A writing journey is like the tape recorder I used in my youth: Sometimes you fast forward, rewind, pause, and play. Other times you are eaten by the recorder, and when you eject, your tape is splayed all over the place: some stuck, some stretched, and maybe even broken.
It's been a privilege and a pleasure to call Kirsti Call not only my writing partner since 2013, but by the title of ReFoReMo Co-Mama. Even though we are separated by hundreds of miles, we've been able to record large portions of each other's journeys. Kirsti recently signed with agent Emma Sector at Prospect Literary Agency, and I KNOW we can learn a lot from her!
Hi Kirsti! Let's put the tape recorder simile to the test.
Rewind back to the beginning of your journey. How did you begin building your foundation?
Seven years ago, I moved to the Boston area with five kids eight years old and under. I suddenly realized that I needed to pick up my pen and write again. I joined my local critique group, Writer's Rumpus. Picture books were the perfect length because I was telling my kids stories that I could write down. The Raindrop Who Couldn't Fall was a story I told my kids at Home Depot! It was my second picture book manuscript and 3 months after I wrote it, Character Publishing accepted it for publication. Wow! What a surprise! And what a happy miracle!
How did you know it was time to press play?
Getting my first contract motivated me to really delve into working on my craft and learning everything I could about writing picture books. I met Carrie on the 12x12 forum in 2013 and we started critiquing and revising each other's work almost every day. We helped each other with pitches, queries, and stories. I took online classes: Lyrical Language Lab with Renee LaTulippe, Children's Book Academy classes, Making Picture Book Magic with Susanna Hill. After The Raindrop Who Couldn't Fall came out in December of 2013, I started school visits and eventually went to Jane Yolen's Picture Book Boot Camp. I became a Cybil's award judge and read hundreds of YA books and picture books.
Were you ever tempted to press eject? If so, how did you get back on track?
Over the past seven years I've felt encouraged, then discouraged, and ready to press eject, then encouraged again. The publication of Raindrop was encouraging, but when it went out of print after 5 years, I felt disheartened. Despite the disappointment, I submitted to publishers and within 9 months it was out in the world again with Mazo Publishing. Huzzah! Encouraged again!
And the cycle continued. I'd get a really good critique, or a really great champagne rejection, and feel some hope for getting my work out there. And then I'd get a frustrating critique or a very negative rejection and feel frustrated again. I paused several times for short spurts to re-evaluate my stories, polish them and make them shine.
Did you find the need to rewind again?
It always helps to look back at your successes, especially when they feel few and far between. I try to rewind and remind myself of positive steps in my writing journey; becoming an author with Raindrop, a school visit where a kid told me "you're my favorite author," glowing critique group feedback, connection and conversations with Jane Yolen. These successes and others helped me continue and persevere in my writing path, and move forward with faith for the future.
Thinking back to the beginning, fast forward through your submission attempts and rejections. Would you mind summarizing your submission history record for us? What stands out to you as low and high points?
I basically submitted at least 5 times a month (and usually more) for the last 7 years. So I submitted at least 420 times. I had two editors interested in stories that they ultimately didn't take. I had several agents interested in one of my stories, but not in my other manuscripts. The low point was when I thought I had a sale and even talked to the editor extensively about one of my picture books and then I never heard anything again. So frustrating to hold out hope for nothing in the end! But the high point was definitely that first contract, and holding The Raindrop Who Couldn't Fall in my hands for the first time!
And of course another VERY high point, was signing with Emma Sector! I submitted to Rachel Orr at Prospect through the 12x12, and Rachel sent my story to her colleague, Emma. Emma loved my rhyming 3 little pigs fractured fairy tale, and asked for more work. After she read 4 more of my stories, she asked to read a couple chapters of my YA. Eeeeeek! I felt very unsure about my YA, but I forced myself to press the send button. Emma offered representation over email, without even talking to me. Later that week, we had a conversation and I loved her warm, positive attitude. All of my past rejections led me to where I am now in my writing journey.
You were able to record part of your history when you published your first book. Looking at your current collection, what do you hope to record in the future?
I hope to catalogue and record many more books in my future. Silly, rhyming picture books, and lyrical ones. My historical fiction YA, and my magical realism MG. I hope that my words make a difference for at least one kid…or adult.
As our community pauses to read this, what steps do you feel will make all the difference for them?
Write and revise, and write and revise again.
Never stop submitting, unless you're taking a break to hone your craft.
And most importantly: Read mentor texts, and lots of them. Reading and studying great picture books and understanding why I liked them has made all the difference for me.
We sincerely wish you all the best with your personal writing goals, and we look forward to learning more from you through ReFoReMo. The best is yet to come!
Thank you Carrie! Your support has made my writing journey magical!
Kirsti Call loves words and putting them together in ways that make people smile. She writes picture books, middle grade and young adult novels. She gets inspiration from her five kids, husband, and backyard chickens. If you visit her house, you'll likely find her writing, reading with her kids, or singing with her family. And if you visit her blogsite you'll find her reviewing great books!
Really enjoyed reading about your writer's journey, Kirsti! Do you find it hard to switch from writing PB to YA; which do you find "easier" and why? (Sorry, inner-journalist showing her curious side, LOL!).
I'm more familiar with PB's so they are easier for me. I feel like I'm definely still learning when it comes to writing novels.
Congratulations on signing with Emma & Prospect Agency, Kirsti! To your continued success!
Thank you so much for sharing your journey with us, Kirsti! Your perseverance is inspiring!
Great interview! Congratulations on getting your agent! I hope it's the beginning of much more writing fun!
Thank you for playing Kirsti's mix tape for us, Carrie! :D She is an inspiration!
Awww. You're sweet Dow! Thank you!
So happy for you Kirsti! This business certainly has its ups and downs, and you've tamed those waves like a pro!
Thank you Patricia! I feel blessed to be where I am right now.
Congratulations, Kirsti! You work so hard at your craft. I am really very happy for you and can't wait to hear of the many more successes I know you'll experience.
Yay! Thank you, Carol, for all of your help on my journey!
What a journey! I'm so happy you've landed with an agent you love. I admire your tenacity. Congratulations!
Thanks for sharing your story. Hearing about your journey helps me feel more positive about my own.
Yay! I'm glad to hear that, David!
Congratulations, Kirsti! That's great news- Thanks for your insights and inspiration! Wishing you continued success!
Thanks for sharing your story with us, Kirsti! Congratulations!
Great interview and congrats to Kirsti!
Thank you, Carrie and Kirsti, for this inspiring interview. You ladies bring so much to the writing table! Kristi, thank you for the tips and the spirit. Congratulations!
Great post! So excited for you, Kirsti!
Thanks Cathy! We're on this journey together!
Thanks for sharing the highs and lows of your journey -- grit and determination are so important in this industry!
Congratulations, Kirsti! Your perseverence is inspiring! So exciting!
Thanks Marianne! Being a part of Writer's Rumpus has definitely helped me improve my writing journey!


text:
Usa news site
Celebtity
From Priscilla Chan to Melinda Gates, these are the spouses of some of the most powerful people in tech
January 12, 2020 UsanewssiteComment(0)
Most of tech's most powerful CEOs are married.
Not everyone is coupled up — Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos have girlfriends, while Jack Dorsey and Tim Cook appear to be single.
But for those who are married, many of them have been with their spouses for years or even decades.
Here's a look at the lives of the spouses of tech's biggest CEOs.
Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
It takes a special type of person to become the partner of a high-powered tech executive: From long weeks at work to intense stress, the spouses of CEOs have probably seen it all.
Like most other industries, many of the top executives in tech are partnered up. Not all of them are married — Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and Apple CEO Tim Cook appear to be single, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has an on again, off again relationship with singer Grimes, and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is newly divorced and back in the dating game.
But top executives at companies like Google, Facebook, IBM, Alibaba, and Microsoft are all married — some of them for decades.
Here's a look at the lives of the spouses of some of tech's richest and most successful executives.
Priscilla Chan
Partner: Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook
Years married: Seven
Who she is: Priscilla Chan is a pediatrician and co-CEO of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. Chan graduated from Harvard University with a degree in biology and attended the University of California, San Francisco, for medical school. She worked at San Francisco General Hospital as a pediatrician after finishing her residency in 2015, but has since left to manage the daily operations of CZI. Chan is also cofounder of The Primary School, a private school that offers free healthcare and education to low-income children in the Palo Alto area.
Chan and Zuckerberg met in line for the bathroom at a Harvard frat party in 2003 and married in 2012, right around the time Chan graduated from medical school and Facebook went public. The couple has two daughters together, Max and August.
Laurene Powell Jobs
Partner: Steve Jobs, former CEO of Apple
Years married: 20, until Jobs' death in 2011
Who she is: Laurene Powell Jobs is a philanthropist and the founder of Emerson Collective, an organization focused on social change. Powell Jobs attended University of Pennsylvania, majoring in economics and political science, and worked at Goldman Sachs before getting her MBA at Stanford University.
After Steve Jobs' death, Powell Jobs inherited his wealth, mostly in the form of Apple and Disney stock — today, she is currently worth $24.5 billion, according to Forbes. Powell Jobs is an active philanthropist, with a focus on education and the environment. Through Emerson Collective, she has funded news organizations like ProPublica, acquired media properties like Pop-Up Magazine and The Atlantic, of which she has a majority stake, and invested in Axios and the podcast giant Gimlet Media. She is …read more
Source:: Business Insider
Investors led by Bill Gates and Kleiner Perkins have poured more than $500 million into carbon-capture tech. Meet the 5 buzziest startups that are turning harmful emissions into fuel and other products. To limit global warming to 1.5 degrees and avoid some of the most catastrophic effects of climate change, experts say we have to go beyond…
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Netflix just dropped the trailer for season 2 of 'Sex Education' and it teases a chlamydia outbreak and some dramatic returns Warning: Spoilers ahead for "Sex Education" season one. Netflix just dropped the trailer for the hotly anticipated second season of "Sex Education," and it teases…
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The assassination of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani could be Trump's Chernobyl moment
January 7, 2020 Usanewssite
The Trump administration's assassination of Qassem Soleimani is turning into a man-made disaster, one with a fall out so potentially disastrous it cannot be obscured by lies and propaganda. This has happened to governments before. In 1986 the nuclear accident at Chernobyl helped to break the USSR's propaganda machine. Now, just as then, lives are […]
Australian billionaires have donated at least $54 million to wildfire relief efforts. Here's how that stacks up to billionaires' donations after the Notre Dame fire.
January 15, 2020 Usanewssite
Australian billionaires have collectively pledged at least $54 million to wildfire relief efforts, Business Insider estimates. The largest single private donation has been from Andrew Forrest, who donated $48 million to the cause. To put that number into perspective, one social-media influencer said she was able to raise $700,000 for the relief efforts by selling […]
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If your video won't upload to YouTube, it could be because of issues with available bandwidth on the network you're using. On other occasions, an extremely high volume of upload traffic by other users can delay or impede your video upload. Certain video file types cannot be uploaded to YouTube — the ideal file type […]
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'Gossip with Celebitchy' podcast #40: HRH titles & comparing Meghan & Kate's headlines

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


My name is Sabrina. I have a lot to say. These are my pug tails.
It's been raining on and off for almost a week now.
Mum's happy because her garden is greening up and growing fast. Flowers have even begun to bloom.
Me, I'm not so impressed. Sure, rainy days mean more couch snuggling but…………..
I still haven't won the war on being allowed to do my business in the house where civilized folk (and Pugs) should be allowed to go. So out I go in the long, wet grass (the humans haven't been able to mow due to rain) and get soaked from my toes right up to my belly. The grass gets me from underneath and then the rain pours down on me from up top. By the time I can come in the house I'm wet and cold and shivering.
Still no indoor potty oasis for me, sadly.
The humans have taken pity on me so far as to make sure I'm bundled, cuddled and warmed up when I come in. They don't even complain that I smell like a wet dog – much.
This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged pug, rain, Sabrina, unfair, wet dog. Bookmark the permalink.
Ugh, you poor thing. I only like grass on my belly when it is dry. I like to walk over it and have it tickle my belly! I always love to see when you call The Will, the Will. I am often referred to as The Wil (one l) around these parts, so I feel a connection with your Wil!
I know what you means about the rain. Today poured and poured. Yah it is great for Mum's garden but I don't like to get wets!
That is so unfair, Sabrina. You must demand an indoor spot. We have potty pads but would love a potty patch like Payton had.


text:
package org.apache.commons.functor.example.kata.two;

import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;

import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Collections;
import java.util.List;

import org.apache.commons.functor.NullaryFunction;
import org.apache.commons.functor.NullaryPredicate;
import org.apache.commons.functor.NullaryProcedure;
import org.apache.commons.functor.core.algorithm.RecursiveEvaluation;
import org.apache.commons.functor.core.algorithm.UntilDo;
import org.apache.commons.functor.generator.loop.IteratorToGeneratorAdapter;
import org.apache.commons.functor.range.IntegerRange;
import org.junit.Test;

/**
 * Examples of binary search implementations.
 *
 * A binary search algorithm is the same strategy used in
 * that number guessing game, where one player picks a number
 * between 1 and 100, and the second player tries to guess it.
 * Each time the second player guesses a number, the first player
 * tells whether the chosen number is higher, lower or equal to
 * the guess.
 *
 * An effective strategy for this sort of game is always guess
 * the midpoint between what you know to be the lowest and
 * highest possible number.  This will find the number in
 * log2(N) guesses (when N = 100, this is at most 7 guesses).
 *
 * For example, suppose the first player (secretly) picks the
 * number 63.  The guessing goes like this:
 *
 * P1> I'm thinking of a number between 1 and 100.
 * P2> Is it 50?
 * P1> Higher.
 * P2> 75?
 * P1> Lower.
 * P2> 62?
 * P1> Higher.
 * P2> 68?
 * P1> Lower.
 * P2> 65?
 * P1> Lower.
 * P2> 63?
 * P1> That's it.
 *
 * Dave Thomas's Kata Two asks us to implement a binary search algorithm
 * in several ways.  Here we'll use this as an opportunity to
 * consider some common approaches and explore
 * some functor based approaches as well.
 *
 * See http://pragprog.com/pragdave/Practices/Kata/KataTwo.rdoc,v
 * for more information on this Kata.
 *
 * @version $Revision$ $Date$
 */
public class TestBinaryChop {

    /**
     * This is Dave's test case, plus
     * a quick check of searching a fairly large
     * list, just to make sure the time and space
     * requirements are reasonable.
     */
    private void chopTest(BinaryChop chopper) {
        assertEquals(-1, chopper.find(3, new int[0]));
        assertEquals(-1, chopper.find(3, new int[] { 1 }));
        assertEquals(0, chopper.find(1, new int[] { 1 }));

        assertEquals(0, chopper.find(1, new int[] { 1, 3, 5 }));
        assertEquals(1, chopper.find(3, new int[] { 1, 3, 5 }));
        assertEquals(2, chopper.find(5, new int[] { 1, 3, 5 }));
        assertEquals(-1, chopper.find(0, new int[] { 1, 3, 5 }));
        assertEquals(-1, chopper.find(2, new int[] { 1, 3, 5 }));
        assertEquals(-1, chopper.find(4, new int[] { 1, 3, 5 }));
        assertEquals(-1, chopper.find(6, new int[] { 1, 3, 5 }));

        assertEquals(0, chopper.find(1, new int[] { 1, 3, 5, 7 }));
        assertEquals(1, chopper.find(3, new int[] { 1, 3, 5, 7 }));
        assertEquals(2, chopper.find(5, new int[] { 1, 3, 5, 7 }));
        assertEquals(3, chopper.find(7, new int[] { 1, 3, 5, 7 }));
        assertEquals(-1, chopper.find(0, new int[] { 1, 3, 5, 7 }));
        assertEquals(-1, chopper.find(2, new int[] { 1, 3, 5, 7 }));
        assertEquals(-1, chopper.find(4, new int[] { 1, 3, 5, 7 }));
        assertEquals(-1, chopper.find(6, new int[] { 1, 3, 5, 7 }));
        assertEquals(-1, chopper.find(8, new int[] { 1, 3, 5, 7 }));

        final List<Integer> largeList =
            IteratorToGeneratorAdapter.adapt(new IntegerRange(0, 100001)).to(new ArrayList<Integer>());

        assertEquals(-1, chopper.find(Integer.valueOf(-5), largeList));
        assertEquals(100000, chopper.find(Integer.valueOf(100000), largeList));
        assertEquals(0, chopper.find(Integer.valueOf(0), largeList));
        assertEquals(50000, chopper.find(Integer.valueOf(50000), largeList));

    }

    /**
     * In practice, one would most likely use the
     * binary search method already available in
     * java.util.Collections, but that's not
     * really the point of this exercise.
     */
    @Test
    public void testBuiltIn() {
        chopTest(new BaseBinaryChop() {
            public int find(Integer seeking, List<Integer> list) {
                int result = Collections.binarySearch(list,seeking);
                //
                // Collections.binarySearch is a bit smarter than our
                // "find". It returns
                //  (-(insertionPoint) - 1)
                // when the value is not found, rather than
                // simply -1.
                //
                return result >= 0 ? result : -1;
            }
        });
    }

    /**
     * Here's a basic iterative approach.
     *
     * We set the lower or upper bound to the midpoint
     * until there's only one element between the lower
     * and upper bound.  Then the lower bound is where
     * the element would be found if it existed in the
     * list.
     *
     * We add an additional comparision at the end so
     * that we can return -1 if the element is not yet
     * in the list.
     */
    @Test
    public void testIterative() {
        chopTest(new BaseBinaryChop() {
            public int find(Integer seeking, List<Integer> list) {
                int high = list.size();
                int low = 0;
                while (high - low > 1) {
                    int mid = (high + low) / 2;
                    if (greaterThan(list,mid,seeking)) {
                        high = mid;
                    } else {
                        low = mid;
                    }
                }
                return list.isEmpty() ? -1 : (equals(list,low,seeking) ? low : -1);
            }
        });
    }

    /*
     * At http://onestepback.org/index.cgi/Tech/Programming/Kata/KataTwoVariation1.rdoc,
     * Jim Weirich discusses Kata Two from the perspective of loop invariants.
     *
     * Loop invariants provide a way of deductive reasoning about loops.
     *
     * Let P, Q. and R be predicates and A and B be
     * procedures.  Note that if:
     *   assert(P.test());
     *   A.run();
     *   assert(Q.test());
     * and
     *   assert(Q.test());
     *   B.run();
     *   assert(R.test());
     * are both valid, then:
     *   assert(P.test());
     *   A.run();
     *   B.run();
     *   assert(R.test());
     * is valid as well.
     *
     * Similiarly, if INV and TERM are predicates and BODY is a procedure,
     * then if:
     *   assert(INV.test());
     *   BODY.run();
     *   assert(INV.test());
     * is valid, then so is:
     *   assert(INV.test());
     *   while(! TERM.test() ) { BODY.run(); }
     *   assert(INV.test());
     *   assert(TERM.test());
     *
     * Here INV is an "loop invariant", a statement that is true for every
     * single iteration through the loop.  TERM is a terminating condition,
     * a statement that is true (by construction) when the loop exits.
     *
     * We can use loop invariants to reason about our iterative binary
     * search loop.  In particular, note that:
     *
     * // assert that the list is empty, or
     * // the result index is between
     * // low (inclusive) and high (exclusive),
     * // or high is 0 (the list is empty)
     * NullaryPredicate INV = new NullaryPredicate() {
     *   public boolean test() {
     *    return high == 0 ||
     *          (low <= result && result < high);
     *   }
     * };
     *
     * is a valid invariant in our binary search, and that:
     *
     * NullaryPredicate TERM = new NullaryPredicate() {
     *   public boolean test() {
     *    return (high - low) <= 1;
     *   }
     * };
     *
     * is a valid terminating condition.
     *
     * The BODY in our case simply moves the endpoints
     * closer together, without violating
     * our invariant:
     *
     * NullaryProcedure BODY = new NullaryProcedure() {
     *   public void run() {
     *     int mid = (high + low) / 2;
     *     if (greaterThan(list,mid,seeking)) {
     *       high = mid;
     *     } else {
     *       low = mid;
     *     }
     *   }
     * };
     *
     * One could assert our invariant before and after
     * the execution of BODY, and the terminating condition
     * at the end of the loop, but we can tell by construction
     * that these assertions will hold.
     *
     * Using the functor framework, we can make these notions
     * explict.  Specifically, the construction above is:
     *
     *   Algorithms.untildo(BODY,TERM);
     *
     * Since we'll want to share state among the TERM and BODY,
     * let's declare a single interface for the TERM NullaryPredicate and
     * the BODY NullaryProcedure.  We'll be calculating a result within
     * the loop, so let's add a NullaryFunction implementation as well,
     * as a way of retrieving that result:
     */
    interface Loop extends NullaryPredicate, NullaryProcedure, NullaryFunction<Object> {
        /** The terminating condition. */
        boolean test();
        /** The loop body. */
        void run();
        /** The result of executing the loop. */
        Object evaluate();
    };

    /*
     * Now we can use the Algorithms.dountil method to
     * execute that loop:
     */
    @Test
    public void testIterativeWithInvariants() {
        chopTest(new BaseBinaryChop() {

            public int find(final Integer seeking, final List<Integer> list) {
                Loop loop = new Loop() {
                    int high = list.size();
                    int low = 0;

                    /** Our terminating condition. */
                    public boolean test() {
                        return (high - low) <= 1;
                    }

                    /** Our loop body. */
                    public void run() {
                        int mid = (high + low) / 2;
                        if (greaterThan(list,mid,seeking)) {
                            high = mid;
                        } else {
                            low = mid;
                        }
                    }

                    /**
                     * A way of returning the result
                     * at the end of the loop.
                     */
                    public Object evaluate() {
                        return Integer.valueOf(
                            list.isEmpty() ?
                            -1 :
                            (BaseBinaryChop.equals(list,low,seeking) ? low : -1));
                    }

                };
                new UntilDo(loop, loop).run();
                return ((Number) loop.evaluate()).intValue();
            }
        });
    }

    /*
     * Jim Weirich notes how Eiffel is very explict about loop invariants:
     *
     *   from
     *     low := list.lower
     *     high := list.upper + 1
     *   invariant
     *     lower_limit: -- low <= result (this is just a comment)
     *     upper_limit: -- high < result (this is just a comment)
     *   variant
     *     high - low
     *   until
     *     (high - low) <= 1
     *   loop
     *     mid := (high + low) // 2
     *     if list.at(mid) > seeking then
     *       high := mid
     *     else
     *       low := mid
     *     end
     *   end
     *
     * We can do that too, using EiffelStyleLoop.
     */
    class BinarySearchLoop extends EiffelStyleLoop {
        BinarySearchLoop(Integer aSeeking, List<Integer> aList) {
            seeking = aSeeking;
            list = aList;

            from(new NullaryProcedure() {
                public void run() {
                    low = 0;
                    high = list.size();
                }
            });

            invariant(new NullaryPredicate() {
                public boolean test() {
                    return high == 0 || low < high;
                }
            });

            variant(new NullaryFunction<Object>() {
                public Object evaluate() {
                    return Integer.valueOf(high - low);
                }
            });

            until(new NullaryPredicate() {
                public boolean test() {
                    return high - low <= 1;
                }
            });

            loop(new NullaryProcedure() {
                public void run() {
                    int mid = (high + low) / 2;
                    if (BaseBinaryChop.greaterThan(list,mid,seeking)) {
                        high = mid;
                    } else {
                        low = mid;
                    }
                }
            });
        }

        int getResult() {
            return list.isEmpty() ? -1 : BaseBinaryChop.equals(list,low,seeking) ? low : -1;
        }

        private int high;
        private int low;
        private final Integer seeking;
        private final List<Integer> list;
    }

    @Test
    public void testIterativeWithInvariantsAndAssertions() {
        chopTest(new BaseBinaryChop() {
            public int find(Integer seeking, List<Integer> list) {
                BinarySearchLoop loop = new BinarySearchLoop(seeking,list);
                loop.run();
                return loop.getResult();
            }});
    }

    /**
     * A recursive version of that implementation uses
     * method parameters to track the upper and
     * lower bounds.
     */
    @Test
    public void testRecursive() {
        chopTest(new BaseBinaryChop() {
            public int find(Integer seeking, List<Integer> list) {
                return find(seeking, list, 0, list.size());
            }

            private int find(Integer seeking, List<Integer> list, int low, int high) {
                if (high - low > 1) {
                    int mid = (high + low) / 2;
                    if (greaterThan(list,mid,seeking)) {
                        return find(seeking,list,low,mid);
                    } else {
                        return find(seeking,list,mid,high);
                    }
                } else {
                    return list.isEmpty() ? -1 : (equals(list,low,seeking) ? low : -1);
                }
            }
        });
    }

    /**
     * We can use the Algorithms.recuse method
     * to implement that as tail recursion.
     *
     * Here the anonymous NullaryFunction implemenation
     * holds this itermediate state, rather than
     * the VM's call stack.
     *
     * Arguably this is more like a continuation than
     * tail recursion, since there is a bit of state
     * to be tracked.
     */
    @Test
    public void testTailRecursive() {
        chopTest(new BaseBinaryChop() {
            public int find(final Integer seeking, final List<Integer> list) {
                return ((Number) new RecursiveEvaluation(new NullaryFunction<Object>() {
                    public Object evaluate() {
                        if (high - low > 1) {
                            int mid = (high + low) / 2;
                            if (greaterThan(list,mid,seeking)) {
                                high = mid;
                            } else {
                                low = mid;
                            }
                            return this;
                        } else {
                            return list.isEmpty() ?
                                BaseBinaryChop.NEGATIVE_ONE :
                                (BaseBinaryChop.equals(list,low,seeking) ?
                                    Integer.valueOf(low) :
                                    BaseBinaryChop.NEGATIVE_ONE);
                        }
                    }
                    int high = list.size();
                    int low = 0;
                }).evaluate()).intValue();
            }
        });
    }

    /**
     * One fun functional approach is to "slice" up the
     * list as we search,  looking at smaller and
     * smaller slices until we've found the element
     * we're looking for.
     *
     * Note that while any given call to this recursive
     * function may only be looking at a sublist, we
     * need to return the index in the overall list.
     * Hence we'll split out a method so that we can
     * pass the offset in the original list as a
     * parameter.
     *
     * With all of the subList creation, this approach
     * is probably less efficient than either the iterative
     * or the recursive implemenations above.
     */
    @Test
    public void testRecursive2() {
        chopTest(new BaseBinaryChop() {
            public int find(Integer seeking, List<Integer> list) {
                return find(seeking,list,0);
            }

            private int find(Integer seeking, List<Integer> list, int offset) {
                if (list.isEmpty()) {
                    return -1;
                } if (list.size() == 1) {
                    return (equals(list,0,seeking) ? offset : -1);
                } else {
                    int mid = list.size() / 2;
                    if (greaterThan(list,mid,seeking)) {
                        return find(seeking,list.subList(0,mid),offset);
                    } else {
                        return find(seeking,list.subList(mid,list.size()),offset+mid);
                    }
                }
            }
        });
    }

    /**
     * We can do that using tail recursion as well.
     *
     * Again, the anonymous NullaryFunction implemenation
     * holds the "continuation" state.
     */
    @Test
    public void testTailRecursive2() {
        chopTest(new BaseBinaryChop() {
            public int find(final Integer seeking, final List<Integer> list) {
                return ((Number) new RecursiveEvaluation(new NullaryFunction<Object>() {
                    public Object evaluate() {
                        if (sublist.isEmpty()) {
                            return BaseBinaryChop.NEGATIVE_ONE;
                        } if (sublist.size() == 1) {
                            return (BaseBinaryChop.equals(sublist,0,seeking) ?
                                Integer.valueOf(offset) :
                                BaseBinaryChop.NEGATIVE_ONE);
                        } else {
                            int mid = sublist.size() / 2;
                            if (greaterThan(sublist,mid,seeking)) {
                                sublist = sublist.subList(0,mid);
                            } else {
                                sublist = sublist.subList(mid,sublist.size());
                                offset += mid;
                            }
                            return this;
                        }
                    }
                    int offset = 0;
                    List<Integer> sublist = list;
                }).evaluate()).intValue();
            }
        });
    }

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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If you're looking to add these to your rotation then head over to Finishline.com and shop our selection.


text:
Pressbooks & Presskits
1 Emergency Call Campaign Book
Radio Pictures. London. 1933. large wraps.
Nice 12pg. British pressbook for an RKO "B" movie about doctors that starred William Boyd in his pre Hopalong Cassidy roles. Screenplay by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Inclds. usual pressbook material i.e. ads, synopsis & poster repros. Highlighted by a very nice bold black,blue & red drawing of hands on a telephone. Light rust to staples, wraps. partially lose & average light wear & soil & some minor creasing. About vg.
2 Abbott, Bud & Costello, Lou The Noose Hangs High
Hollywood Eagle Lion Films 1948 Original Pressbook Ovesize Paper
A beautiful fine copy of a large 24pg. pressbook for a little known Abbott & Costello film made in 1948. The highlight of the pressbook are the wonderful vivid full color front and back covers, includes all the usual pressbook material and is in fine condition. Uncommon.
Price: 300.00 USD
3 Aldrich, Robert & Odets, Clifford The Big Knife Pressbook
Hollywood United Artists 1955 Original Pressbook Oversize Paper
Large original 20pg pressbook for a take on Hollywood life among the power brokers.based on a play by Clifford Odets. Printed in red and black with lots of publicity material including a laid in 4pg. supplement that is styled after Confidential Magazine. The film was directed by Robert Alrich and had an interesting cast including Ida Lupino, Jean Hagen, Shelley Winters and a miscast Jack Palance playing a handsome movie star. Light wear with very short split at the top fold of the front cover, and a small ink number written on the top of the book. A Striking pressbook.
4 Allen, Woody Three Wood Allen Presskits
Hollywood Orion/Tristar Pictures 1990 Original Presskits Large Paper
Three individual presskits for Woody Allen films from the 1990's. Alice. 1990. Orion Pictures. Includes 7 stills with Brian Hamill credited on front of the stills + pages of publicity & promo material. Set in a folder that is illustrated with a color portrait of Mia Farrow on the front. Folder has wear, the insides are fine. Husbands And Wives. 1992. Tristar Pictures. Includes a set of 10 stills with Brian Hamill credited on front of the stills which are in a Tristar plastic bag. + promo material set in a paper folder which has a tiny touch of wear. Manhattan Murder Mystery. Tristar 1993. Complete set of numbered stills (10) along with publicity material. Although he is credited as the still photographer, Brian Hamill's name does not appear on the stills. which are in a Tristar plastic bag. Very minute wear to the folder, the insides are fine. Sold as a collection only. Also included is a 4pg. foldover brochure for the original dvd release of Annie Hall
5 Brando, Marlon The Men Pressbook
Large original 28pg. pressbook for Marlon Brando's first film "The Men" which was about a Paralized war vet (Brando) trying to adjust to the world without the use of his limbs. The film was directed by Fred Zinnemann and also featured Teresa Wright. This marked the beginning of Brando's stunning film career. Filled with the usual pressbook material, photos, posters, publicity items etc. Light wear a few small chips, light soiling to the white front cover, vg.
6 Burroughs, Edgar Rice, Hudson, Hugh Greystoke: The Legend Of Tarzan, Lord Of The Apes
Hollywood Warner Bros. 1984 Presskit Large Paper
An amazaing presskit for the exciting and visually compelling 1984 retake on the Tarzan Legend. The cast included a re-dubbed (by Glenn Close) Andie MacDowell and Christopher Lambert as Tarzan. The package consists of 26 nicely printed b&w stills with caption sheet. The sheet lists 27 stills, one of which is missing from the set. Also includes 71 stapled pages of publicity material including production notes and bios. In it's original mailing envelope. Fine.
7 Cameron, James The Abyss Promo-Publicity Package
Hollywood 20th Century Fox 1989 First Edition Oversize Paper in Box
An elaborate presskit-promo package for James Cameron's undersea adventure that was not warmly received by critics when first released but has since developed a cult following. The cast included Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and Michael Biehn. The kit consists of thirteen 8" x 10" b&w stills and star portraits laid in a black folder. Also included are two large spiral bound paper books. One consists of biographies of the cast and crew and is 40pgs and is printed in full color on heavy glossy paper. The 2nd spiral bound book is production information and is 28pgs also in full color and printed on heavy glossy paper. These two books are stunning and along with the stills are set in a heavy cardboard box. The box has some light wear, with the back having minor indentation, otherwise the enclosed material is fine. Uncommon.
8 Criner, Lawrence Black Gold Pressbook
Florida Norman Studios 1928 Pressbook Oversize Paper
A rare beautiful 14" x 22" original 4pg. pressbook for a forgotten "all colored cast" silent film. The movie was " A thrilling epic of the oil fields" that starred Lawrence Criner, Kathryn Boyd & Steve "Peg" Reynolds a one-legged actor all of whom had appeared in the earlier 1926 Norman film "The Flying Ace." Based on the true story of John Crisp and his fight to secure oil despite the efforts of a crooked drilling contractor, the movie was filmed in the "all colored city" of Tatums Oklahoma and used many of the residents as extras. The pressbook features a nice yellow colored front cover that is a repro. of the window card. Inside is illustrated with blue tinted photos and advertising iteams. The back cover is text and includes press stories and other advertising ideas. Two old tape mends to the back cover, but this rare item is in fine bright condition. Folded. Fine.
9 Heston, Charlton Planet Of The Apes 4pg. Pressbook
Hollywood 20th Century Fox 1968 Original Pressbook Paper
Surprisingly cheap looking 4pg.b&w single sided "Pressbook" for the very popular fantasy film. The reason for the cheap look might be that at the time 20th century fox was in deep trouble, and probably thought the film would be a bust. However there might be more elaborate ones out there. Includes some photos, ads and posters & 1 pg.of text publicity. Light wear a few creases. Vg.
10 Hitchcock, Alfred Rear Window 1983 Presskit
Hollywood Universal Pictures 1983 Press Kit Paper
A nice presskit for the 1983 reissue of the Hitchcock classic from 1954, Rear Window. Based on a short story by Cornell Woolrich, the great cast included James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Thelma Ritter and Raymond Burr. The presskit includes 34pgs. of publicity material including production notes and bios + 6 stills all of which are set in a white folder which has a tiny bit of soiling and wear. Vg.
11 Ivory, James Surviving Picasso Presskit
Hollywood Warner Bros. 1996 Presskit Paper
Attractive presskit for James Ivory's film about Pablo Picasso and his many loves. The film starred Anthony Hopkins as Picasso and had a large impressive supporting cast including Julianne Moore, and Joan Plowright. The screenplay was by Ivory regular Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. The kit includes eight 8" x 10" glossy stills and 34pgs. of production material along with an invitation to a press screening of the film. Set in a bright clean white folder which has 1 tiny tear to the back. In its original large mailing envelope that also has a very minor tears and wear.
12 Kubrick, Stanley Eyes Wide Shut
Hollywood Warner Brothers 1999 1st Edition Presskit
Uncommon presskit for Stanley Kubrick's final film, that was released shortly after his untimely death. The film was loosly based on a novel by Arthur Schnitzler and was the last film to star Tom Cruise & Nicole Kidman before their marriage ended. The kit consists of 26pgs of publicity material including cast credits & bios.+ 13 b&w stills along with a caption sheet. Set in a black, white and red folder which has small corner creasing to the top left corner, the material itself is fine.
13 Lang, Fritz Journey To The Lost City.
vg+/as usual pressbook is folded. Very large 8pg. pressbook for Lang's unusual technicolor adventure set in a fictional India. Beautiful full color wrap. The film starred of all people Debra Paget as a temple dancer. Originally released in Europe as 2 separate films on a double bill. For the U.S. release the films were dubbed & compressed into a 92 minute version. The pressbook is highlighted by a beautiful full color frnt. wrap. featuring artwork & stills that would look great framed. A rare & terrific Lang item. Binding is pressbook.
14 Lee, Spike Jungle Fever Presskit
Hollywood Universal Pictures 1991 Presskit Presskit
A presskit for one of Spike Lee's best films about a black/white love affair that starred Wesley Snipes, Annabella Sciorra, Lonette McKee, Ruby Dee, Anthony Quinn, John Turturro and in an early role Samuel L. Jackson. LAID IN THE PRESSKIT IS A PORTRAIT OF ANNABELLA SCIORRA THAT HAS BEEN SIGNED BY HER, A SCENE STILL THAT HAS BEEN SIGNED BY WESLEY SNIPES, A LARGE POSTCARD PROMO FOR THE FILM THAT HAS BEEN SIGNED BY SPIKE LEE, A COPY OF JET MAGAZINE WITH THE TWO STARS ON THE COVER, 14 STILLS (SOME ARE DUPLICATES AND 20PGS. OF PUBLICITY MATERIAL. Set in a folder that has a minor tear, and some creases. The individual pieces are all fine.
15 Lee, Spike Mo' Better Blues
Hollywood Universal Studios 1990 Paper Original Paper
Press kit for Spike Lee's controversial film about musicians which was criticized by some as being anti-Semitic. The kit consists of a folder which houses 4 stills including 4 small nice portraits of Lee + pages of production notes, info. cast & credits & bios. Light creasing to folder corners & edges, the contents are vg+.
16 Mann, Delbert Marty Pressbook
An original 16pg. pressbook for the big Oscar winner of 1955 that won Oscars for Picture, Director, Actor (Ernest Borgnine) and screenplay. Based on the television play by Paddy Chayefsky (who wrote the screenplay) this little film that could was the story of a simple Bronx butcher and his problems of meeting a girls. Includes the usual pressbook material. Folded which is usual for pressbooks and very minute light wear. Vg.
17 Penn, Arthur Bonnie and Clyde Pressbook
CA. Warner Bros. 1967 Original Pressbook Oversize Paper
An original oversize 24pg. pressbook for Bonnie and Clyde. The film when first released caused a great stir and alot of controversary and is now considered to be one of the great films of the 60's and possibly of all time. The film was beautifully directed and written with star making performances from Gene Hackman and Faye Dunaway and in fact the entire cast was nominated for Oscars with only Estelle Parsons finally winning. The film itself was nominated for 10 Oscars including Best Picture but lost out to the safe and unoriginal "In The Heat Of The Night" and once again Oscar failed to recognize and honor a great American film. The pressbook is full of all the usual pressbook material ie poster repros., photos, publicity articles and more. A few very tiny tears along the edges of the book otherwise fine. Also included are two original 8" x 10" stills from the movie one is of the shoot out at the bungalow with Hackman and an hysterical Estelle Parsons in the background, the other is the shoot out in the swamp when Faye Dunaway gets shot, Beatty and Pollard are in the water with her.
18 Pickett, Bill The Bull-Dogger Pressbook
Hollywood Norman Film Manufacturing Co. 1921 Original Pressbook Pressbook
Original and rare four-page fold-over 9 1/2" x 12" sepia toned pressbook from the Norman Film Company that features 4 of their films: "The Love Bug", "The Crimson Skull", "Green Eyed Monster" and "The Bull-Dogger" that starred Bill Pickett who was an African-American champion oper and rider in wild west shows and made only two films. The pressbook is illustrated with stills and publicity material for all the films and includes some great text "There is not a white man in the cast." In fine beautiful condition.
19 Scorsese, Martin Signed and Inscribed The Last Temptation of Christ Presskit
Hollywood Universal 1988 Press Kit Oversize Presskit
INSCRIBED AND SIGNED BY MARTIN SCORSESE TO THIS BOOK DEALER ON THE FRONT WHITE COVER. Elaborate presskit for one of Scorsese's most controversial films. The presskit is a foldover with 20pgs. printed on heavy stock paper and is illustrated with full color stills + an interview with the director. In the back is a pocket in which 17pgs. of nicely printed info pages with bios of the stars and credits are placed along with 7 b&w stills. The presskit has a soft small dent to the top corner of the kit which is lightly mirrored to the top corners of the pages, all in all this is a fine very clean copy impressive in its production and rare to find inscribed by Scorsese.
20 Shakespeare, William Presskit for the Film Othello That Starred Laurence Fishburne
Hollywood Castle Rock Films 1995 Original Presskit Paper
LAID IN THE PRESSKIT IS A SMALL WHITE CARD THAT HAS BEEN BOLDLY SIGNED BY LAURENCE FISHBURNE IN BLUE INK. Very nice presskit for film version of the tragic tale that starred the fine actor Laurence Fishburne as the proud Moor. Filmed many times including versions that starred Laurence Olivier and Orson Welles. Also in the cast was Irene Jacob and Kenneth Branagh. The presskit includes 9 stills some of which have 2 scenes to a sheet along with 29 pgs. of publicity material. Set in a near fine folder.


text:
package com.jeesuite.common.model;

import java.io.Serializable;

/**
 * @description

 * @author vakin
 * @date 2018年11月7日
 */
public class KeyValuePair implements Serializable {

	private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
	private String key;
    private String value;

    public KeyValuePair() {}

	public KeyValuePair(final String key, final String value) {
        this.key = key;
        this.value = value;
    }

    public String getKey() {
		return key;
	}

	public void setKey(String key) {
		this.key = key;
	}

	public String getValue() {
		return value;
	}

	public void setValue(String value) {
		this.value = value;
	}

	@Override
    public String toString() {
        return key + '=' + value;
    }

    @Override
    public int hashCode() {
        final int prime = 31;
        int result = 1;
        result = prime * result + ((key == null) ? 0 : key.hashCode());
        result = prime * result + ((value == null) ? 0 : value.hashCode());
        return result;
    }

    @Override
    public boolean equals(final Object obj) {
        if (this == obj) {
            return true;
        }
        if (obj == null) {
            return false;
        }
        if (getClass() != obj.getClass()) {
            return false;
        }
        final KeyValuePair other = (KeyValuePair) obj;
        if (key == null) {
            if (other.key != null) {
                return false;
            }
        } else if (!key.equals(other.key)) {
            return false;
        }
        if (value == null) {
            if (other.value != null) {
                return false;
            }
        } else if (!value.equals(other.value)) {
            return false;
        }
        return true;
    }
}


text:
The Behavioral Assessment
Unlocking the Truth" ©
Dennis M. Matko
Co-Founder and President
Prior to co-founding The Behavioral Assessment Resource (BAR) Group, LLC, Mr. Dennis M. Matko was a Senior Behavioral Intelligence Expert with an advisory group that provided advanced interview training, behavioral assessments, and analytical products to thousands of business professionals worldwide. He worked primarily with members of premier corporate, financial services, and auditing firms in the United States, Europe and Asia. He has additionally provided training in these unique skills to members of the law enforcement community.
In 2004, Mr. Matko retired after 30 years with the Columbus, Ohio Division of Police, the majority of which he served as an intelligence officer, detective sergeant and a supervisor. In 1977 Mr. Matko temporarily left his police duties to serve on the personal security detail of former Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger in Washington, DC. Upon his return to the Division of Police he joined an elite unit that provided executive protection services to visiting dignitaries and others with high risk profiles. He afforded dignitary protection services and training for the Columbus Mayor's Office, and served as a liaison with the United States Secret Service, U. S. State Department and other federal agencies. In 1994, Mr. Matko was a principal in the design and implementation of security arrangements for a United Nations International Trade Symposium that hosted foreign heads of state and other high-ranking officials. The balance of Mr. Matko's career focused on covert and intelligence operations that targeted threat groups and organized criminal enterprises. He was a primary architect of the Columbus Police gang unit and supervised it for six years, during which time the unit established the most successful prosecution rate of gang members in the state of Ohio. Mr. Matko also spent two years as the director of a statewide task force on Eastern Bloc drug traffickers for the Ohio Attorney General's office, culminating in the successful prosecutions of individuals in three countries. Throughout his career he has developed extensive experience in leading investigations, conducting interviews and controlling informants.
Mr. Matko holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology (Criminology) from the Ohio State University.
INSIDER THREAT AWARENESS TRAI...
CLIENT TRAINING LOGIN
© 2020 by The BAR Group, LLC
The BAR Group, LLC
10878 Westheimer Road, Suite 400
www.bargrouptraining.com
info@bargrouptraining.com


Officers are appealing for information after the incident in Weekley Wood Avenue at about 1.30pm on Sunday (March 17).
A silver VW Golf with a registration number beginning LT02 was seen to be driving in a dangerous manner while making multiple overtake manoeuvres.
Witnesses or anyone with information should call Northamptonshire Police on 101.


text:
Home » Kid » Education
21 Fun And Interesting Facts About Cheetah For Kids
We all know the well-known fact that the cheetah is the fastest animal on land. However, there are more interesting facts about this spotted animal that can whip up your child's interest.
The scientific name for cheetah is Acinonyx jubatus, while the word cheetah is derived from the Sanskrit word chitraka, meaning "the spotted one." Most of these magnificent creatures live in Africa. Read on as we tell you some fascinating cheetah facts for kids.
20+ Cheetah Facts For Kids
1. Cheetahs belong to the cat family
Did you know that cheetahs are comparatively smaller than other wild cats? They weigh only about 45–60kg. Lions, Leopards, and Jaguars are all larger and heavier than cheetahs. Cheetahs are often confused with leopards, but they have long black stripes on their face, and their spots are much rounder. And, unlike the other cats, cheetahs can't climb trees.
2. Male cheetahs usually live in groups
Cheetahs are generally social by nature and tend to live in groups. The female cheetahs stick with their cubs for up to a year or two, while the male cheetahs typically form a group known as a "coalition" and hunt together. The female cheetahs are solitary animals except when they are raising their cubs.
3. Cheetahs give birth to a litter of cubs
A female cheetah gives birth to anywhere from two to five cubs at a time. The cubs stay with the mother until they are about 16 to 24 months old.
4. There are different types of cheetahs
While there are four subspecies of the cheetah based on the geography in which they are found, there as many as 36 species of cheetahs.
5. Cheetahs rarely drink water
Although they don't have a hump, cheetahs are similar to camels. They don't drink a lot of water! Cheetahs derive their fluid requirement from the food itself and usually drink water only once in three to four days!
6. Cheetahs are adaptable to different habitats
Cheetahs are not as selective about their habitats as other cats and can be found in any area with prey, good visibility, and fewer larger animals. They have been known to inhabit areas at elevations as high as 4,000m (13,000ft), too.
7. Cheetahs have unique spots
A fully grown cheetah's body can have anywhere between 2,000 to 3,000 spots! The pattern of spots on each cheetah's body is unique, much like our fingerprints, and these spots help them camouflage during a hunt.
8. Cheetahs are competent hunters
Cheetahs have lightning speed and excellent vision, making them natural and competent hunters. In the Middle East, cheetahs would even accompany the royal hunt expeditions in the 7th century AD.
9. Cheetahs can run at great speed
The fastest creature on land can reach a speed of up to 70 miles per hour in just three seconds! The cheetah's elongated spine and vertical shoulder blades allow it to stretch by as much as 30 feet. Besides its speed, a cheetah can also change direction mid-air during a chase! However, it does not have a lot of stamina and can only maintain top speed for a minute or two.
10. Cheetahs have tear marks
Cheetahs have long black lines from their eyes to their mouth, called tear lines. It is believed that these protect them from the sun's glare and give them a clearer long-distance vision. This enables them to spot their prey from a distance of up to five kilometers.
11. Cheetahs hunt during the day
Cheetahs are excellent hunters, thanks to their athleticism and eyesight. However, they usually hunt only during the day, unlike other larger animals, as they have poor night vision.
12. Cheetahs choose smaller prey
Given their relatively smaller size, cheetahs prefer to hunt smaller prey. However, when hunting in groups, they are capable of hunting larger prey, too. Unlike other cats, they stalk their prey for only a short while and chase them for about 30 seconds.
13. Cheetah's eat quickly
Cheetahs usually eat soon after the hunt. Just like their speed during the hunt, cheetahs eat fast as well. This is mostly due to threats from other carnivores, such as hyenas or lions that share the same habitat.
14. A cheetah's tail gives it direction
A cheetah's tail can be as long as 80 centimeters and tends to be rather flat. The long tail aids the cheetah in steering and changing direction while running. It acts as a rudder on a boat, especially at high speed!
15. Cheetahs are not aggressive
Although they are predators, cheetahs are not naturally aggressive. In fact, they try to avoid larger prey, and if threatened by larger prey, they tend to give up.
16. Cheetahs were once kept as pets
Cheetahs have served as hunting pets of humans from about 3,000 BC. Today, however, it is illegal to have this animal as a pet in several countries.
17. Cheetahs don't roar
It may be hard to believe, but cheetahs do not roar. They usually purr while they are grooming or are around other cheetahs. They also communicate with each other by making small chirping sounds. Who knew cheetahs would have something in common with birds!
18. Cheetahs are a threatened species
Cheetahs were heavily distributed all over the world about 20,000 years ago. However, it is estimated that there are less than 7,100 adult and adolescent cheetahs in the wild today. The current conservation status of cheetahs is "Vulnerable" on the International for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. They are threatened by several factors such as habitat loss, conflict with humans, and poaching.
19. Cheetahs live long
Cheetahs usually live much longer than other wild cats, such as lions. While a lion has an average lifespan of about 10–14 years, cheetahs have been known to survive for more than 17 years!
20. The King Cheetah has been spotted for less than ten times
The Cooper's Cheetah, also known as the King Cheetah, was first spotted in 1926 and has since been found in the wild only about five times. It is an African Cheetah with a rare fur pattern. The spots are blotchy, and three full-length black stripes run from the neck to the tail.
21. The cheetah is one of the oldest species in existence
Cheetahs are also one of the oldest animals in existence. Cheetah fossils in Africa date back to as many as three million years ago.
The best thing about cheetahs is that they are very friendly towards humans. They only see fast-moving animals as prey or threats. As a result, they get along great with us. And yes! cheetahs can accelerate faster than a Ferrari. We hope these interesting facts increase your child's love for this vulnerable animal.
1. 5 Fast Facts About Cheetahs; The City of Albuquerque
2. Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus); Wild Cat Family
3. About Cheetahs; Cheetah Conservation Fund
Fascinating Facts About Lions For Kids
Informative And Fun Camel Facts For Kids
Informative And Fun Facts About Horses For Kids
Interesting Facts And Information About Parrots For Kids
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Arsene Wenger: I would've signed for a five-point lead weeks ago
Arsene Wenger challenges Arsenal to build on their five-point lead at the top of the table after Sunday's draw against Everton
By The Sport Review
Monday 9 December 2013, 13:16 UK
Arsene Wenger's side are top of the Premier League table Photo: Arsenal FC
Arsene Wenger has challenged Arsenal to build on their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League table after Sunday's draw with Everton.
Wenger's men stretched their advantage at the top after a 1-1 draw at Emirates Stadium, as Mesut Özil's 80th-minute opener was cancelled out by Gerard Deulofeu's strike late on in the game.
I cannot fault my defence but you just have to give credit to the offensive quality of Everton
Arsene Wenger
The Gunners now face testing clashes against Manchester City and Chelsea in the coming weeks.
And Wenger hailed his side's "spirit and fight" after the stalemate against the Toffees, insisting there are plenty of positives about the north Londoners' position.
"Of course we would have signed for that a few weeks ago but we are a bit disappointed," Wenger told Arsenal Player.
"This team has a great spirit and fight in every single game. We have a good cushion so let's prepare for the next one.
"It was a great game. Overall maybe a draw is logical but the regret I have is that we were 1-0 up and couldn't keep a clean sheet until the end.
"It took us time to get into the game but after our desire to win and our attitude got us back into the game. But Everton is a good side as well and overall it was a good 1-1.
"They [Everton] had quality going forward. We were a bit caught on the crosses, and on the flanks – that can happen.
"I cannot fault my defence but you just have to give credit to the offensive quality of Everton."
FC Porto announce partnership with ticket marketplace viagogo
Man United will still finish in top four, insists Jamie Redknapp


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Tag: Curcumin
Turmeric supplement more effective than placebo for osteoarthritis knee pain
An extract of Curcuma longa (CL), commonly known as turmeric, was found to be more effective than placebo for reducing knee pain in patients with knee osteoarthritis.
#arthritis #pain #turmeric
Wang Z, Jones G, Winzenberg T, Cai G, Laslett LL, Aitken D, Hopper I, Singh A, Jones R, Fripp J, Ding C, Antony B. Effectiveness of Curcuma longa Extract for the Treatment of Symptoms and Effusion-Synovitis of Knee Osteoarthritis : A Randomized Trial. Ann Intern Med. 2020 Sep 15. doi: 10.7326/M20-0990. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 32926799.
https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M20-0990
turmeric, curcumin longa, curcumin, osteoarthritis, knee pain, arthritis, pain effusion, synovitis, effusion synovitis
Author Ralph TurchianoPosted on September 29, 2020 September 29, 2020 Categories Misc....Tags Arthritis, Curcumin, curcumin longa, effusion synovitis, knee pain, Osteoarthritis, pain effusion, synovitis, Turmeric
HSV-2 Herpes Topical Curcumin holds Promise
"Curcumin can stop the genital herpes virus, it helps in reducing the inflammation and makes it less susceptible to HIV and other STIs," Prof Garg says.
#hsv2 #curcumin #herpes
Danielle Vitali, Puja Bagri, Jocelyn M. Wessels, Meenakshi Arora, Raghu Ganugula, Ankit Parikh, Talveer Mandur, Allison Felker, Sanjay Garg, M.N.V. Ravi Kumar, Charu Kaushic. Curcumin Can Decrease Tissue Inflammation and the Severity of HSV-2 Infection in the Female Reproductive Mucosa. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2020; 21 (1): 337 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21010337
Author Ralph TurchianoPosted on March 10, 2020 Categories Misc....Tags chronic, Curcumin, disease transmission, genital herpes, genital inflammation, herpes, HIV, hsv-2, hsv2, nanoparticles, Sexually transmitted disease, sti, Topical, Treatment, Turmeric
A cure or treatment for Cystic Fibrosis ? Delta-F508 defect is corrected with Curcumin
They found that the Delta-F508 defect is corrected in tissue culture and in mouse model systems by curcumin, the component that gives the spice turmeric its bright yellow color. In cultured cells, the CFTR protein moved to the surface of the cells, and in CFTR mice, the nasal and rectal epithtlia regained nearly normal function.
There has been no follow up research since 2006
*Science 304: 600-602 ( April 23 2004)
http://healthresearchreport.me/2012/07/24/researchers-show-cystic-fibrosis-defect-in-mice-corrected-with-turmeric-extract/
Author Ralph TurchianoPosted on February 24, 2014 Categories Missed - Medical BreakthroughsTags CFTR, Curcumin, Cystic fibrosis, Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator, Genetic disorder, Health, ΔF508, Turmeric
Indian spice may delay liver damage and cirrhosis
2010 study posted for filing
Contact: Emma Dickinson
edickinson@bmjgroup.com
BMJ-British Medical Journal
Curcumin improves sclerosing cholangitis in Mdr2 -/- mice by inhibition of cholangiocyte inflammatory response and portal myofibroblast proliferation
Curcumin, one of the principal components of the Indian spice turmeric, seems to delay the liver damage that eventually causes cirrhosis, suggests preliminary experimental research in the journal Gut.
Curcumin, which gives turmeric its bright yellow pigment, has long been used in Indian Ayurvedic medicine to treat a wide range of gastrointestinal disorders.
Previous research has indicated that it has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties which may be helpful in combating disease.
The research team wanted to find out if curcumin could delay the damage caused by progressive inflammatory conditions of the liver, including primary sclerosing cholangitis and primary biliary cirrhosis.
Both of these conditions, which can be sparked by genetic faults or autoimmune disease, cause the liver's plumbing system of bile ducts to become inflamed, scarred, and blocked. This leads to extensive tissue damage and irreversible and ultimately fatal liver cirrhosis.
The research team analysed tissue and blood samples from mice with chronic liver inflammation before and after adding curcumin to their diet for a period of four and a period of eight weeks.
The results were compared with the equivalent samples from mice with the same condition, but not fed curcumin.
The findings showed that the curcumin diet significantly reduced bile duct blockage and curbed liver cell (hepatocyte) damage and scarring (fibrosis) by interfering with several chemical signalling pathways involved in the inflammatory process.
These effects were clear at both four and eight weeks. No such effects were seen in mice fed a normal diet.
The authors point out that current treatment for inflammatory liver disease involves ursodeoxycholic acid, the long term effects of which remain unclear. The other alternative is a liver transplant.
Curcumin is a natural product, they say, which seems to target several different parts of the inflammatory process, and as such, may therefore offer a very promising treatment in the future.
Author Ralph TurchianoPosted on November 15, 2012 Categories Disease and Conditions, Missed - Medical BreakthroughsTags Cirrhosis, Conditions and Diseases, Curcumin, Digestive Disorders, Health, Liver, Primary biliary cirrhosis, Primary sclerosing cholangitis
Spices halt growth of breast stem cells, U-M study finds ( Curcumin, piperine )
Contact: Nicole Fawcett nfawcett@umich.edu 734-764-2220 University of Michigan Health System
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — A new study finds that compounds derived from the spices turmeric and pepper could help prevent breast cancer by limiting the growth of stem cells, the small number of cells that fuel a tumor's growth.
Researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center have found that when the dietary compounds curcumin, which is derived from the Indian spice turmeric, and piperine, derived from black peppers, were applied to breast cells in culture, they decreased the number of stem cells while having no effect on normal differentiated cells.
"If we can limit the number of stem cells, we can limit the number of cells with potential to form tumors," says lead author Madhuri Kakarala, M.D., Ph.D., R.D., clinical lecturer in internal medicine at the U-M Medical School and a research investigator at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System.
Cancer stem cells are the small number of cells within a tumor that fuel the tumor's growth. Current chemotherapies do not work against these cells, which is why cancer recurs and spreads. Researchers believe that eliminating the cancer stem cells is key to controlling cancer. In addition, decreasing the number of normal stem cells – unspecialized cells that can give rise to any type of cell in that organ – can decrease the risk of cancer.
In this study, a solution of curcumin and piperine was applied to the cell cultures at the equivalent of about 20 times the potency of what could be consumed through diet. The compounds are available at this potency in a capsule form that could be taken by mouth. (Note: This work has not been tested in patients, and patients are not encouraged to add curcumin or piperine supplements to their diet at this time.)
The researchers applied a series of tests to the cells, looking at markers for breast stem cells and the effects of curcumin and piperine, both alone and combined, on the stem cell levels. They found that piperine enhanced the effects of curcumin, and that the compounds interrupted the self-renewal process that is the hallmark of cancer-initiating stem cells. At the same time, the compounds had no affect on cell differentiation, which is the normal process of cell development.
"This shows that these compounds are not toxic to normal breast tissue," Kakarala says. "Women at high risk of breast cancer right now can choose to take the drugs tamoxifen or raloxifene for prevention, but most women won't take these drugs because there is too much toxicity. The concept that dietary compounds can help is attractive, and curcumin and piperine appear to have very low toxicity."
Curcumin and piperine have been explored by other researchers as a potential cancer treatment. But this paper, published online in the journal Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, is the first to suggest these dietary compounds could prevent cancer by targeting stem cells.
In addition, tamoxifen or raloxifene are designed to affect estrogen, which is a factor in most, but not all breast cancers. In fact, the aggressive tumors that tend to occur more often in women with a family history or genetic susceptibility are typically not affected by estrogen. Because curcumin and piperine limit the self renewal of stem cells, they would impact cancers that are not estrogen sensitive as well as those that are.
Researchers are planning an initial Phase I clinical trial to determine what dose of curcumin or piperine can be tolerated in people. The trial is not expected to begin accruing participants until spring.
Breast cancer statistics: 194,280 Americans will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year and 40,610 will die from the disease, according to the American Cancer Society
Additional authors: Dean Brenner, Hasan Korkaya, Connie Cheng, Karim Tazi, Christophe Ginestier, Suling Liu, Gabriel Dontu and Max Wicha, all from U-M
Funding: National Institutes of Health; curcumin and piperine were donated by Sabinsa Co.
Reference: Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, DOI: 10.1007/s10549-009-0612-x
Resources: U-M Cancer AnswerLine, 800-865-1125 U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center, www.mcancer.org Cancer's Stem Cell Revolution, www.mcancer.org/stemcells
Author Ralph TurchianoPosted on November 5, 2012 November 5, 2012 Categories Disease and Conditions, Missed - Medical BreakthroughsTags Breast, Breast cancer, Cancer, Clinical trial, Curcumin, Disease and Conditions, Health, Nicole Fawcett, piperine, Stem cell, Support Groups, University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center2 Comments on Spices halt growth of breast stem cells, U-M study finds ( Curcumin, piperine )
Asian Spice Could Reduce Breast Cancer Risk in Postmenopausal Women Exposed to Hormone Replacement Therapy, MU Study Finds
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Previous studies have found that postmenopausal women who have taken a combined estrogen and progestin hormone replacement therapy have increased their risk of developing progestin-accelerated breast tumors. Now, University of Missouri researchers have found that curcumin, a popular Indian spice derived from the turmeric root, could reduce the cancer risk for women after exposure to hormone replacement therapy.
"Approximately 6 million women in the United States use hormone replacement therapy to treat the symptoms of menopause," said Salman Hyder, the Zalk Endowed Professorship in Tumor Angiogenesis and professor of biomedical sciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine and the Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center. "This exposure to progestin will predispose a large number of post-menopausal women to future development of breast cancer. The results of our study show that women could potentially take curcumin to protect themselves from developing progestin-accelerated tumors."
In the study, researchers found that curcumin delayed the first appearance, decreased incidence and reduced multiplicity of progestin-accelerated tumors in an animal model. Curcumin also prevented the appearance of gross morphological abnormalities in the mammary glands. In previous studies, MU researchers showed that progestin accelerated the development of certain tumors by increasing production of a molecule called VEGF that helps supply blood to the tumor. By blocking the production of VEGF, researchers could potentially reduce the proliferation of breast cancer cells. Curcumin inhibits progestin-induced VEGF secretion from breast cancer cells, Hyder said.
"Curcumin and other potential anti-angiogenic compounds should be tested further as dietary chemopreventive agents in women already exposed to hormone replacement therapy containing estrogen and progestin in an effort to decrease or delay the risk of breast cancer associated with combined hormone replacement therapy," Hyder said.
The study, "Curcumin delays development of MPA-accelerated DMBA-induced mammary tumors," has been accepted for publication in Menopause, a journal of the North American Menopause Society. It was coauthored by Hyder; Candace Carroll, graduate student of biomedical sciences; Cynthia Besch-Williford, associate professor of veterinary pathobiology in the MU College of Veterinary Medicine; and Mark Ellersieck, professor and researcher in the MU Experiment Station Statistics
Author Ralph TurchianoPosted on October 24, 2012 Categories All Posts, Disease and Conditions, Missed - Medical BreakthroughsTags Breast cancer, Cancer, Curcumin, Health, Hormone Replacement Therapy, Menopause, Tumor, United States1 Comment on Asian Spice Could Reduce Breast Cancer Risk in Postmenopausal Women Exposed to Hormone Replacement Therapy, MU Study Finds
Turmeric extract suppresses fat tissue growth in rodent models
Contact: Andrea Grossman
Tufts University, Health Sciences
BOSTON (May 18, 2009) Curcumin, the major polyphenol found in turmeric, appears to reduce weight gain in mice and suppress the growth of fat tissue in mice and cell models. Researchers at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University (USDA HNRCA) studied mice fed high fat diets supplemented with curcumin and cell cultures incubated with curcumin.
"Weight gain is the result of the growth and expansion of fat tissue, which cannot happen unless new blood vessels form, a process known as angiogenesis." said senior author Mohsen Meydani, DVM, PhD, director of the Vascular Biology Laboratory at the USDA HNRCA. "Based on our data, curcumin appears to suppress angiogenic activity in the fat tissue of mice fed high fat diets."
Meydani continued, "It is important to note, we don't know whether these results can be replicated in humans because, to our knowledge, no studies have been done."
Turmeric is known for providing flavor to curry. One of its components is curcumin, a type of phytochemical known as a polyphenol. Research findings suggest that phytochemicals, which are the chemicals found in plants, appear to help prevent disease. As the bioactive component of turmeric, curcumin is readily absorbed for use by the body.
Meydani and colleagues studied mice fed high fat diets for 12 weeks. The high fat diet of one group was supplemented with 500 mg of curcumin/ kg diet; the other group consumed no curcumin. Both groups ate the same amount of food, indicating curcumin did not affect appetite, but mice fed the curcumin supplemented diet did not gain as much weight as mice that were not fed curcumin.
"Curcumin appeared to be responsible for total lower body fat in the group that received supplementation," said Meydani, who is also a professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts. "In those mice, we observed a suppression of microvessel density in fat tissue, a sign of less blood vessel growth and thus less expansion of fat. We also found lower blood cholesterol levels and fat in the liver of those mice. In general, angiogenesis and an accumulation of lipids in fat cells contribute to fat tissue growth."
Writing in the May 2009 issue of the Journal of Nutrition, the authors note similar results in cell cultures. Additionally, curcumin appeared to interfere with expression of two genes, which contributed to angiogenesis progression in both cell and rodent models.
"Again, based on this data, we have no way of telling whether curcumin could prevent fat tissue growth in humans." Meydani said. "The mechanism or mechanisms by which curcumin appears to affect fat tissue must be investigated in a randomized, clinical trial involving humans."
This study was funded by a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture. Asma Ejaz, a graduate student who worked on this project received a scholarship grant from the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan.
Ejaz A, Wu, D, Kwan P, and Meydani M. Journal of Nutrition. May 2009; 139 (5): 1042-1048. "Curcumin Inhibits Adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 Adipocytes and Angiogenesis and Obesity in C57/BL Mice. 919-925."
About Tufts University School of Nutrition
The Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University is the only independent school of nutrition in the United States. The school's eight centers, which focus on questions relating to famine, hunger, poverty, and communications, are renowned for the application of scientific research to national and international policy. For two decades, the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University has studied the relationship between good nutrition and good health in aging populations. Tufts research scientists work with federal agencies to establish the USDA Dietary Guidelines, the Dietary Reference Intakes, and other significant public policies.
If you are a member of the media interested in learning more about this topic, or speaking with a faculty member at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, or another Tufts health sciences researcher, please contact Andrea Grossman at 617-636-3728 or Christine Fennelly at 617-636-3707.
Author Ralph TurchianoPosted on October 18, 2012 Categories Disease and Conditions, Missed - Medical BreakthroughsTags Cancer, Curcumin, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Obesity, Tufts University, Turmeric, United States, United States Department of Agriculture
Curcumin curbs metastases
Munich, 10/12/2012
Powdered turmeric has been used for centuries to treat osteoarthritis and other illnesses. Its active ingredient, curcumin, inhibits inflammatory reactions. A new study now shows that it can also inhibit formation of metastases. Prostate cancer is one of the most prevalent malignancies in the Western world, and is often diagnosed only after metastatic tumors have formed in other organs. In three percent of cases, these metastases are lethal. A research team led by PD Dr. Beatrice Bachmeier at LMU Munich has been studying the mode of action of a natural product that inhibits the formation of metastases. The compound is found in turmeric, a plant that has been used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years, and is a major ingredient of curry.
Bachmeier's research centers on curcumin, the polyphenol responsible for the characteristic color of curry. Curcumin is well tolerated and is therefore, in principle, suitable both for prophylactic use (primary prevention) and also for the suppression of metastases in cases where an established tumor is already present (secondary prevention). In a previous study Bachmeier and her colleagues had demonstrated that the substance reduces statistically significantly the formation of lung metastases in an animal model of advanced breast cancer.
Mitigating metastasis
The new study was designed to investigate the efficacy of curcumin in the prevention of prostate cancer metastases, and to determine the agent's mechanism of action. The researchers first examined the molecular processes that are abnormally regulated in prostate carcinoma cells. Breast and prostate cancers are often associated with latent or chronic inflammatory reactions, and in both cases, the tumor cells were found to produce pro-inflammatory immunomodulators including the cytokines CXCL1 und CXCL2.
The researchers went on to show that curcumin specifically decreases the expression of these two proteins, and in a mouse model, this effect correlated with a decline in the incidence of metastases. "Due to the action of curcumin, the tumor cells synthesize smaller amounts of cytokines that promote metastasis," says Bachmeier. "As a consequence, the frequency of metastasis formation in the lungs is significantly reduced, in animals with breast cancer, as we showed previously, or carcinoma of the prostate, as demonstrated in our new study."
Curcumin and chemoprevention
Bachmeier therefore believes that curcumin may be useful in the prevention of breast and prostate cancers – which are both linked to inflammation – and in reducing their metastatic potential. "This does not mean that the compound should be seen as a replacement for conventional therapies. However, it could play a positive role in primary prevention – before a full-blown tumor arises – or help to avert formation of metastases. In this context the fact that the substance is well tolerated is very important, because one can safely recommend it to individuals who have an increased tumor risk."
A daily intake of up to 8g of curcumin is regarded as safe, and its anti-inflammatory properties have long been exploited in traditional oriental medicine. Men with benign hyperplasia of the prostate (BHP) are one possible target group for prophylaxis, as are women who have a family history of breast cancer. The agent might also be valuable as a supplement to certain cancer therapies. At all events, curcumin's beneficial effects must first be confirmed in controlled clinical tests. Bachmeier is now planning such a trial in patients who suffer from therapy-resistant carcinoma of the prostate.
(Carcinogenesis online, 5 October 2012) bedo / suwe
Author Ralph TurchianoPosted on October 12, 2012 Categories Disease and Conditions, Missed - Medical BreakthroughsTags Bachmeier, Breast cancer, Cancer, Curcumin, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Metastasis, Prostate cancer, Tumor
Turmeric Spices Up Virus Study – it shows promise in fighting devastating viruses
Posted: August 15, 2012 at 10:47 am, Last Updated: August 15, 2012 at 1:33 pm
By Michele McDonald
Aarthi Narayanan. Photo by Evan Cantwell
The popular spice turmeric packs more than just flavor — , Mason researchers recently discovered.
Curcumin, found in turmeric, stopped the potentially deadly Rift Valley Fever virus from multiplying in infected cells, says Aarthi Narayanan, lead investigator on a new study and a research assistant professor in Mason's National Center for Biodefense and Infectious Diseases.
Mosquito-borne Rift Valley Fever virus (RVF) is an acute, fever-causing virus that affects domestic animals such as cattle, sheep and goats, as well as humans. Results of the study were publishedthis month in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
"Growing up in India, I was given turmeric all the time," says Narayanan, who has spent the past 18 months working on the project. "Every time my son has a throat infection, I give (turmeric) to him."
There's more work to do before curcumin-based pharmaceuticals become commonplace, Narayanan emphasizes. She plans to test 10 different versions of curcumin to determine which one works the best. She also intends to apply the research to other viruses, including HIV.
Narayanan has long wanted to explore the infection-fighting properties of turmeric, in particular its key component, curcumin. "It is often not taken seriously because it's a spice," she says.
But science is transforming the spice from folk medicine to one that could help a patient's body fight off a virus because it can prevent the virus from taking over healthy cells. These "broad-spectrum inhibitors" work by defeating a wide array of viruses.
Turmeric is often used as a spice in curry dishes. Photo by Sanjay Acharya from Wikipedia Commons
"Curcumin is, by its very nature, broad spectrum," Narayanan says. "However, in the published article, we provide evidence that curcumin may interfere with how the virus manipulates the human cell to stop the cell from responding to the infection."
Kylene Kehn-Hall, a co-investigator on the study, adds, "We are very excited about this work, as curcumin not only dramatically inhibits RVFV replication in cell culture but also demonstrates efficacy against RVFV in a mouse model."
Narayanan and her colleagues study the connection between a virus and how it impacts the host — human or animal. Symptoms clue in the researcher about the body's inner workings. Rift Valley Fever and Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis kick off with flu-like symptoms.
Symptoms can make it challenging for someone to recover. The body usually starts with an exaggerated inflammatory response because it doesn't know where to start to rid itself of the virus, she says.
"Many times, the body goes above and beyond what is necessary," Narayanan says. "And that's not good because it's going to influence a bunch of cells around the infection, which haven't seen the bug. That's one way by which disease spreads through your body. And so it is very important to control the host because a lot of times the way the host responds contributes to the disease."
Controlling the symptoms means more than simply making the patients feels better. "You're giving the antiviral a chance to work. Now an antiviral can go in and stop the bug. You're no longer trying to keep the host alive and battling the bug at the same time."
Narayanan works with a graduate student in Mason's National Center for Biodefense and Infectious Diseases. Photo by Evan Cantwell
Once Narayanan knows how the body responds to a virus, it's time to go after the bug itself.
She's applying this know-how to a family of viruses called Bunyaviruses, which feature Rift Valley fever, and such alphaviruses as Venezuelan equine encephalitis and retroviruses, which notably include HIV.
She delves into uncovering why and how each virus affects the patient. "Why are some cell types more susceptible to one type of infection than another?"
HIV goes after the immune system. Bunyaviruses will infect a wide range of cells but do maximum damage to the liver. "What is it about the liver that makes it a sitting duck compared to something like the brain?" Narayanan asks.
Ultimately, curcumin could be part of drug therapies that help defeat these viruses, Narayanan says.
"I know this works. I know it works because I have seen it happen in real life," Narayanan says. "I eat it every day. I make it a point of adding it to vegetables I cook. Every single day."
Other Mason researchers involved in the study are Charles Bailey, Ravi Das, Irene Guendel, Lindsay Hall, Fatah Kashanchi, Svetlana Senina and Rachel Van Duyne. Several researchers from other institutions also collaborated.
Write to Michele McDonald at mmcdon15@gmu.edu
http://newsdesk.gmu.edu/2012/08/turmeric-spices-up-virus-study/
Author Ralph TurchianoPosted on August 16, 2012 Categories All Posts, Disease and Conditions, Missed - Medical BreakthroughsTags Biodefense, Curcumin, HIV, Infectious disease, Journal of Biological Chemistry, Rift Valley, Rift Valley Fever, Turmeric
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July is upon us -- half the year zipped by like an Indy 500 racer. With this new month comes enjoyable activities, like swimming, hiking, camping, picnics, travels, and playtime in the park. July also brings safety concerns, such as pests (think ticks and mosquitoes), rattlesnakes, heat exhaustion, and thunderstorms. And, this week, add fireworks to the list.
People and pets can be harmed by fireworks as well as from overheating and severe storms. Pets also become frightened, and many lost, due to the noise from fireworks. Extreme temperatures have plagued the United States already, and forecasts in various regions call for more intense heat -- and July has just began. The infographics below remind us pet parents to keep our beloved furry friends safe this season.
Read some great summer safety tips on Petfinder.com: https://www.petfinder.com/pet-care/summersafetytips/.
Also, here are links to two blog posts I wrote last year regarding pets and heat and pets and fireworks.
Have an enjoyable and safe 4th of July! And, remember: don't leave children or pets in cars this summer!
The heat of summer is upon a lot of us, with scorching temperatures of 95+ – and it's barely July! Such temperatures are hard on people as well as pets. Like humans, pets need to keep cool, so running fans and air conditions in the home not only benefit us, but also benefit our pets. Like people, pets can experience heat exhaustion and heat stroke, so be aware of your pets' health as you combat the heat.
With the extreme warm temperatures, sidewalks and roads become incredibly hot, therefore, walk your dog early in the morning or later in the evening, and preferably on grass instead of pavement.
Don't leave your pet outside for long periods of time, especially during the afternoon hours.
Provide plenty of fresh water, whether your animal is indoors or outdoors. Just like people, pets can become dehydrated due to summer's hot temperatures.
Provide cool, circulating air in your house for your pets, especially while you're gone to work or other activities.
Don't play with your pet during the heat of the day, even if s/he seems to want to play. Playtime, like walk time, should be done when the temperature is cooler, such as morning hours.
Also remember to not take your pet in the car and leave them there during the summer. Humans cool themselves by relying on an extensive system of sweat glands and evaporation; dogs and other animals have a more difficult time staying cool, therefore, they are very vulnerable to heat exhaustion and heat stroke, which happens frequently when pets are left in vehicles.
Parked cars quickly trap the sun's heat. According to various studies done, a vehicle's indoor temperature can rise 20 degrees F in just 10 minutes. In 20 minutes, it can rise almost 30 degrees, and in 60 minutes, it can rise nearly 40 degrees. Even on a 70-degree day, if you leave for an hour, your car can be 110 degrees inside. Even having windows down somewhat makes little difference. Rarely does a summer go by without the tragic death of pets left in parked vehicles. Visit MyDogIsCool to learn more and print flyers to help others.
There are still many weeks left in the Summer of 2017, which means a lot more days of blistering temperatures. Let's do all we can to make the season as comfortable and safe for our beloved pets as we can!