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Get Facebook friends data and save them as json file - blazeeboy
https://twitter.com/blaz_boy/status/445954978063319040/photo/1
======
izietto
I wrote this script in order to create a friend list which excludes my
parents:
[https://gist.github.com/mdesantis/9638125](https://gist.github.com/mdesantis/9638125)
|
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|
Coroner Rules There Will Be Fresh Birmingham Pub Bombing Inquests
Inquests into the deaths of 21 people who were killed at the Birmingham pub bombings in 1974 are to be reopened.
The families of those who died hope the new inquest into their deaths will give them answers.
It's been 41 years since the attacks on the Tavern in the Town and Mulberry Bush pubs in the city centre.
Coroner Louise Hunt in February ordered West Midlands Police to hand over any information they had in connection with a central claim by some of the victims' families that the British security services knew the attacks were going to happen.
At the hearing today, the Coroner said she believed there were two occasions where West Midlands Police missed opportunities to prevent the attacks. One of those was a witness overheard in a pub.
Coroner Hunt also added that although the events happened more than 40 years ago, that's no excuse to not try and find answers.
VICTIMS FAMILIES
Relatives want the fresh inquests to re-examine the events of the night of November 21 1974, when two bomb blasts destroyed the Mulberry Bush and the Tavern in the Town in the worst act of terrorism in mainland UK until the London 7/7 bombings.
The bombings remain Britain's biggest unsolved mass murder, and the victim's families have made repeated claims of a police cover up and, more recently, state conspiracy.
Julie Hambleton's 18 year old sister was handing out invitations to a party, when she was killed by the bomb at the Tavern in the Town. She was with her friend, 17 year old Jane Davis, who was the youngest victim of the attacks.
Julie has been campaigning for a fresh inquest for years, under the banner Justice 4 the 21 and spoke to Heart outside the coroner's court:
Paul Bodman's dad Stanley, was killed in the attack on the Mulberry Bush, where he was having a drink after work. He told Heart he wants the police to back the victims' families:
Lesley Robinson, his girlfriend and 7 friends survived the bomb blast at the Tavern in the Town. He was 22 at the time.
He'd just arrived and was playing at the bat and ball machine moments before the explosion:
BIRMINGHAM SIX
Members of the IRA are believed to have carried out the attacks but no one has ever been held accountable. The men wrongly convicted over the attacks, known as the Birmingham Six, were freed by the Court of Appeal in 1991 and later awarded damages.
Paddy Hill was acquitted back in 1991 and told Heart he doesn't expect justice for what happened but hopes the new inquest will finally get the truth about what happened that night:
POLICE STATEMENT:
Chief Constable Dave Thompson said: ''I support the Coroner’s decision and West Midlands Police will assist the process now underway.
''The Birmingham Pub Bombings of 1974 are one of the most serious terrorist attacks in the UK. West Midlands Police not only failed to catch those responsible but caused a miscarriage of justice. I have said and reiterate again, it is the most serious failing in this force's history.
''It is almost 42 years since these events. I understand families of those who lost their lives are frustrated, disappointed and angry.
''Since 2012 and directly as a result of the campaign by families of those who died we have carefully reassessed the opportunities to bring the people responsible to justice. Despite an intense scrutiny we have not been able to see, at this time, a prospect of doing this. That has been an authentic and painstaking search for the truth.
Mr Thompson added: ''We have not nor will not close this investigation.
''West Midlands Police will support this enquiry as we have done through the recent hearings by the Coroner which determined whether the inquest should re-open. I hope the new inquest provides answers to families."
PCC STATEMENT
West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson said: "I support the coroner's decision to reopen the inquests.
"I sincerely hope the inquests brings the answers the families of the victims have been seeking.
"The Chief Constable has assured me West Midlands Police will co-operate fully with the inquests and I will hold the Chief Constable to account to deliver on that assurance.
"West Midlands Police had no principled objection to the resumption of the inquests. That was a position I supported."
IRA Theory
At previous hearings held to consider the families' application, the senior coroner for Birmingham and Solihull, Louise Hunt, asked West Midlands Police to disclose their records.
The documents she has asked for relate to lost evidence, response times on the night, and falsified documents, which campaigners allege may have been forged to protect an IRA informant.
Ms Hunt said the sensitive information was 'significant' and raised concerns that the security services had advanced notice of the bombings.
Another request for information, which the coroner made to three government departments, regarding a potential IRA informant.
Kieran Conway was the chief of intelligence for the IRA at the time of the bombings. He says claims that the British Security Services knew about the attacks are credible: |
Forex news for fx trading newbies. Learn how to trade on forex market!
The dollar dropped to a new record low against the yen and hit its lowest in more than two months versus the sterling amid growing concerns that U.S. will suffer a double-dip recession.
Analysts and monetary policy makers have downwardly adjusted their U.S. growth forecasts, and with global stock reaching bear market territory, safe havens like the yen and gold have been bid up to record highs.
JPMorgan predicts that U.S. gross domestic product will grow 1 percent in the fourth quarter rather than the 2.5 percent previously forecast and 0.5 percent in the first quarter of 2012 instead of 1.5 percent.
The dollar dropped to Y75.93 to its lowest ever versus the yen, and was stuck at Y76.40 at last check.
At the same time, the dollar slipped to $1.66 versus sterling for the first time since May 2. Early losses took the dollar to $1.44 versus the euro, with the pair unable to sustain any direction for the past few months.
On the other hand, the dollar briefly rose above parity versus its Canadian counterpart, helped by falling crude oil prices.
Canadian consumer prices rose 2.7 percent in the 12 months to July, amid higher prices for gasoline and food. Inflation slowed from the previous two months.
The dollar was stable near CHF 0.7870 versus the Swiss franc. The Federal Reserve provided $200 million of liquidity to the Swiss National Bank on Thursday, but UBS and Credit Suisse denied tapping the funds.
In economic news from the euro zone, German producer price inflation accelerated in July after easing to a six-month low in June, data from the Federal Statistical Office showed Friday. |
Hat on Top, Coat Below
Fun with Flickr
April 17, 2009
The magic donkey smiled upon me on Easter Sunday and put one of my pictures on Explore, this one here with the Peeps. Why the donkey gave the nod to this particular photo, I do not know. I do not question the donkey; I just enjoy those rare occasions when I get his or her attention. I’ve certainly had more visitors to my photostream than usual this week, and that’s been fun. For the past few days, the donkey’s choice has been vying with this pedicure picture for most views per day. I joked with Mr. Karen that I might have to try posting a picture of me crushing Peeps under my toes to see if the combination would draw even more traffic.
The uptick I’ve seen this week has meant I’ve spent more time on Flickr than usual (at the expense of proofreading and LOLCats and such), because my own rules for Flickr etiquette require me to try and respond to people who leave comments and mark my photos as favorites. If someone asks a question, I’ll comment on my own photo to answer, but other than that I head over to the other person’s photos to see what catches my eye. I figure since they took the time to do a bit more than just look at my stuff, it’s only polite that I take some time to check out theirs, and there’s usually something interesting to inspire a comment or a favorite from me. I’m not compulsive about it, because Flickr’s something I do for fun, but I feel good when I do follow my own rules. It’s the same principle that moves me to comment on another photo in the group when I drop one of mine into the pool. However, I don’t contribute to any groups where comments are required by rule, since then it feels forced, and forced isn’t fun for me. If I routinely got as many comments and favorites as I’ve gotten on the Peeps, I might have to make up some new rules, but I don’t see that happening, since I am mostly a taker of snapshots rather than a true photographer. |
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a pneumatic tire, and more particularly to a pneumatic tire in which an organic or inorganic fiber cord usable for reducing a tire weight (weight reduction) is used as a cord constituting a bead core instead of steel cord. Also a critical inner pressure for tire burst apt to be lacking in case of using such a fiber cord is increased to a satisfactory level by appropriating a twisting method of the fiber cord.
2. Description of Related Art
Recently, it is increasingly demanded to attain low fuel consumption and the like in vehicles and hence it is strongly desired to reduce tire weight in accordance with the low fuel consumption of the vehicle.
In general, a bead portion of the tire is required to have a high rigidity because it plays a role of positioning and strongly holding the tire to a rim. For this end, a bead core used in the bead portion is usually made from a high-strength steel cord. From a viewpoint of the reduction of tire weight, there have recently developed so-called weight-reduced tires by using an organic or inorganic fiber cord, which is very light and relatively high in the tenacity, instead of the steel cord forming the bead core.
Up to the present, the tire provided with the bead core made from the above fiber cord cannot be put into practice unless a value of total bead tenacity represented by product of the cord winding number for the formation of the bead core and cord tenacity should be made large as compared with the tire provided with the bead core made from steel cord. This is done in order to render a critical inner pressure for burst as an indication for the judgment of safeness into the same level as the tire provided with the bead core made from steel cord.
It is considered that the difference of tensile properties between the steel cord and the fiber cord, particularly the difference of cord properties over a given period until the occurrence of cord breaking-up largely depends upon the critical inner pressure for burst.
In general, the bead core is formed by helically winding and spirally laminating the cord to form a cord arrangement of plural rows.times.columns. In order to simulate the critical inner pressure for burst in the bead core having such a cord arrangement, when stress distribution in a section of the bead core is investigated by raising an inner pressure of the tire, there is a tendency that stress usually concentrates in the cords located at an innermost row of the bead core in a radial direction of the tire. Hence, the stress distribution in the section of the bead core becomes ununiform.
In case of the bead core made from the steel cord, even if a large stress is applied to steel cords located at the innermost row of the bead core in the radial direction of the tire other than steel cords of the other rows as mentioned above, these steel cords of the innermost row plastically deform while creating a constriction or the like over a constant period until the occurrence of cord breaking-up and are further elongated while causing the plastic deformation without immediately causing the cord breaking-up even at the arrival to their cord tenacity. Thus it is possible to impose stress on steel cords located at the remaining rows of the bead core. As a result, the non-uniform distribution of stress in the section of the bead core is corrected to promote the uniformization of stress and hence stress tends to rise at the breakage of the bead core. Therefore, it is considered that when the bead core is made from the steel cord, the critical inner pressure for burst can be maintained at a high level even if the value of the total bead tenacity is decreased to a certain small level.
On the other hand, when the conventional organic fiber cords not attaining to the appropriation of the cord structure are applied to the bead core, such cords merely indicate even elongation against stress until the occurrence of the cord breaking-up but do not have tensile properties as in the aforementioned steel cord. Therefore, when a large stress is applied to the fiber cords located at the innermost row of the bead core in the radial direction of the tire other than fiber cords of the other rows, it is impossible to sufficiently impose stress to the fiber cords of the other remaining rows over a constant period until the occurrence of cord breaking-up as in the steel cord and hence the non-uniform distribution of stress in the section of the bead core is not corrected and there is not caused the same action of enhancing stress in the breakage of the bead core as in the steel cord. For this end, it is considered that the critical inner pressure for burst can not be maintained at a higher level unless the total bead tenacity in the bead core made from the fiber cords is increased to a certain high level.
In the conventional tire using the bead cord made from the fiber cord, the value of the total bead tenacity should be made large only by increasing the winding number of the fiber cord in order to render the critical inner pressure for burst into the same level as in the tire using the bead core made from the steel cord. However, the increase of the winding number of the fiber cord undesirably brings about the increase of tire weight and the rise of the production cost. |
From a sexy little mid-60s MG Midget to a rusted-out firewood holder to a smart new piece of art, this car has lived a very interesting life. Artists Ann Conte and Jeanne Wiley found the sad remnants of the once-awesome car and decided to weave new life into it. The project is a testament to the power of recycling and sustainability. It uses a blend of new, recycled, and repurposed materials to create something that reflects the original item but steps outside of the boundaries of both the material and the idea of mixed media art.
After obtaining the rusted and neglected chassis from a neighbor, Wiley called Conte and the two began collaborating on the ultimate art car. They ordered more than 500 yards of seatbelt fabric online, then wove a new body for the car and bolted it down with more than 500 bolts. The gear shift is made of hollow ceramic flowers, and the head lights and tail lights are printed ceramic.
The car attracted the attention of DuPont; the company donated seats and a window frame made of their environmentally-friendly Corian material. The stunning finished product doesn’t have an engine so it won’t be driving off into the sunset anytime soon, but it is on display at the South Short Art Center in Massachusetts. Later this year it will be displayed in DuPont’s booth at GreenBuild 2010. |
<?php
/*
* This file is part of the Aisel package.
*
* (c) Ivan Proskuryakov
*
* For the full copyright and license information, please view the LICENSE
* file that was distributed with this source code.
*/
namespace Aisel\ReviewBundle;
use Symfony\Component\HttpKernel\Bundle\Bundle;
/**
* Aisel review management bundle. Contains review entity and API controller which communicative by JSON
*
* @author Ivan Proskuryakov <[email protected]>
*/
class AiselReviewBundle extends Bundle
{
}
|
Q:
How do you effectively denote a non-"heading-ed" transition into a concluding section?
Consider a piece writing that makes three points, all prefaced by some type of heading:
Multiple paragraphs of introduction
Heading 1
Multiple paragraphs explaining Argument 1
Heading 2
Multiple paragraphs explaining Argument 2
Heading 3
Multiple paragraphs explaining Argument 3
Multiple paragraphs of conclusion
Note that there is no heading above the conclusion.
How do you manage that transition? How do you let the reader know that "we're not continuing to support Argument 3 anymore; this is actually wrapping up the entire work"?
The introduction has a clear transition, because the reader hits Heading 1. But the transition from Argument 3 to the conclusion is vague and ill-defined. By that time, the reader has gotten used to seeing the headings as a transition to a new thought. How do you bring this same clear cognitive break to the transition into the conclusion?
How do you avoid the reader getting halfway into the conclusion and thinking, "wait a minute, is the author still talking about Argument 3...I'm confused."
Do you set it off with some formatting?
Heading 3
Multiple paragraphs explaining Argument 3
Multiple paragraphs of conclusion
Or do you do some wording like:
"In conclusion..."
"To sum up..."
"At the end of the day..."
Or do you just bite the bullet and stick a heading in there:
Heading 3
Multiple paragraphs explaining Argument 3
Conclusion
Multiple paragraphs of conclusion
A:
If you are writing different subjects with headings, stay consequent and give the conclusion a heading, period.
If you are writing lengthy segments about different topics without headings, or if you absolutely must create your conclusion without a header while giving it to other subject (for some odd reason), you will need a 'glue paragraph':
After the end of the last subject, and if you used the headings, then preferably separated visually from it (horizontal line or such), write a paragraph that very briefly summarizes all prior "chapters". Preferably, less than a sentence per chapter - bundle two or three points per sentence. This is a clear signal to the reader you are no longer on the subject of the last chapter, but collecting them together for a "final touch". It helps them recall all the points (you just signal them; the reader can recall the finer details from memory and will do so) and shifts the focus from close-up on the last subject into a broad image of the whole.
Then, without further ado, you proceed to your conclusion. You don't really need any "concluding..." or "To sum up..." if you don't want it. You have shifted the focus back to the broad view, and you can just conclude the whole thing.
|
When the shortlist for the Man Booker Prize was announced at a press conference on Tuesday morning, even I was surprised by how happy it made me. The room was full of hardened news reporters. I stood at the back – which was just as well, because when all six names had been read out I felt an actual tear of joy in my eye.
I sent out a tweet: “Best Booker short list in living memory: NoViolet Bulawayo, Jim Crace, Eleanor Catton, Jhumpa Lahiri, Ruth Ozeki, Colm Toibin”. There was one almost instant reply: “Really? What about 2004: The Line of Beauty, Cloud Atlas, The Master?” Well, maybe my memory’s not what it might be, or my idea of living debatable, but I take none of it back. This is, to my mind and my memory, a truly great shortlist.
The tear, I suppose, was due to the fact that I know how difficult it is to get these things right. I was a member of a much-maligned Man Booker jury two years ago. When such lists are announced, many people voice an opinion, but few of those people have read the 140-plus novels that have threatened to blur the judges’ minds, nor have they been engaged in the discussions.
This year, I had guessed at the books I thought would make the shortlist. In retrospect my bet seems a little cynical – at least half of my suspects were books I thought were probable but not all that exciting (from, it should be said, an excellent long list). I made a separate mental list of books I’d like to see there but I was sure wouldn’t make it. A number of them, perhaps, had been included on the long list for variety but that was as far as they’d get: Eleanor Catton – too long? Colm Toibin – too short? NoViolet Bulawayo – too strange? Ozeki, Catton, Bulawayo, Lahiri – all, in some way, too “foreign”? But as the names were read out by Robert Macfarlane, chair of the judges, I realised the choices were both brave and solid – each one exceptional yet indisputably skilled; and as a collection, as a joint way of saying “this is what the novel can be”, it was incredibly exciting.
The list be broken down in various ways: the length of the books ranges from 101 pages to over 800; there are four women and two men; the geographical range of the subject matter is vast. In this latter respect, it resembles Granta’s recent list of Best Young British Novelists more than other Man Booker lists. For those who are surprised by this aspect, and prone to worry about whether that makes the prize “British”, think of it the other way around: we have embraced the world, not been conquered or usurped by it. It’s reminiscent of Gloria Steinem’s famous reply to the man who said she didn’t look forty: “This is what forty looks like”. The Man Booker Prize is open to novelists from Britain, the Commonwealth, Ireland and Zimbabwe, and that’s exactly what this list looks like.
The gender issue seems relatively uninteresting to me, except to the extent that it allows one to hope it will no longer be an issue. Length: also quite a dull subject – anyone who is not making up at least some of the rules is surely not really writing a novel. But the question of language and form in these books is fascinating – the broken down, rhythmic sentences of Bulawayo’s slum-dwelling Zimbabwean child; the plainness of Lahiri’s prose against the colour of her setting and drama of her events; what you might call Toibin and Catton’s “translations”, in the literal sense – shifts that are a literary equivalent of time travel, so that you are viewing the life of Jesus’s mother, or the adventures of a 19th-century New Zealand golddigger, in some new way.
“We were drawn to novels that sought to extend the possibilities of the form,” Macfarlane said, “we wanted novel novels”. Both he and another jury member, the literary critic Stuart Kelly, spoke about the nature of experimentation. “What is this?” they asked themselves when confronted with Catton’s ingenious structure, “and we realised it was trying to be only itself”. “Experimentation can be calm,” Macfarlane continued, “Lahiri builds her effects through patience.” Kelly added that “we tend to think of experimentation as exuberant and ebullient. But it doesn’t have to be in the American Pynchon-esque tradition. You can approach the avant-garde from any direction”.
One thing struck me later: only one novelist on the list lives permanently in Britain (Jim Crace). It’s not that the others have fled – they live elsewhere because, well, they just do – but it occurred to me that we could ask ourselves whether Britain is particularly congenial to writers. These are our best authors, yet they have not made their homes here. If Britain were an American university, we would be begging them to come and live within these shores. Everyone knows that book advances are dwindling: are we replacing those with grants or scholarships? There are increasing numbers of creative writing courses here; we take people’s money and teach them how to write – so many want to learn – but do we support them later on? Can we help writers buy themselves time? Other countries, it seems, are better at this. |
U.S. Pat. No. 7,438,396 B2 discloses a continuous ink jet printer having an array of nozzles for simultaneously printing across the width of a substrate, such as a textile fabric. For each nozzle there is (i) a droplet formation section, such as a piezoelectric transducer, (ii) a droplet charging section, such as parallel metal plates, and (iii) a droplet deflection section, for directing the path of the droplet to the desired location on a substrate to be printed. The range of deflection of the droplets is such that adjacent nozzles can overlap, to print a seamless pattern on the substrate. The deflection plates are spaced apart and oppositely charged, for example at 1 to 5 kV, to produce an electrical field. The charge on the droplets and/or the strength of the electrical field created by the deflection plates can be varied, to create more or less deflection of the droplet. In one example, uncharged droplets are not deflected and collect in the gutter.
During operation of the printer, liquid can collect on the surface of the deflection plates, leading to arcing between the plates and a subsequent disruption of the electrical field and printer electronics. |
Job had his three friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar, who for all their initial good intentions were heaping on the misery of Job through their insistence that he has sinned. Daniel had his three friends too, though cast in a very different light – they were righteous and godly men much like Daniel, who had a strong faith – the ‘but even if God does not’ faith. We all know the story, evil and jealous administrators complained to the King Nebuchadnezzar about the three friends, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah (or also known as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego), that they neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up [Dan 3:12]. Was it a valid complaint? Was it true? Yes, and the three friends did not deny it. When the king threatened to throw them into a furnace if fail to fall to his image, they simply replied, we’ll go to the furnace, and surely our Lord will protect us. But even if our Lord doesn’t, and we will burn to death in the furnace, we will not worship your image. It’s kinda awe-inspiring how they said such things so confidently and easily, no? They made it very black-and-white to the king, they didn’t try to blur or soften their stand a little just to appease the king. They did not budge from their faith, they did not compromise at all. In their response to the king, they were basically saying, go ahead, please throw us into the furnace. And so the King did, ordering the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual [Dan 3:19]. We all know the story, the Lord protected them indeed, they were not harmed by the fire, and the king even saw a fourth person in the fire along with them – a servant of God. In this study, though, we will focus on the the faith that is ‘but even if God does not’ and examine how important it is that we nurture this faith in our lives.
Analysis
For what reason do you worship God? Because you get something out of it? Because God will bless you if you worship him? That’s basically what Satan accused mankind, or in particular, Job of back in the book of Job: “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.” [Job 19-11] When God asked Satan, have you not seen how righteous Job is, Satan was staunch in his belief that Job was only righteous because God has blessed him, and given him a lot.
Though being taken away from their homeland and forced to live and work in Babylon, it would be fair to say that the three friends were blessed. After all, it was really because of Daniel that they achieved their high positions. They could have just said, our Lord will protect us if you throw us into the furnace – that was enough, no? They were men of faith, and that was a statement of faith. To say just that confidently in the face of it truly happening was amazing and godly enough already, surely. And that is what so many of us do today. We declare healing, we declare success, we declare we are protected. What if God doesn’t heal, though? Not that he can’t or isn’t powerful enough, certainly, but what if it is not in his plans to heal? What if it is in his plans that you or your closed ones pass away? What if it is in his plans for you to taste failure?
Can you truly declare that you know God’s will 100%? I’m sure the three friends of Daniel must have have a very massive amount of confidence that they will not be harmed even if they were thrown into the furnace. I’m sure that had a massive amount of peace in their hearts even in such a horrible moment. But even for them, they had a ‘even if not’ statement. If they truly burnt and died, they wanted to assure the king in advance that they wouldn’t have regretted not worshiping his image.
Conclusion
But even if not. Remember Jesus and his last prayer? Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done [Luke 22:42]. Was God able to do it – yes, he certainly had the ability to take the cup away, but he wouldn’t have done it, for it was not in his will, and Jesus knew it. If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that [James 4:15|Article]. If it’s not the Lord’s will?
Doesn’t mean we can’t pray for healing, but let our faith on God not be based on the fact that God must heal us, or our faith will tumble. Doesn’t mean we can’t pray for success, but let our faith on God be based not on the outcome of our endeavours, or the extent of the blessings that have been bestowed upon us. Let us learn to nurture the faith of ‘but even if God does not’, and let our faith be based not on the things that God does for us, but on the person of God himself. |
Horus you're talking multiplayer, I'm talking single player. Different balances for each. In single player (I specifically said when I played campaign) the Lancer is a damned fine weapon, you never need to ditch it, ever. Multi though, like I said different balances.
Gorb wrote:
So basically you don't give two shits about gameplay, you just want the game to be as you, personally, interpret the lore?
Kinda hard to misinterpret the movie having low rate of fire/high damage bolters, Fire Warrior having low rate of fire/high damage bolters, many of the books depicting low rate of fire/high damage bolters, Dawn of War 2 having a low rate of fire/reasonable damage bolters, and this game having a high rate of fire/unimpressive damage bullet hose.
Or was I just imagining that stuff?
Gorb wrote:
The hilarious thing is that this happens all the time in the fluff, and has done for years. A single battle-brother with a heavy bolter holding the line against Orks single-handedly (random quotation). A quartet of Space Wolves destroying pretty much everything in front of them (Space Wolf).
Space Wolves are and have been **** for quite a few years now. I've written them off as tainted mutants long ago so I care not for anything related to them. They used to be really awesome too. None of the books I've read has had situations quite like that, none that I can remember at least, sure Marines get outnumbered and they give their enemies ten kinds of hell, but they get hit hard and take losses.
Sicarius tried the one man army charge against the Necrons on Damnos and damn near died because of that reckless stunt, him and the Ultramarines 2nd Company got really bloodied on that planet. They even later had to retreat from the planet as more and more Necrons awakened. Bet you'd never see that with today's codex and the master rapist behind it.
Wait, I do remember a crappy lore book. The Blood Ravens Omnibus. UGH.
Gorb wrote:
Methinks you're predisposed to complaining just because the game isn't 100% the way you want it to be.
Is criticizing a game forbidden now? Must we all accept everything at face value just because? All I'm saying simply is that I feel that the representation of the bolter is lacking compared to some of it's other appearances and I think it could use some tweaking.
It's really nothing to get into fanboy raging defense mode over (not pointed at any one person)...I just disagree with the design.
_________________Who does the Guard trust the most?AIRBORNE!Who do the ladies love the most?AIRBORNE!Who do the Xenos fear the most?AIRBORNE!
Kinda hard to misinterpret the movie having low rate of fire/high damage bolters, Fire Warrior having low rate of fire/high damage bolters, many of the books depicting low rate of fire/high damage bolters, Dawn of War 2 having a low rate of fire/reasonable damage bolters, and this game having a high rate of fire/unimpressive damage bullet hose.
Or was I just imagining that stuff?
Nobody liked the movie, nobody liked Fire Warrior, DoW II bolters are relatively rapid firing (one of the fastest-firing ranged weapons, only being beaten by Heavy Bolters, I think). The Tabletop game states them as being Rapid Fire, which means they have a burst rate comparable to say, Shuriken Catapults, which are often described (all over the fluff) as a hail of razor-sharp shards. A veritable hail.
We could argue specifics all day long, the fluff is rather contradictory ya know.
None of the books I've read has had situations quite like that, none that I can remember at least, sure Marines get outnumbered and they give their enemies ten kinds of hell, but they get hit hard and take losses.
Thanks for ignoring yet another point because "lol I don't like Space Wolves".
See this is where we get lore versus effective gameplay. Either every single Ork is a bit of a challenge and you're fighting with twenty other Space Marines who help you with the Ork infestation . . . or they make Orks that bit easier to kill and cut down on the ally help.
You also have the problem of making NPC allies too effective; the two you have are already effective enough. Of course, you wouldn't know that, as you haven't played the full game.
Quote:
Is criticizing a game forbidden now? Must we all accept everything at face value just because? All I'm saying simply is that I feel that the representation of the bolter is lacking compared to some of it's other appearances and I think it could use some tweaking.
It's really nothing to get into fanboy raging defense mode over (not pointed at any one person)...I just disagree with the design.
Criticising a game ain't forbidden at all, I believe I've stated you're entitled to your opinion several times. But hey, you could've missed me saying that. Every time.
What is more critical is your attitude to basically everything you disagree with. Anything that goes against what you believe in (Space Wolves, to use a recent example) you discard as being "****" and not worth your time.
Yeah I kind doubt that. Sure it ain't the greatest, but it ain't the worst out there.
Gorb wrote:
DoW II bolters are relatively rapid firing (one of the fastest-firing ranged weapons, only being beaten by Heavy Bolters, I think). The Tabletop game states them as being Rapid Fire, which means they have a burst rate comparable to say, Shuriken Catapults, which are often described (all over the fluff) as a hail of razor-sharp shards. A veritable hail.
Are Shuriken Catapults not assault weapons?
The DoW2 bolters still fire semi-auto, never quite going into the full auto, closer to burst. In DoW2 though, they're nowhere near the shuriken fire rate...
See this is where we get lore versus effective gameplay. Either every single Ork is a bit of a challenge and you're fighting with twenty other Space Marines who help you with the Ork infestation . . . or they make Orks that bit easier to kill and cut down on the ally help.
I'd go with option A. Black Reach scenario easily.
Gorb wrote:
You also have the problem of making NPC allies too effective; the two you have are already effective enough. Of course, you wouldn't know that, as you haven't played the full game.
Go ahead and rub it in you ass. I'm still waiting for my copy from THQ.
Gorb wrote:
Criticising a game ain't forbidden at all, I believe I've stated you're entitled to your opinion several times. But hey, you could've missed me saying that. Every time.
Yet you still attack my opinion like I'm wrong for stating my dislike.
Gorb wrote:
What is more critical is your attitude to basically everything you disagree with. Anything that goes against what you believe in (Space Wolves, to use a recent example) you discard as being "****" and not worth your time.
Everything is a very broad generalization.
With the Space Wolves, I used to like them...you know, before they went into furry overdrive. As they made that transformation I cared less and less, now I couldn't give two shits over them.
Tau got the same treatment. Remember when they were the potential good guys in a galaxy of madness? Obviously that wasn't grimdark enough and now the Tau have sterilization camps for non-Tau and are almost as omnicidal as the other races. Great.I still like them, but I look at them like the Old Tau, the naive relatively good guys...sort of.
Almost the same deal with Ultramarines. I've always liked them, over a decade now at least...before the dark times...before him. I still like pre-Ward Ultras though.
In the past I've been very vocal of my hatred for Necrons. Even that passed once I read some lore about them, and the Fall of Damnos novel. That book got me to stop hating them, hell I even started to like them.
Don't even get me started on what they did to Ollanius Pius...
But I'll agree, my attitude can suck sometimes, I'm a miserable ****, especially after not being able to sleep for 30+ hours.
_________________Who does the Guard trust the most?AIRBORNE!Who do the ladies love the most?AIRBORNE!Who do the Xenos fear the most?AIRBORNE!
1. I've never seen the Ultramarines movie, but everyone I know was too busy criticising it to get around to discussing the positives. I'm usually reserved on the subject (having not seen it), but when someone quotes it at me as "proof" then I get a bit itchy.
Same goes for Fire Warrior, even though I stalwartly love that game. Plasma Gun wheeeeee.
2. Shuriken Catapults are Assault weapons, however Rapid Fire weaponry has a similar rate of fire under certain circumstances, according to Tabletop rules (urgh) and also fluff. Bolters are burst weapons, that's for sure. They function like that in Space Marine as well.
3. Space Wolf is an incredibly popular series (at least the first four books are). When another pair of authors take over from William King, the quality diminishes somewhat. Again, this is your "I personally don't like it so therefore it's not worth anything in a debate". I don't like the look of the Ultramarines movie, does that mean I simply ignore your point? No, I had to address and counter.
4. You'd go with the first option that I proposed, sure. I'm sure there are more who share your viewpoint. Other people wouldn't. Game developers probably wouldn't, due to the amount of stress that would put on hardware (they'd have to sacrifice model quality, given that the game is developed for consoles), as well as the game design issues it would introduce (uber NPC allies of awesome merely being one such design flaw).
5. I attack your opinion because your examples are flawed and your reasoning is, in my honest opinion, terrible. You also seem to have some kind of a love of swearing at Games Workshop like it's the cool thing to do.
6. "everything" is the word I chose because I can't think of a time in this thread you respected the other person's opinion without swearing at something or saying "yeah but that sucks". If you could find an example, I'd be much obliged.
Space Wolves have always been lupine in their nature. Wulfen have existed for yonks. Leman Russ has been depicted as having two large wolves for a retinue since the 2nd edition of Tabletop 40k. Y'know, when Russ was a playable unit.
Tau were the good guys, then every race in the galaxy tried to shoot you. I can accept that as an excuse for fearing and hating alien races more
1. I've never seen the Ultramarines movie, but everyone I know was too busy criticising it to get around to discussing the positives. I'm usually reserved on the subject (having not seen it), but when someone quotes it at me as "proof" then I get a bit itchy.
Watch it, it's at the least a decent popcorn flick.
Gorb wrote:
Same goes for Fire Warrior, even though I stalwartly love that game. Plasma Gun wheeeeee.
And you said nobody liked it. I have to admit, as average as it was as a game, the guns were pretty well done. They all mostly felt as I'd expect them too...except for the Lasgun, that was pretty odd.
Gorb wrote:
2. Shuriken Catapults are Assault weapons, however Rapid Fire weaponry has a similar rate of fire under certain circumstances, according to Tabletop rules (urgh) and also fluff. Bolters are burst weapons, that's for sure. They function like that in Space Marine as well.
That can also do full auto in Space Marine. I didn't think bolters were able to do that.Though I find it hard to imaging a shuriken catapult and a bolter having a similar rate of fire. It's just a weird mental picture.
Gorb wrote:
3. Space Wolf is an incredibly popular series (at least the first four books are). When another pair of authors take over from William King, the quality diminishes somewhat. Again, this is your "I personally don't like it so therefore it's not worth anything in a debate". I don't like the look of the Ultramarines movie, does that mean I simply ignore your point? No, I had to address and counter.
This is a debate now? And what would you like me to say about the Space Wolf series? I don't care for them anymore, what should I say?
And your counter to the movie was, "nobody liked it"...
Gorb wrote:
5. I attack your opinion because your examples are flawed and your reasoning is, in my honest opinion, terrible. You also seem to have some kind of a love of swearing at Games Workshop like it's the cool thing to do.
Flawed you say? I cited officially licensed 40K media.
As for Games Workshop, I've little love left for them. Scratch that, it's more like I love them for some things, hate them for others.
Gorb wrote:
6. "everything" is the word I chose because I can't think of a time in this thread you respected the other person's opinion without swearing at something or saying "yeah but that sucks". If you could find an example, I'd be much obliged.
The only people I've been snippy with were you, to a lesser extent Horus, and Fuegan...well, unintentionally Fuegan.
Gorb wrote:
Space Wolves have always been lupine in their nature. Wulfen have existed for yonks. Leman Russ has been depicted as having two large wolves for a retinue since the 2nd edition of Tabletop 40k. Y'know, when Russ was a playable unit.
Sure they always were, but they weren't always so extreme in it. Years back it was a milder thing.
_________________Who does the Guard trust the most?AIRBORNE!Who do the ladies love the most?AIRBORNE!Who do the Xenos fear the most?AIRBORNE!
I also cited media licensed by Games Workshop. You ignored it because you didn't like it.
tl;dr: you think that the bolter should be interpreted in a certain way. I have said that you're fine to believe that, but when you turn around and criticise the game because it dares interpret the bolter in another way - before starting to say stuff like "don't use TT as an example because Space Marine isn't fluff-accurate because ULTRAMARINES SUCK AND THREE-MAN SQUADS" - that isn't really on.
If I can't criticise you for your opinions, what gives you permission for you to criticise Relic for theirs?
Especially when both sides of the story have been backed up by media published and/or licensed by GW
Shuriken Catapults work closer to a shotgun rather than an assault rifle. They fire a spread of monomolecular discs rapidly, often expending hundreds of rounds in a matter of seconds. It is for this reason why they have poor range since all their accuracy is lost after a certain distance. Avenger catapults have a tighter spread due to the longer barrel, so can travel a lot further.
Bolters do have fully automatic fire but its cyclic rate doesn't change so it still fires rounds much more slowly than a traditional automatic weapon. Comparing the Bolter to the Catapult is like comparing the Heavy Bolter to the Assault Cannon, not a very good example since they are radically different weapons. Also, in DoW2, units only fire pot shots out of cover occasionally, so it's hard to tell any kind of RoF there.
About 80% through the game so far, still don't really agree with the design of the Bolter, or the Meltagun, or the Plasma gun. My opinion on that will most likely not change, though some of the mods I've heard about in progress for the PC version give me hope.
Titus is no Sicarius, he's the embodiment of the generic space marine. The man has no emotion, no bravado or anything.
The Thunder Hammer is godly with the jump pack. I love it.
Ehh, it's fun, but not as great as I was expecting. The collector's edition box and extras are awesome though. Hopefully the multiplayer will save it for me.
_________________Who does the Guard trust the most?AIRBORNE!Who do the ladies love the most?AIRBORNE!Who do the Xenos fear the most?AIRBORNE!
Out of interest, Astartes Marine, what don't you like about the Meltagun?
If you say "because it's like a shotgun" I will strangle you (jokes)
I've always pictured it as a man portable lava cannon. I don't really mind the shotgun style of it, it fits as a close assault weapon.
The problem I think, it doesn't give off that feeling of being a man portable anti tank lava cannon. It's hard to describe what I really don't like about it, the visual effect maybe?
And I've tried multiplayer...and it is GLORIOUS! I've yet to find a weapon that doesn't do well, even the bolter, especially the bolter. Unlike the campaign, you don't have to unload magazine after magazine into a Chaos Marine to kill him (great success!), everything feels like the proper BFGs compared to the single player designs.But it is a lot of fun, and to emphasize how much I'm enjoying it I haven't been this excited about a multiplayer part of a game since Halo 3...back in 2007...
My only real gripes? Too few maps and only two game modes?
Also, I'm not sure how I feel about the Stalker being able to burst fire in multi...I've already seen quite a few people abusing the hell out of it.
_________________Who does the Guard trust the most?AIRBORNE!Who do the ladies love the most?AIRBORNE!Who do the Xenos fear the most?AIRBORNE!
Hey guys. I've had a proper read of this topic and since Space Marine is out in the UK tomorrow I was wondering what the opinion is regarding whether this game is worth the price.I read the PC Gamer review earlier it gets in the 80's region, but apparently its only 8 hours long. A bit short for me. Then again I thought Crysis 2 was too short as well.Now I know there's a discussion going on as to how accurate/inaccurate it is to tabletop. But to be honest is it any good as a game. 8 hours doesn't bother me if its very replayable. I don't want to download the demo due it eating my mobile broadband allowance.Oh and I know its off topic but has anyone played Witcher 2 or Deus Ex Human Revolution since they seem to have got varied reviews as well.
_________________Soon the Old Republic will be swept away, typically under the carpet and thrown out by the maid on Friday!
It's very likely that if you enjoyed gears, you will likely enjoy this too..
Thanks Horus. Yeah I did really enjoy Gears so I'm pretty optimistic about Space Marine from that point of view. Only thing is Relic are no Epic Games so that's why I was kind of doubtful. Still all that visceral carnage looks very tempting!
_________________Soon the Old Republic will be swept away, typically under the carpet and thrown out by the maid on Friday!
Witcher 2 and Deus Ex 2 are both really great games. But if you're a fan of Gears, you might prefer Space Marine. There's not much replayability in Space Marine, but if you're going to play MP, then I guess that might be worth it. In MP, you often see imbalanced teams with lvl 10s vs lvl 1-3s. Sometimes you'll even see a lvl 25+ running around and owning everyone and if that appeals to you... then do it.
Witcher 2 is really immersive, but you'll need to put a lot of time and patience in it since you'll be running around the map a lot. The combat is a hell of a lot better than the first one and the interaction has improved too. I haven't played it much so I can't really say much about it.
Deus Ex has a ton of content, but the combat is pretty bland and a lot of the augmentations are worthless (like batteries). I'm also not a fan of how the game favors a certain playstyle. You get way more experience (like 4x more) when you go non-lethal and you get more items when you engage targets since you can loot them, so you find yourself uninterested in new weapons and go around sniping targets even though you could have simply avoided them altogether. There's also the huge annoyance of the inventory system where you can barely hold anything and you'll be using weapons simply because they take the least space.
Feugan: Cheers for the feedback mate. MP is not important to me anyway since it eats pay as you go mobile broadband in huge chunks. I guess Space Marine will be worth it from the sheer kill everything point of view. Witcher 2 sounds good, the reviews I read said the inventory was a bit of a pain apparently its getting cleaned up for the 1.3 patch, but every review said it was only a minor issue and didn't spoil the game. As far as time factor goes I'm happy putting time in. Dragon Age 2 and Mass Effect 2 are two of my favourite games and you can't finish them in a few hours. Regarding Deus Ex apparently combat and the irritating boss fights let it down so I think I'll wait for its inevitable budget release.
_________________Soon the Old Republic will be swept away, typically under the carpet and thrown out by the maid on Friday!
Deus Ex: HR is actually pretty good. The boss fights are a bitch if your character is set up as a hacker or ninja, but you'll be able to sneak around the environment and hack everything, so everything but the bosses will go smoothly. Plus sneaking and exploration can snag you cool weapons like rocket launchers for the boss fights. There's even an Achievement for not killing anyone but the bosses. I already went through as a stealthy semi-pacifist and beat it that way, so my current playthrough is as a cyborg murderer to shame Arnold Schwarzenegger.
_________________"...the trouble with everyone thinking you're a hero is that they tend to assume you like being in mortal danger and [they] go out of their way to provide some."
Thanks Sparda. Nice to have another opinion, sounds good. To be honest a really long RPG like Witcher 2 should keep me happy and Space Marine's mindless amount of slaughter should provide a nice counterbalance to quests and wandering around.
_________________Soon the Old Republic will be swept away, typically under the carpet and thrown out by the maid on Friday!
Oh yeah, with Deus Ex, as long as you aren't in a boss fight you'll have multiple ways to get through a situation, from sneaking to hacking to full badass gunbattle. The revolver with the explosive rounds mod is awesome.
_________________"...the trouble with everyone thinking you're a hero is that they tend to assume you like being in mortal danger and [they] go out of their way to provide some."
I beat Space Marine... and all I have to say is I haven never been so simultaneously bored and uninterested in all my life.
This IS the blandest thing I have ever had the misfortune of 'playing'. I've played MUDs that had better backgrounds. The is NOTHING redeemable in this god awful piece of CRAP.
I found myself running from mobs because the combat was so bland and uninteresting that it was more thrilling to run past all the enemies and go straight to the objective than actually fighting. When you make an action third person shooter and the player doesn't even want to fight, you have FAILED as game developers. There is nothing I can put into words that can adequately portray my utter hate of this game. There have been youtube poops with more substance than this abomination that blights the world.
I would play Fire Warrior three times before I would consider touching this game again. Please, for the love of all things good in the world, do not buy this game. There are SO many other games that have come out or are coming out to spend your money on that WELL deserve your money. If you just want this game as an army painter (which IS the best part of the game), then wait until it is worth pennies. This is among the top 5 worst games I have ever seen in the last 8 years, it is THAT bad.
Playing this game, it's like every second you're completely aware of what you are doing with your life. "I'm sitting here at 23 years old with no job and no money, I haven't had a girlfriend in 5 years, and I live with my parents. WHAT AM I DOING WITH MY LIFE?!" Space Marine. That commercial was not false advertisement. That fry cook, 'I am master of the chainsword.' That's how you picture yourself while playing this game.
So you bought the game after bitching about it continuously and saying how you had no enthusiasm for the game . . . only to bitch and hate about it further?
Dumb purchase, imo. Haters gonna hate.
For me it's one of the best shooting games I've played in a few years, with addictive multiplayer. Opinions and all that. Your opinion is just as valid as mine, and my taste in games is not somehow inferior to yours just because I like a game you don't.
for just a few hours hacky slashy shooty bangy it enjoyed online play, but there's no real tactical cohesion, skill and strategy are replaced by run bang run slash run jump die! A lot to be desired really
Blood, in effect you have just described all the Halo games and a ton of others as well.People have no need for tactics when they can run up to someone and spray them with fire with the storm bolter.
True yet in you think they would add a rp campaign, like 5 tacticals 3 assault and 2 devestators fight side by side against ai enemy to achieve gols and targets, not just chose anything and go smash into em
Oh, I know, especially on console games. I just found it interesting that after three or more pages of hating on the demo and predicting the game would be terrible . . . he then forced himself to sit through an entire Campaign playthrough on a game copy that isn't even his
he then forced himself to sit through an entire Campaign playthrough on a game copy that isn't even his
Sometimes it's nice to be pleasantly surprised.
But for me this reason alone is why I don't make judgements or speculate on games/films etc until I actually play. That way I don't go feeling bullshited and can take things on a more fairer face value for what it is rather than Just hate the thing and give a "Biased" oppinion.
A rather enjoyed the simplistic but still somewhat fun single player mode, even if it is the most 40k cliche storyline ever. I used all the weapons equally, which is very rare... each has its own situation.. baring the melee weapons.
It tends to favour the power axe, but then i considered it an upgrade tbh. Hammer is godly powerful but you lack the use of other weapons to compensate baring pistols and bolter.
I found all the weapons pretty well balanced. My only gripes was that the melta while being short ranged was a shotgun... though i can see why they did that. All though not exactly lacking for ammo in the game, The ten clip is a bit meh. 15 would have been just fine. I really didn't use this much though since the powerful enemies you usually take the lascannon/plasma gun, or run around like crazy and not get hit approach till they are weak enough to melee and get a finisher kill.
In fact the only time i properly used the melta in a level was when i faced nemeroth rather than a curiosity try out when i first saw it. Just for firewarrior nostalgias. And it saved me dying when i got massively over run by bloodletters and i had to roll back (into a wall as it was i could only go >_>) and switched just in time to vaporise them all with one blast.
Another thing:
The stormbolter. It is so anti horde and only effective at short ranged that you should really get it when you first see the plasma gun. The plasma gun would been better of at the time when you get the stormbolter. Against power armour it's not worth using, plasma gun is far better and most of the horde stuff is gone (orks) by then.
warmasterhorusheretic is my steam id so add me if you wanna game up on ****, I find this game just as enjoyable as gears one mp, so it's likely i'll be playing it often. Just don't bother me with mod **** haha. |
350 F.2d 236
Vincent MARMO, Plaintiff-Appellee,v.CHICAGO, ROCK ISLAND & PACIFIC RAILROAD COMPANY, a corporation, Defendant-Appellant.
No. 14799.
United States Court of Appeals Seventh Circuit.
July 12, 1965.
Donald J. O'Brien, Jr., Chicago, Ill., for appellant.
Joseph Barbera, Chicago, Ill., Dom J. Rizzi, Chicago, Ill., of counsel, for appellee.
Before CASTLE, KILEY and SWYGERT, Circuit Judges.
KILEY, Circuit Judge.
1
This is a Federal Employers Liability Act case with a $160,000 jury verdict and judgment. Defendant has appealed. We affirm.
2
Plaintiff, Marmo, was a machinist helper on the night shift in defendant's Chicago diesel engine repair shop when he was injured on January 8, 1962. He had worked for defendant since 1955, at various times as carman, carman's helper, oiler and car cleaner. In September 1960 he was made machinist helper and worked in that capacity until his injury.
3
On the night of the injury for which Marmo sued, he was helping machinist Johnson attach a truck — a complete unit of wheels, springs, brakes, and other parts — to the underside of a diesel engine. In performance of this operation a truck is placed on a movable table beneath a truckless diesel engine which stands on a north-south repair track. The table is raised and lowered by electrically controlled buttons located about twenty-five feet away on the west side of the repair track. The aim of the machinist is to raise the table and attach the truck to the engine by fitting a recessed casting on the top surface of the truck to a protruding casting on the underside of the engine.
4
When the fitting is properly made, the top casting is four inches inside the bottom casting. The truck is then locked in place by heavy, blunt hooks, one on each side, suspended on swivels from the engine's underside. These hooks are so constructed and placed that, when free, they are swung back by the rising truck and then swing forward into slots under the flat bearings located on each side of the truck outside the castings. The freedom of movement of the locks is controlled by levers or handles at the top of the hooks. Sometimes it is necessary, in order to hold the locks open and prevent interference with the rising truck, to attach wires or weights to the levers.
5
If there is a misalignment of the castings when the truck is raised into contact with the engine, it is often necessary to move the truck slightly north or south by use of a hand jack. Because the castings are bevelled, however, a slight misalignment of a small fraction of an inch can be tolerated because the upward movement of the truck will force the fitting of the castings. If the misalignment is too great, the castings will not coincide and the upward movement of the table can compress the powerful springs in the truck. When this condition exists, a slight amount of vibration can cause the castings to spring into alignment with great force.
6
Marmo's right hand was crushed when it was caught between the west side bearing of the truck and the corresponding bearing on the underside of the engine as the castings, which had not been in alignment, suddenly slipped into place. The hand was later amputated above the wrist.
7
Defendant contends that there was no issue of liability and that the court erred in denying its motion for a directed verdict. On this contention we consider only the evidence favorable to Marmo and draw all reasonable inferences most strongly in his favor, and the contention must be rejected if on the evidence so considered a reasonable conclusion may be drawn that defendant's negligence played "any part at all" in Marmo's injury. Rogers v. Missouri Pac. R. Co., 352 U.S. 500, 506-507, 77 S.Ct. 443, 1 L.Ed.2d 493 (1957). If there were inconsistencies the jury was to resolve them.
8
We think the jury could with reason have concluded, in finding in favor of Marmo, that defendant, through its servants Bagnell and Johnson, was negligent as alleged in assigning Marmo to, and using him in, work of a dangerous type, knowing that he had no knowledge, training or experience in that work, and in not warning him of the dangers involved.
9
Foreman Bagnell testified that he was short three machinists on the night Marmo was injured and that he assigned him to help Johnson because of this shortage. This was Marmo's first experience with this operation, but Bagnell gave him no instructions, though he testified that a misalignment of the castings would create a danger to anyone working in the immediate vicinity. Johnson, after the truck had been moved under the engine, merely showed Marmo how to operate the buttons to raise and lower the table and then had him raise the truck to within a few inches of the engine's underside. What occurred after that is in some conflict. We must take Marmo's version.
10
Johnson was on the east side of the engine, Marmo on the west side near the buttons. Johnson called to Marmo that something was wrong or stuck on the west side and to "take a look." Marmo then went to the west side of the table and stood on a small raised platform attached to the side of the table. Standing on the platform, his chin was about level with the truck top. He had a flashlight in his left hand and he put his right hand on the lower bearing for support. Looking into the three or four inch space between the upper and lower bearings he saw a piece of liner1 sticking up in the lower casting and that the castings were not aligned properly, "a bit up from the North, about a half an inch." Then "everything came up like bullets" and his hand was crushed when the castings slipped together and the bearings met.
11
On these facts the jury could "with reason" infer that defendant owed Marmo the duty of not placing him in a hazardous position without warning him that what did happen might happen; and of instructing him about the care that had to be taken when looking to see what was preventing the truck from fitting into its position under the engine; and that failing in its duty, defendant's negligence played a part in causing Marmo's injury. Anderson v. Pittsburgh & Lake Erie R. Co., 217 F.Supp. 956, 957 (W.D. Pa.1962), aff'd per curiam 318 F.2d 727 (3rd Cir. 1963).
12
This is not a case comparable to Foreman v. Texas & New Orleans R. Co., 205 F.2d 79 (5th Cir. 1953), where a verdict in favor of a flagman who exposed himself to obvious danger was set aside. Nor does this court's affirmance of a directed verdict in Jackson v. Illinois N. Ry. Co., 224 F.2d 76 (7th Cir. 1955), where the plaintiff performed a job in an obviously dangerous manner, present a comparable case. The danger to Marmo was not obvious, as the danger in Cheffey v. Pennsylvania R. Co., 79 F.Supp. 252 (E.D.Pa.1948), was to Cheffey. And Marmo left his place of safety near the buttons when ordered to do so by Johnson, unlike the decedent in Atlantic Coast Line R. Co. v. Davis, 279 U.S. 34, 49 S.Ct. 210, 73 L.Ed 601 (1928), who without any order left his place of safety on the running board of a steam shovel and moved to a place of obvious danger.
13
We see no merit in the claim that the district court erred in refusing to grant judgment n. o. v., Gallick v. Baltimore & Ohio R. Co., 372 U.S. 108, 83 S.Ct. 659, 9 L.Ed.2d 618 (1963), or that the court abused its discretion in denying a new trial on the question of negligence.
14
There is no merit either in defendant's argument that Marmo presented two inconsistent versions of the occurrence and thus was not entitled to have the case submitted to the jury. The alleged inconsistencies with Marmo's version on direct examination were in (1) a statement taken from Marmo, in the hospital, by defendant's investigator (which was introduced by defendant for impeachment purposes, and thus was not affirmative evidence, Jones v. City of Columbus, 134 F.2d 464, 465 (5th Cir. 1943)), (2) the unobjected-to closing argument of Marmo's counsel (which was not affirmative evidence, and the jury was so instructed), and (3) testimony elicited from defendant's witness Johnson on cross-examination (which also was not part of Marmo's affirmative case).
15
Defendant contends also that there is not substantial support in the evidence for the damages awarded. It argues that the "enormous sum" awarded shows that the jury gave damages for injuries to Marmo's arm in addition to the loss of the hand and that there is no "reasonable medical certainty" to warrant the addition, and that the verdict is excessive, so that the trial judge abused his discretion by refusing to grant a new trial.
16
There is evidence that Marmo's arm was greatly swollen after the accident; that numerous incisions had to be made in the arm to decompress the nerves and blood vessels; that portions of muscles also oozed out of the incisions and had to be cut away, resulting in a permanent loss of musculature; that he has difficulty moving his elbow and shoulder joints; that there was a marked muscular atrophy of scapular muscles; that an extra-articular calcium deposit on the head of the humerous, which could have resulted from the accident, limits motion of the shoulder joint; and Marmo testified that he has a lot of pain "from the stump to the shoulder."
17
Marmo was thirty-eight years old when injured, with a life expectancy at the trial of thirty-one years. In 1961 he earned $5,056.75. He has not worked since. His only prior employment experience was operating a hand-fed punch press, driving a truck, and working on a farm in Italy. The amputation was two inches above the wrist and Marmo's medical expert testified that he could not make use of a prosthesis because of the painful and unsatisfactory condition of the stump. An operation to remove another one-and-a-half inches of bone and improve the condition of the stump will be necessary, but even then Marmo will not be able to use a prosthesis effectively because of the loss of musculature.
18
The evidence was heard by the trial judge, and the jury, which was properly instructed. We cannot say that the award was excessive as a matter of law or that the trial judge abused his discretion in denying the motion for a new trial on that ground.
19
We also see no abuse of the trial judge's discretion in admitting into evidence several X-rays taken prior to trial and not included in the pre-trial stipulation. They were admitted on the basis of the representation of Marmo's counsel that the X-rays were taken after the stipulation was entered into in the course of normal treatment and not for the purpose of surprise.
20
Affirmed.
Notes:
1
A two-piece band within the lower casting, designed to keep out dirt
|
Squirrel Girl has an uncanny ability to face down and defeat the most powerful villains with her limitless squirrel army. Among others, she has beaten Doctor Doom, MODOK, the Mandarin, Thanos, and even heroes including Deadpool and Wolverine. |
[Langerhans cell histiocytosis of the stomach with BRAF-V600E-mutation: case report and review of the literature].
Langerhans cell histiocytosis is a disease with different clinical presentations and a wide spectrum of organ involvements. Rarely Langerhans cell histiocytosis can involve the gastrointestinal tract of adult patients. A case of infiltration of gastric mucosa by Langerhans cell histiocytosis is presented. The neoplastic nature of this infiltrate is underlined by the detection of a BRAF-V600E-mutation. Additionally, an overview of the so far 5 cases published in the English literature is provided. The published clinical experience indicates a benign curse of the disease. |
United States Court of Appeals
For the Eighth Circuit
___________________________
No. 15-1095
___________________________
Remberto Aguinada-Lopez
lllllllllllllllllllllPetitioner
v.
Loretta E. Lynch, Attorney General of the United States
lllllllllllllllllllllRespondent
____________
Petition for Review of an Order of the
Board of Immigration Appeals
____________
Submitted: December 17, 2015
Filed: June 7, 2016
____________
Before MURPHY, BENTON, and KELLY, Circuit Judges.
____________
BENTON, Circuit Judge.
Remberto Aguinada-Lopez, a citizen of El Salvador, entered the United States
illegally. He sought relief from removal by asserting claims for asylum, withholding
of removal, and withholding under the Convention Against Torture. The Immigration
Judge and Board of Immigration Appeals denied each claim. Having jurisdiction
under 8 U.S.C. § 1252, this court denies the petition for review.1
Aguinada-Lopez is not a gang-member, but his cousin Oscar Gil belonged to
the MS-13 gang (rival to the Dieciocho gang). Aguinada-Lopez alleges four
incidents of violence in El Salvador. First, two men approached, asked if he were in
a gang, and knocked him unconscious with a pistol. The second incident occurred
when three men intercepted him, in his school uniform, leaving school (the National
Industrial Technical Institute). The men beat him, threw rocks at him, bludgeoned
him with sticks, and told him if he returned to the Institute, they would kill him. The
third incident occurred when a man in black knocked him off his bicycle, pulled a
gun, and said “You’re that rat Oscar’s cousin.” When a car approached, the assailant
fired three or four shots in the air and ran away. In the last incident, two men dressed
in black shot at him. Aguinada-Lopez then went to stay at a friend’s home, but
members of the Dieciocho gang threatened his mother to “look for him anywhere,
everywhere.” Shortly after leaving El Salvador, members of the Dieciocho gang
killed Oscar in front of Aguinada-Lopez’s house as a “threat for [him] not to
return. . . .”
The Immigration Judge found Aguinada-Lopez credible but denied all claims
for relief. The Board of Immigration Appeals affirmed. When the BIA adopts the
decision of an IJ but adds additional reasoning, this court reviews both decisions.
Setiadi v. Gonzales, 437 F.3d 710, 713 (8th Cir. 2006). Factual findings are reviewed
for substantial evidence and not reversed unless “any reasonable adjudicator would
be compelled to conclude to the contrary.” 8 U.S.C. § 1252(b)(4)(B). Questions of
law are reviewed de novo. Setiadi, 437 F.3d at 713.
1
This court’s prior opinion of February 23, 2016 is hereby vacated and this
opinion substituted for it. The pending Petition for Panel Rehearing is denied as
moot.
-2-
I.
The Attorney General may not remove an alien to a country if it is determined
“that the alien’s life or freedom would be threatened in that country because of the
alien’s race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political
opinion.” 8 U.S.C. § 1231(b)(3). An applicant for withholding based on membership
in a particular social group must establish both a cognizable social group and a nexus
between the persecution and membership in that social group. Gonzalez Cano v.
Lynch, 809 F.3d 1056, 1058 (8th Cir. 2016).
Aguinada-Lopez claims persecution on account of his membership in two
family-based social groups: (1) male, gang-aged family members of murdered gang
members, and (2) male, gang-aged family members of his cousin Oscar. The
Immigration Judge found the second “does constitute a particular social group under
the Act.” The BIA disagreed, finding that Aguinada-Lopez’s “circumstances in this
case are not meaningfully distinguishable from those in. . . . the Eighth Circuit’s
precedent decisions,” and concluding that both proposed family-based social groups
are not viable. See Antonio-Fuentes v. Holder, 764 F.3d 902, 905 (8th Cir. 2014)
(rejecting a family-based social group–“member of a household” including cousin
“killed by a gang”–because petitioner did not establish gangs specifically targeted his
family as a group, thus no “different than any other Salvadoran family that has
experienced gang violence”); Constanza v. Holder, 647 F.3d 749, 754 (8th Cir. 2011)
(per curiam) (agreeing with BIA that “a family that experienced gang violence”
(including harm to nephew and cousin) lacked visibility and particularity, thus “too
broad to be perceived as social group[] by society.”). The BIA also affirmed the IJ’s
finding that Aguinada-Lopez “did not establish a sufficient nexus . . . based on his
fear of gangs in El Salvador.”
Assuming Aguinada-Lopez’s proposed family-based groups are cognizable,
this court affirms for failure to establish nexus. See Bernal-Rendon v. Gonzales, 419
-3-
F.3d 877, 881 (8th Cir. 2005) (recognizing that “a nuclear family can constitute a
social group” and that the “prototype” and plainest example of a social group is “the
immediate members of a certain family,” but agreeing with the BIA that petitioners
failed to prove a clear probability of a specific threat to their family as a social group
(noting “extended family” still living without incident in Colombian cities)). Only
the third incident is directly tied to his relationship to Oscar Gil. This single fact does
not compel the conclusion that Aguinada-Lopez established nexus. See
§ 1252(b)(4)(B). The BIA did not err in denying withholding on the basis of the
family-based particular social groups.
Aguinada-Lopez also claims persecution because of his membership in a third
social group “male, gang-aged members of the Institute.” He cites extensive evidence
suggesting that students at the Institute are victimized by gangs. Although this may
be sufficient to establish a cognizable social group, Aguinada-Lopez lacks evidence
to prove nexus. The IJ found that the first, third, and fourth violent incidents were
motivated by gang-recruitment, gang-membership, or his relationship to Oscar Gil.
Attendance at the Institute may have motivated the second attack (when he was
wearing his school uniform), but this single encounter does not, by itself, rise to the
level of past persecution. See Eusebio v. Ashcroft, 361 F.3d 1088, 1091 (8th Cir.
2004).
The BIA did not err in denying Aguinada-Lopez’s claim for withholding of
removal.
II.
To qualify for relief under the Convention Against Torture, an alien must show
“it is more likely than not that he or she would be tortured if removed to the proposed
country of removal.” 8 C.F.R. § 1208.16(c)(2). The torture must be inflicted “by or
at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other
-4-
person acting in an official capacity.” § 1208.18(a). “Acquiescence” requires that
the public official be aware of the activity and “thereafter breach his or her legal
responsibility to intervene to prevent such activity.” Id.
To show acquiescence, Aguinada-Lopez relies on country-conditions evidence
identifying instances of police-corruption. However, these same documents also
identify government efforts to end gang violence, including a stimulus program to
rehabilitate gang members, a U.S.-funded wiretap center, and an elite anti-gang police
unit. Certainly, El Salvador has struggled to protect against gang violence, but it has
not acquiesced to gang violence. See Solis v. Mukasey, 515 F.3d 832, 836 (8th Cir.
2008) (“Although the government of El Salvador may struggle to control violence,
there is no evidence in the record that government agents participate or acquiesce in
possible torture perpetrated by others.”); Mouawad v. Gonzales, 485 F.3d 405, 413
(8th Cir. 2007) (“A government does not acquiesce in the torture of its citizens merely
because it is aware of torture but powerless to stop it. . . .” (internal quotations and
citation omitted)).
The BIA did not err in rejecting the CAT claim.2
*******
The petition for review is denied.
______________________________
2
Aguinada-Lopez also sought asylum. The IJ and BIA found the claim to be
time-barred, and he does not appeal that decision.
-5-
|
Summer Safety Tips
Summer Safety Tips
Summer has come again; it is a time to be excited about enjoying the beautiful weather and also a time that is characterized for all accident types to occur. Therefore, you need to start thinking about ways to keep yourself and your family save all through the season.
Dangers appear to exist everywhere; in the sun, in the water and even on the road. Everywhere you turn has something to be prepared for, and it can be very tricky to keep track of how to be saved from the many of these hazards. Of course you desire is to enjoy your summer to the fullest, but that should definitely not be at the expense of your safety. Below are just a few summer safety tips to keep in mind while enjoying those beautiful summer days.
Drink plenty of water
Although it may sounds logical, a number of individuals find themselves dehydrated at some point while the summer is on. Should you become dehydrated, your ability to actually handle a few outdoor tasks will become degraded and injuries are likely.
Protect yourself and your family from sun
A number of people think that if the outside is not as hot as the sun, then the hotness cannot cause any damage, but this is rarely the case. The rays of the sun can still cause skin damage even if the air appears to cool or chilly. Any time you have the reason to be outside for a longer period, ensure you protect yourself and your family by putting on a proper sunscreen
Sunscreens are not created equally
A good number of parents purchase a sunscreen that can both be used by them and their children. This is pretty good provided it is a stronger sunscreen designed for children that the parents are also using. A child must not use a low strength sunscreen meant for an adult. Therefore, ensure you purchase the correct sunscreen for your children to truly keep them save from the sun damage.
Never swim where you ought not to
Signs are generally put up for a reason; if there is a no swimming sign, it is advisable not to swim. There could be several reasons for not allowing swimming in a particular area like an obstruction in the water or a bad undertow. It is in to your best interest to follow the signs and find somewhere else to swim.
Overall, make sure you are careful on the road as several individuals drink and drive during the summer months. Make sure you are 100% alert to try to avoid any accidents. Although summer can be a lot of fun, it is even more fun if you play it safe.
Thanks for checking out our summer safety tips and be sure to leave your own tips in the comments below! |
This application is submitted in response to PAS-08-061 Long-acting, sustainable therapies for opiate addiction. A heroin/morphine addiction treatment vaccine candidate has been developed which appears in preliminary studies to be highly effective in rats. The purpose of this proposal is to further characterize the immunogenicity, mechanism of action and efficacy of this vaccine in rats and mice and assess its readiness for clinical trials. Despite the availability of effective pharmacotherapies for treating heroin addiction, fewer than 1 in 5 opiate addicts in the U.S. choose to use these. Among the limitations of currently available medications are their relatively short duration of action, the need for tight regulation of dispensing, side effects or interference with the therapeutic use of other opiates, and the perception of trading one addiction for another. New medications with mechanisms of action distinct from those already available could provide additional treatment options, and a long duration of action could increase their appeal and ease of use. Vaccines for nicotine and cocaine addictions are in clinical trials and preliminary data suggest efficacy. These vaccines reduce or slow the distribution of the target drug to brain, attenuating their effects. We (Anton lab) recently developed a highly immunogenic second-generation vaccine (morphine conjugated to tetanus toxoid; M-TT) directed against heroin and each of its active metabolites (6-MAM, morphine, morphine-6- gluc). Vaccination with M-TT elicits high concentrations of high affinity antibodies, and robustly blocks heroin or morphine self- administration in rats. We propose an integrated series of (Aim 1) immunologic, (Aim 2) pharmacokinetic, (Aim 3) behavioral and (Aim 4) safety studies to evaluate the clinical potential of this vaccine in rats and mice. Because heroin pharmacokinetics is complex, particular attention will be paid to characterizing and quantitating M-TT effects on heroin and each of its active metabolites. These data will allow us to understand how the binding of each of these moieties by antibody relates to vaccine efficacy, and will provide biomarkers that can be used to asses the adequacy of immunization in future clinical trials. The general hypotheses to be tested are that 1) M-TT immunogenicity can be further enhanced, and that M-TT remains immunogenic even in the presence of heroin, 2) M-TT acts through multiple complementary pharmacokinetic mechanisms involving heroin and each of its active metabolites, 3) M-TT attenuates heroin and morphine self-administration, and opiate-induced changes in brain reward thresholds over a range of clinically relevant opiate doses, and 4) M- TT is safe and does not itself precipitate opiate withdrawal. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: There are an estimated 15 million opiate addicts worldwide and 1.2 million heroin addicts in the U.S. Heroin addiction is associated with disruption of crime, social disruption, and severe health consequences including the spread of HIV and hepatitis C. There are several medications already available or the treatment of heroin addiction, including methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone. Although these have all been shown to be effective, fewer than 1 in 5 addicts in the U.S. choose to use them because of real or perceived drawbacks that result in low acceptability. The vast majority of heroin addicts are therefore not receiving treatment. Alternative medications, which could provide a greater choice of therapeutic options, might increase the number of addicts electing and staying in treatment. A non-addictive and long-acting medication which obviates the need for daily clinic visits would be of particular interest. Vaccines have been developed for the treatment of nicotine and cocaine addiction, and are in early clinical trials. These vaccines stimulate the production of antibodies that bind the drug and reduce the amount of drug reaching the brain, thereby reducing its addictive effects. Advantages of vaccines for addiction treatment are that they are safe, non-addictive, and have a very long duration of action (months) which can be extended as needed with additional booster doses. We have developed a heroin vaccine that stimulates production of high levels of antibodies and that can block some of the key addictive effects of heroin or morphine in rats. The proposed study will further characterize this vaccine, over a wide range of clinically relevant heroin doses, to assess whether it is suitable for advancement to clinical trials. The importance of this work is in providing an additional type of medication for those opiate addicts or abusers who find the currently available options unacceptable, or possibly for use in addition to existing medications to enhance their efficacy. |
---
abstract: 'We construct expanding endomorphisms on smooth manifolds that are homeomorphic to tori yet have exotic underlying PL-structures.'
author:
- 'F. Thomas Farrell and Andrey Gogolev$^\ast$'
title: Examples of expanding endomorphisms on fake tori
---
[^1]
Introduction
============
Let $M$ be a closed smooth manifold. Recall that a smooth map $f\colon M\to M$ is called an [*expanding endomorphism*]{} if $M$ admits a Riemannian metric $\|\cdot\|$ such that $\|D_f(v)\| >\|v\|$ for all non-zero tangent vectors $v$.
Shub [@Sh] proved that an expanding endomorphism of a closed manifold $M$ is topologically conjugate to an affine expanding endomorphism of an infranilmanifold if and only if the fundamental group $\pi_1(M)$ contains a nilpotent subgroup of finite index. Franks [@Fr] showed that if $M$ admits an expanding endomorphism then $\pi_1(M)$ has polynomial growth. Finally, in 1981, Gromov [@Gr] completed classification by showing that any finitely generated group of polynomial growth contains a nilpotent subgroup of finite index. Hence any expanding endomorphism is topologically conjugate to an affine expanding endomorphism of an infranilmanifold. In particular, any manifold that supports an expanding endomorphism is homeomorphic to an infranilmanifold.
Farrell and Jones [@FJ] showed that any connected sum $\T^d\#\Sigma^d$ of the standard $d$-dimensional torus $\T^d=\R^d/\Z^d$ and a homotopy sphere $\Sigma^d$ admits an expanding endomorphism. When $\Sigma^d$ $(d\geq7)$ is not diffeomorphic to the standard sphere $\mathbb S^d$, this constraction provides an example of a manifold that admits an expanding endomorphism and is not diffeomorphic to any infranilmanifold. However, $\T^d\#\Sigma^d$ is always PL homeomorphic to the standard torus $\T^d$ via the Alexander trick.
A $d$-dimensional smooth manifold $M$ is called a [*fake torus*]{} if $M$ is homeomorphic to $\T^d$ but not PL homeomorphic to $\T^d$. In this paper we obtain the first examples of fake tori that admit expanding endomorphisms.
For any $d\geq 7$ there exists a $d$-dimensional fake torus $M$ that admits an expanding endomorphism.
Lee and Raymond [@LR] showed that any isomorphism between the fundamental groups of a pair of infranilmanifolds is induced by a diffeomorphism. It follows that a fake torus is not PL homeomorphic to any infranilmanifold.
Fake tori
=========
Let $n\geq6$ and let $\T^n=\R^n/\Z^n$ be the $n$-torus. Consider the standard $3^n$-sheeted self-covering map $\pi\colon \T^n\to\T^n$ given by $$\pi(x)=3x\;\;mod\;\;\Z^n.$$
If $h\colon \T^n\to \T^n$ is a diffeomorphism which induces the identity homomorphism on $\pi_1(\T^n)$ then $h$ lifts through $\pi$; there exists a diffeomorphism $\tilde{h} \colon\T^n\to\T^n$ that makes the following diagram commute $$\begin{CD}
\T^n @>\tilde{h}>> \T^n \\
@V{\pi}VV @V{\pi}VV \\
\T^n @>{h}>> \T^n
\end{CD}$$ Note that there are exactly $3^n$ such liftings and they are all diffeotopic. We say that two diffeomorphisms are [*diffeotopic*]{} if they are isotopic through a smooth path of diffeomorphisms.
\[prop21\] For any $n\geq 6$ there exists a diffeomorphism $h\colon \T^n\to \T^n$ such that
1. $h$ is topologically pseudo-isotopic to $id_{\T^n}$;
2. $h$ is not PL pseudo-isotopic to $id_{\T^n}$;
3. $\tilde{h}$ is diffeotopic to $h$;
4. $h^2=h\circ h$ is diffeotopic to $id_{\T^n}$.
Recall that given a diffeomorphism $h\colon \T^n\to \T^n$ the [*mapping torus*]{} of $h$ is defined as $$M_h =[0, 1] \times \T^n/(1,x)\sim(0, h(x)).$$
\[prop22\] A diffeomorphism $h\colon \T^n\to \T^n$, $n\geq 5$, is PL pseudo-isotopic to $id_{\T^n}$ if and only if the mapping torus $M_h$ is PL homeomorphic to $\T^{n+1}$.
We immediately obtain the following result.
\[cor23\] If $h\colon \T^n\to \T^n$, $n\geq 6$, is a diffeomorphism given by Proposition \[prop21\] then the mapping torus $M_h$ is a fake torus.
In fact, the assignment $
h\mapsto M_h
$ gives a bijection between the smooth pseudo-isotopy classes of diffeomorphisms $h$ of $\T^n$ such that $h_\#=id_{\pi_1(\T^n)}$ and the smooth structures $\theta$ on $\T^{n+1}$ such that the inclusion map $\sigma\colon \T^n\times \{0\}\to(\T^n\times S^1, \theta)$ is a smooth embedding.
\[rem24\] By smoothing theory [@KS page 194] (also see [@Ru]) these structures naturally correspond to the subgroup of those elements $\varphi\in[\T^{n+1}, Top/O]$ for which $\varphi \circ\sigma\in[\T^n, Top/O]$ is the zero element, $\varphi\circ\sigma$ null-homotopic.
It is straightforward to see that if $h$ is PL pseudo-isotopic to $id_{\T^n}$ then $M_h$ is PL homeomorphic to $\T^{n+1}$.
To see the other implication, let $F\colon\T^{n+1}\to M_h$ be a PL homeomorphism. Since $M_h$ is homeomorphic to $\T^{n+1}$, the induced map $h_\#$ on $\pi_1(\T^n)$ must be identity. Hence the fundamental groups of $\T^{n+1}=\T^n\times S^1$ (we view $\T^{n+1}$ as a mapping torus of $id_{\T^n}$) and $M_h$ are “canonically” identified (up to specifying a cross section to the bundle projection $M_h\to S^1$). By precomposing $F$ with a diffeomorphism of $\T^{n+1}$ we can assume that $F_\#\colon \pi_1(\T^{n+1})\to \pi_1(M_h)$ is the canonical identification.
Recall that $M_h$ can be viewed as the total space of a $\T^n$-bundle over $S^1$. Denote by $N\subset M_h$ a distinguished fiber of this bundle. Then, since $F_\#$ is the canonical identification, we have $$\label{eq21}
i_\#(\pi_1(\T^n\times\{0\}))=F_\#^{-1}(\pi_1(N)),$$ where $i\colon \T^n\times\{0\}\to \T^n\times S^1$ is an inclusion of a fiber.
Now consider the trivial cobordism $\T^{n+1}\times[0,1]$. View the top boundary $\T^{n+1}\times\{1\}$ as the trivial bundle $\T^n\times S^1$. Using $F$ we pull back the fibration of $M_h$ to obtain a PL $\T^n$-bundle over $S^1$ on the bottom boundary $\T^{n+1}\times \{0\}$. Then $F^{-1}(N)$ is a distinguished fiber on the bottom. Because of the equation (\[eq21\]) and the fact that the Whitehead group $Wh(\pi_n(\T^{n+1}))$ vanishes we can apply the fibering theorem of [@F] (which requires $n\geq 4$) to $\T^{n+1}\times [0, 1]$. This way we obtain a PL fibering of $\T^{n+1}\times [0,1]$ over $S^1$ that extends the fiberings of the top and the bottom boundaries. In particular, we obtain a PL submanifold $W^{n+1}\subset \T^{n+1}\times [0,1]$ such that $\partial^-W^{n+1}=F^{-1}(N)$ and $\partial^+W^{n+1}=(\T^n\times\{0\})\times\{1\}$, where $\T^n\times\{0\}\subset \T^{n+1}$ is a fiber of the trivial fibering of $\T^{n+1}\times\{1\}$ (see Figure \[fig1\]).
![[]{data-label="fig1"}](fig1.eps)
It is easy to check that $W^{n+1}$ is an $h$-cobordism. Since $Wh(\pi_1(\T^n))$ vanishes the $s$-cobordism theorem (which requires $n\geq 5$) applies and we conclude that $W^{n+1}$ is PL homeomorphic to the product $\T^n\times [0,1]$. Cutting $\T^{n+1}\times[0,1]$ open along $W^{n+1}$ yields a new relative $h$-cobordism $\mathcal W^{n+2}$ between $\T^{n+1}$ cut along $F^{-1}(N)$ and $\T^{n+1}$ cut along $\T^n\times\{0\}$. Again, since $Wh(\pi_n(\T^n))=0$, this $h$-cobordism is a PL product extending the product structure on $W^{n+1}$. Therefore we obtain a homeomorphism $G\colon \T^{n+1}\times[0,1]\to \T^{n+1}\times[0,1]$ such that $$G|_{\T^{n+1}\times\{1\}}=id_{\T^n} \;\;\mbox{and} \;\;G((\T^n\times\{0\})\times\{0\})=F^{-1}(N).$$ Let $F_1=F\circ G|_{\T^{n+1}\times\{0\}}$. Then we have $F_1(\T^n\times\{0\})=N\subseteq M_h$. Cutting $\T^{n+1}$ and $M_h$ open along $\T^n\times\{0\}$ and $N$ respectively yields a PL pseudo-isotopy between $h\circ \psi$ and $\psi$, where $\psi=F_1|_{\T^n\times\{0\}}$. Precomposing this pseudo-isotopy with $$\psi^{-1}\times id\colon \T^n\times[0,1]\to\T^n\times[0,1]$$ yields the desired PL pseudo-isotopy between $h$ and $id_{\T^n}$.
Let $m=n-1$. Consider the following diagram $$\T^{m+1}=\T^{m-2}\times\T^3\xrightarrow{pr}\T^3\xrightarrow{\rho}\mathbb S^3\xrightarrow{\alpha}Top/O,$$ where $pr$ is the projection to the $\T^3$ factor, $\rho$ is a degree one map and $\alpha\in \pi_3(Top/O)\simeq\Z_2$ is the generator. Let $\varphi$ be the composite map $$\varphi=\alpha\circ\rho\circ pr.$$ Also let $\sigma\colon \T^m\times\{0\}\to\T^{m+1}=\T^m\times S^1$ be the inclusion map. Clearly $\varphi\circ \sigma$ is null-homotopic. Hence, by Remark \[rem24\] (in which $m$ replaces $n$) the smoothing $\theta$ of $\T^{m+1}$ corresponding to $\varphi$ determines a diffeomorphism $g\colon\T^m\to\T^m$ such that the mapping torus of $g$ is $(\T^{m+1}, \theta)$. Now we define $$h=g\times id\colon \T^{n-1}\times S^1\to\T^{n-1}\times S^1,$$ and proceed to verify properties 1-4 of the proposition.
[*Verification of property 1.*]{} By the definition of $h$ the induced map $h_\#$ on the fundamental group is identity. Hence, by the work of Hsiang and Wall [@HW], $h$ is topologically pseudo-isotopic to $id_{\T^n}$.
[*Verification of property 2.*]{} Assume to the contrary that $h$ is PL pseudo-isotopic to $id_{\T^n}$. Then, by Proposition \[prop22\], the mapping torus $M_h=M_g\times S^1$ is PL homeomorphic to $\T^{n+1}=\T^n\times S^1$. As before, we can arrange that the PL homeomorphism between $M_g\times S^1$ and $\T^n\times S^1$ induces the canonical identification of the fundamental groups. We pass to the infinite cyclic covering to obtain a PL homeomorphism $F\colon M_g\times \R\to\T^n\times \R$. By cutting $\T^n\times \R$ along $F(M_g\times\{0\})$ and $\T^n\times\{t\}$ for a sufficiently large $t$ we obtain a PL $h$-cobordism between $M_g$ and $\T^n$. Since $Wh(\pi_1(\T^n))$ vanishes, we conclude that $M_g$ is PL homeomorphic to $\T^n$.
Recall that by the work of Hsiang and Wall [@HW] homotopic homeomorphisms of $\T^n$ are topologically pseudo-isotopic. Using this fact together with PL “smoothing" theory of Kirby and Siebenmann [@KS], we conclude that $$\gamma \circ\varphi\colon\T^n\to Top/PL=K(\Z_2, 3)$$ is null-homotopic. Here $\gamma$ is the canonical map $Top/O\to Top/PL$.
Now let $a$ be the generator of $H^3(Top/PL, \Z_2)$. Then the cohomology class $(\gamma \circ \varphi)^*(a)\in H^3(\T^n,\Z_2)$ vanishes. Since $(\rho\circ pr)^*\colon H^3(\mathbb S^3, \Z_2)\to H^3(\T^n,\Z_2)$ is clearly monic, we obtain that $$\label{eq_vanish}
(\gamma\circ \alpha)^*(a)=0$$ But $\gamma_\#\colon \pi_3(Top/O)\to\pi_3(Top/PL)$ is an isomorphism. Hence $\gamma\circ\alpha$ is the generator of $\pi_3(Top/PL)=\pi_3(K(\Z_2,3))$ because of our choice of $\alpha$. Therefore $(\gamma\circ\alpha)^*\colon H^3(Top/PL, \Z_2)$ $\to H^3(\mathbb S^3, \Z_2)$ is also monic. Thus (\[eq\_vanish\]) implies that $a=0$ yielding a contradiction.
[*Verification of property 3.*]{} Recall that $\theta$ is the smooth structure on $\T^n$ which corresponds to homotopy class of $\varphi$. The $3^n$-sheeted covering map $\pi\colon\T^n\to\T^n$ induces a smooth structure $\omega$ on $\T^n$; namely, the smooth structure such that $\pi\colon (\T^n, \omega)\to (\T^n,\theta)$ is a smooth codimension zero immersion. This smooth structure corresponds to the homotopy class of the continuous map $\varphi\circ \pi\colon \T^n\to Top/O$. This map is clearly the same map as the composite map $$\T^{n-3}\times\T^3\xrightarrow{pr}\T^3\xrightarrow{\pi'}\T^3\xrightarrow{\rho}\mathbb S^3\xrightarrow{\alpha}Top/O,$$ where $\pi'\colon \T^3\to\T^3$ is given by $x\mapsto(3x \;\;\mbox{mod}\;\; \Z^3)$. Since $\rho\circ\pi' \colon \T^3\to\mathbb S^3$ has odd degree (namely 27), the map $\alpha\circ \rho\circ\pi'$ is homotopic to $\alpha\circ\rho$. This is because the canonical map $\gamma\colon Top/O\to Top/PL=K(\Z_2, 3)$ is $7$-connected and $\T^3$ is $3$-dimensional. Therefore $\varphi\circ\pi$ is homotopic to $\varphi$ and $(\T^n, \omega)$ is smoothly concordant to $(\T^n, \theta)$.
Now let $\tilde{g}\colon\T^{n-1}\to\T^{n-1}$ be a lifting of $g$ through the covering map $x\mapsto(3x\;\; \mbox{mod}\;\; \Z^{n-1})$. Then, by the Addendum to Proposition \[prop22\], $\tilde{g}$ is smoothly pseudo-isotopic to $g$. Let $F\colon \T^{n-1}\times [0,1]\to\T^{n-1}\times[0,1]$ be such a pseudo-isotopy; let $F$ be a diffeomorphism such that $$F|_{\T^{n-1}\times\{0\}}=g \;\; \mbox{and}\;\; F|_{\T^{n-1}\times\{1\}}=\tilde{g}.$$ Since $S^1$ has zero Euler characteristic, the product formula for concordances [@H Proposition on p. 18] applied to $F$, yields a diffeotopy between $h=g\times id_{S^1}$ and $\tilde{h}=\tilde{g}\times id_{S^1}$.
[*Verification of property 4.*]{} Let $\tau\colon S^1\to S^1$ be the double covering map given by $x\mapsto (2x \;\;\mbox{mod}\;\; \Z)$ and let $\Omega$ be the lifting of $\theta$, the smooth structure on $\T^n$ such that $id\times\tau\colon(\T^{n-1}\times S^1, \Omega)\to(\T^{n-1}\times S^1, \theta)$ is a smooth codimension zero immersion. This smooth structure corresponds to the homotopy class of the continuous map $\varphi\circ (id\times\tau)\colon\T^n\to Top/O$. This map is clearly the same as the composite map $$\T^{n-3}\times\T^3\xrightarrow{pr}\T^3=\T^2\times S^1\xrightarrow{id\times\tau}\T^2\times S^1\xrightarrow{\rho}\mathbb S^3\xrightarrow{\alpha}Top/O.$$ Since $\rho\circ(id\times\tau)\colon\T^3\to\mathbb S^3$ has even degree (namely 2), the map $\alpha\circ\rho\circ(id\times\tau)$ is null-homotopic. Hence $\varphi\circ(id\times\tau)$ is also null-homotopic, and $(\T^n, \Omega)$ is smoothly concordant to $\T^n$ equipped with its natural smooth structure.
A standard argument shows that the mapping torus of $g^2$ is smoothly concordant to $(\T^n, \Omega)$. We conclude, by the Addendum to Proposition \[prop22\], that $g^2$ is smoothly pseudo-isotopic to $id_{\T^{n-1}}$. Therefore, by arguing as we did in verifying property 3, we see that $h^2=(g\times id_{S^1})^2= g^2\times id_{S^1}$ is diffeotopic to $id_{\T^{n-1}} \times id_{S^1} = id_{\T^n}$.
Construction of the expanding endomorphism
==========================================
Consider the diffeomorphism $h\colon \T^n\to\T^n$ given by Proposition \[prop21\]. Let $M_h$ be the mapping torus of $h$. Manifold $M_h$ is a fake torus by Proposition \[prop22\]. For each $k\geq 1$ and $m\geq 1$, we will define self-covering maps $p_k, q_m\colon M_h\to M_h$. Our strategy is to obtain an expanding endomorphism of $M_h$ by composing $p_k$ and $q_m$ for sufficiently large $k$. Roughly speaking, $p_k$ will be expanding with respect to $x\in \T^n$, that is, along the fibers and $q_m$ will be expanding with respect to $t$, that is, transversely to the fibers.
[Construction of covering map $p_k$.]{} Recall that $\pi\colon \T^n\to\T^n$ is given by $x\mapsto (3x \;\;\mbox{mod}\;\; \Z^n)$. Let $h_0=h$ and let $h_1\colon\T^n\to\T^n$ be some lift of $h_0$ through $\pi$. By property $3$ of Proposition \[prop21\], $h_0$ is diffeotopic to $h_1$. Hence there exists a diffeotopy $\varphi_1\colon [0,1]\times\T^n\to\T^n$ such that $\varphi_1(0, \cdot)=id_{\T^n}$ and $\varphi_1(1, \cdot)=h_1^{-1}\circ h_0$.
Next we define a sequence of liftings $\{h_i; i\geq 0\}$ inductively. Assume that for some $i\geq 1$ we have defined a diffeomorphism $h_{i-1}\colon \T^n\to\T^n$ and its lifting $h_i$. Also assume that we have a diffeotopy $\varphi_i\colon[0,1]\times\T^n\to\T^n$ that connects $id_{\T^n}$ to $h_i^{-1}\circ h_{i-1}$. Then, by the Lifting Lemma, there exists a unique diffeotopy $\varphi_{i+1}$ such that $\varphi_{i+1}(0, \cdot)=id_{\T^n}$ and the diagram $$\begin{CD}
\T^n @>{\varphi_{i+1}(t,\cdot)}>> \T^n \\
@V{\pi}VV @V{\pi}VV \\
\T^n @>{\varphi_i(t,\cdot)}>> \T^n
\end{CD}$$ commutes for every $t\in[0,1]$. Define $$h_{i+1}=h_i\circ\varphi_{i+1}(1,\cdot)^{-1}.$$ It is easy to see that $h_{i+1}$ is a lifting of $h_i$. Also note that each $h_i$ is a (particular) lifting of $h$ through the covering map $\pi^i$.
Next we describe two auxiliary manifolds $N_k$ and $M_{h_k}$. Manifold $M_{h_k}$ is simply the mapping torus of $h_k$, $$M_{h_k} =[0, 1] \times \T^n/(1,x)\sim(0, h_k(x)).$$ Manifold $N_k$ is a [*multiple mapping torus*]{} of the sequence of diffeomorphisms $h=h_0$, $h^{-1}_{k-1}\circ h_k$, $h^{-1}_{k-2}\circ h_{k-1}, \ldots$ $h_0^{-1}h_1$ defined in the following way $$N_k=\bigsqcup^{k}_{i=1}\left[\frac{i}{k+1},\frac{i+1}{k+1}\right]\times\T^n\left/
\begin{array}{ll}
(1, x)\sim(0,h(x)),& \\[6pt]
\left(r\left[\frac{i}{k+1},\frac{i+1}{k+1}\right], x\right)\sim\left(l\left[\frac{i+1}{k+1},\frac{i+2}{k+1}\right],h^{-1}_{k-i-1}(h_{k-i}(x))\right), \\[6pt]
1\leq i\leq k-1
\end{array}\right.$$ Here if $[a,b]$ is an interval then $l[a,b]=a$ and $r[a,b]=b$.
Now we will construct three auxiliary maps $H_k$, $F_k$ and $P_k$ whose domains and ranges are indicated in the diagram below $$\xymatrix{
N_k \ar[r]^{F_k} & M_{h_k} \ar[ld]^{P_k}\\
M_h\ar[u]^{H_k} &}$$ We define these maps by the following formulae
$$\begin{gathered}
H_k(t,x)=
\begin{cases}
(t, \varphi_{k-i}\left((k+1)(t-\frac{i}{k+1}),x)\right), &\mbox{if} \;\;\frac{i}{k+1}\leq t\leq\frac{i+1}{k+1}, i=0, \ldots k-1
\\
(t, x), &\mbox{if} \;\;\frac{k}{k+1}\leq t\leq 1
\end{cases}\\[6pt]
\shoveleft{F_k(t, x)=
\begin{cases}
(t,x), &\mbox{if} \;\;0\leq t\leq\frac{1}{k+1}
\\
(t, h_k^{-1}(h_{k-i}(x))), &\mbox{if} \;\;\frac{i}{k+1}\leq t\leq\frac{i+1}{k+1}, i=1,\ldots k
\end{cases}
}
\\[6pt]
\shoveleft{P_k(t,x)=(t, 3^kx\;\;\mbox{mod}\;\;\Z^n).\hfill}\end{gathered}$$
Since $h_k$ is a lifting of $h$ with respect to $\pi^k\colon\T^n\to\T^n$, the last formula indeed gives a well defined $3^{kn}$-sheeted covering map $P_k\colon M_{h_k}\to M_h$. The fact that the first two formulae give well defined diffeomorphisms can be checked directly using Figures \[fig2\] and \[fig3\].
![[]{data-label="fig2"}](fig2.eps)
![[]{data-label="fig3"}](fig3.eps)
Finally define $$p_k=P_k\circ F_k\circ H_k.$$ It is clear from our definitions that $p_k$ has the form $p_k(t, x)=(t, \rho_{k, t}(x))$, where each $\rho_{k, t}$ is a $3^{kn}$-sheeted self-covering map.
[The expanding property of $p_k$.]{} We equip $M_h$ with a Riemannian metric in the following way. Let $g_0$ be the standard flat metric on $\T^n$ and let $g_1=h^*g_0$. For every $t\in[0,1]$ we let $g_t=(1-t)g_0+tg_1$. For each point $(t,x)\in M_h$ we equip the tangent space $T_{t, x}M_h$ with the scalar product $g_t(x)+dt^2$. Clearly this defines a Riemannian metric on $M_h$ which we denote by $G$. We write $\|v\|_G$ for the norm of a vector $v\in TM_h$. If a vector $v\in TM_h$ is tangent to a torus fiber of $M_h$ then we say that $v$ is a [*vertical vector*]{} and we write $v\in T^{\|}M_h$.
\[lemma4\] For any $\lambda>1$ there exists $k\geq1$ such that $$\|D{p_k}(v)\|_G\geq \lambda\|v\|_G, \;\;\mbox{for any}\quad v\in T^{\|}M_h.$$
For each $k\geq1$ define the Riemannian metric on the fibers of $M_{h_k}$ by letting $$g_{k,t}=(F_k\circ H_k|_{\{t\}\times \T^n})_* g_t.$$ Then $G_k(t,x)=g_{k,t}(x)+dt^2$ is a Riemannian metric on $M_{h_k}$. We will write $\|v\|_{G_k}$ for the $G_k$-norm of a vector $v\in TM_{h_k}$. We can also equip each fiber of $M_h$ and $M_{h_k}$ with a flat metric $g_0$. Indeed, recall that both mapping tori $M_h$ and $M_{h_k}$ can be identified with $[0,1)\times \T^n$. Hence each fiber is identified with the flat torus $(\T^n, g_0)$. We will write $\|v\|_0$ for the $g_0$-norm of a vertical vector $v\in T^\|M_h$. Same notation $\|v\|_0$ will be used for $v\in T^\|M_{h_k}$.
The proof of the lemma is based on the following facts.
1. There exists a constant $c>0$ such that $c\leq \frac{\|v\|_G}{\|v\|_0}\leq\frac{1}{c}$ for all $v\in T^\|M_{h}$;
2. $\|DP_k(v)\|_0=3^k\|v\|_0$ for all $v\in T^\|M_{h_k}$;
3. There exists a constant $C>0$ such that $\|D(F_k\circ H_k|_{\{t\}\times\T^n})(v)\|_0\geq C\|v\|_0$ for all $k\geq 1$, $t\in[0,1)$ and $v\in T^\|M_h$.
The first fact is due to compactness of $M_h$. The second one follows from the definition of $P_k$. To see the third fact recall that the diffeomorphisms $F_k\circ H_k|_{\{t\}\times \T^n}$ are the compositions of at most three diffeomorphisms of $\T^n$ of the form $h_i$, $h_i^{-1}$ and $\varphi_j(t,\cdot)$, where $i,j\in\{1,2,\ldots k\}$ and $t\in [0,1]$. The latter diffeomorphisms are liftings of $h$, $h^{-1}$ and $\varphi_1(t,0)$, $t\in[0,1]$, respectively, through the various homothetic self-covering maps $\pi^s$, $s\ge 1$. Hence the conorms of differentials of these diffeomorphisms are bounded uniformly in $i, j$ and $t$ from below.
For a non-zero $v\in T^\|M_h$, we have $$\begin{gathered}
\displaystyle\frac{\|D(P_k\circ F_k\circ H_k)(v)\|_G}{\|v\|_G}=
\displaystyle\frac{\|D(P_k\circ F_k\circ H_k)(v)\|_G}{\|D(P_k\circ F_k\circ H_k)(v)\|_0}\cdot
\displaystyle\frac{\|D(P_k\circ F_k\circ H_k)(v)\|_0}{\|v\|_0}\cdot
\displaystyle\frac{\|v\|_0}{\|v\|_G}\\[10pt]
\geq c^2\displaystyle\frac{\|D(P_k\circ F_k\circ H_k)(v)\|_0}{\|v\|_0}=c^23^k\displaystyle\frac{\|D(F_k\circ H_k)(v)\|_0}{\|v\|_0}\geq c^23^kC.\end{gathered}$$ Recall that $c$ and $C$ do not depend on $k$. Choose $k$ so that $c^23^kC>\lambda$. The lemma follows.
[Construction of covering map $q_m$]{} Pick an integer $m\geq 1$. We will define auxiliary manifolds $\bar{M}_{h, m}$, ${M}'_{h, m}$ and $\widetilde{M}_{h,m}$ together with maps between them as indicated on the diagram below $$\xymatrix{
\bar{M}_{h, m} \ar[r]^{S_m} & M'_{h, m} \ar[r]^{T_m} & \widetilde{M}_{h, m}\ar[ld]^{Q_m}\\
& M_h\ar[lu]^{R_m} }$$ Manifold $\bar{M}_{h,m}$ is a “long mapping torus" $$\bar{M}_{h,m}=[0, 2m+1]\times\T^n/(2m+1,x)\sim(0,h(x)).$$ Manifolds $M'_{h,m}$ and $\widetilde{M}_{h,m}$ are multiple mapping tori defined as follows $$M'_{h,m}=\bigsqcup^{2m+1}_{i=1}[i-1,i]\times\T^n\left/
\begin{array}{ll}
(2m+1, x)\sim(0,h(x)),& \\[6pt]
(r[i-1, i], x)\sim(l[i,i+1],x), & \hbox{if $i$ is odd}, 1\leq i\leq 2m-1,\\[6pt]
(r[i-1, i], x)\sim(l[i,i+1],h^2(x)), & \hbox{if $i$ is even}, 2\leq i\leq 2m
\end{array}\right.$$ $$\widetilde{M}_{h,m}=\bigsqcup^{2m+1}_{i=1}[i-1,i]\times\T^n\left/
\begin{array}{ll}
(2m+1, x)\sim(0,h(x)), & \\[6pt]
(r[i-1, i], x)\sim(l[i,i+1],h(x)), & 1\leq i\leq 2m
\end{array}
\right.$$
Now we define the maps. We set $$R_m(t,x)=((2m+1)t, x).$$ By property $4$ in Proposition \[prop21\] there exists a diffeotopy $\psi\colon[0,1]\times\T^n\to\T^n$ such that $\psi(0, \cdot)=id_{\T^n}$ and $\psi(1, \cdot)=h^{-2}$. Define $$S_m(t,x)=
\begin{cases}
(t,x) &\;\mbox{if}\;\; i\leq t\leq i+1, i=0, 2, \ldots 2m
\\
(t, \psi(t-i, x)) &\;\mbox{if}\;\; i\leq t\leq i+1, i=1,3, \ldots 2m-1
\end{cases}$$ and $$T_m(t, x)=
\begin{cases}
(t,x) &\;\mbox{if}\;\; i\leq t\leq i+1, i=0, 2, 4, \ldots 2m
\\
(t, h(x)) &\;\mbox{if}\;\; i\leq t\leq i+1, i=1,3, \ldots 2m-1
\end{cases}$$
![[]{data-label="fig4"}](fig4.eps)
With the help of Figure \[fig4\] one can check that $S_m$ and $T_m$ are well-defined diffeomorphisms.
Finally define $$Q_m(t,x)=(t\;\;\mbox{mod}\;\; \Z, x)$$ and $$q_m=Q_m\circ T_m\circ S_m\circ R_m.$$
It is clear that $q_m$ is $(2m+1)$-sheeted self-covering map of the form $$q_m(t,m)=((2m+1)t\;\;\mbox{mod}\;\; \Z, \xi_{m,t}(x)).$$
[The expanding map $f$.]{} Fix any $m\geq 1$ and consider the $q_m\colon M_h\to M_h$ constructed above. Let $$c=\inf_{\substack{v\in T^\|M_h\\ v\neq 0}}\displaystyle\frac{\|D{q_m}(v)\|_G}{\|v\|_G}$$ Clearly $c>0$.
Now apply Lemma \[lemma4\] with $\lambda=\frac{2}{c}$ to obtain an integer $k\geq 1$. Define $$f=q_m\circ p_k.$$ Then $f\colon M_h\to M_h$ is a self-covering map of the form $$f(t, x)=((2m+1)t\;\;\mbox{mod}\;\; \Z, \alpha_t(x)).$$ Note that the subbundle $T^\|M_h$ is $Df$-invariant.
\[lemma5\] For any $v\in T^\|M_h$ $$\|Df(v)\|_G\geq 2\|v\|_G.$$
$$\|Df(v)\|_G=\|D{q_m}(D{p_k}(v))\|_G\geq c\|D{p_k}(v)\|_G\geq c\lambda\|v\|_G=2\|v\|_G,$$ where the last inequality is provided by Lemma \[lemma4\].
Let $T^\perp M_h$ be the $1$-dimensional orthogonal complement of $T^\|M_h$. Then for any vector $v\in TM_h$ there is a unique decomposition $$v=v^\|+v^\perp,$$ where $v^\|\in T^\|M_h$ and $v^\perp \in T^\perp M_h$. For a vector $v^\perp\in T^\perp M_h$ we have $$Df(v^\perp)^\perp=(2m+1)v^\perp$$ Also, since $M_h$ is compact, there exists a constant $K>0$ such that $$\label{eq_estimate}
\|(Dfv^\perp)^\|\|_G\leq K\|v^\perp\|_G.$$
Now we are ready to prove that $f$ is expanding via a standard cone argument. We equip $TM_h$ with a Finsler metric $|||\cdot |||$ defined in the following way $$|||v|||=\max\left(\frac{1}{K}\|v^\|\|_G, \|v^\perp\|_G\right).$$ We now show that $f$ is expanding with respect to $|||\cdot |||$.
[*Case 1:*]{} $\|v^\perp\|_G\geq\frac{1}{K}\|v^\|\|_G$. In this case we have $$|||Df(v)|||\geq\|Df(v)^\perp\|_G=(2m+1)\|v^\perp\|_G=(2m+1)|||v |||.$$
[*Case 2:*]{} $\|v^\perp\|_G<\frac{1}{K}\|v^\|\|_G$. We use (\[eq\_estimate\]) and Lemma \[lemma5\] for the estimate below $$\begin{gathered}
|||Df(v)|||\geq\frac{1}{K}\|Df(v)^\|\|_G=\frac{1}{K}\|Df(v^\|)^\|+Df(v^\perp)^\|\|_G\\
\geq
\frac{1}{K}\|Df(v^\|)^\|\|_G-\frac{1}{K}\|Df(v^\perp)^\|\|_G\geq \frac{2}{K}\|v^\|\|_G-\frac{1}{K}\cdot K\|v^\perp\|_G\\
>
\frac{2}{K}\|v^\|\|_G-\frac{1}{K}\|v^\|\|_G=\frac{1}{K}\|v^\|\|_G=|||v|||.\end{gathered}$$
Because $M_h$ is compact we actually have $$|||Df(v)|||>\mu|||v|||$$ for some $\mu>1$ and all non-zero $v\in TM_h$. Now let $\|\cdot\|$ be a Riemannian metric on $M_h$. Then, because $\|\cdot\|$ and $|||\cdot|||$ are equivalent ($c|||\cdot|||\le\|\cdot\|\le C|||\cdot|||$), the last inequality implies that for a sufficiently large $N$ $$\|Df^N(v)\|>\|v\|$$ for all non-zero $v\in TM_h$. Then, using the standard adapted metric construction [@Math], we can find a Riemannian metric $\|\cdot\|_{ad}$ such that $$\|Df(v)\|_{ad}>\|v\|_{ad}$$ for all non-zero $v$. Hence $f$ is expanding. $\hfill\Box$
[texttLL]{}
F.T. Farrell, [*The obstruction to fibering a manifold over a circle.* ]{} Indiana Univ. Math. J. 21 (1971), 315–346.
F.T. Farrell, L.E. Jones, [*Examples of expanding endomorphisms on exotic tori.* ]{} Invent. Math. 45 (1978), no. 2, 175–179.
J. Franks, [*Anosov diffeomorphisms.*]{} 1970 Global Analysis (Proc. Sympos. Pure Math., Vol. XIV, Berkeley, Calif., 1968) pp. 61–93 Amer. Math. Soc., Providence, R.I.
A.E. Hatcher, [*Concordance spaces, higher simple-homotopy theory, and applications.*]{} Algebraic and geometric topology (Proc. Sympos. Pure Math., Stanford Univ., Stanford, Calif., 1976), Part 1, pp. 3–21, vol. 32, Amer. Math. Soc., Providence, R.I., 1978.
W.-C. Hsiang, C.T.C. Wall, [*On homotopy tori II.*]{} Bull. London Math. Soc. 1 (1969) 341–342.
M. Gromov, [*Groups of polynomial growth and expanding maps.*]{} Inst. Hautes Études Sci. Publ. Math. No. 53 (1981), 53–73.
R. Kirby, L. C. Siebenmann, [*Foundational essays on topological manifolds, smoothings, and triangulations.*]{} Annals of Mathematics Studies, No. 88. Princeton University Press, Princeton, N.J.; University of Tokyo Press, Tokyo, 1977. vii+355 pp.
K. B. Lee, F. Raymond, [*Rigidity of almost crystallographic groups.*]{} Combinatorial methods in topology and algebraic geometry (Rochester, N.Y., 1982), 73–78, Contemp. Math., 44, Amer. Math. Soc., Providence, RI, 1985.
J. Mather. [*Characterization of Anosov diffeomorphisms.*]{} Nederl. Akad. Wetensch. Proc. Ser. A 71 = Indag. Math. 30 (1968) 479–483.
Yu. Rudyak, [*Piecewise linear structures on topological manifolds.*]{} arXiv:math/0105047.
M. Shub, [*Endomorphisms of compact differentiable manifolds.* ]{} Amer. J. Math. 91 (1969) 175–199.
$~$\
$~$\
F.T. Farrell, A. Gogolev
SUNY Binghamton, N.Y., 13902, U.S.A.\
[^1]: $^\ast$Both authors were partially supported by NSF grants. The second named author also would like to acknowledge the support provided by Dean’s Research Semester Award.
|
INTRODUCTION
============
Studies have shown that percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) may be preferred over intravenous thrombolytics in achieving reperfusion and reducing mortality for those presenting to an emergency department (ED) with acute myocardial infarction and associated electrocardiographic ST segment elevation (STEMI).[@b1-wjem-10-208]--[@b4-wjem-10-208] It has also been shown that myocardial reperfusion after onset of a STEMI has greater effectiveness the sooner it is achieved.[@b5-wjem-10-208] A time period of less than 90 minutes from the time a STEMI victim enters an ED to having PCI with balloon inflation and reperfusion of a blocked coronary artery has become a standard goal in many developed countries.[@b4-wjem-10-208]
In the U.S. it has been found that a majority of adults (75%) live closest to a hospital that does not provide PCI.[@b6-wjem-10-208] While patients with STEMI can initially be stabilized at a non-PCI provider hospital and transferred by critical care ambulance to a PCI capable facility, studies show that the time for initiation of PCI can be significantly reduced when emergency medical services (EMS) personnel identify STEMI victims in the field and transport them directly to a PCI capable hospital.[@b7-wjem-10-208]--[@b10-wjem-10-208] To facilitate field triage of potential STEMI patients to PCI centers, many EMS systems have developed prehospital 12-lead electrocardiography (12-lead) protocols that allow EMS personnel at the scene to obtain data and triage a potential STEMI patient directly to a PCI capable facility.[@b11-wjem-10-208]--[@b14-wjem-10-208] Reducing time in the field before arrival to a PCI center further decreases overall time for reperfusion of occluded coronary arteries.[@b9-wjem-10-208],[@b10-wjem-10-208]
Three common models are used for EMS field 12-lead identification of potential STEMI. [@b14-wjem-10-208] The least expensive model is use of an algorithm interpretation preprogrammed within the cardiac monitor that rapidly generates the field 12-lead. This method for field interpretation requires no wireless or electrical transmission system and allows for 12-lead acquisition and STEMI determination without intensive education of EMS field providers. A second method, using paramedic interpretation, requires training of EMS personnel in the interpretation of the various 12-lead signs of STEMI. While training and maintaining the skill of EMS personnel interpretation may be costly, it has been shown to be effective with paramedic-identified STEMI sensitivity ranging from 71% to 97% and specificity ranging from 91% to 100%.[@b14-wjem-10-208] A final method is wireless and electronically transmits a field-acquired 12-lead to a physician for interpretation. This method is costly and may add to time a STEMI patient is in the field while 12-lead transmission is accomplished. In addition, some systems may require significant effort or cost to have a physician or other personnel trained in ECG interpretation available at all times to read the transmitted ECG.
While the monitor algorithm STEMI determination method described above is rapid and inexpensive, false-positive field triage to a PCI center is a concern.[@b14-wjem-10-208] One result of false-positive triage is the unnecessary rapid transport of assumed critical patients beyond a nearby hospital to a more distant PCI facility, placing emergency response crews and the community at increased risk for motor vehicle accidents.[@b15-wjem-10-208] It can also result in unnecessary redirection of personnel and equipment at the receiving hospital. In addition, when emergency response personnel are assigned to a false-positive incident, fewer available units remain in the area. A decrease in false-positive field STEMI triages could result in better utilization of resources and allow for safer EMS operations. Another adverse effect of excessive false-positive triages could be the decreased willingness of the emergency physician to allow direct transportation to a PCI center without having first personally interpreted the ECG.
Considering the above discussion, minimization of EMS false-positive STEMI transports when using a monitor algorithm exclusive triage system would benefit a healthcare system. To address the issue, this study was designed to identify the rate and variables associated with false-positive triage within an EMS monitor algorithm interpretation triage system.
METHODS
=======
This was a retrospective, sequential, case-control outcome study of EMS responses triaged in the field to designated PCI-capable hospitals. Study variables of interest were those that may have been associated with false-positive field triage for PCI. Potential variables to test for a potential false-positive association were identified in a pre-study ([Table 1](#t1-wjem-10-208){ref-type="table"}). Cases considered for the study included all those triaged from the field to a PCI center by exclusive use of a 12-lead monitor algorithm that included the terms "Acute MI Suspected" or "Acute MI." Indications for obtaining a 12-lead ECG reading were chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness or syncope. Excluded from the study were cases appropriate for triage to a PCI but for whom cardiac arrest and death prior to PCI occurred or who had co-morbid conditions that precluded PCI. These co-morbid conditions included sepsis, decreased mental capacity that did not allow for PCI consent, diabetic ketoacidosis, acute cerebral vascular accident, concurrent trauma with hemorrhage, and refusal of a competent person to consent for PCI.
A code book defining study variables was developed before conducting the study. We validated the code book by first collecting data for 20 patients who met criteria for inclusion. We clarified inconsistent terms and variables to ensure that study definitions were standardized. Data was collected on a collection form that used field and receiving hospital records with a copy of the original field 12-lead attached. We developed a database using Microsoft Excel 2003 (Microsoft Corp, Redmond, WA, USA), and used a double data entry method to enter data. We corrected errors when conflicting data were entered. If a conflict in interpretation still existed, the senior investigator's entry took precedence for consistency. Prior to the study we determined that for interpretation of odds ratios (OR), a confidence interval precision of 10% or less was necessary for the findings to be clinically significant. Using this assumption, the number of cases needed for adequate sample size was determined to be at least 500, based on a desired power of 80%. We conducted this power calculation using Statistics with Confidence v2.0 software (CIA Software, Bristol, UK).
For this study, false-positive triage was the outcome of interest. Because there is potential for variability in the definition for false-positive, we used a conservative definition indicating no acute coronary artery occlusion (disease). False-positive was defined as a patient who had no significant coronary artery occlusion by PCI or was determined after evaluation by receiving PCI-center physicians to lack need for PCI ([Figure 1](#f1-wjem-10-208){ref-type="fig"}). We used SPSS v13.0 software (SPSS Inc, Chicago, Il, USA) to calculate OR for association of each study variable and positive PCI outcome. Therefore, a reported OR of less than 1.0 was associated with false-positive triage. Confidence intervals (95%) were calculated for each OR to determine precision of the statistical estimate. For age as a variable, we used ordinal regression for statistical analysis, with a p-value of less than 0.05 considered significant.
The study setting was Orange County, California with a population of 3.02 million persons living in an urban-suburban environment. EMS units were 911 computer-aided-dispatched with a two-tiered basic life support (BLS)-advanced life support (ALS) response. Thirteen fire departments with 880 paramedics provided ALS resources and transported to 25 receiving hospitals of which 12 were designated PCI centers. Field medical control was provided by blended off-line protocols and on-line base hospital radio contact.
This study received Institutional Review Board approval by a committee recognized by Federal-wide Assurance submitted to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
RESULTS
=======
Paramedics triaged 548 sequential patients from the field for PCI during the study period. Nineteen cases were excluded because of cardiac arrest prior to PCI or co-morbid conditions that precluded PCI. During the study, three types of field 12-lead cardiac monitors were used: the Zoll M Series (Zoll Medical Corp., Chelmsford, MA, USA); LifePAK 12 (Physio-Control, Inc., Redmond, WA, USA); and the Philips HeartStart Rx (Philips Electronics, Amsterdam, Netherlands). The average age for those entered into the study was 64.7 years with 60.0% male. Of the 529 cases included, 393 (74.3%) patients had PCI with coronary lesions treated by balloon angioplasty or coronary artery bypass graft. The remaining 136 (25.7%) were considered false-positives, defined as a patient who was determined after evaluation by receiving PCI-center physicians to lack need for PCI (121; 22.9%) or had no coronary artery occlusion by PCI (15; 2.8%) ([Figure 1](#f1-wjem-10-208){ref-type="fig"}). False-positive cases were associated with the following variables: a specific brand of one of three monitors used in the system (OR = 0.35, 95% CI = 0.21, 0.59); sinus tachycardia (OR = 0.38, 95% CI = 0.23, 0.62); missing lead recording on 12-lead printout (0.39, 95% CI = 0.20, 0.76); atrial fibrillation (OR = 0.43, 95% CI = 0.20, 0.94); female gender (OR = 0.50, 95% CI = 0.34, 0.75); and poor ECG baseline (OR = 0.59, 95% CI = 0.25, 1.37) ([Table 2](#t2-wjem-10-208){ref-type="table"}). Age was not associated with false-positive triage for PCI as determined by Ordinal Regression (p = 1.00).
DISCUSSION
==========
This study showed a substantial number (25.7%) of false-positive triages to specialty centers for PCI based on field 12-lead monitor algorithms. We found multiple variables associated with false-positive triage within the EMS system studied.
Poor ECG baseline and failure to record all 12 leads for machine algorithm interpretation are false-positive associated variables that can be addressed by improved quality in field acquisition of 12-leads. Variables more difficult to address are sinus tachycardia and atrial fibrillation, which had a tendency to be wrongly interpreted by machine algorithm as acute MI. EMS system adjustments to disregard readings of acute MI in the setting of sinus tachycardia and atrial fibrillation could result in missing true MI patients and would require further study to insure the rate of missed true positives is not unacceptable. An unexpected finding was the association of one type of 12-lead machine with false-positive triage. Once this was re-validated by repeat data analysis, we advised the device manufacturer of the findings. Adjustments and changes to the algorithm for the device have been made and follow-up study is in progress. The type of monitor associated with false-positive 12-leads is not identified in this paper because the oversight Institutional Review Committee for the study requires that a written release from the manufacturer be obtained and such a release was declined.
Another interesting finding was an association of false-positive triage with female gender. We collected demographic data with the intent to show that the study population was homogenous with no difference in gender outcomes. The association of female gender with false-positive triage was unexpected and deserves further study for confirmation and explanation.
Field EMS determination of STEMI has been shown to be beneficial in rapid identification, transport, treatment, and decreased mortality.[@b7-wjem-10-208],[@b11-wjem-10-208],[@b16-wjem-10-208] To maximize this benefit and decrease the problems earlier described for false-positive triage, this study suggests that in addition to the mechanics of attaining a field ECG, additional paramedic education may be required to help recognize ST elevation MI in field ECG recordings.
In a 2008 article Ting et al.[@b14-wjem-10-208] noted that current knowledge of false-positive and false-negative rates for EMS triage of STEMI patients to PCI centers is poorly characterized, supporting the findings of this paper. Their study describes poor field ECG acquisition as a factor associated with false-positive triage, and finds that movement artifact, lead misplacement, and poor skin contact can cause the poor-quality tracings that can be misinterpreted by ECG monitor software or EMS personnel.
Decreasing false-positive system activation could inadvertently increase false-negatives. To mitigate this adverse effect, it has been suggested that electronic transmission of 12-lead ECG to a receiving hospital for over-read may be effective.[@b17-wjem-10-208]
LIMITATIONS
===========
One limitation of this study is the retrospective method used for data acquisition. The retrospective method increases risk for loss of original data, erroneous recording of data elements on original records, selection bias, and confounding due to lack of control of study variables. A more subtle limitation is that our definition of false-positive triage does not take into account patients who were determined by the receiving physicians to lack evidence for an acute STEMI MI, when in fact such an MI was present and PCI could have been a benefit. Studies show there is a background risk that approximately 3% of MI patients requiring PCI will be misdiagnosed and discharged by cardiologists without appropriate coronary intervention, and approximately 6--10% by emergency physicians.[@b18-wjem-10-208],[@b19-wjem-10-208]
While left bundle branch block was analyzed within the study population 12-leads, there was not an association of this finding with false-positive triage; on the other hand the study was limited in that we did not test for false-positive association with left ventricular hypertrophy, pericarditis, left ventricular aneurysm, and early repolarization.
Another limitation is the focus on false-positive triage and lack of data for false-negative cases. This study does not consider patients who were false-negatives. Knowing the false-negatives would have allowed for better system description and calculation of field 12-lead sensitivity and specificity.
And because we conducted this study in an urban-suburban setting with multiple hospital options within a few minutes transport time, the findings may lack external validity. Additionally, selection bias by paramedics could have occurred in that some cases eligible for 12-lead application may not have had an ECG. Finally, outcomes were obtained from hospital billing and discharge databases and not independently confirmed.
CONCLUSION
==========
For the EMS field 12-lead program studied, there was a false-positive triage rate of 25.7%. False-positive field triage was associated with one brand of 12-lead ECG monitor, poor ECG acquisition, and underlying rhythms of sinus tachycardia and atrial fibrillation. Unexpectedly, female gender was also associated with false-positive triage. Age was not associated with false-positive field triage for PCI.
This paper is dedicated to Beverly Nighswonger, RN, who passed away October 29, 2008. She was a dedicated professional of highest ethics. In her shortened lifetime, she accomplished more than most and was generous to all.
*Conflicts of Interest:* By the *West*JEM article submission agreement, all authors are required to disclose all affiliations, funding sources, and financial or management relationships that could be perceived as potential sources of bias. The authors disclosed none.
*Supervising Section Editor*: Christopher Kahn, MD, MPH
Reprints available through open access at <http://escholarship.org/uc/uciem_westjem>
{#f1-wjem-10-208}
######
Variables tested for association with false-positive field triage to a facility providing percutaneous coronary intervention.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AgeGenderResponding EMS ProviderBase hospitalReceiving hospitalIndication signs for initiation of 12-lead ECG readingECG rhythmECG rateECG baselineQRS morphologyLead placement ○ Which, if any, leads missing60-cycle interference presenceECG monitor brand
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*EMS*, emergency medical services; *ECG*, electrocardiogram.
######
Odds Ratio (OR) with 95% Confidence Interval for association with false-positive triage to a facility providing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Note that an OR of less than 1.0 is associated with false-positive triage and OR of greater than 1.0 is associated with triage and positive PCI.
**Odds Ratio** **95% Confidence Interval**
--------------------- ---------------- -----------------------------
Monitor Type 0.35 0.21, 0.59
Sinus tachycardia 0.38 0.23, 0.62
Missing lead 0.39 0.20, 0.76
Atrial fibrillation 0.43 0.20, 0.94
Female gender 0.50 0.34, 0.75
Poor baseline 0.59 0.25, 1.37
|
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Q:
Django: templatetags pass variable value
I want to pass value of a variable from template to a templatetag but in the token list I get picture.uri as a string [u'thumbnail', u'picture.uri']
{% thumbnail picture.uri %}
Templatetag code:
from django.template import Library
register = Library()
@register.tag()
def thumbnail(parser, token):
...
...
How to pass variable value to a templatetag?
Sultan
A:
It is very well-documented
But I recommend to use some framework for creating tags, I use this.
|
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Good day! I'm Agapito (kadz) a Husband and a father of 2 Children named Sean Alvin and Zane.last Sept.of 2016 my wife was Diagnose of Breast cancer stage 3b with ulceration.we was devastated.but my wife willing to fight for our children and to her late mother(ovarian cancer).the doctor told us that the cancer cells are not metastasized.so we are enlightened we have time for fight back.the doctor told us."you should act now" she undergo chemotherapy of 4 cycle of dose dens ac she finished last dec.20,2016 and the result was very good.the tumor was shrink.dec.29,2016 on her check up the doctor told us that she will undergo another 12 cycles of chemotherapy before the surgery herceptin+paclitaxel because she are (her 2 positive).and she need to chemo weekly.cost 105,000pesos($2,100) i know its hard financially but we want fight to this battle.I'm here knocking to your heart for your kindness.
Thank you for your time. every cents counts and it will be a big help for us!we will treasure your help and prayers.
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The 2016 elections were good for Republicans, with one notable exception: Democrat Roy Cooper beat out Republican incumbent Pat McCrory in the governor’s race in North Carolina – but the central issue in that election was HB2, the state’s bathroom bill which allowed men into women’s restrooms. The Human Rights Campaign spent tens of thousands of dollars on Cooper and ran ads like this:
“More than 200 businesses have come out in opposition to HB2. The NBA is moving next year’s All-Star game. And some film producers have said they’ll stop shooting here.”
Maggie Gallagher, a senior fellow with American Principles Project, says all it would have taken for McCrory to be re-elected was one or two pro-family groups giving similar amounts of money.
“There was no organization that values life, marriage, or religious liberty that went in there to defend him,” she explains – adding that that’s the result of conservatives not using the political tools at hand.
“The left is politically organized and social conservatives are not really …,” she continues. “So we should stop talking like we’re in politics if we’re not going to actually build political institutions.”
In a very real sense, says Gallagher, culture follows politics. “Politics is how we decide what’s important, it’s how we decide what’s in or outside the mainstream, and it’s how a lot of people in the middle hear messages other than those crafted by the mainstream media and Hollywood,” she says.
She’s calling on conservatives to step up their game – and the sooner the better.
“It’s really urgent – and yes, it might be too late. The Republican Party shut down [and] the left is mopping up on the idea that they can shut down the Republican Party on any issue they choose,” Gallagher tells OneNewsNow. “And once they’re convinced of that, you’re going to see things that make your head spin.”
America, she adds, is well on its way to being a country where it’s unacceptable to be a traditional Christian. |
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Crowdfunding Kota
Crowdfunding Kota
While doing our background research, we have come across many exciting, creative, and inspiring crowdfunding projects that address women’s and girls’ rights and work towards gender equality.
For example, the Kickstarter project Faces of Courage: Intimate Portraits of Women on the Edge, by the artist-photographer Mark Tuschman is a powerful example of art working for human rights. His goal is to publish a book of photographs that showcase the challenges, even pain and powerlessness, of women around the world. At the same time, the artist’s aim is to document the many advances being made in educating and empowering women and girls. Doctors, nurses, teachers, aid workers, and NGO staff – these are the silent heroes who are working tirelessly to improve the lives of millions of women around the world. Mark writes:
Through my photography, I bring these women and their stories to the forefront of global consciousness.
Another timely project is the #OperationGirl Charity Challenge. In response of the kidnapping of hundreds of girls in Nigeria. After the girls were kidnapped in Nigeria, the CrowdRise crowdfunding community wanted to do something. The pop-soul star John Legend,RYOT and the Burkle Global Impact Initiative teamed up to launch the Challenge to allow different projects to empower girls and women around the world with a total of $100,000 in donations.
The model is clever: the organization that raises the most during the Challenge wins a $50,000 donation, the Second place gets $20,000, the Third gets $10,000 and, there will be weekly Bonus Challenges for charities to win up to another $20,000. Even if you don’t win any of the grand prize money, you get to keep the money you raise during the campaign.
The Challenge runs from early July to late August — and already tens of teams have begun crowdfunding for projects related to girls’ empowerment. The projects range from storytelling initiatives to building dorms for a girls’ school in India
While we love these initiatives, we have realized that our mission is, after all, quite special. As our Mission Statement reads, we want to equalize the social, political and economic standing of women and men globally by providing the physical and virtual spaces, tools, and services required by non profits working on women’s empowerment.
In today’s world, virtual communication and networking is a part of our everyday lives. Yet, we firmly believe that organizations working for women’s and girls’ rights still need a ‘space of their own’ to network, learn, create new alliances — in other words, to embrace new discoveries and challenges, with the support of other organizations and the Kota Team.
One of the main reasons for the need of the space is that gender equality is intertwined in so many facets of rights, development, and social justice. It follows that often activists and advocates tend to work with those they know, in their specific field. But precisely because of the complexities of women’s empowerment, new links and connections need to be built. A Kota World Center for Women will allow organized and spontaneous encounters.
Our campaign is special in that it will help create a permanent PHYSICAL platform for all these organizations and smaller campaigns to grow and will therefore have longer lasting impact! Moreover, with New York being a mecca for people from all over the world, we aim for the Kota Center to have a public and educational aspect to better influence public opinion. The space will also be used for fundraising for the organizations by using music, art, and food, which enable us to experience the importance of women’s empowerment not only with our minds, but with our hearts and guts.
We will kick off our campaign on the 23rd of October — but you will hear a lot about it even before, in the coming months. Join us in building the Kota Center. |
I'm in the market for a new screen to hook up to my cute little sub-notebook laptop.
While browsing, I noticed that all the flat panel monitors for sale at komplett.co.uk are labelled
All LCD displays adhere to the ISO 13406-2 standard with regard to pixel faults.
This, of course, tickled my attention, as my assumption was that by default, if I buy a flat screen monitor, it's without pixel faults ('dead pixels' are dots of the screen that don't display correctly, e.g. a black/mis-coloured dot in a space that's supposed to be white. Very annoying if you end up with a screen that has one).
Pixel faults are a weakness typical of LCDs and are subdivided into four classes, 3 types of pixel fault and 2 concentration criteria within the framework of the ISO 13406-2 test. For the different types of pixel fault, a distinction is made between illuminated pixels, dark pixels and sub-pixel failures (or flashing pixels). The concentration criteria distinguish between firstly the number of white or black pixels occurring in a particular area (cluster) and secondly the sub-pixel failures or flashing pixels occurring within a cluster. The four classes of ISO-13406-2 define the maximum number of failures allowed for each type of pixel fault and each of the concentration criteria. Class 2 is typical. Class 1 is intended only for demanding special applications and Class 3 is for inexpensive models. Class 4 represents the reject criteria in manufacture.
The really interesting answer, however, is provided by new-monitors.co.uk: exactly how many pixels must be bad in a new monitor before the manufacturer is likely to give you a new one on the guarantee?
To regulate the acceptability of defects and to protect the end user, ISO have created a standard for manufacturers to follow. ISO 13406-2 recommends how many defaults are acceptable in a display before it should be replaced, within the terms & conditions of warranty.
All reputable manufacturers conform to and support the ISO 13406-2 standard.
The table below shows the allowable number of malfunctioning pixels that are acceptable, depending on the native resolution of the LCD and allowing for 2 malfunctioning pixels per million pixels.
Native resolution
No. of pixels
No. of million pixels
Acceptable defects
1024 x 768
786,432
0.8
2
1280 x 1024
1,310,720
1.3
3
1600 x 1200
1,920,200
1.9
4
2048 x 1536
3,145,728
3.1
6
The table below shows the allowable number of malfunctioning sub-pixels that are acceptable, depending on the native resolution of the LCD and allowing for 5 malfunctioning sub-pixels per million pixels.
Native resolution
No. of pixels
No. of million pixels
Acceptable defects
1024 x768
786,432
0.8
4
1280 x 1024
1,310,720
1.3
7
1600 x 1200
1,920,200
1.9
10
2048 x 1536
3,145,728
3.1
16
The table below shows the allowable number of malfunctioning sub-pixels that are acceptable within a 5 x 5 block of pixels, depending on the native resolution and allowing for 2 malfunctioning sub-pixels within a 5 x 5 block, per million pixels.
ya boy! I bought an iMac G5 with insight, and it had a dead pixel. So I went back to the retailer and insist they replace... -_-" In the end, they did replace and handed me a stack of papers on dead pixel and that less than 4 is acceptable...
Posted by: shing on January 5, 2006 03:22 AM
hello, I came across your blog by searching on norway... which i may be visiting... saw this entry, can't help but give my 2 cents worths' comments. |
MobileDemand xTablet Flex 8 Rugged Tablet Computer
MobileDemand xTablet Flex 8 Rugged Tablet
When you purchase an xTablet Flex 8 from MobileDemand, not only are you going to get the powerful tablet itself, but it’s going to come standard with many of the accessories you’d typically have to research and pay extra for. Our rugged case has two layers for great drop protection. The first layer is rubber with large bumpers that you see on other fully rugged MobileDemand tablets. The second layer is a high impact polycarbonate that holds the rubber layer in place, but also provides mounting details for critical business accessories including a back hand strap, a briefcase handle, a stylus holder and I/O door cover. We also apply an innovated glass screen protector that is almost scratch proof and has an oleophobic coating to reduce finger prints and makes water bead up then run off of the touch panel. MobileDemand is now your one-stop shop for a loaded business tablet under a kilogram.
Greater Versatility with Windows ProfessionalOne common complaint you’ll hear among users of tablets running non-full versions of Microsoft Windows, is that they wish the device had greater functionality and would integrate easily within their corporate IT architecture and security. The xTablet Flex 8 runs either Windows 10 Professional or Windows 8.1 Professional with an option of Windows 10 Home.
Rugged Right Out of the BoxWhen you unbox your new xTablet Flex 8, you’re not going to have to spend extra time installing the rugged case or screen protector. It’s going to be ready to go. The factory-installed case is going to give you MIL-STD-810G for shock and drop from 4 feet while the screen protector can withstand a 225g steel ball drop from 100cm. Equip your workforce with a rugged tablet that can withstand accidents on the job.
Unique Features Set the xTablet Flex 8 ApartThe xTablet Flex 8 has several business features which set it apart from consumer-grade tablets as well as the competition. It has a Z3775 processor, 1280x800 display, 4GB RAM, and 64GB storage to provide business level performance to get the job done. It has one full size USB 2.0 and one full size USB 3.0 connectors for direct connection to USB peripherals without requiring adapters. And finally, the xTablet Flex 8 is equipped with WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0 for all of your wireless needs. |
The New Al Qaeda: More Dangerous than the Old VersionBy Ivan Eland | Posted: Mon. November 14, 2005
Say good-bye to the old al Qaeda and hello to a new, more dangerous version created by President George W. Bush. The recent suicide bombings by Iraqis in Amman, Jordan are ominous because they provide hard evidence (confirmed by U.S. intelligence analysis) that the war in Iraqfar from pinning terrorists down within that countrys borders, as the president allegesis incubating combat-hardened jihadists for export to other countries. As many opponents of the Iraq war predicted beforehand, a non-Islamic nations invasion of another Muslim country has spawned the same radical Islamic terrorism that occurred after the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in the 1980s and Russia invaded Chechnya in the 1990s.
The former invasion ultimately led to the rise of Osama bin Laden, al Qaedas leader and once dominant force. After 9/11, the United States made considerable progress in eliminating al Qaedas safe haven and training infrastructure in Afghanistan and isolating bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri, his deputy, from their forces in the field. Yet the U.S. invasion of Iraq allowed Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a previously independent actor who didnt care that much about the United States, to grab the spotlight by joining al Qaeda and becoming the face of the Iraqi insurgency against the U.S. occupation. Zarqawi and his al Qaeda in Iraq organization make the treacherous bin Laden and Zawahiri look like choirboys. Zarqawis trademarks are the brutal videotaped beheadings and the wanton slaughter of Muslim innocents, as well as the foreign occupiers and their Iraqi allies.
Zarqawi is so ruthless that Zawahiri sent him a letter asking him nicely to tone it down a bit. We know things are bad when the al Qaeda leadership seems temperate in comparison. Yet, Zarqawi has ignored pleas from al Qaedas leadership for moderation, and the bombings by his Iraqi minions in Jordan seem to indicate that he is now expanding his attacks outside Iraq. With bin Laden and Zawahiri in hiding, Zarqawi is emerging as al Qaedas most effective and prominent force. With the Iraq war providing a new training ground for waves of new Islamist terrorists and Zarqawis apparent willingness to begin striking American targets outside Iraq, it is time to worry about a resurgence of a more potent al Qaeda worldwide. This development could nullify many of the gains that were made against the organization in the aftermath of 9/11.
President Bush and his administration clearly used the publics post-September 11 fear and manipulated intelligence to sell an unrelated vendetta against Saddam Hussein at the expense of delivering a knockout punch to al Qaeda while it was on the ropes. Even worse, that sideshow has allowed al Qaeda to rise againthis time with an even more ruthless protagonist in the vanguard.
The president, in a partisan Veterans Day speech, however, lashed out at Democratic congressional critics of the war, alleging that they had seen the same intelligence as his administration and that they also had believed prior to the invasion that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. Although the Democrats do have partisan motives for criticizing the administrations manipulation of intelligence, the administrations claim is preposterous. The executive branch intelligence agencies dwarf the congressional staff and are responsible for collecting, analyzing, debating and disseminating the intelligence. Members of Congress and their staff do not see all of the intelligence, especially the raw inputs into the process. In addition, the imperial presidency has a much grander bully pulpit from which to twist and embellish facts about a war than do members of Congress.
Yet even some hawkish Democrats, such as Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.), dismiss other Democrats concerns about being sold a bill of goods before the war by the massaging of intelligence. Lieberman asserted, Those arent irrelevant questions. But the more they dominate the public debate, the harder it is to sustain public support for the war. Perhaps public support for a dishonest war that has cost many lives (both U.S. and Iraqi) and hundreds of billions of dollars (and still counting), and has made the terrorism threat worse should not be sustained. To Lieberman and his ilk, both Democratic and Republican, sustaining a small counterinsurgency on the other side of the world is more important than answering a question that goes to the core of our constitutional system of checks and balances: Did the president deceive the Congress and the country into the most solemn decision a republic can make? It seems that he did, and in doing so, revived a terrorist monster to boot.
Ivan Eland is Senior Fellow and Director of the Center on Peace & Liberty at the Independent Institute. Dr. Eland is a graduate of Iowa State University and received an M.B.A. in applied economics and Ph.D. in national security policy from George Washington University. He spent 15 years working for Congress on national security issues, including stints as an investigator for the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Principal Defense Analyst at the Congressional Budget Office. |
Built Review
History
KAMAZ opened its doors in 1976. Today, heavy duty models are exported to many areas of the world including the CIS, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa. The trucks have won the Dakar Rally a record fourteen times. KAMAZ is the largest truck producer in Russia and the CIS. The factory produces 43,000 trucks a year (2014). Reinforced KAMAZ trucks are used by the Russian army.
Review
This is another one of the open the box and just the amount of plastic in the box, 'your eyes widen' then you see the detail in the plastic. ICM have taken the rule book on how to manufacture plastic model kits ripped it up and thrown it away and written a new one. First impressions are amazing, let's see if I am still saying this after I have tried building it!
So the start of the build had me a little confused, and it was minor, it was part of the chassis that looked like it needed to go into a frame the wrong way around, but two steps further on you could see the way it needed to be fitted. The detail on these parts was good though not likely to be seen again. Next stage has you building the winch which had such detail as a chain driven motor with its own chain and two sprockets. All of these parts are for the main chassis with some steel supports that will connect to the other side of the chassis.
As the build of the chassis continues so far with the main part of the chassis done, I am very impressed with the detail, the steel plate that secures the rear of the chassis is exactly what you would expect shape and detail. Being a more modern truck and having driven articulated lorries and fire engines, I have been underneath enough trucks to know that this one is pretty much all together. There is a stage at the beginning where you have an angle bar that goes across the rear drive part of the chassis please beware that this part has to be put in correctly? The diagram does not show it that well.
With the main part of the chassis done it is now time to start on the build of the engine this is a full engine and again I am so impressed by the level of detail of this kit. Starting off with the head both sides separate the detail and design are very good to add to this the manifold for each side, the next part is the engine block which once glued together various other engine components are placed to it. ICM have left nothing out on this engine so far with parts for an alternator and oil filter being just some of the parts included in this kit. When assembling the air filter and then placing it on the top of the head I found that the instructions were not as clear as they could be reference page 9 instruction 26 part number 25 which did not fit on the back part like it said.
Once complete the engine is full of detail and is one of the best that I have seen in plastic model form. Fixing the engine to the chassis was easier than it looked and is quite stable considering there is only one brace that runs underneath the sump of the engine. The last part of the engine was the exhaust pipe which I did drill out the end of the pipe for added realism; I applied several washes to the exhaust and then applied some pigment to show the rust build up.
The sides of the chassis adding such things as fuel tanks and battery boxes come next, the fuel tanks are moulded in two halves and two ends the detail is very good on these parts. Once all the parts are on the chassis it is the turn of the wheels, I made the wheels but did not put them on as it said to do, as I wanted to weather the chassis and around the drives before putting them on.
The interior of the cab is the next build section starting with the floor and adding the foot pedals and gear stick. The seats were well detailed and quite easy to put together, once done you then place them into the cab followed by the sides of the truck. The detail was very good and I very much enjoyed the overall look and looked forward to the build, however as more of the cab was built I started to have some issues.
The side of the cab that I had already placed into position had two thin seals that ran out to the front of the cab for the roof to sit. These were fragile and I lost how many times I had to repair them as they would break at what I will describe as a weak point in the mould. Just where the seals join the back of the top of the side of the cab was the spot for them to break frequently. Once the back of the cab is completed you had a bit more of a sturdy cab, the interior of the cab that sits on the front of the cab included the dashboard and instrument panels and two glove boxes. Detail wise it is ok and I am sure some aftermarket or a bit of scratch building will make it better. The final parts of the build for the cab are the glazing for the front screen. The last part is the roof now this really can be an issue as I found out myself, in the end, the roof fits over the top of the cab and needs just a little pressure to push it into place now this is where my issues started! I used Tamiya extra thin cement after pushing the roof down this made the glue run down the inside of the front screen and also onto the back of the cab window. Making it that I had to change the way I was going to present the truck.
The two doors came next, you have the option for the doors to be open or closed I chose the closed door option the interior of the door fits very well just in the wrong place now when you go to fit them they basically donít fit under the seal of the top of the cab. This took me some time to get it sorted and when I did there is still some issues with the door, it does not sit flush.
The back of the truck is not only very nicely detailed it was a pleasure to build and went together just like most of the kit and really does finish it off as a great truck from ICM. Once the back is assembled and mounted into place the next option is for the cab to be tilted displaying the engine now this is one that I would recommend as the detail on the engine is very high considering it comes without any photo etch.
Conclusion
Despite the issues that I had experienced, this is such a great kit detail wise and is a good build apart from the three issues that I experienced. The quality of work to get such great detail from the moulds is amazing; the engine is one of the best I have seen from ICM.
I might be slightly biased here as the subjects from ICM are some of my favourite Russian soft skins and planes, especially cold war offerings. I have been watching the steady rise of ICM and the way they are tackling the market, I believe that straight out of a box builds of most of their kits are right up there with some of the bigger manufacturers offerings and I believe there is still much more to come from the ICM label, watch this space.
SUMMARY
Highs: The detail on the engine is quite amazing as is the detail throughout the kit it is a great model.Lows: The three issues mentioned are all I can come up with here, the doors and not having a flush fit, the fragile seals on the cab sides and the roof with glue though I have to take some responsibility for that.Verdict: An all round great looking kit with plenty to build and a stunning engine make this a great buy. |
#pragma once
#include "Common.h"
namespace bff {
class SparseMatrix;
class DenseMatrix {
public:
// constructor
DenseMatrix(size_t m = 1, size_t n = 1);
// constructor
DenseMatrix(cholmod_dense *data);
// copy constructor
DenseMatrix(const DenseMatrix& B);
// assignment operators
DenseMatrix& operator=(cholmod_dense *data);
DenseMatrix& operator=(const DenseMatrix& B);
// destructor
~DenseMatrix();
// returns identity
static DenseMatrix identity(size_t m, size_t n = 1);
// returns ones
static DenseMatrix ones(size_t m, size_t n = 1);
// returns transpose
DenseMatrix transpose() const;
// returns number of rows
size_t nRows() const;
// returns number of columns
size_t nCols() const;
// returns norm. 0: Infinity, 1: 1-norm, 2: 2-norm. Note: 2-norm is only valid for row vectors
double norm(int norm) const;
// returns sum
double sum() const;
// returns mean
double mean() const;
// extracts submatrix in range [r0, r1) x [c0, c1)
DenseMatrix submatrix(size_t r0, size_t r1, size_t c0 = 0, size_t c1 = 1) const;
// extracts submatrix with specified row and column indices
DenseMatrix submatrix(const std::vector<int>& r, const std::vector<int>& c = {0}) const;
// returns a copy of the cholmod representation
cholmod_dense* copy() const;
// returns cholmod representation
cholmod_dense* toCholmod();
// math
friend DenseMatrix operator*(const DenseMatrix& A, double s);
friend DenseMatrix operator+(const DenseMatrix& A, const DenseMatrix& B);
friend DenseMatrix operator-(const DenseMatrix& A, const DenseMatrix& B);
friend DenseMatrix operator*(const DenseMatrix& A, const DenseMatrix& B);
friend DenseMatrix operator*(const SparseMatrix& A, const DenseMatrix& X);
friend DenseMatrix operator-(const DenseMatrix& A);
friend DenseMatrix& operator*=(DenseMatrix& A, double s);
friend DenseMatrix& operator+=(DenseMatrix& A, const DenseMatrix& B);
friend DenseMatrix& operator-=(DenseMatrix& A, const DenseMatrix& B);
// access
double& operator()(size_t r, size_t c = 0);
double operator()(size_t r, size_t c = 0) const;
protected:
// clear
void clear();
// member
cholmod_dense *data;
};
// horizontal concat
DenseMatrix hcat(const DenseMatrix& A, const DenseMatrix& B);
// vertical concat
DenseMatrix vcat(const DenseMatrix& A, const DenseMatrix& B);
} // namespace bff
#include "DenseMatrix.inl"
|
Here are our must-see regular-season matchups for 2018-19, complete with plenty of rivalries, reunions, rookie showdowns and, of course, the biggest Los Angeles Lakers games of the season.
The 10 can't-miss games
76ers at Celtics | Oct. 16 | TNT
These Eastern Conference foes have revived a fantastic rivalry that dates back to the days of Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell. And they did so with a ton of talent on both sides, promising youth all around and enough bad blood to make their predecessors proud.
Over the course of the season, they'll be fighting each other -- and perhaps the Toronto Raptors -- for the East's No. 1 seed, and here's hoping that they meet deep in the playoffs with a shot at the Finals on the line.
Lakers at Trail Blazers | Oct. 18 | TNT
For years, the Lakers and their fans have dreamed of LeBron James donning purple and gold, and now they'll finally see that dream realized.
Forget that his Lakers debut comes on the road; simply the sight of him suiting up for Hollywood's team will make this game a must-see event, especially since it'll mark his first regular-season game alongside a, shall we say, "interesting" collection of new teammates. And Portland's Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum will probably want to give James a warm welcome to the Western Conference, too.
Warriors at Rockets | Nov. 15 | TNT
"If only Chris Paul stayed healthy," Rockets fans will say. "If only Andre Iguodala had done the same," Warriors fans reply. Each of these West powers will bicker about last year's thrilling seven-game conference finals and how things might have been different had injuries not played such a key role. Maybe the Rockets could've closed it out? Or maybe the Warriors would've done so in only five games?
No matter, but the rematch will be even more interesting. Will Melo help the Rockets get over the Warriors hump? Or could he bury them along the way? Either way, one of these teams will likely make the Finals -- and have to somehow get through the other on their way there.
Lakers at Warriors | Christmas Day | ABC/ESPN
LeBron vs. the Warriors -- it never gets old. Three times in the past four years, James has found himself on the wrong side of the Warriors' rising dynasty. By moving to the West, James now has to face the Dubs twice as often in the regular season.
It might not be the same rivalry that it was when James was back in Cleveland and these teams met in four straight summers, but the history between James and the Warriors makes any matchup must-see TV.
Thunder at Rockets | Christmas Day | ABC
After an embarrassing first-round exit, the Thunder are looking to rebound and believe they will behind a Russell Westbrook-Paul George tandem that now has a full season under its belt. But the Rockets are still, despite a somewhat lackluster offseason, far ahead.
Regular-season matchups between these two foes could give us insight into whether the Thunder have closed the gap, or whether they are still stuck toward the middle (or bottom) of a sure-to-be-jumbled West playoff race.
76ers at Jazz | Dec. 27 | TNT
The hoodie statements should be fun before this showdown between Donovan Mitchell and Ben Simmons, the reigning NBA Rookie of the Year, an honor Mitchell (and others) thinks should have an asterisk.
The game itself should be feisty between two rising contenders filled with top-tier young talent, but the Mitchell-Simmons feud will spice this one up even more.
Raptors at Spurs | Jan. 3 | TNT
After a nasty divorce, Kawhi Leonard makes his first return trip to San Antonio, where Spurs fans will be caught in a brutal dilemma. Do they honor their former star who helped deliver a title? Or do they remember the sour split?
Leonard was tabbed to be the bridge from the Big Three era to the next generation of Spurs greatness ... until it all went wrong and he was shipped to The North for DeMar DeRozan, who will have his own awkward reunion when the Spurs visit Toronto onFeb. 22. Wounds are still fresh on both sides. Can each side make amends?
Warriors at Celtics | Jan. 26 | ABC
An NBA Finals preview? With LeBron finally relinquishing his stranglehold on the East, the rising Celtics should emerge and have enough talent to topple Golden State.
All their matchups in recent years have been appointment television, with the Celtics emerging victorious several times. Now throw in a healthy Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, and the Warriors have reason to sweat.
Lakers at Celtics | Feb. 7 | TNT
LeBron vs. Kyrie. Lakers vs. Celtics. What more do you need? These old rivals haven't had this much star power since they were duking it out in the 2008 and 2010 Finals. But the history between James and Irving will make this showdown even more lively
And if the Lakers add another star at the deadline, perhaps these longtime Finals foes might somehow meet again in June with a title on the line.
Warriors at Thunder | March 16 | ABC
The Warriors typically sleepwalk through the regular season, but few teams get their blood boiling before June like Russell Westbrook & Co. Ever since their epic 2016 Western Conference finals, this has been one of the league's top rivalries, and it won't lose any steam now that Paul George re-signed in OKC.
Will Thunder fans continue to boo their former NBA MVP, Kevin Durant? It doesn't seem the hatred has cooled off, even though this will mark the third season since KD walked away from the franchise that drafted him.
-- Baxter Holmes
LeBron James returns to Cleveland to visit the Cavaliers on Nov. 21. Michael F. McElroy for ESPN
More must-see Lakers games
Let's face it: All 82 games on the Lakers' schedule could be appointment viewing, but here is a quartet of the hardest-to-get tickets for LeBron's new squad.
Rockets at Lakers | Oct. 20 | ESPN
After watching its team debut in Portland, the city of Los Angeles gets its first up-close look at LeBron in Lakers gold. And Game No. 2 of the King James era is no cake walk.
After what should be a thrilling pregame show, the Lakers will find out whether they can hang with Houston in the West. Will Lance Stephenson be able to defend and agitate the likes of James Harden the way the Lakers' management envisioned earlier this summer? James gets his first crack at good friend Chris Paul in what will be one of many measuring-stick-type games for the revamped Lakers.
Lakers at Cavaliers | Nov. 21 | ESPN
LeBron returns home for the first time as a Laker, but he should be welcomed with applause and open arms after carrying the Cavs to the past four Finals.
James will be greeted by former coach Ty Lue and his old supporting cast -- one that was constantly maligned for not being good enough to help James win another ring and includes former Lakers Larry Nance Jr. and Jordan Clarkson, who surely will be looking to prove themselves in increased minutes.
Thunder at Lakers | Jan. 2 | ESPN
Paul George, who made it clear he wanted to be a Laker prior to last season, ended up not even giving Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka a meeting at the start of free agency. James still chose the Lakers without George and now will see whether his supporting cast is good enough to beat PG-13, Russell Westbrook and the Thunder.
These two teams could be jockeying in the West standings all season long.
76ers at Lakers | Jan. 29 | TNT
Two of the most exciting teams square off, but this time with James as a Laker. James met with but spurned the Sixers for L.A., and Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons will be motivated to show James what he turned down this summer.
Embiid destroyed the Lakers for 46 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists and 7 blocks in their first meeting at Staples Center last season, and Simmons nearly had a triple-double with 18 points, 10 assists and 9 rebounds in the same game. Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart will certainly be eager to face the young Sixers.
-- Ohm Youngmisuk
Three teams later, Isaiah Thomas will finally get his reunion game in Boston against the Celtics. David Liam Kyle/Getty Images
Under-the-radar reunions
Sure, there are some obvious reunion games to circle on this year's NBA calendar, but here are a few more that deserve some love on the calendar:
Celtics at Jazz | Nov. 9 | ESPN
When the Celtics made their lone visit to Utah last season -- without an injured Gordon Hayward -- the Salt Lake Tribune ran a column with the headline, "Gordon who?" that anointed Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert the new kings of Utah.
A lot of Jazz fans remain bitter about Hayward's decision to sign in Boston, but will time heal old wounds? It will be fascinating to see what sort of reaction Hayward receives in his first game back in Utah.
Pistons at Clippers | Jan. 12
Blake Griffin will visit his former team for the first time since being shipped to Detroit in January. The Clippers will be practically unrecognizable to Griffin, but he'll still have plenty of motivation.
In the aftermath of the trade, he told The Undefeated that, "Coming [to Detroit] made me realize what a franchise looks like."
Hornets at Spurs | Jan. 14
After 17 seasons with the Spurs, Tony Parker makes his first trip to the AT&T Center as a visitor after signing with the Hornets this summer. It'll be an opportunity for Spurs fans to toast what Parker gave the team, including six All-Star appearances and four NBA titles.
While Kawhi's visit could get a little hostile, this one will be a pure celebration.
Nuggets at Celtics | March 18
More than a year after his jaw-dropping departure from Boston, Isaiah Thomas will finally get his Celtics video tribute.
You remember the kerfuffle earlier this year when the Celtics said that they would honor IT the same night as Paul Pierce's jersey retirement? Pierce balked, Thomas eventually ceded the floor to Pierce, and then the Cavaliers traded Thomas three days before Cleveland's final regular-season visit to Boston, rendering it all a moot point. Thomas, who signed with the Denver Nuggets this offseason, will finally get toasted for his 2½ thrilling years in green; expect a thunderous ovation for someone who played a major role in getting Boston where it is now.
Rockets at Hawks | March 19
There will be few dry eyes inside sparsely filled Philips Arena when the Hawks welcome back Carmelo Anthony, who spent five unforgettable days with the organization in July.
Anthony is collecting $25.5 million from the Hawks, or roughly the same amount that Trae Young will make over the first four years of his rookie deal.
Best rookie showdowns
Mavericks at Suns | Oct. 17 | ESPN
Some draft observers believe Luka Doncic will become the best player from the 2018 NBA draft. This early-season, national TV matchup against Ayton, the No. 1 overall pick, will be his first opportunity to prove that theory correct.
Mavericks at Hawks | Oct. 24 | ESPN
Trae Young and Doncic will be linked to one another for a long time thanks to the Mavs-Hawks draft-night trade in which Dallas gave up a protected pick to moving up two spots for the Slovenian guard. They have vastly different frames, but both rookies boast elite court vision and can shoot from distance. Let the debate begin.
Suns at Kings | Feb. 10
It's always entertaining when the top two picks in a draft face-off for the first time. This game should be no different. Marvin Bagley III made it clear prior to the draft that he felt disrespected by those who thought Ayton should be taken No. 1 over him. |
#include "EXTERN.h"
#include "perl.h"
#include "XSUB.h"
#include "ppport.h"
extern int (*p5embed_create_LoS)(int,SV**);
MODULE = Niecza PACKAGE = Niecza
SV*
create_LoS(SV* arg)
CODE:
AV* array = SvRV(arg);
int len = av_len(array)+1;
int i = 0;
SV** svs = malloc(sizeof(SV*) * len);
for (i=0;i<len;i++) {
SV** ptr = av_fetch(array,i,0);
svs[i] = *ptr;
}
int LoS = p5embed_create_LoS(len,svs);
SV* pointer = newSViv(PTR2IV(LoS));
SV* object = newRV_noinc(pointer);
HV* class = gv_stashpv("Niecza::Object", 0);
sv_bless(object, class);
RETVAL = object;
OUTPUT:
RETVAL
|
Accuracy of manual QRS duration assessment: its importance in patient selection for cardiac resynchronization and implantable cardioverter defibrillator therapy.
Patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction and electrocardiographic QRS duration (QRSd) >or=120 ms may obtain symptomatic and prognostic benefits from cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). However, clinical trials do not describe the methods used to measure QRSd. We investigated the effect of electrocardiogram (ECG) display format and paper speed on the accuracy of manual QRSd assessment and concordance of manual QRSd with computer-calculated mean and maximal QRSd. Six cardiologists undertook QRSd measurements on ECGs, with computer-calculated mean QRSd close to 120 ms. Display formats were 12-lead, 6-limb, and 6-precordial leads, each at 25 and 50 mm/s. When the computer-calculated mean was used to define QRSd, manual assessment demonstrated 97 and 83% concordance at categorizing QRSd as < and >or=120 ms, respectively. Using the computer-calculated maximal QRSd, manual assessment demonstrated 83% concordance when QRSd was <120 ms and 19% concordance when QRSd was >or=120 ms. The six-precordial lead format demonstrated significantly less intra and inter-observer variabilities than the 12-lead, but this did not improve concordance rates. Manual QRSd assessments demonstrate significant variability, and concordance with computer-calculated measurement depends on whether QRSd is defined as the mean or maximal value. Consensus is required both on the most appropriate definition of QRSd and its measurement. |
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