text:
Cirque du Soleil OVO Brings an Egg to the Times Union
DanceTheater
By Laura DaPolito	 On Jan 30, 2020
Cirque du Soleil, the world famous and internationally loved Canadian Circus of the Sun, brought its show OVO to Albany, ironically bringing a giant egg into the Times Union Center. The set transported visitors immediately upon entering the arena. Forest sounds of insects and other creatures filled the air, and a giant brownish speckled egg sat prominently on the stage as performers walked through the set in costume, dancing and interacting with audience members.
In the shadow of our capital's beloved Egg, the show featured all the elements of circus magic: costumes, clowns, colorful sets, contortionists and gymnasts like you've perhaps seen but have forgotten their grace. The dancers were beyond athletic, moving their bodies in convincing patterns matching insect movement. There was live music with vocalists, an accordion, and violin. And there was a story: a love story about a fly who loses his egg, find his heart, and in the process, is reunited with his egg.
This show was rather unique for Albany to host. Seeing a performance like this might seem natural in Las Vegas, New York City, or even St. Petersburg, Russia. In fact, this writer has been to the circus in St. Petersburg, and Cirque du Soleil's OVO rivaled the best Eastern European shows I've seen. In Russia, circuses are fun and culturally supported treasures. In Albany, OVO has the unique privilege of standing out as a special treat as we don't have many traveling circuses of such caliber pass through.
Featuring some amazingly strong gymnasts dressed as bugs, the main story centered on a clown character whose slapstick comedy routine was intentionally a diversion from the set changes and breaks needed by the athletic performers who would be taking the bigger risks. The clowns, however, were just as athletic in their efforts, demonstrating some feats of their own that only those who are physically fit could replicate while maintaining their storyline.
Stars of the circus, though, aren't the clowns, but the risk takers. And that was the same at OVO, where a woman crawled out of a cloth sack as she emerged as a butterfly, a couple danced mid air with the help of a trapeze and their incredibly flexible bodies that appeared to meld together in harmony above the stage, and couples threw partners across an open net to gasping audience members as each woman was caught by what appeared only to be her fingers.
And that was before intermission.
The second half featured a juggler whose abilities with the diabolo (or four) delighted the crowd, a slack rope walker whose balance made me yearn to return to yoga class, a contortionist whose spider-like moves were both provocative and intensely frightening, and a group of tumblers whose ability to bounce up on a wall while making their intentional tumbles look easy had the crowd cheering.
A unique and entertaining aspect of this circus that might not be immediately noticeable but definitely added to the show, the set itself. It shifted around the performers' needs. Holes opened and closed in the floor, allowing the athletes to slip quickly in and off scene; flowers bloomed on the side of the stage, adding color and much-needed beauty. Props appeared and disappeared, making the acts even more unpredictable.
The concept of bugs as gymnasts is well suited to such a performance, it seems, as it allowed the costume designers to think outside the box, building wings on legs so it truly appeared that bugs were climbing walls, spinning webs, and dancing together.
Cirque du Soleil is in Albany through Sunday, February 2nd. Good seats are still available, too. But don't wait too long; you wouldn't want to be stung with regret and miss it.
Photo Gallery by Jim Gilbert
Cirque du SoleilTimes Union Center
Laura DaPolito 156 posts
Laura is a writer from Niskayuna, New York who rediscovered her passion for language, music and the arts when her partner asked her to contribute to NYS Music two years ago. In college, she was a news editor, poet, and musician, but her professional life as a social worker had consumed most of her creative energy until writing about music reawakened it. She writes and edits for Nippertown alongside her life partner when she isn't doting on their two dogs.
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Donna says 12 months ago
Pictures and narrative took me briefly to the circus. Effectively, Laura's narration and Jim's pictures captured the essence of the world of bugs in a circus setting. Color and movement cleverly combined to create a fantasy of entertainment! Thank you for sharing!!


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text:
St. Alexander Nevsky as a New St. Constantine
Protodeacon Vladimir Vasilik
This year marks the 800th anniversary of the birth of the holy Right-Believing Grand Prince Alexander Nevsky. Clerics, public figures, and academics pay tribute to his merits, but they mostly talk about the conservative character of his activities, sometimes not noticing that the holy Prince Alexander Nevsky, who had to solve the problem of preserving Rus', was at the same time, in the depth of his deeds, its renovator.
In this regard, I would like to draw your attention to one episode in the Life of the Right-Believing Prince, written between 1263 and 1280 by his friend and companion, the holy Metropolitan Kirill II (also the chronicler of Prince Daniel of Galicia). When he returns victorious from the Battle on the Ice and approaches the city of Pskov,
the abbots, and priests, and all the people met him in front of the city with crosses, and gave praise to God, and sang glory to lord Prince Alexander, said: "Thou didst help the meekest David rout the foreigner, and our faithful prince, armed with the cross, to free the city of Pskov from those of another tongue by the arm of Alexander."
Note that the text of this stichera is in the service to the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Emperor Constantine (May 21) in a slightly modified form.
Researchers used to not pay this episode any attention, and completely without reason. Although the custom of singing victorious Church hymns is characteristic of Ancient Rus', for example, in the Legend of the Mamai Massacre it says: "They went merrily, rejoicing, chanting hymns: Some sang to the Theotokos, others to the martyrs," this is the only case where a stichera dedicated to a saint, especially to an Equal-to-the-Apostles Emperor, is sung in honor of a living prince. In this regard, the only possible conclusion is that the Russian people, contemporaries of the holy Right-Believing Prince Alexander Nevsky, saw in him a new St. Constantine.
You don't have to go far for proof: The holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir is called in the Sermon on Law and Grace the "likeness of Constantine the Great"… And the intersections of the life of St. Alexander Nevsky with the images of the holy Prince Vladimir and his sons—Sts. Boris, Gleb, and Yaroslav the Wise—are quite obvious. It's worth recalling the vision of Pelgusius: "Brother Gleb, lead us to row, and so let us help our kinsman Alexander"—and also the holy Prince's prayer before the Battle on the Ice:
Prince Alexander raised his hands to Heaven and said: "Judge me, O God, judge my strife with the unrighteous people and help me, Lord, as in ancient times Thou didst help Moses to defeat Amalek, and our great-grandfather Yaroslav—the accursed Svyatopolk."
We see here the same idea of God's Judgment as in Psalm 34: Judge thou, O Lord, them that injure me, fight against them that fight against me, with which the holy Prince Alexander went to the Battle of Neva, and a similar comparison of the crusaders with the fratricidal Svyatopolk the Accursed. There's another image here, taken from Exodus—Moses and Amalek. On the one hand, Prince Alexander acts as a defender of the Law of God and the Truth of God, and the crusaders are likened to the pagan Amalekites, and on the other hand, being like Moses, who held out his arms crosswise during battle, the holy Prince Alexander is a true defender of the Cross, unlike the self-styled Crusaders.1
But let's recall the appearance of the Life-Giving Cross to St. Constantine before the decisive battle with the usurper Maxentius on the Milvian Bridge in 312, when he saw the Life-Giving Cross in the heavens and heard the words: "By this conquer." During the battle, his enemies drowned in the Tiber, "as in the time of Moses himself and of the ancient God-beloved race of Hebrews, 'He cast Pharaoh's chariots and host into the sea, and overwhelmed his chosen charioteers in the Red Sea.'"2 Both the holy Emperor Constantine and his biographer Eusebius viewed the Battle of Milvian Bridge as the judgment of God.
Thus, the parallel between St. Alexander Nevsky and St. Constantine the Great is rather obvious.3 What did it mean for our ancestors and what does it mean for us?
1. St. Constantine is the founder of the Christian Empire and the "cross-bearing Empire," as he is called in the service in his honor, apparently written by St. John of Damascus. The empire is, first of all, a sheath for the life of the New Israel—the God-loving Romans—headed by the new Moses—the Emperor, its leader into the Promised Land. It bears the name of Christ and is under the sign of the Cross. From this it's clear that the Christian empire is called to co-crucifixion and resurrection with Christ. Accordingly, the misfortunes befalling the empire bear, in a sense, the character of the sufferings of the Cross, and its victories—the character of the Paschal celebration.
If we examine the life and work of the holy Prince Alexander Nevsky, we'll see that, firstly, during his life he developed his realm, which encompassed nearly all of Rus'—Novgorod, Kiev, Vladimir—which he sought to administer autocratically, like a kind of tsar. Without exaggeration, the holy Prince Alexander can be considered the father of Russian autocracy. But for him, his power is a nation of truth. Let us recall his words before the Battle of Neva:
God is not in power, but in truth. Let us remember the Psalmist David: Some glory in chariots, and some in horses: but we will glory in the name of the Lord our God. They are overthrown and fallen: but we are risen, and have been set upright (Ps. 19:7-8).
The Life of St. Alexander Nevsky shows us both the cross and resurrection of Rus'.
2. The thesis, "God is not in power, but in truth," and St. Alexander's call not to enter into someone else's territory is an affirmation of legality at the international level. This is a call to law and truth. He is profoundly near to the legal consciousness of St. Constantine the Great, expressed in his famous Edict of Milan. In it, on the one hand, St. Constantine bases his actions on natural law, appealing to common sense. On the other hand, natural law ultimately traces back to a supernatural source. The philosophical monotheism of the Equal-to-the-Apostles Emperor clearly has Christian features.
3. St. Alexander and St. Constantine the Great are united by the desire to preserve the Orthodox faith. When the Emperor was finally convinced of the harmfulness of the heresy of Arianism, he called an Ecumenical Council in Nicaea to condemn it, despite all the risks, troubles, and possible losses. In 1249 or 1251, the legates Agaldad and Gemon went to St. Alexander, apparently with quite favorable offers from Pope Innocent IV—an alliance (including against the Mongols) and help, including military. However, the holy prince didn't succumb to their advances. After the legates arrived, and after having spoken with them, he realized that Rome had no intention of conceding anything, that it wasn't seeking any truth, that it was all about simple submission to the Pope of Rome and his delusion, and he gave the following simple, wise, and dignified answer:
From Adam to the Flood, from the Flood to the separation of tongues, from the confusion of tongues to the beginning of Abraham, from Abraham to the passage of Israel through the Red Sea, from the Exodus of the sons of Israel to the repose of King David, from the beginning of the Kingdom of Solomon to August the King, from the beginning of August and to the Nativity of Christ, from the Nativity of Christ to the Passion and Resurrection of the Lord, from His Resurrection to the Ascension into Heaven, from the Ascension into Heaven and to the Kingdom of Constantine, from the beginning of the Kingdom of Constantine to the First Council, from the First Council to the Seventh—all that we know well, but we don't accept any teachings from you.
In other words, we are sufficiently instructed in Divine truth, and we accept no other faith but the teachings of the Seven Ecumenical Councils, which the Latin faith contradicts. Unlike Daniel of Galicia, the holy Right-Believing Prince Alexander wasn't seduced by the splendor of the crown and didn't believe in the illusory help of the West, but chose the only true path—external humiliation but internal freedom.
However, the answer isn't so simple. First, after the Nativity of Christ, the "Kingdom of Constantine" is remembered as the beginning of a completely different era in the life of Christianity—a hint at the connection of St. Alexander with the Equal-to-the-Apostles Emperor Constantine. Second, the Councils are mentioned, from the First to the Seventh. Recall that in Byzantium, in the Roman Empire, the prerogative to convene councils belonged to the emperor, first used by St. Constantine, who convened the First Ecumenical Council. Accordingly, here too, in the holy Prince's mention of the Ecumenical Councils, the image of St. Constantine is invisibly present: "From the beginning of the Kingdom of Constantine to the First Council, from the First Council to the Seventh." And accordingly, the heir to this kingdom is the holy Right-Believing Prince Alexander Nevsky.
4. Finally, let's mention another significant parallel. On his deathbed, St. Alexander accepted monasticism. Before his death, St. Constantine accepted Baptism, which in the fourth century meant for many almost the same as the schema did for people of the eighteenth century. Both holy rulers desired at the end of their lives to renounce all things earthly and to stand before God.
Let's sum it up. The holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Emperor Constantine was a grandiose renovator of the life of the Roman Empire, placing it under the protective sign of the Cross, introducing Christian laws in it and gathering Councils against heresies, striving to make it a cross-bearing empire, a state of truth, a bulwark of true faith and righteousness. Similarly, the holy Prince Alexander Nevsky not only preserved Rus', but he also sought to gather it, to renew it as a Christian power, as an Orthodox state, where faith and the truth of God prevailed.
Translation by Jesse Dominick
1 Literally "cross-bearers" in Russian.—Trans.
2 Eusebius of Caesarea, Ecclesiastical History 9.9.5
3 In the Battle of the Ice, the Livonian Crusaders broke the ice of the Neva River wearing their heavy armor and fell into the waters to drown. This was the decisive moment for St. Alexander Nevsky's victory.—OC
Life as Sacrifice
Right-Believing Prince Alexander Nevsky in Light of Our Times Life as Sacrifice
Right-Believing Prince Alexander Nevsky in Light of Our Times
Fr. Oleg Bulychev
The Holy Fathers teach that the love of God in a man is seen in how he treats his neighbors. The Right-Believing Prince Alexander Nevsky is holy, because he proved his love for God by laying down his life for the salvation and well-being of many people in Rus', ignoring his personal interests and comforts. St. Alexander Nevsky: The Victory of Christ or a "Balance of Power" St. Alexander Nevsky: The Victory of Christ or a "Balance of Power"
Priest Roman Savchuk
The peace that faith brings into our lives is impossible to understand for someone who does not seek Christ. This peace is very far from any idea of an outwardly tranquil course of life and the comfort of a fickle reality that people far from the faith usually imagine when they think of peace. St. Alexander Nevsky, Russia's Knight in Shining Armor St. Alexander Nevsky, Russia's Knight in Shining Armor
Commemorated November 23/December 6 and August 30/September 12
St. Alexander Nevsky was Russia's "knight in shining armor." His reputation as a man of exceptional valor and surpassing virtue inspired a visit by a German commander who told his people when he returned: "I went through many countries and saw many people, but I have never met such a king among kings, nor such a prince among princes."
Panagiotis12/12/2021 10:26 pm
What a great article...+++ May Both of Their Memories Be Eternal +++ . ... Maybe it is time for the Russian People to search the entire land, and to find the most Noble man, the most God-Fearing Orthodox Christian man, who is blessed with intelligence and cannot be corrupted, and have this new man Crowned the new Tzar of Holy Orthodox Russia so the Holy Orthodox Monarchy can be restored.. . .. I know I am just dreaming, but would not this be great?. ... Just my humble opinion... . .
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Millions of Filipinos seeking a clean start after a decade of corruption-tainted politics voted in Monday's elections despite scattered violence and glitches with vote-counting machines being used for the first time, the Associated Press Reported.
Sen. Benigno Aquino III - whose father was assassinated while opposing a dictatorship and whose late mother led the "people power" revolt that restored freedoms - commanded a large lead in the presidential race, according to the last pre-election polls.
But even Aquino was unable to immediately cast his ballot, because a vote-counting machine broke down in his precinct. The Elections Commission extended voting for another hour to make up for delays.
Computer problems and campaign-related violence, which has killed more than 30 people in the past three months, were the main concerns in elections that officials hope will set a new standard for the Philippines' fragile democracy.
For the first time, optical scanning machines will count votes in 76,000 precints. A software glitch discovered a week ago nearly derailed the vote, but was fixed at the last minute. Still, some machines malfunctioned in the tropical humidity, including in Aquino's hometown of Tarlac, north of Manila.
"This is a new system of voting. We have a longer ballot, so I hope all the people can vote and not be delayed and I hope there will be no long lines of people outside when the voting ends," Aquino told reporters while waiting for the machine to be fixed.
Election Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal said about 300 out of 76,000 machines had problems but that most already were replaced, adding that the problems were "not as widespread as it's made to appear."
"And what's important is that if a machine breaks down, there is a replacement and there is a back-up procedure," he said.
Mario Barreto, 52, said it took him two hours to vote in an elementary school in Manila.
"The most difficult thing was to look for your name and lining up," Barreto said.
In another precinct, election volunteer Ging Pimentel said some of the names were missing from voter lists, slowing the process.
But a former election commission chairman, Christian Monsod, said the long lines of voters represent "a celebration of democracy."
At least five people were killed and six wounded Monday, in addition to about 30 people gunned down in the last three months, police said.
Troops and gunmen exchanged fire in southern Maguindanao province, where 57 people were massacred in the country's worst election-related attack last year, said army Lt. Gen. Raymundo Ferrer.
There were no casualties in Datu Salibo town but in nearby North Kabuntalan township, two civilians were killed in a clash between armed followers of rival candidates for vice mayor, Ferrer said.
About 130 deaths preceded the 2007 vote.
Aquino's two rivals carry the taint of scandal, all too common in the Philippines. The ratings of real estate tycoon Manny Villar, who was neck-and-neck with Aquino in early surveys, took a plunge after rivals accused him of using his position to enrich himself and avoid a Senate ethics probe.
In a country where celebrities commonly seek office, the jewel-studded former first lady Imelda Marcos is running for a House seat, as is boxing star Manny Pacquiao in his second congressional bid.


text:
Мюрисеп (Мюрисепп) — эстонская фамилия. Известные носители:

 Мюрисеп, Алексей Александрович (1902—1970) — советский эстонский государственный деятель, председатель Совета Министров Эстонской ССР (1951—1961), председатель Президиума Верховного Совета Эстонской ССР (1961—1970).
 Мюрисеп, Василий Александрович (1910—1995) — Герой Социалистического Труда.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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This area is 4.3 acres in size, there is a small pond that is available for fishing and wetland game hunting. Fish that may be found in the pond include: Bluegill, Catfish, Crappie, Largemouth Bass, Perch, Smallmouth Bass, and Walleye.
3 miles Southwest of Alton. On the corner of Jay Ave and 390th St.


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Purchase the new e-book co-authored with Jeremy Long at www.jtphotoguide.com. The book includes 83 pages and 23 key photographic locations for you to make greater images in Joshua Tree National Park.
This entry was posted in Blog, photography, Writing and tagged california, desert, guide, images, Joshua Tree, photo guide, photography, sunrise, sunset on November 28, 2015 by T.M. Schultze.


text:
"use strict";

var fs = require('fs'),
  mongodb = require("mongodb"),
  Server = mongodb.Server,
  Db = mongodb.Db,
  dirSeed = require('./lib/directorySeed'),
  functionSeed = require('./lib/functionSeed'),
  fileSeed = require('./lib/fileSeed');

var loadActions = {
  "dir": dirSeed,
  "file": fileSeed,
  "function": functionSeed,
  "mongoDump": function () {
    throw new Error("Not Implemented");
  }
};

module.exports = {
  "load": function (host, port, db, seedLocation, loadType, callback) {
    var action = loadActions[loadType];
    if (!action) {
      return callback(new Error("Invalid load type"));
    }
    action(host, port, db, seedLocation, callback);
  },
  "clear": function (host, port, db, callback) {
    var db = new Db(db, new Server(host, port));
    db.open(function (err, db) {
      db.dropDatabase(function (err) {
        callback(err);
      });
    });
  }
};

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Alleged Russian Agent Maria Butina Ordered Jailed Pending Hearing
Updated Jul. 18, 2018 10:07PM ET / Published Jul. 18, 2018 8:24PM ET
Handout/Reuters
A judge ordered accused Russian agent Maria Butina to be jailed until her July 24 trial after U.S. prosecutors argued that she is a flight risk, Reuters reports. Prosecutors have not charged Butina with espionage, but claim she has connections within Russian intelligence and engaged in a "covert influence campaign." The lead prosecutor told the judge that they "do not believe she was here... just to attend American University." Prosecutors also presented a photo of her sitting at a restaurant with a man who they believe to be a Russian intelligence agent, along with a letter asking "how to respond to an employment offer from a Russian intelligence agency" and a photo of her in front of the U.S. Capitol on the day of President Trump's inauguration. The government also revealed that the man Butina was romantically involved with, known as "U.S. Person 1" in court records, is now facing a "criminal fraud investigation" in South Dakota. Butina maintained her innocence and pleaded not guilty at the hearing.
Read it at Reuters


text:
Wild Wild Tech with Mark McDonald
Mark McDonald, General Manager|November 10, 2010
Video games have come a long way since the days of Pac-Man, Galaga, and Space Invaders. The arcades that used to be so prevalent have become increasingly harder to find. As people migrated towards the use of home consoles for gaming, the arcade industry just couldn't keep up. The days of pumping quarters into a machine for days just to beat one more level have passed in favor of a more engrossing, cinematic experience.
In many ways, video games have advanced far beyond what we could have imagined years ago. Storytelling and graphics have become as integral to games as they are to movies. The differences between movies and games has blurred to the point where they are beginning to merge, a far cry from the games of our youth. The industry has grown and grown, and production costs for games have become astronomical in order to create unprecedented levels of immersion for the players.
While these new games have translated into big sales for companies, I can't help but feel that the true experience of gaming has failed to translate into this newer generation. I'm not opposed to a good story or high-quality graphics; I just want a game to be a game.
I recently began to play through the critical and commercial hit game Batman: Arkham Asylum. The game looked amazing, the voice acting was perfect, and the story was engrossing; it was easy to see why so many had fallen in love with it. However, after only an hour of play I was compelled to put the game down. Not because it wasn't interesting, but because it wasn't fun.
The game felt more like an interactive movie than a game; all I needed to do was press a few buttons to keep the story going. The game was hardly a challenge, and seemed more like pressing the play button on a remote than actually playing a game.
I still cannot believe the overwhelmingly positive reception that the game received, although I have come to understand it. The industry has changed, and traditional games are going the way of the dodo bird. Somewhere along the way, I've become increasingly disenchanted with gaming.
In the late 1990's, Final Fantasy VII changed videogames forever. The game's gorgeous cinematic cut scenes, epic storyline, and endearing characters became the standard by which all other games were judged. This game is a favorite of many, including myself. I love this game, but I loathe what it did to the industry.
I don't have anything against games having storylines; I just think that the industry is becoming far too concerned with the aesthetics of games and forgetting to make them fun. Games have lost the sense of timelessness that once surrounded them. Super Mario Bros.and Pac-Manare just as playable today as they were twenty years ago, but games from just a few years ago are already forgotten and discarded.
Movies are great, but I want a game to be a game. I love that games have stories and can rival the experience of big-time Hollywood productions. But no matter what, I don't want games to lose the experience that makes them such a unique form of entertainment. If the future of gaming strays too far from its origins, an entire industry will become nothing more than a Hollywood knock-off.
Flames of the Torch: A look back and a look ahead
Harrington staying silent as Trustees continue investigation
Tenured professors speak out against Wile allegations
Benavides pulls bid for Student Government President
Pushing through adversity
Family of Sandy victim to sue city
Cunniff's Corner: In search of a 2012 Richard Nixon
Flames of the Torch: Transparency in SGI, part III


text:
require "chef/resource/package"
require "chef/provider/package/freebsd/port"
require "chef/provider/package/freebsd/pkg"
require "chef/provider/package/freebsd/pkgng"
require "chef/mixin/shell_out"

class Chef
  class Resource
    class FreebsdPackage < Chef::Resource::Package
      include Chef::Mixin::ShellOut

      resource_name :freebsd_package
      provides :package, platform: "freebsd"

      description "Use the freebsd_package resource to manage packages for the FreeBSD platform."

      # make sure we assign the appropriate underlying providers based on what
      # package managers exist on this FreeBSD system or the source of the package
      #
      # @return [void]
      def after_created
        assign_provider
      end

      # Is the system at least version 1000017 or is the make variable WITH_PKGNG set
      #
      # @return [Boolean] do we support pkgng
      def supports_pkgng?
        ships_with_pkgng? || !!shell_out_compact!("make", "-V", "WITH_PKGNG", :env => nil).stdout.match(/yes/i)
      end

      private

      # It was not until __FreeBSD_version 1000017 that pkgng became
      # the default binary package manager. See '/usr/ports/Mk/bsd.port.mk'.
      def ships_with_pkgng?
        node[:os_version].to_i >= 1000017
      end

      def assign_provider
        @provider = if source.to_s =~ /^ports$/i
                      Chef::Provider::Package::Freebsd::Port
                    elsif supports_pkgng?
                      Chef::Provider::Package::Freebsd::Pkgng
                    else
                      Chef::Provider::Package::Freebsd::Pkg
                    end
      end
    end
  end
end


When I'm entertaining I want appetizers that can be made in advance and pack a lot of flavor. Chips and dip just doesn't cut it. This spread does.
Admittedly, not every appetizer I would prepare is fast to make, but they are things that can be made ahead of time to reduce the work load on the day that company is set to arrive. In this case, this spread is both fast to make and can be prepared in advance.
There's only four ingredients and takes just a few minutes to whip together. This can be served on the cracker of your choice, with pita bread, or on slices of bread. It even works great as a dip for vegetables, too!
Put all the ingredients into a bowl and mash them all together until well blended. Cover and refrigerate for at least a few hours to allow the flavors to blend. Adjust seasonings as desired. That's it! If you want to be fancy, you can serve the cheese spread on crackers and top with a little sprig of fresh oregano, like the picture shows. Oregano is a little strong when fresh, so taste first to see if you like it.


text:
Anti-doping panel recommends Russians compete independently at 2020 Games
KYODO NEWS - Nov 26, 2019 - 13:20 | All, Sports, World, News
The World Anti-Doping Agency said Monday that its compliance panel has recommended that Russian athletes compete independently at next summer's Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics following the country's state-sponsored doping scandal.
WADA's Compliance Review Committee has presented a recommendation to its executive committee that the Russian delegation be banned from the Tokyo Games as well as other major competitions for a four-year period.
The executive committee will discuss the recommendation at a specially convened meeting on Dec. 9.
(Russian athletes compete under the Olympic flag as neutrals at the Pyeongchang Games)
According to WADA, the panel has also suggested that Russia be banned from hosting or bidding for a major sporting event in the period, as well as barring Russian government officials or representatives from attending any major events.
WADA has been auditing data obtained from a Moscow laboratory in January, the release of which was one of the conditions for lifting the ban on Russia's anti-doping agency.
However, the Compliance Review Committee informed the executive board last week that it believed that the Russian agency was non-compliant after the investigation found inconsistencies in the data.
According to WADA, the committee has concluded "(this is) an extremely serious case of non-compliance with the requirement to provide an authentic copy of the Moscow data, with some aggravating features."
WADA banned Russia's Anti-Doping Agency in 2015 in response to the country's systematic doping effort as host of the 2014 Sochi Winter Games.
While some 260 Russian athletes competed at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, the International Paralympic Committee barred the Russian delegation from the Paralympics.
At the Pyeongchang Games last year, Russian athletes who met strict requirements were able to compete under the Olympic flag as neutrals representing the Olympic Athletes from Russia team.
Nov 26, 2019 | KYODO NEWS
IOC's Bach says Tokyo Olympics will be held, "no plan B"
Japan, IOC, IPC deny Olympics to be canceled, rescheduled to 2032
Vaccines not prerequisite for Tokyo Olympics: gov't spokesman
Japan gov't weighs staging Tokyo Olympics without spectators
Olympics: Japan scrambles to deny reports that cancelation possible


❶What are some reasons why people do not believe in life after death? In the same vein, we have also noticed that every paper style or writing format allows the appearance of a thesis statement.
How likely are teenagers to choose abstinence as a result of undergoing such education? These questions trouble educators, policymakers, healthcare professionals, and parents around the globe, and this essay offers some valuable insights into the subject. In these cases, we have used the thesis statement contained in several rhetorical questions and a final statement promising answers to these questions in the essay.
Such a method may work well for many other writing scenarios is you feel like using a question as your major rhetoric technique. No matter whether your thesis statement is an affirmative or interrogatory sentence, it still has to possess the features of a good, strong thesis to serve as an instrumental guiding element of your work:.
Perform this exercise from time to time during the writing process, and you will easily distill your thesis statement from the realm of irrelevant details and information. Did you like the article?
Get your discount right now! To do that effectively, you can use some set phrases for thesis statement construction: I intend to analyze compare, contrast, define, explain, prove, etc. Ideally, your topic sentences should relate to your thesis statement. A topic sentence should contain a single idea or topic that you can answer in one paragraph. The thesis statement and supporting topic sentences work together to map out your paper, guiding your reader to your final conclusion.
Marsha Ford has been a professional writer for over 10 years. Ford has published articles in print and online venues, including Energy of the City and Mexico Travel, and has authored books including "Six Sigma for Small Businesses.
Differences Between Verbs and Adverbs. What Is a Conclusion Statement? What Is a Propositional Statement? You should consider a few instructions and useful tips when writing your rhetorical analysis thesis and you can always get professional help when having difficulties. You can use any thesis synonym for the statement that should be made when writing an essay or a dissertation.
You should look for a quality thesis introduction example to state the main idea of your essay properly, or you can contact our professional authors. Explaining what a complete phd thesis help includes seeing the student through the entire process of thesis writing.
This review will tell you the very essence of an investment thesis. Get help with any kind of assignment - from a high school essay to a PhD dissertation. How it works Price Calculator. Can a thesis statement be a question? How it works Student places an order. Writers make their offers. Deadline Specify when you would like to receive the paper from your writer. Make sure you leave a few more days if you need the paper revised. You'll get 20 more warranty days to request any revisions, for free.
Unlike with other companies, you'll be working directly with your writer without agents or intermediaries, which results in lower prices. Examples of completed orders. Thesis statement facts Now, whenever you are writing a short essay or any form of thesis, you have to realize that the statement is one of the most important parts. The thesis statement should be an assertion and not a fact, as facts come inside the paper in support of the arguments on the thesis.
The statement must take a stand by announcing the position you have taken about the matter under discus. The statement must give out the main idea of the discuss and the angle or points you intend to tackle in the main discuss. It must also answer the specific question, giving out how the writer intends to support his or her arguments. What we can offer FREE features in every order free. Format All formats are available.
A thesis statement for an academic essay or research paper should not be in the form of a question. A thesis statement should be in statement form and outline the purpose or angle of the piece of writing. Continue Reading.
Thesis Statements. No matter what type of writing that you do, whether you are writing an essay in a nursing class or an essay for a literature class, it has a main topic. In college level writing, most professors agree that this topic should be expressed in a thesis sentence.
A thesis statement (also called a research question) is considered the "main point" in academic writing. It brings organization and theme to your writing. Generally you should do preliminary research before creating your thesis and this statement may be revised during your research and writing process. Thesis statements and topic sentences have specific purposes, and for this reason one can be in the form of a question while the other cannot. Thesis Statements A thesis statement establishes what your paper will be about.
A thesis statement tells the reader how you'll interpret the importance of the assignment depend underneath dialogue. Is a road map for the paper in different terms, it tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper. Before we work mor. Mar 05, · How to answer the question; "can a thesis statement be a question" as given by different experts in the academic assistance field for college students5/5(86).


I LOVE brownies, they may actually be my all time favourite bake! What I love about them is that once you have a basic brownie recipe that you adore, you can throw in practically any other ingredient. Why not try adding your favorite chocolate bar cut into chunks? Or check out my Malteser Brownies for an interesting malt crunch throughout.
However, more to the point… This recipe will give you a bloody good brownie. Gooey in the center, fudgey on the outside and jam packed with soft, slightly melted white chocolate chunks.
Preheat oven to 180°C and grease a 23cm square tin with a little butter.
First, melt your dark chocolate and butter in a glass bowl over a pan of simmering water on a low heat. When completely melted and smooth leave on the side to cool.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar and the eggs. Add in the cooled chocolate and butter mixture to the sugar and eggs and also add in the flour. Fold the mixture together with a large spoon/spatula until combined and thick.
Finally add in the white chocolate chunks and fold into the mixture. Transfer to your greased baking tin and bake in the oven for 18 minutes. The top should be starting the crack and a skewer inserted into the middle should come out slightly covered in brownie mixture.
Leave to COMPLETELY cool and cut into 12 brownies. These brownies warmed up for 20 seconds with vanilla ice-cream…. to die for!!


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The SPIO® Wrist Hand Orthosis** assists with fine motor control, increased stability, decreased hypersensitivity, and sensory awareness in the hand and wrist. It is ideal for children with Hemiplegia, Athetoid or Spastic Quadriplegia, Rett Syndrome, Angelman Syndrome, Autism, and Sensory Processing Disorder.
**SPIO® Wrist Hand Orthosis is sold singly, not in pairs.
If your patient falls outside the standard range of sizes, we can meet your needs with a custom-designed SPIO® Orthosis. Click here for details.
Measure each child according to the Sizing Guidelines for a good fit, never select a size for your patient based on "eye-balling" the SPIO®. Don Wrist Hand Orthosis as you would a pair of gloves. The Wrist Hand Orthosis can fit on either of the patient's hands.


text:
Q: remove a list of lists while iterating over it I know that you are not supposed to remove an element of a list while iterating over it but I have to.
I'm trying to iterate over a list of lists and if I find a value in a list of my lists i need to remove it.
This is what I've tried so far.
dict[["A1","A2"],
     ["B1","B2"],
     ["C1","C2"]]

for i in range(len(dict)):
    if dict[i][0]=="A1":
        dict.pop(i)

But it's giving me an error of out of range.
How can I do it with list comprehensions or any other approach?

A: Do you mean this?
old = [["A1","A2"], ["B1","B2"], ["C1","C2"]]
new = [x for x in old if x[0] != "A1"]

A: You can't. You will get an exception. Create a new list as a copy.
>>> disallowed = [1, 2, 3]
>>> my_list = [ [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7], [3, 3, 4, 5, 8, 8, 2] ]
>>> filtered_list = [[y for y in x if y not in disallowed] for x in my_list]
>>> print filtered_list
[[4, 5, 6, 7], [4, 5, 8, 8]]

A: You can actually delete from a list while you iterate over it, provided you to it backwards (so deletion only affects higher indices which you have already seen during this iteration):
data = [["A1","A2"],
        ["B1","B2"],
        ["C1","C2"]]

for i, pair in reversed(data):
    if pair[0] == 'A1':
        del data[i]

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


The internet can be a bad, bad place. So bad in fact, that someone once slid into photographer Jenna Kutcher's Instagram DMs and asked her how she nabbed such a good looking husband. *Cue head exploding.* Kutcher handled the negativity perfectly, though, and her response is a master class in positivity and self-love.
The photographer went on to explain that she already has a lot of self-esteem issues when it comes to being married to her husband.
Thankfully, Kutcher's husband makes her feel damn good about herself — and AMEN to that.
"This man has embraced every curve, every dimple, pound and pimple for the last ten years and has always me reminded me that I'm beautiful even when my inner dialogue doesn't match," she said.
She finished off by saying that, yes, she doesn't look like a stick thin barbie (because, I mean, who even does?) and that really, really doesn't matter.
Yes, yes, YES to all that. So much applause to this couple who clearly have a beautiful, healthy relationship. Seriously – just look at them together.
I crave a love so deep, the ocean would be jealous…. I also crave margaritas, carbs, smooshed noses and sloppy kisses. 🌊 It's almost been a month since we got here and good heavens, time is flying by. I am so thankful we black out time to slow down and dream (and kiss!) Island life is good for my soul. 🙋🏼 We jumped in the ocean and splashed around and today @mrslindseyroman blogged our Hawaii sesh. Check it out and tell me what ya think!
Here's to being the bigger person, and handling negativity with positivity. I honestly probably would have tried to mail a Horcrux to that person's house.


text:
#if NETCOREAPP3_1_OR_GREATER

using System;
using tusdotnet.Extensions.Internal;

namespace tusdotnet.Parsers.ChecksumParserHelpers
{
    internal static class ChecksumParserSpanBased
    {
        internal static ChecksumParserResult ParseAndValidate(string uploadChecksumHeader)
        {
            var span = uploadChecksumHeader.AsSpan();

            var indexOfSpace = span.IndexOf(' ');

            if (indexOfSpace == -1)
            {
                return ChecksumParserResult.FromError();
            }

            var algorithm = span[0..indexOfSpace].Trim();
            var hash = span[(indexOfSpace + 1)..].Trim();

            if (algorithm.IsEmpty || hash.IsEmpty)
            {
                return ChecksumParserResult.FromError();
            }

            var (validBase64, decodedValue) = hash.TryDecodeBase64();
            if (!validBase64)
            {
                return ChecksumParserResult.FromError();
            }

            return ChecksumParserResult.FromResult(algorithm.ToString(), decodedValue);
        }
    }
}

#endif


While creating our YouTube to MP4 on-line converter, it was your wants we had been eager about. we try to initiate it as simple and as fast as attainable for you to convert your favorite movies to any format together with mp3, avi, mp4, mov, wmv, and many more. you may productivity Flvto YouTube Downloader on any platform together with Linux, MacOS, or home windows. Mp3Gain and convert a video and be part of 1000's of glad Flvto.biz customers.
An MP4 support is methodically made from tracks. An MP4 track is a logical structure equipped inwards samples and sample descriptions. http://mp3gain.sourceforge.net/ carry information that is legitimate from a given years and for a given a length. Samples carry information that's steady (no hole contained by years between samples) and non-overlapping (the end of a sample is the start of the subsequent sample). This has admirable properties, and specifically permits access in the field of the track.A sample description carries information that is valid throughout several samples, usually for the whole track.
Fre:ac is a spinster audio converter and cD ripper for varied formats and encoders. It features MP3, MP4/M4A, WMA, Ogg Vorbis, FLAC, AAC, and Bonk format help, integrates singledb/albumDB, journalism and papers3v2 tagging and is offered in several languages.


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RAK Ports HSEQ vision is of an accident free workplace, with no harm to people and a continuously decreasing environmental impact of business activities. The Ports are committed to performing its duties and tasks in a timely positive and cost effective manner, balancing the needs and expectation of stake holders to ensure the Group remains a vibrant contributor to the economy of the region in accordance with ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OSHAS 18001 standard requirements.
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Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have the ability to repair and regenerate tissue, home to sites of inflammation, and evade the host immune system. As such, they represent an attractive therapy for the treatment of autoimmune inflammatory diseases. However, results from in vivo murine studies in inflammatory arthritis have been conflicting, and this may be due to the genetic background of the MSCs used. It is known that the inflammatory milieu may influence properties of MSCs and that, in the case of human bone marrow-derived MSCs, this may be mediated by the nuclear factor-kappa-B (NF-κB) pathway. We sought to determine whether pro-inflammatory cytokines altered the differentiation and migration capacity of murine MSCs from different mouse strains and whether this was mediated by NF-κB.
The differentiation and migration of FVB and BALB/c MSCs were carried out in the presence of varying concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) and interleukin (IL)-1β, and the NF-κB pathway was inhibited in one of two ways: either by transduction of MSCs with an adenoviral vector expressing a super-repressor of NF-κB or by the addition of curcumin to culture media.
Both BALB/c and FVB MSCs were sensitive to the effect of pro-inflammatory cytokines in vitro. TNFα and IL-1β suppressed BALB/c osteogenesis and adipogenesis and FVB osteogenesis. The migration of both cell types toward media containing fetal bovine serum was augmented by pre-stimulation with either cytokine. In neither cell type were the cytokine effects reversed by abrogation of the NF-κB pathway.
These data show that murine MSCs from different genetic backgrounds may be influenced by an inflammatory milieu in a manner that is not mediated by NF-κB, as is the case for human MSCs. This is not mediated by NF-κB. These findings are important and should influence how in vivo trials of murine MSCs are interpreted and the future development of pre-clinical studies in inflammatory diseases.
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been isolated from several sites, including bone marrow and adipose tissue, and under appropriate stimuli can undergo osteogenesis, adipogenesis, and chondrogenesis . MSCs can also modulate the responses of B and T cells to various immune responses in vitro. Proliferation of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells can be inhibited in a dose-dependent manner independently of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) matching with reduced expression of activation markers [2, 3]. Immune regulation by MSCs may be mediated through secondary effects on other cells such as decreased tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) and increased interleukin-10 (IL-10) production from dendritic cells, decreased T helper 1 (Th1) and natural killer cell production of interferon-gamma (IFNγ), and the generation of antigen specific T regulatory cells [1, 4–8]. Mechanistically, this immune suppression may be mediated by transforming growth factor-beta, hepatocyte growth factor, IL-10, or prostaglandin-E2 production [2, 5, 9, 10]. In addition to these characteristics, MSCs are considered immune privileged cells as they have low MHC II expression and lack co-stimulatory molecules [11–13]. These features, in combination with their potential to repair and regenerate, make MSCs a potentially attractive option for the treatment of immune-mediated inflammatory conditions associated with tissue destruction.
One such example is in inflammatory arthritis where, despite some promising in vitro data , studies assessing the effect of MSCs in murine collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) have generated conflicting results, which may be partly attributed to differences in the number of cells used, the route of delivery, and timing of administration. Also of importance is consideration of the source of the MSCs used and the method of isolation; many studies have used marrow-derived MSCs while some are isolated from adipose tissue or indeed are cell lines derived from embryonic mesoderm. The differences in isolation and expansion techniques used may have an unknown impact on the ability of the MSCs to suppress inflammation in vivo[15–23]. Additionally, it has been demonstrated that both the genetic background of the MSCs and the local inflammatory milieu may impact on the ability of MSCs to modulate disease activity in vitro[19, 24].
Pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNFα have significant effects on human MSCs; they can modulate proteins linked to immunosuppressive and signaling pathways such as manganese superoxide dismutase (SOD2), ribose-phosphate pyrophosphokinase 1, septin-9, and signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) ; enhance migration ; and inhibit chondrogenesis and osteogenesis [27, 28]. There is a negative relationship between the magnitude of synovial inflammation and the chondrogenic and clonal capacities of MSCs isolated from rheumatoid synovium, further supporting the hypothesis that the inflammatory milieu alters MSC characteristics . Differentiation of murine MSCs is also altered by the inflammatory milieu. Decreased expression of osteoblast marker genes in TNFα transgenic mice and suppression of osteogenesis in C57BL/6 MSCs after treatment with TNFα or IL-1β have been described [30, 31]. Pro-inflammatory cytokines can also alter the effect of MSC proliferation in vitro and promote MSC-mediated tumor growth [20, 32].
The mechanism underlying these effects is poorly understood. Upregulation of ubiquitin ligases has been implicated as has β-catenin-mediated upregulation of Wnt signaling [32, 30] while both TNFα and IL-1 have major effects on mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and phosphoinositide 3 kinase (PI3K) pathways, which have been shown to mediate migration and proliferation in chondrocytes and fibroblasts [33–35]. The transcription factor nuclear factor-kappa-B (NF-κB) plays a central role in coordinating the immune response in rheumatoid arthritis and CIA through transcription of cytokine genes, including TNFα and IL-1β, regulation of genes that influence cell migration as well as differentiation and proliferation, induction of adhesion molecules, increased vascular permeability, and recruitment of inflammatory cells . The inhibition of chondrogenesis by IL-1β and TNFα in human MSCs is regulated by NF-κB  while activation of this pathway may stimulate osteogenesis in human adipose-derived MSCs . Additionally, TNFα-mediated increases in MSC migration are reversed by inhibition of the NF-κB pathway . As well as the effects on differentiation and migration, there are data to suggest that stressors such as TNFα and hypoxia can upregulate the production of vascular endothelial growth factor from human MSCs in an NF-κB-dependent manner . There is less information on the role of NF-κB on murine MSCs, although there are data showing that migration of C57BL/6 MSCs toward epithelial cells infected with Helicobacter pylori is mediated by NF-κB-driven upregulation of TNFα . Additionally, chemical inhibition of the NF-κB pathway with curcumin can facilitate chondrogenesis in canine MSCs .
Taking these data into consideration and having demonstrated that the genetic background of MSCs may affect their ability to modulate inflammatory responses , we sought to determine whether mouse MSCs from varying backgrounds responded differently to pro-inflammatory cytokines in terms of their fundamental properties of differentiation and migration. Given the significant role of NF-κB in mediating the effect of inflammation on human MSCs, we also sought to determine whether this pathway is relevant in murine models. BALB/c and FVB MSCs represent two allogeneic strains of MSCs with a variable degree of genetic mismatch relative to the DBA/1 strain used in CIA, and we hypothesized that co-culture with either TNFα or IL-1β would influence the differentiation and migratory capacity of these MSCs to varying degrees. Given the significant role of NF-κB in mediating the effect of inflammation on human MSCs, we also sought to determine whether this pathway is relevant in murine models.
All animal work was carried out with approval from the National University of Ireland Galway Animal Care Research Ethics Committee. Bone marrow MSCs were isolated from 8- to 10-week-old BALB/c (Harlan Laboratories, Indianapolis, IN, USA) and FVB.Cg-Tg(GFPU)5Nagy/J (FVB-GFP) (The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME, USA) as previously described . Briefly, marrow mononuclear cells obtained from long bones were plated in cold complete isolation medium (CIM): Roswell Park Memorial Institute (RPMI) 1640, 9% horse serum (HS), 9% fetal bovine serum (FBS), 1% penicillin/streptomycin (P/S), 1% L-glutamine. After 24 hours, cultures were washed with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and fresh CIM was added. Medium was changed every 3 to 4 days, and large colonies were seen after approximately 4 weeks in passage 0 (P0). Cells were replated in a new T175 flask in CIM for 14 days. Thereafter, cells were replated at 500 cells per cm2 and culture expanded in complete expansion medium (CEM): Iscove's modified Eagle's medium, 9% HS, 9% FBS, 1% P/S, 1% L-glutamine.
MSCs were stimulated to undergo adipogenesis, osteogenesis, and chondrogenesis as previously described . Briefly, CEM was used as the basal medium for both adipogenesis and chondrogenesis. Adipogenic medium contained supplemental 1 mM dexamethasone, 100 nM indomethacin, insulin, rabbit serum, and high-glucose Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium. Adipogenesis was confirmed with Oil Red O stain which was further extracted with isopropanol for determination of absorbance at 490 nm to allow comparison between culture conditions. For osteogenesis, MSCs were cultured with 20 mM β-glycerophosphate, 50 μM ascorbic acid 2-phosphate, and 100 nM dexamethasone. Fast Violet staining for alkaline phosphatase and alizarin red staining for calcium were carried out in the same wells. Calcium deposition was quantified as previously described  with a StanBio Calcium Liquicolour Kit (Stanbio Laboratory, Boerne, TX, USA). Where indicated, 10 or 25 μM curcumin was added to differentiation assays.
Optimization of viral transduction was carried out by using type V adenovirus expressing green fluorescent protein (AdGFP) supplied by Thomas Ritter (National University of Ireland Galway). Cells were plated at 5 × 104 cells per well in a 12-well plate in CEM and allowed to adhere for 24 hours, medium was removed, and 300 μL of CEM containing AdGFP was added to appropriate wells. In initial experiments, virus was added at 1,000, 500, or 100 infectious viral particles per cell (multiplicity of infection, or MOI). Control wells had 300 μL of CEM alone added, and cultures were centrifuged at 2000 g at 37°C for 90 minutes. After this, medium was replaced with 2 mL of CEM. Cells were incubated for 48 hours at 37°C and 5% CO2 before washing with PBS and trypsinization. Cells were transferred to 1.5-mL tubes, pelleted, resuspended in PBS, and transferred to a round-bottomed 96-well plate. Four microliters of 7-aminoactinomycin D (7-AAD) was added to appropriate wells and incubated on ice for 15 minutes, allowing cells with compromised cell membranes to take up the dye. Cells were fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde for 20 minutes and resuspended in 200 μL of PBS. GFP expression was analyzed on a Guava Flow Cytometer with eXpress Plus™ software (EMD Millipore, Billerica, MA, USA) and expressed as percentage GFP expression in cell population. Based on results, further viral transduction was carried out at MOI 500.
Type V adenovirus expressing the super-repressor inhibitor of NF-κB (srIκB)  and MSCs were transduced at an MOI of 500. Expression of srIκB by virally transduced cells was confirmed by Western blot. Briefly, transduced cells were lysed, and total protein concentration was determined by using the bicinchoninic acid protein assay (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA) in accordance with the instructions of the manufacturer. Equal amounts (60 μg) of protein were resolved by SDS-PAGE on a 12% polyacrylamide gel and transferred to a polyvinylidene difluoride membrane. Rabbit antibodies against human IκBα and β-actin (Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Santa Cruz, CA, USA) were used for immunodetection with a horseradish peroxidase-conjugated goat anti-rabbit IgG (Chemicon, Temecula, CA, USA). Bands were visualized by enhanced chemiluminescence by using a FlourChem™ image station (Alpha Innotech, San Leandro, CA, USA).
For assessment of NF-κB activity, MSCs were seeded in 96-well plates and after 24 hours were transduced with AdsrIκB or Adnull prior to transduction with either an NF-κB- or a cytomegalovirus (CMV)-driven luciferase reporter (AdNF-κB-Luc or AdCMV-Luc) . Medium was changed every 72 hours; after 6 days, cells were stimulated with 5 ng/mL murine (m) TNFα, 10 ng/mL mIL-1β, or 100 ng/mL mIL-6 (Peprotech, London, UK). Four hours after stimulation, cell layers were collected in 20 μL of lysis buffer (Promega, Southampton, UK) and luciferase activity was determined by using the Dual-Glo™ Luciferase Assay System (Promega). Activity from AdNF-κB-Luc groups was normalized to that from matched AdCMV-Luc controls.
In vitro migration assays were carried out by using 24-well Corning Transwell Inserts (Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, MO, USA) with a surface growth area of 0.33 cm2 and 8-μm pores. Inserts were pre-wetted with serum-free media, and 6 × 103 MSCs in 200 μL serum-free medium was seeded onto the upper surface of the transwell. Either untransduced MSCs or MSCs expressing srIκB were used. Where necessary, cells were pre-stimulated for 24 hours with 50 ng/mL TNFα or IL-1β (Peprotech) in CEM. The seeded transwell was placed in a well with 600 μL of the appropriate medium, containing curcumin where indicated, and incubated at 37°C and 5% CO2. After 18 hours of incubation, cells remaining on the upper surface of the membrane were removed gently with a wetted cotton swab. The cells which had migrated to the lower surface were fixed in ice-cold methanol. Nuclei were stained for 15 minutes in Harris hematoxylin, and excess stain was removed with tap water. The membranes were dried, removed from the inserts with a scalpel, and mounted on glass slides by using oil emulsion mounting medium. Images were taken by using an Olympus IX81 upright microscope, and migrating cells were counted by using CellIP software (Olympus, Tokyo, Japan).
Statistical analysis was performed using StatsDirect® software (StatsDirect Ltd., Altrincham, UK). The Shapiro-Wilks test was used to confirm a normal distribution of data. Two-way analysis of variance with post hoc Tukey analysis was used for comparison between groups. Results are presented as the mean ± standard error of the mean.
Cells in P2 were homogenous in appearance with a fibroblastic morphology and were over 95% positive for CD29. Both cell types were negative for the hematopoietic markers CD45 and CD31 and the granulocyte marker CD34. Both cells types were successfully stimulated to undergo adipogenesis, osteogenesis, and chondrogenesis (not shown) in response to appropriate stimuli . This method of MSC isolation from mouse femurs has been reported elsewhere . After P2, 7-AAD staining was used to assess cell death, and 95% viability in both FVB and BALB/c cells was consistently demonstrated. Cells for the experiments described here were used at P3 to P6.BALB/c and FVB MSCs were transduced with AdsrIκB by using high-speed centrifugation over 90 minutes with negligible cell death. Western blotting confirmed overexpression of IκBα in transduced cells (Figure 1A) while functional assays confirmed a suppression of NF-κB-driven TNFα and IL-1β production compared with cells transduced with control vectors (Figure 1B).
Overexpression and functional activity of super-repressor inhibitor of nuclear factor-kappa-B (srIκB) in BALB/c mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Western blotting demonstrated that BALB/c MSCs transduced with AdsrIκB at multiplicity of infection (MOI) 1,000 expressed higher levels of IκB than cells transduced with adnull virus (A). MSCs were transduced with nuclear factor-kappa-B (NF-κB)-driven luciferase and either AdsrIκB or AdGFP at MOI 500. After stimulation with tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) or interleukin-1 (IL-1), luciferase activity was demonstrated in MSCs transduced with control virus, confirming upregulation of the NF-κB pathway. Conversely, MSCs transduced with AdsrIκB showed significantly less luciferase activity, indicating successful inhibition of the pathway. The NF-κB pathway was not stimulated by IL-6 in either group (B). Cytokines were used at a concentration of 100 ng/mL. Data are presented as mean ± standard error of the mean of triplicate experiments. *P <0.05 (two-way analysis of variance).
Both BALB/c and FVB MSCs were stimulated to undergo osteogenesis. Representative images of alizarin red staining of FVB and BALB/c MSCs are shown in Figure 2D,E. FVB MSCs had a greater osteogenic potential, with almost 50 μg of calcium deposited per well compared with 12 μg in comparable BALB/c cultures. Osteogenesis as measured by calcium deposition was suppressed in both cell types by TNFα and IL-1β. The absolute decrease in calcium suppression was similar across both cell types (Table 1). In terms of percentage decrease in calcium production, the effect was most pronounced in BALB/c MSCs and occurred in a dose-dependent manner, with an 86% reduction in calcium deposition with 1 to 10 ng TNFα, a 17.5% reduction with 0.1 ng/mL TNFα, an almost 97% reduction with 1 to 10 ng/mL IL-1β, and a 50% reduction with 0.1 ng/mL of IL-1β (Figure 2A). This dose-dependent suppression was also seen in FVB MSCs but was less pronounced, with the maximum reduction of 37.5% seen after co-culture with 1 to 10 ng/mL IL-1β and 16.6% with 0.1 ng of IL-1β. Co-culture with TNFα at concentrations of 10, 1, and 0.1 ng/mL resulted in 35%, 14.6%, and 12.5% decreases in calcium deposition, respectively (Figure 2B). However, despite the lower percentage decrease in osteogenesis in FVB cells, it is worth noting that the decrease in calcium deposition when FVB MSCs were cultured with 10 ng/mL of either cytokine or with 1 ng/mL of IL-1β is more than the total calcium deposition of control BALB/c MSCs. The suppression of BALB/c osteogenesis by TNFα was confirmed by a decrease in mineral deposition by alizarin red staining (Figure 2C). Magnified images of alizarin red stained BALB/c and FVB MSCs stimulated to undergo osteogenesis are also shown (Figure 2D and E).Adipogenesis was induced in both BALB/c and FVB MSCs, with BALB/c demonstrating a higher adipogenic potential with an Oil Red O value of 0.6 at 450 nm. Adipogenesis in BALB/c was reduced by 66% when 10 ng/mL TNFα was added to the culture medium. A lower concentration of TNFα suppressed adipogenesis only marginally, 4.8% reduction with 1 ng/mL TNFα, while IL-1β at 10 or 1 ng/mL reduced adipogenesis by approximately 25%. The addition of either cytokine at 0.1 ng/mL had no significant effect on BALB/c adipogenesis (Figure 3A). Representative images of the suppression of BALB/c MSC adipogenesis by TNFα and IL-1β are shown in Figure 3C. FVB MSCs had less adipogenic potential that BALB/c MSCs, and there was no suppression of this differentiation pathway by either pro-inflammatory cytokine at any dose (Figure 3B,D).
Effect of inflammatory cytokines on osteogenesis of mouse mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in vitro . Osteogenesis was suppressed in a dose-dependent manner by both tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) and interleukin-1-beta (IL-1β). This was statistically significant in (A) BALB/c and (B) FVB MSCs compared with MSCs differentiated in the absence of pro-inflammatory cytokines. MSCs cultured in complete expansion medium only did not undergo differentiation (negative control). The dose-dependent inhibition of osteogenesis in FVB and BALB/cMSCs was demonstrated by alizarin red staining (C), and a representative micrograph of alizarin red staining of BALB/c MSCs is also shown (D). FVB MSCs stimulated to undergo osteogenesis and stained with alizarin red and control FVB MSCs are shown (E). Data shown are mean calcium per well ± standard error of the mean of triplicate experiments. *P <0.05, **P <0.001 (two-way analysis of variance).
The absolute decrease in calcium per well of FVB and BALB/c cells stimulated to undergo osteogenesis in the presence of pro-inflammatory cytokines. A decrease in calcium production was demonstrated in all wells with response by FVB cells statistically greater than that for BALB/c preparations in two culture conditions. aP <0.05. IL-1β, interleukin-1-beta; SD, standard deviation; TNFα, tumor necrosis factor-alpha.
Effect of inflammatory cytokines on adipogenesis of mouse mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in vitro . Adipogenesis was suppressed by tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) and interleukin-1-beta (IL-1β) in a dose-dependent manner in (A) BALB/c MSCs compared with positive control cultures differentiated in the absence of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Negative controls represent MSCs cultured in complete expansion medium only. A similar trend was seen in (B) FVB MSCs but did not reach statistical significance. The effect of pro-inflammatory cytokines on BALB/c adipogenesis was also demonstrated by Oil Red O staining (C). A representative image of Oil Red O staining of FVB cells cultured in adipogenic medium is shown (D). Data shown are mean absorbance of dissolved Oil Red O ± standard error of the mean of triplicate experiments. *P <0.05, **P <0.001 (two-way analysis of variance).
Differentiation studies were carried out with MSCs expressing AdsrIκB or with non-transduced MSCs in the presence of curcumin. The suppression of osteogenesis in BALB/c and FVB MSCs by 10 ng/mL of either pro-inflammatory cytokine was not rescued by inhibition of the NF-κB pathway by either of these methods (Figure 4A, B). Osteogenesis remained suppressed in terms of calcium deposition and mineralization (Figure 4C). Similarly, the suppression of adipogenesis by TNFα and IL-1β in BALB/c MSCs was not affected by interference of the NF-κB pathway as demonstrated by measurement of Oil Red O absorption (Figure 5A) and staining (Figure 5B).
Cytokine-mediated suppression of osteogenesis was not reversed by modulation of the nuclear factor-kappa-B (NF-κB) pathway. Negative controls consisted of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) cultured in complete expansion medium, and positive controls represent MSCs stimulated to undergo osteogenesis, MSCs transduced with a super-repressor inhibitor of NF-κB (AdsrIκB) before differentiation, and MSCs differentiated in the presence of curcumin at a concentration of 25 μM (CQ 25). Osteogenesis was suppressed in (A) BALB/c and (B) FVB MSCs by 10 ng/mL tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) and interleukin-1-beta (IL-1β) compared with controls and was not rescued by MSC transduction with AdsrIκB or by the addition of curcumin at 10 μM (CQ 10) or 25 μM. The suppression of osteogenesis of BALB/c MSCs, irrespective of transduction with AdsrIκB, was also demonstrated by alizarin red staining (C). Data shown are mean calcium per well ± standard error of the mean of triplicate experiments. *P <0.05, **P <0.001 (two-way analysis of variance).
Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα)-mediated suppression of adipogenesis was not reversed by modulation of the nuclear factor-kappa-B (NF-κB) pathway. Negative controls consisted of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) cultured in complete expansion medium. Positive controls represent MSCs stimulated to undergo adipogenesis, MSCs transduced with AdsrIκB before differentiation (AdsrIκB), and MSCs differentiated in the presence of curcumin at a concentration of 25 μM (CQ 25). The suppression of adipogenesis by TNFα was statistically significant in (A) BALB/c MSCs compared with controls. Transduction of MSCs with AdsrIκB or addition of curcumin at 10 μM or 25 μM to culture medium (CQ 10, CQ 25) had no effect on differentiation and did not reverse the effect of TNFα. The reduction of adipogenesis in BALB/c MSCs by TNFα and the lack of effect of inhibition of the NF-κB pathway were also demonstrated by Oil Red O staining (B). Data shown are mean absorbance of extracted Oil Red O ± standard error of the mean of triplicate experiments. *P <0.05 (two-way analysis of variance).
Both BALB/c and FVB MSCs migrated preferentially toward FBS-containing medium compared with serum-free medium (Figure 6A,B). When pre-stimulated with either TNFα or IL-1β, migration toward medium supplemented with FBS was significantly greater when compared with non-pre-stimulated control migration toward FBS (Figure 6A,B). The effect of cytokine pre-stimulation on migration was greatest in BALB/c MSCs and was not reversed by suppression of the NF-κB pathway either by viral transduction with AdsrIκB (Figure 6C) or by the addition of curcumin to the cultures (Figure 6D). Similarly, inhibition of the NF-κB pathway had no effect on the augmentation of FVB migration by pro-inflammatory cytokines (Additional file 1).
Pre-stimulation (PS) with pro-inflammatory cytokines increased migration of murine mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) toward fetal bovine serum (FBS) in vitro independently of the nuclear factor-kappa-B (NF-κB) pathway. In BALB/c (A) and FVB (B) MSCs, a significant increase in migration toward 10% FBS was demonstrated compared with serum-free medium controls. PS of BALB/c and FVB MSCs with 50 ng/mL of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) or interleukin-1-beta (IL-1β) for 24 hours increased migration of MSCs toward FBS medium compared with non-PS MSCs. Transduction of MSCs with AdsrIκB did not reverse the effect of pre-stimulation (C). Similarly, addition of 25 μM curcumin did not reverse the effect of pre-stimulation with TNFα (D). Data shown are the mean ± standard error of the mean of triplicate experiments. *P <0.05, **P <0.001 (two-way analysis of variance).
The regenerative capacity of MSCs holds great promise in the development of treatments for autoimmune inflammatory disorders characterized by tissue destruction. We have shown that the genetic background may influence the ability of MSCs to suppress inflammation in an allogeneic host: in vitro MSCs from various genetic backgrounds could suppress secretion of TNFα by activated DBA/1 T cells, but only syngeneic and partially mismatched MSCs suppressed IFNγ production . Additionally, when comparing the overall effect of MSCs on the ratio of Th1 to Th2 cytokine production, fully allogeneic BALB/c MSCs were shown to have the least immunosuppressive effect. In vivo in a CIA model, allogeneic MSCs exacerbated disease progression and this was also evident biochemically with higher levels of IL-17 and IL-1β detectable in the sera of these mice . A recent paper using allogeneic MSCs has demonstrated that MSCs may actually perpetuate inflammation through alterations in T-cell profiles and upregulation of Th-17 . When the outcomes in these studies are considered, so too must be the potent pro-inflammatory milieu of CIA. CIA is predominantly a Th1-driven disease with Th2 cytokines present during remission. While TNFα and IL-1β are key mediators of inflammation, the role for IFNγ in CIA is complex with a peak in early disease and evidence of a disease-limiting role in late disease, decreasing IL-17 production and osteoclast precursors while increasing the activity of T regulatory cells [45–49]. Furthermore, data in antibody-induced arthritis in rats and spontaneous severe erosive arthritis in mice suggest that abrogation of the inflammatory milieu with a protease inhibitor may facilitate the immunosuppressive properties of MSCs in delivering a clinically apparent amelioration of disease .
Both TNFα and IL-1β have been shown to affect the characteristics of MSCs, and several pathways have been implicated in this. In particular, the NF-κB pathway modulates the differentiation and migration of human MSCs [27, 37, 50], and there are some limited data on the role of NF-κB in the migration of murine MSCs . Here, we have looked at the effects of TNFα and IL-1β, key cytokines in RA and CIA, on the ability of murine MSCs to differentiate and migrate in vitro. It has been clearly demonstrated that both BALB/c and FVB MSCs have less osteogenic and adipogenic potential in the presence of pro-inflammatory cytokines. FVB MSCs were shown to have a greater osteogenic potential than BALB/c MSCs when cultured under the same conditions; however, both had a similar absolute reduction in calcium deposition when co-cultured with inflammatory cytokines. In the case of adipogenesis, BALB/c MSCs consistently demonstrated a higher adipogenic capacity than FVB MSCs and were more sensitive to cytokine exposure, with an almost threefold reduction in lipid vacuole formation when incubated with higher doses of TNFα. Pro-inflammatory cytokines had no significant effect on FVB MSC adipogenesis, nor did they influence the osteogenesis or adipogenesis of MSCs isolated from DBA/1 mice (results not shown).
Both BALB/c and FVB MSCs migrated preferentially toward medium containing FBS in vitro, compared with serum-free medium, with a higher migratory capacity consistently demonstrated in FVB cultures. This migration was augmented by pre-stimulation with TNFα and IL-1β at relatively high doses in both cell types. The magnitude of this effect was similar in both cell types, with an approximately 1.5-fold increase in the number of cells migrating.
Owing to the central role of NF-κB in the perpetuation of immune activation in arthritis and its importance in the response of human MSCs to inflammation, it was hypothesized that this pathway was likely to be involved in the response of murine MSCs to pro-inflammatory cytokines. Curcumin is derived from turmeric and has been shown to inhibit NF-κB as well as downregulating cyclooxygenase-2, nitric oxide synthase, and matrix metalloproteinase-9 . It has also been reported that curcumin can promote osteogenesis and inhibit adipogenesis in rat MSCs, although the mechanism for this is unclear . A pathway of particular interest is the p38 MAPK pathway, and it has been demonstrated that alterations in differentiation potential of human MSCs by modification of the actin cytoskeleton are associated with changes in the levels of phosphorylated p38 MAPK . As well as a possible role in actin binding, p38 MAPK activity may affect bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-regulated osteogenesis [54, 55]. Indeed, addition of curcumin may mediate some of its effect through the p38 MAPK pathway. The use of curcumin has been demonstrated to stimulate this pathway in some situations  whereas in others it may act through p38 inhibition . One such study demonstrated that curcumin inhibited both NF-κB and MAPK pathways in TNFα-treated HaCaT cells, suggesting that the local inflammatory environment may affect the mode of action . However, successful disruption of the NF-κB pathway with the super-repressor IκB was also insufficient to rescue either the differentiation or migratory capacity of either BALB/c or FVB MSCs in this study, confirming that this pathway is unlikely to be responsible for the effects seen.
Recently published in vivo data demonstrate that the inflammatory milieu interferes with the ability of MSCs to suppress the immune system and that this may be rescued by the use of protease inhibitors . Here, we have demonstrated that pro-inflammatory cytokines found in inflammatory arthritis have the ability to affect some of the fundamental characteristics of MSCs, differentiation and migration, and furthermore that this effect is not consistent across genetic backgrounds. In contrast to the data on human MSCs, this phenomenon is not mediated by the NF-κB pathway. In light of this, other pathways such as MAPK and P13K will need to be looked at.
Interestingly, in contrast to the response to TNFα or IL-1β, stimulation of MSCs with IL-6 did not activate the NF-κB pathway in mouse MSCs as demonstrated with the NF-κB-driven luciferase. It has been suggested that IL-6 can increase migration of human MSCs in vitro and has important effects on rat MSC proliferation, migration, and differentiation mediated by STAT3 signaling pathways [59, 60]. Therefore, the role of IL-6 in mediating mouse MSCs in inflammation may be important and warrants further investigation.
A large body of literature continues to focus on the therapeutic potential of MSCs in inflammatory and neoplastic disease processes, and the role of the NF-kB pathway continues to be studied. In the involvement of human MSCs in the pathogenesis of bowel cancer, it has been reported that β catenin in MSCs regulates NF-κB activity via members of the TNF receptor super family. De-regulated catenin activity in MSCs may contribute to the development of colorectal tumors, particularly in patients with inflammatory bowel disease ; given the effects of MSC differentiation in vivo, it is thought that human MSC osteogenesis is an important step in the development of vascular calcification. Studies report that the NF-κB pathway is central to complement receptor-mediated MSC osteogenesis and that modification of this may have a functional impact on vascular calcification . This may be of particular importance in chronic inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, which are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease . Furthermore, the NF-κB pathway has been implicated in enhanced migration and adhesion of human MSCs after exposure to TNFα .
These data all relate to the role of NF-κB signaling in relation to human MSCs. Therefore, we must consider the fact that murine studies of inflammatory conditions and MSCs reported in the literature may not predict what will be observed with human MSCs based on their responsiveness to NF-κB. It is clear that caution is required in the interpretation of in vivo studies of murine MSCs not only in CIA but in any condition where the inflammatory milieu may have unrecognized effects on MSC function and where the effect of cytokine networks on the cell may be related in part to the cells' genetic background.
This research was supported by the Health Research Board under grant CRT/2007/6 and Science Foundation Ireland under grants 03/CE2/B312 and 09/SRC/B1794.
CBS participated in the study design, cell culture, differentiation and migration assays, and manuscript preparation. RMP participated in the study design, cell culture, and adenoviral assays. FB, CHE, and TR participated in study design and adenoviral preparation. GS participated in cell culture and differentiation assays. JMM conceived the study design and participated in manuscript preparation. All authors have read and approved the final version of this manuscript.


text:
Sonia Ortega
Leadership and determination are two of Sonia Ortega's outstanding qualities, and she has shown both during her undergraduate studies at FIU. As an international student ambassador, Sonia mentored College of Business students from Denmark, Peru, Brazil and the United Kingdom, working across multiple cultures to guide and encourage new business students.
Strong grades guaranteed Sonia's success in the undergraduate international business dual degree program that brought her from the Universidad Iberoamericana (UNIBE) in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, to FIU. In fall 2015, she received a merit scholarship from the College of Business for her academic performance in the dual degree program that's part of an international collaboration between FIU and UNIBE.
Finance and numbers have been a central part of Sonia's life since her childhood. Her grandfather founded an accounting firm in the Dominican Republic where her father and uncle also work. She worked at the firm during summers while in school, and in July 2014 became a trainee in the human resources department and later moved on to the consulting practice. Originally interested in studying law, Sonia realized at 16 that it wasn't her calling, so she went back to her roots and decided to study finance.
Sonia already sees herself as one in the growing number of empowered women business leaders, those who aren't letting their gender get in the way of success. She would like to be a source of empowerment to young women entering the finance and business fields. Sonia's plans include obtaining a Master of Science in financial economics and eventually returning to the Dominican Republic to become a partner in the family's accounting firm.


I haven't updated this blog for a long while, but it doesn't mean I stopped with my astrophotography hobby. It is a frustrating hobby, because depends on the weather conditions, and with the weather in Netherlands, there are a long period where all nights are cloudy, so I have to wait for a great span of time to be able to shot some more pictures. But every session is a learning experience.
Planet astrophotography is very different than deep sky. First place because eventhough it is very small, planets are very shinny. So you need actually very short exposures. And since they are small atmospheric disturbances are a big issue.
So for planetary imaging, it is very common to use videos, instead of pictures. So you make a 100 or more frames video (which is nothing more than 100 pictures). The more frames the better, but not too much, because the planet is spinning in its rotation, so if you make the video very long, the features of the planet will shift slightly and you lose the details.
For my first trial, I am very happy with the result. I think i could improve a bit in the focus. And I believe I could have taken 1000 frames, instead of the 200 I did. Also, in the scope, I could see 5 of Jupiter Moons, but once you set up the configuration to see well Jupiter's features, the Moons disappear. In the second picture I manage to have some few pixels in there that are 2 of the closest big moons.
In this same night I also got some shots of Venus, but they were to bad to get any nice picture. Will try again when the weather let me.


BeCarousel is a brand designed by Dace Krievina-Bahmane. This girl is a graduate student of Latvia's academy of art, one of the founders of a popular concept store "Paviljons" in Latvia and also is a fashion editor at Cosmopolitan. Her new collection is made from the most desirable fabrics of every girl: light fabrics, transparent folds and soft draperies. Leather jackets and romantic dresses take a very important role in the clothing line too. It's a mix of goldenHollywoodage and contemporary street style.


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Q: Link to iTunes Music in Swift I like to forward app to iTunes or Apple Music (like done for Instagram or FV) when user clicks a button, below code gives found nil error. Is there a way to do that? Or even better play previews in my app.
 var url  = NSURL(string: "itms://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ne-olacak-dj-funky-c-vs-ogün-dalka-single/id1202943921")

    if UIApplication.shared.canOpenURL(url! as URL) {
        UIApplication.shared.openURL(url! as URL)
    }

A:
This method expects URLString to contain only characters that are allowed in a properly formed URL. All other characters must be properly percent escaped. Any percent-escaped characters are interpreted using UTF-8 encoding.

and you need to encode it before passing it to NSURL, you can do this via stringByAddingPercentEncodingWithAllowedCharacters
 let url  = URL(string: "itms://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ne-olacak-dj-funky-c-vs-ogün-dalka-single/id1202943921".addingPercentEncoding(withAllowedCharacters: .urlQueryAllowed)!)
     if UIApplication.shared.canOpenURL(url! as URL) {
        UIApplication.shared.open(url!, options: [:], completionHandler: nil)
    }

for that error you need to follow this
This is a new enforced security measure that apple has implemented on any app that is build in iOS 9.
The only solution so far is to add an entry in the info.plist file with the Key LSApplicationQueriesSchemes and add "itms" and any other url scheme that your app will be linking to in this array.


Love it and love all your outfits! Looking forward to seeing more!
You are really so stylish!
I usually don't take pics of myself really, too self-conscious! But I wanted to tell you that I LOVE the outfit with the white peplum skirt, you look awesome!
haha, great idea and beautiful outfits!


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i have an ongoing crm project with sap crm sales mobile 1.2.1.
Well, we have installed all the compontents that is required but i have a problem on connecting from mobile (IPAD) to SAP.
I can easly connect to SUP with a user which is activated from SUP Control Center, but all my created accounts, contacts stays in pending on mobile side and i can't download any account or other data from SAP.
Where is the config for SAP on SUP side ? After connecting to SUP from mobile device, there must be a configuration that targets the SAP instance,system id, ip adres or other parameters to download data. where is it ?
After PIN code section a popup appears asks my SAP user and pass but nothing happens. No download and upload.
pls help. this is very urgent.
There are several potemtial root causes.