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Home Society Malaria control: The great mosquito hunt
Malaria control: The great mosquito hunt
The armed guards at Mali's Bamako Senou International Airport had never seen a German shepherd before. The only dogs they were familiar with were the small, scrappy mixed breeds that are common in West Africa. So when Dana, a wolf-like purebred from California, stepped off a plane and into the airport in February 2012, eight soldiers surrounded her and her trainer Sapir Weiss, guns raised.
Weiss, who once trained antiterrorism dogs for the Israeli army, was eager to get Dana outside after 36 hours of bladder-straining international travel that included a seven-hour stopover in Paris. But the soldiers thought the dog's service vest was a suicide bomb. They ordered Weiss to take it off. They demanded to know where Dana's crate was. "Where's the box?" they yelled. "Where's the box?"
To the guards, and most people in Mali, it was inconceivable that a dog could be trained to travel in economy without a crate. Equally improbable was what Dana had come to Mali to do: sniff out mosquitoes to help eradicate malaria.
Dana is part of an ongoing effort to solve a perplexing mystery. Every year, a swathe of the African Sahel region from Senegal to Sudan experiences an extreme dry season that lasts for up to eight months. As surface waters disappear, mosquitoes can no longer reproduce because their eggs and larvae must remain wet to survive. The number of mosquitoes buzzing around crashes to near zero.
But when the rains come, adult bloodsuckers appear in explosive numbers in as little as three days — a timeline that is hard to square with the fact that it takes at least eight days for these mosquitoes to grow from egg to adult.
The pattern suggests that adult mosquitoes hide somewhere to wait out the dry season, and that possibility points to a tantalizing plan of attack. Every year, malaria makes hundreds of millions of people ill and kills more than half a million, mostly children in Africa. If scientists could figure out where the mosquitoes go when conditions become inhospitable during dry seasons, they might be able to wipe out the insects — and with them the disease they carry — at a point when they are likely to be easy targets.
For decades, the hunt for mosquito hideouts has both enticed and plagued scientists, who have run up against a long list of frustrations. Among those refusing to give up is Tovi Lehmann, a research entomologist at the US National Institute of Health's Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research in Rockville, Maryland, who, along with dozens of team members in both the United States and Africa, has spent six years and about US$700,000 trying to find the elusive insects with every method he can think of, including dogs such as Dana.
The potential pay-off is worth the massive effort, he says. "You could imagine visiting villages for less than half a day, targeting those putative sites and basically cutting malaria transmission to the point where it would be trivial."
Elusive quarry
It takes 4 hours to drive from the Malian capital, Bamako, to Thierola, an off-the-grid village of about 300 residents and 120 buildings, made mostly from mud bricks and with thatched or mud roofs.
During the wet season, from May or June through to October or November, half a metre of rain falls on the region. Bushes turn green. Millet, maize, peanuts and other crops grow. And mosquitoes arrive. Fast. Lehmann's team has seen mosquito numbers in Thierola surge tenfold within five days of the rain's start.
Entomologists have come up with two explanations for how mosquito populations can swell so rapidly before they have had a chance to reproduce. One possibility is long-distance migration on high-elevation winds. Alternatively, the insects might spend the dry season in aestivation, a unique type of dormancy that occurs in some animals that need to survive long dry seasons.
Lehmann's group found an early clue that aestivation might be the answer. At the end of the rainy season in late October 2008, the team anaesthetized almost 7,000 mosquitoes, marked them with poster paint and released them. During collections the next May, they were amazed to find a live adult female with the telltale marks, despite the fact that Anopheles gambiae (the complex of species that transmit malaria most efficiently in the Sahel) are known to live for 30 days at most.
Although aestivation seems a likely scenario, the process has been difficult for biologists to explain. In temperate regions, mosquito species are known to go dormant to survive cold winters, which makes sense because insect metabolisms naturally slow when temperatures drop. Sub-Saharan Africa, on the other hand, is always hot, so it is harder to understand how mosquitoes could slow their metabolism there. The insects must also somehow resist desiccation.
Attempts to induce aestivation in mosquitoes have produced little more than circumstantial and anecdotal evidence. Studies in the 1940s, for instance, tried to replicate natural conditions in the lab but failed to get female mosquitoes to go dormant, according to Douglas Norris, a medical entomologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland. A letter2 published in Nature in 1968 described mosquitoes that managed to survive for almost seven months in an insectary in hot, dry Sudan, but those results were never replicated.
Genetic studies could also help to shed light on the aestivation hypothesis. When Norris and his colleagues looked at genetic markers from one wet season to the next in a village in Mali in the late 1990s, they found that at least 5,000 females had to survive the dry season to found a new population. And Martin Donnelly at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, UK, and his colleagues have been comparing the genomes of Anopheles mosquitoes from across Africa. If genomes remain consistent from one set of rains to the next, that would show even more strongly that many mosquitoes endure the dry season, as opposed to being replaced each year by a population of migrants.
To help dogs to pick up the scent, researchers have been attaching strings doused in vetiver oil to mosquitoes.
The discovery of the painted female as the rains swept into Thierola showed that a wild mosquito could survive the dry season — the equivalent of a human living for 700 years, Lehmann says. Norris is building field enclosures in southern Gambia for his own studies of mosquito biology and may eventually make try to demonstrate aestivation in that environment. "This is something we believe happens, but nobody has been able to prove it other than Tovi's one mosquito."
So for the next couple of years, as the rains again approached, the team set up nets around suspected refuges, determined to catch mosquitoes as they first emerged. "We thought in a year or two, we were going to be able to find where they hide," Lehmann says. "Everything looked within reach, and it looked very simple."
Despite around-the-clock monitoring, and even a manufactured rainstorm created by a water-filled truck to lure the mosquitoes out of hiding, the insects remained elusive. Potential hiding spots seemed overwhelming, numbering in the hundreds within just 500 metres of the village, making it impossible to put nets and cages around them all. The hunt, it turned out, would not be so simple after all.
On the scent
Lehmann's project was not the first to misfire. About 15 years ago, Frédéric Simard, a medical entomologist at the Institute of Research for Development, a government institution in Montpellier, France, went on a similar quest in dry-season Senegal. He set up traps around as many potential hiding spots as he could think of, indoors and out, including barns, silos, water-storage containers, wells, tree stumps, tree trunks and cracks in the bottom of dried ponds — to no avail. "There was no evidence for resting mosquitoes anywhere despite huge efforts," he says. "This is basically just like looking for a needle in a haystack."
A group from the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, has scattered tent-like cages around a village in Kenya. And a team based at Hebrew University in Israel is looking for aestivating mosquitoes in wet hideouts outside villages in Mali by, among other methods, flooding animal burrows with water to try to flush out the insects. Neither team has found anything conclusive.
Given so many failed attempts before him, Lehmann decided that he would have to come up with a more targeted strategy. When he heard about dogs that could sniff out bedbugs, he latched on to the idea, despite some potentially major challenges. For instance, unlike bedbugs, mosquitoes fly, making them wily and harder to track. And whereas bedbugs emit distinctive pheromones, mosquitoes have no natural scent.
First, he set out to find a way to give mosquitoes an odour. Months of experimenting finally led to vetiver oil, a perfume ingredient derived from an eastern Asian weed grass with an earthy, woodsy smell. Vetiver is not native to Africa, so it would not confuse a dog's nose. It is not toxic or foul smelling, so researchers would not baulk at working with it. And it is stable enough to last for a couple of weeks, long enough to use in experiments. The researchers found that spraying the mosquitoes with vetiver killed the insects, so they soaked tiny bits of string in the scent, then glued the strings onto the bellies of anaesthetized mosquitoes. When they woke, the mosquitoes could still fly, even with the extra weight.
In the meantime, Lehmann called Weiss, who jumped at the opportunity to train a dog to track scented mosquitoes, even though several trainers before him had rejected the idea as impossible. On the sunny lawn of his Olivet Kennel and Dog Training Resort in Santa Rosa, California, Weiss got to work with Dana, allowing her to sniff six cardboard boxes. When she came to the one scented with vetiver, she got her favourite reward: a tennis ball. After a year of training, Dana could find 1-centimetre-long scented strings with 97% accuracy, even when they were put in vials and placed in open holes 20 centimetres deep.
To see whether she would perform as well in Africa, Weiss and Dana flew to Mali in early 2012. Dana sat with Weiss inside the plane so that she would not overheat in the cargo hold. The airport stand-off nearly derailed the whole project, and once they made it to Thierola, Weiss had to retrain Dana because of the extreme heat. Dogs must pant to stay cool, but they can't do that and sniff at the same time. With temperatures near 50 °C, Dana needed to learn to stop and cool off every five minutes.
Over the course of a month, Dana found scented strings hidden in natural holes again and again. She also found mosquitoes that had been marked with scented strings and released days before, including one under a pile of clothes in a laundry basket. The 30 or so Malians in the search crew were flabbergasted. "They were just jumping up and down," Weiss says. "My status got elevated. They thought I was a shaman because I could talk to a dog and the dog would listen to me."
The hope was to get the scented mosquitoes to lead the researchers to their secret lairs. But Dana ran out of time, returning home with Weiss just before a coup swept Mali. Lehmann departed soon after, leaving the mosquito-hunting project in the hands of Adama Dao, an entomologist at the University of Bamako's Malaria Research and Training Centre, who had been leading the Mali-based portion of the team.
In August 2012, two Malian handlers and their dogs travelled to Santa Rosa to learn both the mosquito-sniffing task and how to build a close human–dog relationship. One handler was a physician, the other had a biology degree. Both had been working with Dao and Lehmann for two years on other search strategies, and they were enthusiastic about what they had seen Weiss and Dana do.
The Malian-led dry-season dog work, which continued until December 2013, turned up about nine suspected hiding places, Dao says. Both dogs had independently led the team to the same small tree holes, open holes in the ground near trees and old termite mounds, mostly within about 1.5 kilometres of the village. Nets were set up around the potential shelters at the end of the dry season. But like many who came before them, the researchers found no hordes of aestivating mosquitoes.
A wider net
This month, Lehmann returned to Thierola for the first time in more than two years, armed with some new ideas. He has erected huge nets around the community's wells, for instance. And he has some more-unorthodox plans. Given that other insects might use similar strategies to endure the harsh dry season in the Sahel, he wants to find a larger sentinel species that can be fitted with a radio transmitter and potentially lead researchers to hiding mosquitoes. He also wonders if they could find a marker — such as fungal DNA, trace chemicals or cells from plants or animals — that they could put in suspected shelters. Any mosquitoes emerging from those places would then carry lingering tags that would lead researchers straight to the source, if they can catch the escapees quickly enough.
Meanwhile, the search is moving out and up — to, among other places, a set of caverns about 30 kilometres away and into helium balloons equipped to trap any mosquitoes travelling in by wind. Preliminary studies during the wet season have located a few A. gambiae flying as high as 160 metres above the ground, even though there is nothing for them to eat up there. It is now starting to look as though one of the three species of mosquito that transmit malaria in the region aestivates, and the other two migrate, says Lehmann.
So far, Lehmann and his team have published nine papers on the hunt and have three more in the works. As they continue their efforts in the field, other malaria researchers are cheering them on. "Any time you can find a stage where mosquito numbers are very low and they are maybe congregating in one spot, you could really have a big impact," says Gregory Lanzaro, an entomologist at the University of California, Davis, who studies the population genetics of A gambiae in Africa. "There's always hope. When you work on things like malaria, you can't be a pessimistic person. Otherwise, you'd stay home."
Lehmann and Dao remain optimistic that they will eventually find the elusive mosquito dens, where a few low-cost squirts of insecticide could save so many lives. Every setback, they say, provides new information. "We have never been disappointed and we will remain hopeful," says Dao. "As long as we have resources, we will reach our goal."
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POLITICO Magazine
politico.com
Working the West Wing
An inside look at America's most famous, if rarely photographed, office and the wonks who walk its halls.
By BEN BAKER
2015-12-29T06:09-0500 2015-12-29T06:09-0500
By the time the sun rises each day in Washington, members of the White House staff are already arriving at America's most famous office. Surrounded as they may be by early American furniture, antique oil paintings and coffee cups stamped with gold presidential seals, these are the wonks of the White House, the largely anonymous suits on the sidelines in all those pictures with POTUS. As the Obama administration winds down, Politico Magazine decided to put them front and center with this unique portfolio, taken in rarely photographed parts of the East and West Wings and the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. The briefing binders, stacks of papers and ubiquitous BlackBerries may not be the stuff of presidential portraiture, but these staffers are the working White House, spending long days and nights making the policies President Barack Obama hopes will shape his place in history.
Photographs by Ben Baker. Text by Elizabeth F. Ralph and Sarah Wheaton
(Click here to go behind the scenes of Ben Baker's White House photo shoot.)
Ben Baker for Politico Magazine/Redux Pictures
West Wing, 10:17 a.m.
"We're not usually this rambunctious—at least not in this room," said one person on the economic team. The group, including Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers Jason Furman (in the blue chair at left), gathered in the Roosevelt Room, under the watch of T.R. and right near the Oval Office. (One seat, slightly larger than the rest, is where POTUS sits.)
Sitting, from left: David Edelman, special assistant to the president for economic and technology policy; Seth Hanlon, special assistant to the president for economic policy; Jason Furman, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers; JJ Raynor, special assistant to the president for economic policy; Brandi Hoffine, assistant press secretary; Jeff Zients, assistant to the president for economic policy and director of the National Economic Council (NEC); Jason Miller, deputy assistant to the president and deputy director of the NEC; Adrienne Harris, special assistant to the president for economic policy, NEC; Jacob Leibenluft, deputy assistant to the president for economic policy and deputy director of the NEC; Wally Adeyemo, deputy assistant to the president and deputy director of the NEC. Standing, from left: Elizabeth Kelly, senior policy adviser; John Galloway, special assistant to the president, senior adviser and chief of staff of the NEC; Jen Friedman, special assistant to the president and deputy press secretary; Allison Lessne, deputy chief of staff for the NEC; Cory Pollard, special assistant to the director of the NEC; Charlie Anderson, senior adviser to the director of the NEC.
EEOB, 5:48 p.m.
Obama's criminal justice team of legal, legislative and outreach aides, including White House Counsel Neil Eggleston (standing at center-right), is trying to hold together a coalition of the Koch brothers, cops and Black Lives Matter—all before the window for a reform bill closes.
From left: Elias Alcantara, associate director of intergovernmental affairs; Joshua Pollack, special assistant to the president and Senate legislative affairs liaison; Valerie Jarrett, senior adviser to the president; Ashley Allison, deputy director of the Office of Public Engagement (OPE); Michael Bosworth, deputy assistant to the president and deputy counsel to the president; Roy Austin, deputy assistant to the president for the Office of Urban Affairs, Justice and Opportunity; David Newman, special assistant to the president and associate counsel to the president; Neil Eggleston, assistant to the president and counsel to the president; Kellie Larkin, special assistant to the president and House legislative affairs; Stephanie Young, associate director of the OPE; Frank Benenati, assistant press secretary; Kate Kochman, special assistant to the president and chief of staff of the Domestic Policy Council (DPC).
EEOB, 12:44 p.m.
The health policy staff is working to protect an Affordable Care Act that's still under siege. Fittingly, they met in the EEOB's Secretary of War Room, decorated with Revolutionary War-era cannonballs and battle-torn Old Glories.
Sitting, from left: Sam Berger, senior policy adviser, DPC; Bess Evans, associate director and senior policy adviser, White House OPE and DPC. Standing, from left: Katie Hill, assistant White House press secretary; Jesse Lee, special assistant to the president and director of Rapid Response.
West Wing, 4 p.m.
The photos in the office of Valerie Jarrett (left)—of her with the Dalai Lama and Harrison Ford, to name a few—speak to her high profile as the president's conscience, ambassador and adviser, including on this team's push for cities and employers to give new parents paid time off.
From left: Valerie Jarrett, senior adviser to the president; Tina Tchen, assistant to the president, chief of staff to the first lady and executive director of the White House Council on Women and Girls; Ben Olinsky, special assistant to the president for labor and workforce policy; Jordan Brooks, deputy executive director of the Council on Women and Girls.
EEOB, 8:15 a.m.
"We never walk slow," said Cecilia Muñoz (left), who's in charge of domestic policy, when asked to march slowly for the camera. The immigration team has been busy fighting for Obama's deferred deportation executive order, headed to the Supreme Court.
From left: Cecilia Muñoz, assistant to the president and director of the DPC; Valentina Pereda, deputy director of Hispanic media; Felicia Escobar, special assistant to the president for immigration; Pete Boogaard, director of communications and assistant press secretary for the National Security Council (NSC); Julie Rodriguez, special assistant to the president and senior deputy director of public engagement; Ginette Magaña, associate director, immigration and Latino engagement; Manar Waheed, deputy policy director for immigration.
West Wing, 2:46 p.m.
"There should be a lot more empty food containers in here," joked one trade team member, hinting at long hours spent in the wood-paneled office of National Economic Council Director Jeff Zients (standing at center). The group is pushing for congressional approval of a Pacific Rim trade accord reached last fall.
Sitting, from left: Yohannes Abraham, special assistant to the president and chief of staff for the OPE and Office of Intergovernmental Affairs (OIA); Diana Doukas, director of the White House Business Council (WHBC); Zaid Hassan, assistant director, WHBC; Tanya Somanader, director of digital rapid response; Clark Jennings, policy adviser for trade. Standing, from left: Rob Diamond, special assistant to the president and director of private sector engagement; Kellie Larkin, special assistant to the president and House legislative affairs; Jeff Zients, assistant to the president for economic policy and NEC director; Charlie Anderson, senior adviser to the director of the NEC.
In 2014, Obama raised the minimum wage for federal contractors. Now, his minimum wage team—mostly aides in charge of public outreach and government coordination—is trying to persuade states to follow suit.
From left: Yohannes Abraham, special assistant to the president and chief of staff for the OPE and OIA; Jacob Leibenluft, deputy assistant to the president for economic policy and deputy director of the NEC; John Bisognano, associate director of public engagement; Paulette Aniskoff, deputy assistant to the president and director of the OPE; Adrian Saenz, special assistant to the president and deputy director of intergovernmental affairs; Alissa Ko, associate director of OIA.
Broderick Johnson (center) moved into this bigger office in December, a sign of the White House Cabinet secretary's growing influence: His main project, the My Brother's Keeper initiative to support young men of color, will be a focus of Obama's post-presidency.
Sitting, from left: Karen Evan, assistant director for Cabinet affairs; Elias Alcantara, associate director of intergovernmental affairs; Broderick Johnson, assistant to the president, White House Cabinet secretary and chair of the My Brother's Keeper task force; Ashley Allison, deputy director of the OPE; Ashley Etienne, special assistant to the president and Cabinet communication; Michael Smith, special assistant to the president and senior director of Cabinet affairs for the My Brother's Keeper task force. Standing: Addie Whisenant, director of African-American media.
North Portico, 10:55 a.m.
Even before Obama backed gay marriage, the LGBT equality team—standing where the White House was lit with rainbow lights when the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage—was pushing policy to match the sweeping change in national attitudes.
From left: Valerie Jarrett, senior adviser to the president; Aditi Hardikar, associate director of the OPE; Cecilia Muñoz, assistant to the president and DPC director; Jeff Tiller, associate communications director; Doug Brooks, director of the Office of National AIDS Policy.
East Wing, 12:57 p.m.
In Michelle Obama's office—replete with cookbooks, a teleprompter for speech prep and a framed photo of her with Beyoncé—the college affordability team met the day before the first lady would release a college-themed rap video and her husband would sign an education bill.
Sitting, from left: Kyle Lierman, associate director of the OPE and senior policy adviser, DPC; Elizabeth Kelly, senior policy adviser; James Kvaal, deputy assistant to the president and deputy director, DPC. Standing, from left: Ajita Talwalker Menon, special assistant to the president for higher education policy; Katharine Gallogly, special assistant and policy adviser for education; Roberto Rodriguez, deputy assistant to the president for education; Jamie Lyons, policy director to Jill Biden; Eric Waldo, executive director, First Lady's Reach Higher Initiative.
South Lawn, 9:42 a.m.
Two days after nearly 200 countries signed a climate deal in France, the White House team involved—including top climate adviser Brian Deese (front left), just back from Paris, and chief science adviser John Holdren (front right)—gathered outside while the motorcade awaited the president.
Left side, from left: Brenda Mallory, deputy general counsel for the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ); Christina Goldfuss, managing director, CEQ; Kevin Welsh, director for environment and climate, NSC; Brian Deese, senior adviser to the president; Dan Utech, deputy assistant to the president for energy and climate change; Noreen Nielsen, associate director for communications, CEQ; Drew McConville, senior adviser for policy and strategic planning, CEQ. Right page, foreground, from left: Caroline Atkinson, deputy assistant to the president and deputy national security adviser; Angela Barranco, associate director for public engagement; Amy Rosenbaum, deputy assistant to the president for legislative affairs; Frank Benenati, assistant press secretary; John Holdren, assistant to the president and director of the Office of Science and Tech Policy; Alice Hill, special assistant to the president and senior director for resilience policy, NSC; Rohan Patel, special assistant to the president for intergovernmental affairs. Right page, background, from left: Candace Vahlsing, senior policy analyst; Chris Adamo, chief of staff, CEQ; Rob Diamond, special assistant to the president and director of private sector engagement; Kate Schoener, director for climate and energy initiatives, NSC; Dan Hornung, policy adviser, Office of the Chief of Staff; Ali Zaidi, Office of Management and Budget associate director for natural resources, energy, and science; Megan Ceronsky, senior policy adviser; Manisha Patel, deputy general counsel, CEQ; Rick Duke, deputy director, Office of Energy and Climate Change.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Induction magnetometer data from the mid-latitude station Moshiri (geomagnetic latitude 35.6°) has been examined in search of a transient ULF response to the regional lightning activity. For many events, besides the main impulse produced by the lightning discharge, a secondary impulse delayed about 1 sec was observed. These secondary echo-impulses are probably caused by the partial reflection of wave energy of the initial lightning pulse from the upper boundary of the ionospheric Alfven resonator in the topside ionosphere. The modeling with artificial signals has shown that a multi-band spectral resonant structure (SRS) can be formed owing to the occurrence of paired pulses in analyzed time series. The statistical superposed epoch method indeed has revealed a dominance of two-pulse structure in the magnetic field background during the periods of the SRS occurrence.
Electrical storms are known to be one of the natural ULF sources in the Earth's atmosphere. Besides the well-known global excitation of the Earth-ionosphere cavity Schumann resonances (SR) in the ELF frequency band of several tens Hz (Nickolaenko and Hayakawa, 2002), local lightning transients and large ULF noise enhancement in the frequency range of several Hz in the thunderstorm proximity were observed (Fraser-Smith, 1993). A peculiar feature of the geomagnetic field variations in the ULF band just below the fundamental tone of SR is the occurrence of Spectral Resonant Structure (SRS), observed at low (Bösinger et al., 2002), middle (Belyaev et al., 1987, 1990) and high (Belyaev et al., 1999; Yahnin et al., 2003) latitudes. The lowest frequency of the SRS was about fraction of Hz, and the difference between the equidistant spectral harmonics was about 0.3–0.5 Hz. Analysis of the SRS at mid-latitude demonstrated evident seasonal variation in the occurrence rate with the maximum at the September–January period and almost complete absence of SRS at the spring-early summer time (Molchanov et al., 2004). The SRS is the nighttime phenomenon, almost all the SRS were observed between 19 and 05 LT.
The occurrence of SRS was commonly attributed to the Ionospheric Alfven Resonator (IAR) in the upper ionosphere (Polyakov and Rapoport, 1981; Demekhov et al., 2000). The IAR lower boundary coincides with the ionospheric bottomside boundary, whereas the upper boundary is located at altitude of few thousands km due to the partial reflection of the Alfven waves from a steep gradient of the Alfven velocity vertical profile VA(z) above the maximum of the F-layer. The damping rates and Q-factors of the IAR modes strongly depend on the Alfven velocity differential in the upper ionosphere and on the lower ionosphere conductivity.
The ionospheric cavity with minimum of VA(z) works not only as a resonator for Alfven waves, but as a waveguide for the magnetosonic mode also. The waveguide magnetosonic modes excited by the magnetospheric (Fujita and Tamao, 1988) or atmospheric (Pilipenko et al., 2005) sources can propagate to large distances (up to few thousand km) along the ionosphere. In the frequency domain the ionospheric wave guidance manifests itself as an occurrence of low-frequency cut-off corresponding to the waveguide critical frequency (lower than the IAR fundamental frequency).
While the spectral properties of the IAR are well reproduced by numerous analytical and numerical models (e.g., Prikner et al., 2000), a physical mechanism of the IAR excitation has not been found yet. At high latitudes the mechanism of resonant energy transmission from the magnetospheric convective flows to the IAR normal modes may be operative (Trakhtengertz and Feldstein, 1991). The "feedback instability" due to the ionospheric modification by the energetic electron precipitation can also stimulate the IAR (Lysak, 1991; Pokhotelov et al., 2001). Evidently, these mechanisms can operate at auroral latitudes only. Moreover, the observed anti-correlation between the SRS occurrence rate and Kp index at mid-latitudes indicates a nonmagnetospheric origin of the SRS (Molchanov et al., 2004).
As a possible source of the IAR excitation, the generation of the ionospheric turbulence and currents by the neutral wind in the lower ionosphere has been suggested (Surkov et al., 2004). These authors showed theoretically that a part of the neutral gas kinetic energy can be transferred into the energy of the electric current in the conductive ionosphere, which is then converted into the energy of Alfven and fast compressional MHD modes. However, this hypothesis has not been experimentally validated yet.
The other possible energy source for the IAR excitation is related to lightning discharges. The world thunderstorm centers were suggested to be the primary source of the IAR excitation (Polyakov and Rapoport, 1981; Belyaev et al., 1987; Bösinger et al., 2002). However, theoretical estimates have shown that the contribution of the distant world thunderstorm centers with typical charge moments of negative CG- flashes to the mid-latitude electromagnetic field in the IAR band is about two orders of magnitude less than the observed intensity (Fedorov et al., 2006). However, Shalimov and Bösinger (2008) proposed that relatively infrequent (∼10%), but more intense (about an order of magnitude) positive cloud-to-ground flashes CG+ can provide a necessary ULF background at large distances. Thus, a possible role of distant thunderstorms in the IAR stimulation is still disputable.
As an alternative mechanism, it was suggested that nearby thunderstorms are able to generate the signals in the IAR range with sufficient intensities (Surkov et al., 2006). In this paper we examine the latter hypothesis and search for a ULF magnetic field response to the regional lightning activity, using data from the high-sensitive induction magnetometer at the station Moshiri. Our analysis has shown that the mechanism of the SRS formation is not related to the oscillatory response of the IAR, as commonly assumed, but is caused by the specific multi-pulse structure of geomagnetic disturbances during the lightning activity.
For our study we used the ULF magnetic field recordings from Moshiri observatory (MOS, geographical coordinates 44.37°N, 142.27°E, geomagnetic coordinates in Japan, deployedby Solar-Terrestrial Environment Laboratory of the Nagoya University (Shiokawa et al., 2010). Three-axial induction magnetometer (H-component is oriented in the N-S magnetic direction, southward positive; D is oriented towards the west direction, westward positive; and vertical Z component is positive downward) measures magnetic field variations with the sampling frequency 64 Hz periodically synchronized by GPS clock signal. All component sensors have basically the same specifications: turnover frequency 2.3–2.9 Hz, conversion factor 13.2 V/nT at 2.3–2.9 Hz, and 1.27 V/nT at 0.1 Hz. The amplitude-phase frequency response of the data acquisition system (Fig. 1) has a very steep decline at higher frequencies, above ∼3 Hz: 2.5 orders of magnitude in the range from 3 Hz to 10 Hz to suppress the influence of commercial power line noise at 60 Hz.
The conversion function (magnitude and phase) of the induction magnetometer and data acquisition system.
We have analyzed the time intervals with evident SRS in the sonograms from MOS station during October 2007. For three 1-hour time intervals we have the information on regional lighting strokes from the lightning detection system (timing, location, intensity and type of a stroke) purchased from the Japan Lightning Detection Network operated by Franklin Japan Co., Ltd. The available list of lightning events comprises strokes within the 100 km circle around a point located 300 km southward of MOS. The near-by lightning (about 100 km and less from the observation site) produce too strong interference on magnetic records, and the possible SRS features cannot be revealed.
For many events an impulse produced by a lightning discharge can be seen in the magnetometer data. These impulses are more evident in the raw data from the induction sensors, without correction of the frequency transfer characteristics. As a typical example, the response to the stroke on Oct. 29 is shown in Fig. 2. The negative stroke with the effective intensity J = -50 kA, identified by the lightning monitoring system at 22:53′42″LT, took place at distance R = 315 km (marked by the dashed vertical line). At this moment a sharp impulse can be seen, especially in D-component. Its amplitude, ∼70 pT, has been roughly estimated as the sensor output multiplied by the amplification coefficient at frequency 2 Hz. A weak oscillatory response at just after the main impulse is due to the peculiarities of the frequency response function.
The example of the ULF impulse for the stroke on 10/29, 22:53:42 (J = -50 kA, R = 315 km) detected by the induction magnetometer at MOS: wave forms of H and D components. Right-hand insert shows the map with location of lightning, marked by star. The length and darkness of a lobe on the circular diagram corresponds to the intensity of the pulse energy flow.
where Phh, Pdd, and Phd are the spectral densities and cross-spectral density calculated by the wavelet transform (3-d order complex Gauss mother wavelet). Finally, the signal source azimuth angle α is determined as .
The range of possible directions to the source, identified with the polarization technique, is shown in Fig. 2 (right- hand panel). The length and color of a lobe on the circular pie diagram corresponds to the squared intensity of the impulse energy flow in a given angular sector. The identified direction corresponds well to the actual location of the stroke (marked by star). The threshold level for the signal detection was chosen to be 10 times of root mean square of background fluctuations (shown by horizontal dashed lines). For such signals with the signal/noise ratio above 10 the error of the source azimuth determination is better than 6°.
For many events a more complicated pattern is observed (Fig. 3). Although for most of them we do not have information from the lightning detection system, the morphological features of these pulses evidence that they have been produced by lightning strokes. For a typical event on Oct. 4 at 22:07:26.4 LT the main pulse is followed by the secondary impulse in D-component. The delay between the main and secondary impulses is t △ ∼ 1 s. This series of two-impulses results in the multi-band structure in the corresponding spectra (Fig. 3, bottom panels).
Besides the standard dynamic and static Fourier spectra, we have employed the wavelet spectral estimates. Most of signals in the considered frequency band are transient or short-lived, and for such signals the wavelet transform is superior to the Fourier transform. As a mother wavelet the complex Gaussian or complex Morlet wavelet has been used. The choice of wavelet and its order has been made as a compromise between the frequency and time resolution. Both wavelet and time-integrated wavelet spectra (Fig. 3, right-hand panels) show the occurrence of spectral peaks at , and 2.5 Hz. The frequency shift between the spectral lines, , corresponds to the inverse time delay between impulses, .
The example of two-pulses pattern observed on 10/04 22:07:26.4 LT (stroke moment is marked by a vertical dashed line) at MOS. The upper panels show waveforms of H (left-hand) and D (right-hand) components, and bottom panels show the relevant wavelet spectra. Time-averaged wavelet spectra are shown in the right-hand bottom panel. Right-hand upper insert shows the map with direction towards a source.
Multi-harmonic SRS of ULF pulsations in the frequency range 0.5–5 Hz during nighttime are commonly associated with the periodic response of the IAR to an external driving. However, a thorough examination of magnetometer records during the SRS occurrence shows the absence of the narrow-band oscillations, similar to SR. The further analysis will show that in fact the multi-harmonic SRS is produced not by quasi-periodic oscillations, but by a regular sequence of 2, sometimes even 3, impulses.
For the scrutiny analysis we have selected the day Oct. 4 with the SRS occurrence (Fig. 4). Below the SR emission at ∼8 Hz, one can see the SRS, especially evident in D component, from ∼19 LT to ∼06 LT.
The dynamic spectra for the period with the SRS occurrence at MOS on 10/04 for both horizontal magnetic components.
To visualize the average waveform of the ULF disturbance, the program developed selects in a specified interval all impulses above a certain threshold separately for H and D components in a running time window. Then, all the waveforms are averaged over the time interval ±3 s, using the superposed epoch method, choosing as a reference time the moment of a pulse peak value. To examine the impulsive structure of the ULF activity this time window has been chosen to be larger than the expected time delay between the main and subsequent pulses (∼1 s) and short enough to avoid the contamination by pulses from different lightning strokes.
The result of the superposed epoch analysis of the impulsive background during the hourly interval on Oct. 4, 22–23 LT is shown in Fig. 5. The upper panel shows the averaged impulse waveform for this time interval. Although the number of impulses is very large, Nav = 270, the time-averaged impulsive background demonstrate a regular pattern: the main bipolar impulse is followed by the secondary bipolar impulse. The energy (squared amplitude on bottom panel) of the secondary pulse is about 25 smaller than that of main pulse. The third echo-pulse cannot be reliably revealed for this event.
Hourly superposed waveforms in the 10-sec vicinity (top panels) and superposed squared waveforms (bottom panels) of detected impulses on Oct. 4, 21–22 LT for H (left-hand panels) and D (right-hand panels) components. NAV is the number of detected pulses during analyzed interval.
To examine the time evolution of the impulsive background and SRS, Fig. 6 shows for six consecutive hourly intervals the quasi-3D dynamic Fourier spectra (upper panels), els), averaged Fourier spectra (mid-panels), and average waveforms of superposed impulses (bottom panels) for Oct. 4 from 18 LT to 24 LT. This plot demonstrates a close correspondence between the temporal evolution of the impulsive background in D-component and SRS. During the time interval 18–19 LT there are no SRS and no noticeable impulses. On 19–20 LT a weak indication on SRS occurrence has emerged, and, simultaneously, a 2-impulse structure has started to be formed. On 20–24 LT the SRS evolves and intensifies, whereas multi-impulse structure has become evident. The average time delay and the spectral gap between harmonics also vary in a consistent way: on 19–20 LT and , whereas on 22–23 LT and . The spectra minima are multiples of a fundamental frequency, on 19–20 LT , whereas on 22–23 LT . The averaged waveforms show a dominance of negative D-component pulses, which indicate the location of lightning activity southward from the station.
The correspondence between the temporal evolution of the impulsive background and SRS for the 10/04 during the time interval 18–24 LT (D component). The upper panels show hourly quasi-3D spectra in the range 0.1–6 Hz. The middle panels show the averaged spectra for the hourly intervals corresponding to the upper panel. The bottom panels show the superposed waveforms of all recorded impulses.
A similar characteristic multi-pulse background structure has been observed during all other intervals with evident SRS on October, 2007. This feature has been verified with the statistical superposed epoch method.
The occurrence of subsequent magnetic pulses after a main pulse may be related, in principle, by multiple strokes during an atmospheric electric discharge. In order to examine this possibility, we have compared the time structure of the magnetic background in the SRS band (0.3–3 Hz) and SR band (6–15 Hz). For the statistical analysis we have applied the same superposed epoch technique as before. Figure 7 shows the statistically averaged magnetic response in the SR (upper panel) and SRS (lower panel) bands for both components on Oct. 04, 21–22 LT. The waveforms of pulses differ from those in previous figures, because here we have made a convolution with the frequency response function of the sensor.
Averaged field variations (grey line) and RMS of the instantaneous amplitude (dark line) for H (left-hand panels) and D (right-hand panels) components in arbitrary units. The reference moment for the superposed epoch analysis is shown by a vertical dotted line. Upper panels: magnetic response in SR 6–15 Hz (upper panel) and SRS 0.3–3 Hz (lower panel) bands on Oct. 04.
This analysis shows that an echo-impulse in the SR band is absent, while it is evident in the SRS band. The polarity of the secondary pulse is negative, i.e. opposite to the polarity of the main pulse. Because the SR is a sensitive indicator of the lightning discharge, the lack of its response during the occurrence of secondary pulse in the IAR band indicates that the latter one is not caused by secondary lightning discharges.
Here we demonstrate that SRS indeed can be formed by a peculiar two-pulse structure of the disturbances produced by a local lightning activity (Fig. 8). The Fourier and wavelet power spectra of the paired modeling impulses, delayed by △t = 1 s of similar (left-hand panel) and opposite (right-hand panel) polarities have been estimated. For the pair of impulses with the same polarity, the spectrum has spectral maxima at frequencies which are multiples of the inverse delay time between impulses, namely 1, 2, 3, ... Hz; whereas for impulses with opposite polarities at these frequencies the spectral minima are formed.
The wavelet scalogram and Fourier power spectra of the artificial paired modeling impulses with the same polarity (left-hand bottom panels) and opposite polarity (right-hand bottom panel). The initial signal (upper panels) is mimicked as shown by the grey line, the acquisition system response with the account of the conversion function (Fig. 1) is denoted by dark line.
The SRS of the horizontal magnetic components in the range from 0.1 to 10 Hz is regularly observed at the ground for night-time conditions. Sometimes, up to 15 resonance spectral lines, extending even above the second SR frequency, were occasionally seen (Bösinger et al., 2002). In our opinion, this multi-spectral feature with a high number of harmonics may evidence the occurrence of strongly non-sinusoidal waveforms of impulses.
We suppose that the multi-frequency SRS can be formed due to the sequence of paired impulses. The main impulse is produced by a lightning discharge, whereas the second impulse is caused by the reflection of the main impulse from the IAR upper boundary. A possible scheme of the IAR excitation by a lightning is as follows (Fig. 9). An electric discharge generates an initial TH (or electric) mode pulse which propagates in the waveguide ionosphere-ground. The magnetic disturbance in this pulse is orthogonal to the direction towards a source. The initial pulse is also reflected from the bottom ionosphere. Upon this reflection TE mode is excited owing to the mode coupling in the anisotropic lower ionosphere. Therefore, the reflected from the ionosphere pulse comprises additionally the magnetic component directed towards a source. Both direct and reflected pulses reach an observation site with a negligible delay for the IAR and SR frequency ranges. Meanwhile, the TH pulse partially penetrates into the ionosphere, travels up the ionosphere as an Alfven pulse, and reflects back from the upper IAR boundary. This pulse can return back to the ground as an echo-pulse in the magnetic (TE) mode owing to the mode conversion in the anisotropic lower ionosphere. A TH echo pulse cannot be detected on the Earth surface because of a low penetration of the electric mode into the highly resistive atmosphere. The delay between the echo pulse and the stroke (or main pulse) is about the time of the Alfven wave propagation up and down in the ionosphere. Thus, the pulse repetition period is about the IAR fundamental period.
A scheme of the IAR excitation by a lightning discharge and formation of the secondary echo-pulse observed on the ground.
However, this qualitative scheme is to be validated by a numerical modeling. In particular, this modeling should clarify whether the main contribution to the observed time pattern is produced by the region near the stroke, above the receiving station, or by an integral effect along the propagation path?
It is generally believed that the global lightning activity concentrated in the world thunderstorm centers is the basic mechanism for excitation of the SR. However, an attempt to apply the same mechanism for the interpretation of SRS comes across with certain difficulties at middle latitudes far from the tropics. The ULF spectrum, calculated under the assumption of the distant world thunderstorms as a source, and experimental spectra agree in the SR band, but they disagree by 1–2 orders of magnitude in the IAR frequency range (Fedorov et al., 2006). This fact suggests that the SRS is not simply due to a stochastic lightning discharge process of tropical thunderstorms, but that some generation mechanisms for the IAR excitation at middle latitudes should exist.
In our opinion, the SRS can be excited by regional thunderstorms, within thousand km. Along with the main pulse, the pulses reflected from the upper IAR boundary can be registered on the ground. The time delay between pulses is equal to the IAR resonant period. In many cases, two or even three pulses have been detected, but the main first pulse has been registered both in the SR and IAR bands, whereas the secondary pulses have been recorded in the IAR range only. At the same time we have to mention that though the statistical analysis undoubtedly reveals the occurrence of the secondary pulse, some individual magnetic pulses, alike the lightning-associated pulses, were not followed by any secondary pulse. The lack of a secondary pulse is hardly can be attributed to a sudden change of the IAR resonant properties, and needs an additional examination.
The polarization of the horizontal magnetic components of the main pulse conforms the assumption that this disturbance is produced by a vertical current associated to lightning. According to the simple theoretical expectations, the secondary pulse is to be polarized along the direction rotated by π/2 from the main pulse polarization ellipse axis, because the secondary pulse is to be related to another wave mode. However, observations have shown that the difference in the orientation of the polarization ellipses of the main and secondary pulses is rather small, not more that 30°. This fact needs a more detailed theoretical modeling.
In some events, rather surprisingly, no ULF magnetic response to intense regional strokes was detected. The lack of ULF response is possibly related to a low intensity of the continuing current in those discharges. Because we have no information about the intensity of the continuing current in our events, we could not validate this assumption, and this paradox needs a further examination.
The mechanism of the SRS origin owing to the regional thunderstorms cannot be considered as unique and the only one. The distant thunderstorm activity, probably, contributes to the ULF impulsive background, especially at low latitudes. The suggested hypothesis does not explain all the observational results, in particular, the seasonal variation of the SRS occurrence rate. The SRS observations at polar latitudes pose a problem, too (Semenova et al., 2008). So, the rate of the relative contribution from various possible mechanisms to the IAR stimulation is still an open experimental problem. Unfortunately, the information about the lightning occurrence and their location is available from VLF monitoring systems only on a commercial basis. Therefore, any scrutiny statistical study would be possible only when those data would be freely available to the scientific community.
The question of the magnitudes of the thunderstorm related ULF fields in the upper ionosphere is rather controversial. Greifinger and Greifinger (1976) predicted only a weak strength of the ULF fields in the upper ionosphere above the thunderstorm. On the other hand, satellite observations sometimes detected very large ULF variations up to 1–10 mV/m (Burke et al., 1992). Discoveries of the transient luminous effects (TLE), such as elves, red sprites, and blue jets, possibly caused by the breakdown at altitudes ∼90 km, revealed the possibility of a much stronger lightning coupling to the ionosphere than previously deemed possible. These processes, associated with large high-altitude non-linear currents, may strongly enhance the weight of the ULF-ELF spectrum in the lightning transients in the ionosphere, and the IAR excitation by strong lightning discharge (Sukhorukov and Stubbe, 1997). However, so far few attempts (e.g., Bösinger et al., 2006) to reveal any specific ULF response to distant high-altitude TLE as compared with ordinary lightning were not successful.
The statistical superposed epoch analysis has shown that magnetic disturbances during the regional lightning activity comprises regular series of paired pulses. An initial pulse caused by an atmospheric discharge is followed by 1–2 pulses with a regular time delay. This echo-pulse is not caused by some secondary stroke, because no simultaneous burst can be seen in the SR band. Such paired pulses results in the formation of the multi-band SRS in dynamic spectra. The observed time delay fits well the SRS structure. The secondary pulses are supposed to be produced by the reflection of the initial lightning pulse from the IAR upper boundary. Thus, regional thunderstorms can give a noticeable input to the IAR power spectrum, and may be responsible, at least partly, for the SRS occurrence at middle latitudes.
We thank H. Hamaguchi, Y. Katoh, M. Satoh, Y. Yamamoto, Y. Ikegami, and M. Sera of the Solar-Terrestrial Environment Laboratory, Nagoya University, for their helpful support in the development and operation of the induction magnetometer at Moshiri. This work was supported by Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (18403011 and 20244080) by the MEXT of Japan, and grant 10-05-93107 from RFBR. Constructive criticism of reviewers is appreciated.


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User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI) are two of the most talked-about areas in web design at the moment. More and more companies are beginning to realise their importance since the focus has shifted to the customer journey, what it feels like, and how it can be improved. So where do UX and UI developments begin and end? And how can we tell them apart?
2016 has been a year filled with great web designs. With a clear focus on quality and customer satisfaction, we have seen design becoming practical and user-friendly as well as eye-catching and attractive.
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We are currently in the process of redesigning the website for Cotswold Airport to bring it fully up to date and provide the ultimate user experience.
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Freetimers recently added Mcgeesuk.co.uk to our design portfolio. The established, family-run hire and drinks provider required an elegant, responsive and professional brochure site, and our team of designers and developers certainly delivered.
It's all too easy to focus on the visual elements of a website, but user experience design (UXD) is required if you're looking to encourage visitors to do more of things you want them to, whilst increasing their enjoyment. UXD is not possible without a strong understanding on your target audience, and our work involves thorough planning, research and testing (on a range of devices).
According to Comscore (the Online Analytics Company), mobile platforms such as tablets and smartphones accounted for 60% of 'total digital media time spent' (between February 2013 and May 2014). With more people now browsing the internet on mobile phones and using their handheld devices to carry out tasks (that could once only be completed using a computer), it has never been more important to make sure your website is up to speed and user-friendly for mobile visitors.
Back in 2012, the digital analytics firm Comscore predicted that the number of mobile device users will exceed the number of desktop users in 2014. The prediction was also touched on several months ago, and Google weighed in stating they "wouldn't be surprised" if mobile search queries exceeded desktop queries this year.
Content can bring a website to life, it also gives visitors and customers the information they need to understand your business and your products and services, and it's imperative to have a design that accommodates engaging content.


I am back at the blog after a summer hiatus and I'm excited about the season. You know the reason already–change.
If you're reading here, you probably already know all about the changes from last season–Rick's out, Flip's in, Love's out, Wiggins is in, the Wolves are gambling the farm on young talent, yet have failed to move numerous veteran players on bad contracts who promise threaten to slow the youngins' development, and that this odd mix of the young and the promising and the old(er) and overpaid could create locker room weirdness.
Being away from blogging for a few months can serve to restore, or alter, a blogger's perspective. You can't read everything, you're not farming for tidbits to harvest, and you have time to step back and take a longer view on why it is you're blogging in the first place.
For me as a Wolves blogger, this has allowed a kind of introspection about the real meaning of all of the changes to the franchise's architecture. The issues I've kept returning to are simple, fundamental, and, I believe, are ultimately the ones that will make or break fans' retrospective on 2014-15 when they look back at the upcoming season, and the offseason changes that preceded it, in the coming years: competitiveness and progress.
A common complaint made by NBA coaches is that there is never enough time to practice. The regular season runs 82 games long and includes road trips, red-eye flights, and back-to-back games played without having had enough rest. On precious off days, coaches are left with exhausted if not injured players.
Once the season gets going, teams have installed their offenses and their defenses. Practice is oftentimes focused on the next opponent, walking through sets and fine-tuning recurring errors. Dinged-up veterans sit out and watch.
What made it even more difficult was the fact that there is virtually no individual coaching and teaching in the NBA; the schedule is too difficult, the pressure to win too consistently great. There is an assumption that a player arrives in the league in full possession of all the basic skills. Either that or he sinks.
I bring this up now because the Timberwolves have a unique roster construction that may allow them a special opportunity. You see, the Timberwolves have too many players. Scratch that–they do not have too many "great" players or talent, but they have too many players who will reasonably expect to see the playing floor, this year. Importantly, they do not have their own D-League Affiliate, which limits their ability to send unused players down for minor-league reps. From the looks of it, the Wolves have what sort of amounts to a "first team" and a "JV Team" and everybody is anxious to see how Flip Saunders will go about setting a regular rotation.


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Delegates from all over the world who attended the Sixteenth International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities.
2018 Special Focus: "Reconsidering Freedom"
Defined methodologically, the humanities consist of a range of disciplinary practices designed to interrogate the nature of the human. More than this, the humanities have also historically built normative agendas for the human—hence notions of the humane, the humanistic, human rights, global humanity, and the locally humanized. "Freedom" is a key concept in many of these agendas—freedom of cultural action, freedom of speech and opinion, and rights to unfettered, autonomous creative expression. However, in what ways must we reconsider freedom in an age that seems increasingly to be characterized by dissociation, division, and social contestation? What is the role of the humanities in our current epoch? Are the fundamental principles of the humanities in jeopardy? What are the humanities' ongoing obligations to freedom?
The Sixteenth International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities featured plenary sessions by some of the world's leading thinkers and innovators in the field.
"Humanities Futures: Doctoral Education, Scholarly Communication, and Professional Capacities"
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High Stakes Duel is an American poker television program that airs on PokerGO and premiered on July 30, 2020. The original series was announced by PokerGO on July 22, 2020, and would see two players play heads-up No-Limit Hold'em in a poker tournament format to decide a winner.

The show is filmed exclusively in the PokerGO Studio at ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, and is aired on PokerGO and PokerGO's YouTube channel.

Per the rules of High Stakes Duel, the initial buy-in level is $50,000 for Round 1. With each round that follows, the buy-ins double. Round 2 is a $100,000 buy-in, Round 3 is a $200,000 buy-in, and so on. A player earns the right to walk away as High Stakes Duel champion if the player wins three consecutive matches prior to Round 4 or two consecutive matches starting with Round 4. The winner of High Stakes Duel receives the High Stakes Duel Championship Belt.

Format
High Stakes Duel is a series of heads-up poker matches. The first round of High Stakes Duel has a $50,000 buy-in with the two players involved playing No-Limit Hold'em in a heads-up poker tournament format to decide the winner who advances to Round 2. The player that lost the match has the first option to challenge the winner to a rematch in Round 2 where the stakes will double to $100,000 per player. If the player that lost decides not to challenge for a rematch, then the challenger seat is open to any player. The stakes double each round, and in order for a player to walk away with the prize pool, they must win three consecutive matches before Round 4 or two consecutive matches starting with Round 4.

Results

History
After premiering on July 30, 2020, High Stakes Duel has now completed its third series, High Stakes Duel 3. Jason Koon defeated Phil Hellmuth in High Stakes Duel 3 Round 5, and when no challenger stepped forward, Koon was declared the winner.

High Stakes Duel 1
Round 1 of High Stakes Duel premiered on July 30, 2020, with Phil Hellmuth and Antonio Esfandiari facing off in the inaugural match of this PokerGO original series. Each player bought in for $50,000.

Esfandiari took the early lead in the match before Hellmuth turned the tide and mounted a comeback. The final hand saw Hellmuth win a race holding pocket sevens against Esfandiari's queen-jack. Following the match, Esfandiari immediately issued his challenge for Round 2.

Round 2 of High Stakes Duel aired on September 24, 2020, with Hellmuth and Esfandiari putting up $100,000 each. The two went back and forth throughout the match before Esfandiari's jack-ten couldn't outdraw Hellmuth's king-ten. Like in Round 1, Esfandiari challenged Hellmuth for a rematch.

Round 3 of High Stakes Duel aired on October 21, 2020, with Hellmuth and Esfandiari playing for $400,000 having each bought in for $200,000 each. Hellmuth dominated Esfandiari throughout the match as the final hand saw Esfandiari all-in with ace-three against Hellmuth's ace-ten. Both players flopped an ace, and Esfandiari's chop outs never fulfilled as he was handed his third consecutive loss to Hellmuth. Esfandiari was out of challenges, and with Hellmuth having the option to cash out the $400,000 prize pool or take on a new challenger in Round 4, Hellmuth decided to cash out and was crowned the High Stakes Duel winner and awarded the High Stakes Duel Championship Belt.

High Stakes Duel 2
High Stakes Duel 2 was announced in March 2021 with a highly anticipated match between the defending champion Phil Hellmuth and his newest challenger Daniel Negreanu. Round 1 of High Stakes Duel 2 premiered on March 31, 2021, with Hellmuth and Negreanu each buying in for $50,000. Negreanu dominated the match from the start before Hellmuth mounted an epic comeback that saw him as low as 7,000 of the 200,000 chips in play. Once the tide had turned and Negreanu was short, he would run into Hellmuth's pocket nines and fail to improve. Negreanu immediately challenged Hellmuth for Round 2.

Round 2 of High Stakes Duel 2 aired on May 5, 2021, with Hellmuth and Negreanu each buying in for $100,000. Unlike the previous match, this one saw many lead changes between Hellmuth and Negreanu before the final hand saw Hellmuth shove ace-four and Negreanu called with a pair. Hellmuth would make a runner-runner flush and secure his second consecutive victory over Negreanu.

Round 3 of High Stakes Duel 2 aired on June 23, 2021, with Hellmuth and Negreanu buying in for $200,000 each. The long battle would see just a few lead changes before the final hand saw both players turn a gutshot straight. Hellmuth held the higher superior, and with all the chips in the middle, Negreanu was unable to find a chop on the river to lose his third consecutive match against Hellmuth. Negreanu was out of challenges, and like in High Stakes Duel, Hellmuth elected to cash out the $400,000 prize pool instead of taking on a new challenger in Round 4.

High Stakes Duel 3
High Stakes Duel 3 was announced in June 2021 on PokerGO's video podcast No Gamble, No Future. The show was set to reveal Phil Hellmuth's opponent for High Stakes Duel 3, and No Gamble, No Future hosts Jeff Platt and Brent Hanks introduced Fox Sports 1's Nick Wright as Hellmuth's Round 1 opponent. Round 1 of High Stakes Duel 3 premiered on July 28, 2021, with Hellmuth and Wright each buying in for $50,000. Wright took the early lead in the match before Hellmuth staged a comeback before the final hand saw both players turn a flush with Hellmuth's being superior. Wright announced via Twitter that he would not challenge Hellmuth for Round 2.

Tom Dwan was revealed as Hellmuth's Round 2 opponent which premiered on August 25, 2021 with each buying in for $100,000. The Round 2 match began with Dwan taking the early lead before it rotated back-and-forth between both players. Dwan would push Hellmuth off a small pair and then make a straight against his bluff to take his biggest lead in the match. Hellmuth eventually sunk down to around 20 big blinds before he limped with pocket aces. Dwan flopped a pair and the rest of the chips entered the middle with Hellmuth at-risk. Dwan turned two pair, and when Hellmuth failed to improve on the river, he was dealt his first High Stakes Duel loss.

Round 3 of High Stakes Duel 3 was announced for January 26, 2022, with Dwan and Hellmuth buying in for $200,000 each. Hellmuth would rejoin the winner's circle when he shoved all-in with ace-king and Dwan called all-in with pocket eights. A king landed on the flop, and Hellmuth advanced into Round 4.

Dwan was originally scheduled to play Hellmuth in Round 4, but due to a scheduling conflict, backed out. Dwan's replacement would be announced as Scott Seiver, and the two would face off on May 17, 2022. Both players battled back and forth during Round 4 before Hellmuth flopped two pair against Seiver's top pair. All the money went in, and when Seiver was unable to improve, it would be Hellmuth advancing to Round 5.

During the 2022 World Series of Poker, Hellmuth announced via Twitter that he would face Seiver in August in the Round 5 match for $1,600,000. Like Dwan, Seiver backed out of his match against Hellmuth to leave the door open for a new challenger to step into the ring.

Jason Koon stepped in and put up $800,000 to face Hellmuth in Round 5. Hellmuth and Koon squared off at the PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas, with the match airing on December 7, 2022. Koon took a big chip lead early in the match and was able to finish the job from there, ending the High Stakes Duel run of Hellmuth and advancing to Round 6. Hellmuth opted not to rematch Koon, and when no challenger stepped up to take on Koon by January 6, 2023, Koon was declared the winner of High Stakes Duel 3.

References

Television shows about poker
Television shows set in Las Vegas
Poker in North America
2020 American television series debuts
Poker in Las Vegas

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Apartments communities succeed when occupants are satisfied, and units are filled; it really is that simple. With desirable amenities, low up-front cost, and the proper appearance, an apartment community can rapidly attract new residents. Our cutting-edge Apartment Photography Services will enable you to justify your rental pricing, build trust with future residents, and convert potential renters into gratified residents. Invision Studio's Apartment Photography Services are the best way to attract new residents, avoid vacancies and high turnover costs. Using 360 Virtual Tours for Aparments, Aerial Photography Services, and Property Photography Services enables you to showcase the life within your multi-housing community with comfort and ease.
360 Virtual Tours, Aerial Photography Services, and Property Photography Services give a prospective tenant an immersive, virtual look your apartment complex and model units all from the comfort of their computer or device. This provides you with the ability to spend minimal effort on advertising and filling vacancies, and more time and money on insuring high quality service where it matters most – with your residents and quality of the property. Give your apartment property the advantage it needs by showing its full array of amenities with perspective angles un-attainable through still photos. Presenting amenities like your pool, recreation areas, gym, lounges, theatre rooms, and more with Virtual Tours or Aerial Photography Services gives your apartment complex the competitive edge it needs to quickly fill vacancies.
Many real estate experts now acknowledge that Virtual Tours and Aerial Photography Services are essential for managing a successful multi-unit community. Our Apartment Photography Services provide potential residents with a true sense of professionalism and a terrific long-lasting impression that will hopefully lead them to signing a lease. These 360 Photography and Aerial Photography Services effectively capture a first-person experience that simple photos cannot. Consequently, any prospective buyer will be easily able to explore the property virtually from their computer before making a decision on which communities to visit. Providing an immersive, interactive experience will ultimately send your property to the top of the list. Buyers can envision themselves inside your property and start forming an emotional attachment as they begin seeing it as their own home. This is especially important because they can continue to view the property 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This allows prospective buyers to make future plans ahead of time, and further speed up the move-in process.
Not only can our state-of-the-art photography services provide your Apartment complex with incredible and powerful Apartment Photography Services, but they can also help and strengthen a property's web presence, thus affecting the number of website views, and the duration of each site visit. These numbers go a long way toward optimizing your website and increasing the chance of people future residents finding your location easily on search engines. Visual content found on you website, not only increases your property's online exposure, but also the number of new tenants that walk through your doors.
Create a virtual walk trough of your community, especially beneficial for recreating the in person walk through for potential residents that currently live out of state.
Custom buttons within the Apartment Virtual Tour can allow the user to instantly schedule a viewing or apply for an apartment right within the tour.
Elevated Apartment Aerial Photography shots give perspective on scenic views that will add a pleasant aesthetic to your rental community.
View the Apartment Community from a bird's eye view with the Aerial Photography Services and allow tenants to get a feel for the atmosphere of the surrounding neighborhood.
The average cost for a Management Company to receive an Apartment Virtual Tour, Apartment Photography, or Aerial Photography is roughly $700 per service.
If an Apartment rents for the low average of $1500 per month, it will take roughly 1 month of rent to pay off your initial investment into Tours, Photos, and Aerials.
If even one apartment was rented from our services, it would take less than one day to pay off your investment into 360 Tours, Apartment Photos, and Drone Photography.
See what Invision Studio can do for you Apartment Community.


SACRAMENTO –Assemblyman Scott Wilk's, R-Santa Clarita, Assembly Bill 2706 passed the Assembly Education Committee with unanimous support. AB 2706 would create a pilot program to support teachers and students in utilizing technology in their daily lessons.
AB 2706 would fund a $2,000,000 pilot program to train K-12 teachers to effectively use technology in the classroom. There is currently little to no funding targeted at training teachers to be able to properly prepare their students for the new state assessments.
AB 2706 will next be heard in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.


CGBSE date sheet 2019: The examination for class 10 will commence from March 1, 2019 and will end on March 23, 2019. And for class 12 examination,e exams will start from March 2, 2019, and go on till March 29,2019. The candidates can check the official pdf in the link stated below.
CGBSE date sheet 2019: Chhattisgarh Board of School Education (CGBSE) recently released its official notification stating that the datehseet for class 10 and 12 are finally out. The candidates who will be giving board this year are suggested to keep a track of the official website of the Chhattisgarh Board of School Education for more information on the board examinations. The complete date sheet is available at the official website at cgbse.nic.in.
The board examinations for class 10th will commence from March 1, 2019, and will go on till March 23, 2019. Whereas class 12 board examinations will be held from March 2, 2019, an would end on March 29,2019. The examination for class 10 and 12th will be conducted in one slot that is from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm. Students can download the full date sheet from the official website of Chhattisgarh Board of School Education.
Important information about the Chhattisgarh Board of Secondary Education (CGBSE) is that the state board of the government of Chhattisgarh was set up in Raipur on July 20, 2001. The board started conducting the examinations from 2002 onwards and has divided Chattisgarh into 18 ones for development of secondary education. The motto of the Chattisgarh board of Secondary Education is to develop and promote education in the state.


Coming off two big wins against Fieldston and Riverdale, the Varsity Squash team heads confidently into its match today against Dalton, co-Captain Siddharth Tripathi (12) said.
The team hopes its success over Fieldston and Riverdale translates well into against Dalton, with whom it has had a roughly even record over the past few seasons.
"I don't think we've lost to [Fieldston] in three or four years, so we were feeling pretty confident about Monday. The matches against Dalton are always close; we sometimes play it out, we sometimes lose," Tripathi said.
The team went undefeated against Fieldston, winning every one of its matches.
"We won seven to zero, no one lost a match, everyone played pretty well, and it was an easy victory," Lehv said.
"I think as a team, we got some stronger players, and we played very well today – everyone seemed really ready to go and was excited about the match," Lehv said.
Going into the year, the team didn't lose any players, since no seniors played on last year's team, Tripathi said. This helped the team retain its chemistry, which ultimately improved with the addition of the freshmen players.
"Although squash is an individual sport, the matches really allow us to come together as a team and support and cheer for one another," Rhea Sanger (10) said.
"We've been bonding as a team and supporting each other during matches. I think because of this there are not many nerves, and everyone is feeling more relaxed because they know that they have the support of their team," Lehv said.
As for the match strategy, the team planned on starting off aggressive and focused, and maintaining that mindset throughout the match, Tripathi said. "If we are aggressive in every single match that we play this week, regardless of the opponent, I think then we will get the result we are looking for," Tripathi said.
The team also changed the order in which its players play this season. Co- Captains Aman Sanger and Connor Morris play first and second in the lineup respectively. Lehv plays third, he said.
This year, in preparation for the matches, the team placed a greater focus on fitness and conditioning than it has in the past, spending more time during practice running around the track or doing court sprints along with other exercises.
One thing we've been working on this year is certainly fitness. After last year we realized we had a lot of tight matches with Poly [Prep] or Hackley that could have gone either way, but maybe they didn't go in our favor because of the fact that we were not as conditioned as we should have been. I know Coach Beller has done a great job making sure that every practice we are not just playing squash," Tripathi said.
After opening up the season with two victories, the Lions hope to use its momentum to build on its immediate success throughout the season and continue to win its games.


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Ian Clarke joined the GTAA in March 2017 as the Chief Financial Officer and previously was a GTAA Board Member for five years. In August 2020, Ian was given additional responsibilities for the Commercial & Business Partnerships, Strategy and Business Analytics business units. Prior to this, Ian was Chief Financial Officer, Business Development at Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd. ("MLSE") for 26 years. During his tenure at MLSE Ian was responsible for finance, administration, regulatory filings, collective bargaining negotiations, bond and loan restructuring. Led the financial due diligence and tax structuring of the Raptor and Air Canada Centre acquisition by Maple Leaf Gardens Ltd. Led and negotiated the acquisition of the Toronto FC expansion and the development of BMO Field, and the Maple Leaf Square project development.
Ian was previously a Board Member for the Toronto Foundation for nine years and a Board Member for ten years at St. Michael's Hospital. Ian is a Chartered Accountant and holds an Institute of Corporate Directors, Director designation. Ian led 10 volunteer missions to New Orleans, Jamaica and Kenya, building 3 schools, 14 homes and raised over a $1 million.


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Q: Solver Cosmo, how can I make a low boundary as a infinite I'd like to compare the efficiency of solvers, so I need to optimize the same matrices with different solvers. I wonder how can I set the boundary option of the solver COSMO to inf? It worked when I type just lb=[-inf, -inf, -inf]. Is there any way like that?
Here is my code
@time begin using COSMO, SparseArrays, LinearAlgebra using NPZ

Matrix10 =
npzread("C:/Users/skqkr/Desktop/Semesterarbeit/Chiwan_Q1.npz")
q =Matrix10["p"];
P = sparse(Matrix10["Q"]);
A = sparse(Matrix10["G"]);
h= Matrix10["h"];
l = Matrix10["l"];

Aa = [-A; A] ba = [h;-l]
constraint1 = COSMO.Constraint(Aa, ba, COSMO.Nonnegatives);

settings = COSMO.Settings(verbose=true); > model = COSMO.Model(); assemble!(model, P, q, constraint1, settings =settings);
res = COSMO.optimize!(model);

constraint1 = COSMO.Constraint(A, zeros(3), COSMO.Box(-l,
h));

model = COSMO.Model(); assemble!(model, P, q, constraint1, settings =
settings); res_box = COSMO.optimize!(model);

I had to make a matrix l, in order to run the solver but is there another way to run the codes without defining a low boundary?

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