text:
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May 15, 2022 — John E.L. Tenney and Tim Swartz
Gene and guest cohost Tim Swartz present UFO researcher/author John E.L. Tenney, an investigator of UFO and Paranormal/Occult phenomena who will, as part of this interview, reveal some amazing personal experiences. John has been actively involved in the field of conspiratorial, occult and paranormal research for almost three decades. It is estimated that, over the past 28 years, more than 85,000 people have attended one of John's signature "Weird Lectures." John's columns and articles have been printed in magazines and newspapers world-wide, and he has lectured to numerous public and private schools, and organizations. The author of over a dozen books, Mr. Tenney has also been interviewed extensively on radio and television. Aside from his time investigating unusual phenomena John is also an accomplished painter, musician and humorist.
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The halls of the 15th century Palazzo Ghisilardi feature abundant evidence of Medieval life in Bologna, including the great statue of Boniface VIII by Manno Bandini da Siena (1301); the large 14th century English cope with stories from the life of Christ and the Virgin Mary, one of the best examples of opus anglicanum; and engraved tombstones of learned scholars and professors.
There is a broad selection of French and Italian ivory objects, precious Murano glassworks, valuable arms, and extensive, otherwise rare material documenting life at the Bentivoglio court. Large sections of the museum are dedicated to Renaissance bronze and baroque sculpture from Bologna, such as a model for Giambologna's Neptune, and rare examples of illuminations from the 13th to 16th centuries made in Bologna.


text:
Part of HuffPost Politics. ©2020 Verizon Media. All rights reserved.
Kimberlydawn Wisdom, MD, MS, Contributor
Senior VP, Community Health & Equity and Chief Wellness and Diversity Officer, Henry Ford Health System. Board of Public Health Institute.
Flint: The Canary in America's Coal Mine, a Call for State Surgeons General, Part 2
03/01/2016 05:40 pm ET Updated Mar 02, 2017
The Flint Water Plant tower is seen, Friday, Feb. 26, 2016 in Flint, Mich. Flint is under a public health emergency after its drinking water became tainted when the city switched from the Detroit system and began drawing from the Flint River in April 2014 to save money. The city was under state management at the time. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
When it comes to public policy, health and wellness must be part of the discussion and strongly considered in the action plan, and, not just sometimes. Always. I know, it's a shocking statement coming from a doctor, right? Well, if we aren't vigilant and intentional about improving the health our community, our messages are like singing to the choir.
In my previous blog post, I called the Flint water crisis The Canary in America's Coal Mine. It's a disaster far bigger than itself, because of what it points to: a public health crisis echoed in cities across the nation. Right now, the headlines are all about lead: lead poisoning and its long-term effects, who's to blame, and, how we'll pay to replace miles of water pipes. Those stories must be told. Those answers must be obtained. But the truth is, lead is just one of a long list of ills afflicting underserved communities like Flint. Any long term solution has to address more than pipelines and punishments.
As I mentioned in my previous blog, the people in these communities are predominantly African American, more likely to be living in poverty, and, far more susceptible to other health conditions like diabetes and asthma. When the water crisis lifts, those other health problems will still remain. That's why I'm advocating for the appointments of state surgeons general. We need a strong, consistent, knowledgeable voice - a physician's voice - at the state government level. Someone with direct ties to the community and a direct line to the governor, working for real, measurable change.
I served as Michigan's first - and last - state surgeon general from 2003-2010. I came at a time when the state had suffered consecutive years of budget cuts to public health initiatives. Michigan desperately needed a voice for healthcare. And so, effectively, I became the "people's doctor," charged with tackling the overarching health concerns in my community - yes, lead poisoning, but also issues like obesity, smoking, teen and unplanned pregnancy, diabetes and HIV/AIDS.
To date, three other states have adopted the idea: Arkansas, Florida, and Pennsylvania. At a meeting convened last fall by the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP), my colleagues and I created an innovative leadership model based on our collective experiences. The timing couldn't be more perfect. The arrival of the Affordable Care Act has opened the door to this very conversation, providing more opportunities than ever before, for physician leadership to help shape policies that will have a direct impact on the health of the community.
Have you noticed how many politicians have been to Flint lately? It's obviously a big election year, with a lot at stake. But the people of Flint, and others in similar communities across the country, need to be heard, regardless of whether or not we're electing a new president in 2016. It would be a collective shame, if, after the dust settles in November, Flint returns to being just another dot on a map and forgotten (like Katrina). I invite you to learn more about our model and join the conversation to shape and incorporate this leadership model and mitigate history repeating itself. After all, everyone's health is at stake.
Do you have information you want to share with HuffPost? Here's how.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


from Gamma Telecommunications and their excellent support.
from Zen Internet, also with excellent support.
to connect the "last mile" when fibre doesn't quite make it to your door.
From £350.00 installation and £24.00 per month for 20Mbps, unlimited data, 24 month contract. Government grants available.
Optimise your Local Area Network (LAN) to ensure the whole site is covered by a combination of wireless and wired connections.
Configure the required connections between devices, computer to computer, computer to printer etc.
Short wave radio to extend the LAN to cover multiple buildings on a site.
Short wave radio from Ubiquiti.


text:
«Мо́то Клуб» () — бразильский футбольный клуб из города Сан-Луиса штата Мараньян.

История
Своё название клуб получил вследствие того, что первоначально был основан в качестве мотоциклетной секции (Cicle Moto de São Luís), и лишь в 1939 году в клубе стал культивироваться футбол. Изначально основными цветами клуба были белый и зелёный, но затем футболисты стали использовать чёрный и красный.

С 1940 года выступает в чемпионате штата Мараньян. «Мото Клуб» — 26-кратный чемпион штата Мараньян, и по количеству титулов является вторым клубом штата.

27 августа 2010 года клуб объявил о приостановке деятельности своей футбольной команды на неопределённый срок. С 2011 года начал постепенное возрождение, вначале команда стала чемпионом Серии B первенства штата, но закрепиться в элите не удалось, и в 2013 году «красно-чёрные» вновь выиграли второй дивизион чемпионата штата. В 2016 году, впервые за восемь лет, завоевала свой 24-й чемпионский титул в штате. Также команда вернулась в общебразильские соревнования, и выступила в Серии D. В 2016 году «Мото Клуб» дошёл до полуфинала Серии D, по итогам сезона добившись возвращения в Серию C 2017. В 2018 году «Мото Клуб» завоевал свой 26-й титул чемпиона штата.

В настоящий момент клуб выступает в Серии D Бразилии. Клуб основан 13 сентября 1937 года, домашние матчи проводит на стадионе «Кастелан».

Титулы и достижения
  Чемпион Лиги Мараньенсе (26): 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1955, 1959, 1960, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1974, 1977, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1989, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2016, 2018
  Победитель Второго дивизиона Лиги Мараньенсе (2): 2010, 2013
  Чемпион регионов Севера и Северо-востока Бразилии (1): 1947
Гандбол
  Чемпион Бразилии по гандболу (1): 1998

Известные игроки
  Валбер
  Вамберто
  Клебер Перейра
  Клемер

Примечания

Ссылки
 Официальный сайт «Мото Клуба»
 История клуба

Футбольные клубы Мараньяна
Сан-Луис (Мараньян)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Now you can say hello to your friends and family in Canada, China and Mexico! We are excited to announce that Twigby is now offering international calls to Canada, China and Mexico. The best part is that you can make these calls at no additional costs – it's included in your minute plan!
The minutes that you select for your talk plan are available to make any calls to the United States, Canada, China and Mexico. Just be sure you're in the United States when making and receiving the calls. After you finish your phone call, we will simply deduct the number of minutes used to call Canada, China and Mexico from your remaining minutes – just as we do for calls you make to U.S. numbers.
Are you too busy to make your phone call to Canada, China or Mexico? Don't forget that with Twigby's Unlimited Global Texting, you can still keep in touch with your friends and family in Canada, China, Mexico and over 180 other countries via text! Just be sure you're in the United States when sending and receiving the text messages.
With Twigby, you can call Canada, China or Mexico landline and mobile numbers. The minutes used simply deduct from your plan. As a reminder, international calling to Canada, China and Mexico requires that you place these calls from within Twigby's U.S. coverage area.
To dial from the U.S. to China, you'll need their country code.
To dial from the U.S. to Mexico, you'll need their country code.
At Twigby, customer satisfaction is our first and second priority. Our customers spoke up about wanting to be able to make calls to their loved ones outside the United States and we listened. We hope this enhancement brings you closer to your friends and family in Canada, China and Mexico – which were the top countries requested.


I recently did some work on a CG shot for a Shark Vacuum Cleaner TV commercial.
I finally found some time to put together a new reel featuring some of the work I've created over the past couple of years. It's been a long time coming as my last reel was 10 years ago!
All created with Lightwave and Octane render.
I was recently interviewed by the Lightwave 3d group about my 3d work for Fuzzy Frog and Thrive Apps and was asked all about how I put a desert island scene together in Lightwave.
My latest project was to produce rendered product animations of the Homedic Duo, a home laser removal device. Created in Lightwave, rendered with Octane Render.
Earlier this week I showed this demo at West Notts College for some of their LightWave students. Here's the full tutorial on how to put together a roller coaster with spline control and how to optimise it ready for a game engine.
Recent study of a crushed coke can. Created in LightWave 3D, texturing done in Substance Painter and rendered with Octane.
Thrilled to see my work published in issue 100 of 3D Artist magazine today in the 'Technique Focus' feature. Great to see it in print.


We've only explored about 5% of the ocean. There's a lot to be learned but getting down to the bottom of it, literally, is a difficult task. New high tech submersibles could open up the ocean for exploration that can teach us about the mysteries of the deep for marine and climate science...but also for mining and drilling. Popular Science reports that engineers are looking at the deep diving subs we already have and figuring out how to make them even better, with stronger batteries and better lights.
The new vehicles will be great for climate science. But also will open up the ocean floors - indeed about 98% oceans in their entirety - to those interested in mining for minerals or drilling for energy sources. Will getting to the deepest reaches of the ocean be worth it if the sea floor becomes a place to extract rather than explore?
It would certainly be an expensive task, no matter what. The article points out one engineer's sub runs for several million dollars, and would work for both government sponsored scientific exploration as well as private exploration.
The article is very in depth and goes into the details about the updated subs. It's a great read - click through to check it out.


text:
Q: Why do these two equations represent the same line if and only if $a-a'$ and $b'$ are real multiples of $b$? The Chap. 1, Sec. 2.3 in Complex Analysis by Lars V. Ahlfors writes

A straight line in the complex plane can be given by a parametric equation $z= a + b t$, where $a$ and $b$ are complex numbers and $b \neq 0$; the parameter $t$ runs through all real values. Two equations $z = a + b t$ and $z = a' + b' t$ represent the same line if and only if $a' - a$ and $b'$ are real multiples of $b$.

I find it difficult to understand it. How to conclude that these two equations represent the same line if and only if $a-a'$ and $b'$ are real multiples of $b$? My idea is that there exists a "bijection" between $z = a + b t$ and $z = a' + b' t$; that is, we can find a $t_0\in\mathbb{R}$, which satisfies that $$a+b(t-t_0)=a'+b't.$$ And then? Or are there any other ways to explain this statement?

A: Thinking of complex numbers as plane vectors the real line
$$
a+bt\qquad a, b\in\mathbb{C}, t\in\mathbb{R}
$$
is the line through $a$ and parallel to $b$.
Thus if the lines
$$
a+bt,\qquad a^\prime+b^\prime t
$$
coincide the two "direction" vectors $b$ and $b^\prime$ must be parallel, i.e. one a real multiple of the other.
So, after reparametrization, the second line can be written
$$
a^\prime+bu,\qquad u\in\mathbb{R}.
$$
Again. the two line coincide, thus we must have a coincidence
of sets of numbers
$$
a+bt=a^\prime+bu
$$
as $t$ and $u$ vary in $\mathbb{R}$. But this means that for some $t$ and $u$ (and we can be assume $t\neq u$ or else the result becomes trivial) we have an equality of numbers
$$
a-a^\prime = b(u-t)
$$
which is exactly what we want.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


One of the pitfalls inherent in being a cinephile is despairing the hours of formulaic dross one necessarily wades through. Every now and then, however, a gem shines brightly in the swamp - a film that reminds you what cinema is capable of. Such rare treasures are often uncomplicated, foregoing overindulgent narrative or visual elaborations, yet profound in the subtle and dexterous ways they nuance a story, capture an event, or stroke an emotion. A documentary about Formula One is perhaps not the most obvious place to find 106 minutes of engrossing filmmaking. Yet Asif Kapadia's Senna reaffirmed for me the affective and essential power that the cinema, at its best, can attain.
Admittedly, I was already sold on the premise. Sunday afternoons in my teenage years were spent listening to the raw, hyper-enthused screech of Murray Walker commentating on names such as Lauda, Prost, Mansell and, of course, Ayrton Senna. Senna is regarded as the most talented, uncompromising, courageous and, for want of a better word, driven driver of his generation. As this documentary explores, his exalted status is due not only to a perfunctory measure of wins, but to the passion and audacity of his driving, the transcendence of his charisma and, ultimately, to a fascination with those who negotiate the border between genius and insanity.
The narrative arc of the film takes a fairly standard historical approach, documenting Senna's early career in karting, through his arrival into Formula One, and onto the world championship title itself. But it is the quality of the archive footage that gives the film its depth. Home movies nostalgically depict the "pure racing" of Senna's youth along with the comfortable lifestyle and parental support that facilitated his career. Racing footage defines his victories and defeats primarily through an intense rivalry with arch nemesis Alain Prost. Some of the most interesting moments, however, emerge from the unseen driver briefings and FIA summits, which grant an insight into the murky political intrigue lurking behind Formula One's glamorous façade. Senna, seemingly, was no politician.
Much of the footage is truly mesmerising. The grainy images from shaky on-board cameras showing Senna pushing his car to - and often beyond - its limits create an intense, immersive experience when projected on the big screen. Truly shocking however, is the disgustingly visceral and mercilessly immediate 'impact' of watching the various high-speed accidents and their aftermaths. There were audible gasps in my cinema when Rubens Barrichello lost control of his car and hit the circuit barrier at 190mph.
The triumph of the film lies in its editing. This documentary is structured entirely as a montage of archival images overlaid by voice-over narration from family, friends, team bosses, doctors, and the man himself. There is no cutting away to talking heads, and this serves to intensify the film's pace, the relentlessness of which is ameliorated by Antonio Pinto's urgent yet sombre soundtrack. Director Asif Kapadia has fashioned the visual raw material into something both dramatic and truly cinematic. At one point the film cuts between footage of Roland Ratzenberger's crash and Senna watching on television from the pits. His deeply personal and emotional reaction here demonstrates the potency of the documentary form, but also exemplifies its ethical ambiguities. Does documentary construct drama (like any fictional film) rather than reflect the truth of a moment? And should we be watching?
At the centre of the film is, of course, Senna himself, a contradictory and almost mythical figure. His descriptions of driving as a quasi-religious experience and his ascendance to both sporting icon and national hero are fascinating. Yet it is his emotional transparency, whether rapturous in victory or abject in failure, that radiates from the screen. As with all biopics, ambiguous questions are raised concerning how the image of the protagonist is being represented here. But the film works, finally, because it is simply a virtuoso piece of filmmaking. Whether or not you have ever heard the name Senna, if you love cinema this film is a must.
This review was published on June 07, 2011.


the following address by 31/05/2012. The candidates should arrange three letters of reference to be sent directly to the undersigned from three scientists familiar with candidate's work.
Please visit http://www.tropmet.res.in/jobs_pdf/1334232831Advt_Sci_Engrs.pdf for details.


Just completed the airbag recall on my '06 9-3 SC this week. Did the recall on my '10 9-3 SS in mid-December.
Had no luck getting the recalls scheduled in LA but a local Buick/Caddy/GM north of LA here took care of them. Took a few weeks for parts to come in for each.
Added bonus: will get a $25 gift card from GM for completing one recall by 12/31 — guess they wanted to get the liability off the books in 2016 — and each repair resulted in a new steering wheel cover with a shiny, unscratched Saab logo in the center.
The dealer noted, however, that they will not do the recall on any Saab with the airbag light on in the dash. You have to go to a Saab dealer for that and even in LA that would be problematic.
->Posting last edited on Fri, 26 Jan 2018 14:44:31.


It's been a while since my last post on my blog. I always liked writing blogs an I still do and I decided to put it back on my priorities.
What happened in the last 2 years and what can you expect happening here?
My last post was from the PASS Business Analytics Conference in California, 2 years ago. I really enjoyed the trip and I got so many fantastic impressions from my visit at the Silicon Valley, San Francisco and Stanford University. Stanford and San Francisco are some of the best places I have ever been, I can really recommend them. The spirit and the energy that you can take from there is unbelievable.
So my adventure started right away after that conference. Together with 3 friends (Artus, Markus and Gernot) we decided to start a company in the area of Machine Learning and Data Science and we used the summer of 2015 to find another partner for that adventure. Artus was our Chief Data Scientist and already had some experience with his company Lytiq. Markus, Gernot and me already worked together as a team since 2011, so we knew each other very well. We also had some experiences in the area of Data Science and Machine Learning with some really nice customers like Runtastic and TUIfly. And also inspired by the great team of Runtastic and their founders we decided to start our own company.
We made our homework, started with a plan for our business model and set some high level goals for the first 2 years. A good starting point for business model development are Blue Ocean Strategy and Business Model Canvas. I can really recommend these books.
After we had our business plan and a good team setup ready we needed to get some funding, which is not that easy for a consulting company. So we created our pitch deck and sent it around to different VCs, Accelerators and other founders and tried to get some funding for our start. We got a lot of "no thank you, we are not interested in consulting", but still this was really an interesting and funny experience with no big expectations in the first step. We were a bit naïve in that game, but we still had very good meetings and opportunities. To keep the long story short and the end we choose pmOne (the company Gernot, Markus and I worked before) as our partner for our Start-up.
At the 15th of September 2015 together with pmOne and Lytiq we founded pmOne Analytics in Paderborn (a small town in the middle of Germany) and started this company with 5 people (Artus, Markus, Gernot and me) and Euclides our first Data Scientist and employee.
Why Paderborn? Because Artus is also a professor at the University of Paderborn teaching Data Science, Machine Learning and Business Intelligence. This gave us a great opportunity the get more young talents in that area. So in the last two years I spent my time with the team to build a Data Science company in Germany and Austria and it was the best team I have ever worked with.
We already have a second office in Vienna and a team of around 20 people mixed with Data Scientist and Data Engineers and a lot of great projects and customers. We also created a product called Wundermailing, that was mainly invented and driven by me with nice customers like TUIfly, T3N or SHT.
How do we lead a company with people much smart than us, most of them with a PhD?
Which technology should we pick? Amazon, Google, Microsoft or Open Source?
As already mentioned this was by far the best time in my career and there are so many things I learned, that I want to give back and share with others.


text:
Diastolic dysfunction and COPD exacerbation
Ghassan H. Abusaid, Alejandro Barbagelata, Enrique Tuero, Asif Mahmood, Gulshan Sharma
Introduction: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation is a frequent cause of hospital admissions. In one-third of patients, exacerbations have no known cause. We studied whether the presence of diastolic dysfunction (DD) in this subgroup of patients is associated with longer duration of hospitalization and more frequent exacerbations. Methods: Retrospective chart review of 139 patients with COPD, 84 with DD, and 55 with normal diastolic function hospitalized for acute COPD exacerbation between November 2004 and December 2007 was done. Diastolic dysfunction was defined by the presence of relaxation. filling, or distensibilily abnormalities of the left ventricle on transthoracic echocardiogram. Results: Patients wilh DD had increased length of stay compared with patients without DD (mean: 4.02 ± 1.8 days vs 3.24 ± 1.20 days; P = 0.005). Patients with DD had 1.28 exacerbations requiring hospitalization per patient-year compared with 0.67 in the normal diastolic function group (P = 0.0067). Conclusions: Patients with COPD and DD had prolonged and more frequent hospitalizations for COPD exacerbations. These findings suggest that DD, a surrogate for increased left ventricular filling pressure, is common in patients with COPD exacerbations and may be associated with increased frequency of hospitalization.
Postgraduate medicine
https://doi.org/10.3810/pgm.2009.07.2033
Diastolic dysfunction
Diastolic heart failure
10.3810/pgm.2009.07.2033
Dive into the research topics of 'Diastolic dysfunction and COPD exacerbation'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Medicine & Life Sciences 100%
Disease Progression Medicine & Life Sciences 89%
Hospitalization Medicine & Life Sciences 36%
Ventricular Pressure Medicine & Life Sciences 13%
Heart Ventricles Medicine & Life Sciences 11%
Length of Stay Medicine & Life Sciences 9%
Abusaid, G. H., Barbagelata, A., Tuero, E., Mahmood, A., & Sharma, G. (2009). Diastolic dysfunction and COPD exacerbation. Postgraduate medicine, 121(4), 76-81. https://doi.org/10.3810/pgm.2009.07.2033
Diastolic dysfunction and COPD exacerbation. / Abusaid, Ghassan H.; Barbagelata, Alejandro; Tuero, Enrique et al.
In: Postgraduate medicine, Vol. 121, No. 4, 01.07.2009, p. 76-81.
Abusaid, GH, Barbagelata, A, Tuero, E, Mahmood, A & Sharma, G 2009, 'Diastolic dysfunction and COPD exacerbation', Postgraduate medicine, vol. 121, no. 4, pp. 76-81. https://doi.org/10.3810/pgm.2009.07.2033
Abusaid GH, Barbagelata A, Tuero E, Mahmood A, Sharma G. Diastolic dysfunction and COPD exacerbation. Postgraduate medicine. 2009 Jul 1;121(4):76-81. doi: 10.3810/pgm.2009.07.2033
Abusaid, Ghassan H. ; Barbagelata, Alejandro ; Tuero, Enrique et al. / Diastolic dysfunction and COPD exacerbation. In: Postgraduate medicine. 2009 ; Vol. 121, No. 4. pp. 76-81.
@article{c887f41275eb4489920de516ff5bbc25,
title = "Diastolic dysfunction and COPD exacerbation",
abstract = "Introduction: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation is a frequent cause of hospital admissions. In one-third of patients, exacerbations have no known cause. We studied whether the presence of diastolic dysfunction (DD) in this subgroup of patients is associated with longer duration of hospitalization and more frequent exacerbations. Methods: Retrospective chart review of 139 patients with COPD, 84 with DD, and 55 with normal diastolic function hospitalized for acute COPD exacerbation between November 2004 and December 2007 was done. Diastolic dysfunction was defined by the presence of relaxation. filling, or distensibilily abnormalities of the left ventricle on transthoracic echocardiogram. Results: Patients wilh DD had increased length of stay compared with patients without DD (mean: 4.02 ± 1.8 days vs 3.24 ± 1.20 days; P = 0.005). Patients with DD had 1.28 exacerbations requiring hospitalization per patient-year compared with 0.67 in the normal diastolic function group (P = 0.0067). Conclusions: Patients with COPD and DD had prolonged and more frequent hospitalizations for COPD exacerbations. These findings suggest that DD, a surrogate for increased left ventricular filling pressure, is common in patients with COPD exacerbations and may be associated with increased frequency of hospitalization.",
keywords = "COPD, Congestive heart failure, Diastolic dysfunction, Diastolic heart failure, Length of stay, Pulmonary hypertension, Risk factors",
author = "Abusaid, {Ghassan H.} and Alejandro Barbagelata and Enrique Tuero and Asif Mahmood and Gulshan Sharma",
doi = "10.3810/pgm.2009.07.2033",
journal = "Postgraduate Medicine",
publisher = "Medquest Communications LLC",
T1 - Diastolic dysfunction and COPD exacerbation
AU - Abusaid, Ghassan H.
AU - Barbagelata, Alejandro
AU - Tuero, Enrique
AU - Mahmood, Asif
AU - Sharma, Gulshan
N2 - Introduction: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation is a frequent cause of hospital admissions. In one-third of patients, exacerbations have no known cause. We studied whether the presence of diastolic dysfunction (DD) in this subgroup of patients is associated with longer duration of hospitalization and more frequent exacerbations. Methods: Retrospective chart review of 139 patients with COPD, 84 with DD, and 55 with normal diastolic function hospitalized for acute COPD exacerbation between November 2004 and December 2007 was done. Diastolic dysfunction was defined by the presence of relaxation. filling, or distensibilily abnormalities of the left ventricle on transthoracic echocardiogram. Results: Patients wilh DD had increased length of stay compared with patients without DD (mean: 4.02 ± 1.8 days vs 3.24 ± 1.20 days; P = 0.005). Patients with DD had 1.28 exacerbations requiring hospitalization per patient-year compared with 0.67 in the normal diastolic function group (P = 0.0067). Conclusions: Patients with COPD and DD had prolonged and more frequent hospitalizations for COPD exacerbations. These findings suggest that DD, a surrogate for increased left ventricular filling pressure, is common in patients with COPD exacerbations and may be associated with increased frequency of hospitalization.
AB - Introduction: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation is a frequent cause of hospital admissions. In one-third of patients, exacerbations have no known cause. We studied whether the presence of diastolic dysfunction (DD) in this subgroup of patients is associated with longer duration of hospitalization and more frequent exacerbations. Methods: Retrospective chart review of 139 patients with COPD, 84 with DD, and 55 with normal diastolic function hospitalized for acute COPD exacerbation between November 2004 and December 2007 was done. Diastolic dysfunction was defined by the presence of relaxation. filling, or distensibilily abnormalities of the left ventricle on transthoracic echocardiogram. Results: Patients wilh DD had increased length of stay compared with patients without DD (mean: 4.02 ± 1.8 days vs 3.24 ± 1.20 days; P = 0.005). Patients with DD had 1.28 exacerbations requiring hospitalization per patient-year compared with 0.67 in the normal diastolic function group (P = 0.0067). Conclusions: Patients with COPD and DD had prolonged and more frequent hospitalizations for COPD exacerbations. These findings suggest that DD, a surrogate for increased left ventricular filling pressure, is common in patients with COPD exacerbations and may be associated with increased frequency of hospitalization.
KW - COPD
KW - Congestive heart failure
KW - Diastolic dysfunction
KW - Diastolic heart failure
KW - Length of stay
KW - Risk factors
U2 - 10.3810/pgm.2009.07.2033
DO - 10.3810/pgm.2009.07.2033
JO - Postgraduate Medicine
JF - Postgraduate Medicine


Cell Phone for 9 Year Old.
I want to get a cell phone for my daughter for her 9th birthday. Any advice on which one to go with? I want something that has some type of parental control. So far I've researched Kajeet. Has anyone used the Kajeet system or I would appreciate other recommendations. Thanks in advance!!
I did end up getting her a phone and adding her to my Sprint account. I did the family locator (GPS) on her phone which is a great feature. She walks to school so she makes sure her phone is on when she is in route and turns it off at school. She doesn't know that I can get on-line and see exactly where her phone is at any time. You can also set times and triggers that alert you if she is not where she is supposed to be at certain times. For now I have this feature as a safety precaution, I also had it put on my phone and my mother's. She has now had the phone for 10 months and has NEVER abused it. The only phone calls she makes are to me or family members and occasionally to a friend that lives out-of-town. I like the fact that she can call me if she needs to when she is at a slumber party. She's not the type of child to sit on the phone chatting with her friends, she'd rather be out playing with them. I'm very happy with my decision. Thanks for all of the comments/suggestions!
Just wondering WHY a 9 year old needs a phone?!?!?! I didn't get a phone until I was 16 and driving and my kids won't have a phone until they are driving either and even then I will have some kind of parental controls.
I don't know if they still have it, but the firefly with ATT is perfect for that age. It only has a few numbers that you program in, and those are the only ones she could call.
My just turned 10 year old son got one for his birthday. His aunt got him a Virgin pay as you go. She is the one that is putting $20 per month on his phone. (Mom & dad weren't too sure that he needed one yet but ok'd her doing it). If he runs out before then, he's done. He got a very basic but neat phone. It didn't cost much and if he loses it it's not a huge deal. But the agreement with him is that mom & dad have access to it at any time to check call logs, etc. He's pretty responsible so I don't have much concern. Anyway - the phone has got great sound and seems to have really good coverage.
Maybe I am a little old fashioned, but WHY does a 9 year old even need a cell phone? Are you not with them almost everywhere they go? They can't use them at school. I have a 20 year old, a 19 year old, and a 6 year old. My oldest two did not get cell phones until they were 16 and actually needed them because they were going out with friends without me. My youngest will NOT get a cell phone until at least 8th or 9th grade as well. I just don't understand WHY folks think a kid NEEDS a cell phone at such an early age. That is just one more piece of technology that they can become addicted to. BTW we NEVER added texting to our plan either. I wanted to HEAR my child's voice when they called to tell me they would be late or wanted permission to do something.
SAHM of three: 20(married and starting her own family), 19 (freshman in college), and 6.
I'm with the moms who say a 9 year-old doesn't need a cell phone. By giving our kids "grown-up" toys, we're pushing them into adulthood way too early. If they get cell phones and TV's and all that while they're still kids, what will be left to give them when they're teenagers? Kids today act like it's their right to have things like cell phones. I say it's our responsibility as parents to think about what we're giving our kids, and about what we're teaching them in the process. I'm not trying to say you're a bad mom ... I've fallen into the same trap, myself. Just be sure to think this through.
Oh my goodness! I have a 9 year old and I would never DREAM of getting a cell phone for him at this age. Matter of fact, we're not sure we should have even started with the Wii! Until he's driving, I can't imagine the need for a cell phone. It's really an emergency only kinda thing in my opinion. And if you watch any of the videos on teens texting, it's enough to NEVER get them one! If she's at a friend's house, she can call you from there. Any other time, you should be fully aware of where she is anyway at this age. Good luck!
wow- you have received alot of information that you did NOT ask for. My daughter is 8 and has a cell phone- big deal! It was an extra line we were already paying for and not using so we decided to give it to her. We started with whatever phone was "free" at the time- she still has it and we told her after she took care of it for one year- we could upgrade. She hardly ever uses it, but likes having it. We were also able to cancel our home phone since everyone here has a cell. I say start with a cheap starter phone- alot of times you can get a nice phone for "free" just by adding a line to your existing service. Good luck and kudos to you for doing what YOU want with your child, not what others think is right.
I got phones for my kids when they started attending middle school parties as I wanted them to be able to get ahold of me if they got into a bad situation. Both of my kids were 13 when they got their phones. I have never used any type of monitoring system on their phones. I know AT&T offers a plan that does cost extra monthly that allows you to turn the texting off/on. Its very user friendly. Although I have never used it, I did look into it.
I do have to ask, at 9 why does she need one? I know that wasn't your question and I sure don't mean to offend you or anyone. I personally don't think at that age they need them. For me, I waited until I felt they needed them. There is a HUGE responsibility that goes along with them. Any texting or calls made from that phone are your/their responsibility.
What possible scenario would suggest that a 9 year old child needs a cell phone?
L., my girlfriend's 10 yr old daughter has a cell phone through AT&T and it is on some serious lock down. She goes online to program the phone through her AT&T account and she has complete control over what numbers her daughter can dial, what numbers can dial into her, who can text, who she can text - even what hours the phone is turned off and on. I do not know if she pays any extra for this service, but I do now that most carriers offer these types of parental controls so I would talk to your carrier first and find out what is available.
L. didn't ask if her 9 year old needed a phone or not, what she does is what is best for her and her family, not what is best for yours. She asked about a certain type of phone.
Today is a day I wish my 9 year old had a phone. I have to take one daughter one way and she is going home with a friend in the other direction. It would be nice to know that she made it safely to her friends. Since she doesn't, she is going to use her friends phone to get in touch with me.
However, I still am not ready to get a cell phone for my daughter, but L. is. Let's not bash her for making choices for her family. And you can make the right choices that fits your family lifestyle.
Are you sure you want your 9 year old with a cell phone. If you do you might think about rules. My step daughter would come over with her phone. Text, text, text, even during our conversations or family conversations, dinner, anything basically. Even walking into Walmart, etc. The phone was always sort of a wall between building relationships. She also only learned communication through texting. Like telling her mother she was pregnant through a text. Important conversations through a text. Never talking with her mom about important things. I think she thinks its O.K.
Think about your precious time with her. Do you really want her focused on a phone during your time with her. My nieces come over and are also glued to their texting.
AT&T has a GREAT program for children; it called SmartLimits. My husband has it for his 10 yr old daughter in Houston and my son, 9, also has this on his phone. You are able to set a time for the calls to go in and out as well as texting. (our time starts at 3:30, after school till 8pm so they can get ready for bed m-th) You have the optional to block 15 numbers. You can set 15 "allowed numbers" that allows the child to use these numbers at anytime. We call those our emergency numbers, mom, dad, sitter, gma gpa etc. I always recommend this to my friends. The program has other options to set a limit or block things like texting, internet, downloads... again we love it!
Don't waste your money. You'll end up paying for a phone that shouldn't be used. A 9 year old should always be with an adult or within yelling distance of the house anyways, so you're just going to end up feeding an electronics addiction. By the time your daughter is 12 she'll be begging for the newest and most expensive phones and she'll be the one calling all her friend's house phones while she brings up your cell phone bill. I've got a little sister who rung up a $2500 cell phone bill in one month.
I was like 15 when I got my first phone because I was out hanging out with friends and riding my bike around town... and it was one of those Nokia bricks that had the game snake. Honestly... I spent more time playing snake than calling folks.
Cingular has the Amigo (i think). They add to your bill and that phone is only allowed to call 5 pre-set #'s. Its great for younger kids who only need mom, dad, and Bf.
We have debated purchasing a cell phone for our 10 year old since she lives with me (in TX) and goes to visit her dad in the summers and holidays (in IL). I was actually looking at the firefly but we just decided to send one of our cell phones with her instead of adding her to the plan. I was looking at purchasing a phone for our daughter since her dad does not have a home phone and he rarely answers his cell phone when I call so we had to look at what was best for our daughter so she is borrowing one of our phones until we get her set up, which might be a few years but that is okay. Also, with the way the world is today I would love for our daughter to be able to call us whenever she feels the need to.
sorry, but another mom saying NO to a 9 year old with a phone. i know you didn't ask for this opinion, but obviously it is a touchy subject. my 12 year old asks every so often when he can have a phone. "when you can pay for it" is my answer. i may consider it for him when he turns driving age, but then at a very controlled pace.
My 8 year old son wants one really bad.. only he thinks he needs an i-phone because his cousin (younger) has one! I don't think so! ;) I also looked into the AT&T Firefly phone (at that time, he was 7) and I really liked their option for the younger kiddos.. (there were 2 options) it only had 4 big buttons labeld for parents,etc. And the only incoming calls could be from someone on the phones phone list. And no texting :). I knew he didn't really NEED one, so we decided it wasn't something we were going to let him have yet. Whatever your reason is for thinking your daughter should have one.. it's your business. This one might be a good option for you - probably a good "starter" phone. You might check Craigs List to see if anyone is upgrading their kiddos phone and has one for sale - ?
This is a very touchy topic with a lot of parents. What is right for one family is not necessarily right for another.
Here's my take.....I have a 14 yr old girl. She has had a cell phone since she was 10. The FIRST and FOREMOST reason she has a cell phone is SAFETY.
At 10, if she were sleeping over somewhere, etc. I would text her goodnight, etc. If something was going on that she was not comfortable with, she would tell me. I picked her up once because she texted me and told me she did not feel comfortable. Yes, I was glad she had her phone at that time.
Since then, she continues to keep it with her. We are fully aware that the phones are not allowed to be used in school, HOWEVER, it does not mean you can't have it with you. At middle school...she texted me one afternoon to let me know there was a lockdown.
Now that she is in high school, it is all that more important for her to have her phone. She is much more social now, goes with groups and she knows without a doubt if she calls us we will be there.
We have AT&T. We started with the add a line to my number and her first phone was a little Motorola flip phone. A word of advice is not to spend too much money on the first phone. It will either be lost or broken...expect it.
The razor phone was a good one for her as well. It was small and fit nicely in a pocket or pocket in her purse.
We both carry Iphones now. We also have the unlimited family text, etc. We use it a lot as a family. Yes, my daughter's phone is attached to her hip....mine is attached to me as well... I've seen over 4000 texts a month from her alone.
Of course I would not suggest the Iphone for a 9 yr old. Start simple. Daughter is on her 3rd Iphone....1 broke, 1 was stolen.
I would get one of the phones that you can add warranty to your plan. That way, if it is lost,stolen, or broken it is $50 or so to replace it. Also, ATT does have Smart Limits where you can control certain aspects of service. There is also a feature with our phones where ATT can locate us.
Good luck making the right decision for your family!


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Q: configure maven for both personal and work use At my job we use a nexus server that requires credentials. it is also only available through our network (or VPN). I was provided with a maven settings.xml for this purpose.
I also want to have a more conventional configuration for some side projects of mine, because using the same configuration is very inconvenient, but Im not sure of how to switch configurations without replacing the whole settings.xml every time.
The settings is basically taken from this example but with a  entry for credentials. How can I turn off this config and connect to the central maven repo when I'm at home?

A: well, you seem not to be the first one facing the problem. I've found some discussion on this here: http://maven.40175.n5.nabble.com/Conveniently-switch-between-settings-td126255.html
However I don't think there is fully flexible/automatic solution the one would expect.
As a summary of the discussion, I see 2 options:

*

*switch the settings.xml based on your environment or

*use the -s switch for mvn command to specify the alternate settings.xml file

My experience is that, switching settings.xml based on environment (the 1.st option) does the job for me.

A: All you need is define 2 profiles in your settings XML - one should use the intranet-only repositories, the other - open internet repositories (e.g. Bintray's JCenter).
Then define one of the profiles active by default, and trigger the usage of the other with -p (and disabling the auto-activated with !)
Here's the full profiles reference for you.


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NFLPA email to every NFL agent: Plan for 'at least a year' of work stoppage
Jesse Reed
The NFLPA has been warning player and agents about a potential work stoppage for the past couple of years, and a new development signaled more of the same.
NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith sent a letter to every single NFL agent that stated the union is "advising players to plan for a work stoppage of at least a year in length" at the conclusion of the current collective bargaining agreement, which will end following the 2020 campaign.
NFLPA Exec Dir De Smith sent an email out to all NFL agents this morning, advising them to urge player clients to save money in the event of a work stoppage.
"We are advising players to plan for a work stoppage of at least a year in length," the letter states.
More in SBD.
— Liz Mullen (@SBJLizMullen) May 28, 2019
The NFLPA has been hammered for the way it seemingly caved to the NFL during the last collective bargaining negotiations.
Big issues that have led to controversy since then have dominated the news cycle. Among them are how much control commissioner Roger Goodell has gained, the amount of guarantees players deserve in their contracts, and the fact that medical marijuana is still banned by the league — leading to many suspensions, some of which have been indefinite — despite scientific evidence that it is much more helpful than opiates when it comes to healing the body.
With all that in mind, it's hardly surprising to hear that the union is preparing for a prolonged strike.