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COVID-19 Department Response
Several labs in the Department are directly addressing the current pandemic. Below is a list of research that our faculty are doing related to diagnostics and treatments for coronavirus and Covid-19. MIT ChemE provides an unparalleled skillset for approaching biomedical problems: almost a third of our faculty are working in areas related to human health. The following projects have been designated by the Institute as critical to the current crisis.
Michael S. Strano
Carbon P. Dubbs Professor in Chemical Engineering
Strano and colleagues design a heated face mask to filter and inactivate coronaviruses. The reusable mask would include a heated copper mesh that's powered by a battery and surrounded by insulating neoprene.
MIT News: Engineers design a heated face mask to filter and inactivate coronaviruses
Media coverage and video of Michael Strano interview
Martin Z. Bazant
E. G. Roos (1944) Professor of Chemical Engineering, Digital Learning Officer, Professor of Mathematics
The epidemiological community has raised the alarm that COVID-19 is primarily transmitted through infected indoor air, but no quantitative measure is available to protect against this mode of transmission. Existing guidelines prescribe a minimum social distance (6 feet in the U.S.) or a maximum occupancy (25 persons in Massachusetts) for any indoor space, but clearly the exposure time, room size, ventilation system, respiratory activity, and facemask use must also be considered. Indeed, it is common sense that standing 6 feet away from an infected person is safe for a few seconds, but not for a few days; that 25 people may be safe in a grocery store, but perhaps not in a crowded bar; that close contact may be safe in a well ventilated laboratory, but not in a sealed tent; that social distance and plastic shields may protect against coughs and sneezes, but not against infected droplets from normal breathing, which can quickly spread to all corners of a room.
Consistent with this intuition, Professor Bazant is using mathematical models from chemical engineering and epidemiology to develop an appropriate safety guideline for well-mixed indoor spaces. The guideline is parameterized by the latest data for COVID-19 spreading and respiratory aerosol emissions, and made publicly available in an easy-to-use Excel spreadsheet. Running the numbers suggests that many classrooms may safely re-open for normal occupancy with facemasks, while more aggressive control of cumulative exposure time and ventilation could save lives in nursing homes.
This work involves collaboration with Professor John Bush, an expert in respiratory fluid dynamics.
Podcast: Modeling How COVID Spreads – 12/14/20 (Full Episode)
MOOC on Physics of COVID-19 Transmission to begin on Dec. 3rd.
STAT: Covid-19's wintry mix: As we move indoors, dry air will help the coronavirus spread
NYT highlights Martin Bazant's new COVID-19 Indoor Safety Guideline App
COVID-19 Indoor Safety Guideline
Beyond Six Feet: A Guideline to Limit Indoor Airborne Transmission of COVID-19
Hadley Sikes
Associate Professor and Esther and Harold E. Edgerton Career Development Professor
Hadley Sikes's group is working to develop protein-based tests that can indicate current or past Covid-19 disease. The currently available tests are RNA-based tests that are difficult to produce at the necessary scale and must be processed in a lab, which has led to widely publicized backlogs that have complicated efforts to track the disease. Tests for Covid-19 that are similar to pregnancy tests are beginning to be reported. Questions remain regarding their sensitivity and specificity, and these tests are also difficult to optimize and scale. The Sikes Group is developing new paper-based multiplex rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) for viral protein biomarkers in a range of bodily fluids which would indicate active infection, and would give results in a period of minutes rather than hours with no need for supporting lab infrastructure. Lab member Eric Miller was able to manufacture new recognition elements for Covid-19 proteins in a matter of weeks, and these proteins are inexpensive and easy to produce at scale. They envision that these tests could be deployed to community clinics, airports, schools, companies or any populated communities to perform the first line screening for SARS-CoV-2 symptomatic and asymptomatic infection to triage suspected COVID-19 cases in a timely manner.
Their group is also developing these same tests for antibodies in the blood which would indicate past exposure. In addition to testing for seroconversion against the Spike (S) protein, they are also developing tests for seroconversion against the nucleocapsid (N) protein, which may be more highly expressed and lead to a more accurate test with fewer false results. They're currently collaborating with a major industrial partner to be able to manufacture both tests at the necessary scale in the time frame that will have an impact.
Sikes Lab collaborates with 3M to develop rapid Covid-19 test
Hadley Sikes designs simple-to-use diagnostic devices that could benefit patients around the world
Hadley Sikes answering 3 questions on searching for a Covid-19 protein test
Gregory Stephanopoulos
Willard Henry Dow Professor in Chemical Engineering
Prof. Stephanopoulos's lab is working on engineering microbes for the overproduction of natural products that can be used as antiviral drugs in the treatment of COVOD-19 infections. The team is developing cost effective and scalable technologies for the biosynthesis of promising antiviral molecules.
Gregory Rutledge
Lammot du Pont Professor in Chemical Engineering
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency recently estimated that combined demand for N95 respirators and protective surgical masks will be around 7 million units per month for the next six months, a quantity that simply cannot be met by existing supply or current production capacity. Already, doctors and nurses in hospitals are resorting to decontamination and re-use of old respirators, using questionable sterilization procedures, and fabrication of new masks using materials at hand, of unknown quality. Supplies flown in from other countries to meet this demand are often of unknown quality and questionable provenance; some have even been recalled.
The Rutledge Lab at MIT is evaluating the particulate filtration efficiency of various fabrics and materials for aerosols in the size range from about 20 to 850 nm, relevant to the current COVID-19 crisis. It can also measure pressure drop as a function of filtration time, to determine whether such materials remain "breathable". With this project, they aim to serve the teams of healthcare workers and other early responders on the front lines of the current pandemic by providing reliable information and immediate guidance around the selection of materials for face masks and respirators, through reliable, quantitative and forward-looking assessments of particulate filtration efficiency and inhalation resistance. In so doing, they will create a database of materials performance evaluations that may subsequently be mined for filtration and flow resistance characteristics for use by the broader community of PPE developers. This work is being done in partnership with teams at MIT, Harvard, AFFOA (Advanced Functional Fabrics of America, a Manufacturing Innovation Institute), M-ERT and local hospitals (Beth Israel Deaconess, Mass General Hospital, and Brigham and Women's Hospital). In addition, the Rutledge group has begun to field requests from hospitals around the country who are approaching them for similar guidance.
Lincoln Labs works with Rutledge lab to test uncertified N95 masks
Gregory Rutledge answering questions on initial testing of KN95 respirators for public health officials
Christopher Love
Associate Professor and Raymond A. (1921) and Helen E. St. Laurent Chair in Chemical Engineering
Chris Loves's group works to accelerate the development and accessibility of biopharmaceuticals and vaccines for patients globally through bioengineering. They recently developed end-to-end automated production of multiple biopharmaceuticals and potential vaccine components with clinical-grade quality in a bench-top system. Currently, they are advancing recombinant COVID-19 vaccine components intended for low-cost manufacturing and global access. A significant challenge for any vaccine will be the scalability of production to generate sufficient doses. For example, 1 billion doses may require as much as 10-100 kilograms of protein—large volumes for the current manufacturing infrastructure. The Love Lab is using an integrated approach combining biological insights for molecular and host cell design and new ways for integrated and continuous operations of production and purification to address this challenge directly. They are advancing a minimal vaccine concept as well as more advanced structures from the COVID-19 Spike protein with the intent of realizing scalable and low-cost manufacturing for global health. They are already connecting with vaccine manufacturers in developing countries and labs with appropriate animal models to test concepts and advance towards clinical studies anticipated as early as this fall.
Read More: Love Lab developing Covid-19 vaccine to potentially reach billions
David H. Koch Institute Professor
Prof. Langer has several Covid-related projects:
On Jan. 11, Chinese authorities shared the genetic sequence of Covid-19. Just two days later, members of a research team from Moderna Therapeutics, in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health, finalized the design of a vaccine they hope will prevent infection from the disease. Moderna was founded by Langer, investor Noubar Afeyan PhD '87, and researchers from Harvard Medical School in 2010. The company develops treatments that leverage specialized transporter molecules in cells known as messenger RNAs. Messenger RNAs bring instructions from genes to the cellular machinery that makes proteins. By creating specially modified mRNA, Moderna believes it can develop therapies to treat and prevent a number of diseases in humans. Following its design of a potential Covid-19 vaccine, the company quickly moved to manufacture the mRNA vaccine for clinical trials. On March 16, just 65 days after Covid-19 was sequenced, Moderna began human trials, according to the company. The first stage of the trials is expected to last six weeks and will focus on the safety of the vaccine as well as the immune response it provokes in participants. The company has said that while a commercially available vaccine is not likely to be available for at least 12-18 months, it is possible that under emergency use, a vaccine could be available to some people sooner. For more info, go to http://news.mit.edu/2020/mit-companies-covid-19-0326
Collaboration with New Balance and Brigham and Women's Hospital to advise on fabrication of N95-like masks for our healthcare workers. New Balance has the ability to re-purpose their manufacturing for this and has quickly made several prototypes which now need to be tested. The Langer Lab tests the breathability of the newly developed masks according to standard test methods for air permeability of textile fabrics (ASTM D737-96 standard). If one of the prototypes qualifies through the standard testing, New Balance would start producing these masks in bulk which would greatly help replenish the supplies at the local hospitals so the clinicians can stay healthy as they treat the Covid-19 patients.
Developing an invisible, on-patient medical record to address the need for accurate medical record keeping in low resource settings (where no centralized database is available) and during disease outbreak/mass vaccination campaigns where large numbers of people are vaccinated in a short period of time and where the movement of large numbers of people hinders accurate disease management. The medical record is composed of near-infra red absorbing/emitting microparticles (which are invisible to the naked eye) embedded in dissolvable microneedle arrays. Once applied to the patient the microneedle array dissolves and the specific pattern of the microneedle array is transferred to the dermis of the patient via the spatial distribution of the fluorescent microparticles.
First generation technology was recently developed with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) and published in Science Translational Medicine. We are currently adapting this technology for applications that could potentially help mitigate the current Covid-19 pandemic where accurate medical records are of the utmost importance and where the movement of people is highly linked to the spread of disease.
Developing a single injection delivery system that can deliver multiple doses of an active agent in a single injection (e.g. Covid-19 vaccines that are currently being developed and/or being tested in clinical trials) that induce strong neutralizing antibody titers earlier than multiple bolus injections. Such a delivery system could be particularly useful during an outbreak period such as the current Covid-19 pandemic, which requires rapid protective immunity while maintaining limited patient interactions. This platform technology was published in Science with support from BMGF and allows for essentially any drug or vaccine to be incorporated and delivered via a single injection, yet can carry additional doses which stay in the body and release weeks or months later.
The focus of this BARDA supported project is to develop a vaccine printer that allows for a rapid, point of care response by producing large numbers of stable vaccination patches for use during disease outbreaks or mass vaccination campaigns. Our approach is focused on the delivery of mRNA based-vaccines, including a Covid-19 mRNA formulation similar to the one currently in phase 1 clinical trial. Additionally, this platform can be expanded to deliver a variety of vaccine antigens and adjuvants. An invisible dye will also be added to the vaccine so one can easily identify and track who has been vaccinated for better resource management during outbreaks and emergency situations such as the current Covid-19 pandemic.
Along with Professor Giovanni Traverso, Langer is developing drug delivery systems involving therapeutic depots that enable single administration of anti-viral technologies and facilitate mass drug administration.


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Gypsophila herniarioides är en nejlikväxtart som beskrevs av Pierre Edmond Boissier. Gypsophila herniarioides ingår i släktet slöjor, och familjen nejlikväxter. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

Källor

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herniarioides

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Japanese startup wants to set the standard for online learning
Kenshiro Mori
Schoo
Takayuki Nakanishi
Junya Mori 2013.11.11
From the left: Koroku, Mori, Nakanishi
See the original article in Japanese
On October 28th, my Twitter and Facebook streams suddenly got really busy. The culprit turned out to be a couple of lectures from Schoo, the Japan-based online school startup. Its mission is to build a society where people will always keep learning [1]. Based on this mission, they provide real-time online lectures on their website.
The two lectures broadcasted on that particular evening were:
"How trippiece raised 200 million yen" by Fumiaki Koizumi, director of trippiece
"The history and the structure of venture capital that startup entrepreneurs must know" by Taiga Matsuyama, East Ventures
These two lectures were a sort of follow-up of a previous lecture, "The basics of venture financing, how to raise 100 million yen", broadcasted on Oct 17th by Satoshi Maruyama, of Venture United. If you watch these 3 lectures together, you can learn a lot about the history of venture financing, the structure and the idea of investment and venture capital.
Both during and after the broadcast, I saw many social posts saying how fun or interesting it was.
Schoo provides content not only on finance, but also on other startup-related subjects such as team management and how to make a business plan.
I went to Schoo's office to learn more about what's going on with the startup. I spoke with Kenshiro Mori, the representative director of Schoo; Takayuki Nakanishi, the director responsible for content department; and Takuya Koroku, editor and content director.
Mori explained to me why they started creating content focused on venture financing, saying that his experience was his biggest motivation.
Mori raised 152 million yen from Itochu Technology Ventures, IncubateFund and ANRI in July, 2013. Back then, there were too many things beyond his comprehension. Today funds flow faster, and dynamic changes will occur when more entrepreneurs raise funding amounts of more than 100 million yen. On the other hand, there are pitfalls when raising so much money. Thinking back on his own experience, he believed communicating advice for entrepreneurs about fundraising would be helpful.
Content design based on a framework
Currently there are two subjects on schoo: startups and web design. Mori adds:
When we planned courses on these two subjects, the first thing we did was to set a solid goal. We design content based on practical goals, which reflect what the users will be able to do after they finish the course. When we designed the course for the 'startups' section, we set a framework. The framework was that users currently preparing to startup will be able to raise enough to end series A. Based on the framework, we created our content.
They first focused on users and where they could achieve, and then they developed the content with lecturers. With the web design course, they created content with the aim of helping total beginners be able to work as freelance web designers.
They also offer lectures focused on more practical matters in startup management. Another lecture, "How to build a great startup team", will be presented by Yozo Kaneko, the COO of United .
Nakanishi: In many cases, after entrepreneurs raise more than 100 million yen, but the existing company structure fails to work and breaks down.
Mori: We failed that way…
Nakanishi: We present this kind of real case to participants and move on to discussion.
They create content based on their experiences. And that's why the lectures are not abstract, but rather more practical.
Stay tuned for the second part of this interview, coming soon!
The original Japanese reads something like 'to rid graduations from society', so we're taking some liberties here in order to better communicate the meaning. ↩
Schoo: Japanese e-learning startup strives for excellence in content (Part 2 of 2)
Japanese e-learning startup Schoo raises $2.9 million
Japanese online learning platform to create a new generation of car designers
Nailbook helps women in Japan and beyond find nail design inspiration
Nailbook
Yumemi
Yukari Mitsuhashi 2013.11.11
In Japan, getting your nails done is a big part of fashion for women of all ages. But it can be tricky to find new designs on a regular basis. But there is an iPhone app called Nailbook that many women are turning to for nail design inspirations. Nailbook has been downloaded over 500,000 times as of July 21st of this year (see chart below). There are over 250,000 nail designs in the app with about 700 new photos added everyday. The application is used by people both here in Japan as well as overseas. In total, there are Nailbook users from more than 102 countries. You can follow other users you like, or favorite nail design photos for future reference. You can also upload recent nail designs of your own. Some professional nail artists even do this to promote their work. Finding the great designs on a platform like this is easy, as photos can be searched according to situation (i.e. Is it for work, or for an upcoming date?). A ranking feature showing the most popular and kawaii designs of the past week helps as well. Nailbook is available on iOS and on the web too.
In Japan, getting your nails done is a big part of fashion for women of all ages. But it can be tricky to find new designs on a regular basis. But there is an iPhone app called Nailbook that many women are turning to for nail design inspirations.
Nailbook has been downloaded over 500,000 times as of July 21st of this year (see chart below). There are over 250,000 nail designs in the app with about 700 new photos added everyday. The application is used by people both here in Japan as well as overseas. In total, there are Nailbook users from more than 102 countries.
You can follow other users you like, or favorite nail design photos for future reference. You can also upload recent nail designs of your own. Some professional nail artists even do this to promote their work.
Finding the great designs on a platform like this is easy, as photos can be searched according to situation (i.e. Is it for work, or for an upcoming date?). A ranking feature showing the most popular and kawaii designs of the past week helps as well.
Nailbook is available on iOS and on the web too.
Japan's nail art photo app Nailbook secures $840,000 series A round funding
Japanese nail art photo app lands key partnership to expand into China
New app helps Japanese women looking to get pregnant
Japan's Kakaku.com partners with VeriTrans to deliver to overseas buyers
kakaku
Japan's Kakaku.com recently announced overseas users of its price comparison site can now purchase products through a new partner website called BuySmartJapan. This new site is provided by Veritrans. When users click on the BuySmartJapan banner on the products page, they're taken to the new website where they can purchase that product [1]. BuySmartJapan will purchase the product from Japanese stores on behalf of the consumer and then ship it overseas. Kakaku.com is a comprehensive review portal strong in electronics, but it covers other things including insurance and travel plans. Its monthly pageviews exceed nine hundred million with over 45 million monthly users. Of this number, over one million are users residing outside of Japan. Many stores posted on the site do not ship to outside of Japan, and the new business was started to solve this inconvenience. In addition to credit card and Paypal, other accepted payment methods for this new site will be AliPay (offered by China's Alibaba) and China-UnionPay. This is perhaps a good indication that this initiative is, in part, directed at serving Chinese consumers. In addition to international shipping, the site has also added shopping carts in English, Chinese, and Korean. Kakaku.com now ships to…
Japan's Kakaku.com recently announced overseas users of its price comparison site can now purchase products through a new partner website called BuySmartJapan. This new site is provided by Veritrans.
When users click on the BuySmartJapan banner on the products page, they're taken to the new website where they can purchase that product [1]. BuySmartJapan will purchase the product from Japanese stores on behalf of the consumer and then ship it overseas.
Kakaku.com is a comprehensive review portal strong in electronics, but it covers other things including insurance and travel plans. Its monthly pageviews exceed nine hundred million with over 45 million monthly users. Of this number, over one million are users residing outside of Japan. Many stores posted on the site do not ship to outside of Japan, and the new business was started to solve this inconvenience.
In addition to credit card and Paypal, other accepted payment methods for this new site will be AliPay (offered by China's Alibaba) and China-UnionPay. This is perhaps a good indication that this initiative is, in part, directed at serving Chinese consumers.
In addition to international shipping, the site has also added shopping carts in English, Chinese, and Korean. Kakaku.com now ships to Japan as well as 120 countries outside of Japan.
Besides its price comparison site, Kakaku operates a range of internet services, including Cena, a Japanese equivalent to OpenTable. Readers may recall back in September when we wrote about its restaurant review site Tabelog and how its premium business model is skyrocketing.
Editor's note: We're in Japan and we're not certain that this process is yet in place. Surfing Kakaku using a US IP address does not yet show BuySmartJapan banners in our initial test. ↩
Kakaku.com: Japan's price comparison king
Japanese legal portal Bengo4.com raises $208,000 from Kakaku.com
Japan's Stores.jp partners with major e-commerce portals to help merchants find traffic
Shinji Kimura: Japan needs to establish a trillion-yen technology company like Google
Shinji Kimura
See the original Japanese version of this article here The competition among news technology startups is heating up. Yesterday, we brought you the first part of our interview with Shinji Kimura, who just joined a leading news technology startup, Gunosy. In this second part, he talks about the company's competitors, as well as his own goals as an entrepreneur. The Bridge: There are several competitors in this field. How will you stand apart from them all? Kimura: Gunosy made it possible for users to get useful information without having to search for it for it on the internet. News was the first step. But the next step could be other content like books, music, or great images. E-commerce is now more personalized as well. We could help bring content from any field to users. The Bridge: You are expanding beyond news? Kimura: We have a chance to access to all kinds of content. We could develop an efficient matching system that spans the world, by building a great team with the necessary expertise. If we can do this, we could see a form of consumption nobody has ever imagined before. Connecting dots, as Steve Jobs said, will be realized in…
See the original Japanese version of this article here
The competition among news technology startups is heating up. Yesterday, we brought you the first part of our interview with Shinji Kimura, who just joined a leading news technology startup, Gunosy. In this second part, he talks about the company's competitors, as well as his own goals as an entrepreneur.
The Bridge: There are several competitors in this field. How will you stand apart from them all?
Kimura: Gunosy made it possible for users to get useful information without having to search for it for it on the internet. News was the first step. But the next step could be other content like books, music, or great images. E-commerce is now more personalized as well. We could help bring content from any field to users.
The Bridge: You are expanding beyond news?
Kimura: We have a chance to access to all kinds of content. We could develop an efficient matching system that spans the world, by building a great team with the necessary expertise. If we can do this, we could see a form of consumption nobody has ever imagined before. Connecting dots, as Steve Jobs said, will be realized in the field of recommendation technology. Ultimately this sort of thing has potential to make people happier.
The Bridge: Amazon recommends users items based on what they previously bought. And Gunosy recommends based on users' interests, right?
Kimura: People often misunderstand this, but we don't recommend articles based on what users' friends have shared. We don't do that. What we want to do is to try to copy the users' mind based on interests. That's why sometimes articles the user has already read the previous day are recommended.
The Bridge: Gunosy is growing rapidly. But I have the impression that there is still room to add entertainment value. Is there any possibility for such an entertainment feature in the future? Perhaps implementing a real-time function?
Kimura: Basically user interests are not updated real-time, so that'd be a difficult feature to implement. I hear that a lot of users use a variety of services, each for a different purpose. So naturally it'd be more convenient if they could be integrated into just one service.
The morning edition and the evening edition of newspapers is a good representation of readers' daily activities. [Giving consideration to time], it could be interesting to provide recipes from Cookpad before lunch time. I think that this kind of feature can add an entertainment value to the service.
The Bridge: To what extent are you planning to scale up this business?
Kimura: We have to carefully look at the actions of competitors and major companies, and try to take action at the right time. There will be a lot of things young members in their 20s cannot imagine. I have business experiences both in startups and big companies. So I think my role here in Gunosy is to help young members think beyond their existing frames of view.
The Bridge: The executive team will be built based on your network as well?
Kimura: I am talking to some people who have startup experiences. Possibly some people who are well known in the startup field will join our team. […] Considering that existing competitors are already big, we need to pump human and capital resources at this stage. I had difficulty doing that in my past starup experience, so this time I will take advantage of my experiences and execute rather boldly. Japan needs big technology companies like Google and Facebook, a place where young talents can work. Our generation needs to establish a 1 trillion-yen company which can be passed to the next generation.
The Bridge: Thank you for your time.
Gunosy's latest addition, Shinji Kimura: This is more than just a news aggregator
Now with over 1M downloads, Japanese news app Gunosy launches ad network
News curation app Gunosy raises $342,000 from angel investors
What's in a name? For Japanese startups, sometimes alphabet soup
Over the past few years we are seeing more Japanese startups than ever before looking beyond domestic borders to markets abroad. This is undeniably awesome. But this development is not without growing pains and awkwardness. What works in Japan doesn't always work elsewhere, and this is particularly true of company names. From the point of view a non-Japanese person, there seems to me to be a very disproportionate number of companies in Japan that have crazy names. This problem has a number of symptoms, including: the triple-letter epidemic (see Niiice, Freee, Snapeee, and Calll) strange/random capitalization (see DoCoMo, DeNA CocoPPA, MiCHi) [1] names that sound just plain wrong (see Cunpic, Askiss) I'm a little reluctant to point this out, but when I read how Takafumi Horie named his latest app, Teriyaki, it really made me think about the problem a little more. With hopes of global expansion potential, we decided to name the app 'Teriyaki' — something familiar to non-Japanese people too. Too few Japanese startups do this. In fact, our own team here fallen into this trap as well, although having rebranded as The Bridge recently, I'm glad we're out of it! [2] Evasive maneuvers So if you are…
Over the past few years we are seeing more Japanese startups than ever before looking beyond domestic borders to markets abroad. This is undeniably awesome. But this development is not without growing pains and awkwardness. What works in Japan doesn't always work elsewhere, and this is particularly true of company names.
From the point of view a non-Japanese person, there seems to me to be a very disproportionate number of companies in Japan that have crazy names. This problem has a number of symptoms, including:
the triple-letter epidemic (see Niiice, Freee, Snapeee, and Calll)
strange/random capitalization (see DoCoMo, DeNA CocoPPA, MiCHi) [1]
names that sound just plain wrong (see Cunpic, Askiss)
I'm a little reluctant to point this out, but when I read how Takafumi Horie named his latest app, Teriyaki, it really made me think about the problem a little more.
With hopes of global expansion potential, we decided to name the app 'Teriyaki' — something familiar to non-Japanese people too.
Too few Japanese startups do this. In fact, our own team here fallen into this trap as well, although having rebranded as The Bridge recently, I'm glad we're out of it! [2]
So if you are a Japanese company, how can you avoid this sort of problem? I'd like to share a few points that I think should be considered when choosing a name for your company or service. Keep in mind, I don't claim to be any sort of naming expert. But I'll try to offer a few points that I think can help.
Ask the crowd you know – Make use of the poll features in Google Drive or Facebook to gather feedback from as many of your friends as possible, and from a diverse range of people if you can.
Ask the crowd you don't know – If you don't know any English-speaking people who can offer suggestions, consider using a service like PickyDomains, where you can crowdsource some domain name ideas for a reasonable price [3]. If you can't manage to get feedback from English-speaking people using modern day internet tools, you should probably reconsider doing business abroad.
The telephone test – A really great name is one that you can tell someone over the phone without any big problem.
The t-shirt test – Is your name and logo something that your employees would wear on a t-shirt? If not, maybe reconsider.
Don't be afraid to use a Japanese name, even if you are targeting global markets. Some names can be just fine for global use. Rakuten, Origami, Gengo, and Niconico are all easy to say and remember. Some Western companies even choose names that sound Japanese because they sound sort of cool (see tech blog Kotaku).
Let's face it, choosing a good name for your company or service is really hard. And if you have to do it for two markets, then it's twice as difficult. Given that limitation, the best strategy might be simply choose a name that doesn't suck in either market.
Of course if you have no plans on expanding beyond Japan, feel free to disregard everything I've just said. But if you think there is even a chance you might expand your business abroad in the future, it doesn't hurt to factor that possibility into your naming decision.
CocoPPa is actually doing quite well overseas, which is good to see. As an editor though, I really despise those double Ps. For the record, I wrote about unusual capitalization a long time ago, so I'm not going to bother going into that mess again. ↩
This is sort of getting to be a thing for me. Join a company and try to rename it… ↩
I think that actual domain names are not quite as important as they used to be in this mobile age. Our choice of 'The Bridge' was a tough one, because it's not so SEO friendly. But SEO isn't what it used to be, thankfully! ↩
Escaping the Galapagos: 5 Japanese startups that looked beyond home
Japanese homescreen decoration app hits 12M downloads, partners with Sanrio
See the original Japanese version of this article. The competition news technology startups is heating up in Japan. Each company is adjusting its business strategy in an attempt to differentiate from competitors. Two startups are leading this competition: Smartnews and Gunosy. The latter recently surpassed 1 million downloads and launched an ad network as well. Gunosy recently added a very notable new member to its team in Shinji Kimura, who previously founded an ad-tech startup (Adlantis) and also has experience as an investor. We spoke with him to learn more about Gunosy, particularly about their recently launched ad service, and about his own goals as an entrepreneur. The Bridge: You are back on the frontlines! Kimura: It is getting busier here everyday. The experience I had before in Adlantis, expanding the business and the team, helps me a lot now. As soon as I started using Gunosy, I realized that this is something different from other recommendation technology. I was referred to Mr. Fukushima, the CEO of Gunosy, and met him at a restaurant. The Bridge: The performance of Gunosy Ads (recently launched) turned out to be surprisingly high, right? It is a way better than I expected. CTR and…
Shinji Kimura of Gunosy
See the original Japanese version of this article.
The competition news technology startups is heating up in Japan. Each company is adjusting its business strategy in an attempt to differentiate from competitors. Two startups are leading this competition: Smartnews and Gunosy. The latter recently surpassed 1 million downloads and launched an ad network as well. Gunosy recently added a very notable new member to its team in Shinji Kimura, who previously founded an ad-tech startup (Adlantis) and also has experience as an investor. We spoke with him to learn more about Gunosy, particularly about their recently launched ad service, and about his own goals as an entrepreneur.
The Bridge: You are back on the frontlines!
Kimura: It is getting busier here everyday. The experience I had before in Adlantis, expanding the business and the team, helps me a lot now. As soon as I started using Gunosy, I realized that this is something different from other recommendation technology. I was referred to Mr. Fukushima, the CEO of Gunosy, and met him at a restaurant.
The Bridge: The performance of Gunosy Ads (recently launched) turned out to be surprisingly high, right?
It is a way better than I expected. CTR and CVR figures are both around 10 times more than average ad networks. Facebook might reach a similar figure in the future. I will keep improving the ad technology.
The Bridge: What is the vision of Gunosy Ads you have in mind?
Kimura: A lot of users get annoyed by ads on smartphones. I want Gunosy Ads to be a solution to this issue. Ads should be part of the content. So, we need to identify how users find content. The question is, how do they find contents they want when everything like music, books and information are digitized? We need to provide technology to help users find contents efficiently.
The Bridge: You worked on advertising technology at Adlantis. How is it different at Gunosy?
Kimura: Gunosy stands right between advertisers and media. We analyze user information and provide that to advertisers. DSP and SSP have room for improvement. Current advertising systems made it possible for advertisers to put ads more efficiently at lower prices. But media has not succeeded in getting enough data on clusters of users, and that keeps them from upping their advertising rate.
The high performance of Gunosy Ads proves that as long as media can grab solid data about users based on SSP and DSP, they don't need to sell ads at unreasonably low prices. Since we have technology to understand user interests, it could be possible in the future to utilize it and help other websites display optimized ads.
While Adlantis provided optimized ad serving as a third party, Gunosy realized optimal ad serving by changing the scheme and reconstructing information.
The Bridge: It's not possible without communication with users, is it?
This scheme is possible only when there is solid trust between us and our users. Our users have to be convinced that we are working for them. If we just put random ads, users will not trust us. We have to make sure that our ad program serves our users as a sort of concierge and provide useful information for users' daily lives.
The Bridge: So how do you describe Gunosy?
Kimura: Gunosy is a response to the changing times. When internet devices were only PCs, the internet was available only at home or in the office. But now, people can connect to the internet with smartphones anytime anywhere. When the places we could use the internet was limited, we connected to the internet with specific purposes. We used search engines to reach information. But when the internet became accessible anytime, we started using the internet without purpose.
The Bridge: I see.
Kimura: Then social network sites expanded. But they are not efficient. Users get redundant information. Users were looking for something that matches their interests. A kind of unknown information was needed.
Social network users seem to spend endless amounts of time looking at their timelines, but actually they are looking for something that interests them. People want a more efficient search engine. That's Gunosy.
Gunosy is different from a news aggregator. It's a system that connects users and information when users don't have any particular purpose.
I understand that the concept of Gunosy is closer to Yahoo than Google. However, on portal sites organized as a directory, users still have trouble finding what they want. So, the question is how to provide a timeline of information optimized for each user. We need to calculate, optimize and control data in order to do that.
The Bridge: The optimization of Yahoo sounds like a key idea for the future.
Kimura: I think Yahoo Japan is going to execute it. They have not yet done it possibly because of other business issues, but Yahoo USA has already implemented a timeline system. The volume of user data is the key to making a solid recommendation system. Things like a social graph makes a difference as well.
Kimura also talked about their competitors, as well as his own goals as an entrepreneur. We'll cover that in the next article!
Japanese news curation startup Gunosy earns seven-digit dollar figures every month

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The NOMA Egg Hunt moves fast!
The New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) hosted its annual egg hunt April 1 at the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden in City Park. Getting a jump on Easter, hundreds of children (and their parents) took part in a massive Easter egg hunt.


text:
Types of Memory in Embedded Systems
Posted: Tue, 2001-05-01 00:00 - Michael Barr
SRAM or DRAM? EEPROM or flash? What types of memory will you use in your next embedded systems design?
Many types of memory devices are available for use in modern computer systems. As an embedded software engineer, you must be aware of the differences between them and understand how to use each type effectively. In our discussion, we will approach these devices from the software developer's perspective. Keep in mind that the development of these devices took several decades and that their underlying hardware differs significantly. The names of the memory types frequently reflect the historical nature of the development process and are often more confusing than insightful. Figure 1 classifies the memory devices we'll discuss as RAM, ROM, or a hybrid of the two.
Figure 1. Common memory types in embedded systems
Types of RAM
The RAM family includes two important memory devices: static RAM (SRAM) and dynamic RAM (DRAM). The primary difference between them is the lifetime of the data they store. SRAM retains its contents as long as electrical power is applied to the chip. If the power is turned off or lost temporarily, its contents will be lost forever. DRAM, on the other hand, has an extremely short data lifetime-typically about four milliseconds. This is true even when power is applied constantly.
In short, SRAM has all the properties of the memory you think of when you hear the word RAM. Compared to that, DRAM seems kind of useless. By itself, it is. However, a simple piece of hardware called a DRAM controller can be used to make DRAM behave more like SRAM. The job of the DRAM controller is to periodically refresh the data stored in the DRAM. By refreshing the data before it expires, the contents of memory can be kept alive for as long as they are needed. So DRAM is as useful as SRAM after all.
When deciding which type of RAM to use, a system designer must consider access time and cost. SRAM devices offer extremely fast access times (approximately four times faster than DRAM) but are much more expensive to produce. Generally, SRAM is used only where access speed is extremely important. A lower cost-per-byte makes DRAM attractive whenever large amounts of RAM are required. Many embedded systems include both types: a small block of SRAM (a few kilobytes) along a critical data path and a much larger block of DRAM (perhaps even Megabytes) for everything else.
Types of ROM
Memories in the ROM family are distinguished by the methods used to write new data to them (usually called programming), and the number of times they can be rewritten. This classification reflects the evolution of ROM devices from hardwired to programmable to erasable-and-programmable. A common feature of all these devices is their ability to retain data and programs forever, even during a power failure.
The very first ROMs were hardwired devices that contained a preprogrammed set of data or instructions. The contents of the ROM had to be specified before chip production, so the actual data could be used to arrange the transistors inside the chip. Hardwired memories are still used, though they are now called "masked ROMs" to distinguish them from other types of ROM. The primary advantage of a masked ROM is its low production cost. Unfortunately, the cost is low only when large quantities of the same ROM are required.
One step up from the masked ROM is the PROM (programmable ROM), which is purchased in an unprogrammed state. If you were to look at the contents of an unprogrammed PROM, you would see that the data is made up entirely of 1's. The process of writing your data to the PROM involves a special piece of equipment called a device programmer. The device programmer writes data to the device one word at a time by applying an electrical charge to the input pins of the chip. Once a PROM has been programmed in this way, its contents can never be changed. If the code or data stored in the PROM must be changed, the current device must be discarded. As a result, PROMs are also known as one-time programmable (OTP) devices.
An EPROM (erasable-and-programmable ROM) is programmed in exactly the same manner as a PROM. However, EPROMs can be erased and reprogrammed repeatedly. To erase an EPROM, you simply expose the device to a strong source of ultraviolet light. (A window in the top of the device allows the light to reach the silicon.) By doing this, you essentially reset the entire chip to its initial--unprogrammed--state. Though more expensive than PROMs, their ability to be reprogrammed makes EPROMs an essential part of the software development and testing process.
As memory technology has matured in recent years, the line between RAM and ROM has blurred. Now, several types of memory combine features of both. These devices do not belong to either group and can be collectively referred to as hybrid memory devices. Hybrid memories can be read and written as desired, like RAM, but maintain their contents without electrical power, just like ROM. Two of the hybrid devices, EEPROM and flash, are descendants of ROM devices. These are typically used to store code. The third hybrid, NVRAM, is a modified version of SRAM. NVRAM usually holds persistent data.
EEPROMs are electrically-erasable-and-programmable. Internally, they are similar to EPROMs, but the erase operation is accomplished electrically, rather than by exposure to ultraviolet light. Any byte within an EEPROM may be erased and rewritten. Once written, the new data will remain in the device forever--or at least until it is electrically erased. The primary tradeoff for this improved functionality is higher cost, though write cycles are also significantly longer than writes to a RAM. So you wouldn't want to use an EEPROM for your main system memory.
Flash memory combines the best features of the memory devices described thus far. Flash memory devices are high density, low cost, nonvolatile, fast (to read, but not to write), and electrically reprogrammable. These advantages are overwhelming and, as a direct result, the use of flash memory has increased dramatically in embedded systems. From a software viewpoint, flash and EEPROM technologies are very similar. The major difference is that flash devices can only be erased one sector at a time, not byte-by-byte. Typical sector sizes are in the range 256 bytes to 16KB. Despite this disadvantage, flash is much more popular than EEPROM and is rapidly displacing many of the ROM devices as well.
The third member of the hybrid memory class is NVRAM (non-volatile RAM). Nonvolatility is also a characteristic of the ROM and hybrid memories discussed previously. However, an NVRAM is physically very different from those devices. An NVRAM is usually just an SRAM with a battery backup. When the power is turned on, the NVRAM operates just like any other SRAM. When the power is turned off, the NVRAM draws just enough power from the battery to retain its data. NVRAM is fairly common in embedded systems. However, it is expensive--even more expensive than SRAM, because of the battery--so its applications are typically limited to the storage of a few hundred bytes of system-critical information that can't be stored in any better way.
Table 1 summarizes the features of each type of memory discussed here, but keep in mind that different memory types serve different purposes. Each memory type has its strengths and weaknesses. Side-by-side comparisons are not always effective.
Volatile?
Writeable?
Erase Size
Max Erase Cycles
Cost (per Byte)
Masked ROM
Once, with a device programmer
Yes, with a device programmer
Entire Chip
Limited (consult datasheet)
Fast to read, slow to erase/write
Expensive (SRAM + battery)
Table 1. Characteristics of the various memory types
This article was published in the May 2001 issue of Embedded Systems Programming. If you wish to cite the article in your own work, you may find the following MLA-style information helpful:
Barr, Michael. "Memory Types," Embedded Systems Programming, May 2001, pp. 103-104.
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Boys and girls from the Kalkaska Memorial Health Center Child Development Center and Preschool were enraptured by the yuletide stories shared by residents of the Kalkaska Senior Living Center.
One senior citizen regaled the youngsters with Tim Burton's "The Nightmare Before Christmas," a dark and scary story filled with monsters and witches and demons.
Wilma Wells chose to read a book about Christmas traditions and afterwards she asked the boys and girls if they knew why we celebrate the holiday.
At that point an unidentified teacher rose up and stopped the elderly woman from proceeding.
"We won't go there, Wilma," the teacher declared.
Towards the end of the story, Linus recites a historical account of the Christmas story. As Miss Joan was summarizing that portion of the story, the teacher abruptly interrupted Joan, cancelled the visit and escorted the children out of the room.
Poor Miss Joan was left all alone because the teacher apparently got triggered by the reason for the season.
First Liberty, a law firm that specializes in religious discrimination cases, is representing Miss Joan and Miss Wilma.
"Here, the teacher allowed those who spoke about Christmas in secular terms to speak unimpeded, but abridged the speech of those who spoke to the historical significance of Christmas' origins.


This phone has a 6.53 inch 2244 x 1080 RGBW DCI-P3 HDR LCD display. Its aspect ratio is 18: 7: 9 and 88.90 percent is screen-to-body. This phone is equipped with a glass finish design with the waterdrop display screen. This phone has an eight-core Kirin 980 SOC processor. The phone has 4 GB / 6GB RAM and 128 GB of storage.
It also has triple rear camera with- a 16 megapixel (wide-angle sensor) + 12 megapixel ultra-wide angle sensor)+ 8 megapixel ( telephoto sensor) with OIS. The phone has a 24-megapixel front camera for selfie and video calling. It has a 22.5W 4,000 mAh battery with fast charging. It runs on Android Pie outside the box.
This phone has 6.39 inches 2k + (3120 x 1440) curved OLED display. Its aspect ratio is 19: 5: 9 and 86.90% is screen-to-body. This phone is equipped with a glass display design with the notch display screen. This phone has an eight-core Kirin 980 SOC processor. The phone has 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage. It has 4,200 mAh battery with 40W fast charging. It runs on Android Pie outside the box.
It also has triple rear camera with- a 40 megapixel (F / 1.8 wide-angle sensor) + 20 megapixel (F / 2.2 ultra-wide angle sensor)+ 8 megapixel (F / 2.4 telephoto sensor) with OIS. The camera has many interesting features like Super HDR, AR FEATURES, macro photography and low-light photography. The phone has a 24-megapixel front camera for selfie and video calling and it works with 3D Face Unlock System to keep your phone safe. There is also a 3D model scanning feature which allows it to scan objects that can be used in AR mode.
This phone has 7.12 inch FHD + OLED display. Its aspect ratio is 18: 7: 9 and 88.90 percent is screen-to-body. This phone is equipped with a glass finish design with the Waterdrop Nach display screen. This phone has an eight-core Kirin 980 SOC processor. The phone has 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage. It has a 5,000 mAh battery with 40W fast charging. It runs on Android Pie outside the box.
It also has triple rear camera with- a 40 megapixel (F / 1.8 wide-angle sensor) + 20 megapixel (F / 2.2 ultra-wide angle sensor)+ 8 megapixel (F / 2.4 telephoto sensor) with OIS. The camera has many interesting features like Super HDR, AR FEATURES, macro photography and low-light photography. The phone has a 24-megapixel front camera for selfie and video calling.


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How Bronte Capital finds bad companies and shorts them
James FrostFinancial Services Writer
Oct 19, 2016 — 11.30pm
It was in 2008 when retired fund manager John Hempton noticed something unusual about the audience of his popular blog that chronicled the implosion of American sub-prime housing and the unfolding global financial crisis.
Quite a lot of his traffic was coming from inside the White House.
They were reading a 10,000-word post Hempton had written about how the US government would bail out its stricken banking sector. They must have liked what they read, because in the end the plan bore more than a few similarities to his original post.
John Hempton, chief investment officer of Bronte Capital, which has a database of hundreds of people who behave badly in financial markets. Jeremy Piper
While not a central figure in the crisis by any means, Hempton was certainly one of the more insightful and quirky commentators to emerge from the GFC, largely thanks to his embrace of Web 2.0 publishing through platforms such as Twitter.
The former Treasury official started the blog to give himself an outlet after resigning from his role as banking analyst with Kerr Neilson's multibillion-dollar mega-fund, Platinum Asset Management.
But what started as a hobby snowballed, earning Hempton a huge following online. Today he maintains 19,400 followers on Twitter, which is half as many as Telstra chief executive officer Andy Penn but four times as many as ANZ Bank CEO Shayne Elliott.
Enter Bronte Capital
Hempton would start managing money again in the first half of 2009 under the name Bronte Capital. His first fund would be named Callisto, after the Greek goddess who sometimes turned into a bear, fitting neatly into his world view.
The fund has never been an enormous hit with investors – despite attracting backing from elite figures including Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull – with funds under management sitting somewhere between $100 million and $200 million.
Yet Hempton himself remains a subject of great interest.
Some of that interest is due to his role in blowing the whistle on the Astarra-Trio Capital debacle, where $176 million went missing in what has been described as the largest superannuation fraud in Australian history.
Then there was the multi-year stoush with New York fund manager-cum-billionaire Bill Ackman. Hempton and his fund took opposing positions in two companies – Herbalife and Valeant – which both turned out to be very profitable for Hempton and embarrassing for Ackman.
More recently, a cameo on Nine Network's flagship current affairs program, 60 Minutes, that explored alarming underwriting standards of Australian mortgages attracted interest and comparisons with the collapse of the US housing market.
That is not to say that Hempton courts the media; in fact, he actively seems to discourage it. It is rather the quality of his ideas and the rigour of his thinking that attracts interest. One gets the feeling that we will be hearing a lot more from Hempton in the future.
How do you describe the strategy behind the Amalthea Fund?
It's a long fund that shorts on the side. The longs are value-chosen. We try to seek out companies with low valuations and good five-year prosects. If I find three longs in a year, then that's been a pretty good year.
We have 45 longs but would like to trim those down to 15 positions that fully meet our criteria. About half a dozen (the ones we really like) are half the portfolio.
The shorts are different. The primary method for identifying a short is through people. Sometimes we analyse the company last. "Once a scumbag, always a scumbag" is our motto. We have industrialised the process of chasing scumbags.
How do you find these people?
We have a database of hundreds of people who behave badly in financial markets and our process is to short whatever they do next. We do this with the sort of software that is sold to government agencies with three-letter acronyms.
If, say, a person was a broker at Stratton Oakmont (the brokerage that featured in The Wolf of Wall Street), ran two failed goldmines and now is the CEO of a UK biotech, that is a pretty good sign. These people travel the world looking for new markets to rip off.
And then there are certain places with a preponderance of bad people. Stockbrokers from Long Island, mining promoters in Perth or Vancouver, anything on the AIM boards in the UK. They are obvious places. We follow them and short them.
Sounds like there are a lot of shorts around. Why does the fund aim to be 85 per cent long?
There are problems with being short. We typically invest around 30-50 basis points (half a per cent) in a short. If you dedicated 5 per cent to a short and it goes up 20 times, you are out of business. Start small and it can go up three times. We can manage it.
That can and will happen. Say you have two identical gold companies, each with the same costs and each with a million ounces in the ground. One is run by an honest man and the other a fraud. Which company is the 10-bagger?
It's the fraud's company. Why? Because the fraud will find a way to have the resource upgraded to 10 million ounces. The fraud exists to sell shares. They park shares with an undisclosed third party and sell as the price goes up.
Meanwhile they are telling the world they are buying more shares. The resource gets better. The lies get bigger and bigger. And the share price keeps going up until he's found out. Our slogan is, "The better the fraud the smaller the position".
Your short against Australian banks and property attracted a lot of attention in February. How is it looking now?
It's a small position on which we made a small amount of money. But it wasn't my thesis, it was [British analyst] Jonathan Tepper's. Jonathan is a friend who visited, and we did some investigating into bank underwriting standards.
We visited some mortgage brokers to see if they would let us borrow 10 times our income. We worked out that if you borrowed 10 times your income, after you paid your mortgage you would be eating dog food. On 11 times, you'd starve.
We went to see some honest mortgage brokers and they said that you can get seven times your income but if you want nine times, then "I know a bloke who can get things done". That was an expression we heard a lot.
Some of the brokers we saw would tell us that nine was possible but 10 was a stretch. They knew which banks would let you revalue in 12 months and which wouldn't. Jonathan picked the Spanish housing collapse and he identified a number of worrying signs.
What else are you short in Australia now?
We don't disclose shorts much at all because they get crowded. Mostly what we are short in Australia are $500 million miners where the deposits are overstated. We were short copper miner CuDeco, for instance.
Did you know CuDeco stands for copper discovery of the decade? We had some doubts about the deposits. It was discovered in 2006 and it still hasn't been mined. We also have one large-cap Australian short which we believe is deeply suspicious.
I can't tell you.
Is it a miner or a bank?
No, but I really can't talk about it.
OK, what about your long positions?
Our longs are very long. Henkel, a German conglomerate, we have owned since 2009. I suspect we will own it in five years' time. In a perfect world I would own seven stocks in seven countries but alas, we own more than that.
The big longs are Herbalife, Verizon, Berkshire Hathaway and Henkell. We also have a collection of aerospace companies such as Albany International, Rolls-Royce and MTU Aero Engines, but they are part of the same trade.
What is it you like about aerospace?
All of those companies I mentioned will be bigger and better in the next five years. I could talk all day about the merits of one engine over another. Let's take the Airbus A350 for example, the most fuel-efficient plane in the world, [its engines] built by Rolls-Royce.
Now, being the most fuel-efficient plane in the world isn't so attractive when oil is $US40 a barrel. At that price you can keep older planes in the air. But when oil gets to $US100, that's when things get interesting. Entire fleets will be replaced.
You are long Alphabet (formerly Google) but not long Facebook. Or short Facebook for that matter. Why?
The maths was really difficult. Those stocks are pretty close to fully valued. In an ideal world everything we are short would go to zero. Our shorts are not about finding something slightly overvalued, it is about finding something 95 per cent overvalued.
Google is pretty close to fully valued. Even if you assume that online advertising goes to 0.4 per cent of global GDP (a huge stretch) and that Google owns 70 per cent of it, it is hard to see the stock doubling. That said, we don't say we do not short valuation. This is a good company run by good people.
James Frost writes about banking, funds management and superannuation. Based in Melbourne, James has been reporting on specialist business and finance topics for 15 years. Connect with James on Twitter. Email James at james.frost@afr.com
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of Americans filing for unemployment aid fell from a 14-month high last week, the latest sign the economy was picking up speed in the second quarter and likely would be healthy enough for the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates in June.
The economic outlook got a further boost from another report on Thursday showing a gauge of future activity jumped in April. The reports followed recent upbeat data on retail sales, home building and industrial production.
Minutes from the Fed's April 26-27 policy meeting, published on Wednesday, showed most officials considered it appropriate to raise rates next month if data continued to point to an improvement in second-quarter growth.
"The economy is coming back. This is further ammunition to our view that the Fed will restart the normalization process, either in June or July," said Michael Strauss, chief economist at Commonfund in Wilton, Connecticut.
Initial claims for state unemployment benefits declined 16,000 to a seasonally adjusted 278,000 for the week ended May 14, the Labor Department said. That was the biggest drop since February and snapped a three-week string of increases.
Claims have now been below 300,000, a threshold associated with a strong job market, for 63 straight weeks, the longest stretch since 1973.
Jobless claims had risen since mid-April, with economists blaming a variety of factors, including the different timing of school spring breaks, which often makes it difficult to adjust the data around this time of the year.
An ongoing strike by Verizon (VZ.N) workers as well as possible disruptions to manufacturing activity in the wake of recent earthquakes in Japan have also been cited.
In a separate report, the Conference Board said its leading economic index increased 0.6 percent in April after being unchanged in March. Nearly all of the index's 10 components, with the exception of consumer expectations, contributed to the rebound last month.
The dollar .DXY rose against a basket of currencies after the data. U.S. stocks fell sharply as worries about a June rate hike and a renewed decline in oil prices offset better-than-expected quarterly results from Wal-Mart (WMT.N). Prices for U.S. government debt were trading higher.
There were large declines last week in unadjusted claims for New York, Pennsylvania and Michigan, which had seen hefty gains in the prior week. The four-week moving average of claims, considered a better measure of labor market trends as it irons out week-to-week volatility, rose 7,500 to 275,750 last week.
The claims data covered the survey week for May's nonfarm payrolls. The four-week average of claims increased 15,000 between the April and May survey periods, suggesting little change in employment gains after the economy added 160,000 jobs last month.
Economists warned that payrolls could take a hit in May as a result of an ongoing strike at Verizon (VZ.N). The roughly 40,000 striking workers would be considered unemployed as they would not have received a paycheck during the survey period.
"Striking workers will be considered off payroll for the May jobs report. We provisionally estimate that May payroll growth could be held down by around 40,000 by this effect," said John Ryding, chief economist at RDQ Economics in New York.
In a third report, the Philadelphia Federal Reserve said its business conditions index fell to minus 1.8 this month from a reading of minus 1.6 in April. The index, which surged in March, has registered a negative reading in eight of the last nine months.
Details of the survey were mixed, with a measure of new orders contracting after being flat in April. Current shipments, however, rose 10 points and a gauge of inventories increased to a nine-month high. The employment measure improved 15 points this month, but remained negative for a fifth consecutive month.
Manufacturing remains constrained by the delayed pass-through of the U.S. dollar's rally between June 2014 and December 2015, as well as the lingering effects of the oil price plunge and an inventory overhang.
A report on Monday showed factory activity in New York state contracted sharply in May after a sharp acceleration in April.
"Drags on the manufacturing sector could prove longer-lasting than had been suggested by the surveys' sharp improvement in March," said Jesse Edgerton, an economist at JPMorgan in New York.


Abductions abound! Marik, with the help of Bakura, kidnaps Joey and Téa! To make matters worse, the Rare Hunters also kidnap Mokuba to force Yugi and Kaiba to take on tag team duelists Umbra and Lumis on top of a skyscraper! The losers will be sent plummeting into the Shadow Realm!


text:
Catherine McKinnell MP
Newcastle North
Economy, Latest
Catherine McKinnell responds to ONE cuts
September 24, 2010 Catherine McKinnell
Labour MP for Newcastle North, Catherine McKinnell, has responded to One North East's announcement that £33m has been slashed from its funding.
The well-respected development agency, based in Ms McKinnell's constituency, has, for the first time, given details of the projects that will be abandoned as a result of the government's £6.2bn cuts announced earlier this year.
'One North East has made an enormous and visible difference to every part of our region,' said Ms McKinnell. 'Its achievements speak for themselves and along with driving much-needed regeneration, ONE has also been central to local growth; attracting investment, training workers, creating jobs and managing development.
'Today's news that more than £30m will not now be provided to hundreds of organisations across our region will be a devastating blow to the local economy. The unfortunate truth is that the loss of this funding is likely to lead to substantial job losses and mean that the additional employment that would have been generated will simply not happen.
'The coalition government doesn't seem to understand that ONE has been hugely successful in developing our regional economy. By wielding the axe at such a critical time, it risks kicking away the support that will be vital to our recovery. In the name of deficit reduction the government is imposing arbitrary cuts without first examining or understanding the disproportionate consequences that they will have on the north east.'
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text:
Among the Fair Magnolias' Southern Hearts Kindle Fire Giveaway
Among the Fair Magnolias (Thomas Nelson, July 2015)
In the most turbulent decade of our nation's history, four Southern women---destinies forged by birth, hearts steeled by war---face near impossible choices on their journeys in life . . . and in love.
To Mend a Dream by Tamera Alexander
Savannah Darby would do almost anything to revisit her family home. So when new owner, Aidan Bedford, a Boston attorney and former Union soldier, seeks to redecorate the house for his fiancée, Savannah jumps at the opportunity. But the clock is ticking. Can she find the box her father supposedly hid there during the war before her assignment is completed? And before she sees yet another battle lost on the home front. This time, one of the heart.
An Outlaw's Heart by Shelley Gray
When Russell Stark returns to Fort Worth, he's determined to begin a new life. But when he arrives at his mother's homestead, he discovers she's very ill, and the woman he loved is still as beautiful and sweet as he remembered. With time running out, Russell must come to terms with both his future and his past.
A Heart So True by Dorothy Love
Abigail knows all too well what is expected of her: to marry her distant cousin Charles and take her place in society. But her heart belongs to another. A terrible incident forces Abby to choose between love and duty.
Love Beyond Limits by Elizabeth Musser
Emily has a secret: She's in love with one of the freedmen on her family's plantation. Meanwhile, another man declares his love for her. Emily realizes some things are not as they seem and secrets must be kept in order to keep those she loves safe.
Purchase a copy: http://bit.ly/1Igkc7H
Tamera Alexander is the best-selling author of numerous books including A Lasting Impression and The Inheritance. Tamera is a two-time Christy Award winner, two-time RITA winner, and a recipient of the prestigious Library Journal Award. A native of west Tennessee. website, Twitter, Facebook
Dorothy Love makes her home in the Texas hill country with her husband and their golden retriever. An award-winning author of numerous young adult novels, Dorothy made her adult debut with the Hickory Ridge novels. website, Twitter, Facebook
Shelley Gray is the author of The Heart of a Hero series. Her Amish novel (written as Shelley Shepard Gray), The Protector, recently made the New York Times best seller list. website, Twitter, Facebook
Elizabeth Musser, a native of Atlanta, Georgia now living in France, is a novelist who writes what she calls 'entertainment with a soul.' For over 25 years, Elizabeth and her husband, Paul, have been involved in mission work with International Teams. website, Twitter, Facebook
Four best-selling novelists bring tales of four Southern women who face near impossible choices on their journeys in life and in love during the most turbulent decade of our nation's history in target ="_blank">Among the Fair Magnolias
. Don't miss this collection of stories from Tamera Alexander, Shelley Gray, Dorothy Love, and Elizabeth Musser.
Join the authors in celebrating the release of Among the Fair Magnolias by entering to win their Southern Hearts Kindle Fire Giveaway and RSVPing to their August 13th author chat party!
One grand prize winner will receive:
A Kindle Fire HD 6
One copy of Among the Fair Magnolias
Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on 8/13. The winner will be announced at the Among the Fair Magnolias Facebook party. RSVP for a chance to connect with Tamera, Dorothy, Shelley, and Elizabeth, as well as for a chance to win some great prizes!
RSVP today and spread the word—tell your friends about the giveaway via FACEBOOK, TWITTER, or PINTEREST and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 13th!
I love novella collections, having three or four mini books within a book are perfect for vacation, really any time. I am familiar with all four of these authors and this collection is perfect whether you are going somewhere or just hanging out at home. Each of the heroine's in these stories must make hard decisions and the authors do a great job of showing the struggle in the south. Having just finished Tamera Alexander's book To Win Her Favor, I was pleased to see that she gave Savannah a story.
Posted by Andi at 12:04 PM
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As the result of several severe winter storms, 11 contiguous seawalls encompassing almost 1,000 linear feet of shore protection were damaged or completely demolished. Childs Engineering Corporation was retained to provide existing condition evaluation, storm damage risk analysis review, and develop the design for the repair or replacement of the damaged and deteriorated seawalls. Childs provided the services to both single property owners as well as a consortium of abutting property owners. Childs assisted in procuring the necessary permits from local, state, and federal agencies to undertake the repair and rehabilitation of the seawalls.
The primary design for the seawall replacement was a reinforced concrete seawall with riprap toe protection on the exposed ocean side. The composite reinforced concrete design with the toe protection eliminated the need to go significantly below mean low water elevation in establishing footing grades for the new seawalls.


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Why Host a Breaking Bread Event?...
26 October, 2018 3:27 PM
Why Host a Breaking Bread Event?
In a world as interconnected and diverse as ours, it's imperative that we nurture positive relations between faiths, beliefs and cultures. The Breaking Bread Initiative was inspired by The Laudato si' Challenge, which seeks to sustainably improve the lives of 10 million people 2020—anticipating the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030 objective of leaving no one behind. We come to this conversation through the lens of entrepreneurship and business, where we find so much opportunity for sustainable and ethical growth.
A Breaking Bread Event is an opportunity for your community to gather with the intention of examining the cultural biases that build walls instead of bridges. It's an opportunity to break bread with those who have yet to be invited to the table - it's a celebration of our common humanity and the hope that sustains all of us in difficult times.
Our first toolkit comes in the form of an inspiring documentary about Mariam al Shaar, a generational refugee who has spent her life in the Burj El Barajneh refugee camp south of Beirut, Lebanon. The film follows Mariam as she sets out against all odds to change her fate by launching a successful catering company, "Soufra," and then expand it into a food truck business with a diverse team of fellow refugee woman who now share this camp as their home. This film is an opportunity to focus on the plight refugees face in our world today, and to celebrate the ingenuity and perseverance of one woman as a reminder to all of us of the power of hope.
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Breaking Bread is a new initiative designed to bring conversations about community, entrepreneurship and refugees to your community. Using stories of inspiring individuals around the world and shared meals, we gather people together with the goal of building a culture of empathy and acceptance.
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Hi world (AKA the 2 or 3 friends who click this to check out @natalie)! I wanted to post my images in a blog format because I want to document progress in a nice, linear way. That being said, I'm the type of person who is constantly paranoid about consistency, so I'm making a concerted effort to actually commit to shooting/posting regularly and having some semblance of style.
I'll confess now that I've never read a single entry in ANYONE'S abroad blog (sorry!!) so the majority of me wants no one to read this. Let's all agree to not read anything I post and just look at the photos.
To those that have stumbled across this blog through my Instagram and have yet to meet me: hi! My name is Megan and I'm a photographer/student of women, gender and sexuality studies at Wash. U. I love meeting new people, exploring, and learning. I realize this sounds like I have the personality of an early 2000s Neopet. That's because I do!
I love collaborating with other artists and models, so hit me up if you're interested in working together.
Major thanks to my beautiful friend Natalie for letting me drag her to a random patch of tall grass in Forest Park this past Sunday afternoon!!
This is me!! Photo by my model. The tables turned, obviously.


There are different types of wall throughout with the property both inside and out. Let's start with the external walls.
In the UK there are two main construction types used: solid walls and cavity walls.
Solid walls: have no cavity and each wall is a single solid wall typically made of stone or brick. These walls are common in properties built before 1920s. Generally these walls stay dry by allowing moisture to evaporate through the brick and a lime mortar paired with good ventilation and heating.
Cavity walls: are made up of two layers with a gap in between (the cavity). The outer layer is usually made of brick and the inner layer made of brick or concrete block. The two layers are tied together with a wall tie to prevent these moving together/apart. These are common in properties built after 1920 although can be found in properties built pre 1900. They were used initially to combat properties affected by wind driven rain but later showed added insulation benefits.
Masonry is an absorbent material, and slowly draws rainwater (or humidity) into the wall. This can also come from inside the house due to poor ventilation and heating, particularly where there is lots of cooking and bathing that create moisture. The cavity serves as a way to drain water back out through weep holes. These holes allow air to flow through and remove evaporated water out.
Walls on the inside of the house can be either load bearing or non-load bearing and this determines what you can and can't do when making alterations.
Internal load-bearing wall: provides separation between internal spaces but also is required to transfer loads from other parts of the structure above to the foundations. Load bearing walls cannot be removed without causing damage to the structure of the property. Where it is possible to remove a load bearing wall, it must be supported until a reinforcing beam is put in place to redistribute the load on the relevant section of the wall elsewhere.
Partition wall: a non-load bearing wall that separates the internal spaces of a building. These can be moved/removed without any issues (other than allowing for any plumbing or electric cables inside).
Party wall: this is a wall that either stands on the lands of 2 or more owners or is a wall that is on one persons land but separates two owners buildings. This exists between semi-detached properties and terraced houses.
See how walls are affected by movement, settlement and subsidence.


If you've ever experienced a chipped tooth you know all too well the pain and embarrassment it causes. It can greatly affect your ability to lead a happy productive life by causing you massive discomfort as well as greatly affecting your appearance. As we know appearance is everything today and if you are going through your career with a chipped tooth you are adversely affecting your ability to thrive and grab every opportunity you deserve. That is why your friends at the New City Endodontics is here to help and will be your trusted name for Spring Valley oral pain. From the physical pain to the emotional pain they are here for you and ready to treat the whole person.
The New City Endodontics group has been the foremost Spring Valley oral pain specialist for over 22 years. As we know if you wait the pain associated with a cracked tooth will only get exacerbated over time so getting you in and out quickly is of grave importance. The goal for us is to repair your tooth in a timely fashion and make it so no one can tell the difference.
We all know that the pace of life today is extremely fast. From working multiple jobs to pursuing meaningful hobbies it is difficult to find a moment for ourselves. We often don't have time to get injured or chipped tooth. The reality of the situation is life happens and the New City Endodontics group understands that. Our staff is ready to schedule you today and show you why they are the Spring Valley oral pain name you can trust. If you're on the go we'll work with you to make sure you get the care you deserve. Relief from oral pain associated with a cracked tooth is only a call away, make the right call today.


Discover and research the 1 college with History majors in Pulaski, TN with Noodle. Find the right History colleges for you by entering your GPA, test scores and other preferences.
There are 1 History Colleges in Pulaski, TN.


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Q: Setting state by assignment In react, is there a reason why someone would want to set the state of a variable by assignment instead of calling setState(...)
Example:
// accessing state var directly
this.state.myVar = 'changed state'
// instead of calling setState
this.setState({myVar: 'changed state'})

To me this seems like an anti-pattern. But maybe there's a good explanation why sometimes it's necessary?

A: It's necessary, because React has to know wether this.state is considered mutated. There is no dirty-checking in React. The state object is considered dirty when this.setState is called, and no further comparisons are made to its previous state. This answer might help explain this in more detail: Why is React's concept of Virtual DOM said to be more performant than dirty model checking?

A: Setting (mutating) the state directly will work in this case:
this.state.myVar = 'changed state'
However, it should be avoided according to the React docs:

NEVER mutate this.state directly, as calling setState() afterwards may replace the mutation you made. Treat this.state as if it were immutable.

The main problem with mutating the state is that it prevents some of the React lifecycle methods from working. For example, React's shouldComponentUpdate() method is often used to speed up the app when dealing with a large number of components. The method allows you to skip re-rendering a component if the state has been updated:
// Return false if you want to skip the `render()` method
shouldComponentUpdate: function(nextProps, nextState) {
  return this.state.myVar === nextState.myVar;
}

The above will not work if you are mutating the state. this.state.myVar and nextState.myVar references are the same and therefore the above will always return true.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


I uploaded my code via the wizard and and uploaded your code to the cloud Wifi Hub and tried calibrating it.
Something(s) didn't go quite right though.
Once I uploaded to the RA* via the wizard my lights began shutting off every couple/few minutes or so; it is shutting the power off on each outlet at the relay box. It is not happening as often now, maybe once every half hour now.
In the mornings, the lights that are controlled by this part of my code, the 16 channel expansion, now are on early in the morning at a very low percentage when they shouldn't be on at all. It took me a minute to post this as I did all this a few days ago... life happened.
I continued on and tried calibration. When I did the calibration, it appeared as though expansion slots 1 through 5 (I think) were all mirroring the salinity probe output; somewhere about 2800 on each channel via the serial monitor. I'm sorry but the serial monitor output got erased before I could save it and post here. More than willing to do it again if need be.
For the RA* custom expansion screen, where the values used to show 0.0 now only show 0 for all of the custom expansion values. As in, there is no longer a decimal point and zero after it and there is not a reading of the salinity.
Can you grab the log for the PWM16 when it is in the morning to see what values they are showing?
The 0 vs 0.00 is intended. The decimal point was screwing up things. That was the only change I have made to the RA* libraries.
The lights were on dim this morning, unfortunately I didn't have the Cloud hub connected to a computer. The 16ch lights didn't come back on with the power off/on.
That said, I think there's progress with the Salinity probe.
A note here: I found have to make sure I do a certain sequence. If I do anything that resets the Cloud Hub, I have to power cycle the RA* for things to connect and show correctly.
I couldn't quite follow your code so didn't know if that's what you wanted it to do but I thought that since it was displaying I'd try to calibrate it so I tried calibrating Custom Expansion 1 and that did nothing (probably not supposed to).
I then tried the normal Salinity calibration and that worked as it was supposed to.
To get my DT Salinity re-displayed, I removed power from the Hub's connected Salinity module, power cycled the RA*, and re-calibrated to the DT's Salinity probe.
I isolated two things with regards to the lights using the PWM16E coding.
The cycling of power occurs when the lights are changing states.
The second part is the low dim of these lights on in the morning. As I look a the log, it appears that it's not dimming all the way to zero at night. This log shows the last dimming commands sent until I stopped the logging at 7am.
The above line instructs it to go from 3% to 99% and back down to 3% and it will stay at 3% until the next cycle.
Try changing the 3% to 0%.
Will do. Figured it was my code and maybe I just didn't notice it before we did this salinity addition.
Any thoughts on the power cycling? It's not that big a deal as I'm usually not around when it happens.
And.... let me know when you might have time to program the Cloud Hub to control the lights directly. I still have the 16 channel expansion in the box.


John walked via the reddish mist toward the showers, making an allowance for that he had a decent water quota. "Just spray it and shut it," was the recommendation he'd gotten from one of many young emaciated runners who labored at the health membership. For the reason that mainstream population had gone underground, issues were tight up right here. It took a particular kind of humanoid to endure below the sunshine of the magnified sun. The technology for harvesting vitality hadn't worked out almost so effectively because the salesmen had promised. Now, you needed to be a superman just to outlive up right here. That is what John was training for-to grow to be a superman. That is why he'd chosen to work with the most effective of the most effective. Personal trainers from Wakefield were no joke.
What's one of the best treadmill out there? Nicely, you can spend hours and even entire days price of timing scouring comprehensive client studies, or you will get all the way down to the enterprise of determining which treadmill feels the perfect and greatest helps your dedication to personal fitness.
The reviews also focus on the equipments' sturdiness, safety requirements that should be met based on the rules of the ASTM Worldwide, warranty, leisure options, and its physical options. It's essential to evaluate the entertainment gears that were in-built with the equipments comparable to iPod integration choices, tv units, and digital trainers. You need to know if it is vital whereas entertaining you throughout your workout.
Grapes have proved very helpful in overcoming constipation. The mixture of the properties of the cellulose, sugar, and natural acid in grapes build them a laxative food. Their discipline of motion isn't inadequate to clearing the bowels only. In addition they tone up the stomach and intestines and cut back probably the most continual constipation. One must take at least 350 gm of this fruit each day to realize the desired outcomes. When fresh grapes aren't obtainable, raisins, soaked in water, can be used. Raisins should be soaked for twenty-four to forty-eight hours. This will make them swell up to the original size of the grapes. They have to be eaten early in the morning, along with the water in which they've been soaked.
Whether or not you're a beginner or expert at exercising, you can find the advantages of one of these tools beneficial to your overall workout. Years of examine supplied designers with the ability to create a magnificent piece of dwelling health club gear for everyone curious about a full physique workout. You'll be able to have this influence powerhouse dwelling gymnasium right in your very own residence without a lot needed area.
Working out is great to your physique and mind, but typically you may not be getting the most out of your exercises. People get used to doing the identical thing again and again once they exercise, and so they by no means enhance as soon as they attain a sure level. If you want to start enhancing your exercises so as to maximize your workout efforts and use your time wisely, then you might be in the correct place.
38 year-old Amusement Center Manager Malcolm Spivery from Dolbeau, has hobbies such as snowmobile riding, . and creating dollhouses. Always loves visiting spots like Kasbah of Algiers.


text:
ILboolean ilutAble(ILenum Mode, ILboolean Flag);

#define ILUT_ATTRIB_STACK_MAX 32

ILuint ilutCurrentPos = 0;  // Which position on the stack

//
// Various states
//

typedef struct ILUT_STATES
{

	// ILUT states
	ILboolean	ilutUsePalettes;
	ILboolean	ilutOglConv;
	ILboolean	ilutForceIntegerFormat;
	ILenum		ilutDXTCFormat;

	// GL states
	ILboolean	ilutUseS3TC;
	ILboolean	ilutGenS3TC;
	ILboolean	ilutAutodetectTextureTarget;
	ILint		MaxTexW;
	ILint		MaxTexH;
	ILint		MaxTexD;

	// D3D states
	ILuint		D3DMipLevels;
	ILenum		D3DPool;
	ILint		D3DAlphaKeyColor; // 0x00rrggbb format , -1 for none

} ILUT_STATES;

ILUT_STATES ilutStates[ILUT_ATTRIB_STACK_MAX];

#endif//STATES_H

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Sydney University biologists have discovered cane toad tadpoles (Bufo marinus) communicate using chemicals excreted into the water, a finding that may help to impede the Cane Toad invasion of the Kimberley.
The global trade in frogs, toads and other amphibians may have accidentally helped create and spread the deadly fungal disease, chytridiomycosis, which has devastated amphibian populations worldwide.
A chemical produced naturally by cane toad tadpoles may one day be used to help control the invasive species, according to new research published today.
Scientists scouring the mountains of Borneo spotted a toad species last seen in 1924 by European explorers and provided the world with the first photographs of the colorful, spindly legged creature, a researcher said Thursday.


Duvall, Monroe, and Snohomish will provide you with quant little unique dining experiences. This area has a variety of small and larger places to dine, from fast foods to white cloth dining. Choose from all styles and types of ethnic foods, or burgers off the grill. So for those nights you don't want to cook in, you can try some of our local foods.


Issue 13 of the Journal of The British Quilt Study Group.
Quilted Works 'of Naples': The French and Italian Context of the Tristan Quilts. By Kathryn Berenson.
The Marchant Grove Quilt: A Recordof a Canadian Wartime Community By Maxine March.


Summer is just around the corner! While others may lounge at the pool or take a vacation, you may be embarking on a very unpopular summer adventure, moving! When you are thinking about relocating for work, family or other reasons, summer is the perfect time to move. The he weather is warmer, and it almost never rains. It's the best time to schedule your move if you want to make sure the moving process goes smoothly and stress-free.
To make sure everything falls into place when it comes to your moving day, getting started ahead of time is a smart idea. At least a few months are necessary to get everything in order and plan out every detail of your move. The summer months are typically the busiest for moving services in Los Angeles, and they are likely to get booked far in advance. It would be ideal that you start your search for moving companies Los Angeles at the same time that you may be searching for your new home address. You want to pick a Los Angeles moving company of choice now instead of waiting for the last minute. This way you can be sure that you have a moving company that is respectable and dependable, rather than one you had to book at the 12th hour because there were no other companies available. Plus, finding a good moving company and getting all your moving supplies together early can save you a lot of time when the move starts getting hectic. That is good to get out of the way since there are a lot of other things to take care of when it comes to the moving process. Plus, you want your moving experience to be as smooth as possible. You still want to be able to enjoy the season of sunshine, BBQs, trips to the beach.