text:
\section{Introduction\label{cps-intro}}

We consider a stochastic particle system  representing agents moving independently according to a random flight.
Each agent may be susceptible, infected, or recovered at the initial time.
When an infected particle and a susceptible particle are sufficiently close,  they may interact and become both infected.
Each infected agent can recover independently of the others in a random time of fixed rate. As in the classical SIR model by \cite{KMK},
recovered agents can no longer become susceptible or infected.
However,  at variance with the SIR model, we intend to allow spatially inhomogeneous distributions of the populations.
 A simple proposal for such a model has been given in \cite{CPS21}, which we reconsider in the present paper. Our purpose is not to provide realistic modelling of spatial patterns (even though this can be important in applications), but rather follow a natural approach, inspired by the kinetic theory of rarefied gases; see for instance \cite {Betal, albi2021kinetic} and references therein.
There is  therefore no focus on identifying realistic interactions between agents.
In particular, we shall neglect possible individual strategies, and assume a binary interaction.
In spite of its simplicity, the kinetic model still provides a good description of the qualitative behaviour of SIR-like equations, because the essential aspects of the evolution are weakly dependent on the microscopic details (\cite{PS_SIR,CPS20,CPS21}).

In this paper we show that, in the limit $N\to \infty$, the $N$-particle model introduced in \cite{CPS21} reduces to kinetic equations (\eqref{cps:B} below) for the one-particle marginals of the probability measure describing the statistical behaviour of the system. In particular   as a crucial step, we prove {\em propagation of chaos}, namely the asymptotic statistical independence of the agents.
 We use a coupling method, which improves the result obtained in \cite {CPS21} (obtained via the hierarchy method) providing a simpler and more effective proof.
More precisely we introduce a second random process, accounting for the kinetic equations {\em formally} associated with the limit $N \to \infty$, and construct a realization of both processes on the same probability space. This coupling is then used to estimate the distance between the processes and verify that the two models are asymptotically equivalent.

The plan of the paper is the following. In Sections \ref{cps:sec:model} and \ref{cps:sec:K_L} we present the model and the limiting kinetic equation, respectively.
In Section \ref{cps:sec:P_A} we discuss the convergence of the particle model in the kinetic limit  following the coupling argument.
Finally, Section \ref{cps:sec:conclusion} is devoted to concluding remarks.

\section{Model}\label{cps:sec:model}

We now define the system we are going to study. We refer also to \cite{CPS21} for the description of the model and the derivation of the formal kinetic limit.
Consider $N$ particles, representing the agents of the system, moving
a square in the plane $\mathbb{R}^2$ with periodic boundary conditions, i.e., the torus $\Lambda=[0,D]\times[0,D]$, where $D>0$ is a fixed parameter.
The particles are assumed to move with velocities of modulus $1$ so that the velocities belong to the unit circle $\mathcal{S}^1$.
Each particle has a label $a_i\in \{S,I,R\}=:L$, $i=1,2,\ldots,N$, representing the class of the agent (susceptible, infected, recovered).
We introduce the notations $Z_N=(z_1,z_2,\ldots,z_N)$, where $z_i=(x_i,v_i)\in \Lambda\times \mathcal{S}^1$, and $A_N=(a_1,a_2,\ldots,a_N)$.
At any time, the state of the system is described by the  $\left(4N\right)$--tuple of coordinates  $(Z_N;A_N)$ belonging to the phase space $ \left(\Gamma\times L\right)^N$, where $\Gamma:=\Lambda\times \mathcal{S}^1$.

The system evolves in time according to the following generator:
\begin{equation}
\label{cps:gen1}
 {\mathcal L}= {\mathcal L}_0+{\mathcal L}_1+ {\mathcal L}_d +{\mathcal L}^N_{int},
\end{equation}
where we have generators for which we omit the dependence on $N$ since they are acting independently on single particles ($\mathcal L_0$, $\mathcal L_1$ and $\mathcal L_d$),  and a binary interaction term between particles ${\mathcal L}^N_{int}$.

More precisely, ${\mathcal L}_0+{\mathcal L}_1$ is the generator of $N$ independent copies of a random walk:
\begin{equation} \label{cps:eq:L0}
\mathcal{L}_0= \sum_{i=1}^N v_i \cdot \nabla_{x_i}
\end{equation}
 is the generator of free motion (particles are moving of linear motion with velocities $v_i$, $i=1,\ldots,N$), and jumps happen as described by
\begin{equation*}
\mathcal{L}_1 \Phi(Z_N) = \sum_{i=1}^N \frac{1}{2\pi} \int_{\mathcal{S}^1} dw [\Phi(z_1,\ldots,x_i,w,\ldots,z_N)-\Phi(Z_N)].
\end{equation*}
In particular, when we select the test function $\Phi$ of the form of a function of a single particle state only, for instance of the first one $\Phi(Z_N)=\phi(z_1)$, we get
\begin{equation} \label{cps:eq:L1}
\mathcal{L}_1 \Phi(Z_N) =  \frac{1}{2\pi} \int_{\mathcal{S}^1} dw [\phi(x_1,w)-\phi (x_1,v_1)].
\end{equation}
Note that labels are not involved in the random flight process, so here we have left out the dependency on them to shorten the notations.

The other contributions in the generator are instead acting on the labels of the particles only.
The term $\mathcal{L}_d$ describes the decay of infected agents $I$ into recovered $R$. It takes the form
\begin{equation} \label{cps:eq:Ld}
\mathcal{L}_d \Phi(Z_N;A_N)= \gamma \sum_{i=1}^N [\Phi(Z_N;a_1,\ldots,\tilde{a}_i,\ldots,a_N)-\Phi(Z_N;A_N)],
\end{equation}
$\gamma>0$ being a constant parameter representing the rate of decay, and where the transition of an $a_i$ label into a $\tilde{a}_i$ is defined by
\begin{equation}
\label{cps:eq:decay_def}
\tilde a_i=R \,\,\,\,\,\, \text {if} \,\,\,\,\,a_i=I; \qquad \tilde a_i=a_i  \,\,\,\,\, \text{otherwise}.
\end{equation}

Finally, the binary interaction term describing the infection process has generator
\begin{equation*}
\begin{split}
\mathcal{L}_{int}^N \Phi(Z_N;A_N)= \frac{\lambda}{N} \sum_{\substack {i,j =1 \\ j> i}}^N \big[ &
\Phi(Z_N;a_1,\ldots ,a_i',\ldots ,a_j',\ldots ,a_N)
\\ &  - \Phi(Z_N;a_1,\ldots ,a_N)\big].
\end{split}
\end{equation*}
Here, $\lambda>0$ is the constant representing the rate of the process and for the involved particles the transition from $(a_i,a_j)$ into $(a_i',a_j')$ is defined by
\begin{equation}
\label{cps:a'}
\begin{cases}
\text{if} \,\,\, \chi_{i,j}=1   \,\,\, \text{and} \,\,\, a_i=I, a_j =S \,\,\, \text {or} \,\,\, a_j=I, a_i =S \,\,\, \text {then} \,\,\,a'_i=a'_j=I \,  ;   \\
  \text {otherwise} \,\,\,a_i'=a_i, \, a_j' =a_j .
\end{cases}
\end{equation}
The characteristic function $\chi_{i,j}$ is introduced to allow two particles to interact only when they are sufficiently close: fixing $R_0>0$ we define
\begin{equation*}
\chi_{i,j}:=\mathbbm{1}_{\{ x_i,x_j \ |\ |x_i-x_j | <R_0 \}}\;.\
\end{equation*}

Thus, the evolution due to the defined generator \eqref{cps:gen1} is describing the following behaviour. Each agent is moving in the space $\Lambda$ performing a random flight, where the velocity jumps happen with rate $1$.
Each particle has a label describing its state: susceptible (S), infected (I), or recovered (R).
According to a Poisson process with overall rate
$\frac {(N-1)\lambda}2$, a pair of agents is selected uniformly. Whenever the chosen agents are at a distance smaller than $R_0$, the infection process takes place only for pairs made by an infected and a susceptible agent, which are changed in a couple of infected agents.
Finally, each infected agent becomes recovered according to a different Poisson process with rate $\gamma$.

A statistical description is in order for dealing with such a system with a large number of agents $N$.
The initial configuration of the system at time zero is given by the probability density $W_0^N$, \emph{symmetric} in the exchange of particles, such that
\begin{equation*}
W_0^N:(\Gamma\times L)^N \to \mathbb{R}^+,\qquad \qquad \sum_{A_N} \int_{\Gamma^N} d Z_N W_0^N (Z_N;A_N)=1.
\end{equation*}
The time evolved measure $ W_t^N (Z_N;A_N), t>0$ is given by
\begin{equation*}
\begin{split}
&\sum_{A_N} \int dZ_N W_t^N (Z_N;A_N) \Phi (Z_N;A_N)= \\
&\sum_{A_N} \int dZ_N W_0^N (Z_N;A_N)  \mathbb E  [\Phi (Z_N(t);A_N(t) )]\;,
\end{split}
\end{equation*}
where $\Phi$ is a test function, $(Z_N;A_N)  \to (Z_N(t);A_N(t))$ is the process and $\mathbb E=\mathbb E_{(Z_N,A_N)} $ is the expectation conditioned to the initial value $(Z_N;A_N)$.
Integrating with respect to the last $N-j$ particle positions, velocities and labels, $j=1,\ldots,N-1$, we build the $j$-particle marginal $f_j^N$, that gives the probability density of finding $j$ particles with labels $A_j$ in the configuration $Z_j$:
\begin{equation*}
f^N_j(Z_j;A_j;t)= \sum_{\bar A_{N-j} \in L^{N-j}} \int d\bar Z_{N-j} W_t^N ( Z_j,\bar Z_{N-j};A_j,\bar A_{N-j})\;.
\end{equation*}

We consider particles distributed independently at time zero.
Given the one-particle density distribution $f_0$, with normalization
\begin{equation} \label{cps:eq:norm0}
\sum_{a\in L} \int dz f_0(z;a)=1\;,
\end{equation}
the initial state is
\begin{equation} \label{cps:eq:fullindtz}
W_0^N (Z_N;A_N)=\prod_{i=1}^N f_0(x_i,v_i; a_i):= (f_0 )^{\otimes N} (Z_N;A_N).
\end{equation}

It is crucial to keep in mind that, even when at time zero the particles are independent, they do not remain independent at positive times.
In fact, the dynamics creates correlations between particles so that the measure is no longer factorized at positive times.
However, we will prove that the so--called \lq propagation of chaos\rq holds. This means that this independence is recovered asymptotically in the limit $N\to \infty$.

\section{Kinetic limit}\label{cps:sec:K_L}

We aim at proving that the system we introduced in the previous section is asymptotically equivalent to the system one  formally obtains in the limit $N\to \infty$ assuming the propagation of chaos.
We refer to \cite{CPS21} for such   formal derivation, and for a proof of the rigorous result through the hierarchy of equations satisfied by the marginals $f_j^N(Z_j;A_j;t)$.
 In the following section, we shall proceed in a simpler and more natural way.

According to the formal limit, the triple of single-particle densities $$\left(f(z;S;t), f(z;I;t), f(z;R;t)\right)$$ satisfies the following system of  kinetic equations ($z=(x,v)$):
\begin{equation}
\label{cps:B}
\begin{cases}
  \left(\partial_t + v \cdot \nabla_x\right) f(z;S) =&  {\mathcal L}_1 f (z;S) - \lambda  f(z;S) \int f(z_1;I) \chi (|x-x_1| <R_0) dz_1 \\
    \left(\partial_t + v \cdot \nabla_x\right) f(z;I)  =& {\mathcal L}_1f(z;I)  -\gamma f(z;I)
    \\ &\qquad+\,\,\lambda  f(z;S)  \int f(z_1 ;I) \chi (|x-x_1| <R_0) dz_1   \\
     \left(\partial_t + v \cdot \nabla_x\right) f (z;R) =& {\mathcal L}_1 f(z;R ) + \gamma f(z;I)
\end{cases}\, .
\end{equation}
Note that the sum
$$
f(z,t) := \sum_{a \in L} f(z;a;t)
$$
satisfies the simple random flight equation
$$
\left(\partial_t + v \cdot \nabla_x\right) f(z,t) =  {\mathcal L}_1 f (z,t)\;.
$$
Moreover, the system of kinetic equations \eqref{cps:B} provides
a more detailed description of the classical SIR model when dealing with  spatially inhomogeneous data
(see \cite{CPS21}).

We now introduce as second model the process associated with the kinetic equations \eqref{cps:B} that we will eventually couple with the  one introduced in Section \ref{cps:sec:model}.
 The single-particle generator is
\begin{equation*}
\label{cps:gen2}
\tilde {\cal L}= \tilde {\cal L}_0+\tilde {\cal L}_1+\tilde {\cal L}_d +{\cal \tilde L}_{i}
\end{equation*}
 where $\tilde{\cal L}_0$, $\tilde{\cal L}_1$ and $\tilde{\cal L}_d$ are the operators defined in Section \ref{cps:sec:model}, namely ${\cal L}_0$, ${\cal L}_1$ and ${\cal L}_d$ respectively, in the case $N=1$; while the infection generator is given by the non--linear ($f$-dependent) term
\begin{equation} \label{eq:genBp}
{\cal \tilde L}_{i} \phi(z;b)= \lambda \mathcal{N}_f(z)\{  \phi (z;b') - \phi (z;b) \},
\end{equation}
where
$\mathcal{N}_f $  (depending on time through $f$) is defined as
\begin{equation*}
\mathcal{N}_f (z) =(f(I;t) * \chi_{R_0}) (z) := \int f(z_1;I;t) \chi (|x-x_1| <R_0) dz_1\;,
\end{equation*}
$\chi(A)$ is the indicator function of $A$, and $(z;b)\in \Gamma\times L$.
We are keeping the same notation associated with the prime sign  as in Section \ref{cps:sec:model}, i.e., $b'=I$ if $b=S$, while in the other cases $b'=b$.

We now consider the $N$--particle process defined by $N$ independent copies of the one--particle nonlinear process introduced above.
The  $N$--particle generator is
\begin{equation*}\label{cps:gen_tilde}
\tilde{\cal L}^N= {\cal L}_0+{\cal L}_1+ {\cal L}_d +{\cal \tilde L}_{i}^N
\end{equation*}
 where ${\cal L}_0$, ${\cal L}_1$, ${\cal L}_d$ are given by \eqref{cps:eq:L0}-\eqref{cps:eq:Ld} and,  for $(Z_N;B_N)\in (\Gamma\times L)^N$,
\begin{equation*}
{\cal \tilde L}_{i}^N \Phi(Z_N;B_N)=\lambda \sum_{i=1}^N \mathcal{N}_f(z_i) \left\{  \Phi(Z_N;B_N^i)-\Phi(Z_N;B_N)  \right\}
\end{equation*}
with
\begin{equation}
\label{cps:eq:apex_i'}
\begin{cases}B_N^i\!=\!(b_1,\ldots,b_{i-1},I,b_{i+1},\ldots,b_{N}) \,\,\,
\text{if} \,\,\, B_N\!=\!(b_1,\ldots,b_{i-1},S,b_{i+1},\ldots,b_{N})   \\
B_N^i=B_N \,\,\, \text {otherwise} \\
\end{cases}.
\end{equation}

\section{Particle approximation}\label{cps:sec:P_A}

We are now ready to prove the  validity of the kinetic equations \eqref{cps:B} for the model introduced in Section \ref{cps:sec:model}, in the limit $N \to \infty$. We are assuming \eqref{cps:eq:norm0}  and \eqref{cps:eq:fullindtz} at time zero, i.e., the initial datum is factorized.
On the other hand the dynamics of labels creates correlations as
$$
f^N_2 ( z_1,z_2; a_1,a_2; t) \neq f^N_1 ( z_1;a_1; t) f^N_1 (z_2;a_2; t)\;.
$$
To show that these correlations are vanishing as $N \to \infty$,
we now introduce a coupling between the process described by the generator \eqref{cps:gen1} and the process associated to the kinetic equations \eqref{cps:B}.

We start by considering a different equivalent form for the generator
\begin{equation*}
\begin{split}
& {\mathcal L}^N_{int}\Phi  (Z_N;A_N )
\\
& =
 \frac{\lambda}{2N} \sum_{i=1}^N\sum_{\substack {j =1 \\ j\neq i}}^N
\delta_{a_j,I} \{	\Phi(Z_N;a_1,\ldots ,a_i',\ldots ,a_j',\ldots ,a_N)
 - \Phi(Z_N;A_N)  \}
\\ &=  \frac{\lambda}{N} \sum_{i=1}^N\sum_{\substack {j =1 \\ j\neq i}}^N
\delta_{a_j,I} { \chi_{i,j}} \{	\Phi(Z_N;A_N^i) - \Phi(Z_N;A_N)   	\}
\\&=
 \lambda
\sum_{i=1}^N
\mathcal{J}_{emp}^i \{\Phi(Z_N;A_N^i) - \Phi(Z_N;A_N)\} \, ,
\end{split}
\end{equation*}
where we use the prime superscript with the meaning of \eqref{cps:a'}, i.e
\begin{equation}
\nonumber
\begin{cases}a'_i=I \,\,\,
\text{if} \,\,\,  a_j=I, a_i =S  \,\,\, \text{and} \,\,\, \chi_{i,j}=1, \,\,\,  \\
 a_i'=a_i, \, a_j =a'_j \,\,\, \text {otherwise} \\
\end{cases}\, ,
\end{equation}
and the $i$ superscript  (as in \eqref{cps:eq:apex_i'}) when we prefer to make explicit the role of both $\delta_{a_j,I}$ and $  \chi_{i,j}$, i.e.
\begin{equation}
\label{cps:eq:apex_i}
\begin{cases}A_N^i\!=\!(a_1,\ldots,a_{i-1},I,a_{i+1},\ldots,a_{N}) \,\,\,
\text{if} \,\,\, A_N\!=\!(a_1,\ldots,a_{i-1},S,a_{i+1},\ldots,a_{N})   \\
A_N^i=A_N \,\,\, \text {otherwise} \\
\end{cases}
\end{equation}
having introduced
\begin{equation}
\nonumber
\mathcal{J}^i_{emp} =\mathcal{J}^i_{emp}(Z_N;A_N)=\frac{1}{N}\sum_{\substack {j =1 \\ j\neq i}}^N \delta_{a_j,I} { \chi_{i,j}}
.
\end{equation}

In words, we are interpreting the behaviour in the following equivalent way.
The $N$ agents
are still moving in $\Lambda$ via a random flight, with velocity jumps in $\mathcal{S}^1$ taking place with rate $1$ per agent and each infected agent becomes recovered according to a Poisson process of rate $\gamma$.
In the infection process we choose with rate $N$ an agent  $ i$ uniformly and then, with a rate $\lambda$, we evaluate the interaction with an uniformly picked agent.
 So that, if this latter is an infected agent and the $i$-th is a susceptible one and if their distance is smaller than $R_0$, then $a_i$ becomes $I$, otherwise nothing happens.

We want to compare the behaviour of this process with that of the one--particle non--linear process associated to the kinetic
equation \eqref{cps:B}, described by the generator  \eqref{eq:genBp}.
The idea is now to couple the two processes. We remark that the positions and velocities are the same, so that the difference is only in the distributions of the labels.
Let us call $\mathcal{E}^i$ the following difference
\begin{equation*}
\mathcal{E}^i:=\mathcal{N}_f(z_i)-\mathcal{J}^i_{emp} (Z_N;B_N).
\end{equation*}
We expect that, by the law of large numbers, $\mathcal{E}^i$ gives a vanishing contribution as $N\to \infty$ and hence, for sufficiently large $N$, generates a small perturbation in the evolution of distributions of labels.

We consider as coupling the process  $t\to (Z_N(t); A_N(t),B_N(t))$ with generator
\begin{equation*}
Q^N=\mathcal{L}_0+ \mathcal{L}_1+ Q^N_d + Q^N_i,
\end{equation*}
where the decay term is defined as
\begin{equation}
\label{cps:Q^N_d_def}
Q^N_d \Phi(Z_N;A_N,B_N)= \gamma \sum_{i=1}^N [\Phi (Z_N;\tilde{A}^i_N,\tilde{B}^i_N)-\Phi(Z_N;A_N,B_N)],
\end{equation}
denoting by $\tilde{A}^i_N=(a_1,\ldots,\tilde{a}_i,\ldots,a_N)$ the transition on the $i$--th agent as defined in \eqref{cps:eq:decay_def}, and analogous definition for $\tilde B_N^i$.
The interaction term is
\begin{equation}
\label{cps:Q_N_i_def}
\begin{split}
Q^N_i \Phi(Z_N;A_N,B_N)=\,\, &  \lambda 	\sum_{i=1}^N \mathcal{J}^i \{\Phi(Z_N;A^i_N,B_N^i)-\Phi(Z_N,A_N,B_N)\}
\\  +& \lambda \sum_{i=1}^N \mathcal{J}^i_1 \{\Phi(Z_N;A^i_N,B_N)-\Phi(Z_N;A_N,B_N)\}
\\  +&  \lambda  \sum_{i=1}^N \mathcal{J}^i_2 \{\Phi(Z_N;A_N,B_N^i)-\Phi(Z_N;A_N,B_N)\}
\\  +& \lambda  \sum_{i=1}^N \mathcal{E}^i \{\Phi(Z_N;A_N,B_N^i)-\Phi(Z_N;A_N,B_N)\},
\end{split}
\end{equation}
where $A^i_N$, $B_N^i$ follows the transition rule \eqref{cps:eq:apex_i}, and the label jump  associated to  $\mathcal{J}^i_1$  only affects the transition for $A_N$, while  the terms corresponding to $\mathcal{J}^i_2$ and $\mathcal{E}^i$  only affect the transition for $B_N$. Instead, the jumps described by the first
term in \eqref{cps:Q_N_i_def} and in \eqref{cps:Q^N_d_def} are simultaneous for particles labelled by  both $A_N$ and $B_N$  (which is optimal for what concerns the propagation of chaos).
 We set
\begin{equation}
\nonumber
\begin{split}
&\mathcal{J}^i =\frac{1}{N}\sum_{\substack {j =1 \\ j\neq i}}^N \delta_{a_j,I} \delta_{b_j,I} { \chi_{i,j}},\,\,
\\&\mathcal{J}^i_1 =\frac{1}{N}\sum_{\substack {j =1 \\ j\neq i}}^N \delta_{a_j,I}(1- \delta_{b_j,I}) { \chi_{i,j}},\,\,
\\&\mathcal{J}^i_2 =\frac{1}{N}\sum_{\substack {j =1 \\ j\neq i}}^N (1-\delta_{a_j,I}) \delta_{b_j,I} { \chi_{i,j}}
\end{split}
\end{equation}
(being $\delta_{a_j,I}$ the Dirac delta taking value $1$ if and only if $a_j=I$ and $0$ otherwise, and analogously for the other deltas).
Note that thanks to this choice, one has that
\begin{equation}
\nonumber
\mathcal{J}^i+\mathcal{J}^i_1=\mathcal{J}_{emp}^i(Z_N;A_N),\qquad \mathcal{J}^i+\mathcal{J}^i_2+\mathcal{E}^i=\mathcal{J}^i_{emp}(Z_N;B_N)+\mathcal{E}^i= \mathcal{N}_f(z_i)
\end{equation}
so that $Q^N$ is actually generating a coupling of the two previously described processes, i.e., we recover as the two marginals the two processes we are considering, obtained by integrating over $B_N$ and $A_N$, respectively.

Let $R^N(t)$ be the law at time $t$ for the coupled process, and
we consider as the initial distribution at time $0$ the factorized distribution with the same distribution of labels for
both $a$ and $b$--labelled particles, i.e. $R^N(0)=f_0^{\otimes N}(Z_N;A_N)\delta_{A_N,B_N}$.
We define $D_N(t)$  as the average fraction of particles having different labels $a_i$, $b_i$, i.e.
we choose the test function $\Phi(Z_N;A_N,B_N)=\frac{1}{N} \sum_{i=1}^N d(a_i,b_i)$, where $d(a,b)=1-\delta_{a,b}$:
thanks to the symmetry
\begin{equation*}
D_N(t)=\int d R^N(t) \frac{1}{N} \sum_{i=1}^N d(a_i,b_i)=
\int d R^N(t)  d(a_1,b_1).
\end{equation*}
We notice that $D_N(0)=0$ and that $D_N(t)$ is positive.
Our aim is to prove that $D_N(t)$ can be estimated by an arbitrarily small quantity  for finite time, provided that $N$ is sufficiently large.

\begin{theorem} \label{cps:thm:main}
 For any $t>0$, the fraction of particles with different labels satisfies
\begin{equation*}
D_N(t) \leq  \frac {t\lambda} {N} e^{2\lambda t} \;.
\end{equation*}
for sufficiently large $N$.
\end{theorem}

{ \it Remark.  } The above estimate says that, for any positive time, for the time evolved joint measure associated to the $N$--particle systems of the process whose generator is \eqref{cps:gen1}, and of the one whose generator is  \eqref{eq:genBp}, the fraction of particles with different labels is
arbitrarily small, provided that $N$ is sufficiently large.

\bigskip
{\em Proof.}
We evaluate
\begin{equation}
\begin{split}
\frac{d}{dt} \int d R^N(t) d(a_1,b_1)=\int d R^N(t) (\mathcal{L}_0+ \mathcal{L}_1+ Q^N_d +  Q^N_1) d(a_1,b_1)\;,
\end{split}
\end{equation}
where the contribution due to the terms $\mathcal{L}_0$ and $\mathcal{L}_1$ is vanishing since $d(a_1,b_1)$ does not depend on $x$ and $v$.

The contribution due to the decay term \eqref{cps:Q^N_d_def} is
\begin{equation*}
\gamma \int dR^N(t) (d(\tilde{a}_1,\tilde{b}_1) - d(a_1,b_1))= -\gamma \int dR^N(t) (\delta_{\tilde{a}_1,\tilde{b}_1} -  \delta_{a_1,b_1}) .
\end{equation*}
It is easy to verify that this contribution is non--positive. Indeed, in the case where $a_1$ and $b_1$ are equal, also $\tilde a_1$ and $\tilde b_1$ remain equal, and the contribution is vanishing.
In the case when $a_1$ and $b_1$ are different, after the transformation $\tilde a_1$ and $\tilde b_1$ can either remain different, or (if at the beginning there were an $I$ and an $R$--labelled agent) both become $R$.
This last case is the only one in which the contribution is not vanishing, but negative.

The same argument applies to the first term in the right hand side of the interaction \eqref{cps:Q_N_i_def}. This term can be written as
\begin{equation*}
-  \lambda  \int dR^N(t) \mathcal{J}^1 (\delta_{{a}'_1,{b}'_1} -  \delta_{a_1,b_1}) ,
\end{equation*}
and, in the same way as previously, $a_1=b_1$ implies that after the transformation $a_1'=b_1'$, so that the only non--zero contribution is negative, and it happens when an $S$ and an $I$--labelled particle are transformed into two $I$--particles.

Now, let us evaluate the second term in the right hand side of the interaction \eqref{cps:Q_N_i_def}.
It can be written as
\begin{equation*}
\begin{split}
\mathrm{(II)}=&
  \lambda \int dR^N(t) \mathcal{J}^1_1 (Z_N; A_N,B_N) ( d(a_1',b_1)- d(a_1,b_1) )
\\=&
-  \lambda  \int dR^N(t) \mathcal{J}^1_1 (Z_N; A_N,B_N) ( \delta_{a_1',b_1} - \delta_{a_1,b_1} ).
\end{split}
\end{equation*}
Here, the difference of the deltas can take the values -1,0, or 1. Then
\begin{equation}
\begin{split}
|\mathrm{(II)}| &\leq   \lambda  \int dR^N(t) \frac{1}{N} \sum_{ {j =2}}^N \delta_{a_j,I}(1- \delta_{b_j,I}) { \chi_{1,j}}
\\ & \leq  \lambda \int dR^N(t) \frac{1}{N} \sum_{j=2}^N d(a_j,b_j)\leq {\color{cyan} \lambda} D_N(t).
\end{split}
\end{equation}
The third term in \eqref{cps:Q_N_i_def} can be estimated in exactly the same way.

Finally,
\begin{equation*}
\begin{split}
\int dR^N(t) \mathcal{E}^1 =&\int dR^N(t) \mathcal{N}_f(z_1) - \int dR^N(t) \mathcal{J}_{emp}^1(Z_N;B_N)
\\
=&\sum_a \int dz \,dz_1 f(z;a;t) \chi(|x-x_1| < R_0) f(z_1;I;t)
\\&- \int d R^N(t) \frac{1}{N} \sum_{j=2}^N \delta_{b_j,I} \chi(|x_j-x_1|< R_0)\;.
\end{split}
\end{equation*}
The last term, thanks to the symmetry, can be written as
\begin{equation*}
-\frac{N-1}{N} \sum_a \int dz\, dz_1 f(z;a;t) \chi(|x-x_1| < R_0) f(z_1;I;t),
\end{equation*}
so that
\begin{equation*}
\left|\int dR^N(t) \mathcal{E}^1\right| \leq \frac 1N \sum_a \int dz\, dz_1 f(z;a;t) \chi(|x-x_1|<R_0) f(z_1;I;t) \leq \frac 1N\;.
\end{equation*}

In conclusion, recalling that $D_N(0)=0$, we find that
\begin{equation}
\frac{d }{dt}D_N(t) \leq   2 \lambda D_N(t) + \frac{\lambda}{N}
\end{equation}
and the Theorem is proven by Gr\"{o}nwall's Lemma.
\qed

\bigskip

We conclude this section with some comments.

Theorem 1 implies the convergence of the one-particle marginal $f^N_1(z;a;t) $ to the solution $f( z;a;t) $ of the kinetic equations \eqref {cps:B}. To see this  one can use the Wasserstein distance $\overline{\cal W}$, which we recall. Given two measures $\mu$ and $\nu$ on a metric space $X$ with the discrete metric  $\bar d$,
$$
\overline{\cal W} (\mu, \nu) := \inf_{R \in {\cal C}(\mu,\nu)} \int dR(z,z') \bar d(z,z')
$$
where ${\cal C}(\mu,\nu)$ is the set of the joint representations of $\mu$ and $\nu$, i.e.  measures on $X \otimes X$
with marginals $\mu$ and $\nu$ respectively.  This metric is equivalent to the Total Variation and hence to the $L^1$--norm, whenever such measures have suitable densities  (\cite{villani2003topics}).

Arguing now on the phase space $\Gamma\times L$ endowed with the discrete metric
$$
\bar d(z_1,z_2) +d(a_1,a_2),
$$
we construct a joint representation of $df^N_1(z;a;t) $ and $df( z;a;t) $, denoted by  $dR^N(t)$,  along the coupled process.
 Since the trajectories  (on $\Gamma$) of the two processes are the same, the configurational contribution vanishes and
$$
\overline{ \cal W} \left(df^N_1(t), df(t) \right) \leq
\frac {t\lambda} {N} e^{2\lambda t}\;.
$$
This also controls $\| f^N_1(t)- f(t) \|_{L^1} $  and, along similar lines, on can also show that
$$
\| f^N_j(t)- f(t)^{\otimes j} \|_{L^1} \leq Cj\frac {t\lambda} {N} e^{2\lambda t}
$$
for some geometrical positive constant $C$.

The obtained estimates slightly improve the quantitative results obtained via the hierarchy
as sketched  in \cite{CPS21}.

\section{Concluding remarks\label{cps:sec:conclusion}}

In this paper we performed a mathematical analysis, based on a coupling method, of a toy model for epidemic spread in a system of $N$ individual agents as proposed in \cite{CPS21}.

 The study of epidemiological models has been obviously very fertile over recent times (see  \cite{PS_SIR,FGPR20,CPS20,bertaglia2021spatial,boscheri2021modeling,CPS21,loy2021viral,VHP21} for a very non-exhaustive list of recent mathematical works oriented toward kinetic theory). Even in this context, the use of coupling methods is not new. We can mention classical work as \cite{whittle55} on the comparison of birth-death processes with the SIR model,
and several other contributions
over more recent times
as for instance \cite{ball95,hagg98}.  Of course
coupling arguments have been a powerful tool for studying the behaviour of stochastic processes for several years now.
In particular such arguments have been used to approximate kinetic equations of Boltzmann type (and justify related numerical schemes) with particle systems in the spirit of Kac; see e.g.\,\cite{graham1997stochastic,CF16}.

 Multi-agent systems are important in a wide range of fields. As an example in the theory of epidemic spread, the most common models divide the population in several classes, going from the classical susceptible-infected-recovered quoted above, to recent generalizations with several additional species (as the SUIHTER model with susceptible uninfected individuals, undetected infected, isolated, hospitalized, threatened, extinct, and recovered, proposed in \cite{multiSIR21}). The models aim at describing the evolution of average fractions for the different species, as in the predator-prey system of Lotka-Volterra type (see \cite{LV21} for a recent review). We would like to mention here, as another example, the case of mathematical models describing the behaviour of bones, which include cellular automata models (for instance \cite{cBCA,vsBCA}) or empirical models based on variational formulation; see \cite{isolaBone19,giorgio21,isolaBone12} among others.

\bibliographystyle{spbasic}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


text:
URL of this page: https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/condition/lyme-disease/
Lyme disease is an infectious disease caused by Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria. The bacteria are transferred to humans by tick bite, specifically by blacklegged ticks (commonly known as deer ticks). The condition is named for the location in which it was first described, the town of Lyme, Connecticut.
If not treated with antibiotics, Lyme disease follows three stages: early localized, early disseminated, and late disseminated infection. A small percentage of individuals have symptoms that persist months or years after treatment, which is called post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome.
A characteristic feature of Lyme disease, and the key feature of early localized infection, is a slowly expanding red rash on the skin (called erythema migrans) at the site of the tick bite; the rash is often bull's-eye shaped. Flu-like symptoms and enlarged lymph nodes (lymphadenopathy) are also early signs of infection. Most people who are treated at this stage never develop further symptoms.
The early disseminated stage of Lyme disease occurs as the bacteria is carried throughout the body in the bloodstream. This stage occurs a few weeks after the tick bite. Signs and symptoms can include additional rashes on other parts of the body, flu-like symptoms, and lymphadenopathy. Some affected individuals develop neurologic problems (referred to as neuroborreliosis), such as paralyzed muscles in the face (facial palsy); pain, numbness, or weakness in the hands or feet; difficulty concentrating; or memory problems. Rarely, the heart is affected (Lyme carditis), causing a sensation of fluttering or pounding in the chest (palpitations) or an irregular heartbeat.
The late disseminated stage of Lyme disease can occur months to years after the tick bite. The most common feature of this stage, Lyme arthritis, is characterized by episodes of joint pain and swelling, usually affecting the knees. In rare cases, the late disseminated stage also involves neurological problems.
Individuals with post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome report ongoing exhaustion (fatigue), muscle and joint achiness, headache, or difficulty concentrating even after treatment with antibiotics, when there is no evidence of the bacteria in the body. Very rarely, individuals have joint pain and swelling for months or years after successful antibiotic treatment. This complication is called antibiotic-refractory Lyme arthritis.
Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne illness in the United States. An estimated 300,000 new cases occur every year. Lyme disease occurs in areas in which blacklegged ticks are found, primarily the northeastern states (from Virginia to Maine), the upper Midwest (Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan), and parts of California and Oregon. In these regions of the United States, the incidence of Lyme disease is 10 to 100 cases per 100,000 people each year.
Lyme disease is also common in Europe, China, and Japan.
Lyme disease is caused by infection with bacteria rather than by genetic changes. The risk of developing Lyme disease is influenced by a variety of lifestyle and environmental factors that reflect how likely a person is to get bitten by an infected tick, such as where a person lives, how much time is spent outdoors, and the time of year. While there is no evidence that genetic factors play a role in susceptibility to Lyme disease, such factors may affect the severity of the disease, particularly whether antibiotic-refractory Lyme arthritis develops.
The signs and symptoms of Lyme disease result from the body's immune response to the bacteria. When the body recognizes foreign invaders, such as bacteria, it stimulates inflammation to help fight the infection. This inflammation causes the skin irritation; flu-like symptoms; and neurological, cardiac, and joint problems that characterize Lyme disease.
Certain genes that help mediate the body's immune response have been associated with the development of antibiotic-refractory Lyme arthritis. Particular variants in these genes are found more often in people with this complication than in those who do not develop it.
Some of the genes thought to be associated with the development of antibiotic-refractory Lyme arthritis provide instructions for making proteins called Toll-like receptors. As one of the first lines of defense against infection, Toll-like receptors recognize patterns that are common to many foreign invaders, rather than recognizing a specific invader, and stimulate a quick immune response that triggers inflammation. Some variants of certain Toll-like receptor genes are thought to overstimulate the body's immune response to the Lyme disease bacteria, contributing to the joint inflammation of antibiotic-resistant Lyme arthritis.
Other genes thought to be associated with antibiotic-resistant Lyme arthritis belong to a gene family called the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) complex. The HLA complex helps the immune system distinguish the body's own proteins from proteins made by foreign invaders. Each HLA gene has many different variations, allowing each person's immune system to react to a wide range of proteins. The proteins produced from HLA genes attach to protein fragments and display them to the immune system. If the immune system recognizes the fragment as foreign or abnormal, it triggers an immune response. Some evidence suggests that certain variations of HLA genes contribute to an inappropriate immune response that causes the body to react to one of its own normal proteins. The resulting inflammation may contribute to development of antibiotic-refractory Lyme arthritis.
Learn more about the gene associated with Lyme disease
HLA-DRB1
Additional Information from NCBI Gene:
Lyme disease cannot be inherited. The risk of certain complications of the condition may be influenced by inherited genetic factors, but the inheritance pattern is unknown.
B. burgdorferi infection
Borrelia burgdorferi infection
borreliosis, Lyme
infection by Borrelia burgdorferi
infection due to Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato
Lyme borreliosis
Bush LM, Vazquez-Pertejo MT. Tick borne illness-Lyme disease. Dis Mon. 2018 May;64(5):195-212. doi: 10.1016/j.disamonth.2018.01.007. Review. Citation on PubMed
Drouin EE, Seward RJ, Strle K, McHugh G, Katchar K, Londoño D, Yao C, Costello CE, Steere AC. A novel human autoantigen, endothelial cell growth factor, is a target of T and B cell responses in patients with Lyme disease. Arthritis Rheum. 2013 Jan;65(1):186-96. doi: 10.1002/art.37732. Citation on PubMed or Free article on PubMed Central
Rahman S, Shering M, Ogden NH, Lindsay R, Badawi A. Toll-like receptor cascade and gene polymorphism in host-pathogen interaction in Lyme disease. J Inflamm Res. 2016 May 31;9:91-102. doi: 10.2147/JIR.S104790. eCollection 2016. Review. Citation on PubMed or Free article on PubMed Central
Steere AC, Dwyer E, Winchester R. Association of chronic Lyme arthritis with HLA-DR4 and HLA-DR2 alleles. N Engl J Med. 1990 Jul 26;323(4):219-23. Erratum in: N Engl J Med 1991 Jan 10;324(2):129. Citation on PubMed
Steere AC, Klitz W, Drouin EE, Falk BA, Kwok WW, Nepom GT, Baxter-Lowe LA. Antibiotic-refractory Lyme arthritis is associated with HLA-DR molecules that bind a Borrelia burgdorferi peptide. J Exp Med. 2006 Apr 17;203(4):961-71. Epub 2006 Apr 3. Citation on PubMed or Free article on PubMed Central
Steere AC, Strle F, Wormser GP, Hu LT, Branda JA, Hovius JW, Li X, Mead PS. Lyme borreliosis. Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2016 Dec 15;2:16090. doi: 10.1038/nrdp.2016.90. Review. Erratum in: Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2017 Aug 03;3:17062. Citation on PubMed or Free article on PubMed Central
Strle K, Shin JJ, Glickstein LJ, Steere AC. Association of a Toll-like receptor 1 polymorphism with heightened Th1 inflammatory responses and antibiotic-refractory Lyme arthritis. Arthritis Rheum. 2012 May;64(5):1497-507. doi: 10.1002/art.34383. Citation on PubMed or Free article on PubMed Central
Lyme disease antibody
Related Medical Tests
Lyme Disease Tests
Page last updated on 18 August 2020 Page last reviewed: 1 June 2018

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Over the past several years, the dangers of sitting all day have been well-documented. In fact, after conducting a workplace ergonomic risk assessment, many employers have decided that sitting is one of the most common risk factors that their employees face. As a result, the adjustable height stand up desk — once a bit of an oddity — has become increasingly common. The benefits of these workstations, though, extend well beyond the obvious fact that they get you on your feet. By encouraging you to be more active while working, an adjustable height stand up desk can also help to improve your balance. But how? And why does it matter?
Although it tends to go largely ignored, balance is an integral part of overall fitness and well-being. To fully appreciate its importance, though, it's vital to have a clear definition of exactly what balance is. According to experts, balance can be divided into two separate categories: static and dynamic.
Static balance is exactly what most people think of when they hear the word "balance." This involves maintaining your stability and position when your body isn't moving; the common test of standing on one leg is a prime example of static balance. Logically, then, dynamic balance incorporates your ability to remain stable while your body is in motion. Really, when discussing the practical benefits of balance training, dynamic balance has a huge range of applications. After all, are you most at risk for a fall or injury when you're standing still or when you're running around?
Put simply, improving your dynamic balance allows your body to move more efficiently through space and react safely to any changes in your environment. Dynamic balance, then, has a direct application for the demands of daily life. Several studies, for example, have found that good balance can decrease your risk of injury by about 45 percent. But what does any of this have to do with an adjustable height stand up desk?
Switching to a standing desk could help improve your dynamic balance in a few ways. First, the simple fact that you'll be standing means that the muscles controlling your posture — specifically those in your core — will be strengthened. These muscles, largely inactive when you're sitting, directly contribute to your dynamic balance by stabilizing and supporting your spine and hips as you move.
More subtly, though, a standing desk can improve your balance by giving you more opportunities to move. Just like any other skill, balance is developed through practice. And when you sit all day, your sense of balance is not being challenged. The muscles that support your body also weaken and become imbalanced. So when you stand, you have more chances to move and actively challenge your balance. In fact, according to U.S News and World Report, the real danger that's been associated with chairs doesn't actually come from the act of sitting. Instead, it has more to do with inactivity. So, even if you're standing still, you could be developing imbalances and postural problems. Shift your weight from one leg to the other or even walk in place while at your standing desk. Some particularly driven individuals even use a balance board for an added challenge.
If a workplace ergonomic risk assessment finds that sitting is a common risk factor in your workplace, there are many reasons to consider switching to a standing desk.


text:
News, events, and updates from the Wyckoff House Museum
Wyckoff Seasonal Newsletter
Wyckoff House Celebrate 50 Years as NYC's #1 Landmark!
On April 19, 1965, Mayor Robert F. Wagner signed the Landmarks Law of New York City, beginning an era of historic preservation. Following this law the Pieter Claesen Wyckoff House, now known as the Wyckoff House Museum, was the first structure designated as a landmark in NYC. Exactly 50 years since the law was passed, we are celebrating the preservation of the Wyckoff House as NYC's 1st landmarkd with Landmarks Day at the Wyckoff House Museum on Sunday, April 19.
Touch, Tour, and Talk! Visit the Wyckoff House for one, two, or three offerings as part of Landmarks Day: a family open-house, an architecture tour, or an engaging talk on Brooklyn's 400 years of transformation. There's something for everyone!
Landmarks Day
10:30-12
Family Open House
Recommended for families with children ages 3 and up. Children must be accompanied by adults.
Behind the Dutch Doors
Admission is on a first-come-first-serve basis.
Neighborhoods of Brooklyn
Professor John B. Manbeck
Only a few spots left!
By RSVP only:rsvp@wyckoffmuseum.org
RSVP for 2pm Lecture
A Message from the Staff
Rain was no obstacle for St. Nick
Reunion 2015- Save the Date
Wyckoff Store
Dear Cousins & Friends,
With the snow melted and the tulips beginning to peek through the warming soil, the Wyckoff House Museum itself is abloom with new activities and projects. Here are some of the exciting things on the horizon:
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the New York City Landmarks Law. While the law was signed on April 19th, 1965, the first structure to be designated a NYC landmark, in October of that year, was none other than the Pieter Claesen Wyckoff House. We will be celebrating this important anniversary in our collective history with the Landmarks Day celebration this coming Sunday, and with other activities throughout the year.
The museum was recently selected to participate in an innovative think tank called ShatterCABINET in partnership with the 1772 Foundation, Chipstone Foundation, and Historic House Trust. In early April, Melissa was joined by board member Elizabeth Wyckoff and our ShatterCABINET Fellow, Monica Montgomery (meet her below) to participate in a two day workshop in Milwaukee, which focused on reconsidering historic house museums and the way they use collections to tell their narrative. Over the next six months we will be crafting information, programs, and tours to reach a broader public audience.
Spring also marks the beginning of our annual Membership drive, which will offer new perks and opportunities to connect for renewed members. Stay tuned.
Lastly, we are busily planning this Fall's annual family reunion. After such a large and festive turnout at last year's vineyard and redwood-themed reunion in Santa Clara, we are excited to take the Wyckoff family down south to New Orleans. We will be sending further updates about the reunion shortly. In the meantime you can check out our Reunion page for more information.
Warm wishes and happy spring,
Melissa Branfman Joshua Van Kirk
Director of Education Museum consultant
by Chris Gollmar
It's a quiet week at the farmhouse, as most NYC schools are on their spring break. When school resumes next week, though, we'll jump straight into our busy season with school programs, family events, and more.
The next two months will be busy with the final surge of field trips at the farmhouse. We certainly have a lot of excitement ahead of us this spring! By the time the last day of school rolls around in June, we will have had more students visit the museum than in any previous year. We anticipate having served more than 5000 K-8 students by the end of the school year.
Thanks to a generous funding from Council Member Alan Maisel, we are able to offer schools from his district (District 46) free field trips to the museum. We will be embarking on a program called "Voyage to a New World," an adaptation of our popular "Colonial Life" program that emphasizes Pieter, Grietje, and family's Dutch heritage.
We are also expanding our public programs with family open house days. As part of our April 19 Landmarks Day celebration, we will host our first family open house. In response to visitor feedback, we have put together a number of self-guided and educator-led activities that we hope will appeal to a audiences of all ages.
During this "hands-on history" event, children and their grownups will be able to explore the history of the Old Kitchen, touch our educational artifacts and make crafts in the Common Parlor, and visit the garden to plant seeds to take home. This full morning of diverse, engaging activities should be both fun and educational for the families that join us.
Meet Monica
Monica O. Montgomery is the Historic House Trust Fellow working with the Wyckoff House Museum on the innovative ShatterCABINET project.
As a former school programs educator, I am thrilled to return to the Wyckoff Farmhouse as a ShatterCABINET fellow to help shape future programming at the museum. About me: I am a cultural entrepreneur and champion of community engagement. I studied Broadcast Communication at Temple University and am completing my Master of Corporate Communication at LaSalle University.
I am no stranger to the Historic House Museum. I currently serve as the Action Director of LatimerNOW headquartered at the Lewis Latimer Historic House Museum. In this role I is enjoy remixing the museum experience, interpreting diversity, creativity and community, to bridge past and present. I believe museums should be in service to society and look forward to building community engagement at the Wyckoff House.
Even in the rain, St. Nicholas rode into town at the Wyckoff House. Over 100 kids, families, and friends greeted Old St. Nick with the traditional Dutch carol "Sinterklaas Kapoentje", while kids fed carrots to his horse Schimmel. Inside the house St. Nicholas read The Bakers Dozen before visiting children signed the Red Book.
Families sipped on cider and snacked on Speculaas while kids crafted pomanders, ornaments, and decorated dutch clogs as take home gifts.
You can find more photos of the St. Nicholas Day on our Facebook page. To volunteer at our next event, contact us at education@wyckoffmuseum.org.
This October, the Wyckoff Family Reunion heads to "The Big Easy" to "laissez les bon temps roulez" (let the good times roll).
Please save the dates of October 2-4, 2015 in your calendar for this special New Orleans reunion and join us for good food, good friends, and a great time.
Further details such as accommodations and reunion itineraries will be announced in the coming months.
Three generations of Wyckoff descendants pose with Hart cradle, which they donated to the museum's collection over 30 years ago. Wyckoff member, Sarah Lappe from (where else!) Wyckoff, NJ visited us this April only one day before her 89th birthday! Sarah and her mother last visited the Wyckoff House in 1984 upon donating the family heirloom. This 17th century Wyckoff family cradle is now displayed in the museum's formal parlor. For her birthday celebration, Sarah was joined by her children and grandchildren, pictured left.
The Wyckoff Farmhouse is off to an active start this Spring! Garden volunteers, events, new community partnerships and tulips are all signs that Spring is here at last!
More than 400 community members celebrated Easter at the Wyckoff Farmhouse. Council Member Jumaane Williams and partners from East Flatbush Village hosted an Easter Egg Hunt on the Wyckoff grounds. Families hunted for Easter eggs, met with the Easter Bunny and toured the Wyckoff House.
Local teens spend Spring Break doing spring cleaning in the Wyckoff Garden. It was a team effort with Wyckoff staff, Caretaker Dan, Partnerships for Parks, the NYC Parks Department, and Millennium Development After School Programs at Roy H. Mann middle school and Fillmore Academy. Together we filled 80 trash bags, cleaning up the 1.5 acre grounds for the season ahead.
by Lucie Chin
Late in the summer of 2007 a small tuxedo cat with big attitude arrived in the Wyckoff garden and became Queen of all she surveyed. She quickly made herself indispensable as Director of Vermin Control, ridding the cellars of mice and keeping them at bay outside. She patrolled the grounds with ears cocked and tail high, vamped for tourist's cameras, showed off for school kids, slept in the tulips, fiercely guarded her territory and loved her people. She rarely stepped outside the fence.
Just before Thanksgiving of 2014, The Veterinary Medical Center of Brooklyn, which donates Sylvia's annual checkups, discovered she had cancer. Sylvia soon retired to Lucie's home and participated in a study of her particular cancer at the Animal Medical Center of NY until she passed away on April 2nd. She will have a permanent place at the Wyckoff farm.
Sylvia in her natural habitat. An indoor/outdoor cat, Sylvia took full advantage of the historic window sill and double Dutch doors to frolic both inside and outside of the Wyckoff Farmhouse.
Back by Popular Demand: Shop Items!
Wooden Model House
Back in stock! Stand-up wooden replica of the Wyckoff House stands at 7.25" across and 3.25" high. Fits perfectly on a desk or windowsill. . $22 each
Delft Tile Coaster Set
These beautiful stone coasters are replicas of the 18th century manganese Delft tiles in the Wyckoff House. $18 for a set of four
For mugs, baseball caps,totes, and many more items, visit our online store!
Copyright © 2015 Wyckoff Farmhouse Museum, All rights reserved.


AgCanada.com is proud to present this new informative web video series. AGGronomyTV is a series of videos that covers today's top issues related to soil management and crop production.
Canola Council is reducing its role in extension agronomy, relying more heavily on the private sector. "We're not going to walk the fields with one or two farmers," said Jim Everson.
Farmers share their thoughts on satellite imagery, weather information, and the role agricultural technology plays in efficiency.


text:
The following is a list of characters from the manga and anime series Majestic Prince.

Characters

Team Rabbits

Izuru is the main protagonist and leader of Team Rabbits, piloting the all-around mecha "Red 5". He has black hair. He is a positive thinker whose dream is to become a hero, often mentioning it in his interactions with his teammates. He also loves to draw manga. His pit crew is composed of some mechanics that act together as a family and quickly welcome him. His genetic enhancements give him high concentration. Just like the other evolved children, his memories from before joining the military academy were erased. Despite this, Izuru somehow remembers about Teoria, and she mentions that they were very close in the past, unaware that she is actually his biological mother. In the movie, Izuru is entrusted with the enhanced "Red 5 Plus", replacing his previous unit that was destroyed during his battle with Jiart.

Toshikazu is the vanguard of Team Rabbits and the oldest member, piloting the attack-oriented mecha "Blue 1".  He has blue hair. Asagi is able to process large amounts of data due to his genetic enhancements, Asagi usually assumes command of Team Rabbits when Izuru is unavailable, but he often gets stage fright and an upset stomach. His pit crew is composed of three members that appear to be from the same family; a little girl named Anne who is the Miss Star Rose, her father and her grandfather. It is later revealed that his and Izuru's DNA came from the same person, Commander Simon, making him Izuru's "big brother". In the movie, his unit is destroyed by Diorna and he returns to battle piloting the "White 0", a prototype, multipurpose AHSMB that was proven itself too difficult to pilot, and thus leading to the development of more specialized models, reducing complexity to increase their performance. He ends up sacrificing this unit as well to hold Diorna long enough to be finally defeated.

Kei is the tactics controller of Team Rabbits, piloting the sensor-oriented "Purple 2". She has long dark blonde hair and a serious look. Her genetic enhancements give her highly developed auditory perception She loves food that has an exceptional amount of sugar, and likes to bake cakes.} Her pit crew is composed of beautiful ladies. She despises anything perverted and will punch or slap the boys whenever they act that way. Like Asagi, she is also self-conscious and shy on stage. As the series progresses, she begins to show romantic interest in Izuru.

Tamaki is the booster of Team Rabbits, piloting the heavily armored "Rose 3", a mecha designed to put enemy formations in disarray with its speed, taking advantage of her ability to withstand high levels of acceleration due to her genetic enhancements. She is the shortest of the team members and has red hair, but is fairly busty. She is boy-crazy and is often seen impulsively asking handsome men to be her boyfriend.  Her pit crew, however, is composed of fat unattractive men that prefer 2D girls, much to her dismay.

Ataru is the gunner of Team Rabbits, piloting the "Gold 4", specializing in sniping and long/mid-range support fire. He has orange feathered hair and wears rectangular-framed glasses. Thanks to his superior selective memory due to his genetic enhancements, Ataru is a military geek who incessantly talks about military hardware and weaponry, even when trying to flirt with girls. He is assessed as one of the most versatile pilots among Team Rabbits, able to choose the best weapon loadout for a mission. His pit crew is composed of muscle-headed men.

Ange joins Team Rabbits halfway through the series piloting the "Black 6", focused in mid-range artillery and close quarters combat, that later serves as the base for the mass-production "Shrike" units. Ange has purple hair. Ange's gender is never revealed and the rest of the team has divided opinions about it. Despite being farther skilled and better trained than the rest, Ange is usually shy when speaking to others, but displays a vicious and berserk demeanor when in battle. Ange's mecha has an automated maintenance system that dispenses the need of a pit crew most of the time.

Staff
The Military Junior Pre-Academy (MJP) and Global Defense Force (GDF) staff include the following characters:

Commander of Team Rabbits, she is doubtful at first of their capability to master the Juria System, until their feats in battle prove otherwise. She has blonde hair styled in a bob with a part that covers her right eye. She is usually the most troubled by their antics, and is annoyed in an early episode when the press calls her a manager as if she were in charge of a group of idols. She enjoys lollipops.  A former pilot, she retired to teaching at the MJP. After Team Rabbits graduates, she joins them as a captain of the Godinion.

Head of the MJP project responsible for the development of the Juria System. He wears grey visor glasses. It was him who chose Team Rabbits to take part in the project, claiming that their outstanding survival instincts and individual abilities shall eventually led them to become a force to be reckoned with once they overcome their personal weaknesses and lack of teamwork. It is later revealed that his DNA was used to produce both Izuru and Asagi, making him their biological father.

The head mechanic of Team Rabbits. She is usually seen in a green mechanics jumpsuit where the top is exposed to show much of her well-endowed chest. She often drinks, and is a childhood friend of "Rin-Rin" since elementary school, having reunited with her after joining the military. In episode 4, it is revealed she is an heiress of Saionji Pharmaceutical, but chose the mechanic's life as her career.

A communications officer on the Godinion's bridge along Giuliano. He has dark hair. His family has been serving in some form of military service since the Holy Roman Empire and is a descendant of Prussian junkers.

A communications officer of the Godinion's along with Siegfried. He has yellow-orange hair.

A mysterious girl with white hair with pink hair clips. Izuru finds her familiar, but does not remember when. She is actually a member of the Wulgaru royal family who defected to help the humans, giving them the Wulgaru technology to build the AHSMB.   She has met Izuru before his memory was erased and has shown great concern towards Izuru. It is later revealed that she is the younger sister of Jiart and Galkie. She also gave the maternal DNA used to make Izuru making her his biological mother and making Izuru half-Wulgaru.
When the location of the Gate the Wulguru were using to invade the solar system was located, at the cost of the lives of two members of Team Doberman, she revealed herself to the world's governments and volunteered to join in on the assault to destroy the gate and halt the invasion.

Teoria's aide who followed her after she defected from the Wulgaru.

A lieutenant of the GDF whose prowess in leadership earns her a quick rising to captain and then admiral in the military ranks. She has short brown hair. She is friends with Rin and Reika.

A GDF Vice Chief of Staff, he orders Team Rabbits to attack a group of Wulgaru ships that were supposedly transporting cargo. When it was soon discovered that the ships were actually a reconnaissance squad, he orders Team Rabbits to attack them anyway. He does not like to lose and is highly motivated by money, calling the mecha that Team Rabbits uses his investment. In the movie. Komine is reassigned to command Star Rose 2, that was being developed in secret.

Personal assistant to Team Rabbits, she arranges different PR events for the group. She has black hair with straight bangs that cover her eyes, and wears a red robe-like jacket over a white shirt and dark pants.

A medical officer of the MJP and Godinion. She has red hair styled in a high ponytail. She gives Team Rabbits their physicals and reports on their physical and mental welfare.

Team Fawn's instructor from Granzere City Academy. Introduced in the 25th episode.

Team Doberman
 is a group of MJP students who are seniors to Team Rabbits. Their existence was kept a secret from GDF until episode 4 when they rescued Team Rabbits from a Wulgaru squadron. Their mecha are called Rhinos, which served as prototypes for the AHSMB. In the movie, its sole surviving pilot joins with a new partner to form .

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The red-haired leader of Team Doberman, he enjoys having a cool attitude and flirting with the ladies. He quickly adopted the role of a mentor figure to Izuru, encouraging him to trust his teammates' abilities. He likes watching adult videos; his favorite type of girls is the big sister bossy types.

Sub-leader and the level-headed tsukkomi member of Team Doberman. He has black hair and is from the Indian subcontinent. He has a fiancee by arranged marriage, and intends to marry her once the war is over. He is the only member of the team who returns alive after a reconnaissance mission to locate the Wulgaru's warp gate. In the movie, he is reassigned to Team Fox with Patricia.

Youngest member of Team Doberman. He has blond hair, and appears like an aristocrat from the United Kingdom. He later develops a huge crush for Tamaki.

Patrick's twin sister, she joins Chandra as part of Team Fox in the movie.

Wulgaru
The , also known as the United Pan-Galactic Empire, are an alien race that serves as the antagonists in the series. Although they don't have the numbers as the Earth forces, they are extremely fast and fierce. Concerned that their species is too weak to sustain themselves, they embarked on a project in which they sent out genetic material to planets all over the universe with the hopes that some of the material would be able to evolve and adapt to new conditions. They would then "harvest" the genetic material as lamata (prey), with hopes that it would improve their own genes. The main characters among the Wulgaru include the ruling nobility as well as the  or military commanders.

Plegazus (second son) Jiart is the Prince of the Wulgaru and brother of the king and Teoria, His squad's mecha are black with a bluish outline glow, and his own mecha is white. he has little care for the objectives and needs of his people and focuses himself on satisfy his desires, as he intends to only fight enemies that can quench his thirst for thrilling battles.  Not impressed when confronting Team Rabbits at first, he lets them live claiming they are not even worthy to be killed by him. However, he finds in Izuru a worthy opponent during their second clash, to the point of sparing his life once more hoping to fight him again on a later occasion and becomes more obsessed with him each time they meet in battle. He doesn't get along well with his Wulgaru companions only listening to his brother's word. During the fight to defend the Warp gate from the Earth forces, Jiart finally satisfies his wish of having a bout to the death with Izuru, which ends with him killed.

The current emperor of Wulgaru, being crowned the Emperor after the assassination of his father, the former emperor. He is the older brother of Jiart and Teoria. He has a good relationship with Jiart, and is tolerant of his uninterested behaviour. After the Earth forces defeat the Wulgaru garrison protecting one of there Warp gates and destroy it, Garukie does not show any contempt, but rejoices instead, claiming that humankind may be the species that will finally open a new evolutionary path to them based on dead human bodies for genetic material  and human information and data recover from them and there technology.

A commander with a purple beard and scars across his face in a green and brown outfit. He is a strategist that specializes in heavy weapons and large forces. His mecha squad colors are a glowing red and black.

A commander with spiky blond hair and a green cloak. He has a child-like appearance and is short tempered. He is brutal and merciless, and relies on speed tactics. His mecha squad colors are a glowing purple and black theme. He leads an attack on the Team Rabbits' school on Earth, but he and his squad are ultimately destroyed by the Earth's special beam cannon.

A commander with a light blue buzzcut hair and a headband that consists of two strings crossed over. He wears a large pink and yellow jacket atop a white uniform. He usually operates in the vanguard of the attacks against Earth. He has a hysterical, merciless, and sadistic personality. HIs mecha squad colors are a glowing green and black.  When he overhears Jiart and Lumes discussing contacting Teoria, he tries to escape. He is ultimately cut down by Jiart, who he and Lumes had reported Rada in for treason.

A commander with blond hair and a blue uniform with a white vertical stripe. He has a calm demeanor. His mecha squad colors are orange and blue.

A busty female commander with light purple hair and a red and white outfit that looks like a sling swimsuit and white feathers at her shoulders and thighs. Her mecha squad colors are glowing yellow and black. She tries to seduce Jiart and the others. She and her fleet managed to kill Randy and Patrick while Team Doberman was doing a recon mission. Later on, she was killed by Team Rabbits sans Izuru when the GDF went on their mission to close the Wulgaru gate at the edge of the solar system.

The main villain of the movie. Created by infusing the DNA of Jiart and Teoria, Diorna is a child developed in laboratory at the Wulgaru's warp gate. After the gate's destruction in operation Heaven's Gate, Diorna assumes command of the remaining Wulgaru troops in the system and launches an attack on Earth. Like Teoria and Jiart's, Diorna's mecha is colored white, as a symbol of her royal heritage. While trying to breach into Granzere City Academy's shelter to attack the students, Diorna is intercepted by Team Rabbits and killed when all its members, in a combined effort, corner and restrain her mecha time enough to fire a fatal shot at her.

Team Fawn
 is a new group of MJP students from  introduced in the bonus episode 25 and are featured in the film.

Ahn is the vanguard of Team Fawn, piloting the attack-oriented "Orange 7". She is a bit of an airhead.

Yui is the gunner of Team Fawn, piloting the sniping/artillery-oriented "Silver 8". A beautiful girl who has a cool attitude.

Sei is the control of Team Fawn, piloting the sensor-oriented "Green 9" who likes to talk a lot and his meals are composed of highly spiced foods.

Chris is the booster of Team Fawn, piloting the speed-oriented "Magenta 10" who loves to race and idolizes Tamaki.

Works cited
  "Ch." is shortened form for chapter and refers to a chapter number of the Majestic Prince manga
  "Ep." is shortened form for episode and refers to an episode number of the Majestic Prince anime. English version by Sentai Filmworks. The listings for Japanese Vocal Cast and English Vocal Cast in the closing credits.

References

Majestic Prince

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


The SDU welcomes you to CityU SCOPE and wish you make the most of your study and campus life with us.
To reward academic excellence, diligence, and contributions to campus life through initiative and leaderships, we set up various award schemes that cultivate positive learning, and serving attitudes. They include Director's List, Achiever Award, Service Award, and Progression Award.
A Student Activity Fund scheme is established for full-time SCOPE students who are interested in organizing student activities that enhance learning and campus life. They are encouraged to apply for the Fund through submitting an appropriate proposal with budget. They are welcome to discuss their ideas with teachers, SDU staff and their personal tutors.
Over 30 events and activities have been prepared for academic year 2016-2107. Detail information regarding upcoming events and activities are posted on the SDU website.
SDU activities are publicized to students via their school and personal emails, Canvas, and posters posted at the CityU SCOPE learning centers, including CityU, Tsim Sha Tsui East, and Admiralty.


Wintertime moves steadily forwards with little change in the weather. January gives way to February, which can mean only one thing. It is time for that celebration of love that is Valentine's Day. And at the Varsity Hotel, Cambridge, we're happy to help you celebrate.
Some people sneer at the idea of Valentine's Day. Many simply because they have no love in their life to celebrate. Others level accusations of crass commercialisation sullying an ancient and pure pageant of love. Which is a little ridiculous when you consider its actual history.
St. Valentine himself was a Christian, martyred (probably) on February 14th in the city of Rome sometime during the 3rd century. And…that's it. That's all that is known about him. Who he was, what he did, why he was martyred…all lost to time. Which makes him a wonderfully vague saint.
Alright so the legacy of the actual St Valentine may be complicated. But St. Valentine's Day is still an ancient festival, right?
Well, that's certainly how Chaucer presents it in his 14th century Canterbury Tales. The problem is that there's no evidence of it existing before then. Which has led many to believe that Chaucer simply made the whole thing up to embellish a story. Just like modern writers and film makers do all the time.
So if you're ever worried about Valentine's Day, then don't be. It continues to be what it always has been – exactly what we choose to make of it. Something that, when you're in love, makes perfect sense. Embrace it.
"Love is all you need," as the song goes. But sometimes we all need a little help in materially showing that love. For that, we at the Varsity Hotel are here to help.
To start with, we've got a romantic three course set menu available at our Six Panoramic Restaurant on the night itself. Plenty of choice, with options for all dietary requirements. Plus a selection of romantically themed desserts and cocktails.
But if you prefer the warm, cosy indoors to heights, our River Bar Steakhouse offers a separate three course set menu as well. Something for everyone.


Punishment, Human Dignity, and the Sociological Imagination: A Reply to Claes.
Source: (2005) In Erik Claes, René Foqué, and Tony Peters, eds., Punishment, Restorative Justice and the Morality of Law. Antwerp; Oxford: Intersentia. Pp. 57-68.


People who are physically or mentally challenged often live in group homes, small residential facilities in the general community that ideally have six or fewer occupants who are watched over by trained caregivers 24 hours per day. Turnover of group homes staff members is quite high for a variety of reasons, including burnout and low pay.
The early 20th-century eugenics movement saw people with disabilities as genetically flawed and supported incarcerating them in large, crowded state institutions. Nazi Germany systematically killed institutionalized physically and mentally disabled people. In the United States, a national movement advocating the closure of large state institutions began in the 1960s. Many physically and mentally challenged people moved into group homes, some run by state governments and others by private organizations.
An estimated 4.3 million Americans with intellectual, developmental or physical disabilities live in group homes, their own homes or with family members, according to the federal Health and Human Services Department. Their disabilities include autism, Down syndrome, mental illness and many other medical conditions. Disabled persons living in group homes and some of those living in their own homes are cared for by staff called direct support professionals or DSPs. They are also referred to as home health and personal care aides. DSPs working in group homes and providing in-home care have high turnover rates. A 2006 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report, "The Supply of Direct Support Professionals Serving Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities and Other Developmental Disabilities," estimated that the national turnover rate for DSPs working in group homes and in-home care was 53.6 percent between 1998 and 2003.
A 2001 study, "Issues in the Direct Support Workforce," produced by the American Network of Community Options and Resources, analyzes the reasons why turnover among DSPs working in group homes is so high. Prior to the 1960s, DSPs were typically government employees working for large state institutions. While some state institutions were brutal, mismanaged and overcrowded, DSPs had structured jobs and were often trained and supervised by medical personnel in carrying out a variety of planned programs. The shift to small group houses that are frequently run by private organizations has left many DSPs lacking needed training and supervision in an era when the medical complexity of care needed by intellectually and physically disabled persons has increased. In addition, DSP jobs are seen by most Americans as poorly paid, low status, lacking promotion opportunities and offering few employee benefits, leading to high turnover and chronic understaffing. DSPs are paid a median yearly salary of $20,170.
The average DSP is a woman between the ages of 18 to 39. A third of all DSPs have college degrees, and many are minorities or recent immigrants to the United States. Faced with physically and emotionally demanding responsibilities, overwork due to staff shortages, inadequate training, low pay, few opportunities for advancement and sometimes receiving no employee benefits such as health insurance and vacation time, many leave the profession for other jobs. Job vacancies for DSPs are projected to grow by 70 percent between 2010 and 2020, due to the aging of the baby boomers. A Montgomery County, Maryland, study of DSPs found that agencies that paid their DSPs $10 per hour or higher showed dramatically lower turnover and vacancy rates. Securing added funding for DSP salaries is a complex problem as much of the care for persons with disabilities is controlled by state and federal budgets.
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: Nazi Persecution of the Disabled -- Murder of the "Unfit"


I didn't mark 9/11 yesterday, even though I'd met one of the TV techs who were killed -- murdered -- at the World Trade Center that terrible day.
On December 7, 1958, plenty of people remembered and there were indeed ceremonies, but it was not an occasion for requisite shows of patriotic fervor: a sneak attack led to a war and in the end, we got the perpetrators. We put an end to the threat. In that war, the stakes were the same, though the threat was more imminent and the price to defeat it was higher.
Reading Sefton Delmer's autobiographical books, Trail Sinister and Black Boomerang, is instructive as the young Briton grew up an enemy alien in WW I Germany, was repatriated in 1917 and educated in England, then returned to the Continent as a newsman to cover pre-Crash Weimar, the Spanish Civil War and the preparations for and beginning of WW II. Old resentments and insults poisoned Europe and the ashes of the First World War were the birthplace of the Second. The United States should not copy Europe in this regard. We should do as we have done: win the war and move on.
Remember the past. Honor its dead. Do not be ruled by it.
Ah, once again you have added to my reading list.
And is it my imagination, or was the 9/11 commemoration more intense this year?
Chas, I didn't notice a marked difference, although I have seen some that remarked that falling on a Tuesday this year hit them a little harder than ususal.
"Remember the past. Honor its dead. Do not be ruled by it. "
Going into my "Words and Phrases I Like" folder.
Dec 7 1958?? What am I missing here? Aren't you referring to Dec 7 1941? Or was there another sneak attack that my public education left out?


I have known Rob since before we (my family) moved to Michigan from Connecticut in 2007. He was the first person I called when we wanted to sell our home because of his reputation and experience in not only handling a variety of real estate affairs but because he was also so comfortable to work with. He is the only real estate person, that I have worked with, that is genuinely interested, and tuned into, the needs of his clients. He is a thoughtful professional with a sharp mind for real estate and the process. He is also well-connected with other agencies, agents, a range of support services, and the community; all of which are essential to be an effective real estate professional. Rob has helped us sell our house and buy another. He is currently helping us to sell another property. When we are ready to sell the house we are now in, he will be the first to be called.
I would recommend Rob Ewing as a realtor. I appreciated his honesty and helpfulness in getting the house off the market. He listed to our needs and let us market the home.
We have sold 2 houses using Rob Ewing (and bought one). He knows the Dexter market well and his team is helpful, knowledgeable, and professional. We have nothing but good things to say about him. If you're looking to buy or sell in the Dexter area this is your the man.
We were moving from Michigan to Arizona. My wife interviewed 3 Realtors, selected one, and in a month nothing was happening. The Realtor did not seem to be putting forth much effort. A friend of my wife's said to get Rob and we did. What a change. Visited with us(did a superb analysis of the appropriate sales price too) and his team went into action. Fliers, open house, staging help, and a video tour made of the property!! His team is outstanding and proactive in working with the seller.A caring, professional realtor team. House sold and the team stayed with us thru every step of closing. We could not have asked for a better realtor.Would recommend to anyone. START with Rob and do not waste time with others.
Rob Ewing and Ewing Professionals offer unparalleled service to ALL clients in the Dexter / Ann Arbor MI real estate market. Your complete satisfaction with our service and representation is our number one priority.
Rob Ewing and Ewing Professionals serve the entire Ann Arbor MI real estate market including the surrounding communities such as Canton, Chelsea, Dexter, Grass Lake, Manchester, Milan, Pinckney, Saline, and South Lyon.
Ewing Professionals are devoted to making your home buying and selling experience a smooth, enjoyable transition.


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I love bathroom week however i do always get tile envy. So many pretty tiles! My favourite this week was Dea & Darren's bathroom. I really liked the separation of the shower/bath to the rest of the bathroom. I guess having more space than the others really made a big difference this week. I think they all did really well. Only thing i didn't like was the use of all the hexagon tiles in Jess & Ayden's bathroom. They lost their effect. I did like the separate toilet though. I find sitting in middle of a bathroom on the toilet weird.
Unless you are doing a bathroom reno it is a bit hard to 'shop the look' for these bathrooms. If you are renovating it appears wooden with marble and dark fittings is the trend.
FIRST PLACE: Dea & Darren. Jess & Ayden used their one point prize to take a point from the D's however they still won.
What did you think of this week's bathrooms? Which one is your favourite?


Manda Maxwell was a beautiful 35 year old wife and mother of two who passed away on February 26, 2017 in Dallas, Texas after a long and courageous battle with cancer. To say she inspired those around her would be an understatement.
Manda first had cancer at the age of five and was in remission until it resurfaced again at age 28. Manda made the brave choice to have one of her legs amputated and continued chemotherapy for the next year in order to completely eradicate the cancer from her body. Five years later, the cancer returned for the third time. Manda fought the disease with all her might and a strength that could only come from God. Now, we celebrate her homecoming and mourn our earthly loss at the same time.


PULP are to host their own arena at this year's HOMELANDS FESTIVAL.
The group have been confirmed as hosts of the Desperate arena at this year's event, which takes place at the Bowl, near Winchester this coming weekend (May 26).
In addition to their headline appearance, mainman Jarvis Cocker and Steve Mackey will also DJ in the Desperate Arena.
Also confirmed to DJ are Add N to (X)'s Barry 7, Parrot (All Seeing-I / Earth records) and Dean Honer (I-Monster / Cercle Records).


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text:
Impact of Rising Prices on Food Insecurity
/ News / By Eva Bloom
We all feel the impact of rising prices at the pump and the grocery store. Millions of people have cut back on non-essentials or postponed large purchases. But for some, that's not an option.
On average, 19.2% of individuals live in poverty in the counties we serve. As a result, most if not all of their income goes to basic necessities like shelter, food, and transportation. Rising prices force tough decisions like whether to fill prescriptions or buy food, pay the water bill or put gas in the car to get to work.
In April, the foodbank served 15% more people across our network. Many of these were new households who struggled during the economic disruptions of Covid-19, then faced the highest inflation rate in the last 40 years. That made an already tricky situation impossible to manage without assistance.
"Gas prices make it hard to balance grocery buying and going to the store, work, and doctor," says one Southeast Ohio Foodbank customer waiting in line in Perry County for their food assistance box.
The increase in need comes as pandemic funding runs out, leaving fewer resources for the foodbank to source food for those in need. Supply chain issues have also affected retail donations and led to higher costs for food purchases.
"We're facing challenging times," says Southeast Ohio Foodbank Director Rose Frech. "But we're exploring every opportunity to provide for the people in our region. We're grateful for our financial supporters who can help us meet these challenges head on." The Southeast Ohio Foodbank serves a ten-county region, including Athens, Gallia, Hocking, Jackson, Lawrence, Meigs, Morgan, Perry, Vinton, and Washington. We distribute food through a network of 65 member agencies, also called food pantries, and through on-site and mobile markets. Our programs also address the root causes of hunger and poverty while promoting self-sufficiency. If you would like to support this work, you can make a donation, volunteer your time, or raise awareness by sharing information about our work.


text:
Banning Used Games Is A Deal-Breaker
Don Reisinger | Mar 20, 2013
Let me say this loud and clear: any game console that tries to block used games will fail. And I, along with other gamers, will be happy to see it.
Over the last year or so, we've been hearing rumors that Microsoft's next console, currently codenamed Durango, could ban used games. Microsoft, of course, hasn't said anything on the matter, deciding instead to keep its plans close to the vest until it finally has the chance to unveil the device to the world. But the steady drumbeat of claims that the console won't support used games is concerning.
Stop the Nonsense, Nintendo: The Wii U Needs Help – And Now
Can we all just stop the nonsense, please? I've been sitting here for weeks now, waiting to hear from Nintendo that it's ready to make major changes with the Wii U. And time and again, I'm left with the company scoffing at such a suggestion. The Wii U will be just fine, Nintendo says. And it's about time we all believe it.
Well, Nintendo, we don't believe it.
If Nintendo Fails, Will the Traditional Game Industry Go With It?
Don Reisinger | Mar 7, 2013
I'm worried about Nintendo. Yes, I know that I've told you here on SlashGear that I'm not the biggest fan of the Wii (or Wii U, for that matter) and I'm suspect of the value of Nintendo's games library, but the company is still important to me.
Nintendo Wii Mini launching in UK on March 22
Craig Lloyd | Feb 26, 2013
Nintendo may be in full force with its new Wii U console, but the original Wii is still making its rounds. The newer Wii Mini gaming console -- a smaller version of the original Wii -- will be making a trip across the pond to the UK where it will be available for sale starting March 22. Previously, the console was a Canadian exclusive.
Disney Infinity announced to capitalize on collectible craze
Eric Abent | Jan 15, 2013
Back when Activision announced the first Skylanders game, a fair few people thought that offering collectible toys to use with a video game wasn't a winning idea. Fast forward to today and Skylanders is easily one of Activision's biggest franchises, perhaps second to only Call of Duty. Disney today introduced the world to its answer to Skylanders, officially pulling the veil off Disney Infinity.
Why is the Xbox 360 so popular in the U.S.?
Don Reisinger | Jan 14, 2013
Microsoft's Xbox 360 is a sales juggernaut in the U.S. In fact, according to the latest data from NPD, the Xbox 360 led all consoles in sales for 24 months in a row. The console even was able to beat out the Nintendo Wii U in December – a surprising feat considering that console just went on sale in November and the Xbox 360 has been available for seven years.
Amazon Instant Video now available on Nintendo Wii
Craig Lloyd | Jan 14, 2013
If you haven't yet upgraded to Nintendo's newest console, the Wii U, and are still stuck on the original Wii, not all hope is lost. The company is still supporting the older console. Case in point: they just announced availability of Amazon's Instant Video service on the Wii console, which is now available to download from the Wii Shop Channel.
Nintendo Wii U sales trump Wii sales, 460,000 units sold in December
Brittany A. Roston | Jan 11, 2013
In 41 days since its launch, the Nintendo Wii U managed to beat the Wii in sales by about $30 million. December saw Wii U sales numbers over 460,000, with a total of almost 890,000 units selling since its launch. This information comes from the NPD Group, with its report covering the time period from November 25 to December 29.
Thieves swipe 7,000 Wiis from Nintendo distribution center
Eric Abent | Dec 18, 2012
The Wii may be on the way out with the recent arrival of the Wii U, but don't tell this band of very gutsy thieves that. This past weekend, a group of crooks managed to steal 7,000 Wii consoles from a Nintendo distribution site within SeaTec's Seattle Air Cargo. That equates to about $2 million in stolen hardware, so we've got some big time thieves on our hands.
Nintendo's Wii Mini Is One Big, Bad Idea
Don Reisinger | Nov 29, 2012
Nintendo quietly announced the Wii Mini recently. The console, which will be available in Canada for $100, supports over 1,000 Wii games, but lacks a host of important features, including backward compatibility with GameCube titles and the ability to connect in any way to the Internet.
Of course, Nintendo has said that the Wii Mini is the perfect value. The console is cheaper than the Wii and is smaller. Plus, it's the perfect entry point for new gamers who don't care about the old days and simply want to get their motion gaming on.
Nintendo TVii launching December 8 in Japan, US and Europe in 2013 [update]
Craig Lloyd | Nov 27, 2012
Nintendo has announced that TVii, the Wii U's multimedia TV guide, will launch alongside the console's Japan launch on December 8, while US and European users will have to until 2013 in order to get TVii functionality. TVii pulls data from Rovi's G-Guide and lets gamers scroll through listings using the GamePad.
UPDATE: It's confirmed that Europe will see the 2013 delay, but a solid release date for the US is actually still unknown. The last we heard, TVii was delayed into December, so it's possible we may see it on the 8th along with Japan, but no official word from Nintendo on that yet.
Wii Mini official: $99.99 Canada exclusive sheds internet
Chris Davies | Nov 27, 2012
Nintendo's new Wii Mini has been made official, a compact refresh to the original Wii with a few drawbacks - such as no internet connectivity - to keep the price down. The new console, prematurely leaked in the past weeks, is Canada-only - at least initially - where it will be sold at CA$99.99 from December 7. Nintendo has trimmed out all online functionality among other things.
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The Gaeltacht refers to the areas in Ireland where the Irish language is still spoken in the community; and where traditional culture and ways are alive and thriving. It spans over seven counties and four provinces; mainly in the West of Ireland although there are parts of Meath and Waterford that are considered to be Gaeltacht areas also. There are countless coláistes scattered all over the country and each one has different rules and regulations. Going to Irish college in these areas in the summer months is fast becoming a popular option for many students in secondary school; around 25, 000 flock to various areas each summer in pursuit of fluency as Gaeilge. These colleges offer an environment where Irish is the language of the community; classes are provided on a daily basis and in all conversation students are required to abstain from speaking as Bearla.
Most Irish colleges require applicants to attend an interview prior to entry; these are held at convenient locations and in most circumstances a parent or guardian is asked to attend. The purpose of these is to determine the level of competency in Irish in order to organise classes accordingly and also to explain fully the rules of the college. Even those who don't enjoy Irish as a subject in school find themselves drawn to it during these summer courses. Less emphasis is placed on grammar and is instead put on using Irish in everyday practical situations. Conversing in your national language is very rewarding; learning the language also gives you great insight into Irish heritage, culture and a greater understanding of history.
Certain Irish colleges have a reputation for being stricter than others; these are a good choice for those hell-bent on getting value for money and improving their Irish as much as possible; although potential students should be warned that a throwaway comment in English could be enough to get you sent home. Alternatively there are other colleges that are more lenient yet an effort in speaking the language is a rudimentary requirement of them all. Some colleges combine their focus on the language side of things with extra-curricular activities; many have impressive facilities for sports such as Gaelic football, hurling, sailing, rugby, canoeing; very appealing to the sport fanatics!
Accommodation obviously depends on what college you pick but generally students either stay in Gaeltacht approved houses with local families or in dorms under supervision. Bear in mind that due to the huge interest in attending these summer schools places can be limited; you are advised to make enquiries as early as November to guarantee a space and avoid disappointment. Information about colleges can be obtained from Comhchoiste na gColáistí Samhraidh (CONCOS), a federation of dozens of Irish Summer Colleges both inside and outside the main Gaeltachtaí.
Another option would be to make enquiries in your school; they may be able to advise you in accordance with other students' experiences. So if you're going in the hopes of getting a high mark in Irish, to finally watch Ros na Rún without the subtitles, or if you fancy learning how to jig away to The Walls of Limerick; no doubt all your expectations and more will be fulfilled in your Irish college experience…Go n-éirí an bóthar leat!


As much as I love to travel, there are times when I just want to enjoy the destination without the mad urge to see or do everything.
A few weeks back, I was a guest of the Dream Hollywood, which is at the epicenter of a recently revitalized area of the city—actually, more like a few centrally located blocks. It was a perfect escape since I felt pampered and had a blast, with everything in the shortest walking distance possible. In a city where you have to drive everyplace, having the ability to walk instead and still be able to see and do a lot took much of the stress out of the experience and added a layer of relaxation to the glitz.
Location, location, location: Dream Hollywood is part of a block that's undergone a lot of gentrification and is about as centrally located as it gets—one block south of Hollywood Boulevard and one block north of Sunset Boulevard. If you like to walk, you're a quick stroll away from most Hollywood landmarks—and many of the rooms in the hotel have a view of the iconic Hollywood sign. Mine did and the view never got old, either first thing in the morning, or last glittery thing at night.
Decor, rooms and service: The lobby has a vast glass entranceway and an indoor/outdoor beautiful people hang out here aesthetic. The building exteriors include massive glass windows and a brick wall with a massive edgy mural. There are 178 rooms, that are designed with a combination of minimalism and mid-century cool with palettes embracing the sky or the desert. Strangely enough, with all the sleek design it all still felt cozy. The beds are amazingly comfortable, though the rainfall showers scared me a little with their extremely slick floors.
Nice extras: Two of my favorite features of the hotel included Lincoln Dream-branded house cars to whisk you to and from destinations that are about 2 miles or less from the hotel; perfect for heading over to Canter's Deli or Schwartz Bakery for a quick nosh, or The Grove and Farmer's Market for some shopping. My second favorite was the room service, which is becoming incredibly scarce as of late. Since catering for the hotel is under the auspices of the Tao Group, you can use the room's iPad to order up something yummy from one of the property's on-site or just-around-the-corner restaurants. I could not get enough of the exquisite fruit plates which felt like edible art.
Roof with a view: Since rooftop views allowing one to see and be seen are pretty much the expected experience and social media magnet, the Highlight Room was the proverbial jewel in the crown. The fabulous 11,000-square-foot outdoor rooftop, lounge, pool and grill area features a teeny tiny pool that at 3 feet deep is definitely there for the Instagram crowd. Private cabanas and a creative menu with quick bites and creative cocktails make it a great part of any trip. It's also a magnet for people watching.
It's all connected: So, here's the part my inner couch potato loved most about Dream. A few steps left and you're at TAO Asian Bistro, a humongous (300-seat) restaurant and lounge. There are private rooms, a huge bar, a massive stairway and insane amounts of creatively prepared fusion food including Chinese, Japanese and Thai ingredients. Step to the right of the lobby for a night at Beauty and Essex, another NYC outpost. It's lush and posh and feels like a cross between a speakeasy and a swanky lounge, with a jaw-dropping skylight. You can buy jewelry as you munch on huge amounts of food that's meant to be ordered and shared with everyone at the table. Feel like having a drink or dancing for a while? Skip on over to Avenue, which is also within walking distance. Bear in mind though that since you're that close to everything, you can hear or feel the bass from your hotel room. Want to get dolled up before your big night out? There's a Gunnar Peterson Gym in the hotel, so you can book a session with a personal trainer. There's no spa though, but beGlammed offers on-site, in-room hair and makeup sessions. I had my makeup done by Kristine (including mile-long false eyelashes) and hair by Samanda and it was interesting to note that they tailored the look for photos and social media sharing. It added a fun element to my night out and I highly recommend adding that splurge to your trip.
Close by: It rained much of the time I was there, which meant that I got to enjoy my room (and room service. Did I mention those gorgeous fruit plates?) but missed out on a hike to Runyon Canyon. We did head over to Spartina in West Hollywood for brunch, which had a seriously creative menu including stuffed squash blossoms. I opted out when the rest of the crew headed over to trendy upscale meat intensive restaurant Gwen, and sat in the lobby people watching instead. And while I didn't get a chance to visit Vegetable, a rustic 50-seat organic restaurant in the shadows of Universal Studios, helmed by native Angeleno, Chef & Proprietor Jerry CP Yu, who preaches the gospel of "guilt-free & comfortable food" it pretty much tops my list for my next visit.