text:
// Type definitions for winston
// Project: https://github.com/flatiron/winston
// Definitions by: bonnici <https://github.com/bonnici>, Peter Harris <https://github.com/codeanimal>
// Definitions: https://github.com/borisyankov/DefinitelyTyped

// Imported from: https://github.com/soywiz/typescript-node-definitions/winston.d.ts

/// <reference path="../node/node.d.ts" />

declare module "winston" {
  export var transports: Transports;
  export var Transport: TransportStatic;
  export var Logger: LoggerStatic;
  export var Container: ContainerStatic;
  export var loggers: ContainerInstance;
  export var defaultLogger: LoggerInstance;

  export var exitOnError: boolean;
  export var level: string;

  export function log(level: string, msg: string, meta: any, callback?: (err: Error, level: string, msg: string, meta: any) => void): LoggerInstance;
  export function log(level: string, msg: string, callback?: (err: Error, level: string, msg: string, meta: any) => void): LoggerInstance;

  export function debug(msg: string, meta: any, callback?: (err: Error, level: string, msg: string, meta: any) => void): LoggerInstance;
  export function debug(msg: string, callback?: (err: Error, level: string, msg: string, meta: any) => void): LoggerInstance;

  export function info(msg: string, meta: any, callback?: (err: Error, level: string, msg: string, meta: any) => void): LoggerInstance;
  export function info(msg: string, callback?: (err: Error, level: string, msg: string, meta: any) => void): LoggerInstance;

  export function warn(msg: string, meta: any, callback?: (err: Error, level: string, msg: string, meta: any) => void): LoggerInstance;
  export function warn(msg: string, callback?: (err: Error, level: string, msg: string, meta: any) => void): LoggerInstance;

  export function error(msg: string, meta: any, callback?: (err: Error, level: string, msg: string, meta: any) => void): LoggerInstance;
  export function error(msg: string, callback?: (err: Error, level: string, msg: string, meta: any) => void): LoggerInstance;

  export function query(options: QueryOptions, callback?: (err: Error, results: any) => void): any;
  export function query(callback: (err: Error, results: any) => void): any;
  export function stream(options?: any): NodeJS.ReadableStream;
  export function handleExceptions(...transports: TransportInstance[]): void;
  export function unhandleExceptions(...transports: TransportInstance[]): void;
  export function add(transport: TransportInstance, options?: TransportOptions, created?: boolean): LoggerInstance;
  export function clear(): void;
  export function remove(transport: TransportInstance): LoggerInstance;
  export function startTimer(): ProfileHandler;
  export function profile(id: string, msg?: string, meta?: any, callback?: (err: Error, level: string, msg: string, meta: any) => void): LoggerInstance;
  export function addColors(target: any): any;
  export function setLevels(target: any): any;
  export function cli(): LoggerInstance;

  export interface LoggerStatic {
    new (options?: LoggerOptions): LoggerInstance;
  }

  export interface LoggerInstance extends NodeJS.EventEmitter {
    extend(target: any): LoggerInstance;

    log(level: string, msg: string, meta: any, callback?: (err: Error, level: string, msg: string, meta: any) => void): LoggerInstance;
    log(level: string, msg: string, callback?: (err: Error, level: string, msg: string, meta: any) => void): LoggerInstance;

    debug(msg: string, meta: any, callback?: (err: Error, level: string, msg: string, meta: any) => void): LoggerInstance;
    debug(msg: string, callback?: (err: Error, level: string, msg: string, meta: any) => void): LoggerInstance;

    info(msg: string, meta: any, callback?: (err: Error, level: string, msg: string, meta: any) => void): LoggerInstance;
    info(msg: string, callback?: (err: Error, level: string, msg: string, meta: any) => void): LoggerInstance;

    warn(msg: string, meta: any, callback?: (err: Error, level: string, msg: string, meta: any) => void): LoggerInstance;
    warn(msg: string, callback?: (err: Error, level: string, msg: string, meta: any) => void): LoggerInstance;

    error(msg: string, meta: any, callback?: (err: Error, level: string, msg: string, meta: any) => void): LoggerInstance;
    error(msg: string, callback?: (err: Error, level: string, msg: string, meta: any) => void): LoggerInstance;

    query(options: QueryOptions, callback?: (err: Error, results: any) => void): any;
    query(callback: (err: Error, results: any) => void): any;
    stream(options?: any): NodeJS.ReadableStream;
    close(): void;
    handleExceptions(...transports: TransportInstance[]): void;
    unhandleExceptions(...transports: TransportInstance[]): void;
    add(transport: TransportInstance, options?: TransportOptions, created?: boolean): LoggerInstance;
    addRewriter(rewriter: TransportInstance): TransportInstance[];
    clear(): void;
    remove(transport: TransportInstance): LoggerInstance;
    startTimer(): ProfileHandler;
    profile(id: string, msg?: string, meta?: any, callback?: (err: Error, level: string, msg: string, meta: any) => void): LoggerInstance;

    setLevels(target: any): any;
    cli(): LoggerInstance;
  }

  export interface LoggerOptions {
    transports?: TransportInstance[];
    rewriters?: TransportInstance[];
    exceptionHandlers?: TransportInstance[];
    handleExceptions?: boolean;

    /**
     * @type {(boolean|(err: Error) => void)}
     */
    exitOnError?: any;

    // TODO: Need to make instances specific,
    //       and need to get options for each instance.
    //       Unfortunately, the documentation is unhelpful.
    [optionName: string]: any;
  }

  export interface TransportStatic {
    new (options?: TransportOptions): TransportInstance;
  }

  export interface TransportInstance extends TransportStatic, NodeJS.EventEmitter {
    formatQuery(query: (string|Object)): (string|Object);
    normalizeQuery(options: QueryOptions): QueryOptions;
    formatResults(results: (Object|Array<any>), options?: Object): (Object|Array<any>);
    logException(msg: string, meta: Object, callback: () => void): void;
  }

  export interface ConsoleTransportInstance extends TransportInstance {
    new (options?: ConsoleTransportOptions): ConsoleTransportInstance;
  }

  export interface DailyRotateFileTransportInstance extends TransportInstance {
    new (options?: DailyRotateFileTransportOptions): DailyRotateFileTransportInstance;
  }

  export interface FileTransportInstance extends TransportInstance {
    new (options?: FileTransportOptions): FileTransportInstance;
  }

  export interface HttpTransportInstance extends TransportInstance {
    new (options?: HttpTransportOptions): HttpTransportInstance;
  }

  export interface MemoryTransportInstance extends TransportInstance {
    new (options?: MemoryTransportOptions): MemoryTransportInstance;
  }

  export interface WebhookTransportInstance extends TransportInstance {
    new (options?: WebhookTransportOptions): WebhookTransportInstance;
  }

  export interface WinstonModuleTrasportInstance extends TransportInstance {
    new (options?: WinstonMoudleTransportOptions): WinstonModuleTrasportInstance;
  }

  export interface ContainerStatic {
    new (options: LoggerOptions): ContainerInstance;
  }

  export interface ContainerInstance extends ContainerStatic {
    get(id: string, options?: LoggerOptions): LoggerInstance;
    add(id: string, options: LoggerOptions): LoggerInstance;
    has(id: string): boolean;
    close(id: string): void;
    options: LoggerOptions;
    loggers: any;
    default: LoggerOptions;
  }

  export interface Transports {
    File: FileTransportInstance;
    Console: ConsoleTransportInstance;
    Loggly: WinstonModuleTrasportInstance;
    DailyRotateFile: DailyRotateFileTransportInstance;
    Http: HttpTransportInstance;
    Memory: MemoryTransportInstance;
    Webhook: WebhookTransportInstance;
  }

  export interface TransportOptions {
    level?: string;
    silent?: boolean;
    raw?: boolean;
    name?: string;
    /** If function is specified, its return value will be used instead of default output. (default undefined) */
    formatter?: Function;
    handleExceptions?: boolean;
    exceptionsLevel?: string;
    humanReadableUnhandledException?: boolean;
  }

  export interface ConsoleTransportOptions extends TransportOptions {
    label?: string;
    logstash?: boolean;
    debugStdout?: boolean;
    depth?: number;
    /** Level of messages that this transport should log (default 'info'). */
    level?: string;
    /** Boolean flag indicating whether to suppress output (default false). */
    silent?: boolean;
    /** Boolean flag indicating whether to suppress output (default false). */
    colorize?: boolean;
    /** Boolean flag indicating if we should prepend output with timestamps (default false). If function is specified, its return value will be used instead of timestamps. */
    timestamp?: boolean;
    /** Boolean flag indicating whether or not the output should be JSON. If true, will log out multi-line JSON objects. (default false) */
    json?: boolean;
    /** Boolean flag indicating if we should util.inspect the meta (default false). If function is specified, its return value will be the string representing the meta. */
    prettyPrint?: boolean;
    /** Boolean flag indiciating if the output should be passed through JSON.stringify, resulting in single-line output. Most useful when used in conjunction with the json flag. (default false) */
    stringify?: boolean;
    /** Boolean flag indicating if we should prepend output with level (default true). */
    showLevel?: boolean;
    raw?: boolean;
    name?: string;
  }

  export interface DailyRotateFileTransportOptions extends TransportOptions {
    json?: boolean;
    colorize?: boolean;
    prettyPrint?: boolean;
    timestamp?: (Function|boolean);
    showLevel?: boolean;
    label?: string;
    logstash?: boolean;
    depth?: number;
    maxsize?: number;
    maxFiles?: number;
    eol?: string;
    maxRetries?: number;
    datePattern?: string;
    filename?: string;
    dirname?: string;
    options?: {
      flags?: string;
      highWaterMark?: number;
    }
    stream?: NodeJS.WritableStream;
  }

  export interface FileTransportOptions extends TransportOptions {
    json?: boolean;
    colorize?: boolean;
    prettyPrint?: boolean;
    timestamp?: (Function|boolean);
    showLevel?: boolean;
    label?: string;
    logstash?: boolean;
    depth?: number;
    maxsize?: number;
    rotationFormat?: boolean;
    zippedArchive?: boolean;
    maxFiles?: number;
    eol?: string;
    tailable?: boolean;
    maxRetries?: number;
    filename?: string;
    dirname?: string;
    options?: {
      flags?: string;
      highWaterMark?: number;
    }
    stream?: NodeJS.WritableStream;
  }

  export interface HttpTransportOptions extends TransportOptions {
    ssl?: boolean;
    host?: string;
    port?: number;
    auth?: {
      username: string;
      password: string;
    };
    path?: string;
  }

  export interface MemoryTransportOptions extends TransportOptions {
    json?: boolean;
    colorize?: boolean;
    prettyPrint?: boolean;
    timestamp?: (Function|boolean);
    showLevel?: boolean;
    label?: string;
    depth?: number;
  }

  export interface WebhookTransportOptions extends TransportOptions {
    host?: string;
    port?: number;
    method?: string;
    path?: string;
    auth?: {
      username?: string;
      password?: string;
    };
    ssl?: {
      key?: any;
      cert?: any;
      ca: any;
    };
  }

  export interface WinstonMoudleTransportOptions extends TransportOptions {
    [optionName: string]: any;
  }

  export interface QueryOptions {
    rows?: number;
    limit?: number;
    start?: number;
    from?: Date;
    until?: Date;
    /**
     * 'asc' or 'desc'
     */
    order?: string;
    fields: any;
  }

  export interface ProfileHandler {
    logger: LoggerInstance;
    start: Date;
    done: (msg: string) => LoggerInstance;
  }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Jan 18, 2008 · Why does the ice on a frozen lake make loud thunderlike sounds? ... Thats the sound of the ice breaking. ... Is the kilauea lava devastating the big island?
One of the weirdest substances in the universe is right under your nose. ... Clean Smash Boom Best: ... What's the big deal?
List of SpongeBob SquarePants characters. ... can go back home and fend off from a legendary tidal wave known as the Big One. Jim ... always speaking in a loud tone.
it wasn't just one boom followed by another one ... Only a nuke is that dam loud. Also the Big bases are real far away in the west panhandle.
Jan 29, 2008 · You have blown it up. Not much you can do but buy a new one. All the microwaves I have seen simply plug in a wall socket. Thats the type we use.
UE Megaboom Review. ... Lava Red and Plum. ... The lows were the weakest point of the UE Boom, but fortunately that's far from the case here.


text:
European Union: a house divided
By Conn Hallinan
Larger now than the Roman Empire of two thousand years ago, more opaque than the Byzantine, the European Union continues to baffle observers and participants alike.
Perry Anderson, British
historian: The European Union is one of the premier trade organizations on the planet, with a collective GDP that matches the world's largest economies. But it is far more than a trade group. It is also a banker, a judicial system, a watchdog, a military alliance, and, increasingly, an enforcer of economic rules among its 28 members.
On the one hand it functions like a super state, on the other, a collection of squabbling competitors, with deep divisions between north and south. On June 23, the two-decade-old organization will be put to the test when Great Britain-its second largest economy-votes to stay in the EU or bail out.
The awkwardly named "Brexit" has stirred up a witches' brew of xenophobia, racism and nationalism, but it has also served to sharpen a long standing debate among the European left over the nature of the organization, and whether it serves to unite a continent shattered by two world wars or functions as little more than a vehicle to spread a particular species of capitalism that has impoverished more people than it has lifted up.
The EU was originally sold as an effective way to compete with U.S. and Japanese commercial power (and later China) by integrating the economies of Western Europe into a common market. The 1957 Treaty of Rome established the European Economic Community (EEC), but that organization was plagued by currency instability.
Currency manipulation is a standard economic strategy, one the U.S. Treasury follows to this day. The idea is to boost exports by deflating one's currency, thus making one's products cheaper. In an organization like the EEC, however, where currencies were traded back and forth, that strategy caused chaos, particularly after the Americans decoupled the dollar from gold in 1971. The U.S. immediately began aggressively devaluing its currency and undercutting Germany.
To make a long history brief, Germany and France began pushing for a common currency, though for different reasons. For Germany, fluctuating currency rates cut into that country's export engine. For France, a common currency would give Paris some say over the EEC's economic policies through the creation of a European Central Bank, policies that at the time were largely determined by Germany's powerful economy.
Although Britain opted out of adopting the Euro, London rapidly became the financial center of the continent. In the end, 19 countries would adopt the Euro, creating the Eurozone. Eight others, including Denmark, Sweden and Poland kept their own currencies. The common currency-established by the 1991 Maastricht Treaty and launched in 1999-effectively put the German Bundesbank in charge. Bonn agreed to the common currency, but only on the condition that everyone kept their budget deficits to 3 percent of national income and held their government debt level at 60 percent of GDP. Those figures matched Germany's economy, but very few of the other states in the EU.
The Maastricht Treaty also transformed the EEC into the EU in 1993.
Deflating one's currency as a tactic to increase exports and stimulate growth during a downturn was no longer an option, and the debt ratio was set so low that few economies could keep to its strictures. When the bottom fell out during the 2008 economic meltdown, EU states found out just what they had signed on for: draconian austerity measures, the widespread privatization of state owned enterprises-from water and electrical systems, to airports and harbors-and emigration. Millions of mainly young Portuguese, Irish, Greeks and Spaniards fled abroad.
The European Central Bank-with its cohorts, the International Monetary Fund and the European Commission, the so-called Troika-straitjacketed economies throughout the continent, turning countries like Greece, Spain, Portugal, and Ireland into basket cases, forcing them to borrow money to keep their banks afloat while instituting austerity regimes that led to massive unemployment, huge service cutbacks, and rising poverty rates.
The Troika had a neat trick: it shifted the debts incurred by private speculators on to the public, while the Germans spun up a fairy tale to explain the counter-example: the frugal frau.
"The Swabian housewife," lectured German Chancellor Angela Merkel, "would have told us her worldly wisdom: In the long run you cannot live beyond your means."
Except that the debts were not due to the Greeks, Irish, Spaniards, and Portuguese "living beyond their means." They were just picking up the tab run up by the speculators. The vast majority of "bailouts" that followed the crash went directly into the vaults of French, British, German, and Austrian banks. On the day the Greek "bailout" was announced, French bank shares rose 24 percent.
In many ways, the EU resembles a military alliance on the march. Jan Zielonka, a professor of European politics at Oxford, calls the EU a "postmodern empire," filling the vacuum created by the fall of the Soviet Union, using "checkbooks rather than swords as leverage." During the Clinton administration, the EU-along with NATO-pushed eastward, creating what Zbigniew Brzezinski called "the Eurasian bridgehead for American power and the potential springboard for the democratic system's expansion into Eurasia." The Obama administration strongly supports the UK remaining in the EU.
But the EU has very little to do with "democracy," as the recent Greek crisis demonstrated. In a confrontation between the then newly elected Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis and German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schauble, the latter refused to negotiate over the austerity program that had cratered Greece's economy. "I'm not discussing the program," said Schauble, "This was accepted by the previous [Greek] government and we can't possibly let an election change anything."
In short, the Troika-an unelected body-makes all economic decisions and is unwilling to consider any other approach but that of the mythical Swabian housewife. It isn't democracy moving east, but the Bundesbank, and a species of capitalism that is unmoved by unemployment, poverty and widespread misery So is the Brexit a challenge to the growing might of capital and an implicit critique of the EU's dearth of democracy? Nothing's that simple.
First, the loudest critics of the EU are people one needs a very long spoon to sup with: Marine Le Pen's racist National Front, Britain's xenophobic United Kingdom Independence Party, Hungary's thuggish Jobbik, Greece's openly Nazi Golden Dawn, and Italy's odious Northern League. Hatred of immigrants and Islamophobia are the glue that binds these parties, which are active and growing throughout the EU.
Indeed, some on the British left have suggested voting against a Brexit precisely because the most vocal opposition to the EU comes from the most reactionary elements in the UK. The British Conservative Party is deeply split on the issue, with its most rightwing and anti-immigrant members favoring getting out.
The left is also filled with crosscurrents. While some argue for getting out because they see the EU as an undemocratic vehicle for the expansion of international capital, others are critical, but advocate staying in. British Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn-hardly a friend to international capital- opposes the Brexit. Courtesy – Counterpunch
Falak Shabir's latest Instagram video wins hearts
Court issues arrest warrants for Meesha
Abida Parveen and Naseebo's warm interaction wins hearts on Internet
'One person's opinion' not enough, says Fazl
Govt raises price of petrol by Rs 3/litre
Macron rival Pecresse slams EU's 'sieve-like' borders

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Dow Jones Industrial Average News, 4/7/2016: With the Federal Reserve's recent decision to hold interest rates in place for the time being, traders are looking to the upcoming decisions by other global central banks – particularly the European Central Bank and the Bank of Japan – which are slated for later this month. In a world swimming in debt and badly in need of structural reforms, central bankers continue to blast the world with negative interest rates, cheap stimulus money, and uncharted policy decisions.
Here's today's top stock market news, stocks to watch, ways to profit and economic calendar for April 7, 2016.
Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average projected an 80-point decline as investors focus on concerns about the fresh earnings season and traders dissected news that several major deals set for this year are under significant regulatory scrutiny.
Here's a breakdown of why the Dow is trending downward ahead of the opening bell.
First up, a new fiduciary rule released by the U.S. Department of Labor is causing a stir with investors. U.S. President Barack tasked the DOL with creating a rule set to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2018. The new standard applies to financial advisors of retirement accounts, including individual accounts, and mandates that they always act in the best of their own clients. While this may sound like a positive development for investors like you, there are a few hidden traps and consequences of such a broad rule on retirement investors. Here's how the law came to be and the inevitable ways that it can impact your retirement.
WTI crude oil prices have been ticking higher on optimism that OPEC leaders will be able to squeeze out a deal that freezes global production. However, some traders are warning that the recent rally in oil prices is premature, and that markets should exercise caution. U.S. crude prices were approaching $38 per barrel, while Brent crude prices were a few cents short of $40 per barrel.
On the banking front, recent efforts by the U.S. Treasury Department and the Justice Department are throwing a wrench into the plans of several prominent mergers and acquisitions that were announced in recent months. The Treasury Department announced new rules aimed at preventing tax inversions – a deal where a firm relocates its headquarters abroad in order to avoid the American corporate tax code. The new rules forced pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) to walk away from a $160 billion deal with Allergan Plc. (NYSE: AGN). Calling off the deal has cost several banks hundreds of millions of dollars in fees.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Justice Department is suing to prevent mergers between office retailers Staples Inc. (Nasdaq: SPLS) and Office Depot Inc. (Nasdaq: ODP). It is also suing to stop the planned deal between Halliburton Co. (NYSE: HAL) and Baker Hughes Inc. (NYSE: BHI), citing antitrust rules. But what no one is talking about is why these mergers are transpiring in the first place. Aside from a costly corporate tax code here in the United States, firms are relying more and more on these mergers in order to boost market share instead of growing the companies organically.
On the economic front, pay attention to weekly jobless claims and two events featuring prominent members of the U.S. central bank, including U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen. Jobless claims have remained quite low in recent months, a positive sign for the labor market. Meanwhile, Yellen is expected to take part in a conversation with other former Fed chairs Ben Bernanke, Alan Greenspan, and Paul Volcker.
Shares of Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc. (NYSE: VRX) will try to keep their momentum today after rallying 18.8% on Wednesday. The Canadian drug company had its best two-day rally in two decades. The rally came after bullish statements by activist investor Bill Ackman. While Ackman's fund may be up roughly $250 million on its position in the last two days, his position is still off billions from its slide from its 52-week high. Here's what to expect next for VRX stock.
Shares of McDonald's Corp. (NYSE: MCD) were on the move today on news that the company's Chairman Andrew McKenna will retire. McKenna has headed the fast-food giant's board of directors for 12 years. The firm will elect a new chairperson after its annual meeting in late May.
On the earnings front, look for quarterly reports from CarMax Inc. (NYSE: KMX), ConAgra Foods Inc. (NYSE: CAG), and Ruby Tuesday Inc. (NYSE: RT).
Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen speaks at 5:30 p.m.
Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank President Esther George speaks at 8:15 p.m.


We introduce a mutual information based method for blind separation of statistically independent source signals. The Pearson system is used as a parametric model. Starting from the definition of mutual information we show using the results by Pham  that the minimization of mutual information contrast leads to iterative use of score functions as estimation functions. The Pearson system allows adaptive modeling of the score functions. The characteristics of the Pearson system are studied and estimators for the parameters are derived using the method of moments. The flexibility of the Pearson system makes it possible to model wide range of source distributions including asymmetric distributions. Skewed source distributions are common in many key application areas, such as telecommunications and biomedical signal processing. We also introduce an extension of the Pearson system that can model multimodal distributions. The applicability of the Pearson system based method is demonstrated in simulation examples, including blind equalization of GMSK signals.


text:
Showtime's Roger Ailes Series "Loudest Voice" Fails to Make List of Top 150 Cable Shows Sunday Night
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Toronto Film Fest: No Scorsese, But Bruce Springsteen, Tom Hanks, "Motherless Brooklyn," Todd Philip's "Joker," Almodovar and Banderas
The 2019 Toronto Film Festival looks pretty swell. No Scorsese "Irishman," but everything else we need, want, and expect including Tom Hanks in the...
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Exclusive: Read Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Extraordinary Letter Ignoring Charter Rights of His Own Unjustly Jailed Citizen, IMore Interested in Commenting on Donald Trump's US Congresswomen Scandal
I was a little surprised in the last few days that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau commented on Donald Trump's racism scandal. That's...
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The fanboys and girls are all in a lather over Marvel's announcements last night at Comic Con re released plans for 2020 and 2021. Maybe...
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Having spent a decade fighting the scientific publishing establishment, the last few weeks have been kind of fun. Elsevier, the Dutch publishing conglomerate that has long served as the poster child for all that is wrong with the industry, has come under withering criticism for pushing legislation that would prevent the US government from making the results of taxpayer funded research available to the public.
Scores of scientists (myself included) have slammed the hypocrisy of the bill. Prominent publishers, fearing a backlash against Elsevier's overreach, have come out in favor of government public access policies. Even the editors of The Lancet, one of Elsevier's prized possessions, called the bill a "damaging threat to science".
But amidst all this richly deserved opprobrium, we must not forget that Elsevier are in a position to behave so poorly because we let them. Publishers control the paywalls that restrict access to the scientific literature. But individual researchers control the fate of their own papers. And the only reason a paywall ever stands between anyone and a paper they want to read is because its authors chose to put it there.
The scientific community could decide tomorrow to eliminate restrictions on access to the research literature. But, because of a complex stew of narrow self-interest, vanity, laziness and tradition, the majority of scientists continue to feed the beast – unwilling to act on their own to change a system they know is wrong.
Scientists' idealism is honorable, and genuinely heartfelt. Few other groups of people really do want the change the world in such a positive, progressive manner. Yet, in a twist of irony, few other groups who prize evidence and free thought systematically follow dogmatic traditions that are directly in conflict with their idealistic world view. Why are some of the smartest people in the country allowing publishing companies to fleece them, their institutions and libraries, the federal government and the american taxpayers of their money?
And last week, mathematicians Tim Gowers and Tyler Neylon launched a new effort to get researchers to exercise their collective power to make scientific publishing better serve their and the public's interest by organizing a boycott of Elsevier journals which has (at this writing) around 3,000 signatures (including mine).
The boycott isn't perfect. I wish they hadn't focused exclusively on Elsevier – they are hardly the only bad actors in the field. And it's crucial that the focus be on papers. Nobody views turning town invitations to review to be a big sacrifice – and publishers will just find someone else. Same thing with editors. But papers are their lifeblood. Cut off the supply, they will have no choice but to alter their publishing practices. But even as it is written now, if this kind of collective action actually worked, it would have a huge impact. So the question is, will it?
We do have a historical precedent. In late 2000 my postdoctoral mentor Pat Brown, frustrated with the refusal of most publishers to participate in the newly launched PubMed Central, began circulating a letter in which scientists pledged to exclusively publish in, review for and serve as editors of journals that placed their contents in PMC with no more than a 6 month delay. The letter quickly received a list of prominent signatures, including many Nobel Prize winners, leading us to go public with a new site to gather public support for building an "online public library of science" (from whence the name PLoS derives).
Within a year 30,o00 people had signed the letter. But, when push came to shove, few followed through on their pledge. Publishers did not respond to the call from their constituency, leaving only a handful of journals in PMC and the nascent open access options from BioMed Central to choose from. Pat and I and a handful of the strongest OA supporters kept our promise, but most did not.
Nevermind that this widely and deeply held belief – that success in science requires publishing in high impact journals – is incorrect. When push came to shove, most signers of the open letter abandoned this effort to fix a broken system, and continued sending their papers to non-OA, non-PMC journals.
But there are very good reasons to believe that things are different now, and that we can succeed with a new organized effort to deny publishers that are not serving our interests the papers on which they depend. The most obvious and important difference is that the landscape of open access publishing has changed dramatically since the original PLoS boycott. Indeed it was its failure – or more precisely the excuses colleagues gave us about why they weren't participating – that led Pat, Harold Varmus and I to refocus PLoS as a publisher.
PLoS had many goals, but chief among them was the desire to give authors open access options where they would be confortable sending all of their papers. While PLoS Biology and PLoS Medicine haven't succeeded in displacing the glamour mags Science, Nature, The New England Journal and The Lancet, they provide viable high impact open access alternatives, our community journals have become very prominent in the communities they represent, and PLoS ONE is now the biggest biomedical research journal in the world. BioMed Central is also thriving, and a wide range of new open access publishers and journals have come online in the past few years. And eLife, a joint open access project from HHMI, Wellcome Trust and the Max Planck Society will launch later this year.
Thus, people joining in the new boycott have no excuses not to follow through. There are plenty of viable OA options and it is simply unacceptable for any scientist who decries Elsevier's actions and believes that the subscription based model is no longer serving science to send a single additional paper to journals that do not provide full OA to every paper they publish. So, come on people! If we do this now, paywalls will crumble, and we all be better off. So, come on! Let's do it!
[UPDATE: I changed the original title of this post from "You are Elsevier: Publisher boycotts then and now" to more accurately reflect my point].
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Having just read through a list of dubious claims about global warming where the poster gave hyperlinks to popular media outlets it reminded me yet again that the general public have very limited access to real scientific papers. The fact that many journals are hidden behind significant paywalls is encouraging the spread of pseudo-science and direct lying from young Earth creationists, global warming deniers and others. YouTube video maker Aronra has made a similar point in a recent address to an audience in Little Rock.
The central problem, as I see it, is abuse of the principle of copyright. We currently have the ludicrous situation of films, music, books etc being protected for decades after the death of the author for no charge. Contrast that with patents, where 20 to 30 years is the absolute maximum and fees are payable every year. Registered designs and trademarks also require yearly fees. If a copyright production is going to make any money at all, it will do so in the first few years after publication.
I recognise that there are costs involved in the production of quality journals, much more so than in ordinary magazines. However if these costs are not recovered within a year of publication, there is not much chance they ever will be.
One can argue whether open access should be after 6 months or 12, or 24. I'll leave that to the accountants. But limits on copyright there should be.


Author(s): Brand, J. van den; Verhave, J.C.; Adang, E.M.M. ; Wetzels, J.F.M.
Background: Kidney transplantation in patients with atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome (aHUS) is frequently complicated by recurrence of aHUS, often resulting in graft loss. Eculizumab prophylaxis prevents recurrence, improving graft survival. An alternative treatment strategy has been proposed where eculizumab is administered upon recurrence. We combined available evidence and performed a cost-effectiveness analysis of these competing strategies. Methods: A cost-effectiveness analysis using a decision analytical approach with Markov chain analyses was used to compare alternatives for aHUS patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD): (i) dialysis treatment, (ii) kidney transplantation, (iii) kidney transplantation with eculizumab therapy upon recurrence of aHUS, (iv) kidney transplantation with eculizumab induction consisting of 12 months of prophylaxis and (v) kidney transplantation with lifelong eculizumab prophylaxis. We assumed that all patients received a graft from a living donor and that recurrence probability was 28.4% within the first year of transplantation. Results: At 8.34 quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) gained and a cost of euro402 412, kidney transplantation without eculizumab was the least costly alternative. By comparison, dialysis was more costly and resulted in fewer QALYs gained. Eculizumab upon recurrence resulted in 9.55 QALYs gained at a cost of euro425 097. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) was euro18 748 per QALY. Both eculizumab induction and lifelong eculizumab were inferior to eculizumab upon recurrence, as both resulted in fewer QALYs gained and higher costs. Conclusions: Kidney transplantation is more cost effective than dialysis to treat ESRD due to aHUS. Adding eculizumab treatment results in a substantial gain in QALYs. When compared with eculizumab upon recurrence, neither eculizumab induction nor lifelong eculizumab prophylaxis resulted in more QALYs, but did yield far higher costs. Therefore, eculizumab upon recurrence of aHUS is more acceptable.


text:
Jamestown es un pueblo ubicado en el Condado de Berkeley en el estado estadounidense de Carolina del Sur. El pueblo en el año 2000 tiene una población de 97 habitantes en una superficie de 1.5 km², con una densidad poblacional de 65.1 personas por km².

Geografía
Jamestown se encuentra ubicado en las coordenadas . Según la Oficina del Censo, el pueblo tiene un área total de , de la cual  es tierra y  (0.0%) es agua.

Demografía
En el 2000 la renta per cápita promedia del hogar era de $16.250, y el ingreso promedio para una familia era de $13.542. El ingreso per cápita para la localidad era de $7.021. En 2000 los hombres tenían un ingreso per cápita de $19.375 contra $16.875 para las mujeres. Alrededor del 52.50% de la población estaba bajo el umbral de pobreza nacional.

Localidades adyacentes
El siguiente diagrama muestra a las localidades en un radio de  de Jamestown.

Referencias

Enlaces externos

Localidades del condado de Berkeley (Carolina del Sur)
Pueblos de Carolina del Sur

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
CoronavirusHealth & Safety
Washington College's Covid-19 policies and procedures universally apply to all members of our campus community (students, faculty, staff, and other workers). Individual departments, faculty, staff or students may not make their own Covid-19 rules or policies, unless approved by the President or their designee. Students can contact the Quarantine & Isolation Coordinators group at 443-480-1196.
What To Do if You Show Symptoms of COVID (Students)
Guidance For Faculty Staff and Other Workers
Quarantine & Isolation Coordinators PH: 443-480-1196.
For guidance on what is/isn't a proper mask and other tips, please refer to the CDC's information.
Currently, the mask policy from the fall semester remains in effect. This policy will be under regular review as we approach the spring semester and the return of the campus community. Until further notice, it remains as stated below:
Everyone on campus must be masked in all public indoor spaces; private offices and student rooms and suites are not considered public and therefore the requirement does not apply in these areas.
Public spaces are all of those areas where you are likely to come in contact with individuals that you do not live with or share an office with. While not an exhaustive list, the following are examples of public indoor spaces:
Classrooms and labs
Hallways, common spaces, open-floor plan workspaces and restrooms in academic and administrative buildings
JFC and Cain Athletic Center
Casey Academic Center (CAC)
Miller Library
Hodson Hall – in dining areas, masks are required except when eating or drinking
Theatres and other large meeting areas
Students are strongly encouraged to wear face masks within shared public spaces in their residence halls, particuarly in situations where students may be gathered in smaller spaces. This includes laundry rooms, lounges, kitchens and hallways.
Co-workers who are all vaccinated and who regularly occupy the same workspace may – by agreement – remove their masks indoors when no outside visitors are in that shared workspace. Masks must be worn anytime other individuals occupy that shared space. Unvaccinated individuals must remain masked indoors.
For vaccinated individuals in outdoor spaces, masks are optional. For unvaccinated individuals in outdoor spaces where social distancing is not possible, masks are required.
We reserve the right to require masks be worn by all attendees at some large outdoor events. If this is a requirement, that information will be clearly communicated and posted.
During gateway testing, masks will be required by everyone, regardless of vaccination status.
Any unvaccinated individuals who are required to participate in surveillance testing are required to be masked for that regular testing.
There is more data to support the preferred use of KN-95 masks, so if you are able to secure one, we encourage you to do so. The next best option for masking is to double-mask, using a cloth mask on top of a paper surgical mask.
Pause on the Addendum to Indoor Mask Policy –
An addendum was in effect for the fall semester that allowed for presenters/performers/speakers to temporarily remove masks, but at present, we are planning to begin the Spring 2022 semester without allowing this exception. We will continue to monitor and alert the community when conditions allow for this to resume.
Required Vaccines
Washington College continues to require that students receive vaccines against preventable diseases. This is to help mitigate risk to our campus community and to support public health efforts in disease containment. Required vaccines for the 2021-22 academic year include MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella), TDAP (Tetanus, Diptheria and Pertussis), Varicella (chickenpox), Polio, Hepatitis B, Meningitis, and COVID-19. Faculty and staff are also encouraged to be current on their vaccines, including the COVID-19 vaccine and as of 12/20/21, the COVID-19 booster shot.
In accordance with state and federal laws, Washington College will honor bona fide medical and religious exemptions for any or all of the required vaccines. For more details on how to request an exemption (and other FAQ's), click here.
We recognize that some international students may have difficulties in accessing the COVID-19 vaccine at home or may have questions about whether the vaccine they receive is recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO), which is Washington College's standard for accepting the vaccine. Washington College will assist students in this situation in setting up vaccine appointments upon arrival.
Flu shots are strongly recommended, but are not on the list of required vaccinations for the 2021-22 academic year. We do strongly encourage any student who has not yet received a flu vaccine to get one during the winter break and prior to the return to campus in January.
We will be continuing with some level of social distancing, though we will no longer mandate a 6' distance. In many areas around campus, removing the social distancing mandate also removes the need for restricting capacities, effectively restoring these areas to pre-COVID standards.
That being said, please be patient and kind with respect to physical distance. Everyone has a different level of comfort with the ongoing risks presented by COVID, and handshakes, hugs and chest bumps may very well be in the
category of "too soon" (or never!) for other members of our community. In short, if those around you prefer to continue to maintain a greater distance, the right thing to do is to be respectful of that.
Within those spaces that return to normal occupancy, we will also ensure, whenever possible, that there is space available for any members of our community who are unvaccinated and require physical distancing or for any other reasons wish tomaintain a greater distance from others.
COVID Testing Protocols
Washington College COVID-19 testing protocols for the Spring 2022 semester are as follows:
Gateway Testing
Even with the majority of our campus vaccinated, the American College Health Association strongly recommends that institutes of higher learning implement gateway testing. With the highly transmissible Omicron variant, we know that there will be COVID cases on campus and the gateway testing will help us to manage the spread while focusing on mitigation strategies.
In accordance with this recommendation, gateway testing is required for all students living on or off-campus, regardless of vaccination status. There is no cost to students associated with the gateway antigen testing.
For students living on campus, an appointment must be scheduled for Gateway Testing. Appointment date and time can be selected using the sign-up form in the Housing Portal. Health Services will administer a rapid antigen test. Rapid testing will again be managed through the NAVICA app. For any new/transfer students, information will be sent out by email prior to the start of the semester, with instructions for enrolling with NAVICA.
For students living off-campus, please log into the Housing Portal and use the sign-up form to select a gateway test appointment prior to the first day of classes (Jan. 24). Off-campus students are strongly encouraged to complete their gateway test prior to Jan. 22, as we anticipate higher traffic to the testing site over the weekend. Testing is available Mon-Fri 9 AM to 4 PM.
The gateway testing process is as follows:
If the gateway antigen test is negative, students will proceed with move-in.
If the gateway antigen test returns a positive result, the student will be considered positive for COVID and will be required to isolate. Unlike last semester, no confirmatory PCR test will be administered. Currently, the lengthy delays in getting results from these send-out test do not allow for timely action and communication around positive results, so we will be foregoing this step in Spring 2022.
Gateway Testing Costs:
There is no cost to students for gateway antigen tests.
Surveillance Testing
Vaccinated students, staff or faculty will not be required to participate in surveillance testing. For the spring 2022 semester, both the COVID vaccine and the booster are required in order to be exempt from this regular testing.
Students who received vaccine excemptions, and/or booster exemptions will be required to participate in regular surveillance testing, which will be weekly at minimum. Testing will be administered in Kirby Stadium. Anyone who is required to particiate in surveillance testing will sign up for a weekly timeslot. There is no cost for surveillance testing, which will be done with a rapid antigen test. As with the gateway testing, any student who tests positive with the rapid antigen during surveillance testing will be considered COVID-positive.
For staff, faculty or other workers, surveillance testing will be required for anyone who does not have a vaccine record on file with Health Services.
Symptomatic Testing
Any student who is exhibiting symptoms of COVID will be tested by the Health Services Team using the rapid antigen test. Due to the lengthy delays in receiving results of send-out PCR tests, they will no longer do the 2nd confirmatory PCR test to confirm the initial result. A positive rapid antigen will be accepted as COVID-positive and the student will be required to move into isolation housing (or go home to isolate).
Health Services is available during normal business hours Mon-Fri. The testing site is also open Mon-Fri from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
If a student becomes symptomatic during evening hours or over the weekend, the Q&I Coordinators will be able to assist with an at-home test kit. Any student who begins to exhibit symptoms outside of normal business hours should call 443-480-1196 and speak with the Q&I Coordinator on duty.
Testing App
Both Gateway and Surveillance Testing will be managed using the NAVICA app. All students will must enroll with NAVICA and complete the app set-up prior to arrival. Any Washington College worker who does not have a vaccine card that includes the booster on file will need to enroll in NAVICA in order to meet the requirement for regular surveillance testing.
NAVICA information will be emailed from Health Services to any new/transfer students. Please carefully review that email and take the steps to get set up with NAVICA before you return to campus.
What to do if you show symptoms of COVID-19
NOTE: If a student who is ill is able to safely travel home to recover, they are encouraged to do so. For students with symptoms, clearance to return will only be granted once it has been at least 10 days since symptoms first appeared, it has been at least 24 hours with no fever (without the use of fever-reducing medication) and all symptoms have improved. Return to campus is only permitted once you have been sent an email confirmation from either health services or the Q&I coordinator confirming the date that you may return to campus.
Washington College will work closely with the Kent County Health Department to conduct contact notification and training in the event of a positive or presumed case of COVID-19 or if someone is symptomatic. The process of contact notification will include outreach to anybody that the person identifies as a potential contact both on campus and off- campus.
Contact notification will begin when an individual either becomes symptomatic and/or is found to be COVID positive. Washington College has several employees who are trained as contact tracers and will begin the process of notifying those who may have had close contact with the individual. Contact tracers will contact individuals by phone using the primary student contact number supplied to the College. They may also use other methods to contact individuals. All students, faculty, and staff who are contacted are expected to comply with the contact notification or tracing requests. If an individual tests positive for COVID-19, the case triggers a contact tracing investigation which will be taken over by the Kent County Health Department.
All students are expected to comply when contacted by a contact tracer. Failure to do so may be considered a violation of College policy. If you are unsure about whether someone contacting you is a legitimate contact tracer, please call Health Services at 410-778-7261.
it is important to understand the difference between "close contact" and "community contact" as it relates to contact tracing.
Close ContactClick to Open
Close contact is when someone was closer than 6' to a person who tested positive or is suspected to be positive. This contact had to last more than 15 minutes, masked or unmasked.
Community ContactClick to Open
Community contact is similar to what you experience in going to a grocery store or other retail outlet. Passing someone in the hall or speaking for a few minutes while maintaining proper social distance represent community contact.
Contact tracers will make direct notification ONLY to those who are identified as having had close contact with a person who has tested positive for COVID or is suspected to be positive. All other contacts are considered community contact. In some cases, it will be possible for the College to also notify those who fall into the community contact criteria, but not always. The notification to close contacts will always be the first priority.
Symptom Checking
We are no longer requiring that students, staff or faculty utilize the emocha app or any other type of daily attestation. There may be instances where you are asked to complete a paper attestation form or receive a temperature check during entry to a particular facility.
All members of our community are expected to continue to self-monitor for any COVID (or other illness) symptoms, and take steps to seek testing and/or treatment right away should you become ill.
Know What to Do If You Show Symptoms of COVID-19
People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms that seem like allergies or a slight cold to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19:
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing Fatigue
Students who believe they have contracted COVID-19 should immediately self-isolate in their room and call Health Services (410-778-7261) during normal office hours (or the Q&I Coordinator on duty after hours - 443-480-1196)
for further instructions. Students will be advised about how and where to get tested and next steps.
Seek medical care immediately if you are experiencing any Emergency Warning Signs, which include trouble breathing, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, new confusion, inability to wake or stay awake and bluish lips or face.


The ranat is a kind of percussion instrument which evolved from the grap. Originally a pair of grap where used to keep the rhythm. Later, several grap were made and put in a series, but the tones where the bars were struck, were coarse and out of tune. Then it was decided to lay them on two tracks or supports. After musicians and instrument makers gained more knowledge and experience, further improvements were made. The grap were constructed in a series of sizes, and a support was devised to hold them in such a way as to allow the tone to sound freely. To accomplish this , a heavy string was threaded through holes made the ends of the grap. The grap were then placed close together on the cord, and the entire"keyboard" was hung on a supporting stand. The keys were struck with two , long slender beaters which had knobs at the ends. One beater was held in each hand. The instrument could now be used to play melodies.


text:
Life at Toucan
Imagine they were your children
MEDICAL AID FOR PALESTINIANS
556 children died over a single 51-day period during the Gaza War in 2014.
This was the stark fact that MAP UK wanted us to highlight in a short social impact video. The UK media has been reporting on the Arab/Israeli conflict for years but with so much war and human tragedy shown on our screens on an almost daily basis, public sympathy and understanding had started to wane.
The Israeli blockade on Gaza has been in place since June 2007, but what is its true impact on ordinary people struggling to survive in this tiny strip of land? The international development charity, MAP UK, asked us to create a video that would challenge the UK public's perception of the blockade.
Our brief was to create a story that would make people sit up and really think about the human cost of the Gaza blockade.
Moodboard, story concept
Script-writing
Film production and direction
Sound scape design
Our big idea
What if it happened here in the UK?
This was our big idea – the rhetorical question that would make a visceral emotional connection with viewers. We wanted people to imagine what life under a blockade might look like if it was here in the UK; how a family's life could be shattered by the loss of a child.
Filmed in black and white we designed a harsh, discordant soundscape to create a bleak urban landscape where children were conspicuous by their absence. And, to really drive home the message, at the end of the film we showed a mosaic of some of the 556 children who'd actually been killed in Gaza.
The impact we made
This was a project close to our hearts, a project that required considerable care and sensitivity.
Turned around on an incredibly tight deadline, we created a devastating memorial to the catastrophic loss in Gaza, a story that connected with people and brought the death and misery home. The grainy film-making and skillful editing gave the film the desired 'tingles' effect.
Ultimately, it was viewed 11,000 times and was enormously effective in raising awareness of the charity and its valuable work in providing healthcare for Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza and Lebanon.
To learn more about the work carried out by Medical Aid for Palestinians – visit their website.
Have a project that you need help with?
Send us a message Phone 020 8251 2747
FILM: Magazine launch in conversation with Sarah Millican
FILM: The story of an award-winning charity
EVENT: Virtual gala unites winners across the globe
Whatever's on your mind
Let's start talking!
T. UK +44 (0) 20 8251 2747
E. hello@toucan-agency.com
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This module is sponsored by Steel for Life.
A recent survey identified that over 66% of multi-storey, non-domestic buildings are framed in structural steel, making it the preferred framing solution for many of the UK's structures.
An increasing number of these buildings achieve high sustainability ratings and targets.
alignment with circular economy principles.
All steel components are manufactured off-site in the controlled environment of a fabrication factory, and then assembled on site. The off-site manufacturing process is faster and leaner than traditional site-based construction.
Off-site steel fabrication also has benefits for the workforce as it requires skilled, settled workers, so offers long-term employment for a specialist workforce, benefiting local communities. Compared with working on-site, the steelwork fabrication factory is also a safer environment for staff; and productivity and quality are not subject to the elements as site-based construction is.
In the factory, sophisticated design and production systems deliver precision-engineered components in a controlled, highly regulated and safe environment. Any waste material produced during fabrication can be recycled and used again in the steelmaking process.
Fabricated steelwork is delivered to site as and when required, reducing the need for on-site storage, substantially reducing site waste and disruption to other trades and neighbours. The off-site process means products have few defects, which leads to less "snagging" on site, resulting in savings in time and money.
The government-commissioned Farmer Review into construction industry efficiency, published in October 2016, identified off-site manufacturing as central to modernising the industry.
Its benefits include improved innovation, research and development, sustainability and speed of delivery. Trade body Buildoffsite has identified time savings of 50% to 60% for projects with high repeatability, such as hotels and prisons, and 25% to 30% for more complex schemes such as offices or retail.
In an era of changing work patterns, new technologies, changing demographics and legislation, the need for flexible buildings has never been greater. Steel's inherent strength, and the long spans possible in steel-framed buildings, give architects scope to create innovative and flexible buildings, which can be easily adapted to suit changing workplace or lifestyle requirements.
Additionally, the use of cellular steel beams allows easy integration of both current and future servicing requirements, minimising floor-to-floor heights and extending the life of the building.
There are many examples of modern steel-framed buildings that have been designed with flexibility in mind, usually featuring large, open-plan spaces that can be easily reconfigured with lightweight partition walls. The St John Bosco Arts College in Liverpool is one example. Eleven large trusses support the roof and create a 55m-wide, column-free space, which can be divided up according to education needs using movable partition walls.
A steel frame can be easily adapted, with parts added or taken away, and its light weight means that extra floors can often be added without overloading existing foundations. Alternatively they can be strengthened or extended both horizontally and vertically.
Steel-framed buildings routinely achieve high ratings after being assessed under BREEAM and will support gaining credits within the materials section of the environmental rating system.
A number of steel upper floor, external and internal wall systems commonly used in commercial and industrial buildings achieve an A or A+ rating in the Green Guide to Specification.
Central Square, a 12-storey steel-framed development in Leeds, achieved a BREEAM "outstanding" rating last year and was shortlisted for the 2017 BREEAM awards. The 20,400m2, office-led building uses almost 2,000 tonnes of structural steel, with large spans creating spacious floor plates and giving greater flexibility to tenants. Brent Civic Centre and the Co-operative Head Office in Manchester are other examples of BREEAM "outstanding" steel projects.
BREEAM "excellent" ratings have been achieved by steel-framed buildings across a range of sectors, including offices, industrial, healthcare and education.
In recent years the impact of carbon has moved beyond solely addressing a building's operational carbon, and embodied carbon has drawn much greater scrutiny and importance.
The term "embodied carbon" refers to the life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions that occur during the manufacture and transport of construction materials and components, as well as the construction process itself and end-of-life aspects of the building.
Embodied carbon assessment is part of a broader discipline called life-cycle assessment (LCA), which covers a range of different environmental impacts, including energy and material inputs and end-of-life processes.
An important sustainability consideration when specifying construction materials is the type of LCA used. Some, called "cradle-to-gate", only assess the impact of embodied carbon to the point where the product leaves the factory gate. It is generally recognised that more robust assessments are "cradle-to-cradle" impacts, which measure all life cycle phases, including the building's demolition and disposal of the materials as waste or through recycling and re-use. Cradle-to-cradle assessments can be carried out using the BS EN 15804 and ISO 14044 standards.
So how does steel perform? The high strength-to-weight ratio of steel minimises frame weights – and therefore foundation requirements – both a key source of embodied carbon. Although steel, in terms of carbon emissions per tonne of material, will usually score higher than other materials, its strength properties mean much less of it will be used in a structural frame compared with other materials. Put simply, a little steel goes a long way. Target Zero, a report by a consortium of organisations including Tata Steel, Aecom, SCI, Cyril Sweett (now Currie & Brown) and BCSA, demonstrated this in a study of several different building types, each one using a different framing material (see table 1, below).
The impact of structural form on the operational carbon emissions from non-domestic buildings is generally small – however, an issue that should be acknowledged is thermal mass.
A common misconception is that heavyweight concrete structures are generally more energy efficient because of their greater massing. The variation in operational carbon between steel and concrete frames is 1% or less in all cases. Steel frames can also provide optimal slab thickness to utilise thermal mass. Thermal mass describes the ability of the fabric of a building to absorb and store heat. Used effectively, it can reduce cooling loads and, in some cases, remove the requirement to provide air conditioning and supporting initiatives to reduce operational carbon.
The most commonly used parameter for assessing the potential thermal mass of building elements is admittance, which can be defined as the ability of a building element to exchange heat with a space when it is subject to cyclical variations in temperature. Figure 1 (see below) shows the variation in admittance with increasing depth for normal and lightweight concrete. It shows that, in a naturally ventilated building, the maximum value of admittance for a concrete slab exposed on one side is achieved with only 75-100mm of concrete.
In multi-storey buildings the upper floors are the most important element providing the greatest "accessible" thermal mass. Whether the building is steel or concrete framed, the upper floors are generally concrete, either cast in-situ or precast and therefore utilising the thermal mass in the upper floors does not restrict the choice of framing material. All of the standard floor types used in steel-framed buildings can form the basis of an effective passive or active fabric energy storage system since their floor slabs are thicker than 100mm.
Maintaining products for as long as possible is a key component of the "circular economy". The longer a product lasts, the less raw materials will need to be sourced and processed and less waste generated. Steel structures, when properly designed and protected, provide impressive long-term durability, as demonstrated by the National Liberal Club in London (built in 1887) and the Forth Rail Bridge (1890) – both still in use.
However, steel can be reused and recycled easily. The constructional steelwork used in the UK contains an average of 60% recycled content. Current recovery rates from demolition sites in the UK are 99% for structural steelwork and 96% for all steel construction products – figures that far exceed those for any other construction material.
Reusing simple, low-rise structures such as portal frames is relatively common in the agricultural sector.
Component reuse involves careful deconstruction of an existing structure where individual structural steel members are reclaimed and used to construct a new permanent structure.
The wide use of BIM models on steel-framed buildings also allows for greater certainty in re-use of existing components. Steelwork contractors have been using BIM models for years and routinely offer their clients as-built structural models on building handover. By storing such models in a secure database, this will future-proof UK steel structures and will assist with refurbishment, extension and eventually deconstruction of the building to facilitate re-use of the steel elements or optimising the recycling process.
At the end of a building's useful life, its steel frame can be easily dismantled and elements of it either re-used or recycled. Steel used in construction will not go to landfill as even scrap steel has a value and is a vital element in the process of producing new steel. Steel can be recycled in this way infinitely as successive recycling does not reduce its qualities – it is not merely recycled, but multi-cycled.
The EU's Circular Economy Package, launched in 2015, proposes tougher rules for waste and covers the full life cycle from production and consumption to waste management and the market for secondary raw materials. Construction and demolition waste, accounting for around 31% of total waste generation, has been identified as a priority waste stream.
The package is likely to promote greater use of cradle-to-cradle product LCAs.


Rising housing market has becoming more and more of a problem for home buyers.
Many folks are ready and qualified in buying home but are facing issues with Rising Housing Market.
Rising Housing Market nationwide continues to go up despite the highest mortgage rates since the 2008 housing bubble and credit meltdown.
Many pre-approved buyers are facing trouble finding homes of their choice due to rising housing market.
We will discuss solutions in buying home in a rising housing market on this blog.
How much home you can afford should be the base of the home price you should consider during rising housing market.
Discuss finances with your spouse. Always keep in mind that homeowners can have emergency repairs like broken furnaces and air conditioning units. It is very easy to forget on how much you qualify versus how much you can afford. Always keep in mind on how much you can afford and not how much you can qualify. What good is it to be a homeowner with no extra cash for entertainment, budget to go out to eat on weekends, and not being able to afford furniture. Discuss with your real estate agent on your financial boundaries.
Maybe you may pay off your car loan balance before you buy a home.
These are considerations for home buyers before pulling the trigger.
Find out the necessities of a home.
It is a bad investment and will affect resale value.
Unless you are a disabled veteran of the U.S. Military exempt from paying property taxes, all homeowners pay property taxes. Property taxes are different depending on the town and/or county. For example, I live in the Town of Brighton Wisconsin where my property taxes are $9,000 a year. For a comparable home, the property taxes two miles east of my home in the Town of Paris Wisconsin is $3,000. That is $6,000 less in property taxes which means a savings of $500 per month. $500 per month is equivalent to $100,000 mortgage. Researching homes with lower property taxes can give home buyers more buying power.


Starting on Hugo E-scooters you will discover the Old Town (STare Mesto) and Lesser Town (Mala Strana). Drive to the oldest square of Prague, where the famous astronomical clock is. Pass through the number of churches and beautiful Baroque style buildings and reach the Jewish Quarter to see the oldest synagogue in the Central Europe. Take a drive along river and enter one of the biggest parks in Prague, make a stop there to enjoy the marvelous view over the whole city! After these, take a drive to the oldest area of the city – Prague Castle. Enter the area of President Palace and take a walk nearby the powerful St.Vitus Cathedral. Swap Hugo E-scooter to Segway in and continue your tour to the 12th century monastery. Enter the monastery and visit the old library, church and taste the best beer in the city. Drive to the area of old embassies and enter the post-war district, to get deep into the history of the WW2. Pass through the number of statues and buildings, and reach the University campus, to see the faculties of the old Charles University. Further, drive to the park with the modern statues and enter one of the richest areas of the city, called Prague Beverly Hills.


A share of the latest bidayuh song that feature on this blog Lirik Lagu Bidayuh for 2016. The song that I mention is sang by Azelia and the title is Juho.
Credit goes to the up-loader for this song "Juho - Azelia". Hope you guy's enjoy my video and lyrics @ lirik lagu bidayuh here; remember do support our artists and the production by buying the ORIGINAL album.
So let views the song's as per-attach below and don't forget click like and share the post for lirik lagu Juho - Azelia.
Lirik Lagu Bidayuh: Juho - Azelia. Thanks for coming and do subscribes to lirik lagu bidayuh blog.


Aloe Vera and Honey have benefits; these nature's gifts are really useful in curing a lot of ailments and skin problems.
The Aloe Vera gel is used mainly for really serious ailments because it contains vitamins which act as anti-oxidants, it also contains folic acid, enzymes, sugar, minerals, amino acid, choline etc.
While Honey which is referred to as the nectar of the gods should be a staple in every household because its health benefits. Honey contains anti-fungal and antibacterial properties and it helps to speed the repair and growth of body tissues by forming new blood vessels, epithelial cells and collagen.
Aloe Vera juice is a natural laxative with a natural fiber that helps digestion process and improves bowel movements. Drink two ounces of this juice everyday if you are constipated, it takes up to 10 hours to kick in.
Aloe Vera is a natural immune booster because it is full of anti-oxidants which combats unstable compounds in the body. Drink this juice regularly to enhance and boost the immune system.
Sore gums can be uncomfortable and Aloe Vera due to its natural anti-bacterial and antimicrobial properties help to combat and cure gum disease. Massage your gum with fresh Aloe Vera gel or sprinkle some Aloe Vera gel on your tooth brush which would help your gums feel better.
Food substances can cause fatigue and exhaustion but Aloe Vera juice also helps to cleanse the digestive system, regulate weight and increase energy levels. Consume Aloe Vera juice regularly to maintain a healthy weight.
The concoction of honey, citrus fruits, spices and herbs helps to calm sore throats, they get rid of any bacteria that causes throat inflammation.
Ginger helps to reduce inflammation therefore combining ginger with honey would help reduce stomach disturbance.
Honey, milk and orange help to heel dry and cracked heel, the milk serves as a repairer and re-builder since it contains vitamin A and the orange serve as a natural chemical which removes dry skin.
What do you think about this remedies? Do you know of other benefits of Aloe Vera and Honey?
Please leave your comments in the comment box below. Thank you.
10 Rules For Wearing Suspenders. Number 1 is a Must!
Suspenders (referred to as braces in Britain) is one of the very few classic men's accessories used to judge a true gentleman. It was as though this stylish accessory went extinct for a while, but guess what? They are back! and this time around, they are here to stay.
Suspenders are truly a timeless fashion accessory for men that offer both function and style. Today we are going to talk about the rules for wearing men's suspenders. So gentlemen, here are the Top 10 Rules you should consider when wearing your suspenders.
Here is that one formula you must always remember as far as wearing suspenders is concerned.
Very often, you see YouTubers making natural hair seem like one very easy ride and making you want to grow natural hair, but what they never tell you is that this natural hair journey is not for the faint at heart. Believe me, it isn't beans. I know because I have been wearing my hair natural since January 2014.
That's two years of hardwork, shea butter, spray bottles, coconut oil, argan oil, olive oil, black jamaican castor oil, peppermint oil, hemp oil, "vegetable oil, palm oil, and who knows, engine oil?" I have to admit that there have been good days too, when I got so many compliments, to which I just smile and said to myself, "If only they know how much work goes into this". Such days are like finding an empty filling station in Lagos right now that's selling fuel at N86.5, rare!
You probably still don't believe me, especially considering the rate at which Nollywood actresses are wearing their natural hair these days!
Facts About The Akwete ( Igbo ) Fabric.
Akwete is vintage indigenous fabric from Nigeria. It was a sacred cloth passed down from generation to generation that had unfortunately been overlooked by most people because of it's locality (I wonder why though. Don't the Yoruba people from Abeokuta still cherish the "Adire" fabric? #deepthought).
Before the introduction of coinage currency in Igboland, cloth was used as trade, good and currency item. It is worn for body beautification and decoration, and for ceremonies. Cloth is also a material of great economic, cultural, political and social importance.
Cloth weaving is an ancient craft of the Igbo people dating to the early new stone age when Igbos learnt to make a rough kind of clothing from the fibers of flax plants. However, these days, raffia and cotton are most-widely used for cloth-weaving in Igboland.
AMAZING SECRETS OF MY HAIR GROWTH.
November Challenge - Rock Abs!!!
October Challenge - Squats! Squats!! Squats!!!
weight loss - how did i achieve it?


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Showing posts with label Mikhail Gorbachev. Show all posts
Gorbachev exposed: "My ambition was to liquidate communism"
"My ambition was to liquidate communism, the dictatorship over all the people. Supporting me and urging me on in this mission was my wife, who was of this opinion long before I was. I knew that I could only do this if I was the leading functionary. In this my wife urged me to climb to the top post.
While I actually became acquainted with the West, my mind was made up forever. I decided that I must destroy the whole apparatus of the CPSU and the USSR. Also, I must do this in all of the other socialist countries. My ideal is the path of social democracy. Only this system shall benefit all the people. This quest I decided I must fulfil.
Tags Anticommunism, Anticommunism Perestroika, Mikhail Gorbachev, USSR
Mikhail Gorbachev, a modern Judas
By Nikos Mottas.
"My ambition was to liquidate communism, the dictatorship over all the people. I found friends that had the same thoughts as I in Yakovlev and Shevernadze, they all deserve to be thanked for the break-up of the USSR and the defeat of Communism"
— Mikhail Gorbachev, 2000.
Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union, the man who betrayed the dreams and expectations of his own people, has died at 91. His biological death bears little importance. In fact, in the consciousness and hearts of the working class people all over the world Gorbachev had died a long time ago, when he consciously decided to become the gravedigger of the first socialist state in human history, the Soviet Union.
Tags Anticommunism Perestroika, Mikhail Gorbachev, Nikos Mottas, Soviet Union, USSR
Traitor Mikhail Gorbachev dies at 91
Mikhail Gorbachev, the counterrevolutionary who betrayed the dreams and aspirations of millions of people in the former Soviet Union, has died at the age of 91.
"Gorbachev passed away tonight after a serious and protracted disease," Interfax news agency cited Russia's Central Clinical Hospital as saying in a statement.
Gorbachev will be buried in Moscow's Novodevichy Cemetery next to his wife Raisa, who died in 1999, said Tass news agency, citing the foundation that the former Soviet leader set up once he left office.
Tags Mikhail Gorbachev, Soviet Union
Gorbachev appointed as Russia's chief negotiator on Ukraine - Kremlin confirms
Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union, has been appointed as the head of the Russian team of negotiators on Ukraine, following a decision by President Vladimir Putin.
"Mr Gorbachev is a very experienced politician, with a successful background, as well as a personal friend of President Putin" said Kremlin's spokeman Dmitry Peskov, adding that "the President has always admired Mr Gorbachev's skills in crisis management and advertising. See for example how smoothly he led the USSR to disaster, but also his outstanding performance in Pizza Hut's commercial".
Tags Mikhail Gorbachev, Vladimir Putin
Nostalgia for Socialism: Most Russians say that life would be better if Perestroika had never happened
Thirty-five years have passed since the beginning of Mikhail Gorbachev disastrous Perestroika policy which led to the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Today, almost half of the Russian people believe that life would be better if Perestroika had never happened.
According to a poll conducted by Levada Center, 47% of Russians acknowledge that life in the country was better before Gorbachev's destructive reform plan, with just 39% disagreeing. A 14% of the participants found "difficult to answer".
Tags Levada Center, Mikhail Gorbachev, Perestroika, Russia, Socialism, Soviet Union
Nina Andreyeva, the woman who stood against Gorbachev's Perestroika, dies at 81
© Ivan Kurtov,Sergey Smolsky/TASS
Nina Alexandrovna Andreyeva, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of the Bolsheviks, passed away on July 24th in St. Petersburg (Leningrad). She was 81 years old.
Born on October 1938 to a working class family in Leningrad, Nina Andreeva lost her father during the Second World War.
She graduated from the Leningrad Institute of Technology and joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1966.
Tags All-Union Communist Party of the Bolsheviks (1991), CPSU, Mikhail Gorbachev, Nina Alexandrovna Andreeva, Perestroika, Soviet Union


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Johnstown: St. Patricks Masonic Lodge
I noticed that there was a report in the Leader Herald on the Johnstown Masons of St. Patrick's lodge, so I thought this bit of history might be timely:
St. Patrick's Lodge No. 8 (now called St. Patrick's Lodge No. 4) in Johnstown, NY, founded by Sir William Johnson, is one of the oldest Masonic Lodges in the State of New York. Sir William Johnson was raised a Master Mason on April 10, 1766, in Union Lodge No. 1, located in Albany, New York, (now Mount Vernon Lodge No. 3).Augustine Prevost, a brother of the Union Lodge, wrote to Johnson a few weeks earlier, on March 23, 1766, informing him that Johnson's friend and fellow Masonic brother Normand McLeod, had formally notified Union Lodge of Johnson's desire to be a master of a lodge in Johnstown. Prevost noted in the letter: Read more →
History Fulton County, Johnstown, Montgomery County, Political History, William Johnson 2 Comments
Schenectady: The Life of Clarissa Putman
Clarissa Putman, the jilted lover of Sir John Johnson, son of William Johnson, has been the subject of much Mohawk Valley mythology over the years.
The Schenectady County Historical Society (SCHS, 32 Washington Avenue, Schenectady) will host a talk on Saturday, November 3, 2012 at 2:00 p.m. by Peter Betz entitled The Life of Clarissa Putman to sort out fact from fiction by providing a non-fictional mini-biography of her life based on reliable sources. Read more →
Events Amsterdam, Fulton County, Schenectady, Schenectady County, William Johnson Leave a comment
Sir William Johnsons Bookshelf: Millenium Hall
Sir William Johnson's 1774 inventory of his New York western frontier estate, Johnson Hall, revealed a superb collection of books and other reading material.
Books were a bit more difficult to acquire in 18th century Johnstown than at present, so one could presume that selecting titles was considered, even more precisely than today, by recommended taste, by familiarity with an author, or perhaps from curiosity after having read a report of the book in the newspapers that arrived from New York City or from England via a New York City agent.
History Cultural History, Gender History, Literature, Performing Arts, Pop Culture History, Wanda Burch, William Johnson 1 Comment
Johnson Hall Opens for 2012 Season
Johnson Hall, the 18th century baronial estate of Sir William Johnson and his family, has opened its doors for the 2012 season. Through Sunday, October 14th, the State Historic Site will offer guided tours on Wednesdays through Saturdays from 10am to 5pm, and on Sundays from 1pm to 5pm.
Tours will generally begin on the half-hour, with the final tour of the day beginning at 4pm. Pre-registered group tours and Site special events may alter this tour schedule. The historic house will also be open on Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day.
Johnson Hall was the 1763 Georgian estate of Irish-born Sir William Johnson and Mohawk Indian Molly Brant and their family. Sir William (1715 &#8211 1774) was the single largest landowner and most influential individual in the colonial Mohawk Valley. His success in dealing with the Six Nations had a lasting impact on their relationship with the English, and largely influenced England's victory in the Anglo-French struggle for control of colonial North America. The main house and flanking stonehouses, originally surrounded by a 700 acre farm, now interpret the Johnson family through guided tours of the period room settings, educational programs and special events.
Admission fees are $4.00 for adults and $3.00 for senior citizens and students. Children 12 years of age and younger are admitted free when accompanied by an adult. Groups of 10 people or more, as well as school groups, must register in advance. Group fees are $3.00 per person, while the school fee is $1.00 per person (regular school year only). Special fees for Site special events may apply.
The 2012 Site calendar of events will be announced shortly, highlighted by the annual Market Fair on July 14th and 15th , which will feature an 18th century cricket demonstration, live performances, vendors, encampment, an open house and much more.
The Friends of Johnson Hall, a not-for-profit support group, will host the Johnson Jog 5K Run/Walk on Saturday, May 19th. More information on this major fundraiser, which will support the education and preservation programs at Johnson Hall, visit www.friendsofjohnsonhall.org or call (518) 762-4459.
For more information on Johnson Hall State Historic Site, visit www.nysparks.com or Facebook, or call (518) 762 – 8712.
Uncategorized Fulton County, Johnson Hall, Johnstown, William Johnson 2 Comments
Welcome Our Newest Contributor Wanda Burch
Please join us in welcoming Wanda Burch, New York History&#8216-s newest contributor. Burch has an MA in History Museum Studies and has spent 42 years of in historic preservation, both in Arkansas and New York State. Early in her career she was a registrar at the Arkansas Arts Center and a curator at Arkansas Territorial Restoration. She recently retired as site manager of Johnson Hall State Historic Site and now serves as Vice-President of Friends of Johnson Hall.
Burch is the author of several articles in the NYSHA journal New York History and other publication on Sir William Johnson and was the Upstate History Alliance's 2010 recipient of the Commendation of Merit Award for individual lifetime achievement and in the same year, the NYS Parks and Recreation Huttleston Award for outstanding achievement, the highest agency honor awarded.
She is the author of She Who Dreams (New World Library, Novato, CA, 2003)- a co-presenter of Arts and Healing retreats at Great Camp Sagamore and Arts and Re-integration retreats for women veterans at Wiawaka in Lake George, NY. [www.creativehealingconnections.org].
With her husband Ron Burch she is the owner of two historic houses and author of the nomination for the Glen Historic District. Both were part of the founding committee for the Western Frontier Symposium, hosted at Fulton Montgomery Community College in Johnstown, NY. They also jointly authored Of Beams to Brackets, Architecture in the Mohawk Valley.
Her first piece for New York History will appear this morning.
Uncategorized Johnson Hall, Wanda Burch, William Johnson Leave a comment
Johnson Hall to Host 18th Century Market Fair
Johnson Hall State Historic Site in Johnstown will host an 18TH century market fair this weekend, Saturday, June 11 and Sunday, June 12, from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. both days with an evening contra dance on the lawn at 8 p.m. on Saturday. This is an event first established by Sir William Johnson in 1772.
Entertainment throughout both days will include magic by Robert Olson performing as 18th century magician "Mr. Bayly-" period music by Liaisons Plaisantes- a Punch and Judy Show by the Punchbowl Sisters, period games for children [and adults] led by Shari Crawford- and a new treat – scenes from the 18th century play "The Beaux Stratagem" led by Bernadette Weaver. There will be sutlers [vendors] from the period and re-enactors with domestic encampments. Parking will be available at the Johnstown High School with shuttles to Johnson Hall.
Uncategorized Fulton County, Johnson Hall, Johnstown, William Johnson Leave a comment
Sir William Johnson Papers on CD Revised
Twenty volumes of papers and correspondence of Sir William Johnson have been released in a revised second edition digital CD format by the New York State Library, which holds the papers. Johnson was British Superintendent of Indian Affairs in New York from 1755 through 1774. He is best remembered for his diplomatic achievements among the various Native American tribes and as a military leader during the French and Indian War. This set of primary documents dating from 1738 to 1808 provides a fascinating glimpse into the pre-Revolutionary interactions among the British, French, and Iroquois empires.
The Sir William Johnson Papers were originally published in 14 volumes of print, including a general index, from 1921 to 1965. Valuable for colonial research, the earliest six volumes have been out-of-print for years. The newly released CD is a revised and expanded second edition of an earlier CD released in 2007. It includes the complete 14 volume set along with the "Calendar of the Sir William Johnson manuscripts in the New York State Library" compiled by Richard E. Day in 1909. The
CD also features several enhancements, including: more than 100 newly digitized illustrations from the New York State Library collections- dozens of new color digital photographs of locations and scenes from the Mohawk Valley and Lake George appropriate to Johnson's legacy, including Johnson Hall and Fort Johnson- improved accuracy of scans to nearly 98%- electronic indexing allowing simultaneous searching of the entire collection- and bibliographic consistency in volume and page numbering with printed volumes.
The CD is available from the New York State Library for $20. To purchase a copy, contact Aimee Pelton in Documents and Digital Collections via phone at (518) 474-7492 or email apelton-AT-mail-DOT-nysed-DOT-gov.
Military History Native American History, New York State Library, William Johnson Leave a comment


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Research on the dynamical interaction between plasmas and magnetic fields
Centre for mathematical Plasma-Astrophysics @ KU Leuven
Important research topics at CmPA are
Solar physics and Space Weather
Magnetohydrodynamics, kinetic theory and plasma-astrophysical processes
This division of the Mathematics department has developed unique expertise in all aspects of plasma-physical modeling. Its research ranges from advanced analytic theory to the development, use and exploitation of state-of-the-art computational tools to simulate realistic solar, astrophysical or fundamental plasma physics scenarios. The sun, the Earth's magnetosphere, and the heliosphere are regarded as showcases for plasma behaviour in other astrophysical objects, where simulations need to match up with actual data.
Computational tools simulate realistic solar, astrophysical, or even laboratory plasma physics scenarios, and are essential for our research.
The CmPA has developed several state-of-the-art software packages for plasma dynamical modeling, optimally suited for modern high performance computing, massively parallel platforms. They include MPI-AMRVAC (a parallel software tool for grid-adaptive magnetohydrodynamic simulations up to relativistic regimes), several state-of-the-art kinetic plasma codes based on Particle-in-Cell methodologies (iPIC3D, Celeste, Parsek, Democritus), and FLIP-MHD (a Lagrangian-Eulerian MHD solver).
Our software has been used on High Performance Computing platforms ranging from Tier-2 to Tier-0, in both local VSC-managed projects, as well as in early HPC-Europe, DECI and currently PRACE funded supercomputing projects. Access to the VSC Tier-2 and Tier-1 platforms has allowed to prepare for ever more ambitious solar physics computations, to the extent that we now achieve resolutions better than those probed by modern satellite observations, and this helps to prepare for future mission concepts. The VSC offers training on HPC related aspects, which has benefitted several generations of starting PhD and postdocs in our division.
Home page of CmPA
References and captions to figures
A simulation of a boiling prominence, a region of cooler and denser plasma within the million degree hot solar corona. Figure from `Solar prominences: "double, double ... boil and bubble"', R. Keppens, X. Cia, & O. Porth, 2015, ApJ Letters 806, L13 (7pp). DOI:10.1088/2041-8205/806/1/L13
A virtual view in EUV wavelengths, on a pair of tilt-kink unstable magnetic fluxropes. This mimics violent dynamics seen in complex solar coronal loop systems. Taken from `Interacting tilt and kink instabilities in repelling current channels', R. Keppens, O. Porth, & C. Xia, 2014, ApJ 795, 77 (10pp). DOI:10.1088/0004-637X/795/1/77


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// This code is auto-generated, do not modify
using Ds3.Models;

namespace Ds3.Calls
{
    public class PutDs3TargetFailureNotificationRegistrationSpectraS3Response
    {
        public Ds3TargetFailureNotificationRegistration ResponsePayload { get; private set; }

        public PutDs3TargetFailureNotificationRegistrationSpectraS3Response(Ds3TargetFailureNotificationRegistration responsePayload)
        {
            this.ResponsePayload = responsePayload;
        }
    }
}


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Q: Is there a formal definition of "continuous at a point for all practical purposes" or "continuous at a point within a given tolerance"? Consider a function $f\colon D \to \mathbf{R}$ such that at some inner point $a$ of its domain $D\subseteq \mathbf{R}$
$$\lim_{x \to a^-}f(x) = L, \qquad \lim_{x \to a^+}f(x) =R, \qquad L \ne R \ ,$$
and the value $f(a)$ may be equal to either limit or have a yet different value.
Obviously the function isn't continuous at $a$.
But suppose that we are studying it with some numerical method, and the difference between $L$, $R$, and $f(a)$ is less than the precision used in the method. Say, for example, that $R=2+ \mathrm{e}^{-1000}$ and $L=2$. From the point of view of the numerical method the function can, so to speak, be considered continuous at $a$. A similar situation can arise with functions meant to fit empirical data.
Is there some notion of "approximate continuity at $a$" that applies in this case? An intuitive definition would be something like $\lvert \lim_{x \to a^-}f(x) - \lim_{x \to a^+}f(x)  \rvert <\delta$ and $\lvert \lim_{x \to a^-}f(x) - f(a) \rvert <\delta$ and so on, for some tolerance $\delta>0$. But I have no idea whether some definition of this kind is used in computational mathematics and how it is formally called.
I'd be thankful for any references you know of about some notion similar to this.
Note: The expression "approximate continuity" I use here has nothing to do with the definition of approximate continuity connected with measure theory, of course; but I couldn't find a better expression. Also, I'm aware that in computable analysis all computable functions are continuous.

A: So in engineering and applied mathematics, when two functions $f,g$ are equal in all but a finite number of points, it makes some sense to consider them the same function. In other words, almost everywhere (a.e.) equality is good enough. A more technical way of saying this is that in engineering fields, engineers and researchers like to work with functions modulo a.e. equality.
This is due to a lot of good reasons. First, the derivatives of $f,g$ are also a.e. equal. Most importantly, $\|f-g\|^2=\int_a^b |f(x)-g(x)|^2 dx=0$. this nicely implies that $f,g$ share the same Fourier series. It follows from these properties many real analysis theorems for functions hold when you use a.e. equality instead of equality. I mean think about it, they are the same thing except at this 1 infinitesimally tiny point. Other than that one point, the information of the function is fixed. Your line of thinking is correct.
There are definitely generalizations of continuity for a.e. equal functions. One example is piecewise continuity.

A: You can define the oscillation of a function at a point as follows:
Let $f: I \to \Bbb R$ be a bounded function where $I \subset \Bbb R$. Let $a \in I$. Then, for $\delta > 0$, define
$$M(f, a, \delta) = \sup_{|x - a| < \delta}f(x) \quad\text{and}\quad m(f, a, \delta) = \inf_{|x - a| < \delta}f(x).$$
Then, the oscillation is defined as $$o(f, a) := \lim_{\delta \to 0^+}[M(f, a, \delta) - m(f, a, \delta)].$$
(This limit must exist. Why?)
Note that $f$ is continuous at $a$ iff $o(f, a) = 0$. Now, for your purpose, you can define "continuous within tolerance $\epsilon$" by saying that "$o(f, a) < \epsilon$ for all $a \in I$."

Edit: If you don't particularly care about the value of the function at $a$ itself, you can modify the definitions of $M$ and $m$ to take the $\sup$/$\inf$ over those $x$ such that $0 < |x - a| < \delta$.

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