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Upcoming events for November 17-23
It just wouldn't seem like the holidays without wonderful seasonal fare from Playhouse in the Park, Mobile's premier youth theater.
With Danny Mollise as resident director, the Playhouse will present one public performance of Victor Herbert's classic "Babes in Toyland" on Thursday, December 4, 7:30 p.m. at the historic Saenger Theatre, 6 Joachim Street in downtown Mobile. This show is a colorful spectacle of music, dance and fun for all ages. Call 602-0630 for reservations.
School Day Shows of "Babes in Toyland" are December 4 and 5 at 9 and 11 a.m. at the Saenger Theatre. Contact Pamela Mollise at 251-422-0079 to book seats for a class to attend this play.Visit www.playhouseinthepark.com for further details.
The Playhouse Puppets will present SchoolFest Performances of the Marionette Classic "Peter and the Wolf" on December 10, 11 and 12, 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. The 45-minute retelling of the musical story by Sergei Prokofiev, featuring hand-carved marionettes, hand and shadow puppets, is suitable for K4 through 5th grade. For information or reservations, call 251-422-5434.
On Sunday, November 23, 6 p.m., the long-standing Community Thanksgiving Service of DIP Ministerial Association will be hosted by South Brookley UMC. Pastor Jim Langston of Fulton Road Baptisr will be guest speaker. This special service offers an opportunity to support the Association's food pantry and Christmas boxes for those in the community who need help. There will be fellowship and finger food following the worship service. Those attending are encouraged to bring a treat to share and to stay for the fellowship. For information, contact JD Landis, 251-648-1027 or email jdmklandis@att.net.
Government Street Presbyterian Church and Spring Hill College will present a concert of "Music of the Holidays From the Valley to the Hill." Featured will be the Greater Mobile Bay Area Chorale Society and the Spring Hill College Chorale. The concert will take place at Government Street Presbyterian Church, 300 Government Street on Sunday, November 23, 4 p.m. and at St. Joseph Chapel at Spring Hill College on Monday, December 1, 7:30 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public. Contact Terry D. Maddox at 434-0325 or tmaddox@gspcmobile.org for further information.
In Chickasaw, Christmas is coming! The Annual Lighting of the Community Christmas Tree is Friday, November 21, 6:30 p.m. at the intersection of West Lee Street and Grand Boulevard. Santa will arrive at 5:30 p.m., so families are invited to bring their cameras, along with their children, to snap a keepsake photo.
Tanner Williams Civic & Historical Society will hold its Annual Christmas Tree Lighting on Monday, December 8, 6:30 p.m. in the Historical School Building. There'll be a chili supper with Christmas goodies; TWCHS members are asked to provide their favorite finger food for the party. "We will be asking for donations this year to help offset expenses," said Connie Paulsen of TWCHS. She encouraged her neighbors to "Come and join us for fun, fellowship and a fundraiser during this festive time of year." For more information, call 645-1196 or 649-5166.
Diane Baldwin, pastor at Georgetown-Chunchula UMC, reports that the church recently launched a monthly health/wellness luncheon education series called NOURISH. " We have a speaker on a different topic every month and offer a free lunch and door prizes," Rev. Baldwin said. This month's luncheon will be Thursday November 20, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., and the speaker will be James Roberson from the SHIP program, who will discuss the open enrollment for Medicare and insurance options for seniors and others, Baldwin said.
In Coden, Lori Bosarge of the South Bay Communities Alliance sends the good news that turkeys have been donated for 4 needy families with a total of 24 children. To make Thanksgiving dinner complete, however, the following items are needed: canned yams; stuffing mix; boxed potatoes; all-purpose flour, small bag; refrigerated biscuits or rolls, 4 cans per family; canned vegetables; dessert OR cash donations with which SBCA will purchase items.
About Coats for Kids, Bosarge said the program has openings for 30 applications children's coats. There's still a need for coats, jackets and sweaters in sizes infant, pre-school and elementary school boys and girls..Volunteers are needed for the distribution event on December 4, 2-7 p.m. Call Bosarge at 824-7265 for information or to make a donation.
The seniors at Parkway SAIL Center are collecting canned goods to support the DIP Ministerial Association; items can be dropped off at the Center, Boykin Boulevard at DIP, any weekday 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Through November 24, St. Andrews Episcopal Church on Staples Road is taking orders for homemade pies and cakes. Call 479-0336 to place an order; proceeds will benefit the DIP Ministerial Association and Sunshine Kids National Organization.
Bayside Book Club will meet Thursday, November 20, 6 p.m. at Parkway Branch Library, 1924 Dauphin Island Parkway. The book for discussion is "Into the Wild" by Jan Krakauer. Betty Fowler, 476-2600, can be reached for information.
The Connie Hudson Senior Center Foundation is having a barbecue chicken plate fundraiser November 21, 4-6 p.m. Cost is $10 per dinner. Tickets can be purchased by e-mailing bess.rich@cityofmobile.org. The Center will be closed November 27-29.
Semmes Senior Center, 9635 Moffett Road, will be closed Thanksgiving Day and the Friday after, so a turkey and dressing lunch is planned for Thursday, November 20, 11:30 a.m. Cost is $7 per person.
Port City Craftsmen annual arts and crafts show is November 21-23 at Abba Shrine Auditorium. This event always features beautiful, high-quality, handmade crafts and artwork and, this year, there are 95-100 artisans showing their works. For information, call Kendra Bennett, 508-1210.
Lott Road Church of God, 5301 Lott Road, is holding a "Christmas at the Road" arts and crafts and vendors exhibit and sale on Saturday, November 22, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Call Verline Sweeney, 649-8991 for information.
At Dauphin Island, the 26th Annual Christmas Pageant and Parade are scheduled for Friday and
Saturday, December 5 and 6, respectively. Applications for the Christmas pageant are available at Town Hall, and applicants have until November 20 to register. For further information on either event, contact Mary Strickland at Town Hall.
Tillman's Corner Area Chamber of Commerce is again sponsoring "Wreaths for Charity" to raise funds for their aid to families in need during the holidays. For details on how to participate, call Community Center director, Tina Poiroux, at 666-2488.
In Semmes, the Christmas Tour of Homes and Tasting Tour, presented by Semmes Woman's Club, is Saturday, December 13 and tickets are now available at Semmes Senior Center, T & T Nursery, Ruby Blue and Meggie B's. Advance tickets are a $10 donation or $12 on the day of the event (starting site is Semmes Community Center, 10141 Moffett Road.) For information, call Diane Moore, 645-9176.
Thanks for spreading the news about our Christmas Tour of Homes & Tasting tour. This blog is filled with so many community opportunities all across the county. What a service you provide!


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Q: Dom pdf table border bottom Good day everyone. I would like to ask why dompdf cut off my table at the last part.
Attached below is a picture for your reference.

I want the table border-bottom to be closed before jumping to new page. Can anyone render help on how to solve this?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Natalya Asanova (Cyrillic: Наталья Асанова; born 29 November 1989 in Andijan Region) is an Uzbekistani athlete specialising in the 400 metres hurdles. She represented her country at the 2012 Summer Olympics and 2016 Summer Olympics without qualifying for the final.

Her personal best in the event is 56.13, set in Tashkent in 2012.

International competitions

References

1989 births
Living people
People from Andijan Region
Uzbekistani female hurdlers
Olympic athletes of Uzbekistan
Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Asian Games competitors for Uzbekistan
Athletes (track and field) at the 2010 Asian Games
Athletes (track and field) at the 2014 Asian Games
21st-century Uzbekistani women

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


A portrait of Nipsey Hussle was inked on Lauren London's forearm as her way of honoring her late boyfriend.
The portrait also featured the words, "God will rise" – a phrase the rapper had tattooed on his face next to his right eye.
London joins Nipsey's friends NBA player J.R. Smith and rapper The Game in honoring his memory with ink.
Smith now has a portrait of Nipsey's face tattooed on his right knee, which he showed off on Instagram last week.
The Game had his late friend's portrait tattooed on his chest shortly after his passing.
They were joined by 21,000 friends, family and fans at Los Angeles' Staples Center for Nipsey's memorial service Thursday following the March 31 shooting in South Los Angeles that took his life.
"You've made me into more of a woman. You've given me an opportunity to really love a man," London said during his memorial service, reading a text message she wrote to her beloved.


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Imam Khomeini Works Must become Part of University Curriculum
A Bangladeshi scholar says Imam Khomeini academic works must become part of universities across the Muslim world.
Imam Khomeini's National Identification Card
The founder of the Islamic Republic used to observe the laws and regulations of the country after assuming responsibility as the leader of the Islamic revolution.
Islamic Government: Governance Of the Jurist
Sunday, February 01, 2015 06:08
Institute Holds an International Congress on Human Rights
The Research Department of the Institute holds an International Congress to answer the queries on the efficiency and productivity of a religious system to provide individuals and the society with civil rights and social freedoms.
Role of Time and Place in Religious Leadership
Chairman of the Conference: Ayatollah Sayyed Mahmud Hashemi Chairman of Scientific Committee: his Eminence Kazem Qazizadeh Time: Isfand 1374 Place: University of Qom in Qom
Saturday, October 18, 2014 10:53
Oriana Fallaci was Deeply Impressed by Imam Khomeini
The founder of the Islamic Republic in response to a historic interview by a prominent Italian journalist had said that the democratic values are well-established in divine religion of Islam.
Imam breathed fresh life into spirit of resistance
A prominent Canadian Muslim religious scholar has said that the late Imam Khomeini, the founder of the founder of the Islamic Republic revived spirit of resistance among the Muslim world.
Imam Khomeini Challenged World Dominant Powers: Zakzaky
Hojjat al- Islam Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky, the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria has once said at an International seminar in London that the founder of the Islamic Republic challenged world dominant powers by relying on God the Almighty and the support of masses.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Marina Raydun
NYTbestseller
Tosca Lee
Author Interview-Tosca Lee
About Tosca:
"Superior storytelling."
-Publishers Weekly
"One of the most gifted novelists writing today."
-Steven James, bestselling author
THE LINE BETWEEN, Tosca's highly-anticipated new thriller, is out now!
Tosca Lee is the award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of ten books, including the House of Bathory duology (THE PROGENY and FIRSTBORN—in development for TV at the CW network), ISCARIOT, THE LEGEND OF SHEBA, and the Books of Mortals series with New York Times bestseller Ted Dekker. A notorious night-owl, she loves watching TV, eating bacon, playing video games with her kids, and sending cheesy texts to her husband. You can find Tosca at www.ToscaLee.com, on social media, or hanging around the snack table.
Look for A SINGLE LIGHT, the follow-up to THE LINE BETWEEN, September 2019.
Marina Raydun: Your work is fearless—you wrote a first person novel about Judas! Where does the inspiration come from? Is there one topic you would never write about as an author? Why?
Tosca Lee: Ha! Well, don't think for a moment that there aren't times when I'm completely terrified, because there are. Including most of the days that I'm on deadline.
The ideas are sometimes suggestions (in the case of Judas Iscariot and Elizabeth Bathory) and just curiosities on my part (in the case of Eve, and Lucian, the fallen angel in Demon).
There are definitely topics I wouldn't want to touch—or, rather, minds I wouldn't want to explore. Pedophiles. Hitler. There are just some places I don't want to go. And that I know my readers, at least, don't want to, either.
Meanwhile, it was very interesting to explore the life of someone like Judas Iscariot. To imagine him as a child and, as an adult, as a product of his day. Strangely frightening and then revelatory to realize halfway through the book that I could see myself in him, or that in some aspects, I was writing my own story of seeking redemption and of my own agendas for God.
MR: What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?
TL: My very first one was to Tintagel, Wales, and all of the sites associated with King Arthur. (One of these days I'm going to write a story about that legend. It has been a life goal of mine for decades.)
Probably my most meaningful one was to Israel, for Iscariot. My most recent one was to Hungary and Croatia to research the "Blood Countess" Elizabeth Bathory, and the Habsburg Empire, for The Progeny.
MR: You hold a degree from Smith and you studied at Oxford. What is the first experience you had when you learned that language had power?
TL: I think when I realized the emotional power that novels had over me. How I'd close the cover of a book and feel this intense longing to return to that world. It was almost a kind of pain, that wish that it was real, and that I could go back.
MR: Since so much of your work is deeply rooted in history, you must spend a lot of your time researching. Is that the most difficult part about your artistic process or is there something you find more challenging?
TL: Research is definitely grueling. But probably the hardest part of my process is just outlining and writing that first draft. Before you do that, the concept of the story is shiny and perfect. When you start to write, it's like pulling strings out from ten sweaters at once and trying to macramé them together. It's a big mess. I have OCD. I don't do well with messes.
MR: How did publishing your first book change your writing process?
TL: I think each part of the journey brings us a lesson to learn from. My first novel experienced a level of unexpected success. It was great. It was also very distracting and even daunting for me as I wrote my second novel. I kept thinking, "What if this one doesn't measure up?" It's the reason I so often advise aspiring writers to write their second—and third, and fourth—novels as they're trying to publish their first.
MR: What's the best and worst book review you've ever received?
TL: The best review is any review in which you can tell that the reader was deeply moved, very entertained, or just had to share their thoughts right then. Because that's what we read fiction for: to move and entertain us—whether it's by scaring us, or making us cry, or laugh. We want to escape for a while. Sure, we might want to learn something along the way, but if that's all we wanted, we'd all be reading nonfiction. So if the reader has felt transported, then I'm happy.
The worst reviews are the vitriolic ones. The ones where a reader didn't like the story, and they're going to be nasty rather than constructive. I especially hate to see this happen to debut authors. Trust me, authors tear themselves down a thousand times an hour while they're writing already. They don't need more of that!
MR: If you could have drinks with any person, living or dead, who would it be? Why?
TL: My mother's mother. I never had the chance to meet her; she was killed before I was born.
And also Oprah. Because Oprah.
MR: What is your favorite genre to read?
TL: I really don't have a favorite, though these days I read more suspense and thrillers because that's what I'm writing. But I love historical fiction, and essays by authors like David Sedaris and Anne Lamott, suspense, romance, and fantasy and sci-fi.
MR: Is there a book that people might be surprised to learn you love?
TL: I dunno. My nickname growing up was "Weird Tosca," so I'm not sure anything I do would surprise anyone.
MR: What are you currently reading?
TL: A World Lit Only By Fire by William Manchester.
More about A LINE BETWEEN:
In this frighteningly believable thriller from New York Times bestselling author Tosca Lee, an extinct disease re-emerges from the melting Alaskan permafrost to cause madness in its victims. For recent apocalyptic cult escapee Wynter Roth, it's the end she'd always been told was coming.
When Wynter Roth is turned out of New Earth, a self-contained doomsday cult on the American prairie, she emerges into a world poised on the brink of madness as a mysterious outbreak of rapid early onset dementia spreads across the nation.
As Wynter struggles to start over in a world she's been taught to regard as evil, she finds herself face-to-face with the apocalypse she's feared all her life—until the night her sister shows up at her doorstep with a set of medical samples. That night, Wynter learns there's something far more sinister at play and that these samples are key to understanding the disease.
Now, as the power grid fails and the nation descends into chaos, Wynter must find a way to get the samples to a lab in Colorado. Uncertain who to trust, she takes up with former military man Chase Miller, who has his own reasons for wanting to get close to the samples in her possession, and to Wynter herself.
Filled with action, conspiracy, romance, and questions of whom—and what—to believe, The Line Between is a high-octane story of survival and love in a world on the brink of madness.
"Everything you want in a thriller."
—Alex Kava, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Breaking Creed
"Beautifully written and deeply unnerving!"
—Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of V-Wars
"Be prepared to lose sleep."
—Brenda Novak, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Face Off
The Line Between is in development for television! Learn more here: https://deadline.com/2019/01/edward-burns-radar-developing-the-line-between-thriller-novel-for-television-1202538907/
To learn more about Tosca Lee and her work, please visit https://toscalee.com
Tags: authorinterview, authorinterviewseries, toscalee, authorblog, newyorktimesbestseller, NYTbestseller


One of the things that I've become more interested in over the years is artillery – especially the artillery that was used during the Civil War. I started a series a few months ago to explain some of the basics of these weapons – it is best to see that article first to get familiar with the "anatomy" of the guns. Today, I want to explain how to identify some of the different types of bronze cannons, using familiar examples from the collection at Gettysburg.
Overview: The most common type of bronze gun during the Civil War was the Model 1857 12-pounder Field Gun, commonly known as the "Napoleon" since this was an American copy of a French design that was popular with the famous general. There were 244 (though not all made from the US pattern) of these present at the Battle of Gettysburg.
While still a seemingly old-fashioned smoothbore, these weapons represented an innovative design, and were officially referred to as Gun-Howitzers, as they could operate effectively firing at either low (like guns) or high (like howitzers) angles. The "12-pounder" aspect of its name refers to the weight of the solid-shot projectile it would have fired. While a rifled weapon is more accurate at long range, the Napoleon's large, smooth bore (4.62 inches in diameter) made it very well suited to fire canister rounds, making it absolutely deadly against troops at close range.
Front View of the Model 1857 12-pounder.
Rear View of the Model 1857 12-pounder.
How to Identify: The most obvious clue from a distance is the color, of course. Since the Napoleons are bronze, they will be greenish in color. The shape of the gun is smooth. There are no ornamental beads running around the tube like you see on the older 6-pounders. The tube is tapered from the breech down to the muzzle, which is flared out. The breech of the gun is relatively flat on the back, with a flattened area on the bottom of the tube where the gun rests on the elevating screw. Napoleons generally have markings on the front of the muzzle, and a "US" acceptance mark on the top of the barrel between the trunnions. There may also be markings on the breech, and the ends of the trunnions, as well as a foundry serial number on one of the rimbases.
Experimental Rifled Napoleon. Note the front sight at the top. Photo by John Dolan.
Fakes: There are a few – about 15 – "False Napoleons" at Gettysburg (and maybe on some other fields, too). Since Napoleons are in short supply, and they share a similar shape, these are actually Model 1841 6-pounders that were modified in the post-war years to look like Napoleons so that they could be placed in battlefield displays. If you look closely, you'll see marks on the barrel near the muzzle where the astragal was removed, as well as in front of the trunnions where the lip has been smoothed down, and on the breech where the base ring was shaved-down. These guns have also had the first 6 inches or so of their bore increased in diameter to the 12-pound size – the rest remains the 6-pound gage – so that they look right from a distance. This is the easiest clue to know that you're dealing with a "False Napoleon". See the section below on the Model 1841 6-pounder to get an idea of what I'm talking about.
Overview: This is the Confederate copy of the smoothbore US Model 1857 12-pounder design. Because of a lack of resources (both in material and manufacturing capability) these are generally pretty stripped-down copies. There isn't a muzzle flare on these, for example.
Front View of the Confederate "Napoleon".
Rear View of the Confederate "Napoleon".
How to Identify: These are about the same size as a US Napoleon, but there is no flare at the muzzle – that's the main visual difference. The tube still has a taper from the breech to the muzzle. Since the Confederacy had some difficulty acquiring a supply of copper (especially as the war went on) some of their guns have a dingy gray-ish appearance rather than the bright green you normally see on an old bronze gun. This was due to lead or other metals being mixed-in in place of copper in the bronze (though not in the example above, it appears). Like their US counterparts, these will have markings on the muzzle, breech, or trunnions.
Exceptions: There is at least 1 Confederate Napoleon at Gettysburg that was manufactured by Quinby and Robinson. This particular gun has a very simple, flat astragal around the muzzle. There may be other slight variants.
Fakes: None that I know of.
Overview: Not terribly popular for field use (there were only 33 of all types present at the Battle of Gettysburg), these weapons were designed to lob munitions over fortification walls at a high angle. They have short, very cylindrical barrels. Gettysburg has both the 12-pounder and 24-pounder varieties in their collection.
Front View of a Howitzer.
Rear View of a Howitzer.
How to Identify: The short, cylindrical barrel is your best indication – you just have to learn to eyeball it. As you can best tell from the "front" photo above, there is no taper to the barrel – that's your best clue. You'll also note that the howitzer above has an astragal, a slightly thicker reinforce beginning just before the trunnions, and a raised base ring.
Exceptions: In the collection at Gettysburg, there are 2 Austrian-made 24-pounder Howitzers, currently located near the Mississippi Monument. These are easily identifiable by the large handles on top of the barrel at the trunnions.
Overview: By the time of the Civil War, the 6-pounder gun was basically a pea-shooter. It was not powerful enough to really be considered serviceable in light of the advancement in weapons like the Model 1857 "Napoleon" 12-pounder, or the newer iron rifled guns. The Confederacy couldn't always be so choosy though, and they had 1 of these guns in service at the Battle of Gettysburg.
Model 1841 6-pounder Gun diagram. From the 1864 US Army Field Artillery Tactics manual.
How to Identify: While physically smaller than the Model 1857 12-pounder Napoleon, they share a similar shape. Where the Napoleon is smoothly tapered from breech to muzzle, the Model 1841 6-pounder has a thicker reinforce that drops off sharply to the chase just in front of the trunnions, as you can see above. There is also a raised base ring, and an astragal near the muzzle. These elements give the guns a "fancier" look than the Model 1857.
Exceptions: There are 16 of the Model 1841 6-pounders on display at Gettysburg, but only 1 that is still in original condition. It is located along South Condeferate Ave., across from the Texas Monument. The other 15 have been converted to the "False Napoleon" design that I talked about above for battlefield display purposes.
Fakes: Since these weren't in heavy use during the Civil War and there is plenty of supply, there's been no need for fakes.
Overview: Another rare weapon (there were only 4 at the Battle of Gettysburg), the James was a relatively unsuccessful rifled bronze gun patterned on the 3-inch Ordnance Rifle design. Since bronze is a soft metal, it had a tough time holding rifling – repeated firings would wear the grooves down. Unlike the experimental rifled Napoleons, these guns were designed from the outset to be rifled. They fired a slightly heavier 14-pound round.
Front View of a James Rifle.
Rear View of a James Rifle.
The Breech and Cascable Knob on a James Rifle.
How to Identify: As I explained above, this weapon is a bronze copy of the 3-inch Ordnance Rifle pattern, so it looks like a green 3-inch Rifle in its shape. It has a nice smooth taper down to the muzzle, and that fin-shaped front sight that the rifled Napoleons have. The 2 that are on the field at Gettysburg are along Hancock Ave., south of the Pennsylvania Monument.
Exceptions: As far as I know, there aren't any variations on the James pattern, although there was a Confederate copy of this design.
In the next installment, we'll look at some of the iron weapons on display at Gettysburg, and how to tell them apart.
Before we get into more details about the weapons themselves, let's look at the types of rounds they would have fired, and what they'd have been used for. Understanding these is critical to interpreting official reports from the battles, and getting a sense for what soldiers in the Civil War faced when they were in combat.
A type of long-range ammunition, this is what people commonly think of as a "cannon ball". In a smoothbore weapon, this type would be round, and probably called a "ball"; while in a rifled weapon, it would be more conical or "bullet"-shaped, and would normally be referred to as a "bolt".
As the name implies, this is a solid hunk of metal (usually iron) that is fired out of the cannon. It was used primarily against buildings or soft fortifications, but could also be fired into trees, turning them into deadly flying splinters, or heavy falling logs for anti-personnel purposes. Fired at a low angle against lines of troops in open fields, solid-shot would tend to bounce through the waves of men, taking them out 2 or 3 at a time as it did. This had more of a psychological impact than a physically-destructive one.
In some cases (like during J.E.B. Stuart's bombardment of Carlisle) these rounds would be placed in a fire or furnace right before being loaded into a cannon so that they would become red hot. In this way, when fired against wooden buildings, the structures would likely catch on fire.
Another long-range munition, the shell is just that – a hollowed-out ball (for a smoothbore) or "bullet" (for a rifled gun) that contains some form of explosive (in the Civil War, that was gunpowder). The idea was to create a flying bomb that would detonate and spray shrapnel and fire in all directions. This was especially deadly against enemy artillery and munitions.
There were two mechanisms used to detonate the rounds: the newly-invented percussion fuse, or a more traditional timing fuse. These were screwed into the shell at the time of firing, so the cannoneer could select how his fire was going to behave each time.
The percussion fuse was designed to explode on impact. The jolt of the gun being fired armed the round, and then as soon as it struck something – the ground, a building, a tree – it would detonate. Since this was a relatively new technology, and the south didn't have very good manufacturing facilities, their percussion fuses had a very high failure rate. Many Confederate rounds equipped with this type of fuse failed to detonate.
The timing fuse was used much more commonly. This consisted of a selectable paper fuse that would be ignited by the blast of firing the weapon, and explode after a few seconds. The idea was to time it so the ordnance would explode over top of other cannons, ammunition wagons, or troops so that the shrapnel would rain down on them.
Very similar to shell, this is a hollowed-out round that contained not only gunpowder, but small iron or lead balls, too. This was shell's anti-personnel cousin. All the same information about fuse types and their purposes that I talked about for shell also applies to case-shot.
This type of munition was very commonly used (and with great effect) during the Civil War, and you'll see it mentioned in official battle reports from both artillery and infantry commanders frequently. In some of those reports (especially when referencing rounds from smoothbore weapons) this round may be referred to as "spherical case".
When used with timed fuses, the round could be configured (by cutting the paper fuse extremely short) so that it exploded just before it left the barrel. This method could be used in place of canister in a last resort, low-ammunition situation. Because of the dangers associated with knowingly setting off an explosion that could very easily end up just a few feet in front of your own men, this was not the preferred use.
This was the really nasty, short-range, anti-personnel stuff. Basically, it's a large tin can (like an over-sized soup can) filled with saw dust and dozens of lead or iron balls. When fired, the can would shred immediately, creating additional shrapnel. Canister rounds effectively made a cannon into a giant shotgun.
As you can well imagine, this was brutally deadly against the types of line-of-battle formations that were used during the Civil War. It certainly gives you an appreciation for what the men in Pickett's Charge must have been thinking, knowing that they were walking into this type of ordnance.
Less commonly-used by the time of the Civil War, this was the precursor to the more effective anti-personnel rounds (like case-shot and canister) that came later. In battle reports, this type may simply be referred to as "grape" – a name that comes from its visual similarity to a bunch of grapes hanging on a vine.
There were several variations of this type of munition, but generally the round consisted of medium-sized iron balls, arranged on plates with a rod holding them together. The whole thing was then placed in a canvas sack. When fired, the round would split apart with the bottom plate pressing forward, sending the balls spreading out through the air toward the enemy.
You can see how the less-bulky and awkward case-shots and canisters would be much better than the heavy, overly-complicated grape-shot. Once troops began using trenches and other breastworks that couldn't be effectively hit from straight on, case-shot (which could be exploded from above and had a much longer range) became the favored anti-personnel round.
So that's the general overview of Civil War ordnance types. We'll start examining how to identify the different models of field pieces used during the war in the next installment of the series.
Earlier this week, a friend sent me a photo that she took at Monocacy. She knows that I'm interested in Civil War battlefields, and that I have a collection of photos that my friends and I have taken over the years on my work computer that I use when my screen is locked.
It got me thinking though – I've never been to Monocacy. I go to Gettysburg constantly. I've been to Antietam and Manassas a few times. I've even started to branch out to the Fredericksburg / Spotsylvania battlefields. But I've never been to Monocacy, and it's closer to my house than any of those other fields. Since my wife was working this weekend, and I'd have to watch John anyway, I figured that we might as well have an adventure.
I wanted to do my homework first. I went looking for information about the battle in my "new" Time-Life Civil War books. Strategically, I thought the Battle of Monocacy was part of the Overland Campaign, but there was no mention of Monocacy in the book that covers it. No mention in the book about the Petersburg siege either. It wasn't until I checked the book about the Shenandoah Valley that I found info. While Early did travel to Maryland via the valley, I don't think I'd consider his move a part of those campaigns. Regardless, there was a decent overview of the action, and it gave enough context that I wouldn't be lost when I got to the field.
The basics are these: The Confederate Army of Northern Virginia has been bottled up in the defenses of Petersburg, VA following Grant's horribly bloody Overland Campaign. In an attempt to relieve some of the pressure of the siege, Lee sends Lt. Gen. Jubal Early with 15,000 men, north to threaten Washington, DC. Since the capital's defenses had been more-or-less cleared-out to strengthen Grant's army, Early didn't expect much resistance. Major Gen. Lew Wallace, commanding the Middle Department, called for help from all quarters. He was able to pull together about 6,600 troops from militia units, emergency volunteers, and even the Washington defenses, and set out toward Frederick hoping to meet the advancing Confederates. Wallace knew he didn't have much of a chance to defeat Early's overwhelming number of battle-hardened troops, but he hoped to do exactly what he ended up doing – delay Early's advance long enough for the reinforcements that Grant was sending to arrive in the capital.
Armed with my basic understanding, I packed John up this morning and got on the road west to Frederick after lunch. It took less than 45 minutes to get to the visitor center.
Revere Napoleon#46 in front of the visitor center.
shows this weapon as being held by the Antietam National Battlefield a few miles down the road, so this piece must have been recently transferred. That happens from time to time. According to the Register of Inspections, this gun was accepted into service on May 20, 1862, so not only would it have been on the field in time for Gettysburg, but for Antietam, too – which is probably why they were the owners of the piece at one time. Like the other Reveres, it has the ornate "U.S." acceptance mark on the top of the barrel between the trunnions. This was fun (and unexpected) to see.
The visitor center is on the small side – it's comparable in size to Chancellorsville's. There's an information desk and gift shop on the main floor, and museum exhibits upstairs. There's more flashy interactive stuff there than actual artifacts, but it's very well put-together. The whole building seems very new, although I'm not really sure when it was built.
I got my park map, and started out on the auto tour. One of the other nice things that the park management has put together is a downloadable audio component to complement the tour – it's also sold as a CD in the visitor center for less than $3. Having that audio really made for a nice experience. Each of the 5 tour stops has about a 5 minute clip associated with it. Combined with well-produced wayside markers at each stop, and the fact that the battle only lasted for 1 day and didn't have too many moving pieces, you can easily get a good understanding of what happened here back in 1864.
"Napoleon" at the Best Farm.
From a distance, I saw a bronze-colored Napoleon. I've never seen this on a battlefield before (outside of a gun brought by re-enactors). This is what the guns would have actually looked like during the war – the familiar greenish patina on the bronze weapons is what happens to copper when it "rusts". Was this an extremely well-kept Napoleon?
Sadly, no. On closer inspection, it was obvious that this was an iron weapon that had been painted a bronze color – there were areas on the gun where the paint had chipped and you could see black (or even rust) underneath. There are no markings on the trunnions, rimbases, or muzzle. These are clearly reproduction guns meant only for display. While that's disappointing, it's nice to see a gun presented to the public on a battlefield, looking the way it would have looked at the battle. I'm a little torn on this.
I saw one other reproduction gun like this one on the Worthington Farm (stop 3 on the tour), and no other weapons anywhere on the field. That's a pretty accurate portrayal of the artillery at this battle so far as I can tell.
Monument to 14th NJ near Monocacy Junction.
It's a similar situation for monuments. While explanatory waysides were plentiful, I counted only 5 commemorative monuments. One of these – and certainly the grandest one – was a monument to the 14th New Jersey Infantry, which became known as the "Monocacy Regiment" because it had served in this area early in the war defending the railroads, and then returned after a stint with Grant in the Overland Campaign to defend it once again. While I haven't established a full service history for him yet, I've known that a distant cousin, John B. Skillman, served with the 14th NJ at some point during the war. Since it would be a family connection to this battle, and since my infant son is named John, too, this may be one of those things that I need to research further.
Other monuments include one placed by the United Daughters of the Confederacy next to a more descriptive one placed by the State of Maryland. There are also two other unit monuments: one remembering the 87th Pennsylvania, and another across the road for the 10th Vermont. None of these is easy to visit because of parking challenges, though.
There are a few walking trails on the property, and from what I can tell on the maps and from looking at the ground in person, they look like they'd be nice. Several of them go right down to the Monocacy river. The scenery is peaceful, and there's plenty of interesting old farm buildings, too. It was oppressively hot today, and I didn't have a good way of carrying John with me, so I didn't attempt to walk them myself.
All-in-all, I'm glad I went to see the field. To my mind, it's a relatively minor and simplistic engagement tactically, but it does end up buying time to bolster the defenses of Washington, DC – stifling any chance that the Confederates had of creating serious political problems for Lincoln right before the 1864 election. In this light, it is strategically important to the war, and a strategic Union victory.
It's worth taking a couple hours to pay tribute to the men who fought here and learn a little about this part of our history.


The Global Internet Technology Conference (GITC) 2018 · Southeast Asia, hosted by Zenlayer, Telin Singapore and Kirin Club, was held June 26 – July 1, 2018.
During the trip, we toured Singapore's leading data centers, immersed ourselves in the Indonesian market and networked with industry professionals from Ucloud, Sogou, Xiaomi, Cheetah Mobile, Agora and more. Attendees had the opportunity to share their digital experiences in Southeast Asia and discuss overseas network deployment strategy.
Delegates from International Data Corporation (IDC) also attended the conference and shared key insights on the Southeast Asian market.
Technology is quickly reshaping the way we work, and there's no place quite as exciting as Southeast Asia when it comes to digital. The diverse region made up of 11 countries is home to 650 million people and has a fast-growing digital economy forecast to hit $200 billion by 2025, according to Temasek and Google.
Southeast Asia's e-commerce market is expected to grow by 261% from 2016 to 2021, with 3.8 million new users coming online each month. Rising disposable incomes and a burgeoning young population in the region are significantly contributing to this market growth.
In addition, increased smartphone and Internet penetration are contributing to a boom in the digital entertainment sector, which will grow at nearly triple the rate of China. Mobile and PC gaming alone are projected to surpass $4 billion by 2021.
Smart city policies and initiatives are also boosting the digital transformation of Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam, and promoting brisk economic growth in Thailand and the Philippines.
What keeps Southeast Asia's CTOs up at night?
While 97% of CTOs believe that IT brings about business efficiency, opportunities and transformation, 34 percent are concerned about cost. IT is still viewed by many as a cost center rather than a business partner, and IT teams are fighting to demonstrate value in digitalization. This reflects that Southeast Asia's IT ecosystem is still in a developing stage.
However, in the past 18 months, there has been a policy-led force driving digital transformation. Malaysia and Thailand are quickly ramping up digital adoption, while 22-28% of countries like Singapore are at the vanguard of digital transformation and 40% remain in the early stages of digitalization.
Though enterprises have not readied themselves to fully integrate digital products and services and offer a unified customer experience, IDC expects that most Southeast Asian companies will undergo digital transformation by 2027, and 75% of them will reach a mature stage. Countries at the forefront of digital investment today include Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.
Indonesia: Smart cities are an integral part of Indonesia's Industry 4.0 initiative and demand for automation and IoT solutions is strong; these factors are significantly increasing demand for data center and cloud capacity in the country.
Philippines: The National Cyber Security Program 2022, a five-year national cybersecurity strategic framework, was designed to strengthen cybersecurity across the country. Though the Philippines' state of cybersecurity is in an infancy stage, the initiative signals that cybersecurity is now a nationwide priority.
Singapore: In 2017, the government launched a $2.4 billion IT Invitation to Bid (ITB) and announced technology spending shifts from infrastructure to digital, data analytics, cybersecurity and smart applications.
Thailand: The Thailand 4.0 plan was introduced to attract more tech investment and create new opportunities for startups and SMEs, which will receive support from incubation centers and e-commerce knowledge sharing programs.
Vietnam: The Vietnamese government is aggressively seeking to modernize its IT infrastructure with its National Development Program Tech 2020 initiative. Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang are aiming to begin smart city operations by 2020.
To learn more about the IT requirements that come alongside Southeast Asia's digital growth opportunities, contact a Zenlayer expert today.


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Pure Mitochondrial DNA Does Not Activate Human Neutrophils in vitro
A. S. Prikhodko1, A. K. Shabanov2, L. A. Zinovkina1, E. N. Popova3, M. A. Aznauryan1, N. O. Lanina1, M. V. Vitushkina4, and R. A. Zinovkin3,4*
1Faculty of Bioengineering and Bioinformatics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119991 Moscow, Russia
2Sklifosovsky Research Institute of Emergency Care, 129010 Moscow, Russia
3Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119991 Moscow, Russia
4Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119234 Moscow, Russia; fax: +7 (495) 939-0338; E-mail: roman.zinovkin@gmail.com
Excessive activation of the innate immune system often leads to fatal consequences and can be considered as one of the phenoptotic events. After traumatic injury, various components of mitochondria are released into the circulation and stimulate myeloid cells of the innate immunity. Presumably, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) might activate immune cells (Zhang, Q., et al. (2010) Nature, 464, 104-107). In the present study, we investigated the role of mtDNA as a direct activator of human neutrophils, as well as a prognostic marker in patients with severe trauma. Quantitative determination of mtDNA in the plasma of these patients revealed its significant increase (p < 0.02) in the group of survivors compared to non-survivors. Highly purified mtDNA was not able to induce activation of human neutrophils, thus possibly indicating the existence of additional factor(s) ensuring the recognition of mtDNA as a damage-associated molecular pattern.
KEY WORDS: trauma, extracellular DNA, mitochondrial DNA, neutrophil activation, damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs)
Abbreviations: DAMP, damage-associated molecular patterns; eDNA, extracellular DNA; fMLP, formyl-Met-Leu-Phe; ISS, injury severity score; MMP9, matrix metalloproteinase 9 (gelatinase); MTD, mitochondrial DAMP; mtDNA, mitochondrial DNA; nDNA, nuclear DNA; P-p38, phosphorylated form of p38 MAPK.
Injury is known to release into the circulation disrupted cell fragments, including mitochondrial components. These compounds may function as endogenous damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) and initiate inflammation, potentially leading to the development of life-threatening complications [1]. Presumably, activation of immune cells via mitochondrial DAMP (MTD) is caused by: (i) mitochondrial proteins with N-terminal formyl-methionine, typical for bacterial proteins; (ii) mitochondrial cardiolipin; (iii) ATP; and (iv) mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sharing many properties with prokaryotic DNA [1, 2]. Extracellular DNA (eDNA) in plasma is mainly present as nuclear DNA (nDNA) and mtDNA. Increased concentration of eDNA is observed under a variety of pathological conditions including traumatic injury [3]. The increased mtDNA concentration in blood of patients with trauma is a potential prognostic marker [4, 5] correlating with trauma severity and mortality [6, 7].
The majority of investigations are operating with relative, but not absolute concentrations of mtDNA. The exact determination of mtDNA concentrations can help systematize the results obtained in different studies and understand the mechanism of action of these nucleic acids as DAMPs. In the present study, we examined this issue using quantitative determination of extracellular DNA in plasma of 34 patients with severe trauma.
It remains unclear whether mtDNA at the concentrations corresponding to the physiological values can activate the immune response. We have conducted an independent verification of the data on the activation of human neutrophils using mtDNA and found that purified mtDNA does not cause activation of neutrophils. Probably, the previously published papers were operating with unpurified mtDNA preparations, and these impurities could cause neutrophil activation.
These results confirm the predictive value of mtDNA as a prognostic factor for mortality in patients with severe trauma and at the same time raise the question concerning existence of additional factors that allow mtDNA to function as a DAMP.
Patients' characteristics. This research was approved by the Ethical Committee of Sklifosovsky Research Institute. We analyzed blood samples of 34 patients with hard concomitant trauma who were treated in the intensive care unit of Sklifosovsky Institute in 2012-2014. Blood samples of 10 healthy volunteers were used as control. Patients over 70 years and patients with combined traumas were not included in the study. Trauma severity was assessed by Injury Severity Score (ISS) given the localization of injury: head, thorax, abdomen, spine, pelvis, and limbs. Patients' characteristics are presented in Table 1.
Table 1. Baseline characteristics of patients enrolled in the study
* Data are median (interquartile range).
Sample preparation and DNA extraction. Peripheral blood (3 ml) was collected from patients 24 h after injury. Before donating blood the patients and healthy donors rested for at least 10 min. EDTA-containing blood was centrifuged for 10 min at 3000g. The plasma was additionally centrifuged for 10 min at 10,000g. The upper portion of the plasma supernatant was aliquoted into clean microcentrifuge tubes (volume 0.5 ml) and stored at –20°C until DNA extraction. To monitor the efficiency of DNA extraction, each plasma sample (0.4 ml) was supplemented with 10 µl (1.7 ng/µl) exogenous 8 kb control DNA based on pBlueScriptSKII(–) plasmid. DNA from 100 µl of blood plasma was isolated using Quick-gDNA Blood MiniPrep (Zymo Research, USA) according to the manufacturer's protocol.
Real-time PCR. Quantitative real-time PCR was performed using an iCycler (Bio-Rad, USA). The PCR reaction system consisted of 5-µl sample under study, 10 µl of Eva Green master mix (Syntol, Russia), 0.5 µl of 10 µM each primer (sequences are presented below), 9.5 µl ddH2O. Each DNA sample was used in triplicate PCR. The targets and sequences of the primer pairs are given in Table 2. Primer specificity to mtDNA was additionally confirmed using DNA from human endothelial cells EA.hy926 lacking mtDNA (Rho0). Primer efficiency was 93-101%. The conditions of thermal cycling included initial denaturation step (94°C for 5 min), followed by 40 cycles of 94°C for 20 sec, 56°C for 20 sec, and 72°C for 20 sec; then 72°C for 5 min. PCR efficiency was calculated using serial dilutions of total DNA from HeLa cells (NEB, England) or control plasmid DNA from 10 µg/ml to 1 pg/ml. The results were normalized according to the amplification of control plasmid DNA [8].
Table 2. Characteristics of primers
Neutrophil isolation. Peripheral blood of healthy donors was collected in heparin-coated tubes. Polymorphonuclear leukocytes (neutrophils) were isolated by dextran sedimentation and subsequent centrifugation on Ficoll-Hypaque gradient (density 1.077 g/ml) as described previously [1]. The purified neutrophils were resuspended in RPMI-1640 (Paneco, Russia) supplemented with 10% low-endotoxin FBS (PAA Laboratories, Germany). Neutrophil viability (>98%) was determined by trypan blue dye exclusion.
Zymography. Isolated neutrophils (106 in 1 ml) were treated with fMLP (formyl-Met-Leu-Phe), mtDNA, or MTD in a final volume of 0.5 ml for 1 h at 37°C in 5% CO2. The quantity of MMP9 gelatinase secreted by neutrophils was measured by zymography in polyacrylamide gel containing 1 mg/ml gelatin as previously described .
Western blot. After incubation with the tested activator compounds, the neutrophils were immediately lysed in hot buffer (62.5 mM Tris-HCl, pH 6.8, 2% SDS, 10% glycerol, 50 mM DTT, 0.01% bromophenol blue) for 4 min at 95°C. Proteins were separated on 12% polyacrylamide gel and transferred to PVDF membrane (Amersham, USA). Antibodies to β-actin, p38, P-p38 (Cell Signaling, USA), and secondary antibodies conjugated with horseradish peroxidase (Sigma-Aldrich, USA) were used. Membranes were developed with ECL chemiluminescence reagent (Amersham). Densitometric analysis was performed by ImageJ 1.44p software.
Isolation of mitochondrial DAMPs (MTD). Mitochondrial fraction was isolated from rat liver or from human endothelial cells EA.hy926 by differential centrifugation as previously described [1]. Mitochondria were mixed with proteinase inhibitor cocktail (Amresco, USA) and disrupted using a Branson Sonifier 150 (Branson Ultrasonic Corporation, USA) at 100% amplitude, 10 times for 30 sec, intervals for 30 sec. The suspension was centrifuged at 15,000g for 10 min at 4°C, and then the supernatant was centrifuged at 100,000g for 1 h at 4°C. Protein concentration in the samples was measured by the Bradford method using the Bio-Rad protein assay kit (Bio-Rad) according to the manufacturer's protocol.
mtDNA isolation and purification. Standard mtDNA samples were obtained from mitochondrial fraction using the DNeasy Blood & Tissue kit (Qiagen, USA). Additional purification was performed by ethanol precipitation with sodium acetate. The pellet was air-dried, dissolved in ddH2O, centrifuged at 13,000g for 30 min, and the supernatant was used for the further experiments. Concentration and purity of the samples were determined by measuring OD230, OD260, and OD280 with a NanoDrop ND-1000 spectrophotometer (Thermo Scientific, USA).
Data analysis. Results are presented indicating mean values and standard deviation, quartile, and median values or a box plot. Intergroup differences were analyzed by the Mann–Whitney test.
Patients' characteristics and measurement of nDNA and mtDNA concentration. Trauma severity indicated as ISS score differed significantly between the group of survivors and deceased patients (p = 0.02) (Table 1 and Fig. 1a). In the blood of healthy donors (control group, n = 10), the median concentration of nDNA in plasma was 0.1 µg/ml (interquartile range 0.08-0.16 µg/ml), and the median concentration of mtDNA – 0.19 ng/ml (range 0.15-0.26 ng/ml). The median concentrations of nDNA and mtDNA of surviving patients (n = 25) were 4.5 µg/ml (range 2.2-16.6 µg/ml) and 0.9 ng/ml (range 0.7-2.0 ng/ml), respectively (Fig. 1, b and c). For non-survivors (n = 9), these values were 6.3 µg/ml (range 2.6-22.1 µg/ml) and 4.6 ng/ml (range 2.5-8.0 ng/ml), respectively (Fig. 1, b and c). Statistically significant difference between the groups of survivors and deceased patients was observed only at mtDNA level (p = 0.02).
Fig. 1. Characteristics of trauma patients and their nDNA and mtDNA concentrations in plasma. a) Trauma severity defined as ISS score in the groups of survivors (n = 25) or non-survivors (n = 9). Concentration of mtDNA (b) and nDNA (c) in the plasma of healthy donors (n = 10), and in survivor and non-survivor patients with severe trauma. Mean values are shown as black dots. # p < 0.001, difference between healthy and traumatic patients by Mann–Whitney test; * p < 0.02, difference between deceased and survived patients by Mann–Whitney test.
Isolation and purification of mtDNA. mtDNA was isolated from a culture of human EA.hy926 endothelial cells or from rat liver. Standard methods of mtDNA isolation used in [1, 10] resulted in DNA samples with ratio A260/A280 = 1.68 and A260/A230 = 0.95, thus indicating the presence of impurities. An additional purification step (see "Materials and Methods") changed these ratios to the values typical for pure DNA samples: A260/A280 = 1.91 and A260/A230 = 1.67 (Fig. 2). In further experiments on human neutrophil activation, we compared mtDNA samples after standard isolation and after additional purification.
Fig. 2. UV spectrum of mtDNA isolated from rat liver by standard procedure (1) and after additional purification step (2).
Influence of MTD and mtDNA on neutrophil activation. MAPK p38 phosphorylation (P-p38) can serve as a marker of early human neutrophil activation. MAPK is rapidly activated by stimulation of neutrophils by various DAMPs [11, 12]. In our study, as well as in the study of C. J. Hauser and coworkers [1], MTD and fMLP treatment led to increase in P-p38 level after 5 min, reached a maximum after 10 min, and gradually declined over the next 30 min (data not shown). DNA samples isolated by the standard protocol induced p38 phosphorylation (Fig. 3a). However, purified mtDNA samples obtained from either human endothelial cells, or rat liver, did not increase level of p38 phosphorylation in none of the 11 experiments (Fig. 3, a and b).
Fig. 3. Additionally purified mtDNA does not cause activation of human neutrophils: 1) negative control; 2) additionally purified mtDNA preparation (5 mg/ml); 3) mtDNA isolated by the standard procedure (5 mg/ml); 4) MTD preparation (50 mg/ml); 5) fMLP (10 nM) (positive control). Mean values and standard deviation are shown. a) P-p38 level after 10 min (result of a typical experiment); b) results of densitometric analysis of Western blots (n = 11); c) zymography of culture medium samples after 45 min of incubation (result of a typical experiment); pro-MMP9 is a proenzyme form of MMP9; d) results of densitometric analysis of zymograms (n = 4).
Neutrophil activation also leads to the secretion of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP9) involved in extracellular matrix breakdown under normal and inflammatory conditions. Incubation of neutrophils with fMLP and MTD increased MMP9 in the culture medium as detected by gelatin zymography (Fig. 3, c and d). At the same time, incubation of neutrophils with purified mtDNA at concentrations several orders of magnitude higher than the actual mtDNA concentration in healthy blood and after injuries did not cause any increase in MMP9 secretion (Fig. 3, c and d).
Initially, the concept of mtDNA action as a DAMP was based on the works of C. J. Hauser with coworkers [1, 10]. These widely cited studies showed that mtDNA is detected in the blood of traumatic patients at high concentrations (median value 2.7 mg/ml), and mtDNA is able to induce activation of the isolated human neutrophils. The exact mtDNA concentration in blood of patients with severe trauma was identified only in a few studies. Initially, plasma mtDNA concentration was measured in 2004 with the median value of 8,586,300 copies/ml (~0.15 ng/ml) in patients with trauma and 1,607,000 copies/ml (~0.03 ng/ml) in the control group [7]. According to the recent publications, the median value of mtDNA concentrations in patients with severe trauma varied from 1.7 ng/ml [4] to 200 ng/ml [5]. It should be noted that direct methods for estimation of total extracellular DNA not using PCR yield values not exceeding 2-3 mg/ml [13, 14]. Since one diploid cell usually contains from several hundred to several thousand mtDNA molecules, it is easy to calculate that the weight of nDNA several hundred or thousand times exceeds cell mtDNA content. Thus, assuming that traumatic injury leads to equal release of mtDNA and nDNA proportions into the bloodstream, the amount of nuclear DNA in plasma should be two or three orders of magnitude higher than any mtDNA, thus corresponding to the data obtained in our work. However, it should be noted that nDNA/mtDNA ratio may be influenced by many factors, such as removal of extracellular nucleic acid, presence of pathogens in the body, type of damaged tissue, relative mtDNA content therein, and the type of cell death.
Considerable variation in the absolute mtDNA quantification may be associated with technical aspects rarely deserving the researcher's attention. First, quantifying mtDNA requires use of an exogenous control – a double-stranded circular DNA molecule added to the sample prior to isolation of total DNA [15]. In our work, we used a recombinant plasmid as an exogenous control, thus improving the accuracy of mtDNA determination. Second, it is extremely important to use primers specific only to the mtDNA sequence and not to the numerous mitochondrial pseudogenes present in the nuclear genome. Some investigations provide no information concerning this issue [1, 5], potentially leading to the overestimation of mtDNA concentration. We consider that the median plasma mtDNA concentration in the patients with trauma do not exceed 10 ng/ml (Fig. 1a). However, this issue should be examined in independent experiments recruiting more patients. It should also be noted that mtDNA circulating in blood is present not only in plasma, but also on the surface of cells, as well as in microsomes. The concentration and the role of these nucleic acids in the development of the immune response have not yet been determined.
We observed a significant correlation between increased mtDNA level and mortality (Fig. 1b), consistent with other studies [4, 8]. However, it remains unclear whether mtDNA participates in the life-threatening excessive activation of innate immunity, or just represents a marker of cell injury. Earlier, C. J. Hauser's group demonstrated that mtDNA acts as a DAMP, activating human neutrophils [1, 10]. They showed that mtDNA released after trauma can activate human neutrophils via TLR9. We found that mtDNA purified by standard procedures used in these studies contains unidentified impurities (Fig. 2) that probably cause activation of human neutrophils. None of the 11 experiments with properly purified mtDNA used in concentrations of up to 5 µg/ml resulted in p38 phosphorylation in neutrophils, whereas MTD, fMLP, and "unpurified" mtDNA caused this effect (Fig. 3). Likewise, purified mtDNA did not cause an increase in MMP9 secretion (Fig. 3).
Our work confirmed data that mitochondrial fragments activate inflammatory cascades in neutrophils and stimulate their degranulation. However, we found that pure mtDNA does not cause the activation of neutrophils. Nucleic acids induce neutrophil inflammatory responses by interaction with TLR9 localized mainly in endosomes [16]. Perhaps mtDNA itself in the absence of additional factors is not able to penetrate the cells to interact with TLR9. Also, one cannot exclude the possibility that Hauser et al. [1, 10] dealt with the donors carrying other TLR9 allelic variants, or increased expression of TLR9 led to their exposure at the plasma membrane of neutrophils [17].
It is not new to observe the putative activator/modulator of immune function after more thorough purification appears to have either low or no activity. For instance, nuclear protein HMGB1 (high-mobility group protein B1), after cell damage, functions as powerful DAMP, causing a strong immune response. However, pure preparation of recombinant HMGB1 is virtually inactive [18]. We used additionally purified mtDNA, thus allowing us to define its role in immune response activation more precisely.
There are several options of mtDNA action as an activator of the immune response. First, mtDNA nitrogenous bases may be oxidized in vivo, thus significantly enhancing its activity as a DAMP. Intra-articular injection of mtDNA and oxidized oligonucleotides results in joint inflammation [19]. Besides, it was shown that oxidized mtDNA activates NLRP3 inflammasome [20]. Second, activation of neutrophils may require additional factor(s) (coDAMP). mtDNA inside the cell is associated with nucleoprotein complexes containing helicase TWINKLE [21] and transcription factor TFAM [22], the major component of these complexes. Protein TFAM, as well as HMGB1, contains conserved high-mobility group domains, potentially causing activation of neutrophils. It has been shown that TFAM in combination with formylated mitochondrial proteins enhances activation of human monocytes [23]. Synergistic TFAM action also takes place in combination with DNA, leading to the activation of plasmacytoid dendritic cells [24]. Third, other immune system cells, such as monocytes and macrophages, may serve as mtDNA target and can be activated by unmethylated CpG-rich regions [25] found in prokaryotic and mitochondrial genomes [26].
According to the concept of phenoptosis proposed by V. P. Skulachev, excessive immune activation to either injury or infection may be considered as an execution of the self-destructive program [27]. Identification of exogenous and endogenous "danger patterns" causing septic and sterile inflammation appears to be an important problem. At the same time, despite significant progress in this area [28], the role of the particular mitochondrial components in the activation of innate immunity is still not well understood.
The authors are very grateful to Prof. V. P. Skulachev, without whom this work would not have been done. The authors are also extremely grateful to G. F. Sud'ina (A. N. Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology) for her inestimable help with neutrophils and discussing the results.
This work was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (14-04-01057; neutrophil experiments) and the Russian Science Foundation (14-24-00107; plasma DNA measurement).
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11.Alvarez, M. E., Bass, J. I. F., Geffner, J. R., Calotti, P. X. F., Costas, M., Coso, O. A., Gamberale, R., Vermeulen, M. E., Salamone, G., and Martinez, D. (2006) Neutrophil signaling pathways activated by bacterial DNA stimulation, J. Immunol., 177, 4037-4046.
12.Zu, Y.-L., Qi, J., Gilchrist, A., Fernandez, G. A., Vazquez-Abad, D., Kreutzer, D. L., Huang, C.-K., and Ramadan, I. (1998) p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase activation is required for human neutrophil function triggered by TNF-α or FMLP stimulation, J. Immunol., 160, 1982-1989.
13.Laktionov, P. P., Tamkovich, S. N., Rykova, E. Y., Bryzgunova, O. E., Starikov, A. V., Kuznetsova, N. P., Sumarokov, S. V., Kolomiets, S. A., Sevostianova, N. V., and Vlassov, V. V. (2004) Extracellular circulating nucleic acids in human plasma in health and disease, Nucleosides Nucleotides Nucleic Acids, 23, 879-883.
14.Shaked, G., Douvdevani, A., Yair, S., Zlotnik, A., and Czeiger, D. (2014) The role of cell-free DNA measured by a fluorescent test in the management of isolated traumatic head injuries, Scand. J. Trauma Resusc. Emerg. Med., 22, 21.
15.Myers, M. B., Mittelstaedt, R. A., and Heflich, R. H. (2009) Using phiX174 DNA as an exogenous reference for measuring mitochondrial DNA copy number, Biotechniques, 47, 867-869.
16.Leifer, C. A., Kennedy, M. N., Mazzoni, A., Lee, C., Kruhlak, M. J., and Segal, D. M. (2004) TLR9 is localized in the endoplasmic reticulum prior to stimulation, J. Immunol., 173, 1179-1183.
17.Lindau, D., Mussard, J., Wagner, B. J., Ribon, M., Ronnefarth, V. M., Quettier, M., Jelcic, I., Boissier, M. C., Rammensee, H. G., and Decker, P. (2013) Primary blood neutrophils express a functional cell surface Toll‐like receptor 9, Eur. J. Immunol., 43, 2101-2113.
18.Rouhiainen, A., Tumova, S., Valmu, L., Kalkkinen, N., and Rauvala, H. (2007) Pivotal advance: analysis of proinflammatory activity of highly purified eukaryotic recombinant HMGB1 (amphoterin), J. Leukoc. Biol., 81, 49-58.
19.Collins, L. V., Hajizadeh, S., Holme, E., Jonsson, M., and Tarkowski, A. (2004) Endogenously oxidized mitochondrial DNA induces in vivo and in vitro inflammatory responses, J. Leukoc. Biol., 75, 995-1000.
20.Shimada, K., Crother, T. R., Karlin, J., Dagvadorj, J., Chiba, N., Chen, S., Ramanujan, V. K., Wolf, A. J., Vergnes, L., Ojcius, D. M., Rentsendorj, A., Vargas, M., Guerrero, C., Wang, Y., Fitzgerald, K. A., Underhill, D. M., Town, T., and Arditi, M. (2012) Oxidized mitochondrial DNA activates the NLRP3 inflammasome during apoptosis, Immunity, 36, 401-414.
21.Spelbrink, J. N., Li, F. Y., Tiranti, V., Nikali, K., Yuan, Q. P., Tariq, M., Wanrooij, S., Garrido, N., Comi, G., Morandi, L., Santoro, L., Toscano, A., Fabrizi, G. M., Somer, H., Croxen, R., Beeson, D., Poulton, J., Suomalainen, A., Jacobs, H. T., Zeviani, M., and Larsson, C. (2001) Human mitochondrial DNA deletions associated with mutations in the gene encoding Twinkle, a phage T7 gene 4-like protein localized in mitochondria, Nature Genet., 28, 223-231.
22.Parisi, M. A., and Clayton, D. A. (1991) Similarity of human mitochondrial transcription factor 1 to high mobility group proteins, Science, 252, 965-969.
23.Crouser, E. D., Shao, G., Julian, M. W., Macre, J. E., Shadel, G. S., Tridandapani, S., Huang, Q., and Wewers, M. D. (2009) Monocyte activation by necrotic cells is promoted by mitochondrial proteins and formyl peptide receptors, Crit. Care Med., 37, 2000-2009.
24.Julian, M. W., Shao, G., Bao, S., Knoell, D. L., Papenfuss, T. L., VanGundy, Z. C., and Crouser, E. D. (2012) Mitochondrial transcription factor A serves as a danger signal by augmenting plasmacytoid dendritic cell responses to DNA, J. Immunol., 189, 433-443.
25.Hartmann, G., and Krieg, A. M. (1999) CpG DNA and LPS induce distinct patterns of activation in human monocytes, Gene Ther., 6, 893-903.
26.Pollack, Y., Kasir, J., Shemer, R., Metzger, S., and Szyf, M. (1984) Methylation pattern of mouse mitochondrial DNA, Nucleic Acids Res., 12, 4811-4824.
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28.Hill, S., and Van Remmen, H. (2014) Mitochondrial stress signaling in longevity: a new role for mitochondrial function in aging, Redox Biol., 2, 936-944.


Rotary Richmond, TX helps out a record crowd at the AccessHealth Community Back to School Fair!
Rotary Richmond, TX and AccessHealth, along with the City of Richmond, Houston Federal Credit Union and others provided families with so much that they needed to get their children off to school and prepared for a successful year!
Rotary Richmond, TX and AccessHealth, along with the City of Richmond, Houston Federal Credit Union and others provided families with so much that they needed to get their children off to school and prepared for a successful year! Hopefully some new families found out they can receive affordable healthcare and a lot of great information about other community resources.
Rotary Richmond, TX gave out countless bags of popcorn to children. AccessHealth gave away a record 850 backpacks today and over 100 vouchers for backpacks to be picked up later this week in the biggest Back to School Health Fair yet for this wonderful clinic!


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Senate Weighing Whether to Give $3 Million to Substance Abuse Programs
By Associated Press • Mar 24, 2016
Credit Allegra Boverman / NHPR
The state Senate is taking up a bill that would give roughly $3 million in additional funding to various substance abuse and addiction related programs.
The upper chamber is poised to vote on a bill including the money Thursday.
The bill also requires the Governor's Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention, Treatment and Recovery to begin reporting to the Legislature as well as the governor's office.
The bill includes about $125,000 for the attorney general's office to hire a new prosecutor on drug cases, as well as $500,000 for peer recovery support services.
It also gives $2.5 million to the governor's commission for prevention, treatment and recovery services or affordable housing programs.
Substance abuse programs have been a key area of focus for the Legislature this session.
As Fentanyl Becomes Top Culprit in Opioid Deaths, N.H. Continues Search for Solutions
By The Exchange • Mar 17, 2016
eric molina / Flickr/CC
We're checking in on the state's response to the ongoing opioid epidemic.
Manchester Police Chief To Talk Opioids At Capitol Hill Hearing
By Brady Carlson • Jan 25, 2016
thisweekinraymond.com
Manchester's chief of police is set to testify this week on Capitol Hill about New Hampshire's opioid epidemic.
Lawmakers Question Specifics of Legalizing Needle Exchange in N.H.
By Paige Sutherland • Mar 15, 2016
Paige Sutherland/NHPR
Lawmakers were evenly split Tuesday on whether or not the House should support the legalization of needle exchange programs in New Hampshire.
After a 7 to 7 vote, the bill now heads to the full House next week without recommendation from the Criminal Justice Committee. Last month the Health and Human Services Committee unanimously backed the measure.
Debating If And How to Bring Needle Exchanges to N.H.
Todd Huffman / Flickr/CC
Designed to reduce the spread of disease by distributing clean needles to drug users, needle exchange programs can also provide outreach and referral for treatment. Now, a bill in the legislature would allow these centers in New Hampshire. And while there's general support, concerns include whether to decriminalize trace amounts of heroin.


The green oasis is no longer just a place of retreat for the older generation: Young adults between 18 and 25 want to spend more time in natural surroundings as well. According to a current survey by TNS International (carried out on behalf of the balcony glazing manufacturer Lumon), the balcony is a very important part of the apartment.
Loud colours are in! In the coming garden season the manufacturers are presenting their furniture in all colours of the rainbow – in the strongest shades possible. Whether purple, green, blue or yellow, everything that pleases and spices up one's own green oasis is allowed. And since combinations of these colours are currently in trend, the sofas, chairs and co. often come in lively striped designs.
The trend towards furnishing the terrace or balcony like a second living-room has been dominating the outdoor market for a few years. The spectrum of products includes weatherproof lamps, carpets and paintings, whereby the manufacturer's attentions focus on the sofa, which offers just as much luxury and comfort as the indoor alternatives.
The more hectic everyday life is, the more the consumers crave coziness and recreation. This is why one's own outdoor spot is becoming the ultimate relaxing zone. And where can you chill out best? That's right: on a swing. The classic Hollywood swings and hammocks have always been extremely popular, but now there's a range of new versions, which boast very stylish, luxurious designs.
Thanks to outdoor kitchens the entire cooking process can meanwhile take place outdoors. Their installation is simple and they don't take up much space. At the same time the kitchens, which usually consist of separate modules, offer attractive additional functions – allowing you to cool drinks or create a romantic campfire atmosphere on the terrace.
Nevertheless, those consumers, who prefer classic barbecues, aren't going to be disappointed. Whether stylish or old school, gas or charcoal, portable or on wheels – there's the right model for every BBQ fan together with plenty of attractive accessories.
In the course of the trend towards sustainability and vintage products, teak is returning to the scene.
In the coming season teak is being given a very modern interpretation, the design language offers exciting and extravagant looks. In order to underline this style the manufacturers often combine teak with stainless steel. The combination between the warm wood and the cool steel creates an attractive contrast, which lends an elegant ambiance to the garden or the balcony.
The trend towards robotic mowers and cordless tools in the lawn cutting and garden maintenance sector is ongoing.
That includes powerful, convenient and user-friendly appliances, which are important for the target group of the best agers: The manufacturers of gardening tools are also adapting more and more to meet the needs of these customers with the result that ergonomically shaped axes, spades and saws suited to the age of the target group are taking over the gardens.
The spoga+gafa 2013 will be open to trade visitors on September 8th and 9th from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and on September 10th from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.


Brakenhale are pleased to announce that after the success of implementing the House System in 2018, we are continuing with this initiative. Both students and staff are allocated houses which contribute to a further sense of community within the Brakenhale School. Students will receive a house badge to proudly show off which house they are in, a planner in the colour which reflects their house, and will attend house assemblies every half-term. The houses, named after the local community, are Farley, Jennetts, Swinley and Temple. The names were chosen from suggestions submitted by the staff and students at Brakenhale.
Last year we successfully integrated the house system into the rewards and curriculum areas in the school. Students can earn House Points throughout the year which accumulate. The House with the most points at the end of the academic year wins the House Cup! House Points have become an integral part of school life at Brakenhale. Students can gain 'academic house point' through good work in lessons, 'community house points' through being seen to go above and beyond to contribute to the life and ethos of the school, and 'extracurricular house points' by attending one of our diverse range of extracurricular activities (including, but not limited to, sports, performing arts and STEM activities).
It is widely accepted that a vibrant and successful House System promotes a sense of community and achievement to both students and staff in schools, and this is something we wish to contribute to.
To make sure the Houses are clearly visible and celebrated by the school community House badges for students to wear on their blazers are available. This is to make sure their house colours are clearly visible at all times to other students and staff. We ask all parents to make a £1.50 contribution towards the cost of the badges, payments can be made in cash at main reception, via tutors or online through ParentPay.
We look forward to sharing the successes of the House System during the this Academic year!
European Languages Day – a whole school competition in celebration of European Languages Day : students collected languages and phrases from teachers around the school.
Creative Writing – a whole school competition to mark the centenary of WW1 : students were asked to write a short story witha WW1 theme.
Globe Theatre – a Year 7 competition to design their own Globe theatres from any resources they choose.
World Book Day – a Year 7/8 competition to dress as a character from a book and for the best book review.
Poetry Competition – a whole school poetry competition for Poetry Day.
Reading Olympics – a Key Stage 3 reading challenge.
Bake off Challenge – a competition for Year 7/8 : to be completed in pairs, responding to a design/making brief at the end of each technology rotation.
Weather Vane competition – for students in Tech club : designing and creating a prototype for a weather vane for the new build.
Christmas Card Competiton – a whole school competition to submit a design for the school Christmas Card.
Christmas Market Raffle Tickets – Selling the most as an individual and as a tutor group.
Inter-house competitions – Term 1 – Rugby and Netball, Term 2 – Handball and Football, Term 3 – Sports Day.


As a country surrounded by sea, Greece has a very rich variety of fresh fish and seafood. Depending on the type of the fish they range from 3€ per kilo (2 pounds) to some 18€ per kilo (2 pounds). We have fish that we fry and fish that we bake. We have fish that we boil and fish that we BBQ. In future posts I will present some different varieties of fish and the ways we cook them here.
Fish in Greece and generally in the Mediterranean have a completely different taste than the corresponding ones from the ocean. Our fish are saltier and have a stronger taste than the ones coming from the Atlantic. These two characteristics determine also the way they are cooked. The most common ways to prepare them are either frying them (especially the small ones) or baking them most of the times with salt, pepper and herbs.
Fish Plakì is among the recipes that are used throughout Greece, but not as often as the above mentioned ones. Nevertheless, fish plakì has a beautiful combination of ingredients and it bursts with flavors. It is a full meal by itself and the combination of fish and vegetables makes it very attractive and filling. Baked vegetables add a tasty depth to the simpler flavor of fish and appeals even to people who are not as eager to consume fish, such as my husband!
It is easy, quick and very tasty and can be perfectly served even during busy weekdays for lunch or dinner.
Preheat oven to 200° C/400° F.
Pour the olive oil on a baking tray or a clay pot.
On top of it put the tomato, the green pepper and the onion.
In a bowl mix add the tomato juice, the spices and herbs and whisk.
Pour the tomato juice on top of everything.
Throw the parsley and bake for 45 minutes.
Take it out of the oven, let it stay for 10 minutes and serve.
Το ψάρι πλακί είναι ένα ελαφρύ, γρήγορο, νόστιμο και πολύ καλοκαιρινό γεύμα!
Ρίξτε το ελαιόλαδο σε ένα ταψί ή ένα πήλινο δοχείο.
Βάλτε από πάνω τη ντομάτα, την πιπεριά και το κρεμμύδι.
Σε ένα μπολ προσθέστε το χυμό ντομάτας, τα μπαχαρικά και βότανα και ανακατέψτε.
Περιχύστε με το χυμό ντομάτας το ψάρι και τα λαχανικά.
Ρίξτε το μαϊντανό και ψήστε το για 45 λεπτά.
Βγάλτε από το φούρνο, αφήστε το να μείνει για 10 λεπτά και σερβίρετε.
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Thank you so much for joining us and sharing at Best of the Weekend! I love that you always introduce us to something new and different! Pinning to our party board and hope you can join us again this Friday. Hope you are having a happy week!
Gorgeously presented as always! Pinned, and thanks for linking up to Wonderful Food Wednesday.
What a beautifully simple dish! Thanks for sharing at Simple Supper Tuesday.
Looks like a nice healthy meal! I love your bright photos as well Thanks for sharing at Sweet & Savory Saturdays #26.
Thanks for linking up my Friday Flash Blog on The Jenny Evolution. I'm back from vacation in central Colorado and ready for a great party this week. See you there!
This looks like a wonderful blending of flavors.
What a great recipe Katerina, it looks delicious. I would have never thought of adding spices like nutmeg or cinnamon to fish. But mixed with the vegetables it sounds awesome! Thanks for sharing at Show Stopper Saturdays!
This is definitely one recipe on my to cook list that I will be making once my hubby gets home next week. It looks so good and flavourful. Thanks for sharing on Foodie Friends Friday.
G'day! STILL love the ease and simplicity!
Thanks for sharing at Food on Friday!
What type of fish filet do you recommend that can be purchased in the US? I'd love to try your recipe!
What kind of fish filet do you recommend that may be purchased in the US? I'd love to try your recipe!
This looks like a delicious way to enjoy fish! We don't eat very much fish, but I'll have to try this next time we do. It's a nice way to flavor up the ordinary! Pinning!
Tomatoes are really in season now here on the East Coast of the US so this a perfect recipe for us. Thank you so much for sharing it with us on foodie friday.
Looks very healthy and can see making this with other types of seafood too! Thank you!
This is such a gorgeous preparation. My mouth is watering as I type. A must try recipe!
This looks like an absolutely wonderful way to serve fish. I can't wait to give it a try! Simply delicious!
This is a great fish dish and I can just tell how bursting with flavors it must be. Could be good with shrimp too!
This just brings me back memories of Greece, heaven for fish lovers, beautiful dish!
Mmmm….healthy and delicious. I love all the ingredients there.
Katerina, it looks like a quintessence of the Greek cuisine (at least the idea I have of it!): easy, simple but with fabulous taste. It reminds me of Bouyourdi which I sometimes prepare in the morning, put into the fridge and bake at night when I come back home. Thank you for this excellent idea! I'm looking forward to seeing more fish recipes.
Katarina, it was great to make your acquaintance on Uru's blog just now. Hope to visit your blog more often and hope you'll visit mine. Love, love, love fish and really like your recipe. I made fish today as well. Have a great week in Greece. I live in South America.
I've never heard of Plaki but it's beautiful.
When my daughter visited Greece, her friend's family served fish in so many wonderful ways that she had to finally give in and try some. Not being a fish eater, that was difficult for her but, boy oh boy is she glad she did. She still talks about it 5 years later!
Marion and I are big time fish eaters, Katerina. I would love to make this to surprise her. I know she would love it! The addition of cinnamon and nutmeg is quite intriguing.
I love baking fish…just layer everything and when you know the dish is ready…your baked fish looks great Katerina…love the flavors in it.
I love the fresh flavors that are used. We are not huge fish eaters but I have some in the freezer that I will try this recipe out with.


SpecificityThis assay has high sensitivity and excellent specificity for detection of human anti-MCV antibody. No significant cross-reactivity or interference between human anti-MCV antibody and analogues was observed.
SensitivityThe minimum detectable dose of human anti-MCV antibody is typically less than 5 U/ml. The sensitivity of this assay, or Lower Limit of Detection (LLD) was defined as the lowest human anti-MCV antibody concentration that could be differentiated from zero.
Intended UseHuman MCV-Ab ELISA Kit allows for the in vitro quantitative determination of MCV-Ab , concentrations in serum, Plasma , tissue homogenates and Cell culture supernates and Other biological fluids.
specificalPrinciple of the assay: This assay employs the quantitative enzyme immunoassay technique. The microtiter plate provided in this kit has been pre-coated with MCV antigen. Samples are pipetted into the wells with anti-human IgG conjugated Horseradish Peroxidase (HRP). Any antibodies specific for MCV present will bind to the pre-coated antigen. Following a wash to remove any unbound reagent, a substrate solution is added to the wells and color develops in proportion to the amount of human anti-MCV antibody bound in the initial step. The color development is stopped and the intensity of the color is measured.
Inquiry About Human MCV-Ab ELISA Kit If you hope to order it or contact us directly, please contact us via sales@biobool.com. We will get back to you in 12hrs,Thanks!


McNeills Plays Host to traditional Irish Music 6 nights a week. Come along, enjoy the craic agus ceoil. Have a great pint of Guiness. Enjoy the spacious beer garden and heated smoking area and make full use of this cultural oasis located in the heart of Dublin city centre.


You are visiting the placeholder page for Lisa Cohen. This page is here because someone used our placeholder utility to look for Lisa Cohen. We created this page automatically in hopes Lisa Cohen would find it. If you are not Lisa Cohen, but are an alumni of Pearl River High School Pearl River, NY, register on this site for free now.


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Euoestrophasia panamensis är en tvåvingeart som beskrevs av Guimaraes 1975. Euoestrophasia panamensis ingår i släktet Euoestrophasia och familjen parasitflugor.

Artens utbredningsområde är Panama. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

Källor

Parasitflugor
panamensis


Take note of these 10 films to see you through until the next World Cup tournament begins in 2014.
An American version, in which Jimmy Fallon wins over Drew Barrymore with his irrational love of the Boston Red Sox, would come many years after this adaptation of Nick Hornby's seminal soccer text. Colin Firth plays Paul, an English teacher who loves Arsenal unconditionally (his support for the London club is couched in relationship issues with his father so fraught that Freud would have had a field day), but when he starts seeing fellow teacher Sarah (Ruth Gemmell), obvious conflicts arise. While never living up to the heady heights of the source material, the film does tease out the comedic elements while capturing the highs and lows involved in balancing the twin demands of sports and relationships.


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Watch the sun set on Mars in a NASA vine
Ever watched the sun set on Mars? Well, now you can.
Gavia Baker-Whitelaw
Published Feb 24, 2015 Updated May 29, 2021, 11:31 am CDT
NASA has created a vine showing the sunset on Mars using beautiful, haunting footage taken by its Opportunity rover.
The clip shows a dark, dusty blue sky with the sun appearing more distant (and therefore smaller) than it does on Earth.
https://vine.co/v/OQFQI23Jzx5
Although we think of Mars as a red planet, its sunsets are indeed blue. This is because the red dust in the atmosphere filters out red light. When the sun is closer to the Martian horizon, its light must travel through more dust than it does during the day, when the sun is directly overhead. Therefore, almost all of the red light is filtered out, leaving the sky with a dark bluish appearance.
This is the opposite effect from the one in our own atmosphere, which scatters blue light. This creates blue skies during the day, while sunsets appear in red-yellow shades as the sun draws closer to the horizon.
An earlier NASA video called "I'm Dreaming of a Blue Sunset" gives us a longer look at a Martian evening.
Photo via NASA/Wikimedia Commons (PD)
*First Published: Feb 24, 2015, 9:00 am CST
Gavia Baker-Whitelaw is a staff writer at the Daily Dot, covering geek culture and fandom. Specializing in sci-fi movies and superheroes, she also appears as a film and TV critic on BBC radio. Elsewhere, she co-hosts the pop culture podcast Overinvested. Follow her on Twitter: @Hello_Tailor
'That's literally the best chocolate milk ever': TikToker says Waffle House worker gave her whole jug of chocolate milk


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Home > Academics > Faculty of Natural & Applied Sciences > Student Opportunities
Build an outstanding academic profile with hands-on research experience and collaborative laboratory studies with the Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences (FNAS) at Trinity Western University.
Get far more out of your undergraduate science degree than anywhere else:
Work closely with professors who are specialists and experts in their field.
Take advantage of travel studies and conduct cross-cultural research with your peers.
Get unique opportunities to contribute to studies being published in scientific journals.
Participate at various science research conferences—interacting with other researchers, learning from experts, and even presenting your own findings.
Explore Teacher's Assistant (TA) positions and other on-campus employment opportunities in science.
Get involved in community partnership events such as science fairs, camps, and school presentations, gaining valuable experience and exposure.
Innovate and launch your own projects with support from your professors.
The TWU difference in the Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences allows you to discover and pursue your passion while earning a degree with unlimited professional potential.
TWU's Biology faculty are conducting solution-focused research. Karen Steensma's research aims to advance ecological sustainability, Dr. Anthony Siame is studying cyanobacteria for use in bioremediation and biofuel production, Dr. Laura Onyango is determined to circumvent antibiotic resistance, Dr. Dennis Venema's lab focuses on developmental biology studies, and Dr. Karen Lo is collaborating with Dr. Eve Stringham to explore novel ways of strengthening the human immune system.
Biotechnology is an applied degree int the department of Biology and prepares you for careers in life science. Practicum (BIOT 100-400) and on-campus work opportunities involve experimental and embodied and inquiry and cover areas such as bioremediation, developmental biology, cancer therapy, immunology, antibiotic resistance, green chemistry, environmental studies, and bioinformatics. The program includes two practicums and two co-ops. Practicums take place during the semester and give you marketable skills in addition to credit hours. Lower-level biotechnology practicums involve wet-bench laboratory work in clinical, academic, and industrial settings, while upper-level practicums can even be tailored to your own interests in health sciences, veterinary medicine, business, biotech companies, and environmental science. Co-op placements consist of 12-16 weeks full-time employment, are usually offered in the summer, but may also be available during fall or spring semesters.
Research exploration in Chemistry at TWU includes the synthesis of organa-fluorine compounds with a range of uses from medicine to rocketry, development of novel nano-materials analysis and applications of natural surfactants from Sapindus sapornaria and oregano-metallic catalysis. We are developing a departmental emphasis in sustainably sourced materials chemistry.
Computing Science
Many of our undergraduates work closely with TWU's award-winning faculty, exploring a number of areas of computing. These students develop valuable skills by leveling deeply into topics in a wide range of fields such as bioinformatics, programming languages, mobile apps, computational criminology. Such cutting-edge research address real-world problems and often result in publications, international conference presentations and software application.
Engineering Transfer
TWU has a transfer agreement with the University of Victoria (UVic). This agreement provides for direct transfer to the second year of UVic engineering program and it allows TWU students to compete on an equal footing with UVic students for placement in their chosen engineering programs.
Geography and Environmental Studies
The Geography and Environmental Studies faculty are at the forefront of research in various fields — from chemical ecology to geographic information systems. Special studies being done by Dr. Paul D. Brown, Dr. David R. Clements, Dr. Geraldine Jordan, Prof. David R. Jordan, and Prof. Karen M. Steensma include utilizing the unique chemistry of invasive knotweed, using geospatial technology to solve ecological problems, investigating site histories based on environmental factors, and advancing the holistic management of wildlife, landscape, and watersheds.
TWU faculty are using mathematics to address some of the world's greatest challenges, such as tackling climate change and uncovering urban crime patterns. Research opportunities exist in pure, applied, and computational mathematics. For example, you could work alongside your professor in modeling ice sheet dynamics, studying biological pattern formation, or using topology (the study of shapes and how they deform) to improve robotic mobility.
This program optimizes it's students' applications for competitive dentistry, medicine, and veterinary school. Pre-dentistry students complete three years of a Baccalaureate degree in this program that includes courses in the humanities and social sciences. Many graduates of our pre-medicine program go on to be accepted by medical schools across Canada, Europe, and the United States. Pre-veterinary grads fulfill all the required course work for competitive programs such as the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatchewan and other veterinary schools abroad.


Graves County Schools offers many different benefits to its full-time employees. Health insurances is provided by Kentucky Employees Health Plan (KEHP). Our main carrier of Cafeteria Benefits is Peel and Holland. Contact Denise Elder for benefit questions.
Click here to learn more about our Volunteer Programs.