text:
A man-made mini-star to power our future
Engineers and scientists are constructing a huge mini-star, which will produce the same reactions that happen in the sun to provide energy for the future. The project, known as Iter (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor), is based in Cadarache, near Aix-en-Provence in southern France. It will weigh three times as much as the Eiffel Tower and be as big as 60 football pitches.
Inside the new building will be a nuclear reactor that scientists hope can provide power through nuclear fusion. In doing so it could generate clean, safe energy and reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
Earlier this year, the team behind the project appointed a new leader, Bernard Bigot. "We are now entering into manufacturing and preparations for assembly," he said as he joined in March. Bigot said that he had joined as part of a new management team that was set up to deliver "both a research and an industrial facility".
Inside that facility there will be a smaller and controlled version of the same reactions that happen in our sun, nuclear fusion. That happens when two atomic nuclei collide with each other, releasing energy in the form of photons. The scientists hope to harness that energy and re-use it, to replace the dirty and limited forms of energy that we use today.
A super-hot cloud of hydrogen will rotate faster than the speed of sound while being bombarded with surges of electric current which will leave the hydrogen ten times hotter than the sun's core.
According to the organization's website, it is based on the tokamak concept of magnetic confinement, in which the plasma is contained in a doughnut-shaped vacuum vessel. The fuel, which is a mixture of two isotopes of hydrogen, will be heated to temperatures in excess of 150 million degrees, forming a hot plasma. By scorching it with concentrated waves of radiation, scientists believe they will be able to harness the energy (in the form of photons) which are created when atomic nuclei collide with each other. It is the same process of nuclear fusion which occurs on the sun.
The project was launched in an early stage in 1987. It is now being pushed forward by a group of seven entities — including the EU, as well as the US, Russia and China.
Since then, the project has repeatedly run into problems, with the schedule being pushed back. But scientists hope that early operations can begin in the 2020s, with harnessed energy coming sometime after that. the independent
This is the world's most efficient solar electricity system, Swedish researchers claim
A Swedish technology company has installed a new solar electricity generation system in South Africa's sun-soaked Kalahari desert, saying it's not only the most efficient system of its kind in the world, but it doubles the efficiency of standard solar panels.
The system, which features a pair of huge, 12-metre mirror dishes, runs on a Stirling engine – a type of closed-cycle regenerative heat engine that was invented way back in 1816, and uses trapped gas instead of water to propel the internal pistons and flywheel. The dishes are slowly rotated throughout the day to capture the maximum amount of solar rays and focus them into a specific point, which kicks the Stirling engine into gear.
Adopted by the Swedish military for use in their submarines almost three decades ago, Stirling engines have since been touted as the perfect match for renewable energy systems because they can function with almost any heat source, are quiet to run, and don't take up much space. Swedish-based company, Ripasso Energy, licensed the technology from the military, and together with their colossalparabolic mirror dishes, the system requires just 2 hectares to produce a megawatt of energy.
The researchers at Ripasso have been testing the system for the past four years, and hope that by basing it in the desert, they can get the best idea of its efficiency potential. And as of this week, they claim to have set a new world record. Jeffrey Barbee reports for The Guardian:
"This is the only working small-scale concentrated solar energy system of its kind in the world. Thirty-four percent of the Sun's energy hitting the mirrors is converted directly to grid-available electric power, compared to roughly half that for standard solar panels. Traditional photovoltaic panels are able to turn about 23 percent of the solar energy that strikes them into electricity, but this is cut to around 15 percent before it is usable by the grid."
In November 2012, the same technology set a record-breaking 32 percent efficiency rating.
The Guardian reports that independent tests have confirmed the system's capacity to generate 75 to 85 megawatt hours of electricity a year, which would cover the electricity needs of 24 average UK homes, and would save approximately 81 tonnes of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere via coal burning.
The challenge now is to show the potential of the system in environments where sunlight isn't as abundant. It's all very well for a solar system to work brilliantly in the middle of a desert, but it needs to be able to work in an urban environment in order to make an actual difference. But this team is no stranger to setting records using solar technology, so hopefully they'll figure it out.
Random nanowire configurations increase conductivity over heavily ordered configurations
Sample networks of Ag nanowires for 140 μm × 140 μm domain with (a) concentration just above critical percolation concentration (C ~ Cp), and (b) concentration much above critical percolation concentration (C»Cp). The voltage is applied across the horizontal direction across the domain length. Credit: Tansu, Lehigh University
Researchers at Lehigh University have identified for the first time that a performance gain in the electrical conductivity of random metal nanowire networks can be achieved by slightly restricting nanowire orientation. The most surprising result of the study is that heavily ordered configurations do not outperform configurations with some degree of randomness; randomness in the case of metal nanowire orientations acts to increase conductivity.
The study, Conductivity of Nanowire Arrays under Random and Ordered Orientation Configurations, is published in the current issue of Nature's journal Scientific Reports. The research was carried out by Nelson Tansu, Daniel E. '39 and Patricia M. Smith Endowed Chair Professor in Lehigh's Center for Photonics and Nanoelectronics and Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and lead author Milind Jagota, a Bethlehem-area high school student.
Transparent conductors are needed widely for flat screen displays, touch screens, solar cells, and light-emitting diodes, among many other technologies. Currently, Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) is the most widely used material for transparent conductors due to its high conductivity and high transparency. However, ITO-based technology has several issues. The material is scarce, expensive to manufacture and brittle, a particularly undesirable characteristic for anything being used in this modern age of flexible electronics.
Researchers searching for a replacement for ITO are increasingly employing random networks of metal nanowires to match ITO in both transparency and conductivity. Metal nanowire-based technologies display better flexibility and are more compatible with manufacturing processes than ITO films. The technology, however, is still in an early phase of development and performance must be improved. Current research is focused on the effect of rod orientation on conductivity of networks to improve performance.
2-D color map showing voltage at different nodes in computational domain for network arrays with concentration much higher than the percolation concentration (C ~ 5 Cp). The dots represent voltages at each nodes. Left border voltage is 10 V, right border voltage is 0 V. Credit: Tansu, Lehigh University
In this work, Lehigh researchers developed a computational model for simulation of metal nanowire networks, which should speed the process towards idealizing the configuration of nanowires. The model predicts existing experimental results and previously published computational results.
The researchers then used this model to extract results for the first time on how conductivity of random metal nanowire networks is affected by different orientation restrictions of varying randomness. Two different orientation configurations are reported.
In the first, a uniform distribution of orientations over the range (-θ, θ) with respect to a horizontal line is used. In the second, a distribution of orientations over the range [-θ] ∪ [θ] is used, also with respect to a horizontal line. In each case θ is gradually decreased from 90° to 0°. Conductivity is measured both in directions parallel and perpendicular to alignment.
Researchers found that a significant improvement in conductivity parallel to direction of alignment can be obtained by slightly restricting orientation of the uniform distribution. This improvement, however, comes at the expense of a larger drop in perpendicular conductivity. The general form of these results matches that demonstrated by researchers experimenting with carbon nanotube films. Surprisingly, it was found that the highly ordered second case is unable to outperform isotropic networks for any value of θ; thus demonstrating that continuous orientation configurations with some degree of randomness are preferable to highly ordered configurations.
Prior research in this field has studied the effects of orientation on conductivity of 3D carbon nanotube composites, finding that a slight degree of alignment improves conductivity. Computational models have been used to study how percolation probability of 2D random rod dispersions is affected by rod orientation. Others have developed a more sophisticated computational model capable of calculating conductivity of 3D rod dispersions, again finding that a slight degree of axial alignment improves conductivity.
"Metal nanowire networks show great potential for application in various forms of technology," said Jagota. "This computational model, which has proven itself accurate through its good fit with previously published data, has demonstrated quantitatively how different orientation configurations can impact conductivity of metal nanowire networks."
"Restriction of orientation can improve conductivity in a single direction by significant amounts, which can be relevant in a variety of technologies where current flow is only required in one direction," said Tansu. "Surprisingly, heavily controlled orientation configurations do not exhibit superior conductivity; some degree of randomness in orientation in fact acts to improve conductivity of the networks. This approach may have tremendous impacts on improving current spreading in optoelectronics devices, specifically on deep ultraviolet emitter with poor p-type contact layer."
Posted in NANOTECHNOLOGY
Tagged configurations, electrical conductivity, Lehigh University, Nelson Tansu, orientation
Perception of self: distinguishing autoimmunity from autoinflammation
Rheumatic diseases can be divided in two groups, autoinflammatory and autoimmune disorders. The clinical presentation of both types of diseases overlap, but the pathological pathways underlying rheumatic autoinflammation and autoimmunity are distinct and are the subject of ongoing research. There are a number of ways in which these groups of diseases differ in terms of disease mechanisms and therapeutic responses. First, autoinflammatory diseases are driven by endogenous danger signals, metabolic mediators and cytokines, whereas autoimmunity involves the activation of T and B cells, the latter requiring V-(D)-J recombination of receptor-chain gene segments for maturation. Second, the efficacy of biologic agents directed against proinflammatory cytokines (for example IL-1β and TNF) also highlights differences between autoinflammatory and autoimmune processes. Finally, whereas autoinflammatory diseases are mostly driven by inflammasome-induced IL-1β and IL-18 production, autoimmune diseases are associated with type I interferon (IFN) signatures in blood. In this Review, we provide an overview of the monocyte intracellular pathways that drive autoinflammation and autoimmunity. We convey recent findings on how the type I IFN pathway can modulate IL-1β signalling (and vice versa), and discuss why IL-1β-mediated autoinflammatory diseases do not perpetuate into autoimmunity. The origins of intracellular autoantigens in autoimmune disorders are also discussed. Finally, we suggest how new mechanistic knowledge of autoinflammatory and autoimmune diseases might help improve treatment strategies to benefit patient care.
Tagged Autoimmune diseases, autoimmune disorders, Autoimmunity, clinical presentation, Rheumatic diseases
Here's The Scary Truth About Science & The Death Penalty
A recent pair of botched executions has renewed the debate over lethal injection and whether it's actually less inhumane than other methods used to execute condemned prisoners.
In January, when Ohio used a new drug "cocktail" to execute convicted rapist and murderer Dennis McGuire, he reportedly gasped repeatedly and took more than 25 minutes to die. Days earlier, when Oklahoma executed Michael Lee Wilson, the convicted killer uttered these last words: "I feel my whole body burning."
Leaving aside the issue of whether the death penalty itself is inhumane, one might think that science could be enlisted to help devise a method of execution that spares the condemned from needless suffering.
Certainly there are historical examples of scientists and physicians offering their execution expertise. In the late 19th Century, researchers in the U.S. developed the electric chair as a more humane alternative to public hangings. Despite their efforts, executions using the chair often proved to be quite grotesque. As U.S. Supreme Court Justice William Brennan wrote in a dissent to the Supreme Court in the case of Glass v. Louisiana (1985):
The prisoner's eyeballs sometimes pop out and rest on [his] cheeks. The prisoner often defecates, urinates, and vomits blood and drool. The body turns bright red as its temperature rises, and the prisoner's flesh swells and his skin stretches to the point of breaking. Sometimes the prisoner catches on fire … Witnesses hear a loud and sustained sound like bacon frying, and the sickly sweet smell of burning flesh permeates the chamber.
Roughly a century earlier, French physicians Joseph-Ignace Guillotin and Antoine Lois developed the guillotine to be a painless and efficient execution machine.
In any case, many doctors today are guided by the Hippocratic Oath, which forbids them from willfully inflicting harm on others.
"It is unethical for physicians (the only ones with the requisite knowledge) to participate in the unwilling demise of any human being," Dr. David Lubarsky, anUniversity of Miami anesthesiologist who has conducted research on lethal injection, told The Huffington Post in an email. "We don't kill people who want to live. We don't help others kill people who want to live… Once you cross the line as an agent/enabler of the state to cause the death of someone not seeking to die, you are no longer a healer."
When lethal injection got its start in 1977, the medical community certainly kept its distance.
As Deborah Denno, a Fordham University law professor who has testified in many lethal injection cases, said of the invention of the three-drug protocol typically used in lethal injection, "There was no medical testing of the drug combination. There was no science. I think it was the pretense of science and a medical veneer. It was basically concocted in an afternoon."
Now, in some states, critical drug shortages have forced corrections departments to find new untested drug alternatives.
"It's not like you have a scientific expert sitting there and saying 'these are the drugs you should use and in this amount.'" Denno said. "To the contrary I think one of the reasons we see these constant problems and this jump from drug to drug is these people, either they're getting no advice whatsoever or the advice they're getting is very bad and it's all under the table."
Even if science could aid in the development of a more humane killing method, Denno said, those with the appropriate expertise are unlikely to get involved.
"In light of a long-standing history from the late 1800s up to the present time, I would be extraordinarily surprised if the scientific community ever got involved in this issue."
Keep reading for a look at methods of execution in use at various times.
Posted in BURNING ISSUES
Tagged Death Penalty, Lethal injection, methods of execution, Michael Lee Wilson, Science, Supreme Court
Steal these tried-and-true motivation tips and never lose your fitspiration again.
Finding motivation can feel like finding your headphones in a bottomless gym bag. You blindly dig and dig — you know they're in there somewhere — but keep coming up empty. So we asked those seemingly effortless exercisers, the ultramarathoners, trainers, dietitians and exercise physiologists, who seem to have motivation on speed dial, how to hack it, hone it and own it. Turns out, motivation is not only way easier to find than those earbuds, but it's also easier to untangle. Read on for their advice.
Everyone Needs A Kilimanjaro
"I hit a lull in my mid-40s. I was training Jessica Biel for The A-Team movie, and she was signed up to hike Mount Kilimanjaro for her charity. I hate outdoors stuff, but I signed up. Turned out, I so needed that moment to get me back on track. It pushed me in the gym in whole new ways, and when I accomplished it, I was empowered to try more unusual things. It got me on the road traveling and doing retreats, and now everywhere I go, I try something new, whether it's camel riding in Egypt or a dance class. If you're really feeling like nothing's working motivation wise, you have to step into that 'I-could-never-do-it-but-I-could-do-it' zone and amazing things will happen."
—Ramona Braganza, celebrity trainer and creator of the 321 Training Method
Success Feeds Motivation
"I live by the motto 'something is better than nothing.' Yesterday was a great example: I was planning to do a long workout that ended up not happening because of meetings, but I still jumped into the gym and did 15 minutes. It counts because 15 minutes of physical activity is better than sitting. It also counts because it means I didn't skip a workout, it means I exercised regularly this week, and it helps reinforce that habit and routine. Doing exactly what I committed to do boosts my mood and motivation to continue. I am on track, in control and making progress, and it feels good. No matter what, I can make it work if I follow this motto."
—Chris Jordan, director of exercise physiology at the Human Performance Institute and creator of the 7-Minute Workout
The Ultimate "Prescription" For Motivation
"No. 1, get off your couch. No. 2, start moving. No. 3, smile. No. 4, keep moving. No. 5, keep smiling. No. 6, repeat daily. The truth is that being active is a behavior pattern: Once you start it, you keep going and going, and then it just feels wrong to stop moving."
— Dr. Jordan Metzl, M.D., sports medicine physician, fitness instructor, 32-time marathon runner, 12- time Ironman finisher and author of Dr. Jordan Metzl's Running Strong: The Sports Doctor's Complete Guide to Staying Healthy and Injury-Free for Life
Silence Sticking Points
"Bolster your willpower in tough times. A lot of research shows that if blood-sugar levels dip, willpower takes a severe nosedive. That's why when you go too long without eating, you'll over-consume whatever is around you. Curb this by having a piece of fruit with nut butter or Greek yogurt with fruit. The same thing has been shown with a lack of sleep. That's why I try to get enough sleep, and on those days I don't, I make sure I start out the day right with a protein-rich breakfast to help reduce those sweet cravings."
— Julie Upton, MS, RD, athlete and co-author of The Real Skinny: Appetite for Health's 101 Fat Habits & Slim Solutions
Don't Give That Negative Voice The Time Of Day
"You have to have tunnel vision and not think sometimes. Like the other day: I really didn't want to go to the gym, but I knew if I went through the motions, I'd eventually get there. I just have to get up, get moving and get my stuff together, and if I can make it to the car, I think I'm good. We all know how to put ourselves on autopilot, so get out and do it!"
—Toni Carey, co-creator of Black Girls Run!
Give Yourself A Pep Talk
"Some of the hardest moments for me are being out at mile 87 of 100 miles. My legs hurt and all I want to do is lay down. What gets me across the finish line? A lot of self-talk: Holly, pull it together, you can do this! Look how far you've come! When you believe in yourself, the motivation comes second nature."
— Holly Miller, personal trainer, coach, yoga teacher, stationary cycling instructor and ultramarathoner who has completed two Ironman triathlons and has run more than 50 marathons
Change Your State, Change Your Life!
"When I'm unmotivated, feel bad about my body or not proud of myself, if I make myself of service to somebody else — How can I support you, how can I lift YOU up — I hear myself saying all the things I need to hear. I change my own state. Even when you feel low, if you can go and offer help to someone else, if you can be of service, that is the quickest way to change your state."
— Kiya Knight, creator of Weightless and Air Bar, certified personal trainer and fitness instructor
Check Motivation Off The List
"I'm a check-it-off-the-list kind of girl! I write everything I'm planning to do that day in a little book: Work out, take SLT, go to yoga. That's a great motivator because I don't like going to bed without almost everything from the day crossed off."
— Amanda Freeman, founder and owner of New York City boutique fitness studio SLT (Strengthen, Lengthen, Tone)
To Err Is Human, To Forgive Is Motivating
"If you stray, whether it's eating something you shouldn't have or skipping a workout because you're tired, be forgiving. When you start being hard on yourself, it takes the fun out of it, which is a sure way to zap motivation."
— Katie Warner Johnson, dancer and Physique 57 trainer and co-founder of activewear site Carbon38
– See more at: http://www.oxygenmag.com/article/9-secrets-super-motivated-10060#sthash.sXXDyGBG.Itr80Ozp.dpuf
A Promising New Immunotherapy for Advanced Melanoma
A small, early-phase trial of a new immunotherapy yielded "durable responses" for patients with advanced melanoma and ocular melanoma.
Each year some 2,000 to 2,500 people in the United States are diagnosed with ocular melanoma, a serious cancer of the eye.
In about half of those diagnosed with this form of cancer, also called uveal melanoma or intraocular melanoma, the disease spreads, often to the liver. The prognosis for patients with metastatic ocular melanoma is poor, with median survival of just two to eight months.
So the report at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2015 in April, of results from a phase I/IIa clinical trial of a new type of immunotherapy – albeit in a small group of 17 patients with advancedmelanoma and ocular melanoma – is promising.
The trial was of a first-in-class immunotherapy called IMCgp100. This therapeutic has "two functional ends," explained Mark R. Middleton, PhD, professor of experimental cancer medicine at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. "The targeting end attaches to melanoma cells and the effector end locks on to any neighboring killer T cell [a type of immune cell], resulting in directed destruction of the tumor."
In essence, IMCgp100 connects the immune cells to the melanoma cells, encouraging them to destroy the cancer.
"Among these patients, we observed lasting tumor responses for both cutaneous and ocular melanoma," said Dr. Middleton. "Importantly, responses were even observed in patients with advanced melanoma that was resistant to the immune checkpoint inhibitors that have recently become standard of care in many locations."
Among the 17 patients, three partial responses and one complete response were observed; two of the partial responses are still ongoing and have lasted more than 18 months, Dr. Middleton and his colleagues reported. The complete response in one patient with advanced ocular melanoma lasted over four months.
"It is too early to say if IMCgp100 is particularly effective in ocular melanoma, although the results are encouraging. These observations will be investigated further, both clinically and experimentally," said Dr. Middleton. "We look forward to continuing to follow all the patients who remain on the trial and to enrolling more patients to firmly establish the utility of IMCgp100 as a treatment for advanced melanoma."
Posted in ONCOLOGY
Tagged Advanced Melanoma, Immunotherapy
These Disturbing Truths Shed Light On The Cruelty Of The U.S. Death Penalty
Disturbing details about the botched execution of Oklahoma inmate Clayton Lockett have sparked a new debate on the death penalty.
Lockett died of a massive heart attack on April 29, after prison officials administered drugs in a new lethal injection combination that left him writhing and clenching his teeth on the gurney, though it's unclear if the drugs were to blame. Lockett and another death row inmate, Charles Warner, previously had sued the state for refusing to disclose details about the execution drugs, including where they were obtained.
But the uncertainty about the new drug cocktail isn't the only reason people should be skeptical of the death penalty …
The death penalty is likely taking the lives of innocent people.
According to a new statistical study appearing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, almost 4 percent of U.S. capital punishment sentences are wrongful convictions, meaning about 1 in 25 people who are sentenced to death are likely innocent. This could mean that approximately 120 of the roughly 3,000 inmates currently on death row in America might not be guilty, and at least several of the 1,320 defendants executed since 1977 were innocent.
Executions can take longer than they should.
Prison officials told The Associated Press that, of the last 19 executions in Oklahoma, the average length was 6 to 12 minutes. Lockett was pronounced dead 45 minutesafter his execution began due to complications with the lethal injection procedure.
But Lockett's not the only one to suffer on the gurney: On Jan. 16, Ohio executed convicted rapist and murderer Dennis McGuire by lethal injection with an untested combination of drugs including the sedative midazolam and the painkiller hydromorphone. It took him 25 minutes to die.
In 2006, it took Joseph Lewis Clark, who was executed by lethal injection, 86 minutes to die.
Executions are often botched.
Amherst law professor Austin Sarat examined every execution from 1890 to 2010 and found that 3 percent of all executions during those years did not go according to protocol. Though Sarat says these botched executions included decapitations at hangings and defendants catching fire in electric chairs, he also notes the percentage of executions not done properly hasn't gone down with the adoption of lethal injection.
"Botched executions have not disappeared since America has adopted the current state-of-the art method of lethal injection," Sarat wrote in a Boston Globe op-ed. "In fact, executions by lethal injection are botched at a higher rate than any of the other methods employed since the late 19th century, 7 percent."
An attempted execution in 2009 was so botched that inmate Romell Broom actually lived. Broom's execution was stopped after an execution team tried for two hours to find a suitable vein, sticking him with needles at least 18 times with pain so excruciating he cried and screamed.
The people being executed often feel discomfort or pain.
Michael Lee Wilson, who was executed by lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in January, told prison officials he could feel the combination of execution drugs just before his death.
"I feel my whole body burning," Wilson said before succumbing to the drugs.
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice maintains a website devoted to executed offenders, which includes each inmate's last statement. Many of the statements contain phrases like "it's burning"; "I feel it"; "I'm feeling it"; "I can feel it, taste it"; and "this stuff stings."
"My left arm is killing me. It hurts bad," said Jonathan Green, executed in October 2012.
Sarat noted that pain may be inevitable in executions.
"A close look at executions in America suggests that despite our best efforts, pain and potential for error are inseparable from the process through which the state extinguishes life — and that the conversation about capital punishment needs to take that fact into consideration," Sarat wrote.
Death penalty trials are expensive.
Death penalty trials can cost millions more than non-death-penalty trials — a cost that's placed on taxpayers. The Economist reports:
An execution itself is not expensive, but the years of appeals that precede it are. Defendants facing death tend to have more, better and costlier lawyers. Death-row inmates are more expensive to incarcerate, too: they usually have their own cells, with meals brought to them and multiple guards present for every visit. "It's because of this myth that these people will be executed in a couple of months," explains Richard Dieter of the Death Penalty Information Centre.
The price of execution drugs became 15 times higher from 2011 to 2012, costing nearly $1,300.
Very few countries perform executions, and we're in some questionable company with the ones that do.
The United States was 1 of 22 countries to report executions in 2013, and it is the only country in the Americas to have carried out executions that year, according to Amnesty International. Japan and the U.S. were the only countries in the G-8 to have carried out executions that year.
We're considering lowering our standards for how to execute people, rather than re-considering the idea itself.
A short supply of lethal injection drugs have led states to consider other methods of execution, including the new drug combination that left Lockett writhing on the gurney in the execution chamber.
Aside from sedatives and heart-stopping drugs, some lawmakers are considering execution methods of the past, including firing squads, electrocutions and gas chambers. Missouri state Rep. Rick Brattin (R), who in January proposed firing squads as an option for executions in his state, said his suggestion wasn't an attempt to "time-warp."
"It's just that I foresee a problem, and I'm trying to come up with a solution that will be the most humane yet most economical for our state," Brattin said, noting he thinks it's unfair for relatives of murder victims to wait years, even decades, to see justice served.
Tagged Clayton Lockett, Lethal injection
5 useful apps for college freshers
The data charges will be paid by the application providers (Representational Image)
So you've done it! You've successfully graduated from the routine of school life to the excitement and independence of college life. No wonder, you must already be finalizing your check-lists before D-day at your new college. The right clothes have been chosen, the accessories have been finalized and even the new gadgets have been bought. But you might be missing out on one of the very important must-haves and that happens to be the apps on your phone. College life isn't easy and you could use some help from the bunch of apps available today that will help to make it more convenient.
We've put together a list of apps that can help you hit the ground running and save you time, money and tears, as you start your life at college –
SwiftKey (Android, iOS)
As you make the transition from school to college, there a are number of tasks you'll have to do faster and better. Typing on your device has to be one of them and your default keyboard may not be the best bet for it. SwiftKey is the app of choice for the productive smartphone typer, creating a uniquely accurate predictive and auto-correct typing experience. It covers 15 Indian languages including Hindi, Tamil, Bengali and Marathi, and users can type in up to three languages at any one time. Chatting with friends during those lectures or taking notes on your mobile in class will be a walk in the park with this one!
Zomato (Android, iOS, Windows)
You are new to the college life and always on the lookout for new exciting places to try around you with your new friends. But you'll never have enough time and that's when you make use of Zomato. It is the platform that will cater to all your hunger and party cravings. The app provides you with information on home delivery, dining-out, cafés and nightlife in no time at all and also gives you access to a number of reviews, making decisions a whole lot easier. Zomato can be your one stop shop to finding the perfect yummy destination!
Dictionary.com (Android, iOS)
You're going to be around new people and your vocabulary can certainly help you make an impression. This is the perfect application for words enthusiasts and everyone who has to read a lot of books with a lot of new and tricky vocabulary. Dictionary.com makes it easy to find the definition of every word you aren't sure about. You can take advantage of more than two million definitions, as well as synonyms and antonyms at any time, wherever you are. All you need to do is install the app on your phone to decode the confusing notes from your last lecture.
Evernote (Android, iOS, Windows, Mac)
Our lives at schools and colleges are often busy and disorganized, resulting in a lot of stress and angst when exam time nears. With an Evernote account, things change for the better. All your notes are tagged and saved into one of your notebooks, making you super-organised. With the audio recording feature available on Evernote, there's no need to worry about missing notes if you don't feel up-to-speed with your note-taking skills. Just sit-back, pay attention and hit record during those long and seemingly never-ending lectures
Saavn
When everything else is gone, music endures. Saavn offers over 2 million songs across multiple languages, ensuring your daily dose of music and entertainment through your mobile phone. It also lets you snoop out the best trending chart toppers so that you're always updated with the latest tracks. You can even create your own playlist, tag your favourite music and share them across social media. We think Saavn will be your companion throughout those difficult all-nighters before an exam to keep you entertained.
Tagged Android
Hippocampus Shape, Not Bulk Volume, Indicates How Well Our Memory Functions
Is bigger always better? A new investigation of the hippocampus — the brain structure where we consolidate factual memories — may not overturn the usual bias in favor of size, but it adds a new spin to the argument. A group of neuroscientists demonstrated that broader hippocampal shape related to better working memory, while greater hippocampal volume, the usual measure of brain size, did not.
Memory is not handled in a uniform way by our brains. Different regions and systems sort and collect our declarative memories, while other systems within our brains handle procedural memories. Declarative memory includes the facts we remember — for example, I ate a cheese sandwich while sitting beside the river on Tuesday. Procedural memory, sometimes referred to as implicit or unconscious memory, governs the recollection of learned skills — riding a bike, for instance. Due to this mental division of labor, the hippocampus is king when it comes to declarative memory, yet plays no part in procedural memory.
Notably, the hippocampus, which is shaped like a seahorse and hidden beneath the surface folds, is the first brain region eroded by Alzheimer's, a disease that steals our memories. Learning more about the hippocampus, then, may have direct implications for this disease.
Shape vs. Volume
Typically, scientists view the size of the hippocampus as a way to determine the integrity of an older person's memory, while neglecting all consideration of this brain structure's shape. For the current study, scientists led by Dr. Mallar Chakravarty, an assistant professor at McGill University, collaborated with researchers from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health to explore the relationship between hippocampus size and memory. Chakravarty and his team began by developing an algorithmic technique to map the hippocampus.
After they identified a variety of hippocampus shapes, they performed a close analysis and then characterized and sorted hippocampal types based on relative appearance of head, tail, and body.
Strangely enough, they discovered stereotypic shapes exist for the hippocampus.
Taking this observation one step further, they found that people with a broader shaped hippocampus tended to perform better on memory tests than others. In fact, shape differences were better predictors of memory function than volume.
"This exciting new finding may help us improve our understanding of how to preserve the memory circuit and its function," Chakravarty stated in a press release. For all who fear Alzheimer's, this study represents new hope for future treatments and prevention.
Source: Voineskos AN, Winterburn JL, Felsky D, et al. Hippocampal (subfield) volume and shape in relation to cognitive performance across the adult lifespan. Human Brain Mapping.2015.
Tagged Hippocampus, Memory Functions


Want to update the flooring at your commercial property? C & V Floors, Inc. can bring floor samples to your location, then provide you with our complete flooring services.
Increase the value of your home with brand new flooring! You can choose from our large variety of flooring options for a unique look.
Our licensed contractors pay a high level of attention to detail on every flooring project. Contact us today to discuss your flooring options.


text:
News Release 8-Feb-2022
Agricultural fungicides may be driving antimicrobial resistance
Drugs used to treat life-threatening fungal infections are becoming less effective at fighting certain fungi
image: Marin T. Brewer view more
Credit: Photo by Andrew Davis Tucker/UGA
New research from the University of Georgia has shown, for the first time, that compounds used to fight fungal diseases in plants are causing resistance to antifungal medications used to treat people.
The study focused on Aspergillus fumigatus, the fungus that causes aspergillosis, a disease that causes life-threatening infections in 300,000 people globally each year. Published in G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics, the study linked agricultural use of azoles—compounds used to fight fungal diseases in plants—to diminished effectiveness of the clinical azoles used to treat fungal infections in patients.
"Our results show that resistance to the compounds used to combat fungal infections in humans is developing in agricultural environments," said Marin T. Brewer, a corresponding author of the study and an associate professor of mycology in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. "The samples that we collected in agricultural settings were resistant to both the azoles used in the environment and the clinical azoles used to treat people."
Treatment-resistant fungus is widespread in agriculture industry
Fungi can be a menace for both people and plants, causing over 1.5 million human deaths annually and crop losses of 20%.
It's not unusual to find A. fumigatus in the environment. It's airborne, and it's everywhere. Most people breathe it in without problem, but it can cause serious infections in people who have weakened immune systems.
When they're infected by a strain of the fungus that's resistant to agricultural azole fungicide, the clinical azole drugs used in health care are also ineffective.
"Azole-resistant A. fumigatus is widespread in agricultural environments and especially things like compost," said Michelle Momany, a corresponding author of the study and a professor of fungal biology in the Department of Plant Biology in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. "Someone who is immunocompromised and at risk for fungal infections should be very cautious in those settings."
Strains of treatment-resistant fungus on farms closely related to ones in hospitals
Brewer and Momany, both members of UGA's interdisciplinary Fungal Biology Group (http://research.franklin.uga.edu/fungi/), led a team that collected samples of soil, plant material and compost from 56 sites in Georgia and Florida. Most of the sites had recently been treated with a mix of fungicides including azoles and other fungicides that are only used in agriculture, not in patients. But two of the sites were organic and hadn't used fungicides in over a decade.
After recovering strains of A. fumigatus, the researchers found 12 that were highly resistant to azoles used in agriculture and medicine. The 12 strains also exhibited high levels of resistance to two non-azole fungicides that are not used to treat people.
The researchers used whole genome sequencing to create a genetic family tree for A. fumigatus strains from the environment and from patients. They found that the mechanisms of azole resistance they identified in the strains from agricultural environments matched what they saw in patients. The azole-resistant strains from patients were also resistant to the non-azole fungicides that are never used in people, showing that these strains had been in agricultural environments before the patients were infected.
"The strains that are from the environment and from people are very closely related to each other," Brewer said. "It's not like there are different strains that are developing resistance in people and in the environment. It's all the same. So people who have these infections that are resistant have likely acquired them from the environment."
Desperate need for new environmentally friendly fungicides
Of the 25 multiazole-resistant strains included in the study, eight from agricultural environments and 12 from patients were also resistant to the non-azole agricultural fungicides. These multi-fungicide resistant strains were from agricultural settings in the U.S. and India and clinical settings in the U.S., the Netherlands and India.
"A. fumigatus that is resistant to multiple fungicides is all over the globe, both in the environment and the clinic," Momany said.
"This emergence severely limits the usefulness of fungicides to manage plant pathogens while still preserving the clinical usefulness of azoles," Brewer said. "We urgently need effective agricultural fungicides that aren't toxic to the environment that do not lead to the rapid development of widespread resistance in the clinic."
The research was funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (contract 200-2017-96199) and UGA's Presidential Interdisciplinary Seed Grant program.
Co-authors include Brandon Mangum, a graduate student in the Department of Plant Biology, and former UGA students S. Earl Kang, currently at Ginkgo Bioworks; Tina Melie, currently at the University of Colorado; and Leilani G. Sumabat, currently at the University of the Philippines Diliman.
G3 Genes|Genomes|Genetics
10.1093/g3journal/jkab427
Evidence for the agricultural origin of resistance to multiple antimicrobials in Aspergillus fumigatus, a fungal pathogen of humans
Cole Sosebee
colesosebee@uga.edu
Expert Contact
Marin T. Brewer
mtbrewer@uga.edu
/Health and medicine
/Health and medicine/Diseases and disorders/Infectious diseases/Fungal infections
/Life sciences/Biochemistry/Pharmacology/Bioactive compounds/Pesticides/Fungicides
/Health and medicine/Epidemiology/Pathogens/Resistant strains
/Health and medicine/Human health/Public health/Environmental health
/Health and medicine/Diseases and disorders/Environmental illness
/Life sciences/Plant sciences/Plant pathology/Plant diseases
/Life sciences/Genetics/Human genetics
/Life sciences/Plant sciences/Horticulture/Agronomy/Crop science/Crops
Additional Multimedia
Momany
https://news.uga.edu/agricultural-fungicides-may-be-driving-resistance/

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Please get in touch to discuss your requirements or develop a further understanding of how FinPix might be able to help you improve the results you are getting from your marketing.
Or fill out the form below to reach all of us!
Please complete the form below. A team member will get in touch as soon as possible.
Thank you for your details. We take your privacy very seriously and whilst we are providing professional business services, we respect the rights of individuals under data protection law. We abide by the data protection laws of all countries in which we operate. We collect personal data about you to provide you with the services or products you have expressed interest in, to tell you about other products and services we believe may be of interest to you.


text:
My Experience At A Secret Gay, Lesbian Wedding Ceremony In VI Lagos Nigeria
August 30, 2015 – My Experience At A Secret Gay, Lesbian Wedding Ceremony At A Night Club In Victoria Island Lagos Nigeria
Bimbo Adetokunbo (not real name) relays her experience at an exotic gay wedding in Lagos. She also shares the stories of her close shave with lesbianism, the pressure, threats and attractions with Gboyega Alaka and Omolewa Oshin.
IT was an all-pink affair early March. All the girls were in pink bum shorts and rise and fall cropped top – that was the dress code. The atmosphere was surreal, with sensual lights, music, dance, rich perfume and sweat mingling. Wine and food was also in abundance; shawarma, asun, cake. Chicken barbecue… The celebration in the air was also unmistakable.
At the centre of it all were Tope and Tola (not real names), two women who found love and comfort in each other's arms and decided to quit the pretences, damn the consequences and get married. Although it is common knowledge that same sex relationship and marriage is outlawed and punishable with up to 14 years imprisonment in the country, this couple was beyond caring, as they revelled in the joy of their day, exchanging vows. Another woman, also a lesbian, served as officiating minister and blessed the union. They also exchanged wedding bands in the form of exquisite ear rings and thereafter went into a frenzy of kisses and endless cuddling.
As if taking a cue, all the gay lovers in attendance also went into a frenzy of applause, cheers and kisses.
The wedding took place at a popular nightclub on Victoria Island, Lagos, and the couple, who are obviously from very comfortable backgrounds, wowed all present by capping it up with a presentation of exotic cars to each other as wedding gifts. The party went on until early the next morning, when the couple drove away in each other's arms to their hotel room at the prestigious Eko Hotel and Suites, and guests sauntered away in trickles after wearing themselves out in a most exhausting bout of fun.
To tell the truth, it was probably the most exciting party I've been to in a long time. Even the nightclub staff and other people who had come on their own couldn't help but join us, seeing the wild fun excitement in the air.
Like in normal wedding, both couple considered themselves the luckiest people on earth, having found best friends in each other. Tope could not hide her feelings and actually confided in some us, who are very close to her that the day was her most memorable so far, because she was not only hooking her best friend, but also her confidant. They generally exuded that familiar joy found amongst normal wedding couples. In their joy, they urged all present to enjoy all the food and drinks.
The party was organised by their gay friends, who felt compelled to host a wonderful bash for the 'delightful couple'. Other gay lovers were also present in abundance, both the men and the lesbians.
Tope is a final year accounting student of a frontline private university in Ogun State, while Tola is a final year student of a federal government institution in Lagos. Somehow, they both looked set for a fulfilled family life, except that, as an outsider who got invited plainly on the level of my closeness to them, I kept wondering how they hope to make a life, and more importantly, make babies.
But from the look of things and the celebration on the night, that worry seemed not to be on their radar at all.
The whole gay thing
You may wonder and rightly so too, why I felt so comfortable in the midst of gay people, when I'm not. Well, I'm not gay, but it has taken me a lot of determination and will-power to resist and weather the temptations they throw at me. I attend the same private university with Tope in Ogun State. Tope was my roommate in school in year one, and a very jolly one too except for this gay thing. In fact, my five roommates were all lesbians, except for me. And it was not for lack of trying that they didn't win me over. As a buxom lady, they all seem to have eyes for my body, and you could tell that they'd do anything to get me into their beds. They tried all tricks possible to lure me into lesbianism, promising me all the excitement possible and the fact that I only need to try it out to know why it is the fad today. But I stood my ground.
My reason? I just couldn't bring myself to doing it with them, because that's just not who I am. Often, they'd grab me and steal touches at my sensitive parts, all in the name of playing with me. Sometimes, they'd rush into the bathroom with me and start fondling me, but usually I smile and laugh over it, because I understand their plight and because they were not getting to me.
Besides, I've never had any feeling or affection for girls, and before you could really engage in lesbianism or lesbian sex with a fellow woman, you really must love the person. As I speak to you, the only woman I love is my grandmother, and of course falling in love with her in that skewed manner is not even in my wildest imagination, nor possible.
Also, the biblical verse that says one of the greatest sin anyone could commit is having sexual relationship with same sex, kept ringing in my head, and strengthened my resolve not to be a part of it.
But I maintained my relationship with them, because we were roommates anyway, and even if I moved away from that room, there was no guarantee that I would not meet more desperate ones where I was going.
Same sex relationship here to stay
To tell the truth, same sex has come to stay, even in this part of the world, as they seem to be swelling in ranks by the day. Even back in my secondary school, lesbianism had been the in-thing amongst students in boarding house. Although I was an innocent little girl, I still suspected that what they were doing was wrong each time they were at it, and I somehow distanced myself from it. I was sexually harassed by seniors who wanted to initiate me, and some even tried to force me through threats. But I resisted. Even my school mother was a lesbian don't know if she still is.
It wasn't until I got into the university that I began to really understand what it was they were doing. Prior to that time, I only just felt it was not right and nauseating. Besides, I was sixteen and had become more perceptive. It had also reached an alarming rate and level, way beyond what I witnessed in secondary school.
So as the only straight person in my room, I was the odd one out. They engaged in open cuddling, sex and all, without giving any recourse to me. I think they somehow felt comfortable with me, even though I refused to be drawn into their 'sexcapades.'
They do things together, eat together, reff together (reff is a slang for indulging in Refnol drug or Rohypnol), which sort of gets them high. I think it helps them get maximum satisfaction in their escapades.
As we became closer and they got more comfortable with me, I summoned the courage to ask them what they derive from lesbianism and why they couldn't just conform to the natural order of heterosexuality.
One of them, Sylvia, told me that she got inducted by her aunt (her mum's sister), who used to abuse her, from when she was a toddler, right through to her teenage years, until she began to enjoy it and suddenly feels nothing for male overtures. Now, she's hooked and actually believes it is heavenly and most satisfying.
Another, Vivian, said she was raped by her male cousin early in her teenage years and therefore developed hatred and aversion towards men. Because that rape experience was painful, she came to believe that sex with men is painful, while it is gentle and sensual with fellow women.
For Temi (short for Temitope), she got into it as a result of peer pressure. She was introduced to lesbianism back in secondary school, and has found it pleasurable ever since. The fact that lesbians are not in short supply in the university also further entrenched her into it. Now, only god can extricate her from it.
And my fourth roommate, the newly 'married' Tope, said she had always been caged at home and never allowed to go out and have a taste of the world, except when going out with either or both her parents. So her first full independent outing was to the university, where unfortunately, she found herself in the midst of lesbians, who wasted no time in wooing her over.
Five years down the line, she has got so deep into lesbianism and decided it was the only way for her. Following her marriage to Tola, it is left to be seen whether she can ever get out of this 'quagmire'. Time will tell.
My close shave
To tell the truth, they have never stopped making passes at me. I also find that there are more lesbians that many of us who consider it appalling and sinful may be able to imagine. Usually they approach me, ogling all over me and telling they like me as a total package.
I have also been tempted more than once. You know how it is when your tempters never stop.
On one such occasion, my boyfriend just left me and I was suffering a heartbreak. They saw that I was sad and brooding and tried to console me in their own way. They couldn't understand why I wanted to die over a guy, whom they consider a mere wood, and told me as much. They also seized that opportunity to get closer to me and further give their life-long ambition a try. To tell the truth, I almost began to respond, but held back at the last minute.
Another close shave for me was more recently, when I met a woman on Lagos mainland who, asked me out. She wanted me to be her girlfriend. Because I had heard that she was an incorrigible lesbian, who had even initiated her daughters, I vehemently resisted her offer of friendship, even when she promised to regularly give me N250,000 as pocket money whenever I am going back to school.
When my friends heard the story, they all told me off and thoroughly insulted me; but I stood my ground. Later they begged me to introduce them to her, which I did. It's their business if they want to mess around.
But not long after, I found myself in a dire financial situation and thought of her. I actually went to look for her, hoping secretly that she would show interest in me again, but she didn't. I later learnt that she has found herself another lover.
The evil money can do, you may say, but thank God she found herself another lover.
Money, a big incentive
Aside my own story of how money almost swayed my resolve, I can tell you authoritatively that most converts to lesbianism are almost always swayed by the money incentive their 'toasters' dangle before them.
Usually, the richer girls, who are already deep into it woo innocent girls by toasting them like a man would a woman, and then they proceed to make irresistible promises once they notice that you're giving them a listening ear, but not sure of yourself. How many indigent girls would be able to say 'no' to regular pocket money, good life, the pleasure of sex and the safety of pregnancy? Don't forget, you can never get pregnant. So at home, you're still the little homely mummy's girl. Most times, when your partner even comes visiting at home, when you're on holidays, your parents allow her into your room, and leave you both to 'enjoy some privacy'.
Sometimes they even permit the girls to go spend days with each other, not knowing that they are lovers. So often, the girls get lured by money. It is a really big attraction. And once you're hooked, you're hooked.
Men, as logs
I also hear them say that sex with fellow female is more exciting and fulfilling, in the sense that they open even their hearts to each other. So it goes beyond mere sexual intimacy. They complain that men are like logs of wood, while it is more sensual with fellow women. They claim that only a woman can understand a female body; where to touch to get maximum pleasure and all that; whereas men only come with their usual mad rush and fizzle out in two minutes.
To tell the truth, the way they talk about it is always very tempting.
Now, it does not matter whether the government frowns at gay relationship or that there is a law stipulating long prison sentences, these people seek themselves out and have great fun. To have sex, they now use sex toys. They also do mouth job until they reach orgasm and climax.
Today, technology has made things easier. There is a group called Lesbian-gay bisexual transgender, through which they fight for their rights in public. They connect through this group. They also connect online through BBM, facebook, and at strippers' clubs. And when they connect, they make friends and then subsequently engage in sex.
Usually it starts by them getting familiar; and then they come with the line, "Are you into girls?"
So you see, they seek each other out and do their thing. They also fight for each other and even go to stations to bail themselves, when they run into trouble.
Like in the case of Tope and Tola, it sometimes results in marriage, or they may end up living as live-in lovers for as long as they can. As we speak, I can tell you that another wedding is in the offing.
Are parents aware?
Maybe, maybe not. How do you want to begin to suspect your daughter or sister with her female friend? It is hard, unless of course you got wind of the fact that her new friend is a lesbian, or you are also an enlightened parent and know the signs.
However, some parents are fully aware and condone it, since they are also into it or have been into it before. Some parents even consider it harmless. The lady I said proposed to me and promised me huge money has two teenage daughters, whom she has introduced to lesbianism already. She practically groomed them for lesbianism by instilling hatred for men in them.
Back to Tope and Tola
Tope met Tola through her friend, also a lesbian. She saw her picture, liked it, begged to be connected, and then it took off from there. Gradually they became inseparable and became engaged. They courted for four years and then announced that they were getting married. Of course they could not announce it openly, since it is against the law, but they passed the information through their friends and clique and it went round.
They live together now in the exclusive Banana Island Estate. Like I told you, they are daughters of powerful people and they can afford all the luxuries of life.
[By Gboyega Alaka and Omolewa Oshin, The Nation]
Related Topics:lagos, news, nigeria, wedding
phillips Manase
homosexuality is demonic
ROMANUS IFEANYI
Nobody that is a homosexual or lesbian is doing it with clear eye. They're all domonic possessed people working for the promotion of kingdom of satan.
Evil and bad in the sight of Jesus
bodestaj
this is the sign of end time, it is gross, totally devlish. parents watch out for signals!
Hezekiah Olujobi
Who gives them into marriage? Lesbiansm is a long practice as far back as Eden. The Bible did not leave us ignorant about this. Romans 1.26 says" for this reason God Gave them up to vile affection for even their women did change the natural use into that which is againnt nature. And likewise the men leaving the natural use of the woman buurned in their lused one towards another men with men workinf that which is unseemly. And recieving in themslves that reconmpense of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprpbate mind to do those things which are not convenient.
Prophet Gbenga Rotimi "KINI IWO NFE"
I thought Nigeria has not legalise this evil act, so what is real behinde this?, Is Lagos State under Nigeria or America?, Please let some enlight me because this evil act is moving up little little, Ever since President Buhari has pay President Obama that visit of granting evil act to Nigeria.
*08038433483#
For some reason I don't believe this. Nothing is hidden in naija anymore esp with camera phones and media,not to talk of the wealthy background of the gay lovers. If this news doesn't reach limelight in another two weeks,then my guess is right.
rubbish. queernigeria has information on what makes people gay. Also, if you are Nigeria and you suspect you might be LGBTQIA+ feel free to send them questions.
Nollywood Actress Adunni Ade: Don't Blame Me Bcos I'm Not Married To My Children's Fathers
Funke Akindele Holds 39th Birthday Party In London UK Today, See Pics From Birmingham & Manchester


In the mid-1990s NAM set out to find the most cost-effective way to extract gas from Europe's largest natural gas field. This article explains why Waukesha Magnetic Bearings was chosen to provide the magnetic bearings for every motor-compressor string in the project.
Groningen, Europe's largest natural gas field, located in the Netherlands, was discovered in 1959. Production began in 1963 and by the end of the decade, nearly 50% of the field's reserves were depleted. Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij (NAM), a joint venture between Royal Dutch Shell and ExxonMobil, was created in the mid-1990s to find the most cost-effective way to extract gas from the field and extend the life of its reserves, ensuring the field could continue to supply the region.
By upgrading the field's equipment, including installation of motors and compressors, the field could supply gas to all of the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium for an additional 40 years. The challenge was to provide at least 87% availability and a low total cost of ownership.
When Waukesha Magnetic Bearings (WMB) joined the project, it utilized its latest technology expertise to solve a problem that other industry leaders had deemed impossible due to the wide speed range involving several critical rotor speeds. In fact, it is claimed that NAM was told "It can't be done" by the other manufacturers it approached.
WMB partnered with Siemens to install three radial active magnetic bearings for the motor, two radial and one thrust active magnetic bearing on the compressor, and a digital controller with analog amplifiers. The system allows for remote monitoring and diagnostics and frequent fully automated remote start-ups. Robust bushing-style auxiliary bearings were selected for their high investment protection and ability to provide remote condition observability.
The controller and auxiliary bearings were fully qualified before product delivery on WMB's magnetic bearing and auxiliary bearing test rig. Featuring a rotor mass of 1.5 tons, the test rig is comparable in scale to the large turbomachinery typically used in the oil & gas industry.
In addition to handling the wide compressor speed range with minimal vibration and noise, the AMB system met user requirements for high reliability, high energy efficiency, low maintenance and low investment cost. Using magnetic bearings instead of traditional fluid film bearings eliminated the need for additional building construction to house a lubrication system. This reduced costs and provided a simpler, cleaner, more efficient design to lessen the environmental footprint.
There are a total of 20 magnetic bearing-equipped motor-compressor strings at the Groningen field, and magnetic bearings from WMB were installed in each of them. The machines varied significantly in the number of stages, hence the dynamics of the rotor, but WMB was able to adjust for the different rotor dynamics through soft-ware changes in the controllers.
Waukesha Magnetic Bearings test rig, the largest test rig of its type in the world.
NAM's original goal was to provide 87% availability with the lowest total cost of ownership. Analyzing the results after 17 years, the magnetic bearings from WMB exceeded expectations, providing over 99.9% availability and an investment cost savings of 35%, all while saving on energy costs. "In the end it is the performance that counts and when I look at the performance, it is amazing," said Wim de Groot, retired rotating equipment engineer, NAM GLT.
NAM motor (right) and compressor bundle (left) being installed at the Groningen site.
Magnetic bearing systems are able to accommodate a wide variety of rotating equipment, so applications other than large natural gas fields can reap the benefits of magnetic bearing technology. Magnetic bearings have achieved high availability, cost savings and environmentally responsible operation in steam turbines, generators, turbo-expanders, pumps, blowers, compressors and motors in natural gas production and pipelines, oil fields, the chemical industry, the refrigeration industry and more.


New and developing structures are always a part of a growing team and show promise, but these new processes can lead to a miscommunication of priorities at times. Clearly outline goals and what these priorities are, so when "fire drill" tasks come along the team is better able to identify what projects need to commence and what tasks can be temporarily benched to make room for the new assignment.
Glassdoor vous propose un aperçu des conditions de travail chez WorkWave, en incluant les salaires, les avis, des photos des bureaux, etc. Voici le profil de l'entreprise WorkWave. L'ensemble du contenu a été posté de manière anonyme par des employés de WorkWave.


text:
(10044) Squyres est un astéroïde de la ceinture principale.

Description
(10044) Squyres est un astéroïde de la ceinture principale. Il fut découvert le  à l'Observatoire Palomar par Carolyn S. Shoemaker et Eugene M. Shoemaker. Il présente une orbite caractérisée par un demi-grand axe de 2,56 UA, une excentricité de 0,33 et une inclinaison de 16,5° par rapport à l'écliptique. Il a été nommé d'après l'astronome américain Steven W. Squyres.

Compléments

Articles connexes
 Liste des planètes mineures (10001-11000)
 Ceinture d'astéroïdes

Références

Planète mineure découverte en 1985
Astéroïde de la ceinture principale
Squyres
Objet céleste découvert par Carolyn S. Shoemaker
Objet céleste découvert par Eugene M. Shoemaker
Objet céleste découvert à l'observatoire Palomar

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Danny Cowley was pleased to see The Imps' come from behind to win in the second round of the Checkatrade Trophy last night against Accrington Stanley at Sincil Bank.
The City manager said it was a tough game that showed the resilience of his team and paid tribute to their efforts, which ensured they go into the hat for Friday's third round draw.
"I'm pleased to get through, I thought in the first half we could have been better with the ball but we did well to come in at the break drawing two-two because we didn't get to where I would have liked us to be in the first half. Stanley scored two great goals, but we were pleased with the players reaction and we have to give credit to the players, they have real determination, grit and resilience.
The manager also reserved praise for goalkeeper, Paul Farman, who returned to the starting line up to make this third appearance in the competition and made a crucial contribution to the full time result.


text:
Supporters of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood hold a portrait of of deposed president Mohamed Morsi as they take part in a rally to protest against the death penalties for the members of the radical group in Egypt, outside the Egyptian embassy in Ankara on April 9, 2014. A court in Egypt on March 29 sentenced to death two supporters of deposed president Mohamed Morsi convicted of throwing youths off an apartment block roof, judicial sources said. The latest death sentences come despite international outcry at Egypt handing down the death penalty to 529 Islamists. AFP PHOTO / ADEM ALTAN (Photo credit should read ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images)
AFP ADEM ALTAN


On behalf of Riley Law Group PC on Tuesday, January 15, 2019.
Últimamente, a nivel mundial hemos podido escuchar que los problemas de salud en cuestión a infecciones respiratorias han ido en aumento y en algunos de los casos estas mismas, han sido mortales.
Según los estudios más resientes, gran parte de las infecciones y alergias respiratorias son causadas por el moho, nombre de varias especies de hongos de tamaño muy pequeño que viven en ambientes húmedos; según la RAE (Diccionario de la Real Academia de la Lengua).
On behalf of Riley Law Group PC on Thursday, December 27, 2018.
Even though lead poisoning is often discussed relating to children because of the serious effects it has on their brain development, many adults are at risk for lead poisoning at work. In fact, thousands of people in the United States work under conditions where enough lead is present to harm their health.
On behalf of Riley Law Group PC on Wednesday, October 17, 2018.
Lead is dangerous. It does not take much of it to pose a serious health hazard. An amount equal to one grain of sugar or salt can cause permanent injury. Children are especially at risk because lead harms their developing brains. Consequences to health can be severe. Lead poisoning can cause permanent health problems and can even be fatal.
Symptoms of lead poisoning in children are well known based on decades of research. They include loss of IQ, difficulty focusing and behavioral problems. Yet, because these symptoms are potentially from other sources, lead poisoning is often undiagnosed and not addressed.
On behalf of Riley Law Group PC on Friday, July 27, 2018.
Approximately 24 million homes in the United States contain dangerous and highly toxic deteriorated lead-based paint. More than 500,000 children 1 to 5 years in age have elevated blood levels. Blood levels as low as 5 mcg/dL are sufficient to cause permanent cognitive, neurological, emotional and behavioral problems in young children. Toddlers 1 to 3 years old are particularly at risk because they play on the floor and put their hands, toys, books -- you name it -- in their mouth on a constant basis. That hand-to-mouth behavior can transfer lead dust and lead paint chips into a child's mouth in sufficient quantity to result in lead poisoning.
Not all houses or apartments have lead-based paint. Lead was outlawed in the mid-1970s and is not used in modern paints. However, you should assume that any house or apartment built prior to 1978 (and there are literally millions of such homes in the U.S.) contain lead-based paint. Lead-based paint that is chipping, flaking, cracking, chalking or which is the subject of constant friction (e.g., double hung windows and doors opening and closing) is exceedingly dangerous as it can be ingested or inhaled by children. Lead and/or lead-based paint can also be found on old toys, pottery from Mexico or Central America and certain homeopathic remedies and candies from Latin America and Asia. Be careful using these products!
On behalf of Riley Law Group PC posted in Lead Paint And Children on Wednesday, June 6, 2018.
Most families understand the risks lead poisoning has on their children - often leading to significant brain and nervous system damage. However, lead poisoning can impact your unborn child if the mother is exposed to lead during pregnancy.
On behalf of Riley Law Group PC posted in blog on Friday, February 2, 2018.
With the real estate market so competitive, many people who rent in and around Beverly Hills may simply feel thankful to find a rental unit they can afford. Often, older buildings end up divided into rental units, which may have had lead paint at some point. Many times, landlords choose to simply cover up lead paint with newer, lead-free paint instead of having the lead carefully removed.
Some landlords won't even do that. You could move into a home with paint peeling off of certain areas. Maybe they painted the visible areas with fresh paint, but not the inside of your cupboards and closets.
On behalf of Riley Law Group PC posted in blog on Wednesday, January 17, 2018.
Renting properties can be a lucrative source of income. However, basic requirements such as maintenance, repairs, lawn care and other necessities can cut into the profit margin for landlords. Some landlords decide to just stop performing repairs or maintenance. For these slum lords, they are happy enough to take the rent of hard-working people and families without providing a safe and clean space.
Many times, the issues associated with poor landlord maintenance result in annoyances and loss of quality of life. Issues like drafts, leaks and non-functioning windows or appliances can cause issues, but some people may choose to remain in a space instead of incurring the expenses associated with moving. Sadly, maintenance failures can lead to more serious issues. In cases of weak structures and water leaks, the potential for a ceiling collapse, especially after heavy rain, is a very real risk.


If you need pallets or oversized boxes delivered, our INDN City Express tail lift trucks will deliver an ideal solution. Our trucks enable the easy loading and unloading of heavier goods.
Whether it's a Dublin City, or Nationwide delivery, our trucks are available to deliver your goods any distance you may require.


Welcome to our bright and beautiful range of artificial Bougainvillea trees. We offer different shapes, styles and colours of this vibrant range of flowering artificial trees. All the products within this range are for indoor use unless otherwise stated in the product details. Please do get in tough if you have any questions or require help finding the right artificial tree for you.


Seeking the best energy solution for your company? Let Satori Energy guide the way.
We'll create a customized strategy that fits your business perfectly.
Provide us with a copy of your recent invoice. With no cost and no obligation, you have nothing to lose.
We'll make all the calls, compare all the numbers, and answer any questions you have along the way.
We'll recommend a tailored solution that meets your specific needs.
HOW DOES SATORI ENERGY CREATE VALUE FOR YOUR BUSINESS?
We find the best solutions for your energy needs by combining best practices, knowledge capital, a client-centric approach, and mindful marketing timing.
The retail energy industry recognizes Satori Energy as a leader. We ranked #1 in Overall Supplier Satisfaction in 2015, 2016, and 2017 and were awarded Broker of the Year in 2015 and 2017. We are also certified as an ENERGY STAR® Partner.
IS MY SERVICE AREA DEREGULATED?
Satori Energy operates in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Use our interactive map to find out if your service area is within a deregulated energy market.
Satori Energy is dedicated to providing you with superior service. Our goal is to exceed your expectations every time.
Interested in learning more about how you can better manage your energy? Provide us with your contact information and a representative from Satori Energy will be in touch.
What service are you interested in learning about?
Select all that may apply.


In a strange turn of events, Sonny (Maurice Benard) is the center of attention. Look for some special appearances.
Jordan (Briana Nicole Henry) and Curtis (Donnell Turner) continue their long walk down the aisle . . . at some point.
Carly (Laura Wright) finds herself in a very familiar quandary.
Something is working Elizabeth's (Rebecca Herbst) nerves.
Laura (Genie Francis) comes face to face with Sasha (Sofia Mattsson).
Franco (Roger Howarth) and Scott (Kin Shriner) are in cahoots.
Margaux (Elizabeth Hendrickson) faces the harsh truth, but continues to cross paths with her nemesis.


According to the Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, the chemical attack purportedly carried out by the Syrian military in the Eastern Ghouta area was, in fact, staged by foreign agents, BBC News reported. He went on to declare that there was "irrefutable proof" of this fabrication.
These declarations came after the U.S., the U.K., and France have threatened to launch retaliatory strikes against Damascus in the wake of said attacks. They also declared to have proof that the Syrian government was the perpetrator, according to the Guardian.
President Trump further mentioned that Washington could soon be making missile strikes, although he later backed down slightly while still admitting such attacks could happen sometime in the future.
In response to these allegations and threats, Minister Lavrov declared, this Friday, that the reported staging of the chemical attack in Syria was part of a "Russophobic campaign." During the U.N. meeting taking place later in the same day, Russian officials accused the U.K. of being the country behind this campaign, CBS News reported.
Furthermore, Moscow admitted the possibility of shooting down missiles aimed at Syrian military installations. This could place Russia and the U.S. in a warpath.
Meanwhile, independent investigators from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons are on route to the town of Douma, which was the target of the alleged attack, to gather evidence. These investigators are to arrive at the scene by Saturday, but the details of their movements are kept vague for safety reasons.
This flurry of accusations and counter-accusations has only managed to escalate the already high tensions in the Syrian battle zone.
An emergency meeting in the U.N. was requested by Moscow in order to avoid a disastrous escalation.
Russia has been a staunch defender of President Bashar al-Assad ever since the start of the civil war in Syria. The Russian Air Force has been especially active in the Levant since the start of the direct involvement in 2015.
Tehran has also been supporting Damascus, and it is known that both Russia and Iran intend to secure ports in the Mediterranean for geopolitical and economic reasons. Russia, especially, feels threatened by the encroaching NATO, in spite of the latter having promised to not expand eastward after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Given Moscow's strategical fears, which are far from unfounded, it makes sense that it would attempt to escape the encirclement and potentially attempt a counter movement of its own.
Even if the relations between Ankara and Moscow are warming up, it stands to reason that the latter wouldn't want to be dependent on the former for access to the Mediterranean. Although Turkey's geopolitical stance is questionable at the moment, especially given its involvement in the Syrian crisis, it is still a NATO country.
From NATO's standpoint, deposing al-Assad and establishing a more Western-friendly regime would further its own interests. Unfortunately, the Syrian battle space has been essentially chaotic, with many factions vowing for control, many of which are quite extreme in ideology and tactics.
This has blurred greatly the Western search for potential allies and replacements for al-Assad. The Kurds seemed like a potential middle-ground, but their mutual enmity with Turkey makes such approach unsustainable.
However, from NATO's standpoint, Russian cannot be allowed to remain in Syria, which places the Atlantic Treaty in a difficult position.
The results of the emergency meeting taking place this Friday, and the investigation to take place in Douma, will have an important impact in this conflict.
As a final note, one should remember that the Syrian Civil War has been dragging for seven years and caused half a million casualties already. It stands to reason that all parties involved are tired and eager to find a solution.
The issue, though, is that given the divisions in the ground and among the external parties involved in the crisis, there is little hope of a consensus. For factions like Russia or NATO, maintaining the status quo has been the safest approach for years.
Whatever happens, it will probably mean that the Syrians will keep suffering, and most of the world will keep watching.


Watermelon, 3 Pieces sliced 1″ batons / 2.5 cm, seeds removed.
1 Large Heirloom Tomato, sliced.
2-3 Cherry tomatoes, sliced in half.
Place sliced and seeded watermelon into vacuum bag along with brine ingredients.
Place vacuum bag into chamber vacuum sealer and pull a full, 100% vacuum on the fruit.
Remove watermelon from vacuum bag and arrange on plate with feta, tomatoes, thyme, olive oil, balsamic reduction, Maldon and black pepper.
It would be helpful if this recipe were written a little more clearly. The first step is to put the watermelon in the vacuum bag with the brine ingredients. However, the brine ingredients aren't specified. Usually a recipe is written so that the ingredients are listed in the order of their use in preparation. However, in this recipe after the watermelon the tomatoes are listed and you need to look at the third step to figure out which are the brine ingredients. Furthermore, a brine is a salt solution. Either the sale for the brine was accidentally left out — assuming that the Maldon Sea Salt Flakes are used as a finishing touch as the recipe suggests — or you should change the word from brine to marindate. I am sure that the salad would taste very lovely, but the written recipe needs work.


Posted in Bill Clinton, Corruption, Judges, Lawyers. Tagged Trump.
Previous: Previous post: Fox News: 20 Trapped Inside St Augustine Hotel, Mayor Says No One Will Save Them. ~ Hey!, PLEASE READ ALL READER RESPONSES/INSIGHTS…The REAL MEAT OF THESE POSTS!!!!!! ThankYa! –GyG!… !!!!!!


text:
Home / Four of Us Three of Them - Limited Edition Lithograph on Paper by John James
Four of Us Three of Them - Limited Edition Lithograph on Paper by John James
Four of Us, Three of Them (1999) by John James is a Limited Edition Fine Art Lithograph Print on Paper Numbered in Sequence at 35 out of a total Edition Size of only 650 and is Hand Signed by the Artist. Comes Matted and ready to frame with a Certificate of Authenticity. Measures...
Four of Us, Three of Them (1999) by John James is a Limited Edition Fine Art Lithograph Print on Paper Numbered in Sequence at 35 out of a total Edition Size of only 650 and is Hand Signed by the Artist. Comes Matted and ready to frame with a Certificate of Authenticity. Measures approx. 14" x 25" (With Matting) and 6.5" x 20" (Image). ** Please note that there is a very minor fold in the upper left corner of the matting that will not be noticeable once framed. The artwork is being sold with this in mind. All sales are final. Gallery List Price: $700.00 USD.
John James skillfully captures the wonder of the everyday with warmth and humor in his charming artworks. He is an English painter who has exhibited in galleries around the world and represented Britain at the Paris Bienalle. The art of John James work is traditional but with a distinctly modern twist. Although London is his home town and main source, he travels and works in Europe, Russia, USA, India and most recently Cuba. His classic paintings are sought after by discerning collectors around the world. John James lives and works in West London.


text:
Pseudovipio tataricus är en stekelart som först beskrevs av Kokujev 1898.  Pseudovipio tataricus ingår i släktet Pseudovipio och familjen bracksteklar. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

Källor

Bracksteklar
tataricus


text:
Q: Build a model with 2 Foreign Keys to the Same Table Lets say I have a User model and now I want to add a Friend model. I want to name my FK fields RequestorID and ResponderID. What data annotations or fluent api mappings do I need to accomplish this and prevent EF from autogenerating its own columns?
public class Friend
{
    public int FriendID { get; set; }
    public int RequestorID { get; set; }
    public int ResponderID { get; set; }
    public int FriendStatusID { get; set; }
    public DateTime User1RequestDate { get; set; }
    public DateTime User2ResponseDate { get; set; }
    public virtual FriendStatus FriendStatus { get; set; }

    public virtual User Requestor { get; set; }
    public virtual User Responder { get; set; }

}

A: Try this
public class Friend
    {
        public int FriendID { get; set; }
        public int RequestorID { get; set; }
        public int ResponderID { get; set; }
        public int FriendStatusID { get; set; }
        public DateTime User1RequestDate { get; set; }
        public DateTime User2ResponseDate { get; set; }
        public virtual FriendStatus FriendStatus { get; set; }

        [ForeignKey("RequestorID")] //fixed
        public virtual User Requestor { get; set; }
        [ForeignKey("ResponderID")]
        public virtual User Responder { get; set; }
    }

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Royston Crow > News
GALLERY: Birthday cake and mud in abundance as Wimpole parkrun celebrates first birthday
Matthew Gooding
Published: 9:05 AM January 14, 2014 Updated: 3:43 PM November 1, 2020
Runners set off on the birthday parkrun - Credit: Archant
Birthday cake and mud were both in abundance on Saturday as runners celebrated the first anniversary of the Wimpole parkrun.
The five km parkrun, which takes place in the grounds of National Trust estate Wimpole Hall, has become a popular Crow country event since it launched last January, and more than 200 runners turned up to take part in the anniversary event, many of whom wore fancy dress for the occasion.
A spokesman for the organisers explained: "Wimpole is one of nearly 250 parkruns across the country boosting the nation's health every Saturday morning at 9am.
"Throughout 2013, runners of all ages and abilities - 1,858 in total – have turned out to enjoy the fine surroundings of the Wimpole Estate, making new friends along the way. The runs are free for all, marshalled by a core of volunteers, and most agree the experience is a fun way to keep fit with many becoming regular runners."
Costumes in Saturday's run included a onesie-wearing clown, a dog, dragon and fox. They were joined by pushchairs with passengers, dogs on leads, and lots of young runners.
Martyn Fisher was one of those involved, and was taking part in the Parkrun for the 31st time.
He said: "I can think of no better way to work up a sweat and get dirty on a Saturday morning! Sincere thanks to all involved in kicking off this event in a superb setting, and for supporting it throughout the year."
New runners are joining the free event all the time, and 45 members of Saturday's group were first-timers. Wimpole parkrun organisers are looking forward to welcoming many more newcomers during 2014. For further information, log on to www.parkrun.org.uk/wimpoleestate. Regular updates and photos are also posted on the run's Facebook page, www.facebook.com/WimpoleHallparkrun.


text:
// @ts-ignore
import { version } from '../../package.json';

/**
 * A global namespace for library version.
 * @type {string}
 */
const Version = version;
export default Version;

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Afghan rapper escaped teen marriage by singing about it
May 12, 2015 · 11:45 AM EDT
Updated on Jul. 3, 2015 · 3:45 PM EDT
By Shuka Kalantari
Afghan rapper Sonita Alizadeh narrowly escaped a forced marriage at 16 by writing the song "Brides for Sale." She recently visited West Oakland, California, and was surprised that the US, like Iran and Afghanistan, has poor neighborhoods and homeless people.
Shuka Kalantari
I met Sonita Alizadeh when she flew into town to perform her first US concert. We were talking a walk when she suddenly stopped and stared at a man playing with his two daughters.
"Here in America a dad sets aside time to take his daughters to the park," she said. "Where I come from, you don't see that."
Sonita comes from Afghanistan. She's 18-years-old, has long black hair and a small frame. If things had gone according to her parent's plan, she'd have been married by now. "I sometimes I think about the fact that I could have been a mother right now — with a few kids. It's not a thought I like."
Sonita grew up in Tehran, Iran's capital city. Her family fled Afghanistan when she was 8 years old because of war. She found a non-profit that taught undocumented Afghan kids. There she learned karate, photography, guitar, and she started singing and rapping.
Her music quickly got recognition. Sonita met an Iranian director who helped her polish up her style and make music videos, and that led to a few awards. Everything was perfect. Until it wasn't. "One day my mom told me, 'You have to return to Afghanistan with me. There's a man there who wants to marry you. Your brother's engaged and we need your dowry money to pay for his wedding.'"
Sonita was devastated. So she wrote the song "Brides for Sale." The song starts "Let me whisper, so no one hears that I speak of selling girls. My voice shouldn't be heard since it's against Sharia. Women must remain silent… this is our tradition."
The video shows Sonita wearing a wedding dress — with a barcode on her forehead. Her face is bruised. She pleads with her family not sell her off.
Sonita was worried what her parents would think about the video — but they actually loved it — and they also told her that she didn't have to get married.
"It means so much to me that my family went against our tradition for me. Now I'm somewhere that I never imagined I could be."
The attention around Sonita's music landed her a full scholarship to Wasatch Academy a college prep school in Utah, and that led to the concert here in the San Francisco Bay Area. But before the show, Sonita needs to rehearse. We hop into my car and drive to nearby West Oakland.
The rehearsal studio is in a neighborhood covered in graffiti. Both sides of the street are lined with homeless people. Sonita is shocked — because it reminds her of home.
"I grew up in a neighborhood where everybody was poor and the houses were run-down," Sonita says. "I couldn't go outside at night because it was really dangerous. Are you telling me in America there are places where you can't walk alone at night, too? Then where else can a person find refuge?"
Not long after the concert, Sonita read about a woman named Farkhondeh who was stoned and beaten to death in Afghanistan for allegedly burning a Koran. Sonita was heartbroken. So she did what she knew best: wrote a song about it.
"Rap music let's you tell your story to other people. Rap music is a platform to share the words that are in my heart."
And sometimes rap music is a way to express a sadness, an anger, that Afghan women are told they're not supposed to show. Even though Sonita now lives over 7,000 miles away from home, she says she'll always sing about what's closest to her heart: The people of Afghanistan.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Without a registered birth certificate, Sonita's previously recorded age was an estimate. Since the report, background research has confirmed that the proposal was in September of 2013, when Sonita was approximately 16 years old.
Germany plans to return looted Benin Bronzes to Nigeria. Will other countries follow suit?
Temporary art exhibit pays homage to an Istanbul apartment building scheduled for demolition
The movement to restore the memory of Spain's forgotten women artists
This artist used machine learning to create realistic portraits of Roman emperors
ArtsArts, Culture & MediaInternational SecurityGlobal HitSonita's World
SonitasWorld


text:
Webinar: Advance Refunding Substitutes and Related Issues
The Bond Buyer | April.19.2018
The recent tax law changes generally eliminated the ability to issue tax-exempt bonds to advance refund outstanding bonds. Are there substitute structures that can be used without further IRS or Treasury guidance to achieve some of the same results? What about advance refunding taxable bonds and build America bonds under current law? What are the considerations for structuring new bonds in light of the change in law? Please join Orrick's tax and bond lawyers for a discussion about certain of the options that are available to municipal issuers and borrowers, including the tax and securities law issues for new and revitalized financing tools and techniques and important issues for investment bankers and financial advisors.
Richard Chirls Partner, Tax
Richard Chirls Partner Tax
Richard Chirls, a New York tax partner, focuses his practice on the tax aspects of public finance transactions. He has served as the head of Orrick's nationally recognized Public Finance Tax Group.
With more than 30 years of experience, Richard is widely recognized as one of the nation's foremost authorities, having broad experience with tax exempt financings and related transactions involving governmental and not-for-profit entities. His skill and stature in the public finance community was recognized by the National Association of Bond Lawyers' highest award for his career of distinguished service in public finance.
Richard focuses on new products, including the development of new and creative financing techniques for governments, non-profits and investment bankers. He regularly works on transactions throughout the country. However, in his home office in New York City, he leads the relationship with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, serving as counsel on well over 100 transactions over a period of more than 20 years and has headed the tax work in connection with every financing of a cultural facility relating to museums and performing arts in New York City over this same period. Richard has worked on the tax aspects of several of the largest and most complex public private partnership (P3) transactions in recent years. He frequently acts as special tax counsel to issuers and underwriters of municipal finance issues.
Roger Davis Partner
Roger L. Davis has concentrated his practice on public finance at Orrick for more than three decades. In that capacity, he has had a lead role in more than 1,000 transactions, as bond counsel, underwriters counsel, borrower counsel, disclosure counsel, credit provider counsel and other roles, on virtually every type of municipal security, in roughly 20 states and territories.
Roger is particularly known and sought out for his ability to apply that unusually extensive and diverse experience in figuring out how to finance projects or programs when it is not clear whether or how that can be done, how to solve problems as they arise and how to make new programs work. Roger is dedicated to helping bring about projects and programs (whether sponsored by public entities, nonprofit corporations or for-profit enterprises) that provide a public benefit and make people's lives better.
Roger's recent focus has been on general governmental transactions, including pension obligation bonds, all manner of nonprofit corporations, public private partnerships (P3s), securitizations, energy and water efficiency programs, pool programs, and development of new products or programs. His practice is national with concentrations in California, Hawaii and several Pacific Islands. He was instrumental in the creation of the Public Finance Authority in Wisconsin, which is designed to finance projects anywhere in the United States.
Roger also advises on securities laws and disclosure and drafts legislation (exacted in several states) to facilitate borrowing by public entities for a wide variety of projects and programs.
In addition, Roger has held a number of management positions at Orrick. He was chair of Orrick's public finance department for decades, during which he presided over the growth of the department from one office in California to 10 offices around the country, which for the last two decades has ranked as number one bond counsel and disclosure counsel, and within the top five underwriters counsel, for bonds issued by state and local governments throughout the United States.
A dozen or so of Roger's transactions have been selected as deals of the year by various publications. He himself has been recognized by The American Lawyer as Dealmaker of the Year (twice), as "best", "super" or "lawyer of the year" by several other publications, ranked by Acritas as an Acritas Star Lawyer, and was declared the "The Bond King" in a cover article by California Lawyer.
Barbara Jane League Partner, Public Finance, Tax
Barbara Jane League Partner Public Finance, Tax
Barbara provides tax advice in connection with tax-exempt financing transactions for cities, counties, states, school districts, charter schools, housing authorities, higher education authorities, state agencies and other tax-exempt organizations.
She also has significant experience representing nonprofit organizations. Formerly an attorney with the Chief Counsel of the Internal Revenue Service, Barbara has represented clients before the IRS in a variety of matters involving tax-exempt bonds, including audits and private letter ruling requests. She has participated in all facets of the tax analysis associated with the issuance of governmental purpose bonds, certain tax credit bonds, qualified 501(c)(3) bonds, qualified residential rental bonds and qualified small issue bonds.
Barbara has served on the Steering Committee and has chaired the Working Capital panel and the Bond Direct Purchase - Advanced Tax Topics panel for the Bond Attorneys' Workshop, the oldest and largest annual gathering of bond lawyers.
公共融资税务