I hereby grant full permission to the University of Queensland to take notes and recordings of my comments during this session.
No personal information will be shared with external third parties in compliance with the University of Queensland Privacy Policy.
This consent and waiver will not be made the basis of a future claim of any kind against the University of Queensland and any of its agencies.
Please select the item that describes you:
Which faculty are you currently studying with?
Which UQ campus is your main campus?
Are you...
In relation to your online information use for your university studies, please rate the following. 0 is strongly disagree, 10 is strongly agree. 5 is in the middle/not sure.
Where 0 is never and 10 is daily or more.
Where 0 is never and 10 is daily.
(e.g. peer-reviewed articles, books, journals, databases, etc)
(based on your peers, professors, recent library history, etc)


Test that iframe shims can be used to overlay HTML above a windowed plugin. The red squares should be hidden by the blue flash plugin, and the green squares should appear over it. To test interactively, click over the buttons on the squares. You should not be able to reach the red squares' buttons.
Prints "SUCCESS" on success, "FAILURE" on failure.


Updating...
Time in current state: 0 hours 0 minutes 0 seconds
(refreshes every 5 seconds)
Download the app


`
React + Redux -Reselect/Redux-Form/React-Router -React Native -Node.js -Express.js/Koa2 -GraphQL -PostgreSQL -Firebase -Server-less Architecture -Progressive Web Apps -Jest -Webpack2
I write and blog
An understanding of future technologies will not only check inequality but also save Homo Sapiens from extinction. I document my journey here learning those technologies.
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book.
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book.
I have taught myself to design, develop, and teach. I am passionate about building software that helps to better people's lives. I specialize in product design, data, and critical thinking. Say hi!
Allan Sendagi
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
00971 52 802 9495


Web Designer
To come up with the websites that suites the current world which is far much ahead in technology.
To be a marketable web design!
Web design
Code analyst
Artificial intelligence
HTML5
CSS3


Address Not Found
The browser could not find the URL for the provided address.
* Did you make a mistake when typing the domain?
* Are you certain this domain address exists?
* Are you unable to browse other sites? Check your network connection and DNS server settings.


|
OptaPlanner distribution 6.2.0.Final | |||||||||
| PREV CLASS NEXT CLASS | FRAMES NO FRAMES | |||||||||
| SUMMARY: REQUIRED | OPTIONAL | DETAIL: ELEMENT |
@Target(value=TYPE) @Retention(value=RUNTIME) public @interface PlanningEntity
Specifies that the class is a planning entity.
Each planning entity must have at least 1 PlanningVariable
property.
| Optional Element Summary | |
|---|---|
Class<? extends Comparator> |
difficultyComparatorClass
Allows a collection of planning entities to be sorted by difficulty. |
Class<? extends SelectionSorterWeightFactory> |
difficultyWeightFactoryClass
The SelectionSorterWeightFactory alternative for difficultyComparatorClass() . |
Class<? extends SelectionFilter> |
movableEntitySelectionFilter
An immovable planning entity is never changed during planning, this is useful in repeated planning use cases (such as continuous planning and real-time planning). |
public abstract Class<? extends SelectionFilter> movableEntitySelectionFilter
SelectionFilter.accept(ScoreDirector, Object)
returns false
if the selection entity is immovable and it returns true if the selection entity is movable
PlanningEntity.NullMovableEntitySelectionFilter
when it is null (workaround for annotation limitation)public abstract Class<? extends Comparator> difficultyComparatorClass
Comparator
should sort in ascending difficulty
(even though many optimization algorithms will reverse it).
For example: sorting 3 processes on difficultly based on their RAM usage requirement:
Process B (1GB RAM), Process A (2GB RAM), Process C (7GB RAM),
Do not use together with difficultyWeightFactoryClass()
.
PlanningEntity.NullDifficultyComparator
when it is null (workaround for annotation limitation)difficultyWeightFactoryClass()
public abstract Class<? extends SelectionSorterWeightFactory> difficultyWeightFactoryClass
SelectionSorterWeightFactory
alternative for difficultyComparatorClass()
.
Do not use together with difficultyComparatorClass()
.
PlanningEntity.NullDifficultyWeightFactory
when it is null (workaround for annotation limitation)difficultyComparatorClass()
|
OptaPlanner distribution 6.2.0.Final | |||||||||
| PREV CLASS NEXT CLASS | FRAMES NO FRAMES | |||||||||
| SUMMARY: REQUIRED | OPTIONAL | DETAIL: ELEMENT |


The Halloween Store
For the little Goblin in all of us!
Home
Product List
Personal
Decorating Ideas
Outdoor
Indoor
Table
Treats
Join Email
Thank you for joining my email list!
You will be hearing from me soon. In the meantime, please feel free to browse through my site.


A typical app has a familiar web architecture like this.
The end user uses the app via their web browser on desktop, tablet or smartphone. Most systems present as a set of web pages, with or without ajax (SPA).
Behind the scenes, to create the web pages the user sees (or to serve up the smaller fragments used in an SPA), the app makes API calls to other apps.
For example, a career site app that renders the organizations's current vacancies would consume the GET /jobs API to fetch the open jobs from the applicant tracking system (ATS).
Multitenancy is a central concept in TAS. An account holder in TAS can create multiple tenants. Each tenant is separate from the others, and separate from all other account holder's tenants.
When a user installs an app/microservice in TAS, they are doing so for a specific tenant. Typically a tenant has many users, all of whom can use the app once it is installed (subject to roles, permissions, etc.). This is different from enterprise app store platforms such as Apperian, which focus on installing mobile apps for individual end users.
In traditional HR applications, the user logs into the system and stays there all day. When the user needs to use a different system, they open a new browser tab to log in to that system. If the stars are in alignment, the user's organization might have set up single sign on (SSO), and they might be automatically logged in to the other system. Mainly though the user experience is of using two separate systems.
With microservices, the user interacts not just with one, but with tens or hundreds of small apps.
This interaction still happens through the web browser, and when done well, the user moves seamlessly between the user interfaces of the different apps.
There are two ways that users can interact with a cluster of microservices.
With hyperlinking, the user goes from a web page in one app to a web page in another. For example, the user wants to drill in to an employee's recent performance management outcomes, so they click straight through from the recruitment platform to the performance management system. The link takes them straight to the correct page for the employee (aka deep linking). They are instantly logged in (via SSO).
Embedding is a tighter integration model. With embedding, one app embeds content from another directly into its own web page. The content may be discrete web components (buttons, images etc.), larger blocks of content, or even entire web pages rendered within iframes. The advantage of this "single pane of glass" integration is that the user sees more information on a single page, and does not have to click away.
TAS supports both of these models of interaction.
To you, the app developer, TAS works like this:
You define your app at https://developer.talentappstore.com, including details of each API that your app consumes or produces.
You code your app in any programming language, and host it on the hosting platform of your choice.
A tenant (customer) finds your app at the storefront at https://www.talentappstore.com and clicks to install it.
The TAS core sends a provisioning message to your app, alerting it to the new customer. Your app might insert into the customers table, spin up a new docker container, create a record in your billing platform, or whatever.
Your app is now live for the tenant. It can now start communicating through RESTful APIs with the other apps that the tenant has already installed.
Your app's user interface can now start responding to the tenant's users. Users can browse the web pages of your app, directly or within larger web pages served up from multiple apps, all working collaboratively on behalf of the tenant.


The purpose of the one card or daily reading is to create a focus or meditation for the day, or to have something to reflect upon at the end of the day.
The purpose of the three card reading is to suggest a linear path or sequence of events.
Press the Shuffle button below to shuffle the cards. Repeat as many times as you like, and when you're ready, select the pile to flip the card over.
Press the Shuffle button below to shuffle the cards. Repeat as many times as you like, and when you're ready, select the pile to flip the card over.
Press the Shuffle button below to shuffle the cards. Repeat as many times as you like, and when you're ready, select the pile to flip the card over.
Press the Shuffle button below to shuffle the cards. Repeat as many times as you like, and when you're ready, select the pile to flip the card over.
Beginnings, possibilities, pleasure, thoughtlessness, adventure, opportunity.
Creativity, self-confidence, dexterity, sleight of hand, will-power, skill.
Knowledge, wisdom, learning, intuition, impatience, virtue, purity.
Development, accomplishment action, evolution.
Authority, father-figure, structure, solid foundation.
Mercy, conformity, forgiveness, social approval, bonding, inspiration.
Harmony, trust,romance, optimism, honor, love, harmony.
Perseverance, rushed decision, turmoil, vengeance, adversity.
Courage, conviction, strength, determination, action, heroism, virility.
Inner strength, prudence, withdrawal, caution, vigilance.
Unexpected events, advancement, destiny, fortune, progress.
Equality, righteousness, virtue, honor, harmony, balance.
Change, reversal, boredom, improvement, rebirth, suspension, change.
Unexpected change, loss, failure, transformation, death, bad luck.
Temperance, patience, good influence, confidence, moderation.
Downfall, unexpected failure, controversy, ravage, disaster, ill temper.
Disruption, abandonment, end of friendship, bankruptcy, downfall, unexpected events.
Balance, pleasure, optimism, insight, spiritual love, hope, faith.
Double-dealing, deception, disillusionment, trickery, error, danger, disgrace.
Accomplishment, success, love, joy, happy marriage, satisfaction.
Awakening, renewal, rejuvenation, rebirth, improvement, promotion, atonement, judgment.
Perfection, recognition, success, fulfillment, eternal life.
Profitable journey, new business, beginning, new career, birth, inheritance.
Generous person, courage, patience, courage.
Cooperation, good partnership, success.
Dissatisfaction, kindness, reevaluation.
Lawsuit or quarrel, courage, competition.
Leadership, good news, success.
Stiff competition, victory, courage, energy.
New ideas, love, journey.
Victory, good health, stubbornness.
Pain, ruin, failure.
Enthusiasm, exploration, discovery, free spirit.
Generous, journey, impetuous.
Fondness, attraction, command.
Passionate, good leader, noble.
Good health, love, joy, beauty.
Romance, friendship, cooperation.
Fortune, hospitality, discovery.
Dissatisfaction, kindness, reevaluation, redemption.
Broken marriage, vanity, regret, sorrow, loss.
Acquaintance, good memories, acquaintance, happiness.
Imagination, illusion, directionless.
Disappointment, abandonment, misery.
Physical well-being, hopes, security.
Friendship, happiness, life.
Sweetness, interest in literature, gentleness.
Emotional, romantic dreamer, intelligence.
Loving mother, gentle, happiness.
Kindness, willingness, enjoyment.
Love, valiant, victory.
Indecision, trouble, balance.
Broken relationship, civil war.
Temporary exile, strife, retreat.
Defeat, cowardliness, empty victory.
Harmony, sorrow, journey.
Betrayal, insolence, unwise attempts.
Weakness, indecision, censure.
Desolation, illness, suspicion, cruelty.
Defeat, failure, pain.
Grace, diplomacy, dexterity.
Strength, bravery, cleverness.
Skillful, brave, clever, rush.
Powerful, friendship, counselor.
Prosperity, happiness, pleasure.
Harmony, new projects, helpful.
Abilities, approval,effort, abilities.
Ungenerous, greed, miserly.
Destitution, poor health, despair, loneliness.
Prosperity, philanthropy, charity, gifts.
Development, re-evaluation, effort, hard work.
Employment, money, learning, trade.
Solitude, well-being, green thumb.
Wealth, property, stability.
Kindness,new ideas/opinions, scholar.
Dull outlook, patience, animal lover, trustworthy.
Thoughtfulness, intelligence, talents, melancholy.
Reliable person, steadiness.
Indecision, hesitation, injustice, apathy, bad choice.
Delay, unimaginative, insecurity, lack of self-confidence.
Selfishness, shallowness, misunderstanding, ignorance.
Inaction, lack on concentration, vacillation, anxiety, infidelity.
Domination, excessive control, rigidity, inflexibility.
Vulnerability, unconventionality, foolish generosity, impotence, frailty, unorthodoxy.
Separation, frustration, unreliability, fickleness, untrustworthy.
Vanquishment, defeat, failure, unsuccessful.
Pettiness, sickness, unfaithfulness, weakness.
Hastiness, rashness,immaturity, imprudence, foolishness.
Interruption, outside influences, failure, bad luck.
False accusation, unfairness, abuse, bias.
False prophecy, useless sacrifice, unwillingness.

Conflict, disunion, frustration, impatience, discord.
Release, enlightenment, divorce, recovery.
Entrapment, imprisonment, old ways, rustic.
Disappointment, bad luck, imbalance, broken dreams.
Trifling mistakes, deception discovered, negative advantage.
Loneliness, canceled plans, unhappiness, break ups.
Disappointment, indecision, death, failure, ill-health, theft, worry.
Lack of vision, disappointment, imperfection.
Selfishness, lack of determination, setback.
Impatience, domination.
Carelessness, arrogance, pride, mistakes.
New relationship, new ambitions, action.
New opportunities, harmony, generosity.
Postponement, bad news, pride in riches.
Advantage, patience, indecision.
Violence, quarrels, courage.
Weakness, ill-health, adversity.
Cleverness, energy, strength.
Setbacks to new ideas, pessimism, lack of direction.
Suspicion, jealousy, narrow-mindedness.
Jealous, revengeful, infidelity.
Unyielding, prejudice, quarrels.
Egotism, selfishness, hesitancy.
Violent passion, misunderstanding.
Hidden, overindulgence, pain, gossip.
New goals, ambitions, beginning.
Return, summon, hope.
Friendship, disappointment, past.
Will-power, determination.
Pleasure, success, joy.
Illness, failure, overindulgence.
Waste, broken relationships, quarrel.
Poor imagination, selfishness, no desires.
Idleness, untruthful, fraud, sensuality.
Perverse, unhappy, gloom, over-active imagination.
Double-dealer, scandal, crafty, violent.
Obstacles, tyranny, power.
Unscrupulous, release.
Sorrow, loss, confusion.
Social unrest, labor strikes, renewed activity.
Unfairness, defeat, loss.
Obstacles, difficulties, defeat.
Counsel, helpful, advice.
Freedom, new beginnings, relaxation.
Unselfishness, good news, healing.
Courage, positive energy, good health.
Imposture, ill-health, cunningness.
Troublemaker, a crafty, tyranny.
Sly, keen, deceitful.
Obstinate, evil intentions, judgment.
Misery, greedy, money.
Difficulty, discouragement.
Preoccupation, ambitions.
Spendthrift, obstacles, earthy possessions.
Employment, courage, revival.
Jealousy, miserliness, unfairness.
Impatience, slow progress, investments.
Void, no ambition, dislike.
Caution, possible loss.
Dull, slothfulness, misfortune.
Luxury, rebellious, bad news.
Carelessness, standstill, irresponsible.
Mistrust, suspicion, neglect.
ribes, materialistic, calm.
©2020 Lucy Wong | Tarot info fromAstrology Bay


vignettes/O1_make_research_project.Rmd
O1_make_research_project.Rmd
This is a collection of document templates, available through R, from your friends at the University of Miami (UM). \(R+UM=rUM\)
The rUM
package will help you create research
manuscripts by removing the configuration hassles commonly encountered
when learning to write papers using R. rUM
will initialize
a new RStudio project and a Quarto file that includes the outline for a
research paper. The Quarto file comes preconfigured with a YAML header
(don’t worry if you don’t know what that means yet) with code chunks to
load the tidyverse
and conflicted
packages.
Manuscript sections have been created for Introduction, Methods,
Results, Conclusion, and References. The project also includes a
.gitignore
file which is designed to help protect against
accidentally leaking data when using git with websites like www.github.com.
rUM’s documentation can be found here:
quarto
and rUM
? (Add a “quart
o’ rUM
”!)
Modern version RStudio (v2022.07 or later) ships with Quarto but you can install the latest version of Quarto from here.
Add rUM
to your computer by:
install.packages("rUM")
if (!requireNamespace("remotes")) install.packages("remotes")
remotes::install_github("RaymondBalise/rUM")
Use rUM
by running this in the console of
RStudio:
rUM
from the Menu
To create a research project that uses rUM
, follow these
steps. This will initialize a new RStudio project that has an analysis.qmd
Quarto
file using the tidyverse
and conflicted
packages and some other useful files which are described below.
Using the RStudio menus, choose: File > New Project > New Directory
Scroll down and then select rUM
Research
Project Template
Specify the location of where your research project will be saved
rUM
into an existing folder/directory that does not
have an RStudio project.
What if you have already created a folder containing the important
files for your project? Create a new project in your existing folder!
This will now be your project directory (complete with a
.Rproj
file).
Navigate to File > New Project > Existing Directory
Specify the location of where your research project will be saved
Run the following script in your console:
# Change the text inside the quotes on the next line to indicate the path to your folder/directory.
PATH <- "~/Documents/blah"
make_project(PATH, type = "Quarto (analysis.qmd)")
rUM
?)
A new project directory is created and it will be populated with these files:
.gitignore
to help prevent the unintended
sharing of sensitive study information or protected health information
(PHI).analysis.qmd
is
a Quarto template for writing your research project. It has a
preconfigured YAML header; Introduction, Methods, Results, Conclusion,
and Reference sections; and a code chunk to construct your bibliography
using knitr::write_bib()
.data
. This folder is listed
within the .gitignore
. That means that git should not track
these files. This should help prevent data leakage but be sure to talk
to a data security expert before sharing any biomedical projects on
websites like GitHub..Rproj
file with the same name as your project
folder.packages.bib
and
references.bib
, which are used to hold details for your
paper’s bibliography. Refer to the Methods and References sections,
respectively, within the analysis.qmd
file for
initial examples of how to add/use references.the-new-england-journal-of-medicine.csl
is the citation style language (CSL) based on the New England
Journal of Medicine requirements.Newly created files:
analysis.qmd
:
If you are new to R, ignore this.
sessionInfo()
#> R version 4.2.2 (2022-10-31)
#> Platform: x86_64-apple-darwin17.0 (64-bit)
#> Running under: macOS Big Sur ... 10.16
#>
#> Matrix products: default
#> BLAS: /Library/Frameworks/R.framework/Versions/4.2/Resources/lib/libRblas.0.dylib
#> LAPACK: /Library/Frameworks/R.framework/Versions/4.2/Resources/lib/libRlapack.dylib
#>
#> locale:
#> [1] en_US.UTF-8/en_US.UTF-8/en_US.UTF-8/C/en_US.UTF-8/en_US.UTF-8
#>
#> attached base packages:
#> [1] stats graphics grDevices utils datasets methods base
#>
#> loaded via a namespace (and not attached):
#> [1] rstudioapi_0.14 knitr_1.42 magrittr_2.0.3 R6_2.5.1
#> [5] ragg_1.2.5 rlang_1.0.6 fastmap_1.1.0 stringr_1.5.0
#> [9] tools_4.2.2 xfun_0.37 cli_3.6.0 jquerylib_0.1.4
#> [13] systemfonts_1.0.4 htmltools_0.5.4 yaml_2.3.7 digest_0.6.31
#> [17] rprojroot_2.0.3 lifecycle_1.0.3 pkgdown_2.0.7 textshaping_0.3.6
#> [21] purrr_1.0.1 sass_0.4.5 vctrs_0.5.2 fs_1.6.1
#> [25] memoise_2.0.1 glue_1.6.2 cachem_1.0.6 evaluate_0.20
#> [29] rmarkdown_2.20 stringi_1.7.12 compiler_4.2.2 bslib_0.4.2
#> [33] desc_1.4.2 jsonlite_1.8.4


EMPIRE OF THE ANTS A film review by Andrew Hicks Copyright 1996 Andrew Hicks / Fatboy Productions
(1977) 0 (out of four)
In the vast realm of bad 70's horror movies involving the nature kingdom on the rampage, EMPIRE OF THE ANTS is the queen of the colony. This adaptation of the H.G. "Orson" Welles story starts out like your typical Discovery channel nature film, with shots of ants doing their business while the voiceover narrator explains how organized and intelligent they are, and that the queen ant controls the colony through a substance known as pheremone. Lest we be too concerned with possible foreshadowing, the narrator reminds us that pheremone is "business better left to the ants."
Cut to the opening credits, during which an evil corporation dumps barrels of radioactive waste on an island. One barrel breaks open and your stock yellow ooze comes pouring out as a line of ants marches by. Meanwhile, Dynasty Joan Collins meets an ensemble cast of terrible actors for a boat ride (a three hour tour, a three hour tour) to her island, where she tries to unload worthless real-estate on a group of potential buyers.
There's the old couple, the gigolo in a leisure suit, the depressed drunk in a leisure suit, the beautiful blonde, the soft-spoken brunette and her boyfriend, the washout career woman, Joan's rented boat captain and her male assistant who, Joan says, is "so good in the sack that it almost justifies the excessive salary I have to pay you." That line of dialogue sets the tone for a movie full of awful Ed Wood-quality lines. I don't usually take notes during a movie, but EMPIRE OF THE ANTS had so much quotable bad dialogue that I knew I'd forget it all if I didn't write it down. Ninety minutes and two notebook pages later, here I am writing the review.
The group mingles for awhile as Joan tries to decide which ones are actually interested in buying and which ones are just there for the free food and liquor. First, the leisure-suit gigolo tries to hit on the beautiful blonde, who tells him, "I thought you were one of those macho types whose brains fall out every time he unzips his fly." He shoots back, "What is this, group therapy?" and you can tell he's mad because his oversized shirt collars are flaring. Then the washout woman hits on the depressed drunk, who tells her, "I'm a bad investment." The whole time, the ants are lurking in the woods watching through their compound eyes (which the camera lets us look through several hundred times) while a ripoff of the JAWS theme plays in the background.
Joan leads them all on a tram tour of the island, extolling the features of the land, when they come across the dead body of one of the workers. Everyone screams for awhile before the drunk decides to take charge and remembers two of the buyers were left behind on the last tram stop. He asks, "Who will go out there with me?" and looks around at the men. "No, not me," says the old guy. "I'm an old man. We only came because it was free. We take these tours all the time. Nothing like this ever happened, though." Even at the cost of a life, Joan is still happy to have weeded out two of the moochers.
The drunk and the beautiful blonde run off into the woods while Joan and the others drive the tram at double speed (all of ten miles an hour) to the shore. By this point the ants have built a makeshift bridge to the boat and are crawling along it.  someone yells as the captain swims out to his boat, where even with an axe, he can't stand up to a pair of sharp ant fangs. The boat explodes and the ants scatter.
The remaining victims build a fire on the beach, realizing that will keep the ants away for awhile. But the gigolo reminds them, "They're waiting. They're out there waiting until the fire dies. Can't you hear them?!" Meanwhile, the old woman cries out, "All we wanted was to enjoy what was left of our life. Is that bad?" as if the whole incident was their punishment for sneaking onto a free boat tour. Cue the thunderstorm (watch for the animated rain) to put their fire out. Cue squeaky "ant" sound effects.
Someone comes up with the brilliant idea that they run to the other side of the island, where a canoe is waiting, and they take off. Of course, they run into a few ants along the way and end up separated. The old people wait in a shed until the storm stops. When they finally emerge, the old man announces, "I told you we'd be safe now," right before thirty giant ants close in on them. The merciful EMPIRE OF THE ANTS director cuts away before the old people get gored.
Everyone else makes it to the boat, where the characters continue bitching at each other. Joan insists she's still the boss and tells the captain to row in one direction. He invites her to take over the rowing duties, she says, "Very funny," although I'm not sure if she's referring to his comment or the movie in general. At the urging of the gigolo, they end up taking the wrong fork in the river and being surrounded by ants. As the washout career woman chides him about his lackluster navigational skills (not to mention his lackluster acting skills), Joan's assistant reassures the gigolo that, "We're all on edge; we say things we don't mean." The gigolo's reply is, "Tell that bitch, don't tell me."
They set foot on land as the ants open a path for them. "They're herding us like cattle!" the blonde yells, minutes before the ants fall back and they stumble upon civilization. They go straight to the cops, alerting them to be on the lookout for "giant ants -- big as you are." The captain adds, "These things are vicious as hell!" The redneck sheriff takes the news surprisingly well, pledging, "Any ants come this way, we'll take care of them!" In the background, the mayor of the town is talking about their sugar refinery, subtle foreshadowing at its finest.
But the foreshadowing isn't subtle for long. When the island victims realize the cops aren't going to do anything about the ants, they steal a car and try to break down a road block. After the two-minute "Dukes of Hazzard" chase, they crash into a muddy marsh and are apprehended. As the cops are driving them back to the city, they pass the sugar refinery. The blonde finally has a hunch, saying there's "something funny" about the place. Gee, I know it's tough to make the connection between giant ants and a giant pile of sugar, but give the audience a little credit for seeing it coming.
Sure enough, the cops stop at the sugar refinery and take the prisoners on an impromptu tour, remarking, "There's enough sugar in there to feed an army," which is particularly admirable considering most army meals consist of a giant bowl of sugar. No sooner has he gotten that out when in come the army ants. Chaos ensues as the prisoners are ushered into another room, where the giant queen ant resides. Saith the sheriff, "Isn't she beautiful? She's fantastic... We must obey. We have no choice. She makes us do it."
As the dramatic conclusion comes upon us, a line of townspeople are ushered into a booth one by one, where the queen ant farts a pheremone fog and they breath it, turning into obedient ant servants. Joan is brought to the front of the line, and she comes out in a daze, announcing, "Don't you see? We mustn't disobey them, we must take care of them!" Not you too, Joan! Finally, the captain, the blonde, career gal and the assistant get loose and run out of the refinery.
Just outside happens to be a tanker truck labelled "Flammable!" An idea pops into the captain's head, which you can probably guess. Remember, ants don't like fire. They probably don't like EMPIRE OF THE ANTS too much either, although if you have a sense of humor, you'll probably love it. Knowing that Joan and Company were trying to make a serious thriller makes this four-star bad movie (zero stars on the regular scale) all the more hilarious. But if you don't have a sense of humor, this movie is probably business better left to the ants.
--
Visit the Movie Critic at LARGE homepage at http://www.missouri.edu/~c667778/movies.html Serving America For Over 1/50th of a Century!
The review above was posted to the
rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup (de.rec.film.kritiken for German reviews).
The Internet Movie Database accepts no responsibility for the contents of the
review and has no editorial control. Unless stated otherwise, the copyright
belongs to the author.
Please direct comments/criticisms of the review to relevant newsgroups.
Broken URLs inthe reviews are the responsibility of the author.
The formatting of the review is likely to differ from the original due
to ASCII to HTML conversion.
Related links: index of all rec.arts.movies.reviews reviews


Yellow fever (YF) is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes. The causative agent, the yellow fever virus (YFV), is found in tropical and subtropical areas of South America and Africa. Although a vaccine is available since the 1930s, YF still causes thousands of deaths and several outbreaks have recently occurred in Africa. Therefore, rapid and reliable diagnostic methods easy to perform in low-resources settings could have a major impact on early detection of outbreaks and implementation of appropriate response strategies such as vaccination and/or vector control.
The aim of this study was to develop a YFV nucleic acid detection method applicable in outbreak investigations and surveillance studies in low-resource and field settings. The method should be simple, robust, rapid and reliable. Therefore, we adopted an isothermal approach and developed a recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) assay which can be performed with a small portable instrument and easy-to-use lyophilized reagents. The assay was developed in three different formats (real-time with or without microfluidic semi-automated system and lateral-flow assay) to evaluate their application for different purposes. Analytical specificity and sensitivity were evaluated with a wide panel of viruses and serial dilutions of YFV RNA. Mosquito pools and spiked human plasma samples were also tested for assay validation. Finally, real-time RPA in portable format was tested under field conditions in Senegal.
The assay was able to detect 20 different YFV strains and demonstrated no cross-reactions with closely related viruses. The RPA assay proved to be a robust, portable method with a low detection limit (<21 genome equivalent copies per reaction) and rapid processing time (<20 min). Results from real-time RPA field testing were comparable to results obtained in the laboratory, thus confirming our method is suitable for YFV detection in low-resource settings.
Despite the use of a safe and effective vaccine, yellow fever virus is still causing hundreds of thousands of infections and tens of thousands of deaths every year. The disease is widespread in South America and Africa where several outbreaks have occurred in the past years. As the disease is difficult to distinguish from other illnesses during its early stage, it is necessary to develop reliable, rapid and simple diagnostic methods to confirm YF cases to be able to respond effectively to outbreaks through vaccination and vector control. In this study, we describe the development a diagnostic method for YFV, using an isothermal technology called recombinase polymerase amplification which allows detection of the virus within 20 minutes, using a portable and easy-to-use device. The YFV RPA assay proved to be a specific and sensitive detection method during testing in the laboratory and under field conditions in Senegal.
Yellow fever (YF) has been one of the most feared diseases during the past centuries, its historical impact ranking next to plague and smallpox. Unfortunately, unlike smallpox, YF virus (YFV) cannot be eradicated as its transmission by mosquitoes includes a sylvatic cycle. Despite the use of an effective vaccine since the 1930s, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that the disease affects more than 200,000 persons causing 30,000 deaths per year [1] . YF remains an important public health problem for the populations of 44 countries, 33 in Africa and 11 in Central and South America, where altogether almost 900 million people are at risk. In recent years, the number of YF cases has increased [2] , and there is great concern that the disease might be introduced into new areas [3] . Recently, severe outbreaks have occurred in regions of Africa that have long been free of the virus, such as Darfur in Sudan or South Omo in Ethiopia which experienced the worst YF outbreak in Africa in 20 years in 2012 [4] .
YFV is the prototype of the genus Flavivirus (family Flaviviridae) which comprises more than 80 positive-sense, single-stranded RNA viruses, including other human pathogens such as dengue, West Nile virus, Usutu virus, Zika virus, Japanese encephalitis virus and Tick-borne encephalitis virus [5] .
Diagnosis of YFV infection is very challenging as the early symptoms caused by YFV are not specific. Laboratory confirmation is therefore essential for the differential diagnosis of YF with leptospirosis, malaria, viral hepatitis and other hemorrhagic diseases. Laboratory testing is also challenged by the short duration of the YF viremia in humans, the low-level laboratory infrastructure in most endemic areas and cross-reactions when using serological methods which lack specificity [6] – [8] .
Alternatively, molecular diagnostic methods represent essential tools for early diagnostics as they are able to detect infections during the viremic phase. Early detection of cases is crucial to provide efficient patient management, rapid outbreak response and emergency vaccination measures. For this reason, considerable efforts are made to develop accessible direct detection methods based on molecular detection which allow a rapid and highly sensitive detection of YFV. Several molecular methods for YFV detection based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR), such as real-time RT-PCR, have been established, but these methods require the use of complex instruments and well-equipped laboratories [9] – [13] . However, in the case of direct detection methods for YFV, it is essential to be able to provide a portable, simple and robust method suitable for low-resource settings and field diagnosis, especially for outbreak response. For this reason, new molecular methods based on isothermal amplification have been developed for YFV detection, such as real-time reverse-transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) [14] and helicase-dependent amplification assays (HDA) [15] .
In this study, we describe the establishment of a reverse-transcriptase recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) assay for YFV detection. During RPA reaction, YFV RNA is first transcripted to DNA by a reverse-transcriptase. Secondarily, a phage derivated recombinase forms a nucleoprotein complex with the oligonucleotide primers which is able to scan for homologous sequences in the DNA template. RPA reaction can be performed between 25 and 42°C since denaturation of the DNA template is not required. If the target is present, the oligonucleotides are extended by strand displacing polymerases [16] . Real-time signal detection of the amplification can be performed within 15 minutes by using TwistAmp™ Exo probes (TwistDx, Cambridge, UK) and a ESEQuant Tube Scanner (QIAGEN Lake Constance GmbH, Stockach, Germany), a small easy-to-use fluorescence detection system which can perform eight measurements simultaneously. In low-resource settings where no power supply is available, the Tube Scanner device can be powered by a car adaptor, a small rechargeable battery or a battery charged by solar panels [17] . The RPA assay can also be integrated into a semi-automated system, using a GeneSlice microfluidic cartridge (HSG-IMIT, Freiburg, Germany) installed in a “SONDE” player device. As an alternative to real-time measurement, RPA results may be visualized after amplification on lateral-flow stripes (LFS) by using a different probe, TwistAmp™ Nfo (TwistDx, Cambridge, UK), during the RPA reaction. The reaction system can be stabilized in a dried formulation transportable without a cold chain.
Virus strains used were provided by the Robert Koch Institute in Berlin, the Bernhard-Nocht-Institute in Hamburg in Germany, and the Pasteur Institute of Dakar in Senegal. All virus strains were derived from cell culture, inactivated and stabilized. YFV strains are listed in Table 1 and other viral strains in Table 2 .
| Virus description | Accession No. | Origin | Date | Lineage | real-time RT-PCR | RT-RPA | |
| YFV virus strains | Ct values | real-time Tt [min] | LFS | ||||
| ArD 24553 | _ | Senegal | 1976 | _ | 24,6 | 3,3 | n.d. |
| ArD 408/78 | _ | Burkina Faso | 1978 | _ | 23,9 | 3,0 | n.d. |
| HD 117294 | JX898868 | Senegal | 1995 | 6 | 16,5 | 2,3 | n.d. |
| ArD 114891 | _ | Senegal | 1995 | 6 | 16,0 | 1,6 | n.d. |
| ArD 99740 | _ | Senegal | 1993 | 3 | 25,0 | 5,1 | n.d. |
| ArD 114991 | _ | Senegal | 1995 | _ | 24,3 | 3,4 | n.d. |
| HD 122030 | _ | Senegal | 1996 | 6 | 19,4 | 2,4 | n.d. |
| ArD 122522 | _ | Senegal | 1996 | 6 | 21,3 | 3,3 | n.d. |
| HA 016/97 | _ | Liberia | 1997 | _ | 20,0 | 1,6 | n.d. |
| HD 47471 | _ | Mauritania | 1987 | _ | 28,5 | 5,9 | n.d. |
| ArD D X | _ | Senegal | 2000 | 5 | 21,4 | 2,4 | n.d. |
| Asibi | AY640589.1 | Ghana | 1927 | _ | 20,6 | 3,2 | pos |
| ArD 114896 | JX898871 | Senegal | 1995 | 3 | 20,3 | 3,1 | pos |
| ArD 156468 | JX898876 | Senegal | 2001 | 4 | 16,8 | 2,4 | pos |
| DakArAmt7 | JX898869 | Ivory Coast | 1973 | 1 | 15,4 | 2,1 | pos |
| ArD 121040 | JX898870 | Senegal | 1996 | 6 | 16,4 | 2,3 | pos |
| ArD 149214 | JX898873 | Senegal | 2000 | 5 | 15,5 | 2,2 | pos |
| Ivory C 1999 | AY603338.1 | Ivory Coast | 1999 | 6 | 19,1 | 2,5 | pos |
| Trinidad 79A 788379 | AF094612.1 | Brazil | 1979 | 3 | 20,1 | 2,5 | pos |
| 17D RKI #142/94/1 | Vaccine strain | RKI | _ | _ | 20,0 | 2,1 | pos |
n.d.: not determined; pos: positive; neg: negative; Tt: time threshold.
| Virus family | Virus specie | Virus strain | Real-time RT-PCR | RT-RPA result | |
| reference | result (Ct) | real-time/LFS | |||
| Flaviviridae other than | Dengue virus serotype 1 | VR344 (Thai 1958 strain) | 15.9 | neg | |
| YFV | Dengue virus serotype 2 | VR345 (TH-36 strain) | [28] ih | 18.8 | neg |
| Dengue virus serotype 3 | VR216 (H87 strain) | 20.3 | neg | ||
| Dengue virus serotype 4 | VR217 (H241 strain) | 16.2 | neg | ||
| West Nile virus lineage 1 | Israel | [29] | 19.9 | neg | |
| West Nile virus lineage 2 | Uganda | 26.8 | neg | ||
| TB Encephalitis virus | K23 strain | [30] | 16.3 | neg | |
| RSS Encephalitis virus | Far eastern subtype | 24.2 | neg | ||
| Japanese Encephalitis virus | ATCC SA14-14-2 | [31] | 19.4 | neg | |
| Bunyaviridae | Rift Valley Fever virus | strain ZH548 | [32] | 26.2 | neg |
| Filoviridae | Ebola virus | Zaire strain | [33] | 24.7 | neg |
| Marburg virus | Musoke strain | 24.4 | neg | ||
| Alphaviridae | Chikungunya virus | African isolate | ih | 17.5 | neg |
TB: Tick-borne; RSS: Russian Spring Summer; neg: negative; ih: in-house assay.
Pools of mosquitoes, some of them infected with YFV, were provided by the Pasteur Institute of Dakar. The mosquito sampling protocol was extensively described by Diallo and colleagues [18] .
Viral RNA was isolated from 140-µl aliquots of cell culture supernatants or 100-µl aliquots of mosquito pools, using the QIAamp Viral Mini Kit (QIAGEN Lake Constance GmbH, Stockach, Germany) according to the manufacturer's instructions. RNA was eluted in 100 µl of elution buffer and stored at −80°C until further use.
In order to use an energy-free method in the field trial, RNA extraction was performed with the innuPREP MP Basic Kit A (Jena Analytik, Jena, Germany) with a magnetic bead separation rack combined with proteinase K treatment according to the manufacturer's instructions. The nucleic acids were eluted in 100 µl of nuclease-free distilled water, and 5 µl were subjected to PCR or RPA, respectively.
RNA was extracted from 10-fold serial dilutions of YFV preparation and stored in aliquots at −80°C until use to assess the sensitivity of the extraction method. Human plasma samples spiked with low concentrations of YFV were used as a model for assay validation with clinical samples.
All of the 79 YFV full-length sequences covering the 5′-UTR region available in the database (NCBI) were aligned using Geneious 5.0 software. According to Piepenburg and colleagues, primers of 30 nt to 35 nt in length are recommended for RPA [16] . One set of degenerate generic primers (YFV RF/RR) was designed according to the alignment for amplification of different YFV strains ( Table 1 ). The primer sequences were identical for both lateral-flow strip RPA (LFS RT-RPA) and real-time RT-RPA primers, except for an additional biotinylation at the 5′ end of the LFS reverse primer. RPA exo probe for fluorogenic detection and RPA nfo probe for detection of dual-labeled amplicon were designed according to RPA guidelines from TwistDx (Cambridge, United Kingdom) and synthesized by TIB MOLBIOL (Berlin, Germany).
YFV-specific primer YFV FP/RP and probe YFV LNA2 were used to detect and quantify genomic RNA of YFV as described previously [9] . The assay was performed in a one-step format on the ABI 7500 instrument using the QuantiTect Virus Kit (QIAGEN Lake Constance GmbH, Stockach, Germany).
LFS-RPA assay was performed using the TwistAmp™ nfo RT kit from TwistDx (Cambridge, United Kingdom) according to the manufacturer's instructions. Briefly, 29.5 µl of rehydration solution were mixed with 7.2 µl of PCR water, 2.1 µl of each primer (10 µM) and 0.6 µl of the target-specific RPA nfo probe (10 µM). Then 5 µl of RNA template was added to the 41.5 µl master mix. The template/master mix solution was added to the dry reagent pellet and mixed by pipetting up and down. Finally, the reaction was triggered by adding 3.5 µl of magnesium acetate (Mg(OAc)2, 280 mM) to the 46.5 µl reaction mix. The reaction mix was placed into the heating block at 39°C for 20 min, with brief mixing and centrifugation after 3–4 min of incubation. After amplification at 39°C for 20 min, 2 µl of amplification product was diluted in 100 µl of PBST buffer, and 10 µl of diluted amplicon was dropped on the sample pad of a HybriDetect lateral flow stripe (LFS) (Milenia Biotec, Giessen, Germany). Strips were then placed into tubes containing 100 µl of PBST buffer. The final result was read visually after 5 min of incubation. A test was considered positive when the detection line as well as the control line was visible. A test was considered negative when only the control line was visible.
Real-time RT-RPA assay was performed using the TwistAmp™ exo RT kit according to the manufacturer's instructions. The TwistAmp™ exo RT kit contains an additional RT-enzyme enabling the DNA amplification of RNA targets. Briefly, 37.7 µl of rehydration solution were mixed with 2.1 µl of each primer (10 µM) and 0.6 µl of the target-specific RPA exo probe (10 µM). Then 5 µl of RNA template was added to the 42.5 µl master mix. The template/master mix solution was added to the dry reagent pellet and mixed by pipetting up and down. Finally, the reaction was triggered by adding 3.5 µl of Mg(OAc)2 (280 mM) to the 47.5 µl reaction mix. The reaction tubes were mixed, centrifuged and then placed into the ESE Quant Tube Scanner for real-time monitoring of fluorescence. Reaction was performed at 39°C for 20 min, with brief mixing and centrifugation of reaction tubes after 3–4 min of incubation. This reaction temperature was determined optimal in terms of sensitivity. For data analysis, the Tube Scanner requires to be connected to a computer installed with the ESEQuant Tube Scanner software Version 1.0. Threshold values were determined by slope validation, i.e. slope (mV/min) values were compared in order to distinguish positive results from negative results. Further development and standardization of the method would allow using the device on its own with a direct display of positive or negative results for each sample.
To test whether our assay is able to detect a wide variety of YFV strains, we utilized a panel of 20 different YFV strains described in Table 1 . The analytical specificity was tested with a panel of 13 arboviruses and hemorrhagic fever viruses of which 9 are flaviviruses genetically related to YFV ( Table 2 ).
RT-RPA analytical sensitivity was evaluated by testing RNA extracts from 10-fold serial dilutions of YFV preparations comparatively to real-time RT-PCR used as the reference method. RNA was extracted from the YFV Asibi strain and RNA concentrations ranged from 2×10 5 to 8 genome equivalent copies per reaction (GC/rxn). Repeatability of the method was assessed by testing each dilution 10 times with real-time RT-RPA and 5 times with LFS-RT-RPA.
Centrifugal microfluidic cartridges [19] , termed GeneSlice (HSG-IMIT, Lab on a Chip Design- and Foundry Service, Freiburg, Germany), were used to demonstrate process automation of real-time RT-RPA in a small and portable processing device, the “SONDE” player, that may be used in the field with minimum manual interaction ( Fig. 1B). The GeneSlice contains a microfluidic channel network that allows to aliquot an initial reaction mixture into 8 subvolumes by applying centrifugal forces. Each subvolume is then transferred into a separated amplification chamber ( Fig. 1A) [20] , [21] .
A: GeneSlice cartridge contains the microfluidic structure for aliquoting the reaction mix into eight 10 µl subvolumes; B: Prototype device for processing the GeneSlices (“SONDE player”) featuring defined rotation, acceleration and deceleration, heating and fluorescence detection (QIAGEN Lake Constance GmbH, Stockach, Germany).
The reaction mixture was composed of 73 µl rehydration solution, 4.2 µl forward/reverse primer (10 µM each), 1.2 µl probe (10 µM), 7 µl of Mg(OAc)2 (280 mM) and 10 µl of the DNA/RNA template. Three lyophilized pellets from the TwistAmp™ exo RT kit were resuspended in the 90 µl-reaction mixture. The reaction mixture is aliquoted into eight 10 µl volumes and transferred into amplification chamber by centrifuge force. Excess mixture is collected into a waste chamber. The “SONDE” player heats the samples at 41°C and RPA reaction is initiated in each amplification chamber. The fluorescence signal produced by the amplification is monitored for 20 minutes by the integrated detection unit. Amplification results were analyzed using IsoAmp Software (QIAGEN Lake Constance GmbH, Stockach, Germany).
Real-time RT-RPA assay combined with a magnetic bead-based extraction method was tested under field conditions in Senegal. Inactivated YFV virus and YFV RNA controls were prepared in dry-stabilized format using DNAstable Blood and RNAstable reagents (Biomatrica, San Diego, USA), respectively. These controls were stored at ambient temperature until further use in the field.
For the field trial of real-time RT-RPA, all reagents and instruments required were packed and transported by car from Dakar (14°43′12″N 17°28′48″W) to Mbour (14°25′19″N 16°57′51″W) at ambient temperature. At the Mbour city health center, the RPA setup was deployed and RNA was extracted from dry-stabilized virus controls using innuPrep MP basic kit. Subsequently, the extracted RNAs were tested with real-time RT-RPA for YFV. In order to reproduce field conditions where no power supply is available, the Tube Scanner was powered by a battery charged by solar panels.
By analyzing the alignment of all available full genome sequences of YFV, the conserved 5′-non-coding region (NCR) of the YFV genome was chosen for primer and probe design ( Table 3 ). The primer set YFV RF/RR efficiently amplified YFV RNA in LFS RT-RPA and real-time RT-RPA assays.
| Assay format | Oligo name | Sequence 5′→3′ | Direction | Position |
| Lateral-flow stripe RT-RPA | YFV RF |
AAATCCTGTGTGCTAATTGAGGTGYATTGG
|
sense | 4 to 33 |
| YFV RR-Bio |
Biotin-
ACATDWTCTGGTCARTTCTCTGCTAATCGC
|
antisense | 93 to 122 | |
| YFV Rprobe nfo |
FAM-
CTGCAAATCGAGTTGCTAGGCAATAAACAC
[THF]
TTTGGATT-AATTTTRATCGTT
-Ph
|
sense | 35 to 86 | |
| Real-time RT-RPA | YFV RF |
AAATCCTGKGTGCTAATTGAGGTGYATTGG
|
sense | 4 to 33 |
| YFV RR |
ACATDWTCTGGTCARTTCTCTGCTAATCGC
|
antisense | 93 to 122 | |
| YFV Rprobe exo |
gCAAATCgAgTTgCTAggCAATAAACACATT
[BHQdT]g[THF]A[FAMdT]
TAATTTTRATCgTTC
-Ph
|
sense | 37 to 87 |
FAM: 6-Carboxyfluorescein; THF: tetrahydrofuran; Ph: 3′phosphate to block elongation; BHQ: black hole quencher.
The analytical specificity testing revealed that all the 20 different YFV strains were detected by both LFS and real-time RT-RPA assays. The testing results of the panel of 13 viruses other than YFV showed no cross-reactions, as all results were negative for both assays ( Table 2 ). However, concerns with specificity were encountered with the LFS RT-RPA assay, as a faint band was observed in the negative controls when running time exceeded 5 minutes, thus potentially generating false-positive results.
The analytical sensitivity of RT-RPA assays was evaluated by testing the RNA extracts from 10-fold serial dilutions of YFV preparations and by comparing real-time RT-RPA and real-time RT-PCR test results. The real-time RT-PCR showed linear results for the quantification of RNA standards over a range of 10 to 10 6 genome copies. Real-time RT-PCR detected as low as 8 GC/rxn while real-time and LFS RT-RPA assays could detect as low as 44 GC/rxn in YFV RNA extracts and 21 GC/rxn for the testing of YFV-spiked human plasma samples ( Figure 2). The amplification curves of the YFV RNA extracts from 10-fold serial dilutions are shown in Figure 3-A for real-time RT-RPA results and Figure 3-B for real-time RT-PCR results.
Ct: cycle threshold; Tt: time threshold; Neg.: Negative; Pos.: Positive; Undet.: Undetermined.
Thirty-four samples of monospecific pools of wild-caught mosquitoes collected from Kedougou, southern Senegal were included in this study. The RNA extracts from these samples were tested in parallel with real-time RT-PCR and RT-RPA. Fourteen mosquito samples out of 34 (41.2%) resulted negative in real-time RT-PCR and 20 were positive (58.8%) with Ct values ranging from 24.65 to 35.51 (data not shown). Of the 20 samples detected positive in real-time RT-PCR, 16 were tested positive by real-time RT-RPA assay, providing a sensitivity of 80% (95% CI: 56.3% to 94.1%). Of the 14 samples tested negative in real-time RT-PCR, all were also tested negative by real-time RT-RPA assay, providing a specificity of 100% (95% CI: 76.7% to 100%). The overall agreement between the two assays was 88.4% (30/34) ( Table 4 ).
| Real-time RT-PCR | Performance characteristics (%) | ||||||
| Positive | Negative | Sensitivity | Specificity | PPV | NPV | ||
| RT-RPA on Tubescanner | Positive | 16 | 0 | 80% | 100% | 100% | 77.8% |
| Negative | 4 | 14 | |||||
| Total (n = 34) | 20 | 14 | |||||
| RT-RPA on | Positive | 10 | 0 | 71.4% | 100% | 100% | 76.5% |
| GeneSlice | Negative | 4 | 13 | ||||
| Total (n = 27) | 14 | 13 |
PPV: positive predictive value; NPV: negative predictive value.
Twenty-seven RNA samples of mosquito pools were included in this part of the study. Thirteen mosquito samples out of 27 (48.1%) had negative results in real-time RT-PCR and 14 were positive (51.9%), with Ct values ranging from 27 to 35.5 (data not shown). Of the 14 samples tested positive with real-time RT-PCR, 10 were tested positive by real-time RT-RPA, providing a sensitivity of 71.4% (95%CI: 41.9% to 91.4%). All of the 13 samples that tested negative in real-time RT-PCR were also tested negative by real-time RT-RPA assay, providing a specificity of 100% (95% CI: 75% to 100%). The overall agreement between the two assays was 85.2% (23/27) ( Table 4 ).
The virus and RNA controls were stabilized with DNAstable Blood and RNAstable reagents and tested in the laboratory using real-time RT-PCR and real-time RT-RPA. These results were compared to the testing results of the same amount of control samples without stabilizer, stored at −20°C. Results were comparable and proved the stabilization process to be effective. The average cycle threshold (Ct) and time threshold (Tt) values for all samples were 31.08 (SD = 0.74) and 5.5 (SD = 0.22), respectively. When stabilized controls and non-stabilized controls at −20°C were tested on real-time RPA during the field trial, the mean of Tt values of these samples was 5.3. These results are comparable to the values detected previously in the laboratory, indicating good reproducibility of the complete experimental workflow in the field.
In this study, we describe the development of a RT-RPA assay for YFV detection which can be performed without complex equipment in a basic laboratory setting, a rural health care center or an outbreak field investigation. We designed a set of primers and probe and developed a real-time methodology which enables to detect down to 21 GC/rxn. This detection limit is slightly higher than the 8 GC/rxn detected by real-time PCR [9] . Nonetheless, this level of sensitivity is sufficient to detect wild-type YFV in natural infections or serious adverse events (SAEs) following YFV immunization which produce viremia levels up to 10 8 PFU/ml [22] – [24] .
Test results for spiked human plasma samples indicated that serum does not affect significantly the assay sensitivity. Therefore, we can assume that the test can be applied for laboratory case confirmation of suspected YFV cases. However, there is further need to validate intensively the assay using YF clinical samples from various endemic countries and from patients at different stages of the disease.
The LFS-RPA assay experienced specificity problems, as a faint nonspecific band appeared in the negative controls when running time exceeded 5 minutes. Such faint bands have not been observed neither for the very low dilutions of YFV RNA nor during testing of other viruses. Therefore, these false-positive results are not due to contamination but rather to the clotting of proteins or primers which could not bind to any template. Unequivocal interpretation of LFS may be provided by an ESEQuant Lateral Flow Reader (QIAGEN Lake Constance GmbH, Stockach, Germany). However, at this point, we recommend particular caution during LFS operation and interpretation and further optimization of the assay before use under field conditions.
Real-time RT-RPA results demonstrated an optimal specificity. Testing results of the mosquito pools demonstrated an analytical specificity of 100% on both the Tube Scanner and the microfluidic GeneSlice cartridge. Real-time RT-RPA on the microfluidic GeneSlice cartridge showed a statistically similar sensitivity (71.4% and 80% respectively) as the confidence intervals of both sensitivity values overlap. The lower sensitivity value of the GeneSlice method might be due to the complexity of the microfluidic unit operations which comprises release of liquid reagents, reconstitution of lyophilized reagents, aliquoting the sample into eight independent reaction cavities and mixing of reagents with the RNA samples. Nevertheless, the performance of the GeneSlice is satisfying, and no cross-contamination between wells was observed. Moreover, this semi-automated and downscaled system leads to a significant reduction in costs, manual work and waste, making it an attractive method for point-of-care applications such as the screening for hemorrhagic fevers in Africa. However, the real-time RT-RPA on the Tube Scanner was used for further evaluation including in field conditions because of its higher sensitivity.
During the field study, real-time RT-RPA has demonstrated similar performance to that during previous testing under laboratory conditions. Based on our results, the assay proves to have great potential as a point-of-care molecular diagnostic method for various reasons: all reagents are lyophilized with the main RPA reagents provided in a single dried pellet, which simplifies assay preparation and allows long-term storage at room temperature; amplification is performed at constant temperature; ESEQuant Tube Scanner device is significantly lighter, smaller and cheaper than all other available mobile PCR cyclers or turbidimeter devices for LAMP assays; the assay has a low energy consumption; reaction times are short and the system is simple, robust and portable.
The cost is approximately 4 euros per test for real-time RPA and 5 euros per test for real-time RT-PCR in lyophilized form. At this stage, costs per sample for both techniques are comparable. However RT-RPA is a newly developed technique and prices are likely to decrease in the future while availability and throughput will increase. Furthermore, the detection device for real-time RPA is approximately 10 times cheaper than a real-time PCR machine.
An external quality assessment study on diagnostic methods for YFV infections launched in 2011 revealed that the main weakness observed for molecular methods was the inability of some assays to detect the YFV genome of wild-type strains, whereas the vaccine strain was always detected [25] . This specificity problem has not been observed for the YFV RT-RPA assay, as all YFV strains were detected. Furthermore, our assay revealed no cross-reactions with other closely related viruses.
Recently, another isothermal amplification method for YFV detection was developed based on reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) technology [14] . In contrast to RPA, LAMP requires a larger set of six primers, a higher temperature (62°C) and a longer run time. Sensitivity is not comparable, as results of RT-LAMP were expressed as PFU instead of GC detected, but RT-LAMP usually presents equal or lower sensitivity than RPA [26] , [27] . In fact LAMP uses nonspecific intercalating fluorophores for detection while RPA uses specific detection probes.
In summary, we have developed a very rapid and sensitive isothermal RPA assay in real-time and lateral-flow stripe format for the detection of YFV. Both of these assays can be easily applied in low-resource settings as an alternative to traditional laboratory-based molecular diagnostic assays. However, the LFS format needs further optimization to exclude all risks of false-positive results. The real-time RT-RPA assay, using the transportable Tube Scanner device combined with the RNA extraction method based on magnetic beads, and the use of lyophilized reagents which can be stored at ambient temperature allowed us to apply our RPA assay under field conditions in Senegal with performance similar to that of cutting-edge laboratory settings.
We thank Diawo Diallo and Mawlouth Diallo from Institut Pasteur de Dakar for providing the mosquito pools tested in this study. We are grateful to the health workers of the healthcare center in Mbour and the Ministry of Health in Senegal for their assistance during the field testing. We are grateful to TwistDx for providing the TwistAmpnfo + RT kit for this study.


CSC 309 Minutes of the Grader Team Meeting
11:00AM - 12:00PM, 1 April 2015
We discussed changes we would like to begin making
We set up our computers to work with MongoDB and Node
We switched two roles, Mike Ryu is now assistant manager and Grant Campanelli is now librarian
We have Github up and running
We are working on a new place to publish our working directory for Dr. Fisher to see
grader.campanelliproductions.com now hosts the updated information


Keep up the excellent work. I'd be lost without Sella. Definitely worth the investment.
I could probably go into sales for you. Sella is worth much more than I paid. Thanks guys, keep up the good work!
I don't always clop, but when I do, it's because of Sella. We can't understand how we've been living without Sella.
Nam a diam tincidunt, condimentum nisi et, fringilla lectus. Nullam nec lectus eu erat tempus pulvinar. Quisque mauris felis, porta et cursus vel. Nullam nec lectus eu erat tempus pulvinar. Quisque mauris felis, porta et cursus vel.


You can create one in Linkedin developper section. Don't forget to add http://localhost:9000 to allowed domains (last section)
http://localhost:9000
See Linkedin documentation for more infos.
See Javascript console for a lot more infos :)


Thriller | English
Detective Kendal is chasing a patient who has escaped from the mental institution. He wants to sever Kendal's lifeline. The chase is complicated by the visitation of a ghost and a supposed vigilante. Kendal is to meet the man at midnight at the end of a wharf. Kendal's partner, on stake out, is approached by the accomplice who was involved in the murder of her husband six months in the past.
Thriller | English
The autumnal tranquility of Smithtown, Ohio is shattered when Dr. David Bradley arrives home to find that his wife has been raped and murdered by an intruder who has left no clues behind except the words "May Day" painted in lipstick on his victim's body. When the police later learn that another Smithtown resident has been raped and strangled in New York City, it becomes frighteningly clear that a cunning serial killer targeting Smithtown women is on the prowl. Newspaper reporter Sam Middleton is determined to help Detective Roger Hagstrom track down the assailant of his ex-wife's best friend and everyone is asking the same question as the mystery unfolds: Who will the killer's next victim be?
Thriller | English
Pain means you're still alive. Billy Harper is trying to pick up the pieces of his shattered life when he rents a cottage on the property of Chuck and Beth Whitcomb in New Canaan, Connecticut. He's had everything that matters stolen from him, leaving his heart numb. But when he meets the Whitcomb's four-year-old daughter, Carolyn, she teaches him what it is to live again, and his heart begins to thaw. But a series of ominous incidents make it apparent that there is something very wrong with Carolyn Whitcomb. It escalates to an incident so surreal that Billy wonders if she might be an alien, or maybe she truly is his angel. But when a rogue military organization called Operation Anesthesia learns of Carolyn's "gifts," Billy must risk everything to save the life of the little girl who helped him to live again. Derek Ciccone is an avid fiction writer who has written eight novels. Painlessis the first one to be published. Derek grew up in Connecticut and attended Arizona State University, where he graduated with a degree in Political Science. He now resides back in Connecticut and works as a Marketing Analyst for an advertising agency.
Thriller | English
Four free short stories from bestselling author Stephen Leather, plus opening chapters of six of his bestselling thrillers.
The short stories are: Breaking In (where a burglar gets more than he bargained for when he breaks into a London house), Strangers On A Train (where a mugging on a train doesn't go to plan), Inspector Zhang and the Hotel Guest (where the Singaporean detective solves a mystery) and Cat's Eyes (the backstory of a Bangkok go-go dancer).
There are also tasters of six of his bestselling novels, including The Chinaman, The Vets and The Birthday Girl.
Stephen Leather is one of the UK's most successful thriller writers. He was a journalist for more than ten years on newspapers such as The Times, the Daily Mail and the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong. Before that, he was employed as a biochemist for ICI, shovelled limestone in a quarry, worked as a baker, a petrol pump attendant, a barman, and worked for the Inland Revenue. He began writing full time in 1992. His bestsellers have been translated into more than ten languages. He has also written for television shows such as London's Burning, The Knock and the BBC's Murder in Mind series. Two of his books, The Stretch and The Bombmaker, were made into movies.
Thriller | English
A man returns from Algeria in search of his lover only to have her vanish mysteriously just days later. Refusing to admit that she is dead, he believes that the secret of her disappearance lies in the works of the French surrealist poet Antonin Artaud. The Narcissist is a stylish Film Noir classic dreamed up by Rimbaud and written by Celine, a work of literary fiction that defies categorization.
Thriller | English
When his crime boss in Odessa, Ukraine, decides to up his game by getting involved in people trafficking, Nicolae Caramarin must make a choice. Should he turn a blind eye to the horrors he witnesses and carry on being a good soldier for the gang; or take his stand and bring them all down in the only way he knows how?
A fast-paced, tense and exciting crime/noir thriller.
This book contains scenes of a sexual nature, graphic violence, strong language and drug abuse. It is not intended for the easily offended or persons under eighteen years. You have been warned, so if you read on, don't blame me.


CHEAP: Get a $30 discount when you pre-order the new Echo Show 8
by Ivan MehtaWelcome to CHEAP, our series about things that are good, but most of all, cheap. CHEAP!
In August, I wrote about the Google Nest Hub as my top choice for a smart device in the kitchen. It has a good screen that’s just the perfect size, and nice loudspeakers.
In September, Amazon announced its response to the Nest Hub – the Echo Show 8 smart display – which features an 8-inch HD screen.
In September, as an answer to that, Amazon announced its Echo Show 8 smart device with an 8-inch HD screen. The device is set to be released on November 21 for $130. However, you can pre-order it now to get it for just $100.
Apart from the screen with 1280 x 800 resolution, the device has dual-channel speakers with 10W output from each channel. It also has a front-facing camera so you can call your friends and family directly from the device.
And of course, Alexa is always ready to answer your question, play your music, switch on the lights, or set an alarm. The 8-inch screen should also make it easy to see the answers to your questions, or watch short videos.
If you’re worried about your privacy, the device has a handy switch that kills the mic and camera with a simple toggle.
Don’t just stare at the screen. Pre-order the new Echo Show 8 now at just $100 ($30 off).
This post includes affiliate links to products that you can buy online. If you purchase them through our links, we get a small cut of the revenue.
For more gear, gadget, and hardware news and reviews, follow Plugged on Twitter and Flipboard.
Price $ ProductEcho Show 8 by Amazon
Buy now


@(message: String) @main("Help") {
Nonograms, also known as Picross or Griddlers, are picture logic puzzles in which cells in a grid must be colored or left blank according to numbers at the side of the grid to reveal a hidden picture. In this puzzle type, the numbers are a form of discrete tomography that measures how many unbroken lines of filled-in squares there are in any given row or column. For example, a clue of "4 8 3" would mean there are sets of four, eight, and three filled squares, in that order, with at least one blank square between successive groups.
These puzzles are often black and white, describing a binary image, but they can also be colored. If colored, the number clues are also colored to indicate the color of the squares. Two differently colored numbers may or may not have a space in between them. For example, a black four followed by a red two could mean four black boxes, some empty spaces, and two red boxes, or it could simply mean four black boxes followed immediately by two red ones.
Nonograms have no theoretical limits on size, and are not restricted to square layouts.
}


AppearanceConfiguration
public final class AppearanceConfiguration
An object used to customize the appearance of the UI components provided by this SDK.
Note that AppearanceConfiguration
is only used when the CheckoutViewController
is first initialized. Changes to this object after it has been created are ignored.
-
Initializes the appearance configuration.
Declaration
Swift
public init()
-
The preferred status bar style.
Declaration
Swift
public var preferredStatusBarStyle = UIStatusBarStyle.default
-
The attributes used for the navigation bar’s title.
Declaration
Swift
public var navigationBarTitleTextAttributes: [NSAttributedStringKey: Any]?
-
The attributes used for the navigation bar’s large title. Only has an effect on iOS 11 and higher.
Declaration
Swift
public var navigationBarLargeTitleTextAttributes: [NSAttributedStringKey: Any]?
-
Display modes for the large title in a navigation bar.
See moreDeclaration
Swift
public enum NavigationBarLargeTitleDisplayMode
-
The display mode for the large title in the navigation bar. Only has an effect on iOS 11 and higher.
Declaration
Swift
public var navigationBarLargeTitleDisplayMode = NavigationBarLargeTitleDisplayMode.root
-
The navigation bar’s tint color.
Declaration
Swift
public var navigationBarTintColor: UIColor?
-
The navigation bar’s background color.
Declaration
Swift
public var navigationBarBackgroundColor: UIColor?
-
A Boolean value indicating whether the navigation bar is translucent.
Declaration
Swift
public var isNavigationBarTranslucent = true
-
The image of the cancel button in the navigation bar, or
nil
if a title should be used instead.Declaration
Swift
public var navigationBarCancelButtonImage: UIImage?
-
The class to use for the checkout button. The button’s title and enabled/disabled state will be managed by Adyen SDK. When no type is specified, a default button is used.
Declaration
Swift
public var checkoutButtonType: UIButton.Type = UIButton.self
-
The color to tint the background of the Safari View Controller navigation bar and toolbar. Only has an effect on iOS 11 and higher.
Declaration
Swift
public var safariBarTintColor: UIColor?
-
The color to tint the the control buttons on Safari View Controller the navigation bar and the toolbar. Only has an effect on iOS 11 and higher.
Declaration
Swift
public var safariControlTintColor: UIColor?
-
The tint color for most buttons and actionable elements.
Declaration
Swift
public var tintColor: UIColor?
-
The background color of all view controllers.
Declaration
Swift
public var backgroundColor: UIColor = #colorLiteral(red: 0.9764705882, green: 0.9764705882, blue: 0.9764705882, alpha: 1)
-
Returns an instance of the default appearance configuration.
Declaration
Swift
public static var `default`: AppearanceConfiguration
-
The attributes used for the checkout button’s title. Only used when
checkoutButtonType
is the default.Declaration
Swift
public var checkoutButtonTitleTextAttributes: [NSAttributedStringKey: Any]?
-
The insets from the edges of the checkout button to the title. Only used when
checkoutButtonType
the default.Declaration
Swift
public var checkoutButtonTitleEdgeInsets: UIEdgeInsets?
-
The corner radius of the checkout button. Only used when
checkoutButtonType
the default.Declaration
Swift
public var checkoutButtonCornerRadius: CGFloat


Now that Epicodus offers so many different courses, we often get students unsure of what to take after they finish Introduction to Programming. If you're an Epicodus student or anybody wondering which language to learn, the first thing you need to decide is if you want to focus more on front-end or back-end development. Front-end developers spend their time making things look and work well, obsessing over layouts, navigation, colors, and design. If this type of work appeals to you, your best bet is to take CSS and Design classes at Epicodus. If you're more interested in back-end development, you have several choices of languages: C#, Java, PHP, and Ruby are all offered at Epicodus. My best advice about how to choose is not to worry too much. Most modern programming languages have more similarities than differences, and Epicodus graduates often find themselves working in different languages than they studied in school. Back-end programmers often switch languages as they change jobs, or even as they build different types of software at the same job. So don't stress too much about making the right choice! That said, each language has found a bit of a niche, and depending on your interests, you might be attracted to one over another. Currently, Epicodus offers the following tracks:
Java is a popular language particularly for enterprise companies, used by 90% of the Fortune 500 companies. When startups begin to scale or need better performance, Java is often the language that they’ll use. Java developers are in high demand in comparison to other programmers, according to Indeed.com, and its community is expected to continue to grow.
Many entrepreneurs and small business owners turn to content management systems like Wordpress to quickly build a website and publish content. Creating Wordpress sites require knowledge of PHP, thus popularizing the usage of PHP in recent years. If you’re looking to build an eCommerce sites, then PHP is an easy and fast way to do it.
JavaScript has become an essential language of the web, as it is implemented by all browsers and allows you to build interactive websites. You must learn JavaScript if you want to get into web development, and the language is pretty easy to get started with.
C# is most popular among bigger established businesses, often for building internal software.Because it's been around for a long time and has the backing of Microsoft, it is one of the most in-demand languages in the job market.If you like the idea of working for a larger company on business software, C# is a great choice.


This clause describes the String values used in the ECMAScript 2020 Internationalization API Specification to identify locales, currencies, time zones, and measurement units.
The String values used to identify locales, currencies, and time zones are interpreted in a case-insensitive manner, treating the Unicode Basic Latin characters *"A"* to *"Z"* (U+0041 to U+005A) as equivalent to the corresponding Basic Latin characters *"a"* to *"z"* (U+0061 to U+007A). No other case folding equivalences are applied. When mapping to upper case, a mapping shall be used that maps characters in the range *"a"* to *"z"* (U+0061 to U+007A) to the corresponding characters in the range *"A"* to *"Z"* (U+0041 to U+005A) and maps no other characters to the latter range.
EXAMPLES *"ß"* (U+00DF) must not match or be mapped to *"SS"* (U+0053, U+0053). *"ı"* (U+0131) must not match or be mapped to *"I"* (U+0049).
The ECMAScript 2020 Internationalization API Specification identifies locales using language tags as by the Unicode BCP 47 locale identifiers, which may include extensions such as those registered through RFC 6067. Their canonical form is that of a Unicode BCP 47 Locale Identifier, as specified in Unicode Technical Standard #35 LDML § 3.3 BCP 47 Conformance.
Unicode BCP 47 Locale Identifiers are structurally valid when they match those syntactical formatting criteria of Unicode Technical Standard 35, section 3.2, or successor, but it is not required to validate them according to the Unicode validation data. All structurally valid language tags are valid for use with the APIs defined by this standard. However, the set of locales and thus language tags that an implementation supports with adequate localizations is implementation dependent. The constructors Collator, NumberFormat, DateTimeFormat, and PluralRules map the language tags used in requests to locales supported by their respective implementations.
This standard uses the term *"Unicode locale extension sequence"* - as described in `unicode_locale_extensions` in Unicode BCP 47 - for any substring of a language tag that is not part of a private use subtag sequence, starts with a separator *"-"* and the singleton *"u"*, and includes the maximum sequence of following non-singleton subtags and their preceding *"-"* separators.
The IsStructurallyValidLanguageTag abstract operation verifies that the _locale_ argument (which must be a String value)
The abstract operation returns true if _locale_ can be generated from the EBNF grammar in section 3.2 of the Unicode Technical Standard 35, or successor, starting with unicode_locale_id, and does not contain duplicate variant or singleton subtags (other than as a private use subtag). It returns false otherwise. Terminal value characters in the grammar are interpreted as the Unicode equivalents of the ASCII octet values given.
The CanonicalizeLanguageTag abstract operation returns the canonical and case-regularized form of the _locale_ argument (which must be a String value that is a structurally valid Unicode BCP 47 Locale Identifier as verified by the IsStructurallyValidLanguageTag abstract operation). A conforming implementation shall take the steps specified in the “BCP 47 Language Tag to Unicode BCP 47 Locale Identifier” algorithm, from Unicode Technical Standard #35 LDML § 3.3.1 BCP 47 Language Tag Conversion.
The DefaultLocale abstract operation returns a String value representing the structurally valid (
The ECMAScript 2020 Internationalization API Specification identifies currencies using 3-letter currency codes as defined by ISO 4217. Their canonical form is upper case.
All well-formed 3-letter ISO 4217 currency codes are allowed. However, the set of combinations of currency code and language tag for which localized currency symbols are available is implementation dependent. Where a localized currency symbol is not available, the ISO 4217 currency code is used for formatting.
The IsWellFormedCurrencyCode abstract operation verifies that the _currency_ argument (which must be a String value) represents a well-formed 3-letter ISO currency code. The following steps are taken:
The ECMAScript 2020 Internationalization API Specification identifies time zones using the Zone and Link names of the IANA Time Zone Database. Their canonical form is the corresponding Zone name in the casing used in the IANA Time Zone Database.
All registered Zone and Link names are allowed. Implementations must recognize all such names, and use best available current and historical information about their offsets from UTC and their daylight saving time rules in calculations. However, the set of combinations of time zone name and language tag for which localized time zone names are available is implementation dependent.
The IsValidTimeZoneName abstract operation verifies that the _timeZone_ argument (which must be a String value) represents a valid Zone or Link name of the IANA Time Zone Database.
The abstract operation returns true if _timeZone_, converted to upper case as described in
The CanonicalizeTimeZoneName abstract operation returns the canonical and case-regularized form of the _timeZone_ argument (which must be a String value that is a valid time zone name as verified by the IsValidTimeZoneName abstract operation). The following steps are taken:
The Intl.DateTimeFormat constructor allows this time zone name; if the time zone is not specified, the host environment's current time zone is used. Implementations shall support UTC and the host environment's current time zone (if different from UTC) in formatting.
The DefaultTimeZone abstract operation returns a String value representing the valid (
The ECMAScript 2020 Internationalization API Specification identifies measurement units using a core unit identifier as defined by Unicode Technical Standard #35, Part 2, Section 6. Their canonical form is a string containing all lowercase letters with zero or more hyphens.
Only a limited set of core unit identifiers are allowed. An illegal core unit identifier results in a RangeError.
The IsWellFormedUnitIdentifier abstract operation verifies that the _unitIdentifier_ argument (which must be a String value) represents a well-formed core unit identifier as defined in UTS #35, Part 2, Section 6. In addition to obeying the UTS #35 core unit identifier syntax, _unitIdentifier_ must be one of the identifiers sanctioned by UTS #35 or be a compound unit composed of two sanctioned simple units. The following steps are taken:
The IsSanctionedSimpleUnitIdentifier abstract operation verifies that the given core unit identifier is among the simple units sanctioned in the current version of the ECMAScript standard, a subset of the Validity Data as described in UTS #35, Part 1, Section 3.11; the list may grow over time. As discussed in UTS #35, a simple unit is one that does not have a numerator and denominator. The following steps are taken:
| Simple Unit |
|---|
| acre |
| bit |
| byte |
| celsius |
| centimeter |
| day |
| degree |
| fahrenheit |
| fluid-ounce |
| foot |
| gallon |
| gigabit |
| gigabyte |
| gram |
| hectare |
| hour |
| inch |
| kilobit |
| kilobyte |
| kilogram |
| kilometer |
| liter |
| megabit |
| megabyte |
| meter |
| mile |
| mile-scandinavian |
| milliliter |
| millimeter |
| millisecond |
| minute |
| month |
| ounce |
| percent |
| petabyte |
| pound |
| second |
| stone |
| terabit |
| terabyte |
| week |
| yard |
| year |


Well, today is your lucky day, friend!
Just drag the following button into your toolbar for old fashioned javascript goodness.
Just like mom used to make!
SE ResetCheck out what famous people are saying
"I ain't no computer hacker!"
Mr. T
"I don't initiate violence, I retaliate."
Chuck Norris
Now with a fully 46% more than 26% annually. That's down from last year-hold your applause.
...like a writing desk? Heck if I know but neither of them use cool javascript bookmarklets.
Enjoy the ride and there's a Pimento Taco--a Pimentaco--in the glove box.
Choosy content editors choose SE Reset.
var queryParameters = {}, queryString = location.search.substring(1), re = /([^&=]+)=([^&]*)/g, m, newQs = '?'; while (m = re.exec(queryString)) { queryParameters[decodeURIComponent(m[1])] = decodeURIComponent(m[2]); } queryParameters['seReset'] = new Date().getTime(); for (var i in queryParameters) { newQs += i+'='+queryParameters[i]+'&'; } location.search = newQs;


All OpenStack services use green thread model of threading, implemented through using the Python eventlet and greenlet libraries.
Green threads use a cooperative model of threading: thread context switches can only occur when specific eventlet or greenlet library calls are made (e.g., sleep, certain I/O calls). From the operating system’s point of view, each OpenStack service runs in a single thread.
The use of green threads reduces the likelihood of race conditions, but does not completely eliminate them. In some cases, you may need to use the @utils.synchronized(...) decorator to avoid races.
In addition, since there is only one operating system thread, a call that blocks that main thread will block the entire process.
If a code path takes a long time to execute and does not contain any methods that trigger an eventlet context switch, the long-running thread will block any pending threads.
This scenario can be avoided by adding calls to the eventlet sleep method in the long-running code path. The sleep call will trigger a context switch if there are pending threads, and using an argument of 0 will avoid introducing delays in the case that there is only a single green thread:
from eventlet import greenthread
...
greenthread.sleep(0)
Queries to the MySQL database will block the main thread of a service. This is because OpenStack services use an external C library for accessing the MySQL database. Since eventlet cannot use monkey-patching to intercept blocking calls in a C library, the resulting database query blocks the thread.
The Diablo release contained a thread-pooling implementation that did not block, but this implementation resulted in a bug and was removed.
See this mailing list thread for a discussion of this issue, including a discussion of the impact on performance.


The name is how it appears on your site.
The “slug” is the URL-friendly version of the name. It is usually all lowercase and contains only letters, numbers, and hyphens.
The description is not prominent by default; however, some themes may show it.


Usage: Type letters, guess the word in less then 6 attempts and be a winner. Words from Wordnik API with temporary key. Expected to stop working someday.
Created by Robin Pokorny during the second Berlin Elm Hackathon. Design based on a PureCSS layout.


“Nandamānāgataṁ cittaṁ,
sūlamāropamānakaṁ;
Tena teneva vajasi,
yena sūlaṁ kaliṅgaraṁ.
The conceited mind, addicted to pleasure,
impales itself on its own stake.
It always goes where
there’s a stake, a chopping block.
Tāhaṁ cittakaliṁ brūmi,
taṁ brūmi cittadubbhakaṁ;
Satthā te dullabho laddho,
mānatthe maṁ niyojayī”ti.
… Anūpamo thero ….
I declare you the demon mind!
I declare you the insidious mind!
You’ve found the teacher so hard to find—
don’t lead me away from the goal.


- Parameters
-
| visualization | Set to true to run visualization. |
| initial_robot_position | Initial robot joint angles |
| initial_object_pose | Initial pose for the manipulation object. Can be any object with attributes position (x, y, z) and orientation (x, y, z, w). This is optional, if not set, a random pose will be sampled. |
| enable_cameras | Set to true to enable rendered images in the camera observations. If false camera observations are still available but the images will not be initialized. By default this is disabled as rendering of images takes a lot of computational power. Therefore the cameras should only be enabled if the images are actually used. |
| time_step_s | Simulation time step duration in seconds. |
◆ get_camera_observation()
| def trifinger_simulation.trifinger_platform.TriFingerPlatform.get_camera_observation |
( |
|
self, |
|
|
|
t |
|
) |
| |
Get camera observation at time step t.
- Parameters
-
| t | The time index of the step for which the observation is requested. Only the value returned by the last call of :meth:~append_desired_action is valid. |
- Returns
-
TriCameraObjectObservation Observations of the three cameras. This also contains the object pose. Actual images are only rendered if the class was created with
enable_cameras=True
in the constructor, otherwise the images in the observation are set to None. Other fields are still
-
valid
-
though.
- Exceptions
-
| ValueError | If invalid time index t is passed. |
◆ get_time_step()
| def trifinger_simulation.trifinger_platform.TriFingerPlatform.get_time_step |
( |
|
self | ) |
|
Get simulation time step in seconds.
◆ store_action_log()
| def trifinger_simulation.trifinger_platform.TriFingerPlatform.store_action_log |
( |
|
self, |
|
|
|
filename |
|
) |
| |
Store the action log to a JSON file.
- Parameters
-
| filename | Path to the JSON file to which the log shall be written. If the file exists already, it will be overwritten. |
The documentation for this class was generated from the following file:
- python/trifinger_simulation/trifinger_platform.py


Vote by mail stats
SP election Bonn 2021
The vote by mail letters that are sent back are being collected until the counting of votes on the 21st January 2021, which starts around 16:00 o'clock.
This overview page lists the number of vote by mail letters that the university post office hands over to us each day until then.
Currently received vote by mail letters:
(we are using javascript for calculating this, sorry)
At 37.846 eligible voters, this corresponds to a turnout so far of sorry, javascript again
Here are the bare numbers:
| Date | # Letters |
|---|---|
| 2020-01-05 | 950 |
| 2020-01-06 | |
| 2020-01-07 | |
| 2020-01-08 | |
| 2020-01-09 | Saturday |
| 2020-01-10 | Sunday |
| 2020-01-11 | |
| 2020-01-12 | |
| 2020-01-13 | |
| 2020-01-14 | |
| 2020-01-15 | |
| 2020-01-16 | Saturday |
| 2020-01-17 | Sunday |
| 2020-01-18 | |
| 2020-01-19 | |
| 2020-01-20 | |
| 2020-01-21 |


Unlocked LG Stylo 5 Smartphone For $159 – Amazon Black Friday 2019 Deals
Amazon has the LG Stylo 5 unlocked Android smartphone on sale for just $159 today. Allowing you to save 47-percent on this device. As it is normally $299.
The LG Stylo 5 is not a flagship smartphone, so don't expect to get a better smartphone than the Pixel 4 or the Galaxy S10. It's a smartphone that will do the basics for you, at a much cheaper price – and it comes with a stylus.
LG has outfitted the Stylo 5 with a 6.2-inch Full HD+ display, a 1.8GHz octa-core processor, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. That is obviously not a lot of storage in 2019, but there is at least a micro SD card slot available for expanding storage on the Stylo 5. And with 1TB micro SD cards being on sale right now, you might as well grab one.
Advertisement
It runs on Android 9 Pie right now, but it is expected to get updated to Android 10 in the near future. Though LG has not specified when exactly that is going to happen.
This is a pretty nice, big screen smartphone from LG that does just about everything you need it to do. It does have a 13-megapixel camera on the back of the phone, for taking images. Now it's not the best, but it gets the job done. Of course, it would be nice to have multiple cameras, but on a sub-$300 (normally) smartphone, that is very unlikely.
This is an unlocked smartphone and it will work on all four US carriers. That includes AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon. So you can just pop in your SIM card and you'll be ready to go.
Advertisement
You can pick up the unlocked LG Stylo 5 from Amazon by clicking here, this price is going to be good today only, so you will want to grab it before it's gone.


This is the object that is returned by the PilotDataService when a new
PilotData is created based on a PilotDataDescription. A PilotData
represents a finite amount of physical space on a certain resource. It
can be populated with DataUnits.
The PilotData object can be used by the application to keep track of a
pilot. A PilotData has state, can be queried, can be cancelled.
|
|
__init__(self,
pilot_data_service=None,
pilot_data_description=None,
pd_url=None)
Initialize PilotData at given service url: |
source code
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
url_for_du(self,
du)
Get full URL to DataUnit within PilotData |
source code
|
|
|
|
submit_data_unit(self,
data_unit_description)
creates a data unit object and initially imports data specified in
data_unit_description |
source code
|
|
|
|
list_data_units(self)
List all data units of Pilot Data |
source code
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
get_du(self,
du_url)
Returns Data Unit if part of Pilot Data |
source code
|
|
|
|
wait(self)
Wait until PD enters a final state (Done, Canceled or Failed). |
source code
|
|
|
|
export_du(self,
du,
target_url)
Export Data Unit to a local directory |
source code
|
|
|
|
put_du(self,
du)
Copy Data Unit to Pilot Data |
source code
|
|
|
|
remove_du(self,
du)
Remove Data Unit from Pilot Data |
source code
|
|
|
|
copy_du(self,
du,
pd_new)
Copy DataUnit to another Pilot Data |
source code
|
|
|
|
create_du(self,
du)
Create a new Data Unit within Pilot |
source code
|
|
|
|
to_dict(self)
Internal method that returns a dict with all data contained in this
Pilot Data |
source code
|
|
|
|
|
|
Inherited from object :
__delattr__ ,
__format__ ,
__getattribute__ ,
__hash__ ,
__new__ ,
__reduce__ ,
__reduce_ex__ ,
__setattr__ ,
__sizeof__ ,
__str__ ,
__subclasshook__
|


Course
Credit Hours
Grade
Total Credits
gpa
cgpa
Academic Standing:
{{ result.gpaStanding }}
I should get a GPA of: {{ result.gpaExpected || 0 }}
© Copyright {{ year | date:'yyyy' }} Developed by @tenorz007 . All rights reserved Advised By Ezinwa. Compliments of the Academic Advising Retention Office


Tess Daly: Working with Terry Wogan was a privilege
Tess Daly has said working with Terry Wogan on Children In Need was an “utter privilege”.
Wogan hosted the annual telethon for 35 years, latterly alongside the Strictly Come Dancing presenter.
Daly said working with the veteran broadcaster was the highlight of her time on the charity broadcast.
Children In Need returns to the BBC this month, with Daly at the helm for a night of fundraising and special shows.
The presenter revealed that she has to watch appeal videos in advance to avoid being shocked and left in tears live on TV.
She said of her work on the annual broadcast: “The highlight of my Children In Need years will always be getting to stand by the great man, Sir Terry Wogan’s side.
“What a pleasure and utter privilege that was.”
Wogan died in 2016 after enjoying decades as the face of Children In Need, and other BBC work on Radio 2 and presenting the UK’s Eurovision Song Contest coverage.
Daly has her own packed schedule in the countdown to Christmas, with Strictly in full swing.
She said: “It’s the start of a busy weekend for me, and I literally walk off the studio floor and into the car to head up to Blackpool for our Strictly special!
“I also pre-watch all the appeal films as many of them are incredibly emotive and if I watched them for the first time live on the night I’d be in floods of tears and unable to speak.”
Daly said it would be difficult for Children In Need to continue breaking records, but has praised the generosity of the British public.
Fellow presenter Ade Adepitan has also praised the late Wogan, who was a fixture of his childhood.
He said: “My first time presenting Children In Need will always be a super special one for me.
“I think it might have been the first year without Sir Terry Wogan and to be asked to do it was mind-blowing.
“I grew up watching Children In Need and then to be part of the whole thing on appeal night – that just sent shivers down my spine.”
The annual charity broadcast returns with presenters Adepitan, Graham Norton, Mel Giedroyc and Marvin and Rochelle Humes on Friday November 15 on BBC One.
There will be special sketches, musical acts and guest appearances during the evening’s entertainment, including a Strictly dance, Norton’s Red Chair, and a Mock The Week show.