text:
Align Converts BrandOpus HQ Into Home-from-Home Office Space
Aug 20, 2015 2:06 pm EDT
align have recently created a dynamic, 19,000 sq ft, three-storey suite of offices for fast-growing brand and packaging design specialists BrandOpus. The project, located within the former Freemantle TV Studios at number one Stephen Street, was a pre-let space as part of the 1-2 Stephen Street development in London's west end by Derwent London. align were introduced to the client at a very early stage at the invitation of agents Pilcher Hershman and project manager Ines Stanley of Interactive Space, both of whom had previously worked with align on an office project for Dentsu in Fitzrovia.
"BrandOpus hadn't been in their previous offices for very long," explained align Director and Co-founder Nigel Tresise, "but were experiencing a period of rapid growth and needed a much more ambitious space for their projected expansion. And they were absolutely right - the company had 37 staff at the briefing stage and nearly 90 by the time they moved in. Their new space now has capacity for around 140 people."
Significant time at the beginning of the two-and-a-half-year project was spent working out how to optimise the space available for BrandOpus's needs. The configuration of the ground floor studio spaces could be seen as quite fragmented and align needed to work closely with the BrandOpus team looking at the optimal flow and journey for both staff and for visitors.
"The potential was for a studio space over three levels," Nigel Tresise commented, "which meant taking the double-height ground floor space, together with three purpose-built mezzanine sections and also a smaller footprint area on the lower-ground floor, which made use of a former car-parking area. Staff could work together primarily in the ground floor studio and mezzanine spaces in zoned, delineated but still fundamentally open-plan areas, whilst visitors would be guided directly from the entrance to a lower-ground floor reception area and a network of individual social and client-facing meeting spaces."
align's work around flow and journeys led to a series of collaborative workshops with the Derwent team (including Orms Architects and Arup) to finesse the original CAT A scheme to match the requirements of BrandOpus. Changes included a re-located main entrance, which was created in order to lead visitors more naturally to the reception area and also to follow the natural sweep of the road. Another major structural change was the idea of punching a huge circulation void into the floor just inside the new entrance in order to create a very clear flow down to the lower ground floor (and up to the mezzanine levels). The void would be visible from the 6m-high glazed exterior and would feature a new lift, along with a spectacular new curving stair, conceived by align and inspired by the Fibonacci sequence. This was then implemented by Orms Architects, using the same blackened steel as used throughout the base build, together with oak treads, a glass balustrade and stainless steel handrail. This allowed for slow and comfortable access to the lower-ground area and also allowed for a real sense of grandeur and arrival, as well as ensuring that plenty of natural light could percolate through into this windowless storey.
"This was a really interesting space to work with," commented Nigel Tresise. "The ground floor studios were quite fragmented and the lower ground floor had no natural light, but we did have nearly 6m storey height to play with. Luckily, Derwent London were brilliantly accommodating and open to suggestion in terms of creating the best possible CAT A space for the BrandOpus tenant scheme, which, as well as the new entrance and connecting staircase, included the removal of a major concrete beam on the ground floor and the adjustment of one of the mezzanine areas to allow better views down onto the ground floor."
Once the interior architectural space plan had been resolved, the align team moved onto the development of the design concept from the brief given by BrandOpus, which was to create a true 'home from home,' with a collaborative atmosphere: a space which didn't feel like a traditional office and where creativity and the easy flow of people, information and communication were promoted.
"It was a great brief to work with," commented align Director and Co-founder Gurvinder Khurana. "At align, we're great believers in getting the best out of all the creative partnerships we enter into and so it was agreed that a couple of creatives from BrandOpus would join us for regular workshop sessions throughout the project, so that real ownership was shared between all us and was properly rooted in the company's brand values and culture."
The domestic vernacular really kicks in on the lower ground floor - for clients as well as staff. As visitors descend, they are greeted at reception by BrandOpus staff from a bespoke, mirrored silver desk, with a series of shallow timber drawers along the top to echo a domestic piece of furniture. Scale is played with throughout, with a slight Alice-in-Wonderland feel and includes a gigantic 'house plant' at the foot of the stair, where the final spiral of the Fibonacci is detailed in polished stainless steel and inlaid into the oak, micro-parquet end-block flooring. The surrounding arrival area is in a vivid blue carpet tile and features an eclectic mixture of furniture, from leather wingback seating to classic Vitra chairs, arranged around a cow-hide rug. The back wall features library-book wallpaper by Rockett St George, whilst a bespoke wall storage unit houses three desk spaces for staff or visitors to sit, work or read at.
"We reflected a domestic approach on this level in many ways," Gurvinder Khurana continued, "partly through furniture, which ranges from specified and inherited pieces to 'found' and bespoke items, with everything from Vitra design classics to reclaimed credenzas from ebay - and partly through a comprehensive lighting scheme."
As part of the negotiation with the Derwent team, align omitted all the original CAT A lighting in the lower ground floor and designed a new lighting scheme from scratch to suit the multi-functional central spaces and intimate meeting rooms. The low-energy lighting for the lower ground floor includes discreet, square lighting 'boxes'; Naked Plumen lights from Rockett St George; white Flos standard lights, including one half-set into the wall and a single, 22m-long linear LED light, which runs around much of the adjoining spaces between rooms.
Meeting room names also reflect the 'home from home' theme and include The Study, Lounge, Snug, Drawing Room (essentially a board room space), Dining Room, Kitchen, Library and Conservatory. All feature hand-painted signs on the bespoke, domestic-style doors with black, faceted doorknobs by Pushka. Optional voile drapes allow for privacy when clients are sharing confidential product information. Whilst there are landlord toilets on all three floors, align were asked to add a further two in order to include dedicated (rather than shared) showers with the inclusion of a dressing area. It was a key requirement for team members to have a well thought-out dressing area with full-length back and front display mirrors for staff wanting to dress up and go straight on to a work event or awards ceremony. Bright yellow lockers in the corridor outside allow for switching between flats and heels, whilst giant dogtooth-print wallpaper by Tektura adds extra interest.
The Library space features a bespoke credenza, plus alcoves and glass shelving for display, whilst The Snug has a vertical LED light core as well as concealed lighting that washes over the Cole & Sons hummingbird wallpaper, along with a reclaimed sideboard, decorated with vintage, coloured glass objects (used in many places on this floor to reinforce the domestic aesthetic) and a display of individual seed packets set around the television screen. The Drawing Room has a two-sided glazed unit linking it to The Library for product display. The Study features a panelled wall-covering and a Vitra meeting table and chairs, as well as a reclaimed wall unit, whilst The Lounge features a 2D graphic of a fireplace, developed in-house by the BrandOpus team; the result of one of the early team design workshops. The Kitchen is unstaffed and is for staff to use to prepare food as they wish, with a huge-scale table directly outside for communal lunching. A magnetic dry-wipe board for staff messages also sits alongside - as does a pool table.
"The Conservatory has particularly really great features"," Gurvinder commented. "As well a green and yellow volcano carpet from Chroma, the wall-covering is a hand-printed Italian wallpaper based on jungle animals, where different elements show up as you change the colour of the lighting (via an iPhone App). You might see tigers with green light, for example, or elephants with blue!"
In the ground floor studio spaces, task desking and seating throughout is by Vitra, with the 'directors/partners' area set to one side and given a different design treatment, including baby blue wall panelling inspired by gentlemen's clubs (which also conceals personal storage space) and a bespoke, absurdist book-case at a 45° angle, as if mirroring the desk it adjoins. This area is given further semi-privacy by a bespoke black joinery screen which provides display space for numerous awards and products along the wall that adjoins the open-plan space.
Black magnetic formica is in place all around the studio for displaying work, so that staff can also bring colour to the space though their work. The idea is that this band leads people through the studio spaces, subtly connecting them and therefore the teams within. Work review sessions can be then held almost anywhere and can be as impromptu as desired. Mobile caddies (parked centrally on the ground floor) allow for sample products and packaging to be easily on hand as people work. Where the black continues through the link space into Studio 3 (as per the plan numbering), it becomes fragmented and broken at the tea point by beautiful 3D black and gold tiles, chosen for their abstract map-like references. In this area too, where riser doors were necessary to conceal services or an electrical cupboard, align installed a series of reclaimed woven stainless steel wall panels (sourced at Retrouvius from a former restaurant site) making them effectively disappear.
The floor finishes scheme throughout the project was conceived to delineate separate areas but also to remain interesting. Whilst a dark grey Desso carpet serves as a great neutral and hard-wearing base for the ground-floor area, with a lighter grey complementary shade for circulation areas, the directors' section features a teal carpet tile by Shaw Contracts, whilst the production studio carpet has a striking geometric pattern. Black rubber is used around the tea point areas, both for delineation and for practicality, whilst up on the mezzanine, an 'urban garden' feel sees a tri-partite treatment, including a trough of washed pebbles, ceding to a wider concrete strip and then a strip of green carpet, with a display of plants at the far end of the space. A second mezzanine area, used for video-conferencing (and featuring three individual booths in fawn, burgundy and chartreuse) features grey chequerboard, close-weave seagrass carpet tiles. The mezzanine spaces were conceived from the outset as alternative working areas, designed to reflect the many different ways people work best, from being at a table, sitting on a sofa or relaxing on bean bag - or else taking a call in one of the conferencing booths. There is no shortage of options, just like a real home.
"The building envelope, with retained rough concrete walls and exposed services, was perfect for adding colour highlights," Gurvinder Khurana added. "Often this was achieved via flooring, but also using other focal points, such as a series of giant textile frames, which stand on top of storage outside the directors' area and catch the eye, whilst also offering a little extra privacy."
When it came to the company's own visual identity, BrandOpus realised this was an opportunity for significant brand evolution and unveiled a new identity just two and a half months before moving in!
"This wasn't a problem in any way," Gurvinder commented, "in spite of how tight that might sound for a new element to be introduced. At street-level branding, there were strict guidelines in place already for low-key brand applications. BrandOpus in any case asked for privacy, because of the commercially-confidential nature of a lot of their work. The external glass façade therefore has a manifestation which moves from opaque up to complete transparency at head height, with a thin grey line returning from the top of it, across the door and leading just to the company name."
The new branding icon took the form of a butterfly, representing metamorphosis and change, integrated with the two faces of the Greek god Janus as the butterfly's wings, suggesting a company that looks two ways - both back to where it has been and forward to future plans.
"Because the new icon was so easily integrated" Gurvinder Khurana said, "we could effectively let the butterfly alight anywhere and so incorporated a dark-sprayed version onto a stripped-back concrete wall just on the ground floor, tilted at an angle of 10° and visible from the street - and another onto the ends of the reception desk in silver."
BrandOpus also had an idea for another butterfly installation on a ground floor wall, just above the circulation void: a 120-strong picture-frame installation with a cut-out butterfly within each. Staff are challenged to personalise each frame with their own BrandOpus-inspired visual memory or image to sit behind the cut-out, with the whole installation gradually filling up over time.
Photos: Thierry Cardineau
Website aligngb.com
Category Interior Design Companies
Filed under Interior Design
Last updated Aug 20, 2015 2:06 pm EDT
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text:
Florida Couple Wins as Pink Diamond Prices Soar
By Tony Cathaway | April 12, 2016 | Insider
Fancy colored diamonds are among the most rare diamonds in the world. The inimitable look, the deepness of their intense colors, and their shapes are what sets them apart from the rest. However, is the rarity of each color that makes these so valuable where only one of about ten thousand diamonds mined is a colored diamond of gem quality. These are some of the attributes that drive investors and collectors towards such precious stones. In addition, pink diamond prices continue to rise and promise a significant return on investment for those considering investing outside of the traditional investment options.
Image Source PR News Wire
Pink Diamond Prices Rise Quickly
A pink diamond owned by a South Florida couple has gained media attention in recent months due to its impending sale. The diamond will land on the auction block at Christie's in April 2016. It is a unique 10-carat cushion brilliant cut, fancy intense purple-pink gem that has the potential to sell for $8 to $12 million thanks to gemologist that discovered its true value.
The South Florida man purchased this diamond in 2007 for $2 million as a gift for his wife. While the purchase was not for investment purposes, the diamond's value has appreciated exponentially, which led the owners to decide to put it up for auction.
The couple enjoyed the gem for the better part of a decade as a part of their exquisite jewelry collection, but had no idea of its worth in today's market. During a jewelry appraisal for insurance purposes, the couple discovered just how much the value of the fancy pink colored diamond had appreciated. The gem was originally valued at $4.7 million, however after confirmation from a diamond specialist, its owners learned that the diamond would draw over $8 million in today's market.
Fancy intense pink diamonds of over a carat have become the most rare of all, which explains the Florida diamond's 500% appreciation in less than ten years. This exceptional return on investment illustrates the true potential that a colored diamond can have as an alternative investment.
The Argyle Mine in Western Australia is the world's number one producer of pink diamonds. Unfortunately, the joy won't last long as this mine is expected to cease production by 2020. The impending closing has led to a rapidly escalating demand by savvy investors and wealthy individuals around the world.
Pink diamond prices have generally been known to increase about 20% per year. A pink diamond purchased for $2 million will increase to a value of about $10 million in five years. Seeing the potential for appreciation in pink diamond prices is the reason why more investors and wealthy individuals are looking to the purchase colored diamonds as alternative investments. This 10 carat pink diamond beauty is certainly one for the record books, not just for its sales price, but for the speed with which its value increase.
Looking to make a purchase that'll net a high return on investment? Sign up to receive notifications for our daily diamond deal!
For more reading on investment windfalls, click the link below:
Red Diamonds: An Alternative Investment Windfall
Investing in Natural Pink Diamonds: What You Need to Know
Pink Diamonds Show Largest Growth of Colored Diamonds
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


With South Bay Construction Cost Reference Guides, you get access to the most up-to-date construction pricing and market data. The updated pricing reflects the current Bay Area market conditions for most projects — from building shells to tenant improvements — making it a critical budgeting tool. Our pocket-sized print edition and mobile phone apps are used amongst a growing base of Bay Area construction professionals, because they deliver conceptual estimates.
Feel free to contact us with any questions, because it's our business to help you make the best deal possible.
You'll find the most up-to-date print edition of the Construction Cost Reference Guide an invaluable tool helping you to estimate projects with accuracy and ease.


Jefferson County Central Office does not include ACT/SAT scores in fulfilling request for students' school records. Request for ACT/SAT scores must be made directly to the College Board SAT program or ACT registration.
You may pick up your transcript in person at the Jefferson County Board of Education after your request and payment have been received. If you wish to have your transcript sent directly to another organization, please indicate below the name and address of that organization. For questions, please call Sue Buchanan at 304-728-9249.
Electronic Signature: by typing my full name in the field below, I acknowledge that I am the person whose name appears on this request (or their legal guardian) and that the form has been filled out truthfully and to the best of my ability.
2. There is no statute or authority which authorizes the solicitation of this information (SSN).
3. This number is being requested because most colleges and universities require the student's SSN be part of the student's transcript.
4. Should you choose not to provide your SSN for this purpose, your transcript may not be accepted as valid by the college or university to which it is sent.
5. This number is solicited for inclusion on your transcript and will be used for no other purpose.


Onay Lightning continues to develop the latest technology products through its own R&D lab and experted engineers. Onay Lightning is the inventor of bluetooth technology which is used in lightning rod system , so the lightning rod can be controlled by a smart phone with an application. Also not only by smart phones , Onay Lightning rods can be also controlled interactivally with a remote control technology , which is again developed by Onay Lightning engineers . As an aim to meet the latest technology with users , Onay Lightning signs under a great environmental research. Through the piezo crystal technology Onay Lightning rod produces its own power , what is needed for control mechanism. All these high-tech products are developed by Onay Lightning firstly in Turkey with only domestic capital. Onay Lightning continues to work on R&D in line developing technology and still leads its own sector in Turkey and all over the world.


This fairytale takes us to the unlikely epicenter of fake news: Veles, Macedonia.
In Veles, since the run-up to the 2016 U.S. presidential election, teenagers have been creating fake news stories that generate thousands of hits on social media. These young entrepreneurs have made money off of advertising revenue generated from their fake stories going viral, introducing a 'digital gold rush' to Veles. The film absorbs us in the ever-evolving world of fake news, where fake stories have real impact, and the truth is constantly shifting. In doing so, the film explores the idea of what makes stories believable.


Right after the MVHS graduation ceremony at Memorial Field in June '87, it started. I'd walk down the street to the store, and bump into one of my suddenly former classmates, say "Hi," and get no response at all. The few times I bumped into a certain Ms. Red Bone, she'd stare straight at me, then straight through me, all as I said "Hi." She just kept on walking, as if I had phased out of our space-time continuum into a parallel universe. By the beginning of August, I honestly thought that these people, my classmates for so long, were showing their true colors. They just didn't like me, not me because I'd been a Hebrew-Israelite or me because I was poor or me because I listened to Mr. Mister. It was all about me, something within me that they detested.
"You can't pay any attention to that. They're all just jealous," my new friend E (see "The Power of E" posting from August '08) said when I told her about the ghost treatment over lunch one day. She and I worked for General Foods in Tarrytown that summer.
"Of what? Of me?," I asked in disbelief.
"It's because you're not trying to be anybody except yourself," she said.
"That's a good theory," I thought, but I didn't really believe it. E was fully in my corner, and much more obvious about it than anyone else.
This pattern of treatment had only occurred two other times. Once was in sixth grade, after I came to Holmes with my kufi for the first time. My best friend Starling stopped talking to me, and refused to even acknowledge my presence for nearly two weeks before our second and last fight. The other was earlier in my senior year, in the weeks after the final class rankings were posted. Some in the Class of '87 were upset with me because I was ranked fourteenth in our class. Three of them responded by not talking to me at all. They'd walk by me in the hallways, looked at and through me, and kept going without so much as a nod. That went on from mid-December through the beginning of March.
The Black "Party All The Time" folks in my class, the popular and dapper folks, snickered whenever they saw me. So I guess that they decided that to acknowledge me after graduation would me contaminating themselves with the knowledge that I was still alive, still figuring things out, still not cool enough to be bothered with.
Three years later, I bumped into one of these folks on my way home from my summer job with Westchester County Department of Community Mental Health in White Plains. I was walking home to 616 on East Lincoln, having just gotten off the 41 Beeline Express. It was after 6:30, and I was beat from another day of database work and my research preparations for my senior year at Pitt. Coming in the opposite direction toward North Columbus was a party-all-the-timer, a popular, slightly light-skinned dude named J. Since I assumed that he would walk by me as if I were thin air, I started to walk by him as if he weren't there.
Surprisingly, J stopped me and said, "Hi, Donald." He said that he needed to talk to me, to tell me that the path that I walked in high school, while weird, was a better path than the one that he was on. He told me about his mind-bending experiences at Howard, about his dropping out and need to take care of some serious emotional and mental health issues. After a year of work at Pitt and in Westchester County, I could tell, too.
At first, I was taken aback. I mean, this was a guy who laughed at me for nearly six years, who'd never lowered himself to so much as to give me a thumbs-up while in school. Now J was sharing the most intimate of details about his life with me? I asked him, "Why are you telling me this?" Among the other things he said, the thing that stuck with me was, "Because you're true to yourself." I gave him a handshake, and wished him well.
That was nearly twenty years ago. I guess that J and others were under a lot of pressure — peer pressure, girl pressure, family pressures — to be cool, to be successful, to be something other than themselves. None of this justified how they treated me back then. Nor does it justify how any of them may see me now. I'm just glad the only silent treatment I get now is from my wife when I've taken a joke too far. At least I know that she'll talk to me again, eventually.


November 12th 13th and 14th.
Classic Motor Show tickets also allow FREE entry into The Classic Bike Show AND the MPH Show (excludes Top Gear Live Theatre).
Offer applies to Sat13th/Sun14th November 2010 only.
tickets save up to £37.00 off the Sat/ Sun door price compared to buying individually! Offer applies to advance bookings only.
We are just a few weeks away from the NEC Classic Car Show. For those of you who haven't visited, it's a huge event covering Halls 1, 2, 3, 3a and 4 of the NEC. Ticket holders also have access to the Classic Bike Show and the MPH Show. So there's something for all enthusiasts!
The Beta Forum has again got a stand and we are proud to be exhibiting a Beta Sedan, Coupe, Spider and HPE. Our cars always attract a huge amount of attention at these shows, often from classic car fans who have little awareness of the Beta. It is therefore a great showcase for our cars to new and prospective owners.
Our stand is in Hall 1 next to the Lancia Motor Club, the Montecarlo Consortium, the Flavia & 2000 Consortium and the Thema & Dedra Consortium stands.
If you are visiting the show, please come along and say hello. If you can spare some time to man the stand during any of the dates (Friday 12th - Sunday 14th November) then please contact me.
Hope it is all going well guys.
I'm working this weekend so unable to come down and say 'hello'.
This year again was a huge success.
Thanks to John (Coupe), Andy (Berlina), Terry (Spider)and Brian (HPE) for allowing us to use their cars.
Also everyone that helped out on the stand and members who said hello.
which Betaboyz plus the above clubs were included in the judging.
A great day out, and good to meet everyone. It just shows me how much work I have to do!


text:
Full Name Shane Keith Warne
Nick Name Warnie
Birth Date 13 September 1969
Birth Place Upper Ferntree Gully, Victoria, Australia
Nationality Australian
Birth Sign Virgo
Occupation Former International Cricketer / Coach
Relationship Divorced
Role Leg spin bowler
International Debut ODI- 24 March 1993 against New Zealand at Wellington
Height 6 feet 0 inches or 183 cm
Weight 85 kg / 187 pound
Chest 40 in or 104 cm
Biceps 14 in or 35.56 cm
Waist 30 in or 76.2 cm
Eye Color Light Grey
Father Keith Warne
Mother Bridgette Warne
Brother Jason Warne
Shane Keith Warne, an Australian former international cricketer, is widely appraised as one of the best bowlers in the game's history. In the 1994 Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, he was called as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year. In addition, he is a cricket commentator and a professional poker player as well. In July 2013, he officially retired from all configurations.
He was offered a sports scholarship at Mentone Grammar when he was attending Hampton High School. He even played five games of Australian rules football for the St Kilda Football Club's under 19 team in 1987 during the cricket offseason. His domestic debut for Victoria was made in 1990 against Western Australia.
1. As a child, he could merely bowl and he preferred to bat instead.
2. The first introduction to serious cricket was when he attended one of Kerry Packer's World Series Cup matches at VFL Park.
3. Shane Warne debuted for Australia, against India at the Sydney Cricket Ground in February 1992, which was not great as he was shown that Test cricket wasn't a child's play by Ravi Shastri & Tendulkar.
4. Shane Warne was obese when he played his first Test match, against India in Sydney. He weighed 97 kilos at that time.
5. In 1998, it was revealed that he and fellow Australian cricketer Mark Waugh had taken bribes four years earlier from an Indian bookmaker.
6. In February 2003, just before the 2003 world cup, he received a 12-month ban after a drug test revealed the presence of a banned diuretic.
7. In February 2004, he made a comeback to international cricket.
8. In 2013, he got himself into another controversy. He used offensive language, made improper physical contact with Marlon Samuels and showed serious disagreement to an umpire's decision during a Big Bash League match and was therefore fined $4500 and banned for a match.
9. Shane Warne has been working for the Shane Warne Foundation, an organization that works for the seriously ill and underprivileged children, since his retirement.
Simone Callahan
Shane Warne and British Actress Simone Callahan were married on 1st Sep 1995. 10 years later they divorced in 2005.
Shane Warne and Elizabeth Hurley were engaged in Sep 2011 but later separated in 2013.
Facebook www.facebook.com/officialshanewarne
Instagram www.instagram.com/shanewarne23
Twitter www.twitter.com/ShaneWarne
Website www.shanewarne.com
Tags: AustralianCricketPlayerShane Warne
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text:
package org.openrdf.repository.object.managers.converters;

import java.sql.Time;
import java.util.GregorianCalendar;

import javax.xml.datatype.DatatypeConfigurationException;
import javax.xml.datatype.DatatypeFactory;
import javax.xml.datatype.XMLGregorianCalendar;

import org.openrdf.model.Literal;
import org.openrdf.model.URI;
import org.openrdf.model.ValueFactory;
import org.openrdf.model.impl.ValueFactoryImpl;
import org.openrdf.repository.object.managers.Marshall;

/**
 * Converts {@link Time} to and from {@link Literal}.
 *
 * @author James Leigh
 *
 */
public class SqlTimeMarshall implements Marshall<Time> {
	private static final String DATATYPE = "java:" + Time.class.getName();

	private ValueFactory vf;

	private DatatypeFactory factory;

	private URI datatype;

	public SqlTimeMarshall(ValueFactory vf)
			throws DatatypeConfigurationException {
		this.vf = vf;
		factory = DatatypeFactory.newInstance();
		datatype = ValueFactoryImpl.getInstance().createURI(DATATYPE);
	}

	public String getJavaClassName() {
		return Time.class.getName();
	}

	public URI getDatatype() {
		return datatype;
	}

	public void setDatatype(URI datatype) {
		this.datatype = datatype;
	}

	public Time deserialize(Literal literal) {
		String label = literal.getLabel();
		XMLGregorianCalendar gc = factory.newXMLGregorianCalendar(label);
		return new Time(gc.toGregorianCalendar().getTimeInMillis());
	}

	public Literal serialize(Time object) {
		GregorianCalendar gc = new GregorianCalendar(0, 0, 0);
		gc.setTime(object);
		String label = factory.newXMLGregorianCalendar(gc).toXMLFormat();
		return vf.createLiteral(label, datatype);
	}
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


From Friday July 27th through August 2nd Det Lyse Mørket // Pushing Night Away has a one week Oscar-qualifying theatre screening at Laemmle Royal in Los Angeles, to make the film eligible for award consideration for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film.
We would absolutely love to see you at one of the screenings, and for those of you who might be in the Academy – we deeply appreciate you taking the time to watch it. Thank you so, so much!
«Pushing Night Away» has had a fantastic festival run, having been selected for the competition program at 24 prestigious film festivals worldwide, including the renowned Cleveland International Film Festival (USA) and HollyShorts Film Festival (USA) where it also won the award for "Best International Short Film".


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In a letter to his friend Jean Baptiste LeRoy in 1789, the American Founding Father Benjamin Franklin wrote "In this world, nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes". Franklin's letter far predated the United States' Social Security Act of 1935, which set up a social insurance programme for American workers, providing them with at least some degree of certainty about income after retirement. But, in today's environment, to what degree do Americans feel secure about their retirement? How well do they understand their own role and that of Social Security in contributing to retirement security?
Researchers at USC conducted a new study in 2016 to collect data on American's understanding of retirement preparedness and the perceived role of Social Security. A special-purpose survey was designed and fielded as part of the Understanding America Study (UAS), a panel of approximately 6,000 individuals aged 18 or over representing the entire United States. The survey results highlight a worryingly-low level of retirement–related financial literacy.
Seventy percent of survey respondents are relatively uncertain about their retirement-related financial literacy, rating themselves either "somewhat" or "not too" knowledgeable. More worryingly, both self-assessed and actual knowledge of retirement-related financial principles are lower compared to the 2009 results. This is consistent with findings reported by Annamaria Lusardi from the US National Financial Capability Study, which found that basic financial literacy has been declining in each survey wave since 2009. Just as worryingly, disparities in knowledge by age, income and education remain present across all our measures of knowledge and preparedness, with Hispanics and Blacks at a particular disadvantage relative to non-Hispanic Whites.
The survey also shows that respondents are more pessimistic about Social Security, in comparison to the 2009 study. In particular, most respondents do not feel confident in the future ability of the Social Security system to pay their promised benefits, and a majority expect the Social Security system to fall short of providing enough for a reasonable standard of living.
Results also suggest a clear gap between respondents' expectations about Social Security, and their actual understanding of how it works, suggesting that many Americans may not be maximising their benefits, or may not even be aware of their full entitlements. While most people are able to identify the general features of the Social Security system, a sizable group do not grasp critical details relevant to the impact of their own benefit claiming choices. About a quarter of future beneficiaries mistakenly believe that benefits need to be claimed at the time of retirement, while one in five are unaware that claiming early can reduce benefits. Just over 10% are not aware of disability entitlements, almost 20% are unaware of survivor benefits for children, and almost 40% do not know that spousal benefits can be claimed even if they do not have children.
Combined with the findings of the OECD/INFE Survey of Adult Financial Literacy Competencies on the correlation between financial knowledge and retirement planning, the UAS results suggest the potential for further negative effects.
Previous research has established a causal relationship between financial literacy and long-term planning. This new study reinforces that becoming and staying informed is a decision in itself that poses its own challenges.
Most UAS respondents feel that it is very important for the Social Security Administration to educate people about how to prepare financially for retirement. When asked to assess different sources of information, UAS respondents were most likely to trust the accuracy of retirement-related information either from Social Security or financial professionals. However, in practice, they most often turn to their social networks or receive information from their employers, rather than proactively seeking information from these trusted sources. A pragmatic and forward-looking financial education policy therefore requires working with diverse groups of both private and public stakeholders, not only to provide the right information but also to prevent the spread of wrong information.
How will policy makers and practitioners know which strategies are most effective at reaching which consumers, and how effective they are at altering behavior or financial outcomes?
Some of the responses to these questions may be found in the 2016 OECD Pensions Outlook. In parallel, recent data collection efforts such as the NCFS and the UAS and, more generally, the OECD/INFE survey that are focused on tracking both financial knowledge and behavior are helping to generate new and relevant findings. The ability to follow individuals over time, and to link financial knowledge to other types of knowledge and behavior is equally essential. Matching survey responses to actual financial transactions data and re-administering modules regularly will allow assessment of behavioral changes as well as the respondents' financial status over the longer-term as the economic and policy environment evolves.
For now, it is important to support both initiatives that aim to improve retirement preparedness as well as sustained investments in measurement and evaluation to ensure that such initiatives are effective. It may be impossible to provide absolute certainty about financial well-being in old age, but more can certainly be done to ensure that expectations are properly aligned and that Americans are making informed decisions about retirement, including decisions about their own Social Security benefits.
" What do people know about Social Security?
 The UAS panel is Internet-based, which means that respondents answer surveys on a computer, tablet, or smart phone, wherever they are and whenever they wish to participate. While most panel members have their own Internet access, those who do not are provided with Internet access by USC. Surveys are designed by research teams around the world and final datasets are posted on the USC website with sample weights. A number of these surveys, including ours, focus on economic and financial decision-making. These areas are also highlighted in the work carried out by the OECD/INFE.
 See Lusardi and Mitchell, "The Economic Importance of Financial Literacy: Theory and Evidence," Journal of Economic Literature, March 2014, vol. 52(1), pp. 5-44.


High-fidelity patient simulation has been praised for its ability to recreate lifelike training conditions. The degree to which high fidelity simulation elicits acute emotional and physiologic stress among participants – and the influence of acute stress on clinical performance in the simulation setting – remain areas of active exploration. We examined the relationship between residents' self-reported anxiety and a proxy of physiologic stress (heart rate) as well as their clinical performance in a simulation exam using a validated assessment of non-technical skills, the Ottawa Crisis Resource Management Global Rating Scale (Ottawa GRS).
This was a prospective observational cohort study of emergency medicine residents at a single academic center. Participants managed a simulated clinical encounter. Anxiety was assessed using a pre- and post-simulation survey, and continuous cardiac monitoring was performed on each participant during the scenario. Performance in the simulation scenario was graded by faculty raters using a critical actions checklist and the Ottawa GRS instrument.
Data collection occurred during the 2011 academic year. Of 40 eligible residents, 34 were included in the analysis. The median baseline heart rate for participants was 70 beats per minute (IQR: 62 – 78). During the simulation, the median maximum heart rate was 140 beats per minute (IQR: 137 – 151). The median minimum heart rate during simulation was 81 beats per minute (IQR: 72 – 92), and mean heart rate was 117 beats per minute (95% CI: 111 – 123). Pre- and post-simulation anxiety scores were equal (mean 3.3, IQR: 3 to 4). The minimum and maximum Overall Ottawa GRS scores were 2.33 and 6.67, respectively. The median Overall score was 5.63 (IQR: 5.0 to 6.0). Of the candidate predictors of Overall performance in a multivariate logistic regression model, only PGY status showed statistical significance (P = 0.02).
Simulation is associated with physiologic stress, and heart rate elevation alone correlates poorly with both perceived stress and performance. Non-technical performance in the simulation setting may be more closely tied to one's level of clinical experience than to perceived or actual stress.
Simulation training has become an integral component of medical education in both undergraduate and graduate medical education settings [1, 2]. Most rapidly adopted in acute care specialties, high-fidelity training manikins are used in approximately 90% of emergency medicine residencies . Simulation can offer a safe training environment to practice high-risk/low-frequency medical scenarios and engage learners on multiple levels: cognitive, procedural, and affective .
Simulation can provide realistic training scenarios that may evoke psychological stress similar to that of actual medical emergencies. The extent to which acute stress during a simulation activity may augment or diminish performance and learning however, remains unclear . Experiential learning requires some degree of engagement and stress; DeMaria and colleagues  found that a simulation scenario that induced anxiety led to better performance and retention of ACLS skills among medical students than one that did not. LeBlanc et al.  studied first-year surgical residents and found that moderate stress levels facilitated performance of technical procedures. If a minimum level of stress is beneficial, there may exist a personal threshold beyond which situational stress is detrimental. Hunziker et al.  found that medical students performing CPR in a simulation exercise demonstrated high levels of emotional overload and significantly poorer clinical performance. Two additional studies by LeBlanc et al. [9, 10] found that paramedics exposed to high levels of acute stress during simulation scenarios were more likely to commit errors in communication and medication dosing.
High levels of stress likely impair cognitive performance through inhibition of declarative and working memory and the ability to perform tasks involving divided attention . Cognitive appraisal theory posits that an individual's response to demands that threaten an important goal (e.g. successfully navigating a clinical scenario) involve an interplay between the individual's perception of the demands and the resources available to meet them . Demands which are sufficiently met by available resources (both internal and external) are perceived positively as challenges; those which outstrip available resources are perceived as threats. Studies of physiologic response have shown correlation between individuals' cognitive appraisal of a situation as either threatening or challenging (i.e. negative or positive) with salivary cortisol levels as well as heart rate [5, 11]. The "real world" application of this physiologic understanding in the learning environment remains elusive.
A number of previous studies have assessed the relationship between stress (both physiologic and emotional) and performance of basic technical skills (e.g. CPR performance and medication dosing), but few have addressed the impact of physiologic stress on non-technical skills relevant to clinical performance . Crisis resource management (CRM) refers to the constellation of non-technical skills (e.g. leadership, situational awareness, communication) that comprise effective team performance [13, 14]. A recent systematic review of the relationship between non-technical and technical skills in the operative environment found that failures in non-technical skills are associated with higher rates of technical errors .
We sought to determine the global degree of physiologic stress experienced by various levels of emergency medicine trainees via self-assessments and continuous measurement of heart rate and rhythm throughout a given simulation scenario, and to assess clinical performance using a validated assessment instrument of crisis resource management (CRM) ability, the Ottawa Global Rating Scale (GRS). The purpose of our study was to determine whether high degrees of self-reported stress prior to a simulation exercise correlate with heart rate elevation during the exercise. Our secondary outcome of interest was to determine whether heart rate elevation as a proxy for stress correlates with CRM ability in the simulation environment. We hypothesized that residents who reported higher degrees of stress prior to the simulation scenario would be more likely to manifest physiologic evidence of that stress with changes in heart rate during medical simulation. Further, we hypothesized that higher levels of perceived stress (as a proxy for psychological stress) and higher heart rates (as a proxy for physiologic stress) would vary with PGY status. The purpose of this study was to identify candidate factors that may be predictive of overall CRM performance as measured by the Ottawa GRS, and to determine the relationship between physiologic stress and clinical performance using the percentage of critical actions (termed the "Flow Score") performed in each simulation scenario.
This was a prospective observational cohort study conducted in the Department of Emergency Medicine at UC Davis Medical Center between October and December of 2011. This research study was deemed exempt by the UC Davis IRB. Our emergency medicine residency is an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited, post-graduate year (PGY)-1 through PGY-3 program. Our residents spend 70% of their training time at UC Davis Medical Center, a Level-I Trauma Center with an Emergency Department census of approximately 70,000 visits per year, and the remaining 30% at a community based Level-2 Trauma Center with an annual patient census of 90,000 visits per year.
The residency program has used an annual simulation exam since 2006. Participation in the simulation exam is considered mandatory; residents who perform below expectations on the exam are scheduled for a repeat examination and special session with a faculty member to review performance. Each resident independently manages the resuscitation of a simulated critically ill patient. The level of difficulty of the simulation cases is stratified by post-graduate year: PGY-1 residents manage an ACLS-themed case involving a patient in cardiac arrest; PGY-2 residents manage a patient with sepsis and respiratory failure; and PGY-3 residents manage a case involving a critically ill polytrauma patient (Additional files 1, 2 and 3). A group of 3-5 faculty raters assessed each resident's performance using a critical actions checklist (i.e. the "Flow Score", or percentage of critical actions performed correctly in a given simulation, see Additional files 1, 2 and 3) and the Ottawa Crisis Resource Management Global Rating Scale (Ottawa GRS), a validated instrument of crisis leadership and communication ability (Additional file 4). The raters each filled out their evaluations independently from each other. All raters were members of our Department of Emergency Medicine faculty and were therefore not blinded to the study participants' PGY-status. The simulation cases were developed and vetted by members of our faculty with expertise in simulation, and had been used for multiple years prior to our study.
The 2011 simulation exam served as the setting for our study. All participants enrolled in the study were current residents within our program.
We assessed resident performance in the simulation scenario in two ways. Each resident performed a PGY-level specific simulation case and was graded on performance of critical actions using the Flow Score. The Flow Score, an adjunct measurement used by the department's simulation experts, is analogous to the traditional percentage "grade" in a test. That is, a Flow Score of 0.9 indicates that the resident responded correctly to 90% of the possible items in a given scenario.
Leadership and communication behaviors were graded using the Ottawa GRS instrument. The Ottawa GRS consists of 5 domains relating to crisis resource management (CRM) ability (Leadership, Problem Solving, Situational Awareness, Resource Utilization, and Communication), as well as an Overall score. Each domain uses a 7-point Likert-style scale with descriptive anchors to aid in scoring. For our analysis we assessed performance with the Overall domain, as this is a summative score most likely to be representative of a given rater's global impression of resident CRM ability. In the interest of robust reporting, the highest and lowest faculty ratings of the Flow Score and Overall Ottawa GRS score were truncated and the remaining scores were averaged (modified mean).
We assessed residents' level of anxiety in the following manner: immediately prior to the simulation session, participants completed a questionnaire asking them to rate their anxiety level on a 5 point scale with 1 being "no stress" and 5 being "very stressed" (Additional file 5). The questionnaire was developed by the study investigators specifically for this study. Participants were also queried on their average caffeine consumption and consumption in the preceding 12 hours, as well as the use of medications (e.g. beta blockers or over-the-counter cough-and-cold preparations) which might affect heart rate. All participants rated their level of anxiety again immediately after the simulation session.
We chose heart rate as a measure of physiologic stress. We attached a standard 5-lead Holter monitor to each study participant immediately prior to the simulation exercise, and performed continuous recording throughout the simulation. Minimum, maximum, and mean heart rates, as well as alerts for premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) or other dysrhythmias were electronically abstracted by a Holter technician, and reviewed by the study investigators.
We calculated descriptive statistics for participants' heart rate and anxiety levels as well as their corresponding Flow Scores and Ottawa GRS scores. We then constructed an investigator-built multivariate logistic regression model to identify independent variables that may predict the dependent variable, the Overall Ottawa GRS Score. Given our sample size, we limited this regression analysis to accommodate the guidelines of at least 10 observations per candidate variable . Dependent variables for this model included: pre-test anxiety level, mean heart rate, peak heart rate, and PGY status (see Table 1 for full model specifications). All statistical analyses were performed using SAS software version 9.3 (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, North Carolina).
Model: Ottawa Overall Score = β 0 + β 1 (pre-test anxiety level) + β 2 (mean heart rate) + β 3 (peak heart rate) + β 4 (PGY status) + e.
Adjusted R-square for model = 0.16; F = 2.48; P = 0.07.
Of the 40 eligible participants, 34 were included in our analysis. One resident declined participation in the study, two were excluded for recent medication use, and three were excluded due to incomplete or uninterpretable Holter monitor data (i.e. due to equipment failure or placement error). Of the 34 study participants, 13 were female (Table 2). There were 13 PGY-1 level participants, 13 PGY-2 level participants, and 8 PGY-3 level participants. The median age of participants was 29 years (IQR 28 – 31). Sixty-eight percent of participants (n = 23) reported consumption of at least one caffeinated beverage in the 12 hours preceding the simulation session; roughly half reported consuming caffeine on a regular basis.
*Expressed in cups of regular coffee or its equivalent (i.e. 100 mg caffeine).
†Measured during academic conference, not on simulation day.
The median baseline heart rate for participants, obtained at rest during a non-simulation based academic event, was 70 beats per minute (IQR: 62 – 78) (Table 3). During the simulation, the median maximum heart rate was 140 beats per minute (IQR: 137 – 151). The median minimum heart rate during simulation was 81 beats per minute (IQR: 72 – 92), and mean heart rate was 117 beats per minute (95% CI: 111 – 123). Ventricular ectopy was common during the simulation exercise: 8 residents experienced 1 to 3 premature ventricular contractions (PVCs), and one resident displayed 28 beats of bigeminy and was subsequently referred for further evaluation.
*Level of anxiety on a scale of 0 (no anxiety) to 5 (most anxious).
†Flow Score is the fraction of items correct/total items (0 to 1).
Pre- and post-simulation anxiety scores were equal (mean 3.3, IQR: 3 to 4). The minimum and maximum Flow Scores were 0.59 and 0.99, respectively. The median Flow Score was 0.92 (IQR: 0.86 to 0.95).
The minimum and maximum Overall Ottawa GRS scores were 2.33 and 6.67, respectively. The median Overall score was 5.63 (IQR: 5.0 to 6.0).
Individual correlations of candidate predictors and the dependent variables of Flow Score and Overall Ottawa GRS Score are shown in scatter matrices in Figures 1 and 2. The visual representation of correlations of pre- and post-anxiety with Flow Score was similar; in addition, pre-anxiety correlated well with post-anxiety. Peak heart rate and mean heart rate showed similar relationships. However, pre-anxiety and mean and peak heart rates did not appear to have a discernible relationship. In terms of peak and mean heart rates, the lower values tended to cluster around higher Flow Scores. Overall Ottawa GRS Score showed a trend of homogenization with increasing PGY status: PGY status showed both an increase in Overall score as well as a more uniform performance by group (Figure 2). Neither Overall Ottawa GRS score nor Flow Score appeared to correlate with mean or peak heart rates (Figures 1 and 2).
Correlation of candidate predictor variables with simulation flow score.
Correlation of candidate predictor variables with overall Ottawa GRS.
Of the candidate predictors of Overall performance in the multivariate logistic regression model, only PGY status showed statistical significance (P = 0.02) in this limited model. Regarding performance of this particular model as a whole, the adjusted pseudo R-squared was not statistically significant (P = 0.07) and at 16% not explanatory (100% indicating that the model explains all of the variability of the response data around its mean) (Table 1).
In this exploratory study, we examined the relationship between self-reported anxiety and a measure of physiologic stress (heart rate) in relation to clinical performance among emergency medicine residents performing a simulation test. We furthermore sought to determine whether anxiety level and clinical performance would vary according to PGY-status. While we found no relationship between pre-test anxiety and mean or peak heart rate (our primary hypothesis), we found that the simulation exercise was associated with significant heart rate elevation, and in one case sustained ventricular ectopy.
A previous study conducted by Harvey et al. examined subjective and physiologic responses among residents performing simulation scenarios under varying stress levels . While participation in both high- and low-stress simulation scenarios was associated with increased heart rate compared to baseline, they found no significant difference in heart rate elevation between the high and low-stress conditions, while cortisol levels and subjective stress measurement were significantly higher in the high-stress scenario. A study of CPR performance by Hunziker et al. similarly found that perceived stress was inversely correlated with heart rate variability (a finding observed elsewhere in studies of physiologic stress response), but showed no significant relationship with heart rate elevation [17, 18]. And a study by Girzadas et al. found no relationship between heart rate elevation and perceived stress among residents performing airway simulations . The relationship between emotional and physiologic anxiety states is complex, and involves the interplay of the neurohormonal axis, circadian rhythms, and individual variability in chronotropic response to stress . As such, heart rate elevation alone may be an incomplete measure of perceived stress.
With regard to the relationship between perceived stress, PGY-status, and performance, only PGY-status correlated with the Ottawa GRS Overall score in our multivariate logistic regression model. This finding is consistent with our institutional experience that residents' cumulative exposure to critically ill patients in simulated and clinical environments correlates with improvement in self-assessed and faculty-assessed performance.
Quantifying perceived stress and its corresponding physiologic response is a subject of ongoing investigation. We observed no difference in self-reported anxiety among participants prior to and after the simulation experience. While at first glance surprising, we suspect this may reflect our using a relatively broad survey item to assess participants' feelings (a simple Likert-style question addressing global anxiety about the simulation experience). A more detailed survey with serial longitudinal assessments may have captured more nuanced levels of self-reflection among participants. A previous study of emergency medicine residents found that senior residents' performance was less influenced by stressful testing conditions than that of junior residents, although this same study found that junior residents' performance actually improved under moderately stressful conditions . While there is ample evidence to suggest that high-fidelity simulation can evoke emotional and physiologic stress, it may ultimately be the learner's perception of that stress that predicts performance. The "mixed picture" of stress and performance in previous studies is likely attributable to a failure to recognize individual learners' feelings of ability to meet the demands imposed by a given scenario. Acute stress, when overwhelming, may inhibit cognitive performance. At lower levels, however, it may in fact facilitate motivation, task awareness, and concentration . It is likely that the relationship between stress and performance involves the interplay of intrinsic factors, such as one's level of experience and perception of task-related demands versus resources, and extrinsic factors such as the complexity of the task and the nature and intensity of related stressors.
Our study has a number of important limitations. It was performed at a single institution, and as such may strongly reflect the training environment and instructional methods of our program. We attempted to mitigate this limitation with standardized scenarios and the widely used Ottawa GRS. Given our small sample size, excluded participants (15%), and number of candidate predictors, we present a limited predictive model; a larger study may produce a more comprehensive model that predicts clinical performance with finer precision. We also used a subjective measure of self-reported anxiety via a non-validated survey instrument; our findings may therefore not reflect subtler motivational and perceptual aspects of anxiety and performance. Due to clinical time obligations of the residents, in depth psychometric testing pre- and post-simulation was not a feasible option. Finally, our study involved faculty members from our own residency program to assess resident performance: our raters were not blinded to participants' PGY-status and may have been influenced by prior shared experience in the clinical environment.
This exploratory study supports previous findings that simulation is associated with physiologic stress, and that heart rate elevation alone correlates poorly with both perceived stress and performance. Our study suggests that non-technical performance in the simulation setting may be more closely tied to one's level of clinical experience than to perceived or actual stress. Further research into the motivational and perceptual aspects of acute stress is needed to elucidate the complex relationship between perceived demand, available resources, level of experience, physiologic stress, and clinical performance as measured in the simulation environment.
Samuel Clarke, Timothy Horeczko, Dale Cotton and Aaron Bair contributed equally to this work.
A special thanks to Dr. Jeff Southard and the staff at the Heart Center for their efforts with Holter monitor use and interpretation.
Likewise, the authors would like to thank the staff at the Center for Virtual Care for their time and use of space and equipment.
SC participated in the interpretation of results and was the primary author of the manuscript. TH performed the statistical analysis and assisted in drafting and editing the manuscript. DC conceived of the study and coordinated the data collection. AB assisted in the study design, data collection and assisted in editing the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.


This year, we will be partnering with Ronnie Gonzalez Ministries & FHL Outreach to be a blessing to the women, children, and teens of the The Morris Foundation Women & Children's Center.
If you would like to volunteer on the night of the event, sign up at Guest Services. Volunteers should arrive at 6 pm to begin setting up. The actual event starts at 6:30 pm. We need volunteers to help with crafts and cookie decorating. We also need people to talk and pray with those attending the event.
Finally, if you cannot attend the Christmas Outreach but you are looking for a way to help, here it is! We will be collecting all kinds of gifts and other items to give to those who are living at the shelter on Christmas. Several lists of specific items will be posted on our Facebook event page so you know exactly what to get! We will also need lots of hot chocolate, homemade cookies, colored icing, and fun cookie decorations to use at the outreach.
Let's use this wonderful opportunity to truly show the love of Jesus to everyone at The Morris Foundation Women & Children's Center! Romans 2 tells us that God's kindness leads men to repentance. Agree with us in prayer that this event will allow us to show God's kindness and that, as a result, many will come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior!


At Optimus Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Laguna Niguel, our dynamic Adult Jiu-Jitsu classes will not only turn you into a lean mean machine, but a complete Mixed Martial Artist. See our Adult Jiu-Jitsu Program Schedule.
Imagine getting an amazing workout while learning the most effective martial art system in the world – Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu! Imagine being part of a culture that will be with you forever. In short time, your body will be lean and powerful; you will have forged life long friendships; and you will have mastered an unstoppable martial art.


It's no secret; I'm a second-generation plumber. My father, Adrian, born in 1923, lived through the Great Depression. That experience for him and most others who survived those desperate times, fundamentally changed what was important for each of them. Add the Dust Bowl of the southwest Great Plains region of the United States. Desperate times indeed.
Raised by his sharecropper parents in Midwest Texas, my father dropped out of school while in the seventh grade. Not to be too dramatic but survival was at the heart of many of the decisions his and other families were forced to make. Another body working in the fields could be that difference.
He told me his father was hard man, whipping children who didn't pick their quota of 100 pounds of cotton for the day. His opportunity for escape came in 1940 when he went into the Civilian Conservation Corps and was stationed at Estes Park, Colo., at a very cold 11,500 feet. He applied for a job inside (where it was warm) as a cook.
In 1942 his oldest brother Bill, who had left Texas earlier for San Diego, invited him to join him in the paradise of Southern California. They "hot bunked" while working a succession of jobs, finally ending up at Rohr Aircraft working on PBY seaplanes.
In March of 1943, Adrian received notice from the Dallas Draft Board to report for military induction.
He told me that with insufficient funds he didn't know how he was going to get to Dallas. He related how his girlfriend at the time took up a collection from others at the PBY factory. He was stunned and felt undeserving of their generosity. Perhaps that was one reason he was so generous in helping others he met along the way.
He returned to Dallas, was sworn into the Navy and then transferred to the Great Lakes Naval Training Center in Illinois, where he received four months of basic training. He was then transferred to Norfolk, Va., where he boarded the U.S.S. Merak, a refrigerated supply and cargo vessel. He spent 29 months aboard ship in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea.
After the war he returned home but in the spring of 1946, Adrian became disenchanted with life in Texas. He returned to San Diego because he had enjoyed his time there. Within a month he went to work for the Water Department. He married my mother Velma in September of 1947.
My father, strongly influenced by those tough times in the 1930's, was always a hard worker and it was noticed, not just by his employers, but others he came in contact with. One in particular was a plumbing contractor who had seen him wielding a shovel while installing street services and water meters for the new housing projects so prevalent after WW II.
His name was John Holderer and he asked my dad if he would like to expand his horizons and become a plumber. He told him it would take some time and some studying but he would learn to read plans and the Uniform Plumbing Code, be able to size water, sewer and gas distribution systems and eventually become a licensed plumber. And so began my father's journey as a plumber.
In 1960 he went in the business with his brother Cecil. They named the business Kirk Brothers Plumbing, which for some reason always sounded good to me. What didn't sound so good was when he decided I needed something other than cartoons to occupy my Saturdays. While he seemed to enjoy the freedom the somewhat mindless digging and shoveling of dirt or getting past boulders with a pick would give him (he said it sort of relaxed him and could do it all day, remembering what his childhood offered), I abhorred it. I don't think I was lazy, but a pick and a shovel never really fit my hands well. I'd shag fittings, cut and thread steel pipe (by hand), put on nail plates, wait at the wholesale house for the supplies we needed (eating a couple of donuts of course), make material lists, almost anything to avoid those opportunities which always seemed to include a worn out shovel, a wheelbarrow with a flat tire and a lot of sweat.
One thing that did intrigue me was when he would sit down at the dining room table with a set of plans and began making what I later learned were isometric drawings of the DWV system. When I asked what he was doing he would say, "Just watch," so I did.
I was taking architectural drawing classes in Junior High and had hunted down a lot of those DWV fittings he was drawing and pretty soon those isometrics began to make sense to me. He went on to teach me some about water and gas pipe sizing using the 1967 UPC and this is where I, in my mid-teens, really began my journey to using the UPC.
Briefly, I began full time plumbing in 1969, began my own business in 1975 and began teaching the UPC in 1982 for a plumbing program sponsored by San Diego Community College. For the first time I really had to dig into the UPC and when I got to gas pipe sizing either my father had been incorrect or I had misunderstood, because while there was an example of gas pipe sizing right there in the UPC which used 1,100 btu per cubic foot, the language in the code never gave any btus to use for sizing. The language was and still is, that you can get the average btus per cubic foot of the gas in the area of the installation from the serving gas supplier (2015 UPC section 1215.3). So I called my serving gas supplier and guess what? It took a while but I finally got the answer I was looking for. Kind of.
Most of you know that natural gas meters record use by the cubic foot, but perhaps you don't know that natural gas is sold by the therm, which is 100,000 btu. To do this the gas companies use a conversion figure that may vary every month. That conversion figure is determined by the btu in the gas they supply each month and can be between 800 and 1,200 btu, depending on where the gas is sourced, elevation and other factors.
Here is why I shared my nostalgia and then some gas facts. When I understood that 1,100 btu per cubic foot was only used as an example for sizing gas systems and it could actually be as low as 800 btu/cu.ft., I realized that without accurate information you or I could be over- or under-sizing gas systems while the best info for btu/cu.ft. is easily accessible. Just look on your gas bill for the conversion factor, which may be listed as therm multiplier, therm factor or billing factor. If it says 1.023 your gas has 1,023 btu/cu.ft., and that is the number you should be using, not 1,100.


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text:
Ha volato sulle missioni Sojuz T-9 e Sojuz TM-3 come ingegnere di volo. È sposato con due figli

Voci correlate
 Programma Sojuz
 Programma spaziale sovietico

Altri progetti

Collegamenti esterni
https://web.archive.org/web/20101129232453/http://astronautix.com/astros/alendrov.htm

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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The Epstein-Barr test panel measures EBV blood antibody levels.
What is the Epstein-Barr test?
This EBV test checks the Epstein Barr Virus VCA (IgG and IgM) and VNA (IgG) antibody blood levels.
Why is the Epstein-Barr test important?
The EBV blood test checks EBV antibodies that can identify a past or current mononucleosis infection.
This Epstein-Barr Test Panel is a blood test.
The EBV test, also known as an Epstein-Barr test, Epstein-Barr virus test and EBV lab test, measures EBV antibody blood levels.
The Epstein-Barr virus, or EBV, causes an illness known as infectious mononucleosis (mono). Also called human herpesvirus 4 (HHV-4), EBV is spread through contamination from the droplets of someone with an EBV infection and through sexual activity. Symptoms of an EBV infection include feeling tired, swollen / painful glands and lymph nodes and a fever.
This Epstein-Barr test is sometimes used as a more conclusive confirmatory test for people who get the mono test and want added confirmation. According to the CDC, approximately 90% of adults who get an EBV blood test will have positive antibodies that demonstrate a past or current infection and, as such, positive lab results should be correlated with clinical symptoms.
This particular EBV lab test panel measures antibody blood levels for EBV Viral Capsid Ag IgG (VCA Ab IgG), EBV Viral Capsid Ag IgM (VCA IgM Ab), and EBV Nuclear Ag IgG (EBNA IgG). The The VCA IgG antibodies are typically present at the start of an EBV infection and persist for the rest of one's life. The VCA IgM antibodies are also typically present at the onset of a new EBV infection and then are undetectable within three months of the start of the infection. The EBV EBNA IgG antibodies usually show up three months after the start of an infection and are present for life. As a result, each antibody component of this EBV test panel provides helpful information as far as evaluating both the presence and stage of an Epstein-Barr virus infection in a particular individual.
To get an EBV test near you at a Quest Diagnostics lab, order online and get blood drawn at the selected lab. Once the EBV lab report is ready, it will be available for download. As can be seen on the sample EBV lab test report provided above, the EBV antibody levels are reported as a numerical result and can be compared against the reference ranges provided by the lab for easier interpretation.
Epstein-Barr Test Panel at Guaranteed Prices.


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text:
OPERA VIDEOS
featuring displays of petticoats and nineteenth century crinolines
Tessy is soliciting other contributions
WRITE!
ARABELLA (1984 ) -- Ashley Putnam -- 1860s crinolines and pettticoats as well! Highly recommended by Janet! Click here for details.
LES CONTES d'HOFFMANN (1981) -- Lucianna Serra -- First act is one of the best!
LA BOHEME -- Claire Louise -- "Devine petticoats and wide skirts!"
LA TRAVIATA (1994) -- Angela Ghorghiu
LA TRAVIATA (1993) -- Edita Gruberova
LA TRAVIATA (1982) -- Teresa Stratus
Details of "Arabella:"
Set in 1860s Vienna. Most of the petticoat display is from a character named Fiakermilli, who wears knee-length skirts, and, amongst other things, dances on a table. This all happens in the second act, from about half-way through. But it is a wonderful, long-lasting display, not just a momentary glimpse. Otherwise the dresses of Arabella and her mum, Adelaide, are fantastic. The sister, Zdenka, dresses as a man, though not very obviously. The video listed has Ashley Putnam in the lead role of Arabella. It dates from 1984 (Glyndebourne Production), and seems to be the only version that is available on video, at least in the U.K.. If anyone knows of another version, please let us know.


text:
Campfire Stories for Parents
by Marla Coleman
Home About Marla Archives
Ferrari engines with bicycle brakes can best describe the brains of children growing up in the 21st century, says Dr. Edward (Ned) Hallowell. The world has gone ADD, according to the psychiatrist and author who explains that while Attention Deficit Disorder is a biological condition, our screen-sucking existence creates an attention surplus for us all. We have become connected electronically, but disconnected emotionally, the expert suggests, rendering us "Crazy Busy," the title of his book on the subject.
I was really fortunate to have had a chance for a casual conversation with Ned Hallowell while at the American Camp Association's annual national conference in Orlando. On the eve of his keynote presentation, we began talking about the opportunities the camp experience provides as an antidote to the forces of distraction, bombardment, and over-stimulation, which, in turn, fuel anxiety, fear, and overall worry.
I was excited for Ned to share with over 1,000 camp professionals the root sources of troubles for kids who are growing up in a universe which holds as its treatment plan, "try harder" – because if we understand the basis, then we can alter the course. And so I am equally eager to share with you what camp directors learned last week from Ned: "Take charge."
There are five components to balancing the fast-paced and high-stressed life in which parents and children intersect in the Venn diagram of being "overstretched, overbooked, and about to snap." While, as it happens that all these attributes comprise the underpinning of the camp experience, parents also can redirect their own children by being aware of these assets.
Feeling connected is akin to feeling safe; it is the "spinal column" of knowing that you are a part of something greater than yourself. Connection is a touchstone in our frenzied 500-channel universe, which also is tethered by countless datapoints.
Play, "the most elevated form of investigation," is defined by Ned as any activity in which the imagination is involved; it is the opposite of being told what you're to do. Practice and mastery are next, skills that foster progress, which in turn lead to confidence. Recognition provides validation, which directs us back to connection. Together, these proficiencies thwart the culturally induced ADD that saps us and instead promote resilience, the ability to bounce back in the face of adversity.
One of my favorite stories about transformative power is "The Velveteen Rabbit" by Margery Williams. "Real isn't what you are made of," explains the Skin Horse, who lives on a shelf in a nursery with other toys including the stuffed rabbit; "It's a thing that happens to you."
Perhaps we could take a cue from the First Father, who, in spite of his "crazy busy" life filled with major obligations and unending business hours, is portrayed in a New York Times article as "a modern-day dad who leaves the Oval Office for dinner with his girls, rarely misses a parent-teacher conference or piano recital, and prides himself on having read all seven books in the Harry Potter series aloud with Malia." Mrs. Obama admittedly "juggles play dates and homework with speeches to federal agencies and students." Both have pledged to keep the girls from becoming self-important. In their high-profile lives of motorcades and queens, the presidential parents have vowed that Malia and Sasha will make their own beds and walk (and pooper scoop) their much-anticipated new puppy.
Of course, that same doting dad insisted on keeping his BlackBerry, reinforcing Ned's point that we have to make a conscious effort to equalize human connections and technology: "Emotion is the on/off switch for advanced thinking," says Ned, who also noted that the world has changed more in the past 10 years than in all the years since Gutenberg invented the press.
Tuck-in Tips
What is your favorite toy? If it had feelings, what would it be thinking?
Which friend makes you feel best about yourself? How does he/she do that?
Talk about the things that you like about yourself? Can you remember when you couldn't do them so well?
"You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth." -Kahlil Gibran
About Campfire Stories
"Even in an age of computer games and electronic toys, you can't beat a good story – especially when it is offered by a caring adult." So said William Bennett, author of "The Book of Virtues," prompting me to reflect on all the stories I have seen unfold over my years of working with children and families and to realize that I could use many of these as examples of what works and what doesn't work when it comes to raising resilient, independent, self-disciplined, and happy children. With the backdrop of current news, societal trends, and the latest research, I seek to prompt the best parenting decisions to help parents nurture productive, connected children who can navigate the world on their own. Not surprisingly, the campfire metaphor is ideal, since the camp experience itself is so conducive to building these youth development assets. So please join the conversation, either by commenting on a post that resonates or riles, or by e-mailing me with comments or ideas at blog@MarlaColeman.com.
Coleman Family Camps
CampParents.org
The Powerful Parent Blog
Dr. Hallowell's Blog
Peg Smith's Blog
Bob Ditter
MVParents
Love and Logic Institute
NY Times: Motherlode Blog
Doctor Jenn for Girls
Parent USA City
The Wander Lists
Homesick and Happy - Michael Thompson, Ph.D.
Copyright © Campfire Stories for Parents


The following list contains tutorials for anyone starting in the field of 3D animation and 3D modeling. Instead of writing texts like "How to model a head in software XY V.12.1.1″ my tutorials talk about basic things to consider when working in that field.
Note: as of now, I don't update this list anymore, as it is the last remainder of my old, 3D centric website.


The Brinell scale characterises the indentation hardness of materials through the scale of penetration of an indenter, loaded on a material test-piece. It is one of several definitions of hardness in materials science.
Brinelling refers to surface fatigue caused by repeated impact or overloading. It is a common cause of roller bearing failures, and loss of preload in bolted joints when a hardened washer is not used. Engineers will use the Brinell hardness of materials in their calculations to avoid this mode of failure. Fretting corrosion can cause a similar-looking kind of damage and is called false brinelling since the mechanism is different.
Proposed by Swedish engineer Johan August Brinell in 1900, it was the first widely used and standardised hardness test in engineering and metallurgy. The large size of indentation and possible damage to test-piece limits its usefulness.
When quoting a Brinell Hardness Number (BHN or, more commonly, HB), the conditions of the test used to obtain the number must be specified. The standard format for specifying tests can be seen in the example "HBW 10/3000". "HBW" means that a tungsten (chemical symbol W, from the German Wolfram) carbide ball indenter was used, as opposed to "HBS", which means a hardened steel ball. The "10" is the ball diameter in millimeters. The "3000" is the force in kilograms force.
EN ISO 6506-1 : Metallic materials - Brinell hardness test - Part 1 : test method.
EN ISO 6506-2 : Metallic materials - Brinell hardness test - Part 2 : verification and calibration of testing machine.
ASTM E10 : : Standard method for Brinell hardness of metallic materials.
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Brinell_scale". A list of authors is available in Wikipedia.