text:
Treatments and Supplements
Immunotherapy Cancer Treatment
READ TIME
More research and education needed
An amplified immune system response
Healthy living for immunotherapy
Boost your immune system with probiotics
Orthodox medicine immunotherapies
Orthodox medicine and side effects
Foods to boost the immune system
Don't forget sleep and exercise
Immunotherapy is a broad category of anti-cancer therapies that uses the body's immune system to fight cancer cells. The immune system — made up largely of the lymph nodes — rids the body of viruses, bacteria or fungi, while white blood cells such as T cells fight infection and cancer.
Immunotherapy has been part of the medical lexicon since the 1890s and has entered a renaissance phase. Fifteen FDA-approved immunotherapy agents have been approved since 1986. Currently approved immunotherapy agents target more than 10 different cancer types.
There are more than 600 ongoing immunotherapy clinical trials for cancers such as breast, colon, head and neck, and kidney.
Clinics that offer
Cancer Tutor Verified
Immunity Therapy Center
Rufino Tamayo 9910 Tijuana, Baja California 22010
www.immunitytherapycenter.com
Williams Cancer Institute
Av Observatorio 354 16 de Septiembre
williamscancerinstitute.com/
Baja MedGate
Carretera Escenica Rancho la Esperanza
www.bajamedgate.com/
An Oasis Of Healing
210 North Center Street Mesa, AZ 85201
www.anoasisofhealing.com/
Kotsanis Institute
2260 Pool Road Grapevine, TX 76051
www.kotsanisinstitute.com
Health & Wellness of Carmel
11900 N. Pennsylvania St. Carmel, IN 46032
www.hwofc.com/
Utopia Wellness
110 State Street E Oldsmar, Florida 34677
utopiawellness.com/
Hope4Cancer Treatment Centers – Tijuana
Avenue del Pacifico 650 Tijuana, Baja California 22504
hope4cancer.com
Hope4Cancer Treatment Centers – Cancun
Blvd. Kukulkan 12.5 km, Centro Empresarial Cancún Suite C
Cancún, Zona Hotelera 77500
Source: Journal of Clinical Oncology | BCG=Bacillus Calmette-Guérin; CA=cancer
"The immunotherapy concept is simple: unleash the body's immune system to attack cancer," said Dr. Julie Vose, president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. "It has proven extremely difficult, however, to develop treatments that deliver real, consistent results. Decades of bold ideas, dedication, and financial investment in research have been required to prove immunotherapy's worth as a treatment for people with an array of different cancers."
She announced no recent advance has been more transformative than the rise of immunotherapy, particularly during the past year, making immunotherapy the ASCO's Advance of the Year for 2016.
Cancer remains a leading cause of death in the United States, claiming approximately 600,000 lives in 2015. [1] Globally, seven of every 10 cancer deaths occur in Africa, Asia, and Central and South America. By 2030, these cancer deaths could increase by as much as 80 percent, according to World Health Organization estimates.
Cancer cells thrive because they are able to hide from the immune system. Immunotherapies can mark cancer cells so the immune system can find and destroy them. Other immunotherapies boost your immune system to work better against cancer.
"For the longest time, people did not believe this was possible," said Lawrence Fong, MD, associate professor of medicine at the University of California-San Francisco and one of the university's lead investigators in the expanding use of immunotherapy. [2]
"Now we can treat cancer by treating the patient instead of the disease," Dr. Fong said. "That's the biggest change. We can treat cancer without delivering chemotherapy or radiation to kill the cancer or performing surgery to get rid of the tumor."
"Lack of knowledge about herbs and supplements, and awareness of that lack of knowledge is probably one of the reasons why oncologists don't initiate the discussion."
Dr. Richard Lee
A study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology noted that fewer than half of oncologists bring up the subject of herbs or supplements with their patients. Many doctors cited their own lack of information as a major reason why they skip that conversation. [3]
"Lack of knowledge about herbs and supplements and awareness of that lack of knowledge is probably one of the reasons why oncologists don't initiate the discussion," said the study's author, Dr. Richard Lee, medical director of the Integrative Medicine Program at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
"It's really about getting more research out there, and more education, so oncologists can feel comfortable having these conversations," Dr. Lee said.
A healthy immune system is the most important thing in the fight against cancer. "Cancer first and foremost is a problem with the immune system. You cannot have cancer if you have an intact immune system," Dr. Rashid Buttar said.
Not only is a weak immune system a major reason patients have cancer — but cancer itself can further weaken the immune system.
The immune system contains many different types of cells, however, only a handful of these white blood cells actually kill cancer cells. It should be the intent of a person with cancer to focus on treatments that quickly increase the count of the cancer-killing white blood cells.
Beta 1,3-D Glucan works by activating the macrophages, or immune cells, which trap and engulf foreign substances. These activated cells start a cascade of events that cause the entire system to be alerted and mobilized in an entirely naturally activated sequence. This amplified immune system response helps speed up the recovery of damaged tissue, helps other substances like antibiotics, antifungals, and antiparasitics to work better, and helps the macrophages recognize and destroy mutated cells.
Beta glucan is an immunomodulator which helps make your immune system smarter. In short: Beta glucans help regulate the immune system, making it more efficient. Beta glucan can help raise your immune system's response so your body can naturally fight off and kill cancer. Beta glucan stimulates white blood cells (lymphocytes) that bind to tumors or viruses and release chemicals to destroy it.
Beta glucan has been approved in Japan, Australia, South Korea, and Taiwan as an immunoadjuvant therapy for cancer. There have been many studies showing the product can protect against infections, lower your cholesterol, lower blood sugar, reduce stress, increase your antibody production, heal wounds, help radiation burns, overcome mercury-induced immunosuppression (like Thimerosal, used as a preservative in vaccines), help with diabetes, and even naturally prevent metastasisThe spread of cancer cells from the place where they first formed to another part of the body. In metastasis, cancer cells break away from the original (primary) tumor, travel through the blood or lymph system, and form a new tumor in other organs or tissues of the body. The new, metastatic tumor is the same type of cancer as the primary tumor. For example, if breast cancer spreads to the lung, the cancer cells in the lung are breast cancer cells, not lung cancer cells. (or the spreading of your cancer).
As Laurie McGinley reported in The Washington Post, researchers caution that they have a long way to go in fully understanding the therapy and transforming it into a viable treatment for a majority of patients. "This period for immunotherapy is comparable to the 1960s for chemotherapy when we were just beginning to use it," said Roy Jensen, director of the University of Kansas Cancer Center. "There is so much to do and to figure out. We're just at the start of this." [4]
Harvard Medical School notes the first line of defense is a healthy lifestyle. Adhering to good-health guidelines is the single best step to take toward keeping your immune system strong. Every part of your body, including your immune system, functions better when protected from environmental assaults and bolstered by healthy-living strategies:
Don't smoke.
Eat a diet high in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and low in saturated fatA type of fat with certain chemical properties that is usually solid at room temperature. Most saturated fats come from animal food products, but some plant oils, such as palm and coconut oil, also contain high levels. Eating saturated fat increases the level of cholesterol in the blood and the risk of heart disease..
Maintain a healthy weight.
Control your blood pressure.
If you drink alcohol, drink only in moderation.
Take steps to avoid infection, such as washing your hands frequently and cooking meats thoroughly.
Get regular medical screening tests for people in your age group and risk category.
The immune system relies on the stomach. A healthy immune system needs good, regular nourishment. Scientists have long recognized that people who live in poverty and are malnourished are more vulnerable to infectious diseases.
There is some evidence that various micronutrient deficiencies — zinc, selenium, iron, copper, folic acid, and Vitamins A, B6, C, and E — alter immune responses in animals, as measured in the test tube. However, the impact of these immune system changes on the health of animals is less clear, and the effect of similar deficiencies on the human immune response has yet to be assessed. But the research at this stage is promising, at least for some of the micronutrients.
If your diet is not providing all necessary micronutrient needs — maybe you don't like vegetables or you choose white bread over whole grains — taking a daily multivitamin and mineral supplementA product, generally taken orally, that contains one or more ingredients (such as vitamins or amino acids) that are intended to supplement one's diet and are not considered food. brings health benefits of many types, beyond any possibly beneficial effects on the immune system. [5]
Probiotics are naturally found in your body. You can also find them in some foods and supplements — in everything from yogurt to chocolate. Probiotics are generally from two groups:
Lactobacillus — The most common probiotic, this is found in yogurt and other fermented foods. Different strains can help with diarrhea and may help with people who can't digest lactose, the sugar in milk.
Bifidobacterium — This also is found in some dairy products. It may help ease the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and some other conditions.
Probiotics help move food through your gut. Examples of probiotic foods you should look to consume include: fermented vegetables (sauerkraut, kimchi), probiotic yogurt (from goat or sheep milk that is grass-fed and organic), fermented dairy products (kefir), probiotic beverages (apple cider vinegar, coconut kefir, kvass), kombucha, natto, raw cheese (goat's milk, sheep's milk, A2 cow's soft cheeses).
Conventional immunotherapies fall into four general categories:
Checkpoint Inhibitors — disrupt signals that allow cancer cells to hide from an immune attack;
Cytokines — protein molecules that help regulate and direct the immune system;
Cancer vaccines — used to treat and prevent cancer by targeting the immune system;
Monoclonal Antibodies (mAbs) — elicit a direct or indirect immune response that leads to cell death.
"The immunotherapy concept is simple: unleash the body's immune system to attack cancer."
Dr. Julie Vose
President, ASCO
However, the immune system has a blind spot; the ability to attack itself leads to autoimmune diseases. For protection, the immune system screens out its own tissue. Cancer cells are not recognized as invaders because they are the body's own cells that have mutated. The immune system doesn't recognize this distinction.
One way cancerous cells stay hidden is by sending signals to the PD-1 CTLA-4 receptors at certain checkpoints on immune cells. Those signals trick the body into thinking the cancer cells are normal.
Checkpoint inhibitors allow cancer cells to be exposed and trigger an immune system response. Cytokines and cancer vaccines also generate an immune response by helping the body recognize cancer cells.
Two non-specific immunotherapies are:
Interferons — help the immune system fight cancer and may slow the growth of cancer cells. An interferon made in a laboratory, called interferon alpha (Roferon-A [2a], Intron A [2b], Alferon [2a]), is the most common interferon used in cancer treatment. Side effects of interferon treatment may include flu-like symptoms, an increased risk of infection, rashes, and thinning hair.
Interleukins — Interleukins help the immune system produce cells that destroy cancer. An interleukin made in a laboratory, called interleukin-2, IL-2, or aldesleukin (Proleukin), is used to treat kidney cancer and skin cancer, including melanoma. Common side effects of IL-2 treatment include weight gain and low blood pressure, which can be treated with other medications. Some people may also experience flu-like symptoms.
The Food and Drug Administration has approved four checkpoint inhibitors — manufactured drugs that unleash an immune system attack on cancer cells:
Yervoy (ipilimumab) produced by Bristol-Myers Squibb
Keytruda (pembrolizumab) produced by Merck
Opdivo (nivolumab) produced by Bristol-Myers Squibb
Tecentriq (atezolizumab) produced by Genentech (Roche Pharmaceutical)
Clinical trials are under way to treat a variety of cancers with vaccines:
Tumor cell vaccines — made from cancer cells that have been removed from the patient. The cancer cells are altered in the lab (made to be more likely to be attacked by the immune system) and injected back into the patient. The immune system response should be to attack the cells and kill them.
Antigen vaccines — boost the immune system by using only select antigen(s). The antigens are usually proteins or pieces of proteins (peptides). These vaccines can be specific for a certain type of cancer, but they are not made for a specific patient.
Dendritic cell vaccines — focus on cells in the immune system that recognize cancerous cells. They break down cancer cells into smaller pieces (including antigens) and then hold out these antigens so T cells can see them. The T cells then start an immune reaction against any cells in the body that contain these antigens.
Vector-based vaccines — special viruses, bacteria, yeast cells, or other structures used to get antigens into the body. The vectors are often germs that have been altered to make sure they can no longer cause disease. Vectors can deliver more than one cancer antigen at a time, which might make the body's immune system more likely to mount a response. Viruses and bacteria also may trigger their own immune responses, which could help make the overall response even stronger.
Among the cancers for which vaccines are being studied:
Brain tumors (especially glioblastoma)
Pancreas cancer
Monoclonal antibodies used in cancer treatment: [6]
Naked monoclonal antibodies — no drug or radioactive material is attached and these are the most common type of mAbs used to treat cancer. The antibodies boost the immune response against cancer cells by attaching to them and acting as a marker for the body's immune system to destroy them or blocking antigens on cancer cells (or other nearby cells) that help cancer cells grow or spread.
Conjugated monoclonal antibodies — joined to a chemotherapy drug (Chemolabeled antibodies) or to a radioactive particle (Radiolabeled antibodies). The mAb is used as a homing device to take one of these substances directly to the cancer cells.
Bispecific monoclonal antibodies — made up of parts of two different mAbs, meaning they can attach to two different proteins at the same time. One part attaches to the CD19 protein and another part attaches to CD3, a protein found on T cells. By binding to both proteins, this drug brings the cancer cells and immune cells together, which is thought to cause the immune system to attack the cancer cells.
According to the IMS Institute for Healthcare's Global Outlook for Medicines Through 2018 report, there are 374 experimental cancer drugs in mid-stage trials.
There a huge medical need from patients, for whom many new treatments extend lives by years, rather than months. And the financial reward for drugmakers is huge. The drugs have annual costs of $150,000 or more, and a slate of personalized treatments are expected to carry even higher price tags.
Companies are pushing related immune-oncology drugs that will be used in combination with one another. While their drugs have only shrunk tumors in about 30 percent of the population, combinations may help broaden their use — but safety studies are not done on these combinations and none of these drugs offer an outright cure.
FDA-approved checkpoint inhibitors and their published side effects:
Yervoy is a drug marketed as an adjuvant treatment for Stage III melanoma (to help prevent melanoma from coming back after surgery to remove the tumor and lymph nodes that contain cancer) and for metastatic melanoma (that has spread or cannot be removed by surgery). Yervoy can cause serious side effects in many parts of your body which can lead to death. These serious side effects may include:
Intestinal problems (colitis) that can cause tears or holes (perforation) in the intestines;
Liver problems (hepatitis) that can lead to liver failure;
Skin problems that can lead to a severe skin reaction;
Nerve problems that can lead to paralysis;
Hormone gland problems (especially the pituitary, adrenal, and thyroid glands);
Eye problems.
Keytruda is a drug that may treat melanoma or lung cancer or head and neck cancer by working with the immune system. Keytruda can cause the immune system to attack normal organs and tissues in many areas of the body and can affect the way they work. These problems can sometimes become serious or life-threatening and can lead to death.
Lung problems (pneumonitis);
Intestinal problems (colitis) that can lead to tears or holes in your intestine;
Liver problems (hepatitis);
Hormone gland problems (especially the thyroid, pituitary, adrenal glands, and pancreas);
Kidney problems, including nephritis and kidney failure;
Problems in other organs;
Infusion (IV) reactions, that can sometimes be severe and life-threatening;
If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant, tell your doctor. Keytruda can harm your unborn baby.
Opdivo is a drug for previously treated metastatic non-small cell lung cancer; for patients with metastatic melanoma across BRAF status; for advanced renal cell carcinoma patients who received prior anti-angiogenic therapy; and for previously treated patients with advanced classical Hodgkin lymphoma.
Skin problems;
Inflammation of the brain (encephalitis);
Problems in other organs.;
Severe infusion reactions;
Complications of stem cell transplant that uses donor stem cells (allogeneic) after treatment with Opdivo;
Tell your healthcare provider if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.
Tecentriq is a drug for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma who have disease progression during or following platinum-containing chemotherapy, or have disease progression within 12 months of neoadjuvant or adjuvant treatment with platinum-containing chemotherapy. It also can have serious side effects:
Immune-related pneumonitis;
Immune-related hepatitis;
Immune-related colitis;
Immune-related endocrinopathies;
Other immune-related adverse reactions;
Infection;
Infusion-related reactions;
Embryo-fetal toxicity.
Building and maintaining a strong, healthy immune system takes time, and food has a significant role in immune system health. The key to a healthy diet is the correct mix of vitamins and minerals. Beyond that, the immune system also needs a balance with adequate sleep and exercise.
Vitamin A — Choose foods that are high in carotenoids — carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, cantaloupe, and squash. The body turns these carotenoids into Vitamin A. These foods also have an antioxidant effect to help strengthen the immune system.
Vitamin B6 — Foods high in Vitamin B6 include bananas, lean chicken breast, cold-water fish (tuna), baked potatoes, and chickpeas (hummus). Vitamin B6 is part of nearly 200 biochemical reactions in the body and is critical in how the immune system functions.
Vitamin C — It's not just in OJ, you know. While many get their Vitamin C from citrus juices (oranges, grapefruits, guava, and strawberries), leafy green vegetables also are a great source. Up your daily intake with bell peppers, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, and spinach.
Vitamin D — Fatty fish (mackerel, salmon, sardines, and tuna) are high in Vitamin D, as are cereals, milk, and orange juice. However, if you have a Vitamin D deficiency a vitamin supplement may be your best option and should be discussed with a doctor.
Vitamin E –Almonds, broccoli, hazelnuts, spinach, and sunflower seeds are high in Vitamin E, and can be an antioxidant to help fight infection. Its immune function role has been shown in vitro studies of cells, cell signaling, regulation of gene expression, and other metabolic processes.
Folate — Beans and peas as well as leafy green vegetables have natural folate. Folic acid — the synthetic form of folate — is in supplements and fortified foods like enriched bread, pasta, rice, and other 100 percent whole-grain products.
Iron — This nutrient is an essential component of hemoglobin, an erythrocyte protein that transfers oxygen from the lungs to the tissues. The body can more easily absorb "heme iron" abundant in lean poultry (chicken and turkey) plus seafood. Other forms of iron are in beans, broccoli, and kale.
Selenium — Skeletal muscle is the major site of selenium storage and has a powerful effect on the immune system. Selenium is in barley, brazil nuts, broccoli, garlic, sardines, and tuna, among other foods. Selenium has the potential to slow the body's overactive responses to certain aggressive forms of cancer.
Zinc — This essential trace element found in cells helps slow down the immune response and control inflammation in the body. Chickpeas, crab, baked beans, lean meats and poultry, oysters, and yogurt are good sources of zinc.
Supporting the role of chronic sleep loss in the long-term development of pathologies is accumulating evidence that sleep itself has a substantive role for the functioning of the immune system, whereas sleep loss is a risk factor for impaired immune function. [7]
Many immune parameters show systematic fluctuations over the 24-hour day in human blood. Circulating naive T cells and production of proinflammatory cytokines, like interleukin-12 (IL-12), peak during nighttime, whereas cytotoxic effector leukocytes and production of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 peak during daytime. These temporal changes originate from a combined influence of the circadian system and sleep. Both brain functions act synergistically and share neuroendocrine effector mechanisms to convey control over immune functions. [8]
Exercise has been shown to increase the production of macrophages, important cells of the immune system that are formed in response to an infection or accumulating damaged or dead cells. Also when we exercise, the increase in body temperature may inhibit the growth of bacteria. Some researchers believe regular exercise helps rid the lungs of bacteria and viruses that cause upper respiratory tract infections.
The American College of Sports Medicine report on The Recommended Quantity and Quality of Exercise for Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Healthy Adults recommends any activity that uses large muscle groups, which can be maintained continuously, and is rhythmical and aerobic in nature, e.g., walking, hiking, running-jogging, cycling-bicycling, cross-country skiing, aerobic dance / group exercise, rope skipping, rowing, stair climbing, swimming, skating, and various endurance game activities or some combination thereof.
Continue With Step 6
1. Robert C, Schachter J, Long GV, et al; KEYNOTE-006 investigators: Pembrolizumab versus ipilimumab in advanced melanoma. N Engl J Med 372:2521-2532, 2015
2. Killing Cancer Through the Immune System by Michael Howerton | Feb. 4, 2014
3. National Survey of US Oncologists' Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practice Patterns Regarding Herb and Supplement Use by Patients with Cancer by Dr. Richard T. Lee | November 2014
4. The list of cancers that can be treated by immunotherapy keeps growing by Laurie McGinley | April 19, 2016
5. How to boost your immune system | Harvard Medical School | June 15, 2016
6. Monoclonal antibodies to treat cancer | American Cancer Society
7. Ackermann K; Revell VL; Lao O; Rombouts EJ; Skene DJ; Kayser M. Diurnal rhythms in blood cell populations and the effect of acute sleep deprivation in healthy young men. SLEEP 2012;35(7):933-940.
8. Lange T, Dimitrov S, Born J. Effects of sleep and circadian rhythm on the human immune system. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2010;1193:48–59.
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text:
Q: Solve in positive integers: $5x^2+6x^3=z^3$
Solve in positive integers: $5x^2+6x^3=z^3$.

$x^2(6x+5)=z^3$

*

*If $(x,5)=5$, let $x=5k$. So $k^2(6k+1)=\left(\frac{z}{5}\right)^3$, we're left with solving $6n^3+1=m^3$.

*If $(x,5)=1$, then we're left with solving $6n^3+5=m^3$.

Here we only used $(a,b)=1,\: ab=c^3$ gives $a=n^3, b=m^3$.
How to solve these 'cubic Pell equations'?

A: No idea about how to solve this type of 'cubic Pell equations' but the equation
in your first case:
$$6n^3 + 1 = m^3\tag{*1}$$ doesn't have any non-trivial solution. There is a theorem
by Skolem.

For any integer $d \ne 0$, there exists at most one pair $(x,y) \in \mathbb{Z} \times \mathbb{Z}$ with $y \ne 0$ such that $$x^3 + dy^3 = 1\tag{*2}$$

I look at the reference$\color{blue}{^{[1]}}$ which I find this theorem. It says for positive cube free
integer $d \le 100$, the only one that $(*2)$ has a (necessarily unique) integer solution with $y \ne 0$ are
$$d = 1,2,7,9,17,19,20,26,28,37,43,63,65,91$$
Since $d = 6$ is not on the list, this means neither the equation $x^3 + 6y^3 = 1$ nor $6n^3 + 1 = m^3$  have any non-trivial solution.
For more details, please consult the reference I listed below.
Notes

*

*$\color{blue}{[1]}$ $\S 6.4.7$ and $\S 6.4.8$ in Henri Cohen,
Number Theory Vol I: Tools and Diophantine Equations,
Springer Verlag (GTM 237).

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: Coding dynamic anchor tags I want to link an anchor tag from one page to another. The second of which is a view all page that pulls data from the database. When run the code below, the second page is loaded but doesn't move to the tag. Here is the code for the 1st page:
echo "
$dd. $info and ID is
                             **$id**

";

Here is the code for the page it should point to:
while($row = mysql_fetch_array( $result )) {

     **$ggg = $row['id'];**

            echo "
";
                            echo '<input type="button"   value="Delete">	****';

                            echo '' . $row['id'] . '	';
            echo '' . $row['info'] . '	';
                            echo "
";
    }

A: Your php variable $ggg will not be parsed as it is being echo'ed inside single quotes '' so your  anchor will not be correct-
echo '<input type="button"   value="Delete">	';

Change it to -
......

so it is now -
echo '<input type="button"   value="Delete">	';


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text:
DON AND DUSTED
Arsenal consider shock re-signing of PSV striker Donyell Malen for £48m as Aubameyang replacement
Joe Brophy
Mar 8 2020, 7:44 ET
Updated: Mar 8 2020, 9:06 ET
ARSENAL are reportedly considering trying to re-sign PSV Eindhoven striker Donyell Malen for £48million as a long-term replacement for captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
French outlet Le 10 Sport claim the Gunners are set to rival AC Milan for the 21-year-old, who has netted 11 goals in just 14 Eredivisie games.
Donyell Malen has flourished at PSV Eindhoven since leaving ArsenalCredit: Getty - Contributor
The Dutchman spent two years at Arsenal between 2015 and 2017 but failed to break into the first team under Arsene Wenger.
The Frenchman flogged Malen for just £500,000 – but the tricky attacker has gone from strength to strength since.
ARSENAL NEWS LIVE: Follow for the latest Gunners news
He scored seven goals in 24 games for Arsenal's Under-23s after being plucked from PSV's rivals Ajax, but has since remodelled himself after moving back to his native Holland.
Malen opened up his Arsenal exit last year, revealing he left the Gunners to get more first-team football - and not because he was too fat.
He told De Telegraaf: "That I was sent away from Arsenal is certainly not true.
"I still had a contract for a year and Arsenal even wanted to extend that.
"I don't play football for the money. I never did that. Otherwise I would not have left England.
"There are stories that I was not fit when I came to Arsenal. But I have never been too fat, that really is a nonsense story.
I don't play football for the money. I never did that. Otherwise I would not have left England
Donyell Malen
"It may sound silly, but I may have learned the most from the young boys such as Reiss Nelson.
"They were used to a completely different kind of football, really that English style."
Mikel Arteta has been drawing up a list of potential strikers this summer as he may be forced into selling talisman Aubameyang.
Skipper Aubameyang, 30, has less than 16 months left on his current Emirates deal and is being linked with Spanish giants Barcelona.
The Gunners are desperate to keep their 20-goal top scorer and Arteta hopes to bring forward contract talks in an attempt to persuade him to pen fresh terms.
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He said: "For me it is very easy. I want to keep him under any circumstances.
"We will have to talk at some stage before the end of the season and see his intentions and where we're sitting in that moment.
"I think it is difficult to predict that context right now."
Mikel Arteta may need a striker if Arsenal sell both Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre LacazetteCredit: Reuters
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is desperate to keep striker Aubameyang and is keen to extend contract

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
package com.tngtech.configbuilder.util;

import com.google.common.collect.Lists;
import com.tngtech.configbuilder.annotation.valuetransformer.*;
import com.tngtech.configbuilder.configuration.ErrorMessageSetup;
import com.tngtech.configbuilder.exception.TypeTransformerException;
import org.junit.Before;
import org.junit.Ignore;
import org.junit.Test;
import org.junit.runner.RunWith;
import org.mockito.InOrder;
import org.mockito.Matchers;
import org.mockito.Mock;
import org.mockito.runners.MockitoJUnitRunner;

import java.lang.reflect.Field;
import java.lang.reflect.Type;
import java.nio.file.Path;
import java.nio.file.Paths;
import java.util.ArrayList;

import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
import static org.mockito.Mockito.*;

@RunWith(MockitoJUnitRunner.class)
public class FieldValueTransformerTest {

    private FieldValueTransformer fieldValueTransformer;

    @ValueTransformers(FieldValueTransformerComponentTest.TestTransformer.class)
    private ArrayList<Path> testField;

    @Mock
    private ConfigBuilderFactory configBuilderFactory;
    @Mock
    private ErrorMessageSetup errorMessageSetup;
    @Mock
    private GenericsAndCastingHelper genericsAndCastingHelper;
    @Mock
    private CollectionToArrayListTransformer collectionToArrayListTransformer;
    @Mock
    private CharacterSeparatedStringToStringListTransformer characterSeparatedStringToStringListTransformer;
    @Mock
    private StringCollectionToCommaSeparatedStringTransformer stringCollectionToCommaSeparatedStringTransformer;
    @Mock
    private StringOrPrimitiveToPrimitiveTransformer stringOrPrimitiveToPrimitiveTransformer;
    @Mock
    private StringToPathTransformer stringToPathTransformer;
    @Mock
    private FieldValueTransformerComponentTest.TestTransformer testTransformer;
    @Mock
    private CollectionToHashSetTransformer collectionToHashSetTransformer;
    @Mock
    private
    CharacterSeparatedStringToStringSetTransformer characterSeparatedStringToStringSetTransformer;

    private Field field;

    @Before
    public void setUp() throws Exception {
        when(configBuilderFactory.getInstance(ErrorMessageSetup.class)).thenReturn(errorMessageSetup);
        when(configBuilderFactory.getInstance(GenericsAndCastingHelper.class)).thenReturn(genericsAndCastingHelper);

        fieldValueTransformer = new FieldValueTransformer(configBuilderFactory);
        field = this.getClass().getDeclaredField("testField");
    }

    @Test
    public void testPerformNecessaryTransformationsForMatchingTypes() throws Exception {
        initializeFactoryAndHelperMocks();
        when(genericsAndCastingHelper.typesMatch(Matchers.any(Object.class),Matchers.any(Type.class))).thenReturn(true);
        assertEquals(1, fieldValueTransformer.transformFieldValue(field, 1));
        verify(genericsAndCastingHelper).typesMatch(1, field.getGenericType());
    }

    @Test
    public void testPerformNecessaryTransformationsForNonMatchingTypes() throws Exception {
        String input = "/etc,/usr";
        ArrayList<Path> expectedOutput = Lists.newArrayList(Paths.get("/etc"),Paths.get("/usr"));

        initializeFactoryAndHelperMocks();

        when(genericsAndCastingHelper.typesMatch(expectedOutput, field.getGenericType())).thenReturn(true);
        when(genericsAndCastingHelper.typesMatch(input,field.getGenericType())).thenReturn(false);
        when(genericsAndCastingHelper.typesMatch(Lists.newArrayList(input.split(",")), field.getGenericType())).thenReturn(false);

        when(characterSeparatedStringToStringListTransformer.isMatching(input, field.getGenericType())).thenReturn(true);
        when(collectionToArrayListTransformer.isMatching(Lists.newArrayList(input.split(",")), field.getGenericType())).thenReturn(true);
        when(characterSeparatedStringToStringListTransformer.transform(input)).thenReturn(Lists.newArrayList(input.split(",")));
        when(collectionToArrayListTransformer.transform(Lists.newArrayList(input.split(",")))).thenReturn(expectedOutput);

        assertEquals(expectedOutput, fieldValueTransformer.transformFieldValue(field, input));

        verifyMethodCalls();
    }

    private void verifyMethodCalls() {
        InOrder inOrder = inOrder(testTransformer, characterSeparatedStringToStringListTransformer, testTransformer, characterSeparatedStringToStringListTransformer, collectionToArrayListTransformer);
        inOrder.verify(testTransformer, times(2)).isMatching(Matchers.any(Class.class), Matchers.any(Class.class));
        verify(testTransformer).initialize(fieldValueTransformer, configBuilderFactory, new Object[]{","});
        verify(characterSeparatedStringToStringListTransformer).initialize(fieldValueTransformer, configBuilderFactory, new Object[]{","});
        verify(collectionToArrayListTransformer).initialize(fieldValueTransformer, configBuilderFactory, new Object[]{","});
        verify(characterSeparatedStringToStringListTransformer).setTargetType(Matchers.any(Type.class));
        verify(collectionToArrayListTransformer).setTargetType(Matchers.any(Type.class));
    }

    private void initializeFactoryAndHelperMocks() {
        when(configBuilderFactory.getInstance(FieldValueTransformerComponentTest.TestTransformer.class)).thenReturn(testTransformer);
        when(configBuilderFactory.getInstance(CollectionToArrayListTransformer.class)).thenReturn(collectionToArrayListTransformer);
        when(configBuilderFactory.getInstance(CollectionToHashSetTransformer.class)).thenReturn(collectionToHashSetTransformer);
        when(configBuilderFactory.getInstance(CharacterSeparatedStringToStringListTransformer.class)).thenReturn(characterSeparatedStringToStringListTransformer);
        when(configBuilderFactory.getInstance(CharacterSeparatedStringToStringSetTransformer.class)).thenReturn(characterSeparatedStringToStringSetTransformer);
        when(configBuilderFactory.getInstance(StringCollectionToCommaSeparatedStringTransformer.class)).thenReturn(stringCollectionToCommaSeparatedStringTransformer);
        when(configBuilderFactory.getInstance(StringOrPrimitiveToPrimitiveTransformer.class)).thenReturn(stringOrPrimitiveToPrimitiveTransformer);
        when(configBuilderFactory.getInstance(StringToPathTransformer.class)).thenReturn(stringToPathTransformer);

        when(genericsAndCastingHelper.getWrapperClassIfPrimitive(String.class)).thenReturn((Class)String.class);
        when(genericsAndCastingHelper.getWrapperClassIfPrimitive(ArrayList.class)).thenReturn((Class)ArrayList.class);
        when(genericsAndCastingHelper.castTypeToClass(field.getGenericType())).thenReturn((Class)ArrayList.class);
        when(genericsAndCastingHelper.castTypeToClass(String.class)).thenReturn((Class)String.class);
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


The class yesterday channeled Monet using acrylics on canvas. I know I keep saying this day after day but everyone did a wonderful job! Bravo!
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text:
New Mutants, Old Friends
June 10, 2010 Keith Karabin
All Posts, Creativity in Action, DIY Psychotherapy, In My Life, Living and Psychology
As seen on the big screen, the X-Men save the world from vicious villains, bloodthirsty bigots and evil mutants galore. But they live at a school. Huh? Like most kids, school was the largest part of my life, and I cared about the idea of a super-school. So too, it turns out, did Chris Claremont, the longest running X-Men writer. First appearing in 1982, the New Mutants were a group of eight young student mutants who, among other more heroic things, lived and went to school at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters.
I grew up with these kids. They struggled with Algebra, I struggled with Algebra. They did chores, I did chores. They went on star-hopping adventures through time, I…read about it. But no matter the adventure, the story was always rife with adolescent angst, drama, struggle and internal conflict that either mirrored or (more often) magnified my own. Eventually they grew, as I did, and moved on to other teams just as I moved on to college. Thus the least creatively titled comic in the Marvel Universe ended.
I kept in touch with a few of them, though some just dropped off the grid, as some friends do after high school. There was one half-hearted, poorly handled attempt at a reunion. Until last May, when Zeb Wells re-started the book for Marvel, and did an amazing thing; just picked them up from where they were in comic life and brought them back together. He didn't re-write them, or re-imagine them (read: ruin and intellectually ruin), he simply treated them like people.
Recently, one of my real-life high school friends hooked me up with the first story in the new New Mutants series. Short answer, I loved it. Long answer, Mr. Wells' respectful handling of each character's history, and the history of the team, allows for an interesting comparison of how my six old friends have grown up and overcame, adapted to, or internalized the issues which they struggled with as teenagers, using Erik Erikson's model of Adolescent Milestones as a basis for comparison.
According to Erikson there are six categories of milestones which each person would hope to cross in their move from adolescence to adulthood; Physical Growth, Intellectual Growth (or Cognition), Autonomy Establishment, Body Image Acceptance, Peer Group Differentiation and Identity Development. Six friends, six categories, should be simple, right? Well, yes but talking about their physical growth is boring. Two of my friends will double up on a category, but that's to be expected since each category covers a multitude of milestones.
Sam Guthrie a.k.a. Cannonball
Milestone Met: Body Image Acceptance
Superpower: Flight and invulnerability via a "blast field" which is like being a living rocket surrounded by rocket fire.
Erikson says that in adolescence we move from "preoccupation with physical changes" and constant "comparison of self to peers" to being "usually comfortable with body image." Sam, though the oldest and co-leader of the group, struggled with both body image and physical self esteem growing up. He would often compare himself to his swarthy Latin best friend Roberto, and be insecure about what his girlfriend saw in him, since he was always drawn lanky and knobby. Also, she was an interstellar rock star, often surrounded by space hotties. Currently, Sam is a confident, sensible, strong leader and even drawn like Matthew McConaughey by Zach Baldus in issue #5.
Roberto DaCosta a.k.a. Sunspot
Milestone Met: Establishment of Ethical and Moral Value System (within Identity Development)
Superpower: He is a living solar battery who can expend that energy in super strength and, according to some, energy blasts and flight.
On this milestone we move from feeling we have an "imaginary audience" to establishing our own value system. Bobby DaCosta walked and acted as though he was the main character in his favorite TV show (Magnum, P.I. Seriously.) and the world was watching. Also, Bobby wrestled with his own moral identity since his father was a corporate villain. Bobby feared that he would follow in big bad daddy's footsteps. He also feared that those around him believed he would, too. Eventually he did embrace a touch of the evil corporate self, only to face his family darkness and return to the side of light. Or, in Bobby's case, womanizing, drinking and making ill-timed jokes. It's a personal value system.
Amara Aquilla a.k.a Magma
Milestone Met: Intellectual/Cognitive Growth
Superpower: Control of local seismic activity, lava and flame
Amara's an interesting kid whose history has been told and retold in the last 20 years. When I first met her, she was a beautiful, yet awkward immigrant from a small island with a backward, Romanesque culture. Just go with it. She was "very self absorbed" as Erikson would note, and concrete thinking. Amara the adult seems equally strong willed, but now tempered with the ability to see things in shades of grey—as with caring for her recently blinded, once boyfriend despite him trying to, and vowing to kill her friends.
Xi'an Coy Mahn a.k.a. Karma
Milestone Met: Peer Group Differentiation
Superpower: Mind control and random (plot device) telepathy
Xi'an, or "Shan" as everyone called her—so that we youngsters could pronounce what we read—is from Viet Nam. Xi'an had a difficult time connecting with the core group because most of her attention was absorbed by her search for her missing brother and sister. Shan was often seen trying to fit in with the other New Mutants, or connect with her family. Both could be seen as differentiation issues since a paramount conflict in that category is the social role of self as a non-sexual child verses the emerging role as a sexual adolescent. Shan differentiated pretty solidly, on Erikson's scale, when she embraced her homosexuality and became "one of the first major lesbian characters in a mainstream comic book," according to Wikipedia.
Danielle Moonstar a.k.a Mirage
Milestone Met: Realization of own Limitations and Mortality (within Identity Development)
Superpower: Currently lost her powers, once dream/nightmare manifestation
It's felt like Dani Moonstar never had a moment of obscurity in the last 20 years. She's been a member of multiple super teams on both sides of the moral divide, been an overt and covert government operative and faced death countless times. Dani is currently facing life without her mutant powers, as the result of a global hex on 99% of all mutants. Dani has already had to prove her prowess to Sam, her former co-leader of the group, and has learned to make up for her limitations and mortality by using guns, armor, and cars in her defense.
Illyana Rasputin a.k.a. Magik
Milestone Met: Autonomy
Superpower: Teleportation, Black Magic
Every group needs its misunderstood, brooding rebel "bad kid." That's Illyana. Also, I loved her teenage character so much, I named my daughter after her. Illyana had a ton of reasons to feel misunderstood and to brood, but Erikson would argue that some of the rebelliousness was simply her autonomic identity vying for life. We go from feeling lonely, with wild mood swings and challenging authority, to establishing our emerging independence, and finally with being emancipated, from our families and also from our child-selves, into an adult lifestyle that fosters our positive self image. Illyana gave a few clues in these first eight issues, that she had done a great deal of that. She seems to have embraced herself, if not all of her demons.
I've met my old friends again. I'm pleased with how they've grown. But this criteria is not for comic book characters; it's for life. Feel free to use the chart as a self-exploration tool. Are you really a grown up? Maybe plot some of your friends on it and send them emails that say "Way to go on your positive Identity Development!" If you are the parent of a teen, maybe use it to take heart and realize much of what you're seeing is natural and healthy. Unless they're a Demon Princess. Or an evil corporate heir. Or a Valkyrie. Or a one-time immortal. Or a…
I could go on and on with these kids. That's the beauty of comic books. And the beauty of reuniting with old friends; remembering the old stories, and looking forward to the new ones. Thank you, Zeb Wells. It seems you are a friend of a friend, and I like your book very much.
Reboots can be sweet
Teen Angst
A Paradise Outside, a Peace Inside
Keith Does Contest: "Dicky did Laser"


The Huppe Herman bedroom collection is crafted from American Walnut with a variety of finishes. The bed frame has a 45% downcut to the floor that softens the edges and maintains an organic design flow. The Herman bed includes a slat system for use with a mattress only.
Optionally, the set also offers a dresser, chest and nightstands to give the bed a comfortable storage system. The bed and night tables are completely finished, allowing for furniture placement in the center of a room. The drawer interiors are made of Russian birch treated and stained like the furniture and coated with a silky finish that protects the most delicate clothing. The drawers close softly and quietly thanks to hidden self-closing slow motion slides.


text:
Tag: Martin Chuzzlewit
Dickens's Dark Side in "Martin Chuzzlewit"
It is easy to lose oneself in Dickens's baroque prose and enchanting, lightning-past plots. He is one of my favorite Victorians, just behind Charlotte and Emily Bronte; Bleak House and Our Mutual Friend are two of my favorite novels. And yet I complained bitterly this month while reading Dickens's picaresque novel, Martin Chuzzlewit. This weird, asymmetrical novel proceeds haphazardly and plotlessly, until it finally comes together in a sentimental, fantastical ending.
The loose plot centers on the separation of old, rich, cantankerous Martin Chuzzlewit from his grandson, also named Martin Chuzzlewit, after a quarrel about the young man's determination to marry Mary Graham, old Martin's companion. The youthful Martin ends up traveling to America to make money and almost dies in a swampy settlement called Eden, saved by Mark Tapley, a working-class Englishman who wants to prove he can be" jolly" under any circumstances. (He does.) Meanwhile, old Martin falls under the thrall of a creep named Mr. Pecksniff.
It is undoubtedly the villains who drive this book. I could not tell you who the hero is, or if there is a hero. But it will be a long, long time before I forget Mr. Pecksniff and Jonah Chuzzlewit. I wish I could!
The sanctimonious Mr. Pecksniff, a fraudulent architect, hypocritical churchgoer, and windbag of an orator, swindles, plagiarises, and schemes to acquire money, including the fortune of old Martin Chuzzlewit. And Jonah Chuzzlwit, who courts both of Mr. Pecksniff's daughters, and abuses Merry Pecksniff after he marries her, is willing to commit murder if it will advance his financial dreams.
Mr. Pecksniff and Jonas Chuzzlewit, illustration by Fred Barnard
Eventually good prevails, and evil is punished. The dead even come back to life. (I'm not making this up.) But even though there is a happy ending, it does not end altogether happily for Tom Pinch, one of my favorite minor characters. Even the good can live in darkness in Dickens.
Dickens sketches Tom as a kind, merry, and moral character who does good deeds and will never get what he wants—and yet must feign happiness.
Mary Graham tells Tom Pinch of Mr. Pecksniff's harassment of her.((llustration by Fred Barnard)
Tom is the one loyal apprentice of pseudo-architect Mr. Pecksniff. Tom thinks the best of everyone. And as, one by one, the other apprentices discover Mr. Pecksniff's true character and are driven from his employment, Tom tries to persuade them that they are mistaken. Martin, who has briefly been an apprentice, underestimates Tom, whom he thinks simple. Fortunately, others esteem Tom highly despite his credulousness. It is only after Martin's departure that Dickens reveals Tom's true depth.
Tom is not a sentimental Dickensian stick figure, though it may seem that way at first. We learn he is musical and transported through music. He is enraptured when he plays the organ at church, and when Mary Graham, who is staying with her employer Martin at a nearby inn, comes into the church for solace and listens to his practicing, he begins to play music she especially enjoys. It is his way of courtship/worship.
Tom even saves Mary from Mr. Pecksniff, after she confides that he has tried to bully her into marrying him. Mind you, Mary is grateful to Tom and loves him as a friend, but it never occurs to her to think of him as a lover. Martin is handsome and Tom plain, so there is no rivalry. But actually, Mary has a very small role in the book, so we know very little of her. She IS one of the stick figures in the book.
At the happy ending, characters marry left and right, but Tom stays single. He finally has a good job as a librarian, but his fate is to live with his sister Ruth and her new husband, and to be a happy uncle. Dickens' final portrait of Tom–the last few pages are about Tom–disturbed me. Yes, the writing is sentimental, but Dickens doesn't spare us the reality of the life of a man who lives through others. Dickens writes,
And that mild figure seated at an organ, who is he! Ah Tom, dear Tom, old friend!
Thy head is prematurely grey, though Time has passed thee and our old association, Tom. But, in those sounds with which it is thy wont to bear the twilight company, the music of thy heart speaks out—the story of thy life relates itself.
Thy life is tranquil, calm, and happy, Tom. In the soft strain which ever and again comes stealing back upon the ear, the memory of thine old love may find a voice perhaps; but it is a pleasant, softened, whispering memory, like that in which we sometimes hold the dead, and does not pain or grieve thee, God be thanked.
There are a few more pages of this. Tranquil? Happy? Maybe. Dickens goes overboard. He is not this mawkish in his later books.
I am haunted by Tom! I cannot think this a happy ending. I can't think Dickens does.
Dickens can be very dark, but maybe I'm reading things into this because it is NOT one of his best books and I am floored by this ending.
Author KatPosted on November 24, 2018 Tags Dickens, Martin Chuzzlewit2 Comments on Dickens's Dark Side in "Martin Chuzzlewit"
A Month of Dickens' "Martin Chuzzlewit"
For over a month now, I have been lugging Martin Chuzzlewit around in my bag. That's me, sitting in the theater lobby reading Dickens and wondering if Marnie will ever end. (It's the Met Live in HD at a local theater.) But to be honest, it's a roll of the dice which bores me more, Martin Chuzzlewit or Marnie.
I am a great fan of Dickens, and I adored rereading Bleak House this fall. But instead of reading Martin Chuzzlewit straight through, I keep setting it aside for other books. As a result I have read a lot of light fiction this month, including E. M. Delafield's The Way Things Are, an undistinguished novel about a disenchanted housewife, and Kate Carlisle's bibliophile mystery, Once upon a Spine (don't bother!). Not that I didn't enjoy these books, but talk about mediocre!
On Oct. 28 I wrote in my journal:
Am making progress in Martin Chuzzlewit. Love the Pecksniffs! They're so horrible, but really funny. Martin's adventures in America, however, are dull, though he does get scammed and buys land in Eden, which turns out to be a swamp. Wow, the American values ARE SO BAD. I did know Dickens hated his tour of America. I didn't remember Martin as so unlikable, but the Chuzzlewits and their relatives the Pecksniffs are all NO GOOD in different ways.
And since Oct. 28…nothing!
I have so many complaints about this excellently-written, weird book. First, the heft of it! The edition I'm reading: 839 pages. Not as long as Bleak House, but it seems longer. And I have to wrestle it it out of my handbag before I can get to my money, brush, memo pad, British Library pen, or trail mix. So whether I am at Dillard's or Walmart, it is a huge production. "What a big book!" people say in a sprightly way.
(I silently raise my eyebrows.)
Perhaps Martin Chuzzlewit was unpopular in its day (and none too pop now) for a reason. There is no real plot, and the character sketeches don't really hang together. The good characters are much less interesting than the wicked. I can take the Pecksniffs–and the affected daughters are eventually radicalized by learning the secrets of the Pecksniff men– but every time I read a scene about the Anglo-Bengalee Disinterested Loan and Assurance Company, I tune out. Who could find that funny?
At its worst, there are beautifully weird sentences. But I am not enjoying it, and can't wait to finish.
The weird thing is that I enjoyed MC on a camping trip in the '90s. That's probably because there was nothing else to do while shivering on a rocky beach on Lake Superior.
Author KatPosted on November 19, 2018 Tags Dickens, Martin Chuzzlewit8 Comments on A Month of Dickens' "Martin Chuzzlewit"


There are currently more than 400,000 people undergoing maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) in the United States program. The mortality in this group of patients is unacceptably high. A majority of the deaths are due to cardiovascular diseases, followed by infectious complications and protein-energy wasting. Strategies to reduce the mortality of MHD patients, including those directed at traditional cardiovascular risk factors such as statins, have largely been ineffective. Inflammation has been implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and protein-energy wasting. Biomarkers of the inflammatory state such as C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) are elevated in MHD patients and are also robust predictors of cardiovascular events and mortality in this patient population. While anti-inflammatory interventions, especially specific anti-cytokin therapies have been used successfully to treat patients with inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis, and while encouraging studies have been reported in improving glycemic control and beta cell function in type 2 diabetes, there are only limited studies using these interventions in MHD patients. Our investigative group has performed a series of studies investigating the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of a number of anti-inflammatory therapies in MHD patients, including Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra), Fish Oil (EPA+DHA), Vitamin E (gamma-tocopherol), alpha lipoic acid (ALA) and CoEnyzme Q10 in studies ranging from 14 patients to 300 patients. We have shown that amongst these interventions, IL-1ra and Fish Oil therapies have the most significant beneficial effects on inflammatory markers, such as hsCRP and IL- 6;whereas Vitamin E and ALA therapies do not influence inflammatory state in these patients. This grant application is submitted in response to the recent NIDDK RFA DK-12-010 (Novel Interventions to Reduce Morbidity and Mortality of Hemodialysis Patients - Safety and Other Early Phase Studies) and has the overarching aim of studying the safety, feasibility and efficacy of promising pharmacological and dialytic interventions in maintenance hemodialysis patients through a U01 collaboration mechanism.
Our specific aims are 1) To test the efficacy of IL-1ra and Fish Oil on inflammatory biomarkers over 6 months through two separate randomized clinical trials in maintenance hemodialysis patients;2) To test the safety and tolerability of IL-1ra and Fish Oil over 6 months through two separate randomized clinical trials in maintenance hemodialysis patients;3) Create a collaborative network of investigators and dialysis facilities for efficient and swift subject recruitment for pilot and feasibility studies in maintenance hemodialysis patients. The ultimate goal of this application is to obtain critical elements of the study design and suitable interventin for a subsequent full-scale randomized controlled clinical trial in MHD patients testing rigorous clinical outcomes including morbidity and mortality.
This grant application is submitted in response to the recent NIDDK RFA DK-12-010 (Novel Interventions to Reduce Morbidity and Mortality of Hemodialysis Patients - Safety and Other Early Phase Studies) and has the overarching aim of studying the safety, feasibility and efficacy of promising pharmacological and dialytic interventions in maintenance hemodialysis patients through a U01 collaboration mechanism. Our specific aims are 1) To test the efficacy of IL-1ra and Fish Oil on inflammatory biomarkers over 6 months through two separate randomized clinical trials in maintenance hemodialysis patients;2) To test the safety and tolerability of IL-1ra and Fish Oil over 6 months through two separate randomized clinical trials in maintenance hemodialysis patients;3) Create a collaborative network of investigators and dialysis facilities for efficient and swift subject recruitment for pilot and feasibility studies in maintenance hemodialysis patients. The ultimate goal of this application is to obtain critical elements of the study design and suitable intervention of a subsequent full-scale randomized controlled clinical trial in MHD patients testing hard clinical outcomes including morbidity and mortality.


free spot the difference games between the images in amazing appication games . Spot and find difference in the best difference games you have ever seen. Spot the difference games download free Are you ready for an awesome " guess the difference " adventure? This spot the differences game free is among the. Play the best online free Difference Games. Can you spot the Differences between 2 pictures, images or photos?.
Relieve the monotony of everyday life with Find 10 Differences, a fascinating puzzle game! All you need are your observation skills to spot all the differences.


Home inspections are a normal part of buying a home. However, most people do not understand the importance of an asbestos home inspection and test. A simple test could save your life. Asbestos fibers could be hidden inside the building materials of your home. Once these fibers are disturbed, your entire home will be exposed to asbestos. Asbestos fibers can easily move from one room to the next through clothing, air, and even your HVAC system. Before purchasing an older home, you should have an asbestos home inspection done. If your home does have asbestos, you can determine a plan of action and keep your family safe.
Asbestos inspections should be handled by a licensed company. The inspection will consist of checking your entire home, including the insulation. Once the home is inspected, a test will be done to determine the presence of asbestos. If you do not have asbestos, you can go on with purchasing your home. If your home does have asbestos, you will need to talk to the seller. The seller can offer to remove the asbestos or can take the price of asbestos removal off the home. Either way, it is important to find out if the home has asbestos.
If a test comes back that you do have asbestos, the asbestos removal company will work with you to ensure your safety. Asbestos is very hazardous to your health and if inhaled, can cause respiratory illnesses, cancer, and even death. Never go into a home or building that has asbestos. Let the professionals remove the asbestos and clear your home. Special suits, masks, and equipment is used to remove asbestos in a safe and contained manner. Asbestos exposure is one of the most dangerous things that could happen in your home. Be safe and get an asbestos home inspection before purchasing or moving in to a home.
Sewage Problems- Don't Touch It!


In the Gospel reading today, taken from the Gospel of Matthew chapter 15, we encounter a gentile woman from the area of Canaan. She approaches Jesus and asks that he heal her daughter who is "extremely" demon possessed. At first Jesus doesn't answer. Then after a few moments, realizing that she wasn't backing down, Jesus explains that he came for the Jewish people and not for the Gentiles. The woman, upon hearing this, pleads with Jesus, by worshiping him and saying, "Lord, help me." But Jesus answered by way of a metaphor and said, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." She in turn provides a surprising rebuttal: "Yes, even the little dogs eat the crumbs from their master's table," showing Jesus how great her faith was. Finally Jesus healed the woman's daughter at that very moment.
Here, we might be wondering why Jesus responded the way he did. We know for a fact that he is neither prejudice nor bias. So then, why? We could infer that Jesus is testing the faith of the woman. There are probably other suppositions that could be made, but I think this is the best one. So then what does it mean for God to test us? Test, or testing, is a word that is closely related to temptation, or trial. In other words, when we have trials and temptations in our life, it is a sort of "test" that we go through. The test is there to measure the "quality" of our faith.
Perseverance: God will look to see if we have the willingness to stick with our faith through the tough times. Persevering means we are not going to let go of our hope in Jesus Christ. Uncomfortable situations make us better, not worse. We attempt to see the light in things that others would only see darkness. That is, such trials refine us, as diamonds pressed in coal, as metal fashioned in fire. The Canaanite woman could have given up; but rather, she persevered and this showed Christ the she was not willing to give up on her daughter.
Obedience: Our quality of faith has a key factor: obedience. Obedience is key to having a good spiritual life. Our society/culture teaches us to be obedient to no one. On the contrary, our Church/Traditions teaches us to be obedient to parents, priest, bishops, etc. Obedience shows God that we are will to listen; and that, we are willing to lay aside our ego/pride for the needs of the Kingdom. Although, obedience was not overt in the narrative of the Canaanite woman, her obedience shows through in her willingness to accept the "crumbs" that Christ was going to throw at her. She could have become mad, anger, frustrated, and yelled or cursed at Jesus for treating her so unfairly. But she didn't; she was obedience and respectful to Christ.
Genuineness: This basically means, that our "reason" for being a Christian is genuinely about having a relationship with Christ. We are not Christians because, we want to have the best life now, or because it provides us with wealth, health, wisdom or prosperity. Simply put: we are Christians because we love Christ. Testing, sometimes can be there to weed out our disingenuous intentions. For example, we might be focusing on traditions, practices and rituals of the Church and not focusing on a relationship with Christ, and our trials are there to weed that out. Another example could be that going to Church, being a part of community, looks good for our family, but God wants us to go for the right reasons. The Canaanite woman was genuine in her desire to go toward the healing power of Christ. We should do the same.


To develop and protect the natural beauty and cultural heritage to be found in the countryside of the Maltese Islands. To establish and to preserve the right of access to the open countryside and to the coastal zones, To identify and to ensure the maintenance of a network of public footpaths in the open countryside, To promote rambling activities as a means of education on the Maltese natural and cultural endowment and as a means of a healthy lifestyle. To organise walks and other educational activities and to disseminate among civil society information leading to a greater respect of the countryside.


Brief instruction: Pls see the picture, there are 24 channels in total, which is divided into 2 districts: No 1 and No 2. Once you press botton"1" on transmitter, both channel "1" of the two districts will fire. If you press button 2, also two channels will fire. You could fire the last with the same manner.
The product is special for stage fireworks, cake fireworks and other fireworks display.
1.Please put the batteries into receiver, then turn on the power switch and lamp lighting.
2.Please turn on power swich of transmitter. Then press the button one by one.It indicates the transmitter is in good condition if the LED on receiver is red.
3.Please connect products in red&black plug .It indicates the line is ok if LED turns green. If the LED didn`t turn on, it means the products is not connecting well. Pls check it. But it will not effect the other channels.
4.Please press the transmitter button to fire the products.
1. Transmitter- with power switch.
2. Receivers- with antenna, signal more stable.
5. Fire capacity: each channel could fire 5-6pcs display igniters and 1pcs safety igniter.
6. Programable- one transmitter could control many receivers; a button on a transmitter could control many receivers.
7. Interchangeable: If there is one receiver was broken, you could use other receivers instead only if the receivers are belongs to the same series. Or you just need to buy receivers ,don`t need to buy transmitter.
1.Please do not shake incept box violently, when no need use it .
2.Notice to prevent defile incept box when it`s close to fireworks.
3.Please take the cell out when no use products, for prevent defile incept box.
4.Please don`t place the product in the damp , sour ,alkali and pollution environment.
The goods will be delivered within 3 working days after customer paid amount received. Please contact with us before making order if you specify forwarder.
After 3 days of the payment, you can check the tracking number from aliexpress.
We will not take responsibility for the damage during shipping after we make the very secure package. If you find the package case or products was broken when you get the goods. Please take photos of the package case or products and apply compensation from the shipping agency in your city, please also send us the photos and we will transfer it to our shipping agency to handle this issues.
1. How much for the power?
2. How far for the remote range?
3. What is the remote control method?
4. Will you send the batteries with goods?
No, except the built-in Lithium battery.
5. How long for the quality guarantee?
1 years under normal usage, except quick-wear parts.
We are so familiar with fireworks in our whole lives. Traditional fireworks contains so many harmful atoms that are bad for our health and environment. With the development of technology, our shop come up with common fireworks. compounds in fireworks is offered by our shop in a high discount. All the consumer fireworks in our shop are made in China and free shipping here. You can select consumer fireworks for sale without waiting. Using cool fireworks for sale in a holiday will increase your fun. Our cool fireworks to buy are of best design in colors and materials. It can provide you a new experience of seeing fireworks.


Darkness. Tchaikovsky comes to my mind. Oppression. Shostakovitch is not far. Fear… may be Rachmaninov? But then there is light! Strauss! It must be Strauss. It isn't. It's Arnold Schönberg. Wait, the rebel from Vienna, he cannot have written such a piece? There is tonality. And chromaticism*. And melody and all you would not expect. Well, Schönberg wanted to go beyond the existing means of musical expression, but to get there, he first had to work his way through precisely those traditional means of musical expression.
The string sextet "Verklärte Nacht" (Transfigured Night) Op. 4, written for two violins, two violas and two cellos, was composed in 1899, at the beginning of Schönberg's career. It was inspired by a controversial love poem by Richard Dehmel about an unfaithful woman, her illegitimate child and her bad conscience. The sextet also seems to reflect at least partly Schönberg's growing love for Mathilde von Zemlinsky, the daughter of his teacher Alexander von Zemlinsky. In 1917, he arranged the sextet to a concert for strings.
The piece starts with a dark, sorrowful painting of two people walking through the night: the unfaithful woman and her husband. The violins play the sad melody, at some point the violas fall in with a song-like melody, full of tender love, but it does not grow strong enough to prevail over the violins. The passionate confession of the sinful woman, the feeling of guilt and remorse, is the theme of the second part: She gave herself to a man she does not love as she longed to be a mother and now she is expecting an illegitimate child. A dramatic dialogue between the first violin, first cello and viola develops.
Part three takes up the themes of the first movement, but this time the two melodies are on equal foot. Man and woman walk through the night in harmony as the man has compassion and declares he will accept the child as if it were his own. Dehmel writes in his poem: "[E] ine eigene Wärme… die wird das fremde Kind verklären, du wirst es mir, von mir gebären…" (a warmth of your own will transfigure the alien child, you will give birth to it for me, through me). The cello expresses this idea, while the violin illustrates the lasting tender love of the woman. The final part expresses the union of the couple as it walks on through the night in supreme happiness.
Beautiful, isn't it? I knew the piece – performed by a sextet – from recordings, but I heard it yesterday night in Luxembourg performed by the strings of the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg under the direction of its former conductor Emmanuel Krivine. Familiar faces then and an interesting program with Richard Strauss' "Metarmorphoses" and Schönberg's "Transfigured Night" back-to-back. I deeply experienced the sensitivity of the piece when I heard it performed live. I imagine what it must be like to hear it performed on an open air stage during a summer night!
What fascinates me with Schönberg is how you can study the evolution of classical music in the early 20th century just by exploring his successive works. Starting point is the legacy of Richard Wagner and Johannes Brahms. The piece "Transfigured Night" follows this tradition. Gradually Schönberg developed his personal style by going beyond traditional means of expression – the 2nd String Quartet, that I discussed in an earlier post – is a good testimony for these experiments – until he comes up with serialism* as the composing technique for Op. 23 "Five Piano Pieces", written in 1923 at the culminating point of his career.
Op. 4 has been recorded by the English Chamber Orchestra under Daniel Barenboim.
I was *just* speaking with a friend about this piece earlier today *and just* posted an article on his op. 7 today too!


Romania is a gateway to all European Union Countries.
There are 57 Government Universities.
Romania is member of the EU but the issue of VISA is independent.Therefore,all visa process is issued by the Romania Embassy in Malaysia.International Students residing in Malaysia with a valid permit can apply without any restriction provided all paper work are in order.
There is no age limit to study in Romania State University.
Undergraduate Studies in Medicine , Dentistry & Pharmacy. Postgraduate Studies (Specialisation & Masters) in Medicine , Dentistry & Pharmacy.
The medical program in Romania is 6 years long. The first 3 years are mainly theoretical (pre-clinical) whereas the last three years are mainly practical (clinical) , After Graduation , the candidate earns the total as Medical Doctor.
Romania is one of the 1st European countries to extract oil.
Studying in the field of Oil and Gas has various benefits such as gaining an understanding of the key challenges and opportunities facing the oil and gas sector in the 21st century.
Graduate in the field of Oil & Gas have great job opportunities as the rate of exploration and development of the World's energy resources is increasing rapidly.
The energy sector requires highly skilled technicians.


Another end-of-year mix that has little to do with the year that's just passed. Still, break out your dancing shoes and get grooving to this!
Great job Genki! I really dig the funky disco bits, like Aeroplane and the DJ EQ track. You need to put out more mixes like this!
yeah baby....i see you've taken a liking to the groovier side of things...fantastic work!
I love how you worked the Rapure onto a mix already loaded with jams. The cut from the munk remix to raw cut to Dynomite is pure butterscotch yo.


The Jobs Crisis: What Hit Us?
The US is stuck in an economic quagmire featuring near ten percent unemployment. As politicians argue about the solution - massive tax cuts or increases in Federal spending - what's missing is a succinct analysis of the problem. Why has America lost 8 million jobs?
The roots of the jobs crisis stretch back to the Ronald Reagan presidency when conservative economic ideology began to dominate American political discourse. At the forefront of this philosophy were three malignant notions: helping the rich get richer will inevitably help everyone else, "a rising tide lifts all boats;" markets are inherently self correcting and therefore there's no need for government regulation; and the US does not need an economic strategy because that's a natural consequence of the free market.
What followed was a thirty-year period where America's working families were abandoned in favor of the rich. Inequality rose as middle class income and wealth declined. As corporate power increased, unions were systematically undermined. As CEO salaries soared, fewer families earned living wages.
Conservative ideology produced a warped and brittle US economy, where more than two-thirds of our GDP was housing related: building, buying, and furnishing new homes or borrowing against existing homes in order to maintain a decent standard of living. When the credit bubble burst, the debt-based consumption model failed, taking down first the housing sector and then the entire economy, resulting in catastrophic job losses.
In order to be sustainable, the US economy has to generate 125,000 jobs each month. (To bring unemployment down to acceptable levels - below 7 percent - the US economy needs to generate 300,000 jobs each month for the next three years.) For this to happen, there have to be three positive conditions.
First, consumers have to be willing to spend money. Regardless of the conservative ideology, the US economy depends upon steady consumption by working Americans. The Reagan Republican theory incorrectly assumes that rich folks buying yachts and vacation homes catalyzes the consumer economy. Nonetheless, wealthy Americans have as much income as they have ever had but their purchases of Ferraris or diamonds has not been sufficient to boost the economy. Average Americans aren't consuming because they either don't have the money or are saving it because they are fearful.
Second, businesses have to be willing to hire. At the moment, many businesses - outside of construction and commercial real estate - have the funds available to hire but they either aren't hiring or are filling what should be full-time permanent positions with part-time temporary workers.
Third, the new jobs have to be decent jobs paying a living wage. Unfortunately, the Associated Press reported that of the 630,000 jobs created in 2010, 81 percent are low-paying service-sector positions. That's the sad backdrop to terrible unemployment data.
Since the Reagan presidency the number of decent jobs has steadily eroded. When a worker retires from a GM assembly line, and a job that pays good wages, he isn't replaced by his son or daughter; they go to work at McDonalds. There was an under-acknowledged "structural adjustment" that meant the US consumer economy could not function unless average Americans went deeply in debt: borrowed up to the limit on their credit cards or used up their home equity.
It's necessary to understand what went wrong with the US economy because fundamental changes are required to deal with the jobs crisis. So far the political rhetoric has been underwhelming. Republicans blame unemployment on the policies of the Obama Administration and argue the solution is to cut taxes, particularly for the wealthy. Democrats blame unemployment on the policies of the Bush Administration and argue the solution is to increase Federal spending. The New York Times correctly condemned both approaches noting that Republican policies produced the current economic decline and the "cut taxes to solve all problems" clearly does not work. The Times also described the Democratic approach as timid, failing to attack the systemic nature of the problem.
America has economic cancer and radical surgery is required. First, there has to be a massive redistribution of income by increasing taxes on both the wealthy and financial institutions (particularly those that were at the heart of 2008's economic meltdown).
Second, there has to be a second stimulus package that not only supports America's teachers and public safety workers but also strengthens the US infrastructure, in general. It's not logical to propose that American businesses provide better jobs without also ensuring that our schools produce workers who can meet employers' needs.
Third, the Federal government has to be involved in economic policy. The last thirty years has demonstrated that it's insane to assume the free market will do this. What we've learned is that the market follows the path of least resistance and dictates economic policy solely based on greed. Creating wealth for a handful of CEOs isn't consistent with the national interest. What are needed now are economic policies that produce decent jobs for average Americans.
The Federal government has to intervene and create the jobs that the greedy, shortsighted private sector hasn't provided.


Project Blake was established in 2007 with a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
The Project aims to celebrate the life of William Blake and make his work accessible to a wider audience.
We ave already installed 36 pieces of his work around the streets of North Lambeth and aim to produce about 50 more pieces over the next few years. These will be installed in the area around Hercules Rd. where Blake live from 1790-1800.