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Subhash Chandra Bose's 117th birth anniversary
Updated on : 23-01-2014 11:10 AM
The nation celebrated the 117th birth anniversary of legendary freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose who was a shining hero of our war of independence.
The 117th birthanniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, the forgotten hero of the Indian independence struggle, celebrated on 23rd January.
Subhas Chandra Bose's birth anniversary is celebrated every year with the great honour by the people including government and non-government organisations in Kolkata, as he was one of the most well-known Indian leaders during the independence movement and has become a great legendary figure in the history of India.
Netaji's followers have demanded that his birth anniversary be celebrated as 'Desh Prem Divas' on a national scale in order to remember his great sacrifice towards the country.
Though the West Bengal government is said to be celebrating the day as 'Desh Prem Divas', there still has been no initiative from the Central Government to mark the day as a special occasion.
Netaji's followers say there are many far lesser mortals whose birthday is being celebrated as someday or the other but not of this man who for long fought a battle for independence on his own.
Government's apathy towards one of the greatest sons of India, they say, has many a times befuddled the billion plus population of the country, but no headway seems to have been achieved in making the man receive the glory he so rightly deserves.
He doesn't have a political legacy to advocate his case in the corridors of power, but his actions and patriotism has forever left an indelible imprint in the hearts of the common man who still love for what he managed to do.
Awards and recognition can only externally accentuate the place that he has managed to build in the heart of every patriotic Indian, but the lack of them though immaterial to his followers does indeed present the government and the country in poor light.
Bose, who advocated complete independence for India at the earliest as opposed to the All-India Congress Committee which wanted it in phases, through Dominion status, was born on 23rd January, 1897 in Cuttack.
Right from the very beginning he was a brilliant student and fiercely patriotic.
As was the convention then he appeared for the Civil Services exams and passed out with flying colours. But serving the British was the last thing in his mind.
Serving a house-arrest, he quite amazingly slipped from the ruthless British government and went from Hitler to Mussolini to seek their support in overthrowing the British from India.
He persevered for long, before eventually managing to form the Indian National Army (INA) that consisted of the POWs of the World War.
Limited in resources, his sharp rhetoric inspired thousands to fight for the independence of India.
Such was his oratory skills and the fervour to liberate India that in no time, he managed to raise an army of more than a million who walked all the way from Japan to India forgoing food, water and proper rest.
They had limited ammunition and the daunting prospect of facing a mighty army, but it was Netaji's sincere dedication that ensured the zeal never wavered.
After initial victory, they gradually began to lose, but not for once did they beat a retreat.
Netaji is then said to have died in aircrash, when he was on his way to Japan to seek arms and ammunition.
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Categories : culture, Education, Uncategorized
Bharti controversy
: Kejriwal meets Lt Governor
Updated on : 23-01-2014 12:31 PM
Aam Admi Party Leaders led by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday met with the Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung to discuss with him the security situation of the state and brief him on the stand taken by his party on Delhi's law Minister Somnath Bharati.
The law Minister has come under scathing attack from both opposition BJP and the Congress which has given support to the government.
AAP leadership including Arvind Kejriwal are facing severe criticism for defending Somnath Bharati who has allegedly misbehaved with women and who has been indicted by a CBI court for tempering with evidence in a case of corruption.
Meanwhile, Congress has said that unlike Arvind Kejriwal's stance that they will not negotiate on the issues for which they were holding the Dharna, he has negotiated with the Lieutenant Governor.
Congress has said that will not rush towards any decision of withdrawing support or seeking the chief Minister's resignation but are wary of whether to trust Arvind Kejriwal words anymore.
Congress local unit led by Delhi PCC chief Arvinder Singh Lovely and CLP leader Haroon Yusuf will be meeting Jung on Thursday to press for the resignation of some state Ministers including Law Minister Somnath Bharti and Rakhi Birla.
Pressure mounted for removal of Delhi Law Minister Somnath Bharti after one of the African women assaulted in a midnight raid in south Delhi, accused him of having led the group that barged into her house and attacked them.
Women's organisations have demanded resignation of Delhi Law Minister Somnath Bharti for his alleged racist remarks and harrasment meted out to African nationals.
They have written to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, seeking action against Bharti for his alleged role in an incident in a south Delhi locality, last week.
Chairperson of National Commission for Women, Mamta Sharma told media in New Delhi that Somnath Bharti should have resigned on moral grounds, for taking law into his hands.
She said, the Chief Minister should also have taken note of the case and asked Bharti to resign from his post.
In another development, Delhi Women Commission has issued summons to Bharti for his role in the alleged harassment of Ugandan women.
Congress Women's wing head Shobha Oza described Somnath Bharti's act as irresponsible and sought action against him.
Categories : Business, CSR, culture, Politics, Uncategorized
Sania-Tecau sail into semis of Australian Open
India's Sania Mirza and her Romanian partner Horia Tecau stormed into the semifinals of the mixed doubles event at the Australian Open with straight sets victory over Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi and Julia Georges, in Melbourne on Thursday.
Sixth seed Sania and Tecau hardly broke a sweat to prevail over the unseeded Aisam-Julia combination 6-3 6-4 in their quarterfinal clash that lasted just 63 minutes.
The Indo-Romanian duo will play Australian pair of Jarmila Gajdosova and Matthew Ebden in the semifinals.
The unseeded Australian pair stunned second seeds Katarina Srebotnik of Sloivakia and India's Rohan Bopanna 7-5 6-3 in another quarterfinal on Wednesday.
Sania and Tecau got three opportunities to break their opponents in the opening set, out of which they converted one, which was enough for the Indo-Romanian pair to pocket the set in 28 minutes.
In the next set, Sania and Tecau broke their opponents in the ninth game to serve out the set in 35 minutes and book a place in the last four stage.
In veteran Leander Paes, another Indian is in fray in the mixed doubles event.
Paes and his Slovakian partner Daniela Hantuchova will meet Kristina Mladenovic of France and Daniel Nestor in another quarterfinal tie later in the day.
Auction for Sale of Government Stocks
The Government of India have announced the sale (re-issue) of "1.44% Inflation Indexed Government Stock-2023" for a notified amount of Rs. 500 crore (nominal) through price based auction. The auction will be conducted using uniform price method. The auction will be conducted by the Reserve Bank of India( RBI), Mumbai Office, Fort, Mumbai on January 29, 2014 (Wednesday).
Up to 20% of the notified amount of the sale of the stocks will be allotted to eligible individuals and Institutions as per the Scheme for Non-Competitive Bidding Facility in the Auction of Government Securities.
Both competitive and non-competitive bids for the auction should be submitted in electronic format on the Reserve Bank of India Core Banking Solution (E-Kuber) system on January 29, 2014 (Wednesday). The non-competitive bids should be submitted between 10.30 a.m. and 11.30 a.m. and the competitive bids should be submitted between 10.30 a.m. and 12.00 noon.
The result of the auction will be announced on January 29, 2014 and payment by successful bidders will be on January 30, 2014 (Thursday).
The sale (re-issue) of "1.44% Inflation Indexed Government Stock-2023" for a notified amount of Rs. 500 crore would be issued within the budgeted Government market borrowing programme (about Rs.5,79,000 crore) for 2013-14 and indicative calendar for the marketable dated securities for the second half of 2013-14.
Government of India, Ministry of Finance, Department of Economic Affairs North Block, New Delhi-110001
Categories : culture, Uncategorized
India and Japan Enter into Memorandum in the Field of Tourism
India and Japan have entered into a Memorandum for strengthening cooperation in the field of tourism. The Memorandum was signed between Ministry of Tourism, Government of India and the Japan Tourism Agency, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure , Transport and Tourism, Government of Japan in New Delhi on 22nd January, 2014. Mr. Parvez Dewan, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism in his capacity as Director General, Tourism and Mr. Shigeto Kubo, Commissioner, Japan Tourism Agency signed the Memorandum.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Shigeto Kubo, Commissioner, Japan Tourism Agency expressed the hope that the Memorandum would facilitate travel and tourist visits and further strengthen the tourism partnership between the two countries.
Mr. Parvez Dewan , Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India said that religious tourism in the form of Buddhist heritage sites is a great attraction for Japanese tourists to India. He said that Japanese tourists have been availing visa-on-arrival in a major way and the highest number of visas on arrival were issued to the tourists from Japan during 2013, as in previous years.
Japan is an important source market for Indian Tourism. During 2013, India received 2.20 lakh tourists from Japan.
This Memorandum between India and Japan is intended to serve as the key instrument for greater action oriented cooperation and further strengthening the close tourism partnership between the two countries. The main objectives of the Memorandum are :
a) To expand bilateral cooperation in the tourism sector; b) To exchange information and data related to tourism ; c) To encourage cooperation between Tour Operators and tourism stakeholders including Hotel owners; d) To establish exchange programmes for cooperation in Human Resource Development; e) To exchange visits of Tour Operators/Media/ Opinion Makers for promotion of two way tourism; f) To exchange experience in the areas of promotion, marketing, destination development and management; g) To participate in travel fairs/exhibitions in each other's country; and h) To promote safe, honourable and sustainable tourism.
Categories : Business, culture, Uncategorized
Organized retail real estate supply witnesses 78% y-o-y growth in 2013
Organized retail real estate supply witnesses 78% y-o-y growth in 2013, as retailer demand remained positive
• Total mall supply stood at approximately 4.7 million sq. ft. in 2013
• Global players expanded presence across India's leading cities in H2 2013
• Mixed rental trends displayed across cities during H2 2013
New Delhi, January 23, 2014: Demand from international and domestic brands as well as retailers continued to strengthen throughout 2013; with the second half of the year witnessing an increase in demand for quality retail space in Delhi NCR, Pune and Chennai—according to the findings of CBRE's latest report, India Retail Market View H2 2013. Demand from global retailers in the Delhi NCR and Mumbai markets remained buoyant, as more retail groups sought space in prime shopping centers, as opposed to standalone high street outlets, says the report.
The total organized retail supply in 2013 stood at approximately 4.7 million sq. ft., witnessing a strong y-o-y growth of about 78%, over the total mall supply of 2.5 million sq. ft. in 2012. Most of the supply in 2013 was concentrated across Tier II cities; however 2014 is likely to witness supply addition in the key hubs of NCR and Mumbai.
Commenting on the findings of the report, Mr. Anshuman Magazine, Chairman and Managing Director of CBRE, South Asia Pvt. Ltd. said, "Despite ongoing uncertainty, retail real estate witnessed good activity during 2013 with a number of international brands entering and expanding across key cities. The year 2014 is expected to remain positive for the retail sector, with existing brands expected to ramp up operations and new brands look to making their India entries. Although domestic retailers have been performing steadily, they face competition from global retail groups, especially in the apparel and F&B segments."
Prominent global players—such as Starbucks, Krispy Kreme, Dunkin Donuts, Forever 21, Zara and Superdry—expanded their presence across the country's leading cities; while retailers in the luxury and bridge-to-luxury segments were particularly active, with brands such as Brook Brothers, Missoni, Michael Kors and Emilo Pucci making inroads into the country's market places.
Rental values displayed mixed trends across the top cities during H2 2013. While traditional high street markets—such as Khan Market (Delhi) and Brigade Road, Commercial Street (Bangalore) witnessed an increase in rental values, the shopping hubs of Eastern Mumbai and South Bangalore observed a rental decline in H2 2013 compared to first half of the year. Cities such as Hyderabad, Chennai and Kolkata largely witnessed stability in pricing across most micro-markets; while Pune saw an increase across its high streets, even as its mall rentals remained stable.
Going forward, the limited availability of quality retail space in core locations is likely to pose a greater barrier to new retailer entry in a number of key markets—including Delhi NCR, Mumbai and Bangalore—as opposed to prohibitive rentals. On account of such constraints in quality supply, select developments are likely to witness greater than average increment in rentals because of retailer preferences for such spaces.
Categories : Business, Uncategorized, world News
AVIAREPS LAUNCHES GLOBAL PUBLIC RELATIONS PLATFORM
AVIAREPS LAUNCHES GLOBAL PUBLIC RELATIONS PLATFORM TAILORED FOR TOURISM, HOSPITALITY AND AIRLINE ENTITIES
- Global industry-related public relations and market awareness now possible and economically viable for all -
AVIAREPS, the global leader in tourism, aviation, hospitality and trade promotion representation, with 46 offices in 38 countries around the world, has launched a Global Public Relations Platform specifically tailored for tourism, hospitality, airline and trade promotion entities seeking economical PR solutions. The platform, launched at the International Tourism Trade Fair (FITUR) in Madrid, Spain, provides effective brand, product and service awareness activities among key industry players around the world, and is unique for the level of professional, multi-lingual PR services provided, the international outreach achieved, and the economic value at which the service can be provided.
Says Michael Gaebler, Chairman & CEO AVIAREPS Group: "The AVIAREPS Global PR Platform now makes it economically viable for all tourism and hospitality entities big or small to have a truly international PR footprint. We are able to offer such a professional yet economical PR service where others can not, as our offices around the world are self-owned, the professional skill sets we hold are in-house and not outsourced, and because of our tourism and aviation specialisation, each of our offices are naturally in regular contact with the local travel trade and industry related media in each of their markets of expertise."
Through the AVIAREPS Global Public Relations Platform, an organisation's press releases and key messaging are translated into nine key languages including: English, Arabic, Chinese Mandarin, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Russian and Spanish, and disseminated to the tourism, aviation and international trade promotion industries' key media by each of the 46 AVIAREPS offices around the world. Media clippings of the exposure achieved from each of the markets are also provided along with an overview of total PR values achieved on a monthly basis.
Ms. Anna Karina Berels
Tel: +49 89 55 23 33 155
E-mail: aberels@aviareps.com
'Partnering for Rural Prosperity – Exploring New Agri-business Models,'
Dear Mr Sagar,
Greetings from OneWorld!
It is my pleasure to invite you to participate in our roundtable discussion on 'Partnering for Rural Prosperity – Exploring New Agri-business Models,' at 6pm, on January 28, 2014 at The India International Centre, New Delhi. The discussion will look at and debate new models of fostering partnerships that are emerging in the agri-business sector.
The conferences have been held in collaboration with Shri Jagdamba Samiti (SJS) and with the support of The Netherlands-based Fast Food Technologies (FFT) and the Dutch family foundation, Stichting Het Groene Woudt (SHGW). The SJS, FFT and SHGW have set up one of India's most advanced cold storage chains for apple growers in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand in India.
This roundtable discussion follows a series of two conferences and three roundtables that have been held during the past one year. The roundtables are limited to key stakeholders, including the government, corporates and financial institutions, NGOs and people with interest in the fields of agriculture and sustainable development. Union Water Resources Minister Shri Harish Rawat was the Chief Guest at the first conference, while Union Textiles Minister Shri KS Rao was the Chief Guest at the second conference. Shri SK Muttoo, IAS, Chief Investment Commissioner, Uttarakhand, and renowned agricultural scientist Prof. MS Swaminathan addressed the first and second roundtables respectively. The third roundtable, that concluded just last week, had the top PSU banks speaking on the topic of 'Financing Sustainable Agriculture'.
More information on the earlier conferences can be found at http://partneringforruralprosperity.in
Please feel free to contact me for any information that you may need.
0-9811329116
Rahul Kumar Head – Editorial and Emerging Media OneWorld Foundation India www.oneworld.net.in http://southasia.oneworld.net Ph: 41689000 Fax: 41689001
C-1/3, First Floor Safdarjung Development Area, New Delhi-110014
Session on Indian Mujahideen: Computational Analysis and Public Policy
DATE Friday, January 24, 2014
TIME 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM (Registration: 5:00 pm)
LOCATION WWF Auditorium, 172-B, Lodhi Estate, New Delhi – 110003
SPEAKER Prof V. S. Subrahmanian, Professor of Computer Science, University of Maryland, USA
MODERATOR Ambassador G Parthasarathy, Visiting Professor, Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi
ABOUT THE EVENT In his talk entitled Indian Mujahideen: Computational Analysis and Public Policy, Prof Subrahmanian will provide a glimpse of the Indian Mujahideen (IM) from its inception to the present day. Using a data set on 770 variables describing both IM's environment and their attacks over the years, he will describe how data mining has helped discover conditions that can predict future IM attacks. He will indicate how the data also naturally leads to a possible policy to help rein in future attacks by IM. Though many challenges remain, he will suggest some ways in which this policy may be implemented on the ground.
Prof V. S. Subrahmanian – Professor of Computer Science, University of Maryland, USA V. S. Subrahmanian is Professor of Computer Science at the University of Maryland and heads the Center for Digital International Government, having previously served as Director of the University of Maryland's Institute for Advanced Computer Studies (UMIACS). Prof. Subrahmanian is a world renowned expert on big data analytics.
His work has been used extensively by both Industry and Government to shape opinion in social media, influence terrorist group behaviors, and analyze educational outcomes. His OASYS system which works on 8 languages and won the 2007 Computerworld Horizon Award, has been used by several organizations including the World Bank, DARPA, Forbes, US Army, and others for real-time social media opinion analysis. He is the principal inventor of the CARA Cultural Reasoning Architecture and the SOMA stochastic logical model for building models of group behaviors. He has applied this to modeling over 45 terror groups worldwide. His SCARE system for identifying locations of IED weapons caches in Baghdad and in the provinces of Helmand and Kandahar in Afghanistan was the first system to accurately and efficiently identify locations of weapons caches. He has co-authored Computational Analysis of Terrorist Groups: Lashkar-e-Taiba (Springer), the first book to do a 360-degree analysis of a terrorist group using computational methods. Prof. Subrahmanian has published over 200 articles in leading international conferences and journals. He was named in ISIHighlyCited.com which lists the top 320 most cited computer scientists of all time. He was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a Fellow of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Development Gateway Foundation (set up by the World Bank in 1999 to use IT to achieve global development goals), on the Research Advisory Board of Tata Consultancy Services and on the Advisory Board of CosmosID (a firm specializing in bioinformatics).
Ambassador G Parthasarathy – Visiting Professor, Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi Born on May 13, 1940, Ambassador Gopalaswami Parthasarathy is a career Foreign Service Officer who retired from Service on May 31, 2000. After having graduated with a B.E. Degree in Electrical Engineering from the College of Engineering, Guindy. He has served as Ambassador of India to Myanmar, 1992-95, High Commissioner of India to Australia 1995-98, High Commissioner of India to Pakistan 1998-2000 and High Commissioner of India, Cyprus (1990-92).
He also served in Indian Missions abroad as Second/First Secretary, Embassy of India, Moscow (1970-1973), Deputy High Commissioner to Tanzania (1974-1976), Counsellor, (Political and Press), Embassy of India, Washington D.C., (1978- 1981); and Consul General of India, Karachi (1982-1985). In New Delhi, Ambassador Parthasarathy was Deputy Secretary in the Foreign Secretary's Office (1976-1978). He has served as Spokesman, Ministry of External Affairs and Information Adviser and Spokesman in the Prime Minister's Office with Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi (1985-90). He has been a member of Indian Delegations in several international conferences including summits at United Nations, Non-Aligned Movement and SAARC. Ambassador Parthasarathy is presently Visiting Professor in the Centre for Policy Research in New Delhi. He is also Visiting Professor for International Relations in the University of Punjab, Chandigarh, a Senior Fellow and the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, a Member of the Mentor Group of the Sanchi University of Buddhist-Indic Studies, Member of the Advisory Committee to the Symbiosis University in Pune and a member of the Executive Committee of the Centre for Air Power Studies in New Delhi. He is on the Panel of Experts from India for Track 2 Dialogue with ASEAN. He is also a member of the Indian Delegation to the high level Indo-U.S. Strategic Dialogue organized by the Aspen Institute (India) and the Aspen Institute in the USA. He was a Member of the Task Force to Review India's National Security Structures, which submitted its Report to the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh in July 2012.
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Joaquín Irazábal González 330
Researcher at the Department of CIMNE Madrid
International Centre for Numerical Methods in Engineering
Madrid (Spain)
Publications	Toggle navigation
J. Irazábal's Conference proceedings
Collection of Joaquín Irazábal's contributions to congresses, mainly in the field of particle methods applied to civil engineering problems.
Documents published in Scipedia
Advances in the modelling of railway ballast using the Discrete Element Method (DEM)
J. Irazábal González, F. Salazar, E. Oñate
(2018). Fourth International Conference on Railway Technology: Research, Development and Maintenance (RAILWAYS 2018))
The development of high-speed train lines has increased significantly during the last decades leading to more demanding loads in railway infrastructures. Most of these infrastructures were constructed using railway ballast, whose main roles are resisting to vertical and horizontal loads and facing climate action. Moreover, new challenges are arising in the railway industry, such as the development of high-speed train lines in locations with extreme weather. For these reasons, the implementation of a numerical code able to represent ballast behaviour, including its interaction with other structures, has become very attractive. Among a wide range of numerical methods, the Discrete Element Method (DEM) was found to be effective for the calculation of engineering problems with granular materials. This approach considers the discontinuous nature of these materials and has proven to be a very useful tool to obtain complete qualitative information on calculations of groups of particles. The code used in this work is developed within DEMPack, a specific software tool for modelling physical problems using the DEM. The computer program is adapted to meet the needs for representing the behaviour of railway ballast.
The development of high-speed train lines has increased significantly during the last decades leading to more demanding loads in railway infrastructures. Most of these infrastructures [...]
Shape characterization of railway ballast stones for discrete element calculations
(2017). V International Conference on Particle-Based Methods (PARTICLES 2017)
Railway ballast is a layer of granular material that resists to vertical and horizontal loads, produced by the passing train over the rail. The calculation of this kind of complex geomechanic problems has been traditionally addressed using refined constitutive models, based in continuum assumptions. Although these models may be suitable in the evaluation of the critical state of soils, or in the calculation of bulk material masses flowing, they are not appropriate to represent the local discontinuities of granular materials, which induce special features such as anisotropy or instabilities. The Discrete Element Method (DEM) is an alternative approach that considers the discontinuous nature of granular materials, which has proven to be a very useful tool to obtain complete qualitative information on calculations of groups of particles. However, the computational cost of contact evaluation between Discrete Elements (DEs) is high and limits the calculation capability. In this regard, it should be noted that particle shape greatly affects contact calculation computational cost, being spherical DEs the less computational demanding type of particles. From the point of view of micro-scale analysis, it is essential to represent the exact geometry of the grains. By contrast, if the interest lies in the behaviour of the granular material as a whole, particles geometry is not a determining factor. Therefore, for efficiency purposes, a trade-off between particle shape accuracy and computational cost needs to be achieved. In this work, different approaches to represent ballast stones are assessed: spheres with rolling friction, sphere clusters, polyhedrons and superquadrics. The first two were chosen for further analysis. Rolling friction allows avoiding excessive rotation when irregular shaped materials are simulated as spherical particles. This work presents a new insight for its application called the Bounded Rolling Friction model. Regarding sphere clusters, there is a key point in the friction between elements. As they reproduce irregular particles using clumps of spheres rigidly joined, the cavities between those spheres introduce interlocks that increase friction. To overcome this drawback, a new contact model is proposed. Finally, results of the application of both approaches are displayed, and conclusions are drawn as regards the convenience of using more accurate and computational demanding geometries.
Railway ballast is a layer of granular material that resists to vertical and horizontal loads, produced by the passing train over the rail. The calculation of this kind of [...]
Geometric representation of railway ballast using the Discrete Element Method (DEM)
(2016). European Congress on Computational Methods in Applied Sciences and Engineering
The development of high-speed train lines has increased during the last twenty years, leading to more demanding loads in railway infrastructures. For these reasons, the implementation of a numerical tool for the calculation of railway ballast behaviour has been found useful, as it will enables design optimization. Regarding the numerical method, the DEM is considered effective and powerful for the calculation of engineering problems with granular and discontinuous materials. Due to the fact that railroad ballast layer consists of discrete aggregate particles, the DEM is considered suitable for the simulation of particulate ballast material. However, the computational cost of contact calculation between irregular particles is high and limits the calculation capability. From the point of view of micro-scale analysis, it is essential to represent the exact geometry of the particle. On the other hand, if the interest lies in the behaviour of the granular material as a whole, the geometry is not a determining factor. Besides that, setting up a simulation of granular material taking care of the exact geometry of each particle will not be efficient. Current work presents different geometrical approaches for the representition of ballast stones: spheric particles with rolling friction, sphere clusters, polyhedrons and superquadrics; showing their advantages and drawbacks. Finally, some simulation results, using spheric particles and sphere clusters, are displayed in order to evaluate the convenience or not of using more accurate and computational demanding geometries in each case.
The development of high-speed train lines has increased during the last twenty years, leading to more demanding loads in railway infrastructures. For these reasons, the implementation [...]
Numerical modelling with discrete elements of rockfall protection systems
J. Irazábal González, S. Latorre, F. Salazar, M. Celigueta, E. Oñate
Some important infrastructures like roads, railway tracks or dams were constructed in places threatened by natural hazards. With the purpose of preserving these infrastructures from landslides and rock-falls, different containment systems are installed, and one of the most popular are the flexible metallic fences. The development of full-scale laboratory tests to evaluate the behaviour of flexible metallic fences is unfunctional, accounting to the huge magnitude of the event. On the other hand, small-scale testing may lead to inaccurate results, due to the distortion in the contours (e.g. anchors of the metallic fences). These problems in laboratory testing have led to the popularization of the use of numerical methods. In this study, the bonded Discrete Element Method (DEM) is used for the analysis of the behaviour of flexible metallic fences for rockfall protection. The bonded DEM is a modification of the classical DEM which assumes that bonds exist between particles, resisting their separation. In this case, the net cables are represented using rigid spheres joined by bond elements that are deformed according to an elasto-plastic law. Calculations were carried out using the DEMPack program, a specific software developed in CIMNE for modelling with the bonded DEM. This software allows considering the inter-action between discrete and finite elements, which can be useful to represent the boundaries of the domain, such as the surface of the slope. The code is firstly validated reproducing benchmark tests available in the literature. Finally, full-scale tests are computed in order to evaluate the energy dissipation capacity of the fence during a rockfall event.
Some important infrastructures like roads, railway tracks or dams were constructed in places threatened by natural hazards. With the purpose of preserving these infrastructures [...]
Numerical modelling of railway ballast behaviour using the Discrete Element Method (DEM) and spherical particles
(2015). IV International Conference on Particle-Based Methods. Fundamentals and Applications (PARTICLES 2015)
In the last two decades there has been a great development of high-speed train lines. This advance has led to more demanding loads in railway infrastructures and the appearance of a new problem called ballast flight that happens when some stones rise when the train passes. For these reasons, the development of an application that allows the numerical modelling of the ballast superstructure under different stresses can be very useful, as it will enable design optimization. The DEM is being considered an effective and powerful method for the calculation of engineering problems with granular and discontinuous materials. Railroad ballast layer consists of discrete aggregate particles, so that DEM is one of the most suitable ways to simulate the behavior of particulate ballast material. However, the computational cost of contact calculation between irregular particles is high and limits the calculation capability. From the point of view of micro-scale analysis, it is essential to represent the exact geometry of the particle. On the other hand, if the interest lies in the behavior of the granular material as a whole, the geometry is not a determining factor. Besides that, setting up a simulation of granular material taking care of the exact geometry of each particle will not be efficient. Current work presents the methodology followed to achieve accurate results in the calculation of railway ballast behaviour using DEM and spherical particles. The use of spherical particles reduces the computational cost and makes the simulation set up efficient. Validation results for the calculation of the lateral resistance force against a sleeper moving inside a ballast bed are presented. Regarding ballast flight problem, some high speed ballast collision calculations have also been performed.
In the last two decades there has been a great development of high-speed train lines. This advance has led to more demanding loads in railway infrastructures and the appearance [...]
Numerical modelling of landslides in reservoirs using the particle finite element method and a non Newtonian Bingham model
(2013). III International Conference on Particle-Based Methods. Fundamentals and Applications (PARTICLES 2013)
Landslides in reservoirs constitute one of the main threats to dams. Although they are not frequent, they may generate severe damages in the population and goods placed near the shores. It is a complex phenomenon, because of the interaction between the landslide, the still water in the reservoir, and the dam. The Particle Finite Element Method (PFEM) is an innovative numerical scheme which combines a lagrangian approach with the resolution of FEM equations via mesh generation. In previous works, it had been applied to the simulation of landslides in reservoirs, considering the moving body either as a rigid solid or as a Newtonian fluid. Despite the promising results of the simulation of some reference cases, these constitutive models showed poor performance when applied to other relevant events, such as Vaiont case. Current work introduces the implementation of a non Newtonian Bingham model in the particle finite element method scheme, and the results of its application to several benchmark cases. Some of them have been used to calibrate the parameters of the Bingham model, whereas others served as test cases. The phenomenon presents several intrinsic uncertainties, such as the lack of precise information about the physical properties of the landslide, its geometry, its granulometry, the drag coefficient along the sliding surface, among others. In spite of that, results show that the Bingham model implemented can be useful for estimating the potential consequences of landslides in reservoirs. This implementation makes the PFEM a versatile numerical tool for the analysis of landslides in reservoirs, provided that from now on both rigid solids, Newtonian and non Newtonian fluids can be accounted for. The authors are currently working in the optimization of the numerical code, so that more complex problems could be afforded in more detail. In addition, the erosion module is being validated, in order to reproduce effects such as the dragging of the underlying material due to the landslide, as well as the effect of overtopping on dam stability, particularly for rockfill dams.
Landslides in reservoirs constitute one of the main threats to dams. Although they are not frequent, they may generate severe damages in the population and goods placed near [...]
Numerical analysis of railway ballast behaviour using the Discrete Element Method
J. Irazábal González, E. Oñate, F. Salazar
Monograph CIMNE (2017). M174
The development of high-speed train lines has increased significantly during the last twenty-five years, leading to more demanding loads in railway infrastructures. Most of these infrastructures were constructed using railway ballast, which is a layer of granular material placed under the sleepers whose roles are: resisting to vertical and horizontal loads and facing climate action. Moreover, the Discrete Element Method was found to be an effective numerical method for the calculation of engineering problems involving granular materials. For these reasons, the main objective of the work is the development of a numerical modelling tool based on the Discrete Element Method which allows the users to understand better the mechanical behaviour of railway ballast. The first task was the review of the specifications that ballast material must meet. Then, the features of the available Discrete Elements code, called ''DEMPack'', were analysed. After those revisions, it was found that the code needed some improvement in order to reproduce correctly and efficiently the behaviour of railway ballast. The main deficiencies identified in the numerical code were related to the contact between discrete element particles and planar boundaries and to the geometrical representation of such a irregular material as ballast. Contact interactions between rigid boundaries and Discrete Elements are treated using a new methodology called the Double Hierarchy method. This new algorithm is based on characterising contacts between rigid parts (meshed with a Finite Element-like discretisation) and spherical Discrete Elements. The procedure is described in the course of the work. Moreover, the method validation and the assessment of its limitations are also displayed. The representation of irregular particles using the Discrete Element Method is a very challenging issue, leading to different geometrical approaches. In this work, a deep revision of those approaches was performed. Finally, the most appropriate methods were chosen: spheres with rolling friction and clusters of spheres. The main advantage of the use of spheres is their low computational cost, while clusters of spheres stand out for their geometrical versatility. Some improvements were developed for describing the movement of each kind of particles, specifically, the imposition of the rolling friction and the integration of the rotation of clusters of spheres. In the course of this work the way to fill volumes with particles (spheres or clusters) was also analysed. The aim is to control properly the initial granulometry and compactness of the samples used in the calculations. After checking the correctness of the numerical code with simplified benchmarks, some laboratory tests for evaluating railway ballast behaviour were computed. The aim was to calibrate the ballast material properties and validate the code for the representation of railway ballast. Once the material properties were calibrated, some examples of a real train passing through a railway ballast track were reproduced numerically. This calculations allowed to prove the possibilities of the implemented tool. This publication is a revised version of the text of the PhD Thesis "Numerical analysis of railway ballast behaviour using the Discrete Element Method" of Joaquín Irazábal, presented at the Technical University of Catalonia on October 6th 2017
The development of high-speed train lines has increased significantly during the last twenty-five years, leading to more demanding loads in railway infrastructures. Most of [...]
Articles (Documents not available in Scipedia)
Effect of the integration scheme on the rotation of non-spherical particles with the discrete element method
Fernando Salazar, Miquel Santasusana, Eugenio Oñate
Irazábal, J., Salazar, F., Santasusana, M., & Oñate, E. (2019). Effect of the integration scheme on the rotation of non-spherical particles with the discrete element method. Computational Particle Mechanics, 1-15.
Numerical modelling of granular materials with spherical discrete particles and the bounded rolling friction model. Application to railway ballast
Fernando Salazar, Eugenio Oñate
Computers and Geotechnics, 85, 220–229
The Double Hierarchy Method. A parallel 3D contact method for the interaction of spherical particles with rigid FE boundaries using the DEM
M Santasusana, J Irazábal, E Oñate, JM Carbonell
Computational Particle Mechanics, 1-22, 2016
Análisis experimental y numérico del oleaje producido por la inestabilidad de laderas de embalses
R Alves, R Morán, MÁ Toledo Municio, J Irazábal González, ...
Actas de las IV Jornadas de Ingeniería del Agua: la precipitación y los ..., 2015
Numerical modelling of landslide‐generated waves with the particle finite element method (PFEM) and a non‐Newtonian flow model
F Salazar, J Irazábal, A Larese, E Oñate
International Journal for Numerical and Analytical Methods in Geomechanics, 2015
El papel de los modelos numéricos en la investigación y el diseño de aliviaderos de presas
F Salazar, J San Mauro, J Irazábal, A Larese, R Rossi, E Oñate Ibáñez, ...
Red de Laboratorios de Hidráulica de España (RLHE), 2013
Validation of the Particle Finite Element Method (PFEM) for Simulation of Rock Slides in Lakes and Reservoirs
J Irazábal, F Salazar, E Oñate
CIMNE Technical Report, 2012
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Report: St. John's will face Binghamton Bearcats next season
By Norman Rose@ECoastBias Apr 13, 2016, 10:19am EDT
Share All sharing options for: Report: St. John's will face Binghamton Bearcats next season
Willie Rodriguez and Binghamton will face St. John's next season.
Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports
St. John's will face the Binghamton Bearcats during the 2016-17 season, per Jon Rothstein.
St. John's will host Binghamton as part of its 16-17 non-conference schedule, source told @CBSSports. #sjubb
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) April 13, 2016
We don't know much about next year's schedule, but we will find out more and more as the weeks go on and games get finalized.
As far as this known game, it's not Syracuse, if you were dreaming about marquee games. We assume this game will be at Carnesecca; no reason to travel for Binghamton for anything.
But given the Battle for Atlantis field - Louisville, Michigan State, VCU, Wichita State, Baylor, LSU and Old Dominion - and a very young, developing team, St. John's can be excused for finding opponents that are on the "beatable" side.
Binghamton went 8-22 last season in Tommy Dempsey's fourth year, their highest win total in his four seasons. Their defense has improved, and they have only one senior in next year's rotation. They also have a pair of emerging freshman guards and some tough forwards.
But by basketball ratings, they will likely be considered one of the 50-worst teams in Division I. (In KenPom's rankings, they were 322nd; in the RPI rating, they were 303. Scheduling-wise, this isn't a team designed to make the team look great for the NIT or NCAA selection committees; this is a game scheduled for a win.


Discuss your favorite books that end "happily ever after," learn about realistic fiction books that focus on friendship, eat some ice cream, and make a craft.
Registration required. Please make note of any food allergies when registering.


Heat oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Add onion, garlic, celery and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Add eggplant and cook for a further 5 minutes or until eggplant has softened slightly. Stir in wine and tomato paste, then bring to the boil. Cook for 5 minutes or until wine has reduced by half. Transfer mixture to the bowl of a 5L slow cooker and place in appliance.
Stir in 2 cups of water, stock, lentils, tomatoes, herbs, of the vinegar and of the sugar. Cover with lid and cook on low setting for 6 hours. Stir in remaining vinegar and remaining sugar. Season.
Serve lentil and eggplant ragu on or tossed through cooked penne. Scatter over shaved parmesan and extra basil leaves.


While cases of legal malpractice less publicized than other forms of malpractice (such as medical malpractice), they are still very serious issues that need to be handled by an experienced professional. The Indianapolis legal malpractice attorneys of the Hankey Law Office can help you secure the compensation you deserve for your legal malpractice case.
There are several different types of legal malpractice—all of which involve an attorney acting in a manner that "no reasonable attorney" would normally act and as a direct result, causing harm to a client.
One of the most common forms of legal malpractice involves negligence on the part of the attorney. To prove negligence, the prosecutor must prove that the loss of a case was not the result of poor attorney strategy, but based on errors that no reasonable attorney would make.
Additionally, legal malpractice can occur when an attorney breaches a formal contract formed with a client, or breaches a fiduciary duty to a client by valuing his or her own interests above the interests of the client.
In any of the above scenarios, it is important to have a qualified and experienced legal professional to fight the legal system and help you win your case. The Indianapolis legal malpractice attorneys of the Hankey Law Office will give you the representation you need and deserve for your legal malpractice case.
Dealing with legal malpractice can be a very complicated process, and it is critical that you have a qualified legal professional helping you with your lawsuit. Contact the Indianapolis legal malpractice attorneys of the Hankey Law Office today at 800.520.3633 to schedule a consultation.


text:
Q: Using a specific nadgrid with Openlayers 6 / Proj4js I have an issue with reprojecting vector data from one coordinate system to another by using proj4js.
The data source uses a Gauss Kruger 2 Projection (EPSG: 31466) and I want to convert it to EPSG:3857 and display it.
Generally it's working fine, but there is a small offset (maybe ~ 1-2 meters) compared to a WMS Service that is displaying areal photos in the background.
Adding these layers in QGIS3 has the same output, but there I can switch the datum-transformation of the vector layer from
+towgs84=598.1,73.7,418.2,0.202,0.045,-2.455,6.7

to
+nadgrids=BETA2007.gsb

and the output looks as expected. DE_DHDN (BeTA, 2007) nach ETRS89
But unfortunatly I'm failing at using / embedding this grid with proj4/ol. Is there any way to use it with these frameworks or an example with a similar approach (i.e. with other coordinate systems)? My googling skills have come to an end. :)
Funfacts:

*

*Angular 9.1.4

*Openlayers 6.3.1

*Proj4 2.6.2

*Reprojecting from an EPSG:25832 source works perfectly

tl;dr:
Is it possible to use a specific nadgrid in Openlayers/Proj4js?
Greetings

A: The answer is short and probably not satisfying: proj4js does not support grid transforms.
Either stick with the 7-parameter datum transform you had already, or do the reprojection on the sever side.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Early on a lot of guys were running 3d's. They seem to work really well in practice and the first round. As the track got better and better you could switch to a Suburb (green) in the rear or a bar code.
In the front you could run a rib tire or a Scrub. They both seemed to work really good.
I personally ran Impacts in the rear and Jen ran Holeshots. We both ran ribs in the front all night. Our cars were pretty good and very drivable.
I'll do it when I get into the shop tomorrow.
Hey hopper when will the results of last weekends race be posted?
Hole shots for buggy. But several guys were running bar codes that were fast. Not sure what fronts, seemed to be all over the place.
What tires for buggy and stadium truck?
Sweet! Let's get more in this class. It's already the largest class on the West Coast. Let's keep it going guys!
Hopefully within a couple weeks MG and I will be running 17.5 with you guys. Hurry up tax return. Lol.
Want to thank kraig and hopper for all the hard work they put in on Saturday for running an awesome race!! I had a blast. Still trying to figure it all out, pretty steep learning curve, but loving every minute of it. Can't wait till the 27th, might have a 17.5 B4.2 by then, I gotta get in on that insane race action.
awesome Saturday night with super stacked mod buggy and 17.5 buggy class. Delta crew did an awesome job on the track. It was nice to see some racers from all over Norcal there. Also like to Thank the door family for letting me crash at there place once again. Pretty Epic Saturday Austin Blair missed out.
Thanks to everyone for a great race day! Sagisi for rolling with me! Big J got that track blue grooved. Kraig blowing it off every race and Hopper handling business that way it should be handled on the mic! Lavery and Henry for the grub.
Read what Hernandez wrote! I agree 100 percent.
Thanks again Emard! This guy will go out of his way to help anyone.
Looking forward to going back yet again!
I will be back this Saturday! Thanks to Delta for putting on a great race at a great facility!
Delta RC ran a magnificent show. Hopper thank you for your hospitality. The race had a great club feel and Im sure more racers will catch on to it. Be back soon!
Huge thanks to everyone who came out! I had a blast calling all the super close racing action! Its so nice to see all the new faces. Lots of people coming out for the first time and I am glad to hear positive comments. Its not easy running the race program that quick and I'm giving the announcing everything I've got! I hope it makes it more fun for everyone. Remember the series is every other Saturday. This coming Saturday is still a regular club race. We will likely be starting @5pm from now on to try and ensure we finish by 11pm.
Sagisi It was nice having you. Sorry I did not find time to come over and say hello in person!
Once again thanks to everyone for making Delta what it is!
Nice pictures, thank you for posting them.
btw hopper you ran a great race program with a really fast program keep up the great work!


Trying to use on-line generator and then to validate what has been created each time I'm getting the "schema validator crashed".
send mail about this unless you have extra information to provide.
them and re-running the validation.
the file you linked to doesn't seem to be an XML file.
Thanks for your replay, what do you mean?
<urlset xmlns="[ External links are visible to forum administrators only ]"
Do I need to add anything else? Help!
<meta name="description" content="Polska Szkola Sobotnia rozpoczela swoja dzialalnosc w styczniu 2008 roku przy wspolpracy Polsko Angielskiej Organizacji w Tiverton.
i.e., your host embeds the sitemap in framed HTML file.


What are RTA kitchen cabinets? They are "ready to assemble", and this means that you will have to take such a factor into serious consideration if you are also tackling a project of the DIY (do it yourself) variety. Why? Most are not at all complicated to piece together, but if you are not sure about measurements and common installation practices you may need to hire a knowledgeable assistant to ensure the project goes as planned. Of course, that is really the only "downside" to choosing this route for a remodel or renovation project.
While you might leap to the conclusion that RTA kitchen cabinets are not going to be as impressive in their appearance as custom-made designer options, you would be wrong. In fact, many people choose such cabinetry in order to obtain a very high-end result. They do so because there are options for purchasing them in exotic and rare wood veneers. For instance, a savvy shopper could outfit their entire kitchen in gorgeous and unique Zebrawood cabinets and cupboards that are entirely RTA. They would have such a wide option of styles and designs to choose from that they could create a truly customized space, while relying entirely on RTA kitchen cabinets for the job.
Most lines of RTA cabinets come with wall and base models, unique door and drawer configurations, and sizes not usually found in standard "off the shelf" prefabricated and fully-assembled options. Most can be found in a huge number of finishes and woods, with the best options being environmentally friendly and using the best joining and finishing techniques too. This means you may want to look for descriptions that include "dovetail", "wood veneers", "no laminates", and "strong construction" in order to know you are getting a top quality product which will lead to the best results.


text:
Comparison of SUVmax Values Obtained from F-18 FDG PET/CT and Cell-free DNA Levels Measured from Plasma in Oncology Patients
10.4274/mirt.galenos.2019.60352
Fatmanur Çelik
Yusuf Ziya Tan
Semra Özdemir
Fatma Sılan
Received Date: 02.07.2018 Accepted Date: 15.05.2019 Mol Imaging Radionucl Ther 2019;28(2):46-52
The aim of this study was to compare the quantitative value of standardized uptake value (SUV) SUVmax obtained from F-18 FDG positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) imaging of oncology patients with the cell-free DNA (cfDNA) amounts measured in plasma of patients and thus investigate if cfDNA is a significant marker to identify the presence of malignancy in the early period.
A total of 184 patients were included in the study. The clinical, histopathologic, laboratory and treatment parameters were extracted from patient files. SUVmax and cfDNA quantities were assessed.
There was no statistically significant difference in plasma cfDNA values between patient and control groups. The comparison of SUVmax and cfDNA values in the study showed that there was a weak correlation between SUVmax and cfDNA. There was a significant difference between tumor size and SUVmax values. However, there was no statistically significant difference between tumor size and cfDNA.
cfDNA measurements in the blood as a screening test have provided hope for early diagnosis and monitoring of cancer patients. Comparison of cfDNA levels obtained from plasma and quantitative parameters from PET/CT images of oncology patients in detailed advanced studies with larger patient series are required.
Keywords: F-18 FDG PET/CT, SUVmax, cell-free DNA
Cancer is an important health problem. It is the second most common cause of death in the world generally, after cardiovascular diseases. It is predicted that in future years the incidence will significantly increase (1).
Survival after cancer is linked to factors such as tumor stage at time of diagnosis, form of treatment, general state of the patient, and morphologic and molecular characteristics of the tumor. As a result, early detection of cancer has great importance in preventing mortality and morbidity linked to cancer. Though there are advances in the diagnosis and treatment of some cancer types, early diagnosis and treatment of cancer continues to be a significant problem.
In recent years, the importance of the nuclear medicine imaging method positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) used for diagnosis, staging and monitoring the treatment of various cancers has increased worldwide (2).
PET/CT images are assessed qualitatively and semi-quantitatively. The most commonly used parameter in semi-quantitative evaluation is the standardized uptake value of F-18 FDG called "standardized uptake value" (SUV). The SUV value represents the amount of radioactivity accumulated per gram of tissue (3).
In addition to conventional imaging modalities, biological markers are being used to distinguish tumor cells from normal cells for early diagnosis (4).
During the last years, circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in the blood of healthy and cancer patients gained increasing attention. It was understood in the late 1980s that the DNA in the circulation has neoplastic property and reflects the biological character of the tumor (5,6).
The study relies on physical and biological properties of DNA that differ in normal tissues as compared to tumors.
However, although tumor markers found in serum in patients and specific to some types of cancer are routinely used for early identification of oncologic diseases, due to limited specificity and sensitivity the desired results have not been reached for early diagnosis. Consequently, its routine application is still not recommended.
The aim of this study was to compare the quantitative value of SUVmax obtained from full body PET/CT imaging of oncology patients with cfDNA amounts measured in plasma of patients, and thus investigate whether cfDNA is a significant marker to identify the presence of malignancy in the early period.
The study was approved by Çanakkale University Ethics Committee (protocol number: 204-14). Informed consent was obtained from all participants.
Patient Selection
The study was prospective and was begun after receiving ethics committee approval. It included 184 oncology patients (87 females, 97 males) directed for F-18 FDG PET/CT imaging from January 2015-February 2016 and a control group of 92 people comprising 57 females and 35 males. Ninety-two people was enrolled as a control group. Patients who had no known oncological disease but were suspected to have laboratory and clinically were included in the study. Study patients did not have any comorbid diseases.
The clinical, histopathologic, laboratory and treatment parameters were extracted from patient files. The patients' age, gender, weight, height, smoking habit, accompanying diseases, date of diagnosis, diagnosis methods, histologic types, stages, tumor diameter, number and location of metastases, and chemotherapy and radiotherapy histories were investigated.
PET/CT Procedure
Imaging of patients was completed with a Biograph Duo LSO F-18 FDG PET/CT scanner (Siemens, Germany). All patients received routine PET/CT imaging protocol. According to this protocol, patients were requested to avoid excessive physical exercise and exposure to cold two days prior to imaging, and starve for at least six hours. Before imaging, all patients had glucose measurements from capillary blood and F-18 FDG PET/CT imaging was delayed in those with serum glucose levels above 180 mg/dL to allow blood sugar regulation. Patients with appropriate blood sugar levels were injected with 8-12 mCi F-18 FDG intravenously with the aid of an angiocath. After the injection, patients rested in a calm and comfortable environment without speaking or moving for 45-60 minutes to provide biodistribution of the radiopharmaceutical and ensure ideal tumor uptake. At the end of the waiting period, patients emptied their bladders and laid on the PET/CT scanner bed in the supine position with arms at the sides. Initial guideline topogram images were obtained, non-contrast CT images were taken for the body regions from the vertex to 1/3 proximal thigh followed by PET images. The patient's PET/CT images were taken with mean 7-8 bed positions and 2 mm slices and were completed in about 25 minutes.
The PET/CT images of all patients were reported within the framework of routine evaluation procedure by at least one nuclear medicine specialist and a senior nuclear medicine assistant. Within this procedure, multiplanar PET, CT and PET/CT fusion slices with and without attenuation correction and maximum intensity projection PET images were investigated on an LCD monitor using a computer software program (esoft Workstation, Syngo MI, Siemens). Evaluation was made considering the clinical history obtained from patient files and direct interviews with the patient, current complaints, conventional imaging findings, biopsy results and previous operation history. Lesions identified on PET/CT were primarily visually assessed. For quantitative assessment, SUVmax values were used. SUVmax values were measured according to region of interest and automatically calculated by the computer. The SUVmax value was measured in the lesion with highest F-18 FDG uptake among all positive lesions.
cfDNA Measurement
Each case had 10 mL venous blood sample obtained from the forearm and taken in ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid tubes which were sent to the laboratory. Without delay, blood samples were centrifuged at 3800 rpm for 10 minutes. The supernatant was transferred to a new tube and centrifuged at 3000 rpm for 10 minutes. Later, plasma samples of 1 mL each were distributed to cryo tubes and stored at -20 C until use.
Automatic DNA isolation was completed with a MagNA pure nucleic acid isolation kit in accordance with total nucleic acid plasma protocol. Using 400 µL plasma samples the elution buffer amount was determined as 50 µL. The obtained samples were spectrophotometrically measured at 260 nm and 280 nm wavelengths and then DNA amount and DNA purity levels were measured as ng/mL with nanodrop.
Analysis of the study data used SPSS for Windows 22.0 packet program. The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to test whether data had normal distribution or not. Data without normal distribution had the Kruskal-Wallis test used to compare more than two independent groups. If significant differences were found, the groups were compared in pairs with the Mann-Whitney U test. The Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of two independent groups without normal distribution. Variables without normal distribution are given as median (minimum-maximum) values. The significance level for statistical analysis was taken as p<0.05.
The patients in the study group were 87 females (47.3%) and 97 males (52.7%) with an age range for the total of 184 patients of 25 to 89 years and mean age of 53.38±17.98 years. The control group comprised 57 females (62.0%) and 35 males (38.0%) for a total of 92 patients with ages ranging from 19 to 86 years and mean age calculated as 36.5±12.98 years (Table 1).
When the study group and control group patients were divided into two groups as those below the age of 50 and above; there were 25 patients in the study group (13.6%) below the age of 50 with 159 patients (86.4%) above 50 years of age. In the control group, there were 64 cases (69.6%) below the age of 50 and 28 cases (30.4%) above the age of 50. In terms of age distribution above and below the age of 50 in the two groups, there was a statistically significant difference between patients in the control and study groups (p<0.001, Table 2).
When the patients were compared in terms of smoking habit, 99 cases in the patient group (53.8%) smoked while 40 cases in the control group (43.5%) smoked. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of smoking history (p=0.136, Table 2).
cfDNA Measurements in Two Groups
Evaluation of the plasma cfDNA values identified the mean cfDNA value in the patient group as 8.8 ng/mL (0-50) and in the control group as 8 ng/mL (0.5-21). Comparison between the groups did not reveal a statistically significant difference (p=0.405, Table 3).
Comparison of Oncologic Subtypes According to cfDNA
When 184 patients are compared in terms of oncologic subtypes, operation history and treatment, there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups. When patients participating in the study had oncologic subtypes, operation and treatment histories compared with plasma cfDNA levels, there was no statistically significant difference (Table 4). Additionally, there was no statistically significant difference in terms of operation history, chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment. However; lung, cervix, thyroid and pancreas cancers were identified to have higher cfDNA values as compared to other types (Table 4).
Comparison of Tumor and Metastatic Lesion SUVmax Values and cfDNA Measurements
SUVmax measured in tumor and metastatic lesions were compared along with plasma cfDNA values (Figure 1). There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of tumor and metastasis presence (p=0.497, Table 5). However, comparison between the groups in terms of presence of malignant lesions and metastasis with SUVmax values identified a statistically significant difference in patients with metastasis as compared to patients without metastasis (p=0.049, Table 5).
Comparison of SUVmax Value and cfDNA Measurements According to Tumor Size
The SUVmax values and cfDNA values of patients according to tumor size are presented in Table 6. Accordingly, the mean SUVmax values of lesions with tumor size <2 cm were identified as 2.4 (0-34.4), as 10.4 (3.20-53) for masses 2-6 cm and as 13.35 (3.3-34.2) for masses ≥6 cm. Statistically, there was a significant difference identified between tumor size and SUVmax values. There was no clear statistical difference identified between tumor size and cfDNA.
Several studies in the literature reported an increase of cfDNA in various types of cancer (7). A significant portion of these studies stated there were increased amounts of cfDNA in oncology patients as compared to normal patients healthy human beings (8). However, there are only a few comparative studies on cfDNA and tumor metabolic activity. We identified a weak correlation between SUVmax values and cfDNA. Furthermore, our results showed higher cfDNA values in lung, cervix, thyroid and pancreas cancers as compared to other type of malignancies.
A study on the correlation between ovarian cancer and cfDNA levels reported increase in cfDNA levels prior to epithelial ovarian cancer operations (9).
The 2005 study on cases with thoracic malignancy by Herrera et al. (10) is noteworthy as they did not observe a significant difference in the plasma cfDNA levels of healthy individuals, gastroesophageal reflux patients, esophageal and lung cancer patients. Similarly, in our study, there was no significant difference in cfDNA levels between the control and the patient groups. However, the results of this study identified that cfDNA levels were high in metastatic lung and cervix cancer.
Some studies on the correlations between cancer and risk factors have stated that cancer risk increases with age.
In a 2017 study on cfDNA amounts and mutations in cancer patients and healthy controls, Chen et al. (11) stratified the healthy controls according to gender and age (<50 - ≥50) and did not find a significant difference in cfDNA levels between groups. Similarly, in our study, age (<50 - ≥50) and gender were not observed to cause a difference in cfDNA amounts.
Kim et al. (12) reported that cfDNA amounts were higher in the non-smoking patient group as compared to smokers in a cohort of gastric carcinoma patients. In our study, comparison of smoking and non-smoking patients and control groups did not reveal a significant correlation between cfDNA levels with smoking in both groups.
Some literature studies have stated that cfDNA concentrations in healthy subjects ranged between 0 and 100 ng/mL, whereas in cancer patients the concentration in plasma or in serum ranged between 0 and 1000 ng/mL (13).
It is not known whether this broad range of cfDNA levels is linked to normal physiologic variability or to chronic or sub-clinical pathologic situations. It is likely that body mass index, presence of a sub-clinical disease at the time of measurements, and chronic disease may affect cfDNA levels. In our study, cfDNA levels were measured according to the current disease of the patient. Previous diseases and blood markers of these diseases were not measured. However, there was no significant difference between the oncologic patient and control group in terms of cfDNA levels.
A broad-scale study of oncology patients and healthy cases found a significant difference in cfDNA concentrations between the groups included in the study; however, no cut-off value could be determined for the use of cfDNA in cancer diagnosis screening (14). In our study, we did not determine a cut-off value between the patient and control groups. The measurements could not be standardized due to reasons such as sampling at different times, and including various operators although the same technique was used. There was also no access to broad patient-linked investigations, thus an appropriate reference interval could not b determined.
In a study by Heitzer et al. (15), cfDNA belonging to the tumor was not found in the plasma at measurable intervals in some of the metastatic cancer patients.
In our study, there was no statistically significant difference identified in terms of cfDNA between metastatic and nonmetastatic disease. Comparison of the groups in terms of SUVmax values in the presence of malignant lesions and metastatic disease identified a statistically significant difference between patients with metastasis and those without. As only a small portion of the total cfDNA in the circulation belongs to the tumor, identification of cfDNA at undetectably low levels in metastatic carcinoma patients appears possible, although it contradicts the literature. There are many studies indicating that plasma DNA levels correlate with tumor size, degree of tumor invasion, disease stage, survival and progression of disease with treatment.
Nygaard et al. (16), in a 2014 study evaluating the correlation between tumor load and cfDNA by using PET/CT in non-small cell lung cancers, did not find a correlation between metabolic tumor volume and tumor lesion glycolysis with cfDNA. Similarly, in our study, while there was an increase in SUVmax values linked to increased tumor volume, this increase did not appear to correlate with cfDNA.
Study Limitations
There are several problems in evaluating cfDNA such as standardization of assays, isolation technologies, standards, assay conditions, and specificity and sensitivity rates (17). Blood collection, transport time and storage conditions should be optimized during the study.
Firstly, the technique used to measure cfDNA and thus the determined cfDNA concentrations may be different. As a result, it is very difficult to define a cut-off value to distinguish benign and malignant diseases. Moreover, it is not known whether this broad interval of cfDNA levels is normal physiologic variability or linked to chronic or subclinical pathologic situations. It appears probable that body mass index, current subclinical diseases and chronic diseases may affect cfDNA levels during measurement. In our study, patients had cfDNA levels measured based on current diseases. Previous diseases and markers of these diseases in the blood were not measured. Nevertheless, there was no significant difference observed in cfDNA levels between the oncologic patient and control group.
Secondly, there are some difficulties related to how to determine the sensitivity and specificity of molecular tumor markers at clinical levels. It is difficult to compare different research groups due to the use of different nucleic acid isolation techniques for plasma and serum. Though this study used the same technique, we identified different values linked to different personnel. As a result, we believe it is necessary to obtain nucleic acid automatically with certain standards to provide common use of serum/plasma DNA in the future.
Currently, there is no diagnostic method that can be used for early diagnosis of cancer and evaluating response to treatment alone. Conventional imaging methods are extremely important in the diagnosis and treatment of oncology patients. However, a range of problems may be experienced due to ionizing radiation and assessment errors. As a result, there is a need for easy-to-use, simple additional screening methods. With this aim, cfDNA measurements in the blood for use as a simple screening test have provided hope for early diagnosis and monitoring of cancer patients in recent years. As a result, there is a need for comparison of cfDNA levels obtained from plasma and quantitative parameters from PET/CT images of oncology patients in more detailed advanced studies with larger patient series.
Ethics Committee Approval: The study was approved by Çanakkale University Ethics Committee (protocol number: 204-14).
Informed Consent: Informed consent was obtained from all participants.
Peer-review: Externally and internally peer-reviewed.
Concept: Y.Z.T., Design: Y.Z.T., F.Ç., Data Collection or Processing: F.Ç., F.S., Analysis or Interpretation: Y.Z.T., F.Ç., S.Ö., Literature Search: F.Ç., Writing: Y.Z.T., F.Ç.
Financial Disclosure: The authors would like to thank Çanakkale University Scientific Research Project (TTU-2014-390) unit for funding this project.
Torre LA, Bray F, Siegel RL, Ferlay J, Lortet-Tieulent J, Jemal A. Global cancer statistics, 2012. Ca Cancer J Clin 2015;65:87-108.
Papathanassiou D, Bruna-Muraille C, Liehn JC, Nguyen TD, Curé H. Positron Emission Tomography in Oncology: Present and future of PET and PET/CT. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol 2009;72:239-254.
Blodgett TM, McCook BM, Federle MP. Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography: Protocol Issues and Options. Semin Nucl Med 2006;36:157-168.
Stroun M, Anker P, Lyautey J, Lederrey C, Maurice PA. Isolation and characterization of DNA from the plasma of cancer patients. Eur J Cancer Clin Oncol 1987;23:707-712.
Stroun M, Anker P, Maurice P, Lyautey J, Lederrey C, Beljanski M. Neoplastic characteristics of the DNA found in the plasma of cancer patients. Oncology 1989;46:318-322.
Ziegler A, Zangemeister-Wittke U, Stahel RA. Circulating DNA: a new diagnostic gold mine? CancerTreat Rev 2002;28:255-271.
Wong NS, Kahn HJ, Zhang L, Oldfield S, Yang LY, Marks A, Trudeau ME. Prognostic significance of circulating tumour cells enumerated after filtration enrichment in early and metastatic breast cancer patients. Breast Cancer Res Treatt 2006;99:63-69.
Fleischhacker M, Schmidt B. Circulating nucleicacids (CNAs) and cancer-A survey. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 2007;1775:181-232.
Kamat AA, Baldwin M, Urbauer D, Dang D, Han LY, Godwin A, Karlan BY, Simpson JL, Gershenson DM, Coleman RL, Bischoff FZ, Sood AK. Plasma Cell-free DNA in Ovarian Cancer: An Independent Prognostic Biomarker. Cancer 2010;116:1918-1925.
Herrera LJ, Raja S, Gooding WE, El- Hefnawy T, Kelly L, Luketich JD, Godfrey TE. Quantitative analysis of circulating plasma DNA as a tumor marker in thoracic malignancies. Clin Chem 2005;51:113-118.
Chen AY, Braunstein GD, Anselmo MS, Jaboni JA, Viloria FT, Neidich JA, Li X, Kammesheidt A. Mutation detection with a liquid biopsy 96 mutation assay in cancer patients and healthy donors. Cancer Transl Med 2017;3:39-45.
Kim K, Shin DG, Park MK, Baik SH, Kim TH, Kim S, Lee S. Circulating cell-free DNA as a promising biomarker in patients with gastric cancer: diagnostic validity and significant reduction of cfDNA after surgical resection. Ann Surg Treat Res 2014;86:136-142.
Esposito A, Criscitiello C, Trapani D, Curigliano G. The emerging role of "liquid biopsies", circulating tumor cells, and circulating cell-free tumor DNA in lung cancer diagnosis and identification of resistan cemutations. Curr Oncol Rep 2017;19:1.
Fournié GJ, Courtin JP, Laval F, Chalé JJ, Pourrat JP, Pujazon MC, Lauque D, Carles P. Plasma DNA as a marker of cancerous cell death. Investigations in patients suffering from lung cancer and in nude mice bearing human tumours. Cancer Lett 1995;91:221-227.
Heitzer E, Auer M, Hoffmann EM, Pichler M, Gasch C, Ulz P, Lax S, Waldispuehl-Geigl J, Mauermann O, Mohan S, Pristauz G, Lackner C, Höfler G, Eisner F, Petru E, Sill H, Samonigg H, Pantel K, Riethdorf S, Bauernhofer T, Geigl JB, Speicher MR. Establishment of tumor-specific copy number alterations from plasma DNA of patients with cancer. Int J Cancer 2013;133:346-356.
Nygaard AD, Holdgaard PC, Spindler KL, Pallidgard N, Jakobsen A. The correlation between cell-free DNA and tumour burden was estimated by PET/CT in patients with advanced NSCLC. Br J Cancer 2014;110:363-368.
Schwarzenbach H, Hoon DS, Pantel K. Cell-free nucleic acids as biomarkers in cancer patients. Nat Rev Cancer 2011;11:426-437.
F-18 FDG PET/CT SUVmax cell-free DNA


Boho Beach Bungalow: So Hot...PINK!
Hot pink is trending so hard right now I can't even take it. Have you noticed it? I keep seeing it EVERYWHERE, and I'm SO INTO IT. Clearly my emphatic use of capitals conveys how excited I am by hot pink. Super saturated, so bold and girly, check out all these different ways it's being incorporated both subtly and overtly.
What are your feelings on hot pink? I've been incorporating tons of hot pink into my wardrobe, which is way less committal than bringing it into your home. But looking at all these different ways to use hot pink, I feel like I could get a little more serious...maybe take it to the next level...is it getting hot in here? Oh yes, hot PINK that is!


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Business, City Hall, news No Comments
Politicians Call Out Airbnb as Mural Welcomes Guests to 'Illegal Hotel Row'
June 28, 2018 By Tara Yarlagadda
A mural painted by local tenants in protest of Airbnb's impact on their community. (Photo: Tara Yarlagadda)
"Hey hey, ho ho, illegal hotels have got to go!" On a rainy Wednesday afternoon at the First Street Green Cultural Park, a dedicated group of 15 or so elected officials, activists and local residents sporting "Save the Lower East Side" T-shirts gathered to protest commercially operated, short-term rentals like VRBO and Airbnb.
Following a spirited introduction from the Cooper Square Committee, members of the 43 E. 1st Street Tenants Association and Coalition Against Illegal Hotels kicked off the press conference with impassioned speeches about the impact of these rentals on their community and residences. Tenants emphasized that while they were neither anti-business nor anti-tourist, they were concerned about "quality of life issues" resulting from business practices that they deemed questionable at best.
Douglas Hudgins, a teacher in the Bronx and a resident of E. 1st Street, held a blank sign scrawled in black marker with the words "HOUSING IS A HUMAN RIGHT." "I'm here today because so many landlords are warehousing their apartments and renting them out as hotel-like habitats, which is killing rent-stabilization in the city."'
A local resident protests short-term rentals like Airbnb. (Photo: Tara Yarlagadda)
In addition, the group also unveiled a 100-foot mural painted by community members to draw attention to the matter. The mural boasted a green sign with the white lettering "Welcome to HOTEL ROW." Coyly inserted before "HOTEL" was the word "ILLEGAL" in red spray paint. Further down the mural, a person–presumably a tourist using Airbnb or a similar rental—with a dollar sign in place of a head carted off a carry-on suitcase labeled "NYC!" The words "COMMUNITY NEED OVER CORPORATE GREED" rested atop the mural. There were also instructions for residents to call 311 if they noticed suspicious activity and a laundry list of the negative impacts, such as rent hikes and the displacement of long-term residents. About three weeks beforehand, the mural was vandalized, and the tenants repainted it in a show of commitment to their activism.
The tenants also have official statistics on their side. A report issued by City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer earlier this year stated that 9.2 percent of citywide rent increases between 2009 and 2016 could be connected to the presence of Airbnb. It also noted that that lower Manhattan was home to a high concentration of the short-term rentals.
(Photo: Tara Yarlagadda)
At the press conference-turned-rally, speakers voiced support for a bill introduced earlier this week by Council Member Carlina Rivera, whose district includes the East Village and the Lower East Side. The bill would put unlawful, short-term rentals and home-sharing services like Airbnb straight in the cross-hairs of the city government. The legislation would require Airbnb and similar services to provide information like the name and addresses of individual listings, as well as whether the rental constitutes a portion or the entirety of the unit. Companies that failed to comply would be fined up to a whopping $25,000 per undisclosed rental.
Elected officials like New York State Senator Brian Kavanagh lend their support to the press conference. (Photo: Tara Yarlagadda)
Rivera, who was present at the rally, said of Airbnb, "They are not good neighbors. They are not being good to the people of New York City. And I have every intention of getting this bill passed."
In addition to Rivera, Council Member Margaret Chin, who represents much of Lower Manhattan, decried the staggering amounts of money that Airbnb made in District 1 last year. One report, published by the company's Airbnb Citizen channel, showed that hosts had earned over $49 million in her district.
"That is the sad reality of the affordable housing crisis in New York City," said Chin.
New York State Senator Brian Kavanagh and State Assemblymember Deborah J. Glick also lent their support to the cause along with other elected officials.
"Make no mistake: the fight for tenants' rights in this city is a fight for the very foundation of what makes this the city that we love," said Kavanagh to hearty applause from the crowd.
Tags: East Village, Housing + Development
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A homemade vegetarian version of the popular canned bean with bacon soup. You won't miss the bacon – promise!
Growing up, soup was just something that came from a can. In fact, when my mom would whip up a homemade soup (which she occasionally did and did well), I would be all suspicious. That's not real soup, Mom!
Well, things have changed, and canned soup is a rare exception in our house. Not only am I not a fan of how most of them taste, but I just like making it from scratch. And when I need a soup that's as convenient as canned, it's as easy as dipping into the freezer, where I keep extra batches and leftovers.
There are a couple of canned varieties I do miss, though – not just because we hardly ever eat the canned stuff, but also because I'm a vegetarian. First on the list? Bean with Bacon Condensed Soup. Oh man. Smoky, a little thick, tastes like home. I don't remember ever seeing an actual piece of bacon in there, but it was still delicious.
The lack of actual bacon pieces, however, kind of can mean it lends itself well to a homemade vegetarian version. Right?! Thanks to smoked paprika and fresh rosemary, this Bean without Bacon Soup tastes plenty smoky.
This is a super duper simple soup to whip up. First, a little saute for the veggies – with both butter and olive oil (a bit of both gives the final soup a little more oomph, but you can skip the butter for a vegan version and still be plenty happy). And then some garlic, spices, broth, beans, and a bit of a simmer. Puree for a thickened, full-bodied soup without roux or cream (did I mention this is a pretty healthy soup, all told?) – and then stir in a few more beans for texture.
Voila. Who needs cans and bacon? Not us, man! Not us.
Heat the olive oil and butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add the onions and carrots and saute, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, smoked paprika, rosemary, salt, and pepper, and cook, stirring, for another minute. Add the broth and 3 cups (or 2 cans) of beans. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the veggies are tender and the soup has reduced a bit, 15-20 minutes.
Remove from heat and let cool for a couple of minutes until safe to handle. Using an immersion blender or working in batches with a blender, puree the soup. Return to the pan and return to medium-low heat.
Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups (or 1 can) beans. Stir to combine. Return to a simmer until the beans are heated through.
Ladle into bowls and drizzle with olive oil, a dusting of smoked paprika, and/or a few chopped fresh rosemary leaves, if desired.
Soup keeps refrigerated in an airtight container for 2-3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
* I call for low-sodium broth so that you can better control the amount of salt in the overall soup. If you have full-sodium broth, I recommend reducing or omitting the 1/2 teaspoon salt and then adding some if you find it needs it at the end of the recipe.
Use olive oil (3 tablespoons total) instead of butter.
Bacon or no bacon, this soup looks AH-mazing! I don't eat canned soup anymore either, although I admit I was obsessed with Campbell's Steak and Potato soup when I was a kid. Now the thought of canned meat anything really grosses me out. LOVE this fresh and tasty soup, Kare!
This sounds amazing! So silky and smooth and delicious, it sounds perfect for the cooler months 🙂 and I love how you got all that smoky flavor in there. Pinned!
Your ingredient list includes butter, but your instructions don't mention it.
Thank you for letting me know my error; fixing the recipe now!
So, I've never had the canned version, but we just cooked up your recipe tonight and it's very tasty! I have to admit that I didn't have smoked paprika on hand, so I used Spanish and added just a tad bit of liquid smoke. I also only used 2 cans of great northern beans (because I didn't have 3), but I would probably do that on purpose next time because I like it more soup-y. We just finished eating this with good toasted oatmeal bread and I'm so grateful we had a fast fall recipe to make tonight. Thank you so much!
I cook oil free. Can this soup be made successfully without the addition of oils or butter or extra fat?
Yes, though that does account for some of the flavor.
The original "Bean with Bacon" soup used to be one of my favorites growing up, so I was delighted to come across this recipe. It's really very good. I did add smoked salt. Next time, I think I'll try liquid smoke instead. Thanks for a great recipe!
This recipe gets 1 star and that's only because of the picture. I followed the recipe exactly. The amount of vegetable broth is not nearly enough for this. It looks like refried beans after purée. I'm having to add a ton of water. It also says to throw in the remaining beans until they are cooked through. The only problem is they aren't cooking because the batch is scorching on medium. At this rate, it won't be done for hours. The flavor leaves much to be desired. My husband tried it and is begging me to add some bacon to enhance the flavor.
Hi Nicole, the recipe actually calls for cooked beans – canned beans or beans that have already been cooked. It also says to add remaining beans after they are heated through – not cooked through. Attempting this recipe with raw beans definitely sounds like a recipe for disaster (literally!) I hope you try it again with cooked beans; I think you'll like it a lot better!
Made this several weeks ago and my whole family (vegetarian) LOVED it. I miss the Bean with Bacon soup of my youth and this absolutely reminded me of that classic. But, it was better. Much better. I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out. I came back looking to make it again and was confused by the 1 star review–the soup I made was NOT a 1 star soup. It was really, really good.
Hi Stephanie, thank you so much for the review! I'm so glad you loved it as much as we do. THANK YOU!
Please disregard that 1-star review, this soup is amazing! The recipe clearly states that canned/cooked beans are used, not dried, which I'm sure would make for a disaster. Made this for dinner tonight, and it is definitely a yummy and healthier version of the canned soup I grew up with. I added a splash of liquid smoke at the end to boost the smoky flavor from the smoked paprika. Thanks for this recipe!


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Apple will not shut down App Store Connect during the holiday season
12/03/2022 admin app, Apple, Connect, holiday, season, shut, store
App Store Connect
Apple will keep app submissions to the App Store open for developers during the holiday season.
The company traditionally closes the App Store to ship new apps and updates for part of the holiday season.
However, during the 2022 holiday season, developers can submit updates and resubmissions without shutting down App Store Connect, although Apple warns that reviews may take a little longer from December 23-27.
The company says that 90% of submissions, on average, are reviewed in less than 24 hours. Apple also offers some tips for developers to avoid common auditing problems.
Three tips are to thoroughly test the app to make it ready for customers, tell Apple's review team about the unique app experience, and give them access to help them complete a thorough review.
The holiday season is an important part of the year for Apple and developers. In September, the company announced that it would expand ad placement on the App Store in time for the holidays.
"With new opportunities coming to Apple's search ads, you can promote your apps on the App Store to engage even more customers this holiday season," Apple said in a statement.
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It"s been a while since he changed diapers, but Bruce Willis is gearing up to be a dad again!
The actor and wife Emma, a designer and model, are expecting their first child together early next year, his rep confirms to us.
The couple "are overjoyed with this news and they look forward to welcoming this newest addition into their family," the statement reads.
Willis, 56, and Heming, 35, were married in March 2009.
The actor also has three children – Rumer, 23, Scout, 20, and Tallulah, 17 – with ex-wife Demi Moore.


Less than a year ago, Elliott Sigal, Bristol-Myers Squibb's R&D chief for nearly a decade, stunned the industry. After a lengthy run that saw Bristol morph from a slogging, multifaceted healthcare conglomerate with its fingers in everything from AIDS drugs to baby formula, to a sleeker, pure play biopharmaceutical company, Sigal abruptly walked away in April 2013.
"I envision an active retirement," he said on a conference call with investors at the time.
Nearly a year later, Sigal is starting to show what he had in mind. Sigal is now dabbling in several areas of the life sciences world, from venture firms, to startups, to Big Biotechs. In January, Sigal joined investment firm New Enterprise Associates as a venture partner and senior advisor. It's essentially a part-time gig that'll enable him to advise NEA's healthcare team on its investments, and in some cases help the executive teams of the firm's portfolio companies. At the same time, he also began doing some consulting work for the research division of Thousand Oaks, CA-based Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN), the biotech powerhouse best known for its anemia drugs. He's since joined the board of a recently-formed gene therapy startup, Philadelphia-based Spark Therapeutics, adding to similar board roles he already holds at Bristol spinout Mead Johnson Nutrition and the Melanoma Research Alliance, a non-profit group. More appointments may be on the way. And Sigal says he's taking a long look at a different type of advisory role, one where he could help scientists bridge the gap between basic research and potential drug candidates—a translational gap that's commonly called the "valley of death," when academic projects can't get the funding needed to become true partnership or investment opportunities for VC's and drugmakers.
It's a return to the old days, in a way, for Sigal. He served on the faculty of the UCSF Department of Medicine before leaping to industry in 1992. Sigal rose through the ranks at smaller companies—Syntex (acquired by Roche in 1994) and later the genomics company Mercator Genetics before joining Bristol in 1997. He became Bristol's chief scientific officer and R&D head in 2004, and is perhaps best known there for helping champion a plan to align the company with a number of biotechs through licensing deals and small to mid-size buyouts, an initiative dubbed the "string of pearls" plan. In late 2012, The Wall Street Journal called him the best R&D chief in pharma.
Still, as is the case for every R&D chief, it wasn't all rosy for Sigal at Bristol. Some deals were successes, like Bristol's $2.4 billion buyout of Princeton, NJ-based Medarex in 2009, which it can now largely thank for a leading position in the white-hot field of immuno-oncology. Others fizzled, like the $2.5 billion deal for Atlanta-based Inhibitex in 2012. Bristol was hoping for a gem of a hepatitis C treatment, like the one Gilead Sciences got when it paid $11 billion for Pharmasset in 2011. Instead, Bristol-Myers soon found out the Inhibitex drug had safety problems and bombed in clinical trials, leading to a big write-off.
Xconomy: When you left Bristol, how did you plan your next move?