text:
\section{Introduction}

Approximately half of the elements heavier than iron in the universe
are produced via a series of $slow$ neutron capture reactions and
competing $\beta$-decays (the $s$-process). During the $s$-process,
the neutron number density is relatively low, of the order of 10$^7$
n cm$^{-3}$. When the flux reaches an unstable nucleus, it
typically decays rather than capture another neutron and
the $s$-process proceeds via the
isotopes around the valley of $\beta$-stability \citep[e.g.,][]{bur57}.
The astrophysical
sites of the $s$-process are core He and shell C burning in massive
stars for the elements lighter than Sr \citep{pig10}, and the ``He
intershell'' of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars for the elements
between Sr and Bi \citep{gal98}. Stars with initial masses lower
than roughly 9 $M_\sun$ reach the AGB phase in the final phases of
their evolution, when both H and He have been exhausted in the core
leaving C and O in electron degenerate conditions. Production of
nuclear energy occurs in the H and He shells, which are located
between the core and the extended convective envelope and are
separated by the thin He intershell layer. AGB stars experience
thermal pulses (TPs) when the usually dormant He burning shell is
suddenly activated. A large amount of energy is released, which
drives convection in the He intershell. During TPs the star expands and cools
and the H burning shell is inactive.
While He burning turns from the convective to the radiative regime,
and eventually switches off, the convective envelope can penetrate
the underlying He intershell and carry to the surface the products
of He burning, in particular carbon and the elements
heavier than iron made by the $s$-process. This mixing process is
known as the ``third dredge-up'' (TDU). After the TDU is ended, the
star contracts and heats up again and H burning resumes until
another TP occurs and the cycle is repeated. This sequence of events
can occur from a few times to hundreds of times, depending on the
stellar mass and the mass-loss rate. AGB stars suffer
from very strong stellar winds, which erode the envelope roughly
within a million years and shed the newly synthesized material mixed
to the surface by the TDU into the interstellar medium. Eventually,
the C-O degenerate core is left as a cooling white dwarf
\citep[see][for a review on AGB stars]{her05}.

According to the current standard model
\citep{gal98,bus99,gor00,lug03a,cri09a}, some protons must diffuse
from the convective envelope into the He intershell at the end of
each TDU in order to produce enough $^{13}$C to account for the
observed abundances of the $s$-process elements at the surface of
AGB stars \citep[see also][]{bus01}. A thin layer is then produced,
known as the $^{13}$C ``pocket'', which is rich in $^{13}$C made via
$^{12}$C($p$,\,$\gamma$)$^{13}$N($\beta^+\nu$)$^{13}$C. When in this
region the temperature reaches about $9 \times 10^7$ K, the
$^{13}$C($\alpha$,\,$n$)$^{16}$O reaction is activated and generates
neutrons that trigger the $s$-process
\citep{hol88,gal88,kap90,kap11}.

Considerable effort has been devoted to the direct measurement of
the $^{13}$C($\alpha$,\,$n$)$^{16}$O cross section
\citep{sek67,dav68,bai73,kel89,dro93,bru93,har05,hei08}. These
measurements have been performed at energies down to 270 keV,
whereas the Gamow window is at 190 $\pm$ 40 keV, corresponding to a
temperature of 100 MK. Since this energy is far below the Coulomb
barrier, the reaction cross section is extremely small and direct
measurement is sensitively limited by background signals and very
difficult to perform in laboratories on the Earth's surface. While a
measurement has been proposed at the underground laboratory of LUNA
\citep{cos09}, at present, the experimental cross sections have to
be extrapolated below 270 keV. A microscopic cluster model analysis
of the $^{13}$C($\alpha$,\,$n$)$^{16}$O and
$^{13}$C($\alpha$,\,$\alpha$) reactions by \citet{des87} suggested
that this extrapolation is critically affected by the 1/2$^+$
subthreshold resonance in $^{17}$O ($E_x$ = 6.356 MeV, just 3 keV
below the $\alpha$-decay threshold). The contribution from this
resonance depends strongly on the $\alpha$-width of the 1/2$^+$
state in $^{17}$O, which can be derived from the spectroscopic
factor ($S_\alpha$) or the asymptotic normalization coefficient
(ANC) of $\alpha$-cluster in this state.

The $S_\alpha$ and the ANC can be determined from the angular
distribution of the direct $\alpha$-transfer reaction using
distorted wave Born approximation (DWBA) or coupled reaction
channels (CRC) analysis. Although three indirect measurements via
the ($^{6}$Li,\,$d$) or the ($^{7}$Li,\,$t$) system have been
performed by \citet{kub03}, \citet{joh06}, and \citet{pel08} to
study the $S_\alpha$ or the ANC of the 1/2$^+$ state, there still
exists a significant discrepancy of up to a factor of $\sim$30 in
the derived $S_\alpha$ and ANC. Therefore, it is interesting to
perform a new measurement of the $S_\alpha$ and the ANC via an
independent transfer reaction. In addition, it is necessary to
understand the impact of the different resulting
$^{13}$C($\alpha$,\,$n$)$^{16}$O rates on the $s$-process
nucleosynthesis in AGB stars.

In this paper we determine a new stellar rate of the
$^{13}$C($\alpha$,\,$n$)$^{16}$O reaction and incorporate it
in calculations of the $s$-process nucleosynthesis in AGB
stars. First, we measure the angular distribution of the
$^{13}$C($^{11}$B,\,$^{7}$Li)$^{17}$O reaction to determine the
$S_\alpha$ and the ANC for the 1/2$^+$ state in $^{17}$O. Using this
experimental ANC we derive the $\alpha$-width for the 1/2$^+$
subthreshold resonance, which is currently the most uncertain
parameter for determining the $^{13}$C($\alpha$,\,$n$)$^{16}$O rate.
Finally, we use the new rate and different rates available in the
literature as input for simulations of AGB stars to study
their influence on the abundance of some selected $s$-process
elements and isotopic ratios.

\section{Measurement and evaluation of the ANC}

\subsection{Experimental procedure}

The measurement of the angular distribution for the
$^{13}$C($^{11}$B,\,$^{7}$Li)$^{17}$O reaction was performed at the
HI-13 tandem accelerator of China Institute of Atomic Energy (CIAE)
in Beijing. We used a $^{11}$B beam with an energy of 50 MeV leading
to the production of the excited states in $^{17}$O at $E_x$ = 3.055
MeV, 3.843 MeV, 4.554 MeV and 6.356 MeV. The angular distribution of
the elastic scattering for the entrance channel
($^{11}$B\,+\,$^{13}$C) was also measured. We used a self-supporting
$^{13}$C target with a thickness of 75\,$\pm$\,6 $\mu$g/cm$^2$ and
an initial purity of 88\%. A 26 MeV $^7$Li beam was also delivered
for measurement of the exit channel ($^7$Li\,+\,$^{17}$O) elastic
scattering. Natural silicon monoxide of 86\,$\pm$\,7 $\mu$g/cm$^2$
was prepared onto a 40\,$\pm$\,3 $\mu$g/cm$^2$ carbon foil, serving
as the oxygen target. In addition, a self-supporting $^{12}$C target
of 66\,$\pm$\,5 $\mu$g/cm$^2$ was used for calibration of the focal
plane and background subtraction during the whole experiment.

To monitor the possible buildup of $^{12}$C, the $^{11}$B elastic
scattering on the $^{13}$C target was measured at the start and at
the end of the measurement for each angle. This showed that the
$^{12}$C buildup was negligible compared to the initial impurity in
the $^{13}$C target, possibly due to the rather low gas pressure
($\leq$\,10$^{-6}$ mb) in the reaction chamber. To determine the
absolute amount of $^{12}$C in the $^{13}$C target we measured the
angular distributions of the $^{11}$B\,+\,$^{12}$C elastic
scattering with both the natural $^{12}$C target and the enriched
$^{13}$C target. The absolute amounts of $^{12}$C and $^{13}$C in
the $^{13}$C target were found to be 9.0\,$\pm$\,0.7 and
66\,$\pm$\,5 $\mu$g/cm$^2$, respectively.

The beam current was measured by a Faraday cup covering an angular
range of $\pm\,$6$^\circ$ in a laboratory frame and used for the
absolute normalization of the cross sections at
$\theta_\mathrm{lab}\,>\,6^\circ$. The Faraday cup was removed when
measuring the cross sections at
$\theta_\mathrm{lab}\,\leq\,6^\circ$. A Si $\Delta E\,-\,E$
telescope located at $\theta_\mathrm{lab}\,=\,25^\circ$ was employed
for the relative normalization of the cross sections at
$\theta_\mathrm{lab}\,\leq\,6^\circ$ by measuring the elastic
scattering of the incident ions on the targets. In addition, the
ratio of current integration in the Faraday cup to the elastic
scattering events was measured at the start and the end of the
measurement for each angle $\theta_\mathrm{lab}\,\leq\,6^\circ$ by
restoring the Faraday cup. The ratios changed by less than 2\%,
which thus led to a reliable normalization of the cross sections at
$\theta_\mathrm{lab}\,\leq\,6^\circ$.

The reaction products were focused and separated by a Q3D magnetic
spectrograph and recorded by a two-dimensional position-sensitive
silicon detector (PSSD, 50\,$\times$\,50 mm) fixed at the focal
plane of the spectrograph. The two-dimensional position information
from the PSSD enabled the products emitted into the acceptable solid
angle to be recorded completely. The energy information from the
PSSD was used to remove the impurities with the same magnetic
rigidity.

Due to the presence of $^{12}$C in the $^{13}$C target, the $^7$Li
events from the $^{13}$C($^{11}$B,\,$^{7}$Li)$^{17}$O$^*$ (6.356
MeV) reaction were mixed with those from the
$^{12}$C($^{11}$B,\,$^{7}$Li)$^{16}$O$^*$ (6.917 MeV) reaction. To
evaluate this background the ($^{11}$B,\,$^{7}$Li) reactions were
measured for both the $^{13}$C and $^{12}$C targets at each angle
with the same experimental setup. As an example, in Fig. \ref{fig1}
we display the focal-plane position spectra of $^7$Li at
$\theta_\mathrm{lab}$\,=\,10$^\circ$ from the ($^{11}$B,\,$^{7}$Li)
transfer reactions. The background from $^{12}$C accounts for
approximately half of total events from the $^{13}$C target. After
background subtraction and beam normalization, the angular
distributions of the elastic scattering and the
$^{13}$C($^{11}$B,\,$^{7}$Li)$^{17}$O$^*$ (6.356 MeV) reaction were
obtained, as presented in Figs. \ref{fig2} and \ref{fig3}. In Fig.
\ref{fig3} we also display the angular distributions of the
$^{13}$C($^{11}$B,\,$^{7}$Li)$^{17}$O reaction leading to the other
three states ($E_x$ = 3.055 MeV, 3.843 MeV, and 4.554 MeV). Note
that the measurements for these three states were not affected by
the $^{12}$C background.

\subsection{Extraction of the ANC}

The finite-range distorted wave Born approximation (DWBA) method
with the FRESCO code \citep{tho88} was used to analyze the
experimental angular distributions of the transfer reaction. The
optical model potential (OMP) parameters for the entrance and exit
channels were obtained by fitting the experimental angular
distributions of the $^{11}$B\,+\,$^{13}$C and $^{7}$Li\,+\,$^{16}$O
elastic scattering, respectively (Fig. \ref{fig2}). Full complex
remnant term interactions were included in the transfer reaction
calculations. The parameters of the core-core
($^{7}$Li\,+\,$^{13}$C) potential of \citet{coo87} gave reasonable
account of the elastic scattering of $^7$Li from $^{13}$C at 34 MeV.
The parameters used in the DWBA calculations are listed in Table
\ref{tab1}.

To obtain the spectroscopic factor ($S_\alpha$) and the ANC of
$\alpha$-cluster in $^{17}$O the spectroscopic amplitudes of
$\alpha$-cluster in the ground state of $^{11}$B need to be fixed.
The single-particle wave function describing the relative motion
between $\alpha$-cluster and $^7$Li core in the $^{11}$B ground
state can have two components denoted by quantum numbers $NL_j$ =
3$S_0$ and 2$D_2$, respectively, where $N$ is the number of radial
nodes that include the origin but not the infinity and $L$ and $j$
are the orbital and total angular momenta, respectively. The
spectroscopic amplitudes of these two components are $-$0.509 and
0.629, respectively, from a shell model calculation \citep{kur73},
and $-$0.638 and $-$0.422, respectively, from the translationally
invariant shell model \citep{rud05}. In the present analysis, both
sets of spectroscopic amplitudes were used and the resulting
difference was incorporated in the total uncertainty of our result.

The $\alpha$-cluster single-particle wave functions were calculated
using conventional Woods-Saxon potentials whose depths were adjusted
to reproduce the binding energies of $\alpha$-cluster in the ground
state of $^{11}$B and in the four states of $^{17}$O. The quantum
numbers $NL_j$ for $\alpha$-cluster in the 6.356 MeV 1/2$^+$ state
of $^{17}$O were fixed to be $4P_1$ by the oscillatory energy
conservation relation $2(N-1)+L = \sum_{i=1}^4 2(n_i-1)+l_i$, where
$n_i,l_i$ are the corresponding single-nucleon shell quantum
numbers. In addition, the quantum numbers for $\alpha$-cluster in
the other three states, 3.055 MeV 1/2$^-$, 3.843 MeV 5/2$^-$, and
4.554 MeV 3/2$^-$, were determined to be $4S_0$, $3D_2$, and $3D_2$,
respectively.

The geometry parameters, radius $r_0$ and diffuseness $a$, of the
Woods-Saxon potential for $\alpha$-cluster in $^{11}$B were adjusted
to give the root-mean-square (RMS) radius ($\sqrt{\langle
r^2\rangle}=3.204$ fm) of the $\alpha$-cluster wave function. This
was calculated using the following relation between cluster sizes
and their mean distances within a nucleus,
\begin{equation}
\langle r_{\textrm{B}}^{2} \rangle = {m_{\textrm{He}} \over
m_{\textrm{B}}} \langle r_{\textrm{He}}^{2} \rangle+{m_{\textrm{Li}}
\over m_{\textrm{B}}} \langle r_{\textrm{Li}}^{2}
\rangle+{m_{\textrm{He}}m_{\textrm{Li}} \over m_{\textrm{B}}^2}
\langle r^{2} \rangle, \label{eq1}
\end{equation}
where the RMS radii of $^4$He, $^7$Li, and $^{11}$B were taken to be
1.47 fm, 2.384 fm, and 2.605 fm, respectively \citep{lia90}. The
resulting parameters are $r_0\,=\,0.92$ fm and $a = 0.65$ fm. We
investigated the dependence of the calculated $S_\alpha$ and the ANC
on the geometry parameters for $^{11}$B. With a diffuseness between
0.65\,$-$\,0.75 fm, the radius was adjusted to reproduce the RMS
radius of 3.204 fm. The impact of this change on the $S_\alpha$ was
found to be less than 2\%. We also investigated the dependence of
the $S_\alpha$ and the ANC on the geometry parameters for $^{17}$O
using the same range of $r_0$ (0.9\,$-$\,1.06 fm) and $a$
(0.60\,$-$\,0.76 fm) that was selected by maximum likelihood
function set at 3$\sigma$ level by \citet{pel08}. Using steps of
0.02 fm for both $r_0$ and $a$, 81 sets of geometry parameters were
obtained and used to calculate 81 values of the $S_\alpha$ and the
ANC. Their standard deviations were taken as the uncertainty
deriving from the geometry parameters for $^{17}$O. The parameters
$r_0$\,=\,1.00 fm and $a$\,=\,0.76 fm provide the best description
for the angular distributions of the four states (see also Fig.
\ref{fig3}).

In Fig. \ref{fig3} we display the calculated angular distributions
normalized to the experimental data for the
$^{13}$C($^{11}$B,\,$^{7}$Li)$^{17}$O reaction populating the 3.055
MeV, 3.843 MeV, 4.554 MeV, and 6.356 MeV states in $^{17}$O. For the
3.055 MeV state the $S_\alpha$ factor was found to be
0.19\,$\pm$\,0.06, compatible with the values obtained from the
($^{6}$Li,\,$d$) reaction ($S_\alpha$\,$\approx$\,0.18\,$-$\,0.3) by
\citet{kee03} and from the ($^{7}$Li,\,$t$) reaction
($S_\alpha$\,=\,0.27\,$\pm$\,0.05) by \citet{pel08}. For the 3.843
MeV and 4.554 MeV states the $S_\alpha$ factors were found to be
0.078\,$\pm$\,0.025 and 0.060\,$\pm$\,0.019, respectively. These
disagree with the values of 0.19\,$-$\,0.34 and 0.27\,$-$\,0.48,
respectively for the two states, given by \citet{kee03}, who adopted
geometry parameters $r_0$\,=\,1.25 fm and $a$\,=\,0.65 fm for
$^{17}$O and used a coupled-channel calculation to fit the data.
When using these geometry parameters we were not able to reproduce
our measured $^{13}$C($^{11}$B,\,$^{7}$Li)$^{17}$O angular
distributions of the four states and obtained an extremely small
value of maximum likelihood function. For the 4.554 MeV state our
result is consistent with that of \citet{pel08}, who found an
$S_\alpha$ factor of 0.10\,$\pm$\,0.05 via the ($^{7}$Li,\,$t$)
reaction.

The $S_\alpha$ for the 6.356 MeV 1/2$^+$ state of $^{17}$O was
derived to be 0.37\,$\pm$\,0.12. The error results from the
statistics (23\%), the target thickness (8\%), the uncertainties
from the spectroscopic amplitudes (3\%) for $^{11}$B, the geometry
parameters (2\%) for $^{11}$B, and the geometry parameters (20\%)
for the 1/2$^+$ state of $^{17}$O. The square of the Coulomb
modified ANC ($\tilde{C}^2$) was then extracted to be 4.0 $\pm$ 1.1
fm$^{-1}$ using the relation, $\tilde{C}^2 = S_\alpha
{R^2\phi(R)^2/\tilde{W}(R)^2}$, where $\phi(R)$ is the radial
single-particle wave function for $\alpha$-cluster in the 1/2$^+$
state of $^{17}$O, and $\tilde{W}(R)=W(R)\Gamma(L+1+\eta)$ is the
Coulomb modified Whittaker function, with $\Gamma(L+1+\eta)$ being
gamma function and $\eta$ the Coulomb parameter. The uncertainty in
the ANC of 27.5\% is smaller than that in the $S_\alpha$ of 32.4\%.
This is because the variation of the geometry parameters yields a
change in $\phi(R)$ that is opposite in sign to the change in
$S_\alpha$ so the uncertainty from the $^{17}$O geometry parameters
in $\tilde{C}^2$ of 12\% is smaller than that in $S_\alpha$ of 20\%.

\subsection{Different evaluations of the ANC}

Three independent measurements in addition to the present work have
been performed to date to study the ANC or the $S_\alpha$ of the
1/2$^+$ state in $^{17}$O. A very small spectroscopic factor
($S_\alpha$\,$\sim$\,0.011) was found via measurement of the
$^{13}$C($^{6}$Li,\,$d$)$^{17}$O angular distribution with an
incident energy of 60 MeV \citep{kub03}. This indicated that the
contribution of the 1/2$^+$ subthreshold resonance is negligible.
However, a reanalysis of the same experimental data showed that the
DWBA analysis of \citet{kub03} could be flawed \citep{kee03}. These
authors derived larger $S_\alpha$ factors of 0.36 and 0.40 via DWBA
and coupled reaction channels (CRC) calculations, respectively.
\citet{joh06} measured the $^{6}$Li($^{13}$C,\,$d$)$^{17}$O angular
distribution at sub-Coulomb energies (8 and 8.5 MeV) and derived
$\tilde{C}^2$ = 0.89\,$\pm$\,0.23 fm$^{-1}$. \citet{pel08} measured
the $^{13}$C($^{7}$Li,\,$t$)$^{17}$O angular distribution with two
incident energies (28 and 34 MeV). The $S_\alpha$ and $\tilde{C}^2$
were found to be 0.29\,$\pm$\,0.11 and 4.5\,$\pm$\,2.2 fm$^{-1}$,
respectively.

In Table \ref{tab2} we list the $S_\alpha$ and $\tilde{C}^2$ values
from the present study and from the literature sources mentioned
above. Good agreement for the $S_\alpha$ and $\tilde{C}^2$ is found
between \citet{kee03}, \citet{pel08}, and the present work, which
used three different transfer systems and covered an energy range of
4\,$-$\,10 MeV/u. This indicates that the $S_\alpha$ and ANC for the
1/2$^+$ state of $^{17}$O should not significantly depend on the
selection of transfer systems and incident energies. On the other
hand, the $\tilde{C}^2$ obtained from the $^{6}$Li($^{13}$C,\,$d$)
reaction at sub-Coulomb energies by \citet{joh06} is about five
times smaller than that obtained in the present work and by
\citet{pel08}. The sub-Coulomb ($^{6}$Li,\,$d$) $\alpha$-transfer
cross section was recently remeasured to understand the source of
this discrepancy and the data analysis is in progress (G. V.
Rogachev 2012, private communication). It remains to be seen if this
analysis will result in a revised value of $\tilde{C}^2$.

\section{The $^{13}$C($\alpha$,\,$n$)$^{16}$O reaction rate}

The astrophysical S-factor of the $^{13}$C($\alpha$,\,$n$)$^{16}$O
reaction via the resonances can be calculated with the Breit-Wigner
formula,
\begin{eqnarray}
S(E)=\pi{\hbar^{2} \over 2\mu}\frac{2J_R + 1}{(2J_p + 1)(2J_t +
1)}\frac{\Gamma_{\alpha}(E)\Gamma_n(E+Q)}{(E-E_{R})^{2}+(\Gamma_{tot}/2)^{2}}\exp(2\pi\eta),\label{eq2}
\end{eqnarray}
where $\mu$ is the reduced mass of the $\alpha$\,+\,$^{13}$C system;
$E_{R}$ represents the resonance energy; $J_R$, $J_p$, and $J_t$ are
the spins of the excited states in $^{17}$O, $\alpha$, and $^{13}$C,
respectively; $\Gamma_{\alpha}$, $\Gamma_{n}$, and $\Gamma_{tot}$
denote the $\alpha$-, neutron-, and total widths, respectively; and $Q$
is the reaction $Q$-value of $^{13}$C($\alpha$,\,$n$)$^{16}$O.

For the resonances above the $\alpha$-threshold, the energy
dependence of these partial widths is given by
\begin{eqnarray}
\Gamma_{\alpha}(E)=\Gamma_{\alpha}(E_{R}){P_{l_i}(E) \over
P_{l_i}(E_R)},\label{eq3}
\end{eqnarray}
and
\begin{eqnarray}
\Gamma_{n}(E+Q)=\Gamma_{n}(E_{R})\Big{(}{E+Q \over
E_{R}+Q}\Big{)}^{l_f+1/2},\label{eq4}
\end{eqnarray}
where $\Gamma_{\alpha}(E_{R})$ and $\Gamma_{n}(E_{R})$ denote the
experimental $\alpha$- and neutron-widths, respectively; $P_{l_i}(E)$ is the
$\alpha$-penetrability; and $l_i$ and $l_f$ are the orbital angular
momenta for $\alpha$ and neutron in the excited states of $^{17}$O,
respectively \citep[see, e.g.][]{ili07}.

For the subthreshold resonance, the energy dependence of the
neutron-width can be also obtained by Eq. \ref{eq4}, while the
dependence of the $\alpha$-width is expressed as
\begin{eqnarray}
\Gamma_{\alpha}(E)=2\gamma_\alpha^2P_{l_i}(E). \label{eq5}
\end{eqnarray}
Here the reduced $\alpha$-width $\gamma_\alpha^2$ can be given by
\begin{eqnarray}
\gamma_\alpha^2 = {\hbar^2R_c \over 2\mu} S_\alpha
\phi(R_c)^2={\hbar^2 \over 2\mu R_c} \tilde{C}^2 \tilde{W}(R_c)^2,
\label{eq6}
\end{eqnarray}
and was extracted to be 12.7\,$\pm$\,3.5 keV at the channel
radius $R_c$\,=\,7.5 fm. This large radius was chosen to reach the
Coulomb asymptotic behavior of $\phi(R)$, as suggested by
\citet{des87} and \citet{pel08}.

In Table \ref{tab3} we list the resonant parameters for the 1/2$^+$
subthreshold state employed to obtain the astrophysical S-factor of
the 1/2$^+$ subthreshold resonance in
$^{13}$C($\alpha$,\,$n$)$^{16}$O. The uncertainties in the S-factor
were investigated by varying $\gamma_\alpha^2$, $E_{R}$, and
$\Gamma_{n}(E_{R})$. We also investigated the dependence of the
S-factor on the channel radius by changing $R_c$ from 6 fm to 7.5
fm. The S-factor at the Gamow peak of 190 keV, $S(190)$, was derived
to be (8.4\,$\pm$\,2.3)$\times$10$^5$ MeV b. The error is dominated
by the uncertainty in the resonant parameters for the 1/2$^+$
subthreshold state. The uncertainty from the channel radius is 4\%
in $S(190)$, varying slightly with the energy.

We calculated the total S-factor of $^{13}$C($\alpha$,\,$n$)$^{16}$O
by including the properties of the $^{17}$O states up to 8.342 MeV
from the compilation of \citet{til93}, and considering their
interferences. However, the resulting total S-factor did not agree
with the data from the direct measurements of \citet{dro93}, who
measured the S-factor at the lowest energies to date, and of
\citet{hei08}, who performed a systematical experimental
verification of neutron efficiency over a range of well-defined
energies. Moreover, the resonant structure near the 3/2$^+$
resonance at $E_R$\,=\,0.842 MeV was not well reproduced using the
parameters from \citet{til93}. Hence, we adjusted the $\alpha$- and
neutron-widths for this state to provide the best fitting of the
experimental data. The fitting resulted in broader partial widths
[$\Gamma_{\alpha}(E_{R})$\,=\,0.08 keV, $\Gamma_{n}(E_{R})$\,=\,340
keV] than the recommended values of \citet{til93}
[$\Gamma_{\alpha}(E_{R})$\,=\,0.07 keV, $\Gamma_{n}(E_{R})$\,=\,280
keV], in agreement with \citet{pel08} and \citet{hei08}. All
resonant parameters used in the present calculations are listed in
Table \ref{tab3}.

In Fig. \ref{fig4} we display the resulting astrophysical
$^{13}$C($\alpha$,\,$n$)$^{16}$O S-factor as a function of the energy in
the center of mass frame ($E_\mathrm{c.m.}$). The uncertainty mainly
results from the resonant parameters of the 1/2$^+$ subthreshold state
since the resonant parameters of the states above the $\alpha$-emission
threshold are relatively well constrained by fitting the experimental
data. The contribution of the 1/2$^+$ resonance results in a clear
increase of the S-factor at lower energies. At the Gamow peak of 190
keV the 1/2$^+$ subthreshold resonance dominates the
$^{13}$C($\alpha$,\,$n$)$^{16}$O reaction. At this energy the
contribution of this resonance accounts for 61\% of total S-factor.

The astrophysical $^{13}$C($\alpha$,\,$n$)$^{16}$O reaction rate
was calculated with the present S-factor using:
\begin{eqnarray}
\label{eq7}%
N_A \langle\sigma v\rangle = N_A\Big{(}{8 \over
\pi\mu}\Big{)}^{1/2}{1 \over (kT)^{3/2}}\int^{\infty}_0
S(E)\exp\Big{[}-{E \over kT}-2\pi\eta\Big{]}dE,
\end{eqnarray}
where $N_{A}$ is Avogadro's number.
In Table \ref{tab4} we list the present adopted
rate as function of the temperature together with its
upper and lower limits. In Fig. \ref{fig5} we compare the
present rate with the previous compilations by CF88 \citep{cau88}
and NACRE \citep{ang99} and with other rates available in the
literature \citep{den95,kub03,joh06,pel08,hei08} at the temperature of 100 MK.
Our rate agrees with that of \citet{den95} and it
is about two times smaller than the NACRE recommended rate, but within
its lower limit. Both the rates by NACRE and \citet{den95}
were derived from an
extrapolation of the lowest energy experimental data available to date of
\citet{dro93}. There is a large discrepancy of up to a
factor of 2 between the present rate and the rates by CF88, \citet{kub03},
and \citet{joh06} due to the fact that CF88 did not take into account
the contribution of the
1/2$^+$ subthreshold resonance and \citet{kub03} and \citet{joh06} found
a significantly smaller contribution than ours of this resonance to the rate.
Our rate is in good agreement
with that of \citet{pel08}, who found the contribution of the
subthreshold resonance similar to ours, and is consistent with that of
\citet{hei08}, who used an extensive multichannel $R$-matrix analysis
to constrain the possible contribution from subthreshold
resonances by taking into account all open reaction channels for the
$^{13}$C\,+\,$\alpha$ and $^{16}$O\,+\,$n$ systems.

For conveniency, we fitted our rate with the expression used in the
astrophysical reaction rate library REACLIB \citep{thi87,rau01},
\begin{eqnarray}
\label{eq8}%
N_A \langle\sigma v\rangle =
\exp[a_1+a_2T_{9}^{-1}+a_3T_{9}^{-1/3}+a_4T_{9}^{1/3}
+a_5T_{9}+a_6T_{9}^{5/3}+a_7\ln(T_{9})]\nonumber\\
+\exp[a_8+a_9T_{9}^{-1}+a_{10}T_{9}^{-1/3}+a_{11}T_{9}^{1/3}
+a_{12}T_{9}+a_{13}T_{9}^{5/3}+a_{14}\ln(T_{9})].
\end{eqnarray}
Here $T_9$ is the temperature in units of 1 GK. The coefficients
$a_i$ for our adopted value and lower and upper limits of the
$^{13}$C($\alpha$,\,$n$)$^{16}$O reaction rate are listed in Table
\ref{tab4}. The overall fitting errors are less than 7\% at
temperatures from 0.04 to 10 GK.

\section{Astrophysical implications for $s$-process nucleosynthesis in AGB
stars}

To assess and understand the impact of the new rates of the
$^{13}$C($\alpha$,\,$n$)$^{16}$O reaction we used a post-processing
code where a nuclear network of 320 species (from H to Bi) and 2,336
reactions is solved simultaneously with mixing within the star when
convective regions are present. We used stellar structure inputs,
such as temperature, density, and convective velocity, calculated
previously by the Stromlo stellar structure code \citep{lat86}
including mass-loss on the AGB phase with the prescription of
\citet{vas93}. We included the formation of the $^{13}$C pocket by
artificially allowing an exponentially decreasing proton profile to
form just below the base of the convective envelope at the end of
each TDU episode over a mass of 0.002 $M_\sun$ (roughly 1/10$^{\rm
th}$ of the mass of the He intershell, in the low-mass AGB models
considered here). The details of this procedure and the codes used
to compute the models have been described previously
\citep[e.g.,][]{lug04,kar09}.

We considered four models, which are summarized in Table \ref{tab5}:
a $M\,=\,$3 $M_\sun$ model of metallicity $Z\,=\,$0.02 similar to
that discussed by \citet{lug03a}, a $M\,=\,$1.8 $M_\sun$ model of
$Z\,=\,$0.01 from \citet{kar10}, and $M\,=\,$1 $M_\sun$ and
$M\,=\,$1.5 $M_\sun$ models of $Z\,=\,$0.0001 from \citet{lug12}. We
selected these models for three reasons. (1) Models of higher masses
probably do not experience the $^{13}$C neutron source as protons
burn while being ingested in the He intershell, preventing the
formation of the $^{13}$C pocket \citep{gor04,her04}. It is still
not clear what the effect of this burning is on the whole stellar
structure and the $s$-process, but it seems reasonable to us for the
time being to not include a $^{13}$C pocket for masses larger than
$\sim$\,4 $M_\sun$. In these massive AGB stars, the temperature in
the TPs exceeds 300 MK so that the
$^{22}$Ne($\alpha$,\,$n$)$^{25}$Mg reaction is activated and likely
plays the role of the main neutron source \citep{van12}. (2) The
$^{13}$C in the pocket normally burns before the onset of the
following TP \citep{str95}, however, in some cases the temperature
may not be high enough for this to happen and some $^{13}$C could be
left over to burn in the following TP \citep[see also][]{cri09a}. In
our lowest-mass models the first few $^{13}$C pockets are ingested
in the following TP while they still contain a relatively large
amount of $^{13}$C. These models are thus qualitatively different
from the $M\,=\,$3 $M_\sun$ model where $^{13}$C always burns before
the onset of the next TP. In details, we have 6, 15, and 2 TDU
episodes in the $M\,=\,$1.8 $M_\sun$ model of $Z\,=\,$0.01, and the
$M\,=\,$1.5 $M_\sun$ and $M\,=\,$1 $M_\sun$ models of
$Z\,=\,$0.0001, respectively. These numbers represent also the
number of $^{13}$C pockets introduced in each models, since a
$^{13}$C pocket is introduced after each TDU episode. Of these
$^{13}$C pockets, the first 4 and 3 for the $M\,=\,$1.8 $M_\sun$ and
$M\,=\,$1.5 $M_\sun$ models, respectively, are ingested in the
following TP while the abundance of $^{13}$C by number is still
higher than 10$^{-4}$. The same occurs for both the $^{13}$C pockets
introduced in the $M\,=\,$1 $M_\sun$ model. As the AGB star evolves
the temperature in the He intershell increases so that this effect
disappears for later $^{13}$C pockets. The exact number of ingested
$^{13}$C pockets relative to their total number increases with
decreasing the stellar mass and increasing the metallicity. This is
because the temperature decreases for lower masses and higher
metallicities and thus the chance of some unburnt $^{13}$C surviving
to be ingested in the next TP is higher. (3) Finally the low-mass
and low-metallicity models (1 $M_\sun$ and 1.5 $M_\sun$,
$Z$\,=\,0.0001) present a further regime for the activation of the
$^{13}$C neutron source. Proton ingestion episodes occur in the
first few TPs during which a small amount of protons are ingested
directly inside the TPs and thus some extra $^{13}$C is produced and
burnt inside these convective regions \citep{cri09b,lug12}. In Fig.
\ref{fig6} we schematically illustrate the location in time and
space where the different regimes operate within the
thermally-pulsating structure of an AGB star and indicate the models
where the regimes occur.

In Fig. \ref{fig7} we display the variations of the abundance of
some selected $s$-process elements and isotopic ratios at stellar
surface at the end of the evolution obtained from our models using
the present $^{13}$C($\alpha$,\,$n$)$^{16}$O rate with respect to
the two compilations, CF88 and NACRE, respectively (see Fig.
\ref{fig5} for a comparison of reaction rates). The results obtained
using the rates from \citet{pel08}, \citet{hei08}, and \citet{den95}
agree with the present rate within 10\% for all the models. The rate
from \citet{joh06} produces larger variations, but always within
those reported for the CF88 and NACRE rates. Using the rate from
\citet{kub03} on the other hand produces variations outside of the
ranges in Fig. \ref{fig7}, e.g., Pb is up to 40\% lower than the
value obtained using the present rate. We chose to plot the elements
representing the first $s$-process peak (Sr), the second $s$-process
peak (Ba), and the third $s$-process peak (Pb). These can be
observed in stars and provide a description of the overall
$s$-process distribution, which is a function of the total
time-integrated neutron flux. We further plot two isotopic ratios:
$^{96}$Zr/$^{94}$Zr and $^{86}$Kr/$^{82}$Kr. These are sensitive to
the activation of the branching points at $^{95}$Zr and $^{85}$Kr,
respectively, and thus to the local value of the neutron density.
These ratios can be measured in meteoritic stardust silicon carbide
(SiC) grains that originated in C-rich AGB stars. We also report on
the production of fluorine, however, we find that its production is
not significantly sensitive (by $\simeq$10\% at most) to the choice
of the $^{13}$C($\alpha$,\,$n$)$^{16}$O reaction in all four models
\citep[see also][]{lug04}.

In the 1.8 $M_\sun$, $Z\,=\,$0.01 model we find that the overall
$s$-process distribution changes when different
$^{13}$C($\alpha$,\,$n$)$^{16}$O rates are used. The present rate
produces 16\% more Ba and 25\% more Pb than the slower CF88 rate. On
the other hand, the present rate results in a 14\% lower abundance
of Pb than the faster NACRE rate. These differences are a signature
of a different efficiency of the $s$-process. A lower efficiency
produces less Ba and Pb than Sr because for the neutron capture flux
to reach Ba and Pb higher number of neutrons per Fe seed are
required. Slower rate results in more $^{13}$C left over in the
pocket to be engulfed in the following TP and the $s$-process is
less efficient when $^{13}$C is engulfed in the TP than when
$^{13}$C burns radiatively for two reasons. (i) In the radiative
$^{13}$C pocket there is no mixing among the different layers of the
pocket and thus $^{14}$N nuclei produced in the region of the pocket
where the initial number of proton is higher than 0.01 are not mixed
to the $^{13}$C-rich layer. This produces the highest $s$-process
efficiency because $^{14}$N is a neutron poison via the
$^{14}$N($n,\,p$)$^{14}$C reaction, which removes neutrons from
being captured by Fe seeds and their progeny. In the convective TP
instead $^{13}$C nuclei are mixed with the $^{14}$N present in the
pocket as well as in the H burning ashes. (ii) The neutrons in the
radiative $^{13}$C pocket are released over a very small mass (0.002
$M_\sun$ in our models), there are more neutrons present locally per
initial Fe seed and the flux of neutron captures can reach to the
heaviest elements up to Pb. In the convective TP instead the
neutrons are released over a larger mass ($\sim$\,0.01$-$0.02
$M_\sun$ in our models), there are less neutrons per Fe seed
resulting in the production of the lighter $s$-process elements like
Sr. The isotopic ratios plotted in Fig. \ref{fig7} behave in the
opposite way of Pb because the local neutron density is higher, and
thus branching points are more activated, when $^{13}$C is ingested
in the TPs due to the higher temperature resulting in a shorter
burning timescale.

Interestingly, the low-metallicity $Z\,=\,0.0001$ models present the
opposite result to the $Z\,=\,0.01$ model. E.g., in the 1 $M_\sun$
model the present rate produces 25\% less Pb than the slower CF88
rate. These stellar models have lower masses and a much larger
fraction of $^{13}$C burns while ingested in the TP, together with
$^{14}$N, due to both incomplete burning of the $^{13}$C pocket
before the next TP and the proton ingestion episodes. As mentioned
above, $^{14}$N acts a neutron poison via the ($n,\,p$) channel, but
at the same time it is destroyed by $\alpha$-captures in the TP.
Hence, the timescale of $^{13}$C ingestion and burning with respect
to that of $^{14}$N has an impact on the final neutron flux. This
could explain why slower $^{13}$C($\alpha$,\,$n$)$^{16}$O rates
produce more free neutrons since if neutrons are released at later
times there is less $^{14}$N to capture them. In these conditions,
one should also consider the effect of recycling of the protons made
by the $^{14}$N($n,\,p$)$^{14}$C reaction. These protons can be
captured by the abundant $^{12}$C to make more $^{13}$C, but also by
$^{13}$C itself. It is difficult to evaluate analytically the final
outcome of all these combined effects. Overall, our numerical
models, which solve simultaneously mixing and burning in the TPs,
indicate that the present rate results in a lower overall neutron
flux than the CF88 rate. This is accompanied by a higher or a lower
neutron density, depending on the stellar mass and the exact ratio
of $^{13}$C burning convectively to $^{13}$C burning radiatively.
17\% lower and 22\% higher $^{86}$Kr/$^{82}$Kr ratios, which are
extremely sensitive to even small changes in the neutron density,
are obtained for the 1 $M_\sun$ and 1.5 $M_\sun$ models,
respectively.

In the 3 $M_\sun$, $Z\,=\,$0.02 model we do not find any variations
in the resulting abundances within 5\%. This is because in this
model $^{13}$C always completely burns before the onset of the next
TP. The total integrated neutron flux is thus determined only by the
initial amount of $^{13}$C in the pocket and not by how fast it
burns. We expect the same behavior for more massive AGB model if a
$^{13}$C pocket was to be considered in these cases. The isotopic
ratios in this model are also not sensitive to the
$^{13}$C($\alpha$,\,$n$)$^{16}$O rate as they depend mainly on the
neutrons released in the TPs when the $^{22}$Ne neutron source is
marginally activated.

It is interesting to compare the predicted abundances of the
$s$-process elements and isotopic ratios with the observations. We
find that some differences up to 25\% are predicted by the
$s$-process models, particularly for Pb, when varying the $^{13}$C
burning rates. Pb can be measured in carbon-enhanced metal-poor
(CEMP) stars in the Milky Way halo, which are believed to carry the
chemical signature of mass transfer from a more massive companion
during its AGB phase. However, the spectroscopic abundances in
$s$-process-enhanced stars are currently determined with typical
uncertainties around 80\% \citep[see Table 2 of][]{mas10}, larger
than the differences found here. In addition, the formation of the
$^{13}$C pocket itself is very uncertain and there is no agreement
on exactly which mechanism drives it, and on the impact of processes
such as rotation and magnetic fields. Also the details of the proton
ingestion episodes found in our low-metallicity models depend on the
treatment of convective borders in stars, one of the largest
uncertainties in stellar modeling. Future observations with high
resolution and high signal to noise ratio spectra of low-metallicity
stars, and further understanding of the formation of the $^{13}$C
pocket and the proton ingestion episodes will be all important for
better constraining the $s$-process model predictions.

Isotopic ratios affected by branching points are indicative of the
$^{13}$C burning rate, even though also in this case, other
uncertainties including the neutron-capture cross section of the
unstable nucleus at the branching point may have a more important
effect. The $^{96}$Zr/$^{94}$Zr ratio has been measured in S-type
AGB stars and in meteoritic stardust SiC grains that originated from
AGB stars of roughly solar metallicity. The data of
$^{96}$Zr/$^{94}$Zr from meteoritic grains are more precise
\citep[with uncertainties as low as 5\%$-$10\%,][]{lug03b} than the
data from S-type stars, where often it was only possible to derive
upper limits \citep{lam95}. The differences of 22\% found here when
changing the $^{13}$C($\alpha$,\,$n$)$^{16}$O rate do not
drastically change the interpretation of the data, which mostly
indicate strong deficits in $^{96}$Zr, with respect to solar, and
are overall matched by AGB models \citep{lug03b}. In the case of
$^{86}$Kr/$^{82}$Kr, stardust SiC data range from $\sim$0.5 to 2 of
the solar ratio of 1.52 \citep{lew94}. Our AGB models of metallicity
around solar ($Z$\,=\,0.01,\,0.02), which are believed to well
represent the parent stars of this stardust, only produce
$^{86}$Kr/$^{82}$Kr ratios lower than solar. However, \citet{ver04}
showed that the $^{86}$Kr atoms are probably implanted in SiC by the
high-velocity winds experienced during the evolution that follows
the AGB, the post-AGB and the planetary nebula nucleus phases. The
effect of the $^{13}$C($\alpha$,\,$n$)$^{16}$O reaction rate needs
to be evaluated with regards to the composition of Kr inside the He
intershell, which is exposed to the surface during these final
phases of the evolution instead of the surface abundances as done in
the present work. In this context the possibility of a proton
ingestion in the very late TP sometimes occurring during the
post-AGB evolution also has to be taken into account. First
simulations of this proton ingestion event by \citet{her11} have
shown that the $^{13}$C($\alpha$,\,$n$)$^{16}$O reaction rate plays
a main role in determining the final abundances (see their Fig. 12).
These models need to be further investigated in relation to the
present $^{13}$C($\alpha$,\,$n$)$^{16}$O reaction rate and the
$^{86}$Kr/$^{82}$Kr ratios in SiC grains.

\section{Summary and conclusion}

We determined the stellar rate of the
$^{13}$C($\alpha$,\,$n$)$^{16}$O reaction and incorporated the new
reaction rate in calculations of the $s$-process nucleosynthesis in
AGB stars. The $S_\alpha$ and ANC for the 6.356 MeV 1/2$^+$
subthreshold state in $^{17}$O were obtained from the measurement of
the $^{13}$C($^{11}$B,\,$^{7}$Li)$^{17}$O angular distribution. This
provided an independent examination to shed some light on the
existing discrepancies in the $S_\alpha$ and ANC values derived from
different authors. Based on the measured ANC, we extracted the
$\alpha$-width of the 1/2$^+$ state in $^{17}$O, which is currently
the most uncertain parameter for determining the
$^{13}$C($\alpha$,\,$n$)$^{16}$O reaction rate. By using the present
$\alpha$-width and considering the properties of $^{17}$O states up
to 8.342 MeV as well as their interferences, we derived the
astrophysical S-factor and the stellar rate of the
$^{13}$C($\alpha$,\,$n$)$^{16}$O reaction. At a temperature of 100
MK the new rate is roughly two times larger than the CF88 value and
two times smaller than that recommended by NACRE (see Fig.
\ref{fig5}). Verification of the present result using other
independent techniques is desirable, e.g., the Trojan horse approach
\citep{spi99,muk08}, and the isospin symmetry approach based on a
measurement of the 1/2$^+$ 6.560 MeV state in $^{17}$F
\citep{tim07}. In addition, an extension of the experimental data of
$^{13}$C($\alpha$,\,$n$)$^{16}$O toward lower energies is highly
desirable, which can probably only be performed in an underground
laboratory, e.g., LUNA \citep[see][]{cos09}.

We incorporated different $^{13}$C($\alpha$,\,$n$)$^{16}$O
reaction rates in calculations of the $s$-process nucleosynthesis in
AGB stars and found that: (1) If $^{13}$C burns completely in
radiative conditions during the interpulse phase (as for stars of
initial mass greater than $\sim$2 $M_\sun$), there is no change in
the final results. (2) If some $^{13}$C burns instead inside the
convective TPs (for stars of initial mass lower than $\sim$2
$M_\sun$), we find changes of up to 25\% in the $s$-process results,
particularly for Pb. There are model uncertainties related to
the result of point (2): a)
when $^{13}$C burning in the TPs is due to incomplete burning of the
$^{13}$C during the interpulse period, the exact stellar mass and
metallicity range where incomplete burning of the $^{13}$C during
the interpulse period occurs, as well as TP numbers, and the exact
amount of $^{13}$C ingested, all depend sensitively on the
temperature and density in the $^{13}$C pocket, on the interpulse
period, and on the details of the inclusion of the $^{13}$C pocket.
b) When $^{13}$C burning in the TPs is due to ingestion of protons
directly inside the TP \citep[as in low-mass and low-metallicity
stars, as well as in post-AGB stars experiencing a late TP,
see][]{her11}, the amount of $^{13}$C and neutrons produced strongly
depends on the physical and numerical treatment of the mixing scheme
adopted, which is at present uncertain.

Due to these model uncertainties together with the fact that the
stellar observations have relatively large error bars, it is
presently not possible to conclude if the new rate of the
$^{13}$C($\alpha$,\,$n$)$^{16}$O reaction provides the best match to
the available observational constraints. This may be however
possible in the future, when development of recent 3D hydrodynamical
models of the proton ingestion episodes \citep{sta11} will allow a
better understanding of neutron production and the $s$-process
inside TPs to be compared to the composition of stellar observations
and stardust grains.

\acknowledgments

B.G. thanks Natasha Timofeyuk for helpful discussions on DWBA
calculation and isospin symmetry in mirror $\alpha$-decays, and
thanks Grigory Rogachev for useful discussions on the source of the
discrepancy between their results, and thanks Grigory Rogachev and
Fa\"{i}rouz Hammache for providing him with their reaction rates in
tabular form. M.L. acknowledges the support of the ARC via a Future
fellowship and of Monash University via a Monash Fellowship. We
thank the anonymous referee for many helpful comments and
suggestions. We acknowledge the staff of Tandem Accelerator for the
smooth operation of the machine. This work was supported by the
National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant Nos.
11021504, 10735100 and 11035001, the National Basic Research Program
of China (New physics and technology at the limits of nuclear
stability), the Outstanding tutors for doctoral dissertations of
S\&T project in Beijing under Grant No.
YB20088280101.\\

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


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text:
PDC World Championship 2016-17: Darts Weekly team make their predictions
By Darts Weekly Staff
12 DECEMBER 2016 • 2:56PM
Who will win the final? Who will be the player to watch? How far will Phil Taylor go? Our team tackle these and other questions
Who will reach the final – and who will win it?
Richard Edwards: Michael van Gerwen will beat Gary Anderson in the final.
Dave South: Michael van Gerwen is just 2/5 to reach the final and readers will know I have tipped Peter Wright. I think it will be a repeat of the 2014 final, which I was in attendance for on the night. It will be difficult to get past Michael and think he will see in his second reign.
Dave McNally: I can't see any further than Michael van Gerwen, no matter how much I looked at the draw. I've got to go with Gary Anderson as the runner-up. Rather dull and predictable from me I'm afraid but that's how I see it going.
Christopher Kempf: Peter Wright and Michael van Gerwen. Both will fight through gruelling matches with Gary Anderson and Raymond van Barneveld respectively. Van Gerwen will win his second world title, smashing Wright who once again fails to live with exhibition-level darts from the Dutch master.
Who will be the player to watch?
Dave South: Kim Huybrechts put on a great performance at the Players Championship Finals, also Barney has come into form. But what about Phil Taylor?
Dave McNally: My players to watch are Joe Cullen and Corey Cadby. They are set to meet in the first round, and if they do, I feel the victor will go on to do well in the competition. Cullen looks unflappable, as calm as they come and Cadby has been superb and will have nothing to fear or lose as he takes his bow.
Christopher Kempf: The player to watch is Steve West, who has turned heads over the past few months and will enjoy the good fortune of being placed in a relatively open section of the draw. He has the talent to overcome first-round opponent Mervyn King and reach a potential third-round contest with James Wade, who may find himself facing unexpectedly stiff opposition en route to the quarter-finals.
Richard Edwards: Barney! He is looking so good. I am really hoping for an MVG-Barney showdown in the semi-finals and hopefully we see a clash like last year's epic. Corey Cadby is the real deal and another one to watch, he could play Barney in round two in one of the sessions I'm going to!
How far will Phil Taylor go?
Dave McNally: I feel that there will be an early exit for him. Painter or Caven to beat him in the second round.
Christopher Kempf: Phil Taylor realises that his competitive position relative to the other players, especially van Gerwen, is declining year upon year. He will look to make one final assault to win a 17th title and write a fitting epilogue for a legendry career. Though he should have no trouble reaching the quarter-finals, he will fall to Barney in an explosive quarter-final.
Dave South: I would love to see Phil win the event then go on to announce his retirement in style, but I think a third round possible tie with Kim Huybrechts is a format which the Belgian will look to derail the Power. Third round or quarter-finals for me.
Richard Edwards: I think that's the toughest question to answer. Let's go for a shock third round defeat to a fired up Kim Huybrechts.
Which first round match are you most looking forward to?
Christopher Kempf: The Michael Smith-Ricky Evans match shows all the signs of a great first-round matchup. Both are great young talents, one (Smith) enjoyed much of the year ranked in the top 10 but has experienced a shocking collapse in form, while the other (Evans) battled and scrapped his way through the Pro Tour to qualify for a third World Championship. After witnessing Evans' epic comeback against Simon Whitlock last year, there's no telling what sort of tangle he may get into with Bully Boy this year.
Richard Edwards: It has to be Jamie Caven against Kevin Painter. What a great way to start a Friday morning (nine hours ahead here) than with some darts! I'll be flying out of bed at 3.30am when that alarm goes off.
Dave South: This is a toss up between van Barneveld-Green and Bunting-Darren Webster. Barney has a tough opener and with the resurgence of Webster recently it will not make either game as straight forward as the odds imply.
Dave McNally: I'm looking forward to the Ricky Evans and Michael Smith match. It promises to be superb as two of the more mercurial players come head to head.
Which seeds are most in danger of going out in the first round?
Dave South: Jamie Caven will certainly have the pressure on his shoulders up first. Michael Smith's 2016 has been a write off, and can Steve West recapture his early autumn form and cause trouble for Mervyn King? In addition, Chris Dobey could stun the out of form Justin Pipe.
Dave McNally: Stephen Bunting looks like his head could be on the block against Darren Webster. Daryl Gurney may also have his work cut out against Jermaine Wattimena. Whatever happens, there's sure to be a couple of big names tumbling.
Richard Edwards: I have to say Joe Cullen as I lorded up Corey Cadby earlier. I think Bunting has got a tough match but will scrape through. Justin Pipe v Chris Dobey and Vincent van der Voort v Max Hopp are both extremely hard to call and I would edge towards the unseeded player going through.
Christopher Kempf: The most vulnerable seeds in this year's opening round matches are Pipe, Smith, King, Dolan, Jenkins, van der Voort, Caven and Bunting. All of the above have exhibited mediocre form in recent months and there's no reason why their opponents shouldn't smell blood in the water.
This will be the 10th year that the tournament has been held at the Alexandra Palace – do you miss the Circus Tavern or does the Ally Pally now feel like home?
Dave McNally: The Circus Tavern was a closer, tighter environment and had a knack of generating a high quality atmosphere. Since the move to the Ally Pally that seems to have been lost.
Richard Edwards: Having spent most of the past 13 years living in Asia, I have not yet visited the Ally Pally (thankfully dealing with that this year as will be visiting England and getting in three sessions). I went to the 2001 World Championship at Circus Tavern and the close atmosphere and smaller crowds were right up my street. I'm going to have a great time at Ally Pally, but I know it will be a completely different experience.
Christopher Kempf: The Circus Tavern will always have a strong nostalgic appeal, not least for hosting the greatest darts match in history (Taylor-van Barneveld 2007). For a game that is now big business around the globe, the Alexandra Palace is surely the World Championship's home, and it serves its purpose well. Nostalgia gives many of us an irrational attachment to the Circus Tavern, for what matters is not the size of the hall or of the crowd, but the stature of the men who fill it.
Dave South: Darts has changed with the times and has an ever growing audience reach which is going global. The Circus Tavern was a tidy, intimate venue, while the Ally Pally has been the tournament's home since 2008. I believe the event will remain in London, but it could possibly move again with the right transport links as the demand for the sport in the next few years continues to grow.
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Author Love The Darts StaffPosted on December 12, 2016 December 12, 2016 Categories News
Previous Previous post: Ally Pally Classics: Simon Whitlock edges past Raymond van Barneveld in semi-final thriller
Next Next post: PDC World Championship preview: Van Gerwen and Wright are the in form players but do not count out holder Anderson

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Eduardo suffered with a painful umbilical hernia for five years. At work, lifting and bending were challenging due to pain and discomfort. Dr. Harris with California Hernia Specialists successfully performed Eduardo's surgery. Eduardo is happy to say he can now enjoy time with his family, and is back to work pain free.


Little is known of the historical Petronella Oortman, but Burton borrows her name for the book's main character. Raised in a small town in a family with a respectable name but little money, Nella at age 18 enters into an arranged marriage with an Amsterdam merchant twice her age, a not-uncommon circumstance for the times.
Coming from a warm upbringing, Nella is unprepared for her new home. At first glance, her husband, Johannes Brandt, seems as if he might be the hero of a stock romance. He's fabulously wealthy, urbane and dashing, even a bit piratical, as befits a man whose business requires global travel. But he remains aloof from his new bride, treating her with courtesy, but he's far more demonstrative with his dogs, Dhana and Rezeki, a beloved pair of whippets.
Johannes is rarely home, leaving Nella to the untender mercies of his sister, Marin. A bright but harsh woman, unmarried despite her family's fortune, Marin runs the household as if it were a business, and tries to tell her brother how to run his business, not a role open to women at the time.
Nella gets a warmer reception from the servants: Cornelia, a Dutch girl about her own age, and Otto, a black man whom Johannes bought from a slave ship while in Africa to be his manservant, and brought him to Amsterdam, where his skin makes him quite the curiosity.
But the house on Herengracht Canal is one of whispers and closed doors, and Nella is left mostly alone to fret over why her marriage is unconsummated. Johannes does make one tender gesture, though: As a wildly expensive wedding gift, he gives her the cabinet house and permission to spend whatever she wants to furnish it (much to the guilder-pinching Marin's disgust).
In a business directory, Nella finds a "miniaturist" who will create to order the furnishings for cabinet houses like hers. She communicates by letter, never meeting with the miniaturist, and the first objects she receives delight her with their expert craftsmanship. A subsequent order, though, arrives with not only the items she requested, such as a lute and a wedding cup, but also others: a pair of chairs that are perfect copies of two in her parlor, a baby's cradle and, most disturbingly, two tiny dogs, exact and lifelike copies of Dhana and Rezeki.
"Someone has peered into Nella's life and thrown her off-center," Burton writes. But Nella's efforts to find the miniaturist and divine his "unreachable purpose" are no more fruitful than her efforts to reach her husband's heart.
The story Nella begins to decipher from the mysterious objects, such as a passionate love note hidden in Marin's room, grows more ominous by the day. She comes to realize that she has married into a family with immense power and wealth — Amsterdam was then at its height as a colonial power and merchant to the world, and all those extravagant townhouses and Old Master paintings were the conspicuous consumption of its 1 percent — yet even they can find themselves in peril when privilege collides with puritanism.
"Founded on risk," Burton writes, "Amsterdam now craves certainty, a neat passage through life, guarding the comfort of its money with dull obedience." For the city's rich, indulgence in feasts and fine wardrobes is expected, but indulgence in other sins can prove lethal in a society ruled by its religion.
The Miniaturist is an impressive debut, though not a perfect historical novel. In particular, Nella, although an engaging character, seems perhaps too sophisticated, too modern for her era and background. But Burton has created a world that, like the cabinet house, draws us in until we feel dread and mystery and wonder.
Colette Bancroft reviewed this book for the Tampa Bay Times.


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Clockwork Crew Wolrdwide!!! 🙂 Kialla tetoia!


You can get Fairy doors like this from many different places like The Fairy Door Store or Delightful Rainbow. The fairy doors are all kinds of magical cuteness, sure to stimulate imaginative play for kids. You can add them to a section of wall inside the house, or find a cute tree outside to fix it. If using outside, I would recommend painting the door with a weather proof varnish. I've used Jo Sonja's Gloss Varnish – Indoor & Outdoor Use before on our Rainbow Pots with great success. Find the post here, and then many months later here.
To set up this this play scene, I placed a few shells and decorative stones at the base of a tree. I also tied a few ribbons on the tree branches above the door, and it looks truly magical! I wish I could describe the gasp of delight from my daughter when she saw this.
We added to this same tree later by making a twig ladder and you can find the tutorial here: Twig Ladder for Toys. Another idea is to add a few accessories from a Fairy Garden store like the ones below from My Little Fairy Garden to build the space for imaginative play. Little dolls like Tinker Bell or plastic figures dolls are great.
I love this! Can't wait to try it at our house. Looking forward to seeing her face when she finds it!


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Home Movies&TV Top 10 Actors Who Got Seriously Injured On Set
Top 10 Actors Who Got Seriously Injured On Set
Clara Scott
Making a film takes a lot of effort, sweat, and dedication. Even though it may appear that actors are the only ones working because they are always on screen, there are dozens of others working behind the scenes. Something can go wrong at any time in large movie production: loose lights crashing, sound cutting out, and, of course, a stunt could end up in an ambulance.
Many performers are hurt on set, and some even die, raising the question of whether the cost of entertainment is worth the danger.
10. Jeremy Renner – Tag
Renner shattered both arms three days into the filming. He needed to go to the hospital, where he was fitted with casts. Regardless, the actor would continue filming. Before shooting a scene, he would simply remove the casts.
9. Tom Cruise – Mission: Impossible Fallout
Tom Cruise is known for pushing himself to the limit to perform his own stunts, which explains his long list of injuries. During the filming of Mission: Impossible – Fallout, he shattered his ankle while jumping from building to building, which was one of his worst injuries. On camera, Cruise is seen getting off the ledge after breaking his ankle and continuing the scene.
8. Jackie Chan – Police Story
Jackie Chan does not typically experience fear, but it was justified this time. Hundreds of lightbulbs exploded when the actor leaped onto a metal post and started sliding down. The action resulted in severe burns, but the day was far from done. Instead of the normal "stunt" glass, the cast chose "sugar glass," which turned out to be much thicker than intended. Jackie Chan shattered his seventh and eighth vertebrae and dislocated his pelvis when he flew through the glass.
7. Halle Berry – The Call
Berry seemed to have put her foot in the wrong place and hit her head on the concrete floor during filming one of the shots. She was sent to the nearest hospital right away because the blow was so severe.
6. Chevy Chase – Modern Problems
Chase came close to death while filming Modern Problems. The landing lights he was wearing at the time short-circuited, zapping the actor with a powerful electric shock and knocking him out. Chevy Chase, thankfully, did not sustain any permanent injuries.
5. Jason Statham – The Expendables III
The worst thing that might have happened at the moment is when Statham drives a three-ton truck at full speed. Statham had to leap out of the car before it collapsed into the sea from an 18-meter drop. Fortunately, the truck's door had been removed for filming, and the actor was able to escape in time.
4. Sylvester Stallone – Rocky 4
The wallops and haymakers in the Rocky movies were fantastic, thanks to the actors pounding each other in the movies. Stallone asked Dolph to do it for real, and during that last battle, Lundgren's strike was so powerful that Stallone had to be taken to the hospital with a heart muscle injury. The filming schedule was put back by eight days while everyone awaited Sly's release from the ICU.
3. Michael J. Fox – Back To The Future III
Michael chose to make one of the sequences in Back to the Future 3 more realistic while filming it. The scenario in question is when his character is on the verge of being hanged. The actor chose to kick the box out from under his feet and hang himself for around 30 seconds. Before Robert Zemeckis recognized what was going on, he was on the verge of suffocating.
2. Jaimie Alexander – Thor: The Dark World
Jaimie had no idea that simply going around the set may cause her injury. She arrived on set expecting to perform a simple sequence with no risky stunts or intricate motions, but the scenario quickly shifted. It was a chilly, rainy evening. The actress slipped while climbing a metal stairway. She dislocated a disc and shattered the 11th vertebra in the fall, which was truly bone-shattering.
1. Isla Fisher – Now You See Me
Isla Fisher came close to passing out while filming a stunt. Something went horribly wrong when she entered the water-filled tank. The actress was unable to free herself! She began to fear and scream, but the water drowned out everything. Isla was virtually locked underwater for five minutes after one of the links seized on her bathing suit, and the crew realized she required assistance.
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Virginia residents can prepare for the upcoming hurricane season and save money at the same time.
The Virginia Department of Taxation says the state's sales-tax holiday on emergency items such as batteries, flashlights, tarps and first-aid kits runs from today, May 25, through next Thursday.
During the period, emergency items that cost $60 or less will be exempt from the 5 percent state and local sales tax. Generators that cost $1,000 or less also are exempt.
Retailers can choose to exempt other items from sales tax.
A complete list of tax-exempt products can be found at the tax department's Web site at www.tax.virginia.gov.
The Atlantic hurricane season officially starts June 1 and ends Nov. 30.


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Judge Rules That George Floyd Murder Trial Will Be Broadcast Live
Sandy MaloneDecember 25, 2020
Minneapolis, MN – A Hennepin County judge dismissed concerns from Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison last Friday and upheld his historic decision to allow cameras in the courtroom during the trial of the officers charged with the death of George Floyd.
Prosecutors had argued against allowing the trial to be broadcasted live and said it violated court rules and would scare away potential witnesses.
Ellison's office wanted the judge to reverse or modify his ruling.
Defense attorneys for the four officers have argued that video coverage of the trial is the only way to ensure the defendants get a fair trial and the judge agreed to allow the proceedings to be filmed and broadcasted live, KMSP reported.
Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill declined on Dec. 18 to modify his Nov. 4 ruling that allowed cameras in the courtroom, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported.
Cahill wrote in his decision that although he was allowing more coverage than court rules permitted, he was doing so because was allowed to change the rules "in any case to prevent manifest injustice."
"Without question, deprivation of the constitutional rights that are the hallmarks of a public criminal trial would be a 'manifest injustice,' " the judge wrote. "The only real issue then, is whether there is a reasonable alternative to televising the trial that would vindicate the defendants' Sixth Amendment rights and the First Amendment rights of the public and the press. … The Court concludes that televising the trial is the only reasonable and meaningful method to safeguard the Sixth and First Amendment rights implicated in these cases."
A news media coalition had also filed a memorandum opposing the attorney general's request, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported.
The group said that livestreaming was the only option that could guarantee the constitutional right to a public trial because the court didn't have the technology in place to deliver clear video and good sound to those who wanted to watch during the pandemic.
In his ruling, Cahill called the pandemic a "unique and unprecedented situation" and pointed to problems with available space in the courthouse, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported.
Only one of the Hennepin County Government Center's largest courtrooms was updated and remodeled to fit social distancing requirements.
To do so, they removed the public gallery and left only one chair in the courtroom other than the seat on the witness stand, the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
That one seat will be occupied by a camera operator when the trial is televised.
"It would be farcical to say that this arrangement, by itself, provides meaningful access to the public or the press or vindicates the defendants' right to a public trial," the judge wrote.
Cahill agreed with the media coalition that what was in place at the courthouse wouldn't work with "the likelihood of hundreds (if not thousands) of members of the public and press assembling at the Hennepin County Government Center every day" throughout the trial during the pandemic, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported.
The judge said he didn't think there would be enough overflow courtrooms to accommodate the public.
"Two? Three? Twenty? Should the Fourth Judicial District pause all courtroom activity for the months of March and April 2021 to allow every courtroom in the Hennepin County Government Center to be used as courtrooms for this trial?" Cahill asked in his ruling. "At what point does this become televising the trial, but just to a select and limited group?"
The trial is scheduled to begin in Hennepin County on March 8, according to KMSP.
The day that Floyd died, officers had responded to a call about a counterfeit $20 that he had allegedly used to make a purchase at a deli.
Store employees pointed out the suspect to police and they arrested him.
The complaint used to charge Chauvin said Floyd actively resisted arrest and then fought being put in the back of a police car once he had been handcuffed.
Viral cell phone video showed then-Officer Chauvin and three other officers holding Floyd on the ground.
The video showed Officer Chauvin held his knee on Floyd's neck for almost nine minutes, during which time the suspect lost consciousness.
Chauvin remained on Floyd's neck for almost three minutes after he was unresponsive.
Managing Editor - Twitter/@SandyMalone_ - Prior to joining The Police Tribune, Sandy wrote the Politics.Net column for the Wall Street Journal and was managing editor of Campaigns & Elections magazine. More recently, she was an internationally-syndicated columnist for Conde Nast (BRIDES), The Huffington Post, and Monsters and Critics. Sandy is married to a retired police captain and former SWAT commander.
Media Tried To Wear Riot Gear To Biden's Inauguration But Capitol Police Said No
Absurdly Understaffed US Park Police Got Overrun Before Trump Even Gave Speech
Written by	Sandy Malone
Cavaliers Re-Sign Kevin Porter After Weapons Charges, Multiple Fights
California Parolee Shoots Nevada Cop 3 Times In Chest And Face After Early Release


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Man breaks up break-in, gets stabbed
A man was stabbed twice early Friday in the first block of Corwin Street, and police are still seeking his attacker.
Man breaks up break-in, gets stabbed A man was stabbed twice early Friday in the first block of Corwin Street, and police are still seeking his attacker. Check out this story on battlecreekenquirer.com: http://bcene.ws/2eAc6zJ
Battle Creek Enquirer Published 11:00 a.m. ET Oct. 14, 2016
Two men were arrested following a police chase Thursday night.(Photo: Getty Images)
Battle Creek police said they were called to a home on Corwin, off Capital Avenue Southwest near Goguac Street, about 6:20 a.m. Friday. A 40-year-old man said he believed his assailant was preparing to break into his house, and when the victim tried to stop him, the attacker stabbed him in the stomach and arm.
The man was taken to a hospital. Police said the man's vital signs were stable.
Police canvassed the neighborhood and brought in a police dog to try to track the attacker. They did not find him.
The attacker was described as a white male with a low-cut beard, about 5-feet, 9-inches tall and wearing jeans.
Anyone with information about the attack or the suspect is asked to call Silent Observer at 269-964-3888.
Read or Share this story: http://bcene.ws/2eAc6zJ


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Columbia Point
Motley picks second in command
By Gintautas Dumcius
In the first big hire of his new administration, UMass-Boston Chancellor Keith Motley tapped a twelve-year campus veteran this week for his chief of staff.
Christopher Hogan, who lives in Lynn with his wife and three children, has served as the university's associate vice chancellor for athletics, recreation and special projects and programs since 2005.
He also served as the chancellor's special assistant when Motley had the job on the interim and as assistant vice chancellor of student affairs when Motley headed the division under then-Chancellor Jo Ann Gora.
Hogan, 44, will handle internal relations on campus and work on implementing the campus's master planning effort. A former director of North Shore Community College's Upward Bound program, he volunteers at the Lynn Boys and Girls Club and organizes the Pee Wee Basketball League.
Hogan was on vacation and could not be reached for comment.
Appointed to the position permanently in June, Chancellor Motley is working through assembling his executive staff.
Nearly all staffers, except for two secretaries, under former Chancellor Michael Collins, who left for the interim top job at UMass Medical as part of a university system-wide shuffle, have departed. Motley has brought over his assistant and personal driver from his tenure at the UMass president's office as a vice president.
Deputy Chancellor Drew O'Brien, the Collins administration's point man for exploring bringing dorms to campus, returned to Sen. John Kerry's office to take back his old job as state director as the junior senator gears up for his re-election run, while Kathleen Quinn-Powers, Collins's chief of staff, decamped to Worcester with the former Caritas Christi chief.
In another major appointment, Motley also promoted Winston Langley from associate provost to associate chancellor.
Langley, another long-time university insider, has served on a number of campus committees, including recent searches for a permanent UMass president and the committee that eventually - and controversially - picked Collins over Motley and another candidate from University of Michigan in 2005.
No longer simply a vice chancellor of student affairs or warming the chancellor's seat for another candidate, Motley now wades fully into university politics in meetings with faculty and staff, but may wait until the fall to stamp in imprint on reports from various subcommittees on the campus's future, including dorms, university officials say.
The reports are aimed at setting the university on course to increase the number of students to 15,000 by 2010, up from the current 13,000 as part of its master planning efforts.
The June report from the student life subcommittee recommended the university "pursue a path that integrates on-campus residence halls with an enhanced management of the areas" for students in the apartments in Harbor Point.
Motley has not yet appointed an individual to deal with dorms, according to university officials, who say the prospect of "living learning communities," as Collins referred to dorms, remain a ways down the road.
After the press conference announcing Motley as the permanent chancellor in May, he said dorms could be part of the school's urban mission.
Opponents, both on and off campus, have said dorms could alter the make-up of the university and were never part of a mission established in the 1970s.
Campus housing was placed on the campus's backburner after Gora, who strongly denied dorms would change the mission, stumbled badly in pitching dorms to Dorchester civic groups and soon after left for Ball State University.
Motley also plans to start holding monthly "office hours," a slight departure from times both former Gora and Collins would set aside specifically for students.
In an e-mail to the campus community last week, Motley wrote, "I value the opinions of all members of the University community and I see regular, face-to-face dialogue as a critical component of campus leadership, so I am looking forward to getting the Open Office Hours program under way."
UMass President Jack Wilson this week kicks off his own "office hours" at UMass-Boston, with others to follow at the university system's other four campuses.
No specific schedule or regularity for the "office hours" has been established yet, according to Robert Connolly, a Wilson spokesman.
The office hours will consist of eight 15-minute appointments available on a first-come, first-serve basis this morning, beginning at 9 am in the Chancellor's Office.
"We think this was another way for the president to be in touch with the campus constituencies," Connolly said.
Villages:
UMass-Boston


We design and implement country-based capacity building strategies aiming at strengthening the capacity of ILO member States to effectively address international labour standards (ILS) implementation gaps identified by the ILO supervisory bodies and to comply with the reporting obligations on ratified Conventions under the ILO Constitution.
How is a national strategy structured?
Country normative profile on the basis of ILO databases.
Country action plan guided by the information resources and guidance provided by the ILO supervisory bodies to target implementation gaps.
Officials of relevant governmental institutions working on labour standards.
Representatives of employers' and workers' organizations and National Tripartite Committees.
Parliamentarians, particularly those on committees dealing with labour and social issues.
Company managers, representatives of private and public sector entities.
Representatives of NGOs working on social rights.
Training of local trainers providing them a set of practices, tools and learning modules in accordance with national and institutional needs. This process is backed by attendance of high-level international activities, exposing trainers to international good practices.
Training for selected national actors supported by local trainers and international experts.
Monitoring and evaluation of the implemented actions carried out through knowledge acquisition assessments tool and the work of the ILO supervisory bodies.


The primary focus of this workshop is to coach participants to apply unit testing with frameworks collectively known as unit testing frameworks and to adopt test-first method of coding. Participants will learn practices to write reliable code using TDD. 'Unit testing framework' refers to any of popular unit testing frameworks with architecture similar to Junit for Java and Nunit/Xunit/MSTest for .Net. Similarities between such unit testing frameworks is explained.
The workshop includes many demonstrations. The demonstrations will be beneficial for programmers well-versed in any object oriented languages like C#, Java, VB.Net, python etc.
Participants will work on hands-on exercises with their choice of unit testing framework. Program includes topics like OO design principles, Refactoring, Patterns, Role of TDD in Agile Development and Continuous integration. The course also introduces concept of Behaviour Driven Development (BDD) and Acceptance Test Driven Development (ATDD).
Prerequisites Participants must be software developers who aspire to use TDD to write better code with C#, Java, VB.Net or other object oriented programming language. Participants must have knowledge of tools and programming in OO language of their choice to participate in hands-on. Content is appropriate for intermediate level participants.


This Afternoon... Mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of showers. Highs in the mid 60s. East winds around 5 mph.
Tonight... Showers with a slight chance of thunderstorms. Warmer with lows in the upper 50s. East winds around 5 mph, becoming southeast after midnight. Chance of rain 90 percent.
Thursday... Showers with a slight chance of thunderstorms in the morning, then showers with a chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs in the lower 70s. Southwest winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80 percent.
Thursday Night... Showers with a chance of thunderstorms. Lows in the lower 50s. Southwest winds 5 to 10 mph, becoming northwest after midnight. Chance of rain 80 percent.
Friday... Partly cloudy with a chance of showers in the morning, then mostly sunny in the afternoon. Highs in the upper 60s. Northwest winds 10 to 15 mph with gusts up to 30 mph. Chance of rain 40 percent.
Saturday Night... Mostly cloudy with a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the upper 40s. Chance of rain 30 percent.
Sunday... Mostly cloudy in the morning, then becoming partly cloudy. Highs in the lower 60s.
Carlisle, OH Weather Forecast - Find local Carlisle, Ohio weather forecasts and current conditions. Continually striving to be your best resource for Local Carlisle, Ohio Weather!


Women in Ondo State under the aegis of Ondo State Women Must Count (OSWMC) have described the Oluwarotimi Akeredolu-led government in Ondo State as the worst among the APC states in the country in the area of gender sensitivity.
The women lamented that the APC government under Akeredolu in the sunshine state can not be compared to other APC controlled states where women are fully represented in government.
The National Coordinator of the group, Mrs Olamide Falana who led other women, faulted the names of the commissioner nominees sent to the House of Assembly by Akeredolu, for confirmation.
She accused the governor of only paying lip service to the issue of gender parity promised in its manifestoes.
Falana lamented that women were extremely marginalized in the Commissioner nominees list sent to the State Assembly.
The governor had on Tuesday unveiled his Commissioners nominees.
The 18 nominees, which had only two women on the list, are expected to appear before the legislators for screening on Friday (tomorrow).
According to the group: "We express our displeasure and find unacceptable the recent list of commissioners submitted by the Governor of Ondo state, Mr Oluwarotimi Akeredolu to the state House of Assembly for screening.
Falana, who was the governorship candidate of Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) in the November 26, 2016 guber poll, lamented further that the inclusion of just two women out of 18 commissioner nominees was unacceptable.
Aside marginalization, they also criticize lopsidedness in the previous appointments, declaring that, "the government is merely paying lip service to issues of gender parity promised in its manifestoes.
The women demanded an urgent change in the status quo, which has only Mrs Omowumi Olatunji-Edet from Akure South and Mrs Lola Fagbemi from Ondo West, same Central Senatorial District.
"We demand the 35% affirmative action in all government appointments," they insisted, reminding the incumbent governor of his pledges to give women active roles in his cabinet.
"We hereby call on the Governor Akeredolu, his deputy, Agboola Ajayi, the party leader, Engr. Ade Adetimehin to act quickly to in order to avert further actions from entire women of the state who are saddened by this development," they said.
OSMC is a vibrant pressure group comprising eminent women in civil societies, professional bodies, academia, business professionals and market women.


High quality tension fabric display that sets up in minutes featuring a large header graphic and the Standroid Plasma TV / monitor stand. Kit comes with 2 hard shipping cases that convert to counters with full color printed graphic wraps.
High quality tension fabric trade show display with serpentine profile that sets up in minutes. The graphic is printed with dye sublimation and is virtually wrinkle free. Kit comes with 2 LED lights and a hard shipping case that converts to a counter with a printed graphic wrap.
High quality tension fabric trade show display that sets up in minutes. The graphic is printed with dye sublimation and is virtually wrinkle free. Kit comes with 2 LED lights and a hard shipping case that converts to a counter with a printed graphic wrap.
High quality tension fabric display with flat backwall that sets up in minutes, featuring a tubing system frame that is lightweight and durable. The graphic is printed with dye sublimation and is virtually wrinkle free. Kit includes a hard shipping case that converts to a counter with a printable graphic and 2 LED lights.
High quality tension fabric trade show display that sets up in minutes, featuring a tubing system frame that is lightweight and durable. The graphic is printed with dye sublimation and is virtually wrinkle free. Ships with a soft padded nylon bag. Flat backwall.
High quality tension fabric trade show display that sets up in minutes, featuring a tubing system frame that is lightweight and durable. The graphic is printed with dye sublimation and is virtually wrinkle free. Ships with a soft padded nylon bag. Serpentine (s-shaped) backwall.
High quality tension fabric display that sets up in minutes, featuring a 8ft curved backwall tubing system frame that is lightweight and durable. The graphic is printed with dye sublimation and is virtually wrinkle free. Ships with a soft padded nylon bag.
High quality tension fabric display that sets up in minutes, featuring a flatwall tubing system frame that is lightweight and durable. The graphic is printed with dye sublimation and is virtually wrinkle free. Ships with a soft padded nylon bag.
Among our most popular trade show booth displays, the Waveline tension fabric displays feature a lightweight yet durable frame and wrinkle-free graphics. One of the easiest displays to setup on the market. The custom designed and printed dye-sublimated fabric graphic slides easily over the aluminum frame creating a taut visual. Overhead lights are a simple add-on (included in any kit), and can easily be attached by using their included clamps. Our specialty kits include a counter, which doubles as a travel case. The entire booth display packs down into the case-to-counter. With a variety of flat, curved, or serpentine backwalls, this display option provides unique options for any company. And with a range of add-ons, we can customize any booth kit to your preferences.


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Here's a list of fake hate crimes involving nooses
The false alarm about the "noose" in NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace's garage followed is one of several recent incidents where a widely reported hate crime accusation involving a noose crumbled under scrutiny.
(Article by Mary Margaret Olohan republished from DailyCallerNewsFoundation.org)
Here are five recent examples of public outrage about a noose turning out to be either a false alarm or an outright hoax.
Bubba Wallace Noose Incident
The FBI announced Monday that it was investigating a noose found in Wallace's garage at Talladega Superspeedway.
Celebrities and sports stars flocked to support Wallace following news of the supposed noose, and the hashtag "#IStandWithBubba" trended on Twitter. Wallace said on Tuesday that he was offended by those who suggested the incident could be a hoax.
"It offends me that people would go to those measures but again, I'm not shocked," Wallace said. "People are entitled to their own opinions to make them feel good and help them sleep at night."
"But it is still an ongoing investigation with the FBI," he added. "I can now say I have talked to the FBI, never thought that would happen."
The FBI and DOJ said later Tuesday that there was no noose in Wallace's garage but instead a "garage door pull rope fashioned like a noose" that had been there since 2019. No federal crime was committed, the FBI said.
Wallace doubled down on the incident Tuesday night, insisting that he had experienced an act of racism.
"I've been racing all of my life. We've raced out of hundreds of garages that never had garage pulls like that … It's a straight up noose," Wallace told CNN's Don Lemon.
"The FBI has stated it was a noose over and over again, NASCAR leadership has stated that it was a noose. I can confirm that I actually got evidence of what was hanging in my garage over my car … to confirm that it was a noose," Wallace added.
He later said Wednesday that he is "relieved" that the FBI found that he wasn't the victim of a hate crime."I want to say how relieved that this wasn't what we feared it was," the driver said in an Instagram post. "I want to thank my team, NASCAR and the FBI for acting swiftly and treating this as a real threat."
Oakland Exercise Equipment
Democratic Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf launched a hate crime investigation in June into alleged nooses found in a local park. "Symbols of racial violence have no place in Oakland and will not be tolerated," she said.
Following her remarks, a black resident named Victor Sengbe told WKYT that he had set up the ropes as part of an exercise course.
Several nooses found on trees around Lake Merritt were removed and will be investigated as hate crimes. pic.twitter.com/JW8TvY6pi4
— Libby Schaaf (@LibbySchaaf) June 17, 2020
"Out of the dozen and hundreds and thousands of people that walked by, no one has thought that it looked anywhere close to a noose. Folks have used it for exercise. It was really a fun addition to the park that we tried to create," Sengbe told WKYT, adding, "It's unfortunate that a genuine gesture of just wanting to have a good time got misinterpreted into something so heinous."
"Intentions don't matter when it comes to terrorizing the public," Schaaf said following Senge's explanation. "It is incumbent on all of us to know the actual history of racial violence, of terrorism, that a noose represents and that we as a city must remove these terrorizing symbols from the public view."
Oakland Parks and Recreation director Nicholas Williams also said that "the symbolism of the rope hanging in the tree is malicious regardless of intent. It's evil, and it symbolizes hatred."
Jussie Smollett Hate Crime Hoax
Black 'Empire' actor Jussie Smollett sparked national outrage in 2019 when he claimed he was a victim of a hate crime and had been attacked near his home in Chicago.
Smollett told police that two men had yelled racist and homophobic slurs at him, told him he was in "MAGA country," threw a rope around his neck and poured a bleach-like substance on him.
An investigation by the Chicago police found that Smollett paid two Nigerian brothers, Ambimbola and Olabinjio Osundairo, $3,500 to stage a fake attack in order to gain fame from the incident, the Associated Press reported.
Michigan State Noose Scare
A female student at Michigan State University said in October 2017 that she had found a noose on the handle of the door in a residence hall.
"A student reported a noose was hung outside of her room," president of Michigan State University, Lou Anna Simon, said in a statement. "I want to recognize the courage it took for the student to report this incident."
"This type of behavior is not tolerated on our campus," Simon added. "No Spartan should ever feel targeted based on their race, or other ways in which they identify. A noose is a symbol of intimidation and threat that has a horrendous history in America."
Police found that the alleged "noose" was not in, fact, a noose, but a shoelace.
"The matching packaged shoelace was found outside of the residence hall," university spokesman Jason Cody said in a statement. "Officers located and spoke to the student who lost both of the shoelaces, which are packaged in a way that someone could perceive them to look similar to a noose."
"Also, the original shoelace found inside the residence hall was not directed at any individual," Cody added. "It originally was seen on hallway floor and later on a stairwell door handle, where officers believe someone put it after picking it up."
Black Students Draw Noose Picture On Library Whiteboard
In April 2016, officials at Salisbury University confirmed that two black students had drawn a stick figure hanging from a noose with a racial slur and the hashtag #WhitePower on a whiteboard in the school's library, according to Delmarva Now. The Salisbury University Police Department investigated the drawing as a hate crime, before finding out who the culprits were.
The university cited the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act in defense of not citing the names of the students, the publication reports, and police determined not to file criminal charges after consulting with the Wicomico County State's Attorney's Office.
"Regardless of who created the drawing, we find such actions demeaning to all members of the campus community and against our core values," said Dane Foust, vice president of student affairs, in a statement to Delmarva Now.
Read more at: DailyCallerNewsFoundation.org
Tagged Under: Bubba Wallace, conspiracy, fake hate crime, fake news, faked, hate crime hoax, hate crimes, hoax, Jussie Smollett, left, Liberal Mob, Libtards, mainstream media, noose, propaganda, race war, Social media
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"Black Lives Matter" leader makes clear objective is Left-wing DESTRUCTION of America if demands aren't met: "We will burn down this system!"
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Facebook bans talk about vaccines, but openly embraces art depicting Antifa terrorists slicing open neck of cop


text:
Q: Using Twitter Bootstrap for SASS without Rails or Compass I'm trying to use Twitter Bootstrap for SASS, but at the moment it's not integrated into a Rails project, and I don't I need the stuff I'd get from Compass. I (think I) want a Ruby script that will generate my CSS, JS and Font files and put them in the right places, but having spent a couple of hours going round in circles with the docs, I can't figure this out.
I have a directory like:
site/
  css/
    bootstrap_variables.scss
    application.scss
    site.scss
  fonts/
  index.html
  js/

css/bootstrap_variables.scss contains my custom variations on Bootstrap's default variables.
css/site.scss contains the site-specific, non-Bootstrap, CSS.
css/application.scss looks something like this:
@import "bootstrap_variables.scss";

// Import Bootstrap modules I need, but not others.
@import "bootstrap/variables";
@import "bootstrap/mixins";
// ... etc

@import "site.scss"

I've installed the bootstrap-sass gem. And now I want a script that does:

*

*Process css/application.scss with SASS and outputs css/application.css.

*Put the Bootstrap JavaScript I need into a single file in js/. (How do I specify which JS modules I need?)

*If I'm using Bootstrap's icons, put the glyphicons fonts in fonts/.

If this sounds like madness, and I'm going about this entirely wrong, feel free to tell me that too!

A:
And now I want a script that does:

I'm not sure why you need this script at all. Cause if you can run the script you also can install sass and run sass css/application.scss css/application.css. You can install all bootstrap's file in your site folder by running bower install bootstrap-sass and then run the sass command with --load-path option which should point to your bower_components folder. You can also copy / or link the required javascripts and font from the bower_components folder.
Or consider to use Gulp or Grunt to set up your build chain.
But you can use Sass programmatically indeed.

Process css/application.scss with SASS and outputs css/application.css.

Your script.rb should look something like that shown below:
/usr/bin/env ruby

require 'sass'
require 'bootstrap-sass'

sass_engine = Sass::Engine.for_file('css/application.scss',{
  :style => :compact,
  :syntax => :scss
})

output = sass_engine.render

File.open("css/application.css", 'w+') {|f| f.write(output) }

Notice that you also should have to integrate the autoprefixer.

Put the Bootstrap JavaScript I need into a single file in js/

After installing the bootstrap-sass gem you can read the javascript files from the gem (see: How to find the path a Ruby Gem is installed at (i.e. Gem.lib_path c.f. Gem.bin_path)).
So the get the content of the affix plugin you can use:
file = File.new(Gem::Specification.find_by_name("bootstrap-sass").gem_dir + "/assets/javascripts/bootstrap/affix.js", "r")

You you can read the required script, concatenate their content, minify and copy

If I'm using Bootstrap's icons, put the glyphicons fonts in fonts/.

As above, copy them from Gem::Specification.find_by_name("bootstrap-sass").gem_dir + "/assets/fonts

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