text:
package org.ensembl.healthcheck.testcase.eg_core;

import org.ensembl.healthcheck.DatabaseRegistryEntry;
import org.ensembl.healthcheck.ReportManager;
import org.ensembl.healthcheck.util.SqlTemplate;

/**
 * Check to see if stable_ids have the correct format
 *
 * @author jallen
 *
 */
public class VBStableIdFormat extends AbstractEgCoreTestCase {

	private final static String GENE_QUERY =
    "select count(stable_id) from gene where stable_id NOT REGEXP '^[[:alpha:]]{4}[[:digit:]]{6}$'";

	private final static String TRANSCRIPT_QUERY =
    "select count(stable_id) from transcript where stable_id NOT REGEXP '^[[:alpha:]]{4}[[:digit:]]{6}[[.-.]]R[[:alpha:]]$'";

	private final static String TRANSLATION_QUERY =
    "select count(stable_id) from translation where stable_id NOT REGEXP '^[[:alpha:]]{4}[[:digit:]]{6}[[.-.]]P[[:alpha:]]$'";

	protected boolean runTest(DatabaseRegistryEntry dbre) {
		SqlTemplate stmp = getSqlTemplate(dbre);
		boolean passes = true;

    Integer genes = stmp.queryForDefaultObject(GENE_QUERY, Integer.class);
    if (genes > 0) {
			ReportManager.problem(this, dbre.getConnection(), genes+" genes have invalid stable IDs");
			ReportManager.problem(this, dbre.getConnection(), "USEFUL SQL: select stable_id from gene where stable_id NOT REGEXP '^[[:alpha:]]{4}[[:digit:]]{6}$';");
			passes = false;
		}

    Integer transcripts = stmp.queryForDefaultObject(TRANSCRIPT_QUERY, Integer.class);
    if (transcripts > 0) {
			ReportManager.problem(this, dbre.getConnection(), transcripts+" transcripts have invalid stable IDs");
			ReportManager.problem(this, dbre.getConnection(), "USEFUL SQL: select stable_id from transcript where stable_id NOT REGEXP '^[[:alpha:]]{4}[[:digit:]]{6}[[.-.]]R[[:alpha:]]$';");
			passes = false;
		}

    Integer translations = stmp.queryForDefaultObject(TRANSLATION_QUERY, Integer.class);
    if (translations > 0) {
			ReportManager.problem(this, dbre.getConnection(), translations+" translations have invalid stable IDs");
			ReportManager.problem(this, dbre.getConnection(), "USEFUL SQL: select stable_id from translation where stable_id NOT REGEXP '^[[:alpha:]]{4}[[:digit:]]{6}[[.-.]]P[[:alpha:]]$';");
			passes = false;
		}

		return passes;
	}

	@Override
	protected String getEgDescription() {
		return "Check to see if stable_ids have the correct format";
	}
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Grizzlies in Our Midst
by John Holt
One hell of a lot of books have been written about Grizzlies. Ninety-five percent of them are shallow, venal efforts posing as legitimate works concerning the great bear, while anyone with a bit of vision can clearly see that they are nothing more than slipshod attempts at literacy with the prime objective being that of turning a quick buck. Such has never been the case with Doug Peacock. Not in his books. Not in his magazine articles. And not in his life–a life that has been devoted to trying to understand grizzlies and in, turn, protecting the magnificent creatures.
This holds true in spades in his latest book, co-authored with his wife Andrea, titled The Essential Grizzly: The Mingled Fates of Men and Bears. Sometime back in the hazy past I spent many years living in northwest Montana, a land of prime grizzly habitat. Whether I was fishing for native westslope cutthroat or bull trout, camping or blindly playing with a camera, every year I'd see a number of the bears–normally from a distance but a few times oh so close. More exciting to me was working up a trail and seeing fresh tracks, enormous ones, so recent that they were still filling with water on the moist path or I'd come across steaming mounds of bear sign and I'd go "Damn, one of these guys is very close." That made me feel alive in ways I can't explain, even to myself. And over the course of these years I came to recognize a few of the bears including one female that I saw year after year along an isolated, high mountain valley stream with different broods of cubs every few years. She became a long-distance friend, a creature I looked forward to seeing in late June.
The point of all of the above is that because of my limited experiences, when I read The Essential Grizzly it was like revisiting those happy times only through the eyes of exceptionally experienced observers of the bear. The authors convey in a direct visceral line this emotion with such clarity that even someone who's never been in grizzly country can feel the wild combination of fear, wonder and exhilaration. And this book is so much more.
The style of this book is intriguing. Doug has written several short stories, called Portraits, based on his personal experiences with the bears around the northern Rockies, while Andrea contributes chapters revolving around interviews and reporting on the subject. The book closes with a chapter titled "Practical Considerations in Grizzly Country", an excellent treatise on what to expect and what to do and not do if a person encounters a grizzly along the way in the back country. This is simple unencumbered wisdom as exemplified by the following:
"Once you have blundered close enough to get a grizzly's attention, your options are indeed limited, and the advice does become simplistic and redundant. If you don't want to get charged, don't run or try to climb a tree: in fact, in those first critical seconds, don't move a muscle."
Most of us would instinctively run away like lunatics and vainly try and climb a tree. Doug goes on to explain why this is an exercise in futility.
He is a renowned bear expert and nature writer. A Vietnam veteran and former Green Beret medic. His memoirs, The Grizzly Years and Walking It Off (recently reviewed on this site) detail one man's attempts to deal with the horrors of war through his relationship with the continents top carnivore. He is also the author of iBaja! And served as the "wild grizzly consultant" for the classic Jean-Jacques Annaud film, The Bear. He also writes extensively for magazines including Audubon, Backpacker and Outside.
Andrea is the author of the critically acclaimed Libby, Montana: Asbestos and the Deadly Silence of the American Corporation. Her articles have appeared in Mother Jones and High Country News. She is the former editor of the Missoula Independent. The two live in Livingston, Montana.
As I mentioned the style and form of this book is unique as it alters between Doug's prose and Andrea's journalistic takes. As seen in this juxtaposition. First from Doug's chapter "The Bear Who Crossed The Freeway":
Now the men are visibly nervous. Surprising a grizzly on a spring carcass is a perilous situation. They try to back off the far side of the ridge. Below they hear a branch break. The two humans freeze. They hear the conifers rustle, then the brief murmur of brush. A bear bounds across the open creek bottom and disappears into the timber beyond. It is a grizzly bear. The animal has a bald spot on his rear flank.
The danger is over. The two skiers think they have heard of this bear. The grizzly is vulnerable, so they will keep their discovery a secret. The men smile and pat each other on the back. They have just seen something magical."
And this from Andrea's chapter "The Bear Keepers":
When Casey Anderson and his two business partners applied for a roadside menagerie permit from the state of Montana, they included a laundry list of potential uses for their bear exhibit. One of these was so bizarre, they were nearly laughed out of the county: it was a grizzly motel
The plan was to build a set of cabins, each sharing a one-way glass wall with the bears' dens, so people staying there could see into lairs from their rooms. Now, locals opposed Anderson's permit for every conceivable reason–from fears over declining property values to concerns for the animals welfare–but the sheer weirdness of the bear motel eclipsed everything else.
This alternation of styles gives the book a pace and rhythm that only adds to the compelling nature of the subject. Perhaps one day Doug will write a novel on the bears, and hopefully Andrea will produce more books on the environmental degradations being visited upon Montana these days.
Other chapters/short stories include "The Black Grizzly" and "The Education of the Astringent Creek Grizzly". Some of Andrea's other chapters are titled "The Photographers", "Hunting Grizzly" (the profile and interview with long bow hunter E. Donnell Thomas is fascinating) and "Living With Grizzlies".
Ultimately what The Essential Grizzly is, is just what the title says. Essential, professional, and entertaining writing and reporting on one of the last of its kind. One of the last apex predators on the planet. The Grizzly.
JOHN HOLT is the author of numerous books, including the gripping novel Hunted, and Coyote Nowhere: In Search of America's Lost Frontier. He lives in Livingston, Montana and can be reached at: hunted@wispwest.net

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Home Research COLLABORATIVE PROPOSAL:The Connection between State of Good Repair and Resilience: Measures for Pavements and Bridges
COLLABORATIVE PROPOSAL:The Connection between State of Good Repair and Resilience: Measures for Pavements and Bridges
Download Final Report
CAIT project no.: CAIT-UTC-NC45
Fiscal Year: 2015/2016
Status: Final
Rutgers-CAIT Author(s): Sue McNeil, Ph.D., Earl Lee, Ph.D., Patrick Szary, Ph.D
External Author(s): Silvana Croope, Casimir Bognacki
Sponsor(s): USDOT-FHWA, Delaware DOT, Port Authority of NY/NJ
Principal investigator(s): Sue McNeil, Ph.D.
Performing organization(s): University of Delaware
Managing organization: Rutgers CAIT
In cooperation with: Delaware Department of Transportation
Partner project manager: Silvana Croope
Partner project manager:
Supported by: Delaware Department of Transportation
Client contact/manager: Silvana Croope
Supported by: Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Client contact/manager: Casimir Bognacki
Supported by: USDOT
UTC, grant, or agreement no.: DTRT13-G-UTC28
Resilience: "The ability to prepare and plan for, absorb, recover from, and more successfully adapt to adverse events" Disaster Resilience: A National Imperative
While there are many definitions of resilience and almost as many measures of resilience, operationalizing the concept to be useful in decision making is particularly challenging. These challenges include:
· The diverse hazards that impact transportation infrastructure including climate change, particularly sea level rise, extreme weather events (wind, storm surge, flooding, erosion and deposition), land subsidence, seismic events, and tornadoes, as well as exposure to biological and technological hazards, and terrorist activities.
· The changes that occur over time as well as from location to location.
· The different perspectives including the owner, the operating agency, and the user (both passenger and freight)
· The interdependencies with other infrastructure systems such as electricity, communications, water and wastewater, as well as network connectivity.
To address these challenges we are proposing to connect the concepts of resilience and performance measures related to decision making related to pavements and bridges. The proposed research builds on work in three areas. First, the proposed research builds on the growing body of literature to connect the concepts of resilience and performance measures related to state of good repair to meet the needs of state DOTs. Second, recent work on integrating risk into the decision making process and asset management provides access to appropriate tools (see for example, http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/asset/pubs.cfm?thisarea=risk and http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop15025/fhwahop15025.pdf ). Third, familiarity with the widely available data on State of Good Repair related data for pavements and bridges will provide a base from which to test the applicability of the concepts including their effectiveness in capturing the concept of resilience and changes over time, and the relevance to the needs of state agencies.
The research approach will begin with a critical review of the literature on resilience measures in the context of its relevance to pavement related decisions and the use of State of Good Repair related measures to connect to resilience performance measures. Related measures such as robustness, and vulnerability will also be considered as alternatives. The critical review requires an understanding of the appropriate criteria and attributes that can be used to benchmark different measures and tools both in the literature and practice.
This will be followed by a critical assessment of the tools available and the tools needed to assess resilience as a measure to support state of good repair. Drawing on these reviews and assessment, the project will then propose measures of resilience and assess these measures for states to understand:
1) Does existing data related to State of Good Repair adequately support the concept of resilience?
2) Do the measures of resilience support risk based pavement/ asset management?
This will be accomplished through meetings with relevant stakeholders. As needed the measures may be revised and reassessed.
Case studies applying the resilience measures will be developed. We anticipate conducting three to five case studies. Case studies will include a section of pavement in Delaware subject to frequent flooding compared with the local network that in general is subject to degradation over time, the role of the resilience measures in the closure of the I-495 bridge in Delaware, and a hypothetical event causing closure of an interstate. The results illustrate the application of resilience at different spatial and temporal scales – a segment subject to specific flooding events, a network with progressive degradation, and a sudden onset event on a critical link. For example, the concepts of robustness, redundancy, resourcefulness and rapidity (Bruneau, and Reinhorn, 2007) may be more applicable at the project level, where functionality over time (Bocchini and Frangopol, 2012) may be appropriate at the network level. The case study results provide insights into the impacts of different strategies for ensuring the functioning of the pavements prior to, during and immediately following an event.
Drawing on these results we will develop an outline for a guide for selecting resilience measures for use by state DOTS. The results of the project will be assembled into a report documenting the process, outcomes and recommendations.
Asset Management • Materials & Durability • Risk & Resilience • Sustainability & Environment • Bridges, Roads & Tunnels • Multiple Systems/Networks
Page last updated on October 22, 2019
Reducing Stormwater Runoff Volumes with Biochar Addition to Highway Soils
Prediction of Hydroplaning Risk of Truck on Roadways


For many people, their impressions of Criminal Justice and Law come from television and movies. And there are good reasons why people find stories about Criminal Justice and Law so fascinating! In real life, like in the movies, the people in these fields deal with the big questions of right and wrong, good and evil, danger and safety.
That's because the fields of Criminal Justice and Law cover the entire system of law enforcement and corrections. If you go into this area you might focus on studying the law, or understanding criminal behavior.
Criminal Justice and Law can offer rewarding, meaningful careers for people who choose these fields. If you are a curious problem solver, and you want to have a direct, positive impact on your community, this could be the right path for you.
Get the full scoop over at the Criminal Justice & Law homepage.
There are a lot of potential careers you could choose in Criminal Justice and Law, and they generally fall into three categories: legal, protective service, and social service.
People in legal occupations – like lawyers, judges, paralegals, and legal assistants – study and apply the law. These are the people who work in legal firms and court rooms, trying cases and advising clients. If you are a great writer and have strong analytic skills, you may be very successful in a legal career.
But if you are more motivated to provide safety and security for your community, you might prefer a career in protective service. As the workers who are responsible for catching accused criminals and enforcing the law, police, detectives, and correctional officers fall into this category.
Finally, some jobs in Criminal Justice and Law are classified as social service positions. Probation officers are one example of this type of role. They help to rehabilitate people who have been convicted of crimes, and they work to help them rejoin their communities.
If you want to use your skills and talents to serve your community, Criminal Justice and Law could be a great career for you. These jobs also require sharp problem solving skills, and can draw on other disciplines like psychology or science.
The work can be high pressure, though. Some jobs can involve physical danger, or emotionally charged situations. But the reason that these careers can be so stressful is that the work is so important. When you have a strong sense of purpose in your career, that can lead to a high level of job satisfaction.
The outlook for careers in Criminal Justice and Law is generally pretty strong. According to the Bureau for Labor Statistics, the need for workers in legal occupations is projected to grow 10 percent from 2016 to 2026.
For some jobs in Criminal Justice and Law, demand will vary a lot depending on your location. Some communities will have a greater need for police officers than others, while corporate lawyers will likely have more opportunities in large cities where many businesses are located.
Technology will have a huge impact on how Criminal Justice and Law professionals work in the future. Developments like facial recognition tools will help law enforcement to apprehend people suspected of crimes, while big data will have an impact on the way that lawyers process information in criminal proceedings.


Smiley N. Pool: Chronicle NO SLACK, MAN: Bengals cornerback Adam Jones wraps up the right arm of receiver Jacoby Jones to draw a pass interference penalty in the final minute, setting up the Texans with first-and-goal from the 6.
CINCINNATI - John Shoop, the offensive coordinator at North Carolina, chuckled earlier in the month when asked about the mobility of his former pupil, Texans rookie quarterback T.J. Yates.
"People said he couldn't run," Shoop said. "But he has great short-area quickness. He'll buy time in the pocket."
Despite insisting afterward that he looked "slow," Yates showed off his wheels Sunday, converting a 3rd-and-15 with 44 seconds left by scrambling 17 yards against the Bengals. It gave the Texans another set of downs, and they eventually escaped Paul Brown Stadium with an improbable yet thrilling 20-19 victory and the AFC South title.
While much of the credit will go to Yates, the 24-year-old rookie who calmly directed the Texans - on the road, trailing by six and without any timeouts - 80 yards for the tying touchdown, offensive tackle Eric Winston believes that would be shortsighted.
He's proud of Yates, of course, but the first-year quarterback couldn't do it alone, especially during the final 21/2 minutes.
"That drive was a microcosm of the entire year," Winston said. "This whole season, we've been saying it's not a one-man show. It's been a team effort."
After all, maybe Yates' scramble isn't possible if tight end Owen Daniels doesn't make a one-handed snare with 1:55 left on third-and-3.
And don't forget Jacoby Jones drawing a pass interference call with 18 seconds left. That Yates had faith to look in the direction of Jones, who dropped what seemed to be a certain 80-yard touchdown on the first offensive play from scrimmage, was telling.
"They said, '12, make the next play - you're human,' " Jones said. "I don't make no excuses - it touched my hands, so I should have had it."
Facing third-and-10 from the Bengals' 23 on the final drive, Yates sought out Jones, who was being covered by Adam Jones.
"I got a good release on him," Jacoby Jones said. "It was a corner post. When I beat him, he was holding on to my inside hand. I thought they weren't going to call it."
But a flag for pass interference was thrown, giving the Texans first-and-goal from the 6. After an incompletion and a Bengals timeout, Yates fired a low pass over the middle to Kevin Walter, who scored the tying touchdown with two seconds left.
Consider Texans coach Gary Kubiak impressed.
"It did not look like we had any chance of getting out of here with a win, but we have a young quarterback who believes in what he's doing," he said. "He's a great player. There's nothing he can't do."
Kubiak added that Yates had control of the situation, another assertion Winston clarified.
"There's more freestyling that goes on in a two-minute drill than any other time in the game, and not just from his standpoint," he said. "It's everybody. It turns into a scrap. And don't get me wrong. I'm not saying he abandoned his technique, but you have to improvise. That's when you find out you're football players. You find out the guys who can do it and step up in these big situations.
"Like I said - give it to everybody. At some point, everybody made a play."
Obviously, Winston said, Yates is a player. And his scramble might have been the afternoon's biggest play. While the rest of the Texans couldn't stop raving about what the former third-stringer had just accomplished, Yates was too busy being self-deprecating, complaining about his conditioning or lack thereof.
"I felt like I was running forever," said Yates, who passed for 300 yards Sunday in his second professional start.
He wasn't, though, earning the first down before quickly vaulting off the ground to set up the offense and kill the clock by spiking the ball.
It was as if he'd done this plenty of times before, although that simply isn't the case. Allow Shoop to explain.
"He won't try to do things he can't do," Shoop said. "He knows who he is, what he is."
Added left tackle Duane Brown: "T.J. was more than confident at the opportunity to win the game for us. Basically, it was a routine two-minute drill, nothing different. We just got it done."
Which is what the Texans, all of them, have consistently accomplished during this seven-game win streak and 10-3 season.


Dylan Meconis' TALES OF THE DRIVE story, "Your Distant Homeland," has completed, and I couldn't be happier that that was our first guest story. It's such a note-perfect story for Nosh, and fills in the background of his heart so lovingly. I really love it.
Each time a story ends, I'll be moving around the archives so that the story can be read without interruption. So Dylan's story now begins HERE.
As you know, with all the TALES OF THE DRIVE artists, I've specifically told them I don't want to give them notes, edit them, nitpick them, or tell them what they need to write. My philosophy is: Pick people who create incredible work, and trust them to do wonderful things in the DRIVE universe. And it's worked so wonderfully here: Dylan created a delightful story -- one that I never, ever would've written -- and yet one that fits better than anything I ever could have written. I'm so pleased our first TALES OF THE DRIVE story came from her.
ALSO: Check out her work!
And on Monday: Christopher Hastings' story "Cute Things" begins!


A cerejeira veneered and mahogany display cabinet, the moulded cornice above glazed sides and two doors with a trellis astragals, enclosing a lit interior with three adjustable wood framed glass shelves, on bracket feet. Inspired by a 20th century Italian original.
This item must be installed by a licensed contractor with the wall anchoring 'Anti-Tip kit' provided.
With over 50 types of veneer used on our product, we select each piece for figure and colour and exclusively hand cut each piece to create our beautiful surfaces, each a uniquely created work of art.
Once a week, dust exposed surfaces with a clean and moist cotton cloth. Then dry the surface with a clean and dry cloth. Once a month, polish your furniture with a non-silicone good quality paste wax made by a reputable manufacturer, taking care to follow the instructions.
Once a week, dust exposed surfaces with a clean and moist cotton cloth. Then dry the surface with a clean and dry cloth. Once a month, polish your furniture with a non-silicone good quality paste wax made by a reputable manufacturer, taking care to follow the instructions. Always polish or dust with a motion that follows the grain of the wood to avoid scratching the surface, and allow polish to dry completely before replacing any objects on the surface. For greasy stains or waxy build-up use a diluted dish detergent which should be wiped on with a clean cloth and removed with another. The whole affected surface should be waxed after this process to maintain consistency in protection.


text:
Tickets, Subscriptions & Donations
Our 16th season
VÖLS QUARTET
Hailed for their "united sound," "flawless performances," and "ability to engage their audiences," the Völs Quartet strives to enrich the lives of concertgoers around the globe and to educate young artists of tomorrow in hopes of carrying on their love and enthusiasm for music for generations to come.
martha and monica
Traversing wide stylistic territory, martha & monica offer fine musical ensemble with intensity and passion, and convey intimate expressive and innovative sounds that captivate the audience.
ChamberBridge
ChamberBridge promotes and fosters the performance, enjoyment, and advancement of 20th and 21st century chamber music through adventurous programming, gripping performances, and commissioning of new works. Mss. Bruckman and Zimmermann have undertaken a year-long exploration of the works and influence of Olivier Messiaen whose birthday centenary is this year.
ALEXANDER STRING QUARTET
While celebrating its 27th Anniversary this year, THE ALEXANDER STRING QUARTET performed in the major music capitals of four continents, securing its standing among the world's premier ensembles.
ADORNO Ensemble
Come explore the multi-faceted relationship between music and numbers with members of the ADORNO Ensemble! This young, energetic new music group brings a fascinating blend of up-to-the-minute ideas about engaging audiences with new music with solid chops and a flair for performing. This evening's performance features works by composers intrigued with mathematic theory and how it can inform the musical creative process.
Concerts are Tuesday nights and begin at 7.30 p.m. in the second floor Ballroom of Julia Morgan's gorgeous Berkeley City Club, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, 2315 Durant Avenue, Berkeley. For information about the City Club, or for directions, call the Berkeley City Club at (510) 848-7800.
Pre-concert dinners are available at Julia's, the City Club's restaurant with a French Master Chef. Reservations are required, available at OpenTable.com or by calling (510) 280-1547.
For tickets and more information visit the Tickets & Subscriptions page.
Parking lots on the map are shown with a "P." Prices vary. Limited parking may be available in the Berkeley City Club lot for a fee.
Copyright © 2020. All rights reserved. Berkeley Chamber Performances


I just noticed that this documentary is not available on google video anymore so here's an update of where to find this brilliant and eye opening movie by Stephanie Black. Click on the URL adress-codes. The movie will open in a new window.


Puppets love to speak – to show off their unique voices, to tell stories and make their opinions heard!
This weekend course will explore techniques and processes for using text, and your voice, with puppets. We will cover vocal techniques and exercises; working with puppets to help them speak convincingly, and also to listen; and look at the more specialised working with lip-synch and moving-mouth puppets.
The course will give you confidence and skills in using your voice with your puppets, and lots of new ideas for using your puppets in different performance contexts.
Puppets will be available to use, but please bring any figures you would like to work with.
The course will be led by award-winning puppetry director and performer Darren East.


text:
// Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
// Licensed under the MIT License.

package com.azure.ai.textanalytics;

import com.azure.ai.textanalytics.implementation.MicrosoftCognitiveLanguageServiceTextAnalysisImpl;
import com.azure.ai.textanalytics.implementation.Utility;
import com.azure.ai.textanalytics.implementation.models.AnalyzeTextDynamicClassificationInput;
import com.azure.ai.textanalytics.implementation.models.ClassificationType;
import com.azure.ai.textanalytics.implementation.models.DynamicClassificationTaskParameters;
import com.azure.ai.textanalytics.implementation.models.MultiLanguageAnalysisInput;
import com.azure.ai.textanalytics.models.DynamicClassificationOptions;
import com.azure.ai.textanalytics.models.TextDocumentInput;
import com.azure.ai.textanalytics.util.DynamicClassifyDocumentResultCollection;
import com.azure.core.http.rest.Response;
import com.azure.core.util.Context;
import com.azure.core.util.IterableStream;
import com.azure.core.util.logging.ClientLogger;
import reactor.core.publisher.Mono;

import java.util.Arrays;
import java.util.stream.Collectors;

import static com.azure.ai.textanalytics.TextAnalyticsAsyncClient.COGNITIVE_TRACING_NAMESPACE_VALUE;
import static com.azure.ai.textanalytics.implementation.Utility.getDocumentCount;
import static com.azure.ai.textanalytics.implementation.Utility.getNotNullContext;
import static com.azure.ai.textanalytics.implementation.Utility.getUnsupportedServiceApiVersionMessage;
import static com.azure.ai.textanalytics.implementation.Utility.inputDocumentsValidation;
import static com.azure.ai.textanalytics.implementation.Utility.throwIfTargetServiceVersionFound;
import static com.azure.ai.textanalytics.implementation.Utility.toMultiLanguageInput;
import static com.azure.core.util.FluxUtil.monoError;
import static com.azure.core.util.FluxUtil.withContext;
import static com.azure.core.util.tracing.Tracer.AZ_TRACING_NAMESPACE_KEY;

/**
 * Helper class for managing dynamic classification endpoints.
 */
class DynamicClassificationAsyncClient {
    private final ClientLogger logger = new ClientLogger(DynamicClassificationAsyncClient.class);
    private final MicrosoftCognitiveLanguageServiceTextAnalysisImpl service;

    private final TextAnalyticsServiceVersion serviceVersion;

    DynamicClassificationAsyncClient(MicrosoftCognitiveLanguageServiceTextAnalysisImpl service,
                                     TextAnalyticsServiceVersion serviceVersion) {
        this.service = service;
        this.serviceVersion = serviceVersion;
    }

    Mono<Response<DynamicClassifyDocumentResultCollection>> dynamicClassifyBatch(
        Iterable<TextDocumentInput> documents, DynamicClassificationOptions options) {
        try {
            return withContext(context -> getDynamicClassifyDocumentResultCollectionResponse(
                documents, options, context));
        } catch (RuntimeException ex) {
            return monoError(logger, ex);
        }
    }

    Mono<Response<DynamicClassifyDocumentResultCollection>> getDynamicClassifyDocumentResultCollectionResponse(
        Iterable<TextDocumentInput> documents, DynamicClassificationOptions options, Context context) {
        throwIfTargetServiceVersionFound(this.serviceVersion,
            Arrays.asList(TextAnalyticsServiceVersion.V3_0, TextAnalyticsServiceVersion.V3_1,
                TextAnalyticsServiceVersion.V2022_05_01),
            getUnsupportedServiceApiVersionMessage("Dynamic Classification", serviceVersion,
                TextAnalyticsServiceVersion.V2022_10_01_PREVIEW));
        inputDocumentsValidation(documents);
        options = getNotNullDynamicClassificationOptions(options);

        final com.azure.ai.textanalytics.models.ClassificationType finalClassificationType = options.getClassificationType();

        return service.analyzeTextWithResponseAsync(
            new AnalyzeTextDynamicClassificationInput()
                .setParameters(
                    new DynamicClassificationTaskParameters()
                        .setCategories(IterableStream.of(options.getCategories()).stream().collect(Collectors.toList()))
                        .setClassificationType(finalClassificationType == null ? null
                            : ClassificationType.fromString(finalClassificationType.toString()))
                        .setModelVersion(options.getModelVersion())
                        .setLoggingOptOut(options.isServiceLogsDisabled()))
                .setAnalysisInput(new MultiLanguageAnalysisInput().setDocuments(toMultiLanguageInput(documents))),
                options.isIncludeStatistics(),
                getNotNullContext(context).addData(AZ_TRACING_NAMESPACE_KEY, COGNITIVE_TRACING_NAMESPACE_VALUE))

            .doOnSubscribe(ignoredValue -> logger.info("A batch of documents with count - {}", getDocumentCount(documents)))
            .doOnSuccess(response -> logger.info("Analyze dynamic classification for a batch of documents - {}", response))
            .doOnError(error -> logger.warning("Failed to analyze dynamic classification - {}", error))
            .map(Utility::toDynamicClassifyDocumentResultCollectionResponse)
            .onErrorMap(Utility::mapToHttpResponseExceptionIfExists);
    }

    private DynamicClassificationOptions getNotNullDynamicClassificationOptions(
        DynamicClassificationOptions options) {
        return options == null ? new DynamicClassificationOptions() : options;
    }
}


The CFIDS Association is coming of age in the digital age. This new website of theirs - SolveCFS is a nice step forward. Its visually appealing (what a change) and nicely designed. I think of it as the next step for them. They are coming down off the mountain top so to speak and getting in with the patients - something that's long past due. Good for them! whatever people think about the CFIDS Association it's only to our benefit to have a strong strong national group.
Agreed. I thought the site does a good job making accurate information accessible to patients and non-patients alike, and the $5 million dollar donation goal is great too.
I am very impressed with the new SolveCFS site. I agree that it is time to have them listening to us!
Yes, I agree it's not bad. However, the following, copied from the site is problematic.
As the name chronic fatigue syndrome suggests, this illness is accompanied by fatigue. However, its not the kind of fatigue experienced after a particularly busy day or week, a sleepless night, or stressful events. Its a severe, incapacitating fatigue that isnt improved by bed rest and that may be worsened by physical or mental activity. Although its name trivializes the illness as little more than tiredness, CFS brings with it a constellation of debilitating symptoms. The fatigue of CFS is accompanied by characteristic symptoms lasting at least six months. These symptoms include sleep difficulties, problems with concentration and short-term memory, flu-like symptoms, pain in the joints and muscles, tender lymph nodes, sore throat, and headache. A distinctive hallmark of the illness is postexertional relapse (sometimes to referred to as postexertional malaise), a worsening of symptoms following physical or mental exertion that can require an extended recovery time.
The severity of CFS varies greatly from patient to patient, with some people able to maintain fairly active lives. For others, CFS has a profound impact. About 25 percent of people with CFS are disabled by the illness, and theres often a pattern of relapse and remission. Most symptoms are invisible to others, which makes it difficult for friends, family members, and the public to understand the challenges of CFS.
The layout gives more importance (bullets) to symptoms which are less common - second string symptoms, if you will - while the cardinal symptoms are buried in a paragraph. And, among the second string symptoms, Psychological problems are given too much prominence.
When one is creating this kind of material, these seemingly small things are actually terribly important. Understanding that people usually skim, jump to bulleted info and absorb information in the easiest way possible is crucial to shaping the message in an effective way.
In my last career, I shaped messages in different mediums on a number of different topics. I wonder if they have professionals doing this because, if they do, the message is the one people will take away and not the ostensible message and they must understand that.
I know I may seem to be nit picking here but I believe this kind of attention to detail is just basic good sense.
I think you're right Koan.
Honestly I'm not sure that they do have professionals doing this. They, like all nonprofits, have been hit really hard by the recession. I think that they're kind of happy that they're still standing - apparently thousands and thousands of nonprofits bit the dust. I don't know who they have doing this. It could be Kim McCleary.
This isn't easy stuff. I'd never thought about their layout but what you say makes sense. I think only somebody with right kind of background would understand what had occurred.
At least there are more avenues open to interact with them now. Hopefully there will be more in the future - I sincerely hope they can get a blog together - its alot of work but it's also a great interactive tool. Sometimes I think they are missing some issues that are important to patients that they don't even know they're missing.
You know, Cort, maybe what I should do is copy and edit that page in a way I feel would be more effective and send it to them with an explanatory note. I am not up to doing more than that or having long conversations about it but I could do that much.
Thanks very much for responding to my complaints in a way that helped me to understand how to make a more positive contribution than just grousing.
I agree it could be written better. If you are able to do it, you could post it here for comments before sending it to the CAA. If you like.
I don't intend to rewrite it, just to shuffle things around a bit and move the bullets. But, I'd be more than happy to post that shuffle here so that others may.
"The severity of CFS varies greatly from patient to patient, with some people able to maintain fairly active lives. For others, CFS has a profound impact. About 25 percent of people with CFS are disabled by the illness, and theres often a pattern of relapse and remission. Most symptoms are invisible to others, which makes it difficult for friends, family members, and the public to understand the challenges of CFS."
Most ME/CFS people, if not all, are disabled to one extent or another -- as we know all too well! And the "25%" figure actually refers to what most ME/CFS statistics call the "severely affected." These are people who are totally home or bed bound, unable to tolerate light, noise, etc.....the people we seldom hear from because they are not able to be in contact with the rest of the world.
Saying that only 25% of us are disabled is absolutely not true and I wonder who the heck did write this.
"The severity of CFS varies greatly from patient to patient, and there is often a pattern of relapse and remission. While some people with CFS are able to maintain fairly active lives, many others are affected more profoundly and are disabled to one degree or another. About 25 percent of people with CFS are extremely ill, totally bound to house or bed. Many symptoms of CFS are invisible to others, which makes it difficult for friends, family members, and the public to understand the challenges of the illness."
I'm so glad you caught this Marylib - you've said everything I was thinking and more.
I wonder if there's an easy way for us to add our names to the revision Koan will do so that it is seen as coming from many patients rather than just one?
I totally lost track of this thread in all the excitement. And, now my brain in scrambled eggs.
And, I see, with some alarm (!!!) the word "revision" very close to the name "Koan"! It is with enormous relief that I also see "many patients rather than just one".
My intent was not to rewrite it as my thinker grinds, smokes and makes strange squealing noises when I try to use it. I had intended only to move things around so that the cardinal symptoms were given prominence. I have not been able to do even this yet.
Please, please carry on without me!
I will catch up as soon as I am able.
ETA I thought, with some optimism, that I'd just take a look at it right now. I can't even read it!
yikes! alarm and apologies - both not good. No sorries needed. Never meant to elicit either. I just wanted to strongly support your and marylib's ideas . Concur that it's so important for info to go out clearly & accurately + and for the layout take into account how people process info to ensure that the important info is remembered.
I'll give it a go although not my area of expertise. Feedback from anyone with any experience of doing things like this would be appreciated. I'd like to send it to the CFIDS Association with an accompanying note expressing appreciation/approval of their revisions and the more reader-friendly approach. THen suggest something like this revision for the reasons Koan and Marylib outlined. I think if there's some way of attaching as many signatures as possible they might look at it more closely than if it is just from me - any ideas - necessary or not?
As a person with ME/CFS, I am writing to express my appreciation and approval of the re-visioning and revisions you are doing. Its impressive. The website and newsletter are much more accessible, interesting and user-friendly. Getting current with facebook, twitter and youtube seems brilliant as I understand they are the most common forms of info gathering and contact these days. And the solveCFS campaign is great at putting faces to the illness and hopefully eliciting empathy.
The one bit of constructive feedback I can offer at this point is regarding the What is CFS on the solveCFS page and the symptoms page on the CFIDS website.
1st	Think it would be good for them both to be the same.
Also, while most of us may appear "normal" much of the time, people in flare or relapse, or the severely ill, look far from normal. They often look very sick indeed. So I would change "most" to "many."
I thought the stats across different studies were that 0-20% of people recover to usually about 80% of their pre-illness health, about 25% are severely disabled and house or bed-bound and 60% are disabled and unable to work or can only work in a limited manner. I apologize but am too tired to find all the stats at this point.
I hope my comments and the attached sample of a revision are of use to in continuing to revise the sites and make them more reader-accessible.
Again, love the steps you are taking. Feel that you represent me and other ME/CFSers much better now!
post-exertional fatigue: a worsening of symptoms following physical or mental exertion that can require an extended recovery time.
pain: in the joints and muscles, tender lymph nodes, sore throat, and headache.
"The severity of CFS varies greatly from patient to patient, and there is often a pattern of relapse and remission. While some people with CFS are able to maintain fairly active lives, most are affected more profoundly and are disabled to one degree or another. About 25 percent of people with CFS are extremely ill, totally bound to house or bed. Many symptoms of CFS are invisible to others, which makes it difficult for friends, family members, and the public to understand the challenges of the illness."


In WaveEngine 2.3.0 we have improved the 2D Physic API, adding new features and enhancing existing ones.
We've tried to maintain the name of Box2D properties and methods to facilitate the adoption of the new physics.
In previous Wave Engine versions, RigidBody2D component required to have a Collider2D component, and ONLY can have one collider.
Now this dependency is removed. You can have a RigidBody2D without a Collider2D, but as a counterpart, you can add to an entity all Colliders that you desire.
In Box2D terminology, a RigidBody2D internally adds a b2RigidBody instance to the world, and every Collider2D attached creates an associated b2Fixture, with a b2Shape.
In that image we can see an entity with a RigidBody2D and three Colliders.
We have exposed the b2RigidBody class's properties and methods through the RigidBody2D component, with new features such as IsBullet, GravityScale and much more.
If you want more information concerning Box2D rigid body, view the documentation available here: http://box2d.org/manual.pdf, Now it's easy to extrapolate that concepts to WaveEngine.
In WaveEngine, Colliders2D are the components that specify the entity shape in a 2D environment. We've exposed b2Fixture and b2Shape properties and methods in Collider2D.
We've improved the shape configuration, now you can change the size, offset and rotation of Collider2D shape. In earlier versions, doing that was more difficult.
As we said previously, we've moved to Collider2D all collision and surface properties that change increase the possibilities to specify your physic body. For example, you can set two colliders to adapt better to a sprite shape, and sets different physic properties (density, friction, etc…) to each collider.
We have removed the old PerPixelCollider2D component, and It's been replaced by the new PolygonCollider2D.
While PerPixeCollider2D checks every pixel of a texture to detect if it collides with others, PolygonCollider2D defines a polygon (list of points) which is more optimal to detect collision, and is supported by Box2D.
Currently the list of points is obtained by a specified texture, and in future versions we will alow to edit your custom polygon.
Box2D has a number of Joints that can be used to connect two bodies together. These joints can be used to simulate interaction between objects to form hinges, pistons, ropes, wheels, pulleys, vehicles, chains, etc. Learning to use joints effectively helps to create a more engaging and interesting scene.
In previous WaveEngine versions, to specify joints with the Joints2DMap component, wich store the list of joints associated to the entity, now we've removed that way of work.
Now each Joint is a Component itself, and you can add several Joints to an Entity in the same way as Collider2D instances. We have reimplemented all Joint2D properties to be more usable in Wave Editor, and now is more straightforward to adjust anchors, angle limits and much more.
DistanceJoint2D: A point on each body will be kept ata fixed distance apart.
WeldJoint2D: Holds the bodies at the same orientation.
RevoluteJoint2D: A hinge or pin, where the bodies rotate about a common point.
RopeJoint2D: A point on each body will be constrained to a maximum distance apart.
PrismaticJoint2D: The relative rotation of the two bodies is fixed, and they can slide along an axis.
WheelJoint2D: This joint is designed for vehicle suspensions and provides two degrees of freedom: translation along an axis fixed in body1 and rotation in the plane.
Box2D is a portable C++ library, so if your app makes an intense use of 2D physics will benefit of a performance boost compared with previous versions.
Because WaveEngine is a C# engine, we need to allow C++/C# interoperability. We've accomplished that task using SWIG (http://www.swig.org/).
The crossplatform mechanism that .Net platform allows to interop with C# is P/Invoke, that enables managed code to call native code.
In that point comes SWIG, a esplendid tool that helps the huge task of create all necessary P/Invoke calls and glue code to accomplish this.


text:
Els peixos i bivalves tenen mercuri a l'organisme, sovint com metilmercuri, un compost orgànic del mercuri que és altament tòxic. Les investigacions realitzades han permès de determinar que els productes marins poden contenir concentracions diverses de metalls pesants, particularment mercuri i contaminants solubles en greixos provinents de la contaminació de l'aigua. Les espècies de peixos que són longeves i que ocupen un sitial elevat en la xarxa tròfica contenen concentracions de mercuri més elevades que altres espècies. La presència de mercuri en els peixos pot tenir repercussions sobre la salut dels éssers humans, especialment en dones embarassades, mares que encara alleten i nadons.

Espècies d'especial interès
Algunes espècies de peixos atreuen especialment l'atenció quant a la contaminació per mercuri:

 Verat
 Truita de riu
 Istiofòrids
 Lluç de riu
 Tauró
 Peix espasa
 Tonyina

Biomagnificació
El mercuri i el metilmercuri són presents en petites concentracions a l'aigua de mar. Tanmateix, el mercuri és absorbit sovint com metilmercuri per algues en el començament de la xarxa tròfica. Aquestes algues són consumides per peixos i altres organismes pertanyents a un graó superior de la xarxa. Els peixos absorbeixen completament el metilmercuri, però l'eliminen en quantitats molt petites. El metilmercuri no és soluble i per tant no és apte per excretar-lo, això fa que s'acumuli, principalment a les vísceres tot i que també al teixit muscular de l'animal. Aquest fenomen dona lloc a una bioacumulació de mercuri al teixit adipós en els organismes de nivells tròfics superiors: zooplàncton, petits nèctons, peixos grans, etc. Qualsevol organisme que consumeixi aquests peixos en la xarxa tròfica també consumeix la més alta concentració de mercuri que el peix hagi acumulat. Això explica per què depredadors com peixos espasa i taurons o rapinyaires com les àguiles tenen cocnentracions de mercuri en llur organisme més gran que el valor que resultaria de considerar només l'exposició directa. Espècies dels nivells superiors de la xarxa tròfica poden acumular concentracions de mercuri deu vegades més gran que les de l'organisme que consumeixen. Aquest procés s'anomena biomagnificació. Per exemple, els arengs contenen concentracions de mercuri properes a 0,01 ppm mentre que un tauró blanc en conté de més d'1 ppm.

Referències

Contaminació de l'aigua
Pesca

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Despite the fact that Jane Austen's novel 'Persuasion" was written 200 years ago, it still remains relevant and timeless. Deep human psychology and elegant, transparent lyricism, the story of the fate of a young woman and her hard, full of uncertainty, mistakes and doubts of love, this work was tested by several eras and has not lost its sincere charm.
"Persuasion" is still considered as a treasure of world literature.


text:
AFMC Awards
Future MD Canada
MCAT Fee Assistance Program
Elective Diversification
Entry Routes
Franco DOC
Health Research in Canada
Indigenous Health
Medical Education Stories
Medical Research Stories
Resident Transfer Program
Unmatched CMGs
EducationMatters
Graduation Questionnaire
AFMC applauds Federal Government for investments in young researchers and Indigenous students
AFMC calls for an increase in physician residency positions
AFMC student electives diversification policy
Training innovative doctors to improve health outcomes of Canadians
Again this year, an alarming number of Canadian medical school graduates will not enter residency and complete their training to provide the care Canadians need. A total of 98 competent graduates did not match. This includes 36 students who withdrew after being unmatched in the first round, 31 who remained unmatched after the second round and 31 prior year graduates who are unmatched. The match resulted in 52 residency positions remaining unfilled.
"AFMC appreciates the action taken by Ontario, Alberta and Manitoba that has led to an improvement in overall results" says Dr. Geneviève Moineau, President and CEO of AFMC. "Until governments ensure that we have more residency positions than graduates, we will not be able to fully optimize the match results." AFMC continues to advocate to provincial governments for 110 positions for each 100 graduates.
"There are significant barriers to entering residency and AFMC is advocating for a more effective national approach to the match including a review of entry routes to residency and a pan-Canadian resident transfer system" says Dr. Brian Postl, AFMC Board chair. "We will continue to work with all stakeholders, including government, to address these issues".
The AFMC's 2018 Report on Reducing the Number of Unmatched Canadian Medical Graduates (uCMGs), clearly outlines the steps required to solve this critical issue. Faculties of Medicine across Canada are providing career counselling to all medical students to facilitate decision-making, and have enhanced support for unmatched students throughout the match process.
For media inquiries, contact.
1-613-730-0443 ext 244
communications@afmc.ca
AFMC_e
About AFMC
Founded in 1943, the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada (AFMC) represents Canada's 17 faculties of medicine and is the voice of academic medicine in this country. Our member faculties graduate over 2,700 MDs per year; teach over 11,500 undergraduate medical students; train over 15,000 postgraduate trainees; employ nearly 48,000 full and part-time faculty members and undertake over 3 billion dollars of biomedical and health care research annually.
AFMC is a registered charity that works to represent and support the mandates of our medical faculties – research, medical education and clinical care. Our advocacy initiatives are tailored to keeping these issues high on the federal government's agenda and ensure that Canada's faculties of medicine serve as important resources to decision-makers in this country.
AFMC is the academic partnership of Canada's faculties of medicine. Through our collective leadership and advocacy, we will achieve excellence in education, research and care for the health of all Canadians.
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Plum Bridesmaid Dresses - The Maxi infinity Dress From Dress and Charm is the only Dress you will need , Now that you did choose your Length , Choose your color from over 36 Available colors, choose your Size as One size , Plus Size , then a New world of imagination will open to you once you get your dress the possibilities to wear your dress are just Endless, Look Always Different, Chic and Versatile !
I am 5'6 and 130 pounds and the dress is veryyyy long on me. I love how you can tie the dress anyway you want. The size is perfect even though I was afraid because it said there's only a regular or plus size so I was nervous about that. I love it! Only bad thing is that it's very long but other than that it's very comfortable. Can't wait to wear it!
Very nicely made. Nice fabric weight but not as dressy as anticipated for the occasion I purchased it for. I'll save it for another event less formal.
Good but there should be a discount on shipping since they all shipped to the same location.
Great dresses and very versatile.
The dress was so comfy and looked great!


text:
Woman, 91, dies after hit-and-run in Old Portsmouth
Portsmouth's prospects bright as BAE Systems brings £10bn boom to UK economy
PORTSMOUTH is set to reap the rewards of a multi-billion pound economic boom in Britain's defence industry, a top business leader has insisted.
Charles Woodburn, chief executive of BAE Systems, has earmarked the city as a critical area of expansion and aspiration for the defence firm's future plans.
The top industry chief's comments came as fresh research by Oxford Economics revealed how BAE Systems was helping to pump £10bn into the UK economy.
In a vote of confidence for the city's prospects, Mr Woodburn told The News that BAE's gaze was firmly fixed on how the company could boost jobs and trade in the wider Portsmouth area.
BAE Systems employee with the Archerfish torpedo, designed at the company's munitions factory in Hilsea.
Speaking of the city's future prospects, Mr Woodburn said: 'There is a lot of work being done already in Portsmouth. It's not just the work we do in the naval base, it's the Maritime Integration and Support Centre – where we do the combat systems development, with a number of products and programmes around there.
'I think this is an area for us that is of increasing importance and I think as our naval exports continue to increase, I think the broader Portsmouth area will continue to benefit from that.'
The economic research revealed the company supports 12,300 jobs across Hampshire, Dorset and Surrey, with 5,160 people employed directly at its sites, with the vast majority based in Portsmouth.
Royal Navy has 'lost its ambition' and 'will fail' if it doesn't transform, outg...
Charles Woodburn, chief executive of BAE Systems UK. Picture: Matthew Burch
Around 2,400 highly-skilled workers are directly employed at Portsmouth Naval Base, supporting the Royal Navy's surface fleet, with more than 1,000 others developing hi-tech radars, torpedoes, boats and combat systems at sites across Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight.
The company also has a growing team of cyber security and intelligence specialists in Guildford, Surrey, and engineers in Weymouth, Dorset, who support the Astute and Dreadnought submarine programmes.
Regionally, BAE Systems spent almost £590m with nearly 750 suppliers across the three counties in 2020.
Meanwhile, research showed the company's overall UK footprint – spread across more than 50 sites – had supported 143,000 jobs across the supply chain nationally, bringing more than £10bn to UK GDP, equivalent to 0.5 per cent of the total domestic economy.
Mr Woodburn added: 'Our sector not only supports our national defence and security, but also provides unparalleled economic value which drives the UK's prosperity.
'The investment we make in highly skilled jobs, research and development and our extensive supply chain supports thousands of companies and tens of thousands of people and the communities in which they live.'
SEE ALSO: HMS Protector sails through tricky conditions in the Arctic
The news was welcomed by the government's defence procurement minister, Jeremy Quin, who said the firm was helping to push forward the nation's 'levelling up' agenda.
'In every region of the UK, BAE Systems is a leading light in that progress, helping us level up the country by supporting tens of thousands of jobs as we build back better from Covid-19,' he added.
'Through the defence and security industrial strategy, we are deepening the relationship between government, industry and academia to bolster British innovation.'
BAE SystemsPortsmouthSurrey


text:
NHL, union meeting
Sports Xchange
The league and NHL Players' Association met without disclosing the the location of Tuesday's bargaining session, according to a Canadian Press report. And the news service reported Tuesday night the talks will resume Wednesday at another undisclosed site.
Days earlier, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly and NHLPA special counsel Steve Fehr met informally in an undisclosed city.
NHLPA Executive director Donald Fehr offered no predictions when he met with the media prior to the meeting as the lockout extended to 52 days..
"The players' view has always been to keep negotiating until we find a way to get an agreement and you sort of stay at it day by day, so it's very good to be getting back to the table," he said. "And we hope that this time it produces more progress than we've seen in the past, and that we can find a way to make an agreement and to get the game back on the ice as soon as possible."
With talks at critical juncture, and players on record saying they're not optimistic about a deal, the sides need to progress quickly in order to salvage a season that already lost the Winter Classic.
Thirteen players were expected to attend: Sidney Crosby, David Backes, Craig Adams, Kevin Westgarth, Manny Malhotra, Mathieu Darche, Milan Lucic, Ron Hainsey, Johan Hedberg, Martin Biron, Shawn Thornton, Chris Campoli and Steve Montador.
Daly told The Canadian Press Monday that would stay silent until the meetings concluded.
The biggest obstacle remains the procedure that would honor in full all existing contracts, even after the players' revenue share is reduced to 50 percent from 57 percent. The NHL's Oct. 16 offer included a "make whole" stipulation, but the NHLPA didn't like that deferred payments would count against a players' future earning potential.
Ottawa Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson spoke to the media Monday and echoed the players' feeling that there's no reason for excitement until both sides address the core issues.
"I don't think we're at that point right now," Alfredsson said. "Until we are, I'm not reading too much into us meeting or having discussions. We all know that that's the first step to getting something done, but until you get somewhere with those discussions nothing will happen. I feel that so far it's going according to the plan for the NHL and I don't feel that they're rushed to do anything."
'I feel like I'm built to do shows in an environment like this': Laurence Holmes zigs when others zag — and it makes for must-listen sports radio
WSCR bosses talk risk-reward of rehiring Dan McNeil, diversity, politics and more
Column: Drivers, don't start your engines. NASCAR, put your money where your mouth is and cancel today's race after the noose incident involving Bubba Wallace.


Happy Hour in London Docklands, a first spring-like Friday. In front of the pubs and on the terraces along the Thames groups and couples of men and women stand drinking and chatting. They seem busy with evaluating the past day or week, or perhaps themselves.
This kind of finishing the week looks like a purely British affair. While earlier that day - at the university, on the bus, in West End – I found myself in the midst of a fairly representative reflection of the population, at this happy hour there may be some Indian and African types around, but certainly no Muslims. Of course not.
But what does this mean? This means that the integration between Muslims and non-Muslims may advance quite well but that it will stop where the consumption of alcohol comes into play. Whether you assess the latter as positive or negative, it plays an important social role.
This observation certainly applies to the Netherlands too, yet in London it foists itself more forcefully on me because there everything is more pronounced. The Muslim community in London is much bigger and more publicly present than it is in the Netherlands. And the sizes of the beer and wine glasses are two or three times as large as ours. And therewith the exuberance associated with the consumption of alcohol as well as with its abuse and its socially disruptive impact.
Maybe a good outcome of increasing Muslim integration is going to consist in a more moderate alcohol consumption.
But to completely eliminate alcohol does not seem desirable to me. That would be a shame of that exuberant atmosphere along the Thames. And frankly, I myself benefit from a couple of drinks for getting my thoughts a bit smoother, and for promoting my self-evaluation. I fancy.


Joined by members of the Science Gallery International staff, he discussed why and how science centers and museums need to adapt to the Fourth Industrial Revolution—the fusion of technologies that is blurring the lines between physical, digital, and biological spheres—and whether "public engagement" relates to activism, or doesn't.
The team also shared insights from discussions with key decision-makers following their return from the recent World Economic Forum (January 17–20) in Davos, Switzerland, about the fundamental role of science and art to critique and advance people's understanding of the world.
Dublin-based Science Gallery International is a university-linked network dedicated to public engagement with science and art, now planning sites that will open in London, Bangalore, Melbourne, and Venice.


text:
Q: Mixed Effects Model - Some groups have a single value of x I am working on sales of a B2B company and I have sales volumes of different customers at different price points. Some customers, however, purchased at only a single price point.
I'm trying to identify the effect of price on sales volume using a mixed-effects model (varying slope, varying intercept), where each customer is a "group"
Eg. Sales ~ Price + (1+Price|Customer)
My question is - What happens when certain customers have only one price point (ie. the independent variable does not change). Would these customers affect the fixed effect of 'Price' (do they bring the slope of the fixed effect closer to zero)? Is it more appropriate to remove these customers from my analysis?

A: No, you do not have to exlcude the customers with one measurement. They still contribute to the cross-sectional effect of Price on Sales. This is also in relation to the potential missing data you may have, i.e., mixed models provide you with valid inferences under the missing at random assumption, and this requires to use all available data.
Regarding the perfect correlation, try working with the centered prices.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
THE LUST DETAIL
By	Tusker Trail	on	July 1, 2010	in	Uncategorized
Vital Spirit
They are said to inspire lust, excite the senses, enhance potency and replenish the vital spirit. They run the gamut from simple, everyday foods and herbs to inspired potions and elixirs. And for thousands of years, people have been using them to "get in the mood".
The reason for seeking out aphrodisiacs is obvious – sexual drive and performance could not be any higher on the list of importance for millions of people. The methods by which they achieve this can be everything from reasonable, to odd, to downright weird. The efficacy of most aphrodisiacs, if not all, is based more on cultural and mythic notions rather than proven science and quantifiable results. But that hasn't stopped countless people throughout history from trying anything and everything to enhance their sexual prowess and fulfill their carnal appetite.
Love Potions
The term aphrodisiac is derived from the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite. It is said she had the power to inspire lust and drive people wild.
Aphrodite was closely associated with sparrows and the ancient Greeks would eat sparrow hearts, brains and other body parts thinking that it would provide them with sexual enhancement. In ancient Egypt, Cleopatra was one of the most famous aphrodisiac enthusiasts. Her sexual appetite was legendary and she allegedly used a host of aphrodisiacs, including perfumes and opiates, to entice her many lovers. The Romans were also prominent aphrodisiac users. One of their most celebrated physicians, Galen, was an expert on the subject of aphrodisiacs and claimed that warm and moist foods like cooked oysters, carrots and peas were excellent for kick-starting sexual desires.
In many parts of Europe during the 16th century, the Mandrake root was consumed as an aphrodisiac and to cure infertility. Its power was thought to stem from the fact that the root itself resembled a woman's thighs. Europeans also believed the sweetness in other root vegetables like potatoes provided stimulating qualities. Numerous beverages have been used as aphrodisiacs. Alcohol is a well-known love potion that can definitely reduce inhibitions, however too much can ruin any chances for enjoying peak performance. Coffee is another known stimulant that is thought to have aphrodisiac qualities. Though it definitely stimulates the central nervous system, studies in modern times have concluded that it has no direct effect on sexual desire.
In some instances, the desire for sexual enhancement and the pursuit of aphrodisiacs can get a little crazy and even go too far.
Horny Issues
It's one thing if you're downing a few plants or herbs to try and enhance your libido. It's another thing entirely when you're killing off entire species of animals or doing other environmental harm to achieve arousal.
From centuries ago to this day, in certain countries the horn of the rhinoceros is considered to be a powerful aphrodisiac. This belief is especially strong in the East, where rhinos are hunted down and killed specifically for the horn. There is absolutely no scientific proof that any properties the rhino horn possesses enhances sexual libido. Nonetheless, stories describing great feats of abnormal sexual prowess while utilizing the powers of the horn are rampant in places like China. The demand there is particularly high and over the last several years, poachers in Africa have made it their business to supply China with thousands of African black rhino horns. With a population of nearly 70,000 in the 1970's, there now remain only a few thousand of the creatures. And the demand for aphrodisiacs has brought more than just the black rhino population to the brink of extinction.
Numerous Asian countries have a strong appetite for the aphrodisiac delicacy of shark fin soup. Though there is absolutely no proof that it can improve your sex life, the soup has become a symbol sexual potency and a favorite of the wealthy. Due to over-fishing of hammerhead and other shark varieties for such purposes, numerous shark species are now classified as endangered. Also in the East, the sexual potency of numerous products derived from birds has reached mythic proportions. Certain birds secrete a fluid from their beaks that the Chinese believe can be made into a sexual potency lotion. They also believe that bird's nest soup has highly stimulative powers. The rampant collecting of bird's nests throughout Asia has threatened some bird species with regional extinction.
Doubt is very high that any horns, nests or fins can improve sexual drive. Ultimately, it takes more than just so-called aphrodisiacs to maintain a balanced and healthy sexual appetite.
Balanced Health
Today, enhancement of the libido is as hot of a topic as it has ever been in history. There are countless pharmaceutical drugs like Viagra and Cialis that essentially serve the same purpose as aphrodisiacs, as well as herbal concoctions that claim to have similar effects. The problem is that though they will try, no pharmaceutical company or even the FDA can guarantee the safety of such products, especially in the long term.
The real key to enjoying sexual potency, dieticians say, is to live clean and eat a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Furthermore, keeping the body in great shape with cardiovascular exercise, muscle maintenance and good flexibility can go a long way towards keeping the libido healthy. If we can think of our sexuality as a privilege that needs to be nurtured and cared for – and not just a birth-given right – we are much more likely to enjoy a lifetime of pleasures courtesy of our most primal senses.


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Short vocabulary of customizing (pocket edition)
We took a risk and attempted to make something vaguely resembling a short vocabulary of terms used in customizing. We apologize, if there is something you couldn't find. First, it's impossible to seize the unseizable. Second, all is in a state of flux, nothing is constant. And third, time is money.
Since customizing appeared in the USA, all terms have English roots.
Aftermarket. The industry of motorcycle "aftersale personalization" appeared in 1950-s, when semi-handicraft workshops at that time (f.e. famous company S&S Cycle) started producing short runs of production for sale to a third party. The aftermarket became popular at the beginning of 1970-s.
Alternative manufacturer. In the middle of 1990-s, in the USA short-run moto manufacturers occurred in the forefront of customizing boom. Their production meant to become alternative to Halrey-Davidson, which was controlling American market of motorbikes. The common term "Harley-clones" was quite insulting for small, but proud companies, so, it disappeared from pages of moto-press. The "alternatives" is far more pleasant name. And recently, the companies staying afloat prefer naming themselves "licensed manufacturers".
Apehanger, ape-hanger or ape hanger is one of the very classic forms of chopper handlebar. Very high and not the most ergonomic apehangers were connected with chopper concept in mass consciousness for a long time, especially in Europe.
Baby seat. This is a label-seat on the rear fender (dismountable or on suction cups) for carrying squeaky excited damsels.
Bagger. Originally, this is a cruiser bedangled with bags (that's where its name comes from) and meant for long trips. The distinctive features of modern bagger are side bags and windscreen.
Bar hopper, bar-hopper or barhopper. This is a chopper, the main purpose of which is carrying biker from bar to bar. You know, high speed, effective brakes, convenient suspenders etc. are not the priority for such bar jumper. It just has to look astonishing at parking in front of bar.
Beach bar or sweeping wide. Despite of "beach-alcohol" name, the beach bar is just a low and very wide hemispheric handlebar inherited by modern customizing from pre-war American cruisers (though, such handlebar was typical for motorcycles at the beginning of 20-th century).
Beach cruiser. This is a heavy hiking cruiser with beach bar. Similar term "boulevard cruiser" occurred in 1930-s and had almost the same meaning as cruiser. And its purpose was rather showing-off than touring.
Bikini fairing. The café-racer style mini-fairing, named after atoll reef in the Pacific Ocean, often appeared on custom-bikes in the beginning of 1980-s. Well, bikini fairing is rather element of décor hinting at sporting type of motorbike.
Board tracker or boardtracker. Custom bike performed in a style of motorcycles used for racing on board tracks, popular in America at the beginning of 20-th century. This is a modern stream of today customizing. If you see a motorcycle looking like bicycle, then you should know that this is more likely a board tracker.
Bobber, bob or earlier bob-job. This is the earliest and most popular sort of custom bikes. The style formed simultaneously with biker movement on the south of US West Coast at 1940-50s.
Bobtail or bob fender. First customizers tailed their bobbers as habitual veterinary. At the beginning of 1950s there were three classic methods of "tailing": 1) cut off a piece of rear fender with angle grinder; 2) install front fender on the back (at that time, wheels of different width were not common, so, the fenders were of the same width too); 3) to make a bobtail. No doubt that the last method is witty and elegant: in this case, front part of rear fender is cut off instead of rear, after that it moved deeper into frame forming a "duck tail".
Body bike, originally full-bodied bike. This is maximum covered, nosed over motorcycle. Often design of body-bikes has something in common with design of cars.
Body kit is a set of finishing tools, often made of plastic. With these tools you can reshape serial motorcycle beyond recognition.
Chopper is a motorcycle based on classic bike, but with altered frame geometry, lesser weight, lowered center of gravity and removed or reduced in weight parts and mechanisms, which don't affect the motorbike suspension system.
This motorcycle is equipped with more powerful engine, high handlebar and prolonged fork. This reduces cross wind resistance at high speed (the wind line matches long arms line). The words "bobber" and "chopper" seem to be similar, but they are not: the bobbers are made by cutting off the undue, and building of choppers requires a more serious approach.
Clipons, clip-ons. This term came from sporting moto-building. The handlebar is split in two. Its halves are attached to the fork (often above upper traverse, but it can also be installed between upper and lower or even under lower). But it is an optional attribute for café-racers or sportbikes.
Coffin tank, koffin tank. By the end of 1960s the coffin-like tanks cought a fancy of chopper-builders. First, because of simplicity in making (there is no curved surfaces by definition). Second, coffin-like tank was not just outrageous, but also very stylish for a long time. Coffins brought forth many other varieties, like, for example, tombstone. And also diamond tanks refer to this category (see below).
Contour seat is another option of classic chopper dual seat. Thin bolster contours part of frame, rear fender and sometimes a sissybar. Such seat is less comfortable for passenger, than king&queen, but undoubtedly more elegant, because there is no step of passenger seat, which ruins the looks of motorcycle.
Convertible. Construction of this type considers not just quick transforming into something, but also reverse transformation (like cabriolet). One of the most well-known "transformers" is project The Sled/The Roadster Convertible implemented by Arlen Ness in 1997.
Custom is a key word for term of "customizing", "customizer", "custom bike" etc. Well, its meaning is clear. This refers to something made custom-built, not serial production.
Diamond tank is a faceted diamond-like chopper tank. The peak of its popularity came at the end of 1960s. There is also a term "prism tank".
Digger. Some resources claim that this variety of chopper is typical for the end of 1970s or even beginning of 1980s. In fact, this style, as the term itself, occurred in the end of 1960s. Though, it is not quite clear, what the diggers are. Some think, that these are bikes with prolonged frame (like gooseneck), wide slope angle of front fork, with pullback or dragbar, uprated engine, intimidating bristle turbochargers, and often rear wheels with dragster slicks (sort of ancestor of today's street/lowriders). And some call diggers light choppers based on Harley-Davidson Sportster with low handlebar and rod close to standard. Such bikes were called low boy at first. Interesting thing, both statements are correct, both streams occurred almost at the same time were called diggers.
As for origin of the term "digger", here are also two versions. According to first, they are called that due to their dragster features they can literally "dig" the ground with rear wheel. The second version considers that rider bending over low handlebar looks like digger.
Drag bar is a low straight handlebar with slightly back handles. The form is efficient and came from drag-racing.
Dragster. By this term is meant sport bike for drag-racing or squatty "charged" sporting chopper (see also pro-street).
Drag style. This is a long low frame with a neck for seat. German HPU Drag Style were the bestseller in Europe for several years through. Now the new generation of drag-style frames Walz Hardcore Cycles took the leadership.
Dresser. At the beginning of 1950s Harley-Davidson and Indian started offering more and more accessories for their cruisers for additional payment: windscreens, side bags, front and rear chrome plated "bumpers" of most intricate forms. Such "fully packed" motorcycle was called full dresser or just dresser. In California bikers called dresser any serial cruiser, because unlike "naked" bobbers "weared" deep massive fenders, nacells around headlights etc.
Fat bob, fatbob. Such were called classic Harley-tanks with two fillers and massive control panel between them. On choppers there are traditionally used tight fatbobs with "axed" middle and newly welded halves (axed tank, axed fat bob. Also used a term pork-ster)
Fishtail, fish tail is an exhaust system with end resembling a fishtail. The trend for such fish takes a long way back and it was installed on motorcycles for several decades. In customizing all fishtales can be divided in two types:
1) classic in the form of straight duals. Usually installed on baggers and some old-school motorcbikes;
2) chopper, which are usually one-sided with broke up, or more likely swept up end (up-sweep fishtail).
There are several forms of this "tail": aside of classic "fish", there also a shark fin and fan-tail. There can be up to 3 of such fins and tails on one exhaust pipe.
Flame job or flames is one of the most well-known painting schemes. It came into customizing from Hot-Rod, where, in its turn, it came from aviation nose art.
Friction drive or rolling drive type transfers a torque to rear wheel through direct contact of tyre with drive wheel.
Frisco Style
1) Chopper with short base, moderate angle of fork slope, high T-bar or apehanger and specific "hump" – a modified sportster tank. The stream occurred in 1960s in San Francisco.
2) Sporting tank with low tunnel and higher filler. As a result of such alteration, the tank is installed above tube. Frisco Style chopper frame considers significant lift of tank front part. So, it's not possible to fully fill a small enough tank, because its upper end point doesn't match the filler now. So, that's why the filler is moved up.
Girder is a front parallelogram fork or trapeze. In 1960s were installed on choppers as often as springers. And it might be considered as extinct, but for old-school.
Gooseneck is a motorcycle frame with stretched out headset. One of custom perks of 1960s. Thanks to Japanese customizers, it is very popular again among old schoolers all around the world.
Hardtail is a frame with hard rear suspension. For some time the hardtail was a reserve of an extinctive tribe of radical choppers. And it seemed to fall into oblivion soon. But skies took pity on hardtail construction and brought down the old school epidemic on our heads.
Heat wrap is another old school perk. This is a heat wrap for exhaust system. This is an extremely stylish thing, despite it looks like foot wrap. Though, you can order the wrap of any color, the most popular are white or grey.
Highneck, high-neck is a chopper with a high headset, and the higher, the better. The "necks" became really popular in 1960s. Strange as it may seem, but there are many elegant machines even in this grotesque style.
Hubless wheels or orbital wheels or osmos wheels. Franco Sbarro, a well-known Swiss designer, was the first to install hubless wheels on his motorcycle in 1989. But customizers got their hands on hubless far more later. The first to install somos wheel was chief of famous company Choppers Inc. Billy Lane installed an "empty" wheel on his PsychoBilly Cadillac in 2002.
Jockey Shift is a lever of manual gear shift. In classic case it considers presence of clutch pedal – the so-called suicidal clutch.
King&queen, king-and-queen, king/queen or stepped seat is a whole two-level double seat. Note, that "queen" sits higher than "king". At the beginning of 1970s, such constructions started gaining fanciful and grotesque forms: often the seat backs reached 1m high sissybars, or even higher.
Kit bike is a motorcycle sold as set "do-it-yourself". Such sets are known as bike kit or bike-in-box and attract many bikers.
Leaf spring fork. Such forks were installed on classic Indians earlier. That's why they're called "Indian forks". Few years later, only rare customizers dared to use this archaic construction. Except "Indian forks", to this category also refer exotic constructions installed on some choppers of 1960-70s – with real car springs.
Lettering is one of many Hot Rod terms that came from 1950s. It means painting on the machine its name, name of biker, motto or any aphorism. Technically, the lettering is any inscription of any style and font. But real old-school lettering is a print made with brush and of canonical or "vintage" font.
Longfork chopper is another term of Hot Rod vocabulary. At the beginning of 1970s long and narrow street dragsters and other diggers were often called long&low. Step by step, this statement was replaced by automobile term "lowrider".
Maltese cross is one of graphic symbol of custom culture. This form is often used in optics, mirror and other accessories design. In most cases, that, which is usually called a "maltese cross" is not Maltese, not even Teutonic, but a real "Eisene Kreuz" – the Iron Cross of 1813.
1. Title (in this case it is written as Master Builder) is given to the best of the best customizers by American specialized press (in different years these were different publishers SuperCycle, Easyriders, VQ, V-Twin).
2. Chief specialist in workshop building custom bikes. It is chief mechanic with functions of operational director.
Metric or metric cruiser (MС) is a custom bike with non-American engine, due to using metric instead of inch size in their construction.
Mini-chopper, mini chopper, minichopper. This concept is so loose, that it strains from small Asian chopper style pocket bikes to solid 750 ccm 3/4 motorcycles produced by American company Ridley (at the beginning of 1970s the mini-chopper were called even diggers based on Harley-Davidson Sportster).
Muscle bike, musclebike. The term appeared as motorcycle tracing of "muscle car" concept. But unlike automobile analogue, there is no distinct definition. Many motorbikes are called "muscle bikes" by manufacturers and motor-press: from avant-garde hi-tech machines produced by American company Confederate to Australian Barbarian.
Nacelle is a headlight streamlined housing type installed since 1965 on Harley-Davidson Electra Glide.
Peanut tank is one of classic style of chopper tank. Nowadays they are produced by most companies specialize in tanks. But originally, in 1950s, they were borrowed by pioneers of customizing from speedway motorcycles or Mustang minibikes. Some claim that real speedway "peanut" is smaller and more roundish than Mustang, but if there is a difference, it's not that big.
Pinstriping, pin-striping is one of classic ornaments used in customizing. As other traditional elements of décor (flames, scallop, lettering) it came to customizing from Hot Rod. The pioneer and original classic of pinstriping is rightly considered Von Dutch.
Plough, plow is a spoiler placed low in front of frame and looking like plough. That's why it is called such. Often hides an oil tank, filters or some other useful things.
Pro-Street, ProSfreet, prostreet. This is anoter term of Hot Rod. Aside pro-streets, which belong to professional drag-racing class, this name can be referred to "civil" custom bikes with low sporting outline.
Pullback, pull-back, pull back bar is literally pulled back low and narrow handlebar. Across 1960s and 1970s such handlebars caught on squatty diggers and on extra high highnecks. In last case the handlebars were not just pulled back, but also pulled low, because there is no other way to reach it. Nowadays pullbacks can be seen on Swedish style choppers.
Rake is a headset angle of slope. It is measured (by degrees) between fork line and vertically lowered headset. It can match or differ from front fork angle of slope. In this case the value of fork slope angle can increase by virtue of extra rake or triple tree rake (angle in traverse). The balance between rake and extra rake affects an important index (from the standpoint of motorcycle handleability) as trail.
Rat bike or just rat is an anti-customizing movement or, if you wish, "post apocalyptic customizing" with its brutality, natural rust and other "antisocial" attributes. Occurring in Great Britain by the end of 1970s (though, such motorbikes could be seen in USA earlier as low-end custom bikes), it had numerous army of admirers in 1980s.
Rigid or ridgeback is a synonym of hardtail. And the fact that there are differences between those terms is just a wild guess. And rigid more likely refers to motorcycles and ridgeback is used for roadster frame.
Rim brake or perimeter brake. Few years ago brake rotors attached to wheel rim considered as hi-tech meant for sportbikes and streetfighters. But customizers caught the idea, especially various old-schoolers and board tracker creators. It is understandeable, because the wheel with this rotor looks transparent, as if it has no brake at all. And this is no small thing, as it may seem to someone.
Rocket tanks. At the beginning of 1960s, the cylindrical form of fuel tanks was used mostly on motorcycles for races on bottom of drained salina and professional road dragsters. And there could be installed one tank or several (up to 4) At the beginning of 1970s, rocket tanks came into customizing. They were even offered by aftermarket customizing workshops.
Rolling chassis or often just a roller is a semi-product, a work piece for making a low-end custom bike. Usually, this is an undyed (or…), elementary set consisting of frame, fork, handlebar and tyred wheels. Sometimes there are rollers with installed fenders, fuel and oil tanks, and sometimes even with headlight. And the most rear option is dyed rolling-chassis.
Ramhorn, ram-horn, ram's horn is a narrow compact chopper handlebar with halves resembling ram's horns "growing" from upper traverse. Often comes with cross partition to add ruggedness to the construction. Under occurrence of Hot Rod and customizing and, when the most favorite occupation of American auto- and moto-freaks was racing on bottom of drained saline, there was a term "bump start".
Scallop, scalloping is a scallop-like color scheme resembling a comb. Stylistically and historically it is close to flame-job. There are several types: knife tip, spike, diamond. Nowadays they are used mostly in old-school.
SCOOter, scoot this is one of American slang variations of term chopper (well, there are many things called scooter: various mini-bikes, mini-choppers, pocket bikes etc.)
Shotguns or shots are a one-sided "2-in-2" exhaust system ending with straight "guns". Direct exhaust pipe is not required, but preferable.
SiX-gun is a name for finishing components (usually steering pillar end, grip end, jockey shift handle), stylistically deviant as revolver cylinder. Taken to the assembly line by well-known Billy Lane. By the way, even if these faked cylinders designed for 5 "bullets", everything of this revolver style is called six-gun anyway.
Softail is a soft rear suspension resembling a hardtail. The shock absorbers can be installed under seat or horizontally under gearbox (like on Harleys), but in this case they work reverse, on stretching.
Spinner is another element of décor taken from Hot Rod or, to be more specific, from custom cars. This is a pivot on wheel disk, which creates an illusion of movement while the wheel is standing still and vice versa – "acting inadequate" while motorbike is on the move. Frankly speaking, this is just a flossing.
1) This is a name applied as to Harley-Davidson Sportster motorbikes, so to their engines. It is also applied to custom bikes based on Sportster.
2) A featured "Sportster" tank, which is compact and curved. This is one of absolute hits among chopper tanks of all time. It moved on Sportster (which was reduced in weight off-road modification of XLCH of 1958) from one-cylinder two-stroke Harley-Davidson Hummer, and before Hummer it was installed on model 125S of year 1948.
Springer is a front link fork. This is a classic option for chopper. The Harley-Davidson company ceased the production of these forks in 1949. In 1960s, replacing old Harley springer tubes with longer ones and of smaller diameter fell into the habit among chopper-builders.
Spring seat is a cushioned seat or, in other words, bicycle seat. This is an almost must-have old-school component. The nowadays specificity is use of up-to-date mountain bike's shock absorbers instead of old-fashioned wound spring.
Sprocket brake also known as sprotor is a construction, in which sprocket acts as brake. It became popular in the USA on the tip from Russell Mitchell – a customizer, who founded Exile Cycles Company. There is a duplicate mechanism for motorbikes with belt driving, where pulley rotor used as brake rotor instead of sprocket.
Stock. A creepy thing! For some devotees of customizing, a stock (or serial) motorcycle (f.e. Harley-Davidson) is not a motorcycle at all. It is more likely a parts donor, a blank at best. At worst, this is a domain of people completely without sense of beauty.
1) Frame elongation by means of moving the T-bar forward. Traditionally measured by degrees. Sometimes it is called shift.
2) Tank rear part elongation.
3) A curious multiseat construction, made as motorcycle or trike, stretched like limousine. Such machines are called limo bikes or limo trikes.
Swedish style. At the beginning of 1980, the regulations of Sweden accommodated loyally unprecedented conditions for chopper building. In fact, all restrictions were eliminated. Since then, the so-called Swedish style has formed as separate direction, which is one of the most popular nowadays, and not only among Scandinavian craftsmen. The typical "Swedish chopper" is relatively low and narrow hardtail machine with long fork, chain drive, shotguns, developed sissybar and often without front brake and fender.
1. A Type of exhaust system with smoothly curved exhaust pipes.
2. Massive fenders with pulled back lower part, as if it sweeps asphalt.
Swingarm, swing-arm can be monotube or two-tube, following geometry of rear part of hardtail, as if it hides "tail softness".
Thus, mono swingarm or monoarm is the same detail arranged for one-sided console attachment of rear wheel.
Т-bаг is, in fact, a dragbar or an ordinary low "stock" handlebar, installed on extremely high bars, due to which, the construction resembles a "T" letter.
Taildragger, tail dragger is a rear fender, which literally "scratches with tail" (unlike sweepster, which just "sweeps"). Usually such taildragger has a low side-face and looks deliberately heavy, which visually "loads" the motorbike aft end. But with the appearance of ultra wide rear tyres, there is a capability to reach the a "fat-bottom" in more natural ways without using bulky fenders.
Techno-chopper is an attempt to mark with one word a hi-tech stream of modern customizing – the "new school", which is opposed to old school. The term gradually strikes roots, especially after publishing of a book "Techno-chop" by American custom-publicist Mike Sit.
1) Variation of coffin tank, popular at the beginning of 1970s.
2) Rear light of distinctive shape. It was first installed on Harley-Davidson of FL series in 1947.
3) Control panel on fatbob tank. Despite that all these things resemble a tombstone, originally this name was given to the ones installed on Harleys of 1962-67 year of manufacturing, but not because of shape, but because of speedometer face design (there was a white gave-stone as a background, which slightly pushes for sticking to speed limits).
Tractor style seat is no rare for today's old school hard sprung (or with shock absorbers) seat without padding, which were installed on old tractors. It doesn't have to be fullmetal (though, cases of masochism are no rare) – carbon or even wood could be used instead.
Trike conversion is a trike based on serial motorcycle. Usually these conversions are offered as set for manual reassembling of donor-motorcycle, so as complete product. These trikes are most popular and wide-spread in the USA.
Tribute bikes or theme bikes are motorcycles tribute to anything (favorite actor, brand, person or even beer :) etc.)
V-bar is a V-shaped option of dragbar.
Z-bar is a handlebar configuration, halves of which are made in the form of letter "Z". There are low Z-bars and of apehanger size.
custom vocabulary
Arlen Ness - the godfather of bike customizing
Ardie 1927
Ace XP4 1923