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infectionNet > Notes on microbiology and infectious diseases > Microorganisms > Gram Negative Bacilli
There are many Gram-negative bacilli of medical significance. The most important of these are members of the family Enterobacteriaceae. Other genera of medical importance include Vibrio, Campylobacter and Pseudomonas.
The family Enterobacteriaceae is the largest and most heterogeneous collection of medically important gram-negative bacilli and are commonly isolated from clinical specimens. There are over fourteen genera that been described to cause human infection but by far the most important single species is Escherichia coli. Salmonella are a major cause of gastroenteritis. Other important genera include Shigella, Proteus, Klebsiella, Enterobacter, Citrobacter, Serratia and Yersinia.
Enterobacteriaceae are are found in soil, water, and vegetation and are part of the normal enteric flora of all animals including humans. Some members of the family e.g. Shigella, Salmonella, Yersinia pestis (the plague bacillus) are almost always associated with disease when isolated from humans i.e., they are never "normal" flora, whereas others e.g. Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Proteus mirabilis are members of the normal commensal flora and usually cause opportunistic infections.
Infections caused by the Enterobacteriaceae can originate from an animal reservoir (e.g. most salmonella infections), from human's with illness (e.g. Shigella spp., and Salmonella typhi) or by endogenous spread of organisms in a susceptible patient (e.g. E. coli urinary tract infections). Infections can involve virtually any body site. More than 5% of hospitalized patients develop hospital acquired (nosocomial) infections, with members of the Enterobacteriaceae responsible for a large proportion of these infections.
Members of this family are moderate-sized, non spore-forming Gram-negative bacilli, and are either motile by means of peritrichous flagella or are non-motile. All members grow both aerobically and anaerobically (referred to as being "facultatively anaerobic") with growth observed after 18 – 24 hours of incubation on a variety of non-selective and selective media. They are generally not difficult to cultivate and have simple nutritional requirements. They all have the ability to ferment glucose, and reduce nitrates to nitrites. The latter characteristic is utilized in chemical analysis of urine as a screening test for their presence.
Selective and differential media, biochemical tests and serological methods are used to identify these organisms. See Lab – Stool culture
Cell Structure
The cell envelope of Gram negative bacteria have a thin peptidoglycan layer sandwiched between two membranes. The space between the two membranes is referred to as the periplasmic space. The inner membrane is the cell membrane common to all bacteria and the outer membrane prevents loss of periplasmic proteins and forms a protective barrier preventing exposure of the bacteria to hydrolytic enzymes and toxic substances such as bile in the gastrointestinal tract. Membrane proteins (porins) are present in the outer membrane and serve to regulate transport through membrane pores. Embedded in the outside layer of the outer membrane protein is lipopolysaccharide (LPS) which is largely responsible for the endotoxic properties of this group of bacteria. Gram-negative cell wall
Endotoxin is synonymous with the Gram-negative cell wall, in particular the LPS component. It is responsible for many of the toxic manifestations of infections with Gram-negative bacilli. The intravascular presence of endotoxin stimulates a cascade of pro-inflammatory cytokine production that produces the dreaded clinical picture of "Gram-negative septicemia" manifest by fever, leukopenia, disseminated intravascular coagulation, shock and often death.
Pili or fimbriae are hair-like projections on the surface of the bacilli that mediate attachment to host cells. For example, only strains of E. coli that possess pili facilitating adherence to urothelial cells cause urinary tract infections.
Escherichia coli are present in the gastrointestinal tract of all people in large numbers and are frequently associated with infections of the urinary tract or the abdominal cavity when gastrointestinal tract integrity has been compromised. Most infections are endogenous. That is, one does not acquire new strains of E. coli and then become ill. The exceptions are toxin mediated diseases associated with particular serotypes (strains) of E. coli discussed below.
The antigenic composition of E. coli is complex, with more than 170 cell membrane (O) antigens, 56 flagellar (H) antigens and numerous capsular (K) antigens described. The serological differentiation of E. coli isolates is not routinely performed but may be useful for epidemiological purposes. The exception is in the active searching for E. coli O:157 H:7 in stool from patients with diarrhea.
E.coli is the cause of a large majority of urinary tract infections and this is the disease that Canadian physicians will most associate with this organism. It is also an important organism in any infective process involving disruption of the GI tract, almost always as part of a polymicrobial (many different bacterial species) process. Examples include appendiceal and diverticular abscesses.
However, there are several types of toxin mediated diseases caused by specific serotypes of E. coli. Most are uncommon in Canada but one particular type has become of great importance to the food industry — enterohemorrhagic E.coli O:157 H:7.
Enterohemorrhagic E. coli
These strains produce a toxin which is responsible for hemorrhagic colitis manifest by bloody diarrhea which is often severe. A small proportion of people with colitis will progress to more serious disease also thought to be toxin mediated. Hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS) in children leads to renal failure and is sometimes fatal. A related disease, Thombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (TTP), occurs in adults.
This toxin is referred to as verocytoxin or verotoxin because it is detected by its ability to kill cultured vero cells and is produced by several different serotypes of E. coli (sometimes collectively referred to as VTEC — Verocytotoxin producing E. coli). By far, the most important serotype is O:157 H:7. E. coli O:157 H:7 has caused very large food and water borne outbreaks of disease including the massive Walkerton, Ontario municipal water outbreak. Verotoxin producing E. coli are mostly of animal origin, in particular cattle, and the disease has been referred to in the lay press as "hamburger disease". This is a very important public health issue at present.
E. coli O:157 H:7 is specifically looked for in cultures of diarrheal stool in most laboratories in Canada by culturing on specialized selective and differential media.
Enterotoxigenic E. coli
These strains are common causes of traveler's diarrhea, particularly in underdeveloped countries. This diarrhea is mediated by two toxins that are similar to the well-characterized Vibrio cholerae toxin with activation of adenylate cyclase and subsequent hypersecretion of fluids into the small intestine. A vaccine has recently become available marketed as Dukoral™. They are genrally not identified in the routine diagnostic laboratory.
Enteroinvasive E. coli
These strains affect the large intestine and can cause dysentery (like Shigella spp.) manifest by blood, mucus and pus in stools. Like enterotoxigenic strains, it is difficult to distinguish these strains from normal commensal E.coli strains and, therefore, they are not commonly recognized.
Further Reading – Todar's Pathogenic E. coli
Salmonellosis (diarrhea caused by Salmonella spp.) is the prototypic zoonosis — disease in humans caused by contact with organisms of animal origin. Most Salmonella that cause gastrointestinal disease are very closely related genetically and phenotypically. They are grouped together in the species S. enterica and are distinguished from each other serologically into approximately 2200 different serotypes. However, by convention, Genus-serotype names are usually used as Genus-species names for these bacteria. (e.g. Rather than Salmonella enterica – serotype dublin, Salmonella dublin is commonly used)
Salmonella typhi is the Salmonella sp. of human origin and is the cause of enteric fever, which is a very common and serious illness in the developing world and should be considered in travelers returning from endemic areas. It is not a cause of diarrhea and enteric fever should be considered as a completely different clinical entity to Salmonella gastroenteritis.
Salmonella are widely distributed in the animal kingdom. The source of most infections is ingestion of contaminated water or food products, especially poultry. The most common sources of human infections are poultry, eggs and dairy products. Commercially prepared poultry are often contaminated with Salmonella, hence the importance of cooking poultry well. Reptiles kept as pets have become increasingly implicated as sources of infections with unusual serotypes of Salmonella. Outbreaks have also been described secondary to contamination of fresh fruits and vegetables. This is a growing problem as more of our produce is produced in developing countries.
Gastroenteritis is the most common form of Salmonellosis and occurs about 6 – 72 hours after consumption of the contaminated food. Illness is usually relatively short-lived (4-7 days) but severe disease including bacteremia and "metastatic" infection of joints, meninges etc may occur.
Further Reading – CDC Salmonellosis
In the world context, species of the genus Shigella are very common causes of dysentery – diarrhea characterized by significant blood and mucous. However, modern sanitation structures have markedly reduced the incidence of this infection in the developed world. The only reservoir is infected humans and spread is by the fecal oral route either directly or indirectly through contamination of food or water.
Further Reading – CDC Shigellosis
Yersinia pestis is the etiologic agent of plague. People usually get plague from being bitten by a rodent flea that is carrying Y. pestis or by handling an infected animal. Plague is still endemic in parts of the world but is now very rare in North America. During a five year period in the middle of the fourteenth century epidemic plague (the Black Death) claimed 25,000,000 people – almost one quarter of the European population. There are two clinical forms – bubonic and pneumonic. The bubonic plague is characterized by painful, inflamed, swollen lymph nodes in the groin or axillae with fever and bacteremia. The pneumonic form is often lethal, is much more infectious and was responsible for the rapid epidemic spread seen in the squalid conditions of the European middle ages.
Yersinia enterocolitica is a well-recognized but uncommon cause of gastroenteritis. Mesenteric adenitis, a condition that can often be mistaken for acute appendicitis is also a manifestation of infection with this organism.
Further Reading – CDC Plague home page
Serratia, Proteus, Citrobacter and Enterobacter
These four genera are all members of the family Enterobacteriaciae that, collectively, are sometimes referred to as "SPICE" enteric Gram-negative bacilli. These genera are organisms of particular concern in hospitals and are inherently resistant to antibiotics. Selection of antibiotics for hospital-acquired infections is influenced by the types of enteric Gram-negative bacilli that are found in particular institutions.
Vibrio and Campylobacter
The genus Vibrio is comprised of many species of motile, aerobic Gram-negative rods that are found in aquatic environments. Three species are commonly pathogenic for humans, the most important being V. cholerae – the etiologic agent of epidemic cholera. While some cases are mild, the profuse, watery diarrhea of severe cases of cholera can cause death by dehydration in hours. The presence of cholera is a marker of inadequacy of water and sewage treatment and thousands of people still die annually of this preventable illness.
Further Reading – CDC Vibrio cholera
Vibrio parahemolyticus is a marine vibrio that causes gastroenteritis. It is most commonly associated with the consumpion of raw seafood, in particular oysters and is a particular problem along the gulf coast of the United States.
Further Reading – CDC Vibrio parahemolyticus
Vibrio vulnificus is a rare, but often fatal cause of septicemic wound infections associated with sea water particularly in the gulf states of the US. Can also cause gastroenteritis when ingested in seafood similar to V. parahemolyticus.
Further Reading – CDC Vibrio vulnificus
Campylobacter jejuni is a micro-aerophilic (an organism that needs oxygen but at lower partial pressure than atmospheric oxygen) Gram negative bacillus that has been recognized, in the last 20 years, as a very common cause of food-borne gastroenteritis. It was formerly classified as a member of the genus Vibrio. It is now the most commonly identified cause of gastroenteritis in Canada. Poultry is a common source and direct contact with pets, in particular puppies and kittens have been described as sources of transmission.
Further Reading – CDC Campylobacter
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an ubiquitous organism found in soil, vegetation and water. It is the most important of a large group of environmental organisms commonly referred to as "pseudomonads" that share many phenotypic characteristics. They only utilize oxidative means of respiration and are not able to metabolize substrates via fermentative pathways. Sometimes pseudomonads and similar, but genetically unrelated Gram-negative rods such as Achromobacter spp. and Alcaligenes spp. are referred to as "non-fermenters" in contrast to the Enterobacteriaciae.
P. aeruginosa is the prototypic opportunistic pathogen in that it very rarely causes disease in immunocompetent people but can cause very serious infection of almost any tissue in people with impaired immune function. It is a particularly worrisome organism in patients undergoing cancer chemotherapy and in the Intensive Care Unit. It is inherently resistant to many antibiotics.
Further Reading – Todar's Pseudomonas aeruginosa


text:
Mood: exanimate
Music: Stargate Atlantis
Shadows Die
Pairing: Andrew Black/Zack Hall
POV: Andrew
Warnings: Kinkverse, blood, gore
Notes: This has a lot of references to various things, as well as flashbacks too so...
Notes 2: also this is fairly long, I've had this in my head for awhile so had to get it out. (And, while there is a pairing, there's no actually sexytimes)
"I think it's time I finally dealt with my predecessor." Zack smirked at my words, nodding in agreement. "Bring him downstairs."
"Yes Master Black."
It was now seven years since I became Master of LA. I hadn't set out to become such a master like most people that gained such titles. In fact it just sort of... happened.
It was due to revenge.
Thirteen years ago my mother was taken from me. She was snatched off the streets, bundled into a black van with that fuck symbol. The skull with the bat wings. She was but one of many women taken over the course of a week and then, just as suddenly as it had started, it stopped. I became determined to find out what happened, not that there were many leads to go on.
My father begged me to stop, to drop it, but I couldn't. I left home, knowing I'd find answers or die trying.
I followed sightings of the van, but by the time I got there it was always too late, it had moved on. I searched for the symbol, but no one seemed to know anything about it. Or no one was willing to talk.
And then there was Bonita.
It was a town in California and the disappearances had started there, but unlike other times they didn't end after a few days or a week. No, the group set up shop there. By the time I'd got there I caught sight of the van outside a bar with men dragging out women, mistresses and slaves alike and bundling them inside. In a separate van were a few males, although not as many and most were still inside the bar. I watched, helpless, as they set the place alight, the screams filling my ears.
I'd tried to help once the vans left, but it was too late. It haunted me to this day.
People started to leave en masse, scattering to the wind. Word was the town's master was part of this gang and that the women were being taken to be bred. And then one master confirmed something I'd long suspected, yet hoped wasn't true.
'They took the children.'
I shuddered at the thought even now.
Several of the masters and mistresses leaving said they were reporting this to my predecessor and were expecting him to deal with it. He never did of course. They weren't to know he was running the whole show. How could they?
I growled at the thought as I made my way to one of the other dungeons, I didn't want my personal one befouled by his presence. It wasn't far from my chambers, but it would still take Zack some time to lug the cunt from his prison in the tower. I barely saw the monster now. I think the last time I had was in the session on the anniversary last year. Others in the household had their fun with him, torturing and fucking him, though I could never bring myself to do the latter. The very thought of fucking the monster absolutely repulsed me.
As I paced the room, my fingers running over the various implements of torture, I thought back to that fateful day seven years ago, when everything changed.
I sighed softly as I entered The Shadow Side, heading straight to the bar and ordering a fresh, cold bottle of beer. The Shadow Side was a bar overlooking the bay and it was notable for being a masters-only place. I liked it because that meant it was a nice, quiet place, good for thinking. Good for meeting people too.
After Bonita became too dangerous I came here, to LA, hoping I could find something out. As of yet, though, I'd not had much luck. Indeed what was disturbing was the distinct lack of anything concrete. Master Sanders had been told about Bonita and yet he had done nothing whatsoever about it as far as I could tell. Last I heard was that Bonita was virtually a ghost town now, with just the thugs in charge of what little there was left.
That led me to believe someone high up was behind all this, someone who had Master Sanders' ear and was either covering it up or convincing him not to bother with it. That was my mission now, finding out who that was, though I had had no clue where to start.
It didn't help that Master Sanders was mostly based out on Alcatraz, making getting an audience difficult.
I sighed, heading for the corner booth where I was to meet someone. I'd had several meetings with people during my time here, but no one seemed to know anything. There were just rumours and suspicions, nothing concrete. Others were like me, looking for answers and hoping I had some. I hated to disappoint them.
Tonight I was to meet someone who referred to themselves as JS. They'd heard about me and wanted to talk, so I chose here. The sun was setting, it's orange glow reflected in the waves of the bay. I took a drink from my beer and then looked up when a shadow fell across the table.
"Master Biersack?" The man looked to he a little older than me and he had jet black hair which was fairly short. He had tattoos on his arms and he wore loose fitting black clothes.
"JS, I presume?" He nodded and I gestured to the seat across from me. "Please, take a seat."
He didn't sit, not right away anyway. "I'm Master Shaddix and... I've not come lone, may he join us?"
I nodded slightly, though inwardly I worried about it being a trap. He waved someone over, taking his seat and sliding across for the other person to take a seat. As soon as I laid eyes on the other man any concerns about it being some form of trap melted away. "Master Toro." I gasped, in awed surprise as the man took the seat next to Master Shaddix, setting two beers in front of them. The Master gave me an easy smile as he settled back in the seat, nodding slightly in greeting. Master Toro was the master of Newerk and by extension all of New Jersey. His thick, dark brown curls were unmistakable. "I... It's an honour to meet you Master Toro."
"It's a pleasure to meet you too Master Biersack." He turned to the man beside him. "Now Jacoby, what's all this about?"
The man sighed softly, taking a drink before continuing. "Master Biersack, a few months ago Master Toro dealt with a contingent of this group you're looking into. They were trying to set themselves up over there."
Master Toro nodded, his curls bouncing slightly. A flash of anger went through his eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared. "Yes, though thankfully I was informed about their symbol by someone that had left Bonita. That meant I could deal with them swiftly. However, I've kept a watch out for them and any information pertaining to them."
Master Shaddix, Jacoby, nodded and swallowed some more of his drink. "That's why I've asked you here, both of you. I know you too, Master Biersack, are looking for answers." He swallowed again, keeping his voice low. "Unfortunately I have some."
"I am a doctor, a surgeon and I've come to fulfil that role for Master Sanders. I've only been in the position a few months, but I've noticed some irregularities over my time at Alcatraz." He paused, shaking his head before continuing. "Like there's never any Mistresses invited there, not a one. And not a single member of the staff or slaves there are female. I thought nothing of it at first, I prefer my slaves to be male after all myself, but once I noticed it seemed... Odd. And then there is the dungeon area. It's off limits to anyone apart from those Master Sanders allows there personally. I thought nothing of it at first, figuring he was just a private sort of guy. Occasionally I'd see crates come and go from down there and that's when I noticed. They all had that symbol, the skull with the bat wings."
He looked pale, but also determined. "I saw one unattended once and I looked in through one of the holes. The boxes all had air holes, so figured that there were slaves of some kind... But... But..." He was shaking and Master Toro gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. He took a breath to compose himself, then spoke. "It was a child, a... A baby." Rage flickered over Master Toro's face, it looked like he would break something. "I managed to slip in the dungeon and... The dungeon isn't a dungeon. It's a... giant breeding room and those children are..." He couldn't say the words, shaking his head. "Master Sanders isn't just turning a blind eye, he's running it."
"Then it's simple, Master Sanders has to go."
Alcatraz.
The place creeped me out. It wasn't an island so much as a rock. The building atop was part of the Master's estate and was a large blocky building, not as elegant as the one in town. Half of the island was occupied by a dock that served it, though there was also a helipad atop it as well.
We had approached by sea in a small boat that Master Toro had rented for today. As one of the main masters he could get an audience with Master Sanders easily. It would be a short meeting if all went to plan.
I felt uncomfortable though. Master Toro could bring a slave with him, but all of his were back home in Newerk and he had no intention of waiting the time it would take to get one of them here. So the role fell to me.
I was topless, a collar secured around my throat. Secured around my waist was a burnished metal kind of panties which were covered in intricate silver designs. Hanging from them was a pair of lengths of light purple silk which ran down my legs though didn't cover them fully. My ass ached, making me walk a little funny. That had been my idea. 'Master Toro, no one will buy I'm your new slave if I walk straight.' He'd smiled that warm smile of his and, after asking if I was sure, he fucked me. I'd never been fucked before but last night, well I certainly saw the appeal.
I walked slightly behind him as a slave led us through the building towards the room where we'd meet Master Sanders. When we arrived at a large door, the slave pushed it open while speaking in a shaky voice. "Master Toro, I introduce the great and powerful master of LA and California, Master Sanders."
The room wasn't quite as large and grand as I'd expected it to be. It was basically rectangular, with the door we'd come through at one end while at the other, raised above the stone floor, was a throne. Seated atop it was Master Sanders and he smirked, leering down at us. "Ah Master Toro, what a pleasure to finally meet you. What brings you out here?"
We approached and I glanced around, making a count of how many others were in the room. The slave that bought us had shut the door behind us, with him on the other side, so that was him out of the way. Other than Master Sanders there were two other men standing along the walls and, in the shadows behind the throne, was Master Shaddix.
Master Sanders was naked on his throne, his large cock soft as he watched us approach. His skin was covered in tattoos and he was impressively muscular. His hair was short, shorter than Master Shaddix and some of his teeth gleamed gold. I could see the utter contempt in his eyes, not just for me but for Master Toro. We'd have to move fast.
"I'm here to discuss an important matter with you." Master Toro spoke, when we stood at the steps before the throne.
"Oh?" He raised a dark eyebrow, leaning forward slightly. "It must be something awfully important to bring you so far from home."
From my position slightly behind Master Toro I couldn't see the expression on his face, though I suspected he was giving the man a similar contemptuous look. "Yes, an organisation from here tried to set themselves up back home I've come to discus it with you."
Master Sanders' eyes narrowed at him. "Ah, so that was you. I suspected as much." I felt a spike of fear run through me at his words, at the way he wasn't even attempting to deny it. "Ah well Master Toro, you've made a mistake coming here, which will be the last mistake you ever make." He smirked, looking down at us. "You're a fine specimen though. You'll make good breeding stock so I won't kill you, but I'll have such fun making the great Master Toro scream and beg." He licked his lips, reaching down and palming his growing erection. "And it will be oh so much fun to make you watch as I fuck your offspring."
Master Toro snarled and nodded to me. I reached down for the metal covering my crotch, my fingers finding two raised parts. "Restrain them." Master Sanders said, clicking his fingers to the two men.
Everything then, went so fast.
The two men approached us and Master Toro went for the nearest one, wrapping his large hands around his throat and squeezing. I pulled the pair of concealed blades from my crotch, advancing on Master Sanders throne as Jacoby moved from the shadows, a scalpel in hand as he stabbed the other man in the chest.
"What is this?" Master Sanders asked as I climbed up the steps to him. He looked angry so I knew I'd have to move fast before he had the chance to.
"Your reign is at an end you monster!" I slashed at his throat with the blade, tearing through his skin, making him bleed. The blades may have been small but they were extremely sharp, tearing through him like a knife through butter. I growled and, with the other blade, I cut his cock off, his member falling to his throne, his eyes widened, his hands coming up to his throat.
It was hard, oh so hard, to resist just tearing him in apart right there, or leaving him to bleed out. No, that would be too easy for him. No, he must suffer for this. I looked to Master Shaddix, where he stood over the body of one the man he'd slain. "Do you think you can stabilise him? I want this cunt to suffer more than I can accomplish now."
He smirked and nodded, coming over and jabbing Master Sanders, whose eyes were wide with horror, with something that knocked him out. "I think so, Master Biersack."
"No... It's Master Black now." Master Toro smiled at me as Master Shaddix lifted the former master up from his throne. "Master Toro, would you mind giving me a hand to cleanse this place of the filth that has infested it?"
"It would be my pleasure." He nodded licked his plump lips.
By the end of that day Master Sanders operation was destroyed. A few hours later I made an announcement, with Master Toro by my side as I told the world I was the new master of California. At the same time I revealed what Master Sanders had been doing, knowing that his disgusting operation needed to be bought to light.
Over the next weeks I worked to return the women under Alcatraz to their families, if they had any left. I exercised my right as new master to get a new community set up for them, where they would be safe to put their lives back together. Some of them were slaves, but I ordered that they weren't to be touched. No one argued with me.
Master Toro stayed on to help me get established, but it wasn't terribly difficult, not as much as I expected. People were all too willing to help a man that had ended such a disgusting operation and soon I had gifts coming in from the various other masters and mistresses across the country, including, of course, Zack.
We remained lifelong friends, Master Toro and I, and I would be forever grateful that he'd helped me to get my revenge.
Unfortunately my mother was already gone. According to records, she had died after giving birth to a child of Master Sanders. He'd killed her, though it didn't say how or why. I was glad for that, though part of me wished I knew the how so I could inflict it on him.
I looked over as Zack entered the room, bringing the former Master Sanders over his shoulder. His name, no, it's name now was Mattie. He carried him to the middle of the room, over a bath similar to the one in my own personal dungeon. I wasn't going to bathe in his blood though, it was only so that his filthy fluids wouldn't contaminate the rest of the room.
Zack attached him, via the rings that had been implanted in his back, to hooks from the ceiling and, after taking a steadying breath, I looked at him.
He was a shadow of his former self. His hair hung to his shoulders now and his muscles were all gone. His body was covered in scars, cuts and burns. He had no limbs now, each having been cut off, slowly and painfully over the years. He'd been forced to eat the flesh of them, it being the only thing he ate other than a tasteless gruel which was just enough to keep him alive. His asshole was busted permanently stretched open, the hole now like a blossoming flower rather than a pucker. He had only one eye now and no teeth, each having being extracted by pliers. I'd slashed his voice box early on, so he'd not spoken in years. On his chest were a pair of breasts, put there to humiliate him. Each nipple had been pierced with rings, but they had been torn off years ago. His crotch was bare, his balls gone as well shortly after he'd recovered.
With his one eye he looked at me, fear crossing the dark orb. Had the monster behind it died, or was he still in there somewhere? I didn't know, didn't want to know.
"Hello Mattie." I met his gaze, holding a small blade in each hand. "Do you recognise these?" His eye widened and he nodded. These were the ones I'd used all those years ago to slice his throat open and to remove his member. In hindsight I wished I'd taken more time with the latter, made him suffer for it, but, well. "I have decided that I am finally going to put you down permanently. I don't think you have suffered enough for what you did to all those women. To all those children. To my mother." I growled the last word out. He'd not known he'd killed my mother, not at first as she was just one among many to him. But I made sure that he remembered her, that he knew why he was suffering. "However, there's not much left of you now is there?" I gestured with one of the blades at his body, or what was left of it. "There's not much left to take from you, not many ways for you to suffer that you haven't already endured."
"So in the name of all those that you have made suffer, I am going to finally end your miserable, pathetic existence."
I started to cut him, channeling all the rage and fury and hatred I felt for this man. All that he had taken, from me, from countless other masters, from all those children. The razor sharp blades slashed into his skin and I circled, leaving no part of him untouched. I carved his breasts up, tore at his stomach, sliced open his cheeks. With every slash I cried out in rage, going at him like a man possessed. I cut his throat, though not as deep as I had all those years ago the blood oozing out of him and then I tossed the blades aside. Using them was symbolic but they just... weren't enough.
I took ahold of a sickle, seeing Zack collect the blades from where they fell, moving them so that I wouldn't accidentally step on them. When I returned to Mattie I instantly used the blade of it on him, doing greater damage. I cut each of his breasts off, the flesh of each falling into the bath beneath him, landing in his blood. I snarled, slashing through his stomach, which was now slick with blood and his entrails fell out of him, his intestines making wet sounds as gravity pulled them down.
A growl left my lips as I slashed his throat, properly this time, severing his windpipe and arteries, blood gushing out of him. His damaged skin was now covered in slick, wet blood. I howled and kept hacking at him, tearing his chest and remaining muscles apart until the rest of his organs fell too join his entrails. He was surely dead now, but I didn't care. I kept on hacking away, until His severed head fell too and then his rings holding him were torn out by blade, his body falling into the bath filled with his insides.
I stood there, panting and bloody, looking down at the pieces of the monster before me. I felt an arm around my waist and I dropped the blade, the sickle clattering to the floor before me. I broke, sobbing as I leaned into Zack's body, feeling as if I'd crumble to the floor without him holding me. "Shh, shhh it's ok." He whispered, voice soothing as he stroked my back. "He's gone now." I nodded against him as I cried into his chest. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up."
He lifted me up into his arms effortlessly, carrying me back to my chambers. I spared one last look at the bath, filled with the bloodied, broken remains of my predecessor. It was over. He was over. I closed my eyes, held tight onto Zack, and let him carry me up to my chambers. The sooner I'd have this blood off me, the better.
Tags: kinkverse

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Home » Class 10 English » NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 11 – The Proposal
NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 11 – The Proposal
Thinking about language thinking about the play : Solutions of Questions on Page Number : 157
Q1 : 1.This play has been translated into English from the Russian original. Are there any expressions or ways of speaking that strike you as more Russian than English? For example, would an adult man be addressed by an older man as my darling or my treasure in an English play?
Read through the play carefully, and find expressions that you think are not used in contemporary English, and contrast these with idiomatic modern English expressions that also occur in the play.
3. Look up the following phrases in a dictionary to find out their meaning, and then use each in a sentence of your own.
(i) You may take it that
(ii) He seems to be coming round
(iii) My foot's gone to sleep
1. Expressions not used in contemporary English
1. "my darling", "my beauty", "my precious", "my angel", "my beloved" (here, an older man is addressing an adult man)
2. "…and so on…" (here, it is used after a sentence in order to complete it)
3. "…and all that sort of thing." (not explaining what it is, just leaving it as it is)
4. "…and all that." (again leaving the sentence as it is)
5. "the scarecrow", "the stuffed sausage", "the wizen-faced frump" (In this way, they hurled insults at each other)
6. "And how may you be getting on?" (Here, Lomov is asking Chubukov about his well-being)
Modern English expressions
1. "Madam", "my heart", "honoured Natalya Stepanovna" (used by Lomov for Natalya)
2. "Honoured Stepan Stepanovich" (used by Lomov for Chubukov)
3. "I beg your pardon…"
4. "My dear fellow" (Chubukov addressing Lomov)
5. "malicious, double-faced intriguer", "fool" (Chubukov insulting Lomov)
3. (i)You may take it that I am lying, but in fact it will help you in the long run.
(ii) He seems to be coming round after the trauma of his father's death.
(iii) After the three hour long yoga session, my foot's gone to sleep.
Back to Top NCERT Solutions for Class-10 Chapter 11
Q2 : What does Chubukov at first suspect that Lomov has come for? Is he sincere when he later says "And I've always loved you, my angel, as if you were my own son"? Find reasons for your answer from the play.
At first, Chubukov suspected that Lomov had come to borrow money. He was not sincere when he told Lomov that he had always loved him and that he was like his own son. He had decided that he would not give Lomov any money if he tried borrowing from him. If he truly meant what he had said, then he would not have thought of not giving him money. He said so only because Lomov had come with the proposal to marry his daughter.
Q3 : Chubukov says of Natalya: "… as if she won't consent! She's in love; egad, she's like a lovesick cat…" Would you agree? Find reasons for your answer.
Chubukov thought that Lomov was a good marriage prospect for his daughter. He had been waiting for this proposal. When Lomov expressed his doubt regarding Natalya's consent to the proposal, Chubukov immediately told him that she was in love with him. However, this was not true. Natalya did not seem to be in love with Lomov at any point in the play. It seemed like she was more attached to her land, meadows and dogs than to Lomov. In fact, the way they kept getting into arguments about trivial matters suggests that neither Lomov nor Natalya was in love with the other.
Thinking about language : Solutions of Questions on Page Number : 158
Q1 : You mush have noticed that when we report someone's exact words, we have to make some changes in the sentence structure. In the following sentences fill in the blanks to list the changes that have occurred in the above pairs of sentences. One has been done for you.
1. To report a question, we use the reporting verb asked(as in Sentence Set 1).
2. To report a declaration, we use the reporting verb __________.
3. The adverb of place here changes to ___________.
4. When the verb in direct speech is in the present tense, the verb in reported speech is in the ______________ tense (as in Sentence Set 3).
5. If the verb in direct speech is in the present continuous tense, the verb in reported speech changes to ______________tense. For example, ____________ changes to was getting.
6. When the sentence in direct speech contains a word denoting respect, we add the adverb _______________in the reporting clause (as in Sentence Set 1).
7.The pronouns I, me, ourand mine, which are used in the first person in direct speech, change to third person pronouns such as____________, ___________, ___________ or __________in reported speech.
1.To report a question, we use the reporting verb asked.
2. To report a declaration, we use the reporting verb declared.
3. The adverb of place here changes to there.
4. When the verb in direct speech is in the present tense, the verb in reported speech is in the pasttense.
5. If the verb in direct speech is in the present continuous tense, the verb in reported speech changes to past continuous tense. For example, am getting changes to was getting.
6. When the sentence in direct speech contains a word denoting respect, we add the adverb respectfully in the reporting clause.
7. The pronouns I, me, our and mine, which are used in the first person in direct speech, change to second person pronouns such as he/she, him/her, their or his/hersin reported speech.
Q2 : Here is an excerpt from an article from the Times of India dated 27 August 2006. Rewrite it, changing the sentences in direct speech into reported speech. Leave the other sentences unchanged.
"Why do you want to know my age? If people know I am so old,I won't get work!" laughs 90-year-old A. K. Hangal, one of Hindi cinema's most famous character actors. For his age, he is rather energetic. "What's the secret?" we ask. "My intake of everything is in small quantities. And I walk a lot," he replies. "I joined the industry when people retire. I was in my 40s. So I don't miss being called a star. I am still respected and given work, when actors of my age are living in poverty and without work. I don't have any complaints," he says, adding, "but yes, I have always been underpaid." Recipient of the Padma Bhushan, Hangal never hankered after money or materialistic gains. "No doubt I am content today, but money is important. I was a fool not to understand the value of money earlier," he regrets.
90-year-old A.K. Hangal, one of Hindi cinema's most famous character actors, laughingly asked why we wanted to know his age. If people knew he was that old, he would not get work. For his age, he is rather energetic. We asked him what the secret was. He replied that his intake of everything was in small quantities and he walked a lot. He said that he had joined the industry when people retired. He had been in his 40s. So he did not miss being called a star. He was still respected and given work, when actors of his age were living in poverty and without work. He said he did not have any complaints, adding that he had always been underpaid. Recipient of the Padma Bhushan, Hangal never hankered after money or materialistic gains. He said that no doubt he was content at present, but money was important. He said regretfully that he was a fool not to understand the value of money before.
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NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 10 – The Sermon at Benares
NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 12 – Dust of Snow (Poem)


text:
What Are Traffic Waves and Why Do They Happen So Much?
Matthew GreenLewis Lehe
Select a car from the bunch, click "Hit the Brakes" to slow it down and watch the traffic wave form. The red bars show deceleration levels (braking) and the green, acceleration (speeding up). Mouse over any car to see its velocity and acceleration at any given point during the wave (assuming all the cars are in the same single lane).
Who doesn't love sitting in traffic?
Especially when there's no apparent reason for it: no crashes, no tolls, no flaming mattresses.
Just a sudden, infuriating slowdown that forces you to slam on the brakes, spill coffee all over yourself and slow to a glacial crawl, usually when you're already late for something important -- a job interview, for instance.
And then, when all hope seems lost, the congestion breaks as seemingly spontaneously as it began. And you're on your way again ... for a good 2 minutes before the whole thing repeats itself.
Welcome to the world of traffic waves, a phenomenon that's been exasperating drivers since cars started rolling off Ford's assembly line a century ago.
On average, Americans spend upwards of 40 hours a year stuck in traffic, according to Texas A&M's annual mobility study. That figure rises to more than 60 hours in some of the most congested metro areas, like Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and -- yup, you guessed it -- San Francisco. And, contrary to popular belief, much of this congestion is NOT because of major impediments, but simply a result of annoying driving habits that arise when there are just too many cars on the road.
The simplest explanation for why traffic waves happen is that we drivers have relatively slow reaction times: if the car in front of you suddenly slows down, it'll likely take you a second or so to hit the brakes. The slower your reaction time, the more you have to brake to keep a safe distance. Same deal for the car behind you, which has to brake even harder than you did in order to slow down that much faster. And so on down the road, like a domino-like effect.
To illustrate this concept, Lewis Lehe, a civil engineer and programmer, created the above visualization.
The equation he uses is known as the Intelligent Driver Model, which was first proposed in 2000 by researchers at Germany's Dresden University of Technology (the designers created this Java applet demonstration).
The formal equations that explain these traffic patterns in terms of individual behavior are called car following models. They were first developed by researchers at General Motors in the 1950s. This is the simplest such formula:
Here, a is the car's acceleration, Δv is the difference in velocity compared with the car behind it, T is reaction time and ƛ is some constant that researchers estimate from data. The equation says, "At time t, you accelerate at a rate proportional to the difference in speed between your car and the speed of the car you're following, but with a gap of T seconds."
Put simply, if you're going faster than the car in front of you, then you slow down. And if you're going slower, you speed up.
This equation produces the graph below. At the 10-second mark, the grey car slows down, and the cars that brake later have to slow down to subsequently lower minimum speeds. Each line shows the history of the speed of a different car. Drag the slider to graphically see a traffic wave unfold. Note how the cars at the bottom of the chart get closer together with time, as speeds even out.
Over time, congestion researchers have developed more complex models of traffic behavior that include realistic conditions and incorporate additional traffic data. For example, our "simple" equation assumes that the car in front of you will impact your behavior even if it's a mile away. Some of the first improvements to the equation added terms for the size of that gap and the understanding that cars can slow down much faster than they can speed up. You can read more about the history of car-following models here.
Lewis Lehe is a PhD student in Civil Engineering at the UC Berkeley, where he researches electronic road tolling and runs the Visualizing Urban Data idealab.


Available souvenirs for this year's Thurston Classic.
Remember the fun of the Thurston Classic by purchasing souvenirs of the event. Souvenir Clothing will be available in the Souvenir Tent during the morning fly-ins and evening launches. Souvenir Clothing is available in a limited supply now, at the Meadville Market House and during Thurston Classic Weekend at Robertson Field, Allegheny College.


text:
package io.gank.weixiao.business_ganhuo;

/**
 * Created by weixiao on 2017/3/14.
 */
public class GanHuoCategory {
    public static final String ANDROID = "Android";
    public static final String iOS = "iOS";
    public static final String 福利 = "福利";
    public static final String 休息视频 = "休息视频";
    public static final String 拓展资源 = "拓展资源";
    public static final String 前端 = "前端";
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Leica has announced the new release of the Leica M10-P "ASC 100 Edition", celebrating the 100th anniversary of the American Society of Cinematographers.
Comprised of an all-black Leica M10-P camera and a gold anodized finish Leica Summicron-M 35 f/2 ASPH. lens, the set offers two specially tailored Cine Look modes built into the camera's software. The "ASC Cine Classic" mode simulates a classic, analog 35mm motion-picture film look, while the "ASC Contemporary" mode delivers the current digital style of contemporary movies.


Target (formerly known as Times) was possibly the best thing to happen to me in high school, when I decided I was interested in Design as a career. And I\'m immensely thankful to Satija sir for being a good teacher and guide and helping me to get into the field with an open mind.
Target\'s teaching style of \'no spoon-feeding\' not only helped me prepare for the academic method of design college which includes all the hard-work and skill, but also ended up developing my ability to understand problems and think of a variety of solutions - not something you learn in school.
Apart from the mock exams and interview practices that take place at Target, long conversations with Satija sir remind you about ethical practices, humility and empathy which are all just as important as any work one does.