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Cracked LCD- Summoner Wars IOS in Review: The Promised Land
July 5, 2012 August 6, 2020 Michael Barnes Featured, Mobile, Reviews, Tabletop
Effectively, this is the third time I've reviewed Colby Dauch's Summoner Wars. The first time was back in 2009, when the original release of four factions split into two boxes was edged out of the Game of the Year prize by Chaos in the Old World. The second time was when the Master Set, which included six all new factions, came out last year. In between those releases were tons of great add-on decks that I didn't formally review, but all come with my highest recommendation. The third review is for the new IOS app from Ascension-meisters Playdek, which was finally released after what seemed like an endless wait yesterday.
So before you wonder "should I try Summoner Wars on the iPhone or iPad", you should know that I absolutely adore this game in its physical form and I think it is one of the best board games in the past decade. It's a dead simple game but the various factions and unit types, coupled with variable setup and optional deck construction options, make this a near-perfect mix of easy rules and compelling depth. And it's a design unafraid of the all-or-nothing die roll or of favoring momentum over turn-to-turn balance.
TL;DR version. Each player has a deck of cards. These cards are units and events. You play units by discarding cards out of your accrued magic pile (kills and willful discards), and these go next to wall cards on a grid. Each turn, you move three units and attack with three units- melee or ranged. Roll dice. Three through six is a hit. Some units roll more than others. The goal? Kill the other player's Summoner, a high-powered boss unit. Do you smell something like a little Magic: The Gathering, Chess, a Japanese SRPG, and a tactical miniatures game stewed in a pot? I sure do. And it smells good.
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Mr. Dauch's design is brilliant, modular, and succinct. His experience working with Heroscape at Hasbro shows, and the result is a highly playable, no-fat/no-filler design full of action and compelling decisions.With Playdek doing the honors, I'm pleased to report that Summoner Wars is more than just a great IOS port of a board game. It's the new standard by which all future IOS board games should be judged. By bringing forward the lessons learned from Ascension (not to mention Food Fight and Nightfall), Playdek has delivered the best IOS board game to date, and as a fan of the game I'm very happy to see that it's going out to potentially millions of people with its best face forward, despite a couple of release hiccups in some areas and some minorly glitchy code that will certainly be patched away.
The interface is dead on perfect, but those minor glitches seem to include a little sluggishness in clicking and dragging cards. Regardless, it's easy to play and parse, and even on the iPhone screen it's easy to keep track of what's going on and what you can or can't do. New players will have no trouble at all easing into the game through the tutorial and veterans will appreciate the card gallery and full rulebook.
The asynchrous, Game Center-based multiplayer that Playdek more or less perfected the first time out is back, but they've actually improved it, particularly in terms of stat tracking. You can now see your wins and losses against specific opponents, which is a feature I especially like. You can go forth with a default deck or customize it right before you accept a match. And it's easy to keep several games going at once, ensuring that this game will likely enjoy the same kind of online life that Ascension still has.
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It's a free download, but only if you want to play the Phoenix Elves against the AI. It's not a terrible opponent and it does put up a fight to mid-level players such as myself, but really this game is meant for the async multiplayer. I noticed that matches are listed as 1vs1, which has me wondering if the intent is to eventually include the multiplayer variants. In order to play online at all, you do have to buy at least one deck from one of the other factions for 99 cents. Or, you can do the smart thing and buy everything currently available for $7.99. I'm really surprised that some of the expanded races are available day one, like the Jungle Elves and the Cloaks. There's even a full brace of optional Mercenary units, including some that were promo-only cards. Buy the full package and you'll not want for variety, that's for sure.
I'm really kind of blown away by how well Summoner Wars turned out. It's the perfect kind of game for a touchscreen interface, it's at the right complexity level, and it's extremely polished and professionally made floor ceiling. No sloppy Arial fonts or crude visuals of any kind. This is top notch stuff, and if you have any interest in using your iPad or iPhone as a gaming device then it's a must-download title if ever there were one, unless you just don't do the board games thing at all. But even then, this game has the potential for broad appeal because it's accessible, immediate, and totally addictive.
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I've been playing it almost non-stop since NHS' very own Brandon Cackowski-Schnell sent out a message to us that it was available. I was at Ikea with my family, and I downloaded it right there and snuck off to the bathroom to check it out. When we got home last night after fireworks, that's all I did until about 4am. Game requests were coming in fast and furious, and I played several AI matches with all the different decks. And here I am today, getting those pop-up alerts that it's my turn in five or six games at a time. As with Ascension, I have a feeling that I'm going to be playing this game around the clock for quite some time. I am willing to bet after only a day with it that it will be my most played game- of any type- of 2012.
So, No High Scores High Score Award? You bet your sweet ass.
barnes board games Brandon Cackowski-Schnell Colby Dauch Cracked LCD ios iPad iPhone Playdek Summoner Wars Tabletop
78 thoughts to "Cracked LCD- Summoner Wars IOS in Review: The Promised Land"
Oh, bitter irony. I emailed you about it, and as of this morning, I still couldn't download it. I'm hopeful I'll be able to when I get home, but I haven't heard anything that makes me confident that will happen.
Glad to know that they knocked this one out of the park. Can't wait to play it.
You are not alone. Still getting the 'App no longer available' message.
inthenet says:
yeah… put me in the same company as Chris… I really wanna play this.
DJones says:
Well, I just tried to download this, but got a message saying "the item you tried to download is no longer available"
Epyonx says:
And once again we play our game. Arch-enemies to the last, Barnes.
As a Tundra Orc, let me assure that revenge is a dish best served cold.
Michael Barnes says:
Tundra orcs can fuck right off…that god damned freeze card kills me every time. I'll just play Tundra Orcs against you, make it fair and square.
Epyon says:
Seriously, man. I get you're not on Twitter, but I need a way to chat with you in game. You've had some great moves and it'd be great to be able to talk with you, even if it had to be e-mail. Do you not have a NHS account?
Hobbes says:
Right, you want @ThatFuzzyTiger for me, epyon.
Bill Abner says:
'I was at Ikea with my family'
Someone that likes inexpensive faux-Danish furniture and dollar ice cream cones!
And three dollar meatballs!
Ikea is Swedish…or is that what you meant by faux-Danish?
Mark E says:
Love this game.
Utter rubbish though
Matt Throwee says:
It was a cruel and unfeeling thing to do, to give this a stellar review when so many people cannot play. Me especially.
Have you no empathy? No shame? Damn you. Damn you all to hell.
Woo! Look at me, Ma! I'm playin' Summoner Wars!
Don't you wish you were me!
Matt Thrower says:
Finally got to play it.
" It's the new standard by which all future IOS board games should be judged." – I think that's extreme and hyperbolic, but it's certainly very good indeed.
"The interface is dead on perfect" – Again, it's very good but I'd like an undo button, and I think it's unfortunate that it doesn't start a tutorial when you first play, but buries it in the menu, and comes pre-set with a match (PE vs Orcs) that you can't play.
I also think it would be useful to highlight that you can't play online until you've bought a deck. It's a fair restriction since you're using Playdek's servers to play on, but it could be clearer.
Also, the AI is medium at best, although I haven't seen it on all the factions yet.
But these are minor niggles some of which (AI! AI!) will hopefully improve. There's a real dearth of tactical combat games on iOS, it's pretty much Risk clones or Small World and nothing inbetween, at least until this came along and filled the gap more than nicely.
Yes! An undo button! At least in the Summon/Event/Move/Magic Build stages.
Dirk says:
This review is way, way premature. They rushed this game out and it has major problems, both technical and in design conceptions. Two quick ones that gave me losses in matches I did not deserve:
1 hour match. Fantastic game, lot of fun, back-and-forth. I finally make the decisive moves and am inevitably going to win. Guess what? Server goes down. When it works again two hours later, I have a forfeit loss because it kept my clock running even though I couldn't sign in. Brutal.
30 minute match. Not a great game, but a bunch of turns. Gets down to a few minutes left. My opponent finishes his turn with 20 seconds left, and I get the forfeit. Never mind that I whipped thru my turns and he easily used the majority of the clock. The fact that I happened to be the one in control when the timer ended meant I auto-lost, musical chairs style. Huge fail.
There are other problems, lots of them. But this review is really perfunctory. I suspect this game will eventually deserve the review, but it certainly doesn't at launch.
I'm not seeing any significant problems, definitely nothing out of the ordinary. I haven't had a single server issue the entire time, either. In sum, I think calling out "major problems" is way, way premature. 😉
Anyway, it's 1.0 software. It's going to have some minor bugs, and that should be expected. They do not damage the quality of the game or its exectuion. Playdek's support has always been great, so I can wait a month to review the game to see if they'll fix them (which they will) or I can go ahead and tell you that this is a great, great game.
The only issue approaching serious that I've seen is the sluggishness, which hasn't been a problem, just an annoyance.And there again, that's something that will likely be patched soon.
Ready and waiting here. ::(Hobbes):: is the gcid.
Also, check out a game called outwitters. It's brilliant.
CraigM says:
Mine is Falcon059, have all factions, know precisely one of them. Will pick army at random, so enjoy the chaos 😉
Added, bring it!
Hobbes, this is jmontgo, are you on Twitter? It'd be great to chat with you about games. My twitter name is EpyonMX.
PS, Sorry about Triple-Freezing your Summoner. 😉
Once I remember my twitter pm I'll post my details.
Falcon059 on gamecenter, biking_gamer on twitter. Game on
LoomistheCard says:
I'd just like to be able to PLAY IT
Still in download limbo myself
Jeff Talor says:
The implementation is fine IMHO. Server connectivity and dropped connections are to be expected in week one of a release. I'm just not that crazy about the game itself. Seems like a very simple card drawing game hooked up to a very simple tactical board game. Maybe if I try more factions things will look better. But after about 10 matches so far I can't see playing this game for a long stretch.
Talor if I said the sky was blue you'd say it was puke green. 😉
There's quite a lot of depth, don't let the simplicity fool you. The factions all have a number of options, there's the resource mechanic to consider, and tactical manuevering/positioning is critical. Then there's the die rolls to shake up your plans and give you those do-or-die moments.
It's really not much of a card game…you could easily put a miniature down in lieu of the card and have the card off to the side to denote its stats and abilities and it'd be the same game. The only card game aspect is in determining when to hold on to units or to toss them in the magic pile.
Well, I can DL the game, finally. Gamecenter tag is Amazesmore if you want a match.
I think there are a lot of design and implementation issues. Hopefully they are fixed well as you expect.
Bob Fett says:
So far the only thing I don't like is that I can't buy the bundle. No idea if this is an Apple issue or a Playdek issue.
As for the game itself?
It's Summoner Wars. Not sure what design issues there are…shrug, works great for me!
I don't like that when the AI plays an event card that I don't have time to read what it does. Unless there is a setting I missed.
Dave Fitzgerald says:
You don't need to know what it does. It wrecked you.
The Summoner Wars AI.
You did miss it. In the options there's a "tired old man eyes" tick box.
Not really. But there is a game speed setting that slows things down so you can read everything. Eventually you won't need to read everything, though.
Dan Spezzano says:
For event cards with lasting effects the cards that are buffed usually have an icon on them. Double tap the card and hold on the icon.
For cards that instantly give you damage, well watch your cards get moved off the board Oh and the one that steals your magic, that's easy to see as well.
So far 20+ games in the only problem I have some effects. Lets say I want to use 2mp to heal a common unit (I forget which summoner this is) it is really not evident how to use this. Or the Ice Shard ability etc.
But they are working…some dude just blasted me with Ice Shard.
Yeah as far as I can tell all such abilities are activated by clicking on the unit icon (not the card as a whole, specifically the unit portrait). This can be very tricky on an iPhone, much to my chagrin.
That was slightly mean of me, how'd you find the dwarves?
Oh yeah they are working some are just tricky to figure out. Greater Raise for example, required playing the event card on my summoner during the event phase, then clicking on his ability on the car during the attack phase. Then I had a really hard time picking the cards out of my discard pile, honestly I am still not sure how I triggered clicking on them to placing them because I pressed about 10 times.
Also Bill to your original question you can also hit the other summoners discard pile to see what events were played since they are in order in that pile.
heh, it wasn't too bad, I kinda misread how my zombies played. I kept infecting your units, but with no zombies in discard it did little good. Plus with being at work, the timer kinda made me go into rush/ panic mode and completely screw up my last few turns.
This latest game seems to be going slightly better for my angels?/ guardians?
It was until this last turn *evil*
You know when it's a good turn when you score the achievement "bring the hurt"
Guild dwarves are very turtle based, plays well into my cautious and defensive playstyle. These jungle elves need to attack attack attack.
Hang that, I'm doomed!
I had no right to win that last game, being able to move my gorilla twice thanks to chant of haste was cheeky in the extreme.
*cough* sorry
Well played on your part though, got a few stares though as I yelled and facepalmed.
No apologetic victories!
That game was genuinely nip and tuck, whereas the undead vs dwarves game, I felt a lot more able to dictate the pace of the game, sitting back and letting you throw yourself at my guardsmen, then whip out the merc spears when it was time to start smashing.
This time I spent the last five turns praying fervently to the deities you'd not rouse that tyrannical brute fucking thing with eight wounds and send it down to try and finish off my summoner, thankfully I guess I had enough firepower to make you hang back in case I pulled a swift run with the lion riders.
Brrr, I need to go back to the deck builder and tinker some more with the jungle elves setup.
Jungle Elves are all about mobility.
Says the guy who's like 0-10 with them.
They're something between an ambush and an alpha strike deck, there's a definite feel of "you get one shot but it's a very good shot", if they get munched or run into a solid defence they're in trouble.
rainynight65 says:
Okay, I'm a little pissed off now.
First, I couldn't load the game for two days with my Aus account. Managed to get it with my German account, but didn't get much of a chance to play it. Lost the tutorial once.
Today, it showed up as an update on the German store. I also was able to load it with my Australian account. Now I am trying to play, and after the second round the tutorial just stops. I know that there are still a few steps before the tutorial lets me do my own thing, but those aren't happening. It just hands over into my summoning phase, without me actually being able to do anything (7 magic, but can't proceed or end phase).
Am I overlooking something? I'm going to sleep now. Wake me when it's working again.
you need to summon your champion I think, if I recall correctly. Worked on my end before.
I get that, but I can't.
Here's what happens. The AI plays its third move, where it summons the champion. It finishes the attacks, then my draw phase happens. The game then just sits there, doesn't give an instruction and I can't do anything. Believe me, I tried tapping and dragging every inch of that board to see what's going on.
Can't reply to Hobbes, so I'll do it here…yeah, the Jungle Elves are a blitzkrieg faction. I'm seeing time and time again that you can run up and play really aggressively with them, but if you don't put the boot in right away, you get bogged down. Some of the expansion units like the Gorilla and Elephant help somewhat with that.
But I'm experimenting with playing them really up front- summoner and all- and using that Chant of Deception to get him out of hot water.
I think it's my favorite faction, outside of some of the ones in the Master Set and the new Filth one.
Dwarves. As you are finding out with me being a total bastard to dislodge 😉
Loving the matches with CraigM, just lost the last one, brilliant bit of ambushing, and I nearly got out of the net too, damn damn damn. I really should sort out a good IM client to chat to people (for some reason the game centre doesn't have chat?)
Yeah I think I'm leaning towards the cloaks as my preferred faction. They have great powers to get behind you and lay the hurt, which works for me better than most powers. Had that last play failed though, I don't think I had the manpower to run against your Phoenix elves.
Really digging the game, definitely makes you plan ahead.
Everything in the game is a trade off, discarding to get magic powers your more expensive summons but can rip your deck apart if you aren't careful, events can throw a safe win into doubt, and all the units are well balanced. Genuinely appeals to me. The cloaks are a real hit and run / skirmishing setup, weak, but able to warp about with some nice benefits if they can lock down units. Even more flimsy than the jungle elves I think, but they gain with additional flexibility and force projection.
Ok Hobbes I am back o n line (power went out AGAIN today)
Added you to my Friend list.
It's on! (I suck at this game..lets play NHex!:)
This really gets to the heart of what makes this design so succinct and brilliant- EVERYTHING is a trade off, and in very explicit terms. Every card played or used to build magic, every move made, ever wall played, every attack…it feels like there's something else you should have done. And when you lose or a game starts to slide downhill, you can almost always say "yep, that was where it went to shit, right there. Because I did X instead of Y".
But weighing the options also has that die roll kicker and the touch of oppositional cardplay in the events…so nothing iis ever certain.
The Cloaks are really, really cool. They require a certain finesse to play well, a finesse that I don't have. Or other folks, apparently, as evidenced by their last place showing on the most winning factions.
CraigM sucker punched me with them earlier, I was merrily ripping a new one out of his forces, didn't keep a close tab on possible summon ins (who would have believed wall placement decides a match) and promptly got gangbanged in all directons as cloaks seemed to materialise out of the goddamn air.
Those goblins… Ugh, they're a one shot army too, but not in the good way like the jungle elves, they are dependent on good positioning AND good luck with event draws AND tactical missteps on the part of the opponent. Not my favourite so far.
It was a desperate gambit. That seems to be what makes cloaks tick. That teleport ability that activates all of their units of the same type is situational, but awesome. If my first guy hadn't hit then you wouldn't have gotten trapped. All of their abilities seem to key on taking the most bold reckless move available.
The goblins are a bit better than you give credit I think. Have had some success personally. They get extra attacks after your normal attacks are done with their base unit. Using their events to grant swift strike can make them a death by a thousand paper cuts deck. Really just discard their flinders for magic, and try to mass cheap units, and mix in the odd champion seems to work for the base deck.
Of course the 'top' decks are mostly the ones I like least. Perhaps the more unusual the deck, the better it works for me.
Danjuro says:
Oh you are so right : in my first online game – versus Craig as a matter of fact – a single, decisively bad move of my summoner just turned an already bad situation (because of his orks' reckless harassing of my… what are they, fire elves ? Why didn't you camp behind your walls like the A.I. anyway, Craig?!) into what seems now like a nightmarish trip to a quick demise.
I didn't experience such self-loathing since the days of Good Old Go.
Wonderful game.
Hex is being funny about inviting you, not sure why, set up a game and invite me!
I need to invent new swearwords for the frost orcs, yes I do…
Ha I would have used a few myself there. A lucky event draw saved my skin there after you froze my elf summoner and pounded him to within one HP of defeat. When your summoner hit with ALL 4 attacks, yeah I was cursing/ praying your next attacks would miss.
These games have been near classics. Razor thin margins, could go either way at any time. Beautiful chaos.
These games remind me of the glory days of Magic the gathering, which I used to play with the physical cards, and it was joyous. Am utterly loving the game and god bless NHS for bringing together some absolutely awesome company.
I bet Barnes too, always a plus 😉
Eh, everybody beats me…I'm terrible! I think I'm losing 15 game simultaneously right now.
Lovely dwarf on dwarf action last match.
Craig, got a twitter account? I'd like to chat to you as well as be able to play
@ThatFuzzyTiger is me
I don't, but after this weekend (my brothers wedding is tomorrow) I might have to set one up. Too much chat I'm missing.
Beat. God damn you autocorrect.
Caralon says:
Well, you talked me into it. I'm giving it a go now. My GCID is Aztiel, if anyone would ever like to play with me.
Friending you, bring the noise!
I suck badly at goblins, Craig just -schooled- me
Hargrada says:
A great game, but there's something that really bothers me. The way you select special powers on units (by touching the picture of your unit) has screwed me over a bunch of times, especially single use abilities like the one Ret-Talus has. Go in for the attack but, surprise, I pressed the wrong side of the tiny card on my screen and now have to summon something from my discard pile. Or attack with the 3 dice on my fire drake, only to find out I accidently used his special for 1 damage (both are actual things that happened to me in a game).
All I know is that I suck at this game.
"No sloppy Arial fonts or crude visuals of any kind."
As an iPhone 3GS owner, I would greatly have preferred "sloppy Arial fonts" to the tiny pixelated unreadable junk fonts that Playdek use in all their games. If you have a non-retina iPhone, "crude visuals" is exactly what you get.
Eador: Masters of the Broken World (Epic Sized) Interview
War of the Roses Beta Signups


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The sail on the foremast of a schooner, or the lowest square-sail on the foremast of a squarerigger.
A low rail around the outer edge of the deck.
A short line leading directly from the boat to the dock.
A small sailboat. dead downwind. sailing in a direction straight downwind.
Lengths of line or webbing used to secure sails when they are dropped or to secure the unused port ion of a reefed sail.
Not c 1 ose- hauled.
O utsid e the ra i 1 of a boat.
Sliort lengths of yam or cloth attached to the sails which indicate when the sail is properly trimmed.
The an g i e of the mast.
The outer edges of the deck.
The rope that is sewn into the foot and luff of some mainsails and the luff of some jibs by which the saits are attached to the boat.
Lay out a line on the deck using large loops to keep it from becoming tangled.
To undo reefs and spread a sail.


because it tells right away if the years savings goes negative.
with the list feature, the income taxes are removed from the yearly income.
of the properties bought & sold.
Persons earning in excess of 1,000,000 per year whom are: Celebrities, Sports persons, Musicians, Lecturers, or Entertainers.
Cargo & Cruise Ship docking fees.
Gasoline & Gazoil & Benzine companies.
So, taxation is only for a few unique situations, of business, or career.
included on the updated budget sheet, under tax collection.
"The 25% income tax cannot be passed on to consumers"


What? Huh? Could you repeat that?
Those, unfortunately, have become standard phrases in my vocabulary. It's taken me a long time to admit it: I'm hard of hearing, and not just a little. My low-end hearing is shot, meaning I have a tough time with speaking voices, especially if I'm not looking right at the person who's speaking to me. I've been told by hearing specialists that despite the fact my radio career requires me to wear headphones and attend loud concerts regularly, my particular kind of hearing loss has little to do with listening to loud noises and instead is probably genetic, which makes sense, since my mother had horrible hearing—despite never once attending a Keith Urban concert.
I've tried hearing aids but so far haven't had much success—they just seem to amplify everything in the room so that I not only hear what you're saying to me, but also every other conversation, along with the squeak of some guy's shoe and the buzzing of a fly in the far corner. For now, I've resigned myself to the high probability that this is something I'm going to have to live with. Unfortunately, the same is true for my family and my colleagues—all of whom have occasionally expressed frustration when I ask them to repeat themselves because either I couldn't make out what they said at all, or, more commonly, I misinterpret it.
See, it's not that I don't hear anything at all. I do. I hear plenty. As I type this I can hear the coffee maker behind me, the jangle of tags on my dog's collar upstairs, chirping birds outside. However, when someone is speaking, certain sounds within their speech morph together in a kind of audio blur, like an ink smudge marring a handwritten note. So I'll hear parts of words but not others, and it happens so quickly that my subconscious—and this was explained to me by an audiologist—reflexively tries to fill in those gaps by instantly offering up what it thought was said. The result is a real-life version of those Internet "Bad Lip Reading" videos.
This is where it's at least a tiny bit entertaining—some of the misinterpretations can be really goofy. In fact, I started keeping track, writing down some of the weirder ones, along with what was actually said. Here's a glimpse into my world.
Said: How far do we have to go?
Heard: Bow to your burrito.
Said: Did you get the dogs some food?
Heard: Did you get a dollar a whip stick?
Said: Bet they would cut those for us.
Heard: Bet they have a cut bass forest.
Said: You'll get your order when I do.
Heard: You wore a sword too.
Said: How long is this gonna take?
Heard: Who else has a skin tag?
Said: The surface area has to be smooth.
Heard: The circus mattress has to be moved.
Said: I'm setting up a garage sale.
Heard: I need to satisfy my brow set.
Said: That's what I'm saying.
Said: Did she have another baby?
More than 20 million Americans have some kind of hearing loss, and that number is growing as the population ages. If you think you might be one, get it checked. Most minor hearing loss can be helped. I keep my fingers crossed that technology will eventually catch up with the kind of loss I have. In the meantime, if I ask you to repeat yourself, please be patient. It's not that I wasn't paying attention—I just know there's no way you made a comment about a "rich kingdom of puppy hills." And I'd really like to know what you actually have to say.


text:
Going through separation
Getting a divorce
Common-law couples
What you need to know before you move in with someone
What happens if your common-law partner dies?
If you're in a relationship with someone and you're planning to move in together, there are a few things you need to know about your legal rights and responsibilities, especially if you separate later or one of you dies.
What you need to know usually depends on whether you're considered to be:
a spouse, or
a common-law partner.
People become spouses when they get married. But you can also be a spouse under the law if you're not married.
When you live with someone without being married, it's often called living in a marriage-like relationship. (You might call it being in a common-law relationship.) If you do this, the law usually sees you as a spouse after a certain amount of time.
That amount of time isn't the same for all federal and provincial laws:
some laws treat you as spouses after you've lived together for at least two years
other laws treat you as spouses after you've lived together for just one year, or even less
BC provincial law treats you as spouses if you've lived together for any length of time and you have a child together (unless you have an issue about dividing property)
Even if a law treats you as a spouse, that doesn't mean you're married. You're only married if you have a legal marriage ceremony and get a marriage licence. See Marriages, divorces, and annulments inside and outside Canada for more about this.
Expand the sections below to find out more about the different issues that affect people in common-law relationships.
You're always responsible for helping to support your children, whether you live with them or not. See Child support for more about this.
If you move in with someone who has children, you might have to pay child support when you separate if:
you helped to support the children for at least one year during your relationship with the children's parent, and
the parent applies to the court for support from you within one year of the last time you contributed to the children's support.
But even if this happens, your responsibility to pay child support isn't the same as the children's parents' or guardians' responsibility to pay it.
A court would also look at:
the children's standard of living when they lived with you, and
how long you lived with their parent.
What if you want to make your own agreement about child support?
If you're living together, you can't make an agreement about what you'll do about child support if you separate.
The BC Family Law Act says that agreements about child support are only legal if they're made:
after you separate, or
when you're about to separate.
Even if you make an agreement after you separate, the court can order you to pay child support according to the Child Support Guidelines instead. You can't make an agreement that gets you out of your legal duty to support any children or stepchildren.
This area of law is complicated, so while there are some general rules about it, they might not work in your situation.
See Dividing property and debts after you separate for more detail about this. And think about speaking to a lawyer.
Here's some basic information to get you started.
In BC, the law about dividing property after separation is the same for:
married couples, and
couples who've lived together for at least two years.
If you separate, the law says that, unless you make a different agreement, all the property that you or your spouse own on the day you separate is family property, no matter whose name it's in. Family property is divided equally. But you get to keep excluded property, which is:
anything you had before you began your relationship
gifts from other people that were meant to be just for you
inheritances
some parts of personal injury settlements
You share equally the increased value of excluded property.
Things get complicated legally when it comes to how excluded property is treated when it's mixed with joint property:
you each get to keep what you had before you moved in together, but
you each get an equal share in the increased value of any property that either of you had before the relationship, and
you each get to keep half of any property that you got while you were together. It doesn't matter who actually owns the property. If one or both of you got it while you were living together, you now divide it equally.
How do you share the increased value of family property?
When you separate, the law about dividing the increased value in family property applies to lots of things. For example:
certain insurance policy payments
See section 84 of the Family Law Act for more detail about what the law says is family property.
But some types of property and assets aren't divided equally. These are called excluded property. They include gifts and inheritances that were given to only one spouse.
See section 85 of the Family Law Act for a full list of what the law says is excluded property.
But even if you own excluded property, you and your spouse each get an equal share of any increase in its value that happened while you were together.
Say:
you owned your home before you met your spouse,
the house is in your name only,
your spouse moved in with you later, and
you lived there together for more than two years before you separated.
If the house increased in value by 20 percent while you lived in it together, you're now each entitled to half of the value of that increase.
For example, if your house was worth $400,000 when your spouse moved in with you, and it was worth $480,000 when your spouse left you two years later, you and your spouse get equal shares of the $80,000 increase in the house's value.
In BC, the law about sharing debts after separation is the same for:
If you separate, unless you make a different agreement:
the law says that debts taken on by you or your spouse while you were living together (called family debt) are shared equally when you separate, no matter whose name the debts are in, and
debts that either of you take on after separation to take care of family property (for example, to repair the roof of the family home) are also shared equally, but
even though you have equal responsibility for family debt, the people you owe money to (your creditors) can only collect the debt from the person who signed for it. If you both signed, the creditor can collect from either of you.
This rule doesn't apply if it would be really unfair to split the debt equally.
What if you and your spouse don't want to share property and debt if you split up?
You and your spouse can write an agreement at any time during your relationship or after you separate that says how you want to divide your property and debts if you separate.
To find out more about making agreements, see:
Making an agreement when you live together, and
Making an agreement after you separate
What if one person changes their mind about the agreement?
This can be complicated. See How do you change an agreement? for more detail about this.
Here are some basic facts to get you started.
Courts don't like to overturn agreements about dividing property and debt.
But a judge might cancel or change this type of agreement if:
one spouse didn't share important information about property or debt
one spouse took advantage of the other
one spouse didn't understand what they were signing
the agreement is "significantly unfair" (see section 95 of the Family Law Act to find out more about what that means)
If provincial or federal laws see you as a spouse or common-law partner, you might be able to get some benefits. But you might also lose some benefits, such as social assistance benefits.
For social assistance laws, you're treated as spouses if:
you're married, or
you've lived together in a marriage-like relationship:
for the last three months in a row, or
for nine of the last twelve months, and
one of you depended on the other financially
Seniors benefits
Spouses who are married or have lived together for at least one year can get some federal benefits when they're seniors. For example:
Old Age Security (OAS) pension
Spouse's Allowance
Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS)
You're eligible for OAS if:
you're 65 or older,
you're a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, and
you've lived in Canada for at least 10 years since the age of 18.
The Spouse's Allowance is for couples with low incomes. It's paid to spouses who are between 60 and 64 years old if their spouse:
is 65 or older, and
gets an OAS pension.
If you get the Spouse's Allowance and you separate, your Allowance will stop three months after you separate.
GIS is based on the combined incomes of you and your spouse. If you separate and your own income is low, you might be able to get GIS as a single person.
Canada Pension Plan credit splitting
If you and your spouse separate after you've lived together for one year, the contributions that you each made to the Canada Pension Plan while you were living together are shared equally between you unless you have an agreement or order that says they will not be shared. This is called credit splitting.
But it doesn't happen automatically. You have to apply.
See Dividing pensions and other benefits after you separate to find out more about this.
MSP and medical and dental benefits
You can get coverage on the provincial Medical Services Plan for your partner no matter how long you've lived together. To get your partner covered, sign them up for the plan. But you'll have to pay a higher family rate.
If you or your partner has medical or dental insurance through work, ask the plan administrator about coverage for your partner.
When it comes to wills, the law sees you as spouses if you've been living together as a couple for at least two years right up until one of you dies.
If you separate before one of you dies, you're not spouses any more. It doesn't matter how soon after you separate one of you dies.
The law says quite clearly that you have both a legal and moral obligation to provide for your spouse and children (even children who're now adults) in your will. If you don't leave them anything, they can challenge your will after you die.
If you die without making a will, your spouse automatically gets part of your estate.
You can only list things that you own by yourself in your will. Things that you own jointly with your spouse (like a home or joint bank accounts) automatically belong to your spouse after you die.
Also, a will doesn't apply to assets where you've already named a beneficiary, such as life insurance, RRSPs, RRIFs, and TFSAs.
For more detail about this, see:
What happens if your common-law partner dies?, and
these Canadian Bar Association Dial-A-Law scripts:
Making a Will and Estate Planning (Script 176), and
What Happens When You Die Without a Will? (Script 177).

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Jubilee Hall Trust's Armoury gym in Camden will be offering up to 320 local residents the opportunity to take part in regular exercise for free! All Camden residents in receipt of benefits will receive letters giving them the opportunity to join The Armoury, Central YMCA club or one of Camden council's leisure centres free of charge in January. Residents who take up the offer and visit five times or more in the first month can get up to 3 additional free months.
The initiative, called Give It A Go!, is a partnership between the council, NHS and the leisure operators, and has run successfully on two previous occasions, and, in 2009, was nominated for the Chief Medical Officers Public Health Award.


text:
Q: R append to data.frame during loop from list variables I am downloading a list of url which becomes a list.  To run the list I use a loop.  during the loop I use cbind to append the results to a data.frame.  The way I mad it work does not seem the best way. I am wondering what other ways to accomplish this.  To make the rbind work I had to take a copy of the file sturcture and use it as a blank template. There has to be a more R way to do this, so before I run the loop I run it once to get structure:
final <- final[1,]
library(stringr)
library(gdata)
library(XML)

# get the files for department of revenue  OFM

url = "http://dor.wa.gov/Content/AboutUs/StatisticsAndReports/stats_taxretail.aspx"

# use xml to get the names of the files that are xls and xlsx that have data
links = htmlParse(url)
src = xpathApply(links, "//a[@href]", xmlGetAttr, "href")
xls.src = src[grep(".xls", src, fixed=T)]
# xls.src = xls.src[1:3] # testing size

base = "http://dor.wa.gov"
for (i in seq(xls.src)){
  url = paste0(base, xls.src[[i]])
  download.file(url, destfile="file.xls")
  retail <- read.xls("file.xls", header=TRUE)
  names(retail) <- tolower(names(retail))
  retail <- retail[complete.cases(retail$location),c(1,2, 5, 6)]
  retail$year <- paste0(unlist(str_extract_all(url, "\\(?[0-9]")), collapse="")
  names(retail)[3:4] <- c("firms", "taxable sales")
  final = rbind(final, retail) # final starts here with 1 row of dummy data
}
# this removes the first
wa.retail <- final[-1, ]

A: Rather than doing a for loop, use lapply to generate a list of data.frames. Then you can rbind them all at the end with do.call. Here's a sketch
dfs <- lapply(xls.src, function(src) {
    download.file(src, destfile="file.xls")
    read.xls("file.xls", header=TRUE)
})
final <- do.call(rbind, dfs)

Here dfs will be a list of data.frames generated by each call to read.xls. You can add back in all the data cleaning, but this is generally a better strategy.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


If you failed to make a sale even though you sat at your desk for hours every day calling clients, it's hard to believe you'll get a pat on the back - or a promotion. Results matter.
Ariely said that the best way to motivate kids to achieve success is to praise their effort over the outcome - and the same logic applies to motivating adults. He said, "Often what we do is we reward or punish the outcome. And we do it in the business world as well: We give people bonuses if what they did was successful, regardless of whether the process was good or bad."
On the one hand, evaluating employees based on their results makes sense. The workplace isn't a school - you're there to benefit the company, not to learn and practice your skills (or at least not exclusively).
He writes that talented teachers are given ultra-detailed lesson plans to follow every day, leaving little to no room for creativity and autonomy. Teachers are instructed to "teach to the test," or the standardized exam at the end of the school year. Their performance is measured - and their compensation determined - largely based on their students' scores on those tests.


text:
Reporting Grants
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Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
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Since 1912, Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism has led the way for the media's future, educating and training students from around the world to become accomplished professional journalists.
Uniquely positioned in the media capital of the world and at one of America's finest universities, Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism prepares students to become leaders in the industry and shape the path of the profession. The Journalism School's programs cover the bedrock values of journalistic excellence, ethics, inquiry and professional practices and most of all, deep reporting skills, using New York City as a laboratory.
Students learn to thrive in the evolving world of digital media, using new tools to uncover, analyze and explain the stories of our time across every platform. Thinking globally while reporting locally, students — from more than 40 nations every year — train as part of an international community that transcends borders.
The cornerstore of Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism is the one-year Master of Science (MS) Program, offering aspiring and beginning journalists the opportunity to acquire sophisticated newsgathering skills that emphasize in-person, interview-based reporting as well as other means of acquiring and assessing information with specializations in data journalism, investigative reporting and documentary filmmaking.
The Journalism School's Documentary program, a three-semester specialization that is part of the MS , combines world-class training in long-form visual storytelling. Students spend two semesters —10 months — learning fundamental skills in developing sources; writing strong news stories, finding and verifying information; acquiring and using data and how to make data visual for readers on all platforms, including video. They learn techniques for recording video, capturing high-quality sound recordings and editing. They also learn the business side of documentary production—grant writing, negotiations, rights and clearances and how to develop a winning production trailer to promote their work.
A third semester allows students to focus on producing and editing their documentary, which serves as their capstone Master's Project. Documentary students generally work in teams and are individually coached by advisers who are recognized documentary producers. Students then screen their films to the public in our annual DocFest each December as they graduate. We expect the resulting films to be published online, on cable or on broadcast media outlets. Many of the graduates have been successful in doing so.
Columbia Graduate School of Journalism also has a nine-month Master of Arts program for people who are experienced, established reporters who are proficient in the essential skills of journalism. MA students specialize in coverage of Arts & Culture, Business & Economics, Politics & Global Affairs, or Science, Environment & Medicine, taking a far deeper dive into reporting on particular subject areas.
Additionally, Columbia Journalism School offers Dual Degrees in Computer Science and Journalism, and dual programs in Law, Business, Religion and International and Public Affairs. Students also may apply for international dual degree programs with Sciences Po in Paris and University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, as well a Doctor of Philosophy in Communications.
Columbia Journalism School administers several prestigious awards that uphold the standards of media excellence, a tradition founder Joseph Pulitzer began when he established the school in 1912 and endowed the Pulitzer Prizes at Columbia in 1917. The Journalism School also annually confers the Alfred I. duPont Columbia Univeristy Awards in broadcast, documentary and online reporting. The school also publishes the Columbia Journalism Review.
https://journalism.columbia.edu
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July 10, 2019 | General news, Awards
Student Fellows Receive BAFTA Award
Holly Piepenburg
Winning documentary details life of migrant farm worker living in Connecticut and supporting family in Mexico.
June 13, 2019 | Pulitzer Center
A Father's Day of Sacrifices
Sana Malik
A passing tradition at a farm in Connecticut on Father's day signifies so much for the men who leave their families to work.
June 05, 2019 | Project news, Education news, Awards
Student Fellow Filmmakers Named Finalists in 2019 BAFTA Student Film Awards
Meghana Mysore
Student Fellows Ingrid Holmquist and Sana Malik are finalists for the 2019 BAFTA Student Awards for their film that tells the personal story of a migrant worker from Mexico with broader resonance.
May 29, 2019 | General news, Education news
How One Intersex Woman Is Fighting for Intersex Visibility in the LGBTQIA Community
Dan Haverty
Tatenda Ngwaru discusses the ongoing struggles of intersex people in interview with Shondaland.
Student Fellows
Yuhong Pang
Student Fellow
Yuhong Pang is a journalist and documentary filmmaker from China. She received her Master's degree from the Columbia School of Journalism documentary program in 2018. Her work has been published in...
Robert Tokanel
Robert Tokanel is a journalist and documentary filmmaker whose work has been published on The New York Times Learning Network, Boston.com, and Mic. He has...
Sana A. Malik is a documentary filmmaker and freelance journalist currently based in New York City. Sana has previously produced video for the Toronto Star and the Canadian Press,...
Ingrid Holmquist
Ingrid Holmquist is a journalist and filmmaker from Nebraska. Ingrid worked as an Assistant and Photo Editor for National Geographic Photographer Joel Sartore where she focused on documenting the...
Thea Piltzecker
Thea Piltzecker is a documentary journalist based in New York. She is currently developing a new season of "Death Row Stories" for CNN at Jigsaw Productions. As a freelance associate producer, Thea...
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Liz Scherffius is a documentary filmmaker and data journalist based in New York City. As an associate producer and researcher at Zero Point Zero Production, she is developing an investigative...
Max Toomey
Max Toomey is a full-time video journalist at the Daily Beast where he creates short journalistic films on topics ranging from transgender youth in America to Turkish Star Wars. Max...
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Sarah Bellingham is a freelance documentary producer and video journalist whose credits include HLN's Inside with Chris Cuomo (Associate Producer and Shooter), HHMI's Great Transitions:...
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text:
Q: Error of using Zip function is returning missing result I want to scrape some data from the website so I write the code to create a list which contains all records. And then, I want extract some elements from all records to create a dataframe.
However, some information of the dataframe is missing. In the all data list, it has the information from 2012 to 2019 but the dataframe only has 2018 and 2019 information. I tried different ways the resolve the problem. Finally, I find out if I do not use Zip function, the problem will not occur, may I know why and if I do not use Zip function, any solution I can use?
import requests
import pandas as pd

records = []
tickers = ['AAL']

url_metrics = 'https://stockrow.com/api/companies/{}/financials.json?ticker={}&dimension=A&section=Growth'
indicators_url = 'https://stockrow.com/api/indicators.json'

# scrape all data and append to a list - all_records

for s in tickers:

    indicators = {i['id']: i for i in requests.get(indicators_url).json()}
    all_records = []

    for d in requests.get(url_metrics.format(s,s)).json():
        d['id'] = indicators[d['id']]['name']
        all_records.append(d)

    gross_profit_growth = next(d for d in all_records if 'Gross Profit Growth' in d['id'])
    operating_income_growth = next(d for d in all_records if 'Operating Income Growth' in d['id'])
    net_income_growth = next(d for d in all_records if 'Net Income Growth' in d['id'])
    diluted_eps_growth = next(d for d in all_records if 'EPS Growth (diluted)' in d['id'])
    operating_cash_flow_growth = next(d for d in all_records if 'Operating Cash Flow Growth' in d['id'])

# extract values from all_records and create the dataframe

    for (k1, v1), (_, v2), (_, v3), (_, v4), (_, v5) in zip(gross_profit_growth.items(), operating_income_growth.items(), net_income_growth.items(), diluted_eps_growth.items(), operating_cash_flow_growth.items()):
        if k1 in ('id'):
            continue

        records.append({
            'symbol' : s,
            'date' : k1,
            'gross_profit_growth%': v1,
            'operating_income_growth%': v2,
            'net_income_growth%': v3,
            'diluted_eps_growth%' : v4,
            'operating_cash_flow_growth%' : v5
        })

df = pd.DataFrame(records)
df.head(50)

The result is incorrect. It only has 2018 and 2019 data. It should have data from 2012 to 2019.
        symbol  date    gross_profit_growth%    operating_income_growth%    net_income_growth%  diluted_eps_growth% operating_cash_flow_growth%
0   AAL 2019-12-31  0.0405  -0.1539 -0.0112 0.2508  0.0798
1   AAL 2018-12-31  -0.0876 -0.2463 0.0 -0.2231 -0.2553

My excepted result:
    symbol  date    gross_profit_growth%    operating_income_growth%    net_income_growth%  diluted_eps_growth% operating_cash_flow_growth%
0   AAL 31/12/2019  0.0405  0.154   0.1941  0.2508  0.0798
1   AAL 31/12/2018  -0.0876 -0.3723 0.1014  -0.2231 -0.2553
2   AAL 31/12/2017  -0.0165 -0.1638 -0.5039 -0.1892 -0.2728
3   AAL 31/12/2016  -0.079  -0.1844 -0.6604 -0.5655 0.044
4   AAL 31/12/2015  0.1983  0.4601  1.6405  1.8168  1.0289
5   AAL 31/12/2014  0.7305  2.0372  2.5714  1.2308  3.563
6   AAL 31/12/2013  0.3575  8.4527  0.0224  nan -0.4747
7   AAL 31/12/2012  0.1688  1.1427  0.052   nan 0.7295
8   AAL 31/12/2011  0.0588  -4.3669 -3.2017 nan -0.4013
9   AAL 31/12/2010  0.3413  1.3068  0.6792  nan 0.3344

A: import requests
import pandas as pd

records = []
tickers = ['A', 'AAL', 'AAPL']

url_metrics = 'https://stockrow.com/api/companies/{}/financials.json?ticker={}&dimension=A&section=Growth'
indicators_url = 'https://stockrow.com/api/indicators.json'

for s in tickers:
    print('Getting data for ticker: {}'.format(s))
    indicators = {i['id']: i for i in requests.get(indicators_url).json()}
    all_records = []

    for d in requests.get(url_metrics.format(s,s)).json():
        d['id'] = indicators[d['id']]['name']
        all_records.append(d)

    gross_profit_growth = next(d for d in all_records if 'Gross Profit Growth' == d['id'])
    operating_income_growth = next(d for d in all_records if 'Operating Income Growth' == d['id'])
    net_income_growth = next(d for d in all_records if 'Net Income Growth' == d['id'])
    eps_growth_diluted = next(d for d in all_records if 'EPS Growth (diluted)' == d['id'])
    operating_cash_flow_growth = next(d for d in all_records if 'Operating Cash Flow Growth' == d['id'])

    del gross_profit_growth['id']
    del operating_income_growth['id']
    del net_income_growth['id']
    del eps_growth_diluted['id']
    del operating_cash_flow_growth['id']

    d1 = pd.DataFrame({'date': gross_profit_growth.keys(), 'gross_profit_growth%': gross_profit_growth.values()}).set_index('date')
    d2 = pd.DataFrame({'date': operating_income_growth.keys(), 'operating_income_growth%': operating_income_growth.values()}).set_index('date')
    d3 = pd.DataFrame({'date': net_income_growth.keys(), 'net_income_growth%': net_income_growth.values()}).set_index('date')
    d4 = pd.DataFrame({'date': eps_growth_diluted.keys(), 'diluted_eps_growth%': eps_growth_diluted.values()}).set_index('date')
    d5 = pd.DataFrame({'date': operating_cash_flow_growth.keys(), 'operating_cash_flow_growth%': operating_cash_flow_growth.values()}).set_index('date')

    d = pd.concat([d1, d2, d3, d4, d5], axis=1)
    d['symbol'] = s
    records.append(d)

df = pd.concat(records)
print(df)

Prints:
           gross_profit_growth% operating_income_growth% net_income_growth% diluted_eps_growth% operating_cash_flow_growth% symbol
2019-10-31  0.0466               0.0409                   2.3892             2.4742              -0.0607                     A
2018-10-31  0.1171               0.1202                   -0.538             -0.5381             0.2227                      A
2017-10-31  0.0919               0.3122                   0.4805             0.5                 0.1211                      A
2016-10-31  0.0764               0.1782                   0.1521             0.1765              0.5488                      A
2015-10-31  0.0329               0.2458                   -0.2696            -0.1905             -0.2996                     A
2014-10-31  0.0362               0.0855                   -0.252             -0.3                -0.3655                     A
2013-10-31  -0.4709              -0.655                   -0.3634            -0.3578             -0.0619                     A
2012-10-31  0.0213               0.0448                   0.1393             0.1474              -0.0254                     A
2011-10-31  0.2044               0.8922                   0.4795             0.6102              0.7549                      A
2019-12-31  0.0405               0.154                    0.1941             0.2508              0.0798                      AAL
2018-12-31  -0.0876              -0.3723                  0.1014             -0.2231             -0.2553                     AAL
2017-12-31  -0.0165              -0.1638                  -0.5039            -0.1892             -0.2728                     AAL
2016-12-31  -0.079               -0.1844                  -0.6604            -0.5655             0.044                       AAL
2015-12-31  0.1983               0.4601                   1.6405             1.8168              1.0289                      AAL
2014-12-31  0.7305               2.0372                   2.5714             1.2308              3.563                       AAL
2013-12-31  0.3575               8.4527                   0.0224             NaN                 -0.4747                     AAL
2012-12-31  0.1688               1.1427                   0.052              NaN                 0.7295                      AAL
2011-12-31  0.0588               -4.3669                  -3.2017            NaN                 -0.4013                     AAL
2010-12-31  0.3413               1.3068                   0.6792             NaN                 0.3344                      AAL
2020-09-30  0.0667               0.0369                   0.039              NaN                 0.1626                      AAPL
2019-09-30  -0.0338              -0.0983                  -0.0718            -0.0017             -0.1039                     AAPL
2018-09-30  0.1548               0.1557                   0.2312             0.2932              0.2057                      AAPL
2017-09-30  0.0466               0.022                    0.0583             0.1083              -0.0303                     AAPL
2016-09-30  -0.1                 -0.1573                  -0.1443            -0.0987             -0.185                      AAPL
2015-09-30  0.3273               0.3567                   0.3514             0.4295              0.3609                      AAPL
2014-09-30  0.0969               0.0715                   0.0668             0.1358              0.1127                      AAPL
2013-09-30  -0.0635              -0.113                   -0.1125            -0.0996             0.0553                      AAPL
2012-09-30  0.567                0.6348                   0.6099             0.595               0.3551                      AAPL
2011-09-30  0.706                0.8379                   0.8499             0.827               1.0182                      AAPL


Visit the College of Architecture's Office of Student Services page.
Outstanding contributions to student advising by the Texas A&M College of Architecture's nine academic advisers were recognized with university-level awards presented May 7, 2018.
The group, led by David Wentling, director of student services, earned the Advising Team Award from University Advisors and Counselors, a network of Texas A&M professionals who strive to provide the optimum atmosphere for student academic development.
The college's counselors perform undergraduate advising and recruiting, conduct New Student Conference academic meetings, host open houses, and contribute to numerous, additional college events.
"Each of these advisers is part of a cohesive, high-performance team, focused on continuous improvement and a constant quest for flawless execution in the areas that demonstrate a respectful, caring attitude toward advisees, faculty and staff," said Jorge Vanegas, dean of the college, in an award nomination letter.
At the award ceremony, the team received a plaque and a cash award for professional development or training.
College of Architecture advisory team members are: Zephaniah Bartie, Michael Clement, Kelli Edmunds, Edgar Morales, Jill Raupe, Janet Richards, Rachel Wales, Michael White, and Daniel Wu.
Richards also earned the Ed Guthrie Advising Award, which recognizes professional advising staff who embody the spirit of caring, compassionate, skillful advisement and genuine concern for the welfare of individual students. She received a plaque and cash award.
She was lauded in an award nomination letter by Breanna-Lynn Montalvo, a former Bachelor of Urban and Regional Planning student, who credited Richards with not only serving as an exemplary academic adviser but as a friend who counseled her through some challenging years as an undergraduate.


text:
Co-operative Party publishes 'Ownership Matters' report, making the case for democratic public ownership
The Co-operative Party, Labour's sister Party, has today published detailed proposals for new models of democratic public ownership for key industries including water, energy and rail.
Co-operative Party
The Report argues that Labour's plans to bring industries including water, energy and rail into public ownership are right. However, it argues that for the full benefits for consumers, employees and taxpayers to be realised, democracy and accountability must at the heart of new publicly-owned models.
The Co-operative Party argues that public ownership does not have to mean a return to the models of the past and outlines a '21st century alternative' that includes consumers and the workforce having a real say in the running of these industries in the future.
Advantages of the proposed models include:
An end to the widely acknowledged failings of privatisation.
Services directly accountable to those who use them and have a stake in their success: customers, employees, and taxpayers.
Improved productivity as a result of greater employee and customer involvement.
Making it harder for future governments to under-invest and re-privatise services – ensuring sustainable investment and stewardship for the long-term.
The report calls for:
Not-for-profit, regional water companies which are owned and run by accountable trusts made up of employees and consumers.
Rail services run by not-for-profit train service providers replacing train operating companies, and a new democratic 'Guiding Mind' for the railways to take over from Network Rail.
A new Energy Security Board, accountable to energy customers, employees and other stakeholders, and charged with securing the nation's energy future; democratic regional distribution grids owned and run by consumer and employee trusts; a new generation of community-owned and co-operative renewable generation and energy supply; and a publicly-owned power generation company for large-scale generation.
The Report cites examples from across the UK and beyond, including Welsh Water (Glas Cymru), which became a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee in 2000 after "a peoples bid" to take it out of private ownership. Since then more than £180m has been returned to customers in dividends.
Speaking ahead of the launch, Co-operative Party General Secretary Claire McCarthy said:
Those who want to continue to defend the failed privatisations of rail, energy and water will no longer be able to use the smokescreen that any alternative means a return to the past. What this document sets out is a radical vision for democratic public ownership for the 21st Century.
Public ownership is now a mainstream political position backed by the majority. The time has come to focus on how it can be achieved, and how we maximise the benefits to consumers, employees and the taxpayer. We offer the proposals in this report as a contribution to these discussions.
Labour & Co-operative Party MP Gareth Thomas, who Chairs the Party, said:
For over a century, the Co-operative Party has championed accountable collective ownership and economic democracy. The vision for the water, rail and energy sectors that we have set out today is radical and practical. It will achieve the maximum benefits from public ownership by putting the public centre stage.
ownership-matters
Public ownership that puts people first.
We're making the case for democratic public ownership of key national assets including railways, energy and water.
Receive a copy of our 'Democratic Public Ownership For the 21st Century' report, and to be a part of campaigning to make the plans a reality.
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Therapeutic Parenting Hack #7 – What Is Your Story?
This is Therapeutic Parenting Hack #7 – What Is Your Story?–the seventh of 10 1-minute Therapeutic Parenting Tips for parents of children from difficult beginnings of maltreatment and abandonment. Enjoy.
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text:
\section*{Introduction}

While working on range conditions for a Radon type transform arising in emission medical imaging, the authors \cite{KL89,KL90} (see also \cite{KL13}) discovered that one of their theorems was equivalent to an infinite series of puzzling nonlinear combinatorial-differential identities for the classical exponential, linear, and some trigonometric functions (sic!). Here are the examples:

\begin{itemize}
\item For any non-negative integer $n$ and $u=e^{\lambda x}$, one has
\begin{equation}\label{E:oldexp}
\sum\limits_{k=0}^n \dbinom{n}{k}
\left[\left(\frac{d}{dx}-u\right)\circ \left(\frac{d}{dx}-u+\lambda\right)\circ\dots\circ\left(\frac{d}{dx}-u+(k-1)\lambda\right)\right]u^{n-k}=0.
\end{equation}
\item For $u=\sin\lambda x$, similar identities hold for any odd natural $n$:
\begin{equation}\label{E:oldsin}
\sum\limits_{k=0}^n \dbinom{n}{k}
\left[\left(\frac{d}{dx}-u\right)\circ \left(\frac{d}{dx}-u+i\lambda\right)\circ\dots\circ\left(\frac{d}{dx}-u+i(k-1)\lambda\right)\right] u^{n-k}=0.
\end{equation}
\end{itemize}
In order to avoid quite possible misunderstanding, let us explain briefly the meaning of various terms of these identities.
\begin{remark}
The factors in the $\circ$-products are understood as operators on smooth functions on the line. In particular, $u$ there means the multiplication operator by the function $u$ (exponential or sine). The $\circ$ means the composition of operators, and the order of factors is important, due to them non-commuting. On the other hand, $u^{n-k}$ at the end is considered as a function, to which the operator $[...]$ is applied. If one tries to understand $u^{n-k}$ also as an operator and thus considers $\sum \dbinom{n}{k}[\cdots]\circ u^{n-k}$, the resulting \textbf{operator} is NOT identically equal to zero. It needs to be applied to the function identically equal to $1$ to preserve the identity.
This understanding will be important throughout the text.

It is also why, to avoid misinterpretation, \textbf{we use later the notation $\widetilde{f}$ for the operator of multiplication by the function $f$}.
\end{remark}

In the paper, we significantly extend these results, as well as generalize them to a wider algebraic situation. Namely, the setting in which we obtained these results before was of a commutative algebra (where $u$ belongs to) with differentiation $D$ and $u$ satisfying ``differential equations'' $Du=\lambda u$ or $D^2u=\lambda^2 u$. Now we show that the results have generalization to elements $D$ and $u$ of any associative algebra with a unit, with appropriate conditions on their first and second commutators.

 When these identities appeared in medical imaging, they have attracted quite a lot of attention, especially after discovering their relations to unusual Hartogs type analytic continuation theorems in several complex variables (\cite{AEK,Oktem1,Oktem2,Tum}). It is fair to notice that, in spite of a variety of different proofs and generalizations of the identities available, the authors still feel that they do not have good understanding of the origin of such formulas.

here is the structure of the paper: The main notions are introduced and results stated in Section  \ref{S:results}. Section \ref{S:funct} is devoted to the particular cases of elementary functions. The proofs are delegated to Section \ref{S:proofs}, followed by a final remarks section.

\section{Formulation of main results}\label{S:results}

Let $D$ and $U$ be elements of an associative algebra $A$ over a field $\Q$ with identity $I$ (for instance, the algebra of all linear operators in a vector
space $\mathbb{F}$).

Let us introduce,  lead by (\ref{E:oldexp})-(\ref{E:oldsin}), an $n$th order binomial-type
combination of $D$ and $U$
\begin{equation}B(n,\lambda,U,D):=\sum\limits\limits_{k=0}^{n}\dbinom{n}{k}\left(
\prod\limits_{j=0}^{k-1}\left( D-U+j\lambda I\right) \right) U^{n-k},
\label{Bdef}
\end{equation}
where $n\geq 0$ is an
integer, $\lambda \in\Q$, and $\dbinom{n}{k}$ is the binomial coefficient. When $k=0,$ the product is understood as $I$.

\begin{center}
\textbf{Due to non-commutativity of $A$, we will adhere to the following agreement:
The products $\prod_j \cdots$ are understood in the order of the index $j$ increasing from left to right.}
\end{center}

For instance, $B(0,\lambda ,U,D)=I$, $B(1,\lambda ,U,D)=U+(D-U)=D$, $B(2,\lambda ,U,D)=U^{2}+2(D-U)U+(D-U)(D-U+\lambda I)$, etc., with formulas getting more complex with $n$ increasing.

\subsection{First order commutator}\label{SS:single}

In the following theorems we make certain assumptions about the commutator $[D,U]=DU-UD$.

The following rather surprising result holds:
\begin{theorem}\label{T:No U}
Suppose that $\left[ D,U\right] =\lambda U$. Then $B(n,\lambda ,U,D)$
does not depend on $U$. Moreover,
\begin{equation}
B(n,\lambda ,U,D)=B(n,\lambda ,0,D)=\prod\limits_{j=0}^{n-1}\left(
D+j\lambda I\right) .
\end{equation}
\end{theorem}

\begin{remark}\indent
\begin{itemize}
\item If $D$ and $U$ commute ($\lambda =0$), then the theorem states that $$B(n,0,U,D)=D^{n},$$ which is an obvious consequence of the standard binomial
formula. Indeed, when $D$ and $U$ commute,
$$B(n,0,U,D)=\sum\limits_{k=0}^{n}\dbinom{n}{k}\left( D-U\right)
^{k}U^{n-k}=(D-U+U)^{n}=D^{n}.$$
\item The equality $[D,U]=\lambda U$ is homogeneous of degree one with respect to $(D,\lambda)$. Homogeneity is not obvious for the originally defined $B(n,\lambda,U,D)$, however the statement of the theorem implies that the homogeneity does hold:
\begin{equation}
B(n,\lambda ,U,D)=\lambda^n B(n,1 ,U,D/\lambda),
\end{equation} This shows that essentially the study boils down to only the cases when $\lambda=0$ (considered above) and $\lambda=1$,
which simplifies considerations.
\end{itemize}
\end{remark}
Here are some immediate consequences of the Theorem:

\begin{corollary}\label{C:U+W} Suppose $\left[D,U\right] =\lambda U$. Then,
\begin{enumerate}
\item
If $V\in A$ and for some $j\in \{0, ..., n-1\}$, one has $(D+j\lambda I)V=0$, then
\begin{equation}
\left(B(n,\lambda
,U,D)\right)V=0.
\end{equation}

If $A$ is the algebra of linear operators on a vector space, the equivalent reformulation, under the same assumptions, is:
$$
\emph{Ker} (D+j\lambda I)\subset \emph{Ker} (B(n,\lambda
,U,D)).
$$
\item If $[V,W]=0$ and $[D,W]=\lambda W$, then $B(n,\lambda ,V+W,D)$ does not depend on $W$: $$B(n,\lambda ,V+W,D)=B(n,\lambda ,V,D).$$
Indeed, just substitute $D$ in the Theorem with $D-V$.
\end{enumerate}
\end{corollary}

For what follows, it is interesting to understand what happens with  $B(n,\lambda ,U,D)$ when $\left[ D,U\right] =-\lambda U$ (notice the wrong sign in the commutation relation, and thus Theorem \ref{T:No U} describes $B(n,-\lambda ,U,D)$, rather than $B(n,\lambda ,U,D)$). Things get more complicated here.

In the following results we denote by $\mathbb{F}_{0}$ the set of all $V\in A$ is such that $DV=0$. We use the standard notation $(2m-1)!!$ for $1\cdot 3\cdot
...\cdot (2m-1).$

\begin{theorem}\label{T:wrongsign} Let $\left[ D,U\right] =-\lambda U$, then
\begin{itemize}
\item $B(n,\lambda ,U,D)|_{\mathbb{F}_{0}}=0$ for any odd $n$,
\item $B(n,\lambda ,U,D)|_{\mathbb{F}_{0}}=(n-1)!!(-2\lambda U)^{n/2}|_{\mathbb{F}_{0}}$ for even $n>0$, and
\item $(2D+\lambda nI)B(n,\lambda ,U,D)|_{\mathbb{F}_{0}}=0$ for all $n\geq
0$.
\end{itemize}
\end{theorem}
The reason why we interested in this case will be clear in the proof of Theorem \ref{T:2ndU} below.
\subsection{Second order commutators}\label{SS:double}

Here we will be interested in using conditions on the second order commutators $[D,[D,U]]$ and $[U,[D,U]]$. Here, the condition $[D,U]=\lambda U$ is replaced with $[D,[D,U]]=\lambda ^{2}U$ (notice that we preserve the $(D,\lambda)$-homogeneity)\footnote{For elementary functions example (see the next section), this means switching from exponential to trigonometric functions.}. We are interested in behavior of the polynomials $B(n,\lambda ,U,D)$ in this situation.

\begin{theorem}\label{T:2ndU} Suppose $[D,[D,U]]=\lambda ^{2}U$ and $[U,[D,U]]=0$. Then
\begin{itemize}
\item $B(n,\lambda ,U,D)|_{\mathbb{F}_{0}}=0$ for all odd $n$,
\item $B(n,\lambda ,U,D)|_{\mathbb{F}_{0}}=(n-1)!!([D,U]-\lambda U)^{n/2}|_{\mathbb{F}_{0}}$  for
all even $n>0$, and
\item $(2D+\lambda nI)B(n,\lambda ,U,D)|_{\mathbb{F}_{0}}=0$ for all $n\geq
0$.
\end{itemize}
\end{theorem}

\begin{remark} Theorem \ref{T:2ndU} (unlike Theorem \ref{T:No U}) remains nontrivial even when $\lambda =0.$
\end{remark}

\section{Differential identities for some elementary functions}\label{S:funct}
Here we apply the above results to the algebra of linear operators acting in the vector space $\F:=C^\infty(\R)$
of all smooth functions on the real line.
 \begin{definition}\indent
 \begin{itemize}
 \item We \textbf{denote by $\widetilde{f}$ the operator of multiplication by such a function $f(x)$}.
 \item We use the notation $\1$ for the function that is identically equal to $1$.
 \item We also denote $D:=d/dx$.
 \end{itemize}
 \end{definition}

\subsection{Exponential functions}\label{SS:exp}
It is clear that $e^{-j\lambda x}$ belongs the kernel of $D+j\lambda I$ and, in particular, $1$ is an element in the kernel of $D$.

Now one clearly has
$$[D,\widetilde{e^{\pm \lambda x}}]=\pm\lambda \widetilde{e^{\pm \lambda x}}.$$
Thus, the results of Section \ref{SS:single} apply to produce the following formulas:
\begin{theorem}\label{T:newexp}
 \begin{equation}
B(n,\lambda ,d/dx,\widetilde{e^{\lambda x}})e^{-j\lambda x}=0\mbox{ for all }n>0\mbox{
and }0\leq j\leq n-1,
\end{equation}
\begin{equation}
B(n,\lambda ,d/dx,\widetilde{e^{-\lambda x}})\textbf{1}=0\mbox{ for all odd }n,
\end{equation}
\begin{equation}
B(n,\lambda ,d/dx,\widetilde{e^{-\lambda x}})\textbf{1}=(n-1)!!(-2\lambda )^{n/2}e^{-n\lambda
x/2}\mbox{ for all even }n>0,
\end{equation}
\begin{equation}
(2d/dx+\lambda nI)B(n,\lambda ,d/dx,\widetilde{e^{-\lambda x}})\textbf{1}=0\mbox{ for all }n>0.
\end{equation}
\end{theorem}

\subsection{Trigonometric functions}\label{SS:trig}
Since multiplications by functions commute, we have in this case the condition $[\widetilde{f},[D,\widetilde{f}]]=0$, needed in
Section \ref{SS:double}, automatically satisfied for any smooth function $f$.

Let us now check the condition $[D,[D,\widetilde{f}]]=\lambda^2 \widetilde{f}$ for the natural candidates: trigonometric and hyperbolic sine and cosine.

It is an easy computation that
when $U=\widetilde{\sin \lambda x}$ is the operator of multiplication by $\sin \lambda
x$,  then $[D,U]=\lambda \widetilde{\cos \lambda x}$, $[D,[D,\widetilde{\sin \lambda x}]]=(i\lambda )^{2}\widetilde{\sin \lambda x}$, and as we have mentioned above, $[U,[D,U]]=0$ is automatic.

Thus, the results of section \ref{SS:double} provide the following set of differential
identities for sine functions:

\begin{theorem}\label{T:newsin}
\indent\begin{itemize}\item
\begin{equation}
B(n,i\lambda ,d/dx,\widetilde{\sin \lambda x})\textbf{1}=0\mbox{ for all odd }n,
\end{equation}
\item
\begin{equation}
B(n,i\lambda ,d/x,\widetilde{\sin \lambda x})\textbf{1}=(n-1)!!\lambda ^{n/2}e^{-in\lambda x/2
\mbox{ for all even }n>0,
\end{equation}
\item
\begin{equation}
(2d/dx+i\lambda nI)B(n,i\lambda ,d/x,\widetilde{\sin \lambda x})\textbf{1}=0\mbox{ for all }n>0.
\label{(c)}
\end{equation}
\end{itemize}
\end{theorem}

\begin{remark}
Similar identities hold for any solutions of the differential equation $\dfrac
d^{2}u}{du^{2}}=\lambda ^{2}u,$ including cosines, hyperbolic
sine and cosine, and linear functions.

In particular, here are the binomial-type identities for
linear functions:
\begin{itemize}
\item\begin{equation}
B(n,0,d/dx,\widetilde{(ax+b)})\textbf{1}=0\mbox{ for all odd }n,
\end{equation}
\item
\begin{equation}
B(n,0,d/dx,\widetilde{(ax+b)})\textbf{1}=(n-1)!!a^{n/2}\mbox{ for all even }n>0,
\end{equation}
\item
\begin{equation}
(d/dx)B(n,0,d/dx,\widetilde{(ax+b)})\textbf{1}=0\mbox{ for all }n>0.
\end{equation
\end{itemize}
\end{remark}

\subsection{Change of variables}

One can play with changes of variables in the formulas of Theorems \ref{T:newexp}
and \ref{T:newsin}, to get a variety of new identities. For instance, the change $x\to x^{2}/2$ and correspondingly $d/dx \to x^{-1}d/dx$ gives
\begin{equation}
B(n,\lambda ,\frac{1}{x}\frac{d}{dx},\widetilde{e^{\lambda x^{2}/2}})e^{-j\lambda x^{2}/2}=0\mbox{
for all }n>0\mbox{ and }0\leq j\leq n-1,
\end{equation}
while $x \to \ln x, d/dx \to x\,d/dx$ produces
\begin{equation}
B(n,\lambda ,x\frac{d}{dx},\widetilde{\lambda x})x^{-\lambda j}=0\mbox{ for all }n>
\mbox{ and }0\leq j\leq n-1.
\end{equation}

\subsection{Vector functions}\label{SS:vector}
The results easily translate to vector-valued functions. Let $\mathbb{F}$ is the space of all smooth $\C^m$-valued functions. Then the kernel of $D=d/dx$ consists of constant column
vectors $\overrightarrow{c}$. Let $A$ be an $m\times m$ constant matrix. Then
the following set of statements hold:\\
\begin{enumerate}
\item $$
B(n,\lambda ,d/dx,\widetilde{e^{\lambda x}A})e^{-j\lambda x}I=0\mbox{ for all }n>0\mbox{
and }0\leq j\leq n-1,
$$
\item
$$
B(n,\lambda ,d/dx,\widetilde{e^{-\lambda x}A})\overrightarrow{c}=\overrightarrow{0}\mbox{
for all odd }n,
$$
\item
$$
B(n,\lambda ,d/dx,\widetilde{e^{-\lambda x}A})\overrightarrow{c}=(n-1)!!(-2\lambda
)^{n/2}e^{-n\lambda x/2}A^{n/2}\overrightarrow{c}\mbox{ for all even }n>0,
$$
\item
$$
(2d/dx-\lambda nI)B(n,\lambda ,d/dx,\widetilde{e^{-\lambda x}A})\overrightarrow{c}
\overrightarrow{0}\mbox{ for all }n>0,
$$
\item
$$
B(n,i\lambda ,d/dx,\widetilde{\sin \lambda xA})\overrightarrow{c}=\overrightarrow{0
\mbox{ for all odd }n,
$$
\item
$$
B(n,i\lambda ,d/x,\widetilde{\sin \lambda xA})\overrightarrow{c}=(n-1)!!\lambda
^{n/2}e^{-in\lambda x/2}A^{n/2}\overrightarrow{c}\mbox{ for all even }n>0,
$$
\item
$$
(2d/dx+i\lambda nI)B(n,i\lambda ,d/x,\widetilde{\sin \lambda xA})\overrightarrow{c}
\overrightarrow{0}\mbox{ for all }n>0.
$$
\item
If $A_{1}$ and $A_{2}$ are commuting $m\times m$ matrices, then

$$
B(n,0,d/dx,\widetilde{A_{1}x+A_{2}})\overrightarrow{c}=\overrightarrow{0}\mbox{ for all
odd }n,
$$

$$
B(n,0,d/dx,\widetilde{A_{1}x+A_{2}})\overrightarrow{c}=(n-1)!!A_{1}^{n/2}\overrightarrow
c}\mbox{ for all even }n>0,
$$

$$
(d/dx)B(n,0,d/dx,\widetilde{A_{1}x+A_{2}})\overrightarrow{c}=\overrightarrow{0}\mbox{
for all }n>0.
$
\end{enumerate}
\section{Proofs}\label{S:proofs}
\subsection{Proof of Theorem \ref{T:No U}}
We start with the following lemma, which can be easily
proved by induction.

\begin{lemma}\label{L1} \indent
\begin{enumerate}
\item If $\left[ D,U\right] =\lambda U$, then $\left[ D,U^{m}\right]
=\lambda mU^{m}$ for all integer $m\geq 0$.
\item If $[D,U]=V$, $[U,V]=0$, and $[D,V]=0$, then
[D,U^{m}]=mVU^{m-1}$ for all natural $m.$
\end{enumerate}
\end{lemma}

We now provide a different representation for $B(n,\lambda,U,D)$.

\begin{lemma}\label{L2} For all $n>0
\begin{equation}
B(n,\lambda ,U,D)=\sum\limits\limits_{k=0}^{n-1}\dbinom{n-1}{k}\left(
\prod\limits_{j=0}^{k-1}(D-U+\lambda j)\right) (D+\lambda kI)U^{n-1-k}.
\label{(2)}
\end{equation}
\end{lemma}
\textbf{Proof} Using $\dbinom{n}{k}=\dbinom{n-1}{k}+\dbinom{n-1}{k-1},$ we
can rewrite $B(n,\lambda ,U,D)$ as follows:
$$
\begin{array}{c}\label{E:L2}
\sum\limits\limits_{k=0}^{n-1}\dbinom{n-1}{k}\left(
\prod\limits_{j=0}^{k-1}\left( D-U+j\lambda I\right) \right) U^{n-k}\\
+\sum\limits\limits_{k=1}^{n}\dbinom{n-1}{k-1}\left(
\prod\limits_{j=0}^{k-1}\left( D-U+j\lambda I\right) \right) U^{n-k}.
\end{array}
$$

(\textbf{We remind the reader that in the products the order is in increasing $j$ (or $k$) from the left to the right! })
Changing $k$ to $k+1$ in the second sum and combining both
sums proves the lemma. $\Box$.

\textbf{Proof of Theorem \ref{T:No U}}. By definition, $B(0,\lambda ,U,D)=I$ and $B(1,\lambda
,U,D)=D $.

Let now $n>1$ and $\left[ D,U\right] =\lambda U$.  Using Lemma \ref{L1}, we get
$$(D+\lambda kI)U^{n-1-k}=U^{n-1-k}(D+\lambda (n-1)I).$$
Substituting this into
(\ref{E:L2}), we obtain the recurrent formula
\begin{equation}
B(n,\lambda ,u,D)=B(n-1,\lambda ,u,D)(D+\lambda (n-1)I).  \label{(3)}
\end{equation
By induction, (\ref{(3)}) implies Theorem \ref{T:No U} for all $n$. $\Box$

\subsection{Proof of Theorem \ref{T:wrongsign}}

The following lemma (appeared in a somewhat more restricted and implicit form in \cite{KL90}) provides an important insight on the nature of
B(n,\lambda ,U,D)$, and the technique of its proof will be used
below. It uses an additional assumption that $U$ is invertible. It is easy to see that if $\left[ D,U\right] =\lambda U$,
then $\left[ D,U^{-1}\right] =-\lambda U^{-1},$ and the statement of Lemma \ref{L1} holds now for all
integers $m$, including $m<0$.

The following lemma provides a useful recurrent relation for $B(n,\lambda ,U,D)$ in the case when $[D,U]=-\lambda U$.

\begin{lemma}\label{L:wrongsign} If $[D,U]=-\lambda U,$ then
\begin{equation}\begin{array}{l}
B(n,\lambda ,U,D)=B(n-1,\lambda ,U,D)(D+\lambda (n-1)I)
-2(n-1)\lambda UB(n-2,\lambda ,U,D)\\+2(n-1)(n-2)\lambda ^{2}UB(n-3,\lambda
,U,D)  \label{(6)}\end{array}
\end{equation
for all $n>1,$ with the last term absent when $n=2.$
\end{lemma}

\textbf{Proof of Lemma \ref{L:wrongsign}} Using Lemma \ref{L1}, we get $$\begin{array}{l}(D+\lambda kI)U^{n-1-k}=U^{n-1-k}(D+\lambda
(2k-n+1)I)\\=U^{n-1-k}(D+\lambda (n-1)I-2\lambda (n-1-k)I).\end{array}$$
Substituting it
into (\ref{(6)}), we obtain
$$\begin{array}{l}
B(n,\lambda ,U,D)=\sum\limits\limits_{k=0}^{n-1}\dbinom{n-1}{k}\left(
\prod\limits_{j=0}^{k-1}(D-U+\lambda jI)\right) U^{n-1-k}(D+\lambda
(n-1)I)\\-2\lambda \sum\limits\limits_{k=0}^{n-1}\dbinom{n-1}{k}(n-1-k)\left(
\prod\limits_{j=0}^{k-1}(D-U+\lambda jI)\right) U^{n-1-k}.\end{array}$$

Here the first sum is equal to $$B(n-1,\lambda ,U,D)(D+\lambda (n-1)I),$$ in the
second sum the term with $k=n-1$ is zero, and $$\dbinom{n-1}{k}(n-1-k)=(n-1
\dbinom{n-2}{k}.$$ Thus,

$$\begin{array}{l}Z:=B(n,\lambda ,U,D)-B(n-1,\lambda ,U,D)(D+\lambda (n-1)I)\\=-2(n-1)\lambda \sum\limits\limits_{k=0}^{n-2}\dbinom{n-2}{k}\left(
\prod\limits_{j=0}^{k-1}(D-U+\lambda jI)\right) U^{n-1-k}.\end{array}$$
Since $(D-U+\lambda jI)U=U(D-U+\lambda (j-1)I)$, we have
$$Z=-2(n-1)\lambda U\sum\limits\limits_{k=0}^{n-2}\dbinom{n-2}{k}\left(
\prod\limits_{j=-1}^{k-2}(D-U+\lambda jI)\right) U^{n-2-k}.$$

When $j=-1$, $D-U+\lambda jI=(D-U+(k-1)\lambda I)-k\lambda I$. Thus,

$$\begin{array}{l}Z=-2(n-1)\lambda U\sum\limits\limits_{k=0}^{n-2}\dbinom{n-2}{k}\left(
\prod\limits_{j=0}^{k-1}(D-U+\lambda jI)\right) U^{n-2-k}\\+2(n-1)\lambda ^{2}U\sum\limits\limits_{k=1}^{n-2}\dbinom{n-2}{k}k\left(
\prod\limits_{j=0}^{k-2}(D-U+\lambda jI)\right) U^{n-2-k}.\end{array}$$
The first sum here is $B(n-2,\lambda ,U,D)$. Using
\dbinom{n-2}{k}k=(n-2)\dbinom{n-3}{k-1}$ and changing $k-1$ to $k$, we conclude that the second sum equals $(n-2)B(n-3,\lambda ,U,D)$. Therefore,
$$Z=-2(n-1)\lambda UB(n-2,\lambda ,U,D)+2(n-1)(n-2)\lambda ^{2}UB(n-3,\lambda
,U,D),$$ which coincides with (\ref{(6)}) and completes the proof. $\Box$

\textbf{Proof of Theorem \ref{T:wrongsign}}
We know that $B(0,\lambda ,U,D)=I$ and $B(1,\lambda
,U,D)=D, $ so $B(1,\lambda ,U,D)=0$ on $\mathbb{F}_{0}$ and the first statement of the Theorem holds true for $n=0$ and $n=1$. Let $[D,U]=-\lambda U$, then on
\mathbb{F}_{0}$, the recurrence (\ref{(6)}) is reduced to
$$\begin{array}{l}
B(n,\lambda ,U,D)=\lambda (n-1)I)B(n-1,\lambda ,U,D)
-2(n-1)\lambda UB(n-2,\lambda ,U,D)\\+2(n-1)(n-2)\lambda ^{2}UB(n-3,\lambda
,U,D).\end{array}
$$
From here, the statement of the Theorem follows by induction for all $n>0$, both odd and even.$\Box$

\subsection{Proof of Theorem \ref{T:2ndU}}
The proof will be different for $\lambda \neq 0$ and for $\lambda =0$. This is not that surprising, since the claim, if considered on elementary functions, leads to differential binomial for quite different functions: sine
functions when $\lambda \neq 0$ and linear functions when $\lambda =0$.

\textbf{The case $\lambda \neq 0$.} Let us
introduce the elements $V:=(\lambda U-[D,U])/2\lambda $ and $W:=(\lambda
U+[D,U])/2\lambda$. A direct calculation shows that $U=V+W$, and under the Theorem's assumptions $[D,V]=-\lambda V$, $[D,W]=\lambda W$, and $[V,W]=0$. From
Corollary \ref{C:U+W} we obtain that $B(n,\lambda ,U,D)=B(n,\lambda ,V+W,D)=B(n,\lambda ,V,D)$. Now one applies Theorem \ref{T:wrongsign}.

\textbf{The case $\lambda = 0$.}
The following Lemma can be easily proved by induction.

\begin{lemma}\label{L6} Suppose $[D,U]=V$, $[U,V]=0$, and $[D,V]=0$. Then
[D,U^{m}]=mVU^{m-1}$ for all natural $m$.
\end{lemma}
 By definition, we have
B(1,0,U,D)=D$ and $B(2,0,U,D)=D^{2}+[D,U]$. Let $V:=[D,U]$. Then
B(1,0,U,D)=0$ and $B(2,0,U,D)=V$ on $\mathbb{F}_{0}$ so the claim is true for
n=1$ and $n=2$. Now, under the assumption that $[U,V]=0$ and $[D,V]=0$, we will
show that for $n>2$
\begin{equation}
B(n,0,U,D)=(n-1)VB(n-2,0,U,D)\mbox{ on }\mathbb{F}_{0}.  \label{(7)}
\end{equation
Then induction proves the statement for all $n$.

Let $n>2$.  According to Lemma \ref{L2},
$$
B(n,0,U,D)=\sum\limits\limits_{k=0}^{n-1}\dbinom{n-1}{k}(D-U)^{k}DU^{n-1-k},
$$
where the term with $k=n-1$ is equal to zero on $\mathbb{F}_{0}.$ Also,
according to Lemma \ref{L6}, $DU^{m}=mVU^{m-1}$ on $\mathbb{F}_{0}.$ Then on $\mathbb{F}
_{0}$ we get
$$
B(n,0,U,D)=\sum\limits\limits_{k=0}^{n-2}\dbinom{n-1}{k
(D-U)^{k}(n-1-k)VU^{n-2-k}.
$$
From here we obtain (\ref{(7)}) by using $\dbinom{n-1}{k}(n-1-k)=(n-1)\dbinom{n-2}{k}
$ and commuting $V$ to the left. This completes the proof. $\Box$

\section{Final remarks and conclusions}
\begin{itemize}
\item It would be interesting to figure out what can be done  under the condition of vanishing of the third commutator $[D,[D,[D,U]]]=\lambda^3 U$ (maybe plus some other restrictions). It has been checked by direct computation that the natural analog of (\ref{E:oldexp})-(\ref{E:oldsin}) for the solutions of the third order equation $D^3u=\lambda^3u$ does not hold \cite{Elaina,KL13}.
\item As we have already mentioned, we do not truly understand the origin of such identities. It looks like this issue is in the realm of the techniques of \cite{Touf}, in which we are not experts, to say the least.
\item There still might be interesting relations to SCV, as the ones to Hartogs' type theorems in \cite{AEK,Tum,Oktem1,Oktem2}. One also wonders about such higher dimension analogs of Hartogs' theorems.
\item We cannot help it providing a cute lemma used in \cite{KL90}. A version of this text used it, but we have managed to avoid this. A reader, however, could find it interesting:
\begin{lemma}\cite{KL90}For any two elements $A_{1}$ and $A_{2}$ of algebra $A$,
the following equality holds:
\begin{equation}
\sum\limits_{k=0}^{n}\dbinom{n}{k}(A_{1}-I)^{k}(A_{2}+I)^{n-k}=\sum\limit
_{k=0}^{n}\dbinom{n}{k}A_{1}^{k}A_{2}^{n-k}.  \label{(5)}
\end{equation
\end{lemma}
If $A_{1}$ and $A_{2}$ commute, then both sums in (\ref{(5)}) are equal to
$(A_{1}+A_{2})^{n}$ and thus to each other. The Lemma states that  (\ref{(5)}) still holds in the non-commutative case, when the binomial formula does not apply.
\item Another sometimes useful observation is

\begin{lemma}\label{L3} Let $\left[ D,U\right] =\lambda U$ and $U^{-1}$ exist. Then $$
B(n,\lambda ,U,D)=(DU^{-1})^{n}U^{n}.$$
\end{lemma}

\textbf{Proof} Suppose $U^{-1}$ exists. If $\left[ D,U\right] =\lambda U$,
then Lemma \ref{L1} implies that $(D-U+j\lambda I)U^{-j}=U^{-j}(D-U)$.

So, when $k=2$
$$\begin{array}{l}
(D-U)\left( D-U+\lambda I\right) U^{n-2}\\
=(D-U)U^{-1}(D-U)U^{-1}U^{n}\\
=\left( (D-U)U^{-1}\right)
^{2}U^{n}=(DU^{-1}-I)^{2}U^{n},
\end{array}
$$
when $k=3$
$$\begin{array}{l}(D-U)\left( D-U+\lambda I\right) \left( D-U+2\lambda
I\right) U^{n-3}\\
=\left( (D-U)U^{-1}\right) ^{3}U^{n}\\=(DU^{-1}-I)^{3}U^{n}
\end{array}
$$ and so on. Thus, by induction
\begin{equation}
B(n,\lambda ,U,D)=\left( \sum\limits\limits_{k=0}^{n}\dbinom{n}{k
(DU^{-1}-I)^{k}I^{n-k}\right) U^{n}.  \label{(4)}
\end{equation}
Using the standard binomial formula for the commuting operators $(DU^{-1}-I)$
and $I$ we get
$B(n,\lambda ,U,D)=((DU^{-1}-I)+I)^{n}U^{n}$, or $B(n,\lambda
,U,D)=(DU^{-1})^{n}U^{n}$. $\Box$

\item Note that if $U^{-1}$ exists and $[D,U]=-\lambda U,$ then the technique used
in the proof of Lemma \ref{L3} allows us to rewrite $B(n,\lambda ,U,D)$ as

$$B(n,\lambda ,U,D)=\left( \sum\limits\limits_{k=0}^{n}\dbinom{n}{k
(DU-U^{2})^{k}U^{2(n-k)}\right) U^{-n},$$
however the standard binomial
formula is not applicable to this sum, since the operators $DU-U^{2}$ and
U^{2}$ do not commute.
\end{itemize}

\bibliographystyle{amsplain}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


text:
Are we heading into a "new dawn" for hedge funds?
The trends for the industry in the year ahead is revealed in new research from Credit Suisse
By Steve Randall
Hedge funds performed well in 2020, showing resilience despite the uncertainty of the pandemic. But what's ahead for 2021?
According to a new report from Credit Suisse, the industry is poised for further success as institutional investors look to plug the return gap and enhance their 60/40 model.
In the study, titled "A New Dawn", global institutional investors with a total $800 billion in hedge fund investments provide insights into their strategy preferences and allocation intentions.
Using hedge funds to make changes to their portfolios in the current low bond yield environment is favoured by 70% of respondents. Enhancing the traditional 60/40 model will also include investments in high-yield credit, equities, and private credit.
"The current rate environment is creating a sense of urgency for investors to identify new sources of returns for their fixed income portfolio," commented John Dabbs, global co-head of Prime Services and Co-Head of Americas Equities. "Our survey highlighted that investors are looking to hedge funds in addition to other asset classes in meeting their long-term obligations."
Private market access
Hedge funds are used to access private markets by more than half of respondents, including family offices and endowments & foundations. This interest in private markets is driven by strong supply of pre-IPO companies and PIPE transactions, access, knowledge, and return potential.
"We've seen an uptick in demand from LPs to access private markets through hedge funds, given a manager's ability to apply the breadth of their public markets investing acumen to private opportunities," said Joseph Gasparro, head of content for Credit Suisse Capital Services Americas. "Privates also allow managers to engage with next-generation companies that could be disruptive to publicly-traded peers."
Non-trades increase but equities remain strong
A majority (61%) of allocations over the past 12-18 months were directed to non-traditional structures, mainly custom offerings (co-investments and managed accounts), driven by investors' desire to tailor fit specific investment objectives. This is expected to rise in the year ahead.
Equities remain key though with 7 out of the top 10 overall strategies equity-oriented. Favoured sectors are healthcare, fundamental, emerging markets, and TMT. APAC was the most in-demand region and China the most preferred country.
"Investors indicated continued strong interest in equity-oriented strategies, particularly around sector and regional specialists," said Jaynita Sodhi, head of Credit Suisse Capital Services Americas. "We also noticed a large sentiment upswing for discretionary macro and multi-strategy managers. Hedge fund dispersion for firms employing these strategies widened considerably in 2020, highlighting the importance of manager selection in driving portfolio returns."


text:
Matthew Lawrenz, Ph.D.
Matthew Lawrenz, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the microbiology and immunology department and a founding member of the Center for Predictive Medicine for Emerging Infectious Diseases and Biodefense at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. His laboratory studies mechanisms used by Yersinia pestis to overcome nutritional immunity and manipulate the ability of immune cells to mount effective antimicrobial responses during a plague. His research group also develops and uses preclinical models to test new antimicrobials to treat infections by multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria. He also promotes the importance of a culture of biosafety and infection control through community education.
Matt received his Ph.D. from the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, studying antigenic variation and immune evasion by the Lyme disease pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi. He completed postdoctoral training at Washington University in St. Louis and the University of North Carolina, identifying and studying the regulation of virulence factors in Yersinia. He has served on the program committee for ASM Biothreats and is currently a member of the ASM Microbe Host-Microbe Biology Program Committee.