text:
Roger Joyce Bushell was the first child born to Benjamin Daniel Bushell and Dorothé Wingate White Bushell. He arrived in the world on 30 August 1910 in Springs, Transvaal*, just outside Johannesburg. Although his mother thought that he was a physically fragile baby, Roger quickly grew into a strong child, both in body and spirit. Baby sister Rosemary joined the family on 14 April 1912.
Roger and Rosemary enjoyed an exuberant childhood, full of travel, abundant free space to run around, playful imaginations, and loving parents. When Roger was eleven-and-a-half years old, his younger sister, Elizabeth completed the family with her birth on 26 May 1922.
Roger began his formal education at a boarding school in Johannesburg when he was eight-and-a-half years old. Then, when he was about fourteen years old, he sailed to England and became a pupil at Wellington College in Crowthorne, Berkshire. He spent a term at Grenoble University in France before matriculating to Pembroke College at Cambridge University in 1929. Roger was highly athletic during his educational years, excelling at rugger and skiing. And an enormous amount of partying.
He co-captained the combined Oxford-Cambridge ski team, and in January 1932, the team sailed to Canada for a skiing contest with McGill University. It was there, competing in a race, that Roger's skis struck a hidden obstacle, which broke both skis and produced the infamous droop in his left eye.
Roger graduated from Cambridge University on 21 October 1932 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Law.
*Transvaal is a former province, and the city of Springs is now in the Gauteng province.
Contact: edit@rogerbushell.com


text:
Rover of the Day: Barry Swallow
Barry Swallow born July 2, 1942
The son of Ernie, a member of Rovers 1946-47 Division Three (North) title-winning side, Arksey-born Barry signed professionally for Rovers in July 1959.
He made his debut in October 1960 and scored in his second game, a FA Cup tie at Chesterfield that finished 3-3. A defender with an eye for goal, Barry spent two seasons in Rovers' first team before moving to Crewe Alexandra in August 1962.
He had spells at Barnsley and Bradford City and in October 1969 he signed for York City. There he enjoyed the best spell of his career, helping the Minstermen gain promotion from the Fourth Division to the Second.
His record for Rovers was 56 senior appearances and eleven goals.
Rover of the Day

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Leo Laporte
Broadcaster, podcaster, tech pundit. Founder, TWiT Netcast Network. The Tech Guy on the Premiere radio network
Posted on 28 September 2007 by Leo Laporte
Apparently Yahoo Podcasts was among its least used services. -sigh-
YAHOO WILL DISCONTINUE ITS UNDERUSED service for finding and rating audio podcasts on Oct. 31, according to the Yahoo blog. The jettison is part of the 100-day review of Yahoo operations by co-founder Jerry Yang.
MediaPost Publications 09/28/2007 (via Larry Reich)
CategoriesBlog, Uncategorized TagsNews, Podcasting
13 Replies to "Another Brick In The Wall"
JCK says:
Sad, but not entirely unsurprising. Simply not mainstream enough.
YouMakeMedia » Yahoo Podcasts service to be discontinued… says:
[…] Podcasts service to be discontinued, reports Online Media Daily. Via the LOL. […]
Derek K. Miller says:
It's a pity they never really did anything with it. Being Yet Another Podcast Directory never had much value.
There is/was a Yahoo podcasts?
It wasn't used because:
1. It was crap
2. Nobody (and here I refer to Normals) knew it existed.
What we need is for Google to add a 'Podcasts' search option.
CookieDuster says:
Saw the headline and assumed this was going to be about someone's unlocked iPhone! Silly me…
Rona says:
I admit…I'm borderline 'normal' and I didn't know it existed…
It's a shame Yahoo! couldn't make the service more valuable/prominent since they have such a far reach with the mainstream internet community.
Sgtret says:
I too did not know it existed and MyYahoo! is my home page. There are so many desktop programs that farm them, it wouldn't even occur to me to look in Yahoo! for it.
Will Curtiss says:
Maybe if they had kept the most recent episodes up to date people would have downloaded episodes. My podcast "Off the Beat-n-Track Radio Show" is up to show# 260 and they have 251 as the most recent.
Jim Hassinger says:
I think companies have a limited amount of time to imprint themselves on the public. Yahoo's big chance came, and its miserable, unreadable home page because such a hyperactive nightmare that nobody knew what they were up to. Then Google came with a plain home page and a better search engine. Tilt, game over. Yahoo's tried to fight back with a million and one me-too services, but the game is over. Will they get another kick at the can? Maybe, maybe not.
Robert Stinnett says:
Yahoo seems to be closing a lot down nowadays. They just shuttered Yahoo Photos (after buying Flickr), and recent rumors have it that Yahoo 360 will be next to close its doors (the help desk email bounces back from them and nobody from the development team has been seen in over a month).
Yahoo seems to be caught up in the "what's new" syndrome. They don't get half their products out of beta before they run off and start another product leaving all the bugs behind (and frustrated users) of the first.
Jeremiah Staes says:
This doesn't surprise me.
Most of the time, submitting podcasts to it didn't work – and when I've worked on projects where Yahoo was a sponsor and tried to go through their chain, they STILL didn't post the podcasts with a manual override – on content that was sponsored by them and had their staff on it!
It seems as if it was poorly-thought out and never executed right from the beginning… or, internal politics doomed it from the beginning (a phenomenon that is common in the corporate world).
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Peloton tablets have built-in cameras and microphones that allow users to see and hear one another if they choose, and for Mr. Biden, therein lies the rub. The last thing the C.I.A. wants is the Russians and the Chinese peering or listening into the White House gymnasium. Last week, Popular Mechanics warned about the security […]
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Brave becomes first browser to add native support for the IPFS protocol | ZDNet 19 January 2021
Since some major websites like Wikipedia have IPFS versions, users in oppressive countries can now use Brave's new IPFS support to go around national firewalls and access content that might be blocked inside their country for political reasons and is available via IPFS. In addition, Brave also says that its users can also install their own IPFS […]
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It's been cold and rainy the last few days which has me reaching for cozy staples to weather the dreary temps. Last Thursday, it was snowing. You read right. SNOWING!!!! As much I want to wear brights and pastels for spring - it's just not gonna happen in this miserable weather. So instead I decided to go earthy, and combine some of my favorite muted colors. I mean, who says olive and coral is just for fall anyway?
BTW, I'm loooving this tee! It's super soft and adds just the right amount of color when paired with this f21 utility jacket. I've been really impressed with the few Lucky Brand tops I've purchased so far. I'm definitely going to look into getting some more. For now, I'm just hoping and praying warmer weather is headed our way. Because I don't know how much of this I, (or my hair) can take!
Love the colors! The color of the top is super gorgeous and I love the detailing as well! Awesome choices mixed together!
Great look Jenny! Love that utility jacket and the color of that top is gorgeous!


Holy bananas, Batman! monstrophonic has posted this absolutely stunning, detailed, 1966 Wayne Manor. The facade is just gorgeous, with the mottling and detail work. The landscaping is foreboding, with that sweeping angle up to the front of the house.
Turn it around to reveal an incredibly detailed interior, including what appears to be an awesome upgrade of the official Classic Batcave set. There are bats in the attic, teddy bears by the luxurious bed, and visitors in the formal living room. While there doesn't appear to be a fire pole or quick means to the batcave, there's a lovely hidden staircase to sneak around with!
Let's discuss this batcave. It's lit, and contains the classic batmobile (which you can find for yourself in 76052 LEGO Batman TV Series Batcave), along with another surprise guest scientist and innovator to help Batman figure out how to make the batmobile and batcopter even better.


text:
5 of the oldest plant specimens in SA
Take a leaf out of the Herbarium's book. Get to know the stories behind some of Australia's oldest plant specimens.
Like trawling through old photo albums, there's something fascinating about delving into the history books and getting a picture of decades past.
You might be into old buildings, historical figures, inventions or fashion. Or maybe you're a green thumb and the history of plants gets you digging for more information.
With the help of our friends at the State Herbarium of South Australia – the experts in Australia's native and naturalised plants, algae, fungi and lichens – we bring you six of the oldest specimens in their collection.
But don't worry if the thought of musty pages of plant specimens doesn't tickle your fancy, hopefully the stories behind them will.
1. Tall fuzzweed (Vittadinia scabra)
During Captain Cook's first voyage between 1768 and 1771, he set sail to the South Pacific Ocean to observe Venus' passage between the earth and the sun.
He pulled up on the east coast of Australia with botanists Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander in tow, and in 1770 they found this little beauty tucked away about 500 kilometres north of Brisbane, in a spot they named Bustard Bay.
Banks was a follower of Carl Linnaeus, who developed the binomial (two name) form of naming plants, and he employed Solander, Linnaeus' student, to help him on the voyage to collect and name plants in what was then an unknown part of the world. Banks is actually pictured on Australia's early $5 notes – and the Banksia plant is also named after him.
2. Indian beech (Pongamia pinnata, now known as Millettia pinnata)
This specimen of Indian Beech has had an interesting journey since its discovery in 1819 in Rockingham Bay, Queensland.
Botanist and explorer Allan Cunningham had spent two years collecting plants in Brazil, before scoping out the Sydney region, and then heading up to northern and north-western Australia as part of Admiral Phillip Parker Kings' four voyages between 1817 and 1821 where he discovered this tree.
The plant is found throughout Asia, northern Australia and the Pacific, and its pods are rich in an oil that has potential as a biodiesel fuel.
If you look closely at this specimen and its backing sheet, you'll see a tear and dark soot – evidence of an intensive period of World War II bombing in London in 1939, when the specimen was held at the British Museum of Natural History.
The botanical collection sustained significant fire damage, particularly the specimens discovered by Banks and Solander, and needed a lot of restoration work to be salvaged.
At the time, an operation was underway to protect much of the country's historic specimens by trucking it out to safe houses in the British countryside. The herbarium of the Botanic Gardens in Berlin was not so lucky though – it was almost completely destroyed.
3. Cockie's tongues (Templetonia retusa)
This one dates back to the early 1800s when Scottish botanist Robert Brown, on Matthew Flinders' Investigator voyage, was exploring the southern tip of the Eyre Peninsula, in the area now known as Memory Cove, in Lincoln National Park.
At around the same time, eight crew members on the voyage were lost at sea. While the search was underway, Brown and seed collector Peter Good collected a number of plants in the area, including the Templetonia retusa.
This wasn't a new discovery though, as it had already been found in Western Australia by French botanists, who then sent it back to Napoleon Bonaparte and his wife Josephine for their garden. When it started flowering in their glasshouse in 1803, it was described as a new species – Rafnia retusa.
4. Dwarf hakea (Hakea rugosa)
The dwarf hakea was also collected by Robert Brown near Port Lincoln, in February 1802. The dwarf hakea has terete leaves topped by a spine, and belongs to a group of Hakeas often called 'needle-woods' because they are so prickly and they all look the same if there are no flowers and fruits.
When Brown collected this specimen at Port Lincoln he also collected two other Hakea species with similar leaves (Hakea vittata and Hakea cycloptera) and just a few days later he collected another (Hakea leucoptera) from his climb up Mount Brown.
The red 'Type' label on this herbarium sheet indicates that this is the actual specimen that the name Hakea rugosa is based on or described from, which makes it extremely valuable.
This is a relatively common species in southern SA, from Eyre Peninsula through to western Victoria. Hakea fruits are a favourite food of Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos.
5. Crepe fern (Todea hymenophylloides, now known as Leptopteris hymenophylloides)
While not an Australian discovery, this crepe fern is a beautiful specimen both for its pristine preservation and the rich history behind it.
It was discovered in New Zealand way back in 1769 during Cook's first voyage, where he visited the land of the long white cloud on the way to Australia.
The species is only found in New Zealand, and in the 1800s was often framed and displayed.
Embrace South Australia's roots and learn more about the history of our environment and special places this May, during South Australia's History Festival.
10 of South Australia's lesser-known threatened species
Threatened Species Day raises awareness about some of SA's threatened species. Here's 10 of the lesser-known ones.
How to attract native bees to your garden
Encourage native bees to visit your garden by taking these simple steps. Your plants will thank you for it.
Have your say on a new heritage tourism strategy for South Australia
Plans are underway to relaunch SA's heritage tourism strategy. Learn more, including how you can have a say.
A beginner's guide to composting
Want to turn your kitchen and garden waste into 'black gold'? Here's how you can do it and why you would want to.


Collection agency results improved by knowing the truth.
Does knowing the truth about a debtor matter?
Your collection agency reports that they too have not yet been able to collect on an unpaid invoice from your business customer. Do you care why?
Your company is making business decisions every day that affect profitability. What to sell. How to sell. What customers to target. Where to purchase materials. How to operate efficiently. How to allocate an advertising budget. Each of these decisions is made better when you collect data, analyze the information and understand your choices. If you apply the same analytical process to unpaid invoices, you would expect to make superior decisions to maximize your profitability. The larger the amount owed, the more impactful the decision.
The fastest way to get paid may be to take a very firm position that you don't care about the debtor's situation and just insist on payment. If they don't cooperate immediately, then commence litigation to show your seriousness. This hard line approach may result in faster payment in some situations, but in situations where the debtor truly does not have the ability to immediately pay in full, going to court may not be the best decision for a variety of reasons.
Unfortunately, the aggressive approach described above frequently results in the debtor dramatically reducing or simply refusing all communication, which means your ability to get information is limited. Limited information will result in not making the optimal decision in many cases. Spending money for litigation when the company is about to go under, file bankruptcy, or is judgment proof is a waste of resources. In other situations, cooperation can often result in payment far faster than the 6 to 24 months it can take simply to get a judgment, and at a much lower cost. But for a collection agency, it is a lot easier to simply demand payment and go to court with their client's money if that doesn't work.
The conundrum with debt collection is how to maximize the likelihood of getting as much money as fast as possible without adversely affecting your ability to collect valuable information. This is a delicate balancing act where experience and business knowledge is very helpful. In today's business climate which is still challenging for many small and mid-size companies, understanding the true situation is critical to making good decisions and maximizing profitability.


text:
Broncos And Falcons To Meet In 2019 Hall Of Fame Game
"The Super Bowl XXXIII rematch will be televised by NBC August 3 from Canton, Ohio."
Jack Ferris
Every August, hungry football fans are overcome with relief when they see actual live football grace their television sets for the first time in months.
While the AAF and ESPN/TSN's coverage of the CFL might help a bit through the off season, there's no substitution for the NFL. This year, the Hall of Game will be a matchup of the Falcons and the Broncos.
The Super Bowl XXXIII rematch will be televised by NBC August 3 from Canton, Ohio. This year's draft class includes Falcons alumnus Tony Gonzalez, former Denver cornerback Champ Bailey, and longtime Broncos owner Pat Bowlin.
The benefit of playing so early? An extra week of practice for the players/coaches and the national spotlight for owners/fans. Falcons Coach Dan Quinn clearly sees all upside in playing in the annual preseason opener; "We are fired up to kick off the NFL's 100th season in the Hall of Fame Game."
Jack Ferris writes feature stories for BSM and serves as an update anchor for iHeart Radio in San Francisco and as a freelance contributor for the PAC-12 Network. Previously he has worked as a sports anchor for KXLY-TV in Spokane and as the co-host of the Don West Show on KPQ in Central Washington. You can find him on Twitter @JFerris714 or reach him by email at FerrisJack54@gmail.com.
Related Topics:Atlanta FalconsBarrett Sports MediaBSMDenver BroncosHall of Fame GameJack FerrisJason BarrettNFLSports Television
CBS and NBC Trade 2021 and 2022 Super Bowls
ESPN To Air Sky Sports Formula1 Coverage
"Tappen was in line to replace Michele Tafoya as the sideline reporter for Sunday Night Football but was passed over by the network in favor of Melissa Stark."
NBC has tabbed Kathryn Tappen as its sideline reporter for the network's upcoming coverage of Big Ten football, according to a report from Andrew Marchand of The New York Post.
According to Marchand, Tappen was in line to replace Michele Tafoya as the sideline reporter for Sunday Night Football but was passed over by the network in favor of Melissa Stark.
Tappen has hosted Notre Dame football's studio coverage and Peacock Sunday Night Football Final. She also worked as NBC's lead interviewer for its coverage of the PGA Tour, but left that broadcast team at the end of 2022 as part of the network's larger shakeup of its golf coverage.
The appointment of Kathryn Tappen conceivably concludes the Big Ten on NBC broadcast crew. Noah Eagle and Todd Blackledge are expected to pair as the network's play-by-play announcer and color analyst, respectively. NBC has yet to officially unveil its coverage plans for the 2023 college football season.
"I do think he had some regret over not taking a two- or three-year hiatus last year and taking one of the big TV jobs. Amazon? Maybe FOX? But if he really wanted to jump after winning the Super Bowl, he would have."
L.A. Rams head coach Sean McVay will remain at his post for the 2023-24 season. The team tweeted that news Friday afternoon, seeming to, at least for now, put the rumors of McVay leaving coaching for a TV job to rest.
ProFootballTalk's Peter King wrote in Football Morning in America on Monday that McVay understands the kind of position on television he's looking for may not necessarily be there for him.
"I don't think that was the only thing about TV that appealed to him, but I don't think McVay was interested in being Just a Guy on TV," King wrote. "I do think he had some regret over not taking a two- or three-year hiatus last year and taking one of the big TV jobs. Amazon? Maybe FOX? But if he really wanted to jump after winning the Super Bowl, he would have."
King noted that McVay has been told to "Do what makes you happy" by folks with the Rams. He also said he believes coaching is what Makes McVay happy. Especially with a chance to shake up his coaching staff and being involved in trying to bring the team back from a 5-12 season in their follow-up campaign to winning the Super Bowl.
"He wants to be challenged, and this staff wasn't doing it," King said. "Offensive coordinator Liam Coen may not have been what McVay wanted in an OC—a coach who would challenge him and bring new ideas to him—and that could be why he's going back to the University of Kentucky as a coordinator."
"Salters has been with ESPN for almost 23 years. She started as a general assignment reporter before moving to sideline reporting in 2006."
Monday night's Cowboys/Bucs wild card playoff game set a new milestone for ESPN sideline reporter Lisa Salters.
The network tweeted that Salters completed her 11th season in that role. That makes her the longest tenured reporter in Monday Night Football history.
Tonight's #DALvsTB game concludes Lisa Salters' 11th NFL season working the sidelines for ESPN – the longest tenured reporter in Monday Night Football history. pic.twitter.com/q71nqPkxbQ
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) January 17, 2023
"When I first got the call to do Monday Night Football, I would have never thought that 10 years later I would still be doing it," Salters said last year in a video reminiscing on ten years on Monday Night Football. "I was at home and I got a phone call from my boss Vince Doria and he said, 'Hey, I was wondering if you would be interested in being a sideline reporter for Monday Night Football', and I couldn't believe what he just asked me."
Salters is also featured on network coverage of the NBA, something she's been doing since 2005.


text:
Q: Using standardized values (z-score) for MAE (Mean absolute error) I have two models/indices that try to predict observed values. I've compared them using correlation and regression, but I'd like to use MAE (Mean absolute error) to asses which of them is more closer to the observed values. The problem I ran into, is that they use different scales.
The observed values range from 0-100, the first model has the range of 0-100 as well, but the second one produces results that range from -1 to 1. This is due to the first model actually trying to predict the phenomenon collected in the observed values. The second model is trying to predict another phenomenon, but I'm trying to test whether it is also suitable for predicting the observed phenomenon. They both use different data and it would be difficult to standardize the data before running the model, because they so methodologically different.
I tried normalizing the observed and predicted values into z-scores with z = (x - mean(x))/ stdev(x) where x is a raw value, mean(x) is the mean of x population and stdev(x) the stdev of x population
Then calculated MAE with sum(abs(obs_z-pred_z)/count(obs) based on the z-scores. I got some values from this, but I'm not sure whether this a good method.
I also tried testing SMAE (Standardized mean absolute error) with both mean(abs(obs-pred)) / mean(obs) and mean(abs(obs-pred)) / stdev(obs) and these produce relatively similar results to eachother, but completely different to the z-scored MAE.
So therefore, is there a good or established method for comparing errors of models that produce values different scales? Ideally I'll have more of these models/indices in the future. Therefore, it would be good to settle on one working method because most likely some of them will vary in scale. I'd also like to use RMSE in a similar fashion to MAE if thats possible. Or is there a totally different or better way for doing the comparison? I'm definitely not that familiar with the world of statistics so any help is appreciated.
Thank you!

A: Far better, I would say, is to standardize/normalize the data, and then use the same metric of choice as is on all the models, as opposed to trying to adapt your metric of choice to the data.
The measures which you mentioned are all in the absolute scale, alternatively you could use a relative measure, such as MAPE, although it has its issues.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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How did the 4 Industrial Revolutions change the world?
Shivank Srivastava June 4, 2021 How Series
The world is changing at a very fast pace due to the changes in technology that was brought from time to time. Sometimes there have been significant changes in technology that changed the whole industry and brought a revolution to the society as a whole. From the invention of wheel to internet of things, there have been four significant Industrial Revolution that took place in mankind and we shall be talking about them.
The changes that were visible in the past 300 years certainly did not happened in the last 3000 years. 10,000 years ago humans started with agriculture for food and 5,000 years ago we started living under civilisations, the lifestyle was very simple yet structured. Little was known that 18th century will mark a new beginning of how humans lived.
First Industrial Revolution (1760-1830)
In the 18th century, the First Industrial Revolution took off after the invention of steam engine. Coal played the biggest role since steam engines used to run on coal. Steam engines were used to run trains and ships for travelling and movement of goods to longer distances. This revolution began from the Great Britain and spread the whole Europe.
Most of the economies were dependent on agriculture and man made goods but due to Industrial Revolution, manufacturing and processing of goods through machines became possible. Machines were introduced into agriculture thereby improving the conditions in this sector. The work in the fields became faster and there was more productivity visible. There was also a huge movement of humans from villages to bigger cities for work and employment. Industrial Revolution 1.0 is called as the Age of Mechanical Production.
Second Industrial Revolution (1850-1914)
Instead of steam engines, internal combustion engines were used from the mid 19th century. The invention of electricity was the most important invention of that time. It led to mass production of goods and products. Communication improved after the invention of telephone and radio.
Longer distance and new places were covered once the invention of cars and places happened. Pharmaceuticals and chemicals were also introduced that fought diseases and increased the life expectancy. Industrial Revolution 2.0 is called as the Age of Science and Mass Production.
Third Industrial Revolution (1969-present)
The Third Industrial Revolution is currently reaching its peak in the modern day society. The focus of the industrial revolution shifted towards electronic goods and nuclear energy. It began from Europe and the United States and grew significantly in countries like China and Japan in Asia.
This revolution also brings the advent of computers which played a huge role when the US and USSR were competing in space. Due to this, there was up-gradation in computers. The usage of computers also increased within the common man whether it was at a company or for personal usage.
When the usage increased, there was a need to connect the computers. That was how the World Wide Web or the internet came into existence. With internet, humans could finish off the task which was almost impossible. The world became small and connected. Next came the introduction of mobile phones and then smartphones in the early 21st century. Apps and softwares became popular and gave rise to information technology.
Similarly problems in any domain such as agriculture, water conservation, waste management and much more could be solved with these inventions. Industrial Revolution 3.0 is called as the Age of Digital Revolution.
Pollution and drainage of energy forced the concentration of the world from non-renewable sources to renewable ones. More emphasis is given to sources like wind, geothermal and solar energy, etc to create a more healthier and better world. Electric vehicles would replace petrol and diesel running vehicles.
Modern technologies such as Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, BlockChain, Machine Learning, Robotics are currently used but their usage will increase with time. Data is said to be as valuable as crude oil and with time, real time data and predictive analysis would play a bigger role than ever. Manufacturing will became robotic in nature.
To read more thought provoking content, follow BuzzTed – A GoThru News Initiative.
Artificial Intelligence, BlockChain, Digital Revolution, First Industrial Revolution, Fourth Industrial Revolution, Important Inventions, Industrial Revolution, Industrial Revolution 4.0, Internal Combustion Engine, Internet of Things, Renewable Energy, Science and Technology, Second Industrial Revolution, Steam Engine, Third Industrial Revolution, Virtual Reality
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Published by Shivank Srivastava
Shivank is the founder of GoThru News and BuzzTed. He has done his schooling from CMS, Lucknow and is currently pursuing a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, Japan. He likes to read both fictional and non-fictional books and loves watching cricket and pro-wrestling.	View all posts by Shivank Srivastava


text:
Q: Unable to get scaleLinear() to populate values into SVG Rectangle's width Please look at this index.html with simple d3.js scaling:
    <body>
    <script>
        var canvasWidth = 750;
        var canvasHeight = 600;

        // Setup scales
        d3.json("tt.json",
                function(data)
                {
                    var widthScale = d3.scaleLinear()
                                        .domain([0, 3])
                                        .range(0, canvasWidth);

                    var colorScale = d3.scaleLinear()
                                        .domain([0, 10])
                                        .range(["red", "blue"]);

                    var canvas = d3.select("body")
                                    .append("svg")
                                    .attr("width", canvasWidth)
                                    .attr("height", canvasHeight)

                    canvas.selectAll("rect")
                            .data(data)
                            .enter()
                                .append("rect")
                                .attr("width", function(d) { return widthScale(d.t_count); })
                                .attr("height", 30)
                                .attr("y", function(d, i) { return i * 50; })
                                .attr("fill", "blue")

                    canvas.selectAll("text")
                            .data(data)
                            .enter()
                            .append("text")
                            .attr("fill", "black")
                            .attr("y", function(d, i) { return (i * 50 + 22); })
                            .text(function(d) { return d.ttext; })
                }) // of function(data)
    </script>
</body>

The .json file on the server looks like this:
[{"ttext":"Architect","t_count":"1"},
{"ttext":"Entertainment","t_count":"2"},
{"ttext":"Food","t_count":"2"},
{"ttext":"Gujarati","t_count":"1"},
{"ttext":"Laundry","t_count":"1"},
{"ttext":"Milk","t_count":"2"},
{"ttext":"Rajasthani","t_count":"1"}]

The output is just this:

(nothing but the ttext attribute from the json file.)
A hardcoded factor i.e., return (d.t_count * 30); does plot the rectangle. But when the scaling is introduced, the text is all that is output.
Here's the SVG DOM that is generated (strangely missing width in the rect):

Struggling with this for a day almost. Can anyone review and please help?

A: In a scale, both domain and range have to be arrays.
So, change to this:
var widthScale = d3.scaleLinear()
    .domain([0, 3])
    .range([0, canvasWidth]);//range as an array


text:
PS&C continues to take on losses following acquisitions
By Nico Arboleda on Aug 28, 2018 12:52PM
IT services provider PS&C is taking on more losses despite a boost in revenue as the costs of recent acquisitions continue to affect profitability.
The company's losses after tax came in at $9.2 million for the year ending 30 June, up 64 percent from a $5.6 million loss last year. Revenue grew 6 percent to $78 million from $73.9 million in 2017.
During the period, PS&C acquired IT services provider Canberra-based NTH Consulting, Melbourne-based business and technology consultancy Seisma, Sacon Group and Coroma Consulting.
"Reported profit was impacted by goodwill write downs, mainly as a result of an increase in the weighted cost of capital used in the impairment testing model and a more conservative approach taken with long term forecasts," PS&C said.
"Management remain very confident with the prospects of the existing operating units."
The company also changed the reporting of its segments to better reflect its service offerings and delivery model.
Its People, Security and Communications business segments are replaced with Discovery + Insights, Design + Process, Delivery + Cloud and Defend + Secure.
Looking forward, PS&C said its work in the past 18 months has put the company in a strong position to be profitable, expecting a bump in EBITDA in the current financial year.
"I couldn't be more pleased with how the group is positioned to grow profits. Considerable work has been done to put the right mixture of businesses and personnel in place to take advantage of the opportunity," PS&C managing director Glenn Fielding said.
"We now have our house in order and further improvements will come by building on existing relationships with enterprise customers and continued consolidation of our businesses to improve client engagement."
glenn fielding nth consulting psc sacon group services
By Nico Arboleda
PS&C offloads another division: consulting arm Glass goes
PS&C chief executive Glenn Fielding steps down
PS&C expands client base into federal government with acquisition of Canberra-based NTH Consulting
Intuit Technologies hires channel veteran Bianca Pickett as CTO


Hyderabad, April 04, 2019: Teaching is a divine responsibility to guide and enlighten. A teacher with the right skills inspires and influences entire student lives. They are instruments who can ignite powerful thoughts in students, helping them unleash their real potential' said Prof. V.V. Bhanoji Rao, Governing Body Member, GITAM.
The Prof. interacted with GITAM Deemed-to-be University, Hyderabad faculty on a topic 'Teacher Alone Makes the Difference' on April 4, 2019. Three decades of teaching and research at the National University of Singapore (NUS); and 6 years of research and operational assignments at the World Bank, Washington DC, USA and Jakarta, Indonesia the veteran narrated his personal experiences at School, University and Job role levels.
students, paving the way for a high level of concentration towards the discussion topic, he told.
Effective teachers will ensure that their students receive the best education from them, he opined. He said three mantras to effective teaching that, the teacher have to love teaching, love the subject and love the students. To be an effective teacher, one must have the potential to motivate and support students so that they are well-equipped to deal with any challenges life throws at them both academically and otherwise, Prof Bhanoji suggested.
Effective time management, precise narrative skills are vital for providing quality education to students while also meeting the specific learning needs of each student, he said.
Good teaching is open to change: it involves continuously trying to find out what the effects of instruction are on learning, and modifying the instruction in the light of the evidence collected, Dr. Bhanoji concluded. He responded spontaneously and with the fun to the quarries raised by the faculty.
Earlier, Prof. N.Siva Prasad, Pro Vice-Chancellor, GITAM, Hyderabad welcome the distinguished guest and he stressed the greater responsibility of a teacher toward the society as well as moulding the students.


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Axis announces the new Technology Integration Partner Program
If there's one constant in the technology sector, it's change. The constant innovation and evolution in technological capabilities, development environments, and technology architectures leads to a need for a regular review of how Axis is working with its global community of partners. Reflecting this, Axis is bringing together the existing Axis Application Development Partner Program and the Axis Technology Partner Program into a single structure, the Technology Integration Partner Program. Alongside the thriving Axis Developer Community and enhancements to the AXIS Camera Application Platform (ACAP), the new program gives greater clarity for partners and customers, and creates opportunities for a new generation of solutions based on Axis technology.
Much of the success of Axis is based upon its relationships with thousands of partner organizations around the world, and their work in creating valuable solutions based on Axis technology. Axis has always had a philosophy of openness, with programs, initiatives, training and technology which provide maximum access to Axis technologies – the theory being that harnessing the skills and creativity of the largest number of people will lead to the broadest set of applications and solutions designed to meet customer needs. The commercial success of Axis and its partners is closely linked, and evolving the ways in which partners work with Axis is a constant focus.
For more than 15 years, two separate existing partner programs - the Axis Application Development Program and the Axis Technology Partner Program - have provided resources, training and support to partners focused on either software development or integration with hardware.
But as Jamie Donald, Program Director for Technology Partners at Axis explains, over time this separation has become less relevant: "The idea that you can separate hardware and software in the security and surveillance sector – indeed, in most sectors – has become almost obsolete. The two are so closely linked that it makes most sense to bring them together in a program which is focused on the integration between the two, which is exactly what we've done.
"In creating the Technology Integration Partner Program, we're providing a simpler structure for partners, more clarity for customers and, perhaps most critically, the environment for a growing number of valuable applications and solutions. Ultimately the new program will deliver a triple win: for Axis, our partners and, most importantly, our end customers."
A commercially-focused program
The Axis Technology Integration Partner Program is designed for partners which already have a commercially viable application or solution in market, or one very close to commercial launch, and which provide business and product support to their customers. In addition to extensive technical support to ensure the seamless integration of partner solutions with Axis products, partners in the program will benefit from joint go to market strategies, including business and marketing resources and support.
Malin Nilsson, Manager of Global Partner Marketing and Programs at Axis, expands on the opportunities for existing and potential Axis partners: "Many of our existing partners will be ready to step into the new Technology Integration Partner Program immediately, as they are already delivering applications and solutions based on the Axis technology. They'll find all the resources that they're familiar with, along with additional support to open new commercial opportunities. We're also confident that the new program – allied to the enhancements to ACAP which lower the thresholds for developers to create computer vision applications for Axis cameras, and the reliability of our established VAPIX API – will help us find many new partners across almost every industry sector. Ultimately, as ever, our focus is on how to bring most value to customers through new applications and solutions."
For those companies and developers in the innovation and start-up phase, the Axis Developer Community provides the perfect way to connect and co-create with Axis, and through this the potential to build the market-leading solutions of the future.
A new world of surveillance solutions
Axis continues to innovate and extend the performance of its camera platform. The first cameras featuring the latest iteration of the Axis system-on-a-chip, ARTPEC-8, have been launched, and with them, deep learning-based analytics within the cameras themselves at the edge of the network. With this advance comes the opportunity for an almost infinite number of analytics applications in safety, security, and business optimization.
Jamie Donald picks up the story: "Our latest cameras are almost unrecognizable in their processing power from the first network camera Axis invented 25 years ago. Through our own analytics applications we're exploring the capabilities of this platform, primarily in relation to our core focus of safety and security. But the true potential of our hardware will be realized by the imagination and skills of our global community of partners and developers. It's incredibly exciting to see what they'll create in the coming years."
Learn more about our new program
Technology Integration Partner Program


Lara is widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen to have played the game.
Brian Lara is widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen to have played the game. The Caribbean batting legend has 22358 international runs including the highest individual Test score (400*) and first-class score (501*) to his name.
Despite so many achievements in his career, Lara has a regret and it is so big that he calls it a "shame". In a career that spanned almost 16 years, Lara played 131 Tests but he never featured in one at the iconic Eden Gardens and the southpaw is still disappointed with it.
"I have never played a Test match at the Eden… It's such a big shame and disappointment. I did play in the Hero Cup final (in November, 1993) here, but the memories of that aren't that sweet," Lara said at the Jagmohan Dalmiya Annual Conclave 2018 hosted by the Cricket Association of Bengal on Friday.
The occasion also marked 25 years of the first match under floodlights at the Eden Gardens during the Hero Cup. The final was played between India and the West Indies, which the hosts won by 102 runs. In that match, Lara was dismissed by Sachin Tendulkar for 33.
Former West Indies skipper Carl Hooper was another guest in the event and he had sweeter memories to share about the Eden.
"The Eden hasn't changed much. This is the ground where I scored my first Test hundred (against India, in 1987)… But I also played the Hero Cup final here, a match that we lost. So there are bitter-sweet experiences," Hooper said.
Hooper was dismissed by Anil Kumble, who turned out to be the hero of the final taking six wickets for just 12 runs.
"I had a soft spot for Kumble. He was such a champion, and yet you couldn't see any of that on his face. I mean, take someone like Virat Kohli, whenever you see him you know you are looking at a fiery Indian. But you couldn't say that with Kumble. I have always liked how the Indians have played their cricket," Hooper added.


text:
Long IslandSuffolk
Bay Shore man convicted of raping 11-year-old girl
By ELLEN YAN ellen.yan@newsday.com Updated April 20, 2013 8:47 PM
A Bay Shore man was convicted of violent sex crimes against an 11-year-old girl, the Suffolk district attorney said.
A jury Friday convicted Juan Pablo Zelaya, 29, of predatory sexual assault, first-degree rape, two counts of first-degree sexual abuse and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
Zelaya was also found guilty of first-degree course of sexual conduct against a child, which is when the suspect engages in at least two sex acts with the child over three or more months, authorities said.
He faces 50 years to life at sentencing on May 21, and if he ever gets out of prison, he will be deported, prosecutors said.
Zelaya, an unemployed immigrant from El Salvador, claimed to be a preacher at a church, authorities said. He victimized the girl from April 2011 through mid-April 2012, prosecutors said.
He was arrested Sept. 13.
"This young girl showed tremendous courage by taking the stand to describe to the jury the awful crimes she endured over the span of one year," District Attorney Thomas Spota said in a statement.
"Her account was compelling, and today's guilty verdict secures a measure of justice that we hope will help her begin to heal."
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Zelaya is being held in the Riverhead jail because he also faces a 17-count indictment involving two other girls under the age of 15. One victim was assaulted from October 2011 through April 2012, while the second was assaulted from March through May 2012, authorities said.
The charges are predatory sexual assault against a child, first-degree rape, first-degree criminal sexual act, first-degree sexual abuse and endangering the welfare of a child.
By ELLEN YAN ellen.yan@newsday.com
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text:
Home Politics The World Energy Outlook report on energy supplies, peak oil and climate change
The World Energy Outlook report on energy supplies, peak oil and climate change
David Herron November 12, 2009 May 28, 2015 Politics
The World Energy Outlook (WEO-2009) is a yearly report issued by the International Energy Agency (IEA). This years report was issued on Nov 10, 2009, and due to next months climate change summit in Copenhagen the WEO-2009 report includes extensive information on the climate change impact which comes from energy use. As they say in the Climate Change Excerpt document, "Energy, which accounts for two-thirds of today's greenhouse-gas emissions, is at the heart of the problem – and so must form the core of the solution. We need urgently to set in motion an energy and environmental revolution, to transform the way we use energy and to deliver a sustainable future." Transportation is a large part of that energy use and the WEO-2009 report includes recommendations on changing the transportation system to have a smaller CO2 intensity making less greenhouse gas contribution.
The WEO-2009 presents two variations of the energy and climate change impact projections. One variation is their "Reference Scenario" which simply continues business-as-usual with no regulatory changes. The other variation is their recommendations for policy and technology use changes that target a 450 parts per million of CO2 equivalent in the atmosphere. Other organizations recommend other targets for CO2 concentrations, but there is wide ranging attention on the rising CO2 concentration in the atmosphere and its greenhouse effect which appears to induce climate change effects. Clearly many voices seek to deny human effects on climate change, or deny the role CO2 plays in climate change. The WEO report does not address this at all, however it's well known how much fossil fuel is burned and how much resulting pollution goes into the environment and atmosphere, and it is obvious that human activity does have an impact on the amounts of CO2 and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. What they do say is that in the Reference Scenario:-
In the absence of new initiatives to tackle climate change, rising global fossil fuel use in [the Reference Scenario] increases energy-related CO2 emissions from 29 gigatons in 2007 to over 40 gigatons in 2030 and contributes to the deterioration of ambient air quality, with serious public health and environmental effects. The rise in emissions due to increased fossil fuel use, …, would result in a concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere of around 1000 parts per million CO2 equivalent over the long term.
At 1000 ppm we are essentially guaranteed to experience catastrophic climate change.
The WEO-2009 report recommends massive investments, worldwide, in infrastructure changes and changes to energy usage. These investments are required to avoid not only climate change but also energy security. Transportation system change is perhaps the largest part of that investment, and they recommend a large-scale switch to less carbon intensive vehicles. They describe todays transportation system as 100% internal combustion fossil fuel burning vehicles with a carbon intensity of "205", and to meet the 450 ppm scenario requires a switch to 40% internal combustion fossil fuel vehicles with a carbon intensity of "90".
The WEO-2009 report includes a sobering look at projected global liquid fuel production, in both the reference scenario (no regulatory changes) and 450 ppm scenario. The 450 ppm scenario of course includes recommended reductions of coal use, replacing it with natural gas use, and reductions in fossil oil use. In the reference scenario (no regulatory changes) there are sobering warnings of difficulty in supplying the projected increases in energy use.
This chart (from the WEO-2008 report) shows that "oil from fields currently producing" is projected to enter a steep decline in production. That decline in production is the definition of peak oil, namely the point after which oil production cannot be increased. But the chart shows an increase in total production. The production shortfall is projected to be made up for by production increases coming from "oil fields yet to be developed", "oil fields YET TO BE FOUND", "natural gas liquefaction", and "unconventional oil" (aka tarsands). While the WEO figures project this new production will occur, it requires large scale investments in new infrastructure to produce this fuel, and it requires FINDING new oil fields. The low rate of oil field discovery existing since the early 1960's does not raise much hope for significant major new oil fields to be found.
The Guardian of London newspaper reported on Tuesday that several IEA whistleblowers have stepped forward. They allege that the U.S. government pressured the IEA to paint a rosier picture of oil supplies to avoid panicking the public. They went on to allege that the global energy producers would have difficulty achieving a 90-95 million barrel per day production level (from the current 85 million barrels per day) making the IEA projection of 105 mbd in production seem fanciful. The IEA has denied the allegations of the whistleblowers, of course.
Regardless of whether the IEA fudged the numbers in the WEO, the WEO makes a strong case to anyway choose to decrease fossil fuel use. This is due to the environmental and climate change impacts of fossil fuel use. The focus is of course on expected climate change impacts but there are known negative health impacts from fossil fuel use as well.
TechnoSanity #33: A look at the World Energy Outlook, 2009
TechnoSanity #32: Fudged numbers in the IEA's World Energy Outlook, 2009??
TechnoSanity #30: Peak Oil and the UKERC Peak Oil report
http://www.worldenergyoutlook.org/
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After the Recession, Will the World Face an Energy Crisis?
Key oil figures were distorted by US pressure, says whistleblower
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Energy body rejects whistleblower allegations of oil cover up
A false picture of world's oil reserves?
Climate Change, Energy Efficiency, Fuel Efficiency, Government Policies, IEA, Peak Oil, World Energy Outlook. Bookmark.
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We all screw a lot of things up. But I think the biggest, #1, mistake successful first-time entrepreneurs in SaaS make time and time again these days is they micromanage too long.
I see this again and again, and in SaaS, it's a real lost opportunity. I think it's a byproduct, in part, of the fact that founders are just so much better these days. So an amazing founder CEO often can also be the VP of Sales, VP of Product, hack Marketing, fly across the globe as the VP of Customer Success, and sometimes, even continue to write some code. That's great. But it's way, way, way too much for one person to do one day longer than necessary.
That can be great in the very early days if it gets you to your first $1m in ARR. Even better if it helps you skip a round of financing. But after you hit Initial Traction … If you're serving any of these VP-level roles yourself — the business simply won't grow as fast as it otherwise would.
My #1 recommendation to do even better as a first-time SaaS CEO: make yourself obsolete by the time you hit $2-$3m ARR. In every single function. Sales. Engineering. Product. Marketing. Customer Success and Support. Finance.
Even best case, you'll become a bottleneck all over the place. And beyond that, it will distract you from focusing on the few things that really will get you to the next level.
Post Initial Traction, once you have built your 1.0 management team — your job there is really just to bring in, and where necessary, backfill the team. Not to be a role player on that team anymore.
There's just one of you. You have to only do High ROI things. In SaaS, that means not hacking being a VP of Anything as soon as you hit Initial Traction and can afford to hire a full management team.
By 20 employees, you should have 1-2 good managers in place such that at least 50% of the company can run based only on weekly staff meetings, 1-on-1s, and "grab me when you need me-s". E.g., a great VP of Sales that can just handle sales. A great VP of Engineering that can just ship the product from spec with no drama, etc. So you don't have to directly manage at least several of the key functional areas in the company at all. You won't have it all but you need to not be the Interim VP for at least 50% of the operations.
By 200 employees, you don't need to have a role in hiring any non-managers. Not only are you no longer the boss of any area, but every functional area needs to hire and manage its own staff and self-propagate. You should spend all your recruiting time just on VPs and above, and helping screen Directors.
By 500 employees, it's OK if you don't really know the names of the new folks anymore. Employees start to simply become resources at this point. They'll come and (hopefully at not too high of a rate) go. Your VPs and managers will deal with this. You just make the company meetings great. Inspire the troops. And hit the plan.
So as soon as you hit Initial Traction — $1-$1.5m in ARR — just STOP. Take a pause.
Let it go. Let your VPs do their job as well as they can. Let them make their mistakes. Help them, but let it go and trust them to do their job. Even if some things, in some ways, they do a worse job than you would have. And if you don't have real VPs yet — dude. Go hire them. Spend 20% or more of your time here. Stop futzing around on the small stuff.
I know you can do it all, but the whole game in SaaS is getting from $1m to $10m as fast as humanly possible.
That's the momentum that gets you to $100m and beyond, to the IPO, the Unicorn, and all that.
If you're the bottleneck, if you're still taking out the trash at $2m in ARR … you're going to get there that much more slowly. It ain't worth it.


text:
Mohammad-Beigi, H., Shojaosadati, S., Morshedi, D., Mirzazadeh, N., Arpanaei, A. (2016). The Effects of Organic Solvents on the Physicochemical Properties of Human Serum Albumin Nanoparticles. Iranian Journal of Biotechnology, 14(1), 45-50. doi: 10.15171/ijb.1168
Hossein Mohammad-Beigi; Seyed Abbas Shojaosadati; Dina Morshedi; Negar Mirzazadeh; Ayyoob Arpanaei. "The Effects of Organic Solvents on the Physicochemical Properties of Human Serum Albumin Nanoparticles". Iranian Journal of Biotechnology, 14, 1, 2016, 45-50. doi: 10.15171/ijb.1168
Mohammad-Beigi, H., Shojaosadati, S., Morshedi, D., Mirzazadeh, N., Arpanaei, A. (2016). 'The Effects of Organic Solvents on the Physicochemical Properties of Human Serum Albumin Nanoparticles', Iranian Journal of Biotechnology, 14(1), pp. 45-50. doi: 10.15171/ijb.1168
Mohammad-Beigi, H., Shojaosadati, S., Morshedi, D., Mirzazadeh, N., Arpanaei, A. The Effects of Organic Solvents on the Physicochemical Properties of Human Serum Albumin Nanoparticles. Iranian Journal of Biotechnology, 2016; 14(1): 45-50. doi: 10.15171/ijb.1168
The Effects of Organic Solvents on the Physicochemical Properties of Human Serum Albumin Nanoparticles
Article 7, Volume 14, Issue 1, Winter 2016, Page 45-50	 PDF (146.33 K)
Document Type: Research Paper
DOI: 10.15171/ijb.1168
Hossein Mohammad-Beigi1; Seyed Abbas Shojaosadati 1; Dina Morshedi2; Negar Mirzazadeh1; Ayyoob Arpanaei2
1Biotechnology Group, Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
2Department of Industrial and Environmental Biotechnology, National Institute of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Tehran, Iran
Background: Recently, applications of albumin nanoparticles as drug delivery carriers have increased. Most toxicology studies have shown that surface chemistry and size of nanoparticles play an important role in biocompatibility and toxicity. Objective: The effect of desolvating agents with different chemical properties on the size of synthesized HSA NPs was investigated. Materials and Methods: Acetone, ethanol, methanol, and acetonitrile were used to synthesize HSA NPs with controllable size by desolvation method. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and circular dichroism (CD) were employed to characterize produced particles. Finally, the toxicity of HSA NPs synthesized under different conditions was evaluated on PC-12 cells. Results: The sizes of synthesized particles differed according to the different solvents used. The sizes were 275.3 nm, 155.3 nm, 100.11 nm, and 66.2 nm for acetonitrile, ethanol, acetone, and methanol, respectively. CD showed that larger NPs had more changes in the secondary structures. Finally, the toxicity monitored on the cultured PC-12 cells showed no significant toxic effect through treating with these NPs at different concentrations (0-500 mg.mL-1). Conclusions: The size of HSA NPs has a strong dependency on the desolvating agent. The mechanism in which the desolvating agent affects the size of HSA NPs is complex. Various factors such as dielectric constant, polarity, functional groups, and hydrogen bonding of the solvents have the potential to affect the size and structure of HSA NPs. CD analysis suggested that the solvent denaturing capability had a critical effect on the HSA particle size. The stronger denaturing capability of the solvent resulted in the larger HSA particle size.
Desolvating agents; Human serum albumin nanoparticles; Physicochemical properties
Nano Biotechnology
In recent years, there has been an increasing attention to the application of nanoparticles (NPs) in drug delivery. The interaction of nanoparticles with cells and biomolecules, and their biocompatibility are modulated by physicochemical properties of NPs including their size, shape, and surface charge (1, 2). The size of NPs is an important physical parameter with complex effects on toxicity of NPs.
Human serum albumin (HSA) NPs have gained considerable attention as drug delivery carriers, due to their advantages such as being non-toxic, biodegradable, and being stable during storage (3-5). On the other hand, due to their high content of amine and carboxyl groups, HSA NPs can easily be targeted or coated with different ligands or polymers (6-8). Due to these unique features, HSA NPs have implemented in varieties of fields including drug delivery (9-11). Desolvation is the most common method to synthesize albumin NPs, through which HSA NPs are synthesized with the continuous addition of a desolvator such as ethanol to an aqueous solution of albumin under constant stirring. During the addition of the solvent, the water solubility of albumin reduces. Finally, the addition of glutaraldehyde results in particle crosslinking. Various studies have been reported on the effect of different process parameters such as pH (4), temperature (12), amount of glutaraldehyde (12), stirring rate (13), type of buffer, desolvating agent (4,13), and protein concentration (4,13) on the size and size distribution of HSA NPs.
Desolvating agent is an effective parameter with regard to the size of HSA NPs. Strop et al. (14) studied the effect of solvents with different dielectric constants on the size of HSA NPs. They showed that increasing the concentration of water miscible solvents led to a reduced protein hydration. In addition, decreasing dielectric constant of the aqueous mixture increased the size of the NPs. In their study, it was concluded that desolvating agents with higher dielectric constant led to a smaller particle size.
2. Objectives
The novel approach of the present study is to investigate the effect of different desolvating agents on the size and structure of HSA NPs, synthesized by desolvation method. To the best of our knowledge, such a comprehensive study of the effect of desolvating agents on the protein nanoparticles size and structure has not been reported before. To this end, ethanol, acetone, acetonitrile, and methanol were selected as desolvating agents. The desolvating agents have different dielectric constants, functional groups, polarity, and hydrogen bonding potentials. The toxic effects of HSA NPs with different sizes, synthesized using various desolvating agents on PC-12 cells, were evaluated. PC-12 cell is a neuroendocrine cell line with the capability to produce neurotransmitter dopamine (DA), and contains functional DA metabolism pathways (15).
3.1. Materials
Human serum albumin (HSA, fraction V), glutaraldehyde (8% aqueous solution), trypsin solution, and 3-[4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl] -2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) were obtained from Sigma-Aldrich. Ethanol, acetone, methanol, and acetonitrile were purchased from Merck. Penicillin-streptomycin, fetal bovine serum (FBS), and Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM) were purchased from Gibco BRL (Gaithersberg, MD, USA)
3.2. Preparation of HSA NPs
Desolvation technique was used for the preparation of HSA NPs (4). Methanol, acetone, ethanol, and acetonitrile were used as desolvating agents. In principle, 100 mg of HSA was dissolved in 1.0 mL of 10 mM NaCl solution and pH was adjusted to 8.2. NPs were synthesized by dropwise addition of desolvating agents at flow rate of 1.0 mL.min-1 with continuous stirring (550 rpm) at room temperature until the solution became turbid. Subsequently, 60 mL of 8% glutaraldehyde solution was added slowly to induce particle crosslinking, and the solution was stirred for additional 12 h. The resulting NPs were purified by three cycles of centrifugation (28,000 ´g, 25 min).
3.3. Physicochemical Characterization of Nanoparticles
Particle size, morphology, and structure were studied using MIRATESCAN scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Zeta potential measurements were carried out using a Malvern Zetasizer Nano (S90, UK). Circular dichroism (CD) spectra of HSA NPs were recorded with an Aviv Model-215.
3.4. Cell Viability Assay
In vitro cytotoxicity experiments were assessed using MTT reduction. PC-12 cells were seeded in 96-well plates for 24 h at 37°C. The cells were subcultured in media containing different concentrations of HSA NPs (10-500 mg.mL-1). Again, after 24 h, the medium was replaced with the fresh medium containing 10% MTT (5 mg.mL-1) and the plates were incubated for another 4 h at 37°C for the cytotoxicity assay. The medium was removed, and 100 mL DMSO was added to each well (16). Absorption values at 570 nm were determined and cell viability was calculated as follows:
3.5. Solvent Properties
The dielectric constant, dipole moment, and solubility parameters of the desolvating agents are listed (Table 1). Total (or Hildebrand) solubility parameter is the sum of the squares of the Hansen solubility parameters (HSP). These parameters arise from (atomic) dispersion forces, (molecular) permanent dipole-permanent dipole forces, and (molecular) hydrogen bonding (electron exchange) (17). Materials with similar HSP have high affinity for each other. The extent of the similarity in a given situation determines the extent of the interaction.
Water, ethanol, and methanol are polar protic solvents, which possess O-H bonds and can participate in hydrogen bonding. Meanwhile, acetone and acetonitrile are polar aprotic solvents and do not participate in hydrogen bonding.
Using the mixture equation of Silberstein (18), the dielectric constants of an aqueous solution can be determined from the dielectric constants of the pure components and their relative volume:
where e is the dielectric constant of mixture, anddenote dielectric constant of each component, and n1 and n2 are their relative volume, respectively.
4.1. Effect of Desolvating Agents on Physicochemical Properties of HSA NPs
The amounts of added solvents are shown in Figure 1. Solvents were added to the protein solution until the solution became just turbid. Further addition of desolvating agent led to an increase in the particle density. The results showed that all the desolvating agents were able to achieve nanoparticles albumin desolvation.
The size and size distribution of HSA NPs synthesized using different desolvating agents are presented (Table 2). Increasing the ratio of methanol in the mixture of methanol/ethanol (from 0 to 1) led to a reduction in the size of HSA NPs (from 155.3±4.3 nm to 66.2±5.5 nm), while the polydispersity of the NPs remained almost the same. Also, the amount of added solvents to create turbidity in the protein solution increased with increasing the concentration of methanol. Instead of intense turbidity, they showed slight opalescence, which could be due to the smaller size of HSA NPs synthesized by methanol.
Acetone and acetonitrile are polar aprotic solvents, which have respectively smaller and larger dielectric constants compared to ethanol. The use of acetone led to the synthesis of the NPs with the diameter of 100.11±4.6 nm, which were smaller than those synthesized using ethanol (155.3±4.3 nm). The amount of acetone needed to create turbidity in the protein solution was lower than ethanol (1±0.08 mL ns 1.66±0.06 mL). Despite the smaller dielectric constant of acetone compared to ethanol, the dielectric constant of the acetone-protein mixture was higher (51.5 versus 45.49), due to the lower final concentration of acetone in the solution.
Among the desolvating agents, acetonitrile with the largest dielectric constant was used to synthesize HSA NPs. Based on its dielectric constant, it was anticipated that acetonitrile would lead to the production of the smallest HSA NPs. But the results showed that HSA NPs obtained by the use of acetonitrile had both the largest size (275.3±15 nm) and size distribution (0.45±0.05 nm). By the way, the amount of acetonitrile needed to create turbidity in the protein solution was 1±0.1 mL.
Figure 2 shows the CD spectra of HSA NPs synthesized using different desolvating agents. The deconvolution of CD spectra of HSA NPs showed that the use of desolvating agents led to a major reduction of protein a-helical structure. HSA NPs produced by methanol were smaller than particles produced by acetonitrile. Moreover, a-helical structure was reduced just a little as opposed to the time that acetonitrile was used.
The SEM images of HSA NPs are illustrative of spherical HSA NPs with a smooth surface morphology (Figure 3). However, the NPs synthesized using acetonitrile produced larger particle sizes, being more polydisperse than the others (Figure 3D).
The type of desolvating agent had no significant effect on the zeta potential of HSA NPs (Table 3). The zeta potentials of the NPs were independent of the desolvating agent, ranging between -33 and -38 mV.
4.2. Cytotoxicity of HSA NPs
In order to evaluate the cytotoxic effect of different particle preparations on PC-12 cells and the toxicity of the different sizes of HSA NPs, the in vitro acute cytotoxicity was measured using MTT assay. PC-12 cells were incubated with different concentrations of HSA NPs (0-500 mg.mL-1). The results showed no significant toxicity of HSA NPs at different concentrations (data not shown).
The main goal of this work was to study the effect of desolvating agents with different dielectric constants, functional groups, polarities, and hydrogen bonding potentials on the size and polydispersity of HSA-NP. Strop et al. (14) who worked on the effect of dielectric constant of desolvating agents on the size of HSA NPs found a correlation between the dielectric constant and resulting particle size in the desolvation procedure. It was assumed that desolvating agents with higher dielectric constants lead to smaller particle size. However, our data was suggestive of inconsistencies in previously presented correlation
HSA is a compactly folded protein, including the interior hydrophobic region and hydrophilic layer on the surface of the molecule (19). By considering the three dimensional structure of protein, various phenomena regarding the changes in the structure of HSA can be explained as described below.
HSA protein in water is mostly hydrated and a hydrophilic shell surrounds the protein. The denaturing ability of a water-miscible desolvating agent is dependent on its ability to enter into the hydrophobic region by disrupting the outside hydration layer. Consequently, both hydrophobic and hydrophilic potential of desolvating agents can simultaneously affect the amount of denaturation of the protein and additionally the size of NPs.
When a mixture of polar protic solvents such as methanol and ethanol was used as desolvating agent, the size of HSA NPs decreased with increasing the concentration of methanol, which is in accordance with the results of Strop et al. (14). On the other hand, the amount of added solvent to make protein solution turbid increased with an increase in methanol concentration, which is due to the less ability of methanol, compared with ethanol, to precipitate albumin in the aqueous solution. Previously, June et al. (20) showed that the end point for HSA particle size control was not sensitive. In other words, increased turbidity indicates an increase of density within particles and not in size. Methanol can easily disrupt the outer hydrophilic layer of protein. According to (Table 1), the dp and dH of methanol are more than those of ethanol and its d value is nearer to the d value of water. However, ethanol is more effective than methanol in solubilizing nonpolar groups (21), since ethanol disrupts the protein structure with lesser volumes. Furthermore, CD data indicated that ethanol led to extreme changes in the content of secondary structure of albumin, supporting its efficiency.
Use of acetone, a desolvating agent with smaller value of dielectric constant than ethanol, led to the synthesis of HSA NPs with smaller sizes than those synthesized using ethanol. The ability of ethanol to disrupt the outer layer of protein is more than acetone (based on its dH and dH); however, acetone has more ability to interact with non-polar regions of proteins. The results of CD spectra showed that the changes in the structure of albumin by acetone were less than the changes induced by ethanol. It caused less protein aggregation and consequently smaller sizes of NPs. Meanwhile, the dielectric constant of solution calculated by the Silberstein equation showed that it was higher when acetone was used (51.5 vs 45.49), which is due to the less required amount of acetone to make the solution turbid. Higher dielectric constant and less change in the structure of albumin synthesized by acetone compared with those synthesized by ethanol can affect the interfacial tension and the free enthalpy of particles. This in turn allows the increase of surface to volume ratio that leads to smaller NPs. On the other hand, the presence of hydrogen bonds facilitates the formation of larger lattices and consequently larger particles. Acetone acts as a hydrogen bond acceptor, while ethanol is polar protic solvent that can act as both donor and acceptor of hydrogen bond. Less formation of hydrogen bonds by acetone enables the production of smaller HSA NPs than those synthesized by ethanol. Azarmi et al. (22) studied the effect of acetone and ethanol on the size of gelatin NPs. They showed that the NPs were synthesized with acetone were generally smaller and had a lower polydispersity index compared to those prepared with ethanol.
Acetonitrile as another polar aprotic solvent was used to synthesis HSA NPs. Acetonitrile can induce denaturation in the protein structure by altering the tertiary structure through hydrophobic interaction (23). Introduction of acetonitrile into the aqueous protein solution increases the chemical potential of the protein, which causes the system to become thermodynamically destabilized. Since it has the highest value of dielectric constant, it was anticipated to obtain HSA NPs of the smallest sizes. However, the results showed that HSA NPs with the size of 275.3±15 were prepared using acetonitrile with the lowest amount of solvent required to make the solution turbid. dH value of acetonitrile was smaller than the dH value of other solvents. On the other hand, Gekko et al. (23) showed that acetonitrile has high tendency to interact with non-polar side chains, which leads to denaturation of protein and an increase in the chemical state of protein. Moreover, the results of CD spectra showed that acetonitrile as a desolvating agent leads to the highest changes in the structure of HSA protein, compared with other desolvating agents. Altogether, due to its high tendency to interact with nonpolar groups and denature albumin, acetonitrile leads to the highest rate of preparation of large aggregates of HSA NPs, and consequently results in the preparation of the NPs with high polydispersity index (PDI) value.
In summary, it was found that except dielectric constant that was stated in the study by Von strop et al. (14), other structural and solubility parameters of desolvating agents can affect the size and polydispersity of protein NPs, and it is an oversimplification to assume that using desolvating agents with higher dielectric constants leads to smaller particle size.
In order to assess the toxic effect of HSA NPs with different sizes prepared, using different desolvating agents, PC-12 cells were incubated with the NPs. It has been previously shown that the desolvating agents have toxicity on cells (14). As no significant toxicity of the NPs was observed, except at high concentration of those synthesized by methanol, it can be concluded that the HSA NPs of different sizes (65 to 275 nm) have no toxicity and the method of eliminating solvent and unreacted glutaraldehyde is effective, which shows that these NPs are biocompatible.
1. Kang T, Guan R, Chen X, Song Y, Jiang H, Zhao J. In vitro toxicity of different-sized ZnO nanoparticles in Caco-2 cells. Nanoscale Res Lett. 2013;8(1):1-8. DOI: 10.1186/1556-276X-8-496
2. Álvarez YD, Fauerbach JA, Pellegrotti JV, Jovin TM, Jares-Erijman EA, Stefani FD. Influence of Gold nanoparticles on the kinetics of a-synuclein aggregation. Nano lett. 2013;13(12):6156-6163. DOI: 10.1021/nl403490e
3. Elzoghby AO, Samy WM, Elgindy NA. Albumin-based nanoparticles as potential controlled release drug delivery systems. J Controlled Release. 2012;157(2):168-182.
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6. Kouchakzadeh H, Shojaosadati SA, Tahmasebi F, Shokri F. Optimization of an anti-HER2 monoclonal antibody targeted delivery system using PEGylated human serum albumin nanoparticles. Int J Pharm. 2013;447(1):62-69. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2013.02.043
7. Patel PJ, Acharya NS, Acharya SR. Development and characterization of glutathione-conjugated albumin nanoparticles for improved brain delivery of hydrophilic fluorescent marker. Drug Deliv. 2013;20(3-4):143-155. DOI: 10.3109/107175 44.2013.801050
8. Kouchakzadeh H, Shojaosadati SA, Maghsoudi A, Farahani EV. Optimization of PEGylation conditions for BSA nanoparticles using response surface methodology. AAPS Pharm Sci Tech. 2010;11(3):1206-1211. DOI: 10.1208/s12249-010-948 7-8
9. Luppi B, Bigucci F, Corace G, Delucca A, Cerchiara T, Sorrenti M, et al. Albumin nanoparticles carrying cyclodextrins for nasal delivery of the anti-Alzheimer drug tacrine. Eur J Pharm Sci. 2011;44(4):559-565. DOI: 10.1016/j.ejps.2011.10.002
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11. Merodio M, Arnedo A, Renedo MJ, Irache JM. Ganciclovir-loaded albumin nanoparticles: characterization and in vitro release properties. Eur J Pharm Sci. 2001;12(3):251-259. DOI: 10.1016/S0928-0987(00)00169-X
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14. Von Storp B, Engel A, Boeker A, Ploeger M, Langer K. Albumin nanoparticles with predictable size by desolvation procedure. J Microencapsulation. 2012;29(2):138-146. DOI: 10.3109/02652048.2011.635218
15. Hussain SM, Javorina AK, Schrand AM, Duhart HM, Ali SF, Schlager JJ. The interaction of manganese nanoparticles with PC-12 cells induces dopamine depletion. TToxicol Sci. 2006;92(2):456-463.
16. Hansen MB, Nielsen SE, Berg K. Re-examination and further development of a precise and rapid dye method for measuring cell growth/cell kill. J Immunol Methods. 1989;119(2):203-210. DOI: 10.1016/0022-1759(89)90397-9
17. Hansen CM. Hansen solubility parameters: a user's handbook. CRC press. 2012. DOI: 10.1201/9781420049312.ch1
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The fun doesn't end when it's chilly out! We've put together a list of 20 ways to warm yourself seaside! We bet you'll find a few that are right up your alley.
This is absolutely the season to enjoy a bowl of hot soup with a cool seaside view! Click here for a listing of what picturesque Ventura Harbor Village restaurants are offering.
Warm yourself from the inside out with a tasty seaside libation. For a listing of all our amazing happy hours please click here.
There's no need to hang out in a strip mall parking lot when you can drink a delicious cup of Joe and enjoy the harbor view! Coffee Dock and Post has just what you need to get you warm and toasty.
Whether you prefer an invigorating game of air hockey or slicing and dicing Fruit Ninja style, the Village Arcade & Carousel has heaps of fun in store!
Being on the water doesn't have to be chilly! The Dreamer at Ventura Boat Rentals is warm and fully enclosed and offers weekend harbor cruises for your boating pleasure. Or how about an exhilarating trip on Islands Packers cozy Catamaran.
Is there anything better than a belly laugh to get your blood pumping? Ventura Harbor Comedy Club has live comedy shows Tuesday- Sunday!
Get loose and limber with a class with YOGAqua.
It's probably time to revisit your worn out hoodie or jacket… invest in a new favorite at Barefoot Boutique, Ventura Swimwear, or Casa de Regalos. Village Market has a variety of Ventura Harbor hoodies too!
Rips at the seams just won't do. Get your new wetsuit and booties at Beach Break Surf Shop or dive to new depths will a suit from Ventura Dive & Sport!
Grab a wool beanie or a felt hat to keep you super warm (and cute too!) from Hats Unlimited. Or try a European-style scarf or poncho from Anja's Boutique!
Spend hours basking in the beauty of local art at Harbor Village Gallery & Gifts or Tina O'Brien's Mermaid Gallery. Treasure Cove has amazing eye-candy too- enjoy the day there!
OK, so not all of it's hot, but how can you go wrong with an ooey gooey treat?! Coastal Cone has you covered. Or how about a HOT dog from The Parlor.
Enjoy the high-definition 25-minute movie entitled, "Treasure in the Sea", narrated by Kevin Costner at the Channel Islands National Park Visitor's Center.
Do your hairdo justice! Maybe a trim or some winter low lights at Silhouettes by the Beach Salon.
Warm beverages just taste better out of a handmade mug. Get yours from local potters at Ventura County Potters' Guild.
You know you want one. Chef Jean-Luc makes them fresh right here at Le Petite Cafe & Bakery. Try his cookies too! YUM.
It may be cold outside, but inside the Ultimate Escape Rooms you'll have a fun, adventurous getaway to challenge your mind!
Need we say more? Homemade corn tortillas are unbelievably hard to find these days… and don't they make all the difference in tacos?! Get your plate at Baja Bay Surf N' Taco.
That's right, flaming cheese! Where else can you get a seaside view and table side flaming cheese? A winning combo for sure. Only at The Greek Mediterranean Steak & Seafood Restaurant.


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one suburban family's path to a more organized life.
I have always wanted to start a blog. I enjoy writing. I tried once before to start one, but working two jobs, taking care of the house and husband, and performing in three community bands kept my hours full.
Last year, we moved into our house and we both wanted to share our adventures on a blog! We had tons of projects and ideas planned and knew a blog would be a great way to share our stories with family and friends. Texting photos to seven different group chats was growing redundant, and besides – while a picture is worth a thousand words, I had a few more to throw in there as well! We were making changes big and small – from replacing outlets to replacing kitchens and learning SO MUCH.
In fact, we had too many projects and we couldn't keep our heads above water.
On top of moving and settling into our own house, we had a Terrible Sleeper. Only those who have been through the ringer can truly understand what happens to your body and mind when you are sleep tortured for over a year. Sure, everyone knows newborns wake every two hours. But when the newborn weeks are gone and you still pour your coffee into the cereal bowl in a deluded state of constant fog, you start to wonder what went wrong. So you read all the books marketed to bleary-eyed parents willing to empty their pockets for the magic sleep bullet. And join all the forums and Facebook sleep groups online. And consult the pediatrician, the neighbors, the friends, the sisters. When your sweet infant starts to crawl, to sit up, to eat solids, and is still not sleeping through the night, it seems like nothing in your whole life can get done.
I started to lose it. Not go crazy (well, you could argue that also!), but I was slipping. I had always prided myself on my most "marketable" skill: I was organized and on top of things. I got things done! I was industrious! But I started missing payments on bills (I'm embarrassed to even share that – who does that?) Our house was a complete wreck (We once had a "10 minute rule:" The house must always be in a state that it should only take 10 minutes to tidy up for last minute company – that idea seems absolutely laughable now!). I felt like I was just hanging on every day. I had heard of pregnant brain, but it was as if those brain cells not only died forever, but more kept disappearing every day.
What had happened to my life? I barely even recognized it.
At 14.5 months, the child finally started sleeping through until at least 5am. As much as I'd like to say I made the decision to take back control of my life, we are all subjects to the constraints of our body and environment. It's my personal example of Maslow's hierarchy of needs (education folk know what I'm talking about!) – we cannot "grow" unless basic needs are met first.
On this blog I wish to share my journey of bringing some organization back into our family's life. Hopefully one day I can help other individuals and families as well. There will surely be misadventures along with accomplishments, but we are excited to learn and share our experiences with the world. Thank you for joining us on the ride!
What a great outlet and honest and realistic post! Congrats Emily on starting this blog!
Thank you, Yarina! I appreciate your comment so much!


text:
Gălăteni este satul de reședință al comunei cu același nume din județul Teleorman, Muntenia, România.

Gălăteni, Gălăteni

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


We've all have used rake index and rake start to index and then start up a server. But did you know that Picky (and Rake, one of his best buddies) offer quite a few more?
rake analyze                         # Analyze your indexes (needs rake index).
rake check:index                     # Checks the index files for files that are small or missing.
rake index                           # Generate the index (random order).
rake index:ordered                   # Takes a snapshot, indexes, and caches in order given.
rake index:randomly                  # Takes a snapshot, indexes, and caches in random order.
rake index:specific[index,category]  # Generates a specific index from index snapshots (category opt).
rake spec                            # Run all specs in spec directory.
rake start                           # Start the server.
rake stats                           # Application summary.
rake stop                            # Stop the server.
rake try[text,index,category]        # Try the given text in the indexer/query (index/category opt).
I will give you a quick overview over each of them, with the idea that you know what's there and can try them yourself if you need details.
Before we begin, a note on the naming: I used to name rake tasks rake subject:verb, but not in Picky, since Picky has a lot of single word tasks. So they're named rake verb:subject, as subjects are usually not present.
I'll start out with the fun ones.
Suppose you send a few queries to Picky and you get empty results, even though you know that "it must be in the indextubes" aka "Y U NO FIND?".
I used single quotes to remind you that you might need these to escape special characters.
So what we see is that if my specific Picky app encounters flöre.hanke, it will index it as one word, remove . , and replace the umlaut ö with oe, as per german rules.
However, in a query, if someone searches for flöre.hanke, my specific Picky app will not remove the . but use it as given (with the exception of the replaced ö).
So, in this case, nothing would be found.
The index and category options let you specify with which index and category you'd like to try them.
rake try is your first line of defense against nasty configuration bugs.
The interesting thing here is that often, the configurations for indexing and querying are similar. The intelligence and beauty lies in where they are not.
Remember Rails? That huge framework that was eventually replaced by Sinatra? Same rake task: rake routes.
Note: Anchored (✓) regexps are faster, e.g. /\A.*\Z/ or /^.*$/.
Substitutes chars?         Yes, using CharacterSubstituters::WestEuropean.
This is cool, right? In one fell swoop you see who uses what stopwords, which characters aren't removed, and how many LOC your config file has. I love it.
The routes are also available separately for just $9.99 … uh, I mean, as rake routes.
This task takes a look at your indexes and tells you a few statistics about them. This is most likely to evolve into something more powerful with each iteration.
There's only one id per key – you'll only get single results.
Most of it is probably gibberish. Picky tries to give you useful notes (in color, not visible above) about the indexes, for example the Index matches single characters (when a single character already gets results) or as a warning There's only one id per key – you'll only get single results (when you'll only get one result id per query – which might not be what you want).
rake index does just that. It indexes.
You can tell it in what order to index them by using rake index:ordered and rake index:randomly, which will index the indexes either in the order they were defined or in a random fashion. Default is randomly, but if you're not happy with that, tell Picky explicitly.
Index category "isbn" not found. Possible categories: "id", "title", "author", "year".
rake check:index checks the indexes for suspiciously small or nonexistent indexes.
One starts a Unicorn server, one stops it. I always forget which is which.
You will be surprised by this one: Runs the specs in the spec directory.
that Picky does not just rake index and rake start.
that Picky gives you a few command line tools (apart from the web tools) to find bugs in your config.
that Picky is not just good for picking up girls in bars.