An observational study of haemostatic changes, leptin and soluble endoglin during pregnancy in women with different BMIs.
Morgan, Ellie S and Wilson, Ellie and Melody, Teresa and Parmar, Kiran and Zhang, Yan and Gao, Fang and Hunt, Beverley J (2017) An observational study of haemostatic changes, leptin and soluble endoglin during pregnancy in women with different BMIs. Blood coagulation & fibrinolysis : an international journal in haemostasis and thrombosis, 28 (1). pp. 50-55. ISSN 1473-5733.
Obesity increases the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in pregnancy. The pathogenesis is hypothesized to be because of multiple factors including prothrombotic changes, but there has been minimal haemostatic research looking at the combined state of obesity and pregnancy. We aimed to determine whether variation in BMI in the third trimester of pregnancy was associated with prothrombotic changes. We recruited 110 women into four groups depending on their BMI at first antenatal appointment: normal, overweight, obese and morbidly obese. Women with increased risk of VTE, and/or receiving thromboprophylaxis, and/or more than 35 years and those in labour were excluded. Thromboelastography, platelet count, prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, fibrinogen, prothrombin fragment 1 + 2, free and total protein S, plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1, tissue plasminogen activator antigen, D-dimers, soluble endoglin and leptin levels were measured. There were no significant differences in haemostatic measures with changing BMI. There was a positive correlation between BMI and both platelet count (correlation coefficient r = 0.214, P = 0.036) and leptin (r = 0.435, P < 0.001), but only leptin had a significant association with BMI once adjusted for age, gestation and parity. Despite recruitment into the morbidly obese group being suboptimal, these findings suggest that in pregnancy, the increased risk of VTE seen in obese mothers is not mediated through increased prothrombotic changes, and thus the increased risk of VTE in obese pregnant women may be because of other mechanisms, for example endothelial dysfunction, inflammation and venous stasis.


Aaron Nola isn't the only Phillie headed to Washington for the All-Star festivities.
Rhys Hoskins will compete in Monday's Home Run Derby.
"I think it's a cool honor, just the fact that I would even be considered," Hoskins said after Wednesday's 3-0 loss to the Mets. "Obviously not the complete way I want to be involved in the week, but it should be fun. I get to be around a pretty cool group of guys. I grew up watching the Home Run Derby as a kid, so I think that full circle kind of moment is pretty cool."
In true Philly fashion, Hoskins will be the underdog in the competition, pulling the eighth and final seed. He'll face top-seeded Brewers slugger Jesus Aguilar, who leads the NL with 23 homers, in the first round.
Pitching to Hoskins will be Chris Truby, Phillies minor-league infield coordinator.
"He throws money BP," Hoskins said.
Also competing are Bryce Harper, Freddie Freeman, Alex Bregman, Kyle Schwarber, Max Muncy and Javier Baez. Check out the full bracket below.
Hoskins has crushed 14 homers this season, which has him tied for 25th in the NL. However, he displayed his insane power potential as a late-season call-up in 2017, hitting 18 homers in just 50 games.
He'll have one slight advantage over Aguilar, though: experience. Hoskins has been here before. Well ... sort of.
"I did one (derby) in low A, when I was in Lakewood," Hoskins said. " And then I did one in Double A as well. I got second in the low A. I didn't win either of them.
"I'm saving the first (place) for a good one," he joked.
Hoskins will have quite the reputation to uphold as Phils sluggers have dominated the derby when given the chance. Everyone remembers Bobby Abreu crushing a then-record 41 homers to win the 2005 derby. Ryan Howard followed Abreu with a 2006 derby win, hitting 23 homers.
Hoskins will be just the fifth Phillie to compete in the event: Jim Thome (2004), Abreu (2005), Howard (2006, 2007 and 2009) and Chase Utley (2008).
On cusp of All-Star break, Phils are in 1st … but how?


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text:
Understanding Epigenetics
CEMT Reference Epigenome Table
Lab Protocols
Community Access Program
Trainee Committee Recruitment
Muscle Regenerative Potential Is Ensured Epigenetically Through Promoter Proximal Pausing
CEEHRC / About Epigenetics / Muscle Regenerative Potential Is Ensured Epigenetically Through Promoter Proximal Pausing /
by Edward Gardner
For many genes, timing of transcriptional activity is regulated by epigenetics. One mechanisms behind this, promoter proximal pausing, involves positioning the RNA Polymerase II at specific sites in the genome so genes can be turned on–or expressed–rapidly in response to developmental cues. Recent research shows that the NELF complex stabilizes promoter proximal pausing during muscle re-generation.
Satellite cells are a population of adult stem cells whose main function is to repair damaged muscle tissues. These cells remain in a quiescent (or "dormant") state prior to muscle injuries. In this state the satellite cells do not generate new cells and their population numbers remain static.
When injuries to muscles occur, satellite cells are activated, re-entering the proliferative (or multiplying) state as myoblasts to generate enough cells to repair the damaged tissue. The myoblasts continue to proliferate to expand their population until molecular signals provided by the regenerating muscle tell them to stop.
As myoblasts exit the proliferative state, epigenetic mechanisms determine what will happen next. They will either 1) return to the quiescent state to maintain stem cells for future injuries; or 2) fuse together and form new muscle fibers in a process known as terminal differentiation. One of the epigenetic mechanisms involved in this process is promoter proximal pausing.
Promoter proximal pausing
At many genes, transcription starts but is quickly stopped. RNA Polymerase II– an enzyme responsible for copying a DNA sequence into an RNA sequence–remains in a paused state awaiting further cues to begin the full elongation. This pausing allows for rapid turning on of genes when they are needed. However, the advantage of being able to turn on a gene quickly comes with the downside that the short mRNA attached to the paused RNA Polymerase II is easily degraded if it is not protected.
A key protein complex involved in stabilizing promoter proximal pausing is the Negative Elongation Factor complex (NELF) which acts to protect the short mRNA attached to the paused RNA Polymerase II. While NELF-dependent promoter proximal pausing of RNA Polymerase II is a well-known process for regulating gene expression, it is not clear how muscle stem cells adopt this mechanism to control muscle repair.
The NELF complex regulates the proliferative potential of myoblasts
When the NELF-b gene was eliminated in a study performed by the Dilworth lab, the ability of myoblasts to proliferate was impaired. Instead of greatly expanding the number of cells in the population, an unusually high proportion of myoblasts were pushed into terminal differentiation during each round of cell division.
Genes required for proliferation showed reduced expression levels as the RNA Polymerase II was more likely to dissociate from the genes in the absence of the NELF complex. This included two key genes of the p53 cell cycle regulatory pathway - SerpinF1 and Ccng1 - which were downregulated.
The p53 protein is known as a tumour suppressor because it acts to prevent proliferation. SerpinF1 (also known as PEDF) has been shown to downregulate p53 expression, and Ccng1 has been shown to promote the degradation of the p53 protein. When NELF is not present, the absence of the SerpinF1 and Ccng1 proteins causes the muscle satellite cells to accumulate p53 protein.
This p53 protein prevents proliferation of myoblasts. Instead, the cells are forced into terminal differentiation. Although these myoblasts become muscle cells, reduced replication of the myoblasts results in the formation of less muscle overall.
Effect on Repeat Muscle Regeneration
Over-commitment to terminal differentiation in myoblasts lacking NELF can have a significant impact on muscle regeneration over an organism's lifespan. In normal conditions, healthy myoblasts proliferate until they have more than enough myoblasts to fully repair the damaged muscle. The remaining unused myoblasts then return to a quiescent state to keep stem cells for repairing future muscle damage. However, when disease prevents good proliferation of myoblasts, too few regenerative cells are present to properly repair the muscle. In these conditions, the myoblasts must all be allocated to repairing the muscle, leaving significantly fewer cells available to re-establish the stem cell population, highlighting the need for the precise epigenetic regulation in this process.
This study has shown that the epigenetic regulation of transcriptional timing in satellite cells is essential for proper regeneration of muscle. One of the epigenetic mechanisms which regulates this activity is the NELF complex, which allows transcription to be temporarily halted through proximal promoter pausing so that target genes can be rapidly expressed in the event of an injury.
This review paper from the lab of Dr. Lis describes the evidence of promoter-proximal pausing as well as some known and speculative roles of the process.
This review paper from the Dr. Adelman lab describes the process of promoter-proximal pausing in finer detail.
We would like to thank Dr. Jeff Dilworth for providing expert review and Dr. Benjamin Lebeau for providing a French translation.
Images created with BioRender.com
© CEEHRC
Canadian Epigenetics, Environment and Health Research Consortium

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
\section{Introduction \label{intro}}

Consider an internal ground state wave function
\begin{math} \Psi \end{math} bound by Hamiltonian
\begin{math} {\cal H} \end{math} which
respects parity \begin{math} {\cal P} \end{math} symmetry,
i.e.
\begin{equation}
\left[{\cal H},{\cal P}\right]=0.
\label{intro1}
\end{equation}
The ground state is expected to be in a parity eigenstate
\begin{equation}
{\cal P}\Psi =\pm \Psi
\label{intro2}
\end{equation}
yielding a {\em null} ground state mean electric dipole moment
\begin{eqnarray}
\overline{\bf d}=\left(\Psi , {\bf d} \Psi \right)
=\left({\cal P}\Psi , {\bf d} {\cal P}\Psi \right),
\nonumber \\
\overline{\bf d}
=\left(\Psi , {\cal P}{\bf d} {\cal P}\Psi \right)
=-\left(\Psi , {\bf d} \Psi \right),
\nonumber \\
\overline{\bf d}=-\overline{\bf d}=0.
\label{intro3}
\end{eqnarray}

\begin{figure}[tp]
\begin{centering}
\includegraphics[scale=0.5]{dip1}
\caption{Shown is a schematic picture of a water molecule with two protons each of
charge $+e$ skating on the spherical electronic surface of an xygen ion of
charge $-2e$. The instantaneous dipole moment strength is
$d=e\Lambda=2e\tilde{L}\cos(\theta /2)$ wherein $\theta $ is the angle
between the hydrogen bonds and $\tilde{L}$ is the bond length. The vanishing of
the mean vector electric dipole moment $\overline{\bf d}=0$ is due to the averaged
tumbling rotations of the molecule as a whole.}
\label{fig1}
\end{centering}
\end{figure}

The vanishing mean electric dipole moment holds true for both a
water molecule \begin{math} H_2O  \end{math} and a neutron
\begin{math} n=udd  \end{math}. The water molecule is a bound state
of charged constituents, i.e. ten electrons \begin{math} e^- \end{math},
two protons \begin{math} p^+=\ ^1 _1H  \end{math} and an oxygen nucleus
\begin{math} ^{16} _{\ 8}O  \end{math}. The neutron too is a bound state
of charged constituents, i.e. one up {\it u} and two down {\it d} quarks.
For both of these bound states, the respect of parity symmetry
requires a vanishing mean dipole moment
\begin{math} \overline{\bf d}=0 \end{math}. The search for
a possible non-vanishing \begin{math} \overline{\bf d} \end{math} for the
neutron has turned into a high precision experimental sport\cite{Ramsey:1982},
yielding
\begin{math} |\overline{\bf d}_{neutron}/e|<3\times 10^{-13}\ fm \end{math}.
Albeit the vanishing of the mean dipole moment, it is possible to define
a dipole strength \begin{math} d \end{math} by
\begin{equation}
d^2=\overline{\bf d\cdot d}=e^2\Lambda^2.
\label{intro4}
\end{equation}

For the case of a water molecule, one attributes an electric
dipole moment strength  wherein\cite{Clough:1973}
\begin{equation}
d_{H_2O}/e = \Lambda_{H_2O}\approx 3.85\times 10^{-9}\ cm.
\label{intro5}
\end{equation}
One can understand the notion of an electric dipole strength of a water
molecule by examining a {\em snap shot} as shown in FIG. \ref{fig1}.

In Sec.\ref{rotw} the experimental reality of FIG. \ref{fig1} will be explored
in terms of the rotational energy spectra of the tumbling water molecule. The
energy-angular momentum levels of the water molecule form non-relativistic
rotational Regge trajectories\cite{Alpharo:1965} from which one may deduce the
molecular tensor moment of inertia \begin{math} {\sf I}  \end{math}. The
eigenvalues of the moment of inertia tensor are consistent with the hydrogen bonding
picture as can be viewed in FIG. \ref{fig1}.

For the case of a neutron, we shall show in what follows that
one may attribute to the neutron an electric
dipole moment strength,
\begin{equation}
d=e\Lambda ,
\label{intro6}
\end{equation}
wherein
\begin{equation}
\Lambda_{neutron}\approx 6.120\times 10^{-14}\ cm.
\label{introt}
\end{equation}
One can understand the notion of an electric dipole strength of a neutron
by examining a {\em snap shot} as shown in FIG. \ref{fig2}.

\begin{figure}[ht]
\begin{centering}
\includegraphics[scale=0.6]{dip2}
\caption{Shown is a model of a neutron consisting of a bound state of
three quarks $n=udd$. Two of the quarks are bound into a diquark ($ud$)
at one end of a string which in turn is connected to the third ($d$) quark.
The diquark has charge $e/3$ while the single quark has charge $-e/3$
yielding a dipole moment strength of $d=e\Lambda$ with $\Lambda=L/3$.
The vanishing of the mean vector electric dipole moment $\overline{\bf d}=0$
is due to the averaged tumbling rotations of the string as a whole.}
\label{fig2}
\end{centering}
\end{figure}

The model of a neutron here of interest\cite{Srivastava:2000,Anselmino:1993}
in what follows consists of a \begin{math} ud  \end{math} diquark at one end
of a string of length \begin{math} L \end{math} and tension
\begin{math} \tau \end{math} and a \begin{math} u \end{math} quark at the
other end of the string. The mean electric dipole moment strength is thereby
\begin{equation}
d=e\Lambda_{neutron}\ \ \ \Rightarrow
\ \ \ \Lambda_{neutron}=\frac{L}{3}.
\label{intro7}
\end{equation}
The vanishing of the mean vector neutron electric dipole moment
\begin{math} \overline{\bf d}=0 \end{math} is due to the quantum tumbling
rotational motion of the neutron as a whole.

In Sec.\ref{rotn} the experimental reality of FIG. \ref{fig2} will be explored
in terms of the rotational energy spectra of the tumbling neutron. The
energy-angular momentum levels of the \begin{math} udd \end{math} system
form a relativistic rotational Regge trajectory  with a linear mass squared
versus angular momentum\cite{Gervais:1980,Martin:1970}.

For both the water molecule and the neutron, the experimental value of the
electric dipole moment strength \begin{math} d=e\Lambda  \end{math} may be
found from measurements of the polarizability \begin{math} \alpha \end{math}.
Experimental and theoretical values of \begin{math} \alpha \end{math} are discussed
in the concluding Sec. \ref{conc}, wherein strong evidence is presented in favor
of the quark-diquark view as shown in FIG. \ref{fig2}. The diquark should thereby
be a central notion when classifying hadrons employing quark models.

\section{Rotational Bands of Water\label{rotw}}

The polarizability \begin{math} \alpha_T  \end{math} at temperature
\begin{math} T  \end{math} of a classical electric dipole moment
\begin{math} {\bf d} \end{math} fixed in magnitude and varying in direction
may be found from the classical fluctuation response theorem for
Eq.(\ref{intro4}); It is\cite{Debye:1929}
\begin{equation}
\alpha_T({\rm classical})=\frac{d^2}{3k_BT}\ .
\label{rotw1}
\end{equation}
Eq.(\ref{rotw1}) has yielded an experimental method of defining the dipole moment
strength in terms of the temperature variations of the polarizability
\begin{equation}
d_{H_2O}^2=-3k_BT^2\frac{d\alpha_T}{dT}=e^2\Lambda_{H_2O}^2
\label{rotw2}
\end{equation}
in a regime wherein \begin{math} d  \end{math} itself does not depend on
temperature. The experimental number in Eq.(\ref{intro5}) employed
Eq.(\ref{rotw2}) in the analysis of the data. In and by itself, this analysis
does not lead to the classic picture of a water molecule pictured in
FIG. \ref{fig1}. To understand the physical picture of the molecule one must
consider the rotational energy spectrum of a water molecule which amounts to a
nonrelativistic  Regge trajectory.

For a total angular momentum \begin{math} {\bf J} \end{math},
\begin{equation}
{\bf J\cdot J}=\hbar^2 j(j+1),
\label{rotw3}
\end{equation}
the tumbling water molecule rotational energy levels have the rigid body form
\begin{equation}
{\cal H}_{\rm rotation}={\bf J}\cdot ({2\ \sf I})^{-1}\cdot {\bf J}=
\frac{J_1^2}{2I_1}+\frac{J_2^2}{2I_2}+\frac{J_3^2}{2I_3}\ ,
\label{rotw4}
\end{equation}
wherein \begin{math} {\sf I}  \end{math} is the moment of inertia tensor with
principal values \begin{math} I_1<I_2<I_3 \end{math}. The rotational energy
eigenvalues
\begin{equation}
{\cal H}_{\rm rotation}\left|j,n\right>={\cal E}_{jn}\left|j,n\right>,
\label{rotw5}
\end{equation}
give rise to measurable molecular tumbling frequencies,
\begin{equation}
\omega_{jn.j^\prime n^\prime}=\frac{1}{\hbar }
\left({\cal E}_{jn}-{\cal E}_{j^\prime n^\prime}\right),
\label{rotw7}
\end{equation}
from which the principal values \begin{math} I_1<I_2<I_3 \end{math} can be deduced.
In this manner the picture in FIG. \ref{fig1} can be completed with numbers for the
hydrogen bonding lengths and angles consistent with the numbers for the dipole
strength.

\section{Relativistic Regge Trajectories\label{rotn}}

The neutron analysis proceeds in close analogy to the water molecule
case. One must consider the rotational states of the \begin{math} udd \end{math}
quark system which in the zero quark mass limit resides in the string
of FIG. \ref{fig2}. The tumbling string frequencies obey
\begin{equation}
\omega =\frac{d \cal E}{dJ}=\frac{\pi c}{L}.
\label{rotn1}
\end{equation}
The string tension is the energy per unit string length,
\begin{equation}
\tau =\frac{\cal E}{L}\ ,
\label{rotn2}
\end{equation}
so that
\begin{equation}
\frac{1}{\cal E}\left(\frac{dJ}{d \cal E}\right)=\frac{1}{\pi c \tau }.
\label{rotn3}
\end{equation}
The solution of Eq.(\ref{rotn3})
\begin{equation}
J=J_0+\frac{{\cal E} ^2}{2\pi c \tau}\ .
\label{rotn4}
\end{equation}
is thereby the linear relativistic Regge trajectory for the string rotational energy
levels for the \begin{math} udd \end{math} system.

The ground rotational state of the \begin{math} udd  \end{math}  system is the neutron with
angular momentum \begin{math} (\hbar/2) \end{math} and mass \begin{math} M \end{math}. The
first excited rotational state of the \begin{math} udd  \end{math}  system is the delta with
angular momentum \begin{math} (3\hbar/2) \end{math} and mass \begin{math} M_\Delta \end{math}.
The experimental masses of the neutron and the delta determine the string tension
\begin{math} \tau \end{math} employing Eq.(\ref{rotn3}). It is
\begin{equation}
\frac{2\pi \hbar  \tau}{c^3} =M_\Delta ^2-M^2 =\frac{1}{\alpha^\prime }\ ,
\label{rotn7}
\end{equation}
wherein \begin{math} \alpha^\prime  \end{math} is the conventional Regge slope
parameter. On the other hand, the length \begin{math} L \end{math} of the neutron
string in the quark-diquark model follows from Eq.(\ref{rotn2}) to be determined by
\begin{math} \tau \end{math} via Eq.(\ref{rotn4}). It is
\begin{equation}
L=\frac{Mc^2}{\tau}=2\pi \left(\frac{\hbar }{Mc}\right)
\left(\frac{M^2}{M_\Delta ^2-M^2}\right)=3\Lambda.
\label{rotn8}
\end{equation}
Thus, the dipole strength of the neutron in the quark-diquark model of
FIG. \ref{fig2} is given by
\begin{math} \tau \end{math} via Eq.(\ref{rotn4}); It is
\begin{eqnarray}
\frac{d_{neutron}}{e}=\Lambda_{neutron}
\nonumber \\
\Lambda_{neutron}=\frac{2\pi }{3}
\left(\frac{\hbar }{Mc}\right)
\left[\frac{1}{(M_\Delta /M)^2-1}\right].
\label{rotn9}
\end{eqnarray}
Employing the experimental numbers
\begin{eqnarray}
\frac{\hbar }{Mc}=0.21009416\ fm\ \ \ {\rm and}
\ \ \ \frac{M_\Delta }{M}=1.311,
\nonumber \\
{\rm yielding}\ \ \ \Lambda_{neutron}
\approx 0.6120\ fm,
\label{rotn10}
\end{eqnarray}
one finds the neutron dipole strength as in Eq.(\ref{introt}).

Now let us consider the neutron polarizability \begin{math} \alpha  \end{math}. The
quantum mechanical expression for \begin{math} \alpha  \end{math} is
\begin{equation}
\alpha =\frac{2}{3}\sum_n\frac{
\left|\left<n \right|{\bf d}\left|0\right> \right|^2}
{{\cal E}_n-{\cal E}_0}\ .
\label{polar}
\end{equation}
For the problem at hand, \begin{math} \left|0\right> \end{math} is the neutron
\begin{math} j=1/2 \end{math} state in one of its two spin projection states
\begin{math} m_j=\pm 1/2 \end{math} and \begin{math} \left<n\right| \end{math}
is a delta \begin{math} j=3/2 \end{math} state in one of its 4 spin projection states
\begin{math} m_j=\pm 1/2 ,\pm 3/2 \end{math}. Since the electric dipole moment
operator \begin{math} {\bf d} \end{math} is a vector, it can only connect
\begin{math} j=1/2 \end{math} states to \begin{math} j=3/2 \end{math} states in
yielding a dipole moment strength
\begin{equation}
d^2=\left<0\right|{\bf d\cdot d}\left|0\right>=
\sum_n \left|\left< n \right|{\bf d}\left|0\right> \right|^2.
\label{rotn11}
\end{equation}
The neutron polarizability is thereby
\begin{eqnarray}
\alpha =\frac{2}{3c^2}\left[\frac{d^2}{M_\Delta -M}\right],
\nonumber \\
\alpha =\frac{2}{3}\left(\frac{e^2}{\hbar c}\right)\left(\frac{\hbar }{Mc}\right)
\left[\frac{1}{(M_\Delta /M)-1}\right]\Lambda^2 ,
\nonumber \\
\Lambda =\frac{2\pi }{3}
\left(\frac{\hbar }{Mc}\right)
\left[\frac{1}{(M_\Delta /M)^2-1}\right],
\nonumber \\
\frac{e^2}{\hbar c}\approx 7.29735257\times 10^{-3}.
\label{rotn12}
\end{eqnarray}
The utility of the quark-diquark string model of fermion bound states, such as the neutron,
rests on whether the neutron polarizability calculated from this model agrees with experiment.
The comparison is made below.

\section{Conclusions \label{conc}}

The theoretical prediction for the neutron polarizability follows numerically from
Eqs.(\ref{rotn10}) and (\ref{rotn12}),
\begin{equation}
\alpha({\rm theory})\approx 12.3 \times 10^{-4}\ fm^3.
\label{conc1}
\end{equation}
The experimental value\cite{Schmiedmayer:1991} for the neutron polarizability
is
\begin{equation}
\alpha({\rm experiment})=(12.0 \pm 1.5 \pm 2.0)\times 10^{-4}\ fm^3.
\label{conc2}
\end{equation}
We note in passing, that in a similar quark-diquark model of the proton,
\begin{math} p=duu  \end{math}, the polarizability is expected to have a similar value,
and it does\cite{Leon:2001}. In that there are no adjustable parameters in the
theoretical calculation, the satisfactory agreement between theory and experiment
is unlikely to be fortuitous. Thus, the quark-diquark on a string model pictured in
FIG. \ref{fig2}, predicting the neutron electric dipole strength in Eqs.(\ref{intro6})
and (\ref{intro7}) has a quantitatively adequate significance.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


So Many Assassins, But Only One Will Survive the Cosplay Chaos!
Since debuting in 2007, Assassin's Creed has quickly become a fan favorite. The game not only spawned sequels, but slightly tweaked outfits for its assassins. And boy, do those assassin threads look fantastic!
Whether it's Altaïr, Ezio, Connor, or any members of the Brotherhood, these assassins cut a striking figure with their iconic hoods and weapons. No wonder fans have taken to the series.
In the above gallery, there's a sampling of Assassin's Creed cosplay, whether its from the main games or spin-offs, as well as assassin outfits that have been inspired by AC. But who pulled off the best assassin? Have a look and see for yourself.
Click in the lower corner to expand each image to full size.


Are we still in Wheaton? We are. Haven't had the blogging energy lately, will see if I can get it back and write up some of the backlogged restaurant visits I've logged recently, mostly outside of Wheaton.
In Wheaton, I had a craving for Chinese and decided to revisit Wong Gee (2417 University), where we ate a couple of times when they first opened maybe eight or nine years ago but hadn't since. Back then, we thought it was okay but nothing special. The dining room wasn't crowded — unlike the packed Mi La Cay next door — but the dozen or so eaters were all Chinese, and that can't be a bad sign.
I'm sure it depends what you order, like in most restaurants, but Wong Gee is officially back on my radar thanks to a couple of dishes. In particular, the crispy beef Szechuan style is the closest thing I've found locally to the fabled Beef with Orange Peel at Menlo Park's Hunan Garden. CBSS is not as orange-y, but otherwise has a similar flavor profile and crisp-chewy texture. I asked for it spicy – SPICY!! I shouted at least twice into the phone when placing the carryout order — but it didn't turn out spicy at all. They need to put the SZECH back in their Szechuan, or maybe I just need to learn some Chinese in order to convince them I can handle the heat. Even so, it was very good, and if it is any zippier next time it will be a great dish.
The kung pao chicken had more of a kick, plus good flavor and plenty of chicken and peanuts, not as good as the Joe's Noodle House version but well above average. Primary Wong Gee kung pao drawback is the over-reliance on celery as filler — Joe's is all chicken, peanuts, and peppers, as it should be. At least Wong Gee doesn't use water chestnuts *shudder*.
I also liked the Singapore style rice noodles, which again could have been spicier but were tasty anyway, with plenty of curry, similar overall to Fried Good Dale but with super thin noodles and less pork, and less grease. Roasted duck and noodles in soup is pretty good, although the duck has a lot of bone and fat and is just too much work, in soup. In general, soup looks like a good way to go at Wong Gee, and there are plenty of options on the menu.
After floating down the Alaskan coast we disembarked for the last time, in Vancouver BC (Canada!). We love Vancouver and always wish we could spend more time there, but with less than 24 hours this time and crazy early flight the next morning, we stayed in an airport hotel and stuck to Richmond, Vancouver's southern suburb.
Food-wise, Richmond is notable for its density of Asian restaurants, "the best Chinese restaurants outside China" according to one possibly hyperbolic local guidebook. That point is arguable, and moot; they don't need to be "best" they just need to be good, and they are. One local food blogger, 365 Days of Dining, spent a year visiting and reviewing one Richmond restaurant (mostly Asian spots) per day for an entire year, and local food bloggers always know everything, OMG they are so awesome, so of course we tried a couple of her recommendations.
Richmond's main Asian (about equal parts Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese) drag is Alexandra Road, and our hotel was conveniently on that strip too. For lunch we hit Seto Japanese Restaurant (#155-8460 Alexandra Road), which looks like nothing from the outside or even in the lobby, but then you walk through a little arch into the dining room and it's like passing into a Tokyo izakaya or something. Each booth has high paper walls, so it feels secluded even with high decibel levels overall. Instead of the usual teapot, big individual mugs of piping hot green tea materialize right away. On 365 Day's recommendation we tried the spicy tuna rolls, boasting a better than average filling to rice ratio and whose interior is a smooth pate of tuna and who knows what else: delicious. We devoured perfect gyoza, light dough melting away in our mouths to reveal savory pork filling. Shoyu ramen was excellent, similar in size, quantity, and ingredients to Ren's Ramen in Wheaton, but only $8, a steaming bargain. I think Ren's broth is even more savory and flavorful, but Seto's is great too. We also got some sushi, all good. Wonderful lunch spot, and we were lucky to get in without a reservation even after the main lunch rush.
For dinner we hit the Cattle Cafe (8580 Alexandra Road), right next door to our hotel. Aka Cattle Hot Pot, this is a local fast-casual chain specializing in soups — so naturally I got a curry instead. The curry was nose-runningly spicy, just how I like it, but otherwise kind of boring, just a yellow curry sauce over some beef, potatoes, and rice. Mrs. Me and others ordered soups, which you can customize or just pick one of nearly 100 (at least it seemed that way – big menu for a little restaurant) prepackaged options. The soups were as good as advertised, big bowls, flavorful broths, fresh noodles; the Malay Laksa soup was even spicier than my curry plate, evident just from the slick oily red-orange patina floating on the surface. If I ever go back, I'm totally getting the Malay soup, although they also have a Szechuan soup option that I bet offers equal pizzazz. Everyone else in the mostly-full dining room looked Asian, and many were ordering more adventurously than we were; there was a lot of baked-seafood-in-cheese going on, which isn't really my thing but seemed quite popular. The place is authentic, in a very modern way (sleek orange-brown-steel decor reminded me of Panas). And also a lot of soup ordering, which was clearly the way to go. 365 Days' review of Cattle Cafe is here.
Happy Chinese New Year. 2012 is the year of the Dragon — an appropriate year for Smaug to appear. We could use some dragons around here to liven things up on such a drizzly, misty, slushy, gloomy day. So far it feels more like the year of the Eeyore.
I suppose one could cheer oneself with some delicious Wheatonian Chinese food. WaPo recommends Hollywood East (as they often do) as part of their Chinese New Year cuisine photo essay, and I agree those steamed dumpling swans are adorable. Lots of options though: New Kam Fong, Wong Gee, Full Key, Paul Kee, Good Fortune, plus the more fast-foody Brother, Kenny's, Ming Tree (in the mall), Jenny Express, the place over on Ennalls I can never remember its name…none serving dragon, but each has its fans. Boy do we have a lot of Chinese restaurants in Wheaton, per capita. Couldn't one of them transmogrify into an Indian curry joint?
Also, completely unrelated: Just Up The Pike published two informative articles on Wheaton redev last week, the first one followed by the results of an interview with developer Leonard Greenberg, who owns pretty much all of downtown Wheaton (actually about a third — that's a lot!).
Nothing like Chinese restaurants on December 25. The Chevy Chase outpost of Meiwah (4457 Willard) was hopping on Christmas night, though you would never have known from the barren emptiness of the street below — I'm pretty sure I saw a couple of frosty tumbleweeds blow by. But inside, Meiwah's lobby was nearly impassable from all the people waiting, hoping, praying for tables but who did not have reservations. And the enormous dining room was also packed with happy eaters and efficient servers, a couple of whom had donned Santa hats for the occasion.
We had a reservation. I'm sure the lady who, as we arrived, hissed "we've been waiting more than a half hour!" at the hostess was not happy to see us immediately seated while she continued to wait. Let that be a Christmas lesson unto her, and us all: make reservations.
Atmosphere was festive, convivial, and the food was pretty good too, especially the starter of razor-thin seared tuna sashimi in a spicy citrusy sauce. Delicious. Meiwah also does great greens, we all loved the sauteed spinach with garlic and…was it sweet mirin in the sauce, or sesame oil, or lemon, or something else? Whatever it was really worked. They also offer an "Atkins-friendly" selection of entrees that are sauteed instead of deep-fried as usual, and the General Tso's chicken was good like that, tender and saucy. Crispy shredded beef was indeed crispy and shredded, but not at all spicy despite its chili pepper menu icon, so I was a little disappointed even though it was otherwise a successful dish.
Last weekend's Washington Post article on the developing chicken "paw" trade war between the U.S. and China caught my attention. I have never eaten chicken feet but am getting intrigued; I know many Chinese restaurants sell them (for sure Hollywood East and probably others in Wheaton too), and I believe H Mart* and other local Asian food purveyors carry them in case one wants to cook 'em up at home. Which apparently is fairly easy to do. It is nice to know that U.S. chicken feet are most coveted in China due to their relative meatiness. I eagerly await the stateside marketing campaign in 2012… More on the freakonomics of chicken feet here.
* Odd and amusing: if you search the H Mart website for "feet" you get a list of mostly hair curlers. A search for "chicken" gets a list of mostly not-chicken-related items, led by Aveeno Baby Soothing Bath Treatment.
Finally got around to eating at Full Key (2227 University, in the strip mall with Max's), historically regarded as one of Wheaton's better Chinese restaurants. By whom? You know…some people.
I wouldn't rank it that high. Unlike my favorite Rockville Sichuan hotspots, all the Chinese restaurants around here are Cantonese/Hong Kong style, both the old school haunts like Full Key, Paul Kee, Hollywood East, and Good Fortune, and the new kids on the block like New Kam Fong and Wong Gee. Of course there's also Jenny's and Kenny's and Brothers (pretty sure no apostrophe in Brothers — outlier! — which makes sense because there would have to be more than one, wouldn't there?), which aren't really anything in particular, just Americanized Chinese (and not too bad, if that's your thing). And Full Key just isn't as good as most of those.
Full Key has a sticker above the door, something like "We get great reviews on Yelp!" If you read Yelp reviews (which I mostly don't but forced myself to this time) you will find widely mixed reviews of Full Key; the allegedly terse service tends to get ripped, but a few dishes are lauded again and again: clams with chili and black bean sauce, stirfried snow pea leaves, and roast duck/pork. But for us the service was fine but the food only okay.
Service was not particularly enthusiastic or outgoing but was perfectly friendly — we even had to send a dish back when they beefed our noodles instead of porking them, and they apologized and took care of it no questions asked. We didn't order the clams because Mrs. Me doesn't do clams; we didn't order the snow pea leaves because they aren't on the current menu, which while not "short" is still probably the shortest Chinese restaurant menu I've seen locally. That could in theory be a good sign — quality not quantity! — but it wasn't really in practice.
We did order roast duck, and it was good, but not better than at New Kam Fong or Paul Kee. It was greasy, as some Yelpers had noted complainingly: of course it was greasy, it was roast duck! And it isn't really grease, it is sweet duck fat from heaven. Our favorite dish was the wonton soup, which had very rich yet clear broth with double-digit tasty shrimp dumplings afloat. Szechuan string beans were good, Mrs. Me cleaned that plate, but could have been spicier; shredded pork Szechuan style was gloopy and bland and weighted too heavily to green peppers, everything bad about Americanized Chinese food in a single plate. Actually it could have been worse, it could have included water chestnuts. But that's what I get for ordering Sichuan dishes in Cantonese restaurants, a lesson I repeatedly fail to internalize.
All in all an okay meal with solid, quick service in the surprisingly small and tired-looking Full Key dining room. Wheaton's Chinese food scene is pretty competitive these days, with a bunch of good options, and while Full Key may once have been top tier, it is no longer.
DC Chinatown's Li Ho Food (501 H Street NW) is the kind of dive that makes other dives seem opulent by comparison. Mostly a takeout joint, it has seating for a dozen or so people but the tables and chairs are bare bones, nothing on the walls, mostly exposed kitchen is a grease fire waiting to happen, even the fairly large windows are barely translucent after years of buildup of questionable substance.
The food turns out to be a fine value. I hadn't been since maybe 2007, and if anything the orange beef has improved over the years: the chunks used to be too small but are now right-sized, good breading-to-beef ratio, and the sauce is a nice spicy-sweet balance (could lean a bit more to the spicy side but that's nit-picking). Certainly best orange beef I've had in greater DC (a low bar, alas). Pork lo mein, so often an afterthought, is also above average, with surprisingly rich meaty chunks of pork; the noodles are pretty greasy, but that's not a big negative in my book. Portions are huge, prices are reasonable, and if you eat in, you might enjoy as we did listening to the owners have animated discussions in Mandarin (or something) as they sit at the table behind you. I also love how the male half of the ownership team serves dishes with an exaggerated flourish, as well as a smile. The quality service, though a bit slow, is a match for the quality divey atmosphere.
Large portions also sometimes extend to the fortune cookies. Mine contained three fortunes, two of which were identical: "You will have no problems in your home." I'm hoping that makes it doubly true, and doesn't somehow cancel itself out. I also got: "From now on your kindness will lead you to success." My friend Carl is an experienced cataloger of cookie fortunes; I wonder what he will think of this trifecta?


(55 ILCS 100/) County Coal Processing Act.
Sec. 0.01. Short title. This Act may be cited as the County Coal Processing Act.
Sec. 1. Any county is authorized to acquire, construct, maintain and operate a coal processing plant and system for the preparation and treatment of coal mined within the county and within the State of Illinois from mines located within five miles of the boundary of such county, such preparation and treatment to be for the purpose of rendering the coal smokeless when consumed and of a quality to meet the legal requirements of municipalities and political subdivisions of this State and of other states now in effect or hereafter to be placed into effect and which will permit such prepared coal to be freely purchased, sold and used in such municipalities and political subdivisions.
Sec. 1.1. Purchases made pursuant to this Act shall be made in compliance with the "Local Government Prompt Payment Act", approved by the Eighty-fourth General Assembly.
Sec. 2. Every such county shall have full power to acquire by dedication, gift, lease, contract or purchase all property, sites, facilities and rights within such county necessary to process coal in the manner authorized by this Act and to pay for the purchase or other acquisition and construction of such plant and system by the issuance of revenue bonds payable solely from the revenue derived from the operation thereof. Such bonds shall bear interest at the rate of not to exceed the maximum rate authorized by the Bond Authorization Act, as amended at the time of the making of the contract, payable semiannually, and shall mature within twenty years from the date thereof. Each such county is also authorized to issue, sell and transfer warehouse receipts for such coal and prepared fuel and the by products thereof.
Sec. 3. The governing body of any county availing itself of the provisions of this Act shall adopt a resolution describing in a general way the coal processing plant and system to be constructed and refer to plans and specifications therefor prepared for that purpose which shall be open to the inspection of the public. Said resolution shall set out the estimated cost of such coal processing plant and system and fix the amount of bonds proposed to be issued, maturity, interest rate and all details in respect thereof. Revenue bonds issued under the provisions of this Act shall be payable solely from the revenues derived from such plant and system, and such bonds shall not in any event constitute an indebtedness of such county within the meaning of the constitutional provisions or limitations, and it shall be plainly stated on the face of each bond that the same has been issued under the provisions of this Act and that it does not constitute an indebtedness of such county within any constitutional or statutory limitation.
After said resolution has been adopted and approved, it shall be published once in a newspaper published and having a general circulation in such county, or if there be no such newspaper, then copies of said ordinance shall be posted in at least four public places, and after the expiration of ten days from the date of such publication, shall be in full force and effect.
Sec. 4. Whenever revenue bonds have been issued under this Act, the entire revenue received thereafter from the operation of the plant and system shall be deposited in a separate fund, designated the "Coal Processing Fund of the County of ....", which shall be used for paying the cost of maintenance and operation of such plant and system and bonds issued hereunder. Each such county may provide by resolution for the expenditure of a reasonable portion of the revenue derived from the operation of the plant and system for research to improve the quality of the prepared fuel and the by products of its preparation, to improve the efficiency of the facilities used in such preparation and for the promotion of the use thereof.
Rates charged for coal processing shall be sufficient to pay the cost of maintenance and operation and to pay the principal of and interest upon all bonds issued under this Act, for the construction of such plant and system, and such rates shall not be reduced while any of said bonds are unpaid.
Revenue bonds issued under this Act shall be redeemable at any interest-paying date: Provided, that a written notice is mailed to the holder of each such bond thirty days prior to such redeemable date, notifying such holder that said bond will be redeemed on the next interest-paying date; or, if the holder of such bond is unknown, then a notice published thirty days prior to such redeemable date in a newspaper of general circulation in such county describing the bond to be redeemed, and the date of such redemption, shall be sufficient notice to such holder, and upon such notice having been mailed to the holder of the bond, or upon such notice being published in the newspaper in case the holder of the bond is unknown, all such bonds shall cease bearing interest from and after the date the county has elected to redeem them.
Sec. 5. In case any officer whose signature appears on said bonds or coupons attached thereto, shall cease to be such officer before the delivery of the bonds to the purchaser, such signature shall, nevertheless, be valid and sufficient for all purposes, to the same effect as if he had remained in office until the delivery of the bonds. Such bonds shall have all the qualities of negotiable paper under the law merchant and the negotiable instrument law.


text:
Q: First Java Data Structures Assignment edit - I revised my code and replaced my original work with new code, still having similar issues
This data structures class I'm taking is my first programming course, so I'm a bit out of my element. The first project is really kicking my ass. It is to make a Reverse Polish Notation Calculator. It is more or less complete, just a lot of bugs. I have been spending hours tweaking my code but when I address one problem it unleashes another. I apologize in advance for my horrible programming skills.
public class ReversePolishStack {
class SinglyLinkList {
    Node head = null;

    public void push(float newData) {
        Node cache = this.head;
        this.head = new Node(newData, cache);
    }

    public float pop() {
        float out = this.head.data;
        head = head.next;
        return out;
    }
    public void add(float num1, float num2) {
            num1 = pop();
            num2 = pop();
            push(num1+num2);
        }
    public void sub(float num1, float num2) {
            num1 = pop();
            num2 = pop();
            push(num2-num1);
        }
    public void div(float num1, float num2) {
            num1 = pop();
            num2 = pop();
            push(num2/num1);
        }
    public void mult(float num1, float num2) {
            num1 = pop();
            num2 = pop();
            push(num1*num2);
        }
    class Node {
        public float data;
        public Node next;

        public Node(float data, Node next) {
            this.data = data;
            this.next = next;
        }
    }
}
/**
 * @param args the command line arguments
 */
public static void main(String[] args) {
    ReversePolishStack rps = new ReversePolishStack();
    SinglyLinkList sll = rps.new SinglyLinkList();
    String entry;
    do
    {
        System.out.print("Enter Expression:\n");
        Scanner in = new Scanner(System.in);
        entry =in.nextLine();
        StringTokenizer st = new StringTokenizer(entry," ");
        String s1;
        int count = 0;
        while (st.hasMoreElements())
        {
            if (entry.length()<4)   {// for an error message not enough input
                System.out.print("Not enough input"); break;
            }
            else if (count>1 && sll.head.next==null) {
                System.out.print("Not enough operands"); break;
            }
            s1 = st.nextToken();
            if((s1.equals("+") || s1.equals("-") || s1.equals("*") || s1.equals("/")))  {
                if(s1.equals("+"))
                    sll.add(sll.head.data, sll.head.next.data);
                else if(s1.equals("-"))
                    sll.sub(sll.head.data, sll.head.next.data);
                else if(s1.equals("/")) {
                    if (sll.head.data==0)   {
                        System.out.println("Division by Zero enounterd."); break;
                    }
                    sll.div(sll.head.data, sll.head.next.data);
                }
                else if(s1.equals("*"))
                    sll.mult(sll.head.data, sll.head.next.data);
                else
                    System.out.print("Unrecognized input");break;
            }
            else {
                sll.push(Float.parseFloat(s1));
            }
            count++;
        }
        System.out.println(sll.head.data);
        sll.pop();
    } while(entry.equals("0")== false); // typeing a single zero terminates
    System.out.print("Thanks for using my RPN Calculator!");
}

}
I have been at this for awhile and I'm sure with every attempt at fixing a bug I also added to the convolution that is my code. Any help would be appreciated!

A: First of all you should take out from the main method the classes you have defined.
After that you'll get an error because an instance of the class singlyLinkList (singlyLinkList sll = new singlyLinkList();) has been created without creating the outer class (ReversePolishStack).
See as reference this link about nested classes.
I also put the Node class into the singlyLinkList class (btw you should rename this class as SinglyLinkList with the first letter capitalized).
I didn't get into the logic of your code but at least after these fixes your code will compile:
public class ReversePolishStack {

    class singlyLinkList {
        Node head = null;

        public void push(float newData) {
            Node cache = this.head;
            this.head = new Node(newData, cache);
        }

        public float pop() {
            float out = this.head.data;
            head = head.next;
            return out;
        }

        class Node {
            public float data;
            public Node next;

            public Node(float data, Node next) {
                this.data = data;
                this.next = next;
            }
        }
    }

    /**
     * @param args
     *            the command line arguments
     */
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        float number1;
        float number2;
        ReversePolishStack rps = new ReversePolishStack();
        singlyLinkList sll = rps.new singlyLinkList();
        System.out.print("Enter Expression:\n");
                // from here will be the same as you wrote
        }
}

I also suggest you to extract the logic of your program from your main method and create methods in the ReversePolishStack in order to use the oop concepts.
Hope this was useful!
Ciao!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, cystic fibrosis and many other fatal human diseases are hereditary. Many cancers and cardiovascular diseases are also caused by genetic defects. Gene therapy is a promising possibility for the treatment of these diseases. With the help of genetically modified viruses, DNA is introduced into cells in order to repair or replace defective genes. Via this method, scientists from the German Primate Center (DPZ) - Leibniz Institute for Primate Research have discovered a quicker and more efficient treatment for the cells. The scientists changed the so-called HEK293 cell line that is used for the production of therapeutic viruses. The cells then produced a protein called CD9 in large quantities. In addition, they modified the viruses for gene transfer in such a way that CD9 is integrated into their envelope membrane. These genetic manipulations resulted in a faster and more efficient infection of the target cells. The resulting higher transfer rate of DNA into the target cells promises new and improved gene therapy treatment.
The study was published in the journal Molecular Therapy.
The ability of viruses to introduce their genetic material into the host cells is used as a tool in gene therapy. These "gene taxis" consist of modified viruses, the so-called viral vectors. They are equipped with fully functional genes to replace the defective disease-causing genes in the cells. However, the prerequisite is that the viruses recognize and infect the corresponding cells.
"In our study, we wanted to find out if it was possible to improve the infection rate of viral vectors and how," says Jens Gruber, head of the junior research group and senior author of the study. "At the moment, the infection rates, depending on the target cells, are often around 20 percent, which is not enough for certain therapies."
To change that, the researchers looked at the production of the so-called exosomes to find out how to use this mechanism in order for the virus vectors to become more efficient. Exosomes are small membrane vesicles filled with proteins, RNA or other molecules. They are used for the transportation of cell components and for intercellular communication. "Our hypothesis was that we could improve the production of viruses and their efficiency by boosting exosome production in the cells," explains Gruber regarding the relevance of the transport vesicles for the study.
In order to produce large quantities of the CD9 protein, Gruber and his team genetically engineered the HEK293 cell lines used for the production of viral vectors. This protein is known for its function in cell movement, cell-cell contact, and membrane fusion. The assumption was that it could also play a role in exosome production. In addition, the scientists incorporated the CD9 protein into the envelope membrane of viral vectors.
"We were able to observe two things," Gruber says. "First, in comparison to the untreated HEK293 cells, exosome production in the HEK293-CD9 cells increased significantly, which suggests a crucial role of the protein in exosome formation. Second, the incorporation of the CD9 protein in the viral membrane has significantly improved the transfer of DNA. This was observed in an increased number of infected target cells that carried the desired gene without the implementation of additional virus vectors."
The increased amount of CD9 in the virus resulted in a higher infection rate of approximately 80 percent. The protein appears to have a direct impact on exosome production and virus efficiency, which has previously not been described. "The results of our study provide us with a better understanding of exosome formation as well as virus production in cells," says Gruber. "These findings can be used to make currently used virus-based gene therapies more efficient. In future, we might be able to completely abstain from using viruses and only use exosomes to transport genetic material into target cells."


text:
Audrie Pott is no Jane Doe, and family plans to…
Audrie Pott is no Jane Doe, and family plans to honor her memory
By Khalida Sarwari | Bay Area News Group
Sept. 10 marked a somber anniversary for the Pott family; it was the day their daughter, Audrie Pott, took her own life. A year has passed and another school year has begun. Audrie would have been 16 and in her third year of high school.
To cope with their grief, the Pott family has found ways to honor Audrie's memory. Shortly after her death, Audrie's father, mother and stepmother announced the formation of the Audrie Pott Foundation, which will offer scholarships to students in the Bay Area to pursue art and music and also provide youth counseling and support as well as suicide and sexual assault awareness.
"There's been so much, in our minds, bad news," Audrie's father, Larry Pott, said. "What we wanted to do is just say, 'There is some good news.' We're trying to help the community and put the funds that are donated to good use and just let people know that there is some good out there; it's not all about crime and punishment."
Nearly a year later, the organization generated a grant the family provided to CASSY, a Silicon Valley nonprofit agency that partners with schools to provide comprehensive mental health support for students. With matching funds from two other organizations, the grant presented to CASSY amounted to $15,000.
The funds will allow CASSY to continue providing services at local schools, including individual, group and family counseling, classroom presentations on depression, suicide awareness and bullying prevention, consultation and training for school staff, and outreach to parents and the broader community. The agency has had a presence at Los Gatos High School since the 2009-10 school year, after the school experienced three student deaths in the previous school year. One of the more high-profile deaths was that of freshman Jill Naber, whose suicide occurred in March 2009 after an embarrassing photo of her was posted on the Internet.
Since Audrie's death, CASSY is now also available at Saratoga High, Larry Pott said.
"When we first started the foundation, we thought if we could have counselors in a school or in a center that kids could come to freely, without it being like a Big Brother thing; what a great thing that would be," Pott said. "CASSY has basically done that."
The foundation also recently announced the Audrie Pott Music Scholarship, which will offer scholarships to students for one year through Musicians Mobile, a company that provides professional in-home music lessons.
Audrie's stepmother, Lisa Pott, recalls that Audrie loved music. The teen played the viola and the piano and loved to sing, Lisa Pott said. She marched in President Barack Obama's 2008 inaugural day parade as a member of the only middle school color guard to participate in the event.
"Audrie was always extremely artistic and loved pottery, ceramics, writing and music, so we wanted to do something that would channel her passions and help kids in that regard," Larry Pott said.
Even Audrie's three younger siblings have chipped in. In July, they set up a lemonade stand at the Foodie Fun on the Run event, raising more than $600 for the foundation. That event, one in a series aimed at raising money for a designated charity, brought in more than $500 for the foundation, with a second event scheduled for Oct. 6.
The foundation's next fundraiser will likely be a silent auction or dinner and will be in early spring, Larry Pott said.
There has been positive news on another front, too: a pair of Senate bills that have gained traction as a result of the family's advocacy. Senate Bill 255, which was recently signed into law, makes it a misdemeanor to publish images of another person, without their consent, "with the intent to cause serious emotional distress." The bill, which takes effect immediately, comes with a punishment of up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000. "Audrie's story specifically inspired this bill," Lisa Pott said.
The second, Assembly Bill 256, is a cyber bullying law that is currently awaiting Gov. Jerry Brown's approval. If passed, the bill would amend the education code to give school administrators the authority to expel students who have participated in cyber bullying. "If that bill is passed, it means that if somebody is assaulted or bullied, even if it's off campus after school hours, [the school] has the ability to expel those students," Lisa said.
Referring to Audrie's case, Lisa continued, "When something like that happens and they've been harassed, they shouldn't have to sit in a classroom with those people for a week."
It was important, said Larry Potts, that Audrie's death serve as a catalyst for positive change, as difficult as it has been for the family to relive the tragedy.
"We're in this epidemic of crimes and cyber bullying, and really nothing has changed legally," he said. "We can bury our head in the sand or let Audrie's name be an impetus for change. We had to decide early on: would Audrie be Jane Doe or Audrie Pott?"
In April, the family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Audrie's three 16-year-old alleged attackers, their parents, a girl who is alleged to have assisted the boys before and after the assault, and Michael and Sheila Penuen, the owners of the home where Audrie was assaulted took place. The Potts recently settled with the Penuens, but the settlement is pending review by a judge, according to Pott family attorney Robert Allard.
Apart from that, the pre-trial phase has begun. "We expect a trial by the end of 2014," Allard said.
The boys, whose names have not been released because they are minors, were arrested on April 11. The Pott family filed a wrongful death lawsuit four days later, claiming the boys sexually assaulted an intoxicated and unconscious Audrie at a Labor Day weekend party while they were sober and then texted at least one photo of the attack to other students in the school. The boys, schoolmates that Audrie had considered her friends, are accused of using a marker to draw on and write sexually explicit messages on her body. After a stint in juvenile hall, the boys were placed on house arrest as they face charges of sexual battery and distribution of child pornography in connection with the case.
An article in the Sept. 26 issue of Rolling Stone magazine revealed new details of the party and the aftermath that led to Audrie's suicide. In Facebook transcripts cited in the article, Audrie wrote to a friend named "Joe" that the "whole school knows…Do you know how people view me now? And I now have a reputation I can never get rid of." In a message to another boy, Audrie said, "My life is over…I ruined my life and I don't even remember how." Days later, she took her life in the bathroom of her mother's Los Altos home.
On Oct. 15, the school resource officer unit of the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office is hosting a meeting to share tips with parents on keeping their child safe while using the Internet. Parents will receive tips on monitoring social media websites, their child's cell phone usage, and preventing cyber bullying and sexting. The meeting is at Quinlan Community Center's Cupertino Room, 10185 N. Stelling Road, in Cupertino. It will run from 6 to 8:30 p.m.
The class is open to any parent with a child attending a school in Saratoga or Cupertino. It is strongly encouraged that children not attend as adult themes will be discussed.
For information about the Audrie Pott Foundation, visit audriepottfoundation.com or the organization's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/AudriePottFoundation. Tax-deductible donations to the Audrie Pott Foundation can be made online or by mailing a check to the Audrie Pott Foundation, P.O. Box 2831, Saratoga CA 95070-9998.
Khalida Sarwari | Cupertino and Sunnyvale reporter
Khalida Sarwari covers the communities of Cupertino and Sunnyvale for the Bay Area News Group. A graduate of Saint Mary's College of California, she started out as a breaking news reporter in San Francisco for Bay City News Service in 2007. Since then, she has covered a wide range of topics, including education, tech, local and national politics, development, crime and courts.
Follow Khalida Sarwari @zohalsarwari