the governing bodies of the cities of Richmond and Rosenberg each consent by resolution or ordinance to the establishment of the standards or guidelines.
(b) A standard or guideline established by the board under this section is in addition to regulations of the City of Richmond or Rosenberg. To the extent of any conflict between a board standard or guideline established under this section and a regulation of the City of Richmond or Rosenberg, the more restrictive standard, guideline, or regulation controls.
(c) The board may provide in a standard or guideline that if the district dissolves, the restriction in the standard or guideline continues in effect after the dissolution as a regulation of the city with jurisdiction over the territory to which the standard or guideline applies until modified or repealed by the governing body of the City of Richmond or Rosenberg, as appropriate.
(d) The district may not regulate land use.
Sec. 3835.103. NONPROFIT CORPORATION. (a) The board by resolution may authorize the creation of a nonprofit corporation to assist and act for the district in implementing a project or providing a service authorized by this chapter.
(c) The board shall appoint the board of directors of the nonprofit corporation. A director of the corporation is not required to reside in the district.
(d) The board of directors of the nonprofit corporation shall serve in the same manner as the board of directors of a local government corporation created under Chapter 431, Transportation Code.
Sec. 3835.104. AGREEMENTS; GRANTS. (a) The district may make an agreement with or accept a gift, grant, or loan from any person.
Sec. 3835.105. AUTHORITY TO CONTRACT FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT. To protect the public interest, the district may contract with Fort Bend County or the City of Richmond or Rosenberg for the county or the city to provide law enforcement services in the district for a fee.
Sec. 3835.108. NO EMINENT DOMAIN. The district may not exercise the power of eminent domain.
(3) the board determines that it is feasible, practicable, and to the district's advantage.
(b) The district may not annex a single-family residence under this section.
Added by Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 559 (S.B. 1439), Sec. 1, eff. June 16, 2007.
Sec. 3835.151. DISBURSEMENTS AND TRANSFERS OF MONEY. The board by resolution shall establish the number of directors' signatures and the procedure required for a disbursement or transfer of the district's money.
Sec. 3835.152. MONEY USED FOR IMPROVEMENTS OR SERVICES. The district may acquire, construct, finance, operate, or maintain any improvement or service authorized under this chapter or Chapter 375, Local Government Code, using any money available to the district.
Sec. 3835.153. PETITION REQUIRED FOR FINANCING SERVICES AND IMPROVEMENTS WITH ASSESSMENTS. (a) The board may not finance a service or improvement project with assessments under this chapter unless a written petition requesting that service or improvement has been filed with the board.
(b) A petition filed under Subsection (a) must be signed by the owners of a majority of the assessed value of real property in the district subject to assessment according to the most recent certified tax appraisal roll for Fort Bend County.
Sec. 3835.154. METHOD OF NOTICE FOR HEARING. The district may mail the notice required by Section 375.115(c), Local Government Code, by certified United States mail or an equivalent service that can provide a record of mailing or other delivery.
Sec. 3835.155. ASSESSMENTS; LIENS FOR ASSESSMENTS. (a) The board by resolution may impose and collect an assessment for any purpose authorized by this chapter in all or any part of the district.
(4) a person who provides to the public cable television or advanced telecommunications services.
(b) The district may not impose an assessment on single-family residential property.
Sec. 3835.158. BONDS AND OTHER OBLIGATIONS. (a) The district may issue by competitive bid or negotiated sale bonds or other obligations payable wholly or partly from taxes, assessments, impact fees, revenue, grants, or other money of the district, or any combination of those sources of money, to pay for any authorized purpose of the district. The sources of money may include economic development money contributed by the City of Richmond or Rosenberg or by an economic development corporation created under the Development Corporation Act (Subtitle C1, Title 12, Local Government Code).
(b) In exercising the district's power to borrow, the district may issue a bond or other obligation in the form of a bond, note, certificate of participation or other instrument evidencing a proportionate interest in payments to be made by the district, or other type of obligation.
Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 885 (H.B. 2278), Sec. 3.59, eff. April 1, 2009.
Sec. 3835.160. TAX AND BOND ELECTIONS. (a) The district shall hold an election in the manner provided by Subchapter L, Chapter 375, Local Government Code, to obtain voter approval before the district imposes an ad valorem tax or issues bonds payable from ad valorem taxes.
(b) Section 375.243, Local Government Code, does not apply to the district.
Sec. 3835.161. CITIES NOT REQUIRED TO PAY DISTRICT OBLIGATIONS. Except as provided by Section 375.263, Local Government Code, the Cities of Richmond and Rosenberg are not required to pay a bond, note, or other obligation of the district.
Sec. 3835.162. COMPETITIVE BIDDING. Section 375.221, Local Government Code, applies to the district only for a contract that has a value greater than $25,000.
Sec. 3835.163. TAX AND ASSESSMENT ABATEMENTS. The district may grant in the manner authorized by Chapter 312, Tax Code, an abatement for a tax or assessment owed to the district.
Sec. 3835.201. DISSOLUTION OF DISTRICT WITH OUTSTANDING DEBT. (a) The board may dissolve the district regardless of whether the district has debt. Section 375.264, Local Government Code, does not apply to the district.
(b) If the district has debt when it is dissolved, the district shall remain in existence solely for the purpose of discharging its debts. The dissolution is effective when all debts have been discharged.


The rapper T.I. was born Clifford Joseph Harris Jr.. Harris has collaborated with some of the best in the business and released a number of successful albums. With good looks, he moved into acting with roles in ATL and American Gangster. Harris has a three picture deal with Sony Screen Gems that begins with Bone Deep.


People learn best by "doing." Need proof? Consider how most of us learn to use a computer. We don't just read the instruction manual, memorize it, and then turn the machine on. We learn in a series of back-and-forth steps, where something we want to do compels us to find out how to do it.
In museums, historic homes, aquariums, zoos, and other institutions where collections are protected and visitors are kept at a distance, people usually do very little. They stroll, they gaze, they pause to read labels (often spending longer to read a label than to look at what the label describes), and they browse at the gift shop. Truth be told, most people don't really know what to do when they are in our institutions.
That is one reason why the inquiry method of teaching is such a useful technique for touring. Questioning gets visitors doing things — actively pursuing answers through the process of careful inspection, analysis, and reflection.
Questioning allows visitors to engage in an active learning experience. And, as the old adage goes, "experience is the best teacher." It is the reason school children are assigned homework; graduate students write papers and theses; tradespeople apprentice; and doctors endure residencies. Active learning experiences teach us in ways that simply hearing about things cannot.
Learning by doing is not new; it is at least as old as our use of tools. Formally, however, it can be traced back to the inquiry method of teaching developed by the philosopher, Socrates. He taught his students by asking them questions. When his students responded, Socrates took their responses, gave them a slightly different spin, and threw back even more questions.
Questioning creates a dynamic situation where people actively discover how to learn, as well as what to learn. Sounds great, doesn't it? Oh, but there is one tiny complication, most adults want docents to lecture. They do not want to be asked questions. Questioning makes some adults feel put on the spot.
The fact that a majority of adults dislike or distrust situations where they must answer questions creates an educational dilemma for museum docents and staff educators. How do we get adults involved so that they, too, have a lively and enriched learning experience, without forcing them to participate in something they find uncomfortable or worse?
One way to engage adults in active learning is to remove the risks inherent in questioning—to provoke adults into action in ways that do not put them in a situation of perceived vulnerability. There are several ways to accomplish this, each of which can be easily incorporated into adult tours.
Rhetorical questions, or questions asked to produce an effect and not to elicit a reply, are a useful device for provoking adults into an active frame-ofmind. The effect sought when asking rhetorical questions is precisely the same as when asking questions to which a verbal reply is anticipated — that is to encourage careful observation, analysis, and thoughtful reflection.
Perhaps you've entered an 18th century kitchen building with a group of adult visitors. You point to the fireplace with its cauldron and crane. Then, you say, "Can you imagine the dangers of cooking on an open hearth?" Now you pause, giving visitors time to contemplate the question, while lending a dramatic flair to your presentation.
Since adults generally prefer to receive information in a lecture format, rhetorical questions should be interjected into one's text. They cannot, as with students, be the primary vehicle through which one teaches. You still pause after asking rhetorical questions, however, so that adults realize that you expect them to give them real consideration. Perhaps, the more verbal among your adult visitors may even decide to offer real, out-loud responses so that inquiry teaching can begin in a more overt manner.
Sometimes, statements can serve the same function as rhetorical questions. They can request that visitors participate by developing a mental response, even though a verbal response is unnecessary.
For instance, you take a group of adults into a gallery of contemporary art. Guide them toward a work that often evokes thoughts of violence, or pain, or discomfort. Before attempting to discuss the work or the artist, begin by saying, "I am often asked if the artist meant for this painting to be so upsetting and confrontational," or "The artist of this work left it untitled. However, I'm certain that each of you could come up with a descriptive tide of your own for it." After each provocative statement, pause. The pause serves as an unspoken cue to visitors that they should look, consider, and reflect.
"Once upon a time" are magic words that weave their spell upon people of all ages. Adults, as well as children, enjoy hearing anecdotes, folktales, or stories when they are well told. In addition to the pleasure they bring, stories activate participation and engage listeners by prompting them to envision, imagine, and embellish what they hear.
Perhaps you are touring a group of adults through a garden. You begin by telling the group, "I once read a story for children that relates to what we will see in the garden. It was about the beginning of time, when all the plants on Earth were challenged to go without sleep throughout the night.
"Every plant agreed to try, each confident of its ability to remain awake. But only a few hours after sunset, the smallest of the plants became weak and drowsy, and soon drifted off into sleep. Most of the flowering plants also became tired and could not stay awake. One by one, they closed their flower petals and fell fast asleep. Before dawn, even many of the tallest trees had fallen asleep. Only the hardiest of the plants remained awake by the time morning came . . . plants like the holly, the hemlock, the cedar, and the pine.
"These plants had won the competition. For winning, they were told that they need not lose their leaves in winter, but could remain "ever-green" all throughout the year. And, to this day it is the evergreens that keep their leaves, providing us with beauty and greenery even in the coldest days of winter.
Inviting visitors to ask questions allows them an opportunity to pursue interests and to satisfy curiosities. It is also a wonderful way to permit your guests to set the agenda and determine the tempo of the tour.
When the tour begins, let visitors know to ask questions as they arise, and not to wait until the tour has ended. Then, after looking at something in depth, invite them again to ask questions. Should questions begin to overwhelm your tour, simply reign things back in by telling visitors of your time constraints while offering to answer the rest of their questions at the conclusion of the tour.
If, on occasion, you are asked questions to which you do not know the answer, don't be rattled. When that happens to me, I admit my ignorance, and then thank the questioner for stimulating me to consider something familiar from an entirely new vantage point.
Engaging adults through a process of asking rhetorical questions, making provocative statements, telling stories, and inviting their questions is not only an effective method of teaching, it is a more satisfying way to teach. Everyone wins. Visitors enjoy a higher quality experience through personal involvement, as they imagine, discuss, and pursue areas of personal interest, while docents experience the satisfaction of having succeed at an educator's two most important goals, nurturing curiosity and fostering an enthusiasm for learning.
Gartenhaus, Alan. "Active Learning and Adults," The Docent Educator 4.4 (Summer 1995): 2-3.


The name is familiar, but I regret that I'm not familiar with his work.
I'll honor his memory by looking up his contributions to the art of magic.
My condolences to his friends, family and colleagues.
I remember his vanishing canes and candles for sale in the 70's, very popular then.
How many thousands of stage magicians have featured his candles and canes? It would not be an exaggeration to say they were everywhere. His work made a seminal contribution to our art that will endure for years to come.


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STAR Bharat – Star India Announces The Launch of Latest Channel from 28th August 2017
December 24, 2018 August 20, 2017 by
STAR Bharat Channel Launching on Monday, 28th August 2017 at 6.00 P.M
STAR Bharat Channel Logo
Star India, announced the launch of their latest television channel named Star Bharat. It's scheduled to start from 28th of August 2017, 6 pm onwards. This channel will showcase inspirational stories about journeys of strong and fearless characters that rise for the collective. Bharath channel will Celebrate the many facets of Fearless India, unveils a content line up with strong, rooted icons and differentiated programming. " Bhula ke darr, kuch alag kar" is the tagline of bharat channel from star india. will be available on all indian cable network and dth services.
List of programs and schedule of Star Bharat Channel
Om Shanti Om – A devotional music reality show Produced by Colosceum, Swami Baba Ramdev will be the Maha Judge of this show. This is hid television debut as judge, Sonakshi Sinha, Shekhar Ravjiani , Kanika Kapoor will be also in the judging panel.
Nimki Mukhiya is a show in the backdrop of bihar, a village that has been ruled by men for years. an young girl, named Nimki, who loves to day dream and is unaware of the world outside her house, is about to take on the responsibility of her village and become the Mukhiya. you can watch this show on bharat channel very soon.
Saam Daam Dand Bhed is the personal journey of Vijay Namdhari, telecasting soon on star network latest channel bharat. Bhanu Uday playing the lead role and this show is produced by Shakuntalam Telefilms.
Ayushman Bhav is Set against the backdrop of Mathura, telling the story of Krish. child artist Ricky Patel as the lead and Avinash Sachdeva, Megha Gupta, and Manish Goel as cast members.
There are many shows coming on this channel, you can tune into the same from monday, 28th august 2017.
Categories Latest Channels
Star Sports First Available on DD Free Dish DTH Service from 21st July 2017
Pitaara TV – First Punjabi Movie Channel Launched and Available on Leading Platforms


Let's examine the five common risks encountered as a result of publishing unprotected APIs, and then identify how to mitigate them.
Inability revoke API access: Since these 'Accidental APIs' often don't require authentication tokens (or use shared tokens), there is no way to shutdown access for a specific application without disrupting all other web and mobile applications. Mobile apps will likely need to be updated to use a new key, and it may take some time before all installed versions are updated, causing downtime and loss of revenue.
Unlimited data/application usage: In addition, lack of proper authentication mechanisms allow developers to easily access any/all available data without restriction. Your valuable data is then exposed, without limitation, to anyone and without proper logging and auditing.
Mitigation: Implement API security to restrict access to the API, using standards such as OAuth 2.
Accidental APIs lack monitoring capabilities, preventing any insight from who, and how, an API is used.
Lack of Usage Metrics/Insights: Lack of insight into what partners/applications are using the API, how they are using it, and where revenue opportunities may exist. This is most important for integration partners, as contract renewals may allow for an increase in revenue for partners that more heavily depend upon the API.
Lack of Consumption Awareness: APIs will change and without monitoring, you will have no idea which partners, internal departments, or integration partners use a particular part of the API that is being changed.
Lack of scalability: Lack of proper management prevent the ability to monitor and scale APIs. Often, APIs are co-deployed with other applications, which may limit the ability to easily deploy and scale quickly. This lack of rate limiting can overwhelm servers and reduce the performance of your application, or even render it unavailable.
Mitigation: Select and install an API management layer.
Mitigation: Invest in a proper API design by applying practical design principles that will deliver high business value, reduce costs, and encourage reuse.
Insecure communications: Accidental APIs may be deployed without SSL, either if the primary application doesn't require it or if the API is deployed haphazardly. This means that logins, passwords, and other sensitive data are sent in plain text and easily obtained.
Industry or business compliance failures: Lack of proper security precautions can often expose holes in the company's PCI compliance, or other industry regulations.
Mitigation: Conduct a security audit of the API, implement the appropriate measures, and ensure TLS is used to encrypt API communication channels. You may wish to also consider an API management layer that implements authentication standards such as OAuth 2.
Denial of Service (DoS) attacks: Attackers can try to reduce or completely eliminate the system's ability to service incoming calls by overwhelming the system with API calls, rendering the system unusable by internal, partner, and potentially public consumers of the API.
SQL injection attacks: SQL injection is a technique uses to try to access or modify data by attempting to alter SQL statements executed by the API endpoints, exposing data that was previously not available.
XML attacks: An XML attack is designed to compromise servers by sending large, invalid, or malformed XML content. Servers are often made unavailable due to memory leaks or high CPU usage when trying to process large or malformed content.
Mitigation: Conduct an operations audit of the API environment, a code review to prevent various attack vectors, and a thorough review of all data sent and received by the API.
How Protected Is Your API?
Without API protection, your API is vulnerable. It is time to install an API management layer in front of your API to protect your business and your digital assets. You can find out more about the various API attack vectors and how Tyk can protect your API in our previous article, "How Secure Is Your API?".


Raw tarts! Aka the easiest tarts you'll ever make!
This is another recipe from Rawlicious in Toronto. The no-bake crust – perfect for this Missouri week, when the temps topped out at 90F – is really simple: just almonds, shredded coconut, and coconut oil.
The filling is pretty easy, too: avocados, lime juice, and a few other goodies. Pro tip: it calls for psyllium as a thickener, but I swapped it out for xanthan gum without a problem.
Blend, fill, chill. Enjoy. The end.
The filling is actually pretty great on its own, too; when chilled, it resembles pudding.
Ugh, this was SO GOOD!, you guys. Penne (really fusilli; of course I run out of penne the one time I actually need it. OF COURSE!), carrots, broccoli, and zucchini in a avocado-cashew cream sauce. There are supposed to be fresh grape tomatoes in there too, but the tomatoes currently available in the Midwest taste like iceberg lettuce, so I didn't bother with 'em. Definitely gonna try a proper version of this dish come summer. I can't wait to get my garden on!
And this time I have a recipe to link to! Go try it and we can be kitchen pals or something mkay?
The idea of avocado pudding never really appealed to me – that is, until the day I found myself with three quickly mushifying avocados on my hands. (Leftovers from my veganmofo blogging. Guacamole, anyone?) One went straight onto a pizza (naturally!), while the other two were beaten into a mushy beige pulp by my trusty Cuisinart. I found a number of avocado pudding recipes on the interwebs – including not a few from paleo websites, oy – and what I came up with is a mashup of my favorites.
All in all, it's pretty tasty. My main complaint is that the pudding remained a little lumpy, even after a few minutes in the food processor. Probably mine just doesn't have the juice to liquefy an avocado? No idea. Maybe next time I'll swap out an avocado for a ripe banana, or perhaps a brick of silken tofu. Either one should make for a creamier pudding, don't you think?
Serve with chocolate chips, sprinkles, or – if they're in season – fresh berries. Mmmm, fresh berries.
1. In a food processor, combine the avocados and 1/2 cup of the milk. Process for about thirty seconds. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add more milk if the pudding is too thick. Repeat until you're happy with the results!
2. Once the pudding has reached the desired consistency, add the rest of the ingredients and pulse until smooth and creamy. Sample and add any extra seasonings (vanilla, sweetener, etc.) to taste.
3. Serve immediately, or let chill in the fridge for an hour or more for a firmer dessert.


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← Events from the 26th August onwards
Education as the Practice of Freedom (talk/discussion) →
Events from the 31st August onwards
Posted on August 30, 2014 by floaker | Leave a comment
Another interesting week ahead. My highlights would be the second meeting seeking to form a new social centre collective, and the Faslane double-whammy of a protest against NATO membership and the closing event for Lavinia Raccanello's work on the peace camp.
Also, at the end of this week's update I've copied a rather large though warmly received email from the politically-engaged arts group Arika. It has info about their upcoming 3-days of events that include discussions about Mass Incarceration and the Prison-Industrial Complex in the USA, a discussion about embodied politics and dance communities, a film screening featuring feminist queer and of color shorts, and a discussion about Realness and the intersections of race, gender, sex and sexuality. There will also be screenings, performances and a club night throughout the weekend.
Anyway, without further ado…
NOT PROTEST, BUT ACTIVE RESISTANCE // LAVINIA RACCANELLO
Friday, August 22 – Sunday, September 7
Nie Glasgow Society, 1307 Argyle Street, G3 8TL.
"People have as much liberty as they have the intelligence to want and the courage to take." – Emma Goldman
Lavinia Raccanello (1985) is an italian artist and activist, now based in Glasgow, where she was selected to be part of the Many Graduate programme 2013 – 2014. Her work always focusses on the relationship between human beings and society, with a particular emphasis on the power of dialectic and participatory practice. At the beginning of March, she moved to Faslane Peace Camp, the longest-running permanent peace camp in the world, and for her first solo exhibition at New Glasgow Society she stands up with Faslane Peace Campers for a nuclear-free Scotland.
On the closing day of the exhibition, September 7th, an open talk will be hosted in the gallery space, inviting artists, politicians, activists, and concerned citizens to come together to share their views on nuclear weapons along with their hopes for the future.
Glasgow Parkour Coaching FREE TASTER WEEK
Monday, September 1 – Wednesday, September 3 at 6:45pm
Kelvinbridge Underground
To celebrate the launch of our new website and GPC ACADEMY we will be offering our usual adult classes for FREE the first week in September.
IF IT'S YOUR FIRST TIME, we'll be super happy to see you!!! You don't need anything special, just remember to dress in loose, comfortable clothes and to bring plenty of water. If it's cold, wear layers you can take off easily, because we'll warm up quickly; but you don't want to cool down too fast when you stop moving!! As for shoes, your fav running trainers is all you need. If you have several pairs, choose the lightest ones with the most flexible soles: they'll be the best for touch and sensitivity.
Classes will meet 645pm at Kelvinbridge – Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
Mon/Wed are outdoor adult classes and Tuesday is Women's Only Class.
Every wondered what our Parkour classes are like, or just wanted to see if it's a good workout? This is your opportunity to try out a class for free.
You can find out more here – http://www.glasgowparkourcoaching.com/tasterweek.html
Reforming the GSC Collective, Second Meeting
Tuesday, September 2 at 7pm – 9pm
The Electron Club room, CCA, 350 Sauchiehall St, G2 3JD
The first meeting to set up a new social centre collective was so successful we agreed right away to keep the momentum going and set a time and date for a second meeting.
We will have minutes from the last meeting and a provisional agenda for this meeting available. Feel free to contact us with add any ideas/changes in advance!
LIVE MUSIC AT SHARMANKA: ELECTROSCOPE
Thursday, September 4 at 8:00pm – 9:00pm
Sharmanka Kinetic Theatre, TRONGATE 103, G1 5HD
Exploding Asteroids: September's First Thursday event in the Gallery sees the duo Electroscope arrive from their usual environs, somewhere in the orbit of outer dementia! Gayle Brogan and John Cavanagh prepare to unleash a wind bubble vocal vortex amidst a time cloud of undulating oscillations. In a (vaguely) Russian themed programme (well, about as Russian as Boney M's Rasputin…). the duo will perform amidst the marvellous mechanical sculptures of Eduard Bersudsky. Once your soul has been psychedelicized, you'll be invited to make a donation as you leave, post-performance.
Protest NATO! Protest Trident!
Friday, September 5 at 4:00pm – 5:00pm
Faslane Naval Base
The NATO summit will be held in Wales during the first weekend of September. Thousands of protesters will be going there. For those who can not get to Wales, the Scottish Pace Network is calling a demonstration at Faslane Naval Base for Friday, September 5 from 4-5 pm. We will have placards, but more signs and banners are welcome.
Dance For Gaza
Friday, September 5 at 9:00pm – 3:00am
Blackfriars, 36 Bell Street, Merchant City, G1 1LG
I can no longer sit and watch the annihilation of the Palestinian people, by the Israeli government. It's not enough to like and share information,
DO YOU FEEL THE SAME …………..?
LET'S MAKE A DIFFERENCE WHERE AND HOW WE CAN!
Put your money where your mouth is, come and DANCE FOR GAZA to show your support, raise funds, and awareness of the facts of the innocent people in the middle of this war and the atrocities happening right now !
Donation of £10 at the Door. includes (Automatic Entry To Raffle with FANTASTIC prizes!).
Line – Up: These amazing people giving up their free time for a cause they believe in:
Jailhousejock: Elvis Tribute Band
https://www.facebook.com/JailhouseJock?fref=ts
Jackal Trades aka Mark McG
Giving you Hip Hop, Electronica and acapella, all with interpretive dance and Scottish subtitles.
DJ Kerin: Kerin McEwing
DJ TPR William McDonald
A boy-girl DJ team from Glasgow. We bring you quality dance music for shaking your booty on the dance floor. Any genre goes, as long as it's good music!
Richard Perrie
Groove City Radio Fundamentally House
David McGrath aka DMG (St Judes/Velvet Rooms/Blanket/Cube)
James Goodhope
All proceeds will be sent to:
DEC Gaza Appeal
http://www.dec.org.uk/?gclid=CM2Qs6urosACFYJ92wodg1AAdg
"The DEC brings 13 leading UK aid charities together in times of crisis: Action Aid, Age International, British Red Cross, CAFOD, Care International, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide, Islamic Relief, Oxfam, Plan UK, Save the Children, Tearfund and World Vision; all collectively raising money to reach those in need quickly."
****Solidarity For Humanity*****
YES or NO, Scotland needs a movement for people's democracy
Thursday, 11 September at 7:00pm to 9:00pm
Online chat using Webinar – url posted on http://www.aworldtowin.net/ nearer the time
10-minute presentations by:
Gordon Asher & Leigh French, Authors, Crises Capitalism and Independence Doctrines
Steve Freeman, Republican Socialist Alliance
Penny Cole, A World to Win.
followed by an open discussion.
Glasgow Skeptics: The Next Five Years
Monday, September 15 at 7:00pm – 9:30pm
The Admiral Bar, 72a Waterloo Street, G2 7DA
Glasgow Skeptics has been going for five years now (and if you've not already RSVPed to our very special anniversary event, please do!https://www.facebook.com/events/1495028154042640/). Looking ahead to the future, we'd like to talk about the next five years.
What should skeptics care about? What should Glasgow Skeptics be doing, and what could we be doing better? Should there be more of a focus on raising public awareness? Should we focus on the evidence base for specific legislation being discussed? Are there areas that are crying out for a skeptical eye, that have so far been missed?
If you've never been along before, this might be the perfect time to say hello. Part open-mic night, part group discussion: come along and let us know what you want from the next five years of Glasgow Skeptics.
Accessibility: As per the policy of the Admiral Bar, access to the venue "can only be provided to patrons who are sufficiently mobile and capable of independently evacuating premises, or with the minimum of assistance." Unfortunately, this leaves the basement inaccessible to most wheelchair users.
Education as the Practice of Freedom
Wednesday, September 17 at 6:45pm – 9:00pm
Fred Paton Centre, 19 Carrington Street, G4 9AJ
"There is no such thing as a neutral educational process. Education either functions as an instrument that is used to facilitate the integration of the younger generation into the logic of the present system and bring about conformity to it, or it becomes "the practice of freedom," the means by which men and women deal critically and creatively with reality and discover how to participate in the transformation of their world." – Paulo Freire
Anarchists have a long and illustrious history of involvement within education, with interventions in libertarian education as notable as Ferrer's Escuela Moderna, and the Free Skools, right through into the contemporary spaces of Social Centres. As a movement, Anarchism has historically emphasised the importance of the role of education – whether as a domesticating tool of oppression or as a prefiguring and liberating force – with a concern rarely echoed in other political perspectives.
While naturally touching on some of that history, this talk will mainly be concerned with the understanding that radicalism presents us with a fundamentally educational space, and will consider this in light of the work of Paulo Freire, among others. Though identifying outside of the specific Anarchist tradition, Freire's work within Popular Education can be easily understood as broadly libertarian, and with implications and prospects for Anarchism.
Though the talk will highlight the role of informal education, contributions and reflections on all modes are welcome and expected in the discussion following.
Glasgow AF discussion group is open and free to all, however any donations towards costs will be appreciated. Tea/coffee/juice/biscuits will be provided free of charge. Our venue is accessible to wheelchairs/powerchairs. We will also have a book stall from the RiB project with books and other related material for sale. We ask that all those attending this event read the brief introduction to our safer spaces policy here: https://glasgowanarchists.wordpress.com/safer-spaces/
Smashing Physics – Prof. Jon Butterworth | Glasgow Skeptics Special
Friday, September 26 at 9:00pm – 10:00pm
Glasgow Science Centre, 50 Pacific Quay, G51 1EA
The discovery of the Higgs boson was the culmination of the largest scientific experiment ever performed, the ATLAS and CMS experiments at CERN's Large Hadron Collider.
But what really is a Higgs boson and what does it do? How was it found? And how has its discovery changed our understanding of the fundamental laws of nature?
Jon Butterworth is a professor of physics at University College London. He is a member of the High Energy Physics group on the Atlas experiment at Cern's Large Hadron Collider and also manages to write regularly in The Guardian, as well as taking part in other science communication.
His book, Smashing Physics: The Inside Story of the Hunt for the Higgs,was published in May 2014.
A NIGHT IN THE WILD!
Friday, September 26 – Monday, September 29
Sallochy Woodlands
Do you have what it takes to spend a night or two sleeping rough in the wild? Take part in our sponsored camping weekend. Participants will be provided with a tent and pitch in Sallochy Woodlands. Minimum sponsorship of £50 to be raised by each participant. Maximum of 4 people to each tent. All money raised will go to charities supporting homeless people in Glasgow.
Beat the frack out of Scotland
Saturday, 27 September at 6:00pm – 3:00am
River, 260 Clyde Street, G1 4JH
Top Glasgow musicians turn out to support communities fighting back against fracking. Appearing so far: George Tucker, The Lonesome Hearts, Willie and the Poorboys, the Carlton Jugband with special guest Carola Cosimini, Nicky Murray & Chloe Rodgers, Anti-fracking busker Alexander Mccallum. Compere: the incomparable Gary Little. Entry £10 on the door or buy in advance from http://www.brownpapertickets.com
The Dark Side of the Universe – Dr Catherine Heymans | Glasgow Skeptics
Just over 95% of our universe comes in the shrouded form of dark energy and matter that we can neither explain nor directly detect. Together, these two dark entities play out a cosmic battle of epic proportions. While the gravity of dark matter slowly pulls structures in the universe together, dark energy fuels the universes accelerated expansion, making it ever harder for those structures to grow. Catherine Heymans has used the world's best telescopes to map out the invisible dark matter in our Universe and confront different theories on the dark universe. She will explore this dark enigma and describe where we will look next in our search for darkness. It is widely believed that in order to truely understand the dark universe we will need to invoke some new physics that will forever change our cosmic view.
Catherine Heymans is a Reader in Astrophysics at the University of Edinburgh, a European Research Council Fellow and a member of the Young Academy of Scotland. She specialises in observing the dark side of our Universe and co-leads the European Southern Observatory KiDS analysis team, using deep sky observations to test whether we need to go beyond Einstein with our current theory of gravity. Since completing her PhD at Oxford University in 2003, Catherine has held fellowships from the Max-Planck Institute and the Canadian Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics. When she is not busy unveiling the mysteries of the Universe or enthusiastically lecturing undergraduates, she can usually be found building sandcastles and paddling in the sea with her three small children.
Accessibility: As per the policy of the Admiral Bar, access to the venue "can only be provided to patrons who are sufficiently mobile and capable of independently evacuating premises, or with the minimum of assistance." Unfortunately, this leaves the basement inaccessible to most wheelchair uses.
ARIKA
EPISODE 6: MAKE A WAY OUT OF NO WAY
A 3-day exploration, through performance, screenings and discussion, of the art and politics of wayward communities who refuse to be bound by the fictions of race and sex.
Episode 6: Make a Way Out of No Way is about working class American dance (Krumping,Voguing), black poetry, queer counter-publics, cultural history and theology, ballroom & house music. It is in conversation with communities who challenge the prison industrial complex and who organise in the face of multiple oppressions. It features a queer operatic requiem, the greatest film in the African-American canon, and counter canonical impulses at the dawn of a singular black cinema. It is about the noise of black and/or queer sociality. And it asks whether it is possible for communities, even while so constrained, to practice being somewhere else – practically, socially and aesthetically making a way out of what is at hand and rehearsing in anticipation of what is to come.
"Waywardness is the refusal to be governed. It is the next phase of the general strike, the flight from the plantation and refusal of slavery and the demeaning conditions of work, this time it happens in the slum. It is a social experiment and an effort to elaborate new forms of existence." Saidiya Hartman
Friday 26 Sept
Waywardness – Saidiya Hartman
The wayward create upheavals and incite tumult. They come and go as they please; they are riotous; they are itinerant and never settle; they are fugitive; they are excessive rather than efficient, they are in open rebellion against society. Saidiya's keenly affecting and poetic writing is some of the most influential cultural criticism in America today, deeply concerned with the mental and physical traces bodies accumulate as they manoeuvre between terror and pleasure, power and flight.
Killer of Sheep – Dir: Charles Burnett, USA, 1977, 87 mins
Killer of Sheep is an undisputed masterpiece of African-American filmmaking. Filmed in the aftermath of the Los Angeles Watts Riots, with the backdrop of the Civil Rights Movement, it is one of the major films of the L.A. Rebellion. The film makes visible the struggle undertaken by black communities as they improvise themselves in relation to social conditions that seek to habituate depression and desensitization. It explores a space of numbing labour and insidiously enforced brutality – but also one of play, humour and love.
Make a Way Out of No Way: Club – MikeQ, Miss Prissy, Kia Labeija and the Legendary Pony Zion Garçon – Stereo
In which the crown prince of modern ballroom music, a master and rising star or Vogue, the Queen of Krump and hopefully you explore whether the club a world within a world? Can it be a space in which we can organise our bodies, our selves differently? Is it a space in which we might still be able to dance our way out of the time-traps and identity prisons we are locked in? What happens if we think of house music or social dance forms as ways to organize our bodies in relation to this quote from the Krumper Dragon – "most people think: they're just a bunch of rowdy, ghetto, heathen thugs. No, what we are is oppressed"?
Saturday 27 Sept
Fugitivity and Waywardness – Saidiya Hartman and Fred Moten
What are the politics of the wayward or fugitive, of self-defence, self-organisation and flight? What can we learn from runaway slaves, maroon societies and the underground railway, from queer counter-publics and from waywardness in Glasgow today? Fred is one of the great poets, educators and theorists of blackness and fugitivity. Saidiya's book Scenes of Subjection is one of the most telling contributions to current black thought.
Touching the Imperceptible – Kara Keeling and Arthur Jafa
A performed constellation of voices and filmic fragments that might variously be about slipping into darkness or the (im)possibilities of being black…about cinematic, queer and black world-making and the similarities and differences therein…about Instagram and the acinematic… Kara Keeling is a leading thinker on what queer and/or black film might be, or become. Arthur Jafa is the most inventive, talkative improviser of the cinematic we've ever met.
Speculum Orum: Shackled to the Dead – M Lamar
Drawing on negro spirituals, Marion Williams, opera and Leontyne Price, M Lamar's performances slide between noise and music, pain and truth. A 75-minute requiem that asks us to stay in the hold of the slave ship and that tries to understand the connection from the slave ship to the prison. Including movements from M Lamar's "Surveillance Punishment and the Black Psyche" – an imprisoned black man's reflections on his life sentenced to death for killing his male overseer and lover.
You've Never Seen Pain Expressed Like This – Miss Prissy, the Legendary Pony Zion Garçon, Kia Labeija and Danielle Goldman
A freestyle performed conversation for bodies and voices – on how Black, working class and queer dance is a way of moving in tight spaces and giving shape to oneself, of practicing and being ready for freedom. What's political about American black, working class dance styles like Krump and Vogue? Do they practice moving in two worlds at the same time? With the Queen of Krump, the master of Vogue Femme Dramatics, the rising star of Vogue Women's Performance and Danielle Goldman, writer on dance as politics.
Sunday 28 Sept
Workshop with Miss Prissy and Glasgow Open Dance School
A movement-based workshop on Krump and the politics of how we teach, learn and listen with our bodies.
From Subjection to Subjection – Reina Gossett, Saidiya Hartman and Charlene Sinclair
How are categories of race, sex, sexuality, gender and class mobilised to criminalise communities and create and maintain such carceral spaces? And how are people organising in realisation that it is not enough to work to reform the system, but that the system itself is the problem? Reina Gossett is Activist-In-Residence at Barnard College's Center for Research on Women. Saidiya Hartman is a leading cultural critic. Charlene Sinclair is the Director of Centre for Race, Religion and Economic Democracy.
Dreams Are Colder Than Death – Dir: Arthur Jafa, USA, 2014, 52 mins
Using a range of tactics that resist the white cinematic gaze, Arthur Jafa's most recent film asks what it means to be black in America in the 21st century. Grounded not in sequence but in the interrelation of a constellation of voices, bodies and images, the film maps out black relationships with early and frequent death, with violence, with fantasy, with love and with memory, assembled from interviews with Charles Burnett, Hortense Spillers, Saidiya Hartman, Portia Jordan and Storyboard P.
Realness – Icon Ayana Christian, Legendary Co-Founder Michael Roberson Garçon, Reina Gossett, Fred Moten and Charlene Sinclair
What is at stake in the performance of realness and the practice of passing, and how are they both acts of survival and resistance? Black, queer and trans bodies tell stories. Often they are multilingual – talking to numerous cultures, telling many stories simultaneously. Portraying a sense of 'realness', conforming to a set of socially prescribed norms so that you can walk streets safely, is self-defence. Ayana Christian and Michael Garçon are both leaders in the Ballroom community.
Mutual Instruments – Fred Moten and Miss Prissy
What might be the capacity to feel through others, for others to feel through you – what is the feel for feeling others feeling you? How might you un-sensationalize yourself? How does the voice or the body remember having been moved by others, with others? How might it feel at ease with the fugitive, at peace with the pursued, at rest with the ones who consent not to be one? Can our favourite Vegas-born poet of prophetic blackness and a South Central transmuter of social rage into beauty feel through each other?
Ticket Info – £4 Friday Evening Pass, £4 Friday Club Ticket, £6 Saturday or Sunday Day Pass, £14 Festival Pass
Hope to see you in September!
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text:
module NewRelic
  module TransactionAnalysis
    # summarizes performance data for all calls to segments
    # with the same metric_name
    class SegmentSummary
      attr_accessor :metric_name, :total_time, :exclusive_time, :call_count, :current_nest_count
      def initialize(metric_name, sample)
        @metric_name = metric_name
        @total_time, @exclusive_time, @call_count = 0,0,0
        @sample = sample
        @current_nest_count = 0
      end

      def <<(segment)
        if metric_name != segment.metric_name
          raise ArgumentError, "Metric Name Mismatch: #{segment.metric_name} != #{metric_name}"
        end

        # a nested segment should use the sum of the top level totals
        @total_time += segment.duration if current_nest_count == 0
        @exclusive_time += segment.exclusive_duration
        @call_count += 1
      end

      def average_time
        @total_time / @call_count
      end

      def average_exclusive_time
        @exclusive_time / @call_count
      end

      def exclusive_time_percentage
        return 0 unless @exclusive_time && @sample.duration && @sample.duration > 0
        @exclusive_time / @sample.duration
      end

      def total_time_percentage
        return 0 unless @total_time && @sample.duration && @sample.duration > 0
        @total_time / @sample.duration
      end

      def ui_name
        return @metric_name if @metric_name == 'Remainder'
        NewRelic::MetricParser::MetricParser.parse(@metric_name).developer_name
      end
    end
  end
end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
The Price of Fish. As in "What's that got to do with…."? As in what the hell are we doing to our oceans, animals and planet in general? As in all the nonsense that we drown in every day in this time of Trumpisms and fakeness.
But mostly it's a vehicle for Rob Sinclair and David Bowater with substantial help from Bevan Revell (electric and acoustic guitars on That Which Sustains Us, Stony Shore, Nataraya and Shebear Spidersnake), Andrew Caldwell (lyrics - Darwin Machine and Bentwaiterman), Chris Watts (tenor and soprano saxophones - Shebear Spidersnake), Steve Garden (drums - Shebear Spidersnake), Mark Menzies (violin - Night Tango), Smada Adnarim (violin - Night Tango),Tatiana Lanchtchicova (accordian - Night Tango), Clive Garlich (electric guitar in Gift of Love) and Rhys Clarke (drums-Night Tango).
Rob is responsible (or otherwise) for writing the bulk of the songs, most of the vocals, guitars, bass, percussion and other ethnic devices, piano (Shebear Spidersnake) and some of the recording.
David handled recording, mixing, mastering, arranging, saxophones, bass clarinet, alto flute, recorders, percussion, drum and synth sequencing and keyboards. Thanks to Helen Bowater for allowing David to use excerpts (in Night Tango) from Lautari, her work for solo violin, and for her backing vocals in Darwin's Machine and Gift of Love.
Rob and David worked together on 3 Voices when they were young and feckless.The youthful exuberance has been somewhat tempered by Life's travails to the extent that The Price of Fish shouldn't be considered as a followup work.The Hi-Rez version is available in 24 bit/44.1kHz. Other formats are flac, mp3 and alac.
By The Price of Fish
1: Darwin's Machine ..............
2: That Which Sustains Us ........
3: Bentwaiterman .................
4: Gift of Love ..................
5: Stony Shore ...................
6: Nataraya ......................
7: Surabaya Nights ...............
8: Night Tango ...................
9: Keeper of Your Heart ..........
10: Shebear Spidesnake ............


text:
Frank Gräfe (* 1967 oder 1968) ist ein Brigadegeneral der Luftwaffe der Bundeswehr und seit Ende 2019 Militärattaché der Bundesrepublik Deutschland bei den Vereinigten Staaten an der Deutschen Botschaft Washington, D.C.

Militärische Laufbahn

Ausbildung und erste Verwendungen
Gräfe trat 1988 im Alter von 20 Jahren als Offizieranwärter in die Bundeswehr ein. Er absolvierte die Grundausbildung (Bundeswehr) in Roth und die Offizierausbildung an der Offizierschule der Luftwaffe in Fürstenfeldbruck. Anschließend studierte Gräfe an der Universität der Bundeswehr München das Studienfach Informatik. Das Studium schloss er als Diplom-Informatiker ab.

Ab März 1994 absolvierte Gräfe seine Flugausbildung zum Strahlflugzeugführer auf dem Waffensystem F-4 Phantom in den Vereinigten Staaten. Seine ersten fliegerischen Verwendungen hatte er beim Jagdgeschwader 73 (heute: Taktisches Luftwaffengeschwader 73 "Steinhoff") auf dem Fliegerhorst Pferdsfeld in Pferdsfeld (Hunsrück). 1997 wurde das Geschwader auf den Fliegerhorst Laage südlich von Rostock verlegt und auch Gräfe wechselte dorthin. 2002 wurde Gräfe nach Neuburg an der Donau zum Jagdgeschwader 74 (heute: Taktisches Luftwaffengeschwader 74) versetzt. Ebenfalls 2002 absolvierte er einen Lehrgang an der Führungsakademie der Bundeswehr in Hamburg wo er zum Major befördert wurde.

Dienst als Stabsoffizier
Von November 2004 bis Oktober 2006 war Gräfe Staffelkapitän der 2. Staffel/Jagdgeschwader 71 (heute: Taktisches Luftwaffengeschwader 71 "Richthofen") auf dem Fliegerhorst Wittmundhafen bei Wittmund. Dort wurde er zum Oberstleutnant befördert. Es folgte eine Verwendung bei der 4. Luftwaffendivision in Aurich als A 3 (Stabsoffizier für Führung, Planung, Ausbildung, Organisation) im Zeitraum Oktober 2006 bis Februar 2008 und anschließend für vier Jahre im Bundesministerium der Verteidigung in Bonn als Referent für das Waffensystem Eurofighter Typhoon. In der zweiten Hälfte des Jahres 2012 wurde Gräfe vom Waffensystem Phantom, auf dem er über 1300 Flugstunden gesammelt hatte, auf den Eurofighter umgeschult. Ende November 2012 übernahm er die Dienststellung des stellvertretenden Kommodore beim Jagdgeschwader 74 (heute: Taktisches Luftwaffengeschwader 74) in Neuburg an der Donau von Oberstleutnant Hans Köck und am 20. März 2013 die des Kommodore des Verbandes von Alexander Pfeifer. Unter Gräfe erfolgte die Umbenennung und Umgliederung des Truppenteils in Taktisches Luftwaffengeschwader 74. In diese Zeit fiel auch ein halbjähriger Auslandseinsatz im Stab der ISAF-Mission der NATO in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Bis zum Ablauf des April 2015 führte Gräfe, der in dieser Zeit den Dienstgrad Oberst erlangte, das Geschwader als 17. Kommodore.  Ihm folgte sein bisheriger Stellvertreter Holger Neumann nach. Gräfe ging zum 1. Mai 2015 nach Berlin.

2017 war Gräfe Führer des Vorkommandos/Erkundungsteams für den deutschen Luftwaffeneinsatz in Jordanien. Ebenfalls 2017 war er Leiter des Einsatzstabes der Evakuierungsübung "Extracte Owl 2017".

Gräfe wurde zur Vorbereitung auf seine Verwendung als Verteidigungsattaché ab September 2019 kurzzeitig im Kommando Territoriale Aufgaben der Bundeswehr in Berlin eingesetzt.

Dienst als General
Gräfe übernahm von Flottillenadmiral Thomas Ernst die Verwendung des deutschen Militärattachés bei den Vereinigten Staaten. Damit einher ging die Ernennung zum Brigadegeneral.

Privates
Gräfe stammt aus dem Saarland und wuchs in Nohfelden (Landkreis St. Wendel) auf. Dort war er in der Freiwilligen Feuerwehr und im Musikverein aktiv.

Weblinks

Einzelnachweise

Deutscher Militärattaché
Brigadegeneral (Luftwaffe der Bundeswehr)
Absolvent der Universität der Bundeswehr München
Deutscher
Geboren im 20. Jahrhundert
Mann

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
The Warm, Acoustic Mark Vickness Tiny Desk Submission Puts Instrumental Mastery on Display
Photo by Carolyn McCoy
Mark Vickness is as well rounded and polished of a musician as they come. Decades of recordings, compositions, arrangements and performances have brought Vickness to where he is as both an accomplished solo artist and one half of the duo Glass House. Mark is prepared to release his second solo album Interconnected later this year, the follow up to 2018's Places. The album was recorded at 25th Street Recording in Oakland, CA and Mark had the brilliant idea to shoot a live performance of a song during the sessions.
"Hot Apple Stuff", is Vickness' Tiny Desk Submission and an ode to his mother, a former white house chef, and her cooking. Aptly named after the classic combo of apple pie and a scoop of vanilla ice cream, "Hot Apple Stuff" is a compelling and mystical roots-folk song that has an optimistic, traveler's spirit. Vickness is joined by his rustic band and finds himself standing off to the side on stage right showcasing the talent of the ensemble as a whole.
The song has a jazz like structure with each member of the quintet taking their turn in the limelight but maintains its strong folk influence throughout. Each instrument also takes on different roles as most start out in a percussive manner and either move to a lead part, like the celtic violin riffs of Mads Tolling or a supportive one, like the bass playing by Ty Burhoe. The timbre of the music emulates the warmth of a perfectly proportionate bite of pie and ice cream. Coupled with the jubilant melodies throughout, listening to this song is similar to what one might experience after a bite if its namesake. "Hot Apple Stuff" is a beautiful arrangement to watch unfold in a live setting and really allows Vickness' genius as an arranger and composer to present itself in an aesthetically pleasant setting.
Subscribe to Mark Vickness on YouTube for more content and be sure to check his website for updates on his upcoming record "Interconnected."


text:
Check Out Rapper Method Man Cruising Through 120-Pound Incline Dumbbell Presses for 10 Reps
Give the rapper a top quality health club setup, and his power technique appears impeccable.
Written by Robert Zeglinski Final up to date on December 5, 2022
Lately, Clifford Smith Jr., also called the rapper "Technique Man," can take pleasure in his standing as a founding member of the influential music group — the Wu-Tang Clan. Although that a part of his life nonetheless appears to be buzzing alongside, Smith Jr. seems to be having fun with his downtime sharpening up one thing apart from his vocal pipes. On this case, meaning strength-training his physique.
On Dec. 3, 2022, Smith Jr. shared a clip the place he labored via a 10-rep set of incline presses with 120-pound dumbbells in every hand. The rapper-turned-strength fanatic wore elbow sleeves and wrist wraps to assist him via the chest-focused set. His elbows reached a shoulder-joint pleasant 90-degree depth on every repetition.
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Smith Jr. hasn't shared his long-term upper-body coaching objectives, if he has any. Primarily based on a part of his latest precedent, it might be honest to imagine he's figuring out with an even bigger image in thoughts.
For instance, in early November 2022, Smith Jr. efficiently locked out a 227.3-kilogram (500-pound) deadlift private report (PR) from a typical stance whereas sporting a lifting belt and using lifting straps. That pulling session was probably linked to earlier progressive coaching feats like a 224.5-kilogram (495-pound) deadlift from mid-October 2022.
In the meantime, in August 2022, Smith Jr. shared an replace on his bench press progress when he labored via a 142.8-kilogram (315-pound) press for 5 reps with wrist and elbow wraps. One other clip from early November 2022 showcases Smith Jr. sharpening up his again muscular tissues with some lat pulldowns at an undisclosed weight. All this paints the potential image of Smith Jr.'s newest incline dumbbell presses being a part of his making an attempt to incrementally enhance upon his bench press with auxiliary workouts.
FORMA: Everything You Need to Know About FORMA Treatments
So far as Smith Jr.'s latest musical exploits, he's featured on Vinnie Paz's newest solo album entitled "Tortured within the Identify of God's Unconditional Love." The compilation was launched on Nov. 18, 2022, and has the 51-year-old Smith Jr. dropping a cameo verse within the solo observe "Invisible Ether" discussing the present state of the music trade.
No matter his exact coaching intention, it's evident that Smith Jr. locations a premium on sustaining his health within the health club whereas concurrently holding his music pursuits busy. His Instagram, for one, is suffering from occasional clips of his moments from figuring out when it's not disclosing a promotional merchandise for his recording profession.
It appears if Wu-Tang is for the kids, then well-maintained weights, assumed high quality vitamin, and heavy lifting is for one of many group's founders.
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\section{Introduction}

The outbreak of the novel COVID-19 coronavirus in late 2019 has put a tremendous threat to the whole world and become one of the worst disaster in the human history. As of end late April 2021, more than 142 millions infections have been identified, more than 3 million lives have been lost, and more than 200 countries have been drastically overwhelmed \cite{WHO}. Therefore, it is very critical to stop the spreading of the virus. After a person is confirmed to have COVID-19, safety measures and treatments can be taken accordingly. In \cite{COVID-trace}, thermal imaging is used to detect fever patients and face recognition is used to report and trace patients and their close contacts. Among the techniques to diagnosis COVID-19, X-ray and CT-scan images are studied extensively.

In this paper, we present an automatic diagnosis framework from chest CT scan images. Our goal is to classify COVID-19, Community-Acquired Pneumonia (CAP), and normal cases from a volume of CT scan images of a patient. We use the dataset provided in the Signal Processing Grand Challenge (SPGC) on COVID-19 of the IEEE ICASSP 2021 \cite{SPGC}. Our preliminary study shows that one major challenge is that the training/validation dataset is small. This challenge is common to many other datasets, and different approaches are studies to address this problem, or the broader across-domain dataset problem, through data augmentation, across-domain
adaptation \cite{Hybrid-COVID}, \cite{SODA}, \cite{Contrative-CovidNet}, or using the capsule network \cite{Covid-caps}, \cite{COVID-FACT}.

In this paper, we propose a novel data augmentation technique using multiple Houndsfeld Unit (HU) normalization windows. This data augmentation aims at improving a CNN model's generalization capability. In addition, it can exploit large COVID-19 CT scan datasets that are available online but without preprocessing details. Other signal processing techniques we use include cropping the chest images to exclude background, and filtering out close-lung images.

For the classification network, after exploring 3D CNN classification networks, lung mask segmentation networks, and quite a few 2D CNN classification networks, we choose to use Densenet \cite{DenseNet} and Xception \cite{Xception} 2D CNN classification networks with the feature pyramid network (FPN) \cite{FPN}. To further improve the classification accuracy, an ensemble of multiple CNN models is used. On the provided training/validation dataset, we achieve a patient classification accuracy of 93.39\%.

\section{Related Work}

Due to the urgency of control of spreading of the COVID-19 virus, a lot of researches have been done to diagnose it using deep learning approaches, mostly CNNs on CT scan images or X-ray images. A few examples are \cite{Hybrid-COVID}, \cite{SODA}, \cite{Contrative-CovidNet}, \cite{example1}, \cite{example2}, \cite{Covid-caps}, \cite{COVID-FACT}. For a complete review, please refer to \cite{Review1} and \cite{Review2}.

These methods can be categorized to 2D, 2D+1D, and 3D based on how information from multiple slice images are aggregated and how the final decision is made. In the 2D method, a 2D CNN classification network in used to make a prediction on slice image individually. Then to make a decision for a patient, some voting method is typically used \cite{SPGC1}, \cite{COVID-CTSet}, \cite{COVID-FACT}. Others use a 2D CNN network on slice image to generate embedding feature vector for every image, then the feature vectors of selected multiple or all slice images are pooled to a single global feature vector, and finally a small classification network (typically just a few fully-connection (FC) layers) is used to make a final decision. This is called 2D+1D method \cite{li2020artificial}, \cite{CTCAPS}, \cite{SPGC2}. In these two methods, annotation for slice image is needed. The third method is a pure 3D CNN network, where slice annotation is not needed, and a selected set of or all the slice images are used as input, and the 3D network process all these input images all at once in a 3D channel space \cite{Tongji}, \cite{SPGC3}, \cite{He2021CovidNet3D}.

In the 2D CNN method, some use the lung mask segmentation, but most of them directly use the raw slice image.  The COVID-MaskNet \cite{COVID-CT-Mask-Net} uses a segmentation network to localize the disease lesion, then use a FasterCNN-based approach to do the classification on the detected lesion regions. The COVID-Net Initiative \cite{Gunraj2020}, \cite{Gunraj2021} have done extensive studies of COVID classification on both CT scan images and X-ray images. They also collect and publish the largest CT image dataset - so called COVIDx CT-2 dataset. In \cite{COVID-CTSet}, Resnet50 with FPN is used. In \cite{SPGC1}, a combination of infection/non-infection classifier, and a COVID-19/CAP/normal classifier is used.

In the 2D+1D method, in \cite{li2020artificial}, a pretrained 2D Resnet classification network is used to extract a feature vector out of every slice image, then all the features are pooled using max-pooling. This feature is sent to a few FC layers to make the final classification prediction.  In \cite{CTCAPS}, a Capsule network is used to extract feature vector for every image, then these feature vectors are pooled using max-pooling into a global feature vector and a decision is made for the volume. It is claimed that this method is good for small training dataset.  In \cite{SPGC2}, a feature vector is extracted for every image, then multiple pooling methods are ensembled to generate a global feature vector before a final classification is made. In \cite{kollias2021mia}, an RNN is used to aggregate 2D features, but the performance is poor.

In the 3D CNN method, in \cite{Tongji}, a 3D CNN network is used with both the slice image and a segmented lung mask as input. They discard a fixed percentage of slice images at the beginning and end of a CT-scan volume. In \cite{SPGC3}, the authors first segment the lung mask from a slice image using traditional morphological transforms, then use this mask to select good slice images and generate lung-only images. To make the number of images a fixed number, they use a 3D cubic interpolation to regenerate slice images. In \cite{He2021CovidNet3D}, a 3D CNN network using a fixed number of slice images as input is used. Instead of using a fixed 3D CNN architecture, an autoML method is used to search for best 3D CNN architecture in the network space with MobileNetV2 \cite{MobileNetV2} block. In \cite{iccvCovid}, a 3D CNN with BERT is used on selected slice images of a patient. Sampling is used to make the number of slice images a fixed number.

\section{Data Augmentation and Processing}

In this section, we discuss all the data preparation and augmentation techniques we explore. This data augmentation is an unique one crucial to our final performance. It applies only to CT images where a HU normalization is needed.

\subsection{DICOM to PNG Conversion}

The dataset is given in DICOM format and the CT image is in Hounsfield unit (HU). So the first thing is to convert the DICOM format to image format. Most of the public datasets are in PNG or JPG format, except for \cite{COVID-CTSet} which uses a TIFF format. We use the PNG format in order to leverage other datasets in PNG format.

We follow the Kaggle tutorial \cite{Kaggle-Dicom-Tutorial} to convert the DICOM to PNG format. After reading the DICOM file, we extract the slice thickness, slope and intercept. The HU value is,

\begin{equation}
    HU = slope * DICOM + intercept
    \label{eq1}
\end{equation}

As explained in the tutorial, different HU values correspond to different materials in human's body, and background. The very important step is to do the HU normalization, from HU value to the PNG value as follows,

\begin{equation}
    PNG = crop(\frac{HU- HU_{min}}{HU_{max} - HU_{min}},0,1)*255
    \label{eq2}
\end{equation}

where $clip$ is a function to limit the value in range [0,1], $HU_{max}$ and $HU_{max}$ are the maximum and minimum HU value for normalization. These pair ($HU_{min}$, $HU_{max}$) is called a HU window.

\subsection{HU Augmentation}

Even though there are a lot of public CT image dataset, unfortunately, we cannot find anywhere what HU window should be used in the DICOM to PNG conversion. The COVIDx-CT-2 \cite{Gunraj2021} uses [-1350, 150] as default value, the \cite{Tongji} uses [-1200, 600]. We test different HU window in our study and find that they give very similar classification results. However, when we want to use other public dataset, our HU window has to match that of the dataset in order to have a reasonable result. We analyze the image intensity histogram of the COVIDx-CT-2 \cite{Gunraj2021}, and find that if we use a HU window [-1200, 0], the SPGC image intensity histogram can match closely that of the COVIDx-CT-2. Shown in Fig. \ref{fig1} are sample images using these three HU windows and a sample from COVIDx-CT-2. We notice that the Fig. \ref{fig1} (a) is more natural in human eyes, but it may not be the best for CNN classification. Shown in Fig. \ref{fig2} are the histograms of these four sample images. We see that the one using the HU window [-1200,0] matches that of the COVIDx-CT-2 sample well.

\begin{figure}[t]
    \centering
    \includegraphics[scale=0.5]{ct-sample.png}
    \caption{Sample images with three HU windows. }
    \label{fig1}
\end{figure}

\begin{figure}[t]
    \centering
    \includegraphics[scale=0.5]{histogram.png}
    \caption{Histogram of the sample images.}
    \label{fig2}
\end{figure}

To solve this problem, we propose the so called HU augmentation - to use multiple HU windows in the HU normalization,

\begin{equation}
    PNG^i = crop(\frac{HU- HU^i_{min}}{HU^i_{max} - HU^i_{min}},0,1)*255, i=1,2,3,...
    \label{eq2_2}
\end{equation}
So the PNG datasets consist of all PNG images from $PNG^1,PNG^2,PNG^3,...$. This not only may overcome the HU window mismatch problem, but also provides more data for training the classification network. We find in the final benchmarking that this is a crucial contribution to our results due to the improved generalization.

Furthermore, this provides us with another ensemble - the ensemble of test data for prediction. If we use three HU windows to prepare the data, we have three images for every original DICOM slice image, we can have three predictions and we can post process them to get the best performance. we will show these effects in our experiments.

\subsection{Cropping Off Background}

We find that the useless background in the CT image interferes with the training and prediction of the classification network. Therefore, we use lung segmentation mask to cut of the background and only keep the useful portion. This lung segmentation uses traditional image morphological transforms, similar to the Kaggle tutorial \cite{Kaggle-Dicom-Tutorial}. We also train a simple object detection network and its performance is about same as the morphological transform.  This process is shown in Fig. \ref{fig3}(b).

\subsection{Filtering Closed-Lung Images}

We use an idea similar to \cite{COVID-CTSet} to filter out closed lung images. We use two metrics - the percent of segmented lung in the total image, and the one in \cite{COVID-CTSet}. Please note that in \cite{COVID-CTSet}, the images are not cropped, so the filter does not work consistently. We use the idea on the cropped images, the so region of interest (ROI) is aligned more consistently on different CT images.

In the first metric, we keep slice images whose percent of segmented lung is more than 10\% of the total image.  Shown in Fig. \ref{fig3}(c) is an extracted lung mask. When the percentage of the white pixels is less than $10\%$ of the total pixels, the lung is closed.
In the second metric, we count the number of black pixels (intensity value $<100$) in the ROI = ([120,240], [370,340]) in a slice image, as shown in the red rectangle in Fig.\ref{fig3}(d). Then among all the slice images of a patient, find the maximum and minimum values, and use a threshold = (max-min)/factor, where factor is typically 1.5-3. Slice images whose number of black pixels in the ROI is less than the threshold are filtered out \cite{COVID-CTSet}.

\begin{figure}[t]
    \centering
    \includegraphics[scale=0.5]{ct-process.png}
    \caption{Processing of CT-scan image, (a) an original image with a circle background mask, (b) after cropping off background, (c) the extracted lung mask, (d) the closed-lung filtering window.}
    \label{fig3}
\end{figure}

\subsection{Leveraging other Datasets}

Even with the HU augmentation, the training dataset is still very small. We explore the CT image dataset available in the literature. There are quite a lot of them, we namely some of them here COVIDx-CT-2 \cite{Gunraj2021}, CNCB \cite{CNCB}, CT-Codeset \cite{COVID-CTSet}. Out of all these datasets, COVIDx-CT-2 \cite{Gunraj2021} is the largest one with nearly 200K images, we decide to use it in our study.

However, we do not want these third-party dataset to overrun the SPGC dataset. So we only use a small portion of it, so the total number from it is not more than that in the SPGC dataset. We use this dataset in both the training and validation dataset, but not in the test dataset.  We only use the SPGC images in the test dataset.

\section{Classification Network}

Our 2D CNN classification network is shown in Fig. \ref{fig4}. We use a network similar to \cite{COVID-CTSet}. Three different scale features are generated in the FPN, and a three-class classifier is applied on every feature. At the end, these three classifiers are merged into the final three-class classifier.

Some details of our implementation are listed here. We use a three-way classification, no matter the test dataset is a two-way or three-way classification task. We use rotation, shift, and scale transforms. We find that the rotation degree has big impact on the classification performance. We limit it to 15 degree. We use batch normalization after all convolutional layers. We use the image size 224x224 in ResNet50 \cite{Resnet} and DenseNet121/201 \cite{DenseNet}, and 299x299 in Xception \cite{Xception}.

We test different networks, including ResNet50 \cite{Resnet}, MobileNetV2 \cite{MobileNetV2}, Xception \cite{Xception}, DenseNet121 and DenseNet201 \cite{DenseNet}. We find that the DenseNet trains faster and achieves good performance. So in our ablation study, we use the DenseNet201. In the final classification benchmarking, we use an ensemble of the Xception, DenseNet121, and DenseNet201. In order not to use too much CPU or GPU memory at a time, we run the three models one by one and post-process the results.

We also test a regular 2D CNN classification network without FPN, such as a ResNet50, as well as a small private CNN, we find that they can achieve good accuracy with all our other data augmentation and training techniques. However, the CNN with FPN can achieve a better accuracy, usually $1-2\%$ better than the network without FPN.

\begin{figure}[t]
    \centering
    \includegraphics[scale=0.3]{covid-classifier.png}
    \caption{CNN-FPN classifier for COVID-19, CAP and normal case.}
    \label{fig4}
\end{figure}

\section{Experiments}

We use Keras-2.3.0 and Tensorflow-GPU-2.2 in our implementation. We use learning rate 1E-4 at the beginning then adjust to 1E-5. We use typically 50 epochs to train the CNN network, except for fine tuning where a smaller number of epochs is used.  A class weight is used when the numbers of images for the three classes - COVID, CAP, normal are unbalanced.

\subsection{Dataset}

The dataset provided by SPGC \cite{SPGC} includes 307 patients, which are diagnosed by medical experts. Out of these patients, 171 patients have COVID-19, 60 patients have CAP, and the rest 76 are normal cases. This dataset is not small, however, only a small portion including 55 COVID-19 patients and 25 CAP patients has slice annotations. This limited slice annotation turns out a big challenge in the slice based classification.

Since we use a slice image based classification model, we use all the annotated slice images as the training and validation datasets. For COVID and normal cases, we use a 7:3 split ratio for training and validation dataset, and use a 9:1 split ratio for the CAP cases since there are a lot less of them. All COVID/CAP patients in the validation dataset are not used in the training, only a small portion of slice images of the normal patients are used in the training. In the patient-wise classification, we use all the patients without slice annotation as the validation dataset.

Furthermore, we leverage the CT image dataset we can find online - the COVIDx-CT-2 dataset \cite{Gunraj2021}. The combined dataset makes our trained model generalize much better than using one single HU window alone.

\subsection{From Slice Classification to Patient Classification}
The slice based classification network predicts a result for every slice image. Our goal, however, is to have a classification result on patient. Given the number of slice images per patient, we use two metrics to make the final decision. In the first method, we use a slice threshold $th_s$,
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}
& if \; n(COVID) > n(CAP) >= th_s, \; decision = COVID    \\
& else \; if \; n(CAP) > n(COVID) >= th_s, \; decision = CAP   \\
& else \; if \; n(COVID) >= th_s, \; decision = COVID  \\
& else \; if \; n(CAP) >= th_s, \; decision = CAP  \\
& else, \; decision = Normal \\
\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
where $n()$ is the number of slice classification. We can change this rule to use the percent threshold $th_p$, where the $n()$ is replaced by a percent $n()$ - the ratio of the number of slice classification of each class out of the total slice number of every patient.

Please note that, in our final decision, we do not do majority vote on multiple model predictions on every image. Instead, we mix all image predictions from all three models and make a final decision based on the number of predictions be-
longing to the three classes. The performance of this rule is noticeably better than the majority vote on a single image.

At validation/test time, we first do slice image classification, then use the above rule to make decision for a patient. We use the un-annotated patients as the validation patient dataset. We optimize the parameters of our classifier on the validation dataset, then use the optimized parameters on the final test datasets for the challenge submission.

\subsection{HU Augmentation}
The use of HU augmentation is our unique novelty. So we do some ablation study to demonstrate its effects using the DenseNet201-FPN network. In this experiment we use the factor = 1.5 in the closed-lung filtering.  We use three HU windows: SPGC3 = [-1000,400], SPGC4 = [-1200,0], SPGC6 = [-1200,600]. In Table 1, we list the result of individual HU window in the first panel, and list the result of the HU augmentation (three HU windows combined) in the second panel.

\begin{table}
	\begin{center}
		\caption{Patient classification using HU augmentation. The DenseNet201 is used}
		\label{T1}
		\begin{tabular}{ccc}
		    \hline
			Train Data &  Test Data & Accuracy  \\
			\hline
			SPGC3 & SPGC3 & 0.8138 \\
			SPGC4 & SPGC4 & 0.8105 \\
			SPGC6 & SPGC6 & 0.7797 \\
			\hline
			SPGC3+4+6 & SPGC3 & 0.8194\\
			SPGC3+4+6 & SPGC4 & 0.8194\\
			SPGC3+4+6 & SPGC6 & 0.8194\\
			\hline
			+COVIDx CT-2 & SPGC3 & \textbf{0.9075}\\
			+COVIDx CT-2 & SPGC4 & 0.9031\\
			+COVIDx CT-2 & SPGC6 & 0.8458\\
			\hline
		\end{tabular}
	\end{center}
\end{table}

From the results in the first panel, we notice that the SPGC3 and SPGC4 are two good HU windows, while SPGC6 is not a good one.  From the results in the second panel, the test results of three HU windows are about the same, even though their sensitivities (not shown) are not the same. Even the individually bad HU window (SPGC6) now has a good performance.

\subsection{Leveraging Other Dataset}

In addition to the HU augmentation, we use the COVIDx-CT-2 dataset \cite{Gunraj2021} in our training. As we mentioned before, we only use a small portion of it, so it does not overrun the SPGC dataset. So in our training dataset, we include both the three HU window augmented SPGC dataset, and the selected COVIDx-CT-2 dataset. The patient classification results are listed in the third panel of Table \ref{T1}.

From the results, we notice that the addition of the extra training data has a big boost to the patient classification accuracy, from previous about $82\%$ to nearly $91\%$. On the other hand, SPGC6 is a lot worse than the SPGC3 and SPGC4, even though its accuracy is improved from without using COVIDx-CT-2 dataset. Based on the poor performance of SPGC6, we do not use it in the ensemble of HU windows in the final tests.

\subsection{Ensemble of Classification Models and HU Windows}

We test a few classification networks including ResNet50, MobileNetV2, and others. Based on the patient classification accuracy results, we choose to use the Xception, DenseNet101 and DenseNet201. The individual model results are listed in first panel of Table \ref{T2}.

\begin{table}
	\begin{center}
		\caption{Patient classification accuracy and sensitivity (COVID,CAP,Normal) on the training/validation dataset.}
		\label{T2}
		\begin{tabular}{cccc}
		    \hline
			Network & Test Data & Accuracy & Sensitivity\\
			\hline
			DenseNet201 & SPGC3 & 0.9031 & (0.8,0.871,1.0)\\
			DenseNet201 & SPGC4 & 0.8942 & (0.771,0.862,1.0) \\
			DenseNet121 & SPGC3 & 0.9031 & (0.8,0.871,1.0) \\
			DenseNet121 & SPGC4 & 0.9031 & (0.771,0.879,1.0]) \\
			Xception & SPGC3 & 0.8942 & (0.714,0.888,0.987)\\
			Xception & SPGC4 & 0.9163 & (0.8,0.897,1.0) \\
			\hline
			Ensemble & SPGC3 & 0.9295 & (0.8,0.922,1.0)\\
			Ensemble & SPGC4 & 0.9251 & (0.8,0.905,1.0)\\
			\hline
			Ensemble & SPGC3+4 & \textbf{0.9339} & (0.8,0.931,1.0)\\
			\hline
		\end{tabular}
	\end{center}
\end{table}

The three networks give similar patient classification accuracy results on the two HU window datasets SPGC3 and SPGC4. The DenseNet201 has the best accuracy on SPGC3, and the Xception has best accuracy on SPGC4. Adding all three network into an ensemble, and on the ensemble of SPGC3 and SPGC4, our final accuracy result on the SPGC training/validation dataset is 93.39\%.

\subsection{Results on the Test Dataset}

On the new test dataset that may come from a different domain, we can tune the thresholds $th_s$ and $th_p$ on a small portion of the dateset to achieve good performance, then use the two thresholds on the rest of the data. Listed in Table \ref{T3} are the results. Since the ground truth of this dataset has not been released, we cannot optimize the parameters $th_s$ and $th_p$ other than using the optimized values on the validation dataset.

\begin{table}
	\begin{center}
		\caption{PPatient classification accuracy and sensitivity (COVID,CAP,Normal) on the test dataset.}
		\label{T3}
		\begin{tabular}{ccc}
		    \hline
			($th_s$,$th_p$) & Accuracy & Sensitivity\\
			\hline
			(2,1\%) & 0.6778 & (0.8857,1.0,0.2857)\\
			(5,5\%) & 0.8111 & (0.8286,1.0,0.6857)\\
			\hline
		\end{tabular}
	\end{center}
\end{table}

\section{Conclusions}

We provide a solution for the COVID-19 automatic diagnosis on the SPGC dataset. The key novelty is a data augmentation using multiple HU normalization windows. With all techniques put together, we achieve a patient classification accuracy $93.39\%$ on the provided training/validation dataset, and an accuracy at least $81.11\%$ on the test dataset.

\bibliographystyle{IEEEbib}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv