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Listicles / The Daily Prophet
The Top Ten "Crimes of Grindelwald" Character Moments
by Amy Hogan · Published November 24, 2018 · Updated November 24, 2018
SPOILERS AHEAD: PROCEED WITH CAUTION
If there's one thing J.K. Rowling is good at, it's writing complex and compelling characters we can either relate to or loathe. In Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, we were able to see already-introduced characters develop, see new sides to characters we met decades ago, and get introduced to some new friends and villains. Here is a list of our top ten character moments from the film.
There are so many more moments like these throughout the film where Rowling's characters truly come to life. We can't wait to see where this group takes us in the next three films. What were some of your favorite moments from Crimes of Grindelwald? Let us know in the comments!
Amy Hogan
I was 9 years old when I discovered the magic that is "Harry Potter." I am a proud Hufflepuff and exceedingly good at eating, reading, being sarcastic, and over-thinking small tasks. Since I spent too much time worrying about the correct way to write this bio, this is all I was able to come up with before the deadline.
Next story New York Facebook and Instagram Headquarters Get a Magical Makeover
Previous story Bakery Creates Gingerbread Hogwarts Castle for Charity
Rhys Ifans, the actor who plays Xenophilius Lovegood, compared being asked to work on "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" with being knighted.
August 13, 2007 – A SEC filing reported by the Orlando Sentinel reveals that Warner Bros. and Universal have an agreement for a targeted release date of the Harry Potter theme park between December 15, 2009, and June 30, 2010.
"Honestly, woman, you call yourself our mother? Can't you tell I'm George?"


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The Haussmannian Style
art, French Stories, History, Tourism
If you have studied the story of the city of Paris and its architecture, you must have heard about the Haussmannian Style. Many buildings and hotels in Paris were built during the 19th Century by the Baron Haussmann, Governor of the Seine area and then Senator of the Second Empire.
His goal was to give a second breath to the city and this is what he specifically wanted to achieve: both clean up the town and push blue collar workers and poor people outside of Paris. He demolished 18,000 houses out of 30,000 and had them replaced by fancy buildings. He also took possession of the close villages so that they became part of the city. This is how many neighborhoods such as Batignolles, Passy, Bercy and Montmartre become grouped in as part of Paris. They were proper towns before they were absorbed by the Capital in its expansion process.
At this time, the hygienist trend was in full swing. Because he had been inspired by the big renovation in London which occurred after the 1666 citywide fire, Georges Eugène Haussmann made it his reference in matter of hygiene and modern town planning. The logistic plan was to facilitate trade, fluids, air and water circulation, as well as public circulation. His campaign was named "Paris nicer, Paris bigger, Paris cleaner".
Avenues and Boulevards were created, along with the famous Champs Elysees that have been transformed as an Avenue. For a better quality of air, Haussmann also created gardens and parks. Finally, you can not talk about the Haussmannian style without speaking about the architecture of a specific type of building. They are noticeable thanks to their extremely strict design : a Haussmannian building is never taller than six stories and seizes between 40 and 65 feet. Its front wall must be in stone and the second and fifth floor must have a balcony.
Now you know how you can recognize the Haussmannian style which highly typical of the city of Paris.
Choose between English or French above: Le Blog du Salon will be the answer to everything French you've been searching for!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Lusk, Norma Marie (nee Hodgkins). Peacefully, at Haldimand War Memorial Hospital Dunnville on Wednesday September 14, 2016 in her 92nd year.
Norma Lusk predeceased by her husband Clifford Lusk. Survived by daughter Muriel Currie and family. Survived by Brenda Smith and her family. Sadly missed by her granddaughter Kassie, grandson Teddy and by great grandchildren Crystal and CJ Parker, and Teddy Jr. Predeceased by parents Theron and Ethel Hodgkins, brothers Gerald, Leon, Billie and sister Evelyn. Predeceased by her parents Theron and Ethel Hodgkins, brothers Gerald, Leon, Billy, and sister Evelyn.


Preparations for WOSC 2014 are in full progress. Abstracts of presentations by keynote speakers are in the following attachment: Abstracts of Plenaries WOSC 2014 Comments are most welcome!
WOSC participation in 2nd Symposiun of the BS Lab, Rome January 2014.
Posted in Uncategorized	| Comments Off on WOSC participation in 2nd Symposiun of the BS Lab, Rome January 2014.


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GRCC June Business of the Month is Salon Eye Candy
Last Updated on Tuesday, 24 June 2014 23:53
The Greater Rostraver Chamber of Commerce is pleased to name Salon Eye Candy as its June Business of the Month. At Salon Eye Candy, located at 535 Broad Ave., North Belle Vernon, you will not only find a relaxing and welcoming environment, but you will also find a genuine and talented staff.
Seated: Emily Andrews; Paige Echols; Savanna Cuevas; and Haley Yoder.
Standing: Lynn Grimes, GRC Board Member; Barb Martin; Jamie Davis St. Clair; Linda Davis; Rose Vatkis; and GRC Board Member Cathy Yurkovich.
Jamie Davis St. Clair, owner, opened the salon in February 2012. With over a decade of experience under her belt, she was ready to stop working for others and build a dream salon of her own, one that would reflect her style and personality and be a relaxing and comfortable place for her clients. When you walk through the doors, you feel as if you've stepped in to a high-end, shabby-chic spa.
But it's not just about the look and feel of the salon. Jamie employs a very talented group of individuals that includes two administrative staff members and six full-time, experienced stylists.
Salon Eye Candy is a full service salon that offers a wide range of hair services including women's, men's and children's cuts and styling, full color and highlight services, extensions, keratin treatments and up-do styles. They also offer spray tan services, manicures and pedicures, waxing and airbrushing and traditional make-up application.
What sets this salon apart is its special services. You can have a special beauty party for your daughter's birthday or a fantastic and relaxing bachelorette party right at the salon. Getting married? Salon Eye Candy offers amazing bridal packages that include specialized airbrush make-up application, eye lash extensions and fashionable up-do styles. Not only that, but the Salon Eye Candy crew can travel to your wedding location to provide these services, saving you and your bridal party from unnecessary stress on the day of the wedding.
Salon Eye Candy has quickly become one of the most popular salons in the Mon Valley. Jamie attributes her success to the love and support of her family and friends and the dedication of her hard working staff.
The Salon is open Monday through Saturday, by appointment, with walk-ins available Tuesday through Saturday. Call 724-929-2887 to schedule your appointment or to book your bridal or birthday party.


Company ProfileSnail was established in China in 2003, is an innovative cartoon company. From the very beginning,it has created branded value and has designed popular cartoons, such as Monkey Baby and Snail Baby, which has become a much-told story tale online. The major portals and television stations have set up an Area Website for Snail Communication's productions, which have reached ten millions of visitors, the highest in the industry.Business scopeTo adhere to produce original creative animation film, Joint production and worldwide distribution are the aims of Snail. Snail's major way is to produce animation film, not even through the original team members, but the cooperation with other various styles of production companies, to elaborate the largest coordination effect and produce more outstanding films.


So much exciting stuff close to Will Jan Moorage, and to be here is great fun any time. Oregon is a great site for boating people. It's been too long since you went outside, you've gotta get out, and Will Jan Moorage in Oregon is such a great site.
rains the most, and the driest month of the year is July. All through the warm days of summer here at Will Jan Moorage, high temperatures regularly reach the 80's while nighttime lows are usually in the 50's. The winter comes with highs in the 40's with temperatures at Will Jan Moorage dipping down into the 30's through winter nights.
These outdoors activities are available near Will Jan Moorage.


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Q: PHP display alternate page if condition is true I am using the following code to display a 404 page if the user requests a URL which doesn't match an article in the database:
if($articleTitle == "")
{
    header('HTTP/1.0 404 Not Found');
    readfile('404.php');
    exit();
}

readfile properly displays a webpage, but it does not parse PHP code in it. Is there an alternative to readfile that displays a different file but parses PHP in that other file? Since this is a 404, a redirect would be bad practice.

A: readfile only slurps in raw bytes and spits them out to the client. You want include(), which WILL try to execute any PHP found in the loaded file.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Searching for Fossils in Patagonia
Members of the 2019 field team carrying a jacketed fossil through the snow back to camp.
Davis (left) and Argentine fossil preparator Jonatan Kaluz with a dinosaur skeleton discovered by Clarke.
North of the town of Puerto Natales, Chile, near Torres del Paine National Park, an international group of scientists from across South America, Germany, Japan and, most recently, Texas has been working to uncover fossils in Patagonia. The field work is part of a multidisciplinary project of geologists and paleontologists studying biotic connections between South America and Antarctica.
Julia Clarke, Wilson Professor of Paleontology at The University of Texas at Austin, and Ph.D. student Sarah Davis have been working with scientists at the Instituto Antártico Chileno (INACH) and the University of Chile for the last three years. The team, co-led by Director of INACH Dr. Marcelo Leppe, is looking for fossils and studying the geology of the Las Chinas field site. The site records the time interval just before, during and after the Earth experienced the last of its "Big Five" mass extinctions, which resulted in the demise of non-bird dinosaurs. Recently, Clarke and Davis collaborated with Jackson School Professor Brian Horton and Ph.D. student Sarah George to demonstrate the presence of this key time interval in a paper published in the Journal of South American Earth Sciences. Clarke and Davis study the evolution of birds, the only group of dinosaurs that survived this catastrophic event; their work with the field site focuses on finding bird and other small theropod dinosaur fossils to better understand their diversity and evolution before and after the extinction event.
The team standing next to the tail of a Titanosaur (the largest group of dinosaurs) discovered by Jackson School Professor Brian Horton.
In February 2019, during the Chilean summer, the team returned to the field to continue the search for signs of ancient life. After a seven-mile hike through grassy foothills, the researchers set up camp near fossil bearing outcrops, where they stayed and worked for two weeks. The site presented several challenges: steep climbs up to outcrops, populations of pumas that roam the area and the ever-changing Patagonian weather. This year the team faced a new obstacle after the entire valley was covered in a foot of snow during the middle of the field season, covering the fossiliferous rocks. Despite this, the group had a successful season, recovering the remains of several dinosaur groups including birds, as well as reptiles, amphibians and mammals. These fossils were excavated and brought to the University of Chile and INACH.
Clarke, Davis and the team plan to return to the field in February 2020. Work at the site has included several members of the Clarke lab,including graduate students Chris Torres and Grace Musser and undergraduates Hector Garza and Sarah Hood. This field work is made possible by funding from the Jackson School and the National Science Foundation.


Group Buy FEELER, Miata Injectors - Miata Turbo Forum - Boost cars, acquire cats.
We are interested in doing a Group Buy for Miata injectors, our Group buy is a little different than a normal Group Buy. We will have a set number of sets to sell. We dont require a certain amount of people to sign up to get the discounted price. They can be purchased at that price until all sets are sold.
Anyone interested, also what size?
1.8 Tan Tops 13.5ohm 250cc ??
NB Reds 13.6ohm 240cc ??
Can you get anything larger than the 550s on the site? Say, 750cc?
You'll sell the most in the 460cc/550cc range.
Although I do agree with you.
I need a set of 550's.... at least 550's.
Last edited by Deatschwerks; 11-25-2008 at 07:01 PM.
Awesome. Any idea of pricing on those?
Also, would the group buy have to be of one injector type, or could it be various sizes?
Interested in 750's here. Low Impedance available?
750s for me too. need them asap!
Are these injectors hi-impedence and direct plug-in... no splicing?
FM sells RC 750 low-impedence for $455 a set with PnP clips... that's your price point for injectors in that size.
With the large supply of RX7 550's that go for about $150-$180 with cleaning and with the huge success people are having in the sub-300whp range on those, you REALLY need a set of 750's, priced to compete with the FM deal. If they're hi-imp and direct PnP, you've got a market... but I don't hear anything about price?
I'd like some 550s, depending on price possible 750s to give me "room to grow"
Also to be noted a set of RC750's is $395 direct from RC without clips. Thats what I was planning on doing, but if this would be a better deal I will jump on it.
Why? I've never had a single problem.
No way in hell on a stock NB fuel system.


Records the Start and Stop time of ALL outgoing calls along with the number dialled plus any other digits pressed during the call.
Formatted log data can be downloaded via serial port in Real-time. The unit automatically switches to Stand-alone mode when not connected to a computer allowing log data to be downloaded later.
Data is stored in non-volatile EEPROM memory (24C128) so there is no loss of data during power failures. Supplied with 16K of memory (enough to log over 500 11-digit phone numbers) which is expandable in 16K blocks up to 64K total. The logger "auto detects" the amount of available memory - just insert more memory ICs and you are good to go.
With the full 64K of memory installed, the logger can record over 2,500 11-digit telephone numbers (that's 28,000+ digits). With the standard 16K of memory, the logger will record about 2 months worth of calls for the average household.
Logged data can be downloaded into a computer via the opto-isolated serial port and saved to disk. The data is formatted so that it can be easily imported into a spreadsheet like Microsoft Excel. As a bonus, call data is also output in "real time" to the serial port as well as being recorded in memory (useful when immediate call analysis and/or external data logging is required).
Access to the data logger's internal functions, including data downloading, is PASSWORD protected.
The unit is supplied complete with a plastic case measuring 130(W) x 100(D) x 30(H)mm and silk-screened front and rear panels.
This product only supports phone lines that have DTMF tone dialling present. It is NOT compatible with PABX type digital phone systems. Please ask your telephone system provider for advice if you are unsure.
User Manual - PLEASE NOTE that the 3164 will work on any version of Windows including 7 and 10 provided you have a comms program installed like HyperTerminal. It will also work with any version of Excel as data can be output as a csv format file.
Atmel AT24C128-10PC 128K 2-Wire Serial EEPROM in an 8-pin DIP Package.


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The Smellcast
It only stinks a little!
Posts Tagged 'spa'
sc 221 "Trans Issues."
First, Toppie would like you to listen to Musings Of A Tech Writer, episode 193 which feature's one of Mark's short stories. Toppie acts out the part of one of the characters! It's a great short story and please to tune into Mark from Canada and have a listen!
Also, Toppie would simply love it if you could please to check out the following recently released podcasts that talk about gender identity and transsexual issues. First, please tune into episode 87 of Cocktails and Cream Puffs and listen as Joey and the boys engage in a discussion about Chaz Bono.
Then, please to tune into Ongline Podcast, episodes 394 & 395 to hear John Ong engaged in an excellent interview with Kathy where you can hear her fascinating story! You will be captivated!.
Finally, please to tune into the Freak Geek's podcast, episode 35, where Freaky, Spanking Bea Aurthur and the Power Gay have a very interesting and revealing conversation about trans-issues.
Whether you're gay, bisexual, or straight — if trans-issues are something you would like to know more about or understand better — then please to listen to these four excellent episodes of Cocktails and CreamPuffs, Ongline Podcast and the Freak Geek!
Also, please to remember that in honor of NoPodPoMo, Toppie is spending all of November at his computer from 9:30 PM to 10:30 PM (EST) in order to be available on Skype to talk to YOU! Connect with me via my skype handle: "smellcast".
Write to Toppie at Smellcast@aol.com. Leave a comment right here on Toppie's blog. Friend Toppie on Facebook and follow him on Twitter and Google+. Look at kooky stuff on smellcast.tumblr.com. Check out the Rainbow Podsquad Network!
Click the link below to listen to the Smellcast, episode 221.
The Smellcast/Episode 221
Spread the smell:
Tags:bisexual, chaz bono, cocktailsandcreampuffs, freakgeek, gay, gay fiction, gay podcast, gender, glbt, identity, issues, lgbt, mark from canada, musingsofatechwriter, napodpomo, ongline, podcasting, power gay, sex, short story, smellcast, spa, spanking bea aurther, straight, tolerance, toppie smellie, trans issues, transexual, understanding
Posted in Old episodes not currently available | Leave a Comment »
About "older" episodes
ABOUT "THE SMELLCAST!"
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New Episodes!
Old episodes not currently available
Toppie Is Currently Listening To:
AmeriNZ Podcast One of the smartest guys in the pod-o-sphere. Intelligent chit-chat, oft times about political news.
Baehr & Curadh Podcast Endearing and heartfelt! Two married gay guys, Baehr and Curadh (pronounced "bear" and "ker‑raw") discuss life, synergy, and the pursuit of happiness.
Big Fatty Online! Oh lord! Keeper of the podcasting universe! Lovable character who likes puppet shows.
Blime Time This is the gay lifestyle show that has been called the "top 5 cacklecast", "irreverent and goofy", and "a drunken debacle of the highest order" … and it's going to make you laugh… be warned.
Chubs Gone Wild The LGBT podcast that celebrates everyone of all shapes and sizes, and recognizes that sometimes bigger IS better! Conversations, pop-culture, society, politics and more with co-hosts Matt and Tom.
Dark Forest (The) Elegant, sweet, and grounded. Take a walk in the forest today!
Enormous! Hosts K.C. and Harley explore different and unique topics about almost anything from a gay perspective. From heartfelt personal stories to honest talk about sex, and everything in between.
Foul Monkeys Irreverent commentary that always makes me laugh — but these guys really have hearts of gold.
Hello Nessa Nessa sez: A journey of life that I didn't know existed. Mix of laughing, crying, talking, and me forcing my musical tastes on the world!
Matinee Minutiae Trivia from a wide variety of classic and not-so-classic television shows and movies with hosts DJ and Toppie.
Pink Wheelnuts Visit the Fey Driver, he's always driving someplace interesting. A thoughtful, slice of life podcast.
Round the Archives Lisa and Andrew's "Round the Archive" is a fun romp through international television, nostalgia, and pop culture; also collecting, a great variety of fascinating articles contributed by a revolving roster of fellow TV & pop culture lovers.
ScreamQueenz Your host Patrick, from New York City, has a lively, fun — GAY — personality and he digs them crazy spooky movies! I love it!
Secretly Timid Entertaining, smart and sassy episodes — every time! Great group podcast!
Shy Life Podcast (The) Enter the bizarre world of Mr Shy Yeti. You will meet his friends, hear tales of his life, his travels – and if you're good he might even read you one of his daft poems!
Space Soldiers Podcast Andy & Martin present a commentary podcast featuring the science-fiction serials that featured in cinemas in the 1930s.
Surely You Jest This is DJ Starsage's (Matinee Minutiae) personal journal podcast. A nice little slice of life show from out of Chateaux Starsage over there in "Not-Quite-Apple-Country."
Tastes Like Burning One of the very best slice of life podcasts from a gay couple: Tastes Like Burning! A couple of guys who happen to be a couple. With commentary on life, love, and everything in between.
Toppie's most frequently used characters and themes
anxiety audio Aunt Tappie billy billy snicker-snicker christmas computers conflict Cricket Delores depression failure family fey driver friendship gay gay podcast halloween jose's hideaway jose santos love mental illness mystery Paul Chandler Pickle Hollow podcasting pride48 queer Quentin Quill relationships Roger Bunting sassy sassy mcsass-sass Sheriff Bragstone smellcast smellie soundscape Stick it Out Your Back Door summer tappie daniel toppie toppiesmellie toppie smellie walt walter snicker-snicker


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Gamified Energy Management App HomeBeat Uses Analytics and Engagement to Save Energy
When summer temperatures spike and air conditioners run full throttle, the demand for electricity strains the power grid. Utilities try to manage these peak times of power demand with an approach called demand response: industrial users and residential customers are encouraged to cut back on their power use to ease the load on the grid. But it's not enough to ask people to curtail their electricity use. Customers need incentives. That's where energy analytics company Bidgely enters the picture.
Bidgely has developed an app that turns demand response into a game that people can play on their smartphones. The California company's app, HomeBeat, shows homeowner their baseline energy usage, and also shows a target they should strive to reach, according to Utility Dive. When a peak power event occurs, the app encourages consumer engagement in power-saving activity through a combination of psychological cues, financial incentives, and an innate sense of competition that can be a motivator for many people. Beyond offering cash rewards for saving energy, the app shows progress toward reaching goals, and encourages some friendly competition by comparing a user's energy savings against those of neighbors.
Bidgely piloted its app in partnership with United Energy, the electric utility serving Melbourne, Australia. It's the third year that United Energy has used HomeBeat and the utility's experiences with the app show both benefits and shortcomings that are instructive to others considering a gamified approach to demand response. Last summer, HomeBeat helped the utility reduce the electricity load by 30 percent last summer. That's good. But United Energy initially had a hard time recruiting customers to the program. If too few customers sign up, participation won't be meaningful enough to make a dent in power demand.
Also, United Energy told Utility Dive that some customers who were initially enthusiastic about saving power at the start of a peak event did not sustain those efforts throughout, leading to appliances and other energy-sucking devices drawing power while the grid was still strained. The utility solved that problem by offering an additional reward to incentivize continued energy-saving behavior.
HomeBeat is apparently catching on with United Energy customers. In the three years that the utility has offered the program, customer participation in HomeBeat has grown from just 30 to more than 1,000. As other utilities look for ways that they can manage demand response, United Energy's use of HomeBeat stands as an example of the role gamification play in saving energy.
Need help with behavioral science and gamification? Get in touch with our boutique consulting agency Dopamine.
The post Gamifying Home Energy Management with Homebeat appeared first on Gamification Co.
Author: Heong Weng Mak
Source: http://www.gamification.co/2016/06/21/gamifying-the-grid-how-homebeat-uses-analytics-and-engagement-to-save-energy/


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On the ICC: "Turning Up the Heat in Darfur," The Guardian (on-line), July 17, 2008
17 July 2008 | Selected Blog Entries | Author: ereeves | 858 words
The prosecutor for the International Criminal Court, following a three-year investigation, has charged the president of the Sudanese regime, Omar al-Bashir, with genocide and crimes against humanity. Whatever the implications of this unprecedented action for the future of Khartoum's National Islamic Front, there are good reasons for believing that the ICC has struck a broader blow against the complacent conviction, prevailing in too many countries, of sovereign immunity from atrocity crimes.
But the issue of the day seems not to be these extraordinary criminal charges themselves, but how Khartoum's gnocidaire-in-chief will respond to the ICC announcement. Yet the issue has been badly framed with its focus so exclusively on Bashir. He heads a security cabal that has remained largely unchanged since it came to power by military coup in June 1989, deposing an elected government and never itself holding meaningful elections.
This ruthless hold on power has come from the unified effort of a ruling clique that also includes security chief Saleh Gosh, vice-president Ali Osman Taha (who held the Darfur portfolio from 2003-2005), and senior presidential adviser Nafi Ali Nafi (who currently oversees operations in Darfur). Although not named in Monday's announcement by the ICC prosecutor, they all know their indictment is only a matter of time. They are collectively calculating how to sustain their grip on power under the magnified scrutiny by the international community that will come as a result of the ICC announcement.
It is of course impossible to know what retaliatory measures Khartoum may contemplate or put in place. Their options are all too plentiful. Some have argued that the camps for displaced persons have become suddenly more vulnerable with the ICC announcement. These grim camps, holding more than 2.5 million people, have for many months been cauldrons of rage and despair, and awash with guns. There have long been warnings from humanitarians on the ground that they could explode at any moment. Khartoum doesn't need to wait for provocative pro-ICC demonstrations to crack down with savagery – and indeed has done so on a number of occasions. Moreover, food rations in the camps have been cut by nearly half for the past two and a half months, and the reductions are set to continue for the foreseeable future. Conditions have long been ripe for explosion.
Many humanitarians also fear for their own safety following the ICC announcement. Yet for four years aid workers have been the target of a relentless war of attrition by Khartoum, subject to harassment, obstruction, intimidation and abuse (including beatings and arrests). [They depend upon UN peacekeepers for what meagre security is provided.] But just last week, on July 8, Janjaweed militiamen carried out an extraordinarily brutal attack on a convoy of UN peacekeepers in North Darfur, all from African nations. Twenty-two people were wounded. Seven died.
As the retiring head of UN peacekeeping, Jean-Marie Guhenno, made abundantly clear in a closed-session briefing of the Security Council last Friday, the attack was extremely well-planned, carried out in an area controlled by the regime and included men wearing army khaki and traveling on horseback (signature features of the Janjaweed). Guhenno also insisted that the attack was designed not to seize weapons but to kill personnel.
This attack was not a response to the ICC announcement which hadn't yet been made – but part of a continuing effort to intimidate the hybrid UN-African Union mission (Unamid), as Khartoum had intimidated the African Union force that preceded it. The same was true of the premeditated attack on a Unamid convoy by Khartoum's regular military forces last January. The attacks are linked to one another, not to ICC actions.
Khartoum can make life more miserable for humanitarians, but the change will likely be incremental, not full-scale – again, if only because of the heightened scrutiny the ICC actions have brought. The real question is whether the UN security council will make effective use of this potent ICC announcement. Under Article 16 of the Rome Statute, the council has the power to suspend ICC investigations or prosecutions for a year, with the possibility of renewed suspension. The impending ICC arrest warrant for Bashir, with clear implications for other senior members of the regime, should be the key point of leverage for the security council in making forceful demands: that the regime cease to attack and impede deployment of Unamid; that it verifiably rein in the Janjaweed; that it end its war of attrition against humanitarians; and that it undertake good faith peace negotiations with the rebels, who must themselves be coaxed to participate in what will be an arduous process of compromise. Pressure is all Khartoum understands, and only if the regime clearly meets these benchmarks should the security council intervene in the workings of the ICC.
With its relentless and principled pursuit of those responsible for atrocity crimes, the ICC has created opportunities for political pressure that offer the people of Darfur their best chance for improved humanitarian conditions, security and a glimmering hope of peace. It is hardly surprising that the ICC announcement is overwhelmingly supported by victimized Darfuris themselves.
[Eric Reeves is author of "A Long Day's Dying: Critical Moments in the Darfur Genocide"]


Increase engagement. The VMWare team wanted to increase on-page times for its content marketing pieces and realized that interactive graphics would give them the extra attention they were looking for.
Interactive approach. The Avalaunch team took several of VMware's core content marketing stories and reproduced them across five interactive info- graphics designed to increase clicks, on-page times, and overall engagement.
Turbocharged trends. The interactive versions of the re-purposed content outperformed the static version in all of the following categories: engage- ment rates, click-through rates, and on-page-time.


JBL Marine Series Speakers are ready to take on anything Mother Nature throws your way. With Plus One™ woofers and balanced dome tweeters, you'll hear the clarity of your audio above the raucous sounds of the sea. Designed to take on the sun, sea spray and scrub downs, these powerful speakers feature waterproof motor structures, a one-piece cast-polymer basket, a sealed magnet, and rubber surrounds.
Plus One™ polypropylene cones provide more overall speaker-cone area than other cones in its class - the result is higher sensitivity, increased low-frequency output and greater musical character.


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Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 blog
The tragic crash in eastern Ukraine of Malaysia Airline Flight 17, a Boeing 777 carrying 298 people, marks the second catastrophic event this year for Malaysia Airlines. Ukrainian officials report that the plane, carrying 283 passengers and 15 crew members, was shot down by a surface-to-air missile system. While the pro-Russian rebels deny any responsibility, the Ukrainian government maintains that the pro-Russian separatists fighting to join East Ukraine with Russia shot down Flight MH17 with Russian aid. There is speculation that the rebels mistakenly identified Flight MH17 as a Ukrainian military plane, as several such planes have previously been shot down in the fighting.
Crash site of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 in eastern Ukraine
A CNN/ORC poll conducted July 17-20 found that the majority of Americans (80%) believe it is either very or somewhat likely that the missile that caused the crash was launched by a separatist group. A third (34%) hold Russia directly responsible for the crash, while a 51% consider Russia indirectly responsible. Nonetheless, only 9% want the U.S. to take military action, while 71% want sanctions, and 19% no action at all.
Public Attitudes toward Previous Incidents of Civilian Airlines Attacked by Military Forces
The MH17 incident does not mark the first occasion in which a civilian airliner has been shot down by military forces. In 1983 the Soviet air force shot down Korean Air Lines Flight 007 after it accidentally flew over Soviet air space on its way from Anchorage, Alaska to Seoul, South Korea. That incident, in which the Soviets mistook the aircraft for a spy plane engaging in hostile actions, damaged US-Soviet relations severely, compounded by the Soviets denying responsibility for the attack initially. At the time, 88% of Americans viewed the disaster as a serious threat to world peace, with 90% also feeling that the Soviets were not justified in shooting down the plane even though it had crossed into their airspace. A CBS News/NYT Poll two weeks after the incident found that 78% believed the pilots had simply made an honest mistake and did not intend to fly into Soviet airspace. In the month following the incident, 58% of Americans positively rated President Reagan's handling of the issue, and 50% favored cancelling an agreement to sell $9 billion dollars of grain to the Soviets. An isolated incident in New York and New Jersey in which officials denied the Soviet foreign minister the right to land at their municipal airports garnered the support of 75% of America, underlining the Cold War animosity between the two superpowers. However, Americans stopped short of calling for significant diplomatic and military actions, with six in ten against breaking off diplomatic relations with Russia or calling off arms control talks. On July 3, 1988, the USS Vincennes shot down Iran Air Flight 655 over the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf. In that case, the Vincennes had engaged the Iranian Navy in disputed waters in the Strait of Hormuz and pursued the Iranian speedboats into Iranian waters when Air Flight 655 flew into the area. The USS Vincennes mistakenly shot it down, claiming it appeared to be a hostile aircraft. ABC News/Washington Post Poll taken that month found that while three-quarters of Americans believed Iran should receive most of the blame for the incident, about 6 in 10 thought that the United States should apologize to Iran for the incident.
Air Safety in the Wake of Disaster
The Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 tragedy comes on the heels of another Malaysia Airlines disaster earlier this year in which flight MH 370 disappeared over the Indian Ocean in March. The plane has not yet been recovered. A poll conducted shortly after the incident found consumer confidence in the airline industry as a whole remained unshaken, with 73% saying they felt that the safety of commercial flight was good or excellent. The public has been asked to rate the safety of commercial airline travel after several major plane crashes since 1985. During this time, two-thirds or more gave positive ratings despite the events in question, with one exception: shortly after 9/11, positive ratings of the safety of air travel dropped to 56%.
Public rating of overall safety record of commercial airline travel
Roper Center iPOLL database
Specific collections cited: CBS News, CBS News/NY Times, Reason Foundation/Arthur N. Rupe Foundation, ORC, Harris Surveys, ABC/Washington Post
Missile downs Malaysia Airlines plane over Ukraine, killing 298; Kiev blames rebels http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/malaysia-airlines-plane-disappears-over-ukraine-feared-shot-down-by-missile/2014/07/17/0fffe1e6-0dcb-11e4-8341-b8072b1e7348_story.html
The downing of Flight 007: 30 years later, a Cold War tragedy still seems surreal http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/31/us/kal-fight-007-anniversary/
U.S. warship downs Iranian passenger jet http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/us-warship-downs-iranian-passenger-jet
MH17 crash: Rebels hand over black boxes http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/21/world/europe/ukraine-malaysia-airlines-crash/


I know people don't like negative reviews, but I bought the full series at quite a price and I am becoming sorry I did so.
This show has many attractive elements. I thoroughly enjoyed watching season 1.
The writing in Season 2 is dreadful. It is as if the original idea proposed by Jean Marsh and Eileen Atkins was all used up by the end of season 1. Every plot point is telegraphed; there are no surprises. The melodrama is cheesy without being delightfully so - the music is godawful. Many of the stories are disconnected from each other. One feels that the writers slammed their ideas together at high speed without reference to how real people would react were they part of these stories. Such a waste of such fine actors, such beautiful design and such a lovely concept. It is almost as though the writers don't believe in the characters and don't like them. I'm not sure I'm going to make it through to the end.
The last major drama series to be made at BBC Television Centre.


But when he hears you say the words �I love you� for the first time, he feels the weight of a whole new host of ways he could potentially hurt, disappoint, or let you down. It�s not your feelings of affection that scare him; it�s the fact that you�ve reached a point in the relationship where he could hurt you real bad if he screws up, leaves or can�t provide for you.... A good sign you're in love is when you "never [want] to leave your significant other, even for a few hours," Bilotta says. Because when you're in love, you truly enjoy each other's company.
When you love someone from the depth of your heart, poetry comes to help you say it. You really do not have to be a great poet or a singer. You just have to pour your feeling from the depth of your heart into lines for a poetry and into any known song and sing it for your partner to show your feelings of love for the perfect one.
But when he hears you say the words �I love you� for the first time, he feels the weight of a whole new host of ways he could potentially hurt, disappoint, or let you down. It�s not your feelings of affection that scare him; it�s the fact that you�ve reached a point in the relationship where he could hurt you real bad if he screws up, leaves or can�t provide for you.
So here are my 3 ways to say I love you without words. Actions Speak Louder Than Words: Ways To Say I Love You Romantic Evenings At Home : Nothing says I love you like a romantic evening at home with soft lighting, the right music and and nice homemade dinner made with care.
Tell him what you like about him/your relationship. If he seems a little discouraged after you tell him you aren�t ready to say those three little words, tell him he has nothing to worry about because you love being with him.


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Trial for pair accused of murdering homeless Maghera man
Two Maghera teenagers are to stand trial accused of murdering a vulnerable homeless man whose body was discovered in a former parochial house.
08:59:00 17 Jan 2020
Caolan Michael Johnston (18) of The Fort and Adrian Kozack (19) of Craigmore Heights, are jointly accused of murdering Piotr Krowka in April 2018.
The thirty-six-year-old Polish national suffered what police described as "a sustained, violent, assault causing his death".
Mr Krowka was last seen alive at about 9pm on 31 March 2018, when he was followed by a person. Some sort of scuffle or confrontation occurred, and the person ran off, seeking assistance from others congregating in the area.
Police found Mr Krowka's body on the afternoon 3 April 3, and a post mortem revealed death was caused by "blunt force trauma" to his head, chest, abdomen and left arm.
There was also evidence that a sharp weapon was used and pressure applied to his neck. Police at the time said a group calling itself the "Maghera mafia" had been terrorising the community with anti-social behaviour.
Johnston, who was a youth at the time, and Kozack were arrested within days. While both spent a short spell remanded in custody, they were later released on strict bail terms.
The case against them was listed for a committal hearing at Magherafelt Magistrates Court, during which it was expected they would be returned for trial. However, a prosecuting lawyer applied for an adjournment and a new committal date is to be fixed.
District Judge Oonagh Mullan remanded both accused on continuing bail to return to court on February 19.


Building a winning brand amongst Clients: Increase customer loyalty by treating them in a fair, honest and responsive manner.
Higher employee productivity: Treating employees in a responsible and fair way fosters employee morale and commitment. A socially responsible approach is a winning argument in the battle for talent.
Improved local government and regulatory relations: Less delays in planning procedures because social objectives are understood and addressed.
SDL recognise the importance of maintaining their operation to ensure the safety of the environment. The Company recognises that effective management of our environment makes good business sense and, as such, is a fundamental and integral part of our business strategy.
In addition we seek to provide an open channel of communication with local residents throughout the length of a project, with regular newsletter updates on any matters that may have an impact on them.
People are our key asset. We pride ourselves on our staff retention rate and encourage every member of the team to develop through a structured training, development and reward programme, which we are continually evolving. Our staff regularly attends CITB training courses at both vocational and managerial levels.
All our subcontractors are tried and tested and subject to regular checks and assessments. We also spend a considerable amount of time and effort in surveying the market for new subcontractors to ensure that our clients continue to receive the best value for money.


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Test ID: ARSAW Arylsulfatase A, Leukocytes
Arylsulfatase A, Leukocytes
Preferred enzymatic test for detection of arylsulfatase A deficiency
This test is not suitable for carrier detection.
Metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD) is a lysosomal storage disorder caused by a deficiency of the enzyme arylsulfatase A (ARSA), which leads to the accumulation of sulfatides (both galactosyl and lactosyl sulfatide) in the white matter of the central nervous system, the peripheral nervous system, and, to a lesser extent, in visceral organs including the kidney and gallbladder. Cells that produce myelin are especially affected causing the characteristic leukodystrophy seen in MLD. Patients with MLD excrete excessive amounts of sulfatides in their urine.
The 3 clinical forms of MLD are late-infantile, juvenile, and adult, depending on age of onset. All forms result in progressive neurologic changes and leukodystrophy demonstrated on magnetic resonance imaging. Late-infantile MLD is the most common (50%-60% of cases) and usually presents before 30 months of age with hypotonia, clumsiness, diminished reflexes, and slurred speech. Progressive neurodegeneration occurs and, unless successfully treated, most patients do not survive past childhood. Juvenile MLD (20%-30% of cases) is characterized by onset between 30 months to 16 years old. Presenting features are behavior problems, declining school performance, clumsiness, and slurred speech. Neurodegeneration occurs at a somewhat slower and more variable rate than the late-infantile form. Adult MLD (15%-20% of cases) has an onset after puberty and can be as late as the fourth or fifth decade. Presenting features are often behavior and personality changes, including psychiatric symptoms. Clumsiness, neurologic symptoms, and seizures are also common. The disease course has variable progression and may occur over 2 to 3 decades. The disease prevalence is estimated to be approximately 1 in 100,000.
MLD is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by variants in the ARSA gene. This disorder is distinct from conditions caused by deficiencies of arylsulfatase B (Maroteaux-Lamy disease) and arylsulfatase C (steroid sulfatase deficiency). Saposin B deficiency is a rare autosomal recessive disorder with symptoms that mimic MLD; however, the ARSA enzyme level is normal. Like MLD, patients with saposin B deficiency can excrete excessive amounts of sulfatides in their urine. Individuals with multiple sulfatase deficiency, which is clinically distinct from MLD, will also have deficiency of arylsulfatase A, however, other sulfatase enzymes will also be deficient.
Individuals with "pseudodeficiency" of ARSA have very low levels of ARSA activity but are otherwise healthy. Pseudodeficiency is being recognized with increasing frequency among patients with other apparently unrelated neurologic conditions as well as among the general population, therefore a diagnosis of MLD cannot be based upon reduced ARSA activity alone To confirm a diagnosis, additional studies, such as molecular genetic testing of ARSA (CGPH / Custom Gene Panel, Hereditary, Next-Generation Sequencing, Varies; specify Gene List ID: IEMCP-WHFH2K), urinary excretion of sulfatides (CTSU / Ceramide Trihexosides and Sulfatides, Random, Urine), and/or histological analysis for metachromatic lipid deposits in nervous system tissue are recommended.
Current treatment options for MLD are focused on managing disease manifestations such as seizures, decline in mobility and cognitive ability, and feeding difficulties. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is an option but outcomes are dependent on the clinical stage and the presence of neurologic symptoms.
Reduced levels of arylsulfatase A are seen in patients with metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD), however some patients with MLD may have normal results by this method.
Individuals with pseudodeficiency of arylsulfatase A can have results in the affected range but are otherwise unaffected with MLD.
Abnormal results and/or clinical suspicion should be confirmed using CTSU / Ceramide Trihexosides and Sulfatides, Random, Urine. If molecular confirmation is desired, consider molecular genetic testing of ARSA (CGPH / Custom Gene Panel, Hereditary, Next-Generation Sequencing, Varies; specify Gene List ID: IEMCP-WHFH2K).
Testing Algorithm
See Lysosomal Storage Disorders Diagnostic Algorithm, Part 2
Preanalytical processing: Monday through Saturday
Assay performed: Tuesday
1. Gieselmann V, Ingeborg KM: Metachromatic leukodystrophy. In: Valle D, Antonarakis S, Ballabio A, Beaudet A, Mitchell GA, eds. The Online Metabolic and Molecular Bases of Inherited Disease. McGraw-Hill; 2019. Accessed March 29, 2021. Available at https://ommbid.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?sectionid=225546629
2. Gomez-Ospina N: Arylsulfatase A deficiency. In: Adam MP, Ardinger HH, Pagon RA, et al, eds. GeneReviews [Internet]. University of Washington, Seattle; Updated April 30, 2020. Accessed March 29, 2021. Available at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK1130/
3. Fumagalli F, Zambon AA, Rancoita PMV, et al. Metachromatic leukodystrophy: A single-center longitudinal study of 45 patients. J Inherit Metab Dis. 2021 Sep;44(5):1151-1164. doi: 10.1002/jimd.12388
4. van Rappard DF, Boelens JJ, Wolf NI: Metachromatic leukodystrophy: Disease spectrum and approaches for treatment. Best Pract Res Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2015 Mar;29(2):261-273. doi: 10.1016/j.beem.2014.10.001
Colorimetric Enzyme Assay
Whole Blood ACD
Shipping Instructions
For optimal isolation of leukocytes, it is recommended the specimen arrive refrigerated within 6 days of collection to be stabilized. Collect specimen Monday through Thursday only and not the day before a holiday. Specimen should be collected and packaged as close to shipping time as possible.
Container/Tube:
Preferred: Yellow top (ACD solution B)
Acceptable: Yellow top (ACD solution A)
Collection Instructions: Send specimen in original tube. Do not aliquot.
Whole Blood ACD Refrigerated (preferred) 6 days YELLOW TOP/ACD
Ambient 6 days YELLOW TOP/ACD
Informed Consent for Genetic Testing
Biochemical Genetics Patient Information
Informed Consent for Genetic Testing (Spanish)
Lysosomal Storage Disorders Diagnostic Algorithm, Part 2
≥62 nmol/h/mg
Note: Results from this assay may not reflect carrier status because of individual variation of arylsulfatase A enzyme levels. Low normal values may be due to the presence of pseudodeficiency or carrier alleles. Patients with these depressed levels may be phenotypically normal.
ARSAW Arylsulfatase A, Leukocytes 24078-8
8779 Arylsulfatase A, Leukocytes 24078-8
32438 Reason for referral 42349-1
32439 Reviewed by 18771-6
1. New York Clients-Informed consent is required. Document on the request form or electronic order that a copy is on file. The following documents are available:
-Informed Consent for Genetic Testing (T576)
-Informed Consent for Genetic Testing-Spanish (T826)
2. Biochemical Genetics Patient Information (T602)
3. If not ordering electronically, complete, print, and send a Biochemical Genetics Test Request (T798) with the specimen.
mml-Demyelinating-Diseases, mml-Pediatric, mml-Spinal-Cord, mml-Neurometabolic, mml-Neuro-ophthalmology


Packed with Christian advice for girls ages 10-12, the Christian Girl's Guide to Manners will show you how to be a poised and polished girl after God's own heart! Become the good-mannered girl God made you to be, and have fun with the devotionals, quizzes, and crafts along the way!
Learning about grace and proper manners is not just for the princesses in movies. The Girl's Guide to Manners focuses on tips to help you become poised and polished in the ways you conduct yourself around others and in your faith. It teaches respect, how to address others, and warns against gossip and other behaviors to avoid. The Girl's Guide to Manners is filled with stories, quizzes, puzzles, crafts, recipes, Bible verses, and activities to help you become refined and confident. You might surprise your family and friends with a whole new you!


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UPDATE: Five bears killed on Haida Gwaii since April, attractant audit shows
Wildlife group wants body cams on B.C. conservation officers after 4,300 bears killed in 8 years
An environmental group is sounding the alarm over the number of bears and cougars killed by the B.C. Conservation Officer Service in recent years and calling for the province to outfit officers with body cameras while on the job.
B.C.'s conservation officers have killed roughly 4,300 black bears and 160 grizzly bears since 2011, according to provincial data. Roughly 780 cougars have also been killed.
In an open letter to Environment Minister George Heyman, Pacific Wild, a wildlife protection group for the Great Bear Rainforest, said it wants to see greater independent oversight of the actions by conservation officers, including the implementation of cameras by April 1.
"The current kill statistics are alarming and do not reflect the modern-day values of British Columbians," the group's executive director Ian McAllister said in a news release. "To provide transparency, ensure public trust and to protect the integrity of conservation officers, we are calling on the minister to make body-cameras mandatory and independent oversight a top priority for 2020."
The open letter comes after the ministry released findings from an audit which looked at bear attractants in efforts to reduce human-wildlife conflicts in the province. The audit, which reviewed bear activity in the summer and fall of 2019, resulted in more than 700 inspections, 75 warnings, and 355 orders for property owners to remove bear attractants.
READ MORE: B.C. bear feeding crackdown finds hundreds of human offenders
Since April 1, 2019, five bears have been killed on Haida Gwaii, all attractant related.
Conservation officers conducted eight attractant audits on Haida Gwaii from Sept. 1 2019 – Nov. 1 2019 spanning over several days.
Audits focused mainly on community and public spaces (parks and schools) in every Haida Gwaii community, commercial facilities (restaurants and stores and residential neighbourhoods) – where bear activity was frequent and attractants were noted.
"During the attractant audits several compliance concerns were noted and follow up will occur in the spring. CO's also delivered attractant and bear aware presentations to students in Skidegate and Port Clements," stated A/Sgt. Chris Hamlyn of the Integrated Natural Resource Compliance and Enforcement Unit, Conservation Officer Service.
In the West Coast region, which includes Haida Gwaii, Vancouver Island and the Bella Coola area, 95 enforcement actions took place.
Enforcement actions range from warnings, to requests to clean up bear attractants to issuing tickets.
Terrace CO's conducted proactive residential attractant audits in both Prince Rupert and Port Edward totalling four hours over several visits from Sept. 1 – Nov. 15.
During this time two DWPO's (Dangerous Wildlife Protection Orders) were issued for insecure attractants.
No bears were destroyed.
READ MORE: Black bears shot by residents in Old Massett
Heyman said in a statement that "not a single conservation officer relishes the thought of having to put down an animal, which is always a last resort for public safety."
But Bryce Casavant, a policy analyst with Pacific Wild and former conservation officer, said in a statement that he disagrees with Heyman, calling it "unreasonable to believe that, including juvenile bear cubs, over 4,000 black bears were killed 'as a last resort.'" In addition to body cameras, Pacific Wild is calling for the agency to suspend its use of ministerial communications and for the agency to be under regular independent review.
In an emailed statement to Black Press Media, the ministry said that public safety is the top priority when an officer deals with a wildlife conflict.
"Bears and cubs that have lost their fear of people, or are conditioned to human food sources, are not good candidates for relocation or rehabilitation, as they can be far too dangerous," the statement reads.
The ministry did not say whether it is considering the use of body cameras but said that education is the best way to prevent wildlife conflicts and that it will complete another set of attractant audits in the spring.
with files from Jenna Cocullo
Jenna Cocullo | Journalist
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PHOTO: CN Rail train derails near Kitwanga
Happy faces all around for new Haida Emoji phone app


A big welcome to Chem Cryst to our new cohort of Part II students for 2017/18: Kiaora Tolmie, Lewis Morgan, Gwenno Jones, Han Xu, James Bird and Oli Bar! And welcome back to one of last year's Part II students, George Sackman, as he starts his D.Phil. studies.
The triennial congress of the International Union of Crystallography was held in Hyderabad over 8 days in August 2017.


Morgan Stanley can follow Goldman and Santander that have recently unveiled their plans to leave R3 consortium.
The report says that a growing number of institutional players from the global financial space are moving towards investing in Bitcoin and the overall cryptocurrency market.
The bank joins its rival Goldman Sachs and becomes the second major Wall Street firm to launch clearing crypto contracts.


The Bottom Line: I was pleasantly surprised by the X Max Starry because it delivered a much more premium experience than I was expecting. It provides great vapor and nice clouds, all with features like haptic feedback and precise temperature control. Usually budget vapes are only just decent but the Starry raises the bar for this sub-category of dry herb vaporizers.
The Starry includes a convenient removable battery that can be replaced with a new one when it dies.
Replacement batteries and replacement mouthpieces are some of the official accessories available for the X Max. You probably won't need the new mouthpieces, at least for a while, but replacement batteries are a convenient addition that will get a lot of use.
My favorite grinder is the SLX because of how evenly and consistently it grinds down my herb. That's the kind of functionality the X Max Starry—or any other weed vape—can use. The SLX is available for sale on Amazon.
The swiveling mouthpiece of the Starry is made from zirconia and is good for both portability and vapor quality.
General Design: The Starry has a fairly standard rectangular shape, but it has a non-standard swivelling mouthpiece on the top. If you read my Crafty/Mighty review, then you know that I love this kind of mouthpiece both for the extra portability it brings and the way it feels. This one is made of zirconia, so there is some heat resistance going on there as well. The Starry is a little over four inches in height so it easily slips into your pocket, though the concave body makes it feel a little bulky.
Ease of Use: The Starry has precise temperature control and a digital screen, so operating it is pretty simple. Loading it is just as simple because of the beveled edge on the oven that prevents the herb from spilling to the sides. The magnetic mouthpiece also helps since you can easily remove it from—and stick it to—the Starry when you're ready to load the chamber. The removable 18650 battery is just icing on the cake since you can remove it and replace it when it dies.
Build Quality: The Starry is made from anodized aluminum, which is pretty impressive for a dry herb vape in this price range. Many vapes in this range are usually made from plastic. As I said earlier, the mouthpiece is made of zirconia so it stays cool no matter what temperature you choose to vape at.
Cleaning and maintaining the Starry is, thankfully, very simple. You can use the included cleaning brush to clean the oven and the mouthpiece. It is better to do this after a session, while they're warm but not hot because if you wait for them to cool down, the residue will become sticky and harder to clean. For a more thorough cleaning, you can wipe down the chamber with a pad dipped in isopropyl alcohol and soak the screens and mouthpiece in that same liquid.
The mouthpiece of the Starry is easily removed because it is magnetically attached.
Open the mouthpiece section to reveal the herb chamber.
Fill the herb chamber and then close the mouthpiece.
Press the power button for three seconds to turn on the device.
Select your desired temperature using the control buttons.
Once heating is complete, the device will vibrate, at which time you inhale from the mouthpiece to start vaping.
The vapor quality of the Starry is surprisingly good considering its low, affordable price.
Vaporizer Performance: The Starry heats up very quickly, at about twenty five seconds for the lower temperature ranges and roughly thirty five for the upper ranges. Temperature insulation is very good for both the body of the device and the mouthpiece, so you can comfortably hold on to it for multiple sessions.
Vapor Quality: I was surprised and impressed—in a good way—by the vapor quality of the Starry. For a so-called budget vape, it produced some great flavor and some nice clouds. If you want more of the former, then I suggest you select temps in the 370° to 390° range, but if it's the latter you want, then it's 400° and up. Either way, you're getting some of the best vapor quality from a vaporizer in this price range.
Battery Performance: The 2600 mAh battery can last for about eighty minutes on average and takes about ninety to recharge. Those are pretty good numbers but if the recharge time seems too long, then you can just swap out the dead battery for a fresh one.
The Vapium Lite and the Pulsar APX are two of the better vapes that cost less than $100. At just barely under $100, the Starry is the most expensive vape here, but not by much. It is the only one with precise temperature control and has the best mouthpiece. The other two are pretty good though, and provide nice vapor quality at a decent price.
The X Max Starry is one of the best vapes you can buy for—just—under $100. It has the build quality and vapor quality that you would expect in vapes that cost nearly twice as much. It also gives you precise temperature control, haptic feedback, and a digital readout. If you don't want to spend a high price for high quality, then the Starry is one of the best choices available.
Who is it for: Anyone who wants a high quality weed vape for an affordable price. Vapers who want a vape that provides good vapor that is also highly portable.
Who is it NOT for: Anyone who wants an even less expensive vaporizer. Vapers who prefer convection or hybrid heating.


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Assurant Reports Preliminary Third Quarter 2022 Financial Results
Provides Revised 2022 Outlook for Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EPS, Both Ex. Catastrophes
NEW YORK, October 25, 2022 — Assurant, Inc. (NYSE: AIZ), a leading global business services company that supports, protects and connects major consumer purchases, today announced preliminary third quarter 2022 results and an updated outlook for full-year 2022.
"Preliminary third quarter 2022 results came in below our expectations in Global Lifestyle, reflecting the challenging global macroeconomic environment. Foreign exchange remained a headwind in the quarter, and the combination of lower program volumes and higher claims costs in select regions reduced profitability. While we experienced elevated catastrophe losses, underlying performance in Global Housing was aligned with our expectations," said Assurant President and CEO Keith Demmings.
"Looking at the full year, we still expect Global Lifestyle to generate high single-digit growth, and we are repositioning Global Housing to drive improved results in the future, with signs of early progress in the third quarter. We have continued simplifying our business portfolio, strengthening key client partnerships, and sustaining strong employee engagement. As challenging market conditions are likely to persist, we are taking decisive action to realize additional expense efficiencies and better position Assurant for sustained profitable growth next year," Demmings added.
Preliminary Third Quarter 2022 Results
Note: As previously disclosed, the company revised all quarterly and annual results for full year 2020 through first quarter 2022 to reflect certain changes. More information and a full reconciliation of certain historical revised key measures of performance and metrics can be found in the second quarter 2022 Financial Supplement located on Assurant's Investor Relations website: https://ir.assurant.com/investor/default.aspx.
References to net income, including to net income per diluted share, throughout this news release refer to net income from continuing operations. Some of the metrics throughout this news release are non-GAAP measures of performance. A full reconciliation of each non-GAAP measure to the most comparable GAAP measure can be found in the Non-GAAP Financial Measures section.
For the third quarter 2022, GAAP net income and GAAP net income per diluted share are expected to decline year-over-year, primarily due to the absence of net unrealized gains from Assurant Ventures in third quarter 2021 and an increase in net realized losses from sales of fixed maturity securities.
Adjusted EBITDA1 is expected to decrease compared to the prior year period due to reduced segment earnings and higher reportable catastrophes. The company expects to record $124 million pre-tax in reportable catastrophes for the third quarter 2022 primarily related to Hurricane Ian. This includes the company's $80 million pre-tax per-event retention and $35 million of associated reinstatement premiums to restore up to Layer 3 of the company's U.S. catastrophe reinsurance program.
Global Lifestyle Adjusted EBITDA is expected to decrease year-over-year largely reflecting the challenging macroeconomic environment. Excluding a one-time $11 million client contract benefit in the quarter, underlying results were impacted by unfavorable foreign exchange in Asia Pacific and Europe, higher claims costs in Connected Living and reduced mobile trade-in margins that are expected to normalize in the fourth quarter. This was partially offset by continued mobile subscriber growth in North America.
Global Housing Adjusted EBITDA is expected to decrease year-over-year primarily due to higher reportable catastrophes. Excluding reportable catastrophes, Global Housing Adjusted EBITDA2 is expected to decrease primarily due to higher non-catastrophe loss experience across all major products, including prior period loss development. In lender-placed, the elevated loss experience, as well as higher catastrophe reinsurance costs, are expected to be largely offset by higher average insured values and premium rates.
Adjusted earnings, excluding reportable catastrophes, per diluted share4, is expected to decrease year-over-year, as lower earnings are expected to be partially offset by share repurchase activity.
As of September 30, 2022, holding company liquidity is expected to total $529 million, or $304 million above the company's current targeted minimum level of $225 million. Share repurchases and common stock dividends amounted to $117 million in third quarter 2022, which included the repurchase of 500 thousand shares of common stock for $80 million and the payment of $37 million in common stock dividends.
Updated Full-Year 2022 Outlook5
Based on current market conditions, for full-year 2022, the company now expects Adjusted EBITDA, excluding reportable catastrophes, to be modestly down to flat compared to 2021 results. Global Lifestyle is expected to grow high single-digits despite more substantial headwinds from unfavorable foreign exchange and lower international contributions than originally anticipated.
The company now expects Adjusted earnings, excluding reportable catastrophes, per diluted share, to grow high single-digits due to lower earnings, partially offset by share repurchase activity.
Looking ahead, Assurant is implementing several initiatives to drive greater expense efficiencies and position the company for profitable growth in 2023. These include actions to optimize its organizational structure, real estate rationalization and targeted investments to accelerate the adoption of digital-first solutions to deliver a superior customer experience and drive operational efficiencies.
Third Quarter 2022 Results and Conference Call
The third quarter 2022 results will be announced after-market on Tuesday, November 1, 2022, with the earnings conference call and webcast to be held on Wednesday, November 2, 2022 at 8:00 a.m. ET. The live and archived webcast, along with supplemental information, will be available on Assurant's Investor Relations website:
https://ir.assurant.com/investor/default.aspx
Assurant, Inc. (NYSE: AIZ) is a leading global business services company that supports, protects and connects major consumer purchases. A Fortune 500 company with a presence in 21 countries, Assurant supports the advancement of the connected world by partnering with the world's leading brands to develop innovative solutions and to deliver an enhanced customer experience through mobile device solutions, extended service contracts, vehicle protection services, renters insurance, lender-placed insurance products and other specialty products.
Learn more at assurant.com or on Twitter @Assurant.
Senior Vice President, Global Enterprise Communications
Stacie Sherer
Vice President, Corporate Communications
stacie.sherer@assurant.com
Investor Relations Contacts:
Senior Vice President, Investor Relations and Sustainability
Sean MoshierVice President, Investor RelationsPhone: 914.204.2253
sean.moshier@assurant.com
Some of the statements in this news release and its exhibits, including our business and financial plans and any statements regarding the company's anticipated future financial performance, business prospects, growth and operating strategies and similar matters, may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
You can identify forward-looking statements by the use of words such as "outlook," "objective," "will," "may," "can," "anticipates," "expects," "estimates," "projects," "intends," "plans," "believes," "targets," "forecasts," "potential," "approximately," and the negative version of those words and other words and terms with a similar meaning. Any forward-looking statements contained in this news release or its exhibits are based upon our historical performance and on current plans, estimates and expectations. The inclusion of this forward-looking information should not be regarded as a representation by us or any other person that our future plans, estimates or expectations will be achieved. Our actual results might differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update or review any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or other developments. The following factors could cause our actual results to differ materially from those currently estimated by management, including those projected in the company outlook:
(i) the loss of significant clients, distributors or other parties with whom we do business, or if we are unable to renew contracts with them on favorable terms, or if those parties face financial, reputational or regulatory issues;
(ii) significant competitive pressures, changes in customer preferences and disruption;
(iii) the failure to execute our strategy, including through the continuing service of key executives, senior leaders, highly-skilled personnel and a high-performing workforce;
(iv) the failure to find suitable acquisitions at attractive prices, integrate acquired businesses effectively or identify new areas for organic growth;
(v) our inability to recover should we experience a business continuity event;
(vi) the failure to manage vendors and other third parties on whom we rely to conduct business and provide services to our clients;
(vii) risks related to our international operations;
(viii) declines in the value of mobile devices, or export compliance or other risks in our mobile business;
(ix) our inability to develop and maintain distribution sources or attract and retain sales representatives and executives with key client relationships;
(x) risks associated with joint ventures, franchises and investments in which we share ownership and management with third parties;
(xi) the impact of catastrophe and non-catastrophe losses, including as a result of the current inflationary environment and climate change;
(xii) negative publicity relating to our business or industry;
(xiii) the impact of general economic, financial market and political conditions and conditions in the markets in which we operate, including the current inflationary environment (that has increased the costs of paying claims, including for materials and labor, as well as our employee wages), any prolonged recessionary environment and the conflict in Ukraine;
(xiv) the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and measures taken in response thereto;
(xv) the adequacy of reserves established for claims and our inability to accurately predict and price for claims;
(xvi) a decline in financial strength ratings of our insurance subsidiaries or in our corporate senior debt ratings;
(xvii) fluctuations in exchange rates, including in the current environment;
(xviii) an impairment of goodwill or other intangible assets;
(xix) the failure to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting;
(xx) unfavorable conditions in the capital and credit markets;
(xxi) a decrease in the value of our investment portfolio, including due to market, credit and liquidity risks, and changes in interest rates;
(xxii) an impairment in the value of our deferred tax assets;
(xxiii) the unavailability or inadequacy of reinsurance coverage and the credit risk of reinsurers, including those to whom we have sold business through reinsurance;
(xxiv) the credit risk of some of our agents, third-party administrators and clients;
(xxv) the inability of our subsidiaries to pay sufficient dividends to the holding company and limitations on our ability to declare and pay dividends or repurchase shares;
(xxvi) limitations in the analytical models we use to assist in our decision-making;
(xxvii) the failure to effectively maintain and modernize our information technology systems and infrastructure, or the failure to integrate those of acquired businesses;
(xxviii) breaches of our information systems or those of third parties with whom we do business, or the failure to protect the security of data in such systems, including due to cyberattacks and as a result of working remotely;
(xxix) the costs of complying with, or the failure to comply with, extensive laws and regulations to which we are subject, including those related to privacy, data security, data protection or tax;
(xxx) the impact of litigation and regulatory actions;
(xxxi) reductions or deferrals in the insurance premiums we charge;
(xxxii) changes in insurance, tax and other regulations, including the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022;
(xxxiii) volatility in our common stock price and trading volume; and
(xxxiv) employee misconduct.
For additional information on factors that could affect our actual results, please refer to the factors identified in the reports we file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including the risk factors identified in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.
Assurant uses the following non-GAAP financial measures to analyze the company's operating performance. Assurant's non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for GAAP financial measures. Because Assurant's calculation of these measures may differ from similar measures used by other companies, investors should be careful when comparing Assurant's non-GAAP financial measures to those of other companies.
(1) Assurant uses Adjusted EBITDA as an important measure of the company's operating performance. Assurant defines Adjusted EBITDA as net income from continuing operations, excluding net realized losses (gains) on investments and fair value changes to equity securities, COVID-19 direct and incremental expenses, loss on extinguishment of debt, non-core operations, net income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interests, interest expense, provision (benefit) for income taxes, depreciation expense, amortization of purchased intangible assets, restructuring costs related to strategic exit activities (outside of normal periodic restructuring and cost management activities), as well as other highly variable or unusual items. The company believes this metric provides investors with an important measure of the company's operating performance because it excludes items that do not represent the ongoing operations of the company, and therefore (i) enhances management's and investors' ability to analyze the ongoing operations of its businesses and (ii) facilitates comparisons of its operating performance over multiple periods, including because the amortization expense associated with purchased intangible assets may fluctuate from period to period based on the timing, size, nature and number of acquisitions. Although the company excludes amortization of purchased intangible assets from Adjusted EBITDA, revenue generated from such intangible assets is included within the revenue in determining Adjusted EBITDA. The comparable GAAP measure is net income from continuing operations. See Note 2 below for a full reconciliation.
(2) Adjusted EBITDA, Excluding Reportable Catastrophes: Assurant uses Adjusted EBITDA (defined above), excluding reportable catastrophes (which represents individual catastrophic events that generate losses in excess of $5.0 million, pre-tax, net of reinsurance and client profit sharing adjustments and including reinstatement and other premiums), as another important measure of the company's performance. The company believes this metric provides investors with an important measure of the company's performance for the reasons noted above, and because it excludes reportable catastrophes, which can be volatile. The comparable GAAP measure is net income from continuing operations.
(1) Additional details about the components of Other adjustments and other key financial metrics throughout this news release are included in the Financial Supplement located on Assurant's Investor Relations website: https://ir.assurant.com/investor/default.aspx
(3) Adjusted Earnings per Diluted Share: Assurant uses Adjusted earnings per diluted share as an important measure of the company's stockholder value. Assurant defines Adjusted earnings per diluted share as net income from continuing operations, excluding net realized losses (gains) on investments and fair value changes to equity securities, amortization of purchased intangible assets, COVID-19 direct and incremental expenses, loss on extinguishment of debt, non-core operations, net income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interests, restructuring costs related to strategic exit activities (outside of normal periodic restructuring and cost management activities), as well as other highly variable or unusual items, plus any dilutive preferred stock dividends, divided by the weighted average diluted shares outstanding. The company believes this metric provides investors with an important measure of stockholder value because it excludes items that do not represent the ongoing operations of the company, and therefore (i) enhances management's and investors' ability to analyze the ongoing operations of its businesses and (ii) facilitates comparisons of its operating performance over multiple periods, including because the amortization expense associated with purchased intangible assets may fluctuate from period to period based on the timing, size, nature and number of acquisitions. Although the company excludes amortization of purchased intangible assets from Adjusted earnings, revenue generated from such intangible assets is included within the revenue in determining Adjusted earnings. The comparable GAAP measure is net income from continuing operations per diluted share, defined as net income from continuing operations plus any dilutive preferred stock dividends less net income from non-controlling interests, divided by the weighted average diluted shares outstanding. See Note 4 below for a full reconciliation.
(4) Adjusted Earnings, Excluding Reportable Catastrophes, per Diluted Share: Assurant uses Adjusted earnings, excluding reportable catastrophes, per diluted share (each as defined above) as another important measure of the company's stockholder value. The company believes this metric provides investors with an important measure of stockholder value for the reasons noted above, and because it excludes reportable catastrophes, which can be volatile. The comparable GAAP measure is net income from continuing operations per diluted share (defined above).
(1) Information on the share counts used in the per share calculations throughout this news release are included in the Financial Supplement located on Assurant's Investor Relations website: https://ir.assurant.com/investor/default.aspx
(5) The company outlook for Adjusted earnings, excluding reportable catastrophes, per diluted share and Adjusted EBITDA, excluding reportable catastrophes, for Assurant and Global Housing each constitute forward-looking information and the company believes that it cannot reconcile such forward-looking information to the most comparable GAAP measure without unreasonable efforts. Many of the GAAP components cannot be reliably quantified due to the combination of variability and volatility of such components and may, depending on the size of the components, have a significant impact on the reconciliation. The company is able to quantify a full-year estimate of interest expense, depreciation expense and amortization of purchased intangible assets, each on a pre-tax basis, which are expected to be approximately $107 million, $88 million and $70 million, respectively. The interest expense estimate assumes no additional debt is incurred or extinguished in the forecast period and excludes after-tax interest expenses included in debt extinguishment and other related costs.
Assurant Honors Georgia Veteran Sean Adams with 2022 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 Truck


Learn Hibernate with the easy to learn Video Tutorials. Its very easy to learn Hibernate.
In this section we have added the Hibernate video tutorials develop by us for teaching the Hibernate programming language to the developers. You can learn these tutorials online through videos. We have covered the Hibernate in detail. There are many video tutorials on Hibernate. These tutorials can be used as the online training material, which is very useful in learning the Hibernate.
Hibernate is ORM framework which is used for the development and deployment of enterprise web application for small and big size. Hibernate is proven ORM tool used in the industry for creating and deployment of applications. Hibernate can be used with JPA also. Now JPA specification supports the ORM provider such as Hibernate, iBatis etc.. So, you can use Hibernate to develop your next web and enterprise applications.
Here is the first tutorial in this series. You will the find the links of more tutorials below in this page.
Hibernate also support the different mechanism of caching. Hibernate also supports the third party caching provides such as Ehcache. You can also use the third party commercial caching provider with Hibernate framework. In our video tutorial we will show you how you can use the caching framework in your Hibernate based application.
Hibernate is very useful ORM tool which can be used to develop the persistence layer of your application easily. Hibernate generates the required sql statements in runtime and execute it against database.
If you have to retrieve the data from database, you just have to instruct the Hibernate to get the POJO object based on the certain criteria. Hibernate will generate the required select query and get the data from database in the POJO object.
So, Hibernate is very easy tool for developing the data access layer for your applications.
Introduction to Hibernate Framework and development of CRUD application.


Concealed behind the mystifying black mask is a unique fragrance composition. The zesty mandarin top notes combine with soothing aqua scents to promise a cool, fresh male fragrance at first, but later end up revealing an intensely deep and warm scent. This delicious blend of spicy heart notes and masculine amber-musk base notes will make the man irresistibly seductive.


AH Harris & Sons, Inc.
The above information about AH Harris & Sons, Inc., located at the address 420 E St, Boston, MA, is accurate and has been gathered from open sources. To contact the company via phone and get all the necessary information, call (617) 269-4800. You may visit the website http://ahharris.com/ to obtain additional information about the company.
If you wish to personally visit the office, enter the following GPS-coordinates into your car navigation system: 42.34181200, -71.04533300.
Information about the company is also available by visiting on the following categories on this website: Fiberglass Suppliers, Building Contractors, Builders, Concrete Contractors, Construction Companies, Construction Services, Contractors, Building Materials Stores, Hardware Stores, Masonry Supply Stores, Tool Stores, Home Improvement Stores, Lumber Stores, Safety Equipment Suppliers.
Near this company, there are 5 similar companies that may be of interest to you. The closest company is called Clark Construction and is located at a distance of 0.1313 miles; 0.2112 kilometers. The company farthest away is called American Ramp Systems and is located at a distance of 0.2492 miles; 0.4010 kilometers away.


text:
Press-Seal Gasket Corp. Expanding in Fort Wayne
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Press-Seal Gasket Corporation, a locally based company specializing in the design and manufacture of sealing products for underground collection systems, has announced an expansion of its manufacturing facilities in Fort Wayne. The company will close on the former Brunswick facility at 2801 W. State Blvd on June 1, 2015. Press-Seal will renovate and fully equip the additional space for manufacturing. The company will fill 38 additional jobs, adding to the company's current 175-person workforce as a result of the $3.4 million expansion.
Press-Seal Gasket Corporations President and Chairman, James Skinner, said "Our company has a sixty three (63) year record of adding and retaining high quality jobs to the Fort Wayne area and we are very proud of that. We belong to a shrinking list of family owned and led companies, currently having the third generation of the Skinner family assuming positions of leadership. This new facility acquisition positions us for future growth as we continue to diversify and enter into new markets that require precision machining and metrology".
City of Fort Wayne and Greater Fort Wayne Inc. are working to help facilitate Press-Seal Gasket's phase-in of a total estimated saving on the 10 year personal property phase-in and the 7 year real property phase-in of $245,654. City Council will be introduced the project on May 12 with discussion, public hearing and potential passage on May 26.
"The City of Fort Wayne continues to see job and business growth that's making a meaningful difference for our local economy," said Mayor Tom Henry. "Press-Seal Gasket is demonstrating a strong commitment to investing in Fort Wayne by expanding its operations and adding new jobs."
About Greater Fort Wayne Inc.
Greater Fort Wayne (GFW) Inc. serves Fort Wayne and Allen County, Indiana, as its primary point of contact for economic growth. GFW Inc. focuses on prosperity and community vibrancy through economic development, advocacy, programs and resources that support business success, leadership development, graduate retention and community engagement. To learn more, visit www.GreaterFortWayneInc.com.
Source: Greater Fort Wayne Inc.
Categories Expanding Businesses


Today's (totally) optional prompt: Groove? In it or out of it?
A groove is another word for a rut. I'm not trying to be negative here. In some cases a groove is good, such as when playing music. When you're in a musical groove, you forget about the audience, you forget about everything that you've dealt with all day, and you just let yourself flow into the musical notes and let them take you where they will. It's a beautiful thing, a musical groove.
A groove can also be helpful. When you're lost, sometimes finding the well-worn groove left by previous travelers or animals can lead you back to civilization. When a person gets out of bed in the middle of the night for a drink of water, it's the groove that helps sleepy feet remember the path to the sink and back. Routines are very important to our lives, otherwise stuff doesn't get done. Laundry piles up, the car doesn't get refilled with gas, children are late for school, and the world generally grinds to a halt if schedules and routines and habits aren't followed consistently.
But a groove can also become the same as using cruise control. You hit that button on the steering wheel and let an inanimate object take over your driving speed, so you don't have to think about how fast you are going. Let me repeat that part: you don't have to think when you're in a groove. What could possibly go wrong in this situation?
Then let's think of all the thoughtlessness in the world. The meanness. Maybe if people weren't in a groove they'd be more likely to remember their manners, be a little kinder to each other?.
I like to think about what I am doing. In fact, when I've had accidents, said something mean, or forgotten to do something, it's usually because I wasn't thinking about what I was doing. I was in a 'groove', a behavior loop, and my brain went offline. I prefer to have mindfulness, no matter how difficult it can be for an anxiety prone worrywart like me. Situational awareness is vital. I need to be able to change gears if there's a reason to do so, and I can't be an effective thinker if I'm in a rut. There needs to be balance in my life.
Sometimes it's better if I walk next to the groove instead of in the rut.
I like your literal interpretation of the word groove. I didn't think about it this way. I love how you end your post. I, too, would rather stay IN the groove by forging my own path OUT of the groove path. Have a great SOC Sunday!
Interesting! I don't think of being in a groove that way at all. To me, being in a groove means that you were once in a rut and now you're in a groove that's working for you. I'm going to think about your post. Thanks!
That was a great twist. Looking at the groove as a rut. I guess I think of ruts as bumpy and grooves as smooth. I definitely agree that when we are in a groove there is no reason to grow or stretch ourselves. When things are comfortable we want to stay comfy.
Comfy is sooo nice, but not all the time!
"Sometimes it's better if I walk next to the groove instead of in the rut." I really like that one. I think you have a point. It's good to be able to see the groove and have a routine, but at the same time, good that you can not get stuck in it. It lets you explore yet return to a safe familiar place.
There's always room for balance!
Really good point. Autopilot may make life easier but it's not always a good thing. Living mindfully is so important. I wonder about how many moments we miss when we're just puttering along in a grove, not noticing what we're passing buy. I, too, like your line about walking "next to the groove instead of in the rut."
Mindfulness is something that always challenges me!
The last line is brilliant. :) So much of my life is routine, and yet that is when I get the most complacent... what could possibly go wrong right? Sometimes it's good to be out of the box, or rut, in this case.


text:
Home > College of Engineering > Dept. of Computer Science > Publications > 20
Computer Science Publications
SCPRED: Accurate prediction of protein structural class for sequences of twilight-zone similarity with predicting sequences
Lukasz Kurgan, University of Alberta
Kryzysztof Cios, Virginia Commonwealth UniversityFollow
Ke Chen, University of Alberta
Journal/Book/Conference Title
DOI of Original Publication
10.1186/1471-2105-9-226
Originally published at http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1471-2105-9-226
Protein structure prediction methods provide accurate results when a homologous protein is predicted, while poorer predictions are obtained in the absence of homologous templates. However, some protein chains that share twilight-zone pairwise identity can form similar folds and thus determining structural similarity without the sequence similarity would be desirable for the structure prediction. The folding type of a protein or its domain is defined as the structural class. Current structural class prediction methods that predict the four structural classes defined in SCOP provide up to 63% accuracy for the datasets in which sequence identity of any pair of sequences belongs to the twilight-zone. We propose SCPRED method that improves prediction accuracy for sequences that share twilight-zone pairwise similarity with sequences used for the prediction.
SCPRED uses a support vector machine classifier that takes several custom-designed features as its input to predict the structural classes. Based on extensive design that considers over 2300 index-, composition- and physicochemical properties-based features along with features based on the predicted secondary structure and content, the classifier's input includes 8 features based on information extracted from the secondary structure predicted with PSI-PRED and one feature computed from the sequence. Tests performed with datasets of 1673 protein chains, in which any pair of sequences shares twilight-zone similarity, show that SCPRED obtains 80.3% accuracy when predicting the four SCOP-defined structural classes, which is superior when compared with over a dozen recent competing methods that are based on support vector machine, logistic regression, and ensemble of classifiers predictors.
The SCPRED can accurately find similar structures for sequences that share low identity with sequence used for the prediction. The high predictive accuracy achieved by SCPRED is attributed to the design of the features, which are capable of separating the structural classes in spite of their low dimensionality. We also demonstrate that the SCPRED's predictions can be successfully used as a post-processing filter to improve performance of modern fold classification methods.
© 2008 Kurgan et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
VCU Computer Science Publications
Computer Engineering Commons