text:
\section{Introduction}
\label{sec:introduction}
Radio propagation has been investigated for a long period, and many path loss prediction models have been studied in literature. Traditionally, they are classified roughly into two categories: empirical and deterministic models. The empirical models such as Okumura-Hata \cite{okumura_hata}, Longley-Rice \cite{Longley_Rice}, and ITU-R P.1812 \cite{ITU_R}, describe the relationship between the power and the environment parameters from a statistical point of view. The empirical models are simple to implement and computationally efficient. However, there could exist environments where the models are not accurate without manual tuning.

On the other hand, the deterministic models can predict site-specific radio propagation. The deterministic models are derived from laws of physics, such as ray-tracing \cite{ray_tracing}, Maxwell equations \cite{Maxwell}, and radiosity \cite{radiosity}. Therefore, the models are complex to implement and computationally expensive, and their prediction accuracy depends on the accuracy and resolution of available maps depicting the environment such as hills, buildings, and trees.

Machine learning and especially artificial neural networks (ANNs) have been proposed to obtain prediction models that are more accurate than the standard empirical models while being more computationally efficient than the deterministic models. Many literatures show that the ANNs predict path loss and received power successfully \cite{imai, 7930454, 133098, 4022648, 1416569, 848409}. However, these schemes require large numbers of training data samples, which are obtained through measurement which requires significant human resources, money, and time.

Geographical interpolation based inference methods have been proposed to predict radio propagation accurately with smaller amount of data. Linear interpolation is the simplest way to infer unknown value from data measured in the vicinity. Prediction methods based on Kriging, which is developed originally in geostatistics, have been shown to perform received power and interference prediction successfully \cite{7127661, 6817823, 7817747}. Kriging assumes the interpolated values are modeled by a Gaussian process governed by prior covariances, but there exists an area that does not follows Gaussian process. For example, path loss drastically increases when the mobile station (MS) enters a building shadow. Kriging is difficult to capture such drastic change, while the deterministic models such as ray-tracing and ANN based methods with building map data \cite{imai} can capture.

This paper proposes an ANN based prediction method that infers received power from small amount of measurement data. The key idea is sim-to-real transfer, which pre-trains a prediction model with simulation data and fine-tunes the model with small amount of measurement data \cite{Sim_To_Real}. The proposed method learns site-specific characteristic of radio propagation roughly from ray-tracing simulation data, and fit the model to the real environment with the measurement data. Additionally, a data augmentation method based on simulation results is presented to increase the number of available data samples, thereby increasing the prediction accuracy of the fine-tuned model. The main contributions of this study are summarized as follows:
\begin{itemize}
\item
We designed a framework to train a received power prediction model using transfer learning and data augmentation to facilitate accurate prediction with small amount of measurement data. Leveraging ray-tracing simulations based on 3D map data enables us to learn radio propagation models considering geographical characteristics and augment the measurement data by generating data samples artificially from original samples in consideration with site-specific characteristic shown in the simulated data.
\item
We constructed an ANN model for received power prediction. Features representing long-term propagation characteristics and a feature representing short-term propagation characteristics are separately inputted into the constructed model to capture both characteristics fairly.
\item
We experimentally demonstrate that the proposed scheme can predict received power more accurately than previous schemes. Outdoor experiments were conducted using off-the-shelf IEEE 802.11 devices in a 5\,GHz channel.
\end{itemize}

\section{Transfer Learning-Based Received Power Prediction}
\label{sec:proposed_scheme}
\subsection{System Model}
The proposed system model is presented in \mbox{Fig. \ref{fig:system}}. This system consists of a base station (BS), mobile stations (MSs), a pre-train server, and a prediction server. The pre-train server performs ray-tracing simulations to generate a pre-training dataset. The weights of the ANN used for prediction are pre-trained using the pre-training dataset and transferred to the prediction server. The MSs send measured received power values to the prediction server with GPS position information. The prediction server then gathers feedback and generates a dataset for fine-tuning. Finally, the prediction server updates the model using the fine-tuning dataset and predicts the received power at all locations using the updated model.
\begin{figure}[!t]
  \centering
  \includegraphics[width=0.5\textwidth]{system_model.pdf}
  \caption{
    System flow. The pre-train server performs ray-tracing simulations and models the relationships between the feature maps and received power obtained from the ray-tracing simulations. The prediction server receives the received power from the MSs and updates the pre-trained weights of the ANN using small datasets measured in the real environment. The prediction server can then predict the received power at any location using feature maps.
  }
  \label{fig:system}
\end{figure}

\subsection{Procedures of the Proposed Method}
The proposed scheme consists of three phases: pre-training, fine-tuning, and prediction.

In the pre-training phase, a pre-training dataset is generated via ray-tracing simulations. 3D maps including buildings are used for the ray-tracing simulations. Simulations are conducted based on various scenarios (e.g., frequencies and 3D maps) that roughly corresponding to the service area for which an operator wishes to predict received power. Simulations based on a 3D map of the service area should be included because the simulation results are used to generate feature maps and perform data augmentation. The pre-train server generates a dataset from the simulation results in various scenarios including the same situation as the service area. This server then trains a model using the simulated dataset. Details regarding the input features and ANN model are presented in Sects. \ref{sec:Input} and \ref{sec:ANN}, respectively.

In the fine-tuning phase, the prediction server updates the weights of the ANN, which was pre-trained by the pre-train server, using data obtained from the service area. Small differences between simulation scenarios and the real target area are expected to be absorbed in this phase. The final training dataset is generated from received power values measured in the target service area. First, the server gathers information regarding received power values and measurement locations from the MSs. Next, the server generates an original dataset. Finally, the server augments the original dataset with the aforementioned simulation results. The details of this process are described in Sect. \ref{sec:data_aug}.

After performing fine-tuning, the prediction server predicts the received power using the fine-tuned model.

\subsection{Input Features}
\label{sec:Input}
This section describes the features used for the received power prediction. Spatial data representing rectangular areas centered on MS locations are used as input features. \mbox{Fig. \ref{fig:feature}} presents some representative input features. In this paper, we used four image-shaped features called feature maps. Similar to a previous work \cite{imai}, \textit{BS distance map, MS distance map, and building map}, which are depicted in \mbox{Figs. \ref{fig:feature}} (a) to (c), respectively, are utilized for capturing long-term propagation characteristics (e.g., path loss and shadow fading). In the BS distance map, each grid square contains the Euclidean distance from the BS to the center of that grid square. The height of the center is set to 1\,m, which corresponds to the height from the ground to the chest of a typical mobile user. Each grid square in the MS distance map contains the distance from itself to the center of the entire grid, which represents the location of the corresponding MS. It should be noted that the MS distance map does not change when the BS and MS positions change. Each grid square in the building map contains a normalized height value relative to the ground level. This map is generated from commercially available 3D maps such as \cite{zmap}. The size of each map is 65\,$\times$\,65\,pixels, meaning each maps covers a 65\,$\times$\,65\,m area because the size of each grid square is 1\,$\times$\,1\,m.

The fourth feature is the \textit{Simulated received power map (SRP map)} shown in \mbox{Fig. \ref{fig:feature}} (d). The SRP map is included to capture the spatial correlations of received power among adjacent grid squares. Therefore, the size of this map is relatively small compared to the other feature maps, specifically, 3\,$\times$\,3\,pixels in this paper. The SRP map is generated from simulation results using a 3D map of the service area (i.e., the 3D map used to generate the building map). Specifically, the SRP map is obtained by extracting the area around each MS from the ray-tracing simulation result using the 3D map of the service area.

\begin{figure}[!t]
  \centering
  \subfigure[BS distance map.]{
    \includegraphics[width=0.22\textwidth]{bi_BS_map.pdf}
    \label{fig:feature_BS}
  }
  \subfigure[MS distance map.]{
    \includegraphics[width=0.22\textwidth]{bi_MS_map.pdf}
    \label{fig:feature_MS}
  }

  \subfigure[Building map.]{
    \includegraphics[width=0.22\textwidth]{bi_building_map.pdf}
    \label{fig:feature_building}
  }
  \subfigure[Simulated received power map.]{
    \includegraphics[width=0.22\textwidth]{bi_RSSI_map.pdf}
    \label{fig:feature_RSSMAP}
  }
  \caption{Input feature maps.}
  \label{fig:feature}
\end{figure}

\subsection{ANN Configuration}
\label{sec:ANN}
\mbox{Fig. \ref{fig:ML_model}} shows the proposed ANN architecture. Two convolutional neural networks (CNNs) are merged into a fully connected neural network. The BS distance map, MS distance map, and building map are inputted into the larger CNN and the SRP map is inputted into the smaller CNN. This is because the sizes and objectives of these feature maps are different. Specifically, the SRP map, which is 3\,$\times$\,3\,pixels in size, is used for capturing local area characteristics. Therefore, the small CNN does not require pooling layers, which reduce the size of features and deep architectures. In contrast, the BS distance, MS distance, and building maps are 65\,$\times$\,65\,pixels in size and are utilized to capture wide area characteristics. Therefore, the corresponding CNN requires pooling layers to reduce image size and deeper layers than another one to consider relationships among distant pixels.

The architecture of each CNN refers the previous work presented in \cite{imai}. The small CNN has two convolutional layers followed by a batch normalization layer and rectified linear unit (ReLU). Batch normalization allows us to use much higher learning rates and be less careful regarding initialization \cite{pmlr-v37-ioffe15}.
The ReLU is the most widely used activation function.
The larger CNN consists of convolutional layers, a batch normalization layer, ReLU, and an average pooling layer. Average pooling is performed to reduce the spatial sizes of representations to reduce the associated numbers of parameters.

The final part of the proposed architecture consists of fully connected layers with a linear activation function. This part converts the features outputted by each CNN into received power at each grid square, which is the center of each feature map.
\begin{figure}[!t]
  \centering
  \includegraphics[width=0.5\textwidth]{ML_model3.pdf}
  \caption{ANN configuration of the proposed model. The ANN is composed of a wide area characteristic extraction part, local area characteristic extraction part, and prediction part. The local area characteristic extraction part was added to the ANN presented in our previous work.}
  \label{fig:ML_model}
\end{figure}

\subsection{Data Augmentation}
\label{sec:data_aug}
This section describes the proposed data augmentation method. Data augmentation is a technique that increases the size of a dataset by generating data artificially based on existing data. For image processing, data is generated by moving, rotating, and adding noise to existing images. However, augmenting wireless data is less straightforward.

As mentioned in Sect. \ref{sec:ANN}, the received power in the spatially close area has a correlation \cite{rssi_spatially}. Although the received power at a particular grid square in a simulation and real environment may differ, the spatial characteristics of the received power at surrounding grid squares are expected to be similar between a simulation and real environment. Therefore, the proposed data augmentation method generates data based on the differences between a received power value at a central grid square and those at surrounding grid squares.

\mbox{Fig. \ref{fig:data_aug}} shows the flow of the proposed data augmentation method.
A measured received power is expanded into an $N\,\times\,N$ map.
In \mbox{Fig. \ref{fig:data_aug}}, $N$ is set to 3.
Let $r_{i}^{\rm{M}}$ denote the measured data, where $i$ identifies the grid square from which the data were obtained.
Let $\mathbf{R}_{i}^{\rm{E}}$ and $\mathbf{R}_{i}^{\rm{S}}$ denote the expanded measured data from $r_{i}^{\rm{M}}$ and ray-tracing simulation result around the measured grid.
\setlength{\mathindent}{0pt}
\begin{align}
  \mathbf{R}_{i}^{\rm{E}} &=
  \left[
    \begin{array}{ccc}
      r_{i}^{\rm{M}} & r_{i}^{\rm{M}} & r_{i}^{\rm{M}} \\
      r_{i}^{\rm{M}} & r_{i}^{\rm{M}} & r_{i}^{\rm{M}} \\
      r_{i}^{\rm{M}} & r_{i}^{\rm{M}} & r_{i}^{\rm{M}}
    \end{array}
  \right] , \,
  \mathbf{R}_{i}^{\rm{S}} =
    \left[
      \begin{array}{ccc}
        r_{i-4}^{\rm{S}} & r_{i-3}^{\rm{S}} & r_{i-2}^{\rm{S}} \\
        r_{i-1}^{\rm{S}} & r_{i}^{\rm{S}} & r_{i+1}^{\rm{S}} \\
        r_{i+2}^{\rm{S}} & r_{i+3}^{\rm{S}} & r_{i+4}^{\rm{S}}
      \end{array}
    \right]
  \label{ex:data_aug}
\end{align}
Then, we derive a difference map of received power values for the target measured data, as
\setlength{\mathindent}{20pt}
\begin{align}
  \mathbf{D}_{i}^{\rm{S}} &= \left[
    \begin{array}{ccc}
      r_{i-4}^{\rm{S}} - r_{i}^{\rm{S}} & r_{i-3}^{\rm{S}} - r_{i}^{\rm{S}} & r_{i-2}^{\rm{S}} - r_{i}^{\rm{S}} \\
      r_{i-1}^{\rm{S}} - r_{i}^{\rm{S}} & 0 & r_{i+1}^{\rm{S}} - r_{i}^{\rm{S}} \\
      r_{i+2}^{\rm{S}} - r_{i}^{\rm{S}} & r_{i+3}^{\rm{S}} - r_{i}^{\rm{S}} & r_{i+4}^{\rm{S}} - r_{i}^{\rm{S}}
    \end{array}
  \right] \nonumber \\
  &= \left[
  \begin{array}{ccc}
    d_{i-4} & d_{i-3} & d_{i-2} \\
    d_{i-1} & 0 & d_{i+1} \\
    d_{i+2} & d_{i+3} & d_{i+4}
  \end{array}
\right]
\end{align}
where each gird indicates a gap between the simulated received power at the gird and at the same gird as the measured data.
Finally, the difference map is added to the expanded measured data, and we obtain augmented measured data $\mathbf{R}_{i}^{\rm{A}}$.
This data augmentation method increases the number of data by $N^2$ times.
  \setlength{\mathindent}{20pt}
\begin{align}
  \mathbf{R}_{i}^{\rm{A}} &= \mathbf{R}_{i}^{\rm{E}} + \mathbf{D}_{i}^{\rm{S}} \nonumber \\
  &= \left[
    \begin{array}{ccc}
      r_{i}^{\rm{M}} + d_{i-4} & r_{i}^{\rm{M}} + d_{i-3} & r_{i}^{\rm{M}} + d_{i-2} \\
      r_{i}^{\rm{M}} + d_{i-1} & r_{i}^{\rm{M}} & r_{i}^{\rm{M}} + d_{i+1} \\
      r_{i}^{\rm{M}} + d_{i+2} & r_{i}^{\rm{M}} + d_{i+3} & r_{i}^{\rm{M}} + d_{i+4}
    \end{array}
  \right]
  \label{ex:data_aug}
\end{align}

\begin{figure}[!t]
  \centering
    \includegraphics[width=0.44\textwidth]{data_aug2.pdf}
  \caption{Proposed data augmentation method for received power prediction. When $N$ is set to 3.}
  \label{fig:data_aug}
\end{figure}

\section{Experimental Evaluation}
\label{sec:experiment}
\subsection{Experiment Setup}
\mbox{Fig. \ref{fig:experimental_setup}} shows the experimental setup, and the measurement specifications are listed in Table \ref{table:experimental_setup}. We conducted real-world measurements at the Yoshida Campus of Kyoto University. The measurement area is presented in \mbox{Fig. \ref{fig:Ray-tracing_area}}. The area was divided into 1\,$\times$\,1\,m grid squares. IEEE 802.11ac devices were used as both a BS and MS for measurement. The BS was installed on the roof of a building, which is indicated by the red point in \mbox{Fig. \ref{fig:Ray-tracing_area}}. The MS was located in the measurement area depicted in \mbox{Fig. \ref{fig:Ray-tracing_area}}. The BS transmitted beacon frames on channel 128, the center frequency of which is 5.64 GHz, and the MS received the frames and measured the received power. To obtain accurate received power for each position, measurements were conducted three times for each location, and the average values were recorded as the received power. We measured the average received power at 100 positions distributed uniformly within the measurement area. The values of received power ranged from -89\,dBm to -71\,dBm.

For the 100 data, we generated feature maps via ray-tracing simulations using a simulator called Wireless InSite \cite{wi} based on a 3D map called Zmap-AREAII \cite{zmap}. The simulation area is shown in \mbox{Fig. \ref{fig:Ray-tracing_area}}, where light gray blocks and green areas indicate buildings and grounds, respectively. The height values are quantized. Specifically, the height is set to zero for grounds and 6.5, 13, or 26\,m for buildings. All buildings are assumed to be made of concrete with the following dielectric half-space properties: permittivity of 6, conductivity of 0.02, and thickness of 0.3\,m. The material of the ground surface is asphalt with a permittivity of 10 and conductivity of 0.01. In our simulations, the center frequency and bandwidth were set to 5.64\,GHz and 20\,MHz, respectively. Additionally, direct, reflected, and diffracted paths were considered, but penetration paths were neglected based on the high attenuation through buildings. Details regarding the simulation settings can be found in Table \ref{table:syogen}. For the fine-tuning and performance testing, the 100 sets of measured data with feature maps were split into training data and test data with ratios of 80\% and 20\%, respectively. The training data were used to fine-tune models. The test data were used to evaluate the performance of the trained models. The test data were sampled randomly from the entire area, area A, or area B in \mbox{Fig. \ref{fig:Ray-tracing_area}}. The test data sampled from area A, which is called Data A could be more difficult than the test data sampled from the entire area since the training data does not include data obtained in area A when Data A was used. The test data sampled from area B, which is called Data B is much more difficult than Data A since the model should extrapolate for Data B.

The dataset for pre-training was generated using the ray-tracing simulation method described above in five areas in Kyoto University as shown in \mbox{Fig. \ref{fig:pretrain_area}}. One of these areas is the same area as the measurement area and the others are similar to the measurement area, which are lined with buildings about 20\,m high. We conducted the ray-tracing simulation for the simulation areas and obtained received power at each 1\,$\times$\,1\,m grid square in the areas. The total number of data samples was 107132 data samples. We randomly split the dataset into training data and test data with ratios of 80\% and 20\%, respectively, and used 25\% of the training data for validation. In the pre-training and also fine-tuning, the ANN was trained for 300 epochs using the training dataset for each.

We evaluated the root-mean-squared (RMS) error of the proposed method and the following methods for comparison: ML without pre-training, linear interpolation, kriging, and a simulation based method. Linear interpolation predicts received power by calculating linear ratios based on the surrounding four measurement points. Kriging is a geostatistical method developed for geographical interpolation and has been used successfully in a wide range of other applications, including received power prediction. The simulation based method predicts received power from simulation results by adjusting offsets. The offsets between the simulated and measured data are minimized by using the training dataset to solve the following minimization problem:
\setlength{\mathindent}{25pt}
\begin{align}
  \centering
  \min_{\alpha}\sum_{k=0}^n (y^{\rm{r}}_{k} - (y^{\rm{s}}_{k} + \alpha))^2
  \label{ex:opt}
\end{align}
where $y^{\rm{r}}_{k}$ and $y^{\rm{s}}_{k}$ represent measured values and simulation results, respectively. The position index $k$ corresponds to different positions of MSs.

In our machine learning experiments, a GeForce GTX 1080 Ti GPU was used to pre-train and fine-tune the ANNs.
An optimizer Nadam \cite{nadam} was used for the model training.

\begin{figure}[!t]
  \centering
  \subfigure[BS : Ignite Net ML-60-LW-DO]{
    \includegraphics[width=0.22\textwidth]{BS.pdf}
  }\hspace{0.3em}
  \subfigure[MS : MacBook Pro 2017 13-inch]{
    \includegraphics[width=0.22\textwidth]{MS.pdf}
  }
  \caption{Schematic of the experimental setup.}
  \label{fig:experimental_setup}
\end{figure}

\begin{figure}[!t]
  \centering
  \includegraphics[width=0.37\textwidth]{area.pdf}
  \caption{Simulation and measurement areas. Interpolation and extrapolation extract test data from areas ``A'' and ``B'', respectively.}
  \label{fig:Ray-tracing_area}
\end{figure}

\begin{figure}[!t]
  \centering
  \includegraphics[width=0.45\textwidth]{pretrain_area.pdf}
  \caption{Simulation area in Kyoto University for generating pre-training dataset.}
  \label{fig:pretrain_area}
\end{figure}

\begin{table}[!t]
  \caption{Experimental equipment.}
  \label{table:impl}
  \centering
  \renewcommand\arraystretch{1.2}
  \scalebox{0.94} {
    \begin{tabular}{ll}
      \hline
      BS & Ignite Net ML-60-LW-DO \cite{ignitenet}\\
      MS & MacBook Pro 2017 13-inch \\
      WLAN / Channel & IEEE 802.11a / 5.64\,GHz \\
      \hline
    \end{tabular}
  }
  \label{table:experimental_setup}
\end{table}

\begin{table}[!t]
  \caption{Simulation parameter configuration}
  \label{table:syogen}
  \centering
  \renewcommand\arraystretch{1.2}
  \scalebox{0.94} {
  \begin{tabular}{ll}\hline
    \bf{Parameter} & \bf{Value}\\ \hline
    Environment & Kyoto University\\ \hline
    Area & 256\,$\times$\,256\,\rm{m}\\ \hline
    Number of areas for pre-training & 5\\ \hline
    Max. building height & 26\,m \\ \hline
    Carrier frequency & 5.64\,GHz\\ \hline
    Bandwidth & 20\,MHz\\ \hline
    Transmit power & 21\,dBm\\ \hline
    BS altitude & 14\,m\\ \hline
    MS altitude & 1\,m\\ \hline
    Distance between adjacent MS positions & 1\,m\\ \hline
    Number of BS locations & 1\\ \hline
    Number of MS locations & 107132\\ \hline
    Max. number of reflection & 2\\ \hline
    Max. number of diffraction & 3\\ \hline
    \end{tabular}
  }
\end{table}

\subsection{Experimental Results}
\mbox{Fig. \ref{fig:result_ep}} shows the RMS errors for randomly sampled test data. The x-axis represents the number of training epochs.
As training progresses, the RMS error of the proposed method decreases and becomes increasingly smaller than those of the other methods.
The RMS error of the ML w/o pre-training method is much greater than those of the other methods. This is because the training data were insufficient for training an ANN from scratch. In contrast, the proposed scheme achieves low RMS error because pre-training provides much better initial values for the ANN model.

\mbox{Fig. \ref{fig:result_rssi}} shows the received power measured or predicted by the proposed and compared methods.
The x-axis represents a position index indicating the MS positions at which the test data were measured.
The test data is sorted so that the measurement data is in ascending order.
In this evaluation, randomly sampled test data were used and data augmentation was applied for all methods.
The proposed method predicted the received power with smaller errors than the other methods, demonstrating that the proposed pre-training and fine-tuning techniques improve prediction accuracy.

\mbox{Figs. \ref{fig:result_data_aug}} (a), (b), and (c) show the RMS errors for test data sampled randomly from the entire area, area A, and area B, respectively.
The proposed model achieves the highest prediction accuracy for all test datasets.
Additionally, one can see that data augmentation reduces the RMS error for all of the methods. However, it is most effective for the proposed learning based method because the proposed method requires a sufficient number of data to train the ANN model.

\begin{figure}[!t]
  \centering
    \includegraphics[width=0.39\textwidth]{Learning_curve3.pdf}
  \caption{RMS error as a function of the number of epochs during training using the measured dataset.}
  \label{fig:result_ep}
\end{figure}
\begin{figure}[!t]
  \centering
    \includegraphics[width=0.39\textwidth]{result4.pdf}
  \caption{Measured and predicted received power values.}
  \label{fig:result_rssi}
\end{figure}
\begin{figure}[!t]
  \centering
  \subfigure[Test data sampled randomly from the entire measurement area.]{
    \includegraphics[width=0.22\textwidth]{01_random.pdf}
  }
  \subfigure[Test data sampled from area A.]{
    \includegraphics[width=0.22\textwidth]{02_naiso.pdf}
  }

  \subfigure[Test data sampled from area B.]{
    \includegraphics[width=0.22\textwidth]{03_gaiso.pdf}
  }

  \caption{RMS errors for test data sampled from different areas. }
  \label{fig:result_data_aug}
\end{figure}

\section{Conclusion}
\label{sec:conclusion}
This paper proposed a transfer learning-based received power prediction scheme and data augmentation method, which enabled us to train an accurate prediction model for received power prediction using a small amount of measurement data.
In the proposed method, a prediction model pre-trained using simulation data is transferred and fine-tuned using a dataset generated and augmented from small amount of data measured in a target service area using the proposed data augmentation scheme.
We experimentally confirmed that the proposed method reduces prediction error when only small amount of measurement data are available.
Specifically, the RMS error of the proposed method was reduced by more than 50\% compared to those of conventional methods.

\section*{Acknowledgment}
This work was supported in part by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Numbers JP17H03266, and JP18K13757.
  \bibliographystyle{IEEEtran}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


text:
World's oldest woman climbs El Capitan in California
Written by By Tierney Fitzpatrick, CNN When Sheryl Kelley became the world's oldest female climber on Everest in 1998, at the age of 58, she had the knack for dealing with the daunting task….
Written by By Tierney Fitzpatrick, CNN
When Sheryl Kelley became the world's oldest female climber on Everest in 1998, at the age of 58, she had the knack for dealing with the daunting task.
But when she hiked the dizzying cliffs of El Capitan in California this week, the only thing she was looking for was a good story.
"I wanted to do something completely outrageous, something totally out of the ordinary," said Kelley, who celebrated her 70th birthday on Tuesday.
Fresh off climbing Africa's highest mountain in Africa this year, Kelley decided to announce her birthday by climbing El Capitan, a name that conjures up images of folks finding joy and victory.
Courtesy i/v
"I wanted to be able to tell somebody that I stood on El Capitan and celebrated my 70th birthday," she said.
"I don't do anything tasteless," she said. "My climb is an accomplishment."
Kelley's photograph of her high in the world, at a line that is about a mile and a half up from the base camp, is part of a new Instagram account.
"I love to shake things up," she said. "I wanted to do something out of the ordinary, something that people didn't expect. It seemed like a natural extension of how I grew up."
Her preparation for the climb was similar to that of her Everest effort.
She didn't go to prep schools or attend athletics camps. But she did develop a core of dedication and dedication she sticks to to this day.
"Everyone wants to do something different," she said. "For me, it's about winning, keeping results and forging my own path."
Categories entertainment Tags celebrity, espn, politics, sports, television
Iceland's Breaker County Course ranked No. 12 in Europe
'[V]irtually any other person would've been crying,' Biden says of meeting Pope Francis

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


I've been playing around with the latest version (beta4) of ASP.NET 5 and vNext and I have to say I'm impressed. One of my favorite features is the addition of the Dependency Injection module that will become a staple of the .NET applications. This module provides a unified DI pipeline with a simple-to-use interface.
The Dependency Injection currently only supports constructor injection. Dependencies get defined in the Constructor of a class and will be resolved by the system automatically.
The information on this topic is fairly spartan at this time. But, after some hacking I can hopefully fill in a few blanks on the new DI module.
The project currently lives on Github. You can review it and dig deeper if you're so inclined. Thanks Microsoft!
In order to get started with the DI module in your project, the first step is adding the module dependency to your project's project.json file. The example below is using beta4 and pulls in Microsoft.Framework.DependencyInjection.
You can get this module by searching in Nuget or by adding it directly to the project.json file in Visual Studio 2015.
So what does Microsoft.Framework.DependencyInjection do? This module contains a few key classes.
This is the default implementation of Microsoft.Framework.DependencyInjection.IServiceCollection which specifies the contract for a collection of service descriptions. In other words, it's the bucket that holds our dependency definitions. ServiceCollection is the default implementation of this collection.
These extension methods all return the instance of IServiceCollection and can be used in a fluent style... sweet.
Finally, there is another method found in Microsoft.Framework.DependencyInjection.ServiceCollectionExtensions called BuildServiceProvider. This method will generate an IServiceProvider.
Microsoft.Framework.DependencyInjection.ServiceProvider is the default implementation of System.IServiceProvider. It provides the mechanism by which you can resolve the services required by your application. Basically, it does the fetching for you.
Beyond the default interface, a few extension methods are provided by Microsoft.Framework.DependencyInjection.Interfaces.ServiceProviderExtensions to help you work more effectively.
The GetService method resolves the specified instance for you. The example below creates a collection, adds a service descriptor, creates the IServiceProvider, and retreives the service.
GetService will return null if no service was added to the collection as shown below.
A different method is GetRequiredService. This method is similar to GetService but it will throw an InvalidOperationException if the resolve service is null as shown below.
But what if you just want to create an instance of a Type that has dependencies?
Below are the method signatures. Notice that these methods require supplying the IServiceProvider.
Most of the examples I've seen are with the MVC stack that takes care of most of this magic for you. In this stack, you define services in Startup.cs and define dependencies in the constructor of your Controllers. When the controller is created, the depedencies are automatically resolved for you. But how do you go about using the Dependency Injection module outside of this pipeline?
If you dig around in MVC, you'll see that under the covers, the DefaultControllerActivator class is used to create controllers. This class uses the DefaultTypeActivatorCache to perform controller construction... which is using ActivatorUtilities to generate and cache type factories.
If you were using a Console Application, you could use the ActivatorUtilities to construct your classes. This would allow your classes to automatically benefit from the DI framework.
Hopefully you now have a better understanding of how DI works in beta4. Watch for future updates as new beta versions are released as there have already been some changes that will impact what you've learned here.


text:
S&P concerned about South Africa's fiscal consolidation, land reform
Mfuneko Toyana, JOHANNESBURG – REUTERS
South Africa's sovereign rating risked being downgraded due to concerns about the postponement of fiscal consolidation and lack of clarity around land expropriation, a senior S&P Global Ratings analyst said on Tuesday.
Recession-hit South Africa last week unveiled a bleak budget that saw wider budget deficits and low growth. South Africa is rated "junk" by S&P Global Ratings and Fitch.
"It is on those two aspects we would consider lowering the rating," Ravi Bhatia, Director, Sovereign Ratings at S&P, said, referring to land reforms and fiscal consolidation.
The next rating review by S&P would be on Nov. 23, he said.
Bhatia said fiscal consolidation had been postponed in the Medium Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) presented by new Finance Minister Tito Mboweni on Wednesday last week.
"This has been a trend for many years. That the deficits in the MTBPS are being revised upwards … that feeds into the debt stock where you see it rising towards 60 percent with no clear stabilisation," he said.
"And if you look at interest payments as a percentage of revenues, they're above 10 percent, and whether they'll go above our thresholds of 15 percent is something to watch."
Bhatia also said "sentiment has been dampened by the lack of clarity in the land expropriation."
South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) has said it aims to change the constitution to allow for land expropriation without compensation to address racial disparities in land ownership that persist more than two decades after apartheid's demise in 1994.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has said the policy will be undertaken in a way that does not threaten food security or economic growth. The ANC has said unused land will be the main target. However, the policy has still unnerved investors worried about the impact on property rights.
defenceWeb
Denel has confirmed that Government has extended its R2.43 billion guarantee to R3.43 billion until 2023, giving it room to restructure and fix its 'economic challenges'.
Denel on 29 October said that "the Government guarantee of R2.43 billion has been further extended to R3.43 billion over a five-year period ending in September 2023. The debt portfolio consists of government guaranteed commercial paper totalling R2.864 billion, with an unsecured note of R290 million."
The company made the announcement in response to queries following the Medium Term Budget Policy Statement on 24 October, when National Treasury said Denel had used R2.8 billion of its R3.4 billion government guarantee.
Last week Treasury cautioned that "Denel will struggle to settle maturing debt on its own because its financial position remains weak. While it implements a turnaround plan, Denel will also contemplate the sale of non-core assets to improve its liquidity position."
Denel yesterday said "We remain confident that an appropriate resolution within the context of the current economic challenges facing the national fiscus, will be found; and may include selling non-core assets, exiting non-core businesses, divesting from non-viable core businesses and ultimately repositioning our core businesses for long-term commercial sustainability." Such possibilities are under discussion but subject to Board ratification and applicable PFMA (Public Finance Management Act) provisions.
Denel said it continues to work closely with its shareholder representative, the Department of Public Enterprises and the National Treasury among key state institutions, to find a sustainable funding solution. "The Board continues to support Denel in restoring the confidence of key stakeholders, including financial markets, in the company and the current leadership."
It added that salaries have been paid in full to all employees for October and the company "will always strive to ensure that such obligations, including paying creditors, are to the best of management's abilities fulfilled –something that the current liquidity challenge obviously makes difficult."
ANC expediency is messing up South Africa's land reform process
There's no guarantee that the ANC's erratic behaviour won't extend beyond the issue of land…
Land reform and hunger in South Africa go hand in hand
Politicians concerned with the structure of land ownership should also be evaluating how it will…
How South Africa should tackle the redistribution of land in urban areas
Sarita Pillay, PhD Student at South African Research Chair in Spatial Analysis and City Planning,…


Portable Bars for rent in Denver, Colorado Springs, Aurora & Fort Collins, CO. Rent a 4' long mobile bar for your next party by calling 719-531-7510.
Rent a portable bar for your next party or event. Our Portable bars are 4' long and feature a nice laminated bar top and serving shelf available for delivery or customer pickup for only $65.00. Our bar rental price is 24 hours for customer pickup and 4 hours if delivered. Call us for details or to rent a bar for your next party. We also rent coctail tables and linens.


On April 21 and 22, 2016 representatives of National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO) and NASO members attended international conference "Growing together: from grassroots initiatives to national strategies in early-childhood intervention" in Moldova. The conference was organized by EASPD in cooperation with the Alliance of Organisations for People with Disabilities from Moldova (AOPD) and with the support of EurlyAid and Zero Project. By bringing together various stakeholders in the ECI field, the conference took a critical look at the development of national strategies needed to set up quality community-based ECI services both in Western and Central and Eastern European countries while focusing on the exchange of know-how and best practices in the field. Over 200 delegates shared their views on the situation of Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) services in Europe. In addition, the Zero Project Analysis research was officially launched presenting 8 innovative practices on ECI services. During the conference NASO presented good practice from the work of Alternative 55 Association – NASO representation for the district of Stara Zagora, which EASPD approved and ranked to be presented.
ECI programmes and services are designed to support young children who are at risk or have been identified as having development delays and their families. Given the importance of this period of life for any human, it is vital to ensure access to interventions that can support children in reaching their full potential. If this is not the case, children and their families are often confronted to lifetime consequences such as physical and psychological issues, as well as poverty, exclusion, stigma, discrimination and institutionalisation.
Speaking at the welcoming panel, Mr Franz Wolfmayr, EASPD President, stressed the importance to support children and their families from the very early stage. He also reminded that ECI services can make a significant contribution to achieving an inclusive growth in Europe, in line with the Europe 2020 strategy.
Ms Virginia Rusnac of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Moldova acknowledged the importance of ECI as a pre-condition for inclusion. She mentioned the new 2013 regulation on the right to education for every child as a subsequent necessary milestone for children rights policy framework. According to the ministry over 9.000 children with special needs in Moldova have been included in the general education system.
Ms Ana Serrano of EurlyAid pointed out that "families should be at the heart of ECI services and should be the basis for a true start". This statement was reaffirmed by Ms Silvia Apostol of the Swedish Organisation for Individual Relief. She stressed that "ECI services should aim at empowering the families by working in partnership and ensuring the quality of lives of individuals in our societies". Ms Parascovia Munteanu of AOPD stressed that "ECI is about children being children, not patients". Keynote speaker Ms Emily-Vargas Baron of Rise Institute highlighted the need for a well trained workforce in ECI services.
During the conference there was a common agreement that the quality of ECI depends on several aspects such as applying a holistic approach, starting in an early stage, having families at the steering wheel, establishing cooperation inside (interdisciplinary) and outside (networking with other stakeholders such as schools); ensuring a continuity and the qualification of professionals.


Check that the Clearview Library District does not have the item in our database. Search using the library's catalog. Library materials owned by Clearview Library District may not be borrowed from another library.
Go to SWIFT and sign in with your Clearview Library District card and pin number. Select Clearview Library District from the drop down menu.
Chose the current profile of libraries you want to search. Best options are ALL LIBRARIES OR PUBLIC LIBRARIES.
Perform a search or advanced search. Click on the GET IT icon when you have found the item(s) you wish to request. Make sure you have the correct title, author and format. Books from Prospector or Marmot may not be available. Fields such as the ISBN or lending libraries which are blank will cause the request to stall and the Interlibrary Loan Department will then process the request.
Check the status of your request at any time by logging on to Colorado SWIFT. Please allow 10 minutes after submission for requests to appear in your request queue.
When the item arrives you will receive notification that the item is ready for pick up at the Clearview Library District. Requests from bookmobile patrons will be sent to the Outreach Department for delivery.
Make sure you have chosen the Clearview Library District from the drop down menu when you sign on to your account.
Newly published items within the last six months and Best Sellers are not available through the Colorado SWIFT service due to high levels of demand at the lending libraries.
Requesting an item that is already held in the Clearview District Library's collection or an item that is not available from SWIFT due to high demand, will result in the order going to an "Idle" status. Contact the Clearview Library District staff for assistance.
When you are navigating in Colorado SWIFT there is always a 'Help' link on the menu at the left side of the page. This link can provide helpful hints for narrowing down searches such as articles.
You can view our full policy here.
How do I contact the Interlibrary Loan Department?
Depending on availability, some items may arrive within 10 days; others may take several weeks.
Up to seven (7) Interlibrary Loan requests may be active at one time.
What types of items are not available through Interlibrary Loan?
Items in the Clearview Library District collection; best sellers; newly published items; licensed computer software, E-Books, entire volumes or issues of periodicals, rare or valuable items.
Loan periods are three weeks, and items may not be renewed.
How am I notified of my request?
Patrons will be notified by email or phone if a requested item cannot be located or borrowed. Patrons will be notified as soon as requested materials have arrived and are ready for check out. Notification will be made by phone, email or text message. Materials will be kept on the Interlibrary Loan hold shelf for five days. Items not picked up by day six will be returned to the lending library. The library may offer an extension for pick up. Patrons must wait a period of 30 days before requesting the same item again.
I need multiple copies of a book for a book club. What should I do?
This is a book club program run through Colorado State Library that has book club bags available for libraries to borrow. These bags contain 10 books and a binder with questions for the participants. A library patron can peruse their website and pick one they would like to use. Once you make a selection, please email interlibraryloan@clearviewlibrary.org with the name of the book club bag you'd like to borrow. Clearview Library District will request it for you. Once the book club bags arrives and it is ready for you, then you will be notified. Check out time for book club bags are usually 5 weeks.


text:
/**
 * Forces a triangle edge between two points p and q
 * when triangulating. For example used to enforce
 * Polygon Edges during a polygon triangulation.
 *
 * @author Thomas Åhlén, thahlen@gmail.com
 */

namespace QEngine.Physics.Tools.Triangulation.Delaunay
{
    internal class TriangulationConstraint
    {
        public TriangulationPoint P;
        public TriangulationPoint Q;
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


» Bank of England - Should the availability of UK credit data be improved?
While credit unions have been permitted to admit into membership and serve corporate bodies since 2012, the main business of the credit union sector is in serving individuals and therefore we focus our response on issues related to personal lending. We appreciate that the discussion paper primarily seeks input in relation to business lending but we believe the issues raised are equally relevant to the availability of credit to individuals.
Since 2008 we have seen credit union lending fall as a proportion of assets across the credit union sector from 74% to 58% in 2013. This is an acceleration of a decline in lending as a proportion of assets from around 80% at which the ratio hovered until 2000. Of course, this is in the context of fairly rapid growth in both lending and assets but the changing profile of credit union assets is of some concern given that credit unions face strict limitations in how they may invest funds not lent out to members. Similarly, in a recent survey of both ABCUL member and non-member credit unions, 56% of respondents cited rising levels of bad debt as the number one challenge facing their business.
While these trends are not surprising in a context of depressed economic activity and rising indebtedness, credit unions face unique challenges in the mission they set themselves to help support the financial resilience of society by providing inclusive and affordable financial services. For many years both government and wider society have encouraged and supported credit unions to provide credit to hard-to-reach groups and while the sector relishes this challenge, their task is not made easier by the paucity of credit information available, particularly in relation to alternative credit products and non-credit debts which are more prevalent in this market.
Key areas which are in need of urgent improvement in order for credit unions to better manage loan delinquency and unlock unduly restricted credit are in the scope of credit information available and the time lags which are inherent in the current system. For instance, many alternative creditors such as payday lenders, rent-to-own retailers, pawnbrokers and doorstep lenders do not or inadequately report credit data on their borrowers. Similarly, many non-credit debts such as unpaid utilities, council and other tax or rent, are not currently adequately reported. Furthermore, since particularly payday lenders (but not exclusively) tend to operate on very short-term repayment schedules while loans can be accumulated in multiple very quickly, often credit unions can be unsighted of multiple outstanding agreements when they are approached for credit.
This dearth of information not only limits credit unions' ability to lend at the volumes they otherwise might or to manage bad debt effectively but also it perverts their attempts to pursue a more ethical and value-driven financial service since making responsible lending decisions is made impossible where relevant information is unavailable to the lender. Indeed, given that FCA has now incorporated the OFT's Irresponsible Lending Guidance into the new CONC consumer credit sourcebook, the lack of available credit data is limiting creditors' ability to comply with regulation.
We are of course conscious that measures to improve the availability of data carry inherent risks and costs. However, we are firmly of the belief that incremental improvements from the current position – with a long-term goal of creating a central credit register – are long overdue and have great potential for transforming the availability of credit, particularly from providers such as credit unions which are seeking to provide much-needed competition in lending markets.
This would also assist credit unions and in fulfilling their social commitments and, in relation to business lending, help to alleviate knowledge and information deficits which are limiting credit unions' capacity to enter new markets and to innovate.


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Provide cover letter, resume and examples of work when applying.
di Domenico + Partners, LLP is an equal opportunity employer. The firm offers a full benefits package including health insurance, dental and vision insurance, and 401(k) retirement plan.
di Domenico + Partners, LLP, was established as an interdisciplinary partnership to provide services in Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Urban Design. The firm is dedicated to providing quality planning and design services.


Any guy who wears undershirts probably has a few qualms with them.
They're made to fit every guy, not to fit you, so depending on your body type, your undershirt will ride up in some places or constrict in others.
After wearing Tommy John's undershirts, I can tell you that if you're frustrated with your current undershirts, it doesn't have to be that way.
Tommy John was founded on the belief that undershirts could be so much better.
Founder and CEO Tom Patterson was frustrated he couldn't find an undershirt that suited his needs. He wanted one that would fit flush with his body without riding up or showing through his dress shirt, so he decided to make his own. He found the right materials, made some shirts, and a few trials later, Tommy John was born.
As soon as you try on a Tommy John undershirt it is easy to tell the difference. They're amazingly soft, and the one I've been wearing has remained that way after a few washes, not falling apart as I've seen my less-engineered undershirts do. Once the undershirt is on, it's clear that Patterson accomplished his goal — it fits tight and snug without restriction, allowing your body to move freely while keeping everything in place.
The fit of the undershirt struck me as a bit odd at first to be honest; I usually don't do well with tight-fitting clothes, and it took me a while to get used to how the shirt fell on my body. But once I adjusted, the freedom it allowed and the comfort it provided for the rest of my outfit was very apparent. It didn't hang uncomfortably into my pants or scrunch up around my gut in different seated positions. It's an undershirt that truly works to complement the rest of your look.
Now, Tommy John undershirts start at around $40, and I completely understand why many will scoff at the price. You already have your undershirts that work for you and they only cost $15 for a pack of five, so why would you ever spend twice that on one shirt? It's solid logic, and if that's how you feel, Tommy John is not the brand for you.
But if you are looking to get the most out of your clothes and feel your best in your dress shirts, check out what Tommy John has to offer. I tried out the Cool Cotton Deep V-Neck and it worked out great for me. They have crew necks and tank tops as well, and all are available in various materials, so there's something for everyone.
If you're looking to add a few super high-quality undershirts to your wardrobe, Tommy John has got you covered.
You can check out all the undershirts and underwear Tommy John has to offer here.


text:
Connecticut man walking from Yankee Stadium to Fenway Park
Yankee Stadium (file photo)
WARWICK, R.I. (AP) - A 76-year-old Connecticut man is walking from Yankee Stadium to Fenway Park in an effort to promote peace and not just between the two fan bases.
Al Forte, of Stamford, Connecticut, tells the Providence Journal , he's asking people along the way to pray for peace on earth, handing out cards showing six soldiers praying.
Forte began his trek after a Red Sox-Yankees game on Aug. 4 and plans to arrive in Boston in time for a game between to the two clubs on Friday night.
He has a friend who picks him up each night and takes him to a hotel, then drives him back to where he left off in the morning to continue his journey.
Forte won't see which team he roots for, describing himself as a former Brooklyn Dodgers fan.
Information from: The Providence Journal, http://www.providencejournal.com
NC animal rescue posts brutally honest cat adoption ad: 'She's just a jerk'
What we know about the victims in Kobe Bryant's helicopter crash


Scientific Research of Prayer: Can the Power of Prayer Be Proven?
Feel free to copy and circulate this article for non-commercial purposes provided the Web site and author are mentioned.
Throughout time, the power of prayer has been questioned by science. The analytical mind of the scientist calls for proof of the existence of a higher being. These scientists, both the faithful and nonbelievers alike, have produced studies into the affects of prayer on our physical as well as spiritual well being. Although most of us, who possess the belief that prayer can and does work, do not require physical, quantitative proof of the power of prayer, it is interesting to read the results of these studies.
Was a scientific study of prayer and its effect on heart patients done?
One of the most quoted scientific studies of prayer was done between August of 1982 and May of 1983. 393 patients in the San Francisco General Hospital�s Coronary Care Unit participated in a double blind study to assess the therapeutic effects of intercessory prayer. Patients were randomly selected by computer to either receive or not receive intercessory prayer. All participants in the study, including patients, doctors, and the conductor of the study himself remained blind throughout the study, To guard against biasing the study, the patients were not contacted again after it was decided which group would be prayed for, and which group would not.
It was assumed that although the patients in the control group would not be prayed for by the participants in the study, that others-family members, friends etc., would likely pray for the health of at least some of the members of the control group. There was no control over this factor. Meanwhile all of the members of the group that received prayer would be prayed for by not only those associated with the study, but by others as well.
The results of the study are not surprising to those of us who believe in the power of prayer. The patients who had received prayer as a part of the study were healthier than those who had not. The prayed for group had less need of having CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) performed and less need for the use of mechanical ventilators. They had a diminished necessity for diuretics and antibiotics, less occurrences of pulmonary edema, and fewer deaths. Taking all factors into consideration, these results can only be attributed to the power of prayer.
Did prayer lower blood pressure?
The August 31, 1998 issue of Jet Magazine questioned whether prayer could lower blood pressure in high blood pressure sufferers, Again the obvious conclusion was reached. The magazine reported of a study conducted by Duke University Medical Center in Durham, NC. This study had over 4,000 participants over the age of 65. The study found that those who pray and attend religious services on a weekly basis, especially those between the ages of 65 and 74, had lower blood pressure than their counterparts who did not pray or attend religious services. They found that the more religious the person, particularly those who prayed or studied the Bible weekly, the lower the blood pressure. According to the study these people were forty percent less likely to have high diastolic pressure or diastolic hypertension than these were who did not attend religious services, pray, or study the Bible.
Dr. David B. Larson, president of the National Institute for Health Care Research in Rockville, MD, who co-authored the study, also says that prayer can lower high blood pressure. "The at-risk population of people with illnesses, such as the elderly seem to be helped if they have faith and religious commitment." Dr. Larson states: "Faith brings a calming state which helps decrease nervousness and anxiety with coping with day to day stress."
How does prayer effect people who lack health care?
In the Essence Magazine May 1997 issue, Allison Abner writes that African-Americans have historically turned to faith in times of illness and other crises. She cited Luisah Teish who states: "Because of limited access to quality health care and our distrust of the medical establishment we have occasionally relied on spiritual healing through such practices as prayer and the laying on of hands, Most of us, at some time have used prayer chanting or proverbs as ways to guide, direct, and heal ourselves." "Now," states Allison, "Our beliefs are being backed by medical research," Science is setting out to prove what most of the faithful already know--prayer does work.
Has a prayer study been done on the life of twins?
The December 1998 issue of Mc Call�s Magazine raised the question: How does prayer heal? The article notes a study done at the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical College of Virginia in Richmond, which studied 1,902 twins. They found that those who were committed to their spiritual lives tended to have less severe depression and a lower risk of addiction to cigarettes or alcohol. The healthful lifestyles of the spiritually rich and faithful clearly contribute to their well being, They tend not to smoke or drink or not do either excessively. Their marriages are more stable and their spiritual communities form a network that can catch and support people when they are ill.
What effect does prayer and religion have on life?
To delve into religious attitudes and their impact on health, Koenig and his co-researcher, Kenneth Paragament, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, studied 577 hospital patients age 55 and older. One 98-year-old woman with pneumonia and congestive heart failure looked upon her illness as God�s plan for her. She prayed often for the health and well being of her family and friends. These attitudes were associated with a serene response to stress and low levels of depression. All signs of well being that nurture joy in living might even extend one�s life.
While positive feelings toward a higher power seemed to foster well being, negative thoughts about a deity had the opposite effect. For example, a woman in her late 50�s with lung cancer left her church in her 20�s, became involved with drugs, and now feels her illness must be a sign of divine disapproval. She got poorer scores on tests that measured quality of life and psychological health than the 98-year-old woman.
What do atheists think about prayer?
Noted atheist Dan Barker, a spokesperson for the Freedom from Religion Foundation says the findings of the above research are no big surprise. Prayer and religious beliefs can have a placebo effect, just like a sugar pill. Barker, who was once a Christian Fundamentalist preacher before developing serious doubts about his religion, states that one of the strongest factors in recovery from an illness is a sense of connectedness with a community and people who care about you. Even if we mumble our prayers only when we are ill or if there is no God to hear them, the new research indicated that religious thoughts could help to heal.
Dr. Larry Dossey writes about the placebo effect mentioned earlier by Dan Barker and physicians who have looked at the tremendous amount of scientific studies on prayer. As Dr. Dossey states: "That is difficult to do considering that bacteria, fungi, and germinating seeds are not generally considered to be susceptible to suggestion."
Does prayer effect plant seeds?
In a study on germinating seeds done by Dr. Franklin Loehr, a Presbyterian minister and scientist, the objective was to see in a controlled experiment what effect prayer had over living and seemingly non-living matter. In one experiment they took three pans of various types of seeds. One was the control pan. One pan received positive prayer, and the other received negative prayer. Time after time, the results indicated that prayer helped speed germination and produced more vigorous plants. Prayers of negation actually halted germination in some plants and suppressed growth in others.
In another experiment two bottles of spring water were purchased. One container was used as a control, receiving no prayer; a group prayed for the second. The water was then used on pans of corn seeds layered in cotton, with one pan receiving the prayer water and the other receiving the control water. The pan receiving the prayer water sprouted a day earlier than seeds in the other pan. The prayer seeds had a higher germination and growth rate. The experiment was repeated with the same result each time.
What effect does prayer have on microorganisms?
Dr. Dossey, in his book, Be Careful What You Pray For, looks closely at experiments with microorganisms. He states, "Skeptics who do not believe in the effects of distant intentions say that any observed result must be due to the expectation of the subject- or the power of belief and thought." Dossey argues that if bacteria respond to outside intentions by growing more slowly when prayed over, than control groups not receiving prayer, then one cannot dismiss this result by attributing it to negative suggestion.
Bacteria presumably do not think positively or negatively. Another major advantage of microorganisms in studies of distant mental intentions has to do with the control group. If the effects of intercessory prayer, for example, are being assessed in a group of humans who have a particular illness, it is difficult to establish a pure control group that does not receive prayer. The reason is that sick human beings generally pray for themselves; or outsiders pray for them, thus contaminating the control group, which by definition should not receive the treatment being evaluated.
In studies involving microbes, this notorious "Problem of Extraneous Prayer" is totally overcome because one can be reasonably certain that the bacteria, fungi, or yeast in a control group will not pray for themselves. And that their fellow microbes will not pray for them.
If the study involved negative intentions instead of positives, the advantages remain the same. The thoughts of microorganisms do not influence its outcome.
Jean Barry, a physician-researcher in Bordeaux, France, chooses to work with a destructive fungus, Rhizoctonia Solani. He asked 10 people to try to inhibit its growth merely through their intentions at a distance of 1.5 meter.
The experiment involved control Petri dishes with fungi that were not influenced in addition to those that were. The laboratory conditions were carefully controlled regarding the genetic purity of the fungi and the composition of the culture medium, the relative humidity, and the conditions of temperature and lighting.
The control petri dishes and the influenced dishes were treated identically, except for the negative intentions directed toward the latter. A person who was blind to the details of the experiment handled various manipulations. The influences simply took their stations at the 1.5 meters and were free to act as they saw fit for their own concentration. For 15 minutes each subject was assigned five experimental and five control dishes. Of the ten subjects three to six subjects worked during a session, and there were nine sessions.
Measurement of the fungi colony on the Petri dish was obtained by outlining the boundary of the colony on a sheet of thin paper. Again, someone who did not know the aim of the experiment or the identity of the Petri dishes did this. The outlines were then cut out and weighed under condition of constant temperature and humidity. When the growth in 195 experimental dishes was compared to their corresponding controls, it was significantly retarded in 151 dishes. The possibility that these results could be explained by chance was less than one in a thousand.
Dr. Daniel I. Benor, who has evaluated all the known experiments in the field of distant healing in his landmark work healing research, calls this study "Highly significant."
Does physical distance effect prayer?
The researchers William H. Tedder and Melissa L. Monty from the University of Tennessee replicated the experiment. The goal of this study was to inhibit the growth of the fungus from the distance of one to fifteen miles. Two groups participated. Group one was made up of Tedder and six others who knew him and frequently interacted with him over a year and a half. Group 2 consisted of 8 volunteers who either did not know Tedder or did not interact with him frequently.
When the growth differential between the experimental and control dishes were compared, group one was highly successful. The likelihood of explaining their results by chance were less than 3 in 100,000. Group two was less successful. Their likelihood of a chance explanation was 6 in 100. Why was group one more successful? The researchers theorized that because of their established rapport with Tedder they might have had greater expectation and more motivation of a positive outcome than group two had.
In a post-experiment questionnaire, the group one subjects indeed responded more positively to questions about how they perceived their ability to inhibit the fungal cultures at a distance. Note: This is a clear example of faith in prayer verses doubt.
The fact that prayer is non local, that it functions at a distance, and that spatial separation does not diminish the affect means that it does not have to be intrusive. There is cross-cultural evidence that prayer does work. The factors that seem to affect the outcome of these studies are qualifies of consciousness, like caring, compassion, empathy, and love. When you take these qualities away the outcome of the study is changed. In, fact according to Dr. Dossey, if you flip these "empathetic, warm feelings" to the negative, frequently the subject is affected. In experiments a bacterium died and plants withered when subjected to the negative influence.
These studies have shown conclusive evidence of the power of prayer. Time after time the outcomes of these tests have shown the reality of the force of a higher being and our ability to communicate with Him.
We have also learned from viewing the results of these studies that the expectations we have while praying factor into the outcome of our prayers. Though the faithful will always believe that there need not be any physical evidence of the power and effects of prayer, science has come a long way toward showing just that-prayer is real, and it works.


Surendra Menon is the Regional Director of AIA Group. He was a deputy C.E.O. of AIA's subgroup for sometime, before becoming the Regional Director in 2013. He is a subject matter expert for bank insurance distribution, and oversees 14 countries. He has to support and ensures that the teams are delivering insurance products for banks and are meeting the bank's need. Surendra oversees 14 country heads and advises them on new deals, measures business potential, advises the country heads and banks the finical risks for insurance, analysis performance, and ensures that teams are performing to the highest level of potential. Surendra is determined, passionate, motivated, persistent, and does not believe in giving up. He has a vast set of skills that he has been able to apply in order to succeed. Outside of work he enjoys traveling and golf.


FlowerSchool provides unique experiences abroad visiting the world's most vibrant floral communities.
FlowerSchool New York is pleased to announce our eighth annual trip to Holland from April 22nd to April 27th, 2019! During this six-day excursion, led by Executive Director Calvert Crary, FlowerSchool participants will be immersed in the history and beauty of florals with the Amsterdam cityscape and Aalsmeer countryside as our backdrops.
FlowerSchool New York will visit London and the English countryside for the second year with Shane Connolly, one of the great florists in England, holder of two Royal Warrants of Appointment to both HRH, The Prince of Wales, and HM, The Queen of England.
FlowerSchool is traveling down under! Come and experience the very best of New York and have the chance to be instructed by one of FlowerSchool New York's most experienced designers; Executive Director of FlowerSchool New York and FlowerSchool Los Angeles, Calvert Crary.


The Chevrolet Kodiak along with GMC TopKick and Isuzu H-Series is basically a range of medium-duty trucks manufactured by General Motors. It was first launched in 1980 and remained in production until 2009, when General Motors officially discontinued its production.
These trucks were widely used as work trucks, cargo haulers, dump trucks and for other similar tasks where medium-duty torque, GVWR, towing capacity was needed. Apart from this, these were also converted into pickup trucks and commercial trucks for consumers by aftermarket coachbuilders.
In 1980, the first generation Kodiak and TopKick was launched as a high end version of GM's current medium-duty C-Series trucks. The Kodiak pursued the pattern of 'frontier beast' names used for heavy duty trucks like Chevrolet Bison and Chevrolet Bruin, whereas the 'TopKick' was derived from military slang and attached to the GMC's heavy duty trucks named after General and Brigadier. Prior to the introduction of first generation models, the models produced between 1973 and 1989, C50 and C80s came with single round headlight and an emblem positioned on the grille. The first generation models, however, featured a full-width grille with quad square headlights horizontally positioned in chrome bezels.
The second generation model was launched in 1990 and remained in production until 2002. The Kodiak and TopKick monikers were given to all GM medium-duty traditional trucks before they were discontinued in 1995. These models continued to be sold in US market until 2002 after which they were discontinued here, but remained in Mexican market where these were assembled at GM's Toluca plant during 2008.
The third generation models were launched in 2003 with a new more spacious platform based on the GM full-sized vans. The 4500 and 5500 truck versions were available with all-wheel drive configuration. Also, solid front axles on both 4×2 and 4×4 were offered rather than an independent front suspension found on the 3500 series. The models featured a drivetrain based on a Duramax V8 engine, an Allison 1000 transmission and a Dana S 110 rear axle. A New Process 273C Transfer case and a Dana 70 front axle were introduced in 4×4 models later.
An announcement had been made in December 2007 according to which the General Motors showed its intentions of selling their medium-duty truck business including Kodiak and TopKick to Navistar International. However, a joint statement from both General Motors and Navistar aired in August 2008 suggesting that the memorandum of understanding for the purchase had expired and won't be renewed. General Motors worked for about four years with potential buyers involving an expected five-year deal with Isuzu Motors declared January 2009 to take control of the production line in Flint, Michigan, eventually General Motors opted to slow down the production of its medium-duty trucks. On July 31, 2009, General Motors discontinued the production of Chevy Kodiak and GMC TopKick medium-duty trucks in Flint plant.


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Q: How to debounce a normally closed switch? The 74LS192 IC's up count (pin 5) needs a logic 0 in order to count up. I'm trying to debounce the switch so that it doesn't give multiple inputs to the IC.
I've tried this circuit that is used for normally open switches, but my circuit uses a normally closed one.

A: As in the comments the simple cap on the input pin and two resistors may work fairly well to give some bounce reduction. Also in the comments is the fact that the arrangement will not be symmetrical for the rising and falling switching edges. That is not necessarily a problem, but there is a simple way to get both edges about equal (if that were desired). Just add a diode in parallel with R9 (anode towards the switch), then make R9 the same value as R8.  With that arrangement the charging of the cap is mainly through R8 (the diode by-passes R9). The discharge of the cap is then through R9. Because some logic families differ on their switching points you could adjust R8 and R9 for best operation. With that said there is still the issue of slow rising and falling edges that might cause problems. That condition could be improved by using a logic gate with hysteresis. Yet another option would be to use an SR latch, (but then those options do start to become more complicated).

simulate this circuit – Schematic created using CircuitLab

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Does Medicare Cover Insulin Pens?
Insulin pens are covered by some Medicare Part D prescription drug plans and Medicare Advantage plans (Part C) that offer prescription drug coverage.
If you're eligible for Medicare and require the use of insulin to manage chronic diabetes, you may qualify for a Medicare Special Needs Plan (SNP).
What Medicare plans cover insulin?
Medicare Part D plans are standalone Medicare prescription drug plans that are sold by private insurance companies and cover certain prescription medications. Medicare Part D plans can offer syringes, needles, alcohol swabs, gauze, inhaled insulin devices and other diabetes supplies.
Medicare SNPs are a type of Medicare Advantage plan that limits membership to people with specific characteristics or diseases, including diabetes. These plans offer tailored benefits, provider choices and drug formularies to best meet the specific needs of the groups they serve.
Even better, every Medicare SNP must provide coverage for prescription drugs, and some plans include $0 premiums.
To qualify for a Medicare SNP, you must get a note from your doctor confirming that you have the condition (in this case, diabetes) addressed by the Special Needs Plan.
Medicare Part B will only cover insulin when the use of an insulin pump is deemed medically necessary. Medicare Part A doesn't cover insulin or insulin injection devices.
What diabetic supplies are covered by Medicare?
Medicare Part B covers several different diabetes supplies and services.
How much do insulin pens and other diabetes supplies cost?
For insulin supplies and services covered by Medicare Part B, you typically pay a Part B copayment (20 percent of the Medicare-approved amount) after you meet your Part B deductible ($185 per year in 2019).
Medicare Special Needs plans and Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug plans have some out-of-pocket costs, such as deductibles, copayments and coinsurance. The specific out-of-pocket amounts can vary from plan to plan, sp be sure to compare plans in your area and ask about these costs.
A licensed insurance agent can help you find and compare Medicare Advantage plans in your area that may include coverage for insulin pens and other diabetes supplies.


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Q: How to use softlayer api client for java with proxy? I need to use softlayer api using JAVA
URI:- https://github.com/softlayer/softlayer-java
I am using above implementation, but i am not able to connect as i have proxy on my machine.
can anyone tell me how to add proxy to the RestApiClient  object
.
..
RestApiClient client = new RestApiClient().withCredentials(slUser,apiKey);
    Guest.Service service = Guest.service(client);
..
.

i get connection refused error.


Dr. Kopala obtained his Doctor of Chiropractic Degree in 1997. Prior to this, Dr. Kopala obtained his Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy at the University of Alberta in 1991. By combining both professional degrees, Dr. Kopala is able to bridge two seemingly opposing health care fields.
Dr. Darrel Kopala has been helping people attain a better status of health in the clinic in Cold Lake, Alberta for over 20 years. As a Chiropractor with experience, Dr. Kopala is committed to promoting optimal health and well being of patients.
Dr. Kopala uses a "whole person approach". This approach to wellness means looking for underlying causes of any disturbance or disruption (which may or may not be causing symptoms at the time) and make whatever interventions and lifestyle adjustments that would optimize the conditions for normal function. Using this unique approach, Dr. Kopala is able to help you to accelerate and/or maintain your journey to good health.
Dr. Kopala has a zest for learning about the healing arts and continues to take seminars over and above the amount required by the chiropractic college.


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Austin Town Hall
Bringing the jams…
ATH Records
Tag: stream
Stream Living in Disguise from Flower Graves
July 11, 2019 nathan.lankford Leave a comment
Admittedly, I was all in with the reemergence of psych rock that came with things like Levitation and the like. But, after a few years, it got kind of boring; it felt like everyone was recycling the same bits and pieces, and I just grew weary of listening to the same song over and over. Fast forward to now, and there's this new LP from the Flower Graves. It was presented to me as two halves of an LP; sure, there are song breaks, but the presentation really let me immerse myself within the album's confines…which is how I fell in love with it. You can find the stereotypical psych tropes, like fuzzed out riffs and smokey guitar noodling, but peak beneath the songs and you'll find this striking pop sensibility. "Living in Disguise," for instance, definitely employs a stronger sense of melody than one typically finds, leaning almost towards dreamy pop realms. I'm partial to Side B's "Plastic Orange;" it feels like a pop hot air balloon just slowly descends atop the whole LP, which, in turn, sets you up for the heavy riffs of "Night Byrd." The whole Living in Disguise LP is a journey, but one easily worth your time today; the album drops Friday via Wallflower Records.
Poppel Announce Make Sense
Having formed in 2016, Belgium's Poppel don't seem to have slowed down on the writing process; they just released Hit It last year, and already they're back with another collection of endearing songs. This playful new video comes with the announcement of Make Sense, the band's second long-player. The video's personality almost seems to impact the listening experience, with those jangling guitars offering up the appropriate amount of exuberance. Still, stylistically, you can sense a hint of dreaminess oozing through this track, which perhaps finds the band treading that Real Estate territory that makes the kids swoon. You can grab the new album on September 20th from Meritorio Records.
Bopping B-Boys Track
Late yesterday, B-Boys dropped another tune from their forthcoming Dudu LP, which is now only a few weeks away from release. But, while their previous singles this go-round have been these short punchy jaunts, this new number stretches beyond the four minute mark. Interestingly, it still holds onto the same propulsive art-punk vibe with sort of indifferent spoken-word delivery; it does differ with touches more of instrumental work where the band are able to flex their muscles, only building tension in their songwriting for the emotional release of the listener. It's supposed to offer up a bit of respite from the "instant pace" in everything we do, which perhaps is why the band have chosen to sit back and let you explore this track a little more. Dudu drops via Captured Tracks on July 26th.
Dudu by B Boys
Mal Blum Shares See Me
Great pop rock comes few and far between, but it definitely seems like a lot of it has been coming from Mal Blum in the last few months, building anticipation for the release of Pity Boy. It's a pretty classic formula with verse chorus verse etc, but dammit if this chorus won't get stuck in your head all day long; I love the infectiousness that begs for a sing-a-long in the live set. The subject matter seems deals with the narrator feeling invisible, which could relate to Mal Blum or not; I'm sure we've all felt that way at times, unfortunately. Jus another reason to connect to Pity Boy; it drops Friday via Don Giovanni.
New Strange Ranger Tune
July 9, 2019 nathan.lankford Leave a comment
This new Strange Ranger tune has a lot of people's interest at the moment, with the band poised for big things when they drop Remembering the Rockets here in a few weeks. On their latest single, we get to here keyboardist Fiona Woodman take the lead, which, for my two cents, creates sort of a new texture for the band's sound. The background has this almost post-rock feel to it, blending into a sort dream pop piece once Woodman's voice enters the picture. Tucked into the whole of the album, it gives you sort of this early reflective piece, allowing you to completely give into the album's emotional appeal. The LP drops on July 26th via Tiny Engines.
Neutrals Drop Video for Hate the Summer of Love
Last week while you were celebrating America, I was celebrating the great music to come our way in 2019. One of the albums at the top of my list was Kebab Disco by Neutrals. Today, they've shared a video for one of the album's standout hits, so I feel like you should enjoy it, if only for another reference point on as to why you need this LP. The opening moments are owned by that bass line, brooding and bopping before the guitar jumps in to sort of skirt and dance around it. There's this disaffected youth vibe to the track, which is perhaps why I adore it so much…something youthful and rebellious…I'm grasping at straws in my old age. Regardless, if you like the song, buy the album from Emotional Response.
Azure Blue Shares Video for the Rose
I don't really need too much of a reason to shed light on the genius that is Azure Blue, but, since I've really enjoyed Images of You (not to mention all the previous releases), it only makes sense to share this video from the album. I think one of the biggest joys of this song is that Tobias' voice is really the focal point on this number…which is one of a handful of slow tunes on the latest LP. But, that's important because it's so easy to get lost in the hook-laden pulse of electronica he's crafted, yet when peeled away, it's clear that it's his voice that has always carried the melody. Plus, it's the perfect bookend to another brilliant release; it's available now via Hyrbis/Matinee Recordings.
Listen to Why Sun
I'm not sure why this Copenhagen outfit hadn't popped up on my radar until recently, but I'm really grateful to stumble back a few weeks to the release of Frugte EP, losing myself in the immense wall of sound the Danes have built. One of the album's standout tunes, "Traffic," just sort of hangs out there with this drum beat, solitary and alone; then guitars being to fuzzily drift in from the left speaker; then another guitar carefully glides in through the other speaker, paving the way for the deep deep vocal tones. If you're one of those that fancies themselves a fan of noisy shoegaze with pop sensibility, then do yourself a solid and go get lost in the music of Why Sun.
Far Out Pop from Purple Pilgrims
I felt like the first 20 seconds of this song had me circling the track, watching it unfold from above as some sort of celestial being. Of course, that's probably what Purple Pilgrims would want for any listener, as they craft this spaced pop that seems to expand beyond the realm of our own universe. There's core lyrics, but they're accented by this angelic haunt that sort of drifts in and out of the mix, as if that core vocal is this central force from which the whole of their musical galaxy expands. The group return to us mortals with their album Perfumed Earth on August 9th via Flying Nun Records.
The Golden Dregs Share Video for The Queen of Clubs
I've always been a fan of the Golden Dregs, especially when Lafayette came out back in 2018. But, not nearly a year later, Benjamin Woods and his project are back with a new collection of songs for your ears, Hope is for the Hopeless. I think he's slightly changed his sound, though is storytelling and wordplay always remain central to his craft. This particular number reminds me an awful lot of old M. Ward, it has that natural warmth contrasted with this underlying darkness, perhaps because of Wood's deepened vocal tones. I'll always stand by and support if/and you're offering of this brand of quiet elegance; the new LP drops this Fall!
Sharon Van Etten – Remind Me Tomorrow
Rating: ★★★½ · Of all the solo-powerhouses in the indie rock / folk world, few have resonated with me quite as much as the work
Drag Me To Hell OST – Waxwork Records
Rating: ★★★½ · Though I've been hard pressed to afford the great many offerings from Waxwork Records, I have always admired their work and dreamed
Dan Mangan – More Or Less
Rating: ★★★★ · I had to search our own site to find out how long it's been since I've posted an album review and I
Wild Nothing – Indigo
Rating: ★★★★ · Indigo marks the fourth full-length studio release of Wild Nothing, the moniker for Jack Tatum's sonic explorations in the realm of shimmery
ATH Records Releases
Being Dead – Fame Money Death by Drive By
Bones Garage – Oi Ma Yeah
She Sir – Ways A Season
The Hermits – s/t
Flesh Lights – Never See Snow
David Israel – The Year That Felt Like Two
Marmalakes – Please Don't Stop
Feverbones – Dream Talk
Blushing – Weak
Growl – Won't You
Andrew St. James – You'll be Fine 7″
Tres Oui – Singles Going Nowhere
Pollen Rx – Sunbelt Emptiness
Mean Jolene – Salty
Big Bill – Every City/Food Chain 7″
Basketball Shorts – Hot and Ready
Lo Country – Most Intellectual
Young Girls – Party Blood
Slack Capital Compilation
Big Bill – Weird Walk/Mainly Manly 7″
The Ocean Party – Light Weight
Lochness Mobsters – War Tuna
Rose Selavy/Templo X Split 7″
Grape St. – A Date With You
Literature – Arab Spring
Young Girls – S/T 7″ EP
Shivery Shakes – Three Waves…
Ramesh – The King
Artist to Watch (25)
Friday Top 5 (152)
Lost In Austin (11)
Tunes (10,780)
Lost In Austin
ATH Take Away: Young Girls – "Caroline"
Oh Young Girls. When you've got the hits, you've got the hits. We're excited to put out the Young Girls EP, but even a stripped
Lost in Austin: Brazos
It's been a hot minute since we've worked with our friends over at Guerilla Waltz to create one of our Lost in Austin videos. We
Lost In Austin: Cave Singers Prt. 2
As previously mentioned, we're overly excited about getting our Lost in Austin takeaway videos back off the ground and running. Our first subject in the
Lost in Austin: Cave Singers
Wow, it's been way too long since we've managed to shoot one of our world famous Lost in Austin videos with Guerilla Waltz. Almost a
Copyright Austin Town Hall


Alternately, you can use an Arduino Uno and follow these instructions.
The Firmware Upgrader is designed to run on a MS-Windows XP or Vista or Windows 7 computer.
Place the program and its configuration file and device firmware in any folder on your computer.
Connect your Upgrader tool directly to your PC on USB port. (Do not use USB hub between PC and tool).
Browse to the folder and double-click the application 'mindsensorsupgrader'.
From the 'Device' menu, select menu item 'Select COM Port ...' and choose appropriate COM port.
On the bottom of SD540 there are several DIP switches, move the Calibrate/Run DIP switch on SD540 to Calibrate position.
Connect Power terminals of SD540 to battery and supply 12 Volts.
Attach the 4 pin cable of upgrader tool to SD540 on I2C pins as in picture below.
The cable on your Upgrader may be Red/Black/Yellow/White or Yellow/Orange/Red/Brown.
Whatever the colors are, refer to following orientation and connect.
At this point the LED near the 16 pin connector should be Green.
If not, check your connections again.
It takes about 5 minutes for upgrade to go through.
Wait for it to finish, upon completion follow on screen instructions.
Your device is now upgraded with new firmware.
Be sure to move the DIP switch of your SD540 back to Run Position.
While upgrade is in process, the LED near the 16 pin connector will flash between Green and Red.


Can I take a fish oil in combination with Udo's Choice?
While the most important thing to do in our oil intake is to get the "food oil foundation" right it is ok to use a fish oil supplement in addition. Remember that Udo's Oil is there to replace the circa 50 grams of damaged cooking oils that we get in our foods daily whilst fish oils provide only about 1-3 grams of oil so if the 50 grams is damaged 1-3 grams of supplement is not really going to sort out any problems caused by an unhealthy food oil foundation. Here's my All – Some -None statements.
If you do wish to use a fish oil try to find one that is not damaged by processing and does not contain PCBs and dioxins – this is difficult as pretty much all fish oils are processed heavily to remove the PCBs and dioxins and this processing damages the delicate fatty acids.
Is it best to take the recommended 3 dessert spoons of the oil all together or is it ok to spread it out over the day?
It is always best to spread out your intake throughout the day mixed with food. It is compatible with all foods. Try taking one dessert spoon in your porridge and then spread the remainder throughout the day with other meals. Look out for our recipe booklet for some inspirational ideas on incorporating Udo's Choice Ultimate Oil Blend into your diet.
The main benefit from eating whole flax seed is that the mucilage fibre is good for bowel regularity, can be helpful in blood glucose regulation by slowing its absorption, its lovely food for probiotics and also helps to export toxins from your liver out of your body.
If you swallow the seeds whole you will not get the nutrients inside the flax because it has a very hard coating. It will go through you and you could (should you want to!!) still plant it and it would grow.
If you eat ground flaxseed you will get the nutrients but it needs to be fresh as ground flax will go rancid rapidly –even kept in the fridge in a dark container it will be rancid after about a week.
What can be done regarding 'klonking' /joints that rub against each other?
The oil helps the cells that make the cartilage and the fluid inside the knee. In addition, even though they are made in the body some additional intake of glucosamine and chondroitin may also be helpful. You might also find magnesium helpful (if there is not enough magnesium in the knee, calcium deposits can take their place). Reducing acidity may also help and the quickest way to become more alkaline is to do some deep breathing as oxygen is the most alkaline substance there is on the planet.
Is it the Omega 3 in the oil or the MCT (medium chain triglycerides) from the Coconut Oil that provides the energy?
Both but primarily the Omega 3. Omega 3 provides more energy per gram and is like a fat burning 'fire starter' in your body. MCTs give you energy but do not encourage energy production from fat burning like Omega 3s. Besides, there is a lot of Omega 3 and little MCTs in Udo's Oil. The coconut oil is in there for two reasons – flavour and the antioxidants it provides.
Omega 3 turns OFF fat producing genes and turns ON fat burning genes, does that mean that we don't need exercise to burn fat away, simply staying on a low carb/ketogenic diet with Udo's is enough?
To some extent yes. We do have people who burn fat without doing anything different in their exercise program. However, I wouldn't want to recommend this as the lazy persons weight loss program as exercise both burns fat and makes you healthier. The body was made for activity and struggles with non-activity.
Should we take the Udo's Choice Digestive Enzymes with every meal as maintenance or is that over-doing it?
The digestive enzymes are meant to replace the enzymes destroyed when foods are cooked so they should be taken with every cooked meal. I have also had feedback from people on raw food diets that when they eat their food raw, taking enzymes increases their ability to digest food even though the raw foods still contain their enzymes.


(Hebrews 11:8-16,23-40) The things in which we place our hope have a surprisingly strong influence on how we live our daily lives. Do you hope in what this world has to offer here and now or in in the promise of a better future that God offers us in His Son? What would it mean for us if we lived a life based on the reality that Christ has risen from the dead and is coming again with the Kingdom of God?


I am extremely happy to announce that I have been selected as a student in Google Summer of Code '17 in GNOME. This would not have been possible without the constant guidance and support of my mentor Georges Stavracas and also the immensely helpful GNOME community. I would also like to thank my mate Rohit Kaushik who kept me motivated all the time and himself got selected for GSoC in GNOME To Do. You can find Rohit's work here.
Now let's dive right into what my project is about.
The goal of the project is to add support to recurrent events in GNOME Calendar.
Support for recurrent events already exists in Evolution calendar but it is lacking in GNOME Calendar. For example, right now, for a weekly repeating event, users have to manually add that event every week which is very inconvenient and time consuming.
Recurrence property will be added to GcalEvent in Calendar. A new GcalRecurrence structure will be introduced which will handle the recurrence part in GcalEvent using Evolution's API.
The first major task would be to 'detect recurrent events'.
You can check out the full mockup here.
The next major part of the project is to handle the editing/deletion of recurrent events. The options available to the user regarding that are given in the mockup below.
I will regularly update this blog and provide a step-by-step documentation so that it may help fellow developers and also some enthusiastic users who want to dive into the world of GNOME development (or Open-source development in general).
You can find the official project page here with a detailed list of deliverables.
Evolution is a calendar and a mailing client. Learn more about Evolution here.
Stay tuned, there is plenty more to come!
This sounds really good Yash. Good job!