Home Blog Service dog? Therapy dog? Emotional support dog?
We just enjoyed another great visit from the ARF therapy dogs in front of the library on Tuesday. It's a reminder that many of us are confused about the different categories of assistance dogs: Service dogs, therapy dogs, and emotional support dogs. What is the difference? Which ones are allowed in the Library?
Emotional support animal: "Provides a therapeutic benefit to its owner through companionship. The animal provides emotional support and comfort to individuals with psychiatric disabilities and other mental impairments. The animal is not specifically trained to perform tasks for a person who suffers from emotional disabilities. Unlike a service animal, an emotional support animal is not granted access to places of public accommodation." The only place this group of assistance animals is allowed is in rental housing that is otherwise considered "no pets allowed".
What are the policies at SBCC?
No animals are allowed inside buildings at SBCC except those in the service dog category.
A service dog must remain with its human at all times. Just as some people always carry an Epi-pen for life-threatening allergies, or a cane to support them as they walk, the dog needs to be there 24/7 for the human's health and survival. The dog cannot and may not be left with someone else while its human goes to the restroom or to class–literally cannot, and SBCC doesn't allow it, either.
"Work or perform tasks", in this context, means the dog has been trained to take specific action, rather than just being a calming, loving presence. It does not relate to how they make the person feel emotionally. Think of dogs trained to perform tricks, versus dogs that make people smile by simply sitting there snuggling: Both types are awesome, but only one is actually performing a task.
Service dogs are working animals above all else, even if they also become a beloved family member. The human and dog are a team. This kind of working relationship is not common with emotional support animals. Compare it to talking with a close friend versus a licensed counselor: The friend will be there through thick and thin but isn't trained for physical or psychiatric emergencies, while the counselor (like a service dog) is trained to provide specific help for specific situations, and doesn't hang out with clients for fun.
Pets are emotional support for almost everyone, whether or not they have been medically prescribed. However, bringing pets and emotional service animals into public buildings makes life even more difficult for people who truly rely on a service dog. It also causes problems for people who don't like dogs or who have allergies, and increases overall costs for cleaning and maintenance.
Read more about service animal rights and regulations here, and also here.


text:
3D protein structure algorithm could transform drug therapy development
March 2, 2017 By Danielle Kirsh
[Photo from University of Toronto research team]
A group of University of Toronto researchers has developed a machine learning algorithm that creates 3D structures of protein molecules that may help transform drug therapy developments.
Knowing the 3D shape of the protein is important for trying to understand how they work and respond to drug therapies.
"Designing successful drugs is like solving a puzzle," Ali Punjani, one of the algorithm developers, said in a news release.
"Without knowing the three-dimensional shape of a protein, it would be like trying to solve that puzzle with a blindfold on," said Punjani, a University of Toronto PhD student.
Drugs attach to specific protein molecules and change their 3D shapes to affect how they work inside the body. The drugs are designed to be able to attach to only one type of protein molecule or proteins that come with diseases and are supposed to have no side effects.
"To design new drug therapies for diseases that haven't been cured, we need to know the 3D structure of those protein molecules that are involved in each disease," said Punjani in a University of Toronto video about the study.
The algorithms are designed to reconstruct 3D structures of protein molecules by using microscopic images. The already tiny protein molecules can only be seen with advanced techniques like electron cryomicroscopy (cryo-EM).
Cryo-EM takes tens of thousands of low-resolution images of frozen protein samples from different positions using high-power microscopes. The algorithm can then use those pictures to create a high-resolution 3D structure.
"Our approach solves some of the major problems in terms of speed and number of structures you can determine," said professor David Fleet, chair of the computer and mathematical sciences department at the University of Toronto Scarborough and Punjani's supervisor in the PhD program.
The algorithms were developed in part by one of Fleet's former post-doctoral researchers, Marcus Brubaker, and could help develop new drugs because of its faster and more efficient method of creating correct protein structures.
"Existing techniques take several days or even weeks to generate a 3D structure on a cluster of computers," said Brubaker. "Our approach can make it possible in minutes on a single computer."
The user of the algorithm has to provide a guess of the molecule that is being studied for it to create the correct type of structure.
"We hope this will allow discoveries to happen at a ground-breaking pace in structural biology," said Punjani. "The ultimate goal is that it will directly lead to new drug candidates for diseases and a much deeper understanding of how life works at the atomic level."
The research was funded by the University of Toronto's Innovations and Partnership's Office through a Connaught Innovation Award, the University of Toronto's Early Stage Technologies program, the Ontario Centers of Excellence and FedDev Ontario's Investing in Commercialization Partnerships program with York University. It was published online in the Nature Methods journal.
[Want to stay more on top of MDO content? Subscribe to our weekly e-newsletter.]
Could milk peptides treat central nervous system disorders?
7 diabetes treatment innovations to look out for on World Diabetes Day
BICO's Scienion and Cellenion launch SpheroOne large-particle sorter and dispenser
Overcoming vaccine delivery device design's top challenges

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Can you suggest how I might set the individuals attributes line so that Priority is always 1.0 for posts that contain the words ...Consultant-Profile in them? Otherwise, all other pages would remain at the default 0.5 set site wide.
Below are three specific examples of posts that contain those words.
Thanks a lot. Great Product!
then set 0.5 as default priority and disable "Automatic sitemap priority" setting.


This Living Trust Amendment Agreement is used to amend the terms of a revocable living trust agreement created by a married couple or registered domestic partners. If you fail to properly make your desired changes to your living trust, there is a real risk that the assets in the living trust will be managed or distributed in the manner described in the living trust when you become incapacitated and/or die.
Click the button below to add the Living Trust Amendment Agreement – Revocable Living Trust Agreement for a Married Couple to your wish list.


If you�re one of the many smartphone users that is constantly concerned about data usage, auto playing videos on Instagram can be a nightmare.... If you�re upset with my annoyance, you�d better keep in mind how you stop videos on the internet from playing alone from now on. Your videos will still be on the pages you visit, but it will be up to you to start playing them with a click on the play.
In case you haven�t heard, Instagram now features video. Regardless of how you feel about the new launch, there is one feature that is probably irking you: The Instagram feed�s video auto-play.... Such videos are videos that you might just not be interested in and it will start playing by it self, then wasting your data sometimes. In this post is a simple process to stop videos from Auto-Playing on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
If you�re upset with my annoyance, you�d better keep in mind how you stop videos on the internet from playing alone from now on. Your videos will still be on the pages you visit, but it will be up to you to start playing them with a click on the play.
Such videos are videos that you might just not be interested in and it will start playing by it self, then wasting your data sometimes. In this post is a simple process to stop videos from Auto-Playing on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
In case you haven�t heard, Instagram now features video. Regardless of how you feel about the new launch, there is one feature that is probably irking you: The Instagram feed�s video auto-play.


Vythiri is a beautiful spot, 2600 ft. above sea level which can be seen on a drive from Calicut to Kalpetta.
-This large Ficus tree, bound by a prominent chain is an interesting excursion, approximately 15 kms. from Kalpetta. It is said that a British Engineer, with the aid of a tribal guide named Karinthandan, found the difficult mountain terrain into Wayanad. Eager to take the credit for the discovery, the Engineer conveniently killed his guide, whose soul, according to the legend, constantly haunted subsequent travelers. It is believed that a priest chained the troublesome spirit onto this tree and hence name the Chain tree.


text:
Casino magnate Adelson facing 49 hours of pretrial questions
(Photo: L.T.A. )
By Casino magnate Adelson facing 49 hours of pretrial questions, 19/02/2016
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A judge said Thursday that billionaire casino magnate and Las Vegas newspaper owner Sheldon Adelson can be questioned for up to 49 hours beginning next week by lawyers for a former Macau casino executive who claims he was wrongly fired in 2010.
A lawyer for former Sands China chief executive Steven Jacobs said in court that he expects an attempt by Adelson and his lawyers to disrupt the sworn deposition in an effort to scuttle plans to begin the long-awaited civil trial June 27. The questioning won't be in open court.
"We will start with Mr. Adelson, and then there will be a blow-up in an attempt to obstruct this deposition so it cannot be done," Jacobs' attorney, Todd Bice, told Clark County District Court Judge Elizabeth Gonzalez.
Outside court, Bice said he believes it's clear that Adelson and lawyers for Las Vegas Sands and Sands China Ltd. want a delay.
Jacobs has also been undergoing days of pretrial questioning by attorneys for Adelson, Las Vegas Sands Corp. and Sands China Ltd.
Jacobs contends he was fired by Adelson and Las Vegas Sands in an attempt to cover up improper activities by the company in the Chinese gambling enclave of Macau.
Adelson and Sands deny wrongdoing.
Attorneys for Adelson and the companies declined to comment outside court. A spokesman for Las Vegas Sands didn't immediately respond to Bice's claim about delaying tactics.
There was no talk in the courtroom about a ruling Wednesday by Chief Clark County District Court Judge David Barker keeping Gonzalez on the case. But a statement from Sands Las Vegas said the company will appeal Barker's ruling to the Nevada Supreme Court.
It would be the 12th pretrial issue taken to the state high court, and it also could delay trial if the justices order a halt to proceedings pending a decision.
The case has also spawned several related cases, including a defamation claim and a federal lawsuit filed last month by Jacobs.
Attorneys for Las Vegas Sands have argued in the state court case that Gonzalez should be disqualified for "personal dealings with the press" and for letting Jacobs' lawyers make inquiries about the Adelson family buying the Las Vegas Review-Journal newspaper in December.
Gonzalez has issued statements denying bias. She filed a document last week declaring she "will continue to be fair and impartial toward all parties in this case."
The purchase of the Review-Journal came weeks after several reporters were assigned by then-owners Gatehouse Media LLC to investigate Gonzalez and two other Las Vegas judges not involved in Adelson litigation.
No story appeared in the Review-Journal, but a small Connecticut newspaper headed by an executive affiliated with Gatehouse published a story about specialized business courts that criticized Gonzalez for "inconsistent" and "contradictory" rulings.
The judge has clashed numerous times with Adelson lawyers in the Jacobs case.
She sanctioned the legal team last year for "misrepresentations and lack of candor" and failing to turn over documents. They were ordered to pay $250,000 to legal charities and cover court costs incurred by Jacobs in the document battle.
Gonzalez also admonished Adelson during his testimony in open court last year for not answering a routine question from Jacobs' lawyers.
The judge told Adelson he didn't get to argue with her.
By GILLIAN FLACCUS 14/01/2021


The Crops, Soils and Pests Short Course series offers agribusiness professionals and producers in-depth training on a variety of topics. By focusing on a specific management topic, students have more time to fully understand the material presented. Class sizes are limited to allow more student-instructor interaction. Classes are offered sequentially to allow students to attend more than one course.
Pringnitz, Brent A., "Crops, Soils and Pests short courses for 2004" (2004). Integrated Crop Management News. 1574.


text:
← A Comparative Review of the Deducer GUI for R
A Comparative Review of the Rattle GUI for R →
A Comparative Review of the BlueSky Statistics GUI for R
Posted on June 21, 2018 by Bob Muenchen
BlueSky Statistics' desktop version is a free and open source graphical user interface for the R software that focuses on beginners looking to point-and-click their way through analyses. A commercial version is also available which includes technical support and a version for Windows Terminal Servers such as Remote Desktop, or Citrix. Mac, Linux, or tablet users could run it via a terminal server.
This post is one of a series of reviews which aim to help non-programmers choose the Graphical User Interface (GUI) that is best for them. Additionally, these reviews include a cursory description of the programming support that each GUI offers.
There are various definitions of user interface types, so here's how I'll be using these terms:
GUI = Graphical User Interface using menus and dialog boxes to avoid having to type programming code. I do not include any assistance for programming in this definition. So, GUI users are people who prefer using a GUI to perform their analyses. They don't have the time or inclination to become good programmers.
IDE = Integrated Development Environment which helps programmers write code. I do not include point-and-click style menus and dialog boxes when using this term. IDE usersare people who prefer to write R code to perform their analyses.
The various user interfaces available for R differ quite a lot in how they're installed. Some, such as jamovi or RKWard, install in a single step. Others install in multiple steps, such as the R Commander (two steps) and Deducer (up to seven steps). Advanced computer users often don't appreciate how lost beginners can become while attempting even a simple installation. The HelpDesks at most universities are flooded with such calls at the beginning of each semester!
The main BlueSky installation is easily performed in a single step. The installer provides its own embedded copy of R, simplifying the installation and ensuring complete compatibility between BlueSky and the version of R it's using. However, it also means if you already have R installed, you'll end up with a second copy. You can have BlueSky control any version of R you choose, but if the version differs too much, you may run into occasional problems.
When choosing a GUI, one of the most fundamental questions is: what can it do for you? What the initial software installation of each GUI gets you is covered in the Graphics, Analysis, and Modeling sections of this series of articles. Regardless of what comes built-in, it's good to know how active the development community is. They contribute "plug-ins" which add new menus and dialog boxes to the GUI. This level of activity ranges from very low (RKWard, Deducer) through moderate (jamovi) to very active (R Commander).
BlueSky is a fairly new open source project, and at the moment all the add-on modules are provided by the company. However, BlueSky's capabilities approaches the comprehensiveness of R Commander, which currently has the most add-ons available. The BlueSky developers are working to create an Internet repository for module distribution.
Some user interfaces for R, such as jamovi, start by double-clicking on a single icon, which is great for people who prefer to not write code. Others, such as R commander and JGR, have you start R, then load a package from your library, and call a function. That's better for people looking to learn R, as those are among the first tasks they'll have to learn anyway.
You start BlueSky directly by double-clicking its icon from your desktop, or choosing it from your Start Menu (i.e. not from within R itself). It interacts with R in the background; you never need to be aware that R is running.
A data editor is a fundamental feature in data analysis software. It puts you in touch with your data and lets you get a feel for it, if only in a rough way. A data editor is such a simple concept that you might think there would be hardly any differences in how they work in different GUIs. While there are technical differences, to a beginner what matters the most are the differences in simplicity. Some GUIs, including jamovi, let you create only what R calls a data frame. They use more common terminology and call it a data set: you create one, you save one, later you open one, then you use one. Others, such as RKWard trade this simplicity for the full R language perspective: a data set is stored in a workspace. So the process goes: you create a data set, you save a workspace, you open a workspace, and choose a data set from within it.
BlueSky starts up by showing you its main Application screen (Figure 1) and prompts you to enter data with an empty spreadsheet-style data editor. You can start entering data immediately, though at first, the variables are simply named var1, var2…. You might think you can rename them by clicking on their names, but such changes are done in a different manner, one that will be very familiar to SPSS users. There are two tabs at the bottom left of the data editor screen, which are labeled "Data" and "Variables." The "Data" tab is shown by default, but clicking on the "Variables" tab takes you to a screen (Figure 2) which displays the metadata: variable names, labels, types, classes, values, and measurement scale.
Figure 1. The main BlueSky Application screen.
The big advantage that SPSS offers is that you can change the settings of many variables at once. So if you had, say, 20 variables for which you needed to set the same factor labels (e.g. 1=strongly disagree…5=Strongly Agree) you could do it once and then paste them into the other 19 with just a click or two. Unfortunately, that's not yet fully implemented in BlueSky. Some of the metadata fields can be edited directly. For the rest, you must instead follow the directions at the top of that screen and right click on each variable, one at a time, to make the changes. Complete copy and paste of metadata is planned for a future version.
Figure 2. The Variables screen in the data editor. The "Variables" tab in the lower left is selected, letting us see the metadata for the same variables as shown in Figure 1.
You can enter numeric or character data in the editor right after starting BlueSky. The first time you enter character data, it will offer to convert the variable from numeric to character and wait for you to approve the change. This is very helpful as it's all too easy to type the letter "O" when meaning to type a zero "0", or the letter "I" instead of number one "1".
To add rows, the Data tab is clearly labeled, "Click here to add a new row". It would be much faster if the Enter key did that automatically.
To add variables you have to go to the Variables tab and right-click on the row of any variable (variable names are in rows on that screen), then choose "Insert new variable at end."
To enter factor data, it's best to leave it numeric such as 1 or 2, for male and female, then set the labels (which are called values using SPSS terminology) afterwards. The reason for this is that once labels are set, you must enter them from drop-down menus. While that ensures no invalid values are entered, it slows down data entry. The developer's future plans includes automatic display of labels upon entry of numeric values.
If you instead decide to make the variable a factor before entering numeric data, it's best to enter the numbers as labels as well. It's an oddity of R that factors are numeric inside, while displaying labels that may or may not be the same as the numbers they represent.
To enter dates, enter them as character data and use the "Data> Compute" menu to convert the character data to a date. When I reported this problem to the developers, they said they would add this to the "Variables" metadata tab so you could set it to be a date variable before entering the data.
If you have another data set to enter, you can start the process again by clicking "File> New", and a new editor window will appear in a new tab. You can change data sets simply by clicking on its tab and its window will pop to the front for you to see. When doing analyses, or saving data, the data set that's displayed in the editor is the one that will be used. That approach feels very natural; what you see is what you get.
Saving the data is done with the standard "File > Save As" menu. You must save each one to its own file. While R allows multiple data sets (and other objects such as models) to be saved to a single file, BlueSky does not. Its developers chose to simplify what their users have to learn by limiting each file to a single data set. That is a useful simplification for GUI users. If a more advanced R user sends a compound file containing many objects, BlueSky will detect it and offer to open one data set (data frame) at a time.
Figure 3. Output window showing standard journal-style tables. Syntax editor has been opened and is shown on right side.
The open source version of BlueSky supports the following file formats, all located under "File> Open":
Comma Separated Values (.csv)
Plain text files (.txt)
Excel (old and new xls file types)
Dbase's DBF
SPSS (.sav)
SAS binary files (sas7bdat)
Standard R workspace files (RData) with individual data frame selection
The SQL database formats are found under the "File> Import Data" menu. The supported formats include:
It's often said that 80% of data analysis time is spent preparing the data. Variables need to be transformed, recoded, or created; strings and dates need to be manipulated; missing values need to be handled; datasets need to be stacked or merged, aggregated, transposed, or reshaped (e.g. from wide to long and back). A critically important aspect of data management is the ability to transform many variables at once. For example, social scientists need to recode many survey items, biologists need to take the logarithms of many variables. Doing these types of tasks one variable at a time can be tedious. Some GUIs, such as jamovi and RKWard handle only a few of these functions. Others, such as the R Commander, can handle many, but not all, of them.
BlueSky offers one of the most comprehensive sets of data management tools of any R GUI. The "Data" menu offers the following set of tools. Not shown is an extensive set of character and date/time functions which appear under "Compute."
Bin Numeric Variables
Recode (able to recode many at once)
Make Factor Variable (able to covert many at once)
Transform (able to transform many at once)
Delete Variables
Standardize Variables (able to standardize many at once)
Aggregate (outputs results to a new dataset)
Aggregate (outputs results to a printed table)
Subset (outputs to a new data et)
Subset (outputs results to a printed table)
Merge Datasets
Sort (outputs results to a new dataset)
Sort (outputs results to a printed table)
Reload Dataset from File
Refresh Grid
Concatenate Multiple Variables (handling missing values)
Legacy (does same things but using base R code)
Reshape (long to wide)
Reshape (wide to long)
Continued here…
This entry was posted in Analytics, Data Mangement, Data Science, Graphical User Interfaces, Graphics, R, Statistics. Bookmark the permalink.
7 Responses to A Comparative Review of the BlueSky Statistics GUI for R
Pingback: A Comparative Review of the BlueSky Statistics GUI for R – Mubashir Qasim
Pingback: BlueSky Statistics 6.04 GUI for R Update | r4stats.com
Pingback: BlueSky Statistics 6.04 GUI for R Update | Smart Solution 4.0
Pingback: Gartner's 2019 Take on Data Science Software | r4stats.com
Pingback: Gartner's 2019 Take on Data Science Software – Data Science Austria
How can I view the syntax that I'm generating with each operation (clicking with the mouse)? For example when I do a "merge".
Rather than click "OK" in a dialog box, click "Syntax". It will then write the code to the program editor, which will pop out the side of the output window. If you decide after the fact that you want to see the syntax, use the history menu choice in the output window to recall the last dialog box, then click Syntax.


Not as solid and refined as Membrillo/Quince paste, but with all the taste and flavour. Plus it couldn't be easier to make – just boil up the quinces and sieve into sterilised jars. Serve with cheese and anything else you fancy.
Put the chopped quince and sugar into a saucepan. Add water to cover. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 1½ – 1¾ hours, mashing the fruit after the first 45 minutes. Cook until the liquid has evaporated but keep stirring as it gets close to stop it burning on the bottom of the pan. Push through a sieve into a large bowl, then pour into sterilised jars.


text:
package de.fhopf.lucenesolrtalk.lucene;

import java.io.File;
import java.io.IOException;
import org.apache.lucene.analysis.de.GermanAnalyzer;
import org.apache.lucene.document.Document;
import org.apache.lucene.document.Field;
import org.apache.lucene.document.StoredField;
import org.apache.lucene.document.StringField;
import org.apache.lucene.document.TextField;
import org.apache.lucene.index.DirectoryReader;
import org.apache.lucene.index.IndexReader;
import org.apache.lucene.index.IndexWriter;
import org.apache.lucene.index.IndexWriterConfig;
import org.apache.lucene.queryparser.classic.ParseException;
import org.apache.lucene.queryparser.classic.QueryParser;
import org.apache.lucene.search.IndexSearcher;
import org.apache.lucene.search.Query;
import org.apache.lucene.search.ScoreDoc;
import org.apache.lucene.search.Sort;
import org.apache.lucene.search.SortField;
import org.apache.lucene.search.TopDocs;
import org.apache.lucene.store.Directory;
import org.apache.lucene.store.FSDirectory;
import org.apache.lucene.util.Version;
import org.junit.Test;

import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;

/**
 *
 */
public class IndexingAndSearchingTest {

    @Test
    public void indexAndSearch() throws IOException, ParseException {

        Directory directory = indexDocument();

        IndexReader reader = DirectoryReader.open(directory);
        IndexSearcher searcher = new IndexSearcher(reader);
        QueryParser parser = new QueryParser(Version.LUCENE_43, "title", new GermanAnalyzer(Version.LUCENE_43));
        Query query = parser.parse("suchen");
        TopDocs topDocs = searcher.search(query, 5);

        assertResults(topDocs, searcher);

    }

    @Test
    public void searchSorted() throws IOException, ParseException {
        Document doc1 = new Document();
        doc1.add(new TextField("title", "suche suche", Field.Store.YES));
        doc1.add(new StringField("date", "19830101", Field.Store.NO));
        Document doc2 = new Document();
        doc2.add(new TextField("title", "suche banane", Field.Store.YES));
        doc2.add(new StringField("date", "20130101", Field.Store.NO));

        Directory directory = indexDocument(doc1, doc2);

        IndexReader reader = DirectoryReader.open(directory);
        IndexSearcher searcher = new IndexSearcher(reader);
        QueryParser parser = new QueryParser(Version.LUCENE_43, "title", new GermanAnalyzer(Version.LUCENE_43));
        Query query = parser.parse("suchen");
        Sort sortByDate = new Sort(new SortField("date", SortField.Type.STRING, true));
        TopDocs topDocs = searcher.search(query, 5, sortByDate);

        assertEquals(topDocs.totalHits, 2);
        Document firstResult = searcher.doc(topDocs.scoreDocs[0].doc);
        Document secondResult = searcher.doc(topDocs.scoreDocs[1].doc);

        assertEquals("suche banane", firstResult.get("title"));
        assertEquals("suche suche", secondResult.get("title"));

        // search again without sort
        topDocs = searcher.search(query, 5);

        assertEquals(topDocs.totalHits, 2);
        firstResult = searcher.doc(topDocs.scoreDocs[0].doc);
        secondResult = searcher.doc(topDocs.scoreDocs[1].doc);

        assertEquals("suche suche", firstResult.get("title"));
        assertEquals("suche banane", secondResult.get("title"));
    }

    private Directory indexDocument() throws IOException {
        Document doc = new Document();
        doc.add(new TextField("title", "Such Evolution", Field.Store.YES));
        doc.add(new StoredField("speaker", "Florian Hopf"));
        doc.add(new StringField("date", "20130704", Field.Store.YES));
        return indexDocument(doc);
    }

    private void assertResults(TopDocs topDocs, IndexSearcher searcher) throws IOException {
        assertEquals(1, topDocs.totalHits);

        ScoreDoc scoreDoc = topDocs.scoreDocs[0];
        Document result = searcher.doc(scoreDoc.doc);
        assertEquals("Florian Hopf", result.get("speaker"));
    }

    private Directory indexDocument(Document... doc) throws IOException {
        Directory directory = FSDirectory.open(new File("/tmp/talk-index"));
        IndexWriterConfig config = new IndexWriterConfig(Version.LUCENE_43, new GermanAnalyzer(Version.LUCENE_43));
        config.setOpenMode(IndexWriterConfig.OpenMode.CREATE);
        try (IndexWriter writer = new IndexWriter(directory, config)) {
            for (Document indexDoc: doc) {
                writer.addDocument(indexDoc);
            }
            writer.commit();
        }
        return directory;
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Student Spotlight Interview – Steven
Steven // Age 16 // Wushu // November 2021
It is time that we give one particular student his long-overdue recognition. In a school full of hard workers, Steven is not only among the most diligent but he has also worked his way up to the top level at our school. Few people can be struck by a pandemic and return to classes even better than what they were before but Steven did just that. Even on his worst days, he still gives all he has. No matter the challenge, he is driven by a force much larger and with high goals, he continues to give more impressive competitions and performances. Not only is he an endlessly hard worker, he is also a kind soul with a good sense of humor who doesn't think twice to be helpful and is an inspiration to all his fellow classmates.
Thank you Steven for being such a wonderful student. You are an absolute joy to be around and it has been my honor to be your teacher over these years.
You may have seen Steven training for his virtual competition over the past month. Be sure to wish him the best of luck if you see him around!
(I) Okay, Steven! So, how long have you been taking Kungfu?
(S) About 5 or 6 years.
(I) What made you want to start taking it?
(S) Because it's a good exercise and a good way to keep my body fit.
(I) …and you're currently participating in a virtual competition. Can you tell us about that?
(S) It's a New England competition, somewhere in New Jersey (I forgot exactly). They used to hold it in person. We went there 2 years ago to compete but now because of the coronavirus we're doing it online so we have to do the recordings in the school and email our videos over to them.
(I) Okay, so how did you get into competing and how many have you done?
(S) I've done a lot of competitions, about at least 1 or 2 every year. I got into it because after I got advanced enough, the forms looked very appealing and I just felt like it would be very cool if I were able to do them too.
(I) Cool! So, you now have experience with both in-person and virtual competitions. Which do you prefer and why? Pros/cons/similarities and differences of both?
(S) Okay so virtual: obviously we can do multiple takes so if I mess up there's the chance to make a better one, any person can do that but in person it feels more fun being in the atmosphere and you can meet new people. Yeah, I guess that's the biggest pros and cons.
(I) What is it you like about competing?
(S) Well, it feels like a great achievement for me.
(I) Do you like performances or competitions better?
(S) They're both good ways to keep me practicing and to go on to moving to higher level motions but I'd say I like competitions more.
(I) Cool. What does Kungfu mean to you and how has it impacted your life?
(S) It means a lot to me, I met a lot of new people, I spent a lot of time and being able to train over the past few years was a really good experience for me.
(I) Do you have any specific competition or training goals before you go to college?
(S) Well, I just figured out the ariel to jump kick, that was a great achievement. Before I go to college I wanna get the b-twist and also the standing backflip as well.
(I) Okay, that's both doable. Absolutely. Anything else you wanna say?
(S) I'd like to thank you to you and thank you all my other peers who gave me such a wonderful opportunity to do such great and fun things. Thank you!
(I) That's sweet, thank you too!
~END~


No 12 & 14, "Eshaan Plaza", Akshay Nagar Main Road, Akshay Nagar, Begur, Banarghatta Roa..
In short... if you are serious about your fitness and workout then avoid this gym at any cost. Don't chose this gym and regret later like me. They completely DEMOTIVATE you, right from the manager to trainers. Gym has PATHETIC equipment and you are prone get INJURED if you workout with that equipment. Eventhough they charge less, that shouldn't be the reason to get yourself DEMOTIVATED and INJURED . Don't even get me started about trainers. Apart from one ARROGANT guy who has little knowledge on how to workout, remaining DON'T HAVE CLUE on how to train. They have more restrictions and HUMILIATING rules than the equipment they have. I strongly advise you against joining this gym unless you want to waste your money, time and beyond all, get humiliated by trainers. If you are serious about your workout, then this gym is NOT for you.


Why don't we always show the price?
Why Don't We Always Show The Price?
Retailers like The Golf Warehouse have the legal right to establish prices independently, but some manufacturers have restrictions on how these prices may be communicated. When our selling price is lower than manufacturer's mandatory "minimum advertised price," the manufacturer may not allow us to show you our price until you "take further action," (such as placing the item in your shopping cart).
This is why you may sometimes see requests like "add to cart for price," "click here for price," or "call for price ." We'd love to show you our lowest price, quite simply, at the earliest possible time while shopping, but in these circumstances the manufacturers don't allow it. We realize this is an inconvenience and apologize.
You can always easily remove your selection from your cart if you choose not to buy it. Contact customer service at 1-888-838-55511-888-838-5551 or cs@tgw.com if you have any questions or concerns.


text:
Joe Bussard, Collector of Musical Treasures
By Steve Inskeep
Published December 27, 2003 at 11:00 PM CST
Sometimes recorded sound can transport a listener to another place. Turn on the radio and stand beside a correspondent in Kabul, or drive across the plains of Texas.
Joe Bussard's record collection — perhaps the largest of its kind — sends listeners back in time. Among the nation's leading collectors of music from the 1920s and 1930s, Bussard also has recordings that date to the 19th century. He keeps most of his treasure in a basement near Frederick, Md. The walls are lined with records, all in identical, unlabeled cardboard sleeves. He doesn't have a filing system; he has them all memorized.
This collection is Bussard's hobby — and his obsession. He has thousands and thousands of records harvested during four decades of driving through Appalachia. The collection features blues, string bands, jazz and sacred singing, all preserved on black shellac discs that can feel as thick and heavy as a lunch plate.
"The truest form you'll ever hear in American music is on these records," he tells NPR's Steve Inskeep. "It was put there, and it's remained there for seventy years. It hasn't changed."
Several of Bussard's classic tracks have been collected on a recently issued CD, Down in the Basement: Joe Bussard's Treasure Trove of Vintage 78s 1926-1937 on Old Hat Records.
Power outages are happening, but a statewide grid emergency is unlikely


text:
Aylin Eryılmaz
Adnan Menderes Üniversitesi...
Yeşim Başal
Ceren Günel
Firuzan Kacar Doger
Gürhan Kadıköylü
Özel Kent Hastanesi
No one liked this yet.
MANTLE CELL LYMPHOMA REVEALED WITH SUPERFICIAL PAROTIDECTOMY
Published : 08.01.2016
Mantle cell lymphoma is a rare type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. First diagnose with parotid gland involvement is rare. An unusual case whose Mantle cell lymphoma diagnose obtained after parotidectomy was presented. Superficial parotidectomy was done with pleomorphic adenoma pre diagnosis and the pathological diagnosis was revealed as mantel cell lymphoma. To avoid unnecessary surgery of parotid masses, lymphoma should be considered as primary diagnosis.
Hodgkin lymphoma's include the lymph nodes primarily and only 5% include the extranodal sites, whereas 30% of non hodgkin lymphomas (NHL) existing in extranodal sites [1]. Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is an unusual lymphoma and it is roughly 5% to 7% of NHL's [2]. Characterised by both the incurability of indolent lymphomas and the rapid growth of aggressive lymphomas, MCL has a median overall survival of only 4–5 years [2]. The participation of extranodal sites is not unusual as sufferers usually have an advanced-stage illness at the diagnosis [3]. In parotid masses, lymphoma's are in differantial diagnosis. If there isn'a adequate lymph node for excitional biopsy, superficial parotidectomy must be done for definite diagnosis. In parotid gland mass's we must always keep the lymphomas on mind by evaluating the tomograhy and fine needle aspiration biopsy to avoid an inessential surgery.
We present this case on account of the rare pathologic result Mantle cell lymphoma from the parotid gland .
A 73-year-old woman suffered from a right parotid mass for one year. She had no pain, fever and other medical problems. There was no tobacco and alchol use. Computed Tomography imaging showed a 2 cm well defined mass in the right superficial parotid gland with homogeneous and strong enhancement (Figure 1).
The mass was on the anterior of the gland and could not be clearly seperated from masseter muscle.The pre diagnosis of radioilgy was pleomorphic adenoma. In ultrasonography (USG) the mass was hypoecoic. A fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) of her right parotid gland mass revealed benign cytology. Right superficial parotidectomy was done. After parotidectomy there was weakness in buccal branch of facial nerve but later it was normal.
Pathologic examination revealed diffuse neoplastic lymphoid infiltration in salivary gland. (Figure 2)
Diffuse neoplastic infiltration in salivary gland HEx10
Neoplastic cells were small- to medium-sized monomorphic lymphoid cells with indented nuclear contours, dispersed chromatin, scant cytoplasm and inconspicuous nucleoli. (Figure 3)
Neoplastic cells HEx10
Neoplastic cells were CD20 positive . CD20x10
Neoplastic cells were Cyclind1 positive. CyclinD1x10
Immunohistochemicaly CD 20 (Figure4), CD5, cyclin D1 (Figure 5) and Bcl-2 were positive on neoplastic lymphoid tissue but CD23, CD10, CD3 were negative. Ki-67 index was %10 positive. The pathologic diagnosis was mantle cell lymphoma. Hematological values were hemoglobin 13,5 g/dl(11,2-15,7 g/dl), white blood cell count 4.210/mm[3](3.800-10.000/mm[3]) and platelet count 206.000/mm[3](150.000-350.000/mm[3]). Erythrocyte sedimentation rate was 9 mm/h. The patient's peripheral blood smear was normal. All biochemical parameters were normal. HbsAg, Anti-HCV, and anti-HIV tests were negative. On bone marrow aspiration and biopsy, there was minimal erythroid dysplasia. Dendritic cell marker CD11c expression was 65% on flow cytometric examination of bone marrow. Cytogenetic examination of bone marrow was normal. t(11;14) t(14;18) were not detected with fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) examination of bone marrow. But SOX-11 expression and p53 mutation could not be evaluated because of technical problems. Computed tomographies (CT) of thorax and cervical were normal. There were multiple lymphadenopathies on para-aortic and iliac regions on CT of abdomen. Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) could not be done, because our hospital had not PET/CT when diagnosed. After we used PET/CT at the end of treatment. According to Ann-Arbor staging [4], the patient were accepted as Stage II-AE. MIPI score (mantle cell lymphoma international prognostic index) [5] was 4 (intermadiate risk). The patient were treated with 6 cycles R-CHOP (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, adriamycine, vincristine, and prednisone) chemotherapy regimen. After 4 cycles, the patient was in partial remission. At the end of therapy, complete remission was achieved, after PET/CT examination. Now the patient is followed-up in complete remission. The patient's informed consent is taken.
Extranodal lymphomas are seen almost specifically as NHL's and these represent 10-20% of all lymphomas [6]. Inflammation of unknown source introducing as NHL of the head and neck may confirm to be a task for diagnosis as in our case [7]. Salivary glandular lymphomas are quite unusual and almost all them develop from B cells [8]. Patients with Sjögren's syndrome have an increased risk of NHL [9]. Lymphomas that are comman in Sjögren's syndrome are usually extranodal low-grade B-cell NHL and the most seen type is marginal zone B-cell mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue type lymphoma (MALT) [10]. In our case sjögren's syndrome was not detected. MALT is also the most seen lymphoma type in parotid glands [11,12]. Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a rare type of NHL that presents for approximately 5% to 7% of them [2]. MCL's are unusual and aggressive form of lymphomas [2]. In the last, it has been known as with various titles such as intermediately differentiated lymphocytic lymphoma, centrocytic lymphoma, and mantle zone lymphoma [2]. MCL occurs in middle-aged to older individuals with an average age of 60 years, and primarily in men [3]. According to Argatoff et al., the separated extranodal place of the illness has been known in 25% of cases, whereas salivary glands are hardly ever impacted (only 3% of revealed cases) [2]. In the same study of Argatoff et al. extranodal participation at demonstration happened in 76% of cases and the most typical sites were the bone marrow (63%), peripheral blood (34%), gastrointestinal tract (10%) and Waldeyer's ring (10%) [2]. In 25% of cases the extranodal location was the disease's main demonstration, while the most typical sites were the Waldeyer's ring (6%), intestine (5%), orbit (3%) and salivary gland (3%) [2]. The diagnosis of MCL is made on biopsies of lymph nodes, bone marrow or other affected tissues, or through blood examinations. In our case the MCL diagnosis was made with superficial parotidecomy. Parotidectomy operation is high in risk for facial nerve injury. Making this surgery only for diagnosis is not prefered. In our case before the operation lymphoma was not thought of diagnosis. Classical MCL exhibits a typical morphology of small- to medium-sized monomorphic lymphoid cells with indented nuclear contours, dispersed chromatin, scant cytoplasm and inconspicuous nucleoli. In contrast to follicular lymphoma , marginal zone B-cell lymphoma , lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma or small lymphocytic lymphoma / chronic lymphocytic leukaemia , blastic cells such as centroblasts, immunoblasts, or paraimmunoblasts, respectively, are not found in MCL. Besides classical MCL, there are four cytological variants, namely the small cell variant, the marginal zone-like variant, the pleomorphic variant and the blastoid variant Of these, the pleomorphic and blastoid variants are usually associated with an even poorer prognosis [13,14]. MCL has a attribute morphological overall look made up of small lymphoid cells with slightly irregular nuclear cells . Its histological growth designs are of a nodular or diffuse type, or a mixture of these two types [3,13]. In nodular MCL, some or many of the nodules may involve follicles with reactive germinal centers enclosed by broad mantles of small lymphoid cells or the mantle zone pattern. Our case was diffuse form. The immunohistological features of MCL reveal a characteristic phenotype. The cells express relatively extreme surface immunoglobulin M (IgM) and/or immunoglobulin D (IgD) and are usually positive for CD5, FMC7 and CD43, but negative for CD10 and BCL6. CD23 is negative or weakly positive. Almost all cases of MCL positive for cyclin D1. Usually, cyclin D1 is weakly positive in these cases. Cyclin D1 can also be indicated in plasma cell myeloma cases. In our case pathologic examination showed diffuse infiltration with neoplastic lymphoid cells. Lymphoid cells were typic histopathologic scene with small- to medium-sized monomorphic lymphoid cells. CD 20, CD5, cyclin D1 and Bcl-2 were positive but CD23, CD10, CD3 were negative . Ki-67 index was %10 positive. Cylin D1 positivty is seen in plasma cell myeloma and hairy cell leukemia . But there wasn't any plasma cell differantion and immunohistochemicaly CD138 was negative. Hair cell leukemia is unusual for parotis and TRAP was negative .
In the differential analysis on MRI; especially Warthin tumors and adenoid cystic carcinomas, with their strong cystic appearance must be thought of [15]. They present as well-circumscribed, partly cystic and partly solid lesions on MRI and are often located in the tail of the parotid gland. Adenoid cystic carcinoma's are usually infiltrating masses with perineural invasion . On MRI adenoid cystic carcinoma has an irregular contour, poorly defined margin, and a strong contrast enhancement [15]. Lymphomas appear low in signal intensity on T1-weighted images and low to high but usually low in signal intensity on T2-weighted images [15]. In our case Computed Tomography imaging showed a 2 cm well defined mass in the right superficial parotid gland with homogeneous and strong enhancement. The radiologic initial diagnosis was pleomorphic adenoma. We did'nt want an MRI from the patient. Computed Tomography did not help to think lymphoma. If we could think the lymphoma pre diagnosis we could take an MRI.
A similar case with parotid gland MCL was reported [16]. This case had prior a MCL diagnosis. After treatment a parotid gland was detected and her biopsy revealed MCL. In this case they didn't need parotidectomy for diagnosis. But in our case FNAB revealed pleomorphic adenoma. If there isn't an initially MCL diagnosis, the imagings can not be helpful in differential diagnosis and you need to do parotidectomy. Tt's an important question how to avoid parotidectomy in such cases. We think this is the first case, MCL initially diagnosed with parotidectomy.
In conclusion by searching parotid gland masses, mantle cell lymphoma must be considered in the differential diagnosis. The parotid mass can be the first sign of lymphoma.
Weber AL, Rahemtullah A, Ferry JA. Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma of the head and neck: clinical, pathologic, and imaging evaluation. Neuroimaging Clin N Am 2003 ;13(3):371-92.
Argatoff LH, Connors JM, Klasa RJ, Horsman DE, Gascoyne RD. Mantle cell lymphoma: a clinicopathologic study of 80 cases. Blood 1997;89:2067–2078.
Weisenburger DD, Armitage JO. Mantle cell lymphoma: an entity comes of age. Blood. 1996;87:4483–4494.
Musshoff K, Schmidt-Vollmer H. Proceedings: Prognosis of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas with special emphasis on the staging classification. Z Krebsforsch Klin Onkol Cancer Res Clin Oncol. 1975;83:323-41.
Hoster E, Dreyling M, Klapper W, et al. A new prognostic index (MIPI) for patients with advanced-stage mantle cell lymphoma. Blood 2008; 111: 558–65.
Van der Waal RI, Huijgens PC, van der Valk P, van der Waal I. Characteristics of 40 primary extranodal non-Hodgkin lymphomas of the oral cavity in perspective of the new WHO classification and the International Prognostic Index. Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2005; 34 : 391-5.
Urquhart A, Berg R.Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the head and neck. Laryngoscope 2001; 111 : 1565-9.
Nadendla LK, Meduri V, Paramkusam G. Imaging characteristics of diffuse large cell extra nodal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma involving the palate and maxillary sinus: a case report. Imaging Sci Dent 2012; 42 : 111-4.
Madero-Visbal R, Milas Z. The Role of Parotidectomy in Sjögren's Syndrome. Oral Maxillofac Surg Clin North Am 2014 Feb;26(1):83-90.
Anaya JM, McGuff HS, Banks PM, Talal N. Clinicopathological factors relating malignant lymphoma with Sjögren's syndrome. Semin Arthritis Rheum. 1996;25:337–346.
Wierzbicka M, Bartochowska A, Kopeć T, Szyfter W. MALT-type parotid lymphoma--a case report and the review of the literature. Otolaryngol Pol. 2013 ;67(1):61-5.
Triantafillidou K, Dimitrakopoulos J, Iordanidis F, Gkagkalis A. Extranodal non-hodgkin lymphomas of the oral cavity and maxillofacial region: a clinical study of 58 cases and review of the literature. J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2012 ;70(12):2776-85.
Asaad NY, Abd El-Wahed MM, Dawoud MM. Diagnosis and prognosis of B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (B-CLL/SLL) and mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). J Egypt Natl Canc Inst 2005;17:279–290.
Hitz F, Bargetzi M, Cogliatti S, Lohri A, Taverna C, Renner C, Mey U. Diagnosis and treatment of mantle cell lymphoma. Swiss Med Wkly. 2013; 13:143.
Thoeny HC. Imaging of salivary gland tumors. Cancer Imaging 2007;7:52–62.
Pilavaki M, Athanasiadou A, Iordanidis F, Karakozoglou T, Palladas P. Magnetic resonance imaging with pathological correlation in a case of mantle cell lymphoma of the parotid gland: a case report. J Med Case Rep. 2010;30:99.
Keywords : Mantle cell lenfoma , Parotis bezi , Non-Hodgkin lenfoma
Login to write a comment.


Germinon is a commune in the Marne department in north-eastern France.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Germinon.
This Marne geographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
This page was last edited on 8 January 2019, at 06:18 (UTC).


Stop searching! We present to you a selection of 30 interesting and top Drawn Cactus abstract watercolor collection. On our site with the button "search" you will find other great free clip arts.
You can use Drawn Cactus abstract watercolor images for your website, blog, or share them on social networks.


text:
All-SJBL Baseball team revealed
Ignacio's Iaasic Pena catches a strikeout pitch during non-league road action against the 4A Durango JV. Now graduated from IHS, Pena was named First Team All-San Juan Basin League Catcher for the 2015 season.
Ignacio's Tucker Ward vacuums up a grounder during early-season non-league action down in Farmington, N.M. Now a senior at IHS, Ward was named one of the SJBL's Players-of-the-Year for 2015, as well as First Team All-League for work like this in the infield.
Ignacio's Juanito Medina kicks up a shower of dirt while beating a pick-off throw back to first base during San Juan Basin League play at Dolores. Used as an infielder, outfielder and pitcher during 2015, Medina was named Second Team All-SJBL Utility Player.
Ignacio's Austin McCaw cranks up the intensity while pitching at Dolores during San Juan Basin League road action this spring. McCaw was named Second Team All-SJBL Pitcher for 2015.
Thu Jul 9th, 2015
Categories: Sports, Baseball, Sports
Tags: 2A-District 2 Tournament, All-San Juan Basin League, All-SJBL First Team, Austin McCaw, Bert Miller, Bobcats, Cats, Class 1A State Championship, First Team All-SJBL, iaasic pena, Juanito Medina, Player-of-the-Year, Second Team All-SJBL, tucker ward
After a season in which a .500 winning percentage was actually good enough to capture the Class 1A State Championship, it was understandable that selecting an All-League squad might have taken awhile.
Just before Fourth of July, however, Dolores athletic director Jimmie Lankford at last responded to this writer's requests and reported in just such an honored roster for the completed 2015 campaign, with now-senior Tucker Ward leading Ignacio's All-San Juan Basin Leaguers able to return next spring.
Ward was named First Team All-SJBL Infield for his consistency on the Bobcats' left side at shortstop, and his efforts on the mound helped earn him a share of the circuit's Player-of-the-Year distinction.
"Tucker brings his 'A' game every time," head coach Bert Miller said, after Ward's contributions towards beating Meeker at the 2A-District 2 Tournament in Delta. "He's responded well … just a team leader by example."
Nucla's Clint Watt was slowed by a serious arm injury and wasn't used on the mound as much as Mustang skippers Clint Wytulka and Kelly Arnold would have liked, but was still enough of an all-around factor to join Ward, DHS' Kellen Gatzke and Dove Creek's Jordan Ernst as the loop's most 'fantastic four.'
Ernst was also named as Class 1A's POY and a CHSAANow.com/ColoradoPreps.com/MaxPreps All-1A First Team choice after helping the Bulldogs cop the classification's crown with a State Tournament run made up of a 2-1 defeat of Holly, an 8-5 win over Northglenn Community Christian and an 8-5 triumph over Granada in the finale at All-City Field in Denver.
DC's Curtis Garver was named not only the SJBL's Coach-of-the-Year, but also the 1A COY for his managing of a crew which finished just 12-12 overall after going a third-place 4-5 in the dual-classification league.
(None of the San Juan Basin's 2A players – meaning those of IHS and Dolores – were named All-2A or Honorable Mention All-2A, unfortunately, whereas DC catcher Alex Ogas and INF/P Kyle Schultz were also First Team All-1A, with first baseman/designated hitter Spencer Gatlin and outfielder Derek Kibel Second Team picks.)
Joining Ward as an All-SJBL First Team nominee from IHS was now-graduated senior catcher Iaasic Pena. Now-senior Austin McCaw was awarded Second Team All-SJBL Pitcher, and versatile Juanito Medina Second Team All-SJBL Utility Player after helping the 'Cats post a deceptive 6-13 overall (3-6 in league) mark.
Regardless of First or Second Team status [Ernst earned First Team Pitcher, whereas Ogas received Second Team Catcher], the rest of the All-SJBL Team included:
Pitchers – Tim Armintrout (Nucla), Stetson Hamilton (Dolores); catchers – Dalton Madden (DHS), Mason Riddle (NHS); infielders – Gatlin/Schultz/Colin Hobbs/Beau Hemphill (DCHS), Gatzke/Tel Hamilton/Josh McCoy/Kitty Wallace (DHS); Watt/Caden Colson/Lane Sutherland (NHS).
Outfielders – Kibel/Case Baughman (DCHS), Guy Wallace/Brandon Ward (DHS), Trenton Armintrout/Devyn Rummel (NHS); utility – Schultz (DCHS), McCoy (DHS), Graden Steffan (NHS); designated hitter – Gatlin (DCHS), Wyatt Jones (DHS).
Arnold was also named a SJBL Coach-of-the-Year after helping guide the Mustangs to not only the league's regular-season championship with a 6-3 mark (Dolores took second at 5-4) but, like Garver and Dove Creek, to the Class 1A State Tournament.
NHS started with a 13-8 win over Joes Liberty/Stratton, but then fell 13-6 in the 'Final Four' to Granada.


text:
Q: Form.show() does not respond I am writing a small postIt programm which should enable the user to send little notes to other computers using a database.
I have a main-Form where I can write messages and see users online, a sheet-form which should display messages and a sql database which has a table for users and messages.
The idea is that I am writing messages into the  Messagestable and my programm uses SqlDependency to get the new messages and to show them in sheets. So far so good.
The problem is when I add a new Message to my table the SqlDependency fires an Event and my mainForm creates a new sheet which freezes after sheet.Show() is called. The mainForm keeps on running but my sheets always do not respond.
Here's my code:
DBListener:
 Imports System.Data
    Imports System.Data.Sql
    Imports System.Data.SqlClient
    Imports System.Threading

Public Class DBListener

    Private changeCount As Integer = 0

    Private Const tableName As String = "IMSMessages"
    Private Const statusMessage As String = _
       "{0} changes have occurred."
    Private exitRequested As Boolean = False
    Private waitInProgress As Boolean = False
    Private recieverHost As String
    Private imsMain As IMSMain

    Public Sub New(main As IMSMain, recieverHost As String)
        Me.imsMain = main
        Me.recieverHost = recieverHost
        initCommand(recieverHost)
        SqlDependency.Start(connectionString)
        GetMsg(recieverHost)
    End Sub

    Private connectionString As String = "Data Source=NB_RANDY\SQLEXPRESS;Initial Catalog=eurom_test;Integrated Security=SSPI;"
    Private sqlConn As SqlConnection = New SqlConnection(connectionString)
    Private commandMesg As SqlCommand = Nothing
    Private commandUsers As SqlCommand = Nothing

    Private Sub initCommand(recieverHost As String)
        commandMesg = New SqlCommand
        commandMesg.CommandText = "SELECT MessageID,SenderHost,RecieverHost,isRead,isRecieved,Stamp from dbo.IMSMessages " &
                                       "WHERE RecieverHost=@RecieverHost" &
                                       " AND isRecieved = 0"
        commandMesg.Parameters.Add("@RecieverHost", SqlDbType.VarChar).Value = recieverHost
        commandMesg.Connection = sqlConn

        commandUsers = New SqlCommand
        commandUsers.CommandText = "Select HostName From dbo.IMSUser"
    End Sub

    Private Sub OnChangeMsg(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.Data.SqlClient.SqlNotificationEventArgs)
        Dim dep As SqlDependency = DirectCast(sender, SqlDependency)
        RemoveHandler dep.OnChange, AddressOf OnChangeMsg
        GetMsg(recieverHost)
    End Sub
    Private Sub OnChangeUser(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.Data.SqlClient.SqlNotificationEventArgs)
        Dim dep As SqlDependency = DirectCast(sender, SqlDependency)
        RemoveHandler dep.OnChange, AddressOf OnChangeUser
        GetUsers()
    End Sub

    Public Sub GetMsg(recieverHost As String)
        If Not sqlConn.State = ConnectionState.Open Then
            sqlConn.Open()

        End If

        commandMesg.Notification = Nothing
        Dim dep As SqlDependency = New SqlDependency(commandMesg)
        AddHandler dep.OnChange, New OnChangeEventHandler(AddressOf OnChangeMsg)
        Dim table As DataTable = New DataTable
        Dim adapter As SqlDataAdapter = New SqlDataAdapter(commandMesg)
        adapter.Fill(table)
        imsMain.recieveNewMessages(table)
    End Sub
    Public Sub GetUsers()
        If Not sqlConn.State = ConnectionState.Open Then
            sqlConn.Open()

        End If

        commandMesg.Notification = Nothing
        Dim dep As SqlDependency = New SqlDependency(commandUsers)
        AddHandler dep.OnChange, New OnChangeEventHandler(AddressOf OnChangeUser)
        Dim table As DataTable = New DataTable
        imsMain.updateOnlineUserList()
    End Sub

End Class

IMSMain-Form:
 Imports System.Data.SqlClient
    Imports System.Threading

    Public Class IMSMain

    Private user As IMSUser
    Private listener As DBListener

    Private sqlConn As SqlConnection

    Public Sub New()
        InitializeComponent()
        sqlConn = New SqlConnection("Data Source=NB_RANDY\SQLEXPRESS;Initial Catalog=eurom_test;Integrated Security=SSPI;")

        Me.user = New IMSUser(My.Computer.Name)
        user.register()

        updateOnlineUserList()
        listener = New DBListener(Me, user.HostName)

    End Sub
    Private Sub onSend(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles bt_send.Click
        Dim command As SqlCommand = New SqlCommand
        Dim msgText = tb_text.Text
        Dim reciever As IMSUser = lb_Online.SelectedItem
        Dim insert_string As String = "Insert INTO dbo.IMSMessages(Text,RecieverHost,SenderHost,isRead,isRecieved,Stamp) Values(@Text,@RecieverHost,@SenderHost,@isRead,@isRecieved,@Stamp)"
        Dim adapter As SqlDataAdapter = New SqlDataAdapter
        Dim table As DataTable = New DataTable()
        Try

            If Not sqlConn.State = ConnectionState.Open Then
                sqlConn.Open()

            End If
            command.Connection = sqlConn
            command.CommandText = insert_string
            adapter.SelectCommand = command
            adapter.Fill(table)
            command.CommandText = insert_string
            command.Parameters.Add("@Text", SqlDbType.VarChar).Value = msgText
            command.Parameters.Add("@RecieverHost", SqlDbType.NChar).Value = reciever.HostName
            command.Parameters.Add("@SenderHost", SqlDbType.NChar).Value = user.HostName
            command.Parameters.Add("@isRecieved", SqlDbType.Bit).Value = 0
            command.Parameters.Add("@isRead", SqlDbType.Bit).Value = 0
            command.Parameters.Add("@Stamp", SqlDbType.SmallDateTime).Value = DateTime.Now
            command.ExecuteNonQuery()
        Catch ex As Exception
            Console.WriteLine("onSend: internal database exception" + ex.Message)
        End Try
    End Sub

    Private Sub processMessageId(refMessageID As Integer)
        Dim command As SqlCommand = New SqlCommand
        Dim msgID_string As String = "SELECT * from dbo.IMSMessages " &
                                       "WHERE MessageID=@MessageID AND isRecieved = 0" &
                                       " ORDER BY Stamp"
        Dim isRecievedUpdate_string As String = "Update dbo.IMSMessages " &
                                            "SET isRecieved=1" &
                                             " WHERE MessageID=@MessageID"
        Dim adapter As SqlDataAdapter = New SqlDataAdapter
        Dim table As DataTable = New DataTable()
        Try
            If Not sqlConn.State = ConnectionState.Open Then
                sqlConn.Open()

            End If
            command = New SqlCommand
            command.CommandText = msgID_string
            command.Parameters.Add("@MessageID", SqlDbType.Int).Value = refMessageID
            command.Connection = sqlConn
            adapter.SelectCommand = command
            adapter.Fill(table)
            command = New SqlCommand
            command.Connection = sqlConn
            command.CommandText = isRecievedUpdate_string
            command.Parameters.Add("@MessageID", SqlDbType.Int).Value = refMessageID
            command.ExecuteNonQuery()

        Catch ex As Exception
            Console.WriteLine("processMessageID: internal database exception" + ex.Message)
        End Try
        Try
            Dim row As DataRow = table.Rows(0)
            Dim senderHost As String = row("SenderHost")
            Dim sender As IMSUser = New IMSUser(senderHost)
            Dim currentSheet As IMSSheet
            Dim stringText As String = row("Text")
            Dim stamp As Date = row("Stamp")
            currentSheet = New IMSSheet(sender, stringText, stamp)
            currentSheet.Show()
        Catch ex As Exception
            Console.WriteLine("processMessageID: error while showing sheet")
        End Try
    End Sub

    Public Sub recieveNewMessages(newMessageTable As DataTable)
        For Each row As DataRow In newMessageTable.Rows
            Dim id As Integer = row("MessageID")
            processMessageId(id)
        Next
    End Sub

    Public Sub updateOnlineUserList()
        lb_Online.Items.Clear()
        Dim adapter As SqlDataAdapter = New SqlDataAdapter
        Dim table As DataTable = New DataTable()
        Dim command As SqlCommand = New SqlCommand
        Dim onlineUser_string = "Select * FROM dbo.IMSUser"
        command.CommandText = onlineUser_string
        Try
            If Not sqlConn.State = ConnectionState.Open Then
                sqlConn.Open()

            End If
            command.Connection = sqlConn
            adapter.SelectCommand = command
            adapter.Fill(table)
        Catch ex As Exception
            Console.WriteLine("internal database exception" + ex.Message)
        End Try
        For Each row As DataRow In table.Rows

            Dim tmp As IMSUser = New IMSUser(row("HostName"))
            If Not user.Equals(tmp) Then
                lb_Online.Items.Add(tmp)
            End If
        Next
    End Sub

End Class

IMSSheet-Form:
    Public Class IMSSheet
        Dim IsDraggingForm As Boolean = False
        Private MousePos As New System.Drawing.Point(0, 0)

    Public Sub New(session As IMSUser, text As String, stamp As Date)
        Ini

tializeComponent()
            Me.tb_sender.Text = session.HostName
            addText(text, stamp)
        End Sub

        Private Sub addText(msg As String, stamp As DateTime)
            Dim currentText As String = tb_text.Text
            currentText = currentText + stamp.ToString + Environment.NewLine + msg + Environment.NewLine
            tb_text.Text = currentText
        End Sub
        Private Sub IMSSheet_MouseDown(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As MouseEventArgs) Handles MyBase.MouseDown
            If e.Button = MouseButtons.Left Then
                IsDraggingForm = True
                MousePos = e.Location
            End If
        End Sub

        Private Sub IMSSheet_MouseUp(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As MouseEventArgs) Handles MyBase.MouseUp
            If e.Button = MouseButtons.Left Then IsDraggingForm = False
        End Sub

        Private Sub IMSSheet_MouseMove(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As MouseEventArgs) Handles MyBase.MouseMove
            If IsDraggingForm Then
                Dim temp As Point = New Point(Me.Location + (e.Location - MousePos))
                Me.Location = temp
                temp = Nothing
            End If
        End Sub

        Private Sub onClose(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles bt_Close.Click
            Me.Close()
        End Sub

        Private Sub bt_minimize_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles bt_minimize.Click
            Me.WindowState = FormWindowState.Minimized
        End Sub

        Private Sub bt_Close_MouseHover(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles bt_Close.MouseHover

        End Sub

        Private Sub bt_minimize_MouseHover(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles bt_minimize.MouseHover

        End Sub
    End Class

Interesting is that if I have already some new Messages in my Messagestable before I run the programm they are going to be displayed correctly.
If I display the sheets using Form.ShowDialog() it works as well but its not how I want it to work.
As I am out of ideas I hope you can help me.

A: You are running into issues because the change event of SqlDependency occurs on a different thread that your UI thread.  From the SqlDepending documentation:

The OnChange event may be generated on a different thread from the
  thread that initiated command execution.

When calling sheet.Show() on a non UI thread, Show() will lockup because there is no message loop to handle the UI events.  Use Invoke() on ImsMain to create and show the ImsSheet on your UI thread.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Arcadian had the most liked content!
Thanks Let me know how your search goes.
You will be. After 6 months of time off and traveling with my wife, I took a job at a software company for a UX research position. I had taken interest in that field about 2 years prior. Several of my coworkers have a similar background in cognitive psychology, so it's a great fit. My wife and I agree that it's the happiest time in our lives. We both found good-paying jobs in the city of our choice, got a nice new home, and still have time to pursue our hobbies. Grad school was a transformative experience for me. Made a few forever-friends and so many great memories. That period of my life shaped me into the man I was always meant to be. Seize the moment, and enjoy it! Congrats to both of you (and everyone in the thread). Eight years later, I still remember my moment of acceptance vividly. I called my mom, and then my girlfriend (now wife). Tears were shed. Cheers to your present and future success!
Hey, just wanted to follow up on this. Indeed, I ultimately agreed with your assessment and decided to take an industry job. Everything is going great so far, and I've never been happier! I'm definitely happier now than I would have been if I had stayed in academia, lol.
Just wanted to drop in and say good luck to everyone. With grad school in my rearview mirror, I can now appreciate this forum from a different perspective. Wait a minute...am I like that guy who graduated high school and still hangs out at the football games?
Sounds about right. That's grad school for ya! You'll constantly question your own decisions, and you'll perpetually have this vague feeling that you're doing something wrong. Heh! Fun times. Don't worry, it'll all work out (probably), and you'll look back on your first year project later and realize nobody cared. Just kidding. Kind of. On a more serious note...hey, look at it this way! When you've done everything you can, and you're just waiting on your advisor to follow up, the "ball is in his/her court." Nobody can blame you for taking too long because you've done your part, and you've made efforts to contact your advisor all you can. It's up to them! You're totally blameless at that point. That was the approach I took to allow myself to relax throughout grad school. Granted, I took 7 years to complete my PhD, but hey! ?
I was pretty ambivalent too. Just finished my PhD last May. I'm currently a freelance proofreader and looking for jobs at software companies. I'm kind of open to doing a post-doc or adjunct position, but I'm not really interested in tenure track anymore. I just don't enjoy the publish or perish culture, constantly applying for grants, and all else that academic careers entail. I also really wouldn't want to advise grad students and all that. It's like, I just went through this whole process as a grad student myself. The last thing I want is to go through that whole process again, over and over again, from the other side of the advisor's desk. No thanks!
I'm seeing a lot of uptight traditionalism in this thread, to be honest. I don't care if a student addresses me by name in an email. As long as they're not being disrespectful, there is no problem. I care more about efficiency and conciseness - ask me your question, or convey your message, and make it brief and to the point. Efficiency is what matters, people, not archaic traditions. Even my 80-year-old co-advisor stopped using greetings and signatures in our email exchanges. He says what needs to be said, and he sends the email. With that said, I do care about the proper use of grammar, and I silently judge people who write poorly in emails. Even when I write emails from my phone with a crappy touchscreen, I make sure everything is correct. Caveat: If it's your first time corresponding with someone, or you don't know them very well, then yes, include a greeting and signature. But that's only because you don't know how that person thinks. If someone really cares that much about an email greeting, I can't agree with them, but I also don't want them to think less of me for something so petty.
When I listen to a podcast or music in my lab, I keep one earbud in and one out, just in case someone needs to speak with me. When I listen to podcasts, I keep the earbud in my right ear because the right ear hooks up with the left auditory cortex, which is more devoted to speech perception (right ear advantage). When I listen to music, I keep the earbud in my left ear because the left ear hooks up with the right auditory cortex, which is more devoted to music perception (left ear advantage). Anyone else do this, or is that weird?
The department doesn't keep track of my hours spent in the office. I'm not sure how that would even be possible. This isn't "clock-in clock-out" wage labor. If I'm fulfilling my responsibilities, no one cares how long it took.
No. I have one regular office hour per week, or by appointment. This obviously depends on your school/department/program/professor.
Damn, that's pretty rough. The workload is pretty normal, but I don't think you should have any possibility of being removed from the program within the first year, unless you do nothing at all. Year one should be for formulating ideas. This takes time. Hell, I didn't settle on the topic of my dissertation until year 4.
Getting into a Psychology PhD program after getting a Masters in something else???
^That's a sad story. Granting the fundamental differences between social psychology and sociology, I find it unfortunately narrow-minded for psychologists to be "concerned" about someone's choice to study sociology. If anything, we need to have more cross-talk between those two fields, so I find it sad that it's being discouraged. Fortunately, many people in behavioral sciences take a multidisciplinary approach. I know several people in my program who got Master's degrees in different fields, most notably computer science and engineering. It is considered valuable to bring knowledge from another field if it complements your field well, because it means you will have something unique to offer that few others can.
I don't care if people look at my social media. I hope they do. I have nothing to hide. I explicitly advocate everything that I post. So this is a non-issue for me.
"Stripping a Professor of Tenure Over a Blog Post"
In the text that you quoted, I said "you can expect to encounter people like this anywhere in society." However, there is a higher probability of encountering them at an institution that is affiliated with a related train of thought, such as Catholicism. Additionally, so as to indicate that I'm not just picking on Catholicism in particular, I followed that statement by saying that I would never take a job at any religiously-affiliated university. And I maintain that anti-religion is a position that can be rationally defended. If there is an idea that gives rise to bigotry towards other ideas, then that is the idea we ought to oppose.
Haha! It seems that everyone involved with this story is wrong in some way. The undergrad was wrong for believing gay marriage is harmful to society, wrong for recording his conversation with the TA, and wrong for misinterpreting the TA's comments as being against "homophobic opinions." Unfortunately, you can expect to encounter people like this anywhere in society, especially at a Catholic university. And that's reason number 427 why I would never take a job at a religiously-affiliated university. The TA was doing fine until she became overly aggressive in her conversation with the undergrad. During her actual lesson, she was right to assume that most of the class agreed that gay marriage is permissible under Rawls' principle. And she was right to invite students to discuss the issue further after class. Why, then, did she become so hostile to the student in their post-class discussion? She could have ended this whole thing by simply presenting a counterargument to the undergrad, rather than engaging in a meta-debate about what can and cannot be debated. That sort of meta-debate is rarely productive for actual debate. The professor was wrong for taking sides with the undergrad, and for writing about his TA in a blog using her real name. The dean was wrong for taking such extreme measures for such a trivial matter. I know it escalated when the TA received threatening emails, but that is unfortunately a fact of life that academics must learn to deal with. When you express contentious opinions in a public setting, you're probably going to evoke heated responses. As the professor's attorney pointed out in his letter to the dean, there are no university laws against using a student's name in a blog. He didn't violate any university laws, hence there are no grounds on which to fire him. Lol at this whole stupid, avoidable situation.


text:
Free Will Baptist
by Michael R. Pelt, 2006
See also: Baptists; Free Will Baptist Children's Home; North Carolina Baptist Historical Collection
The Free Will Baptist is a Christian publication founded in 1873 by the General Conference of Original Free Will Baptists in North Carolina. Up to that time the church had functioned without the benefit of a news medium other than the printed minutes of the annual conferences. Following the distribution of a prospectus, Robert Ellis began to publish weekly issues of the Free Will Baptist Advocate at Fremont. After a year, he began publishing the paper at Toisnot (now Elm City) and changed its name to Toisnot Transcript, a change that brought dissatisfaction to many, with the result that the publication had to be suspended about 1877. The general conference reactivated it with a new editor and manager who published it under its original name. Because of a lack of support it was again suspended in 1879.
When the conference was convened in 1880, church elder Rufus K. Hearn was asked to submit a plan for successfully publishing a Free Will Baptist newspaper. He urged the conference to obtain full ownership of the printing press, hire an editor, and publish the paper at the expense of the conference with the support of individual subscriptions and contributions from churches. The conference adopted Hearn's plan and hired him as editor, and he began publishing the paper at Fremont, dropping the word "Advocate" from its name. The next year he moved to New Bern and published the paper there. Although the conference was asked to contribute toward expenses, there was never enough money to balance the account. In 1886 a committee recommended that the printing press be loaned to Hearn with the provision that he publish the paper "as a Free Will Baptist organ at his own expense." Hearn continued to publish it on these terms until February 1889. In that year a stock company was formed, and the conference conveyed its interest in the printing press to the Free Will Baptist Publishing Company.
The company assumed the responsibility of publishing the paper, moving its base to the town of Ayden in 1894. From that date until modern times, the Free Will Baptist has been published in Ayden. In addition to serving the Free Will Baptists of North Carolina, it has been the church paper for this denomination throughout much of the South from the beginning of the twentieth century. It was instrumental in the formation of the General Conference of Free Will Baptists in the United States in 1921 and later in the merger of this organization with another group to form the National Association of Free Will Baptists in 1935. When the North Carolina Convention withdrew from that organization in 1962, the paper's subscription base was reduced. Because of increased printing costs, in January 1982 the Free Will Baptist became a monthly magazine, focusing primarily on the programs and interests of North Carolina Free Will Baptists.
Michael R. Pelt, A History of Original Free Will Baptists (1996).
Rufus K. Hearn. Image courtesy of Mount Olive College. Available from http://www.moc.edu/index.php/fwbmagazine (accessed June 8, 2012).
Pelt, Michael R.
1 January 2006 | Pelt, Michael R.


Generate Output, i.e., reports, summaries, alerts, notifications, etc.
For example, patient�s visit to a doctor (business activity) creates encounter data that the doctor will record/enter (collect data) in the Electronic Health Record System (EHR-S). This data entry has to be checked for quality assurance and added into the patient�s medical record in the EHR-S (manage data). This encounter data can be compared with the previous encounters� data on this patient or with other patients� data (analyze data). This encounter data may include medication prescription to be sent to a Pharmacy information system (integrate data). This encounter data may be given to a patient as a visit�s summary or has to be reported to a Public Health Agency (generate output).
Functional requirements are written by users (stakeholders) in a non-technical language in an organized format of the Functional Requirements Analysis Document (FRAD). FRAD is used in software engineering to summarize the user�s functional requirements for a Software Application.
A Functional standard is a vehicle to assure that the work processes of users related to the a particular business activity, i.e., patient care management, public health surveillance, etc., that involve electronic data exchanges are well understood and agreed upon first by users themselves and then communicated clearly to the developers as functional requirements for a Software Application.
ASTM International is one of the largest voluntary standards development organizations in the world- for technical standards for materials, products, systems, and services.
HL7 develops standards for the exchange, management, and integration of data that support clinical patient care and the management, delivery, and evaluation of health care services. HL7 developed a functional model for Electronic Health Record Systems (EHR-S) and Personal Health Record Systems (PHR-S).
HL7 Electronic Health Record System (EHR-S) Functional Model Draft Standard for Trial Use (EHR-S DSTU) provides strong benefits for public health information systems. At the request of the EHR Collaborative, the Consortium launched a PHDSC Ad Hoc Task Force on Electronic Health Record � Public Health (EHR-PH) to evaluate the EHR-S DSTU from the public health perspective. Cross mapping the HL7 EHR functions to core public health functions and interventions demonstrates that core public health functions are well represented in the EHR-S DSTU, and that the EHR-S DSTU provides a foundation for integration of healthcare and public health services and has the necessary functionality for reporting and sharing information across clinical and public health systems.
In 2007 HL7 launched an effort to develop a second functional model, this time focused on the Personal Health Record (PHR). A number of Consortium members worked directly with the HL7 technical committees to ensure that public health�s interests were properly represented in this consumer-centric model. As Personal Health Record Systems (PHR-S) begin to proliferate, it is important that their potential role in public health surveillance and other public health activities is properly recognized and developed.
The ISO/TC 215 developed functional standards for Electronic Health Record Systems.
With support from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the PHDSC Nationwide Health Information Network Committee worked on the development of functional standards for electronic health information exchanges between clinical care and public health in the domains of school health, syndromic surveillance and diabetes care management and surveillance.
PHDSC documented user�s needs for interoperable information systems in these domains in a standardized Functional Requirement Analysis Document (FRAD) using the PHDSC FRAD development methodology that follows the standard software requirement elicitation and documentation process. In this process users and developers define the goals of the information system, the actors that will interact with the system, the functional and non-functional requirements of the system, the use case scenario(s), the data sources used by the system, and the workflow and dataflow that the system will support. The purpose of the FRAD is to help users of the information system to specify (explain) system requirements (user�s needs that the system must support) for developers in an organized way and in a language that both users and developers will understand.


text:
Exploring the Political, Economic, and Social Ramifications of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Students at the University of Chicago explored governmental policy, economic ramifications, employment statistics and cancelled recreational activities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
By Justin Smith, David Si, Calvin Walters, and Tony Song
Second years Justin Smith, Tony Song, Calvin Walters and first year David Si utilized their time during the COVID-19 pandemic to research behavioral trends in areas of daily life altered due to the pandemic.
Smith looked at behavior during the pandemic from a policy perspective, aiming to determine whether the institution of stay-at-home orders by state governments were effective at curbing mobility, the average distance individuals traveled, in the short run. As the US enters a new recession due to the pandemic, Song studied whether low-income American households donated a smaller percentage of their total annual income to charity after the 2008 recession as compared to the proportion donated before. Walters analyzed results from the NCAA tournament, cancelled due to the pandemic, to determine whether lowering the win probability threshold for selecting underdogs to advance in the NCAA Tournament, while raising the threshold for favorites, improves March Madness bracket performance. Si studied employment statistics in Santa Clara County during the pandemic, to determine the extent to which cases of the virus in a localized region contributed to unemployment.
Amidst historical increases in unemployment, the focus of Si's study, people have been ordered to socially distance themselves and shelter-in-place. As a result, there have been drastic changes to mobility, a topic that is further explored in Smith's study on the short term changes to mobility following shelter-in-place orders. Mobility is inherently tied to conversations about employment, as working from home or not working at all removes the reason for a weekday commute.
Continuing with the topic of social distancing, activities many would consider essential to their daily lives, such as eating at a restaurant, socializing at a cafe, or attending a live sports game, have been cancelled. One example is the NCAA Tournament and the March Madness bracket researched in Walters' study.
Fluctuations in income are direct results of rising unemployment. The complete implications of how COVID-19 and its external economic shock have affected spending habits are unclear. However, Song's research on changes to charitable giving before and after the 2008 recession provides an insightful parallel to answering the question of how exactly charitable giving changes.
Each study not only relates to the Socioeconomic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also provides value to the wealth of academic knowledge in the field surrounding each study.
Smith's study found that there is not a statistically significant positive relationship between the institution of a stay-at-home order and mobility data in the short run. This research provides strong evidence that stay-at-home orders are effective at curbing mobility, supporting the implementation of stay-at-home orders as a way to reduce COVID-19 spread, and eliminates stay-at-home orders as the driver of the spike in mobility seen throughout March 2020 providing a basis for future research on the topic.
Song's study found that low-income American households changed their attitude and propensity to give after experiencing a major economic downturn, while high-income households exhibited consistent low-contribution donation patterns before and after the recession. The impact of COVID-19 on charitable giving is likely to be reminiscent of that in the aftermath of the 2008 recession. This research can serve as a reference for a variety of organizations, who now must prepare to see less donations in the coming months.
Walters' study was able to improve upon an already viable model for game predictions in the NCAA Tournament. Among other findings, it found that the optimal classifying win probability threshold for 12-seeds in the Round of 64 to be 33%, 5-seeds in the Round of 32 to be 42.8%, and 8-seeds in the Round of 32 to be 17.8%. These results increased the original FiveThirtyEight model's correct pick rate for the statistically significant qualified seeds by 2.9 percentage points. This research has the potential to benefit fans of the NCAA Tournament nationwide when the pandemic ends and teams are allowed to resume regular seasonal play.
Si's study directly matters to the millions of citizens living or working in the three counties researched. Although much attention is currently directed towards researching COVID-19, relatively less analysis is available pertaining to specific counties. By expressing changes to county employment on a per COVID-19 case basis, Si's study helps quantify economic trends and how they correlate to the severity of the outbreak. This also helps residents compare how greatly impacted their county's employment is when compared to other counties.
Despite the value each study provides, each study is limited by the scope of its findings and the scope of its applications to life during and after the pandemic.
Both Smith and Si's studies were limited in scope geographically. Smith's study focused solely on the 10 states with the greatest number of COVID-19 cases, while Si's study focused exclusively on Santa Clara and surrounding counties. They also each focus only on one aspect of the pandemic: Smith's paper is only applicable to mobility data rather than confirmed cases of COVID-19, while Si's paper is only applicable to employment statistics, not other indications of economic distress.
Primary limitations of Song's study concern data-collection methods and the construct. The independent variable (family income) is a self-reported value, and further considerations with respect to the respondent's property ownership or other assets were included. Hence the family income might not be an accurate representation of how wealthy a particular household is, in some cases. Additionally, the 200K cutoff that separates the "rich" from the "poor" does not take into account inflation between the years of interest.
Although Walters' study was able to improve upon an already viable model for game predictions, it was not able to achieve significant results for many of its targets, largely due to sample size issues.
Finally, each researcher took time to reflect on the research process.
In reflection, Smith found the process taught him about the validity of results even when they go against initial claims. "When first beginning the research process I wanted to explore how we could learn from the shared tragedy we're all living through, the COVID-19 pandemic, and improve our methods in the future. Initial challenges included finding prior literature from the pandemic due to its recency, and finding a way to make my research as useful and as broad in scope as possible without making the study too overwhelming to complete in such a short time frame. While my findings were not in line with my predictions, my study still shed light on the efficacy of a vital method used to reduce mobility and therefore the spread of COVID-19. I realized that the research process, even when it doesn't go the way you predicted, results in meaningful findings that can explain or disprove policy proposals and help people make more informed decisions."
Song realized that a simple solution is sometimes the best one. "I got to learn about the whole package for conducting research in the social sciences: from proposing a question suitable for quantitative research, to formulating reasonable hypotheses; and from running the appropriate statistical analysis, to making sensible interpretations of the results. One of the major challenges for me was figuring out the most optimal way for analyzing my data. It was tempting to use more sophisticated models, but I realized that the simple relationship between proportion of total income donated and family income must have an equally simple explanation. Hence, I was able to use two sample t-tests and linear regression comparisons to draw meaningful conclusions that scientists in the field might care about."
Walters acknowledged the necessity of revision in the research process. "To begin the research process I was inspired and motivated to investigate a topic I am interested in. As the investigation went on, and I had to ensure that I was adhering to strict scientific procedures and was forced to adjust the scope of my study a few times, the process became a bit frustrating and tedious. Yet, I came to realize that this process is necessary for the creation of a meaningful product that has the ability to improve society, which makes up for the copious amount of thought and effort put into a research project like this."
Si appreciates how far he's come in the research process. "In reflecting on my research process, I realize that I have learned much about the steps to craft an academic, quantitative study. In particular, I now know how to comprehensively survey existing research, effectively structure a literature review, and purposefully decide on a research methodology, skills that I was entirely unfamiliar with prior to this course. Additionally, I have practiced tailoring my data interpretations and discussion to a study limited by the infrequent release of employment statistics which has made my sample sizes small and difficult to work with."