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Koestler Parapsychology Unit
Following the death of author Arthur Koestler (1905-83) and his wife, the lawyer handling their will put out the word that money had been left to endow a chair in parapsychology. Of the several schools that applied for the money, the psychology department at Edinburgh University was chosen. The chair was funded in 1984 and the following year Robert L. Morris (b. 1942) was selected as the first occupant. Morris had done postdoctoral work at Duke University with J. B. Rhine and had written numerous papers relating psi to his specialization, biological psychology.
Morris organized the Koestler Parapsychology Unit and had as an initial assignment the development of a research program that would be integrated into the ongoing life of the whole psychology department and the university as a whole. Morris was fortunate to have a department with a positive history relative to parapsychology in that through the 1970s and early 1980s, John Beloff (now retired), a prominent parapsychologist in his own right, had taught at Edinburgh.
Within a few years, Morris had built a viable research team that included graduate students and several associates with doctoral degrees. The research program was built on a research model that honestly accepted the problems inherent in psychical research including the hostility of much of the academic community to the endeavor, the task of creating experiments that might enhance the likelihood of psi emerging in a laboratory context, and the need to treat some scientifically fuzzy areas such as consciousness and will. The guidelines for the chair also called for an examination of what were termed "exceptional human experiences," experiences that are out of the ordinary and enigmatic enough as to inspire (if positive) or create dread (if negative), but may or may not involve any psi element. Such experiences include, but are not limited to, outof-body experiences, near-death experiences, and the sighting of apparitions.
The program developed by Morris has concentrated on explorations of the mechanisms of psi, the experiences of psi, and the role of psi in the larger environment. In the meantime, Morris has emerged as one of the most respected theoreticians in the field. The program has met with much acclaim, and in 1996 Morris was honored with his election to the presidency of the Psychology Section of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. The unit may be contacted at 7, George Sq., Edinburgh, Scotland EH8 9JZ. Its website can be found at http://www.moebius.psy.ac.uk/.
Morris, Robert L. "The Concept of the Target." In Linda A. Henkel and Rick E. Berger, eds. Research in Parapsychology 1988. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1989. ——. "Spontaneous Synchronistic Events as Seen through a Simple Communication Model." In Betty Shapin and Lisette Cody, eds. Spontaneous Psi, Depth Psychology and Parapsychology. New York: Parapsychology Foundation, 1992.
——. "A Survey of Methods and Issues in ESP Research." In Stanley Krippner, ed. Advances in Parapsychological Research. 2. Extrasensory Perception. New York: Plenum Press, 1978.
Wiseman, Richard, and Robert L. Morris. Guidelines for Testing Psychic Claimants. Hatfield, Herts., UK: University of Hertsfordshire Press, 1995.
Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology
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Carl I. Hovland , Hovland, Carl I. Hovland, Carl I. Carl I. Hovland (1912–1961), American pioneer in communications research, began his career as an experimental psych… Stanley Milgram , Milgram, Stanley MILGRAM, STANLEY Milgram is generally regarded as one of the most important and controversial psychologists of the twentieth century… Leon Festinger , Festinger, Leon FESTINGER, LEON social psychology, cognitive dissonance, groups, communication, influence, social comparison and level of aspiration.… Psychology , Psychology I. Comparative PsychologyHolland H. Waters and Bradford N. Bunnell BIBLIOGRAPHY II. Physiological PsychologyClifford T. Morgan BIBLIOGRAPH… Wilhelm Max Wundt , Wundt, Wilhelm Max Wundt, Wilhelm Max 1832–1920 GERMAN EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGIST, UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR UNIVERSITY OF HEIDELBERG, PhD, MD, 1856 BRIEF… YERKES, ROBERT MEARNS , YERKES, ROBERT MEARNS (b. Breadysvile, Pennsylvanis, 26 May 1876; d. New Haven, Connecticut, 3 February 1956) Comparative psychology. Yerkes was the…
MORRIS, Robert (Lyle) 1942-2004
Morris, Robert Lyle (1942-)
Beloff, John (1920-)
Perrott-Warrick Research Unit
Stanford, Rex G(ale) (1938-)
The ASPR
KEMP, Simon 1952–
KATZ, DANIEL
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Koestler
Koestenbaum, Wayne 1958–
Koestenbaum, Wayne
Koessler or Kössler, Hans
Koertge, Ronald 1940-
Koertge, Ron(ald)
Koerner, Moses ben Eliezer Phoebus
Koerner, Lisbet
Koerner, Joseph Leo
Koering, René
Koering, Dorothea (1880–1945)
Koerber, Ernest von
Koeppen, Wolfgang
Koeppen, Kerstin (1967–)
Koeppel, Dan 1962(?)–
Koepp, David 1963–
Koepke-Knetsch, Christiane (1956–)
Köenings, N.S. 1970-
Koenigswarter
Koenigsberger, Helmut Georg
Koenigsberger, H.G. 1918-
Koenigsberger, Bernhard
Koenigsberg, Moses
Koenigsberg, David
Koestler, Arthur (1905–1983)
Koestler-Grack, Rachel A. 1973-
Koesun, Ruth Ann (1928–)
Koethe, John (Louis) 1945-
Koethe, John 1945–
Koetsu Hon'ami
Koetzsch, Ronald E.
Koff, Richard M.
Koffka, Kurt (1886–1941)
Koffler, Józef
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Drama Group Junior Members And Players.
Junior Dancers of the Pantomime "Aladdin"
Juniors at the Shrublands fete.
Newspaper article about the archiving projects first exhibition, together with 60 years history of the centre.
Phothgraph of two junior dancers in the drama group production of the pantomime "Beauty and the Beast"
Photograph of junior members and players.
Shrublands Junior group at the Shrublands fete.
Summer Fete - My Girl "Lollipos" ?


California, Ontario and Quebec have signed an agreement that will see their carbon markets linked, expanding the existing three-year partnership between California and Quebec.
"Quebec has been active for many years in the fight against climate change," said Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard," said Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard.
"On behalf of the Government of Quebec, I want to assure Ontario and California of Quebec's full cooperation in the implementation and promotion of carbon markets in North America and internationally.
The agreement that is set to take effect on 1 January 2018 will be significant in the way of checking climate change and North America's carbon footprint, with Ontario being both the most populous and highly industrialised area of Canada.
"Climate change, if left unchecked, will profoundly disrupt the economies of the world and cause untold human suffering," said Ontario's Governor Jerry Brown.
"That's the reason why California and Quebec are joining with Ontario to create an expanded and dynamic carbon market, which will drive down greenhouse gas emissions."
The agreement will continue California's cap-and-trade program that launched in 2012, later linking with Quebec in 2014, that sets a declining limit on carbon pollution, creating conditions to reduce emissions year-on-year.


At this time one month ago, I was leaving the hospital without a baby. I'd only given birth to Jensen 15 hours beforehand. The nurse wheeled me out the back way of the maternity wing. I hate to think of how many other mothers had to go down this hallway without their baby. I can just remember all the tears flooding my eyes. I was supposed to leave the hospital with my son. My whole body and insides ached. Not from physically giving birth, but knowing I was leaving a huge part of myself behind.
I was the reality of what could go wrong.
Today not only marks one month since Jensen has been gone, but I'm halfway through my Share Your Mother Heart prompts.
I've never questioned what motherhood was, even from an early age. My mom has poured love into my brother and I's lives. Every time we leave the room we say we love each other. She would do anything for me, all because she loves me. I'm made of her and I'll always be apart of her no matter how far I go. Even on the horrible day she gets to see Jensen again in heaven, I'll always have her love.
When I got pregnant with Jensen, I was in love. When I found out he was a boy, I was still in love. As he grew everyday in my belly, I was still in love. When I found out the angels came and got him, I was still in love. When I delivered him in the silent hospital room, I was still in love. When I was wheeled through the back way of the maternity ward, I was still in love. When I went to my son's funeral, I was still in love. Last night when I was terrified to go to sleep because I didn't want him to be gone for one month, I was still in love. As I find the words to write, I'm still in love.
The common theme of all different types of motherhood is love. No, I'm not able to parent Jensen the way I dreamed. Believe me, I would do anything to have him here. It still does not discount the fact that I love him till my last breath. Each day of this writing journey, I've wrote about my endless love for Jensen. Even though I have faced this horrible tragedy and I grieve so deeply everyday, I would not feel this way if love was not there. Instead of being angry, depressed, and feeling hopeless every second of the day, I choose to feel the lasting love I have for Jensen and my motherhood.
This entry was posted in grieving, Jensen, Pregnancy, stillbirth and tagged baby, Bereaved Mother's Day, dreams, grief, grieving, hopes, infant loss, Jensen, life, love, Mother, Mother Heart, Motherhood, process, sadness, Share Your Mother Heart, stillbirth, stillborn by danielleridgway. Bookmark the permalink.


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The vaginal and fecal microbiomes are related to pregnancy status in beef heifers
Feilong Deng1,2,3 na1,
Maryanna McClure1 na1,
Rick Rorie1,
Xiaofan Wang1,
Jianmin Chai1,
Xiaoyuan Wei1,
Songjia Lai2 &
Jiangchao Zhao1
Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology volume 10, Article number: 92 (2019) Cite this article
The greatest impact on profitability of a commercial beef operation is reproduction. However, in beef heifers, little is known about the vaginal and fecal microbiota with respect to their relationship with fertility. To this end, we followed heifers through gestation to examine the dynamics of vaginal and fecal microbial composition throughout pregnancy.
Heifers were exposed to an estrus synchronization protocol, observed over a 12-day period, artificially inseminated 12 h to 18 h after observed estrus, and subsequently exposed to bulls for a 50-day breeding season. Vaginal samples were taken at pre-breeding (n = 72), during the first (n = 72), and second trimester (n = 72) for all individuals, and third trimester for individuals with confirmed pregnancies (n = 56). Fecal samples were taken at pre-breeding (n = 32) and during the first trimester (n = 32), including bred and open individuals. Next generation sequencing of the V4 region of the16S rRNA gene via the Illumina MiSeq platform was applied to all samples. Shannon indices and the number of observed bacterial features were the same in fecal samples. However, significant differences in vaginal microbiome diversity between gestation stages were observed. No differences in beta-diversity were detected in vaginal or fecal samples regarding pregnancy status, but such differences were seen with fecal microbiome over time. Random Forest was developed to identify predictors of pregnancy status in vaginal (e.g., Histophilus, Clostridiaceae, Campylobacter) and fecal (e.g., Bacteroidales, Dorea) samples.
Our study shows that bovine vaginal and fecal microbiome could be used as biomarkers of bovine reproduction. Further experiments are needed to validate these biomarkers and to examine their roles in a female's ability to establish pregnancy.
Reproduction has the greatest impact on profitability in commercial beef operations [1]. The losses in dairy and beef cattle due to reproductive failure results in a $1 billion annual loss in income for the cattle industry and makes reproductive failure six times more costly than the associated with respiratory disease [2]. Incorporating reproductive technologies, management strategies involving genetic selection and taking into account nutrition and seasonality can positively impact reproductive efficiency in a beef herd [3,4,5]. However, the less explored vaginal microbiota of the female bovine may also provide insights that help explain reproductive failure and success.
The extensively characterized human vaginal microbiome is divided into 5 community state types (CSTs) based on the dominating species of bacteria [6,7,8]. Four of these CSTs are dominated by the hydrogen peroxide and lactic acid producing genus of Lactobacillus species [9, 10]. In the fifth CST, the failure of Lactobacillus dominance can lead to the overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria resulting in bacterial vaginosis (BV) which is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes [9, 11,12,13]. In non-human primates, the vaginal microbiome presents an increase in both richness and diversity [14]. The ewe vaginal microbiome is dominated by species of Aggregatibacter, Streptobacillus, Cronobacter, Phocoenobacter and Psychrilyobacter [15]. Unlike humans, the relative abundance of Lactobacillus species in the vaginal ecosystem is low at less than 3.5% and 0.53% for chimpanzees and ewes, respectively [14, 15].
In cattle, various studies report a variety of microbial compositions related to the vagina in female bovine. Laguardia-Nascimento et al. [16] characterized the vaginal microbiome of Nellore cattle using the next-generation sequencing approach and found the main bacterial phyla included Firmicutes (40–50%), Bacteroidetes (15–25%), and Proteobacteria (5–25%). Yeoman et al. [17] showed that the cattle vaginal microbiota harbor many rumen bacteria and methanogens, suggesting a possible role of the vagina in populating the rumen microbiome. In a recent study, Shpigel et al. [18] characterized the vaginal microbiome in the context of bovine necrotic vulvovaginitis (BNVV). They found increased abundance of Bacteroidetes and decreased community richness. They also identified indicator taxa for BNVV including Parvimonas, Porphyromonas, unclassified Veillonellaceae, Mycoplasma and Bacteroidetes [18]. Dominance by Aggregatibacter, Streptobacillus, Phocoenobacter, Sediminicola and Sporobacter species are reported in a study by Swartz et al. [15]. Members of Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Ruminococcus, Dialister, Aeribacillus, and Porphyromonas were dominant colonizers in a study reported by Gonzalez and colleagues [19]. Differences in relative abundance of certain genera in the vaginal microbiota in female bovine have been linked to reproductive disorders. Increased relative abundance in members affiliated with Bacteroides and Enterobacteriaceae (35.83% and 18.62%, respectively) have been shown in females with reproductive disease compared to healthy individuals with relative abundance values of 28.3% and 17.8%, respectively [20]. Histophilus has also been isolated from bovine vaginal communities diagnosed with a reproductive disorder, and not from those possessing a healthy reproductive function [20].
The interrelationship between hosts and their microbes is important in female fertility. In humans and non-human species alike, the suppression and over colonization of certain bacterial species in a niche results in disease pathogenicity and emphasizes the importance of understanding the interaction between host environment and its inhabiting microbes microbes [20,21,22,23]. It has been reported that Lactobacillus dominance is crucial to vaginal health in humans, but not other species [14]. Studies have shown positive effects of using probiotics to shift microbial communities in gestating humans to inhibit the growth of microbes that modify the host inflammatory response and signal for pre-term birth [24]. When ingested, these live organisms can alter the vaginal and gut microbiomes to produce metabolites and products that promote favorable metabolic activity during late stages of gestation [25]. Understanding the role and function of certain species of bacteria play in terms of fertility and overall reproductive performance in female cattle could help increase the reproductive fitness of cow herds worldwide.
Many steps will be needed to draw a causal relationship between vaginal microbiome and reproductive traits. Some of these steps include a first discovery type study to show the correlation, the isolation and re-inoculation of certain bacteria of interests into the vagina or the reduction of these bacteria to see the changes in reproductive traits. Therefore, the purpose of this study is the first step towards this end, to characterize the vaginal microbiome of commercial beef heifers and to determine if the vaginal microbiome could be used to predict the ability of a heifer to establish a pregnancy. Furthermore, this study seeks to understand the dynamic communities of vaginal environments in the gestating heifer by following individuals throughout pregnancy. Due to the important role that gut microbiome plays [26], we also included fecal microbiome in this study.
All animal work was approved and all methods were performed in accordance with guidelines of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of the University of Arkansas under protocol # 16024. The University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture's Beef Research Unit near Fayetteville, AR, housed 72 crossbred beef heifers averaging 420.88 ± 17.42 d of age and 328.036 ± 25.45 kg at the initiation of this study.
Breeding strategy
At the onset of the breeding season, a 25 mg PGF2α injection (Lutalyse®, Zoetis, Parsippany, NJ) was administered intramuscularly in the neck. A heat detection patch (Estrotect Heat Patches®, Melrose, MN) was placed on the rump of each female. Heifers were then allocated to 1 of 6, 1 ha grass pastures. Each day for the subsequent 7 d, all heifers were monitored for estrus activity at 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.. Within 12 h to 18 h of detected estrus, heifers were artificially inseminated [27].
Following day 7 of estrus detection, those individuals not showing signs of estrus like behavior were administered a second PGF2α injection. This group of heifers were monitored and artificially inseminated as described above for 5 additional days. The remaining heifers were then moved to 6, 2.4 ha fescue-bermuda grass mixed pastures and were rotated every 28 d. Seven days after transfer to the pastures, a fertile bull was introduced to each pasture to initiate a 50-day breeding season. The bulls were rotated among the pasture every 7 d. A breeding soundness examination was performed on each bull no greater than 30 d before introduction to the heifer herd and following the 50 d breeding season to confirm fertility. After 50 d of exposure all bulls passed breeding soundness examinations.
Ultrasound was performed twice: on 63 d to determine pregnancies resulting from artificial insemination and on 60 d after bull removal to determine pregnancies resulting from bulls, when it is easy to identify AI versus bull bred pregnancies due to difference in crown-rump length (Additional file 1: Figure S1).
At the onset of breeding season, fecal samples were deposited in 50 mL conical tubes and immediately placed on ice. The vulva was wiped clean with a paper towel and vaginal swabs were collected by inserting a double guarded culture swab (Jorgensen Labs, Loveland, Colorado, USA) at a 45o angle into the vagina and moving to the posterior cervix. At the posterior cervix, the swab and inner guard were maneuvered through the outer guard. The swab was then pushed out of the inner guard and rolled on the surface of the vaginal epithelium for approximately 15 s. The swab was retracted back into the inner guard. The inner guard (containing the swab with sample) was retracted into the outer guard and the double guarded swab was removed from the animal. The swab was cut from the handle, placed in a 2-mL snap-cap tube with 1 mL of AMIES transport buffer and placed on ice. All samples were stored at −80 °C. Fecal and vaginal samples were taken from all individuals, as described previously at a second time point during the first trimester of gestation. Vaginal swabs were also taken from all heifers during the second trimester of gestation and again for those with confirmed pregnancies during the third gestational trimester (Additional file 1: Figure S1).
Detailed health records were maintained for each heifer throughout the entirety of the trial to ensure the health status of each individual. Each female was vaccinated with an inactivated vaccine containing IBR (BHV), BVD, BRSV, PI3, Leptospirosis and Vibriosis and treated for external and internal parasites according to the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture's Beef Research Unit cattle management protocol. Upon completion of the trial, pregnant heifers were maintained as one group and open heifers were culled. The retained females grazed on fescue-bermuda grass pastures and were supplemented with adequate free choice mineral supplements during gestation. Within 24 h of birth, calf sex and birthweight were recorded [27].
DNA extraction and next-generation sequencing
Approximately 0.1 g of thawed feces was used for DNA extraction using the QIAamp PowerFecal DNA Kit (QIAGEN Inc., Germantown, MD, USA) according to the manufacturer's protocol. DNA was extracted from the vaginal swabs using the QIAAmp BiOStic Bacteremia DNA Kit (QIAGEN Inc., Germantown, MD, USA) according to the manufacturer's protocol. Nanodrop One C (Fisher Scientific, Hanover Park, IL, USA) was used to measure the DNA concentration and purity.
For library preparation, 10 ng of DNA were used for PCR amplification targeting the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. PCR was used to amplify each sample using dual index primers according to [28]. Amplicons were normalized using a SequalPrepTM Normalization Kit (Life Technologies, Grand Island, NY, USA) according to the manufacturer's protocol. To generate the pooled library, 5 μL aliquots from each normalized sample (vaginal, n = 272; fecal, n = 64) were combined. The exact size of the library product and the concentration was measured with a KAPA Library Quantification Kit (Kapa Biosystems, Woburn, MA, USA) through quantitative PCR (Eppendorf, Westbury, NY, USA) assay and an Agilent 2100 Bioanalyzer System (Agilent, Santa Clara, CA, USA). The library was diluted based on the results from the qPCR and the bioanalyzer [27].
The 20 nmol/L pooled library, containing 336 individual samples, and a PhiX control v3 (20 nmol/L) (Illumina) were mixed with 0.2 N NaOH and HT1 buffer (Illumina). PhiX control v3 (5%, v/v) (Illumina) was added to the mix and 600 μL were loaded into a MiSeq® v2 (500 cycle) reagent cartridge for sequencing. The sequencing procedure was monitored periodically throughout the assay using the Illumina BaseSpace® website.
The paired sequencing read files (R1 and R2) (approximately 250 base pairs in length) were downloaded to a local computer from the Illumina BaseSpace® website and the data was processed using the Deblur program integrated in the QIIME2 pipeline [29, 30]. Deblur obtains single-nucleotide resolution called amplicon sequence variants (ASVs), exact sequence variants (ESVs) or sub-operational taxonomic units (sub-OTUs) with statistical methods based on upper-bound error profiles within samples. Compared to other pipelines such as DADA2, UNOISE3 and open-reference OTU clustering at 97% similarity methods, Deblur tended to call the least amount of ASVs/OTUs [31], and is still robust for ecological assessment of microbiota [32]. We have similarly observed these patterns with our mock community (ZymoBIOMICs Microbial Community Standard, Zymo, Irvine, CA, USA) that contains eight bacterial taxa (Additional file 9: Table S1). The Deblur processed sequences were assigned to bacterial features, where features were different from each other at the single-nucleotide level. The features generated by Deblur could be compared between different studies. These features are synonymous to ASVs, ESVs and sub-OTUs. The Uchime algorithm was used to remove chimeric sequences [33]. Sequences were considered to be high quality if they have more than 90% of the bases with Phred score greater than 30 and passed the error reducing, chimera detection and removal steps. These features were classified using the naive Bayes method [34] and Greengenes (13_8 clustered at 99% similarity) database was used for the training of 16S Classifier. To reduce the effect of sequencing bias on the downstream alpha and beta diversity measures, the number of reads for fecal samples and vaginal swabs were rarefied to 3,000 and 1,000, respectively, which still resulted in saturated alpha diversity measures (Additional file 2: Figure S2).
Ecological and statistical analyses
For all analyses, significance was determined as P < 0.05. Shannon Diversity index [35], and richness (number of observed OTUs) were calculated using QIIME2 to evaluate alpha diversity. The Kruskal-Wallis test was performed to explore differences in alpha diversities (Shannon Diversity index and richness) between heifers who established a pregnancy and those that did not, and over time for fecal and vaginal samples. Beta diversity was evaluated using Bray-Curtis [36] and Jaccard [37] distances, calculated in QIIME2, to explore the dissimilarity between the communities' structure and membership, respectively. Random Forest was used to rank microbial signatures that accurately differentiate groups of female cattle. This machine learning technique accounts for non-linear relationships and dependencies among all microbial features. The relative abundance of the top 1,500 features and alpha-diversity measures were included as inputs for the Random Forest model. Each input (feature) was given an importance score (MDA: mean decrease accuracy) based on the increase in error caused by removing that feature from the predictors. Random forest uses about two-third of the samples in the dataset as a training set by randomly sampling with replacement and validate the selected features using the remaining "out-of-bag" samples.
Vaginal microbial diversity increased from the pre-breeding season to the second trimester
A total of 336 samples were collected from commercial beef heifers prior to breeding and during each trimester of gestation. Vaginal (n = 272) and fecal (n = 64) were utilized for DNA extraction and sequencing of the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. After removing low quality reads and chimeras using QIIME 2 (2018.8), 3,617,919 and 1,584,626 high quality reads remained for vaginal and fecal samples respectively. Vaginal samples averaged 13,862 reads per sample ranging from 1153 to 98,623 (Additional file 10: Table S2). Fecal samples averaged 26,410 reads per sample ranging from 3045 to 453,279 (Additional file 10: Table S2). These sequences were assigned to 9496 and 4696 features based on 100% similarity for vaginal and fecal samples, respectively. The sequence number was normalized to 1,000 for vaginal samples and 3,000 for fecal samples to standardize sampling for downstream alpha and beta diversity analyses.
At the community level, although remarkable variation in the inter-animal dynamics of the alpha diversity was observed (Additional file 3: Figure S3), significant differences in the overall alpha diversity (Shannon index and the number of observed OTU's) indices of the vaginal microbiome were observed over time (Fig. 1a, Kruskal-Wallis test, P = 6.475e-05, Fig. 1b, Kruskal-Wallis test, P = 3.149e-05). Microbial diversity (Shannon index) from both animals with and without established pregnancies increased from pre-breeding to the second trimester (P < 0.05, Table 1) and from the first trimester to the second trimester (P < 0.05, Table 1). The indices then decreased from the second to the third trimester (P < 0.05, Table 1). Regarding community richness (e.g., the number of observed OTUs), both open and bred individuals showed an increase in the number of observed OTUs from pre-breeding to the second trimester (P < 0.05, Table 1) and from the first trimester to the second (P < 0.05, Table 1). The number of observed OTUs decreased in bred females from the second trimester to the third (P < 0.05, Table 1). For fecal samples, we did not detect any significant differences in Shannon indices by pregnancy status or overall timeline (Fig. 1c, Kruskal-Wallis test, P = 0.53). Consistently, no significant differences in the total number of observed OTUs were observed in fecal samples (Fig. 1d, Kruskal-Wallis test, P = 0.24). P values for pairwise comparison of fecal samples are presented in Table 2.
Vaginal and fecal microbial community alpha diversity measures between bred and open female cattle by stage. Diversity in the vaginal and fecal community was measured using Shannon index (a, c) and observed OTUs (b, d). The bottom and top of each box are the first and third quartiles, respectively, and the band inside the box is the median. Bred: cattle that were pregnant after the breeding season; Open: cattle that never established pregnancy. Vaginal and fecal swabs were collected at the sampling points (e.g. 1st trimester) from both pregnant and open cattle. The labels were defined based on the status of the pregnant cattle. Open cattle stayed open throughout the whole experiment
Table 1 P values related to alpha diversity measures in vaginal samples based on pregnancy statusa
Table 2 P values related to alpha diversity measures in fecal samples based on pregnancy statusa
No significant differences in fecal or vaginal alpha diversity measures (Kruskal-Wallis, fecal: P = 0.59; vaginal: P = 0.155) between the open and the bred female cattle were observed at any time point.
Vaginal and fecal microbiomes are indistinguishable based on the overall microbial membership and structure between open and bred cows
We next examined dissimilarities in community membership and structure between pregnant and non-pregnant females overtime. The Jaccard dissimilarity matrix was used to evaluate bacterial community membership. To visualize the Jaccard distances, principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) was applied to the Jaccard dissimilarity matrix. Vaginal samples representative of all time points and each pregnancy status cluster together on principle coordinate axes 1 and 2 (PC1, PC2). No differences based on pregnancy status were detected (Fig. 2a, Analysis of Similarity, ANOSIM, stage 1: P = 0.542, R = − 0.018; stage 2: P = 0.805, R = − 0.075; stage 3: P = 0.856, R = − 0.099), but differences in community membership changed based on time (Fig. 2a, ANOSIM, R = 0.147, P ≤ 0.05). The Bray-Curtis index was used to estimate dissimilarities in both community membership and structure. PCoA plot based on Bray-Curtis distance shows no distinct clustering according to pregnancy status or time. No differences based on pregnancy status were seen (Fig. 2b, stage 1: P = 0.452, R = 0.008; stage 2: P = 0.673, R = − 0.029; stage 3: P = 0.825, R = − 0.063), but differences in community structure were observed based on time (Fig. 2b, ANOSIM, R = 0.138, P ≤ 0.05).
Beta diversity measures in vaginal (a, b) and fecal (c, d) samples across gestation stages and between open and bred cattle. a, c show the Principal Coordinate Analysis (PCoA) plot based on community membership as measured by the Jaccard distances. b, d show the PCoA based on community structure based on Bray-Curtis dissimilarity matrices. Triangles and circle represent bred and open females, respectively. Stages are indicated by color: red, blue, green and purple represent pre breeding, and gestational trimesters 1 through 3 respectively. These stages were defined based on the status of the pregnant cattle. Open cattle stayed open throughout the whole experiment. Samples were collected prospectively but pregnancy was defined retrospectively. The ellipses were calculated and drawn with 0.95 of confidence level. Bred: cattle that were pregnant after the breeding season; Open: cattle that never established pregnancy
Interestingly, the PCoA plot based on Jaccard distance for fecal samples shows distinct clustering patterns over time (Fig. 2c, ANOSIM, R = 0.391, P < 0.001). No differences based on pregnancy status were observed (Fig. 2c, stage 1: P = 0.354, R = 0.011; stage 2: P = 0.418, R = 0.007). Consistently, significant differences in fecal community structure over time was demonstrated in the PCoA plot based on Bray-Curtis distances (Fig. 2d). No differences based on pregnancy status were seen (Fig. 2d, stage 1: P = 0.4, R = 0.006; stage 2: P = 0.789, R = − 0.029). Similar patterns were observed based on the PCoA plots based on unweighted UniFrac (Additional file 4: Figure S4).
Remarkable inter-animal variation in community composition
The top 15 bacterial features of the bovine vaginal microbiome are shown in Fig. 3. The vaginal microbiome is dominated by an unclassified Enterobacteriaceae (21.05%), followed by Ureaplasma (4.37%) and an unclassified Bacteroidaceae (2.49%, Fig. 3). At the phylum level, Firmicutes was the most dominant taxon comprising 31.57%, followed by Proteobacteria (24.08%), Bacteroidetes (12.96%), and Tenericutes (4.95%, Additional file 5: Figure S5). These 4 phyla constituted 79.30% of the overall bacterial abundance (Additional file 5: Figure S5). In the fecal microbiome, the top 15 features includes several features associated with Ruminococcaceae and Bacteroidaceae (Fig. 4). At the phylum level, Firmicutes (45.93%), Bacteroidetes (18.83%), Euryarchaeota (6.14%) and Actinobacteria (2.57%) were 4 most abundant taxa, constituting 73.47% of the overall abundance in the fecal community (Additional file 6: Figure S6).
Relative abundance of bacterial features of different pregnancy status and stages in the vaginal microbiota of beef heifers. Multi-colored stacked bar graphs represent the relative abundance of the top 15 bacterial features. These features were classified against the Greengenes database and were shown at the deepest known classification. Each panel represents a stage (a: Pre-breeding, b: first trimester, c: second trimester, d: third trimester) and each bar represents a sample. These stages were defined based on the status of the pregnant cattle. Open cattle stayed open throughout the whole experiment
Relative abundance of bacterial features of different pregnancy status and stages in the fecal microbiota of beef heifers. Multi-colored stacked bar graphs represent the relative abundance of the top 15 bacterial features. Each panel represents a stage (a: Pre-breeding, b: first trimester) and each bar represents a sample. These stages were defined based on the status of the pregnant cattle. Open cattle stayed open throughout the whole experiment
Bacterial features are predictive of pregnancy status
To assess if pre-breeding vaginal or fecal microbiome could be used to predict the success rate of pregnancy, we developed a Random Forest model to identify the bacterial features most predictive of pregnancy status. We determined the optimal model based on the maximum area under the curve (AUC) using the AUC-RF algorithm. For the vaginal microbiome, 15 features from the pre-breeding vaginal samples selected by random forest were able to predict if a cow could become pregnant with an AUC of 0.849 (sensitivity 0.933, specificity 0.679, Fig. 5a). The top 3 bacterial features including Histophilus somni, Clostridiaceae 02d06, and Campylobacter were more abundant in the open cows (Fig. 5b-e).
Predicting pregnancy outcome using random forest model with vaginal microbiota dataset of the pre-breeding stage. a ROC curve of the optimal random forest model. b Selected features in repeated cross-validation of the optimal random forest model. c-e Relative abundance of the top three features with the highest probability of selection
Surprisingly, pre-breeding fecal microbiome also accurately predicted the capability of a cow to establish pregnancy after breeding with even higher accuracy (AUC = 0.992, sensitivity = 1.0, specificity = 0.933, Fig. 6a). Although 93 features were needed to obtain such a high accuracy, the top 15 features (Fig. 6b) alone yielded a very high AUC (0.929). The relative abundance and distribution of the top 3 features between the open and bred fecal samples are shown in Fig. 6c-e. All of the 3 features (2 associated with Bacteroidales and 1 with Lachnospiraceae) were more abundant in the feces of cows that established pregnancy after breeding.
Predicting pregnancy outcome using Random forest model with fecal microbiota dataset of the pre-breeding stage. a ROC curve of the optimal random forest model with selected 94 features. b Top 15 features with the highest probability of selection in repeated cross-validation of the optimal random forest model. c-e Relative abundance of the three features with the highest probability of selection
Of note, most of these discriminant features persisted in subsequent time points (Additional file 7: Figure S7 and Additional file 8: Figure S8).
Relatively little is known about the microbes that inhabit the reproductive tract and their functions related to a female's ability to reproduce. The bovine urogenital tract houses a variety of microbes composed of aerobic, facultative-anaerobic and anaerobic microorganisms [38]. There is much variation in this niche due to intrinsic and extrinsic factors, and little is known about the roles microbes play in reproduction [39].
No significant differences in bacterial community richness were observed in vaginal or fecal samples comparing bred and open females. In humans [40, 41], 4 of the 5 CST's are dominated by different species of Lactobacillus leaving the fifth CST to be dominated by a mixture of strict and facultative anaerobes [7, 8]. Bacterial vaginosis (BV), which negatively impacts fertility, has a microbial composition similar to that of the fifth CST [42]. In a human study comparing the vaginal microbiota of subjects with and without clinically defined BV, those with BV presented an increase in taxonomic richness and diversity measured by the number observed OTU's (P < 0.001) and the Shannon index being 1.4 to 4.1 times greater than those without BV [41]. The role Lactobacillus species play in the bovine vaginal ecosystem is yet to be determined, but it is possible that other species dominating the bovine vaginal niche have similar function.
Human vaginal microbiome studies have demonstrated the development of a more stable vaginal microbiota near the end of the gestation period. Aagaard et al. [40] reported decreased species richness and diversity that progressed with gestational age. A target set of Lactobacillus related OTUs are enriched in women with increased gestational age explaining changes in community membership and structure in late gestating humans [40].
Interestingly, although significant differences in bovine fecal microbial membership and structure over time were detected, no change in community membership or structure was observed in the vaginal niche of the female bovine throughout gestation, suggesting the bovine vaginal microbiome was stable and not affected by any of these factors. In addition, no changes or clusters were observed to differentiate pregnant from non-pregnant females in either vaginal or fecal samples at the community level.
In this study, the top 2 dominating features of the vaginal microbiota are affiliated with Escherichia/Shigella, and Ureaplasma. Escherichia has been documented as a contributing pathogen to metritis (uterine inflammation) due to its ability to establish residency in the reproductive tract from contamination by feces, ascend up the reproductive axis and maintain a presence in a contaminated uterus [43, 44]. In dairy cows, metritis is considered to be one of the most costly factors contributing to reproductive inefficiency due to increased days open, failure to conceive on the first service, increased number of inseminations, and failure to establish a pregnancy thus, establishing a link between Escherichia and reproductive failure [45]. Ureaplasma is a common isolate from cervicovaginal mucosal samples from beef females with healthy reproductive tracts [46]. However, Ureaplasma has been associated with cows suffering from granular vulvitis syndrome and mastitis, ciliostasis in cultured oviductal tissues and humans experiencing reproductive failure and infertility [47]. A previous study claims that U. diversum in combination with Pasteurella and/or Manheimia species causes lung lesions in calves resulting in pneumonia and consequent reoccurring morbidity [48]. This study agrees with the commonality of Ureaplasma isolation in vaginal samples, and since it's presence is similar among bred and open females, this could explain a requirement for interaction with other pathogens to cause disease.
It is of particular interests to predict the likelihood of a heifer to establish a pregnancy based on her vaginal microbiome for improved reproduction strategies. Using Random Forest, we were able to identify 15 bacterial features that accurately (AUC = 0.849) differentiate heifers which established pregnancy from those that never did at the pre-breeding stage. Member of Histophilus somni was listed as the #1 predictor of pregnancy. Rodrigues and colleagues described the vaginal microbiome of female cattle with reproductive disorder. They found Bacteroides, Enterobacteriaceae, and Histophilus to be the top 3 dominant OTUs in unhealthy animals. Based on Random Forest predictors from this study, Histophilus can be used to predict the pregnancy status in vaginal samples before breeding. Histophilus species are gram-negative, non-spore-forming bacterium that can exist in both pathogenic and non-pathogenic forms [49]. Both forms of H. somni are isolated from the bovine mucous membranes of nasal passages, the prepuce and sheath of males and in the vagina of females [49]. Reproductive disease manifestation, most likely due to venereal spread, results in abortion, mastitis, and granular vulvovaginitis [49]. The increased abundance of Histophilus in females that do not establish a pregnancy in vaginal samples agrees with the presence of this OTU in animals with reproductive disorder and suggests the potential role that Histophilus plays in causing reproductive disorder. Clostridiaceae was observed in vaginal and uterine samples of animals and humans [6, 50, 51]. Certain species of Clostridiaceae were linked to bacterial vaginosis in humans [23, 51], but little is known about the function of Clostridiaceae in animal reproduction. Campylobacter, a clinical human and animal pathogen, can cause bovine venereal campylobacteriosis or vibriosis, which is the primary cause of abortion and infertility in cattle [52, 53]. In addition, Campylobaacter were also found as one of the most important vaginal bacteria causing abortion in sheep [54]. Feature 926, affiliated with Campylobacter, was listed as #3 predictor by Random Forest to predict pregnancy. This bacterium was only present in female cattle that did not establish pregnancy, which agrees with the reported infertility in heifers caused by Campylobacter infection.
Interestingly, bovine fecal microbiome predicted the establishment of pregnancy with even a higher accuracy than the vaginal microbiome (AUC = 0.929) with just 15 bacterial features. These features are associated with Bacteroidales, Ruminococcaceae, Coriobacteriaceae. Coriobacteriaceae has been isolated from the vagina of cattle with and without reproductive disorder, but it's function is more accurately described in its symbiotic relationship with the gut of insects [20, 55]. This gram-positive, obligate anaerobe works to ferment glucose, and other compounds found in the foodstuffs of insects to produce lactic acid, ethanol, CO2 and H2 [55]. Three members of Coriobacteriaceae were listed as the top 15 predictors of pregnancy in the feces. The relative abundance of Coriobacteriaceae is smaller in cattle with pregnancy than in those that never establish pregnancy. The genus 5-7 N15 has been identified in nasopharyngeal [56], fecal [57, 58], milk [59] vaginal and uterine samples [50] of dairy cows or beef cattle. Mu et al. [57] showed the genus 5-7 N15 had a positive effect on milk production in Holstein dairy cows. In our study, members of 5-7 N15 were listed among the top 15 features that distinguish open versus bred cattle in both vaginal and fecal samples. More studies are needed to investigate the role of genus 5-7 N15 on cattle reproduction. Of note, despite its accurate prediction of the pregnancy status the causal relationship between gut microbiome and pregnancy has yet to be established. Colonization of the gut microbiome by contamination from the environment, or the feces, or possibly facilitated by intravaginal progesterone implant in the vagina has been reported [60]. A recent study showed the possible transmission of the gut microbiome to the uterus in cows by blood [61], which makes the connection between the gut microbiome and the reproductive tract. Nevertheless, given the many factors affecting pregnancy (e.g. cycling or not, timing of AI or breeding), the roles the gut microbiome plays in beef cattle production (if at all) need to be explored and validated by future experiments such as fecal microbiota transplant and/or inoculation of gut bacterial isolates into the GI or reproductive tract.
In conclusion, the ability to use the vaginal microbiome in beef heifers to predict reproductive potential and gestational period is confirmed. Using Random Forest we identified specific bacterial strains that can predict pregnancy status, for both vaginal and fecal niches. Findings from this study advance the knowledge of the microbial communities residing in the vagina of beef heifers before breeding and throughout pregnancy.
The data generated were submitted to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) Short Read Archive database (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sra) and are available with BioProject accession number PRJNA 497069.
AI:
ANOSIM:
Analysis of similarity
ASVs:
Amplicon sequence variants
AUC:
BNVV:
Bovine necrotic vulvovaginitis
BV:
CSTs:
Community state types
ESVs:
Exact sequence variants
Mean decrease accuracy
NCBI:
OTUs:
Operational taxonomic units
PCoA:
Principal coordinate analysis
sub-OTUs:
Sub-operational taxonomic units
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The authors would like to thank Drs. Beth Kegley and Jeremy Powell and the staff of the University of Arkansas Stocker and Cow-Calf units for their help in managing the heifers used during this experiment and their assistance with sample collection. We also appreciate the invaluable discussion regarding the Deblur algorithm and QIIME2 from Dr. Michael Robeson (Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences).
Content included in this publication first appear in an author's thesis [27].
F.D. was supported by the China Scholarship Council (CSC) Scholarship.
Feilong Deng and Maryanna McClure co-first author with equal contribution.
Department of Animal Science, Division of Agriculture, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA
Feilong Deng
, Maryanna McClure
, Rick Rorie
, Xiaofan Wang
, Jianmin Chai
, Xiaoyuan Wei
& Jiangchao Zhao
Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China
& Songjia Lai
Special Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources and Drug Development, Research Center for Medicine and Biology, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
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Study and experiments were conceived and designed by JZ and RR. Reagents, materials, analysis tools were contributed by MM, XW, JC, XW and FD. Data analysis and interpretation were performed by FD, MM and JZ. The manuscript was written and prepared by FD, MM, SL and JZ. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Correspondence to Jiangchao Zhao.
The University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture's Beef Research Unit near Fayetteville, AR, housed all experimental beef heifers. All animal work was approved and all methods were performed in accordance with guidelines of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of the University of Arkansas under protocol # 16024.
Additional file 1: Figure S1. Flow chart of the experimental design and sample collection.
Additional file 2: Figure S2. Rarefaction curve. (A) Rarefaction plot of vaginal samples (one curve per group). (B) Rarefaction plot of fecal samples. 1, 2, 3 and 4 in figure legend represent the pregnancy stage of pre-breeding, first trimester, second trimester, and third trimester, respectively.
Additional file 3: Figure S3. Alpha diversity (Shannon index) change of vaginal microbiota for each sample. The bottom and top of each box are the first and third quartiles, respectively, and the band inside the box is the median. The connected point represent alpha diversity of animal vaginal samples at different stage.
Additional file 4: Figure S4. Principal Coordinates Analysis (PCoA) of unweighted UniFrac distances in vaginal (A) and fecal (B) samples across gestation stages and between open and bred cattle. Triangles and circle represent bred and open females, respectively. Stages are indicated by color: red, blue, green and purple represent pre breeding, and gestational trimesters 1 through 3 respectively. These stages were defined based on the status of the pregnant cattle. Open cattle stayed open throughout the whole experiment. Samples were collected prospectively but pregnancy was defined retrospectively. The ellipses were calculated and drawn with 0.95 of confidence level. Bred: cattle that were pregnant after the breeding season; Open: cattle that never established pregnancy.
Additional file 5: Figure S5. Relative abundance of vaginal microbiota at phylum level for each sample with different pregnancy status. Multi-colored stack bar graphs represent the relative abundance. Each chart represents a stage (A: Pre-breeding, B: first trimester, C: second trimester, D: third trimester).
Additional file 6: Figure S6. Relative abundance of fecal microbiota at phylum level for each sample with different pregnancy status. Multi-colored stack bar graphs represent the relative abundance. Each chart represents a stage (A: Pre-breeding, B: first trimester, C: second trimester, D: third trimester).
Additional file 7: Figure S7. Relative abundance of predictive bacterial features in vaginal samples across gestation stages and between open and bred cattle. 1, 2, 3 and 4 On the X-axis represent the pregnancy stage of pre-breeding, first trimester, second trimester, and third trimester, respectively.
Additional file 8: Figure S8. Relative abundance of predictive bacterial features in fecal samples at pre-breeding and first trimester and between open and bred cattle. 1, 2, 3 and 4 On the X-axis represent the pregnancy stage of pre-breeding, first trimester, second trimester, and third trimester, respectively.
Additional file 9: Table S1. Sequencing results of mock community.
Additional file 10: Table S2. Summary of sequencing and alpha diversity results for fecal and vaginal samples.
Deng, F., McClure, M., Rorie, R. et al. The vaginal and fecal microbiomes are related to pregnancy status in beef heifers. J Animal Sci Biotechnol 10, 92 (2019) doi:10.1186/s40104-019-0401-2
Random forest

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
All posts by charlie_nurse_c_catalan
In 2010 the Guadalajara branch of the Izquierda Unida party published a list of the hundreds of victims of the Francoist repression in the province.The list included the names of 839 people who were shot. Of these 217 were executed in the city of Guadalajara itself: 69 of these were natives of the province and the remaining 148 came from other provinces. Ihr.world aims to use documents such as this list, wherever possible supported by references to the archives, to create a central database of the victims of the Civil War and the subsequent Franco regime.
At the age of thirteen Ascensión Mendieta, the daughter of one of the men on this list, opened the door of her home because someone was knocking. A group of men took her father away and executed him. She never saw him again and has spent her life taking flowers to the city cemetery, knowing that her father's body had been thrown into a mass grave there. Since 2013 she has been fighting to recover the remains of her father; her efforts have finally been successful.
Timoteo Mendieta, who worked as a butcher, was shot on 15 November 1939 after being tried by a court martial on charges of having belonged to the Socialist UGT trade union and of having been 'an accomplice to rebellion'. He left behind a widow and seven children. Later a wall was built in the cemetery to prevent families such as the Mendietas gaining access to the mass grave. This wall was only demolished in 1979, four years after the death of Franco.
The Spanish justice system refused to allow Ascensión Mendieta to exhume her father's corpse. Blocked in this way, she flew to Buenos Aires, celebrating her 88th birthday on the flight, to testify before the Argentine judge María Servini in what has become known as the "Argentine lawsuit".
As a result of this, Ascensión Mendieta has become the first descendent of a victim of execution by the Francoist state to gain the right to exhume the remains of one of their relatives. For the first time also the descendent of such a victim has been able prove before a judicial system (in this case an Argentine court under universal justice) using documentary evidence – as opposed to DNA evidence – what happened to him, that he was executed, thrown into a mass grave and that his relatives were prevented from gaining access to his remains. Such cases are not permitted in Spain as a result of the 1977 Amnesty Law. In the words of the lawyer Ana Messuti, interviewed on SER radio, the role of the courts in Guadalajara in accepting the ruling of the Argentine judge has been of fundamental importance.
Few Spanish media outlets have followed this story. Among those which have are the TV channel La Sexta and the newspapers, Público and eldiario.es:
For photos relating to this case go to flickr of the Association for the Recovery of Historical Memory (ARMH) . The association financed the two exhumations in Guadalajara cemetery: in grave no. 1 in January 2016, which proved negative, and in grave no. 2, last May, which proved positive. There is also a photo of the chief Justice of Guadalajara greeting Ascensión Mendieta.
ARMH is a non-governmental organisation which receives no state support. The most important contribution for this exhumation was provided by an electricians' union from Norway which since 2014 has donated 50,000 euros.
Digital Journalism from the Archives
On Thursday 25 May we continued with our work with the archives. As users of new technology and digital platforms to widen access to historical documents, we attended a day-long workshop Els arxius històrics en l'entorn digital (Historical Archives in the Digital Age) which is being organised to celebrate the centenary of the Arxiu Histórico de Barcelona.
We participated in a session on the representation and visualization of data drawn from historical sources.
In addition to presenting our project of developing a centralised database listing the victims of the Spanish Civil War, on which we are currently working, we will be discussing Eight Hundred Days Under Bombardment, our project originally produced for Barcelona Televisió. This includes an audio-visual summary of the bombardment of Barcelona in 1937-1938 as well as an interactive map of air-raid shelters and of sites where bombs fell.
Following changes at Barcelona Televisió this is currently only available in an Italian version. Perhaps because, as they say in Spanish 'nobody is a prophet in their own country,' Eight Hundred Days Under Bombardment can therefore be viewed on the website of the exhibition Catalogna Bombardata, which has been shown in nearly 70 cities and towns in Italy, but not in its original Catalan version.
Here is the programme of the day:
ArchivesBombingPresentations
The Forgotten Prison (Forgotten until when?)
June 3, 2017 charlie_nurse_c_catalan
During the research on the Spanish Civil War which Innovation and Human Rights has been carrying out for the last few months we have found interesting sources which we plan to share here. One of them is the major online work on Las Corts Prison (La Prisón de las Corts). This women's prison which stood in Avenida Diagonal is marked only by a sad plaque on the facade of Diagonal branch El Corte Inglés.
Among the many women imprisoned here in the period after the Civil War was Tomasa Cuevas (1917-2007), author of several books on the experiences of women prisoners and on the anti-Franco resistance, who was awarded the Creu de Sant Jordi by the Catalan government in 2004. At the moment the city of Barcelona has placed a plaque to her in a Civic Centre in the neighbourhood of Las Corts. If you follow the links below you can read
a summary of her life,
as well as her own testimony and
her obituary
These will enable you to draw your own conclusions as to whether you think the city should speed up the long-delayed process of providing a permanent monument as a more fitting tribute to her as demanded by ACME (Associació per la Cultura i la Memòria) and other organisations.
ImprisonmentWomen
Innovation & Human Rights is starting a blog to publicise interesting new initiatives and to share our work.
One of our projects is #GuerraCivil #opendata: this will be a central database of disappeared persons and victims of the Civil War, based, wherever possible, on specific documentary sources. In this we enjoy the cooperation and support of the Associació d'Arxivers i Gestors Documentals de Catalunya. We aim to base this on material drawn from the widest possible range of available sources documenting the deaths which occurred as a result of the Civil War and the Franco era.
Therefore we were present at the XVI Congrès d'Arxivística i Gestió de Documents de Catalunya held in Reus between May 4th and May 6th with a major article in the review "Lligall" in which this project is further explained. This article will be published soon on our website.
The availability of archives and open access to them are of fundamental importance: for democracy, for transparency, for open government and for high quality historical research. In the case of documentation related to the Civil War and the repression which followed, such access may also be regarded as a debt owed to the descendants of the victims and to society as a whole.


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Q: How to show the Image in div using MVC I use the following Controller Action for getting Image From DB
Controller
        public ActionResult GetPhoto()
        {
            string base64String = string.Empty;
            byte[] bDoccontent;
            byte[] byteArray;
            byteArray = Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes(base64String);
            var photo = (from doc in db.Photos
                         where doc.CandidateID == "S1404234570"
                         select doc).FirstOrDefault();
            bDoccontent = photo.ImageFile;
            base64String = Convert.ToBase64String(bDoccontent, 0, bDoccontent.Length);
            byteArray = Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes(base64String);
            Stream obj = new MemoryStream(byteArray);
            StreamReader sr = new StreamReader(obj);
            byte[] buffer = Convert.FromBase64String(sr.ReadToEnd());
            return File(buffer, "image/jpeg");
        }

View

Now I need to Show the Image which is return from the Action in divUserImage.How to do this?

A: As you are returning a JPEG image, you can put the URL of your action in to the src of an img element.

A: Need to call that controller into image tag

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
site: media | arena: nba | pageType: stories | section: | slug: vince-carter-says-suns-owner-robert-sarver-told-team-to-take-me-out-when-he-returned-as-an-opponent | sport: basketball | route: article_single.us | 6-keys: media/spln/nba/reg/free/stories
Vince Carter says Suns owner Robert Sarver told team to 'take me out' when he returned as an opponent
Carter played for Phoenix for part of the 2010-11 season, and this happened in January 2012
By James Herbert
Nov 4, 2021 at 5:37 pm ET 2 min read
USATSI
Vince Carter has another unsavory Robert Sarver story to add to the pile. Hours after ESPN published its exposé on the Phoenix Suns' toxic work environment, by Baxter Holmes, Carter said that the owner had instructed the team to "take me out" and "put me on the ground" during his visit to Phoenix following his brief stint with the team.
"As a player coming back, after I played there, he walked into the locker room -- from what I was told from two teammates that are reliable and (I) trust in what they say -- that he wasn't happy with me playing well coming back into Phoenix," Carter said on "NBA Today" in an interview with Malika Andrews. "And we were winning the game and he wanted them to take me out. Put me on the ground. 'Don't let him have fun in our building.' Because he felt like I was trying to show him and the team up."
Carter went on to say that, when he read about Sarver's history of overstepping his bounds with the team, he was not surprised.
"I experienced that, hearing from the players," Carter said.
At the time, though, Carter was taken aback. This incident occurred on Jan. 30, 2012, in a game between the Suns and the Dallas Mavericks. Carter had 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting in the first half and finished with 21 points on 8-for-13 shooting, and the Mavs won in a 122-99 blowout.
"Obviously, it's surprising," Carter said. "One thing he said: Every time I scored the ball, that I was looking at them. Of course when you go back to your old team, you want to play well and show, hey, this is what I can do. And I guess he felt that I was trying to show him up or whatever the case may be, I don't know. When it was told to me, I'm just like wow."
A version of this anecdote appeared in ESPN's 2019 story on the dysfunction within the Suns, written by Kevin Arnovitz: "Sarver dressed down future Hall of Famer Grant Hill in the locker room at halftime for allowing former Sun Vince Carter to go off for a quick 15 points. One of Hill's teammates recently stated that the team found Sarver's actions utterly repugnant. Former players and Suns coaches recount incidents of Sarver baiting opponents from his courtside seat, and even heckling Suns players or roaring to the bench to yank someone from the game."
It has not, however, been previously reported that Sarver wanted the players to rough up their former teammate.
"I kind of just brushed it off," Carter said. "I was like whatever, nothing happened, so it was no big deal. It was nothing to really talk about because nothing really happened, nobody got hurt."
Andrews said to Carter that it sounded like someone could have gotten hurt, and, to be completely clear, it sounded like Sarver had instructed Phoenix to get physical with him.
"Yeah," Carter said. "No, you're right. He [told them] to send a message: Don't let him have fun in our building."
Carter says Sarver told Suns to 'take me out'
James Herbert 2 min read


Old electronics like Computers, Laptops, Printers, E-Readers, and Cellphones contain hazardous materials such as lead, mercury, and cadmium that can become harmful to the environment and people. Batteries can explode and cause fires.
Handling and storage must, therefore, meet solid and hazardous waste requirements to protect human and environmental health.
According to the National Center for Electronic Recycling, (NCER) the law was passed in Oregon in 2007 and became effective on September, 01 2009.
SBC Recycle's operation is part of a planned resource recovery facility that includes high volume recycling and a processing division for high volume recycling needs.
We are pleased to announce solutions to address the growing demand for large volume recycling of e-waste.
The success of our recycling program depends directly upon the ease in the transportation of the more substantial and higher volume loads.
For companies or organizations with large volume recycling needs (100-plus items to recycle) we can provide free pallet pick up, and an online status report of collection programs.
The cost varies according to the distance that our truck has to travel to pick up your items.
Unlike most other companies, we do not charge for everything we receive, but only for those items that are costly to recycle and/or to challenge to haul. This can save a company hundreds or even thousands of dollars in disposal costs alone.
Did you know how much information about your company is on one single hard disk? It is a simple matter of plugging the hard drive into a new computer and reading the files. Even if the hard drive is formatted, your data can be recovered (the information is still there and can again be retrieved).
The only secure way to destroy the hard drive is to shred it. Similar to a paper shredder, we kill each hard drive by tearing it into tiny pieces of metal, which can then be appropriately recycled and reused. We then meticulously catalog each serial number of each hard drive we receive and shred each drive one by one.
SBC Recycle is one of the largest recycling companies in Oregon and has been in business for over 18 years. We have a team of 16 employees who will take care of your recycling needs safely and efficiently. We are members of AOR (Association of Oregon Recyclers) and our facility have been inspected by DEQ. We are also part of Oregon's Metro Recycling program and in the process of becoming, ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001 and R2 certified (highest standards recognized by the EPA).


text:
Q: Processing My sprite wont move could you help me to make my sprite walk left and right ? i just cant see where the problem is.
I've spend 3 hours looking at the code but i just cant see where i've made mistake ...
class Player {

  PImage playerr;
  PVector position;
  PVector velocity;
  float direction;
  float speed;
  float ground = 600;
  float left;
  float right;

  Player()
  {
    playerr = loadImage("sir1.png");
    position = new PVector(400, ground);
    direction = 1;
    speed = 4;
    velocity = new PVector(0, 0);
  }

void update()
{
    velocity.x = speed * (left + right);
    PVector nextPosition = new PVector(position.x, position.y);
    pushMatrix();
    translate(position.x, position.y);
    scale(direction, 1);
    image(playerr, 0, 0);
    popMatrix();
}

void keyPressed()
{
  if (key == RIGHT)
  {
    right += 5;
    direction = -1;
  }
  if (key == LEFT)
  {
    left -= 5;
    direction = 1;
  }
}

void keyReleased()
{
  if (key == RIGHT)
  {
    right = 0;
  }
  if (key == LEFT)
  {
    left = 0;
  }
 }

}

and that's the main program
int stage;
PFont startfont;
PFont normalfont;
PImage gameplan;

boolean[] keys = new boolean[526];

ArrayList knight;

void setup()
{
  size(800,800);
  frameRate(60);
  stage = 1;
  knight = new ArrayList();
  smooth();
}

void draw()
{
  switch(stage)
  {
    case 1:
      splash();
      break;
    case 2:
     game();
      break;
    case 3:
      help();
      break;
    case 4:
      help();
      break;
   }

}

void game()
{
  gameplan = loadImage("background.png");
  gameplan.resize(800,800);
  background(gameplan);
  knight.add(new Player());
  for(int i = 0; i <knight.size(); i++)
  {
     Player p = (Player) knight.get(i);
     p.update();

  }

}

void splash()
{
    background(0);
    startfont = createFont("start.ttf",40);
    normalfont = createFont("start.ttf",25);
    textFont(startfont);
    text("Zombie Destruction",100,300);
    textFont(normalfont);
    text("Press Space to start",200,400);
    text("Press H for help",250,500);
    if(keyPressed)
    {
      if(key == 'h' || key == 'H')
      {
        stage = 4;
      }
    }
    if(keyPressed)
    {
      if(key == ' ')
      {
        stage = 2;
      }
    }
}
void help()
{
    background(0);
    startfont = createFont("start.ttf",40);
    normalfont = createFont("start.ttf",25);
    textFont(normalfont);
    text("Zombie Destruction",100,300);
    textFont(normalfont);
    text("Press Space to go back",200,400);
    if(keyPressed)
    {
      if(key == 'b')
      {
        stage = 1;
      }
      else
      {
        stage = 4;
      }
    }
}

A: I believe the problem is in the Player class's update() method. It looks like you're calculating the updated velocity, but you never add that velocity to the player's position. A simple
position.x += velocity.x;

should do the trick.


Hollywood Swank Bedroom Set – Every element from the region such as the couch must compliment with each other. Place a liberal amount of baking soda within a pillow instance or pillowcase, and set it around and on the leather, covering as much as you have the ability to. Make sure to have the complete square feet dimensions of the specific rooms so it'll be easy for you to correct the sizes of furniture that you will buy. The chief objective of contemporary furniture is to produce your room look spacious and airy. The most critical thing about buying something from Contemporary furniture store is the huge selection in every kind of furniture thing. You've got a selection of chairs to select it, with and without arms.
In regard to your bedroom furniture, a Feng Shui design doesn't require any particular type. Regardless of what style you are trying to recreate in your house, you will find what you would like from the Stickley furniture range. If you enjoy the visual appeal of some Italian furniture but need your home to look a bit more eclectic, then you could choose a few essential pieces to integrate with different styles of furniture you have in your house. Picking the most suitable couch for your living space is vital since it can make or break the style you need to make. A black leather couch can include a sleek, contemporary appearance to your own living space, and is an ideal centerpiece to the seating area.
Should you fall in love with the furniture it is possible to acquire the specific design for your house, while in the event the furniture doesn't prove to be exactly what you may have liked, you can try something else and find the bedroom furniture that will provide your night's rest ease and comfort. You can select bedroom furniture collections depending on the subject of your room or perhaps to match the color of your walls. Most furniture stores have the capability to work together with you on the total pricing, just like the automobile dealership or other areas where high-dollar buys are made. Clearly, if you are taking a look at Italian designer furniture, then you should set a fantastic deal of thought to your purchase to be certain that your investment appears great in situ. Contemporary furniture items ought to be a must to place on your newly constructed houses.
Ordinarily, the fundamental looks are going to have larger shapes and will be determined by creating an atmosphere that is based on comfort. The fundamental approaches to furniture can supply you with another appearance to your house. The whole table is made in Italy. Needless to say, plenty of men and women telephone that 1940s dining room set classic but it's not. The Bellagio armchair two-part set is something that you need to order when you've got a glimpse of it on the website. What a distinguishing holiday treat! The sturdiness of the furniture is increased a good deal through wrought iron construction. If you are considering contemporary furniture, then you will initially have to consider the shape, design, and fit. Italian furniture may also be very decorative occasionally and have geometric elements also.
Whether you wish to touch up your bedroom with a couple bedroom accent pieces or fully redecorate it, we are guaranteed to have something that satisfies your requirements and expectations! The approach that you take along with your furnishings are really going to make a difference in the texture and appearance of your house and also the presentation of space that you use, especially by designing lavish, an exquisite appearance, and comfort. Obtaining your selection of contemporary sofa only right is important to the success of your house design, not simply because their size and therefore are so influential, but they are pretty difficult to replace, therefore it is sure to be a huge option. Purchasing furniture can be quite exciting, and it is quite simple to get caught up in jiffy, but you should remember just exactly what your requirements are for both seater sofa. If you'd pick a comprehensive leather couch, buy the Italian leather couch. Italian leather couch is not hard to clean and maintain.


text:
Continuing our long standing relationship with Penrith City Council in preparing their Residential Strategy and Urban Lands LEP and DCP, the Commonwealth Department of Defence commissioned Architectus to rezone and master plan their surplus land at North Penrith.
Within six months of the commission (following 10 years of unsuccessful negotiations by others) Council agreement was achieved to rezone the 50 hectare site to a true urban village guided by a detailed site specific Development Control Plan prepared by Architectus.
The key to success was a sensitive understanding of the intrinsic qualities of the site and maintaining a link to its extraordinary history.
The original 1880s cricket pitch still existed on the site which was host to the first Lord Sheffield Shield cricket tour in 1892. The cricket oval became the centrepiece amenity of the new village.
In the early twentieth century the site was an aerodrome which saw Australia's first passenger flight depart for Parramatta, which will be interpreted into a Council community centre adjacent to the oval.
The remnant alignment of the 1920s speedway sets some of the new road patterns. Vistas to two nineteenth century heritage houses connect the central green with the periphery of the site and also provide the alignment for a water quality control system.
There will be 800 dwellings for 2000 residents and employment for 1000 people on the site which will be served by excellent public transport including express trains to Central Sydney from the adjacent Penrith rail station, a bus transitway to the ADI site and a large multi-level commuter carpark near the rail station.
Commonwealth Department of Defence
Michael Harrison
2003 PIA Award for Planning Excellence - Urban Design Plans and Ideas


Mewsette settled happily on the cabinet in the kitchen, big thick tail and hind legs gangling. When she pulled up one leg and tucked it under her chin I saw the magic little heart-shaped paw pad. How sweet could Mewsette be that she walks on little hearts?
This is just a quick little watercolor, but I think I may revisit her some time. I like that little heart a lot.
I've been sketching at my desk downstairs…click here to see the original post.


Jamestown is located 6 miles west of Downtown Pittsburgh in the neighborhood of Scott Township. Gayle & Michael Blonar at Coldwell Banker are available to help you locate the perfect residence.
Own a Condo in Jamestown?
Making an important decision to buy or sell a condo in Pittsburgh means knowing important details of the real estate market in your desired condo. Here are current real estate trends and recent home sales in Jamestown.
Jamestown is a highly popular community for its proximity to downtown Pittsburgh and its suburban living. Be close to great shopping, dining and recreation when you invest in a condo or townhome in Jamestown. For more information on current resales in this great community, contact Gayle Blonar.


EAST CHICAGO, Ind. (AP) - Residents who live near the Indiana Harbor Ship Canal are worried that a project set to dredge tons of tainted sediments from the waterway will only spread its industrial legacy of chromium, PCBs and other toxic substances. East Chicago environmental activist John Bakota doubts the effectiveness of the methods that will be used to dredge the canal and eventually dispose of the toxic muck. "Will the cure be as bad or worse than the disease? Right now we have a dirty canal, but could we end up with a still dirty canal and a dump besides?" asked Bakota. The canal's sediments contribute an estimated 67,000 pounds of chromium, 100,000 pounds of lead and 420 pounds of PCBs to Lake Michigan annually, according to the East Chicago Waterway Management District, which supervises East Chicago's waterways. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is preparing to dredge decades of sediment from the bottom of the canal so that ships can clear it without dragging their bottoms Bakota, who's a member of the district, lives just south of the waste-disposal site that will fill up with tons of contaminated sediment once dredging gets under way. He and other environmentalists said their immediate focus is the construction of that facility. The Army Corps, which is responsible for keeping the waterway off Lake Michigan open for shipping, has been working since 1975 on a plan for dredging and disposing of the polluted mud at the bottom of the harbor and canal. The plan is to remove 4.6 million cubic yards of contaminated sediment from the harbor and canal for permanent storage at a former refinery site. Betty Balanoff, who chairs the Coalition for a Clean Environment, said the disposal site, which won't be capped for 30 years, will release toxins into the air. "The whole thing needs to be rethought," she said. In December, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released a supplemental risk assessment basically concluding that the health risks were within EPA's safety levels. Using worst-case scenarios for the disposal site, the study estimated the highest risk of developing cancer for an adult or child is 1.4 in 100,000 people. The study examined 53 different chemicals to determine how the chemicals might move or be deposited based on the area's wind, storms and temperatures projected over a 30-year period.


Our mission is to bridge a gap between two communities: young professionals and formerly incarcerated individuals.
While serving a prison sentence in his 9'x6' cell, Coss Marte developed a unique and effective exercise program without the need for any equipment. Using military bootcamp techniques, and some additional secrets that Coss developed himself, this program is designed to be completed anywhere, anytime.
Sun 6:00am - 9:00pm .


Just a short drive from the San Francisco Bay Area, a bachelor party river trip is a cool, unique alternative to the traditional bachelor blow out. Options range from fun and relaxed to a high-adrenaline rush!
Planning a river trip to celebrate with your friends couldn't be easier. Just make a reservation, spread the word, and you're done—we plan all the meals, shuttles and equipment. We'll even throw in a free rafting t-shirt for the bachelor.
If you want to save money, have privacy on your bachelor party trip, and invite more guests than just your wedding party, check out our Private Charter Trip option. You'll save 24-28% off the regular rate and have the trip to yourself! To learn more, please visit our Private Charter Trips page or contact our reservation office at (800) 247-2387.