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Mechanical and optical properties of the femoral chordotonal organ in beetles (Coleoptera)
Leonid Frantsevich, Irina Shumakova, Dmytro Gladun
Journal of Experimental Biology 2019 222: jeb203968 doi: 10.1242/jeb.203968 Published 8 November 2019
Leonid Frantsevich
1Schmalhausen-Institute of Zoology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kiev 01601, Ukraine
ORCID record for Leonid Frantsevich
For correspondence: frantsevych@nas.gov.ua
Irina Shumakova
2Institute for Evolutionary Ecology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kiev 03143, Ukraine
ORCID record for Irina Shumakova
Dmytro Gladun
ORCID record for Dmytro Gladun
The femoral chordotonal organ (FCO) in beetles differs from that in orthopterids in the origin of its apodeme: it originates directly from the tibia in the latter, but amidst the tendon of the extensor muscle in the former. In many beetles, the apodeme pops up from the tendon as a short sclerite (arculum). It turns distally upon bending of the tibia. The turn of the arculum is several times more than the turn of the tibia, and the arculum is connected to the FCO. This system behaves as a high-pass filter with a time constant close to the step period. Various aspects of the arculum have been studied previously, including its shape in various taxa, its biomechanics, matched neural activity in the FCO, as well as evolutionary aspects. The results of previous studies, published in 1985–2003 in Russian, are inaccessible to most foreign readers. However, original texts and the list of studied species (>350) are now available online. Recently, we minimized the system to three components: the proximal tibial ledge, the tendon and the arculum. The elastic tendon contains resilin. In four model species, the arculum readily turned upon stretching of the tendon. Turning was video recorded. The force of approximately 0.005 N, applied to a tendon approximately 0.25 mm in size, is enough for the utmost turn of the arculum. The arculum turned also upon local deformations close to its base. The ability to turn vanished after incision between the arculum and the distal part of the extensor apodeme. A mechanical model of an amplifier is proposed. The apodeme includes optically active structures, which behave differently in polarized light.
Femoral chordotonal organs in beetles
Femoral chordotonal organs (FCO) measure an angle in the femoro-tibial joint (FTJ). The FCO was discovered in the grasshopper Melanoplus differentialis by Slifer (1935). Physiology of the FCO was thoroughly studied in the locust Schistocerca gregaria, the stick insect Carausius morosus and related species. Here, we discuss mechanical aspects of the FCO.
The neural part of the FCO in orthopterids is connected directly with the tibia via a long rod-like apodeme (Bässler, 1965, 1967; Burns, 1974; Burrows, 1987; Shelton et al., 1992; Usherwood et al., 1968). This apodeme is the invagination of the external integument.
The FCO apodeme lies parallel to the apodeme of the musculus extensor tibiae (MET). The MET apodeme invaginates inside the femur as a long flat band for attachment of myofibrils. Excursions of the tibia inside the femur are transmitted via a rod-like apodeme to the neural part of the FCO. A similar origin of the apodeme was reported for the moth Manduca sexta (Lepidoptera) by Kent and Griffin (1990), cited in Field and Matheson (1998), and for the hornet Vespa crabro (Hymenoptera) (Shumakova, 2003, fig. 2A).
I.S. and L.F. have studied the FCO apodeme of beetles since the 1980s. The separate origin of the FCO apodeme from the arthrodial membrane is not conspicuous in beetles. A free sclerotized rod of the FCO apodeme gets outside in the middle of the tendon of the MET apodeme and continues its way to the FCO. A hollow channel from the tibia to the base of a rod was noticed in some whole mounts of the tendon or in histological slides. However, in 20–25% of beetle species, the rod appears as a short sclerotized club – straight (in Adephaga) or curved (in Polyphaga) – which continues proximally as a soft ligament in Adephaga or several ligaments in Polyphaga. Results of these studies have been published in Russian and are still unknown abroad. We provide below a concise review of these observations. Photocopies of original publications and the list of >350 inspected beetle species are available online at http://izan.kiev.ua/ppages/frantsevich/arc.htm or from the reference list for particular articles.
A curved club (a small arch, or the arculum) was firstly found in Lethrus apterus (Geotrupidae; Lethrinae). The schematic positions of the MET and FCO in the femur is depicted in Fig. 1A (Frantsevich and Shumakova, 1985, fig. 1). Typical arcula are depicted in Fig. 1C–F. We apply the term 'arculum' both to straight or curved clubs. We refer to the connection of the arculum with the tendon as the base of the arculum, and the free end is referred to as the tip.
The femoral chordotonal organ (FCO), musculus extensor tibiae (MET) and arculum in beetles. (A) MET and FCO in the femur of Lethrus apterus; (B) a visco-elastic model of the arculum suspension. Separated arcula in (C) Calosoma inquisitor, (D) L. apterus, (E) Pentodon idiota and (F) Chalcophora mariana, not to scale. a, arculum; E, e, elastic springs; lig1, lig2, ligaments from the base and the tip of the arculum to FCO; p, pivot of the femoro-tibial joint; V, viscous element. Arrows in B show leg-fixed axes.
We observed the arculum in an amputated leg via a small window in the anterior wall of the femur (Fig. S1A; from Frantsevich and Shumakova, 1987a, fig. 5A). Astonishingly, the arculum responded to a small flexion of the tibia with a quick turn distally. When the dorsal ledge of the tibia inside the femur moved distally, the arculum turned distally as well. Turns of the tibia were exerted with a pen recorder, coaxial with the FTJ and operated by a pulse generator. Turns of the arculum were recorded with a video kymograph on a running film as a trace of the arculum across a scan line of a video image (Fig. S1B; from Frantsevich and Shumakova, 1985, fig. 2). The scan rate was 25 s−1. The trace reproduced sinusoidal oscillations of the arculum (Fig. S1C–F) or a response to rectangular pulses.
The amplitude of the illustrated tibial oscillations was 0.4 deg. Turns of the arculum appeared several times wider than turns of the tibia. For the femoro-tibial angle in the sector of 60–80 deg, oscillations above 2–3 Hz at the tip of the arculum in L. apterus were 15-fold larger than at the base. At 10 Hz, the ratio between angular excursions of the tibia and the arculum was 1:25. Angular amplification diminished at frequencies below 2 Hz. The response to a stepwise turn decayed exponentially with a time constant of 0.4–0.5 s. The step frequency in L. apterus was approximately 2 s−1. A more important index is displacement of the tip by 150–170 μm per 1 deg of turn of the tip; it is equivalent to the signal transmitted to the FCO via the ligament (Frantsevich and Shumakova, 1985). Performance of the arculum in L. apterus appeared the best among several tested beetles (Table S1).
Responses in L. apterus diminished at both sides out of the optimal joint angle (Frantsevich and Shumakova, 1987a, fig. 4). During the stepwise extension, amplification by the arculum was optimal at the FTJ angle of 75 deg; however, during the reverse flexion, maximal sensitivity shifted to 60 deg (histeresis). This was caused presumably by two factors: (1) bending of the internal head of the tibia and change of leverage and force applied to the extensor tendon at different angles of the FTJ (Heitler, 1974) and (2) viscosity in the myofibrils in the leg.
The simplest explanation of high-pass filtering is Maxwell's model (Brankov, 1981) of an elastic and a viscous element in series (Fig. 1B; from Frantsevich and Shumakova, 1987a, fig. 6). However, real elastic and viscous elements were not identified.
Development of the equation is given in Frantsevich and Shumakova (1987a). Lengthening of the elastic element is directly proportional to applied force, whereas proportionality in the viscous element refers to velocity of lengthening, which is the first time derivative. The ratio between the amplitudes at the tip and the base of the arculum, or gain G, depends on frequency. The optimal value for the time constant was fitted to obtain the least square deviation of the computed gain from real values (Frantsevich and Shumakova, 1987a, fig. 2, eqns 1–8). We obtained optimal values for the time constant τ=0.435 s, and for the gain G=16.12. The other way to evaluate the time constant is to measure the exponential response of the arculum to a quick (step-wise) turn of the tibia.
Electrophysiological records on a large scarab Scarabaeus transcaspicus were published in a short communication (Shumakova, 1989, fig. 2). She recorded the summary electrical activity in the anterior femoral nerve, which included axons from two scoloparia of the FCO. Each one is linked with one of the ligaments. These ligaments were separated from the arculum. A single branch (∼6 mm long) was glued to a glass microcapillary with n-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate (B. Braun, Germany). The capillary was attached to the pen of the recorder, mentioned above. Sinusoidal mechanical stimuli below 10 Hz were applied. Bursts of spikes in the anterior femoral nerve coincided with the phases of maximal velocity of deformation, similarly at contraction or stretching. Some directionally sensitive units were active only at one phase of deformation. The higher the amplitude of oscillation, the higher the number of spikes in the burst. A step-wise stimulus exerted a burst of spikes, similarly at stretch or release of the ligament. Responses from both ligament branches were similar. It is likely that the specificity of information in each part of the FCO originated at the mechanical level.
In a second short communication (Shumakova, 1990), histology of the FCO and the arculum was studied in L. apterus, the carabids Carabus cancellatus and Cicindela maritima, and the ladybird Coccinella septempunctatum on semi-thin sections of epon-812 embedded femora, stained with Toluidine Blue. Whole mounts of the FCOs of the carabid Anthia mannerheimi, the stag beetle Lucanus cervus and the scarab Scarabaeus transcaspicus were processed in the same fashion. Specimens were viewed using a phase-contrast microscope. The author observed a thin channel inside the tendon of the MET, which led to the base of the arculum. Scolopidia in the FCO were also illustrated. Longitudinal lamellae with radially oriented cross-sections ∼15 μm wide were observed at the base of the arculum in L. apterus.
Laboratory studies were completed with a broad search of the arcula in over 350 species of 84 beetle families (Frantsevich and Shumakova, 1987b). As the arculum remained well preserved in dry specimens, we also searched museum collections.
Well-developed arcula were found in almost all Adephaga (eight families). A sole ligament emerged from the tip of the straight arculum. Arcula in Polyphaga, if present, are curved and develop two or more ligaments to the FCO. Well-developed arcula are obligate for all Scarabaeiformia and some Elateriformia (formerly Dascilliformia; i.e. in Buprestidae, Rhipiceridae, Byrrhidae, Heteroceridae and two archaic subfamilies of Elateridae); they are seldom seen in Cucujiformia, but are present in all Coccinellidae (and uncertainly in Cerylonidae; personal communication, R. A. Crowson, Zoology Department, University of Glasgow).
On the contrary, no arculum was found in Cupedidae (Archostemmata), five families of Staphyliniformia, 15 families of Elateriformia, four families of Bostrychiformia, or 38 families of Cucujiformia, including Tenebrionodae, Cerambycidae, Chrysomelidae and Curculionidae.
We traced some cases of presumable reduction of the arculum: large but immobile in Dytiscidae or absent in some dytiscid subfamilies and Gyrinidae in Adephaga; absent in five advanced elaterid subfamilies; and proportionally tiny in the elateriform families Byrrhidae and Rhipiceridae. Thus we concluded that approximately 90,000 among 400,000 beetle species possess the arculum.
In Frantsevich and Shumakova (1987b), we illustrated shapes of arcula in over 150 beetle species (http://mail.izan.kiev.ua/frants/EnRev.pdf, http://mail.izan.kiev.ua/frants/Plates.pdf). The list of all inspected species and indication of the size of the arculum, if present, is accessible as a table in Excel format at http://mail.izan.kiev.ua/frants/TOTAL.xls. We did not match the existence and development of the arcula with phylogenetic schemes for Coleoptera. But we did discuss probable stages of the functional evolution in the FCO apodeme (Frantsevich and Shumakova, 1993, fig. 4).
The best-developed arculum, as far as we know, belongs to L. apterus. This species digs holes with larval cells, makes long pedestrian excursions for leaflets, forms packets of leaflets and promptly walks backwards. Other Geotrupinae (Geotrupidae) and Scarabaeinae (Scarabaeidae) also demonstrate similar behavior. Further, stag beetles (Lucanidae) and bess beetles (Passalidae) spend most of their time under bark, nursing larvae and excavating tunnels. These beetles have well-developed arcula.
In contrast, arcula are present in less-talented chafers (Melolonthinae: Scarabaeidae), archaic click beetles (Cardiophorinae and Tetralobinae in Elateridae) and Heteroceridae. Well-developed arcula are obligate in jewel beetles (Buprestidae), with a rather simple usage of legs by imagines. What is puzzling is the possession of well-developed arcula by all ladybirds (Coccinellidae), which may be unique among the Cucujoidea. The series of early studies left the real mechanism of the arculum motility unsolved and did not match unambiguously the mechanical complexity of the arculum against real behavioral demands in a given coleopteran taxon.
Our localization of elastic and viscous elements in Maxwell's model was tentative. Hence, we decided to study a minimal system of three components: the MET apodeme (without myofibrils), the arculum and the MET tendon. We excluded myofibrils as passive viscous elements and identified the localization of elastic elements. In these experiments, we applied stretch directly to the tendon. We propose a simple mechanical model based on video records.
Leg-fixed coordinate system
The six legs of an insect are oriented differently with respect to the body. We use names for directions that fit any leg. Let us bend (in imagination) the femur and the tibia at a right angle and construct the leg plane across three joints: femoro-tibial, tibio-tarsal and coxo-trochanteral. Let the leg plane be placed at a right angle to the fore–aft body axis, the femur points laterally. Here, we recognize three invariant pairs of directions: anterior–posterior, dorsal–ventral and proximal–distal.
Beetles were collected in the Kiev Region (Ukraine) and stored either in a freezer or in 70% ethanol. Separated legs were glued posterior face up to a rubber scaffold. Legs were dissected in a drop of ethanol using a sliver of a hard razor and forceps (Fisher Scientific, A. Dumont & Fils, Switzerland) under an MBS-9 stereomicroscope (LOMO, former USSR). The MET was exposed without damage to the anterior face of this muscle. The dorsal ledge of the tibia was separated from the rest of the tibia. The whole muscle together with the tibial ledge was placed in 70% ethanol. Myofibrils were plucked off.
Plucked specimens were stored in drops of glycerol and mounted on microscope slides in the glycerol–chloral hydrate–gum medium. Specimens, stored in glycerol, retained their ability to respond with turns of the arcula to stretch of the tendon, either after transfer into 70% ethanol or as suspended in the air with residual glycerol lubrication.
Some beetles were obtained from old collections. Their legs were macerated in 70% ethanol before dissection. In total, more than 250 whole mounts of muscles from 23 species were inspected. Species mentioned in the text are listed in Table S2.
Specimens were photographed using the following microscopes. (1) MBS-9 with a Canon EOS 550D camera. Whole mounts were submerged in 96% ethanol, in order to neutralize reflections, and illuminated at a skew against the blue or black background. (2) Olympus CX41s with a Canon EOS 600D. (3) Olympus BX 51 with a WU filter (excitation 330–385 nm, 420 nm longpass emission filter) and a Canon EOS 600D. The presence of resilin-like proteins was inferred in places with blue autofluorescence. (4) LOMO MBI-3 with a Canon EOS 550D, equipped, if necessary, with two polarization filters, inserted above the condenser and above the ocular. Two positions of filters were used: with parallel orientations of E-vectors or with crossed orientation.
Serial photographs were compiled using Adobe Photoshop 5.5 (Adobe Systems, Inc., San Jose, CA, USA). The minimal model of the arculum in situ was composed in 3MAX V7.0 (Autodesk, San Rafael, CA, USA). For the sake of uniformity, we orient photographs with the distal end of the MET turned rightwards, the arculum or the rod from above. If necessary, originals were flipped.
We selected specimens that were able to respond with turns of the arculum upon manual extension of the tendon of the MET apodeme. Specimens were viewed under a Citoval 2 microscope (Carl Zeiss Jena, Jena, Germany), equipped with a Sigeta LCMOS 14,000 camera (Ningbo Haishu Honyu Opto-Electro Co., Ningbo, China) for video recording, with a frame rate of 10–1 s. Each specimen was submerged in 70% ethanol and gripped with two forceps: the first (immobile) held the proximal part of the apodeme, the second pulled the apodeme by the tibial ledge or its arthrodial membrane. An operator activated the arculum, moving the second forceps distally and proximally.
For a slow or stationary stretch of the tendon, we used an MM-1 micromanipulator with two clamps, which held a specimen in series with a loop of thin copper wire, glued to the tibial ledge, and a tungsten spring; this was oriented horizontally. For measurements, several referent points were selected on the tendon. Otherwise, a specimen was clamped by the MET apodeme in the vertical orientation, a loop was glued to the tibia, and loads were suspended under the loop (Fig. S3). Specimens were photographed under the MBS-9 microscope.
Videos were saved using the software ToupView 3.7.7158 (ToupTek Photonics Co., Hangzhou, China) and viewed with VirtualDub (Softtronic International, Barcelona, Spain). Each video was processed frame by frame using the software AVIEdit (AM Software, Moscow, Russia). Selected frames for illustrations were edited in Adobe Photoshop.
For distance measurements, each frame was loaded into the image window of Sigma Scan Pro (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Six to seven referent points were selected and clicked in each frame (Fig. S2). Coordinates were returned as a table in Excel format and processed by custom programs written in TurboBasic 1.3 (Borland International, Inc., Austin, TX, USA).
Referent points were projected onto a line that connected two grips, and distances from the midpoint of the cup (see Results, The MET apodeme) were calculated for all other points; hence a computation problem was reduced to one dimension. Frame-by-frame positions of the arculum and the distal grip were analyzed and depicted using Excel.
Motile specimens of the MET apodeme were also actuated with pricks of an acupuncture needle close to the base of the arculum; imposed turns were video recorded. Another test, using motile specimens, recorded the ability of the arculum to turn upon stretch of the tendon; this test was performed after a local section of the tendon with a razor blade.
Videos were compressed or cropped using the AVIEdit software.
The femoro-tibial joint
The FTJ in beetles is bicondylar. Two condyles are situated on the anterior and superior faces of the tibia. Each condyle is fossed with a semicircular groove. Semicircular ridges inside the femur fit to grooves. Each set – consisting of the condyle, the groove and the ridge – forms a pivot for rotation of the tibia.
The distal edge of the femur overhangs the tibia. Its internal surface is invagination of the external cuticle. The dorsal proximal ledge of the tibia is hidden inside this invagination. The space between sclerotized counterparts of the femur and the tibia around the FTJ is protected with a sheath of the arthrodial membrane. This sheath is plicate in order to compensate for excursions of the tibia around pivots. The arthrodial membrane from the dorsal tibial ledge meets the dorsal membrane from the femur at some distance from the ledge.
These soft folds give origin for two deep invaginations (apodemes): one of the MET and another of the FCO. In addition, the arthrodial membrane above the dorsal tibial ledge houses (and presumably produces) an elastic tendon (sensu Weis-Fogh, 1960 or Burrows, 1987) between the tibia and the sclerotized part of the MET apodeme. The MET apodeme and the tendon form an integrated complex.
The MET apodeme
The apodeme of the m. extensor tibiae stretches proximally almost until the trochantero-femoral joint. This apodeme is composed of two unequal parts. Its proximal part is a stiff flat band, situated in the leg plane. Muscle fibers attach to both sides of the band. The band consists of numerous longitudinal sclerotized threads that are apparent when stripped of myofibrilla. Their number increases distally, hence their distal mass seems dark brown. In Figs 3D,F, 4A,B and 9D, the distal part of the band (leftwards in each figure) appears in the frame. The band occupies over 80% of the integrated complex.
The transparent tendon occupies approximately 10% of the complex. Its shape is trapezoid, tapering proximally, and flattened in the plane, orthogonal to the band.
A compact transitional area exists between the band and the tendon. It consists of a strongly sclerotized cup-like body, convex distally. Some distal myofibrils attach to the proximal face of this cup. Arthrodial membranes, originated from the femur and from the tibia, couple together at the edge of the cup. The scheme of division is depicted in Fig. 2I.
Rods and ligaments of the FCO in five beetles without (and one with) arcula. Beetles with arcula: (A,D) Hydrous piceus, (B,E) Prionus coriarius, (C,F) Zophobas atratus, (G) Priacma serrata and (H) Meloë proscarabaeus. With arcula: (I) Chalcophora mariana. (A–C) Top view of the MET apodeme with the rod in front, (I) MET in C. mariana, dashed lines divide parts of the MET apodeme. (D–F) Origin of the rod from the tendon in beetles depicted in A–C; (G) origin of the rod presumably from the tendon; (H) top view of the tendon; (I) origin of two ligaments from the arculum (indicated with an arrow pointing downward). lig, ligaments to FCO; T, tibial ledge. Scale bars: (A,B,I) 1 mm, (C) 0.5 mm, (D,E,G,H) 0.2 mm, (F) 0.1 mm.
As each invagination, this apodeme possesses the inverse order of cuticular layers, the outer empty space is instead saved inside as the central canal (Weis-Fogh, 1960). This canal is seen in macro photographs of the apodeme (Fig. 3F). Presumably, it initiates as a fold of the arthrodial membrane and tapers proximally. This expanded part of the canal above the tendon is designated below as the central funnel (see Figs 2F and 3B,D,F).
Internal structures in the tendons of the MET. (A) Carabus glabratus, (B) Melolontha melolontha, (C,D) Chalcophora mariana, (E) Lethrus apterus and (F) Lucanus cervus. a, arculum; cf, central funnel; lig, ligaments to FCO; sc, internal sclerite; T, tibia. Base of the arculum is indicated with an arrow. Scale bars: (A,C,D,E) 100 μm, (B,F) 200 μm.
The FCO apodeme and the arculum
The neural part of the FCO in arcula-less beetles is situated at the base of the femur. A long rod-like apodeme joins the neural part with the dorsal ledge of the tibia. Its separate origin from the arthrodial membrane was found by us only in the blister beetles (Meloidae), including Meloё proscarabaeus (Fig. 2H). In other beetles, where apodemes were observed in detail, we found a long rod-like part of the FCO apodeme that emerged among the tendon (Fig. 2A–C, general view; D–F microphotographs) at various distances from the cup. The transparent rod in a small Priacma serrata (Archostemmata; Fig. 2G) also originates from the tendon.
The arculum in the Adephaga originates from the dorsal side of the tendon close to the cup (Fig. 3A). A soft ligament connects the tip with the FCO. The term ligament was applied earlier to soft threads connecting the FCO with femoral structures apart from the rod-like FCO apodeme (Usherwood et al., 1968; Bräunig, 1985). The arculum turns about its base upon stretching of the tendon.
The curved arculum in the Polyphaga bends the tendon around the anterior face of the tendon. The base of the arculum is situated on the dorsal side of the tendon, close to the cup (Fig. 3B,D–F). The diameter of the base in the jewel beetle Chalcophora mariana (Fig. 3C) is approximately 15 μm; the hollow central canal, penetrating the base, is twice as narrow; and the chord of the arculum is 190 μm long. Traces of central canals are seen also in other beetles (Fig. 3B,D–F).
Polyphagan ligaments are complex. Usually they emerge as two branches – from the base (ligament 1) and from the tip of the arculum in L. apterus or C. mariana (ligament 2, remained after dissection in Figs 2I and 3C,F) – or divide into several branches distributed along the arculum, e.g. in some Scarabaeoidea (Geotrupes spp., Oryctes nasicornis) and in Coccinellidae. The FCO is often situated at the middle of the femur.
Four species of those that we inspected retained the ability of the arculum to rotate easily upon stretch or compression of the tendon after stripping and fixation in ethanol: Calosoma inquisitor, L. apterus, Pentodon idiota and C. mariana. We selected them as model species for manipulations.
Resilin in the MET apodeme
The brightest blue fluorescence upon ultraviolet excitation in a whole mount of the stripped MET apodeme in four model species was observed in the tendon (Fig. 4). We assume that the tendon contains resilin.
Resilin in the MET apodeme. Distal parts of the MET viewed using (A,B) the light microscope and (C,D) the UV fluorescence microscope. (A,C) Lethrus apterus; (B,D) Pentodon idiota. Bright blue fluorescence is located in the tendon. Scale bars: (C) 200 μm, (D) 300 μm. a, arculum; lig2, ligament 2; T, tibia.
Internal macrostructures in the tendon
The tendon appears transparent in most inspected beetles. However, we noticed narrow longitudinal strands in some large to giant beetles from old collections: dry (the ground beetle A. mannerheimi and the rhinoceros beetle Megasoma elephas), ethanol-fixed (the rhinoceros beetle Allomyrina dichotoma) or deep-frozen (the long-horn beetle Prionus coriarius). Strands are seen upon slant illumination; they either shine or look dark, depending on the angle of illumination (Fig. 5). This figure includes beetles with the arculum (Fig. 5A–C) as well as with a rod (Fig. 5D). The number of strands varies from a dozen to several dozen.
Fan-like strands inside the tendons. (A) Anthia mannerheimi, (B) Megasoma elephas, (C) Allomyrina dichotoma, (D) Prionus coriarius. Strands connect the cup with the tibia. Connection is shown in insets in B and C. Scale bars: (B,C) 1 mm, (A,D) 0.5 mm, (B inset) 250 μm, (C inset) 100 μm. The distal stump of a rod-like FCO apodeme is abbreviated as rod. a, arculum; T, tibia.
Two types of strands are recognized in the tendon of M. elephas: six wide goldish ones and many dark and thin ones among them (Fig. 5B, inset). At the distal edge of the cup, a palisade of elongated elements is evident; their spacing corresponds to the spacing of the strands. A similar palisade is seen in A. dichotoma (Fig. 5C, inset). The diameter of the palisade element in these beetles is 25–40 μm.
Brown sclerotized areas (Fig. 3A,B,D) are situated in the ventral part of the tendon. They occupy approximately one-third of the tendon. Sclerotizations were found in the carabids Carabus glabratus, C. inquisitor and A. mannerheimi (Fig. 5A), in C. mariana (Buprestidae) and in Melolontha melolontha (Scarabaeidae); however, they were not found in other inspected scarabs. Although amorphous in M. melolontha, sclerotization in carabids and C. mariana is organized as a fan of strands.
Imposed movements of the arculum
Manual stretch and release of the tendon with fine forceps has been filmed with a low frame frequency (10 s–1) in four model species. In total, including other manipulations described in this section, we processed frame-by-frame 14 video fragments (of 39 total) containing 1074 frames (of 2514 total). Four compressed and cropped videos are available at http://izan.kiev.ua/ppages/frantsevich/arc.htm, or directly for C. inquisitor (Carabidae) at http://mail.izan.kiev.ua/frants/movie1_Inq.avi, L. apterus (Geotrupidae) at http://mail.izan.kiev.ua/frants/movie2_Leth.avi, P. idiota (Scarabaeidae) at http://mail.izan.kiev.ua/frants/movie3_Pen.avi, and C. mariana (Buprestidae) at http://mail.izan.kiev.ua/frants/movie4_Chal.avi.
The arculum is pivoted at its base and rotates around the axis perpendicular to the leg plane, and the tip turns distally upon stretch of the tendon, as shown frame-by-frame in P. idiota in Fig. 6.
Manipulated turn of the arculum in Pentodon idiota (eight frames from one cycle of stretch–release). Frames (f33 to f40) are arranged cyclically, with a frame rate of 10 s–1. The length of the tendon is minimal in f33 and f40, maximal in f36 and f37. Positions of the base and the tip of the arculum are indicated with a red dot and a white arrow in f38. The neutral position is shown in f33 and f40. Reference points are indicated with red dots in f40. a, arculum; T, tibia.
We analyzed projections of the relevant points onto the force vector between two grips and counted distances between projections. Plots in Fig. 7 compare 1D positions of the tip of the arculum versus its base, the distal tendon border or the tibial ledge. Synchrony is evident for turns of the tip of the arculum and stretching of the tendon. Plots show how oscillations of the tip of the arculum amplify displacements at its base (Fig. 7C,D). The best amplification was achieved in L. apterus (Fig. 7B); oscillations of the arculum were broader than applied stretch–release at the distal tendon border.
Oscillations of the tip of the arculum (black) and other relevant points (red) during manual stretch–release of the tendon. (A,D) Pentodon idiota, excerpts of total 172 frames; (B) Lethrus apterus and (C) Calosoma inquisitor, excerpts of total 173 frames. Relevant points are (A) grip of the movable forceps (correlation with the tip 0.947); (B) distal edge of the tendon (correlation 0.523); (C) base of the arculum (correlation 0.668); (D) base of the arculum (correlation 0.898). y-axis shows deviations from mean projections on the line between two grips (in pixels).
Table S3 shows correlation coefficients between synchronous shifts of relevant points: the tip and base of the arculum, the tips of gripping forceps, the distal edge of the tendon or the tibial ledge. Distances were measured from the cup. Correlations between the tip and distal relevant points were mostly significant. Correlations between oscillations of two grips were mostly low. The base of the arculum moved so slightly with respect to the cup that its synchrony with the applied stretch vanished in errors of pixelization.
The relative amount of stretch–release was evaluated in videos in which the steady distal drift of the grip by the slippery tibia was absent. The total duration of 11 fragments comprised 805 frames. We measured displacement of the distal grip relative to the cup. On average, the span of stretch–release was approximately 30% of the mean length of the tendon, with extreme values of 59% and 12%.
Also, we tested responses to a local deformation of the tendon close to the base of the arculum in P. idiota. We held a specimen by the band with the forceps, pricked the tendon with an acupuncture needle and video recorded turns of the arculum. Two successful videos were analyzed (in total 718 frames). Selected frames of pricking distally, laterally or proximally from the base during one cycle of manipulation are shown on Fig. 8. Respectively, the tip turned proximally, dorsally or distally, i.e. against piercing.
Turns of the arculum upon local pricking with a needle close to the base of the arculum in Pentodon idiota (numbered video frames). Top row: pricking distally to the base, leg L1; middle row: pricking laterally to the base, same leg; bottom row: pricking proximally to the base, leg R3. No pricking in the first and fourth columns, maximal deformation in the third column. The tip of the arculum rotates proximally (top row), dorsally (middle row) and distally (bottom row). The base of the tibia is indicated with a red dot in the left column; positions of the tip are indicated by white arrows. n, needle; T, tibia.
Lastly, we prepared specimens of the stripped MET apodeme from L. apterus and P. idiota, which are able to respond with turns of the arculum to the manual stretch of the tendon. We cut a shallow incision close to the base of the arculum, across or along the dorsal face of the tendon. Incisions cut distally, anteriorly or posteriorly from the base, did not prevent turns of the arculum. However, the incision between the base and the cup prevented turns of the arculum in 13 of 13 specimens of L. apterus and P. idiota; the arculum only translated a bit distally upon stretching of the tendon. The transverse incision in the ventral face of the tendon just distally to the cup did not affect turns of the arculum in a capable specimen.
Attempts to exert any imposed movements in a short stump (i.e. the basal part) of the rod in the arculum-less Hydrous piceus and Zophobas atratus by stretching of the tendon were ineffective.
Forces in the MET tendon
Experiments were performed on glycerol-soaked specimens of L. apterus. Horizontal stretch of the tendon in series with a coil spring allows to pull the tendon smoothly and fix the tendon in the necessary position (Fig. S3). We exerted a slow turn of the arculum until its limit and left the specimen for an indefinite time period. On the one hand, we get certain that the arculum after a stepwise turn did not return exponentially to its neutral position – in a specimen devoid of myofibrils or other viscous components. On the other hand, we could measure extension of the tendon by relevant points on photographs. Using two pairs of relevant points, we evaluated the average length of the unloaded tendon as 0.28 mm, its width as 0.25 mm and the constant volume of the cylinder of such size as 0.01226 mm3.
At the utmost turn, the length was 0.32 mm, 1.14 times greater relative to the initial state. Elongation, or change in length, was 0.14-fold. Elongation is proportional to applied force (Alexander, 1968). Using the value of Young's modulus for resilin of 1.8 MPa (Alexander, 1968, table 3) and the cross-section of elongated tendon of 0.038 mm2, or 3.8×10–8 m2, we obtained a value of force per this area of 0.0096 N, approximately 0.01 N, equal to a weight of approximately 1 g. Weis-Fogh (1960) originally indicated a wider range of the modulus of 0.5–3 MPa.
Preparation of specimens included two destructive episodes of desiccation: sticking to a rubber scaffold and sticking of a loop, with further recovery in 70% ethanol or glycerol. The most sensitive specimen in the vertical suspension (Fig. S3C,D) demonstrated almost complete turns of the arculum upon loads of 0.005–0.01 N.
Measurements of levers in tibiae of L. apterus revealed a ratio between internal (proximal to pivots) and external levers (distal to pivots) of 1 to 11.7, on average. Hence, forces applied to the tibio-tarsal joint must be less than 0.001 N in order to exert the full turn of the arculum.
Optical activity in the MET apodeme
We photographed whole mounts of the MET, embedded in the glycerol–chloral hydrate–gum medium, between two polaroids in parallel or in crossed positions. Exposure time between crossed polaroids was at least 10-fold longer than between parallel ones. Achromatic whole mounts revealed three optical effects (Fig. 9). (1) Empty background appears bright between parallel polaroids and becomes dark purple between crossed polaroids because of residual color transmission. (2) Transparent areas in the tendon look as bright as the background without polaroids, shaded between parallel polaroids, and brighter than the background between crossed filters. (3) Sclerotized structures look brown or dark brown without polaroids or between parallel polaroids. Some of them still look dark between crossed polaroids [arcula in all specimens, the tibial ledge in Fig. 9B,C,D (A. mannerheimi, L. apterus, P. idiota) and the cup in Fig. 9C,E (L. apterus, L. cervus)]. In other specimens, pieces of the ledge and the cup shine brightly between crossed polaroids.
Effects 2 and 3 manifest optical activity in biological materials, i.e. rotation of the polarization plane. If a sclerotized structure is inactive, its sign of contrast against the background does not change upon rotation of one polaroid. In heavily sclerotized structures, the transmitted light is so low that the contrast effect disappears.
Optical activity in the MET apodeme. Polaroids stay in parallel (odd rows) or are crossed (even rows). (A) Prionus coriarius, (B) Anthia mannerheimi, (C) Lethrus apterus, (D) Pentodon idiota and (E) Lucanus cervus. Note the following: (1) opacity in transparent tissues between parallel polaroids corresponds to bright areas between crossed polaroids; (2) dark-brown sclerotized areas of the cup or of the tibial ledge between parallel polaroids appear shining between crossed polaroids; (3) the arculum always appears dark brown. Scale bars: (A) 500 μm, (B,E) 300 μm, (C,D) 200 μm. a, arculum; T, tibia.
Simplest model of a mechanical amplifier
In this experimental study, we reduced the mechanism that moves the arculum to three components: the tendon, the arculum and the cup. When the cup is fixed and the tendon is stretched, the tip of the arculum turns distally, whereas displacement of the base of the arculum is small.
The model is proposed on the basis of the following structural or dynamical facts: (1) the arculum is attached to the dorsal side of the tendon, at a small, but non-zero distance from the cup; (2) the arculum is a part of the apodeme with a central canal inside, hence the attachment area is not punctual (see a hoof-like base of the arculum in Fig. 3C); (3) the tendon is elastic; deformations in the whole tendon are unidirectional; (4) the tip of the arculum turns distally upon stretching of the tendon (Fig. 6 and videos listed in the Results, Imposed movements of the arculum); (5) local deformations (pricking) of the tendon near the base of the arculum exert turns of the arculum; and (6) local destruction of the link between the base and the cup prevents rotation of the arculum.
Consequently, (7) the center of the base rotation cannot be inside the base, because all points in the base move in the same direction; (8) a non-stretched link 'base-cup' attaches to the base tangentially; and (9) crossing between the arculum and the tendon is impossible. The above conditions are satisfied if: (10) the axis of rotation of the arculum is (approximately) perpendicular to the leg plane and (11) touches the base at its extreme dorsal point; and (12) the base of the arculum inserts at some depth into the tendon, (13) but the dorsal edge of the base is tied with the cup with a non-stretched or hardly stretched link. The scheme of the model is depicted in Fig. 10.
Scheme of rotation of the arculum, actuated by stretch of the tendon. (A) Position of the arculum before stretch and (B) after stretch. A minimal model consists of the cup, the tendon and the arculum (green body, labeled with 'a'), situated closely to the cup. The model is turned to the viewer with its anterior face. The base of the arculum is depicted as a red ball. The axis of arculum rotation (not depicted) is oriented anteriorly and touches the base from above. A white line symbolizes a non-stretched link between the base and the cup.
Structures in the tendon
The tendon of the MET in beetles is transparent and elastic. Elasticity and blue fluorescence upon UV illumination are compatible with the properties of resilin. Resilin has been investigated in many superficial structures: tarsal setae, arthrodial membranes, the cornea of the compound eye, and wing membranes (Mishels et al., 2016; Haas et al., 2000a,b). The specific fluorescence of resilin was recorded in tendons of the MET apodeme in jumping legs of flea beetles (Crysomelidae: Alticinae) (Nadein and Betz, 2016, fig. 12) and of the weevil Orchestes fagi (Curculionidae) (Nadein and Betz, 2018, fig. 8). The presence of resilin inside cursorial, swimming and digging legs in beetles has not been recorded before.
The initial functions of resilin in tibial muscles are, presumably, to damp collisions with obstacles during locomotion and digging, for example, and to save energy for reverse motions. A particular function of resilin in the MET is participation in the sensory signal transmission to the FCO.
Resilin-containing formations are composite structures made of loose protein chains and chitin fibers oriented in order. The size of chitin fibers covers a great range from nano- to macro-structures. The length of an elementary chitin nanofiber is 0.3 μm with a diameter of 3 nm (Vincent and Wegst, 2004). Weis-Fogh (1960) found chitin lamellae inside resilin formations; their diameter was less than 200 nm and the spacing was 2–3 μm. The diameter of chitin fibers in Maulik's spring – an equivalent of the cup in flea beetles – was 50–100 nm (Furth et al., 1983).
Exocuticular chitin fibers in the pliable arthrodial membrane of a dragonfly's neck were approximately 30 nm in diameter, with a length of approximately 0.5 μm and spacing between fibers of 10–100 nm (Gorb, 2000). Spacing between lamellae inside the resilin–chitin composite allows them to slide freely over each other (Gorb, 2000). The structure of resilin–chitin composites, of which the cutucular component was claimed to be an accumulator of deformation energy, has not been investigated until now, in locusts (Burrows, 2016), fleas (Siphonaptera) and hemipterans (Cercopidae and Fulgoridae) (referred to in Burrows and Sutton, 2012), and mantis shrimp (Crustacea: Stomatopoda) (Patek et al., 2013).
We observed several sclerotized macrostructures inside the tendon. Firstly, we observed sclerotized areas at the ventral face of the tendon (in large and medium sized carabids, and in M. melolontha and C. mariana). These formations occupy areas of n×100 μm in length and width. Their probable purpose is strengthening of the ventral tendon face against a stiff contact with the tibial ledge, when the tibia is flexed. Secondly, we observed strands along the whole tendon in large and giant beetles. The length and spacing of strands was 500–700 μm and 70–100 μm in A. mannerheimi, 700–900 μm and 150–200 μm for wide strands and 20–50 μm for thin strands in M. elephas, 400–500 μm and 30–40 μm in A. dichotoma, and 600 μm and 30–50 μm in P. coriarius. Regretfully, we observed old specimens, which had been stored for years; thus we could not determine whether tendons in these species would have been stretchable in vivo. Shumakova (1990a) reported the presence of sclerotized lamellae (possibly strands in cross-section) in the tendon of L. apterus. It is difficult to fit a stretchable tendon with flat chitinous strands, which are resistant to stretch. Finally, we noticed an intriguing structure in the cups of giant rhinoceros beetles (Dynastinae: Scarabaeidae; Fig. 5, insets): densely packed parallel fibers (diameter 30–50 μm), which are oriented along the proximal–distal axis of the femur and end exactly at the border between the cup and the tendon.
FCOs with the arcula may compete with dipteran halters in their mechanical complexity. We hope that the story of the arcula, described above, is not finished yet, but will attract the attention of entomologists and physiologists to the evolution of FCOs among beetles, to the mechanical properties of the FCO apodeme and its surround, and to processing of the signal from the arculum by scoloparia in the FCO.
We are indebted to N. N. Bilyashevsky, V. G. Dolin, N. P. Dyadechko, G. Halffter, O. L. Kryzhanovsky, G. S. Medvedev, G. V. Nikolayev, A. G. Ponomarenko, D. Taker, M. G. Volkovich and S. M. Yablokov-Khnzoryan for donation of specimens used in this study. Y. Kuzmin created a website with originals of our publications in Russian. Strict criticism of anonymous reviewers contributed to great improvement of the paper.
The authors declare no competing or financial interests.
Conceptualization: L.F.; Methodology: L.F., I.S., D.G.; Software: L.F., D.G.; Formal analysis: L.F.; Investigation: L.F., I.S., D.G.; Writing - original draft: L.F., I.S.; Writing - review & editing: L.F., D.G.; Visualization: L.F., I.S., D.G.; Project administration: L.F.
This work was funded by the Ukrainian State Budget Program 'Support for the Development of Priority Areas of Scientific Research' (code: 6541230).
Supplementary information available online at http://jeb.biologists.org/lookup/doi/10.1242/jeb.203968.supplemental
Accepted September 20, 2019.
http://www.biologists.com/user-licence-1-1/
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Extensor tendon
Arculum
Angular amplification
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The December issue focuses on the future of Afghanistan as the U.S. marks the official withdrawal of U.S. military forces.
What is the situation today, and what can be expected for Afghanistan, tomorrow and in the years to come? The Journal examines these questions through three articles from retired Foreign Service officer Edmund McWilliams, Director of the United States Institute of Peace's Afghanistan and Central Asia Program Scott Smith, and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Afghanistan, Pakistan and Central Asia David Sedney. Although each author offers different viewpoints and suggestions, all agree that without some continuing U.S. engagement, Afghanistan's future is very much in doubt.
In addition, entry-level Foreign Service officer Wren Elhai makes the case for including Twitter as an indispensable part of the U.S. diplomatic toolkit, and AFSA President Bob Silverman remembers fallen colleagues in his monthly column. This issue also contains our semi-annual education supplement, focusing on educational information for Foreign Service families.
FOCUS ON AFGHANISTAN
Will History Repeat Itself?
Afghanistan is at another turning point. Though the challenges are great, the nation cannot afford to cycle back into civil war.
BY EDMUND MCWILLIAMS
Five Things We Can Still Get Right
Effective U.S. leadership is more important than ever in Afghanistan. What policies should we adopt to help as Afghans take the reins of their own country?
BY DAVID SEDNEY
What U.S. Policymakers Should Know About Afghanistan Today
Afghanistan's emergence as a modern nation will involve negotiating a cultural transition that integrates enduring traditions with viable change.
BY SCOTT SMITH
American College Rankings: How They Work and What They Mean
This in-depth look at U.S. college rankings offers a fresh perspective on the high school student's college search and a wealth of resources to help find the "right" school.
Have You Considered Boarding School?
The boarding school option has much to offer Foreign Service kids.
BY LAWRENCE JENSEN
Twitter Is a Cocktail Party, Not a Press Conference (or, Social Media for Reporting Officers)
BY WREN ELHAI
Unpacking Memories
BY DOUGLAS E. MORRIS

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Liberty Walk è un brano musicale della cantante statunitense Miley Cyrus, prima traccia del terzo album in studio Can't Be Tamed.

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Would eliminating front license plate have affected shooting case?
Rep. Bill Blessing, R-Colerain Township, supports the bill because it would save money, especially for classic car owners. He did not want to comment on the pending shooting investigation, but he said the missing license plate didn't help in that situation.
This isn't the first time lawmakers tried to reduce the number of license plates, but police officers oppose the move. They say it would limit investigations into road rage, retail theft and drunken driving.
"By eliminating front license plate, you basically cut in half the ability to identify a car involved in a crash," said Michael Wineman, director of government affairs for the Fraternal Order of Police of Ohio.
"Here you have a violent criminal without a front license plate. Because of that front license plate, we were able to approach him," Wineman said.


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Celebrating the anniversary of FDR's Civil Works Administration
By Mark | November 8, 2011
According to PBS, it was on this day in 1933 that President Franklin D. Roosevelt introduced the Civil Works Administration, "a component of his New Deal that helped America pull through the Great Depression of the 1930s by creating millions of construction jobs for unemployed Americans." If you have a drink in your hand, please join me in toasting a great American President, and a generation of leaders that were able to cross political lines to do what was in the best interests of the American people at a critical point in our nation's history.
Of course, we now live in a much different time… one in which our leaders, it would seem, are more interested in amassing wealth and power, than in providing for the general welfare of the American people… Ironically – because of this desperate need to stay in power – it looks as though there may finally have been a little positive movement on President Obama's jobs bill in Congress today. Here, with more on that, is a clip from the Christian Science Monitor.
…In a show of rare bipartisan agreement, the Senate voted on Monday to begin debate on the bill by huge margin, 94 to 1. More than 15 other House bills, mainly focusing on creating jobs by curbing government regulation, are languishing in the Senate, with little prospect of a floor vote.
But with congressional approval ratings now at record lows – in the single digits – neither party wants to head into 2012 elections with a record of near-zero legislative accomplishment, especially on a topic as critical to voters as jobs.
In a nod to Veterans Day this week, Senate Democrats are also proposing a package to help returning veterans find jobs in a tough market environment. The amendment, which draws on work by the veterans affairs committees in both the House and Senate, proposes tax credits for firms that hire veterans, and increases incentives for hiring disabled veterans.
In a another shift in tone, neither majority Republicans in the House or majority Democrats in the Senate insisted on "poison pill" features that derailed previous bids at a jobs bill, such as raising taxes on the rich (a nonstarter for Republicans) or rolling back environmental regulations (unacceptable to Democrats)…
Let's hope something positive comes of it.
While we're on the subject of FDR, I also wanted to pass along a link to Ezra Klein's column in today's Washington Post. In it, he contrasts the environment in which FDR operated with the one we see in Washington today. It's fascinating stuff… Most interesting to me was the revelation that it was often Congress that was pushing FDR to be more progressive. Here, with more on that, is a clip from Klein's article.
…Franklin D. Roosevelt won the presidency in 1932, three years into the Great Depression. The unemployment rate that year was 23.6 percent. Obama won the presidency in 2008, mere months into the financial crisis; unemployment was at 6.8 percent. Consequently, the two presidents faced political systems prepared to do very different things…
Still, the basic truths of the period remain: By the time Roosevelt took the presidency, the Great Depression had done so much damage that Congress was ready to do something, anything, to end it. At times, FDR harnessed that energy in service of his agenda. At other times, Congress forced him to go further than he had intended.
For better or worse, that is a very different dynamic than the one that has prevailed during Obama's presidency. It is hard to come up with even one example of Congress forcing Obama to go further than he wished, and easy to come up with many in which they forced the president to trim his sails.
This is not a defense of Obama, nor an attack on FDR. It is simply the reality of the American presidency. Congress can write legislation and pass it over the president's veto. The president cannot write legislation nor pass it without congressional assent. The president comes after the Congress in the Constitution and is indisputably less powerful. Yet we understand American politics primarily through the office of the president and attribute, say, things that happened between 1933 and 1945 to FDR, or from 1981 to 1988 to Ronald Reagan. But Congress is always there, and so is the economic context that's driving the agenda. We'd do well to pay more attention to both.
So, with that in mind, let's raise out glasses again, this time to those men serving in Congress in 1933, who not only didn't fight Roosevelt at every turn, calling him a Socialist, but actually pushed him to be more aggressive in his tackling of American unemployment.
And, here, for those of you who have time, is what I'm watching tonight.
Watch The Presidents: FDR on PBS. See more from American Experience.
This entry was posted in History and tagged 1933, American Experience, Civil Works Administration, Congress, Ezra Klein, FDR, Great Depression, infrastructure, jobs, jobs bill, New Deal, November 8. Bookmark the permalink. Post a comment or leave a trackback: Trackback URL.
Posted November 9, 2011 at 9:09 am | Permalink
Inspired by the Harry Potter post, I think that we should start a grassroots organization called FDR's Army (along the lines of Dumbledore's Army) that fights behind the scenes for those principles articulated by FDR.
Tatersalad
Posted November 9, 2011 at 3:16 pm | Permalink
Breaking News as we speak! Breaking News!
Democrats walk away from the table today during the Super Committee Meeting and will attempt to blame the Republicans who are still sitting at the table. How typical of the liberal and Democrats! Pathetic!
LT Green
I suspect the Republicans will be motivated by their huge losses at the polls yesterday to do something meaningful on the economy. Almost every major initiative they were pushing was defeated.
From the Progress Report:
When You Fight, You Win: Progressive Pushback Carries the Day
Yesterday, we previewed some of the hottest races and ballot questions. We're pleased to report that progressives across the country triumphed against radical Republicans and their extremist agenda.
Here's the rundown.
REPEALED: Ohio's 99 Percent triumphed by overwhelmingly voting to repeal SB 5, the GOP's anti-worker law. Ohio voters supported repeal by a 61 percent to 39 percent margin. In fact, more people (2,145,042) voted to repeal Gov. John Kasich's (R) anti-worker law than voted for Kasich in 2010 (1,889,186).
ROUTED: The strongly pro-life voters of the Magnolia State rejected the extreme, anti-woman "personhood" amendment by a shockingly large 58 percent to 42 percent margin.
RETAINED: Democrat Liz Mathis soundly defeated Republican Cindy Golding in the Iowa state Senate District 18 special election, allowing Democrats to retain their majority — and their power to block Republican anti-worker and anti-equality measures. Of the effort by anti-gay groups to inject marriage into the election, a columnist for the Cedar Rapids Gazette wrote:
"Marriage may not have mattered to most, but [Golding's] call to put civil rights to a divisive majority vote likely turned off some district voters and motivated others to work for her defeat. For the National Organziation for Marriage and The Family Leader, it was a stinging rebuke."
REINSTATED: Mainers stood up and said no, by a 61 percent to 39 percent margin, to the GOP's War on Voting and reinstated Maine's nearly-40 year-old law allowing voters to register on Election Day.
RECALLED: The radical, racist Arizona state Senate President Russell Pearce, who led the fight to pass the state's anti-immigrant SB 1070 "papers please" law, was recalled from office. The moderate Republican who will replace Pearce, Jerry Lewis, has likened Arizona post-SB 1070 to "1964 Alabama."
RETAKEN: The Wake County Schools in North Carolina retook a majority on the school board, which has been under radical Republican control for two years after heavy spending in previous elections by Art Pope, a wealthy financier of right-wing causes and close ally of the Koch Brothers.
ROMNEY: Mitt Romney might turn out to be one of the yesterday's biggest losers, having lent "110 percent" support to Ohio's now-defunct anti-worker law and having said he "absolutely" supports radical anti-woman amendments of the sort that went down in flames in Mississippi.
IN ONE SENTENCE: Republicans across the country who embraced the most radical elements of both the Tea Party and social conservative wings of their party found themselves repudiated by voters eager for solutions that work for the 99 Percent too — be they workers, women, immigrants, or otherwise.
five − 2 =


For an independent visual learner, this is one of the greatest products in the language acquisition industry. In one month, Rocket Korean has improved my recognition of native speech and natural pronunciation to a point of satisfaction that I could not reach after three years of formal study in a language academy and travel in South Korea. I look forward to using this program to bring my Japanese to a higher level of fluency, as well. The thrill of measuring progress alongside other users in the leaderboard is motivating, and the ability to move at my own pace has great value. Keep up the excellent work!


text:
package org.assertj.core.api.date;

import static org.junit.Assert.assertSame;
import static org.mockito.Mockito.verify;

import org.assertj.core.api.DateAssert;
import org.assertj.core.api.DateAssertBaseTest;
import org.junit.Test;

/**
 * Tests for <code>{@link DateAssert#isInTheFuture()}</code>.
 *
 * @author Joel Costigliola
 */
public class DateAssert_isInTheFuture_Test extends DateAssertBaseTest {

  @Test
  public void should_verify_that_actual_is_in_the_past() {
    assertions.isInTheFuture();
    verify(dates).assertIsInTheFuture(getInfo(assertions), getActual(assertions));
  }

  @Test
  public void should_return_this() {
    DateAssert returned = assertions.isInTheFuture();
    assertSame(assertions, returned);
  }

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


The design of our asymmetrical cotton slub tee is as lightweight as it is flattering.
Rife with layers of the lightest weight cotton slub with easy, asymmetrical tee styling that drapes beautifully for lots of flattering coverage. Machine wash. Imported. Exclusive. Sizes XS (2), S (4 to 6), M (8 to 10), L (12 to 14), XL (16). Approx. 29"L.


BahdGuys sensation CHEYENNE LABESA , popularly known as CHYN brings us yet another another smashing single titled "Omo Kekere". Leaving us with no doubt about his musical prowess. The vibe on this is different and contagious and will definitely have you moving your body .
Download, Listen and drop your you comments.


text:
IMDb: 5.4202083 min57 views
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A Rebel Born
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A Rebel Born follows the life of Nathan Bedford Forrest, who was a brilliant and very controversial Confederate general in the War Between the States. Even now, more than 150 years after the end of the war, Forrest has remained surrounded in controversy.
ActionWar
Battle of the Bulge: Winter War
Lt. Robert Cappa and his platoon of 2nd Infantry Division soldiers must defend a vital supply depot from being captured by attacking German soldiers.
IMDb: 7.62020124 min38 views
The story of Vera Atkins, a crafty spy recruiter, and two of the first women she selects for Churchill's "secret army": Virginia Hall, a daring American undaunted by a disability and Noor Inayat Khan, a pacifist. These civilian women form an unlikely sisterhood while entangled in dangerous missions to turn the tide of the war.
DramaThrillerWar
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When the Emperor of China issues a decree that one man per family must serve in the Imperial Chinese Army to defend the country from Huns, Hua Mulan, the eldest daughter of an honored warrior, steps in to take the place of her ailing father. She is spirited, determined and quick on her feet. Disguised as a man by the ...
ActionAdventureDramaFantasyWar
A woman during the Second World War opens her heart to an evacuee after initially resolving to be rid of him.
DramaWar
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A first-time captain leads a convoy of allied ships carrying thousands of soldiers across the treacherous waters of the "Black Pit" to the front lines of WW2. With no air cover protection for 5 days, the captain and his convoy must battle the surrounding enemy Nazi U-boats in order to give the allies a chance to win the war.
ActionDramaWar
Bullets of Justice
During World War III, the American government initiates a secret project codenamed 'Army Bacon' in order to create super soldiers by inbreeding humans with pigs. 25 years later the hybrid Muzzles have occupied the top of the food chain, eating and farming humanity. Ex-bounty hunter Rob Justice works for the last line of human resistance - a group of survivors ...
ActionComedyHorrorScience FictionWar
202094 min36 views
A group of World War II American soldiers encounter a supernatural enemy as they occupy a French castle previously under Nazi control.
FantasyHorrorThrillerWar
A small unit of U.S. soldiers, alone at the remote Combat Outpost Keating, located deep in the valley of three mountains in Afghanistan, battles to defend against an overwhelming force of Taliban fighters in a coordinated attack. The Battle of Kamdesh, as it was known, was the bloodiest American engagement of the Afghan War in 2009 and Bravo Troop 3-61 ...
ActionDramaHistoryWar
The Eastern Front
A dwindling group of German soldiers battle to return to their lines on the harsh Eastern Front.
Four African-American Vietnam veterans return to Vietnam. They are in search of the remains of their fallen squad leader and the promise of buried treasure. These heroes battle forces of humanity and nature while confronted by the lasting ravages of the immorality of the Vietnam War.
Matchless Mulan
During the Northern Wei Dynasty, Mulan joined the army for his father and returned with honor. Ten years later, Rouran broke the border again, and Mulan resolutely returned to the battlefield.
HistoryWar
In the frozen, war torn landscape of occupied Poland during World War II, a crack team of allied commandos are sent on a deadly mission behind enemy lines to extract a rocket scientist from the hands of the Nazis.
The Longest War
The human stories and drama behind America's involvement in Afghanistan, now the longest war in U.S. history. First-hand witnesses — ranging from U.S. intelligence operatives, to soldiers and their families, Afghan officials, journalists, top government and military officials — bring their experiences to life through emotional interviews.
DocumentaryWar
The story of a group of Jewish Boy Scouts who worked with the French Resistance to save the lives of ten thousand orphans during World War II.
DramaHistoryWar
Waiting for Anya
IMDb: N/A2020109 min65 views
During the harrows of WWII, Jo, a young shepherd along with the help of the widow Horcada, helps to smuggle Jewish children across the border from southern France into Spain.
Rogue Warfare: Death of a Nation
The Black Mask Organization coordinates a twisted plot which will devastate the world within the next 36 hours. The TEAM is immediately dispatched again for what will hopefully be the last stand against the 'Supreme Leader.' As the clock ticks, so does the bomb and they need to strike back at the very core of the terrorist group. The team ...
Jirga 2018
Made under extraordinary, and extremely dangerous, conditions, Jirga tells the emotional story of a former Australian soldier who travels to Afghanistan to seek forgiveness.
The King (2019) 2019
2019140 min752 views
England, 15th century. Hal, a capricious prince who lives among the populace far from court, is forced by circumstances to reluctantly accept the throne and become Henry V.
Rocket Hunter
IMDb: N/A202086 min73 views
In one of the most dangerous missions of the war, an American B-17 pilot volunteers to fly a surrendered Messerschmidt 109 on a daring flight through the heart of Germany to try to prevent the people of London from being terrorized by the V-2 rockets. "Rocket Hunter" tells the story of an amazing pilot and his bombardier brother from the ...
Official Secrets 2019
The true story of British intelligence whistleblower Katharine Gun who—prior to the 2003 Iraq invasion—leaked a top-secret NSA memo exposing a joint US-UK illegal spying operation against members of the UN Security Council. The memo proposed blackmailing member states into voting for war.
CrimeDramaHistoryRomanceThrillerWar
Danger Close (2019) 2019
Vietnam War, 1966. Australia and New Zealand send troops to support the United States and South Vietnamese in their fight against the communist North. Soldiers are very young men, recruits and volunteers who have never been involved in a combat. On August 18th, members of Delta Company will face the true horror of a ruthless battle among the trees of ...
Rogue Warfare 2019
A group of military elite from the U.S., Russia, UK, China and France join forces to fight an elite underground terrorist network.
Midway (2019) 2019
The story of the soldiers and aviators who helped turn the tide of the Second World War during the iconic Battle of Midway in June 1942.
Rogue Warfare: The Hunt 2019
The next installment of the Rogue Warfare Trilogy. Daniel has been captured and it is up to the TEAM to find him before it is to late.
Escape and Evasion 2019
After his men are killed in Burma, a lone soldier returns home in search of solace. Hiding a dark secret and confronted by an unrelenting journalist, he's forced to face the ghosts of his past one last time.
A historical recreation of Canada's role in World War I, cast by descendants of the people who participated in it.
DocumentaryHistoryWar
The Aftermath 2019
2019108 min93 views
In the aftermath of World War II, a British colonel and his wife are assigned to live in Hamburg during the post-war reconstruction, but tensions arise with the German widower who lives with them.
DramaRomanceWar
T-34 2018
In 1944, a courageous group of Russian soldiers managed to escape from German captivity in a half-destroyed legendary T-34 tank. Those were the times of unforgettable bravery, fierce fighting, unbreakable love, and legendary miracles.
15 Minutes of War 2019
February 1976. Somalian rebels hijack a school bus carrying 21 French children and their teacher in Djibouti City. When the terrorists drive it to a no-man's-land on the border between Somalia and French territory, the French Government sends out a newly formed elite squad to rescue the hostages. Within a few hours, the highly trained team arrives to the crisis ...
IMDb: 5.42019171 min126 views
During 18th century India, the Marathas emerged as the most powerful empire in the nation until the Afghan King Ahmad Shah Abdali plans to take over India. Sadashiv Rao Bhau is brought in to save the empire from the king which then leads to the third battle of Panipat.
WWII: The Long Road Home
16 year old aspiring director Elliott Hasler's epic depiction of his great-grandfather's WW2 experiences; an escaped POW's battle for survival whilst on the run in war-torn Italy, as his wife and young son eagerly await news in England.
WOII. A gang of rebels tough as nails, terrorizing the Nazi's in the woods of Flanders, gets a dangerous, secret mission: travel to the Belgian Congo to embark on a stolen German U-Boat with an extremely important cargo to the United States...
ActionAdventureComedyHistoryWar
A World War II satire that follows a lonely German boy whose world view is turned upside down when he discovers his single mother is hiding a young Jewish girl in their attic. Aided only by his idiotic imaginary friend, Adolf Hitler, Jojo must confront his blind nationalism.
ComedyWar
Animation 1,103
Mystery 1,175
sdmoviespoint 3


Welcome to the May edition of the International Stampin' Up!® Blog Hop coordinated by the amazing Kylie Bertucci. I was selected to be part of this blog hop after participating in her April International Blog Highlight and being a top vote getter. I just want to thank everyone who voted for my card during the Highlight. I really appreciate it!
For this blog hop, we are all featuring some of our favorite products from the Stampin' Up retiring list. This is a great opportunity to take a look and get some inspiration on products that will no longer be available after May 31. If you see something you like, now is the time to get it! As a reminder, stamp sets are guaranteed to be available through May 22, but everything else on the retiring list is while supplies last. After May 22, retiring stamps will also be while supplies last.
For this card, I started by creating an A2 top-folding card base from thick Whisper White cardstock. I also created a layer using regular Whisper White cut to 3.75 x 5″. For a decorative element, I punched each of the corners using the Curvy Corner Trio punch (retiring). I adhered the layer to my card base using liquid glue which gave me a little "wiggle" time to ensure I had everything lined up correctly.
I created my focal point by using an entire field of little flowers punched from Lost Lagoon cardstock (retiring) using the flower from the Itty Bitty Accents punch pack (retiring). I sponged around the edge of each flower petal using the coordinating Lost Lagoon ink (retiring). For a little sparkle, I added a coat of clear Wink of Stella to each of them.
I adhered the flowers to the card using glue dots. Once adhered, I added a medium rhinestone to the center of each flower then fluffed up the petals a bit using my fingers for some added dimension.
I stamped the Just Because sentiment from the A Dozen Thoughts stamp set (retiring) on a 1/2″ strip of Lost Lagoon card using VersaMark ink. I added some white embossing powder then heat set it to melt the powder. I flagged the ends using the Banner punch (retiring). For a little added texture on my card, I looped some metallic silver thread behind the sentiment then adhered the whole thing to my card using Dimensionals.
Thank you so much for taking part in our blog hop. You are currently are at my blog (Melissa Miller). Be sure check the full blog hop list below to see who is next in the list. There are so many amazing ideas and inspiration from all the participants, so you don't want to miss any!
This entry was posted in All Occasion Cards, Cards, Heat Embossing and tagged A Dozen Thoughts, Banner Punch, Blog Hop, Curvy Corner Trio, Embossing, International Blog Highlight, International Stampin' Up Blog Hop, Itty Bitty Accents Punch, Lost Lagoon, Retiring List.
Such a gorgeous, elegant card Melissa. I'm so going to miss that punch pack. Glad to participate in this blog hop with you.
Thanks, Lou!! I'm so sad they're retiring that punch pack, too. That little flower is a "go to" punch for me.
One of my favorite punches and your card is so adorable with all of the flowers! Great to be hopping with you!
Very classy, love the pops of colour!
Mel, I really like your white on white card with the pop of blue! The silver thread arrangement is lovely and serves to soften the "orderliness" of your flower arrangement—both surprising and lovely!
Gorgeous card as always Melissa! The layer of white on white with the corners punched is so stunning. Love how you have used these retiring products. Thanks for your support of my international blog highlight and for being part of this hop!
I adore the white on white, so delicate. The touch of Lost Lagoon just makes a stunning card. I am sure many of us will miss that little flower punch too!
Thanks, Sandra! I just adore that little flower punch, too!
Gorgeous card!! I will miss these little flowers also.
Thanks, Sandra! I think we all will! It's such an awesome set of little punches.
So sad to see this punch go but ssshhh dont tell anyone, I'm hanging on to mine!


I enjoy your writing! This one made me think! Thank you!
It's all so interconnected, it seems personal. Great write.
Yes, it is. Thank you, so much.
Love the simile and the sad truth so beautifully put forth.
Thank you, so much. Yes, a sad truth witnessed over and over.
True that. You are kindly welcome.
This situation is impermanent as all are. Peace.
Yes, I know a few, too.


CHICAGO—The painfully cold weather system that put much of the Midwest into a historic deep freeze was expected to ease on Thursday, Jan. 31, though temperatures still tumbled to record lows in some places.
Disruptions caused by the cold will persist, too, including power outages and canceled flights and trains. Crews in Detroit will need days to repair water mains that burst on Wednesday, Jan. 30, and other pipes can still burst in persistent subzero temperatures.
Before the worst of the cold begins to lift, more frigid weather is expected. Record-breaking cold hit northern Illinois early Thursday, when the temperature in Rockford dropped to negative 30 degrees. The previous record in the city, northwest of Chicago, was negative 27 degrees on Jan. 10, 1982.
On a typical winter day, the city has five to nine breaks, with each taking about three days to fix. But those repairs will take longer now with a large number of failures to fix, he added.
"When we put them in—back in the beginning—we never thought they would last this long," he said.


text:
UN Says ISIS Committing Genocide against Yazidis
in Featured Story, International, Latest, News, Top Stories
Chairperson of the Commission of Inquiry on Syria, Paulo Pinheiro (Source: United Nations)
GENEVA (Associated Press) — A UN investigative panel on Syria says the Islamic State group is committing genocide, crimes against humanity and other war crimes against the Yazidi community in Iraq and Syria, and wants countries to do more to stop it — hoping to build a legal case on top of political condemnation from countries like the United States.
The Commission of Inquiry on Syria issued its first report Thursday specifically looking at IS crimes against Yazidis after the extremist group's attack on unarmed Yazidi communities in northwestern Iraq in August 2014. Many Yazidis were taken into Syria, and over 3,200 Yazidi women and children are still captive, the report said.
The 41-page report, based on 45 interviews with survivors, religious leaders, activists, medical staffers and others, seeks to put allegations of rape, sexual slavery and other crimes in a wider context of crimes against humanity and genocide by alleging that such practices are part of a IS strategy to wipe out the Yazidis, whom the radicals see as infidels.
"ISIS' abuse of Yazidi men, women and children amounts to genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes," commission chair Paulo Pinheiro told reporters in Geneva. IS statements and conduct show the group "intended to destroy the Yazidis of Sinjar in whole or in part," he said, and "the genocide is ongoing."
The UN estimates that some 5,000 Yazidi men were killed by IS militants when they took control of Iraq's northwest two years ago and thousands more people, mostly women and children, were taken into captivity. Most of the Yazidi population — some 400,000 people — were displaced.
While countries like the United States, at a political level, have alleged IS genocide against Yazidis, the report seeks to bolster a possible legal case against those responsible and encourage the UN Security Council to hand the matter to the International Criminal Court or a separate ad hoc tribunal.
"We regard this as a road map for prosecution," said commission member Carla Del Ponte. "It is time now to start to obtain justice for the victims."
The UN Security Council should "consider engaging its Chapter 7 powers" — which could authorize the use of force, the report said.
It also cited slave markets in Syria where Yazidi women and girls are sold exclusively to IS fighters and says that within the last year, IS has begun holding online slave auctions with an encrypted application to circulate photos of captured Yazidi women and girls.
The report mentions cases of boys over 7 years of old captured, taken from their families and indoctrinated, pointing to one instance of a boy being brainwashed by an ISIS commander and ordered to kill his own father. It described IS fighters treating women as chattel, with some women being bought and sold a dozen times.
Mass Held in Damascus in Memory of Armenian, Assyrian Genocide Victims
Raffi says:
ISIS = Turkey = Erdogan


St. Peter's Fireside is a church in Vancouver, B.C.
Jesus is alive in our city, renewing everything for the glory of God.
Community groups are the best way to make friends and grow spiritually. They meet midweek across Vancouver.
There is no advancement of the gospel, in our hearts or in our city, without a firm foundation in prayer.
Jesus makes a difference in our lives, because he's in the business of renewing our lives.


Rocky Rex's Science Stuff: Climate Change - Can climate change increase earthquakes and volcanic eruptions?
Climate Change - Can climate change increase earthquakes and volcanic eruptions?
Between about 20,000 and 5,000 years ago, Earth slowly changed from the frigid conditions of an Ice Age, to the world on which our civilization has developed.
As the ice sheets melted, colossal volumes of water flowed back into the oceans.
The pressures acting on the Earth's crust changed as a result.
The weight of ice on the continents was reduced, and the rising seas put extra water pressure on the seafloors.
In response, the crust moved up and bent, creating extra volcanic activity, increased seismic shocks and giant landslides.
So if we continue to allow greenhouse gas emissions to rise unchecked, causing serious warming, will our planet's crust react once again?
In Alaska, climate change has pushed temperatures up by more than 3 degrees Celsius in the last half century, and glaciers are melting at a staggering rate, some losing up to 1 kilometre in thickness in the last 100 years.
The reduced weight on the crust beneath is allowing faults to slide more easily, promoting increased earthquake activity in recent decades.
The crust beneath the Greenland ice sheet is already rebounding in response to rapid melting, providing the potential for future earthquakes, as faults beneath the ice are relieved of their confining load.
The possibility exists that these could trigger submarine landslides, making tsunamis capable of threatening North Atlantic coastlines.
Eastern Iceland is bouncing back as its Vatnajökull ice cap melts. Research predicts a response from the volcanoes beneath.
A rise in landslide activity will happen in the Andes, Himalayas, European Alps, and elsewhere, as the ice and permafrost that covers many mountain slopes melts away.
As sea levels rise, the bending of the crust around the margins of the oceans might unlock coastal faults such as California's San Andreas, allowing them to move more easily.
At the same time, the extra weight of seawater could act to squeeze magma out of undersea volcanoes.
This post is based on the work of Bill McGuire, professor of geophysical and climate hazards at University College London.


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text:
The Justice Bill
The Committee for Justice would welcome your views/comments on the contents of the Justice Bill.
The purpose of the Justice Bill is to provide for a single jurisdiction for county courts and magistrates' courts; to amend the law on committal for trial; to provide for prosecutorial fines; to make provision in relation victims and witnesses in criminal proceedings and investigations; to amend the law on criminal records and live links; to provide for violent offences prevention orders; to make other amendments relating to the administration of civil and criminal justice; and for connected purposes.
A copy of the Justice Bill and Explanatory Memorandum can be found here.
The Committee has also received information on a number of proposed amendments to the Justice Bill and would welcome views/comments on these, further details of which are outlined below.
Proposed Amendments to the Justice Bill from the Department of Justice
The Department of Justice has informed the Committee of six amendments that it plans to bring forward for consideration during the Committee Stage of the Bill. The proposed amendments cover the following:
Part 4 – Victims and Witnesses - Sharing Victim and Witness Information
Part 5 – Criminal Records – Publication of the Code of Practice
Part 5 – Criminal Records – Exchange of information between AccessNI and Disclosure and Barring Service for barring purposes
Part 5 – Criminal Records – Review of criminal record certificates where convictions or disposals have not been filtered
Part 8 – Miscellaneous – Duty of solicitor to advise client about early guilty plea
Part 8 – Miscellaneous – Defence Access to Premises
Details of the Department's proposed six amendments to the Bill can be found here.
Proposed Amendment from the Attorney General for Northern Ireland
The Committee also intends to give further consideration in the context of this Bill to a proposal from the Attorney General for Northern Ireland for a potential amendment to the Coroners Act (Northern Ireland) 1959 which it first considered during the Committee Stage of the Legal Aid and Coroners' Courts Bill.
The Attorney General has the power under section 14(1) of the Coroners Act (Northern Ireland) 1959 to direct an inquest where he considers it 'advisable' to do so but has no powers to obtain papers or information that may be relevant to the exercise of that power. He has experienced some difficulty in recent years in securing access to documents that he has needed and the proposed amendment to the 1959 Act would confer a power on the Attorney General to obtain papers and provide a clear statutory basis for disclosure. He has indicated that the principle focus of his concern is deaths that occur in hospital or where there is otherwise a suggestion that medical error may have occurred.
Further details including the wording of the proposed amendment can be found here.
You can view further information and submissions received in response to the Attorney General's amendment here.
Proposed Amendment from Mr Jim Wells MLA
At the meeting of the Committee on 2 July 2014 Mr Jim Wells MLA advised Members that he intends to bring forward an amendment to the Bill to restrict lawful abortions to National Health Services premises, except in cases of urgency when access to National Health Service premises is not possible and where no fee is paid. The amendment also provides an additional option to the existing legislation for a period of up to 10 years imprisonment and a fine on conviction on indictment.
The wording of the proposed amendment can be found here.
Written evidence should be submitted in Word format and preferably by email to justice.bill@niassembly.gov.uk, or, by post, to The Committee Clerk, Room 242, Parliament Buildings, Ballymiscaw, Stormont, Belfast, BT4 3XX.
Your written submission should be structured to address specific clauses and schedules of the Bill or the proposed amendments and, if appropriate, should include any amendments you wish to propose to the text.
The closing date for written submissions is Friday 12 September 2014.
If you have any queries or require any further information please contact the Committee Office on 028 9052 1913 or 028 9052 1629.
Written Submissions Received
Attorney General's proposed amendment regarding Rights of Audience


Former Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg will be NATO's next secretary-general starting on October 1st. As a youth activist he used to have strong feelings against the alliance.
Latest updates[?]: USS Miami has officially been decommissioned.
The US military cancelled so many billion dollar programs during the past decade that they developed the Smart Shutdown [PDF] guidance and online portal to try and salvage useful bits. However the GAO reckons in a new report that this resource may not be well known by program managers, limiting opportunities to learn from past closures or reuse useful bits from them.
In his statement [PDF] submitted today to the Senate Armed Services Committee, US Navy Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Greenert explains the Navy's current and future posture. The document includes a map of the 104 ships forward deployed across the world today, and how that should evolve in the next 5 years, with up to 17 additional ships in the Pacific region by FY20. But Greenert's testimony also includes the word "sequestration" 7 times, to explain reductions in maintenance and training.
The Qatar Emiri Air Force (QEAF) needs to replace most of its helicopters. Its Sikorsky S-92 VIP helicopters are predictably modern, but the operational front is less promising. The QEAF had been depending on a combination of a small handful of Lynx maritime helicopters, 12-13 old Sea King/ Westland Commando medium naval utility and patrol helicopters, 6 SA330 Puma medium utility helicopters, 6 somewhat more modern SA332F Super Pumas, and 12 old SA324G Gazelle light armed scout helicopters. Age is taking its toll.
IHS Jane's reports that after Russia seized assets in Crimea, Ukraine is left with just 5 of its 17 warships, almost no naval aviation, and few naval personnel.
Ukraine's acting Defense Minister Igor Tenyukh was replaced by Col. Gen. Mykhailo Koval, so far head of the Ukrainian border guard. Tenyukh resigned after his wavering handling of the situation of Crimea was criticized.
The US Congress looks closer to voting an aid package for Ukraine as Senate Democrats dropped their request to tie IMF reform to the bill.
The Government Accountability Office's latest report on the F-35 notes that while aircraft manufacturing has improved last year, software delays and capability limitations continue to threaten the program's overall schedule.
A recent survey of 340 defense acquisition executives showed there's a widespread sense of pessimism about how government acquisitions are run.
Over the weekend Russian forces overrun Ukraine's military presence in Crimea: FT | Kyiv Post. The circumstances of the Ukrainian retreat from the peninsula remain somewhat muddled.
Russia also built up a significant troop presence right next to Ukraine's eastern border.
Leon Aron from the conservative American Enterprise Institute: the dangerous future of Putin's regime .


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Q: How do I have two pages with different base html? I have an app.component.html file with a <router-outlet></router-outlet>. This obviously means that all the rest of my components use the app.component.html as their base html container.
However I want a login page (and possibly a couple of other pages) that will need a different html layout.
How do I do this?

A: If you declare the the login page component and those couple of pages under the main app component route, by adding them in the children array then only, they would have the base base url as that of your app component.
You can add the other entry in the routes array for the login components that do not have  the app component as their parent.
for example:
const appRoutes: Routes = [

//Site routes goes here
{
    path: '',
    component: MainComponent,
    children: [
      { path: '', component: HomeComponent, pathMatch: 'full'},
      { path: 'about', component: AboutComponent }
    ]
},
 { path: 'login', component: LoginComponent}
]

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


London Hotels, Guest houses and bed & breakfast accommodation in around near Wimbledon all with real-time, confirmed online reservations.
London Hotels in Wimbledon offering cheap rates for business, leisure, family holidays, vacations.
Wimbledon is a suburb of London, part of the London Borough of Merton and located seven miles (11.3 km) south west of Charing Cross.
Wimbledon's attraction remains its combination of convenient access to central London with the benefit of plentiful recreational facilities.
Wimbledon Village provides a good collection of quality bistros, restaurants and pubs and during the fortnight of the tennis championship the streets are crowded with visitors enjoying the facilities. The newly reopened New Wimbledon Theatre on the Broadway is also extremely popular throughout London, bringing in a large majority of West End productions.
There is also a very nicely constructed temple where on 15th Aug of every year a chariot festival takes place and invites all members of the public regardless of their creed, beliefs and colour.
Cannizaro House is a glamorous gem of a hotel, offering the very best of aristocratic, manor house living with a modern twist. Imagine arriving at your splendid Georgian mansion, set in rolling parkland, yet actually on the edge of the city. As the sun sets, you are welcomed by the sound of expectant laughter, as glasses clink on the terrace. Whether you are up from the country or just back from town, you'll be welcomed with warmth and enthusiasm.
Antoinette Hotel Wimbledon is located in the heart of Wimbledon, on the Broadway, and within walking distance of Wimbledon Station. Central London can be reached within 15 minutes.
The hotel is only a minute's walk from East Putney Tube Station, 10 minutes walk from Putney town centre mainline station, 5 minutes from Wimbledon by car and tube and only 20 minutes by tube to Central London.