text:
Live from Apple's "Let's Rock" Event: iTunes 9, iTunes LP
September 9, 2009 at 10:10 am PT
Speaking at Apple's music event, CEO Steve Jobs, in his first public appearance since his medical leave of absence, introduces iTunes 9. After noting that iTunes is the largest music store in the world, boasting some 100 million accounts, Jobs rattles off some of the software's new features. Among them: Genius Mixes and improved synching. The latter enables more specific synching and supports a new way of managing applications for the iPhone and iPod touch with a nice drag-and-drop feature. Very easy to organize and reorganize applications. The crowd really likes this one.
Also included in this update: Home Sharing, which allows songs, movies and TV shows to be shared and copied to up to five home computers. Another very slick feature that allows users to simply drag and drop songs between computers to copy them.
iTunes 9 also features a new store with redesigned music, movie, TV pages and a handy new navigation bar. Beyond this, there's also support for Twitter and Facebook.
"You know, some of us here are old enough that we actually bought LPs," says Jobs. "You used to get liner notes, essays and photos, but that stuff left us when we moved to digital music."
With that, Jobs announces iTunes LP–the official name of the company's rumored "Cocktail" album bundle. As expected, these iTunes LP bundles will feature additional art, photos and whatnot. Apple is working directly with artists and labels to develop them.
A Doors "LP" is offered up as an example and it includes some videos exclusively recorded for iTunes–Ray Manzarek talking about how Jim Morrison named the Doors ("Not a door-door, man. Like the door in your MIND."). Surprisingly nice little video, actually. Certainly, it's likely to appeal to die-hard fans.
Apple (AAPL) is doing something similar with movies–iTunes extras. Movies bundled with additional photos, etc.
Live from Apple's "Let's Rock" Event
iPod Updates, Games, Nano Video Cameras
iTunes 9, iTunes LP, Home Sharing, Genius Mixes
Steve Jobs: "I'm Vertical, Back at Apple and Loving Every Day of It"
Event Photos by Adam Tow
Tagged with: AAPL, accounts, album, Apple, applications, Cocktail, computers, copied, digital, Doors, drag and drop, entertainment, essays, Facebook, Genius Mixes, Home Sharing, innovation, Internet, iPhone, iPod Touch, iTunes, iTunes 9, iTunes LP, Jim Morrison, John Paczkowski, largest music store, leave of absence, liner notes, LP, medical, movies, music, navigation bar, public appearance, Ray Manzarek, software, songs, Steve Jobs, synching, TV, Twitter, video


"Alm" is an aluminum-alloy butterfly valve. The manipulator's design prevents condensation.
Suitable for use with fluids such as air, water, oil, and steam. At time of shut-off, chattering does not occur due to shut-off toward the flow.
Suitable for fluid materials such as air, water, oil, and steam. At time of shut-off, chattering does not occur due to shut-off toward the flow.


text:
Q: limit number of characters in a string - XSLT I am using a third party asp.net control to pull and display the latest content from the database. The control pulls the title of the latest published content using a xsl file. My issue is the title(content piece) being too long. They place I used to display has no room for about 100 characters. I need to trim(not the white spaces) end part and may be limit it to a few words or some characters. It uses the xsl file -
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<xsl:stylesheet version="1.0" xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform">
    <xsl:template match="/">

            <xsl:for-each select="Collection/Content">

                            <xsl:attribute name="href">
                                <xsl:choose>
                                    <xsl:when test="Type ='Assets' or Type = 8 ">
                                        javascript:void window.open('showcontent.aspx?id=<xsl:value-of select="ID"/>')
                                    </xsl:when>
                                    <xsl:otherwise>
                                        <xsl:value-of select="QuickLink"/>
                                    </xsl:otherwise>
                                </xsl:choose>
                            </xsl:attribute>
                            <xsl:value-of select="Title"/>

            </xsl:for-each>

    </xsl:template>

This part, <xsl:value-of select="Title"/> is where you the title is and I need to shorten it.. (putting ... in the end perhaps)
How can I do it? Can I get this done in the xsl file itself without using JQuery? Many thanks,

A: <xsl:choose>
  <xsl:when test="string-length(Title) > 100">
    <xsl:value-of select="substring(Title, 1, 97)" />...
  </xsl:when>
  <xsl:otherwise>
    <xsl:value-of select="Title" />
  </xsl:otherwise>
</xsl:choose>

A: You can use the substring(text, startingIndex, length) XSLT function:
<xsl:value-of select="substring(Title, 1, 100)"/>

Note that substring index starts from 1, instead of the usual 0.
More at http://zvon.org/xxl/XSLTreference/Output/xpathFunctionIndex.html
Note also, that .NET does not implements XSLT 2.0, only XSLT 1.0 (hence the above reference: its the list of XSLT 1.0 functions).

A: Limit the 20 characters
If your code likes this
<xsl:value-of select="EmpBio" disable-output-escaping="yes"/>

Just change with new one written below
<xsl:value-of select="substring(BioData, 1, 20)" disable-output-escaping="yes"/>

Note that the quotation marks are removed from the element name BioData

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
WOTS Video
Tech & More
Posted January 7, 2012 , Updated March 2, 2013 , Permalink
Holiday Steam Sale Cheap/Indie Roundup
Ugh, my wallet has a hangover. The Steam Holiday Sale did another number on it. As is my way, I dropped another $20-$30 on things that were cheap and interesting, so let's take a couple of asprin and survey the damage.
I bought AYIM a while back, I think part of a Humble Bundle. I had occasion to log a few more hours with it over the course of the sale, since it was discounted and part of the big game giveaway event. My problem with this game is that it's just frustrating to control and not very intuitive. I got stuck on one level where some bats were following me around (poorly) and I had to manage twisting the world so that I didn't die while keeping the bats in a flock (swarm? gaggle?) so that I could solve puzzles with them. Luckily I had gotten almost to the level I needed to be on for the achievement in this game, or I would have just given up completely on it.
Beat Hazard
Another game I've had in my stable for quite a while but replayed for the Holiday Sale. This game is utter hell for me. It's practically a migraine and seizure inducement engine. It's a dual stick shooter that touts that it's "powered by your music." This just means that in addition to the constantly strobing neon visuals, you've got to deal with background music of your choice. The music dictates how powerful your weapons are, so if the Beastie Boys let the beat… drop, and there's a boss to fight, you're hosed. If you take the constant volume and visual intensity changes together in one package, this might as well be ripped from the pages of the CIA's "enhanced interrogation techniques" handbook. Bottom line: Torture? Yes. Fun game? No.
Dungeons of Dredmor
I am an old school gamer and roguelike lover to the core. Dungeons of Dredmor is a game cut from this cloth, and I really want to like it. There's just a few problems. One is that it's a buggy mess and tends to crash often. Over the holiday, several patches were released and each one had its share of issues. The first patch broke the anti-piracy protection, so as soon as I spawned on the first floor I was brutally eviscerated by a high level monster, with no way to escape or retaliate. Then they patched that and the game just wouldn't load. Next they patched the game crashing bug, but then you couldn't load a save. Finally, they've patched these issues but the game randomly crashes. Between all the craziness I think I've gotten off the first floor of the dungeon precisely once. It's still a fun game at it's core though, and I hope to invest some substantial time in it in th future.
Demolition, Inc.
I saw this on sale, and thought it looked pretty interesting. The point of the game is that you're an alien in a little flying saucer who has been tasked with destroying building on Earth for some reason. Most of your tools, however, focus around getting cars to do your work for you. You can lay oil slicks, glue wheels, deploy exploding cows, or take direct control of cars in certain situations, among other things. The problem is that the game is just too picky. Often times I'll place a trap in the same location several times, and the results are inconsistent. It's also not really clear what will happen when you lay a trap. How will the car react? Will it turn the way I want it to? Most of the time you're reduced to trial and error. When levels can take 10 or 15 carefully placed traps to clear, and one mistake can easily ruin the entire level, you've got the recipe for a frustrating experience.
I got this as part of a bundle of three puzzle games by Two Tribes that looked somewhat kid friendly. I guess the 'retro' lo-fi pixel art has come back in force for indie games, but this game is just kind of minimalistic in a bad way. Everything in the game world is just large, untextured, typically gray cubes with occasional pastel colors slapped on them. The game itself seems to be more of a "solve this sequence, and we're going to time you and grade you at the end" which isn't really a goal that motivates me.
This game is a hard one to categorize. It's got kind of a "flat" vibe like the Paper Mario series, crossed with sort of ancient Greek art style (at least in the part I've played to date). The gameplay is part Katamari, part tower defense. The overall goal is to crash your giant boulder through your enemy's gate before they do the same to you. It's weird, and quirky, but thus far I haven't seen a heck of a lot of depth. The whole thing feels a little gimmicky. I'll probably give it another go, but I can't say that thus far I'm super impressed.
This one's a real indie darling, and it certainly shares a heritage with the N series, which you can generally find as flash games online. The game is absolutely punishing, and for that reason it's just not for me. If I want to pay money to spend my free time being repeatedly abused, well, let's say there are more pleasurable ways to achieve that goal.
This is a game that appeals to the engineer in me. The game centers around causing reactions to occur using a LOGO-style "waldo" system. The faster you can make the reactors go, and the fewer instructions you need to complete the objective, the better your solution is. There are just a few problems: the controls are a bit frustrating, the constraints on the reactors are limiting, and I absolutely suck at the game. You'd think a game about optimizing and controlling a digital system would be right up a software engineer's alley, but I'm just terrible at it. I think the perfectionist in me is foiling any plans I have to play this as a game.
Space Pirates and Zombies(SPAZ)
This is one that I need to spend more time with. It's a top-down Asteroids style shooter with some deep RPG customization elements and a huge, randomly generated world to explore. It ticks all the boxes to be a time sink for me. I'm sure that when I have the time to come around and spend some time on it, I'm going to be talking about it again. Thus far, it's the real gem of the collection I acquired during the sale.
More like this: Core Gaming, Deals, indie, PC
Warning: Use of undefined constant wots_breadcrumbs_compare_post_scores - assumed 'wots_breadcrumbs_compare_post_scores' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /home/public/wp-content/plugins/wots-plugins/wots-breadcrumbs.php on line 578
Rise of Nations: Extended Edition Review: Extended Play
Should I Care About Steam Trading Cards?
Rebel Galaxy Quickstart Guide
Wasteland 2 Quickstart Guide
Top 5 Tricks for Steam Sales
Using a Mouse and Keyboard for Console Games
How I fixed my Prototype 2 Performance Issues
Saints Row 4 Guide – Early Game
WOTS on Facebook
WOTS on Google+
WOTS on Steam
WOTS on YouTube
WOTS on OpenCritic
© 2011-2015 Without the Sarcasm, all rights reserved.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


歡迎來信洽談各項設計服務、合作。 If you are interested with our works or have got any projects / jobs request, please feel free to contact with us. +886 2 2758 7327 contact@unionatelier.com 台北市 信義區 110 光復南路 443 巷 16 號 1F No.16, Ln. 443, Guangfu S. Rd., Xinyi Dist., Taipei City 110, Taiwan.


text:
'We have to be prepared' Worst-case scenario could see 120,000 Covid deaths this winter
Scientists say action must be taken now to mitigate the potential for a second peak
Hospitals could potentially see 120,000 Covid-19 deaths in between September and next June
A second wave of coronavirus infections this winter could be more serious than the first, with 120,000 hospital deaths in a "reasonable worst-case scenario", scientists advising the Government have warned.
A new report from the Academy of Medical Sciences, commissioned by the Government's chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance, says action must be taken now to mitigate the potential for a second peak of Covid-19.
It argues that hospitals could potentially see 120,000 Covid-19 deaths in between September and next June at the same time as battling a surge in demand due to usual winter pressures, including flu.
The report, from 37 scientists and academics, acknowledges there is a high degree of uncertainty about how the Covid-19 epidemic will evolve in the UK over the coming months, but sets out a "reasonable worst-case scenario" that would see the R rate rise to 1.7 from September.
The R refers to the number of people an infected person can be expected to pass the virus on to.
The academic modelling suggests there could be a peak in hospital admissions and deaths in January and February 2021, similar to or worse than the first wave in spring 2020. It does not include deaths in the community or care homes.
The figures do not take account of Government intervention to reduce the transmission rate, or the use of the drug dexamethasone in intensive care units, which has been shown to cut deaths.
Coronavirus patients still suffering symptoms of disease 100 days after getting all-clear
Woman infects 71 people with coronavirus after being alone in lift for 60 seconds
Professor Stephen Holgate, a Medical Research Council clinical professor of immunopharmacology who led the study, said: "This is not a prediction, but it is a possibility.
"The modelling suggests that deaths could be higher with a new wave of Covid-19 this winter, but the risk of this happening could be reduced if we take action immediately.
"With relatively low numbers of Covid-19 cases at the moment, this is a critical window of opportunity to help us prepare for the worst that winter can throw at us."
He said action that was needed before winter sets in included flu vaccination for the vulnerable and health and social care workers.
NHS Test and Trace must be "upscaled in the winter", he added, saying more people will need to be tested as winter illnesses can often have similar symptoms to Covid-19.
He also called for a "rapid system of monitoring" in the UK to stop local outbreaks when they occur.
The team also looked at less serious scenarios of what may happen, with an R rate of 1.1 leading to 1,300 hospital deaths between September and June.
They also modelled an R of 1.5, which would lead to 74,800 hospital deaths.
Boris Johnson gives update on face mask laws for England
Nicola Sturgeon 'will not rule out' quarantine on UK visitors to Scotland
Prof Azra Ghani, chairwoman in infectious disease epidemiology at Imperial College London - who worked on the study, said many things could push the R up to 1.7.
She told the PA news agency: "We are looking at what would be the worst that would happen, such as if there was a further relaxing of interventions, more contacts taking place, schools may be a factor, people going back to work and that sort of thing.
"Those things create more contacts, plus people will be indoors more and more people will want to meet up indoors."
She said the virus was known to spread more easily indoors "and, of course, during the winter, we spend far more time indoors than we do during the summer".
She added: "In addition, we're less likely to have our windows open, doors tend to be closed to keep out the cold, and that will again enhance transmission.
"It's also possible that the virus itself could survive for longer in colder conditions."
Dame Anne Johnson, professor of infectious disease epidemiology at University College London and vice president of the Academy of Medical Sciences, said there was a need for a "powerful public information campaign" in the run up to winter.
"Everybody needs to realise that Covid-19 hasn't gone away, and therefore everybody can help reduce transmission by social distancing, by the wearing of face coverings as a social norm, by good respiratory and hand hygiene and the right level of heating and ventilation in our homes," she said.
Dame Anne also said it was important people got tested if they had symptoms, and that they self-isolated along with their households.
"Every winter we see an increase in the number of people admitted to hospital and in the number of people dying in the UK," she added.
"This is due to a combination of seasonal infections such as flu, and the effects of colder weather, for example, on heart and lung conditions.
"This winter we have to factor in the likelihood of another wave of coronavirus infections and the ongoing impacts of the first wave.
"We have to be prepared that we might also experience a flu epidemic this year.
"Faced with these potential challenges, and after an already tough year, it would be easy to feel hopeless and powerless.
"But this report shows that we can act now to change things for the better.
"We need to minimise coronavirus and flu transmission everywhere, and especially in hospitals and care homes.
"We need to get our health and social care, and the track, trace and isolate programme ready for winter. This can be done, but it must be done now."
The report said NHS and social care facilities must continue with Covid-19 and Covid-19-free zones, and ensure there is adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) for staff, alongside testing and infection control measures.
It comes after Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the National Pharmacy Association's conference on Monday that the Government had procured enough flu vaccine to roll out the "biggest flu vaccine programme in history".


text:
Persone

Cotti
 Alberto Cotti – partigiano e scrittore italiano
 Aleksandra Cotti – pallanuotista italiana
 Andrea Cotti – scrittore e poeta italiano
 Carlo Cotti – pittore, insegnante e restauratore svizzero
 Carlo Cotti – regista e scrittore italiano
 Flavio Cotti – politico svizzero
 Giuseppe Giacomo Cotti – militare italiano
 Pietro Cotti – magistrato, avvocato e politico italiano
 Roberto Cotti – politico italiano

Cognomi composti
 Giampiero Cotti Cometti – geografo italiano

Pagine correlate
 Cotta
 Cotte

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
ADL's Acceptance of Johnson Apology Unconscionable
It's wrong for the ADL to have accepted Johnson's phony apology tweet.
It's wrong for the Anti-Defamation League to have failed to condemn as blatant anti-Semitism Rep. Hank Johnson's "termites" label for Jews living in Judea and Samaria. It's also wrong for the ADL to have accepted Johnson's phony apology tweet. Johnson, a Georgia Democrat, merely tweeted, "Poor choice of words — apologies for offense. Point is settlement activity continues slowly undermine 2-state solution."
The Zionist Organization of America is not alone in feeling this way.
Prominent Los Angeles Rabbi David Wolpe wrote, "That is not an apology. 'I am sorry I said something stupid and anti-Semitic' — that would have been a fitting apology. These are not trivial issues. … To call Jews 'termites' is base and vile."
Commentary editor John Podhoretz tweeted about ADL's inadequate response: "How about using the term 'anti-Semitic,' you cowards? He compared Jews to TERMITES, for f –k's sake."
Regarding Johnson's initial "termites" statement, the ADL merely tweeted: "This is an offensive and unhelpful characterization. Demonization, dehumanization of settlers doesn't advance peace." It let the congressman off the hook.
In fact, the "settlements" comprise only 2 percent of Judea/Samaria, and there has been virtually no building in Judea/Samaria during the past two years. Further, 99 percent of Palestinian Arabs live in areas governed by Palestinians.
Johnson's deplorable comments are also reminiscent of the communities, clubs, beaches and hotels in the United States in past decades that posted signs saying, "No Dogs, No Colored, No Jews, No Irish." As a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, Johnson should be particularly sensitive to the inappropriateness of leveling epithets against religious and ethnic groups, including Jews.
Can you imagine the outrage if a congressperson called blacks living in certain communities "termites"? There would be a demand for the resignation of any congressman who said blacks are like termites ruining white neighborhoods and harming their peaceful atmosphere. Saying that Jews shouldn't live in Judea/Samaria because Arabs don't want Jews there is as racist as saying that blacks shouldn't live in white suburbs because some whites may not want blacks living there.
Unfortunately, we've seen weakness from the ADL before.
The ADL disgracefully failed to condemn Johnson's involvement in the anti-Semitic forum where he referred to Jews as "termites." The congressman was speaking at a side event to the Democratic National Convention sponsored by the "U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation." This notorious anti-Semitic organization calls Israel's rebirth in 1948 a "catastrophe" and promotes anti-Semitic, anti-Israel boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS) aimed at destroying the State of Israel.
Anti-Israel boycotts are blatant anti-Semitic discrimination, harm both Jews and Arabs, and violate the Oslo Accords signed by the PLO.
The ADL similarly failed to condemn Johnson's other egregious statements. During his speech, Johnson improperly condemned Israel for "the building of walls and the building of checkpoints that restrict movement of Palestinians."
Johnson omitted the key fact that Israel built the security fence and checkpoints out of necessity — to stop Palestinian-Arab terrorist attacks after Palestinian-Arab terrorists murdered approximately 2,000 innocent Jews and wounded almost 10,000 in suicide bombings in pizza parlors, buses and Passover Seders during the Second Intifada.
Does Johnson also condemn the checkpoints at the congressional office building that assure his personal safety? If not, he should apologize for his remarks about the security fence and checkpoints that Israel had to build.
It's interesting to note that Johnson falsely told the Atlanta-Journal Constitution that he did not call Jewish Israelis "termites," and that he did not intend to insult or speak derogatorily of the Israelis or the Jewish people. Instead, his termite metaphor was intended to refer to the "corrosive settlement process," he said. In fact, the congressman did analogize Jews to termites, when he spoke of termites "getting into" and eating up residences. The congressman was referring to Jews who are living in their homes in Judea/Samaria.
The "settlements" have nothing to do with the lack of peace. The blame for the conflict lies with Palestinian-Arab terrorism and Palestinian Arab leaders' continuing incitement of Jew hatred, payments to Palestinian-Arab terrorists for murdering Jews, and unrelenting genocidal goal of destroying Israel. The Palestinian-Arab leadership repeatedly rejected generous proposals for a state, because those proposals would have required them to end their mission of destroying Israel.
The ADL does not speak for us, or for other Jews and pro-Israel groups and individuals. Johnson owes Israel and the Jewish people a full and sincere apology.
Morton A. Klein is the national president of the Zionist Organization of America.
Previous articleEditorial | Zika Advances While Congress Dawdles
Next articlePope Francis Must Insist Auschwitz Church Be Moved


Assassin's Creed 2 is being released this Friday and is looking like it's going to be one of the gaming events of the year, even if it can't steal Modern Warfare 2's thunder. In honour of this grand occasion, Ubisoft have chucked us one last bone, the official trailer for the game, which sets the scene for your cold-hearted bloodletting very nicely indeed. You might even call it an alibi.
In the vid, which you can see below, our wronged protagonist watches the execution of a loved one, and swears revenge, publicly. If only the state of Venice had known what would befall them, maybe they'd have just had him whacked straight away? It would have been a pretty poor excuse for a game, but there you go.
Anyway, this Friday, Assassin's Creed 2. Go and get it and we'll stop bothering you about it. It's not as if we've not given you enough juice to suckle on these last few months, is it?


text:
A House vote to hold William Barr in contempt has little real-world impact as the attorney general almost certainly won't face criminal charges over efforts to include a citizenship question on the 2020 census. | John Bazemore/AP Photo
House to vote next week on criminal contempt against Barr and Ross
By JOHN BRESNAHAN
House Democrats will vote next week on criminal contempt charges against Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross for failing to comply with a congressional subpoena over the 2020 census, Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced Thursday.
The vote — the second time a sitting attorney general would be found in criminal contempt by the House — has little real-world impact as Barr almost certainly won't face criminal charges from the Justice Department over efforts to include a citizenship question.
But the symbolic value would be high, as Democrats have already approved a civil contempt resolution against Barr for failing to respond to a subpoena to testify about former special counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russia election interference. Mueller will testify before the House Judiciary and Intelligence panels next Wednesday.
While the Supreme Court ruled the administration cannot include the citizenship question on the census, President Donald Trump is still trying to do so by executive order, which will lead to more legal battles.
"Next week, the full House will vote on a resolution of criminal contempt for Attorney General Barr and Secretary Ross so we can enforce our subpoenas and get the facts," Pelosi told reporters.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said in a statement that the vote would take place Tuesday.
The citizenship question is meant "only to deter minorities from participating and leading to an undercount in parts of the country," Hoyer said. "The House will not shirk from its oversight of this administration and its malign effort to silence the voices of millions in our democracy and deny resources to communities in need of them."
A criminal contempt resolution against then-Attorney General Eric Holder over the "Fast and Furious" gun-walking probe was approved by the House in June 2012. The U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, whose office oversees criminal cases arising out of such cases, declined to charge Holder.


text:
Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link Skip directly to A-Z link Skip directly to A-Z link
E. coli (Escherichia coli)
Multistate Outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 Infections Linked to Romaine Lettuce (FINAL UPDATE)
NOTICE: This outbreak is over. The information on this page has been archived for historical purposes only and will not be updated.
Outbreak Summary
CDC collaborated with public health and agriculture officials in Missouri, other states, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to investigate a multistate outbreak of Escherichia coli serotype O157:H7 infections linked to romaine lettuce. Public health investigators used DNA "fingerprints" of E. coli O157:H7 bacteria obtained through diagnostic testing with pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) to identify cases of illness that may be part of this outbreak. They used data from PulseNet, the national subtyping network made up of state and local public health laboratories and federal food regulatory laboratories that performs molecular surveillance of foodborne infections.
As of March 21, 2012, 58 persons infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7 were reported from 9 states. The number of ill persons identified in each state was as follows: Arizona (1), Arkansas (2), Illinois (9), Indiana (2), Kansas (2), Kentucky (1), Minnesota (2), Missouri (38), and Nebraska (1). Two cases were removed from the case count because advanced molecular testing determined that they were not related to this outbreak strain. Among persons for whom information was available, illnesses began from October 9, 2011 to November 7, 2011. Ill persons ranged in age from 1 to 94 years, with a median age of 28 years. Fifty-nine percent were female. Among the 49 ill persons with available information, 33 (67%) were hospitalized, and 3 developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). No deaths were reported.
The outbreak can be visually described with a chart showing the number of people who became ill each day. This chart is called an epidemic curve or epi curve. Please see the Timeline for Reporting Cases of E. coli O157 Infection for more details.
This particular outbreak appears to be over. However, E. coli O157:H7 is still an important cause of human illness in the United States. More information about E. coli O157:H7, and steps people can take to reduce their risk of infection, can be found on the CDC E. coli O157:H7 Web Page and the CDC Vital Signs Web Page.
Investigation of the Outbreak
Collaborative investigative efforts of state, local, and federal public health agencies indicated that romaine lettuce sold primarily at several locations of a single grocery store chain (Chain A) was the likely source of illnesses in this outbreak. Contamination likely occurred before the product reached grocery store Chain A locations.
During October 10 to November 4, 2011, public health officials in several states and CDC conducted an epidemiologic study by comparing foods eaten by 22 ill and 82 well persons, including 45 well persons who shopped at grocery store Chain A during the week of October 17, 2011. Analysis of this study indicated that eating romaine lettuce was associated with illness. Ill persons (85%) were significantly more likely than well persons (46%) to report eating romaine lettuce in the week before illness. Ill persons (86%) were also significantly more likely than well persons (55%) to report shopping at grocery store Chain A. Among ill and well persons who shopped at grocery store Chain A, ill persons (89%) were significantly more likely than well persons (9%) to report eating a salad from the salad bar at grocery store Chain A. Several different types of lettuce were offered on the salad bar at grocery store Chain A. Of 18 ill persons who reported the type of lettuce eaten, 94% reported eating romaine lettuce. No other type of lettuce or other item offered on the salad bar was reported to be eaten by more than 55% of ill persons.
Ill persons reported purchasing salads from salad bars at grocery store Chain A between October 5 and October 24, 2011. A total of 9 locations of grocery store Chain A were identified where more than one ill person reported purchasing a salad from the salad bar in the week before becoming ill. This included 2 separate locations where 4 ill persons reported purchasing a salad at each location. For locations where more than one ill person reported purchasing a salad from the salad bar and the date of purchase was known, dates of purchase were all within 4 days of other ill persons purchasing a salad at that same location. Chain A fully cooperated with the investigation and voluntarily removed suspected food items from the salad bar on October 26, 2011, out of an abundance of caution. Romaine lettuce served on salad bars at all locations of grocery store Chain A had come from a single lettuce processing facility via a single distributor. This indicates that contamination of romaine lettuce likely occurred before the product reached grocery store Chain A locations.
The FDA and several state agencies conducted traceback investigations for romaine lettuce to try to identify the source of contamination. Traceback investigations focused on ill persons who had eaten at salad bars at several locations of grocery store Chain A and ill persons at university campuses in Minnesota (1 ill person) and Missouri (2 ill persons). Traceback analysis determined that a single common lot of romaine lettuce harvested from Farm A was used to supply the grocery store Chain A locations as well as the university campus in Minnesota during the time of the illnesses. This lot was also provided to a distributor that supplied lettuce to the university campus in Missouri, but records were not sufficient to determine if this lot was sent to this university campus. Preliminary findings of investigation at Farm A did not identify the source of the contamination. Farm A was no longer in production during the time of the investigation.
Clinical Features/Signs and Symptoms
Most people infected with E. coli O157:H7 develop diarrhea (often bloody) and abdominal cramps 2-8 days (3-4 days, on average) after swallowing the organism, but some illnesses last longer and are more severe. Infection is usually diagnosed by stool sample culture. While most people recover within a week, some develop a severe infection. A type of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) can begin as the diarrhea is improving; this condition can occur among persons of any age but is most common in children under 5 years old and the elderly. Signs and symptoms of HUS may include fever, abdominal pain, pale skin tone, fatigue and irritability, small, unexplained bruises or bleeding from the nose and mouth, decreased urination, and swelling of the face, hands, feet, or entire body. Persons who experience these symptoms and believe they are at risk for HUS should seek emergency medical care immediately.
Advice to Consumers, Retailers, and Others
Since this particular outbreak appears to be over, consumers are not being advised to avoid eating any specific foods at this time.
Consumers should always practice safe food handling and preparation measuresExternal. At home, keep raw meat, poultry, and seafood separate from produce and ready-to-eat foods. Wash hands, utensils, and surfaces with hot, soapy water before and after handling food.
E. coli Resources for Clinicians
CDC's Role in Food Safety
CDC leads federal efforts to gather data on foodborne illnesses, investigate foodborne illnesses and outbreaks, and monitor the effectiveness of prevention and control efforts. CDC is not a food safety regulatory agency but works closely with the food safety regulatory agencies, in particular, with the Food and Drug Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. CDC also plays a key role in building state and local health department epidemiology, laboratory, and environmental health capacity to support foodborne disease surveillance and outbreak response. Notably, CDC data can be used to help document the effectiveness of regulatory interventions.
Final Case Count Map
Persons infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7, by state, as of March 21, 2012 (n=58)
As of March 21, 2012, 58 persons infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7 were reported from 9 states. The number of ill persons identified in each state was as follows: Arizona (1), Arkansas (2), Illinois (9), Indiana (2), Kansas (2), Kentucky (1), Minnesota (2), Missouri (38), and Nebraska (1).
Final Epi Curve
Persons infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7, by date of illness onset*
*n= 58 for whom information was reported as of March 21, 2012
Page last reviewed: March 23, 2012
Content source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID), Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases (DFWED)
home E.coli Homepage
Questions & Answers expand
Enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC)
Outbreaks expand
Timeline for Reporting Cases of E. coli O157 Infection
2019 Outbreaks expand
Outbreak of E. coli Infections Linked to Northfork Ground Bison expand
Map of Reported Cases
Timeline of Reported Cases
Outbreak of E. coli Infections Linked to Flour expand
Previous Outbreak Investigation Updates
Brote de infecciones por E. coli vinculado a la harina
Outbreak of E. coli Infections Linked to Ground Beef expand
Brote de infecciones por E. coli
Mapa de casos reportados
Cronograma de los casos reportados
Actualizaciones anteriores de la investigación del brote
Outbreak of E. coli Infections Linked to Romaine Lettuce expand
E. coli O157:H7 Infections Linked to Romaine Lettuce en Español
Map of Reported Cases en Español
Timeline of Reported Cases en Español
Previous Outbreak Investigation Updates en Español
Outbreak of E. coli Infections Linked to Ground Beef en Español
E. coli O157:H7 Infections Linked to Romaine Lettuce expand
Advice to Consumers, Restaurants, Retailers, and Clinicians
Case Count Maps
Epi Curves
O157:H7 Infections Linked to Leafy Greens expand
Case Count Map
Epi Curve
O157:H7 Infections Linked to I.M. Healthy Brand SoyNut Butter expand
Recall & Advice to Consumers
O157:H7 Infections Linked to Beef Products Produced by Adams Farm expand
O121 & O26 Infections Linked to Flour expand
Recall & Advice to Consumers and Retailers
O157 Infections Linked to Jack & The Green Sprouts Alfalfa Sprouts expand
Recall & Advice to Consumers & Retailers
O157:H7 Infections Linked to Costco Rotisserie Chicken Salad expand
O26 Infections Linked to Chipotle Mexican Grill expand
Advice to Food Industries & Consumers
O121 Infections Linked to Raw Clover Sprouts expand
Advice to Consumers & Retailers
O157:H7 Infections Linked to Ground Beef expand
O157:H7 Infections Linked to Ready-to-Eat Salads expand
O121 Infections Linked to Farm Rich Brand Frozen Food Products expand
O157:H7 Infections Linked to Organic Spinach and Spring Mix Blend expand
O145 Infections Linked to Unknown Source expand
Advice to Consumers
O26 Infections Linked to Raw Clover Sprouts at Jimmy John's Restaurants expand
O157:H7 Infections Linked to Romaine Lettuce
O104 (STEC O104:H4) Infections Linked to Travel to Germany
O157:H7 Infections Linked to Lebanon Bologna
O157:H7 Infections Linked to In-shell Hazelnuts
O157:H7 Infections Linked to Bravo Farms Cheeses
O145 Infections Linked to Shredded Romaine Lettuce from a Single Processing Facility
O157:H7 Infections Linked to Beef from National Steak and Poultry
2006-2009 Outbreaks expand
O157:H7 Infections Linked to Beef from Fairbank Farms
O157:H7 Infections Linked to Beef from JBS Swift Beef Company
O157:H7 Infections Linked to Prepackaged Cookie Dough
O157:H7 Infections Linked to Beef from Kroger/Nebraska Ltd
O157:H7 Infections Linked to Totino's/Jeno's Pizza
O157 Infections Linked to Topp's Ground Beef Patties
O157:H7 Infections Linked to Taco Bell
O157:H7 Infections Linked to Fresh Spinach
Surveillance expand
Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) Annual Report, 2016 expand
Report Appendices
Other Sources of Surveillance Data
Resources for Clinicians and Laboratories expand
Diarrheagenic E. coli
Multistate Foodborne Outbreaks
Estimates of Foodborne Illness
Food Safety at CDC
Foodborne disease
Travelers' Health: Safe Food & Water
Healthy Swimming
E. coli Infection & Farm Animals


text:
Wideners Shooting, Hunting & Gun Blog
Guns In History
Historic Profile: Eugene Stoner
The Eugene Stoner designed Armalite Rifle AR-15 is the most popular rifle design in the US today. Popular for its modularity and performance, it has become a polarizing figure in the media on both sides of the aisle. If the mainstream media is to be believed, the 'AR' in AR15 stands for "assault rifle." Rolling your eyes yet? Such futile journalistic assumptions lead to images of the rifle being developed by a faceless, nameless, government agency in a lab. Thankfully, with a little research, we know that's not the case.
The individual talent and insight funneled into a product with over six decades of national and personal service is still astonishing. This ingenuity and design isn't traced back to a bureaucratic committee, but to the mind of Eugene Morrison Stoner. If you've ever held an AR-15 rifle in your hands, he's the man to thank for it. At the time, many saw it as a .22 caliber pop-gun trying to replace the venerable M14. However, the AR-15 became an American institution. The modularity and the economy of the caliber it uses is nothing compared to its celebrity status. Television, film and cultural lore have kept it at the forefront of military and then civilian use since 1964.
The Birth Of A Legend
Eugene Stoner was born November 22, 1922 in Gasport, Indiana, the only child of Lloyd and Britannia nee Morrison Stoner. The family ultimately moved to Long Beach, California. Between his graduation from a technical high school and US entry into World War II, at the end of 1941, Stoner worked in the Vega Aircraft Company installing armament.
Vega had just recently switched to making military and training aircraft. President Franklin Roosevelt intended to make the US into the Arsenal of Democracy before the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. To that point, weapons manufacturing became one of the more successful, and often ignored aspects of the New Deal.
Eugene Stoner Joins The Marines
It was at Vega that Eugene learned a bit about machining armaments. It also gave him training for when war was declared he enlisted in the Marine Corps. When basic training ended he was assigned to aviation ordnance in the Pacific Theatre, ultimately serving all the way to northern China.
After the war's end in 1945, Eugene found work for Whitaker, an aircraft equipment manufacturer. After becoming design engineer there, he moved to Fairchild Engine & Airplane Corporation in 1954, as chief engineer for a newly created, small division called Armalite headed by George Sullivan, a patent counsel for Lockheed Corp. The two actually met while Sullivan was test-firing a new prototype for an Airforce survival rifle at a local range.
ArmaLite Weapons
Armalite, headquartered outside Hollywood, California, was never meant to be a large weapons maker but instead a weapon's innovator. Eugene Stoner's input on the survival rifle resulted in the Armalite Rifle 5, or AR5. It was a new tool intended for the crews of the new XB70 supersonic bomber. However, the experimental nuclear bomber fleet was canceled by the government leaving the M4 and M6 survival rifles then in service sufficient to the USAF's needs. Nevertheless, the selection of the AR5 (designated the MA-1 by the government) put Armalite on the military's radar as a viable weapon's designer. Today the AR5 is best known as the AR7 or the US Survival Rifle by Henry Rifle.
AR-10 Rifle Design
There were other AR rifle designs Stoner participated in, but the next big break came in 1955. The US Army issued a tender for a new battle rifle and he answered. By 1956, the caliber selected was the newly adopted 7.62 NATO and Eugene Stoner completed his new design. Incorporating alloy receivers and plastic furniture to reduce weight with a pistol grip for better control on rapid fire. The AR10 arrived late to the Aberdeen trials, however, and the US Army adopted what became the M14 which had many similarities to the venerable M1 Garand. The AR10 was later sold to Artillerie Inrichtingen, a Dutch firm that manufactured the AR-10 and sold it to various military forces, including Portugal and Sudan.
Vietnam War: M14 Controversy
While the US military ran with the M14, justifiably considered by many to be a sublime battlefield rifle, especially at medium to long-range, some detrimental features became apparent in the following years. Those included the rifle's weight as well as the weight of sufficient rounds to be considered combat effective. There was also the observation that a full-sized rifle round was perhaps too much overkill for engagement distances that were frequently 300 yards or less.
In the coming conflict in Vietnam, combat engagement was frequently much closer. The jungle made visual contact rare over even 50 yards, making the 7.62 NATO round a bit much. Finally, there was the ability of even well-trained soldiers to control the M14 on full auto fire. The notion of giving every infantryman the equivalent of a Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) sounded impressive on paper, but the M14 weighed considerably less and recoiled considerably more.
The Kalashnikov Connection: AK-47
These concerns were brought into sharp focus when the US learned of a new rifle the Soviets began fielding: the Automatic Kalashnikov model 47. While originally identified as a meek submachinegun, reports of its performance during the Hungarian Revolt in 1956 raised eyebrows. An intelligence inquiry revealed it to be firing an intermediate .30 caliber rifle round, the 7.62x39mm. While smaller than a standard military rifle round, the 7.62×39 is much more capable than a pistol caliber submachinegun.
Add a high capacity, detachable magazine and US MIlitary brass knew this full-auto firearm was a force to be reckoned with. This meant more rounds per pound and more manageable full-automatic fire. The M14 was and is a superior rifle for engaging targets at 600 yards, but there was little point if soldiers could not see the enemy until they got closer. Now each enemy soldier was able to lay down the reasonably accurate automatic fire with more rounds than the Americans.
Another official US military tender went out, actually two. In addition to a new rifle, there was also a search for a new round. Remington Arms had been exploring small-diameter bullets at hyper velocities. Looked at as wildcat varmint rounds, the capability of a fast-moving round that became unstable on contact meant frightening traumatic soft tissue damage for such a small bullet. Smaller cartridges also meant more manageable when fired automatically as well as more cartridges carried by individual soldiers, making them more combat effective. The .223 Remington was selected as the most acceptable candidate for a new rifle.
Modern Sporting Rifle: The AR-15
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, or rather at Armalite, Eugene Stoner re-evaluated and downsized his AR-10 design. With the help of two assistants; Jim Sullivan and Robert Fremont, the focus was on reducing weight and size. The objective was a light battlefield rifle, easy to use and capable of penetrating a standard helmet. It also needed to offer full controllability when fired on full auto. The AR15 was developed and prototyped by 1959. However, Armalite was never intended to be a full on producer of military firearms, only a testing house for plans that could be sold to other manufacturers. That same year the company ended deciding it had taken the designs as far as their resources would allow and sold the rifle rights to Colt.
From there the AR-15 was pitched to the US military by Colt and in 1962 it was issued to the US Air Force and Special Forces units. With US involvement in Vietnam becoming more obvious, Springfield Armory announced it could not keep up with demand. US Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara, heard of the new, lightweight and cheaper rifle. After inspection, he ordered it as a replacement for the M14 for all combat troops serving South East Asia.
Of course, the new rifle had a new cartridge and the order went out for that too. Remington was not capable of producing sufficient quantities alone. Winchester's Olin Corporation was contracted to make up the shortfall. In the rush, the decision was made to substitute the original ball powder for Dupont stick powder. On paper, it offered no change in ballistic energy, it simply burned a little less fully resulting in just a bit more fouling.
Gas Impingement System
Eugene Stoner's design did not use a piston-like the M1 or M14. Instead, it used gas impingement: tapping expanding propellant gasses out of the barrel back to cycle the action. This inevitably blew carbon into the chamber, but with the stick powder substitute, the amount of material was substantially more than the tight tolerances of the AR15's design. No one seemed to consider this while answering the need to get the rifles into the field. In fact, because the force with which the high-velocity rounds left the muzzle, the AR15/M16 rifle system was initially advertised as self-cleaning. Suffice it to say, when extra dirty propellant is used in a damp environment, the rifle is NOT self-cleaning.
Failures & Controversy
How many GI's died while attempting to get their weapon to function is unknown. What is known is that the rifle experienced a quick redesign to incorporate a forward assist while training materials and cleaning kits were rushed to the combat units and ball powder was put back into the mix at Olin.
While indirectly reflecting back on Eugene Stoner, the teething problems of the rifle were out of his hands. In fact, they would have been avoided had the principles of the original design been kept to. As to Armalite, it had not yet turned enough profit from its efforts and in 1962, Fairchild opted to sever its association with the company.
ArmaLite AR Variants
On its own, Armalite began working on a new rifle design. One that operated off of a traditional piston system and used stamped and welded construction rather than the aluminum forged receiver pieces of the AR15/M16 platform. The AR16 was chambered in 7.62 NATO but never made it to production. At the same time, work on a self-loading shotgun was done, producing around 1200 units of what would be known as the AR17.
In 1963, headed by designer Art Miller, the AR16 was re-evaluated. The intention was to make a less expensive alternative to the AR15: the select fire AR18 and a semi-automatic version, the AR180. The 18 underwent trials but failed to prove itself any better than the AR15/M16 already selected for service.
Armalite Evolution
While some adjustments were made as a result of the US military trials, the rifle failed to garner any real market success. The AR18 was produced by Howa in Japan for exceedingly limited domestic use. Sterling Arms in Great Britain took advantage of the rifle's greatest contributions: a stepping stone in Britain's own SA80 rifle: essentially an AR18 bullpup. They were confident in the design. After all a number of AR180s found themselves illegally shipped to the Irish Provisional Army at some point in the 1970s.
The AR180 also proved an evolutionary step towards the AR100 series. The series became the 101 (rifle), 102 (carbine), 103 (rifle with auto ejecting drum magazine) and 104 (squad automatic weapon with auto ejecting drum mag). Yet none of these designs made their way into widespread production either.
By 1970, the company had effectively stopped designing and building rifles. Parts and tools, along with the name were sold off with the brand name. They were purchased in 1996 by Mark Wastrom who started building AR rifles as well as a .50 BMG capable rifle. In 2013 Armalite became part of the Strategic Armory Corporation.
Eugene Stoner: Life After ArmaLite
What happened to Eugene Stoner? He left Armalite the year before Fairchild cut ties back in 1961 to become a consultant for Colt. However, Colt is not known for being a proving ground of weapons development, preferring to make and sell purchased designs. Not content to twiddle his thumbs or correct mistakes made by others, Stoner moved on. He knew the issues around feeding his rifle designs the wrong powder, but he didn't let it slow him down. Stoner approached Cadillac Gage (now the armored vehicle maker Textron) with his idea of a new modular weapon system.
A new system that utilized the same AR-style receiver, but could fulfill the role of battle rifle, carbine or squad support. Similar to what the AR100 series would become over at Armalite (one wonders where they got the idea), but instead of chambered in 5.56mm. The Stoner M69W (the designation has no explanation other than being able to be read upside down or right side up and saying the same) rifle system was chambered in 7.62 NATO. It was eventually put into production in 1962 as the Stoner 62. The following year a 5.56 NATO variant (it was inevitable) was put into trial production as the Stoner 63.
Despite some lackluster results in tests – both rifle systems have fairly strict pressure requirements. The accurate pressure is needed to cycle reliably and varying types of service ammo did not guarantee consistently reliable performance. However, both systems were utilized by special forces through to 1983.
Eugene Stoner then worked on a 25mm autocannon for TRW aerospace. The design was picked up by Oerlikon, a division of Rheinmetall, the German armaments manufacturer.
ARES Incorporated
ARES Incorporated was founded in Ohio in 1972 with Eugene as a co-founder. While there he made some improvements on his Stoner 63. It was presented at the ARES LMG, as aka the Stoner 86. There were also developments on the Future Assault Rifle Concept. FARC was an experimental think tank. It focused not only on new weapons systems but also new forms of ammunition, including polymer and telescoping cartridges.
Civilian Market Success
During this time, the US firmly extricated from Vietnam, the US military experienced a brief spell of being idle. There was less need for M16 rifles as the military demobilized, dissolving the draft in 1973. When the Colt patent on the rifle expired in 1977, there was little demand for the design beyond ROTC and Civilian Marksmanship Programs. At the time, the sport shooting community had little desire for a military-style rifle.
The Modern Sporting Rifle & Politics
All that began to change in the 1980s and 1990s. Modern sporting rifles were becoming more popular in the mainstream. Political talk about a 'Federal Ban' had them flying off of the shelves. The 1994 Federal "Assault Rifle Ban" merely forced manufacturers to make alternate designs because the ban itself increased demand. The politically motivated endeavor to ban so-called "assault rifles" nationwide, stemmed not from concern for public safety, but from politicians seeking to make a name for themselves. The lunacy peaked in 1995 when (term-limits poster child), Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) appeared on 60-Minutes announcing her tyrannical desires for unconstitutional gun confiscation. Her 'Maoist' inspired words, "Mr. and Mrs. America, Turn Them All In!" sparked the start of the modern, pro-2A gun culture movement.
The threat of a new ban in 2013 created an explosion in demand even gun rights activists and manufacturers could not anticipate. The AR15 became the rallying point of gun rights by being the target of tired arguments by gun control activists. There is strong evidence to suggest leftist political motivations were behind the calls to ban the rifle. This coming after several high profile shootings from the DC Sniper to Sandy Hook, to Las Vegas where the rifle was used. This made the AR15 system a celebrity, reviled on one side and adored on the other. With Colt no longer in possession of the patent, virtually every major firearms maker (and hundreds of start-up companies) dedicated their time to manufacture parts and accessories.
For Stoner himself, he left ARES in 1990 and joined the Knight's Armament Company. There he returned to his AR-10 with almost three decades of field notes on the AR15 to incorporate. He shortly after developed the SR25: a 7.62NATO chambered semi-automatic precision rifle. It was adopted by Special Operations Command and the US Navy as the Mark 11 Sniper weapon System. This was perhaps the last of Stoner's successful models, though it was slated for replacement by the SSR Mk20, an FN SCAR variant, by 2017.
When Stoner Met Kalashnikov
The two famously met in Washington DC in May of 1990. They visited the NRA and Smithsonian Museums and even went shooting at a local hunting lodge. It is reported that they shared a bond with each other. It is a gun geek's daydream to ponder what these two men might have said to each other. Did they discuss how society perceived them, how governments profited off of them, or possibly world peace?
Their respective designs represented both superpowers of the Cold War, and post Cold War world. Neither man had any formal technical engineering education, but seemed to learn as they went. Picking up trade skills in the military in World War II and after. Yet one commonality the two men may have also shared was that their creations took on lives of their own. Each of their famous designs were mass-produced and copied with and without licenses all over the world.
Eugene Stoner's Final Projects
The last two projects that most notably bore his involvement were the Colt 2000 and the KAC SR50. The former being a collaboration for a new semi-automatic pistol for Colt. Once the original designs were submitted, however, Colt made adjustments without consulting the designers. The changes were largely interpreted as the opposite of improvements. The pistol was further plagued by bad press and a reputation for functionality and accuracy issues.
The SR50 was a response to the Navy's request for a .50 BMG, self-loading sniper rifle. Unfortunately, the 1990s encouraged the first of a series of gun ban scares. The reality of a ban had manufacturers scrambling to get models out before new laws went into effect. The focus then became making alternative models that were specifically not banned by the 1994 Federal law, instead of focusing on new innovations. The SR50 fell by the wayside before ultimately being abandoned (only four were built) in favor of available models such as the Barrett M82.
Name-Brand Recognition?
By this point, Eugene Stoner's health had begun to deteriorate. It is possible, given the growing number of companies who began making AR rifles, that Stoner could have cashed in. As a response to the political divide, he could have made a fortune. He was by far the most recognized name associated with the AR pattern rifle. With all the new name manufacturers of the rifle and accessories and parts, it is difficult to believe that a new Stoner Rifle division of KAC (or some other established brand) would not have done well as a result of the current political environment.
Many have pondered why there is no Stoner branded AR rifle. It could be that Eugene enjoyed creating more than marketing, or perhaps putting his name on things just wasn't his style. In any case, his involvement in any such future enterprise was thwarted. On April 24, 1997 he passed away while fiddling on a project in the garage of his Florida home, succumbing to brain cancer. They say old inventors never really die, they just stop filing for patents. Today Eugene Stoner's name is firmly associated with the AR15/M16 platform. It's rightfully listed in the history books next to the iconic schematic for the AR patent.
The Legacy Of Eugene Stoner
Eugene Stoner was a consummate tinkerer. Once an idea was deemed good enough for submission he sent it on its way to succeed or fail on its merits. He kept a set schedule so he could focus on creating something new. If possible, he returned to an idea to improve it based on new data: as was the case with the Stoner 63/86 and the AR10/25. Eugene Stoner had the Kaizen mindset, he was an inventor hell-bent on continuous improvement.
He may not have received the hundreds of millions of dollars in royalties one would expect for a lead designer, but he was successful. With a net worth classifying him as a millionaire after selling off his interest in ARES, many still sought afterwards as a consultant. He certainly did better than Kalashnikov, who died 16 years later, in a tiny Moscow apartment as a pensioner of the state. If such are the metrics of success, then Stoner indeed succeeded.
From another point of view, however, he was equally if not more successful in life. He left behind a wife, four children, seven grandchildren and several great-grandchildren. His innovative work ethic and easily integrated designs have successfully been adopted by all who followed behind him. Keeping an almost seventy-year-old firearm design not only in service but as the rallying symbol of American gun rights, is no small accomplishment. The more tyrants threaten to take gun rights away, the stronger they will be held on to. Gun owners, patriots, and inventors cannot thank him enough.
Useful article?
Share on social media!
Let your fellow shooters know – share this article using the Facebook,
Twitter and other social media icons below.
The more we all know, the better organized and stronger the shooting and hunting community will be.
Tags: ar10ar15eugene stoner
Armalite Rifle History
ArmaLite weapons are synonymous with AR-pattern rifles, which have been ironically coined as 'Modern Sporting Rifles' (MSF). Why…
Best .223 Ammo: Range, Training & Home Defense
.223 Remington and its nearly identical twin brother, the 5.56x45mm NATO, need very little introduction. They represent one…
Stay in touch with Widener's, be the first to know about new articles, products, and more.
wideners_official
What Is Subsonic Ammo?
What is Bullet Weight?
3 Gun Competitions
Handguns of World War II Icons
World's Most Powerful Rifles You Can Buy
Glock's New G43X and G48 Pistols January 8, 2019
Understanding Different 12-Gauge Shotgun Load Types November 2, 2018
Best 9mm Ammo: Plinking, Training & Home Defense December 21, 2018
Best 7.62×39 AK-47 Ammo: Steel VS Brass December 14, 2018
Win Ammo for a Year! September 28, 2018
Copyright © 2018 Wideners.com
ArmaLite weapons are synonymous with AR-pattern rifles, which have been
.223 Remington and its nearly identical twin brother, the 5.56x45mm
Take me Top ↑


text:
Farm, food service jobs tied to heart disease risk
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Americans in certain lines of work, including transportation, food service and farming, may have a relatively high rate of risk factors for heart disease, diabetes and stroke, a new study finds.
At the other end of the spectrum, researchers found, health professionals, scientists and artists are among those with the lowest rates of so-called metabolic syndrome.
Metabolic syndrome refers to a collection of risk factors for diabetes, heart disease and stroke — including abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, low levels of "good" HDL cholesterol and high triglycerides (another type of blood fat).
The syndrome is typically diagnosed when a person has three or more of those conditions, and the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a major study, found that it can double the risk of heart attack and stroke.
In the new study, researchers found that among a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults, workers in the farm industry and food service (other than waiters and waitresses) had the highest rates of metabolic syndrome — at around 30 percent. That compares to an overall U.S. risk of about 22 percent, according to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
Meanwhile, the risk factors were seen in roughly one-quarter of Americans in the transportation industry (truck drivers and other workers), construction and non-professional health services (excluding people such as doctors and nurses).
At the other end of the heart-risk spectrum were "writers, artists, entertainers and athletes" and the category that included scientists, engineers and architects, where the rates of metabolic syndrome were 8 percent to 9 percent. Doctors, nurses and other health professionals, meanwhile, had a rate of 12 percent.
The findings are published in the journal Diabetes Care.
In most cases, the job-related differences in metabolic syndrome appeared to be explained by differences in other associated factors — including rates of obesity and smoking, exercise habits and race.
The exception was the transportation industry, where the work itself remained linked to an increased risk of metabolic syndrome even with the other factors taken into account.
The reasons for that finding are not clear, according to the researchers, led by Dr. Evelyn P. Davila of the University of Miami.
But, they note, the finding is in line with past studies that have found relatively higher rates of heart disease and stroke among truck drivers and other transportation workers compared with other lines of work.
It's possible, Davila and her colleagues write, that factors not measured in this study — such as irregular work schedules and poorer sleep habits, or job stress — might help explain the link between transportation work and metabolic syndrome.
The findings, according to the researchers, do not prove that any given occupation increases or decreases the risk of metabolic syndrome. They do, however, suggest that people in certain job fields need to be especially aware of ways to control their risk factors for heart disease and diabetes. That includes watching their diets and getting regular exercise, not smoking and, if necessary, taking medication to control their blood pressure and cholesterol.
The researchers say the results also suggest that certain workplaces should be targeted for health-promotion programs that raise awareness of metabolic syndrome and how to help prevent it.
SOURCE: link.reuters.com/kuq77m Diabetes Care, online June 28, 2010.


text:
\section{Introduction}\label{sec-intro}
The stability of three particles with pure Coulomb forces is an
old and extensively studied problem, this is to explain why
certain ions and molecules stay as a whole and some dissociate
into a bound pair and a single particle. Under stability of the
Hamiltonian $H$ we shall understand the existence of a bound state
with the energy strictly less than $\inf \sigma_{ess} (H)$, {\it
i.e.} a stationary state below all dissociation thresholds. As a
quantum system three particles with Coulomb interactions
demonstrate interesting behavior. It is known that three charges
$\{ 1 + \varepsilon , -1, -1 \}$ for any $\varepsilon
>0$ form the system, which is stable regardless of mass values.
However at $\varepsilon = 0$ the situation abruptly changes and due to
the screening effect not all systems remain stable. The typical
example is the unstable muonic hydrogen ion $p \mu^- e^- $, where
the heavy muon is tightly bound to the proton and screens the
positive charge for the electron. This interesting effect is well
studied, in particular it has been proved \cite{hill} that for
equal dissociation thresholds the system remains stable
(Refs.~\onlinecite{martin1,martin3} explain very well how
stability depends on masses and charges).

Among the instability proofs for three unit charges the most
appealing is that of Thirring\cite{thirring}, which does not
require any numerical calculations. Thirring considered a negative
hydrogen ion with an infinitely heavy proton, and proved  that
such negative ion is unstable when its second negatively charged
particle is lighter than electron by a factor larger than $\pi$
($\pi$ can be replaced \cite{martin3,glaser} with a better
constant $1.57$). In his method Thirring exploited the fact that
the ground state in the hydrogen atom is substantially separated
from other states in its spectrum (the non-degenerate energy
levels have $1/ n^2$ dependence), and thus its role becomes
emphasized. This suggests an idea to move the problem to the space
spanned by the projector $P_0 = | \phi_0 \rangle \langle \phi_0 |
\otimes 1$, where $\phi_0$ is the ground state of Hydrogen. After
estimating the part of the repulsion, which is present in this
space, the problem reduces to checking the binding of one particle
in some effective potential. The contribution from the attractive
interaction term coming from additional particle is easy to treat
because it commutes with $P_0$. Yet this is no longer true if one
considers particles of finite mass or any system of four
particles.

Thirring's bound was improved \cite{martin1} and it was shown that
the muonic ion $p \mu^- e^- $ is unstable for actual values of all
masses. However this extension (Eq.~24 in
Ref.~\onlinecite{martin1}) is weak in the sense that it fails when
the second particle is heavy compared to other particles. (For a
physical example, it does not prove that the ion $\mu^- p e^+ $ is
unstable, yet we shall prove it here). This extension still uses
Thirring's treatment of repulsion and it is unclear how one could
extend it to four particles. Armour\cite{armour} with his method
proved the instability of such systems as positron-hydrogen-atom
$e^- p e^+$ and $\mu^-  p e^+ $, but this method requires certain
numerical assistance. It also bases on the separation of variables
in the problem of two fixed centers, which makes it inapplicable
to four particles because the variables do not separate even in
the case of three fixed centers.

Here we follow the Thirring's idea but the nucleus does not have
to be infinitely heavy. The derived physical condition restricts
the ratio of Jacobi masses, which makes the system stable. It can
be used in conjunction with Thirring's result and convexity
properties of stability curve \cite{martin1} for a reasonable
determination of stability area free from any numerics. The
present method has an important advantage in that it admits
generalization to four particles. It should be mentioned that both
Thirring's method and the new one share the same deficiency,
namely, they are not applicable when the dissociation thresholds
in the system are close or equal ({\it e.g.} when two like charges
have equal masses). In particular, using such methods one cannot
prove the ``overheating'' effect, when a system with charges $\{
+1, -q,-q \}$ and equal masses loses its binding for some $q>1$.
Nowadays various charged particles are produced in laboratories
and it is, of course, of interest to know the principles behind
formation of exotic atoms or molecules. All this motivates the
present analysis.

\section{From Three Particles to One in Effective Potential}\label{sec-2}
Let $m_i , q_i, {\bf r}_i \in \mathbb{R}^3 $ denote masses,
charges and position vectors of particles $i = 1,2,3$. We put $q_1
= +1$, and $q_{2,3} = -1$, and the interactions between the
particles are $V_{ik} = q_i q_k / |{\bf r}_i - {\bf r}_k |$. We
enumerate the particles in such a way, that the particles $(1,2)$
form the lowest dissociation threshold. The stability problem with
Coulomb interactions is invariant with respect to scaling all
masses \cite{martin1}, so we can put $\hbar =1$. We separate the
center of mass motion in the Jacobi frame \cite{messiah} putting
${\bf x} = {\bf r}_1 - {\bf r}_2$ and ${\bf y } = {\bf r}_3 - {\bf
r}_1 + a {\bf x}$, where $a = m_2 /(m_1 + m_2 )$ is the mass
parameter invariant with respect to mass scaling. The reduced
masses and Jacobi momenta are respectively $\mu_x = m_1 m_2 / (m_1
+ m_2 )$, $\mu_y = m_3 (m_1 + m_2 ) / (m_1 + m_2 + m_3 )$ and
$p_{x,y} = -i\nabla_{x,y}$. It is convenient to scale all masses
so that $\mu_x = 2$. (In Sec.~\ref{summary} we shall rescale them
back). The Hamiltonian for the system on the tensor product space
$L_2 (\mathbb{R}^3) \otimes L_2 (\mathbb{R}^3) $ is
\begin{equation}\label{ham0}
      H = h_{12} \otimes 1 + 1\otimes \frac{p_{y}^2}{2 \mu_y} +
      W \nonumber
\end{equation}
where
\begin{equation}\label{W0}
W  = V_{13} + V_{23} = - \frac 1{|a {\bf x} - {\bf y}|} +
\frac{1}{| (1-a) {\bf x} + {\bf y}|}
\end{equation}
and $h_{12} = p_{x}^2 /4 - 1/x$ is the Hamiltonian of the pair of
particles (1,2) (notation $x$ is used instead of $|{\bf x}|$). The
ground state wave function of $h_{12}$ is $\phi_0 = \sqrt{8/ \pi}
\exp(-2x)$ so that $h_{12} \phi_0 = -\phi_0$. The Hamiltonian $H$
is self-adjoint on $\mathcal{D} (H) = H^2 (\mathbb{R}^6)$ (square
integrable functions having partial derivatives up to the second
order in the weak distributional sense) and by the HVZ theorem
$\sigma_{ess} ( H ) = [ -1 , \infty) $. We split positive and
negative parts of $W$ by introducing $W_- : = (|W| - W)/2$ and
$W_+ := (- W)_- = (|W| + W)/2$ and we have $W = W_+ - W_-$, where
$W_{\pm} \geq 0$. Instead of $H$ we shall consider the Hamiltonian
\begin{equation}\label{ham}
    \tilde H = h_{12} \otimes 1 + 1\otimes \frac{p_{y}^2}{2 \mu_y}
    - W_-
\end{equation}
Note that the part $W_-$ can also be expressed as
\begin{equation}\label{W_-}
W_- =  - ( V_{13} +  V_{23} F({\bf x}, {\bf y}) )
\end{equation}
where $F = 1$ when $|V_{13}| \geq |V_{23}|$ and $F = |V_{13}| /
|V_{23}|$ when $|V_{13}| \leq |V_{23}|$, and we have $0 \leq F
\leq 1$. Because $\| V_{23} F \phi \| \leq \| V_{23} \phi \|$ we
can directly apply Kato's theorem \cite{simon} on self-adjointness
of atomic Hamiltonians and find out that $\tilde H$ is
self-adjoint on $\mathcal{D} ( \tilde H ) = \mathcal{D} ( H )$. We
cannot though directly apply the HVZ theorem to locate $\inf
\sigma_{ess} ( \tilde H )$ but we observe that the following
inequality holds $(H - V_{23}) \leq \tilde H \leq H$. Here
$(H-V_{23} )$ is the original Hamiltonian without repulsion, which
is bounded from below and by the HVZ theorem $\inf \sigma_{ess} (
H - V_{23} ) = -1$. Thus from the min-max principle \cite{simon}
we get $\inf \sigma_{ess} ( \tilde H ) = -1$.

Now let us assume that $H $ is stable, {\it i.e.} $H$ has a bound
state with the energy less than $-1$.  Because $\tilde H \leq H$
from the variational principle we conclude that $\tilde H$ also
has a bound state $\Psi \in \mathcal{D} (H )$ with the energy
below $\inf \sigma_{ess} ( \tilde H ) = -1$ which means
\begin{equation}\label{binding}
    \tilde H \Psi = (-1-\delta) \Psi
\end{equation}
where $\delta > 0$ is the extra binding energy. Let us introduce a
projection operator $P_0 = | \phi_0 \rangle \langle \phi_0 |
\otimes 1$ $( P_0 : \mathcal{D} ( H ) \rightarrow \mathcal{D} ( H
))$ and put $\eta := P_0 \Psi$ and $\xi := (1 - P_0 ) \Psi$, where
obviously $\eta \bot \xi$ and $\Psi = \eta + \xi$ and $\eta, \xi
\in \mathcal{D} ( H )$. Taking the scalar product of each side of
(\ref{binding}) with $\eta$ and $\xi$ we obtain
\begin{eqnarray}
  \langle \eta | 1\otimes \frac{p_{y}^2}{2\mu_y} - W_- | \eta\rangle -  \langle
  \eta | W_- |  \xi \rangle &=& -\delta \| \eta \| ^2 \label{eq1}\\
 \langle \xi | h_{12} \otimes 1 |  \xi \rangle  +  \langle \xi | 1\otimes
 \frac{p_{y}^2}{2\mu_y} - W_- | \xi \rangle -  \langle
  \xi | W_- |  \eta \rangle &=& (-1-\delta) \| \xi \|^2 \label{eq2}
\end{eqnarray}
where we have used $\langle \eta | 1 \otimes p_{y}^2 | \xi \rangle
= 0$ because $P_0$ and $1 \otimes p_{y}^2 $ commute. We shall
assume that $\| \eta \| , \| \xi \| \neq 0$ (we shall get rid of
this assumption in Theorem~\ref{myth}), then we are free to choose
such normalization of $\Psi$ that $\| \xi \| = 1$.

From the bound spectrum of $h_{12}$ we have \cite{thirring}
$h_{12}\otimes 1 \geq -P_0 - 1/4 (1-P_0 )$, hence for the first
term in (\ref{eq2}) we get the bound $\langle \xi | h_{12} \otimes
1 | \xi \rangle \geq - 1 /4$. Introducing two non-negative
constants $\alpha :=\sqrt{\langle \eta | W_- | \eta \rangle }$ and
$\beta := \sqrt{\langle \xi | W_- | \xi \rangle}$ we get by virtue
of the Schwarz inequality $|\langle \xi | W_- | \eta \rangle |
\leq \alpha \beta$. Now we can rewrite
Eq.~(\ref{eq1})--(\ref{eq2}) to obtain the main pair of
inequalities
\begin{eqnarray}
  \langle \eta | 1\otimes \frac{p_{y}^2}{2\mu_y} - W_- | \eta\rangle -  \alpha
  \beta &<& 0 \label{1}\\
 \langle \xi | 1\otimes
 \frac{p_{y}^2}{2\mu_y} - W_- | \xi\rangle -  \alpha
  \beta &<& - \frac34  \label{2}
\end{eqnarray}
Using the second inequality we shall find $\max \beta /\alpha $
and by substituting this value into (\ref{1}) we shall formulate
the stability condition.

\begin{lemma}\label{lemm} Suppose that
Eq.~(\ref{2}) holds and $\mu_y < 3/2$, then the following
inequality is true
\begin{equation}\label{ratio}
    \beta < \left( \sqrt{\frac3{2\mu_y }} - 1 \right)^{-1} \alpha
\end{equation}
\end{lemma}
\begin{proof}
First, let us show that for $A \geq 0$
\begin{equation}\label{l1}
     \inf_{\substack{\chi \in \mathcal{D} (H) \\ \|\chi\|=1}}
     \langle \chi | 1\otimes \frac{p_{y}^2}{2\mu_y} - A W_- | \chi
     \rangle \geq - \frac{A^2 \mu_y }{2}
\end{equation}
It suffices to prove this for $\chi \in C_{0}^\infty (\mathbb{R}^6
)$. Using (\ref{W_-}) from the variational principle we get
\begin{gather}
    \langle \chi | 1\otimes \frac{p_{y}^2}{2\mu_y} - A W_- | \chi
     \rangle \geq \int d {\bf x} \int d {\bf y} \chi^*
    ({\bf x} , {\bf y}) \left( \frac{p_{y}^2}{2\mu_y} -
     \frac A{|a{\bf x} - y|} \right) \chi ({\bf x} , {\bf y}) \nonumber \\\geq
     - \frac{A^2 \mu_y }2 \int d{\bf x} \int d {\bf y} |\chi|^2
     ({\bf x} , a{\bf x} +{\bf y})  = -  \frac{A^2 \mu_y }{2} \| \chi \|^2 \label{integrals}
\end{gather}
from which (\ref{l1}) follows and where we have used the explicit
expression for the ground state energy of the hydrogen atom.
(Using an appropriate set of trial functions it is easy to show
that there is an equality sign in (\ref{l1}), but we do not need
this for our purposes). Now using (\ref{l1}) we obtain the
following chain of inequalities
\begin{gather}
       \inf_{\substack{\xi \in \mathcal{D} (H) \\ \| \xi\| =1 \\
       \langle \xi | W_- | \xi
       \rangle = \beta^2 }} \langle \xi | 1 \otimes
       \frac{p_{y}^2}{2\mu_y} - W_- | \xi \rangle =  \max_{\lambda \geq -1
       } \inf_{\substack{\xi \in \mathcal{D} (H) \\ \| \xi\| =1 \\ \langle \xi | W_- | \xi
       \rangle = \beta^2 }} ( \langle \xi | 1 \otimes
       \frac{p_{y}^2}{2\mu_y} - (\lambda + 1 )W_- | \xi \rangle +
       \lambda \beta^2 ) \nonumber \\ \geq  \max_{\lambda \geq -1
       } \inf_{\substack{\xi \in \mathcal{D} (H) \\ \| \xi\| =1}} ( \langle \xi | 1 \otimes
       \frac{p_{y}^2}{2\mu_y} - (\lambda + 1 )W_- | \xi \rangle +
       \lambda \beta^2 ) \geq \max_{\lambda \geq -1
       }  ( \lambda \beta^2 - (\lambda + 1 )^2 \mu_y
       /2 ) \nonumber \\ = \frac{\beta^4 }{2 \mu_y } - \beta^2
       \nonumber
\end{gather}
Substituting this result into (\ref{2}) and putting $\alpha = s
\beta$ we obtain
\begin{equation}\label{ratio2}
         \frac{\beta^4 }{2 \mu_y } - (s +1 ) \beta^2 < - \frac34
\end{equation}
Now simply minimizing the left-hand side of (\ref{ratio2}) over
$\beta ^2 $ we obtain the lower bound on $s$, which gives us
Eq.~(\ref{ratio}). \end{proof}

It is worth noting that the relation in Lemma is a version of the
uncertainty principle, when $\beta^2 $ grows, the kinetic energy
term grows faster like $\beta^4$.  Let us introduce an effective
potential $V_{eff} (y) := \int d {\bf x} |\phi_0 |^2 W_- $. We
formulate the result as
\begin{theorem}\label{myth}
If the system of three charges is stable and $\mu_y < 3/2$ then
the particle with mass $\mu_y$ must have a bound state in the
potential $-\left( 1 + (\sqrt{3 /2\mu_y } - 1)^{-1}\right)
V_{eff}$.
\end{theorem}
\begin{proof}
We have $\| \eta \| , \| \xi \| \neq 0$. The function $\eta $ has
the factorized form $\eta = \phi_0 ({\bf x}) f ({\bf y})$, where
$f \in H^2 (\mathbb{R}^3 )$, $\| f \| \neq 0$. By substituting
(\ref{ratio}) into (\ref{1}) and using expressions for $\alpha^2 $
and $\eta$ we get the necessary condition for stability
\begin{equation}\label{stab1}
\langle f | \frac{p_{y}^2}{2 \mu_y} - \left(1 + ( \sqrt{3/2 \mu_y
} - 1 )^{-1} \right) V_{eff} | f \rangle < 0
\end{equation}
In the next section we shall study $V_{eff} (y)$ and show that it
is a continuous function decaying like $1/ y^2$. Inequality
(\ref{stab1}) means that a particle having mass $\mu_y$ has a
bound state in this potential.

Now let us complete the proof considering the case when either $
\xi  =0$ or $ \eta = 0$. If $ \xi = 0$ we have $\beta = 0$ and
substituting this into (\ref{1}) we get a condition more stringent
than Eq.~(\ref{stab1}). If $\eta = 0$ we have $\| \xi \| = 1 $ and
$\alpha = 0$, substituting this into (\ref{2}) and using
(\ref{l1}) for $\mu_y < 3/2$ results in the contradiction.
\end{proof}

\section{Binding in Effective Potential}
In this section we shall analyze the effective potential and find
out at which values of the coupling constant $\lambda$ the
Hamiltonian $p_{y}^2 - \lambda V_{eff}$ may have bound states. It
turns out that the effective potential in our case has a
nonphysical term, which is a long-range attraction of the type $1/
y^2$. This nonphysical behavior stems from cutting off the
positive part of the potential and results in the infinite number
of bound states at the point of binding (that is why it is meant
nonphysical). But as it is well-known since the result of Hilbert
and Courant \cite{courant}, even this long-range attraction does
not guarantee binding, for $ \lambda \max_y y^2  V_{eff} (y) \leq
1/4$ the inequality $p_{y}^2 - \lambda V_{eff} \geq 0$ holds, {\it
i.e.} no binding occurs, (see also the proof in
Ref.~\onlinecite{simon}, vol. 2). Thus the non-trivial critical
coupling constant exists, and we have to determine it. On the
other hand, in such potentials short-range repulsive terms do not
play any role for binding \cite{1/r2}. It would be of interest to
get rid of this nonphysical behavior in the future (pay attention
that the Thirring's effective potential \cite{thirring} behaves at
infinity like $1/y^3$!).

To calculate $V_{eff}$ we must cut off the positive part of $W$.
From (\ref{W0}) $W\leq 0$ is equivalent to $\cos \theta \geq
x/(\omega y)$, where $\omega = (a-1/2)^{-1}$ and $\cos \theta =
{\bf x} \cdot {\bf y} / xy$. We shall consider separately two
cases $a > 1/2$ and $a \leq 1/2$.

\subsection{Case when $a > 1/2$}
The integration is simpler in this  case. After direct integration
in spherical coordinates over the area where $\cos \theta \geq x/(
\omega y)$ we obtain
\begin{gather}
    V_{eff} (y) = 16 y ^2 \int_{0}^\omega d s \: s e^{ -4sy}  \left(
    \frac{\sqrt{a(1-a)s^2 + 1}}{a(1-a)} - \frac{|as-1|}{a}
    - \frac{(1-a)s + 1}{1-a}  \right) \nonumber \\
    = \frac{16 y ^2}{a(1-a)} \int_{0}^\omega d s \: s e^{ -4sy} (\sqrt{a(1-a)s^2 + 1}
    -1) + U \label{veff1}
\end{gather}
where
\begin{equation}\label{u}
     U = 32 y^2 \int_{1/a}^\omega d s \: s e^{ -4sy}  ( 1/a - s) <0
\end{equation}
Now we do not have to carry out integration in (\ref{u}), it is
enough to see that it is a short-range repulsion, which does not
play a role in our case. To calculate the first term in
(\ref{veff1}) we use $\sqrt{a(1-a)s^2 + 1} \leq 1 + a(1-a)s^2 /2 $
to get
\begin{equation}\label{veff2}
    V_{eff } < 8 y^2 \int_{0}^\omega d s \: s^3 e^{ -4sy}  <
    \frac 3{16 y^2 }
\end{equation}
where after the integration we have dropped the short-range
negative terms. Finally, we have $p_{y}^2 - \lambda V_{eff} \geq
p_{y}^2 - \lambda (3/16) y^{-2}$. The following inequality
\cite{simon} holds $p_{y}^2 -  (1/4) y^{-2} \geq 0$. Thus in the
case of binding, {\it i.e.} when such $f$ exists that $\langle f |
p_{y}^2 - \lambda V_{eff} | f \rangle < 0$, we must have $\lambda
>
 4/3$. Comparing this with (\ref{stab1}) we obtain that three
 charges form unstable system if $\mu_y < 3/2$ and
 \begin{equation}\label{same}
    2 \mu_y \left(1 + ( \sqrt{3/2 \mu_y
} - 1 )^{-1} \right) < 4/3
\end{equation}
Solving this simple inequality tells us that the system is
unstable when $\mu_y < 2(11- 2 \sqrt{10})/27 \simeq 0.3463$.

\subsection{Case when $a \leq 1/2$}
First let us take $a< 1/2$. We shall write $W(a)$ instead of $W$
to point out the dependence on parameter $a$. We can alleviate the
integration noting that $W(a) = - W(1-a)$, thus we have $W_- (a) =
(-W(1-a))_- = W_+ (1-a) = W(1-a) + W_- (1-a)$. From this we
conclude $V_{eff} (a) = - \overline{W } (a) + V_{eff} (1-a)$. The
additional integral $\overline{W } (a) := \int d{\bf x} |\phi_0
|^2 W$ is easy to calculate and $V_{eff} (1-a)$ for $a < 1/2$ we
have already calculated. We obtain
\begin{gather}
    - \overline{W} (a) = 16 y^2 \int_{0}^\infty ds \: e^{ -4sy}  s
    \left( \left( \frac 1a - \frac 1{1-a} \right) + \left| s - \frac
    1{1-a} \right| - \left| s - \frac
    1a \right| \right) \nonumber \\
    = 32 y^2 \int_{1/(1-a)}^{1/a} ds \: e^{ -4sy}  \left( s^2 - \frac
    s{1-a} \right)
    + 32 y^2 \int_{1/a}^{\infty} ds \: e^{ -4sy}  s \left( \frac 1{a} -
    \frac 1{1-a} \right) \label{ovW}
\end{gather}
Using (\ref{veff1}),~(\ref{u}) and approximation for the square
root $\sqrt{a(1-a)s^2 + 1} \leq 1 + a(1-a)s^2 /2 $ gives us
\begin{equation}\label{veff6}
    V_{eff} (1-a) \leq 8 y^2 \int_{0}^{-\omega} ds \: s^3 e^{ -4sy}  + 32
    y^2 \int_{1/(1-a)}^{-\omega} ds \: e^{ -4sy}  \left( \frac s{1-a} -
    s^2 \right)
\end{equation}
Summing (\ref{ovW}) and (\ref{veff6}) and calculating the
integrals explicitly gives us the following expression for $a <
1/2$
\begin{gather}\label{veff100}
    V_{eff} <  \frac 3{16 y^2 } - e^{-4y/a} \left[ \frac
    {8(1-a)y}{a^2} + 2 \frac{2-a}a + \frac 1y \right] \nonumber \\ - e^{4\omega y}
    \left[ -2y \omega (\omega +2)^2
    + ( 3 \omega  /2  + 1)(\omega +2 ) - \frac 1y (3\omega /4 + 1) + \frac 3{16y^2}\right]
\end{gather}
For $a < 1/2$ we have $\omega < -2 $, and it is easily seen that
all terms in square brackets are positive (this leads again to
short-range potentials), meaning that $V_{eff} < (3/16) y^{-2}$,
which gives the same condition for stability as (\ref{same}). We
do not consider explicitly $a= 1/2$, it is done analogously and
also results in (\ref{same}).

\section{summary}\label{summary}
We have initially scaled all masses $m_i \rightarrow 2 m_i /
\mu_x$, making $\mu_x = 2$. Now rescaling it back we get through
(\ref{same}) that the system of three charges is unstable if
$\mu_y / \mu_x < (11- 2 \sqrt{10})/27 \simeq 0.1732$. In the case
of infinitely heavy nucleus this is $m_3 / m_2 < 0.1732$, which is
worse than the refined \cite{martin1,glaser} Thirring's estimate
$m_3 / m_2 < 1/ 1.57$. The accuracy is lost at the point of
cutting the positive part of the potential, which induces a
long-range attraction. However this is more than enough to prove
that the muonic ions $p \mu^-  e^- $ or $\mu^- p e^+ $ are
unstable for the actual values of all three masses. The case of
four unit charges $\{+ 1 , +1 , -1, -1 \}$ is treated similarly
but the calculations are more involved \cite{gridnev} and results
would be published elsewhere. Let us also stress that the obtained
condition is physical. Both Jacobi masses determine Bohr radii for
the particle orbits, the orbit within the pair of particles (1,2)
and the orbit for the third particle in the field of this pair
with respect to the pair's center of mass. If the orbit of one
negative particle is outdistanced then the attraction from the
positive charge is screened off by  the other negative particle
and the system becomes unbound.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv