text:
Variation in PTX3 is associated with primary graft dysfunction after lung transplantation
Joshua M. Diamond, Nuala J. Meyer, Rui Feng, Melanie Rushefski, David J. Lederer, Steven M. Kawut, James C. Lee, Edward Cantu, Rupal J. Shah, Vibha N. Lama, Sangeeta Bhorade, Maria Crespo, Ejigayehu Demissie, Joshua Sonett, Keith Wille, Jonathan Orens, Ann Weinacker, David Weill, Selim Arcasoy, Pali D. ShahJohn A. Belperio, David Wilkes, Lorraine B. Ware, Scott M. Palmer, Jason D. Christie
Rationale: Elevated long pentraxin-3 (PTX3) levels are associated with the development of primary graft dysfunction (PGD) after lung transplantation. Abnormalities in innate immunity, mediated by PTX3 release, may play a role in PGD pathogenesis. Objectives: Our goal was to test whether variants in the gene encoding PTX3 are risk factors for PGD. Methods: We performed a candidate gene association study in recipients from the multicenter, prospective Lung Transplant Outcomes Group cohort enrolled between July 2002 and July 2009. The primary outcome was International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation grade 3 PGD within 72 hours of transplantation. Targeted genotyping of 10 haplotype-tagging PTX3 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) was performed in lung transplant recipients. The association between PGD and each SNP was evaluated by logistic regression, adjusting for pretransplantation lung disease, cardiopulmonary bypass use, and population stratification. The association between SNPs and plasma PTX3 levels was tested across genotypes in a subset of recipients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Measurements and Main Results: Six hundred fifty-four lung transplant recipients were included.The incidence of PGD was 29%. Two linked 5′ region variants, rs2120243 and rs2305619, were associated with PGD (odds ratio, 1.5; 95% confidence interval, 1.1 to 1.9; P = 0.006 and odds ratio, 1.4; 95% confidence interval, 1.1 to 1.9; P = 0.007, respectively). The minor allele of rs2305619 was significantly associated with higher plasma PTX3 levels measured pretransplantation (P = 0.014) and at 24 hours (P = 0.047) after transplantation in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Conclusions: Genetic variants of PTX3 are associated with PGD after lung transplantation, and are associated with increased PTX3 plasma levels.
Published - Sep 15 2012
Long pentraxin 3
Primary graft dysfunction
Single-nucleotide polymorphism
Dive into the research topics of 'Variation in PTX3 is associated with primary graft dysfunction after lung transplantation'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.
Primary Graft Dysfunction Medicine & Life Sciences 100%
PTX3 protein Medicine & Life Sciences 96%
Lung Transplantation Medicine & Life Sciences 73%
Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Medicine & Life Sciences 19%
Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Medicine & Life Sciences 19%
Transplant Recipients Medicine & Life Sciences 14%
Lung Medicine & Life Sciences 12%
Diamond, J. M., Meyer, N. J., Feng, R., Rushefski, M., Lederer, D. J., Kawut, S. M., Lee, J. C., Cantu, E., Shah, R. J., Lama, V. N., Bhorade, S., Crespo, M., Demissie, E., Sonett, J., Wille, K., Orens, J., Weinacker, A., Weill, D., Arcasoy, S., ... Christie, J. D. (2012). Variation in PTX3 is associated with primary graft dysfunction after lung transplantation. American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine, 186(6), 546-552. https://doi.org/10.1164/rccm.201204-0692OC
Variation in PTX3 is associated with primary graft dysfunction after lung transplantation. / Diamond, Joshua M.; Meyer, Nuala J.; Feng, Rui et al.
In: American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine, Vol. 186, No. 6, 15.09.2012, p. 546-552.
Diamond, JM, Meyer, NJ, Feng, R, Rushefski, M, Lederer, DJ, Kawut, SM, Lee, JC, Cantu, E, Shah, RJ, Lama, VN, Bhorade, S, Crespo, M, Demissie, E, Sonett, J, Wille, K, Orens, J, Weinacker, A, Weill, D, Arcasoy, S, Shah, PD, Belperio, JA, Wilkes, D, Ware, LB, Palmer, SM & Christie, JD 2012, 'Variation in PTX3 is associated with primary graft dysfunction after lung transplantation', American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine, vol. 186, no. 6, pp. 546-552. https://doi.org/10.1164/rccm.201204-0692OC
Diamond JM, Meyer NJ, Feng R, Rushefski M, Lederer DJ, Kawut SM et al. Variation in PTX3 is associated with primary graft dysfunction after lung transplantation. American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine. 2012 Sep 15;186(6):546-552. doi: 10.1164/rccm.201204-0692OC
Diamond, Joshua M. ; Meyer, Nuala J. ; Feng, Rui et al. / Variation in PTX3 is associated with primary graft dysfunction after lung transplantation. In: American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine. 2012 ; Vol. 186, No. 6. pp. 546-552.
@article{9af18984ac6f4114aee1962cfacaa103,
title = "Variation in PTX3 is associated with primary graft dysfunction after lung transplantation",
abstract = "Rationale: Elevated long pentraxin-3 (PTX3) levels are associated with the development of primary graft dysfunction (PGD) after lung transplantation. Abnormalities in innate immunity, mediated by PTX3 release, may play a role in PGD pathogenesis. Objectives: Our goal was to test whether variants in the gene encoding PTX3 are risk factors for PGD. Methods: We performed a candidate gene association study in recipients from the multicenter, prospective Lung Transplant Outcomes Group cohort enrolled between July 2002 and July 2009. The primary outcome was International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation grade 3 PGD within 72 hours of transplantation. Targeted genotyping of 10 haplotype-tagging PTX3 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) was performed in lung transplant recipients. The association between PGD and each SNP was evaluated by logistic regression, adjusting for pretransplantation lung disease, cardiopulmonary bypass use, and population stratification. The association between SNPs and plasma PTX3 levels was tested across genotypes in a subset of recipients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Measurements and Main Results: Six hundred fifty-four lung transplant recipients were included.The incidence of PGD was 29%. Two linked 5′ region variants, rs2120243 and rs2305619, were associated with PGD (odds ratio, 1.5; 95% confidence interval, 1.1 to 1.9; P = 0.006 and odds ratio, 1.4; 95% confidence interval, 1.1 to 1.9; P = 0.007, respectively). The minor allele of rs2305619 was significantly associated with higher plasma PTX3 levels measured pretransplantation (P = 0.014) and at 24 hours (P = 0.047) after transplantation in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Conclusions: Genetic variants of PTX3 are associated with PGD after lung transplantation, and are associated with increased PTX3 plasma levels.",
keywords = "Long pentraxin 3, Lung transplantation, Primary graft dysfunction, Single-nucleotide polymorphism",
author = "Diamond, {Joshua M.} and Meyer, {Nuala J.} and Rui Feng and Melanie Rushefski and Lederer, {David J.} and Kawut, {Steven M.} and Lee, {James C.} and Edward Cantu and Shah, {Rupal J.} and Lama, {Vibha N.} and Sangeeta Bhorade and Maria Crespo and Ejigayehu Demissie and Joshua Sonett and Keith Wille and Jonathan Orens and Ann Weinacker and David Weill and Selim Arcasoy and Shah, {Pali D.} and Belperio, {John A.} and David Wilkes and Ware, {Lorraine B.} and Palmer, {Scott M.} and Christie, {Jason D.}",
journal = "American Review of Respiratory Disease",
T1 - Variation in PTX3 is associated with primary graft dysfunction after lung transplantation
AU - Diamond, Joshua M.
AU - Meyer, Nuala J.
AU - Feng, Rui
AU - Rushefski, Melanie
AU - Lederer, David J.
AU - Kawut, Steven M.
AU - Lee, James C.
AU - Cantu, Edward
AU - Shah, Rupal J.
AU - Lama, Vibha N.
AU - Bhorade, Sangeeta
AU - Crespo, Maria
AU - Demissie, Ejigayehu
AU - Sonett, Joshua
AU - Wille, Keith
AU - Orens, Jonathan
AU - Weinacker, Ann
AU - Weill, David
AU - Arcasoy, Selim
AU - Shah, Pali D.
AU - Belperio, John A.
AU - Wilkes, David
AU - Ware, Lorraine B.
AU - Palmer, Scott M.
AU - Christie, Jason D.
N2 - Rationale: Elevated long pentraxin-3 (PTX3) levels are associated with the development of primary graft dysfunction (PGD) after lung transplantation. Abnormalities in innate immunity, mediated by PTX3 release, may play a role in PGD pathogenesis. Objectives: Our goal was to test whether variants in the gene encoding PTX3 are risk factors for PGD. Methods: We performed a candidate gene association study in recipients from the multicenter, prospective Lung Transplant Outcomes Group cohort enrolled between July 2002 and July 2009. The primary outcome was International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation grade 3 PGD within 72 hours of transplantation. Targeted genotyping of 10 haplotype-tagging PTX3 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) was performed in lung transplant recipients. The association between PGD and each SNP was evaluated by logistic regression, adjusting for pretransplantation lung disease, cardiopulmonary bypass use, and population stratification. The association between SNPs and plasma PTX3 levels was tested across genotypes in a subset of recipients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Measurements and Main Results: Six hundred fifty-four lung transplant recipients were included.The incidence of PGD was 29%. Two linked 5′ region variants, rs2120243 and rs2305619, were associated with PGD (odds ratio, 1.5; 95% confidence interval, 1.1 to 1.9; P = 0.006 and odds ratio, 1.4; 95% confidence interval, 1.1 to 1.9; P = 0.007, respectively). The minor allele of rs2305619 was significantly associated with higher plasma PTX3 levels measured pretransplantation (P = 0.014) and at 24 hours (P = 0.047) after transplantation in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Conclusions: Genetic variants of PTX3 are associated with PGD after lung transplantation, and are associated with increased PTX3 plasma levels.
AB - Rationale: Elevated long pentraxin-3 (PTX3) levels are associated with the development of primary graft dysfunction (PGD) after lung transplantation. Abnormalities in innate immunity, mediated by PTX3 release, may play a role in PGD pathogenesis. Objectives: Our goal was to test whether variants in the gene encoding PTX3 are risk factors for PGD. Methods: We performed a candidate gene association study in recipients from the multicenter, prospective Lung Transplant Outcomes Group cohort enrolled between July 2002 and July 2009. The primary outcome was International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation grade 3 PGD within 72 hours of transplantation. Targeted genotyping of 10 haplotype-tagging PTX3 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) was performed in lung transplant recipients. The association between PGD and each SNP was evaluated by logistic regression, adjusting for pretransplantation lung disease, cardiopulmonary bypass use, and population stratification. The association between SNPs and plasma PTX3 levels was tested across genotypes in a subset of recipients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Measurements and Main Results: Six hundred fifty-four lung transplant recipients were included.The incidence of PGD was 29%. Two linked 5′ region variants, rs2120243 and rs2305619, were associated with PGD (odds ratio, 1.5; 95% confidence interval, 1.1 to 1.9; P = 0.006 and odds ratio, 1.4; 95% confidence interval, 1.1 to 1.9; P = 0.007, respectively). The minor allele of rs2305619 was significantly associated with higher plasma PTX3 levels measured pretransplantation (P = 0.014) and at 24 hours (P = 0.047) after transplantation in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Conclusions: Genetic variants of PTX3 are associated with PGD after lung transplantation, and are associated with increased PTX3 plasma levels.
KW - Long pentraxin 3
KW - Lung transplantation
KW - Primary graft dysfunction
KW - Single-nucleotide polymorphism
JO - American Review of Respiratory Disease
JF - American Review of Respiratory Disease


Another week, another organisation responsible for releasing records of the beats and bleeps variety. This time round we find ourselves tipping the proverbial hat to a crew that started life as something of an essential destination on New York's underground party map, before going on to put out tracks with which to soundtrack said events, alongside nights in London, Moscow, Berlin and Paris.
From this Big Apple base then Elon Admony runs the ReSolute firm, with its imprint arm now having seen releases from a host of contemporary faces, the likes of Kiki, Maceo Plex, Agaric, Dario Zenker, Francesco Tedeschi, and Franklin De Costa being amongst the most notable. Quite the contemporary set up, with sounds this good we can think of nothing better than opening the floor up to the aforementioned bossman, ahead of his appearance at Select*Elect in London this weekend alongside label cohort Connie, and Alexi Delano (click here for our competition for guestlist places to said soiree). Here we go then.
My style and my taste in music is very diverse, since I started DJing and producing I was into anything from electronica, house, deep, groovy to techno, dub, Detroit, Chicago and NY's influence on electronic dance music. We're not trying to stick to one genre, instead we are always looking for fresh ideas, and timeless, cutting edge music… tunes that will hopefully not sound out-dated a year or ten years from now. We are more than just a label, we are constantly creating a bigger core of friends-artists, which we showcase with releases, remixes and performance in our home base – New York, and abroad.
We're not trying to be different; we just like to contribute to the music industry. I think the whole brand combined is what makes it different, the label and the events go hand in hand, the core of our friends, artists and people that have been supporting these last four years.
It's really hard to find new talent, these days music production tools are so easily available and everyone and his lil' sister can produce. But out of all the demos we get, we know there is something.
Launching the label! Well, the label started after a long series of underground events. It was a natural step for us. We are still new, we only have three releases under our belt, but we have already gotten tons of support from many respected artists, and amazing feedbacks, and we are looking forward for the next few releases. I think we had a great start and after a long break since the last release, we are ready to get it rolling again after our current European tour.
All being well, skip forward five years, where would you like things to have got to?
We don't really have a plan, we're enjoying what we are doing, we are spontaneous and looking forward for the future. But we are definitely considering more consistent releases and showcases. We are also hoping to create a headquarters where we will do our events, have studio spaces, a gallery and stuff. We would like to collaborate with visual artists, installations, and create a warehouse of artistic networking.
An interview with Tommy Trash ahead of Mau5trap's Warehouse Party.
An Interview with David Morales ahead of Hard times in Leeds this weekend.


CUSTOMER SATISFACTION IS KEY TO SUCCESS AT SUNNY FRESH FOODS.
Sunny Fresh Foods (SFF)manufactures and distributes more than 160 different egg-based food products to more than 1,200 food service operations across the United States: Its customers in quick-serve restaurants, schools, hospitals and convenience stores. Competing with about 40 other' companies, SFF is ranked second in its industry (up from 14th in 1988) with than -a 19 percent market share in the United States. The ,999 recipient of the Malcolm Bad National Quality Award in the small business category attributes much of its success to its high levels of customer satisfaction. One hundred percent of its customers are "satisfied" or "very satisfied" with SFF in three of its five key categories-on-time delivery, technical support, and customer service access-and more than 90 percent are "satisfied" or "very satisfied" in the remaining two categories: product performance and product freshness. Not coincidentally, claims filed by its customers have decreased dramatically from initially low levels to what is now better than six sigma levels of quality Its combination of innovative new products, a near-perfect record for on-time delivery, and resulting high level of customer satisfaction has been a major factor in SFF becoming the sole supplier for several major national restaurant chains. In addition, many of its customers h~ye recognized SFF's superior performance with supplier awards. As proof that providing high quality products and services pays, SFF's return on gross investment tripled between 1994 and 1999, and it experienced an average increase in operating profits of 25 percent per year over the same five-year period.


Vortex Optics - Vortex Viper 6.5-20x50 rifle scope is ideal for tactical, long range, predator/varmint, and target applications.
Mil Dot reticle is useful for helping estimate range, windage and bullet hold-over. Good for long distance shooters and hunters who need the ranging ability.
Eye Relief: 3.1 - 3.3"


text:
Q: How can a subclass be safely converted to a parent class in c++? There is a subclass that inherits from a normal superclass and a superclass with a virtual function.When I convert subclass pointer to normal superclass pointer,it will work correctly.But when I use a another superclass pointer to point subclass, then convert pointer to this normal superclass, it will print a wrong answer.
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

class base{
public:
    virtual bool test1() = 0;
};

class base2{
public:
    int a;

    base2(int p) : a(p) {}
};

class son:public base, public base2 {
public:
    bool test1() {
        return true;
    }
    son(int p) : base2(p) {}
};

void out(base2* p) {
    cout << p -> a;
}

int main()
{

    /* if I use this, it will print a wrong number,such as -1359748056
     base * o = new son(9);
     out((base2*)o);
     */

    /* if I use this, it will print 9
    out(new son(9));
    */
    return 0;
}

I dont't know Why.Converting a subclass to a parent class isn't safe?

A: What you wrote in the line
out((base2*)o);

is called a C-style cast or a reinterpret_cast. You should almost never do that when dealing with classes and object because it just changes the type of the pointer without taking care of adjusting the virtual table locations. For that reason it prints garbage, because it is looking at the wrong field offset.
Ideally you should use static cast as in
out( static_cast<base2*>(o) );

However base and base2 are not directly related by inheritance so static_cast throws out a compiler error. So you have to use the slower version dynamic cast as
out( dynamic_cast<base2*>(o) );

When you write this way, the program prints
Program stdout
99

Compiler Explorer

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: Finding the limit of a recursive sequence by applying the monotone convergence theorem Suppose a sequence $(a_n)$ is defined recursively, such that it is increasing and bounded.
Would it follow (by applying properties of the monotone convergence theorem) that $$\lim \frac{a_{n+1}}{a_n} = 1$$
?
The problem I am trying to solve is fairly trivial if I can write the above statement, but I can't find a reference to it anywhere.
Thanks for any help.

A: Yes, it would.  Since $\{a_n\}$ is increasing and bounded, we know $\lim(a_n)$ exists.  Next, note that $\lim(a_{n+1}) = \lim(a_n)$ since the former is a subsequence of the latter.
Since these limits exist, we can apply limit arithmetic to evaluate your expression.  Assuming $\lim(a_n) \neq 0$, we get:
$$\lim \left( \frac{a_{n+1}}{a_n} \right) = \frac{\lim(a_{n+1})}{\lim(a_n)}$$
And so...

A: A consequence of this is that $a_n$ converges to some $a$.
Now of $a\neq 0$ the limit of the ratio is, thanks to the continuous mapping theorem, $1$.
If the limit is $0$ you can't say any of that. For instance:
$$
a_n = -\frac1{2^n}
\\
a_n\uparrow 0\\
\frac{a_{n+1}}{a_n} = \frac 12\nrightarrow 0
$$


Get serious. I use Skype with people in many countries, and often the audio quality is so crappy, and so many words get lost that it is doubtful a machine would be able to make out what it is supposed to translate. Of course, Microsoft owns Skype, so that pretty much says it all. Microsoft should first focus on getting Skype to do its current tasks, but that would not be Microsoft style.
well if it's anything like google translate then it'll be a painful experience, like listening to someone scratch a blackboard with their nails.
Sweet! I can't wait to come to iOS and Android!
Breaking down language barriers just another way of saying: forget foreign language skills just use our product.
Not against automation but when it starts to affect person to person skills, etc.
Hey let's have a 3 country conference but we all need to use Skype to commumicate, or go shopping using Skype while overseas.
Hahaha, another step towards the universal translator?
So families and friends don't speak the same language?
Sadly, some 2nd-gen immigrants don't speak the language of their grandparents still back in the old country.
Yeah, I use Skype every day, usually audio only, but sometimes with screen sharing, with people in multiple countries and the quality is great.
Translators help if the level of the foreign-language knowledge is enough to understand the conversation context. Otherwise it is completely useless and prone to misunderstandings. Even professional translators sometimes don´t know what they are talking about, let alone a dumb computer.
I am quiet happy using hangouts.
Yeah, Hangouts is pretty solid as well.
Sounds like an interesting tool. I'll certainly consider using it one of these days.
"We are breaking down language barriers that have historically made it challenging for friends and families to connect," Yasmin Kahn of Skype said in a blog post.
Right. So families and friends don't speak the same language?
"Hey Mom, I can't understand you! Let's use Skype. Oh wait. How do you know we should connect using Skype if you can't understand what I just said?"
Turn off video so you're only using an audio stream.


I have tested and uploaded a sketch for the Arduino Fio. The Original Arduino FIO is based on an Arduino ATmega328. Resulting a serial port debug connection using the Serial port will interfear somehow with the BLEbees RX/TX pins. You need to remove the BLEbee from the Arduino FIO while programming the sketch. It works best, when you run the Arduino FIO from a LIPO and transfer data over BLE to the Arduino Sketch. A sample sketch illustrating the use of the BLEbee with the Arduino FIO is also available from https://github.com/michaelkroll/BLEbee/ ... rduino_FIO.


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The free calendar is available to life science professionals 21 years or older. Just complete the form to request a calendar not later than December 31, 2012.


text:
Why This Car is Cool:
Paul Koch breathes life into a Dragon Rod
By Tara Hurlin
Custom cars are a work of art, and Paul Koch's distinctive, dragon-like ride takes the cake when it comes to creativity. Over 1,000 hand-crafted fiberglass black horns whisk back into what looks like a beast's fur, reminiscent of Falkor from the NeverEnding Story, but with a dark edge.
Koch is known for his mixed-media visual artistry that was displayed in exhibitions and galleries throughout the state of Florida from 2000-2008, and each of his creations convey a deep meaning to the questions of life. His work with vehicle customization is no different.
A 1970 Opel GT first piqued Koch's interest in 1985, but he didn't fully turn his attention to cars until 2008, when the economy turned south and sales of canvas art became less frequent. Around that same time, Koch traded his all-terrain vehicle for a rat rod project — a 1923 T-bucket kit car.
"I immediately started to ponder what I could create. I didn't like the electric blue color or the ghost flames, but the T-bucket body was a good base, and the previous owner had put some money into a sturdy suspension and the 350-cid Chevrolet engine."
Koch began researching and experimenting with different ideas and materials until his vision of a rather glamorous dragon-like rat rod became a reality.
"I have always loved challenges," he said. "As an artist, I see things that others do not, and once I get a vision in my head, everything else just clicks and I have to run with it." And run with it he does, even if the plans seem impossible to the average person. "To most, I am accomplishing the impossible."
When Koch first got his hands on the rod, it was in good running condition and sat on a solid steel frame, but it had been sitting awhile. To get it running smoothly he changed out the throttle cable, fuel pump, fuel and water hoses and all the fluids. After that, rear red LED lights were added for better visibility and all electrical work was completed. The seats were dropped for fear of flying out of the car while driving, then a 1/4-inch rear steel bumper was added and three fuel tanks were installed for a total capacity of 27 gallons.
After the basics were completed, Koch began molding the car into a rolling sculpture. "For me, working on cars does not cause hardship or challenges, it is purely therapy."
Every horn was hand-crafted from fiberglass, and extra care was taken to make everything symmetrical. "There are over 1,000 horns in total, and each one is unique," he said. But there is more symbolism to the horns than pure aesthetics: each one stands for independence and freedom — they are molded from the feelings deep within his soul. "I have been through so much that I technically shouldn't even be here. Art is made to bring people of like-minds and experiences together; it's a way for everyone to see the world through my eyes."
The low windshield was cut out of thick Plexiglas, and Koch used a CNC router to carve out the razor-like aluminum frame. Red lights were added to the interior and throughout the entire underbody. Inside the belly of the beast, the bag-o-bones style shifter resembles what may come of the dragon's victims, and flame throwers warn everyone else to take heed.
As the legend goes, dragons are loyal creatures to those who garner their trust, and their endless courage allows them to ward off enemies and protect their keepers. "To me, they are alluring and dangerously captivating," Koch said. "They rest within the hidden dark recesses of man's imagination until they come out in the form of art, music or in this case, cars."
Coming up with a name for the beast was a task within itself, but as the dragon came to life, it earned its name. "Draco is what my Greek grandmother used to call my brother and me when we would act up, and Draco was named in her honor."
After everything Koch has witnessed in his lifetime, he still has no regrets and continues to push on. "Everything from serving my country to caring for a beloved family member for over nine years has forged me into the person that I am today. I can honestly say that I have absolutely no fear of anything or anyone, much like a dragon."
"This build is who I am," Koch continued. "Every project is an extension of me, and I live outside of the box. It's better to burn out than to fade away."

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
#ifndef XGBOOST_GBM_GBTREE_INL_HPP_
#define XGBOOST_GBM_GBTREE_INL_HPP_
/*!
 * \file gbtree-inl.hpp
 * \brief gradient boosted tree implementation
 * \author Tianqi Chen
 */
#include <vector>
#include <utility>
#include <string>
#include "./gbm.h"
#include "../utils/omp.h"
#include "../tree/updater.h"

namespace xgboost {
namespace gbm {
/*!
 * \brief gradient boosted tree
 */
class GBTree : public IGradBooster {
 public:
  GBTree(void) {
  }
  virtual ~GBTree(void) {
    this->Clear();
  }
  virtual void SetParam(const char *name, const char *val) {
    using namespace std;
    if (!strncmp(name, "bst:", 4)) {
      cfg.push_back(std::make_pair(std::string(name+4), std::string(val)));
      // set into updaters, if already intialized
      for (size_t i = 0; i < updaters.size(); ++i) {
        updaters[i]->SetParam(name+4, val);
      }
    }
    if (!strcmp(name, "silent")) {
      this->SetParam("bst:silent", val);
    }
    tparam.SetParam(name, val);
    if (trees.size() == 0) mparam.SetParam(name, val);
  }
  virtual void LoadModel(utils::IStream &fi, bool with_pbuffer) {
    this->Clear();
    utils::Check(fi.Read(&mparam, sizeof(ModelParam)) != 0,
                 "GBTree: invalid model file");
    trees.resize(mparam.num_trees);
    for (size_t i = 0; i < trees.size(); ++i) {
      trees[i] = new tree::RegTree();
      trees[i]->LoadModel(fi);
    }
    tree_info.resize(mparam.num_trees);
    if (mparam.num_trees != 0) {
      utils::Check(fi.Read(&tree_info[0], sizeof(int) * mparam.num_trees) != 0,
                   "GBTree: invalid model file");
    }
    if (mparam.num_pbuffer != 0 && with_pbuffer) {
      pred_buffer.resize(mparam.PredBufferSize());
      pred_counter.resize(mparam.PredBufferSize());
      utils::Check(fi.Read(&pred_buffer[0], pred_buffer.size() * sizeof(float)) != 0,
                   "GBTree: invalid model file");
      utils::Check(fi.Read(&pred_counter[0], pred_counter.size() * sizeof(unsigned)) != 0,
                   "GBTree: invalid model file");
    }
  }
  virtual void SaveModel(utils::IStream &fo, bool with_pbuffer) const {
    utils::Assert(mparam.num_trees == static_cast<int>(trees.size()), "GBTree");
    if (with_pbuffer) {
      fo.Write(&mparam, sizeof(ModelParam));
    } else {
      ModelParam p = mparam;
      p.num_pbuffer = 0;
      fo.Write(&p, sizeof(ModelParam));
    }
    for (size_t i = 0; i < trees.size(); ++i) {
      trees[i]->SaveModel(fo);
    }
    if (tree_info.size() != 0) {
      fo.Write(BeginPtr(tree_info), sizeof(int) * tree_info.size());
    }
    if (mparam.num_pbuffer != 0 && with_pbuffer) {
      fo.Write(BeginPtr(pred_buffer), pred_buffer.size() * sizeof(float));
      fo.Write(BeginPtr(pred_counter), pred_counter.size() * sizeof(unsigned));
    }
  }
  // initialize the predic buffer
  virtual void InitModel(void) {
    pred_buffer.clear(); pred_counter.clear();
    pred_buffer.resize(mparam.PredBufferSize(), 0.0f);
    pred_counter.resize(mparam.PredBufferSize(), 0);
    utils::Assert(mparam.num_trees == 0, "GBTree: model already initialized");
    utils::Assert(trees.size() == 0, "GBTree: model already initialized");
  }
  virtual void ResetPredBuffer(size_t num_pbuffer) {
    mparam.num_pbuffer = static_cast<int64_t>(num_pbuffer);
    pred_buffer.clear(); pred_counter.clear();
    pred_buffer.resize(mparam.PredBufferSize(), 0.0f);
    pred_counter.resize(mparam.PredBufferSize(), 0);
  }
  virtual bool AllowLazyCheckPoint(void) const {
    return !(tparam.distcol_mode != 0  && mparam.num_output_group != 1);
  }
  virtual void DoBoost(IFMatrix *p_fmat,
                       int64_t buffer_offset,
                       const BoosterInfo &info,
                       std::vector<bst_gpair> *in_gpair) {
    const std::vector<bst_gpair> &gpair = *in_gpair;
    std::vector<std::vector<tree::RegTree*> > new_trees;
    if (mparam.num_output_group == 1) {
      new_trees.push_back(BoostNewTrees(gpair, p_fmat, buffer_offset, info, 0));
    } else {
      const int ngroup = mparam.num_output_group;
      utils::Check(gpair.size() % ngroup == 0,
                   "must have exactly ngroup*nrow gpairs");
      std::vector<bst_gpair> tmp(gpair.size()/ngroup);
      for (int gid = 0; gid < ngroup; ++gid) {
        bst_omp_uint nsize = static_cast<bst_omp_uint>(tmp.size());
        #pragma omp parallel for schedule(static)
        for (bst_omp_uint i = 0; i < nsize; ++i) {
          tmp[i] = gpair[i * ngroup + gid];
        }
        new_trees.push_back(BoostNewTrees(tmp, p_fmat, buffer_offset, info, gid));
      }
    }
    for (int gid = 0; gid < mparam.num_output_group; ++gid) {
      this->CommitModel(new_trees[gid], gid);
    }
  }
  virtual void Predict(IFMatrix *p_fmat,
                       int64_t buffer_offset,
                       const BoosterInfo &info,
                       std::vector<float> *out_preds,
                       unsigned ntree_limit = 0) {
    int nthread;
    #pragma omp parallel
    {
      nthread = omp_get_num_threads();
    }
    thread_temp.resize(nthread, tree::RegTree::FVec());
    for (int i = 0; i < nthread; ++i) {
      thread_temp[i].Init(mparam.num_feature);
    }
    std::vector<float> &preds = *out_preds;
    const size_t stride = info.num_row * mparam.num_output_group;
    preds.resize(stride * (mparam.size_leaf_vector+1));
    // start collecting the prediction
    utils::IIterator<RowBatch> *iter = p_fmat->RowIterator();
    iter->BeforeFirst();
    while (iter->Next()) {
      const RowBatch &batch = iter->Value();
      // parallel over local batch
      const bst_omp_uint nsize = static_cast<bst_omp_uint>(batch.size);
      #pragma omp parallel for schedule(static)
      for (bst_omp_uint i = 0; i < nsize; ++i) {
        const int tid = omp_get_thread_num();
        tree::RegTree::FVec &feats = thread_temp[tid];
        int64_t ridx = static_cast<int64_t>(batch.base_rowid + i);
        utils::Assert(static_cast<size_t>(ridx) < info.num_row, "data row index exceed bound");
        // loop over output groups
        for (int gid = 0; gid < mparam.num_output_group; ++gid) {
          this->Pred(batch[i],
                     buffer_offset < 0 ? -1 : buffer_offset + ridx,
                     gid, info.GetRoot(ridx), &feats,
                     &preds[ridx * mparam.num_output_group + gid], stride,
                     ntree_limit);
        }
      }
    }
  }
  virtual void Predict(const SparseBatch::Inst &inst,
                       std::vector<float> *out_preds,
                       unsigned ntree_limit,
                       unsigned root_index) {
    if (thread_temp.size() == 0) {
      thread_temp.resize(1, tree::RegTree::FVec());
      thread_temp[0].Init(mparam.num_feature);
    }
    out_preds->resize(mparam.num_output_group * (mparam.size_leaf_vector+1));
    // loop over output groups
    for (int gid = 0; gid < mparam.num_output_group; ++gid) {
      this->Pred(inst, -1, gid, root_index, &thread_temp[0],
                 &(*out_preds)[gid], mparam.num_output_group,
                 ntree_limit);
    }
  }
  virtual void PredictLeaf(IFMatrix *p_fmat,
                           const BoosterInfo &info,
                           std::vector<float> *out_preds,
                           unsigned ntree_limit) {
    int nthread;
    #pragma omp parallel
    {
      nthread = omp_get_num_threads();
    }
    thread_temp.resize(nthread, tree::RegTree::FVec());
    for (int i = 0; i < nthread; ++i) {
      thread_temp[i].Init(mparam.num_feature);
    }
    this->PredPath(p_fmat, info, out_preds, ntree_limit);

  }
  virtual std::vector<std::string> DumpModel(const utils::FeatMap& fmap, int option) {
    std::vector<std::string> dump;
    for (size_t i = 0; i < trees.size(); i++) {
      dump.push_back(trees[i]->DumpModel(fmap, option&1));
    }
    return dump;
  }

 protected:
  // clear the model
  inline void Clear(void) {
    for (size_t i = 0; i < trees.size(); ++i) {
      delete trees[i];
    }
    for (size_t i = 0; i < updaters.size(); ++i) {
      delete updaters[i];
    }
    updaters.clear();
    trees.clear();
    pred_buffer.clear();
    pred_counter.clear();
  }
  // initialize updater before using them
  inline void InitUpdater(void) {
    if (tparam.updater_initialized != 0) return;
    for (size_t i = 0; i < updaters.size(); ++i) {
      delete updaters[i];
    }
    updaters.clear();
    std::string tval = tparam.updater_seq;
    char *pstr;
    pstr = std::strtok(&tval[0], ",");
    while (pstr != NULL) {
      updaters.push_back(tree::CreateUpdater(pstr));
      for (size_t j = 0; j < cfg.size(); ++j) {
        // set parameters
        updaters.back()->SetParam(cfg[j].first.c_str(), cfg[j].second.c_str());
      }
      pstr = std::strtok(NULL, ",");
    }
    tparam.updater_initialized = 1;
  }
  // do group specific group
  inline std::vector<tree::RegTree*>
  BoostNewTrees(const std::vector<bst_gpair> &gpair,
                IFMatrix *p_fmat,
                int64_t buffer_offset,
                const BoosterInfo &info,
                int bst_group) {
    std::vector<tree::RegTree *> new_trees;
    this->InitUpdater();
    // create the trees
    for (int i = 0; i < tparam.num_parallel_tree; ++i) {
      new_trees.push_back(new tree::RegTree());
      for (size_t j = 0; j < cfg.size(); ++j) {
        new_trees.back()->param.SetParam(cfg[j].first.c_str(), cfg[j].second.c_str());
      }
      new_trees.back()->InitModel();
    }
    // update the trees
    for (size_t i = 0; i < updaters.size(); ++i) {
      updaters[i]->Update(gpair, p_fmat, info, new_trees);
    }
    // optimization, update buffer, if possible
    // this is only under distributed column mode
    // for safety check of lazy checkpoint
    if (
        buffer_offset >= 0 &&
        new_trees.size() == 1 && updaters.size() > 0 &&
        updaters.back()->GetLeafPosition() != NULL) {
      utils::Check(info.num_row == p_fmat->buffered_rowset().size(),
                   "distributed mode is not compatible with prob_buffer_row");
      this->UpdateBufferByPosition(p_fmat,
                                   buffer_offset, bst_group,
                                   *new_trees[0],
                                   updaters.back()->GetLeafPosition());
    }
    return new_trees;
  }
  // commit new trees all at once
  inline void CommitModel(const std::vector<tree::RegTree*> &new_trees, int bst_group) {
    for (size_t i = 0; i < new_trees.size(); ++i) {
      trees.push_back(new_trees[i]);
      tree_info.push_back(bst_group);
    }
    mparam.num_trees += static_cast<int>(new_trees.size());
  }
  // update buffer by pre-cached position
  inline void UpdateBufferByPosition(IFMatrix *p_fmat,
                                     int64_t buffer_offset,
                                     int bst_group,
                                     const tree::RegTree &new_tree,
                                     const int* leaf_position) {
    const std::vector<bst_uint> &rowset = p_fmat->buffered_rowset();
    const bst_omp_uint ndata = static_cast<bst_omp_uint>(rowset.size());
    #pragma omp parallel for schedule(static)
    for (bst_omp_uint i = 0; i < ndata; ++i) {
      const bst_uint ridx = rowset[i];
      const int64_t bid = mparam.BufferOffset(buffer_offset + ridx, bst_group);
      const int tid = leaf_position[ridx];
      utils::Assert(pred_counter[bid] == trees.size(), "cached buffer not up to date");
      utils::Assert(tid >= 0, "invalid leaf position");
      pred_buffer[bid] += new_tree[tid].leaf_value();
      for (int i = 0; i < mparam.size_leaf_vector; ++i) {
        pred_buffer[bid + i + 1] += new_tree.leafvec(tid)[i];
      }
      pred_counter[bid] += tparam.num_parallel_tree;
    }
  }
  // make a prediction for a single instance
  inline void Pred(const RowBatch::Inst &inst,
                   int64_t buffer_index,
                   int bst_group,
                   unsigned root_index,
                   tree::RegTree::FVec *p_feats,
                   float *out_pred, size_t stride,
                   unsigned ntree_limit) {
    size_t itop = 0;
    float  psum = 0.0f;
    // sum of leaf vector
    std::vector<float> vec_psum(mparam.size_leaf_vector, 0.0f);
    const int64_t bid = mparam.BufferOffset(buffer_index, bst_group);
    // number of valid trees
    unsigned treeleft = ntree_limit == 0 ? std::numeric_limits<unsigned>::max() : ntree_limit;
    // load buffered results if any
    if (bid >= 0 && ntree_limit == 0) {
      itop = pred_counter[bid];
      psum = pred_buffer[bid];
      for (int i = 0; i < mparam.size_leaf_vector; ++i) {
        vec_psum[i] = pred_buffer[bid + i + 1];
      }
    }
    if (itop != trees.size()) {
      p_feats->Fill(inst);
      for (size_t i = itop; i < trees.size(); ++i) {
        if (tree_info[i] == bst_group) {
          int tid = trees[i]->GetLeafIndex(*p_feats, root_index);
          psum += (*trees[i])[tid].leaf_value();
          for (int j = 0; j < mparam.size_leaf_vector; ++j) {
            vec_psum[j] += trees[i]->leafvec(tid)[j];
          }
          if(--treeleft == 0) break;
        }
      }
      p_feats->Drop(inst);
    }
    // updated the buffered results
    if (bid >= 0 && ntree_limit == 0) {
      pred_counter[bid] = static_cast<unsigned>(trees.size());
      pred_buffer[bid] = psum;
      for (int i = 0; i < mparam.size_leaf_vector; ++i) {
        pred_buffer[bid + i + 1] = vec_psum[i];
      }
    }
    out_pred[0] = psum;
    for (int i = 0; i < mparam.size_leaf_vector; ++i) {
      out_pred[stride * (i + 1)] = vec_psum[i];
    }
  }
  // predict independent leaf index
  inline void PredPath(IFMatrix *p_fmat,
                       const BoosterInfo &info,
                       std::vector<float> *out_preds,
                       unsigned ntree_limit) {
    // number of valid trees
    if (ntree_limit == 0 || ntree_limit > trees.size()) {
      ntree_limit = static_cast<unsigned>(trees.size());
    }
    std::vector<float> &preds = *out_preds;
    preds.resize(info.num_row * ntree_limit);
    // start collecting the prediction
    utils::IIterator<RowBatch> *iter = p_fmat->RowIterator();
    iter->BeforeFirst();
    while (iter->Next()) {
      const RowBatch &batch = iter->Value();
      // parallel over local batch
      const bst_omp_uint nsize = static_cast<bst_omp_uint>(batch.size);
      #pragma omp parallel for schedule(static)
      for (bst_omp_uint i = 0; i < nsize; ++i) {
        const int tid = omp_get_thread_num();
        size_t ridx = static_cast<size_t>(batch.base_rowid + i);
        tree::RegTree::FVec &feats = thread_temp[tid];
        feats.Fill(batch[i]);
        for (unsigned j = 0; j < ntree_limit; ++j) {
          int tid = trees[j]->GetLeafIndex(feats, info.GetRoot(ridx));
          preds[ridx * ntree_limit + j] = static_cast<float>(tid);
        }
        feats.Drop(batch[i]);
      }
    }
  }

  // --- data structure ---
  /*! \brief training parameters */
  struct TrainParam {
    /*! \brief number of threads */
    int nthread;
    /*!
     * \brief number of parallel trees constructed each iteration
     *  use this option to support boosted random forest
     */
    int num_parallel_tree;
    /*! \brief whether updater is already initialized */
    int updater_initialized;
    /*! \brief distributed column mode */
    int distcol_mode;
    /*! \brief tree updater sequence */
    std::string updater_seq;
    // construction
    TrainParam(void) {
      nthread = 0;
      updater_seq = "grow_colmaker,prune";
      num_parallel_tree = 1;
      updater_initialized = 0;
      distcol_mode = 0;
    }
    inline void SetParam(const char *name, const char *val){
      using namespace std;
      if (!strcmp(name, "updater") &&
          strcmp(updater_seq.c_str(), val) != 0) {
        updater_seq = val;
        updater_initialized = 0;
      }
      if (!strcmp(name, "dsplit") && !strcmp(val, "col")) {
        distcol_mode = 1;
      }
      if (!strcmp(name, "nthread")) {
        omp_set_num_threads(nthread = atoi(val));
      }
      if (!strcmp(name, "num_parallel_tree")) {
        num_parallel_tree = atoi(val);
      }
    }
  };
  /*! \brief model parameters */
  struct ModelParam {
    /*! \brief number of trees */
    int num_trees;
    /*! \brief number of root: default 0, means single tree */
    int num_roots;
    /*! \brief number of features to be used by trees */
    int num_feature;
    /*! \brief size of predicton buffer allocated used for buffering */
    int64_t num_pbuffer;
    /*!
     * \brief how many output group a single instance can produce
     *  this affects the behavior of number of output we have:
     *    suppose we have n instance and k group, output will be k*n
     */
    int num_output_group;
    /*! \brief size of leaf vector needed in tree */
    int size_leaf_vector;
    /*! \brief reserved parameters */
    int reserved[31];
    /*! \brief constructor */
    ModelParam(void) {
      std::memset(this, 0, sizeof(ModelParam));
      num_trees = 0;
      num_roots = num_feature = 0;
      num_pbuffer = 0;
      num_output_group = 1;
      size_leaf_vector = 0;
    }
    /*!
     * \brief set parameters from outside
     * \param name name of the parameter
     * \param val  value of the parameter
     */
    inline void SetParam(const char *name, const char *val) {
      using namespace std;
      if (!strcmp("num_pbuffer", name)) num_pbuffer = atol(val);
      if (!strcmp("num_output_group", name)) num_output_group = atol(val);
      if (!strcmp("bst:num_roots", name)) num_roots = atoi(val);
      if (!strcmp("bst:num_feature", name)) num_feature = atoi(val);
      if (!strcmp("bst:size_leaf_vector", name)) size_leaf_vector = atoi(val);
    }
    /*! \return size of prediction buffer actually needed */
    inline size_t PredBufferSize(void) const {
      return num_output_group * num_pbuffer * (size_leaf_vector + 1);
    }
    /*!
     * \brief get the buffer offset given a buffer index and group id
     * \return calculated buffer offset
     */
    inline int64_t BufferOffset(int64_t buffer_index, int bst_group) const {
      if (buffer_index < 0) return -1;
      utils::Check(buffer_index < num_pbuffer, "buffer_index exceed num_pbuffer");
      return (buffer_index + num_pbuffer * bst_group) * (size_leaf_vector + 1);
    }
  };
  // training parameter
  TrainParam tparam;
  // model parameter
  ModelParam mparam;
  /*! \brief vector of trees stored in the model */
  std::vector<tree::RegTree*> trees;
  /*! \brief some information indicator of the tree, reserved */
  std::vector<int> tree_info;
  /*! \brief prediction buffer */
  std::vector<float>  pred_buffer;
  /*! \brief prediction buffer counter, remember the prediction */
  std::vector<unsigned> pred_counter;
  // ----training fields----
  // configurations for tree
  std::vector< std::pair<std::string, std::string> > cfg;
  // temporal storage for per thread
  std::vector<tree::RegTree::FVec> thread_temp;
  // the updaters that can be applied to each of tree
  std::vector<tree::IUpdater*> updaters;
};

}  // namespace gbm
}  // namespace xgboost
#endif  // XGBOOST_GBM_GBTREE_INL_HPP_

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Celebrate Mardi Gras at Applebee's!
The beloved national restaurant chain, Applebee's, is diving into Mardi Gras with a $1 Mardi Gras drink. You read that correctly- ONE DOLLAR MARDI GRAS DRINK. Ball on a budget this carnival season with the Applebee's 'Neighborhood Drink of the Month'- a Hurricane!
The Hurricane is a classic carnival cocktail made from a combination of rum, passion fruit, orange, black cherry and lime all served in a 10-ounce mug.
BUT, how could they have a Mardi Gras cocktail without beads? No worries, this seasonal drink comes with a masked stirrer or Mardi Gras beads. Rumor has it that not only will it be available for all of February for one dollar, it will go a few days into March ending on Fat Tuesday (March 5).
In addition to $1 Hurricane, customers can spend a little more and still celebrate Mardi Gras with other carinival-themed-cocktails like the Big Easy and the Mardi Gras Mama.
A few little details about this $1 Mardi Gras drink special. You must be 21+ to order. While supplies last. Dine-in only. Participation may vary.
Curious about the creation of the Hurricane? Check out the history of this popular drink here.


text:
Public Bath House No. 2 is a historic public bath located at Yonkers, Westchester County, New York. It was built in 1898 and is a two-story, three bay wide building built of yellowish-orange brick in the Romanesque style.  It features a wide, centrally placed segmental-arched window.  The interior was in three sections: reception area, custodian's apartment, and the baths.  It was modernized in 1928 and decommissions, gutted, and rebuilt as a church in 1962.  As of January 2011, it was home to the Mt. Hebron Apostolic Church.

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

References

Romanesque Revival architecture in New York (state)
Commercial buildings completed in 1898
Buildings and structures in Yonkers, New York
1898 establishments in New York (state)
National Register of Historic Places in Yonkers, New York
Public baths on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state)
Public baths in the United States

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


The Skyclub "Inside" the Skyclub in LAX that only a few get to enjoy!
Thanks to reader "KS" who sent me the above clipping from the "LA Times", it would seem the LAX Skyclub will not only be upgraded to have top shelf drinks for those who want to pay up for those, but the "Stars" will have their own Skyclub inside the Skyclub – their own VIP room!
← CHASE remains the BEST BANK for matching new card bonus deals!
Reading that article it feels like they already have the room in place and are remodeling it.
Yeah, I think it's referencing the back room, behind the check-in, the alleged "business centre" which I've only ever seen people sleeping in there. That Skyclub needs to be 2x larger, not just having an extra VIP area.
D Bird, you're right. Lounge needs to be 2x or 3x larger!!!
I doubt this will make the experience any better in LA for most of us. my last stop at LAX was a cluster. Skyclub was filthy and standing room only. Nowhere to sit. The McDonalds was cleaner and less crowded. Too many DM travelers going through LAX.


text:
3,500-Mile ROMP Bike Ride to Benefit Amputees
Photograph of Greg Krupa, ROMP field-research coordinator, courtesy of ROMP.
On Saturday, June 19, hundreds of community members, cyclists, and amputees from across the Pacific Northwest will join together in support of Range of Motion Project's (ROMP) 3,500-mile bike trek to raise money and awareness for amputees living in the developing world. The Riding for Romp ride is scheduled to start at 9 a.m. in the Skinner Butte Park in Eugene, Oregon, and end in early September in Zacapa, Guatemala, where the non-profit foundation operates a full-time prosthetics clinic. Riding For Romp began in 2008 in Kansas City, Kansas as a community cycling event that not only raised thousands of dollars for ROMP's clinic in Guatemala, but also served to promote health and wellness through cycling.
"We encourage cyclists of all experience levels to join us, whether it's for the whole trip or just one day," said Greg Krupa, ROMP field-research coordinator.
Founded in 2005 by prosthetists Eric Neufeld, CPO, and David Krupa, CP, ROMP is a volunteer-administered organization with a fully staffed clinic in Guatemala that treats hundreds of amputees annually. Recently featured on ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Neufeld traveled to Haiti where he fit two young girls with prosthetic limbs made from 100-percent recycled materials.
ROMP volunteers Greg Krupa and Pat Mathay will lead this year's team, which hopes to raise $50,000. The team is scheduled to stop in 18 cities stateside before entering Mexico. Along their journey, riders will host local events in the California cities of San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Los Alamos, Santa Barbara, and San Diego.
Riders are invited to participate in any part of the 3,500 mile trek, including the first day's section of the ride, from Eugene to Florence, Oregon, or to gather at any of the stopping points, to sponsor rides, or to host community gatherings.
For more information, visit www.rompglobal.org. To follow the ride, visit the Riding for Romp 2010 blog.
ROMP Plans Humanitarian Work Expansion in 2007
From Academia to the Developing World: Student Engineers Create Collaborative Technologies
Cyclist Rides 740 Miles for ROMP
Orthocare Welcomes Orendurff and Moran
UPDATED: PECOS Compliance Deadline Coming July 6, No Grace Period


As a Network Services Engineer, you have passion for large-scale networking and aptitude for building scalable distributed systems. You will define and execute innovative ways to deploy, operate and monitor networking systems at scale for one of the largest cloud service provider. In addition to software development and testing, your work will involve interacting with various other Microsoft GNS Engineering teams, Product Groups and working with network hardware vendors on implementing new hardware and software features.
As a network professional, you possess good understanding of networking protocols, combined with infrastructure and tools development expertise. You should have experience designing, developing and testing software for networking and end-systems automation using C#, C++ or Perl/Python and have strong desire in delivering top quality products.
Develop automation software to integrate with existing systems and enhance existing functionality to scale our multi-vendor production network.
Design and develop software for emulation/simulation of networking systems and protocols.
Build software infrastructure for network monitoring and analysis, aid in capacity planning and network architecture change analysis.
BS in computer science or equivalent. MSc or PhD is a plus.
Experience designing and developing network/switch management components. SNMP, sFlow, NetFlow data analysis.
Understanding of large-scale distributed computation systems such as Hadoop/MapReduce, distributed synchronization algorithms (Paxos).
Knowledge of and experience working with network management, programming and monitoring protocols, such as NETCONF/YANG, Junoscript, SNMP, Netflow and sFlow.
Experience working with L2/L3 switching platforms, application networking and popular network protocols (STP, BGP, OSPF, VRRP, LACP etc).
Experience in developing network automation and monitoring software.
Experience with latest versions of C#/C++/C and Perl/Python programming languages.
Ability to produce high code quality in given time constraints.
Ability to work with a distributed group of peers.
Good knowledge of graph theory, automata and graph optimization algorithms.


text:
2019 BAFT Conference on International Trade>
29th Annual Conference on International Trade
Reinvention. Resilience. Reliability.
Program|
Speakers|
Hotel|
Kimberly A. Reed
President and Chairman
Ms. Kimberly A. Reed was sworn in as President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) on May 9, 2019. She is the first woman and first West Virginian to lead EXIM. Chairman Reed has spent her 23-year career leading efforts focused on American job creation, trade, economic development, food and agriculture, and government reform. She previously served as President of the International Food Information Council Foundation, Director of the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, Senior Advisor to two U.S. Secretaries of the Treasury, Vice President for Financial Markets Policy Relations at Lehman Brothers, and Counsel with the U.S. Congress. Recognized as one of the "100 Women Leaders in STEM," Reed also served on several non-profit boards.
Global Head, Trade
Mr. John Ahearn, a Managing Director in Citi's Transaction Services (CTS) business, is currently responsible for global supply chain and trade finance, including export and agency financing, as well as asset optimization. Prior to joining Citi, Mr. Ahearn was with ABN Amro for eight years and was responsible for Financial Institutions and Head of Sales globally for the trade business. He also had senior roles at Bank of New York and started his banking career at JP Morgan as a Management Trainee. Mr. Ahearn is also on the Board of Directors for BAFT and the Pacific Rim Bankers Association.
Nancy B. Amert
Director, Trade Innovation Lab
Ms. Nancy Amert has 25+ years' experience in credit and trade and is a recognized thought leader in supply chain finance (SCF) technologies used by global banks and their corporate customers. As Director of CGI's Trade Innovation Lab, she is helping to lead and shape the strategic direction of the CGI Trade360 SaaS platform and its evolution into a fully integrated global solution for traditional trade, payables, receivables, collateral management and cash management. Ms. Amert and her team are actively engaged with global banks, leading fintechs and corporate clients in the exploration of Blockchain/DLT solutions, emerging technologies and intelligent processing automation (IPA) for trade finance and supply chain.
Steven Bash
Senior Vice President and Manager
International Banking and Trade Finance
Mr. Steven Bash is senior vice president and manager of City National Bank's International Banking & Trade Finance department. He oversees the bank's trade finance, trade services, supply chain programs, international credit and portfolio management, risk mitigation, global correspondent banking, and trade advisory services. Throughout his career, he has held a variety of leadership roles with other global financial institutions, including a posting as Managing Director, Hong Kong Branch for CoreStates Bank from 1989-1992. He currently serves as an appointee to the U.S. Department of Commerce Trade Finance Advisory Council (TFAC), a nonpartisan group of 20 private sector individuals, working on recommendations to increase access to export financing for U.S. small and medium size companies.
Geoffrey Brady
Head of Global Trade and Supply Chain Finance
Mr. Geoffrey (Geoff) Brady is managing director and head of Global Trade and Supply Chain Finance in Global Transaction Services (GTS) at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. In this role, he oversees management of the origination and delivery of supply chain, receivables and trade finance products that provide liquidity, risk mitigation, and working capital optimization for the bank's Corporate, Commercial and Business Banking clients. Prior to joining the bank back in August 2018, he was the Americas region executive for JP Morgan's Global Trade & Loan Products business. Mr. Brady has more than 20 years of experience in banking and has held management roles in a variety of businesses including Portfolio Management and Payments in addition to Trade Finance.
Tod Burwell
BAFT
Mr. Tod Burwell is the President and Chief Executive Officer of BAFT. Prior to being promoted to CEO, he served as the Senior Vice President of Trade Products with oversight of all trade-related initiatives including the Global Trade Industry Council, Trade Committees, and other strategic initiatives of the organization. Mr. Burwell has nearly 30 years of trade, supply chain and cash management experience as a banking practitioner, as well as serving as a consultant to global corporations and suppliers of strategically integrated trade solutions. Prior to joining BAFT, Mr. Burwell was a Managing Director at J.P. Morgan Chase and held senior global management roles responsible for trade operations, launching the logistics business and managing global product sales for trade finance and logistics management.
Massimo Capretta
Mayer Brown
Mr. Massimo Capretta is a partner in Mayer Brown's Chicago and New York offices and a member of the Banking and Finance practice. Mr. Capretta's transactional practice focuses on representing both financial institutions and companies across a broad spectrum of domestic and international financing transactions. He has been involved in transactions spanning a number of key industries including automotive, heavy manufacturing, chemicals, metals and energy. Mr. Capretta has particular experience with domestic and cross-border trade receivables securitization, asset-based finance, factoring, supply chain/vendor finance, trade finance and other receivables monetization strategies. He regularly advises clients on the creation and management of bespoke receivables finance transactions.
Paul Coles
ITFA Board Member
Head of Global Transactional Distribution, GTRF
HSBC Bank Plc
Mr. Paul Coles is responsible for overseeing the transactional distribution activity that supports HSBC's GTRF business. His global role focuses on creating greater consistency in the processes, documentation and investor management, along with working with the regional teams on key multi-jurisdiction transactions. Prior to joining HSBC, Mr. Coles was the global coordinator and EMEA head for trade risk distribution at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Mr. Coles has also worked in the trade credit distribution team at ABN AMRO, and subsequently at RBS as the trade asset management regional head for the NV business (part of the legacy ABN AMRO network). He started his career over 20 years ago at London Forfaiting Company (a specialist trade finance provider) where he held a variety of trade finance roles. Mr. Coles has a BSc in Management Studies from Royal Holloway, University of London and is a member of the Board of the International Trade and Forfaiting Association (ITFA), where he currently chairs the Market Practice Committee.
Gregory Daco
Chief US Economist
Mr. Gregory Daco is Chief US Economist at Oxford Economics where he is responsible for producing the US economic outlook using Oxford Economics' proprietary Global Economics Model. Mr. Daco directs the thematic research on the economy, the Fed and fiscal policy, and leads a team of high caliber economics producing intraday economic and financial market analysis. He conducts regular briefings on the global economy for corporate boards, trade associations and policy makers on all levels. Mr. Daco is often quoted in national and global publications and is a frequent guest of CNBC, Bloomberg and NPR. Prior to joining Oxford Economics, Mr. Daco was Director of US Macroeconomics at HIS Global Insight.
Devesh Desai
Mr. Devesh Desai is a Principal in PwC's Financial Crime Unit practice with over 15 years of experience implementing risk and compliance solutions for Financial Services and FinTech firms. His main areas of focus are helping clients transform and optimize regulatory compliance programs for Financial Crime related areas such as AML, KYC, Fraud, OFAC Sanctions, Security and Trade Surveillance. He has worked on several transformation and regulatory remediation projects covering areas from compliance to operations. He is a frequent speaker at industry events and authored several white papers on risk and compliance topics.
Scott B. Ettien
EVP, Financial Solutions
Trade Credit Practice Leader – North America
Mr. Scott Ettien is the US Trade Credit Practice Leader for Willis Towers Watson. He and his team specialize in providing Trade Credit insurance expertise for financial institutions and corporations. Mr. Ettien joined Willis in 2010 and has built a strong team, mostly made up of former Trade Credit policy and risk underwriters to place and service programs for our various clients. Prior to joining Willis Towers Watson in 2010, he worked at Atradius Trade Credit Insurance, Inc., which is the second largest credit insurance company worldwide. Over his 25 years at Atradius, he held positions in accounting, direct sales, and was the head of sales for the East Region. Mr. Ettien spent the last five years as the Director of Global for North America. In that role, and was responsible for the commercial development of large global business from both a sales and commercial underwriting perspective. Mr. Ettien was elected to the Atradius Trade Credit Insurance, Inc. Board of Directors in 2005.
Stacey A. Facter
Senior Vice President, Trade Products
Ms. Stacey Facter, Senior Vice President for Trade Products at BAFT, is responsible for managing all the Association's activities related to trade products and serves as the primary subject matter expert for trade issues, overseeing and managing BAFT's trade councils, committees and working groups and helps members develop guidance tools for the trade industry. She serves as a public spokesperson for the organization to stakeholders, regulators and policy makers on industry matters affecting the international trade finance community and is BAFT's primary technical resource for trade related education and training. Ms. Facter has more than twenty-five years of experience in international banking, including over twenty years with JP Morgan Chase Bank, covering emerging markets, international trade finance, cash and risk management, and securities collateral management.
William Fox
Co-Chair, Wolfsberg Group
Managing Director, Global Financial Crimes Compliance Executive
Mr. William Fox is the Global Financial Crimes Compliance executive for Bank of America. He is responsible for the company's Financial Crimes, Corruption and Economic Sanctions efforts. Prior to joining Bank of America, he served as the Director of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). Appointed by Treasury Secretary John Snow in 2003, Mr. Fox was FinCEN's fourth director and led the administration of the Bank Secrecy Act. Before his appointment as FinCEN Director, he served in the Department of the Treasury as well as at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF).
Matthew A Frohling
Head of North America Trade Sales
Global Trade & Receivables Guidance
Mr. Matthew Frohling joined HSBC recently with over 30 years of experience banking experience. He manages trade sales for the HSBC global banking northeast sector. He and his team work closely with global relationship banking to deliver tailored working capital solutions to his client base. Prior to joining HSBC, Mr. Frohling managed the Asia trade sales team for a large US international bank out of Hong Kong. Mr. Frohling managed the Asia supply chain business from January 2011 through June 2016. Before moving to Asia with his family, Mr. Frohling managed supply chain finance for North America.
Mark Garfield
Board Chair, BAFT
Head, Global Financial Institutions
Zions Bancorporation
Mr. Mark Garfield's current role is Head of Global Financial Institutions at Zions Bancorporation responsible for foreign bank relationship development. He joined Zions Bancorporation in 2005. He has over 30 years of banking experience with 25 years in international banking management covering trade finance, trade services, foreign exchange, correspondent banking and product development. Throughout his career he has worked closely with corporate and commercial entities in the Midwest and Western U.S. providing banking support for cross-border trade. Mr. Garfield currently serves as a Director of BAFT and Chair of the Utah District Export Council. He served on the DEC National Advisory Board and Board of the World Trade Center, Utah. He holds a B.S. from the University of Colorado.
David Glaccum
Associate Administrator for International Trade
Mr. David M. Glaccum is the Associate Administrator for the Office of International Trade at the U.S. Small Business Administration. The mission of the Office of International Trade is to help small businesses find new markets and sell to a global customer base. Mr. Glaccum and his team accomplish this by executing SBA's work on federal and state trade development, international trade finance, and international affairs and trade policy. Mr. Glaccum brings a variety of experience in federal and state government to the position. He previously served as Chief of Staff and Counselor to U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, where he provided executive level planning, leadership, and directional support to the U.S. Mission staff, and developed strategic initiatives to drive forward U.S. foreign policy interests at the United Nations, including the negotiation and adoption of North Korea sanctions, and the systematic reform of peacekeeping missions resulting in nearly $900 million in savings to the United Nations peacekeeping budget.
Patricia Gomes
Head of Global Trade Receivables Finance, North America
Ms. Patricia Gomes is Head of Global Trade and Receivables Finance (GTRF), North America for HSBC. In this role, she is responsible for leading and managing the GTRF business across Commercial banking and Global Banking clients. With 20 years of experience in banking, Ms. Gomes joined GTRF from the Financial Institute Group (FIG), where she was Head of North America. She has worked for HSBC since 2004 in a variety of roles in London, Hong Kong and New York. Prior to joining HSBC, Ms. Gomes worked with Citigroup, in Financial Institutions coverage and Credit Risk Management in both London and Lisbon.
Sunil Gupta
Director, Global Trade Product Head
Mr. Sunil Gupta has over 20 years of banking experience spanning various areas of Trade Finance & Financial Institutions. Prior to joining BMO, he spent 15 years at a major Canadian Bank and 2 years overseas with a leading Indian bank. In his current role, Mr. Gupta has global responsibility for leading the development and management of a profitable trade & supply chain finance product/service suite that meets client needs and enhances relationships.
Tim House
Director, Market Development
Banking Alliances
Tradeshift
Mr. Tim House is the Director of Market Development for Fintech and Banking Alliances in North America for TradeShift. He is responsible for developing relationships and commercialization strategies for financial institutions providing working capital solutions on the TradeShift platform. Before TradeShift, he spent ten years in Wells Fargo and Wachovia's Global Trade Services group where he was responsible for business development and technical implementations for the bank's large corporate customers. Prior to Wells Fargo, Mr. House helped found and grow TradeBeam, a Global Trade Management SaaS provider, based in the San Francisco area.
Dan Juliano
Managing Director, Head of U.S. Trade Finance and Working Capital
TradeIX
Mr. Dan Juliano has over 25 years of experience working for B2B Networks, Enterprise Software, and FinTech companies. Experienced in areas of ERP, procurement/spend management, supply chain finance, and blockchain. Mr. Juliano was one of the founders of PrimeRevenue, the leading non-bank supply chain finance provider, where he spent 13 years. Today, he is working with TradeIX on their Trade Finance and Working Capitals solutions for banks and corporates and managing business development. TradeIX with R3 are the technology providers behind the Marco Polo Network, the largest trade finance bank consortium.
Rory Kaplan
Director, Senior Offering Manager
CGI Group Inc.
Mr. Rory Kaplan has more than 30 years of experience in trade and supply chain finance as both a banker and technology solution provider, covering operations, product management, and sales. As Offering Manager for CGI's Trade and Supply Chain Solutions, Mr. Kaplan is responsible for emerging technology strategy and solutions, marketing, media engagement, partner development, and training. In his role, Mr. Kaplan also engages closely with clients to facilitate collaborative strategic forums, working groups, and product enhancements. As a manager within CGI, Mr. Kaplan has been a critical contributor in the exploration of Intelligent Process Automation and Blockchain solutions, working to integrate these with the Trade360 global platform.
Inho Lee
Head, Trade and Commodity Finance
Mr. Inho Lee has been with the IFC since 2000 working primarily in its Financial Institutions Department covering a variety of regions and sectors including East Asia, Eastern Europe in Banking, PE Funds, distressed assets and NBFIs. Since joining IFC trade finance unit (also part of FI Dept.) he has been heading its wholesale portfolio solutions products (GTLP, CCFP), commodity finance and direct loans for trade finance.
Steve Lotito
Head of Trade Finance, North America
Mr. Steven Lotito is Managing Director and Head of Trade Finance in Transaction Banking for North America for MUFG Union Bank, N.A. In his role, he manages the sales and product management organizations responsible for advising the Bank's client's in the Corporate, Commercial and Japanese Corporate Banking teams in North America navigate some of the most important trade markets by delivering timely information on international markets, bring innovative products to market, provide trade financing solutions, and, risk management strategies. Mr. Lotito has more than 25 years' experience in commodity finance and international trade finance. Prior to MUFG, he served as Senior Vice President and Head of Sales, Global Trade & Receivables Finance, North America and, Director and Head of Transaction Banking for the Americas at HSBC Bank USA and Australia & New Zealand Banking Group respectively.
Kirk Lundburg
Trade Technologies, Inc.
Mr. Kirk Lundburg is responsible for Trade Technologies' business strategy, execution and results. He brings over 35 years of international corporate, legal and technology experience to this role. Prior to joining Trade Technologies in 2001, he was a partner at Gunderson Dettmer, a leading venture finance and technology law firm. Before joining Gunderson Dettmer, he was a Vice President at Robert Half International Inc., a NYSE traded, international staffing company. Previously, Mr. Lundburg practiced corporate and securities law with the international law firm, Latham & Watkins.
Vinod Madhavan
Group Head, Trade
Mr. Vinod Madhavan is currently Group Head: Trade, Standard Bank. In this role he is responsible for Trade, one of the universal capabilities identified by Standard Bank, to be delivered across the Group. Thereby, allowing Standard Bank to show up as one universal financial services organization, wherever they are based and whichever client segment they are servicing. He also has P&L responsibility for Trade across the Group (i.e., across sectors in Corporate & Investment Bank and divisions in Personal & Business Banking units). Standard Bank franchise (spanning 20 markets in Africa) offers trade and supply chain finance services and solutions, to clients in Institutional, Corporate, Commercial, Business and Enterprise client segments.
Alexander Malaket
President, OPUS Advisory Services International Inc.
Deputy Head of the Executive Committee
ICC Banking Commission
Mr. Alexander R. Malaket, CITP, is the President of OPUS Advisory Services International Inc., in Canada, and Founder and Managing Director of Trade Finance Associates Pte in Singapore. Mr. Malaket is recognized internationally as a specialist and senior consultant in international trade and trade finance, having advised top-tier financial services, corporate, government and international institution clients across the globe, and having developed and delivered a variety of training seminars on an international basis. Mr. Malaket serves as a member of the Executive Committee and Technical Advisor to the ICC Banking Commission in Paris, as Secretary/Treasurer of the World Trade Centre in Winnipeg and is a long-time member of the Toronto Regional Board of Trade/World Trade Centre, as well as a member of the SWIFT/ICC Industry Education Group on the Bank Payment Obligation. Mr. Malaket is a member of the Board of Directors of the Forum for International Trade Training, Ottawa, Canada. Mr. Malaket is the author of "Financing Trade and International Supply Chains", published by Gower/Ashgate U.K..
Robert Mancini
Mr. Robert Mancini is a prominent senior executive with more than 20 years of experience in financial services with a diverse background in global banking, leading technology firms, and international research and consulting firms. He has worked in a senior capacity across diverse roles at four global banks and most recently was head of financial services, commercial banking for a $20 billion U.S. bank. Mr. Mancini has also been instrumental in developing payment and cash management roadmaps for Global Banks, and has played an integral role in helping banks shape their transformational journeys around corporate banking with a focus on payments and open banking. Since joining Finastra he has worked with financial institutions to develop strategies to improve operational efficiency, enhance the client experience and future-proofing bank investment with modern solutions.
Michael McDonough
Conference Co-Chair
Head of Product Management, Trade Finance, North America
Mr. Mike McDonough has been with MUFG Union Bank, N.A. in NYC since 2016 as Head of Trade Finance Product Management for the Americas Transaction Banking team. Previously, he spent four years with HSBC's Global Trade & Receivables Finance group, both in San Francisco leading the bank's west coast corporate Trade sales efforts and prior to that in NYC as North America regional head of Global Trade and Receivables Finance Product management. From 2004-2012, he served as Global Product Head of BNY Mellon's Trade Finance business, also serving in several sales and business development capacities, while he was there.
Donna M. Murphy
Deputy Comptroller for Compliance Risk Policy
Ms. Donna Murphy is the Deputy Comptroller for Compliance Risk Policy at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. In this role, she oversees the development of policy and examination procedures for Bank Secrecy Act and anti-money laundering issues, as well as consumer compliance, fair lending, and the Community Reinvestment Act. Prior to assuming this role, she served as Director of the OCC's Community and Consumer Law Division, overseeing the office that provides legal interpretations, advice and support on consumer protection, fair lending, and community reinvestment issues to OCC policymakers, managers and staff. Ms. Murphy joined the OCC in 2013 from the United States Department of Justice where she served in various capacities in the Civil Rights Division, including managing the Division's fair lending enforcement program for 10 years. She received her law degree from Yale Law School, and is a summa cum laude graduate of the American University in Washington, D.C.
Rob Nichols
Mr. Rob Nichols is the president and CEO of the American Bankers Association, which represents banks of all sizes and charters and is the voice for the nation's $17 trillion banking industry. Mr. Nichols joined ABA in August 2015 following ten years at the helm of the Financial Services Forum, a non-partisan financial and economic policy organization. Before joining the Forum, Mr. Nichols served in the George W. Bush administration as the assistant secretary for public affairs at the Treasury Department, a position requiring confirmation by the United States Senate. In this role, he acted as chief spokesperson and head of the office of public liaison, serving as the Treasury's lead representative with the media, business, professional trade organizations, consumer groups and the public.
Oliver O'Connell
Mr. Oliver O'Connell is the New York-based contributing editor for TXF. He has covered the trade, supply chain, export and commodity finance markets for various publications since 2004 and has chaired and moderated numerous industry events and conferences. Currently, he is helping develop TXF's new Financing International Trade platform through a series of podcasts and thought leadership interviews.
Caryn Pace
Head of Portfolio Management & Product Risk
Ms. Caryn Pace is a Director in Global Transaction Services at Bank of America, based in New York. She heads Portfolio Management & Product Risk in Global Trade & Supply Chain. Ms. Pace has responsibility for the trade portfolio including monitoring, development of risk mitigation strategies, forecast impacts and developing materials for portfolio and business reviews. Her team has oversight of risk mitigation on a portfolio and transaction level, including routines involving high risk transactions and business control. To drive and influence the trade business strategy, Ms. Pace engages with clients and potential 3rd party partnership opportunities to understand market perspective and evolving product needs. Previously, she held positions within Global Trade at J.P. Morgan where she worked for 11 years. She received her bachelor's degree from Columbia University and currently serves as Co-Chair of the BAFT Future Leaders Council.
Daniel Pinho
Senior Vice President and Assistant Group Manager
Mr. Daniel Pinho is senior vice president and assistant group manager at PNC's Trade Finance group. He has over 20 years of experience in structured financing programs. Prior to joining PNC, Mr. Pinho was a Manager at UPS Capital Business Credit where he supervised the Export Credit Agency Operations group. He also served as Director of Trade Finance at a consulting firms in Brazil. Mr. Pinho also serves on BAFT's North American Council and co-chairs the Structured Trade and Export Finance Committee. He is a member of the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting and is chair of the board of Ten Thousand Villages in Pittsburgh, a fair trade nonprofit organization.
Harriette Resnick
Co-Head, ICC Sustainability Working Group
International Chamber of Commerce Banking Commission
Ms. Harriette Resnick has extensive experience representing clients' business interests globally and expertise in international commercial, legal and compliance issues. She is a co-chair of the ICC Banking Commission Working Group on Sustainable Trade Finance. Harriette was internal counsel to JPMorgan from 1988- 2017. As Managing Director & Associate General Counsel, she led the legal team supporting the Global Trade unit within JPMorgan's Corporate & Investment Bank. In May, 2019, Harriette received a Masters in Environmental Law from Pace University's Elisabeth Haub School of Law. She has a JD from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
Steven Ricchiuto
Chief Economist - Fixed Income
Mizuho Securities USA LLC
Mr. Ricchiuto is a Managing Director and Chief Economist of Mizuho Securities USA (MSUSA). As Chief Economist, Mr. Ricchiuto is responsible for formulating and marketing the firm's macroeconomic and interest rate forecasts and providing clients with a strategic outlook on the U.S. economy and financial markets. Prior to joining Mizuho Securities USA, Mr. Ricchiuto worked at Svenska Handelsbanken and at ABN AMRO, where he was Chief U.S. Economist and Head of Fixed Income Research for the region. He has more than thirty five years of experience in the financial services industry. Mr. Ricchiuto is a well-known and highly regarded economist, with extensive appearances on various business news television and radio programs and is regularly quoted in the print media. His latest book:" Symptomatic to Systemic traces the history of post war business cycles and how financial debacles have evolved from being caused by the cycle to leading the cycle.
Jon Richman
Managing Director, Head of U.S. Trade and Working Capital
Global Transaction Banking, US
Based in New York, Mr. Jon Richman currently heads the US Trade and Working Capital business for Santander in the U.S., which includes its Lending, Letter of Credit, Receivables, Supply Chain Finance, and Trade funding activities. Mr. Richman was brought in to fulfill Santander's ambitious growth plans or its trade finance globally and its corporate and investment banking business in the U.S. For the ten years prior to joining Santander, Mr. Richman was with Deutsche Bank and held responsibilities that included the running of its trade finance business in the Americas. Jon was also with Standard Chartered Bank for over twenty years, which included senior positions in London and Hong Kong – the most recent of which was Head of Transactional Banking for North Asia.
Katie Rismanchi
Policy Advisor, Regulatory Affairs Department
Institute of International Finance
Ms. Rismanchi joined the Institute of International Finance's Regulatory Affairs Department in May 2019. Among other topics, Ms. Rismanchi contributes to the IIF's work on prudential capital standards, impact assessments, resolution and market fragmentation. Before joining the IIF, Ms. Rismanchi worked for over six years as an economist and prudential policy expert at the Bank of England. She worked on a range of microprudential and macroprudential banking topics and spent one year as a seconded financial stability expert to the European Systemic Risk Board in Frankfurt.
Diana Rodriguez
Senior Director, International Policy
Ms. Diana Rodriguez leads BAFT's (Bankers Association for Finance and Trade) global government relations strategy, focusing primarily on prudential policy and global trade policy matters. Her advocacy portfolio includes Basel III implementation, reforms to the European banking law and U.S. trade policy. She coordinates joint advocacy with partner trade associations and other global stakeholders to advance BAFT policy priorities. Prior to joining BAFT, Diana served in the Obama Administration as Senior Advisor for International Trade at the U.S. Small Business Administration. There, she advised the SBA Administrator on a global portfolio of trade policy and trade finance matters, and oversaw the Agency's global entrepreneurship promotion efforts in Asia, Europe and Latin America. Before that, she served as a Director in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's International Affairs Division leading trade policy efforts in Mexico.
Juan-Jose Ruiz
Head of Strategy and Business Development, TradeLens
IBM Industry Platforms
Mr. Ruiz is a global strategy and business development executive with experience in the technology, financial services, and media/information industries. He is currently leading Strategy and Business Development at IBM for TradeLens, the industry platform for the digitization of global trade. Prior to IBM he played a number of strategic and operational roles at Thomson Reuters based in Europe, Asia, and the Americas including leading Strategic Alliances globally and developing growth strategies across business units. Mr. Ruiz started his professional career as a software engineer in Spain developing some of the early web-based b2b marketplaces.
Kirk Samson
Samson Atlantic LLC
Mr. Kirk Samson founded the political risk consulting firm Samson Atlantic in 2015. He is a former U.S. diplomat, military officer and international law advisor with over two decades of overseas experience. Mr. Samson works with U.S. companies to research opportunities to successfully expand into foreign markets, with an emphasis on Europe. He is a Senior Analyst for UK-based Global Risk Insights, with numerous publications on political risk analysis, and a Director of the International Trade Association of Greater Chicago. Mr. Samson also trains clients in effective global and cross-cultural communication strategies, having led or participated in international negotiations in over 35 nations.
Karl Schamotta
Chief Market Strategist
Cambridge Global Payments
Mr. Karl Schamotta leads Cambridge's currency research group, focused on analyzing shifts in the world economy and creating strategies that help businesses harness market volatility. He has built risk management and trading programmes for hundreds of major corporations, and is a regular contributor to a number of international finance publications. He regularly appears in the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Reuters, BNN, CNN and CNBC. You can follow him at @vsualst on Twitter.
Rogier Schulpen
Global Head of Trade & Working Capital Solutions
Mr. Rogier Schulpen, Global Head of Trade & Working Capital Solutions at Santander, is responsible for all trade finance products: Supply Chain Finance, Documentary Trade and Structured Trade and Commodity Finance. In addition, Mr. Schulpen leads the Regulation, Capital and Liquidity team for Global Transaction Banking. The Trade & Working Capital Solutions group is globally organized and has professionals in 12 countries spread over Europe, the Americas, and Asia. Mr. Schulpen started his career at MeesPierson in the Netherlands, working in the commodity finance team. He subsequently moved to ABN Amro Bank in London and Brazil, where he lead the soft commodities market in Latin America.
Radish Singh
Partner – Forensic / Financial Crimes Compliance Leader – SEA
Ms. Radish Singh has 20+ years of experience in the field of financial services regulations, compliance, anti-bribery and corruption, conduct of business and financial crime (AML/Sanctions). She currently leads Deloitte's South East Asia Financial Crime Compliance practice. Her clientele includes major global and local Banks in Singapore. Broadly, her experience includes regulatory, business conduct policy formulation, legislative drafting, anti-money laundering, outsourcing, implementing anti-bribery and corruption policy, advising on data protection matters, establishing corporate governance codes, stock exchange supervision/rules and securities laws. Ms. Singh has been actively presenting on global regulatory reform as a result of the G20 initiatives to major banks and institutions in Singapore as well as in various public forums.
Joshua Stein
Vice President, Accounting & Financial Management
Mr. Stein arrived to the American Bankers Association in October 2017. He works alongside Mike Gullette in the ABA's efforts with the FASB and the U.S. banking regulators in helping bankers understand and implement policies and regulations related to accounting, financial reporting, internal controls, and capital management. Specifically, Mr. Stein is working on efforts related the implementation of FASB's CECL standard. Mr. Stein brings to the ABA almost twenty years of experience. Mr. Stein started his career as an auditor for KPMG, where he concentrated on financial institutions. He worked as an analyst and an inspector for the PCAOB. He also worked in an accounting policy position at a large private equity firm. Mr. Stein is a Certified Public Accountant.
Geoffrey Wynne
Mr. Geoffrey Wynne is head of Sullivan & Worcester's London office and also head of its Trade & Export Finance Group. He has extensive experience in banking and finance, specifically trade and structured trade and commodity finance, receivable financings, corporate and international finance, asset and project finance, syndicated lending, equipment leasing and workouts and restructurings. Mr. Wynne is one of the leading trade finance lawyers and has advised extensively many of the major trade finance banks, multilateral financers and companies around the world on trade and commodity transactions in virtually every emerging market including CIS, Far East, India, Africa and Latin America. He has worked on many structured trade transactions covering such diverse commodities as oil, nickel, steel, tobacco, cocoa and coffee. He has also advised on ownership structures and repos for commodities and receivables financings


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Recycling Artist Creates Portraits from Trash
Stephen Messenger smessenger
With themes of environmentalism and climate change becoming increasingly popular in the art world, one artist in particular is putting eco-friendly philosophies to practice with portraits made entirely of unwanted objects. Recycling and reusing objects normally destined for the landfill has always been a creative process, but in the hands of a skilled artist, the practice can result in masterpieces superior to works crafted of more traditional mediums. Such artwork has the power to broaden the imagination as well, turning the most unassuming trash-bin or cluttered drawer into an artist's palette. Inspired by Ecuadorian hairstylists, who are known to use broken jewelry and other shiny objects in their designs, British artist Jane Perkins began creating broaches from similar bits and pieces that would normally go unused. Since 2008, she's expanded her recycling technique to make portraits using buttons, toys, plastic forks--or nearly anything else she can get her hands on, according to BBC Brasil. Her work has been on exhibition in the UK's Devon Open Studios.
Perkins:
It all started because I have a huge collection of stuff that I have amassed really since childhood. I used to do embroidery and beads and more traditional kinds of things. We did a few recycling projects in my degree course, which I really enjoyed, and from that I started making things with beach debris
As opposed to traditional forms of recycling, Perkins' art infuses the items she uses with even greater value than they had in the first place--but she still doesn't consider herself a recycler:
I think I would describe myself as a 'remaker'--meaning that I take things and make them into something else. I started with making broaches in my degree course using broken jewelry and plastic toys. Since then, I've developed into making portraits using found materials in this collage-y way.
While politicians and world leaders have been the subjects of her portraits, they are not overtly political nor endeavoring to make a larger statement on waste--which is what makes her work so compelling. It is difficult not to be inspired to reexamine notions of waste or recycling when seeing what complex forms can be created from it. If we all look closely enough at all the material clutter of our lives, who knows what sort of possibilities will emerge?
More on Eco-Art
Man and Nature: Art in the Age of Climate Change
Cape Farewell: Raising Climate Change Awareness Through Art
'End of the World' Art Biennale looks on Climate Change
Recycled Consumer Goods
Recycled Fashion
With themes of environmentalism and climate change becoming increasingly popular in the art world, one artist in particular is putting eco-friendly philosophies to practice with portraits made entirely of unwanted objects. Recycling and reusing objects
Coral-like ceramic works are coated with electroformed crystals
Artist's polychromatic quilts tell powerful stories using recycled ...
Upcycled carpet installation highlights plight of world's dying corals
Artist's repurposed vintage pocket watches reveal magical miniature...


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Americas Got Talent TV series, shows/cartoon,anime,magma/Documentaries - MobileTVshows
Americas Got Talent (in TV)
America's Got Talent (also known as AGT) is an American reality television series on the NBC television network, and part of the global British Got Talent franchise. It is a talent show that features singers, dancers, magicians, comedians, and other performers of all ages competing for the advertised top prize of one million dollars. The show debuted in June 2006 for the summer television season. From season three onwards, the prize includes the one million dollars, payable in a financial annuity over 40 years (or the present cash value of such annuity), and a show as the headliner on the Las Vegas Strip.
Last Updated: 5 Jul, 2017
Americas Got Talent - S11E21 - Live Results 5.avi (67.34 MB) [1216 hits] {High MP4}


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Li Zhaoxing 李肇星
Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the 11th NPC
Birthplace: Shandong Province
2008—2013 Chairman, 11th Foreign Affairs Committee of the NPC
2003—2007 Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
2001—2003 Vice-Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (In charge of American and Latin American affairs)
1998—2001 Ambassador, Chinese Embassy USA, Washington D.C.
1995—1998 Vice-Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
1993—1995 Ambassador, Permanent Mission of the PRC to the United Nations
1993—???? Guest Professor, Nankai University
1993—???? Guest Professor, Beijing University Beijing Municipality
1990—1993 Assistant to the Vice-Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
1985—1990 Spokesman, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
1985—1990 Director General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Information Department
1985—1990 Deputy Director General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Information Department
1983—1985 First Secretary, Chinese Embassy Lesotho, Maseru
1977—1983 Third Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Information Department
1977—1983 Second Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Information Department
1977—1983 Deputy Division Chief, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Information Department
1970—1977 Attache, Chinese Embassy Kenya, Nairobi
1967—1970 Staff Member, Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs
1964—1967 Student, Beijing Foreign Studies University Beijing Municipality
1964 Graduate, Beijing University Beijing Municipality
Li Zhaoxing


text:
title: Ďakujeme!
subtitle: Andrea
image: 007-andrea.jpg
published: true
group: profile-helped
koho-co: Andrei
email: yqkxroqubg@mesytb.yq
lang: sk
---
**Vek**: 17 rokov
**Škola**: Hotelová akadémia SNV
**Prečo som sa uchádzala o podporu**: Pred 9-rokmi sa našej rodine zrútil svet. S mladšou sestrou sme prišli o otca. Otec zomrel pri ťažkej autonehode, keď sa vracal z práce. Mama si našla v meste prácu, aj ked len na tri mesiace. Dostáva minimálnu mzdu.

**Suma, ktorú som dostala: 293 EUR**

### Zodpovedný koordinátor

Mgr. Pavlína Dunčková
ZŠ Markušovce
Školská 16, 053 21 Markušovce
053 4498 118
Kontakt: <vgbrotgjatiqu@msgor.ius>