text:
Q: How to find percentage of maximum of groups across multiple variable columns I have a dataset df that looks like this:
Experiment Ch1    Ch2     Ch3     Ch4
exp_1   -1548   -19296  -65764  -64392
exp_1   -1572   -19304  -65756  -64392
exp_1   -1588   -19284  -65748  -64400
exp_1   -1580   -19292  -65760  -64392
exp_1   -1584   -19292  -65744  -64388
exp_1   -1580   -19292  -65756  -64408
exp_1   -1612   -19280  -65748  -64428
exp_2   -1620   -19276  -65740  -64464
exp_2   -1632   -19272  -65728  -64452
exp_2   -1636   -19268  -65732  -64464
exp_2   -1644   -19260  -65728  -64476
exp_2   -1652   -19268  -65736  -64476
exp_2   -1652   -19292  -65728  -64484
exp_2   -1660   -19268  -65740  -64480
exp_2   -1648   -19276  -65736  -64492
exp_3   -1664   -19276  -65736  -64504
exp_3   -1672   -19260  -65752  -64496
exp_3   -1668   -19276  -65728  -64496
exp_3   -1684   -19272  -65732  -64476
exp_3   -1676   -19260  -65728  -64476
exp_3   -1672   -19264  -65716  -64492
exp_3   -1680   -19268  -65732  -64480
exp_3   -1668   -19276  -65728  -64496
exp_3   -1684   -19272  -65732  -64476

I would like to produce columns that show a percentage of maximum for each group of my values based on the corresponding "Experiment number".
Such as this:
Experiment Ch1  %.Ch1    Ch2    %.Ch2    Ch3    %.Ch3    Ch4    %.Ch4
exp_1   -1548   100.00  -19296  99.92   -65764  99.97   -64392  99.99
exp_1   -1572   98.47   -19304  99.88   -65756  99.98   -64392  99.99
exp_1   -1588   97.48   -19284  99.98   -65748  99.99   -64400  99.98
exp_1   -1580   97.97   -19292  99.94   -65760  99.98   -64392  99.99
exp_1   -1584   97.73   -19292  99.94   -65744  100.00  -64388  100.00
exp_1   -1580   97.97   -19292  99.94   -65756  99.98   -64408  99.97
exp_1   -1612   96.03   -19280  100.00  -65748  99.99   -64428  99.94
exp_2   -1620   100.00  -19276  99.92   -65740  99.98   -64464  99.98
exp_2   -1632   99.26   -19272  99.94   -65728  100.00  -64452  100.00
exp_2   -1636   99.02   -19268  99.96   -65732  99.99   -64464  99.98
exp_2   -1644   98.54   -19260  100.00  -65728  100.00  -64476  99.96
exp_2   -1652   98.06   -19268  99.96   -65736  99.99   -64476  99.96
exp_2   -1652   98.06   -19292  99.83   -65728  100.00  -64484  99.95
exp_2   -1660   97.59   -19268  99.96   -65740  99.98   -64480  99.96
exp_2   -1648   98.30   -19276  99.92   -65736  99.99   -64492  99.94
exp_3   -1664   100.00  -19276  99.92   -65736  99.97   -64504  99.96
exp_3   -1672   99.52   -19260  100.00  -65752  99.95   -64496  99.97
exp_3   -1668   99.76   -19276  99.92   -65728  99.98   -64496  99.97
exp_3   -1684   98.81   -19272  99.94   -65732  99.98   -64476  100.00
exp_3   -1676   99.28   -19260  100.00  -65728  99.98   -64476  100.00
exp_3   -1672   99.52   -19264  99.98   -65716  100.00  -64492  99.98
exp_3   -1680   99.05   -19268  99.96   -65732  99.98   -64480  99.99
exp_3   -1668   99.76   -19276  99.92   -65728  99.98   -64496  99.97
exp_3   -1684   98.81   -19272  99.94   -65732  99.98   -64476  100.00

I know that the solution likely can be accomplished with Base R, or dplyr's group_by function, but I am stuck on how to do multiple columns at once. Any help would be appreciated!

A: Something like this:
df <- df %>% group_by(Experiment) %>% mutate_at(vars(contains("Ch")), .funs = list(
  PCT = function(x) {
    round((max(x) / x) * 100, 2)
  }
))

Mutate at columns with names which contains "Ch". Putting the function in the mutate call as a list allows you to append an identifier to the column names you're mutating to create new columns.
Actual figures are only rounded to two digits if you use View(df).
   Experiment   Ch1    Ch2    Ch3    Ch4 Ch1_PCT Ch2_PCT Ch3_PCT Ch4_PCT
   <fct>      <int>  <int>  <int>  <int>   <dbl>   <dbl>   <dbl>   <dbl>
 1 exp_1      -1548 -19296 -65764 -64392   100      99.9    100.   100.
 2 exp_1      -1572 -19304 -65756 -64392    98.5    99.9    100.   100.
 3 exp_1      -1588 -19284 -65748 -64400    97.5   100.     100.   100.
 4 exp_1      -1580 -19292 -65760 -64392    98.0    99.9    100.   100.
 5 exp_1      -1584 -19292 -65744 -64388    97.7    99.9    100    100
 6 exp_1      -1580 -19292 -65756 -64408    98.0    99.9    100.   100.
 7 exp_1      -1612 -19280 -65748 -64428    96.0   100      100.    99.9
 8 exp_2      -1620 -19276 -65740 -64464   100      99.9    100.   100.
 9 exp_2      -1632 -19272 -65728 -64452    99.3    99.9    100    100
10 exp_2      -1636 -19268 -65732 -64464    99.0   100.     100.   100.
11 exp_2      -1644 -19260 -65728 -64476    98.5   100      100    100.
12 exp_2      -1652 -19268 -65736 -64476    98.1   100.     100.   100.
13 exp_2      -1652 -19292 -65728 -64484    98.1    99.8    100    100.
14 exp_2      -1660 -19268 -65740 -64480    97.6   100.     100.   100.
15 exp_2      -1648 -19276 -65736 -64492    98.3    99.9    100.    99.9
16 exp_3      -1664 -19276 -65736 -64504   100      99.9    100.   100.
17 exp_3      -1672 -19260 -65752 -64496    99.5   100      100.   100.
18 exp_3      -1668 -19276 -65728 -64496    99.8    99.9    100.   100.
19 exp_3      -1684 -19272 -65732 -64476    98.8    99.9    100.   100
20 exp_3      -1676 -19260 -65728 -64476    99.3   100      100.   100
21 exp_3      -1672 -19264 -65716 -64492    99.5   100.     100    100.
22 exp_3      -1680 -19268 -65732 -64480    99.0   100.     100.   100.
23 exp_3      -1668 -19276 -65728 -64496    99.8    99.9    100.   100.
24 exp_3      -1684 -19272 -65732 -64476    98.8    99.9    100.   100

Then later sort the columns by:
df %>% select(Experiment, names(df)[-1] %>% sort())

   Experiment   Ch1 Ch1_PCT    Ch2 Ch2_PCT    Ch3 Ch3_PCT    Ch4 Ch4_PCT
   <fct>      <int>   <dbl>  <int>   <dbl>  <int>   <dbl>  <int>   <dbl>
 1 exp_1      -1548   100   -19296    99.9 -65764    100. -64392   100.
 2 exp_1      -1572    98.5 -19304    99.9 -65756    100. -64392   100.
 3 exp_1      -1588    97.5 -19284   100.  -65748    100. -64400   100.
 4 exp_1      -1580    98.0 -19292    99.9 -65760    100. -64392   100.
 5 exp_1      -1584    97.7 -19292    99.9 -65744    100  -64388   100
 6 exp_1      -1580    98.0 -19292    99.9 -65756    100. -64408   100.
 7 exp_1      -1612    96.0 -19280   100   -65748    100. -64428    99.9
 8 exp_2      -1620   100   -19276    99.9 -65740    100. -64464   100.
 9 exp_2      -1632    99.3 -19272    99.9 -65728    100  -64452   100
10 exp_2      -1636    99.0 -19268   100.  -65732    100. -64464   100.
11 exp_2      -1644    98.5 -19260   100   -65728    100  -64476   100.
12 exp_2      -1652    98.1 -19268   100.  -65736    100. -64476   100.
13 exp_2      -1652    98.1 -19292    99.8 -65728    100  -64484   100.
14 exp_2      -1660    97.6 -19268   100.  -65740    100. -64480   100.
15 exp_2      -1648    98.3 -19276    99.9 -65736    100. -64492    99.9
16 exp_3      -1664   100   -19276    99.9 -65736    100. -64504   100.
17 exp_3      -1672    99.5 -19260   100   -65752    100. -64496   100.
18 exp_3      -1668    99.8 -19276    99.9 -65728    100. -64496   100.
19 exp_3      -1684    98.8 -19272    99.9 -65732    100. -64476   100
20 exp_3      -1676    99.3 -19260   100   -65728    100. -64476   100
21 exp_3      -1672    99.5 -19264   100.  -65716    100  -64492   100.
22 exp_3      -1680    99.0 -19268   100.  -65732    100. -64480   100.
23 exp_3      -1668    99.8 -19276    99.9 -65728    100. -64496   100.
24 exp_3      -1684    98.8 -19272    99.9 -65732    100. -64476   100


Yo, alien boy. What have you done with my son?
Like any good mother, I know my son. I can usually predict, with about 80 percent accuracy, his next move.
And like any good mother, I want him to best me.
Despite our seemingly enlightened posturing (and if we're posturing, wherein lies the enlightenment?), we want our kids to have better than we did. Do better than we did. Be better than we are. It's programmed into us, I think, in homage to survival of the fittest.
But they may have other ideas. Besting us may not be one of them. Learning from our mistakes rather than making their own is definitely not one of them.
Forging their own path? Yeah, bingo.
For instance, as a parent, my child's grade point average matters to me. I want him to work hard so he has many college choices and multiple doors open to him later in life.
He wants to have fun, experiment with his schedule and meet cute girls.
Oh yes, and play that bone-crushing sport, lacrosse.
What's the phrase—and never the twain shall meet? Living it.
I'm sorry, dear, I thought you said German.
Which planet are you from, alien boy, and what have you done with my son?
There is no sense protesting. You've given yourself away. My son does not bathe twice per day. Oh no. My son still forgets to put on deodorant. You emerging from the bathroom in a haze of Axe body spray is a sure giveaway. As if all of this cleanliness was not enough to reveal you as in imposter.
The other freshman elective my oldest wants to take is not the architectural drafting I am sure he will choose, and in my mind should choose, because of his talent in this area. Oh no. Not that class.
As I try to calmly digest this one, I am silently thinking this might be a good thing because cooking is something every young male should learn—and he is not crazy about learning it from me right now. I am thinking this might just be some very practical forethought on his part and a sign of his budding maturity.
Ah, there's the boy I know and love. Perhaps no alien abduction at play.
Just an adolescent, beginning his journey to differentiate himself from—gulp—me.
As I begin the tightrope walk—alternating between covering my own mouth or sitting on my hands, and advising in a manner that hopefully doesn't sound like I'm chipping away at his newfound independence, I realize I have four short years with this boy. Before he really begins his solo journey in earnest.
Perhaps I can live with this journey. And enjoy watching him take it, as I continue my own.
I am rather fond of Riesling and strudel, after all.
Loved this, having two "adult" children both in college I could laugh and groan at the same time. Face it, mothers can not win. It's easier with a boy but with a girl? Ouch. Our old kindergarten teacher said "Kids will always surprise you" and in some ways that's true. But the surprises you get from the teen to adult age, are generally not that good. Hang in there. ps his new preferences suggest to me a crush on a new girl taking those very same courses.
OMG! I am living this every day. I have a 15 year old daughter and I TOTALLY understand her moodiness, her need to be by herself and not talk to anyone, her headaches and cramps. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND boys and their decision making. I guess I hoped I would eventually understand but he is 12 and, nope, don't get it. Why does he leave the house in 30 degree weather in shorts and a tshirt? Why? I gotta let it go, right? Ugh!
Laughing, Erin, because mine does the t-shirt and shorts thing, too! In weather below freezing! With no coat. I have stopped trying to understand. Now I just laugh:) Thanks for reading!
So funny, Krisse! Really enjoyed this!
Thanks for reading! Hope it made you laugh:).
Don't you know that if you suggested German and culinary nutrition, he'd be be now studying French and drafting, Kay? Come on, become sly!


The title of this recipe may sound familiar and that is because this was one of the first few recipes I had posted on my blog. I recently made them last week to take on a road trip to Oregon and I altered the recipe a bit. Well…they turned out a lot better than the first time and I had to update the recipe.
They are softer in texture…not quite like a cookie more of a biscuit.
A few tsps of orange zest & a tsp of orange juice paired nicely with the fig filling making it perfectly sweet and slightly tangy.
Kid you not…I could of eaten the whole batch, but surprisingly they are filling which makes them perfect to bring on a long road trip like I did!
I found that mixing together organic all-purpose flour with oat flour made for a slightly grainy texture that you traditionally get with a fig newton.
Oat flour may seem like a hard ingredient to get your hands on, but you can simply make it by throwing in a cup of rolled oats in a food processor and process until it resembles a fine flour. Easy peasy!
I haven't tried making this recipe gluten-free, as I am not an expert on gluten-free baking, but feel free to experiment in your own kitchen by swapping out the all-purpose with a gluten-free flour blend of choice!
These fig bars took around 30 min to prepare + 25 min. to bake so you can easily whip these up in the beginning of the week.
Whisk together flours, baking powder, salt, and spices in a large mixing bowl.
In a separate mixing bowl whisk together wet ingredients. Pour wet into dry. Using a wooden spoon combine until a slightly sticky dough forms. Form it into a ball, wrap with plastic wrap, refrigerate for about 1 hour.
While dough rests, make the filling: In a food processor combine all ingredients. Process until a thick paste forms. Transfer to a glass jar or container and refrigerate until dough is done resting.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit (180 celsius). Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to about a 1/2 inch thick rectangle. Spread out enough fig paste to cover the center of the dough, leaving about an inch of room on either side. (see above photos for reference). Fold over the sides. Make sure there is not too much overlap, so cut any excess if needed.
Place dough seam side down onto the baking sheet. Bake for 23-25 min. or until slightly golden brown. Cool for 15 min. before cutting into bars. Enjoy!
I tried this, and it is horribly hard to make. The dough was so sticky, it was impossible to work with. I wouldn't try this recipe again.
Thanks for letting me know. I will test this recipe again and look for what might have went wrong and get back to you!


Located in the Konkan region on the Western coast of the Indian peninsula, Goa is bounded by the state of Karnataka to the east and south, Maharashtra to the north and the Arabian Sea to the west. Goa has so much to offer visiting divers. They offer amazing discounts in flight tickets, hotel rooms, foods and many other things you might do while in Goa.
Goa is majorly inhabited by Hindus and Christians with a history of harmony between communities. There are many festivals in Goa including New Year's celebrations, Ganesh Chaturthi, Easter, Diwali, Shigmo, Christmas and Carnival all are known to attract many tourists.
Fishing is popular among the Goa people and soccer is their favorite sport. Other sports found in Goa are: hockey, chess, swimming, table tennis, cricket and basketball. Goa is visited by many international and domestic tourists every year because of its places of worship, beaches, diving sites, world heritage architecture and its richness in flora and fauna. It is the smallest and the richest state in India.
1. Reef of Uma Guma– this is recommended for expert divers only. It is an attractive dive spot on bare rocks just off Grand Island. Porcupine fish, parrotfish, sweet lips, angelfish, Moorish idols, triggerfish, puffers and snappers are some of the sea creatures you can expect to find here.
2. Locker of Davy Jones– Professional divers usually prefer Brawny currents. This is exactly what the locker of Davy Jones region offers for maximum fun and adventure while scuba diving. It is essentially a broken up metal wreck measuring about fourteen meters. Some of the sea creatures you can spot here are large barracudas, bulky groupers and some schooling fish such as mullets, jacks, tuna and many more.
3. Wreck of Suzy's– This is a 30 meter World War II metal ruin with very shallow waters ranging between three and twelve meters. It is recommended for both beginners and experienced scuba divers. You can see a large variety of fish in this area including Moorish idols, snappers batfish, barracudas, parrotfish, angelfish, stonefish, sweetlips, noodibranchs and blennies.
4. Bay of Bounty– this is the ultimate spot for beginners. Bay of Bounty always gives a thrilling experience for someone's first time under water. It is a good spot for trainees to practice in as well. Training sessions can also be taught here since there are no major currents. It is only 6 meters deep and has traces of stiff coral. There are numerous cattlefish and nurse sharks found here as well as many schools of small fish.
5. Cove of Shelter– This location is 8 meters deep. Whether you are a veteran diver or an amateur, this spot would suit you. Here you will find a diversified collection of solid coral, many small fish, lobsters and many other sea creatures.
6. The Jetty– The area has an average depth of 6 meters with the deepest section being at 8 meters. It is located at the Grand Island's northwestern angle. Some of the animals found here are schools of baby mullets and lionfish.
With all these sites for scuba diving in Goa you can be assured you will have the ultimate experience if you choose Goa as your next scuba diving site. The creatures you can see in this area are diversified to ensure a maximum fun-filled and learning experience.
As with any other diving sites there are suitable times and unsuitable ones for scuba diving in Goa. In Goa the diving season begins in October and ends in May. At these times the water temperatures are between 27 and 30 degrees Celsius. The rest of the year, this area should be avoided for diving escapades.
In case you are wondering, Goa is not all about diving. There are numerous other attractions tourists can enjoy. Beautiful beaches with gorgeous white sands line the coast and offer a relaxing experience when you are not diving under the water.
There are also plenty of other water sports in this area such as water-skiing and parasailing. Cruises and boat trips are also a major attraction.. Fishing and dolphin watching are also major activities.
Dive site currents (is there an active current in the area): in most sites there are no strong currents but in some they are present.
Common types of animals at dive sites: small fish, barracudas and sweetlips.
This entry was posted in Diving Trips & Travel and tagged Carnival, Ganesh Chaturthi, Goa, India, Konkan, Maharashtra, North Goa, scuba diving.


text:
School Closures Due to Illness
Recently, a spate of school closures due to preventable illness have headlined the news, underscoring the importance of high-quality infection prevention and control programs, especially among vulnerable groups, such as young children.
Schools Closing Due to Preventable Illness
Norovirus outbreaks have topped the headlines in the local and national news lately, resulting in the closure of multiple schools and potentially costing the U.S. economy millions of dollars in economic and healthcare costs.
A recent and extreme example of this occurred at the Mesa County Valley School District, which closed all of its schools, sending home more than twenty thousand students and more than 2700 teachers for several days.
The district closed due to a combination of undisclosed viral outbreaks--though the symptoms match those of norovirus--after a significant number of students began calling in sick.
According to the district's website;
Palisade High School closed mid-day Thursday, Nov. 14 and all day Friday, Nov. 15 due to 30% of students calling in sick or leaving school sick last Thursday.
Mt. Garfield Middle School closed mid-day Monday and re-opened on Wednesday, Nov. 20, but will close early due to increased absenteeism.
Rocky Mt. Elementary School is also closed today, Nov. 20, and charter school Juniper Ridge Community School is closed for the remainder of the week.
Two schools to close today due to illness
Another norovirus outbreak struck the U.S. Air Force Academy, taking out a reported 1 in 10 cadets.
According to The Gazette;
A stomach flu has laid low 1 in every 10 cadets at the Air Force Academy since late October, and the school's medics are working with public health authorities and reinforcements from other bases to treat the sick.
The academy has dealt with rapidly spreading illnesses before, once dealing with a flu outbreak during basic training that kept hundreds of cadets in their tents.
Hundreds of Air Force Academy cadets sickened in norovirus outbreak
Another norovirus outbreak just before Thanksgiving led to the closure of the Albany school district, which made the decision to close all of its schools due to the short week and after numerous parents chose to keep their children home.
According to KGW8;
Albany school district officials on Monday announced that all schools will be closed for the rest of the week after a flu outbreak swept schools late last week.
The decision was made after consulting with the Oregon Health Authority and Linn County Health Department.
The district canceled classes at Periwinkle Elementary School on Monday after a flu outbreak swept schools late last week.
Many parents at other schools kept their children home.
Albany schools closed for remainder of week after stomach virus outbreak
The Economic Cost of School Closures
Though the policy likely varies from district to district, as a general rule of thumb, school districts will:
Implement increased cleaning and disinfection services once absences exceed 10%, and;
Begin closures once absences reach or exceed 20%.
The decision to do so is not taken lightly, as the economic impact can be astronomical.
According to the Brookings Institution;
We give estimates of both the direct economic and health care impacts for school closure durations of 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks under a range of assumptions.
We find that closing all schools in the U.S. for four weeks could cost between $10 and $47 billion dollars (0.1-0.3% of GDP) and lead to a reduction of 6% to 19% in key health care personnel.
These should be considered conservative (i.e., low) economic estimates in that earnings rather than total compensation are used to calculate costs.
Economic Cost and Health Care Workforce Effects of School Closures in the U.S.
Norovirus Prevention
Presently, there are no vaccinations available for norovirus.
Fortunately, it is relatively simple to treat and prevent by following a few simple guidelines, including:
Practice Proper Hand Hygiene - Scrubbing your hands with soap and water for at least twenty seconds after using the restroom, cleaning, coming into contact with a contaminated surface, and before eating will eliminate the most significant personal dangers. Following up with hand sanitizer is highly advisable, especially after using the restroom.
Follow Safe Food Prep and Handling Guidelines - Wash fruits and vegetables before preparing or serving, and thoroughly cook all shellfish, seafood, and poultry.
If You're Sick, Don't - If you're sick, avoid contact with others as much as possible. Don't prepare their food, and don't attempt to provide care for others, especially young children or the elderly.
Clean and Disinfect - Regular cleaning and disinfection with a multipurpose product is more than sufficient to remove norovirus from surfaces. Additional high-contact surface disinfection with cleaning wipes will also significantly reduce exposure and the chance of an outbreak. Studies have shown that schools benefit greatly from regular daily disinfection applications from an electrostatic disinfection appliance.
Wash Your Clothes - Immediately launder all clothing soiled with vomit or feces with special care by avoiding the use of an agitator, if possible. Make certain to wear protective gloves, and wash your hands when done.
More Schools Close Due To Sickness
Entire School District Closes Due To Illness
The Symptoms of Norovirus
Preventing Norovirus
Norovirus Disease in the United States
Preventing school closures as a result of widespread norovirus or other virulent illness requires an ongoing effort by custodial staff, school faculty, parents, and students.
The potential economic and healthcare costs of norovirus outbreaks pale in comparison to the toll on human life--averaging roughly 570-800 deaths per year in the U.S.
Hand hygiene is key to prevention, but routine high-performance surface cleaning and disinfection is mandatory.
If you would like more information regarding the effectiveness of high-performance infection prevention and control measures, or if you would like to schedule a free, no-obligation onsite assessment of your facility's custodial needs, contact us today for a free quote!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
// shieldIGC.h : Declaration of the CshieldIGC

#ifndef __SHIELDIGC_H_
#define __SHIELDIGC_H_

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// CshieldIGC
class CshieldIGC : public IshieldIGC
{
public:
	CshieldIGC(void);

	// IbaseIGC
	virtual HRESULT Initialize(ImissionIGC* pMission, Time now, const void* data, int dataSize);
	virtual void    Terminate(void);
	virtual void    Update(Time now);

	virtual ObjectType  GetObjectType(void) const
	{
		return OT_shield;
	}

	virtual ImissionIGC*    GetMission(void) const
	{
		return m_pMission;
	}

	// IpartIGC
	virtual EquipmentType    GetEquipmentType(void) const
	{
		return ET_Shield;
	}

	virtual IpartTypeIGC*    GetPartType(void) const
	{
		return m_partType;
	}

	virtual IshipIGC*        GetShip(void) const
	{
		return m_ship;
	}
	virtual void             SetShip(IshipIGC* newVal, Mount mount);

	virtual Mount            GetMountID(void) const
	{
		return m_mountID;
	}
	virtual void             SetMountID(Mount newVal);

	virtual bool             fActive(void) const
	{
		return (m_mountID == 0);
	}

	virtual void             Activate(void)
	{
		m_ship->ChangeSignature(m_typeData->signature);
	}
	virtual void             Deactivate(void)
	{
		m_ship->ChangeSignature(-m_typeData->signature);
		m_ship->GetHitTest()->SetShape(c_htsConvexHullMax);
	}
	virtual float            GetMass(void) const
	{
		return m_typeData->mass;
	}

	virtual Money            GetPrice(void) const
	{
		return m_typeData->price;
	}

	virtual float           GetMountedFraction(void) const
	{
		return m_mountedFraction;
	}

	virtual void            SetMountedFraction(float f)
	{
		m_mountedFraction = f;
	}

	virtual void            Arm(void)
	{
		m_mountedFraction = 1.0f;
		m_fraction = 1.0f;
	}

	// IshieldIGC
	virtual float           GetRegeneration(void) const
	{
		return m_ship
			? (m_typeData->rateRegen * m_ship->GetSide()->GetGlobalAttributeSet().GetAttribute(c_gaShieldRegenerationShip))
			: m_typeData->rateRegen;
	}
	virtual float           GetMaxStrength(void) const
	{
		return m_ship
			? (m_typeData->maxStrength * m_ship->GetSide()->GetGlobalAttributeSet().GetAttribute(c_gaMaxShieldShip))
			: m_typeData->maxStrength;
	}
	virtual DefenseTypeID   GetDefenseType(void) const
	{
		return m_typeData->defenseType;
	}
	virtual float           GetFraction(void) const
	{
		return m_fraction;
	}
	virtual void           SetFraction(float newVal)
	{
		float down = m_pMission->GetFloatConstant(c_fcidDownedShield);
		if (newVal <= down)
		{
			if (newVal < 0.0f)
				newVal = 0.0f;

			if (m_fraction > down)
				m_ship->GetHitTest()->SetShape(c_htsConvexHullMax);
		}
		else
		{
			if (newVal > 1.0f)
				newVal = 1.0f;

			if (m_fraction <= down)
				m_ship->GetHitTest()->SetShape(c_htsEllipse);
		}

		m_fraction = newVal;
	}

	virtual float           ApplyDamage(Time           timeCollision,
		DamageTypeID   type,
		float          amount,
		const Vector&  deltaP);

private:
	const DataShieldTypeIGC*    m_typeData;
	IpartTypeIGC*               m_partType;
	IshipIGC*                   m_ship;
	ImissionIGC*                m_pMission;

	float                       m_fraction;
	float                       m_mountedFraction;

	Mount                       m_mountID;
};

#endif //__SHIELDIGC_H_

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Hyperactive PI3K signaling and immune deficiency
Conclusions and future directions
Commentary Free access | 10.1172/JCI77198
Too much of a good thing: immunodeficiency due to hyperactive PI3K signaling
Craig M. Walsh and David A. Fruman
Institute for Immunology and Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, USA.
Address correspondence to: Craig M. Walsh, 3215 McGaugh Hall, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California 92697-3900, USA. Phone: 949.824.8487; E-mail: cwalsh@uci.edu. Or to: David A. Fruman, 3242 McGaugh Hall, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California 92697-3900, USA. Phone: 949.824.1947; E-mail: dfruman@uci.edu.
Find articles by Walsh, C. in: JCI | PubMed | Google Scholar
Find articles by Fruman, D. in: JCI | PubMed | Google Scholar
Published August 18, 2014 - More info
Published in Volume 124, Issue 9 on September 2, 2014
J Clin Invest. 2014;124(9):3688–3690. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI77198.
Copyright © 2014, American Society for Clinical Investigation
Published August 18, 2014 - Version history
A human immunodeficiency caused by mutations in the PIK3R1 gene
Marie-Céline Deau, … , Alain Fischer, Sven Kracker
Recently, patient mutations that activate PI3K signaling have been linked to a primary antibody deficiency. Here, we used whole-exome sequencing and characterized the molecular defects in 4 patients from 3 unrelated families diagnosed with hypogammaglobulinemia and recurrent infections. We identified 2 different heterozygous splice site mutations that affect the same splice site in PIK3R1, which encodes the p85α subunit of PI3K. The resulting deletion of exon 10 produced a shortened p85α protein that lacks part of the PI3K p110-binding domain. The hypothetical loss of p85α-mediated inhibition of p110 activity was supported by elevated phosphorylation of the known downstream signaling kinase AKT in patient T cell blasts. Analysis of patient blood revealed that naive T and memory B cell counts were low, and T cell blasts displayed enhanced activation-induced cell death, which was corrected by addition of the PI3Kδ inhibitor IC87114. Furthermore, B lymphocytes proliferated weakly in response to activation via the B cell receptor and TLR9, indicating a B cell defect. The phenotype exhibited by patients carrying the PIK3R1 splice site mutation is similar to that of patients carrying gain-of-function mutations in PIK3CD. Our results suggest that PI3K activity is tightly regulated in T and B lymphocytes and that various defects in the PI3K-triggered pathway can cause primary immunodeficiencies.
Marie-Céline Deau, Lucie Heurtier, Pierre Frange, Felipe Suarez, Christine Bole-Feysot, Patrick Nitschke, Marina Cavazzana, Capucine Picard, Anne Durandy, Alain Fischer, Sven Kracker
Primary immune deficiency diseases arise due to heritable defects that often involve signaling molecules required for immune cell function. Typically, these genetic defects cause loss of gene function, resulting in primary immune deficiencies such as severe combined immune deficiency (SCID) and X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA); however, gain-of-function mutations may also promote immune deficiency. In this issue of the JCI, Deau et al. establish that gain-of-function mutations in PIK3R1, which encodes the p85α regulatory subunit of class IA PI3Ks, lead to immunodeficiency. These observations are consistent with previous reports that hyperactivating mutations in PIK3CD, which encodes the p110δ catalytic subunit, are capable of promoting immune deficiency. Mutations that reduce PI3K activity also result in defective lymphocyte development and function; therefore, these findings support the notion that too little or too much PI3K activity leads to immunodeficiency.
PI3Ks were discovered by Cantley and colleagues in 1985 (1) and have since been found to play numerous roles in cells (2, 3). Through recruitment to growth factor and cytokine receptor intracellular signaling complexes, class I PI3Ks promote the phosphorylation of phosphatidylinositol-(4,5)-bisphosphate (PIP2) to phosphatidylinositol-(3,4,5)-triphosphate (PIP3), which activates several downstream signaling molecules via membrane recruitment to signaling complexes. Class IA PI3Ks are heterodimeric and composed of a catalytic subunit (p110α, p110β, and p110δ) bound to a regulatory subunit (p85α/p55α/p50α, p85β, and p55γ). Although p110α and p110β are ubiquitously expressed, p110δ is restricted to immune cells (4). Indeed, loss of p110δ through gene targeting substantially affects adaptive immunity, impairing B cell development and resulting in a profound loss of T and B cell activation and function (4). Deletion of Pik3r1, which encodes PI3K p85α, p55α, and p50α regulatory subunits, leads to defects in B cell development, but does not affect T cell development and function (5, 6), likely due to Pik3r1-independent class IA PI3K activity in T cells. PI3K is activated in both T and B cells via antigen receptor signaling, cytokine and chemokine binding, and surface integrin activation (3, 4). These extracellular stimuli depend on PI3K for coordination of downstream signaling enzymes, including the serine/threonine kinases PDK1, AKT, and mTOR. By influencing these pathways, PI3K affects a wide range of cellular functions, modulating cellular metabolism, gene expression, and posttranslational regulation of protein and organelle function. The myriad roles that PI3K plays in the immune system, especially in T and B lymphocytes, are widely documented (3, 7, 8).
In this issue, Deau et al. used whole-exome sequencing and identified two distinct PIK3R1 heterozygous splice site mutations in four immunodeficient patients. The two different mutations affected the same splice site, leading to aberrant splicing of PIK3R1 exon 10 and resulting truncation of the p85α protein (9). Similarly aberrant PIK3R1 splicing has been observed in tumor cells and found to increase PI3K enzyme activity through loss of an inhibitory contact between the regulatory and catalytic subunits (10, 11). Consistent with this, Deau et al. found elevated PI3K activity in patient lymphocytes, with enhanced phosphorylation of AKT on serine 473 and threonine 308 (9). The patients did not present with lymphoproliferative symptoms, but instead exhibited enhanced lymphocyte activation-induced cell death (AICD). While overall lymphocyte counts were in the normal range, the naive fraction of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells was dramatically diminished. Some of the patients had elevated levels of transitional B cells, while others presented with a paucity of IgM–IgD–CD27+ memory B cells. Furthermore, these patients lacked IgA production, and most of them had much higher titers of IgM compared with IgG. These results suggest that these PIK3R1 hyperactivating mutations lead to defects in lymphoid homeostasis and B cell Ig class switching.
The findings of Deau et al. (9) are reminiscent of previous observations made in patients bearing activating mutations in PIK3CD, which encodes p110δ. In these individuals, the catalytic activity of p110δ is dramatically increased as the result of an E1021K mutation (12). This activating mutation led to the development of a primary immune deficiency, termed "activated p110δ syndrome" (APDS), a condition marked by susceptibility to respiratory tract infection, lymphopenia, and progressive airway damage. Upon closer inspection, Angulo et al. observed elevated serum IgM, an increased fraction of transitional B cells, and heightened AICD and AKT phosphorylation in APDS patient lymphocytes (12). Structural and biochemical evaluation of the E1021K-containing protein revealed an alteration in the C lobe of the kinase domain, which interacts with lipid substrates in the cell membrane and is also involved in binding to the SRC homology 2 (SH2) domain of the regulatory subunits. Lucas et al. had similar findings in their characterization of 14 immune-deficient patients from seven families bearing distinct heterozygous germline gain-of-function mutations in PIK3CD (13). They found that three different gain-of-function PIK3CD mutations led to p110δ hyperactivity, with heightened AKT phosphorylation and mTOR activity. Furthermore, individuals harboring gain-of-function PIK3CD mutations had an overrepresentation of senescent effector T cells, with enhanced glucose uptake and terminal effector differentiation. While not specifically addressed by Deau et al. (9), it is likely that the described PIK3R1 mutation truncates the p85α domain in a manner that alters its interaction with p110δ, resulting in hyperactivation of the catalytic domain (11). Although the symptoms described in the APDS patients are somewhat distinct from those observed in the patients characterized by Deau and colleagues (9), it is possible that a greater concordance in immunodeficiency symptoms will become apparent with the identification of more patients bearing these activating mutations.
The implications of these findings are important in several respects. First, patients bearing gain-of-function mutations in PIK3R1, such as those described by Deau and colleagues (9), may benefit from inhibitors of the PI3K and mTOR pathways that are currently available in the clinic or under scrutiny in clinical trials (14). Indeed, the PI3Kδ inhibitor IC87114 was effective in reducing the hyperactive AKT phosphorylation and heightened AICD in patient samples bearing the PIK3R1 truncation mutation (9). PI3Kδ inhibitors also affected similar parameters in patients bearing PIK3CD mutations (12, 13). Second, given that the identified mutations occur in the germline, it is somewhat surprising that such gain-of-function mutations did not result in an apparent increase in susceptibility to blood cancers. Previous work by Carrera and colleagues has established that a similar truncation in p85α leads to the generation of the oncogene "p65-PI3K," a similarly dysregulated form of p85α that promotes constitutive PI3K catalytic activity (10). Because PI3K and downstream pathways such as mTOR are vital for tumor cell growth and survival, PI3K hyperactivation might be expected to promote oncogenic transformation. Likewise, APDS patients do not appear to have higher susceptibility to cancer, although this may simply be due to the highly specific PIK3CD expression pattern (14). PIK3R1 is more broadly expressed; therefore, it is possible that identification of additional patients bearing such mutations as those described by Deau et al. (9) may reveal a heightened susceptibility to oncogenic transformation in various tissues. Alternatively, the internal truncation caused by these splice site mutations may not increase PI3K catalytic activity as profoundly as was observed with p65-PI3K. It will be important to compare the catalytic activity of p110 catalytic subunits when paired with WT, p65-PI3K, and these exon 10 truncations of p85α.
The work by Deau et al. lays the groundwork for future studies to evaluate the differential effects of PI3K signaling on lymphocyte biology and immune function. A key issue is how hyperactive PI3K signaling affects lymphocyte differentiation. In each study, hyperactive class IA PI3K signaling variably resulted in an enhancement of transitional B cells, with an increase in serum IgM and a consequent decrease in more mature IgG isoforms (9, 12, 13). These findings are intriguing in light of the observation that mice with B cells lacking PTEN, a phosphoinositide phosphatase that counteracts PI3K signaling, have impaired Ig class switch recombination and hyper-IgM syndrome (15). Treatment of these mice with p110δ inhibitors rescued the Ig class switching phenotype. On the other hand, an immunodeficient patient lacking the p85α subunit of PI3K had a profound defect in B cell development and Ig production (16). Together, these observations lend credence to the hypothesis that PI3K activity must be carefully tuned for proper Ig isotype class switching.
Hyperactive PI3K signaling also leads to enhanced cellular metabolism, which was observed in lymphocytes derived from mice bearing gain-of-function p110δ (13). As lymphocytes are highly dependent on metabolic switching after activation (17), it may be that the defective generation of more mature Ig isoforms and enhanced generation of transitional B cell populations associated with hyperactive PI3K is due to activating mutations in the class IA PI3K pathway reprogramming lymphocyte metabolism. Failure to properly control metabolic signaling can result in premature terminal differentiation and cell death (18); therefore, it may be that unrestricted activation of pathways downstream of class IA PI3K lead to the early death of lymphocytes in patients bearing PIK3CD and PIK3R1 mutations. This may explain the observation of heightened AICD in T cells obtained from patients bearing the PIK3CD and PIK3R1 mutations (9, 13). It will thus be important to carefully evaluate lymphocyte metabolic regulation in these patients. PI3K, mTOR, and metabolic regulation are all important for helper T cell differentiation (19, 20). Future studies should also characterize the effect of class IA PI3K gain-of-function mutations on distinct helper cell subsets, as deficiencies in distinct helper subsets could greatly affect immune function in these patients. It is also possible that hyperactive class IA PI3K signaling may lead to overactivation of immune self-tolerance mechanisms; thus, evaluation of regulatory T cells and antiinflammatory cytokine production will be interesting. Perhaps the salient message of these studies is that PI3K signaling does not act in a digital manner; context and signal levels clearly matter to the immune system (3).
C.M. Walsh is supported by grants from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (CA 1058-A-8), the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM RM1-01717 and TR3-05603), and the NIH (GM099040). D.A. Fruman is supported by grants from the NIH (CA158383 and AI099656).
Reference information: J Clin Invest. 2014;124(9):3688–3690. doi:10.1172/JCI77198.
See the related article at A human immunodeficiency caused by mutations in the PIK3R1 gene.
Whitman M, Kaplan DR, Schaffhausen B, Cantley L, Roberts TM. Association of phosphatidylinositol kinase activity with polyoma middle-T competent for transformation. Nature. 1985;315(6016):239–242.
View this article via: PubMed CrossRef Google Scholar
Deane JA, Fruman DA. Phosphoinositide 3-kinase: diverse roles in immune cell activation. Annu Rev Immunol. 2004;22:563–598.
Fruman DA, Bismuth G. Fine tuning the immune response with PI3K. Immunol Rev. 2009;228(1):253–272.
Okkenhaug K, Ali K, Vanhaesebroeck B. Antigen receptor signalling: a distinctive role for the p110delta isoform of PI3K. Trends Immunol. 2007;28(2):80–87.
Fruman DA, et al. Impaired B cell development and proliferation in absence of phosphoinositide 3-kinase p85α. Science. 1999;283(5400):393–397.
Suzuki H, et al. Xid-like immunodeficiency in mice with disruption of the p85α subunit of phosphoinositide 3-kinase. Science. 1999;283(5400):390–392.
Okkenhaug K, Fruman DA. PI3Ks in lymphocyte signaling and development. Curr Top Microbiol Immunol. 2010;346:57–85.
Vanhaesebroeck B, Guillermet-Guibert J, Graupera M, Bilanges B. The emerging mechanisms of isoform-specific PI3K signalling. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2010;11(5):329–341.
Deau M-C, et al. A human immunodeficiency caused by mutations in the PIK3R1 gene. J Clin Invest. 2014;124(9):3923–3928.
View this article via: JCI Google Scholar
Jimenez C, et al. Identification and characterization of a new oncogene derived from the regulatory subunit of phosphoinositide 3-kinase. EMBO J. 1998;17(3):743–753.
Backer JM. The regulation of class IA PI 3-kinases by inter-subunit interactions. Curr Top Microbiol Immunol. 2010;346:87–114.
Angulo I, et al. Phosphoinositide 3-kinase delta gene mutation predisposes to respiratory infection and airway damage. Science. 2013;342(6160):866–871.
Lucas CL, et al. Dominant-activating germline mutations in the gene encoding the PI(3)K catalytic subunit p110delta result in T cell senescence and human immunodeficiency. Nat Immunol. 2014;15(1):88–97.
Conley ME, Fruman DA. Genetics. Can cancer drugs treat immunodeficiency? Science. 2013;342(6160):814–815.
Omori SA, et al. Regulation of class-switch recombination and plasma cell differentiation by phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase signaling. Immunity. 2006;25(4):545–557.
Conley ME, et al. Agammaglobulinemia and absent B lineage cells in a patient lacking the p85α subunit of PI3K. J Exp Med. 2012;209(3):463–470.
MacIver NJ, Michalek RD, Rathmell JC. Metabolic regulation of T lymphocytes. Annu Rev Immunol. 2013;31:259–283.
Fracchia KM, Pai CY, Walsh CM. Modulation of T cell metabolism and function through calcium signaling. Front Immunol. 2013;4:324.
Gerriets VA, Rathmell JC. Metabolic pathways in T cell fate and function. Trends Immunol. 2012;33(4):168–173.
Waickman AT, Powell JD. mTOR, metabolism, and the regulation of T-cell differentiation and function. Immunol Rev. 2012;249(1):43–58.
Version 1 (August 18, 2014): No description
Version 2 (September 2, 2014): No description


text:
Italian Culture and Tradition
Culture Curation
Italy is a peninsula in southern Europe. It has approximately 61 million inhabitants, 96% of whom are Italians. The remaining 4% of residents include North Africans, Italo-Albanians, Albanians, Germans, Austrians and other European groups. The Italian culture is commonly associated with art, music and food. It is the homeland of the Roman Empire, the Roman Catholic Church and the main center of the Renaissance, which flourished through Europe for centuries.
Italian is the official language of Italy and one of the Romance languages. Almost everybody in Italy speaks Italian, however, there are a number of dialects and other languages that are spoken by native Italians, such as Albanian, Catalan, Corsican, Croatian, Emiliano- Romagnolo, French, German and Greek.
Music, Art and Literature of Italian Culture
Art can be viewed in every corner of Italy, not only in the museums of Florence, Venice and Rome, but also in the churches and public buildings. The most famous piece of art is the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel of the Vatican, which was painted by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512. Italy also produced other great artists like Leon Battista Alberti and Leonardo da Vinci.
When it comes to music, Italian culture is famous for its operas. Many of the world's great musicians and composers like Giuseppe Verdi, Ruggero Leoncavallo and Luciano Pavarotti are Italian.
Italian literature includes great works like Dante's La Divine Comida, which was written in the thirteenth century, and the writings of Pietro Bembo, Nicolo Machiavelli and Ludovico Ariosto in the sixteenth century. Machiavelli's The Prince is considered the first work of political science.
In the fashion industry, Italy is home to a number of world-renowned fashion houses, including Armani, Gucci, Benetton, Versace and Prada.
Around 90% of Italians are Roman Catholic. Rome is home to Vatican City, which is the hub of Roman Catholicism and is where the Pope resides. The remaining 10% of Italians are Protestant, Jewish or Muslim.
Italians are full of life and they like to celebrate, so there are a lot of national Italian holidays. It is important to check the national holidays if you are planning to travel to Italy as museums, shops and restaurants will be closed in celebration, especially on January 1st, May 1st and December 25th. Each city or region celebrate its own holidays, such as the feast day of their patron saint, in addition to nationwide holidays. Italians celebrate most Christian holidays, such as Christmas and Easter, along with other holidays including The Liberation Day on April 25th, The Epiphany on January 6th, Valentine's Day on February 14th, International Women's Day on March 8th, Labor Day on May 1st and Festa della Repubblica on June 2nd.
Italian cuisine is very famous and admired around the world. Who has not fallen in love with pizza or pasta? For Italians, food is an art, which they master very well and their gatherings are centered around food. In central Italy, spaghetti and pizza are popular. However, in the north, the most common dishes are comprised of fish, potatoes, rice, sausage, pork, pasta, polenta and risotto. In the south, tomatoes are a staple, either served fresh or cooked into sauce with capers, peppers, olives and olive oil, garlic, artichokes, eggplant and ricotta cheese. Food is a means for maintaining ties between family and friends, and there is a special meal for every occasion.
To summarize, Italian culture and traditions are renowned around the world. From famous art and architecture to delicious food and wine. Italians are enthusiastic about celebrating and spending time with family and friends. They are truly known for enjoying the finer things in life.
Further GPI Resources on Culture Curation Topics
News Outlets in Europe Consolidate Translation Services
News: The EU is Using Translation to Achieve European Digital Single Market
Italian Language Translation eBook
Written By: Marina Cavallera
Marina Cavallera
Localization Project Manager
Marina is a native Spanish speaker from Rosario, Argentina with over 15 years' experience as a certified English-Spanish translator and interpreter. She graduated with a dual degree in Technical-Scientific and Literary Translation and Simultaneous and Consecutive Interpreting from the Instituto de Educación Superior Olga Cossettini in Rosario. She has extensive experience with most well known CAT tools including the range of SDL tools such as SDL Trados Studio, MultiTerm, Wordfast, SDL Idiom WorldServer, Translation Workspace, XBench, etc. She has also served as a CAT Tool Instructor conducting an average of 50 courses and workshops for many associations, private institutes and conferences. Over the years she has provided Spanish language translation and interpreting for a multitude of translation agencies, Global Fortune 500 companies, Governments and NGO's. When not working she enjoys traveling, cooking, reading and movies with her family.
See All Posts by Marina Cavallera Click to Contact Marina


text:
Jennifer Jason Leigh Reteams with Quentin Tarantino to Narrate Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Audiobook
Jordan Raup○ May 15, 2021
Last fall we learned that Quentin Tarantino would be returning to the world of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood with a 224-page novelization. Said to offer "a fresh, playful and shocking departure from the film," according to the publisher Harper, it will now arrive next month as a mass market paperback, akin to the director's pulp paperback favorites, alongside e-book and digital audio editions. A deluxe hardcover edition will then be released in fall 2021.
Ahead of its June 29 release, we've now learned who will be providing narration for the audiobook version and it's not a cast member of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, but rather The Hateful Eight star Jennifer Jason Leigh. Clocking in at 11 hours, the audiobook is now available to pre-order here. We're greatly looking forward to seeing how one of Tarantino's best films translates to book form and Jennifer Jason Leigh performing as Rick, Cliff, and the rest of the Hollywood players is too good to pass up.
"He just sees you and what you're capable of. That's such a blessing, and it really made me remember who I was as an actress; I just had forgotten," Leigh told The Guardian about working with Quentin Tarantino. "Not in a bitter or sad way; it was just like I didn't feel particularly meaningful or relevant right now. I was OK with it, I had other things going on and that's fine. It's just the way things go. This is really remarkable for me. Honestly, I still look at the poster for The Hateful Eight and I can't believe I'm in the movie. I love it so much and the experience was so grand. It really was exceptional."
See the synopsis for the novelization below.
Quentin Tarantino's long-awaited first work of fiction – at once hilarious, delicious, and brutal – is the always surprising, sometimes shocking, novelization of his Academy Award winning film.
RICK DALTON – Once he had his own TV series, but now Rick's a washed-up villain-of-the week drowning his sorrows in whiskey sours. Will a phone call from Rome save his fate or seal it?
CLIFF BOOTH – Rick's stunt double, and the most infamous man on any movie set because he's the only one there who might have gotten away with murder….
SHARON TATE – She left Texas to chase a movie-star dream, and found it. Sharon's salad days are now spent on Cielo Drive, high in the Hollywood Hills.
CHARLES MANSON – The ex-con's got a bunch of zonked-out hippies thinking he's their spiritual leader, but he'd trade it all to be a rock 'n' roll star.
HOLLYWOOD 1969 – YOU SHOULDA BEEN THERE
"In the seventies movie novelizations were the first adult books I grew up reading," says Tarantino. "And to this day I have a tremendous amount of affection for the genre. So as a movie-novelization aficionado, I'm proud to announce Once Upon A Time In Hollywood my contribution to this often marginalized, yet beloved sub-genre in literature. I'm also thrilled to further explore my characters and their world in a literary endeavor that can (hopefully) sit alongside its cinematic counterpart."
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (the novel) arrives on June 29. Pre-order here.
Jennifer Jason LeighOnce Upon a Time... in HollywoodQuentin Tarantino
Listen to Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary Discuss 2021 Discoveries in Four-Hour Podcast
Leonard Pearce○ December 10, 2021
Trailer for Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood Novel Offers New Footage
Nick Newman○ June 21, 2021
Quentin Tarantino to Release Two Novels, Including Expansion of Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
Jordan Raup○ November 17, 2020
Quentin Tarantino's Star Trek Movie Was a 1930s Gangster Film Set on Earth
Quentin Tarantino Names The Social Network the Best Film of the Decade
Watch: Fiona Apple & Quentin Tarantino Discuss Each Other's Careers in 2006 TV Episode
Jordan Raup○ April 17, 2020


Rita M. Matthews, 86, passed away February 6, 2019 in Easton, PA. Waiting with open arms to greet her was her beloved husband of 63 years, Lynn L. Matthews, who predeceased her on Dec. 24, 2016. Rita was born April 13, 1932 in Johnsonburg, PA, one of twelve children born to John and Elizabeth DeMarco. She was predeceased by her parents, and sisters; Mary, Florence, Martha, twin sister Freda, and brothers John, Jack and Bill. She is survived by her beloved family, children Lynn L. Matthews III (Lisa), Christine M. Cahill (Bob), Dean Matthews (Kirstin), grandchildren, Christopher Herrick (Alison) Bobby (Lindsey), Danny (Jordan), Brian Cahill, Pat Matthews (Mariah), Jenna L. Matthews, great-granddaughters Bailey Lynn and Parker Matthews, Reilly Cahill, Emma Cahill, her sister Vera Catalano and brother Bud (Sue) DeMarco, along with many nieces, nephews. As we know family is not always blood related and so close to her heart is Francie Cook, Nicole (David) Osterhout, Trevor and Nolan Osterhout, Joey Cook and Stephanie Cook.
Rita was past President of the J.W. Thurston Marine Corps League Auxiliary; an active member for over 50 years. She was past President of the Ladies of the Elks #70. She was also a lifetime member of the German Club, American Legion Post 80, The VFW Post 478, and The Sons of Italy. She was employed for 26 years as a Teacher's Aide in the Binghamton City School District. Rita was a "Shop till you drop" lady and a fastidious housekeeper. She was a BINGO player extraordinaire and loved Quick Draw and Scratchers.
Funeral services will be held 2:00 pm Monday at the Anglican Church of the Good Shepherd, 360 Conklin Avenue, Binghamton. The family will receive friends from 2:00 – 5:00 pm Sunday at the Hopler & Eschbach Funeral Home 483 Chenango St. Binghamton. The family requests those wishing to make a donation in memory of Rita make it the Marine Corps League P.O. Box 1784 Binghamton NY 13902-1784. A memorial reception will be held at the Relief Pitcher immediately following the funeral.
How much we'll miss her can never be told.
You were simply the best.


With issues facing states in the Marcellus Shale region such as budgetary difficulties and environmental protection, this Article postures that at least one of these states will enact a severance tax on natural gas in the near future. This Article attempts to provide a survey of severance tax policies from high natural gas producing states that already have natural severance taxes in place.
7 Ky. J. Equine, Agric. & Nat. Resources L. 297 (2015).
Since the implementation of hydraulic fracturing, natural gas extractors have been able to reach deposits of natural gas that were previously thought cost prohibitive or impossible. The Marcellus Shale, which covers much of the Mid-Atlantic region, has become a plentiful source of natural gas because of the implementation of hydraulic fracturing. The environmental concerns of hydraulic fracturing have been well publicized in both the media and academia. However, little has been discussed about the pragmatic and ancillary aspects of natural gas extraction in the Marcellus Shale region, namely severance taxes.
Severance taxes are excise taxes on the extraction of natural resources. The severance taxes fulfill many roles including general gubernatorial funding, environmental protection funding, and as a general deterrence to the extraction of the natural resource. Despite the broad utility of severance taxes, many states in the Marcellus Shale region have not enacted severance taxes on natural gas. With issues facing states in the Marcellus Shale region such as budgetary difficulties and environmental protection, this Article postures that at least one of these states will enact a severance tax on natural gas in the near future. This Article attempts to provide a survey of severance tax policies from high natural gas producing states that already have natural severance taxes in place. In doing so, this Article emphasizes certain severance tax policies in states with active natural gas extraction as beneficial and practical for states in the Marcellus Shale region that have not yet enacted a severance tax on natural gas. In addition to endorsingcertain severance tax policies, this Article also discusses federal constraints on the states' enactment of severance taxes.


text:
Q: PHP/AJAX: Ajax request to php not working, not putting rows into div I am making a php chat but am having some trouble using ajax to check a mysql database and to put the data into a div. Here are my codes:
HTML

chatheader

                        testuser

                        test message goes here

        <form id="form" action="">
          <textarea class="chatchat" id="message" placeholder="Type message here!"></textarea>
        </form>

JAVASCRIPT

PHP
<?php
$con = mysqli_connect('localhost','root','','chat');
$query = mysqli_query($con,"SELECT * FROM `messages`");
$msgnum = mysqli_num_rows($query);
$array = mysqli_fetch_row($query);
  echo json_encode($array);
?>

So basically what I am trying to do is use ajax to contact the php file which will then check the mysql database for tables and encode them to json, on the index page, the chatbox is supposed to come up by the first javascript function but it's not sliding up.  know that it is the ajax that is doing this, specifically the $('#chatmessages').html(); line. When I remove the code from that line, the chatbox comes up but is empty inside. What am I doing wrong, how would I do it so that when it contacts, for each row that is found in the database, it echoes

                        testuser

                        test message goes here

So if there are like 50 rows in the database, it would echo that script for each of the rows, and there would be an overflow-y:scroll on the
 so it doesn't overflow. Thanks in advance to anyone that can help!

A: If you've json data in success callback of your AJAX call, you can iterate through all records and append each record to your chat div
 success: function(data)
          {
           $.each(data,function(index,dataRecord){
           document.getElementById('chatmessages').innerHTML +="html content goes here";
           });
           //scroll down your div,make sure you should have propery, overflow-y:scroll
          document.getElementById('chatmessages').scrollTop=100000;
         }

Hope this will help,
Thanks

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Cruzeiro do Sul International Airport handled 73,970 passengers last year.
Cruzeiro do Sul International Airport is the airport serving Cruzeiro do Sul, Brazil.
In addition to being known as "Cruzeiro do Sul International Airport", another name for CZS is "Aeroporto Internacional de Cruzeiro do Sul".
Cruzeiro do Sul International Airport (CZS) currently has only 1 runway.
Because of Cruzeiro do Sul International Airport's relatively low elevation of 637 feet, planes can take off or land at Cruzeiro do Sul International Airport at a lower air speed than at airports located at a higher elevation. This is because the air density is higher closer to sea level than it would otherwise be at higher elevations.
The furthest airport from Cruzeiro do Sul International Airport (CZS) is Cỏ Ống Airport (VCS), which is nearly antipodal to Cruzeiro do Sul International Airport (meaning Cruzeiro do Sul International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Cỏ Ống Airport), and is located 12,348 miles (19,873 kilometers) away in Con Son, Con Dao, Ba Ria - Vung Tau, Vietnam.
The closest airport to Cruzeiro do Sul International Airport (CZS) is FAP Captain David Abenzur Rengifo International Airport (PCL), which is located 135 miles (217 kilometers) WSW of CZS.


text:
Vote today!
February 8, 2022 / harvesthillssouth
Here are the candidates.
Pick the best one!
Carol Hefner: Hefner was born and raised in Oklahoma City. She is a board member of several nonprofits is the president of two companies, according to her social media page. Hefner boasts conservative views and says she, "will restore our values of Faith, Family and Freedom," to Oklahoma City. Hefner previously endorsed OKC mayoral candidate Frank Urbanic before then announcing she was running herself. You can learn more about Carol Hefner here.
David Holt (Incumbent): Holt was born and raised in Oklahoma City. He became OKC's 36th mayor in April 2018. According to the City of OKC's website, Holt's philosophy "One OKC" shares the belief that OKC's thriving environment will only continue if residents can come together, instead of focusing on things that divide us. During Holt's time as mayor, MAPS 4 was passed, a nearly $1 billion project that boasts 16 priorities including neighborhood park upgrades and affordable housing that addresses homelessness. You can learn more about David Holt here.
Jimmy Lawson: Lawson was born and raised in Oklahoma City. According to his website, he is the Director of Permitting Services at the Oklahoma Workers' Compensation Commission as well as a Professor at Rose State College, where he teaches finance and economic courses. Lawson's philosophy is people over politics, listing some of his priorities as eliminating homelessness, providing resources for OKC youth and creating equity in the criminal justice system. You can learn more about Jimmy Lawson here.
Frank Urbanic: Urbanic is from Friendswood, Texas but is proud to call Oklahoma City home. He is a combat veteran, serving our country for 22 years, as well as an attorney, according to his website. Urbanic took on both Governor Kevin Stitt and Mayor David Holt during the COVID-19 pandemic, filing lawsuits against both for their emergency orders. Urbanic previously served as a GOP Precinct Chair, District Chair and as a member of the Oklahoma County GOP's Executive Committee. You can learn more about Frank Urbanic here.
← Cold Weather is coming……
February Calendar →


Hydrogen sulphide gas is a common by-product in sewage treatment systems.
The gas is not only recognised for its noxious smell and toxicity to workers but also can corrode pipes and sewage treatment facilities at significant cost to operators. Each year, corrosion from hydrogen sulphide and sulphuric acid is estimated to cost US sewage treatment operators $14 billion.
Until now, operators were restricted in their choice of treatment method, with current methods either unable to treat high concentrations of hydrogen sulphide or often leaving treated materials unsuitable for uses such as agriculture.
GRT Water Services introduces Zero Water Treatment, a magnesium-based advanced polymer solution that effectively limits the formation of hydrogen sulphide gas.
By increasing the pH levels of treated materials, Zero Water Treatment reduces odours and risks for on-site workers, while limiting corrosion to sewerage systems.
GRT Water Services offers cost-effective, turn-key solutions, offering dosing facilities to local government and industrial sewerage system operators and is suitable for aerobic and anaerobic treatment systems.
GRT Water Services works with clients to design, install and manage facilities to provide custom dosing for the Zero Water Treatment product.
At selected pumping stations and the sewage treatment plant, dosing stations measure the pH levels and the concentration of hydrogen sulphide, before injecting precise concentrations of the Zero Water Treatment product.
Zero Water Treatment relies on GRT's internationally recognised expertise in advanced polymer technology, ensuring the solution's maximum effectiveness by staying in suspension longer.
GRT Water Services Zero Water Treatment is a cost-effective addition to any sewage treatment system, reducing capital expenditure and enhancing worker safety.
Zero Water Treatment also enhances sewerage system effectiveness by supporting bacterial activity, reducing ammonia while maintaining optimal pH range.
Zero Water Treatment also aids anaerobic processes by providing an optimal pH range for methane-forming bacterial growth, improving the performance of wastewater treatment systems.
The presence of hydrogen sulphide, and its associated odour, is a nuisance for workers, contractors and neighbouring communities.
Exposure to hydrogen sulphide can cause irritation, breathing difficulties and, in sufficiently high concentrations, can be fatal.
The safety of on-site workers is GRT Water Service's highest priority, and Zero Water Treatment offers a proven hazard reduction method for sewage treatment system operators.
By reducing the presence of hydrogen sulphide gas, Zero Water Treatment provides operators a proven method to limit the amenity impact and safety risks for neighbours and on-site personnel.
GRT Water Service's Zero Water Treatment offers government and industrial sewage treatment system operators a proven, cost-effective method of reducing the burden of hydrogen sulphide corrosion.
Zero Water Treatment offers an immediate and measurable reduction in the treatment and remediation of corrosion, protecting valuable industrial assets and reducing costs while extending assets' useful lifespans.
Zero Water Treatment's magnesium-based advanced formulation provides a lower sodium wastewater output compared to conventional caustic soda based systems.
Zero Water Treatment is classified as a non-hazardous product, and can be reliably used where wastewater flows are used for non-industrial purposes, including agricultural irrigation.
GRT Water Services' Zero Water Treatment offers substantial operational, safety, financial and environmental benefits over alternative treatment solutions.
Reduced sedimentation, resulting in reduced maintenance and cleaning costs.
GRT Water Services offers an award-winning, proven, process and technology, supported by world-class polymer experts and water services specialists with expertise in sewage treatment systems.
In addition to the design, installation and management of customized dosing stations, our expert personnel also offer onsite cleaning and maintenance, separating GRT Water Treatment from our competitors.
GRT Water Services provides just-in-time deliveries to clients through our company-owned Australia-wide distribution network, reducing on-site storage and ensuring savings through reduced stock on-hand.
GRT Water Services has internationally accredited quality control and assurance processes and Is ISO:9001 certified.


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El municipio de Beccaria (en inglés, Beccaria Township) es una subdivisión administrativa del condado de Clearfield, Pensilvania, Estados Unidos. Según el censo de 2020, tiene una población de 1774 habitantes.

Geografía
Está ubicado en las coordenadas  (40.764854, -78.52467).

Demografía
Según la Oficina del Censo, en 2000 los ingresos medios por hogar en la zona eran de $28,714 y los ingresos medios por familia eran de $32,286. Los hombres tenían unos ingresos medios de $27,578 frente a los $17,381 para las mujeres. La renta per cápita de la región era de $13,941. Alrededor del 10.5% de la población estaba por debajo del umbral de pobreza.

De acuerdo con la estimación 2015-2019 de la Oficina del Censo, los ingresos medios por hogar en la zona son de $47,417 y los ingresos medios por familia son de $67,232. Alrededor del 9.9% de la población está por debajo del umbral de pobreza.

Referencias

Enlaces externos

Municipios de Pensilvania
Localidades del condado de Clearfield

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Lifan Car Service Manuals PDF above the page.
Lifan - a Chinese corporation, founded in 1992. Today, she is engaged in production of passenger cars as well as buses and ATVs.
Company name can be translated as "the ability to go full sail." Main office Lifan Industrial Group is located in the Chinese city of Chongqing. This company exports its vehicles to various countries - from the United States and Canada, ending with the countries of Europe and CIS.
2006 Lifan met solemnly - and that's not surprising, because from the sales of its products, it has gained US $ 1.6 billion, so that only at the expense of export grade earned over forty million dollars..
In Russia, Lifan has been known since 2007, when the country roads appeared Breeze - new car. Augé in 2008 Derways (Manuals page) company creates a joint venture with LIFAN Industrial Group Corporation, is engaged in assembling Lifan Breez cars. Models developed by the corporation in 2009, are in great demand in China.
Today LIFAN Industrial Group brand is a hundred most powerful Chinese companies, aided by a large range of products.


These seven recent land conservation projects in New Jersey and Pennsylvania protected almost 3,000 acres with more than $1 million in grants from OSI's Delaware River Watershed Protection Fund, and secured another $7.5 million in matching dollars from public and private sources.
The nation's conservation community is celebrating the permanent reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund. "The LWCF is imperative for our children and grandchildren to have access to fresh water, clean air, and the landscapes and resources we enjoy today," said Kim Elliman, president and CEO of OSI.
Municipalities in some states, realizing the economic advantages of protecting upstream forests, are getting creative in their use of federal Clean Water State Revolving Funds to incorporate more land conservation into their efforts to provide clean drinking water for their communities.
OSI recently acquired land adjacent to the Catskill Park's Sundown Wild Forest. Permanent protection of South Mountain, located within the Ashokan Reservoir watershed, will help provide long-term access to clean water for millions of New Yorkers for generations to come.
The Sebago watershed outside Portland, Maine provides drinking water for 200,000 people. But only 10 percent of the watershed land is protected. What would happen if more of that land was developed, and how would water quality be affected? These questions are explored in a new study released by the University of Maine.
In South Carolina Lowcountry, OSI has purchased a critical property that will protect drinking water and enhance regional wildlife connectivity, while advancing the greenbelt around the Charleston metropolitan region.The property features forested wetlands and an important tributary.


text:
Medtronic to Pay $114.1 Million to Settle Implanted Cardiac Defibrillator Lawsuits
Medtronic Inc. will settle 2682 lawsuits filed by plaintiffs who claim that the implantable biomedical device maker knew that its Marquis line of implanted cardiac defibrillators was defective but didn't do enough to pull the devices off the market or let patients know there were safer alternatives.
As part of the agreement, Medtronic will settle the cases for $95.6 million and pay $18.5 million in lawyers' fees. Medtronic, however, says it is not admitting liability or affirming to the plaintiffs' claims by settling the products liability lawsuits.
In a statement made by Medtronic's Cardiac Rhythm Disease Management Unit President Pat Mackin affirmed that Implantable defibrillators made by Medtronic are "the most reliable ICD's ever manufactured."
Implantable defibrillators are tiny devices that deliver shocks so that the heart doesn't beat too fast. They are implanted in the chests of patients that are at risk of a fatal heart attack-the number one cause of death in America.
In 2005, Medtronic announced that its Marquis line defibrillators could have a battery shorting problem. 11,000 patients had these defibrillators surgically removed and replaced. 2,000 similar surgeries took place overseas.
In 2004, Medtronic recalled two heart defibrillators that could have been related to at least one injury and four deaths because of the defibrillators' failure to charge properly.
In 2007, Medtronics announced a global recall of its heart-defibrillator wires because the lead used to connect the defibrillators to the heart was fracturing. 235,000 patients were affected by this recall.
Medtronic to settle ICD lawsuits for $114 million, Reuters, December 21, 2007
Medtronic to Pay $114 Million In Settling Heart-Device Suits, WSJ, December 21, 2007
A Pivotal Medical-Device Case, The New England Journal of Medicine, January 3, 2008
Posted in: Defective Products


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Coomera River Weir, Oxenford | PHOTO Joanna Baldwin
Construction starts to rebuild flood-damaged John Muntz Causeway
April 15, 2017 2:44 pm in Gold Coast by Jaydan Duck
WORK to reconstruct the flood-damaged John Muntz Bridge at Oxenford will start next week.
A section of the multi-million dollar bridge on Tamborine-Oxenford Road was washed away by Ex-Tropical Cyclone Debbie last month, along with 25 metres of the riverbank.
Main Roads and Road Safety Minister Mark Bailey said a construction contractor will be on site on Tuesday to start reconnecting the bridge. Work is already underway to repair the gas and water line.
"Golding have been contracted to start the repair work on Tamborine-Oxenford Road," Mr Bailey said.
"Residents will notice an increase in activity at the site as work starts to reclaim the 25 metres of river embankment washed away by flooding associated with Cyclone Debbie."
Mr Bailey said the road would remain closed for the duration of the repair and the work would be completed mid-year, weather permitting.
"I realise the road and causeway closure for any period of time is an inconvenience to residents living in Upper Coomera and Tamborine mountain communities and I thank them for their patience while this work is carried out," he said.
"I can assure all residents and motorists that everything is being done to get this road reopened as soon as possible."
Mr Bailey said asphalt would be used on the road surface as a temporary measure to get the road reopened.
"After the new embankment and road has settled, crews will return later in the year to replace the asphalt with concrete," he said.
"This work will be done without the need to close the bridge.
"I'd like to thank everyone for their patience during this time and look forward to seeing the road reopen."
Residents/motorists wanting to be kept up to date with the latest information regarding work at John Muntz causeway are encouraged to register to receive SMS alerts and email updates.
The community can subscribe to these updates by sending their details to john.muntz@tmr.qld.gov.au
https://www.mygc.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/The-Causeway-PHOTO-Joanna-Baldwin.jpg 321 845 Jaydan Duck https://www.mygc.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/mygc-logo.png Jaydan Duck2017-04-15 14:44:322017-04-15 14:44:32Construction starts to rebuild flood-damaged John Muntz Causeway
Jaydan Duck
Jaydan is a Digital News Producer at myGC.com.au. He was appointed Managing Editor of the Junee Southern Cross newspaper at the age of 17 and has since held positions in a number of newsrooms in New South Wales and Queensland. Jaydan joined the Hot Tomato Broadcasting Company in 2013 and has been keeping the Gold Coast up to date with the latest local, national and international news online at myGC.com.au ever since. With almost ten years' experience in both print and digital media Jaydan is committed to providing the best coverage during major news and weather events.
Gold Coast Airport reveals cost of COVID-19 on passenger numbers
History made at the Gold Coast's Magic Millions race day
Young boy hospitalised after near drowning incident at Gold Coast home
Severe thunderstorm warning issued for the Gold Coast
Teen busted pushing trolley full of stolen alcohol down Melbourne street Driver caught with meth in car after trying to dodge RBT site in NSW


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Butler women's basketball defeated by Marquette
Tori Schickel attacks the basket. Schickel scored nine points in the loss. Photo by Jimmy Lafakis.
Drew Favakeh | Staff Reporter | dfavakeh@butler.edu
After a close first half, the Butler women's basketball team lost at home to Marquette, 87-58. Butler falls to 16-4 overall and 6-3 in Big East play, tied for second place in the conference. Marquette stays undefeated in conference and improves to 18-3 overall.
After a slow start in the early minutes of the first quarter, Butler managed to stay within striking distance in the first half, trailing 36-31 at the break. The second half saw Butler collapse, failing to record a field goal until the 5:16 mark of the third quarter and ultimately losing the second half 51-27.
The main reason for Butler's collapse was Marquette's immediate defensive pressure in the second half. Marquette pressed in the backcourt and trapped at the sidelines, spurring a 12-0 run and a Butler timeout. Marquette forced 16 Butler turnovers in the contest.
For the second straight game, Butler had issues stopping its opponent's 3-point barrage. Marquette, who is third in three-point percentage in the Big East, shot 11-for-23 from deep. Leading the attack was Natasha Heideman, who hit five threes.
"We wanted to do short closeouts on Heidemann to make sure we're up on her. She got a couple off of second-chance opportunities where we were scrambling. She's just a special kid, having a great Senior year," Godlevske said.
The problems didn't stop there. There was also rebounding, in which the Bulldogs lost the battle 37-26. To note, Tori Schickel, who is fourth in the Big East in rebounding average with 8.9, snagged only three boards.
"Ninety percent of rebounding is having the heart to go and get it," Godlevske said, "The other 10 percent is technique. I was so focused on us being able to control the ball to not let it get in certain areas of the floor, that once the shot went up, I wasn't looking to see what our positioning was.
Only two players cleared the double-digits mark for points: Kristen Spolyar and Emilia Sexton. Sexton checked into the game late and played only six minutes, but showed promising flashes. In her first game action since Dec. 17 against Indiana State, she splashed in two corner threes and one from the wing.
Schickel and Whitney Jennings both added nine points.
Butler will aim to bounce back from the last two losses at St. John's on Feb. 1 at 7 p.m.
Tags Big East Women's Basketball, butler athletics, Butler women's basketball, Drew Favakeh
Butler sports weekly preview: Jan. 26 – Feb. 1
Butler vs. Marquette: Beyond the box score
Butler vs. DePaul: Beyond the box score


text:
Whenever you take a psychometric test either as part of the selection process or as a practice exercise you will usually see your results presented in terms of numerical scores. These may be; raw scores, standard scores, percentile scores, Z-scores, T-scores or Stens.
Raw Scores
These refer to your unadjusted score. For example, the number of items answered correctly in an aptitude or ability test. Some types of assessment tools, such as personality questionnaires, have no right or wrong answers and in this case, the raw score may represent the number of positive responses for a particular personality trait. Obviously, raw scores by themselves are not very useful. If you are told that you scored 40 out of 50 in a verbal aptitude test, this is largely meaningless unless you know where your particular score lies within the context of the scores of other people. Raw scores need to be converted into standard scores or percentiles will provide you with this kind of information.
How Scores are Distributed
Many human characteristics are distributed throughout the population in a pattern known as the normal curve or bell curve. This curve describes a distribution where most individuals cluster near the average and progressively fewer individuals are found the further from the average you go in each direction.
The illustration above shows the relative heights of a large group of people. As you can see, a large number of individual cases cluster in the middle of the curve and as the extremes are approached, fewer and fewer cases exist, indicating that progressively fewer individuals are very short or very tall. The results of aptitude and ability tests also show this normal distribution if a large and representative sample of the population is used.
Mean and Standard Deviation
There are two characteristics of a normal distribution that you need to understand. The first is the mean or average and the second is standard deviation, which is a measure of the variability of the distribution. Test publishers usually assign an arbitrary number to represent the mean standard score when they convert from raw scores to standard scores. Test X and Test Y are two tests with different standard score means.
In this illustration Test X has a mean of 200 and Test Y has a mean of 100. If an individual got a score of 100 on Test X, that person did very poorly. However, a score of 100 on Test Y would be an average score.
Standard Deviation.
The standard deviation is the most commonly used measure of variability. It is used to describe the distribution of scores around the mean.
The value of the standard deviation varies directly with the spread of the test scores. If the spread is large, the standard deviation is large. One standard deviation of the mean (both the plus and minus) will include 66% of the students' scores. Two standard deviations will include 95% of the scores.
Aptitude Tests Introduction, Question Types & Scoring, The Difference between Speed & Power Tests, Verbal Ability Tests, Numerical Ability Tests, Abstract Reasoning Tests, Spatial Ability Tests, Mechanical Aptitude Tests, Data Checking Tests, Work Sample Tests, Interpreting Aptitude Test Results, Different Types of Scoring Systems, Standard Scores, Percentiles & Norming and Using the Results to Make Selection Decisions.


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Seeking to grow, Sacramento's small businesses are expanding their borrowing
The Sacramento region's small businesses are taking out loans and lines of credit to expand and buy equipment at levels not seen since before the Great Recession, and that's good news for a region that depends on companies with fewer than 50 employees for the bulk of its private-sector jobs.
The U.S. Small Business Administration backed $384.2 million worth of small-business loans in Sacramento during its fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2015 – the latest data from a complete year – up from a post-recession low of $166.1 million in 2009. In 2007, the year the nation started to dip into a recessionary period, the SBA's Sacramento district supported $407.5 million in loans.
Joe McClure, the director of the SBA's local office, said the region is on track to match last year's stats, with $341.8 million in guaranteed loans issued as of July 31. He described the growth in regional small-business lending as phenomenal, noting that there's been an increase in not only SBA-backed loans but also in traditional bank loans. Revenue has begun to grow again for businesses, he said, as more people find employment and consumer spending increases.
"It took businesses a while to get their balance sheets healthy enough that they could actually qualify for a traditional SBA loan or even a bank loan," McClure said. "Their cash reserves were depleted … and they waited until they absolutely, positively had to hire somebody or had to borrow money."
Small-business owners, McClure said, didn't want to be put in the position of terminating employees if the economic recovery didn't continue.
"Small-business people, for the most part, know their employees intimately, their family and friends, and they've become very good friends over time," McClure said. "What they were saying is, 'I'm not hiring anybody until I have to put a desk in a hallway because I don't want to have to turn around a year from now and let that person go.'"
When it comes to SBA-backed loans in the Sacramento region, Wells Fargo leads the way with $44.2 million financed so far this year. The tiny Golden Pacific Bank showed outsized muscle with a portfolio of $17.3 million, followed by Seacoast Commerce Bank at $16.6 million and Live Oak Banking Co. at $16.1 million.
Small business are responsible for the majority of job growth in the national economy, McClure said, but historically their owners have had a very difficult time accessing capital at reasonable rates from risk-averse lenders. The SBA loan guaranty programs back the loan up to 90 percent to encourage lenders to take a chance.
Entrepreneur Cinde Dolphin sought loans from three banks and a credit union to get her business off the ground in 2014, but she got no takers. Her startup, KILI Medical Drain Carrier, manufactures mesh pouches that patients can put around their waists after surgery to carry fluids that drain from wounds.
"I am a four-time cancer survivor," said Dolphin, the subject of a Bee article by my colleague Claudia Buck last year after several local hospitals began buying the pouches. "I've had about nine surgeries that required these medical drains and realized that the medical community had not come up with a way to manage the drain. So I developed this system."
Dolphin had to go the extra mile to get financing, working with counselors from the Service Corps of Retired Executives and from the Sacramento Metro Chamber's Small Business Development Center to tell her business story. Her startup ended up getting a loan from CDC Small Business Finance, a nonprofit lender that partners with the SBA to provide loans directly to small businesses.
McClure said he's heard people say that banks are loosening up their grasp on capital, but he doesn't see that as the reason behind the growth in small-business lending. Startup ventures such as Dolphin's KILI will always have more difficulty getting loans from for-profit lenders because they don't have a proven track record, he said.
"Banks are actually seeing more applicants that they can lend to," McClure said. "Four or five years ago, they couldn't lend to them because they were so beaten up or under water. … Prudently, they couldn't lend to them."
James Beckwith, president and chief executive of Five Star Bank, said his bank hired two people to focus on small-business lending because he and other executives are very bullish on the local economy.
"Our criteria has never changed, in terms of credit metrics." he said. "What's happened is we've had a bigger emphasis on going out to try and get those kinds of loans. We've gone out in the marketplace in a much greater way looking for those small-business loans than we ever have before. We were, as an organization, primarily commercial real estate bank, but over the last six or seven years, we've become much more diversified. And we did that by focusing in on the small-business lending opportunities."
As a growing number of healthy small businesses look for financing, competition has increased for their business. Credit unions are getting into the act. SAFE Credit Union, for instance, reports that it had $24.8 million in its small-business loan portfolio on July 31, up from $522,000 in December 2007. Financial institutions are offering introductory rates with 0 percent interest for limited periods and post-promotional rates below 3 percent to get new business. And, many companies don't need SBA backing because their balance sheets and debt ratios look so good.
At Bank of America's regional hub in Rancho Cordova, small-business executive Adam Kheder has put a team of 15 bankers in place to identify financing opportunities for clients whose companies have annual revenue between $250,000 and $5 million. Bank of America serves 60 markets across the country, and Kheder's team ranks fifth when it comes to the size of its small-business loan portfolio.
"Typically, an average annual growth trend is anywhere from 5 to 10 percent (for small-business loans)," Kheder said. "We're seeing upward of 20 percent. We're seeing a huge rise in transportation … and manufacturing."
Kheder has made mostly traditional loans to local companies that manufacture electric toothbrushes, skis and dog food, he said. Year to date, BofA's Greater Sacramento region has toted up about $7 million in loans and $4 million in lines of credit, Kheder said, and he and his team is on pace to more than double that.
"We're believing in our clients," Kheder said. "We're looking at ways to get the deal done. We're not saying, 'This is the cookie cutter, and if it doesn't fit in this box, we're not doing it.' We're saying, 'Let's expand outside the box, and let's see if we can make a deal.' "
← WATCH: State of Agriculture 2016 After Hours: 2016 Metro Chamber State of Agriculture →


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After 1 Edinburgh Fringe, 3 weeks of getting stuff organised, a leaving party that will never be forgotten and a 12 hour coach trip I am, finally, in London. Good grief.
I am currently in Bow, East London, with some wonderful friends who agreed to put me up/put up with me for a week and a bit before I'm moving to my next abode. My friend Chris even collected me from the tube statio, starting a twenty minute odyssey to his flat, with lenty of baggage changing hands and man-shouting. It does make one feel like Bear Grylls, only with skin, tearing from too heavy baggage. Taking along more bags than was necessarily sane, I survived through the kindness of some fellow travellers who just happened to have to get on to the District Line. Next time I'm moving with that many bags, I'm installing a couple of extra arms on my back, like Dr. Octopus. Whether I'll then ever be able to get through airport customs again is a matter for another day.
I concluded Friday by sleeping for 15 hrs. That about tells you about the intense tiredness I'm currently rocking. Back from Edinburgh, I started a course of AlkaSeltzeer/Supradyn Complex Fortississimo.My body then, didn't have a change to get ill, which it still wants to I think. Now I'm here though, I'm developing a slight cough.
Being in the UK after two years of relentlessy looking forward to it feels likehigh school again, in a way. I always had maths exams on the final hour of Friday afternoon. When I had one, my sense of time would be cut and my entire future stopped at that point. Then there would be a cliff after Friday afternoon. Cycling home was like awakening from a coma. I realised that life was not just about numbers I didn't understand. There were also crisps, novels and tv. Now, I feel similar to that. I'm completely living in the moment, bso what I'm doing right now is the only real thing on my mind. That will change. Especially when the term starts on Monday next week.
On Saturday night, a friend of mine had her leaving do. She's going to Paris, for Drama school. Meeting up with a lot of friends from Sussex was wonderful. It is strange that I once did exactly the same thing as Alice is dooing. It's so brave, to just go to a place where she doesn't know anyone. I did it, once. I couldn't do it again. So I wish her all the luck and awesomeness in the world.
Tonight, however, I'm meeting the people I'm going to live with from Monday next week. And I will attempt to keep this blog a bit more often. I't's good to be back.
P.S. I will be updating the gig list. I've got a gig at Pearshaped Comedy on October 2nd, in Brighton (BRIGHTON!) at Comedy Corner on Monday October 7th, Land of the Blind in Stockwell on the 10th of Oct and one at Comedy Squared on October 23rd. Would love to see you there!