text:
Q: Rectangular spy in pgfplots without scaling I'm trying to copy the behaviour of this question: Using tikzlibrary spy without magnifying line width and/or mark size. I would like to change the shape of the spy to rectangle, but I'm failing at the scope (which I have to admin that I don't really understand why works in the original question). Could someone help me out?
The MWE:
\documentclass{memoir}
\usepackage{amsmath, tikz, pgfplots}
\usetikzlibrary{calc,spy,shapes}
\pgfplotsset{compat=newest}

\begin{document}
\begin{tikzpicture}
% [spy using outlines={rectangle,black,magnification=3,connect spies}]
\begin{axis}[%
width=6.01828521434821in,
height=4.74667979002625in,
unbounded coords=jump,
scale only axis,
xmin=1.25,
xmax=2,
xlabel={Robustness},
ymin=0,
ymax=20,
ylabel={Controller},
title={Case 11},
% legend style={draw=black,fill=white,legend cell align=left}
]
\newcommand*\myplots[1][]{
\addplot [
color=blue,
dashed
]
table[row sep=crcr]{
1.250000000054 0.218471486504557\\1.27500000012472 0.235880794037559\\1.30000000004985 0.253093675278193\\1.32499999988962 0.269996702493353\\1.34999999996296 0.28660169532495\\1.37500000003271 0.302803529131698\\1.4 0.318627316831094\\1.42500000000018 0.333967811176506\\1.44999999975398 0.348915976282584\\1.47499999999985 0.363393665978672\\1.50000000000007 0.377386190083728\\1.52499999999677 0.391065980885588\\1.54999999999987 0.404406696565785\\1.5749999999932 0.417357153126701\\1.60000000000001 0.429890180101467\\1.62500000007965 0.441495914781593\\1.64999999998047 0.453420186117445\\1.67500000000006 0.464885624062778\\1.70000000000013 0.475698022605379\\1.72499999999977 0.486001302461843\\1.75000000007258 0.49588760557761\\1.77500000001522 0.505406921339204\\1.79999999999992 0.514575948858101\\1.8249999999994 0.523580224222934\\1.84999999999966 0.532346980549898\\1.87499999998767 0.540884368439134\\1.90000000002483 0.549236128880721\\1.92499999997271 0.557390601810701\\1.94999999999657 0.565349329095157\\1.97499999999941 0.573100654346336\\1.99999999999993 0.580661122004988\\2.02499999998678 0.588035048696743\\2.0499999999709 0.595221272967935\\2.07499999999558 0.602215073143855\\2.09999999981776 0.609014392276178\\2.12500000001126 0.615634705868222\\2.14999999999957 0.622107376143054\\2.17499999994578 0.628535289209435\\2.19999999832383 0.63479954406909\\2.225 0.640975653060916\\2.24999999999955 0.647023272731091\\2.27499999999981 0.652900079435489\\2.29999999999833 0.658608487562972\\2.32499999999118 0.664162521737991\\2.34999999999773 0.669564611132752\\2.3750000000001 0.674786909878852\\2.40000000000024 0.679871708587361\\2.42499999998267 0.68481930558268\\2.44999999993369 0.689620895991369\\2.475 0.694300387671984\\2.50000000000226 0.698847019454327\\2.52499999999607 0.703231052229968\\2.54999999999282 0.707335949070966\\2.575 0.711299740037372\\2.59999999997469 0.715121564545835\\2.62500000002107 0.719030281788718\\2.64999999998823 0.722750679025289\\2.67499999999833 0.726355404984384\\2.6999999999989 0.729841563597055\\2.72500000000001 0.733213147420525\\2.75000000000046 0.736469697155365\\2.77500000011202 0.739681867953894\\2.8 0.742786117829059\\2.82500000000028 0.745831867778158\\2.84999999999055 0.748760245235199\\2.87499999999654 0.751587709302175\\2.90000000000011 0.754337713416536\\2.92500000001402 0.756957274828441\\2.94999999995396 0.759357524849041\\2.97499999999574 0.761687855897812\\3.00000000000154 0.764338301992918\\};
% \addlegendentry{po:pid};

\addplot [
color=green!50!black,
dashed
]
table[row sep=crcr]{
1.250000000054 0.590067068740046\\1.27500000012472 0.587559925194454\\1.30000000004985 0.586376714983635\\1.32499999988962 0.586069496190726\\1.34999999996296 0.586583764906821\\1.37500000003271 0.587586732327579\\1.4 0.589106686232638\\1.42500000000018 0.590799582313491\\1.44999999975398 0.592894933769734\\1.47499999999985 0.595115212158793\\1.50000000000007 0.597338496940835\\1.52499999999677 0.600163078036215\\1.54999999999987 0.603553183039573\\1.5749999999932 0.607355964366702\\1.60000000000001 0.611472392727962\\1.62500000007965 0.612640770551816\\1.64999999998047 0.618542970092304\\1.67500000000006 0.625478240488116\\1.70000000000013 0.63111283078678\\1.72499999999977 0.635924446858566\\1.75000000007258 0.640430875313834\\1.77500000001522 0.644633876853955\\1.79999999999992 0.647757322657836\\1.8249999999994 0.647552686193448\\1.84999999999966 0.647363620909126\\1.87499999998767 0.647117668558105\\1.90000000002483 0.646013166144435\\1.92499999997271 0.644422071010403\\1.94999999999657 0.642591297950079\\1.97499999999941 0.640866907916906\\1.99999999999993 0.639224831229371\\2.02499999998678 0.636685323281278\\2.0499999999709 0.633964341182746\\2.07499999999558 0.631446791852552\\2.09999999981776 0.628537387562625\\2.12500000001126 0.626107411465097\\2.14999999999957 0.624103000469\\2.17499999994578 0.62449136318196\\2.19999999832383 0.624449479840847\\2.225 0.6256877319412\\2.24999999999955 0.628088304645751\\2.27499999999981 0.630472877532383\\2.29999999999833 0.63283206246448\\2.32499999999118 0.635116015919806\\2.34999999999773 0.637322260692226\\2.3750000000001 0.640065236430338\\2.40000000000024 0.642534886174564\\2.42499999998267 0.644944092104574\\2.44999999993369 0.647313968075354\\2.475 0.649603381645786\\2.50000000000226 0.651905320157395\\2.52499999999607 0.654572686699921\\2.54999999999282 0.658065576936871\\2.575 0.661530686251933\\2.59999999997469 0.664985448106105\\2.62500000002107 0.667216476217143\\2.64999999998823 0.669895462979295\\2.67499999999833 0.672557424400875\\2.6999999999989 0.675234842685167\\2.72500000000001 0.677932291475736\\2.75000000000046 0.680659050710123\\2.77500000011202 0.683201448501821\\2.8 0.685708044714863\\2.82500000000028 0.688088365642656\\2.84999999999055 0.690571448381062\\2.87499999999654 0.693076214461211\\2.90000000000011 0.695575684929241\\2.92500000001402 0.698184293706798\\2.94999999995396 0.701235761040505\\2.97499999999574 0.704202908157281\\3.00000000000154 0.705980592056065\\};
}
\newcommand*\spyfactor{3.1622776601683793319988935444327}
\newcommand*\spypoint{axis cs:1.4,0.5}
\newcommand*\spyviewer{axis cs:1.6,10}
\myplots
\node[very thin, rectangle, draw, minimum height=0.05\textwidth, minimum width=0.1\textwidth, inner sep=0pt] (spypoint) at (\spypoint) {};
\node[rectangle, draw, minimum height=0.25\textwidth, minimum width=0.5\textwidth, inner sep=0pt] (spyviewer) at (\spyviewer) {};
\draw (spypoint) edge (spyviewer);
\begin{scope}
    \clip (spyviewer) rectangle (0.25\textwidth-.5\pgflinewidth,0.5\textwidth-.5\pgflinewidth);
    \pgfmathparse{\spyfactor^2/(\spyfactor-1)}
    \begin{scope}[scale around={\spyfactor:($(\spyviewer)!\spyfactor^2/(\spyfactor^2-1)!(\spypoint)$)}]
        \myplots
    \end{scope}
\end{scope}
\end{axis}
\end{tikzpicture}%
\end{document}

A: You almost had it, you just need to define the \clip rectangle in terms of the spyviewer node:
\clip (spyviewer.south west) rectangle (spyviewer.north east);

\documentclass{memoir}
\usepackage{amsmath, tikz, pgfplots}
\usetikzlibrary{calc,spy,shapes}
\pgfplotsset{compat=newest}

\begin{document}
\begin{tikzpicture}
% [spy using outlines={rectangle,black,magnification=3,connect spies}]
\begin{axis}[%
width=6.01828521434821in,
height=4.74667979002625in,
unbounded coords=jump,
scale only axis,
xmin=1.25,
xmax=2,
xlabel={Robustness},
ymin=0,
ymax=20,
ylabel={Controller},
title={Case 11},
% legend style={draw=black,fill=white,legend cell align=left}
]
\newcommand*\myplots[1][]{
\addplot [
color=blue,
dashed
]
table[row sep=crcr]{
1.250000000054 0.218471486504557\\1.27500000012472 0.235880794037559\\1.30000000004985 0.253093675278193\\1.32499999988962 0.269996702493353\\1.34999999996296 0.28660169532495\\1.37500000003271 0.302803529131698\\1.4 0.318627316831094\\1.42500000000018 0.333967811176506\\1.44999999975398 0.348915976282584\\1.47499999999985 0.363393665978672\\1.50000000000007 0.377386190083728\\1.52499999999677 0.391065980885588\\1.54999999999987 0.404406696565785\\1.5749999999932 0.417357153126701\\1.60000000000001 0.429890180101467\\1.62500000007965 0.441495914781593\\1.64999999998047 0.453420186117445\\1.67500000000006 0.464885624062778\\1.70000000000013 0.475698022605379\\1.72499999999977 0.486001302461843\\1.75000000007258 0.49588760557761\\1.77500000001522 0.505406921339204\\1.79999999999992 0.514575948858101\\1.8249999999994 0.523580224222934\\1.84999999999966 0.532346980549898\\1.87499999998767 0.540884368439134\\1.90000000002483 0.549236128880721\\1.92499999997271 0.557390601810701\\1.94999999999657 0.565349329095157\\1.97499999999941 0.573100654346336\\1.99999999999993 0.580661122004988\\2.02499999998678 0.588035048696743\\2.0499999999709 0.595221272967935\\2.07499999999558 0.602215073143855\\2.09999999981776 0.609014392276178\\2.12500000001126 0.615634705868222\\2.14999999999957 0.622107376143054\\2.17499999994578 0.628535289209435\\2.19999999832383 0.63479954406909\\2.225 0.640975653060916\\2.24999999999955 0.647023272731091\\2.27499999999981 0.652900079435489\\2.29999999999833 0.658608487562972\\2.32499999999118 0.664162521737991\\2.34999999999773 0.669564611132752\\2.3750000000001 0.674786909878852\\2.40000000000024 0.679871708587361\\2.42499999998267 0.68481930558268\\2.44999999993369 0.689620895991369\\2.475 0.694300387671984\\2.50000000000226 0.698847019454327\\2.52499999999607 0.703231052229968\\2.54999999999282 0.707335949070966\\2.575 0.711299740037372\\2.59999999997469 0.715121564545835\\2.62500000002107 0.719030281788718\\2.64999999998823 0.722750679025289\\2.67499999999833 0.726355404984384\\2.6999999999989 0.729841563597055\\2.72500000000001 0.733213147420525\\2.75000000000046 0.736469697155365\\2.77500000011202 0.739681867953894\\2.8 0.742786117829059\\2.82500000000028 0.745831867778158\\2.84999999999055 0.748760245235199\\2.87499999999654 0.751587709302175\\2.90000000000011 0.754337713416536\\2.92500000001402 0.756957274828441\\2.94999999995396 0.759357524849041\\2.97499999999574 0.761687855897812\\3.00000000000154 0.764338301992918\\};
% \addlegendentry{po:pid};

\addplot [
color=green!50!black,
dashed
]
table[row sep=crcr]{
1.250000000054 0.590067068740046\\1.27500000012472 0.587559925194454\\1.30000000004985 0.586376714983635\\1.32499999988962 0.586069496190726\\1.34999999996296 0.586583764906821\\1.37500000003271 0.587586732327579\\1.4 0.589106686232638\\1.42500000000018 0.590799582313491\\1.44999999975398 0.592894933769734\\1.47499999999985 0.595115212158793\\1.50000000000007 0.597338496940835\\1.52499999999677 0.600163078036215\\1.54999999999987 0.603553183039573\\1.5749999999932 0.607355964366702\\1.60000000000001 0.611472392727962\\1.62500000007965 0.612640770551816\\1.64999999998047 0.618542970092304\\1.67500000000006 0.625478240488116\\1.70000000000013 0.63111283078678\\1.72499999999977 0.635924446858566\\1.75000000007258 0.640430875313834\\1.77500000001522 0.644633876853955\\1.79999999999992 0.647757322657836\\1.8249999999994 0.647552686193448\\1.84999999999966 0.647363620909126\\1.87499999998767 0.647117668558105\\1.90000000002483 0.646013166144435\\1.92499999997271 0.644422071010403\\1.94999999999657 0.642591297950079\\1.97499999999941 0.640866907916906\\1.99999999999993 0.639224831229371\\2.02499999998678 0.636685323281278\\2.0499999999709 0.633964341182746\\2.07499999999558 0.631446791852552\\2.09999999981776 0.628537387562625\\2.12500000001126 0.626107411465097\\2.14999999999957 0.624103000469\\2.17499999994578 0.62449136318196\\2.19999999832383 0.624449479840847\\2.225 0.6256877319412\\2.24999999999955 0.628088304645751\\2.27499999999981 0.630472877532383\\2.29999999999833 0.63283206246448\\2.32499999999118 0.635116015919806\\2.34999999999773 0.637322260692226\\2.3750000000001 0.640065236430338\\2.40000000000024 0.642534886174564\\2.42499999998267 0.644944092104574\\2.44999999993369 0.647313968075354\\2.475 0.649603381645786\\2.50000000000226 0.651905320157395\\2.52499999999607 0.654572686699921\\2.54999999999282 0.658065576936871\\2.575 0.661530686251933\\2.59999999997469 0.664985448106105\\2.62500000002107 0.667216476217143\\2.64999999998823 0.669895462979295\\2.67499999999833 0.672557424400875\\2.6999999999989 0.675234842685167\\2.72500000000001 0.677932291475736\\2.75000000000046 0.680659050710123\\2.77500000011202 0.683201448501821\\2.8 0.685708044714863\\2.82500000000028 0.688088365642656\\2.84999999999055 0.690571448381062\\2.87499999999654 0.693076214461211\\2.90000000000011 0.695575684929241\\2.92500000001402 0.698184293706798\\2.94999999995396 0.701235761040505\\2.97499999999574 0.704202908157281\\3.00000000000154 0.705980592056065\\};
}
\newcommand*\spyfactor{3.1622776601683793319988935444327}
\newcommand*\spypoint{axis cs:1.4,0.5}
\newcommand*\spyviewer{axis cs:1.6,10}
\myplots
\node[very thin, rectangle, draw, minimum height=0.05\textwidth, minimum width=0.1\textwidth, inner sep=0pt] (spypoint) at (\spypoint) {};
\node[rectangle, draw, minimum height=0.25\textwidth, minimum width=0.5\textwidth, inner sep=0pt] (spyviewer) at (\spyviewer) {};
\draw (spypoint) edge (spyviewer);
\begin{scope}
    \clip (spyviewer.south west) rectangle (spyviewer.north east);
    \pgfmathparse{\spyfactor^2/(\spyfactor-1)}
    \begin{scope}[scale around={\spyfactor:($(\spyviewer)!\spyfactor^2/(\spyfactor^2-1)!(\spypoint)$)}]
        \myplots
    \end{scope}
\end{scope}
\end{axis}
\end{tikzpicture}%
\end{document}


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text:
Q: magento 2.2.3 HOW CAN I DO THIS SITUATION? When referee signs up, referrer receives 200points, referee receives 100 points
Magento 2.2.3 HOW CAN I DO THIS SITUATION? When referee signs up, referrer receives 200points, referee receives 100 points .

A: You can below Extension for refer-a-friend programs:
https://ecommerce.aheadworks.com/magento-extensions/refer-a-friend.html#magento2

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
HomeCinemaMasalaAdhvik Mahajan, Manit Joura, Neha Marda, and more share their plans for celebrating Lohri this year
Adhvik Mahajan, Manit Joura, Neha Marda, and more share their plans for celebrating Lohri this year
January 13, 2021 Bollywood Hungama News Network Masala 0
Lohri brings in a lot of happiness and most of the celebrities welcome this festival with a lot of joy and love. However, the actors have different ways of celebrating this day and the likes of Adhvik Mahajan, Tannaz Irani, Neha Marda, Rajveer Singh, Manit Joura and more have shared their special plans for Lohri 2021.
Adhvik Mahajan who essays the character of Joginder in Zee TV's Teri Meri Ikk Jindri said "The Lohri celebrations are surely going to be quite different this year but I prefer viewing it in a very positive light. Lohri marks a new beginning for all of us and I believe this is what we really need with the current pandemic still being a severe threat to most of us. The year 2020 has been quite a learning in disguise for us, it has taught us to face the worst and adjust our lives with minimum resources and taking all these learnings, I feel we must happily welcome this new beginning in our lives. Here's wishing everyone a very happy Lohri and hope the beginning marks an abundance of happiness and luck in everyone's lives."
Recalling about his childhood time Lohri celebration, Rajveer Singh said, "I am a Haryanvi boy, I belong to a farmer's family. My whole family has been into farming and my father was first an army officer and then he retired after joining police force. I have spent most of my time in the village culture, so I know that the month of January is when we celebrate Lohri and Makarsankranti. On the day of Lohri, we used to be very excited to wake up in the morning, take a shower because the first one to take shower used to get revdi, malai ki roti & sarso da saad. So, early morning my mother used to feed us and say 'jo sabse pehle khana khayega uski hi wish puri hogi' and later in the night we used to enjoy the bonfire ('Lohri celebration) which is a very important event for us. We used to eat dishes made of jaggeries like revdi or some sweet and do the bhangra around the bonfire. Everyone celebrates in their own way, some call it chajja dance and some call it Hiran dance. I'm feeling very nostalgic, it used to be really fun, we were a bunch of 10-12 kids, excitedly waiting for this event to play together. Wishing all those celebrating the festival, a very Happy Lohri."
Rohit Chaudhary who plays the role of Robin in Brahmarakshas 2 mentioned, "My Makar Sankranti memories are all about spending time with family. Major part of the festival involves flying kites, dancing and having fun with my near and dear ones. Traditional food too is a huge part of the celebration. Also, I'd like to mention that I'm from Jaipur where the Kite Festival is quite famous. I terribly miss that here in the city. This year, I'll be celebrating Lohri with my friends, maybe have a bonfire drawn, and party with my close friends here. I wish everyone a very happy Lohri and Makar Sankranti."
Manit Joura who plays the role of Rishabh Luthra in Kundali Bhagya said, "I usually spend Lohri with my family. But unfortunately, it's not possible for me to travel to Delhi this year. However, my mother has plans of visiting me during the festivities. And the best part of mom visiting is that she gets all the traditional Punjabi seasonal sweets which I am looking forward to. This year most probably I'll be celebrating Lohri in my society complex with my neighbors. On the set of Kundali Bhagya too I'll be celebrating the festival with my on-screen family. I feel every festival in India is important and I like to take part in all of them. I am extremely thrilled to celebrate the festival with my on-set family. I hope, the festivities bring joy and light in your lives. I wish everyone a very happy Lohri."
Siddhant Vir Suryavanshi who plays Kuldeep in Kyun Rishton Mein Katti Batti said, "I have lived in Surat for 3 to 4 years and there Makarsankranti is a huge festival. My favorite memory is going on the terrace with all my friends and family for kite flying and then as a kid, I was very enthusiastic to buy different fancy kite threads, and because of the thread, there were bristles on my fingers. We also had kite flying competition amongst the buildings in our area which was fun, so these are all the memories that I cherish about Makarsankranti. Also, I would like to wish all the Zee Viewers a very happy Makarsankranti."
Neha Marda who plays Shubra in Kyun Rishton Mein Katti Batti said, "As a girl, I was quite conscious about getting tanned and about the bristles on my fingers, so I never went kite flying but yes I have had amazing memories about food. I used to wait for Sankranti to have til gud ladoo and having Khichdi on Sankranti was like a thing and I used to love that. We used to get colorful kites, but I never went on the terrace as I always thought it's a male-oriented thing and for me, food used to be a lot more exciting. I wish all the Zee Viewers a very happy Makarsankranti."
Tannaz Irani who plays the role of Maharani Rajeshwari in Apna Time Bhi Aayega shared, "Every year on Makar Sankranti I look forward to flying kites and gorge on the traditional sweets of the season. While I am not a pro at flying kites, yet I try. The best part of the festival is that I get to celebrate it on set with my on-screen family. I am looking forward to meeting my friends and having a gala time with them during the festivities. I wish everyone a very happy Makar Sankranti."
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Loyola University New Orleans Welcomes New Chief Diversity Officer
Loyola press release - May 1, 2017
Dr. Sybol Cook Anderson joins Loyola Aug. 1, 2017
Loyola University New Orleans President the Rev. Kevin Wm. Wildes, S.J., Ph.D., announced today that Sybol Cook Anderson, Ph.D. has been named the university's new chief diversity officer. As chief diversity officer at Loyola New Orleans, Dr. Anderson will report directly to the president and provide clear leadership over the development and implementation of diversity and inclusion practices at Loyola.
"Our goal is to build and improve upon a culture that is consistent with our values, and we are thrilled to have Dr. Anderson lead that effort," Wildes said. "A commitment to diversity is central to our mission as a Catholic, Jesuit university. We want to ensure that everyone in our community has a strong sense of safety, belonging and representation. What's more, we must also serve as strong role models to inspire and mentor the minds, hearts and spirits of all our students."
Dr. Anderson comes to Loyola from St. Mary's College of Maryland, where for the past two years she has led students, faculty and staff in a campus-wide initiative designed to create strategic goals for inclusion, diversity, and equity (IDEs) and develop and refine policies that support all members of the community. In so doing, she has led the mobilization of campus support and collaborated with college leaders to create a new student leadership team that provides inclusion, diversity, equity advocacy, support, and education for all students.
At St. Mary's, Dr. Anderson has also been the lead architect and director of the DeSousa-Brent Scholars Program, an academic and leadership program for high-achieving underrepresented students. The program designed to create IDEs campus leaders provides rigorous instruction, advising, peer mentoring and program support to scholars, with the support of faculty, student staff, and professional partners. The program has helped to increase scholars' first semester mean grade point average by nearly a half point and second-year retention rate by 11 percent. To support the program, Anderson worked with an executive team to secure establishment of a new state-funded grant that has since 2013 provided more than $2.4 million in funding; she has also secured external grants from the Maryland Higher Education Commission, as well as corporate and private gifts for student scholarships.
Dr. Anderson brings to Loyola more than 25 years of innovative results-driven program administration and inclusive teaching, with skills in public and media relations, fundraising and grant writing. Her commitment to student success and creating a climate of inclusion has been a central part of her career for more than 20 years. She is a philosopher of race and recognition who possesses deep insight into contemporary problems of difference.
Dr. Anderson holds a doctorate in philosophy from Johns Hopkins University, where she attained her bachelor's and M.L.A. degrees, and a master's degree in philosophy from American University. Her current research focuses on Hegel's theory of recognition and the philosophy of race.
Dr. Anderson is the author of three books, as well as book chapters, refereed conference papers, and numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals. She has delivered to a variety of audiences nearly 50 lectures and talks on inclusive, diversity and equity topics. Her many awards include the Andy Kozak Award for Faculty Contributions to Student Life, the Homer L. Dodge Award for Excellence in Teaching, a four-year Henry C. Welcome Fellowship from the Maryland Higher Education Commission and a three-year Ford Foundation Pre-Doctoral Fellowship.
Dr. Anderson joins Loyola on Aug. 1, 2017.


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The beautiful bracelet is 7.75-inches long x 1.40 cm wide. It weighs 23 grams.


text:
Obama pledges to consult with Cameron amid Afghan row
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10386356
Image caption Gen McChrystal has been summoned to Washington
US President Barack Obama has told PM David Cameron he will "consult closely" with him over Afghanistan amid a row about the top US general.
Downing Street said the pair discussed the case of Gen Stanley McChrystal during a scheduled phone call.
Gen McChrystal has been summoned to Washington over an article in which he criticised senior US officials.
Downing Street said both leaders remained "fully supportive of the current strategy" in Afghanistan.
The White House said Mr Obama was angered by the profile in Rolling Stone magazine in which Gen McChrystal criticised the US ambassador to Kabul, Karl Eikenberry, Vice-President Joe Biden, National Security Adviser James Jones and the special US envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke.
President Obama said Gen McChrystal had shown "poor judgement".
In a phone call on Tuesday, Mr Obama raised the issue with Mr Cameron, Downing Street said.
A Downing Street spokesman said the general's future was "a matter for Nato and the US administration.
"The prime minister and the president agreed that they both remained fully supportive of the current strategy in Afghanistan.
"The president said he would continue to consult closely with the prime minister."
Lack of clarity
The issue of divisions between the White House and the general had significance beyond the US, said former Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell.
"They have a direct relevance to both strategy and its implementation in Afghanistan.
"Britain is subordinate to the US in the Afghan operation and any suggestion of a lack of clarity in the Nato mission is deeply damaging."
US officials have so far declined to say that Gen McChrystal's job is safe.
UK troops in Afghanistan
Nato in Afghanistan
Labour peers use advert to criticise Corbyn


The 18-hole "Waukewan" course at the Waukewan Golf Club facility in Center Harbor, New Hampshire features 5,828 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par of 72 . The course rating is 67.4 and it has a slope rating of 117. Designed by Dr. Melvin Hale, Sr., the Waukewan golf course opened in 1958.


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Sound Card: Do people still install these?
OS: Windows 10 I guess?


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Contributions: (I) Conception and design: W Xu, Y Chen; (II) Administrative support: Y Chen; (III) Provision of study materials or patients: Y Chen, Q Lu; (IV) Collection and assembly of data: W Xu, Y Yang; (V) Data analysis and interpretation: W Xu, Y Yang, Z Lu; (VI) Manuscript writing: All authors; (VII) Final approval of manuscript: All authors.
Correspondence to: Yitao Chen. No. 548 Binwen Road, Binjiang District, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310053, China. Email: cytworld@163.com.
Submitted Apr 24, 2018. Accepted for publication Nov 20, 2018.
Gastric cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-associated mortalities worldwide and is a major cause of mortality in Asia (1-3). According to a survey, the mortality rate of gastric cancer was ranked second in overall cancer mortality (4-6). Accordingly, therapeutic strategies for treating gastric cancer are in demand (7-9).
In recent years, natural products have gained increasing attention from a therapeutic point of view and have become promising sources of potential new drugs (10-12). O. japonicus is an evergreen, sod-forming perennial plant that is widely used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The root tuber is the medicinal part of O. japonicus and exerts its antitumor activity by enhancing the immune response of the body against cancer (13-15). Extensive studies have revealed that the major active ingredients in O. japonicus are polysaccharides, which can not only reduce the toxicity caused by chemotherapy drugs, but also possess synergistic antitumor activity (16,17).
An endophyte is an endosymbiont that lives within a healthy plant in its extracellular space or inside the cell. A large number of studies have reported that the medicinal active ingredients produced by endophytes isolated from medicinal plants showed anti-tumor, antibacterial, antiviral and anti-oxidant activities (18-20). Microbial exopolysaccharides (EPSs) are metabolic products of entophytes that accumulate on the microbial cell surface (21). Numerous studies have reported its biological functions, such as protection against environmental stressors and as a component of mucous membranes (22).
In a previous study, our group investigated an entophytic microorganism isolated from O. japonicus and was the first to discover the antitumor exogenous polysaccharide from the entophytic microorganism (23). In this study, we explored the effect of EPSs extracted from the O. japonicus endophyte MD4 on the proliferation and migration of the gastric cancer cell line MC-4.
The human gastric cancer cell line MC-4 was obtained from the Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Zhejiang CDC). MC-4 cells were cultured in RPMI-1640 culture medium (Genome Biotechnology, Hangzhou, China) supplemented with 10% (v/v) fetal bovine serum (Zhejiang Tianhang Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Hangzhou, China), 100 U/mL penicillin and 100 µg/mL streptomycin under 37 °C, 5% CO2, and water saturated humidity conditions.
The fresh roots of O. japonicus were rinsed with sterile water to remove the sediment from the root surface. Then, the root surface was washed with 75% ethanol for 30 s, and rinsed with sterile water 3 times, followed by 0.1% mercuric chloride for 5 min. The root samples were sectioned into 4–6 mm slabs using a sterile scalpel and then transferred onto lysogeny broth (LB) plates, followed by incubation at 37 °C for 14 days. This length of time allows the growth of endophytic bacteria from the sections. A single bacterial colony was picked from an LB medium plate for-purification. The purifying process was repeated several times. The purified bacteria, temporarily named MD4, were inoculated into 5 mL LB liquid medium in conical flasks maintained at 37 °C and cultured 12 h prior to use.
After 12 h cultured, the bacteria in LB liquid medium were separated by centrifugation (12,000 rpm, 1 min). After removing the supernatant, the bacterial pellet was scraped into a 2 mL centrifuge tube, washed with TE buffer (1 mL, 1 M Tris-HCl, 0.5 M EDTA; pH 8.0) and centrifuged (12,000 rpm, 1 min). After discarding the supernatant, the isolated endophytic bacteria were resuspended in 200 µL TE buffer with 50 µL lysozyme and incubated at 37 °C for 60 min with gentle agitation. A total of 10 µL of proteinase K was added to the suspension, followed by incubation at 37 °C for 30 min with gentle agitation. The suspension was then supplemented with 40 µL 10% SDS and incubated at 37 °C for 30 min with gentle agitation. Subsequently, the suspension was mixed with NaCl (100 µL, 5 M) and sodium acetate solutions (200 µL, 3 M). Equal volumes of chloroform and isoamylol were added to the suspension, and the sample was gently shaken for seconds. Following incubation at room temperature for 5 min, the mixture was centrifuged (8,000 rpm, 10 min), and the supernatant was transferred into precooled isopropanol and maintained for 5 min. Following centrifugation (12,000 rpm, 10 min), the deposit was washed with 1 mL 70% ethanol and dried by evaporation at room temperature. The final deposits (dissolved in 30 µL high-salt TE buffer) were collected for the following analysis. After electrophoresis was conducted in a 1% (w/v) agarose gel, the gel was stained with ethidium bromide and visualized with UV. PCR was conducted using the universal primers (forward, 5'-AGAGTTTGATCCTGGCTCAG-3'; reverse, 5'-AAGGAGGTGATCCAGCCGCA-3') to determine the 16S rDNA gene sequence. PCR amplification consisted of an initial denaturation at 94 °C for 5 min followed by 30 cycles (denaturation at 94 °C for 1 min, annealing at 55 °C for 1 min and extension at 72 °C for 2 min) and a final extension at 72 °C for 8 min. Amplified DNA was sequenced by Takara Biotechnology Co., Ltd. The sequence of 16S rDNA was subjected to BLAST analysis with the NCBI database and aligned by using the multiple sequence alignment program, CLUSTAL X. A phylogenetic analysis was performed using MEGA 5.0. The evolutionary history was inferred using the neighbor-joining method.
The endophyte MD4 was seeded in beef extract peptone medium (3.0 g beef extract, 10.0 g peptone and 5.0 g NaCl dissolved in 1,000 mL) and incubated at 37 °C for 48 h while shaking, to increase the bacterial concentration. Following centrifugation (3,600 rpm, 30 min), the supernatant of the bacterial suspension was treated with activated carbon (Huadong Medicine Co. Ltd., Hangzhou, China) to bleach the medium and incubated at 40 °C for 30 min. After the removal of the activated carbon, the supernatant was concentrated by rotary evaporation, then the Sevag (4:1 ratio of chloroform to normal butanol) method was used to dislodge the proteins. EPSs were extracted by ethanol precipitation, and the final precipitate was dissolved in PBS and then dialyzed with PEG 20000 (Sinopharm Chemical Reagent Co. Ltd., Shanghai, China) to obtain the desired MD4-EPS for our further experiments. The total carbohydrate content, as well as MD4-EPS concentrations in the precipitated EPSs, was evaluated using the phenol-sulfuric acid method.
The MTT test was used to assay cell proliferation. The succinate dehydrogenase in the mitochondria of living cells reduces the exogenous MTT to the water-insoluble blue-purple crystalline formazan and deposits in the cells, whereas dead cells have no such function. Within a certain number of cells, the amount of crystallization of MTT was proportional to the number of cells. MC-4 cells (2×105 cells /mL) were seeded onto a 96-well plate and incubated for 24 h. Subsequently, the cells were treated with different concentrations of MD4-EPS (0.84, 1.26, 1.68, 2.10, 2.52, 2.94 and 3.36 µg/µL) and incubated at 37 °C with 5% CO2 for 24 h. MTT solution (20 µL) was added to each well, the samples were and incubated for 4 h. The optical density (OD) was measured at a wavelength of 492 nm in a Labsystems Multimode Reader (Labsystems, Finland), and the viability rate was calculated from three independent biological replicates. The control group was used as the reference group with cell viability set at 100%.
MC-4 cells (2×105 cells/well) were seeded onto 12-well plates. The cells were cultured under standard conditions for approximately 24 h. When the cells reached a confluence of approximately 80%, scratch wounds were made by scraping a line with a sterile 200 µL pipette tip, and then the cells were washed 3 times with PBS. The cells were then treated with three different concentrations of MD4-EPS (0.84, 1.68 and 3.36 µg/µL) and incubated at 37 °C and 5% CO2 for 24 h to allow the migration into the cell-free areas from the surrounding monolayer. After incubation for 24 h, the wound closure was photographed with a light microscope at 40× magnification. Relative quantitation of the cell migration index was quantified using Image-Pro Plus 6.0 analysis software.
MMP2 and MMP9 enzymatic activities were analyzed using gelatin zymography. MC-4 cells (2×105 cells/well) were plated in 6-well plates and treated with different concentrations of MD4-EPS (0.84, 1.68 and 3.36 µg/µL) in the wound healing assay. After incubation for 24 h, the culture media were collected and centrifuged (1,000 rpm, 10 min) at 4 °C to remove cell debris. The supernatant was collected and mixed with sample loading buffer (50 mM Tris-HCl pH 6.8, 10% glycerol, 1% SDS, 0.01% bromophenol blue) without DTT to denature MMPs. The samples were loaded onto a 7.5% SDS-polyacrylamide gel (containing 0.1% gelatin). Then, the gel was soaked twice for 30 min in 2.5% Triton-X-100 to remove SDS and transferred into the incubation buffer (50 mM Tris-HCl pH 7.5, 5 mM CaCl2, 1 µM ZnCl2 and 0.05% NaN3) at 37 °C for 18–20 h. The gel was immersed in staining solution (0.05% Coomassie blue RR-250, 30% methanol and 10% acetic acid in dH2O) for 3 h and subsequently in destaining solution (5% methanol and 10% acetic acid in dH2O) for 30 min. After the action of MMP2 and MMP9, the gel was decomposed, and the sites affected by the enzyme showed transparent bands. The visualized bands indicated the presence of MMPs with gelatinolytic activity. The comparison with standard protein marker bands indicated that MMP2 was detected by the clear band at 72 kDa and MMP9 at 92 kDa.
MC-4 cells were seeded as previously described in the wound healing assay and treated with different concentrations of MD4-EPS for 24 h. After incubation, the cell culture medium was collected and centrifuged (1,000 rpm, 10 min) to remove the cells. The supernatant was transferred to new tubes and stored at −80 °C. MMP9 and MMP2 ELISA kits (ExCell Biology, Inc., Shanghai, China) were used to detect MMP9 and MMP2 concentrations in the cell culture supernatants, according to the manufacturer's protocol. The OD was measured at 450 nm in the Labsystems Multimode Reader (Labsystems, Finland), and each group was analyzed in triplicate. MMP9 and MMP2 concentrations were determined by a reference curve plotted using the kit-provided standards.
This manuscript does not need any ethics approval because the experimental materials are MC-4 cells.
All experiments were performed in triplicate. Data are shown as the mean ± standard deviation (SD). The Windows-based SPSS software (version 16.0) was used for statistical analysis. The MTS cell viability, migration rate, enzymatic activity and protein secretion level data were subjected to one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by Fisher's least significant difference (LSD) post hoc test. P<0.05 indicated a statistically significant difference.
As shown in Figure 1A, endophytic bacteria were isolated from slices of the tuberous roots of O. japonicus on LB plates. A single bacterial colony was picked from LB medium plates for purification (Figure 1B). A gram-positive bacterium, named MD4, with sticky colony characteristics was isolated from the inner section of O. japonicus and confirmed as Staphylococcus sp. A partial sequence of the 16S rDNA gene was identified and deposited in GenBank at NCBI (Figure 1, Accession No. HM140412.1). Evolutionary analyses were conducted in MEGA5. As shown in Figure 1C, BLAST analysis revealed that MD4 demonstrated the highest similarity (99%) with-Staphylococcus sp. A neighbor-joining dendrogram was constructed for the phylogenetic analysis of the endophyte bacterium MD4. The percentage of replicate trees in which the associated taxa clustered together in the bootstrap test (500 replicates) is shown above the branches. The evolutionary distances were computed using the maximum composite likelihood method and are reported as the number of base substitutions per site.
Figure 1 Isolation and evolutionary relationships of endophytic bacteria from O. japonicus. (A) Growth of endophytic bacteria from slices of the tuberous roots of O. japonicus on LB plates. (B) Sticky colonies of the endophytic bacteria growing throughout the LB medium. (C) Evolutionary analyses were conducted in MEGA5. The evolutionary history of the endophytic bacterium MD4 was inferred using the neighbor-joining method based on 16S rDNA gene sequences. LB, lysogeny broth.
Using the phenol-sulfuric acid method, MD4-EPS concentrations were obtained by a standard curve using a glucose solution. The results of the phenol sulfuric acid method showed that the purified EPS concentration from MD4 was 28.068 µg/µL.
Cell viability was evaluated by MTT assay after 24 h of treatment with EPS. The statistical analysis of cell viability is shown in Figure 2A,B,C. When MC-4 cells were treated for 24 h with graded concentrations of MD4-EPS (0.84, 1.26, 1.68, 2.10, 2.52, 2.94 and 3.36 µg/µL), the cells decreased in size and presented a spherical appearance. Besides, MC-4 cell viability gradually decreased with increasing MD4-EPS concentration. In addition, the IC50 value of the MD4-EPS was 0.891 µg/µL. Therefore, the results of MTT assay showed that MC-4 cells treated with MD4-EPS inhibited cell proliferation in a concentration-dependent manner.
Figure 2 Effect of MD4-EPS on the inhibition of proliferation in vitro. (A) Untreated MC-4 cells in the control group cultured for 24 h and visualized using microscopy. (B) MC-4 cells treated with 0.84 µg/µL MD4-EPS for 24 h and visualized using microscopy. (C) The results of the MTT assay showed that MD4-EPS treatment inhibited MC-4 cell proliferation in a concentration-dependent manner. Cell viability rates of MC-4 cells treated with 0.84, 1.26, 1.68, 2.10, 2.52, 2.94 and 3.36 µg/µL MD4-EPS for 24 h and analyzed by MTT assay (**, P<0.01). EPS, exopolysaccharide. (B,C) The staining method is water-insoluble blue-purple crystalline formazan.
The effect of the EPSs extracted from the endophyte MD4 on the migration of MC-4 cells was quantified using the cell wound healing assay. The effect of MD4-EPS on cell migration was assessed with wound margin analysis (Figure 3A,B). As shown in Figure 3C, at high EPS concentrations, the cells became round, and some of them were shed and suspended in culture medium. Microscopic analysis indicated that MD4-EPS decreased the migration rate of MC-4 cells in a dose-dependent manner compared with normal cells and cells in the PBS negative control group. The migration of MC-4 cells was significantly inhibited at the MD4-EPS concentration of 1.68 µg/µL, whereas the cells of the control group and the negative control PBS group did not show any inhibition in their migration ability. It can be seen from the results of the wound healing assays that EPSs exhibited a strong ability to inhibit migration. When EPSs were added to the cells, they inhibited cell migration, while the cells in the control group and the PBS group maintained their original migration ability.
Figure 3 Effect of MD4-EPS on the inhibition of migration in vitro. The results of the cell wounding assay showed that MD4-EPS treatment inhibited MC-4 cell migration in a concentration-dependent manner. MC-4 cells were treated with 0.84, 1.68 and 3.36 µg/µL MD4-EPS, and the gap was visualized using microscopy at 0 h (A) and 24 h (B) (20×). (C) The cell migration index was quantified, showing the changes in migration levels with increasing MD4-EPS concentration (**, P<0.01). EPS, exopolysaccharide.
The gelatin zymography analysis results showed that the migration-related enzymatic activities of MMP2 and MMP9 were decreased after EPS treatment. As shown in Figure 4A, the results indicated that MMP2 enzymatic activity decreased as the concentration of MD4-EPS increased. MMP9 also showed decreased enzymatic activity due to MD4-EPS treatment, but the inhibitory effect on MMP9 was stronger than the effect on MMP2.
Figure 4 Effect of MD4-EPS on the activation and the protein secretion levels of MMP2 and MMP9. The gelatin zymography analysis demonstrated that the activation levels of MMP2 and MMP9 were reduced after EPS treatment. (A) MMP2 enzymatic activity decreased as the concentration of MD4-EPS increased, and the enzymatic activity of MMP9 was markedly downregulated compared to that of the control. The concentrations of MMP9 and MMP2 in the cell culture supernatants as detected by ELISA after the MD4-EPS treatments at different concentrations for 24 h. The gel was immersed in staining solution (0.05% Coomassie blue RR-250, 30% methanol and 10% acetic acid in dH2O) for 3 h and subsequently in destaining solution (5% methanol and 10% acetic acid in dH2O) for 30 min. (B) The levels of MMP2 gradually decreased after treatment with EPSs (*, P<0.05; **, P<0.01). (C) Compared with the PBS group, the secretion of MMP9 was also suppressed significantly by a low concentration of EPSs (*, P<0.05; **, P<0.01). There were no significant differences between the control group and the PBS group. (*, P<0.05; **, P<0.01). EPS, exopolysaccharide.
ELISA assays evaluated MMP2 (Figure 4B) and MMP9 (Figure 4C) protein concentrations in the cell culture medium after MD4-EPS treatment. Our results showed that MMP2 and MMP9 protein levels were gradually reduced in a concentration-dependent manner with the increasing concentration of MD4-EPS compared with the PBS group. Moreover, there were no significant differences between the control group and the PBS group.
In the present study, we explored the antitumor effect of EPSs extracted from the endophyte MD4, which was identified as Staphylococcus sp. based on 99% similarity in the partial sequence analysis of 16S rDNA. According to the most recent publications, the antitumor ability of EPSs from endophytes is mainly due to the effect of EPS on the immune system and on the induction of tumor cells apoptosis (24).
The main biological characteristics of tumor cells are uncontrolled proliferation and high migration ability (25,26). The proliferation of MC-4 cells was reduced in a concentration-dependent manner by MD4-EPS. According to the results of wound healing assays, EPSs exhibited strong abilities to inhibit migration. When EPSs were added to the cells, they inhibited cell migration, while the cells in the control and PBS groups maintained their original migration ability. These results suggested that MD4-EPS significantly reduced MC-4 cell proliferation and further affected migration.
MMPs degrade collagen type IV in the basement membrane, and they have a close relation with malignant tumor infiltration and migration (27-29). In this study, the antitumor effect of EPSs was exerted by the inhibition of MMP2 and MMP9 protein activation and secretion. Indeed, the results of the gelatin zymography assay showed that MMP2 and MMP9 enzymatic activities were suppressed by the gradual increase in MD4-EPS concentration. ELISA showed the same trend in the secretion of MMP2 and MMP9 protein into the basement membrane after treatment with MD4-EPS. It seems that the MD4-EPS inhibition of MC-4 cell proliferation was mediated by decreasing the secretion of MMP2 and MMP9. In other words, MC-4 cell migration was inhibited by EPSs that were also linked to the downregulation of MMP2 and MMP9. Furthermore, MMP2 and MMP9, two important members of the MMP family-involved in the degradation of the extracellular matrix, exist in various bodily tissues (30).
In this study, we found that the enzymatic activities of MMP2 and MMP9 protein were significantly suppressed by MD4-EPS. This result can be explained by the abnormally high levels of MMP2 and MMP9 in gastric cancer cells that increase the degradation of the ECM and break the basal membrane, thereby leading to tumor migration (31,32). Our results also provide evidence for additional treatments targeting the pathogenesis of gastric cancer migration and for the development of drugs that target MMP2 and MMP9.
Cell proliferation is a normal physiological process occurring in every tissue of the body (33). Under normal conditions, cell proliferation and programmed cell death exist in a balance (34). However, in gastric cancer cells, this balance is disrupted by uncontrolled cell proliferation (35). Therefore, inhibiting cell proliferation is considered to be an effective approach to cancer therapy. Numerous signaling pathways have been reported to be involved in the cell proliferation of cancer cells, such as the Wnt, JAK/STAT, PI3K/Akt and MAPK signaling pathways (36,37). The MAPK signaling pathway is the key signaling pathway in gastric cancer cells, and it manipulates cell proliferation and migration by regulating MMPs or other proteins (38). In this study, MMPs in MC-4 human gastric cancer cells were significantly downregulated by MD4-EPS treatment, suggesting the potential effects of MD4-EPS on the MAPK signaling pathway, which will be studied in the future.
In summary, EPSs clearly showed an antitumor effect via MD4-EPS treatment by inhibiting cell proliferation and migration.
Funding: The present study was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation Project (No. 81874355) and the Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation (No. LY18H280008). The present study was also supported by the Subject of Zhejiang TCM Administration Bureau (No. 2006C019).
Ethical Statement: This manuscript does not need any ethics approval because the experimental materials are MC-4 cells.


text:
AUCD Legislative News InBrief
Vol. VIII, Issue 1
Congressional Schedule
Happy New Year! Congress is still out for its winter recess. The Second Session of the 110th Congress will begin mid-January with the House of Representatives returning on January 15 and the Senate on January 22. However, the Senate has been holding pro-forma sessions to prevent recess appointments by the President. The President's State of the Union address is currently scheduled for January 28.
On Dec. 26, President Bush signed into law the Fiscal Year 2008 omnibus appropriations bill, combining funds for 11 of the 12 annual appropriations bills. The bill provides a $3.7 million increase for the UCEDDs and a significant percentage increase for the LEND programs (see the full report here). Congress had finalized the bill just hours before adjourning the first session of the 110th Congress the week of Dec. 18; however, the President waited a full week to sign the bill into law. The bill that was signed was the third omnibus package put together by Democratic leaders. The two previous bills were vetoed and threatened to be vetoed respectively because they contained more money for discretionary programs than were proposed by the President. The final bill provided level funding for many disability and social services programs but these programs were actually cut after an across-the-board rescission of 1.7 percent was applied to most discretionary programs in order to stay within the President's spending cap.
Medicare/SCHIP/Medicaid
On December 29, 2007, President Bush signed legislation (S. 2499) increasing Medicare reimbursement to physicians and extending funding for the State Children's Health Insurance Program through March 2009. The Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007 passed the Senate Dec. 18 and the House Dec. 19. The law provides doctors a 0.5 percent payment increase through June 30, cancelling a 10 percent cut scheduled to take effect Jan. 1. Congress must address the issue again mid-year to avoid another payment cut for doctors from taking effect July 1. Advocates were successful in adding a six-month delay on the implementation of proposed Medicaid regulations from CMS related to school-based services and rehabilitation services. However, prior to the President signing the bill with the 6-month moratorium, the Administration issued a final rule late Friday night before the holiday break to implement the new rule (see the regulation here [pdf]). It is now unclear how the new law and the final rule will affect the reimbursement of those Medicaid services. The new law also contains numerous provisions extending current Medicare payment policies, including an extension to June 30 of the nursing home therapy cap exception, a permanent freeze at 60 percent of the compliance threshold for inpatient rehabilitation facilities, regulatory relief for long-term care hospitals, and extension of the qualified individual, or QI program.
Community Choice Act
A hearing on the Community Choice Act and other long-term services and supports issues is scheduled for Wed., January 16, 2008 in the Health Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
The House of Representatives is scheduled to consider the College Opportunity and Affordability Act (H.R. 4137) soon after returning from recess. It was approved by the House Committee on Education and Labor on Dec. 19. The Senate passed its bill to reauthorize the Higher Education Act (S.1642) on July 24. A side-by-side comparing the disability provisions in both bills is now available on the AUCD Postsecondary Education webpage.
Disability Policy Seminar
An invitation to register for the 2008 Disability Policy Seminar, Advancing Disability Policy in an Election Year (March 2-4), was emailed to the network on Dec. 21. For all the information you need to register for the event and hotel, please visit the AUCD website. The deadline to register without financial penalty is Feb. 7. AUCD hopes that you plan to attend this exciting association-sponsored event.
Mental Health Parity
The Mental Health Parity Act of 1996 (MHPA) will expire Dec. 31, 2008, the Congressional Research Service noted in a report made available Jan. 2 tracing past and current legislative action on the issue.
The report, The Mental Health Parity Act: A Legislative History (Order Code RL33820), provides a detailed history of mental health parity legislation, including a discussion of bills introduced in each Congress and accompanying legislative action, including hearings, markups, and floor votes. View the report here.
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