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Easy to make spider cupcakes for Halloween with a pumpkin cupcake base and cream cheese frosting! With grain-free, gluten-free, whole grain and all-purpose flour options. Please click through to the recipe to see the dietary-friendly options.
Take Brag Tags to the next level with your older students. Rather than just receiving the tag, students take an active role by coloring and finishing the tag themselves! Saves you time and money, builds independence for your students.
ultimate guide to the Netherlands Most tourists keep to Amsterdam when visiting the Netherlands, while the country has so much more to offer. This DIY Travel Guide to the Netherlands was made by a local Dutch girl so you can get the most out of your visit to the Low Countries and its major cities!
Want to know the secret to the perfect Bloody Mary? Use this Bloody Mary Vodka Infusion. This recipe is made with an assortment of flavorful vegetables and herbs that will make your next Bloody Mary the best one ever!
100 frugal but fun Summer activities to keep the kids occupied during the Summer holidays. We've done them all but the ones with the star next to them have a blog post about them over on my blog. You can click through to the post and then search for wha
22 THINGS TO DO IN POSITANO - Positano is a beautiful, little beach town in Italy, famous for its colorful buildings, excellent restaurants, and ideal location on the Amalfi Coast. The village of Positano is home to tiny, winding roads that run down to the sea and are lined with restaurants, shops, and cute boutique hotels such as Hotel Mericanto. By Vanessa Rivers for WeAreTravelGirls.com
This recipe came to The Times in a 1987 article by Marian Burros, "The Battle of the Blueberry Muffins." Two years prior, Ms Burros wrote about a recipe for the muffins attributed to the Ritz-Carlton in Boston The hotel had adapted a recipe used by Gilchrist's, once one of city''s best-known department stores
Decadent Triple Chocolate Cheesecake - I'm taking this cheesecake to the next level just for my chocolate lovers! There's a chocolate oreo crust, rich chocolate cheesecake filling and topped with a milk chocolate ganache, chocolate whipped cream and chocolate curls! via Miranda @ Cookie Dough & Oven Mitt


by Terry Nathan
Communication That Matters Most
A friend of mine died a couple of weeks ago. He was only 46.
Doug was the friendliest person I have ever known. I met him in ninth grade, and that summer I was tucked into the back of his family’s station wagon on a month-long trip up the coast of California, through Oregon, and on to the northern tip of Washington. What a memorable trip that was, and what a memorable friendship we had!
Doug never owned a computer, never sent an email, and was certainly never on Facebook. He was one of those people who would come over unannounced, huge smile on his face, arms open wide. Everyone remembered Doug, even if they had met him just once. It came as no surprise to me when I showed up on the beach to attend his service that close to 300 of his friends were already there. As I listened to friend after friend share their wonderful memories, I thought, This is what it’s all about—getting together, face to face.
Now, you may be wondering why I’m telling you this. It’s because technology is moving faster than the speed of light, and, in my opinion, we are all far too reliant on email and the other interactions it fosters. The world of social networking is pushing these interactions to a level and at a pace that makes my head ready to explode.
If you ask me, although the new technology is very powerful, no smiley- or winky-face looking at me from a cold computer screen will ever replace an in-person embrace or the wink of a human eye.
Think about the people in your life who leave the greatest impression on you. And think about how you interact with them. Sure, email and Facebook and Twitter allow you to stay connected, but without that initial or ongoing in-person interaction, relationships are sure to unravel.
Then remember that long-term relationships are the single most important aspect of any business. They are the key to making a name for yourself and your business, and they will be few and far between without in-person contacts.
This may be even more true for your business life than it is for your personal life. In-person contacts give you a time-tested way to make an impression. And many times a good impression is all it takes to open the one door that leads to success.
I am not suggesting you shun the new methods of communication. I am suggesting you get out there in front of people and supplement your virtual interactions.
We are living in an unprecedented time, with new opportunities to communicate popping up at every turn—and no end in sight. We are also living in a time when more books are being published every year than ever before. To survive in this ever-changing, overwhelming landscape we need to keep up with these new forms of communication. But if you couple the new forms with some personal interaction, chances are you will not only survive; you will thrive.
Over the past few years, as the technology jet has been flying along faster than any of us ever imagined, I made a commitment to myself to be more available to help anyone who comes my way. I am now increasing my commitment to connect with people face to face.
Internet Interaction Pitfalls
Many people have already commented on the dangers that come with communicating over the Internet. Here are three that we see at the IBPA offices almost every day.
Misinterpretation. One of the beauties of email is the speed with which we can get back to each other. I love it. But with speed come mistakes and, perhaps even worse, misinterpretations. I know this from personal experience, and I am sure you do too. It is just in the nature of the beast.
During an in-person conversation, misinterpretations are quickly prevented or corrected through body language, quick questions about meaning, and otherwise.
Trust. How many orders have you received by email from Nigeria? Did you know that some people have interns answering their email? And what a shame that is. Sure, there are ways to charm and be charmed by email, but I would never seal a deal without getting to know the person behind it.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Or perhaps I should say Mr. Hide. I think we all know at least one person who turns into a troublemaker behind the security of a computer ID.
Expressing opinions is clearly important to our free society, and the Internet has allowed more people to have a voice. But unfortunately some people confuse expressing views with libelous behavior and spewing venom.
Face-to-Face Opportunities Coming Up Fast
May is the perfect time for me to remind you of the value of in-person interaction, since some great book-business events are coming up at the end of the month. The 25th Annual IBPA Publishing University will take place May 26–28 in New York City, followed by BookExpo America. These gatherings provide two excellent opportunities for you to get out there and meet key people in our industry.
I hope you will be able to attend, and I also hope you’ll be able to open one of those doors to success by being there. If you do attend, please be sure to find me so we can shake hands, look each other in the eye, and say hello.


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after all the presented artwork such as kittens, zagreb in snow and people's mothers next to cars and cats it is time to crank it up a notch and dish out some edibles. no worries, pictures of old uptown zagreb will be back in no time.
this is my first produced sushi while in memphis. i do not remember the taste but i do remember how much my back hurt from being hunched down before the cutting board for hours.
there are some good things that came out of being in houston for a summer. i had the time to make and photograph this. it may sound silly but try to be hungry while spending about 20min making this and then looking for a camera, fiddling with the settings, framing the plate kneeling down assuring a stable stance. it's salmon, cheese, peppers, tomatos and cheese spread.
still from the times back in memphis. 3.3 Mpixel camera can still evoke the smell and taste of the regular saturday morning baking. i reused the rack, tho.
a typical croatian (slavonia) dish. oven-baked potato halves rubbed in salt and topped with pepperoni and bacon.
again slavonia dish - kiflice. stuffed with smoked cheese and ham. if you haven't tried these yet you better start meeting someone from the balkans who can cook.
ajmo cure, žene! kecelje na bokove i zasučite rukave! ništa ne poboljšava vezu/brak više od pogleda na partnera kako mijesi tjesto.

domain: food


The flying drone is specially thought for the inspection of hazardous facilities such as the inner part of a deposit, oil and gas holding vessels or other confined containers with volatile and potentially explosive atmospheres.
The drone has been specifically designed for IECEX Class 1 Division 1 or ATEX Zone 0. Besides, it is capable of facing the most extreme temperatures and even bounces off the container wall to the surface without damage and without loss of control.
The flying robot is also able to fit through a 12” diameter opening. Additionally, it is designed to provide a double visual feed because of its capacity of both wide views for navigation and close views capable of resolving a wire between 0.5 and 10 mm of length at a distance of 5m.


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Untapped: Greater Washington’s craft brewing industry has plenty of room to grow (Video)
(Page 5 of 6)
2. Focusing on local
While a couple of the region’s breweries have branched out to other parts of the East Coast — to Philadelphia and New York, for example — most of them aren’t looking to be the next Sam Adams with nationwide distribution.
“We don’t need to travel very far to sell all the beer we plan to make,” said Bill Butcher of Port City Brewing Company in Alexandria. “That also plays into the quality. Unpasteurized, unfiltered craft beer doesn’t last very long, and we can ensure customers get great-tasting beer by keeping it local.”
It also means capitalizing on the overall dining preference for all kinds of products that are local, points out Dave Coleman of 3 Stars.
“So many of our accounts in D.C. go along with the local, fresh, sustainable model,” Coleman said. “So when I call someone, and say, ‘I have this, I just kegged it today,’ they’re saying, ‘Yeah, of course I want that.’ That helps.”
At fledgling Atlas Brew Works, its local focus means branching out of the District into Northern Virginia and Maryland.
“There’s a lot of market we haven’t even scratched right now,” said Atlas brewer Will Durgin. It also means partnering with larger customers within the region, including Nationals Park.
The stadium plans to up its number of local craft beer carts this year, and Atlas will be among the offerings there, as well as in the Red Porch bar area and other locations. In all the brewery is planning to provide upward of 25 barrels — 50 kegs — of beer to Nats Park for each of the team’s home stands this season.
“We’re brewing our asses off right now in anticipation of baseball season,” Durgin said.
Rebecca Cooper covers retail, restaurants, tourism and the arts.
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Special Assistant to the President National Automobile Dealers Association | Mc Lean, VA
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CEO/Executive Director Family and Children's Services | Baltimore, MD
Vendor Success Specialist ZeroCater | Washington, DC


The Executive Director of the Pawtucket Foundation will help to create and develop programs designed to mobilize the resources of the private sector to encourage economic development and community planning within Pawtucket, Rhode Island and the boarding community of Central Falls.
He or she will utilize professional experience to promote private and public sector investment to improve existing community assets as well as to create new development projects. Key ongoing projects include predevelopment planning for river corridor real estate revitalization, economic development, capital transportation infrastructure planning and business recruitment efforts in the historic downtown.
- Bachelor degree in public administration, business, urban planning, architecture, community/economic development or related field. 5+ years in community/economic development, urban revitalization or urban planning;
- A combination of educational and professional experience that demonstrates intellectual, administrative and leadership abilities;
- Experience in private-sector fundraising and grant writing will be highly valuable for the successful candidate. The Pawtucket Foundation raises approximately $240,000 from corporate contributions and grants and an additional amount from events, to sustain an annual expense budget of approximately $268,000; Grant writing supports programming efforts;
- Demonstrated proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Quickbooks;
- Demonstrated experience in a position that required leadership skills and public-private sector relationship building;
- Demonstrated experience in a position that required exceptional written, speaking and listening skills; Experience building consensus and coalitions of support;
- Demonstrated attention to detail.
- Master Degree in related field;
- Experience in non-profit management;
- Experience with business development and economic development planning;
- An understanding of basic principles of public finance, real estate finance, and business recruitment;
- Skills in web-based and internet communications, experience managing content management systems and social media (website);
- Experience in planning multi-modal transportation projects.
Compensation will depend upon experience and qualifications.


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Electron Beam Melting of high niobium containing TiAl alloy: feasibility investigation
Third generation γ-TiAl alloys with a high niobium content, Ti–(47–48)Al–2Cr–8Nb, were processed by electron beam melting (EBM). This near-net-shape additive manufacturing process produces complex parts according to a CAD design. The starting powder is deposited layer by layer on the building table and selectively melted to progressively form the massive part. The EBM parameters such as layer thickness, melting temperature, scanning speed, or building strategy were set up to minimize porosity. The chemical composition of the built material is similar to the composition of the base powder despite a slight evaporation of aluminum and reveals a neglectable oxygen pick-up. The very fine equiaxed microstructure resulting after EBM can be then set up by heat treatment (HT). According to the HT temperature in particular, an equiaxed microstructure, a duplex microstructure with different lamellar ratio and a fully lamellar microstructure is obtained. Not only test bars have been produced but also complex parts such as demo low pressure turbine blades.

domain: chemistry


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Rescuers are looking for the Mi-8 helicopter that went off radars in the Irkutsk region. The chopper had ten passengers and nearly two tons of explosives aboard, officials with Russia's EMERCOM said.
According to officials, the Mi-8 helicopter of Angara airline was monitoring the flood situation, disappeared from the radio broadcast at 12:54 Moscow time and did not establish a radio contact at scheduled time.
It has been reported that rescuers found the wreckage of the helicopter not far from the village of Preobrazhenka. Nothing has been said about the passengers yet.
Reportedly, acting chairman of the EMERCOM department for the Irkutsk region, Colonel Stanislav Omelyanchik, was also on board the helicopter. In addition, the chopper was carrying 1.9 tons of explosives that were supposed to be used to blow up ice jams on the Lower Tunguska River.
If one assumes that the two people who gave the interview indeed work for Russian special services, then they acted very unprofessionally and risky
Representatives of the Russian Defence Ministry said that the missile that shot down the passenger Boeing 777 aircraft over the Donbass on July 17, 2014, was manufactured in 1986

domain: news


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Modern House Interior Colors. 3d rendering of interior with chair and coffee table. 14 room paint colors offer great opportunities to get creative and explore fresh interior design ideas, turning your home into modern, elegant and stylish place.
But the truth is that both types of colors have the ability to take lifeless spaces to new style heights, depending on where, and how, they're used. If the apartment windows face the north side, then use this design. 3d rendering of interior with chair and coffee table.
What Better Way To Refresh Your Home Than With A New Coat Of Paint.
Pick up a paint brush — you'll want these modern hues in your home asap. Many people will prefer quick and efficient decorating ideas. Trendy interior paint is an excellent solution for bringing novelty into home interiors in 2013.
This Is Especially True For Large Cities.
On the home above, our designers used black beauty for the brick, columns, trim, and other accents. James cross inc modern loft interior designs. Modern interior paint colors bring a contemporary feel into homes adding freshness and style to traditional and eclectic living spaces.
Whats People Lookup In This Blog:
That’s why our color experts created this top 10 favorite interior paint colors to make it easy for you. Modern paint colors make your home look fresh and stylish. That’s why we tapped the exterior design.
Modern Home Interior Design, Living Room, Sliding Glass Door, House.
Some think pure white paint is modernity incarnate, while others picture deep, dramatic hues. Modern beach house bathroom interior. Everyone would like to live in such an environment, and the services of a specialist are expensive.
Some Think Pure White Paint Is Modernity Incarnate While Others Picture Deep Dramatic Hues.
3d rendering of interior with chair and coffee table. As a homeowner, you’re faced with an endless array of colors, shades, and sheens. Whether its a light color scheme or a dark one classic or minimalism an excess of bright colors will always look bad and in terms of functionality make it difficult to be.

domain: design


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East and Partners Asia (Singapore) and Kuala Lumpur-based financial media group REDmoney are launching what they say is the first ever demand-side research programme, regularly monitoring and forecasting the Shariah-compliant business banking markets of Malaysia and Indonesia.
The partners add that with the Malaysian market alone estimated at US$130bn and representing around one fifth of total banking assets in the country, growth has been phenomenal. Bank Negara, Malaysia’s central bank has said it expects this figure to grow to 40% of total market balances and is attracting an ever accelerating number of players, both specialist Islamic financial services providers and the rapidly growing Shariah compliant subsidiaries of conventional commercial banking groups.
“This explosion in demand has seen many players racing to keep up, including even the Japanese banks, and respond to what is now a major component of the region’s banking landscape,” they comment.
The partnership between East and REDmoney is designed to address what they see as a dearth of intelligence and quantitative analysis on demand for such solutions in the business banking markets. East’s established demand-side research methodologies and capability will combine with REDmoney’s role in reporting on and delivering highly regarded industry news and events, to produce “a world class partnership in delivering high value market analysis and insight for client banks.”
The first results from what will be a biannual service will be released to clients and the markets this September.
GTNews asks Pugsley about what advice she would give to treasurers dealing with mergers and acquisitions, what the key challenges for her year ahead will be and how she is selecting a treasury management system (TMS).
The US money market fund reforms came into effect in 2016 and are already dramatically shaping US fund industry with investors flooding out of prime funds and into government securities. While the reforms are similar, they are not the same. GTNews interviews Yeng Bulter, global head of the cash business at State Street Global Advisors on the differences.
Tim de Knegt, strategic finance and treasury manager for the Port of Rotterdam, discusses how he is using blockchain, the challenges he will face in his role of treasury over the next 12 months and the advice he would give to someone starting out their career in treasury.
Due to the low interest rate environment and Basel III regulation many corporate treasurers, who may have in the past been very reliant on the banking sector to provide them with cash management solutions, have been forced to explore alternative options as banks have been refusing short dated cash deposits.

domain: finance


text:
First published anonymously, March 1880, and soon in various
unauthorized editions. It wasn't until the 1925 edition that Adams was listed as author. Henry Adams remarked (ironically as usual), "The wholesale piracy of Democracy was the single real triumph of my life."--it was very popular, as readers tried to guess who the author was and who the characters really were. Chapters XII and XIII were originally misnumbered. — Excerpted fromDemocracy: An American Novelon Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
566523Democracy: An American NovelHenry Adams1880
AN AMERICAN NOVEL
HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1923.
The author died in 1918, so this work is also in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 80 years or less. This work may also be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.

domain: library


Besides the light-app Stellar ARRI presents some new accessories at the IBC. A new product for controlling lens functions is the Operator Control Unit OCU-1, which works as an extension of the lens control system WCU-4. It allows camera operators to take control of focus, zoom and aperture at the touch of a button and to re-release them, thus providing an override function for remote setups. The unit has the same steering wheel, display and LBUS integration as the ARRI Master Grips, and can easily be attached to standard 15mm or 19mm tubes, the ARRI rosette or 3/8" threads. The control wheel can also be used to control the rotation axis of the ARRI Stabilized Remote Head SRH-3.
Operator Control Unit OCU-1
For the ALEXA Mini comes the Advanced Power Unit Smart APU, a hot-swap camera power supply available with V-Mount or Gold-Mount that maintains power to camera and accessories during battery changes. It provides an onboard battery buffer and six independent outputs. Also a Vertical Format Adapter Set should appear. This allows the ALEXA Mini and its viewfinder to be rotated 90 degrees in the optical axis to film comfortably lying (or standing) on its side -- i.e. upright, as is now expected from videos that are primarily to be viewed on mobile devices. Of course, they don't all have to be filmed with a mobile phone...
Also new for the Mini is a new Compact Bridge Plate CBP-2, which can also be used with 15mm studio tubes via an adapter. The Compact Bridge Plates CBP-3 (19mm) and CBP-4 (15mm studio) are released for the Amira.
The Matte-Box series is extended by the Lightweight Matte Box LMB 6x6 with Swing-Away-function, which can hold up to three filters of the size 6,6" x 6,6 and is available as single stage filter variant for gimbals, drones or on steadicam rigs or as clamp version directly on the lens or on a 15mm lens. can be configured on a 15 mm or 19 mm studio rod system.
The new Digital Remote Wheels DRW-1 offer an additional control for the Stabilized Remote Head SRH-3, based on the mechanical ARRIHEAD. The handwheels combine a mechanical feel with a digital workflow.


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Synthesis of the borazine oligomer
In order to synthesize borazine oligomer as precursor, borazine was prepared via dehydrogenation reaction of ammonia borane (BH3NH3) with nickel nanoparticles (NiNPs) at 80 °C. Ammonia borane is a reactant and nickel nanoparticles were used as catalyst in dehydrogenation reaction. The borazine (2.43 g, 30.1 mmol) was transferred into an evacuated Fischer-Porter glass pressure reaction vessel. The flask was allowed to warm to room temperature and then heated at 70 °C with the oil bath. The reaction was allowed to continue, with periodic degassing, until the liquid became sufficiently viscous for 48 h to remove the volatile materials at the room temperature at the nitrogen atmosphere for 48 h. Instead of removing with high vacuum system in the Sneddon’s paper22,39, leaving a white translucent gel (2.27 g, 93% yield based on reacting borazine). After completion of the reaction and removing the volatile materials, borazine oligomer (2.27 g) was dissolved in the chlorobenzene (24.49 g, 0.2 mol) with continuously stirring for 48 h while keeping the ratio of about 9 wt.%. And then the solution was filtrated with filter-paper at nitrogen atmosphere and room temperature for separating the practically insoluble materials. The filtrated solution was kept in a freezer at −45 °C for at least 3 weeks to have aging period in order to optimize its viscosity.
Synthesis of the h-BN Films
Chlorobenzene solution of borazine oligomer was spin-coated onto an electrochemically polished nickel foil (99%, Nilaco Corp.) at 9000 rpm for 50 s. Since borazine oligomer is moisture sensitive, spin-coating was carried out inside a glove box that is continually purged with nitrogen. Then, the spin coated specimen was transported to the annealing reactor with container filled with nitrogen. The sample was then heated up to 1026 °C for 45 minutes under argon atmosphere and kept for 60 minutes for annealing. The reactor pressure was kept at 613 mtorr with the argon flow rate of 500 sccm for the annealing. After the synthesis, the chamber was slowly cooled down to room temperature under argon atmosphere. The h-BN film on nickel foil then was transferred to SiO2/Si or quartz substrate using graphene transfer process for characterization40.
Synthesis of the h-BN Films under a Ni catalyst layer
In that method, borazine oligomer was spin-coated onto a silicon substrate with 1000 rpm inside a glove box, and a nickel catalyst layer was deposited onto the coated substrate by electron beam evaporator. The thickness of the film was about 300 nm. After deposition, annealing was followed at 1026 °C for 60 min under argon atmosphere, and nickel film was then etched by Iron (III) chloride (FeCl3). Thus, h-BN films were obtained directly on the silicon substrates.
Device fabrication and analysis
The h-BN as the gate dielectric was transferred onto a 300 nm-thick SiO2/n+ Si substrate through a conventional transfer method using Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). In order to fabricate GFETs, the CVD-grown graphene films were formed onto a h-BN/SiO2/n+ Si substrate. Then, the channel region with a size of 3 μm × 3 μm was defined by photolithography and an inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etching system using O2 gas. As a final step, Cr (5 nm)/Au (50 nm) metals for the source/drain contacts were deposited using electron beam evaporator. Device performances were measured at room temperature under vacuum in a probe station system (Lakeshore 7500 series) using a Semiconductor Parameter Analyzer.
The transferred h-BN film was analyzed using Raman spectroscopy (Horiba, LabRAM HR, Ar laser, λ = 514 nm), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR, Nicolet IS10), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS, Thermo Scientific, K-ALPHA), X-ray diffraction (XRD, Rigaku, copper target), UV-Visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis, Jasco, V-670), and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM, Tecnai F20, 200 kV).
Borazine is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula (BH)3(NH)3. In this cyclic compound, the three BH units and three NH units alternate. The compound is isoelectronic and isostructural with benzene. Like benzene, borazine is a colourless liquid. For this reason borazine is sometimes referred to as "inorganic benzene".
The compound was reported in 1926 by the chemists Alfred Stock and Erich Pohland by a reaction of diborane with ammonia.
Borazine is synthesized from diborane and ammonia in a 1:2 ratio at 250–300 °C with a conversion of 50%.
- 3 B2H6 + 6 NH3 → 2 B3H6N3 + 12 H2
An alternative more efficient route begins with lithium borohydride and ammonium chloride:
- 3 LiBH4 + 3 NH4Cl → B3H6N3 + 3 LiCl + 9 H2
In a two-step process to borazine, boron trichloride is first converted to trichloroborazine:
- 3 BCl3 + 3 NH4Cl → Cl3B3H3N3 + 9 HCl
The B-Cl bonds are subsequently converted to B-H bonds:
- 2 Cl3B3H3N3 + 6 NaBH4 → 2 B3H6N3 + 3 B2H6 + 6 NaCl
Borazine is a colourless liquid with an aromatic smell. In water it hydrolyzes to boric acid, ammonia, and hydrogen. Borazine, with a standard enthalpy change of formation ΔHf of −531 kJ/mol, is thermally very stable.
Borazine is isoelectronic with benzene and has similar connectivity, so it is sometimes referred to as "inorganic benzene". This comparison is not rigorously valid due to the electronegativity difference between boron and nitrogen. X-ray crystallographic structural determinations show that the bond lengths within the borazine ring are all equivalent at 1.429 Å, a property shared by benzene. However, the borazine ring does not form a perfect hexagon. The bond angle is 117.1° at the boron atoms and 122.9° at the nitrogens, giving the molecule distinct symmetry.
The electronegativity of boron (2.04 on the Pauling scale) compared to that of nitrogen (3.04) and also the electron deficiency on the boron atom and the lone pair on nitrogen favor alternative mesomer structures for borazine.
Boron behaves as a Lewis acid and nitrogen behaves as a Lewis base.
Main article: Aromaticity
Due to its similarities to benzene, there have been a number of computational and experimental analyses of borazine's aromaticity. The number of pi electrons in borazine obeys the 4n + 2 rule, and the B-N bond lengths are equal, which suggests the compound may be aromatic. The electronegativity difference between boron and nitrogen, however, creates an unequal sharing of charge which results in bonds with greater ionic character, and thus it is expected to have poorer delocalization of electrons than the all-carbon analog.
Natural Bond Orbitals (NBO)
Natural Bond Orbital (NBO) analysis suggests weak aromaticity in borazine. In the NBO model, B-N bonds in the ring are slightly displaced from the nuclear axes, and B and N have large differences in charge. Natural chemical shielding (NCS) analysis provides some further evidence for aromaticity based on a contribution of the B-N π bond to magnetic shielding. Computations based on NBO orbitals show that this π bond allows for weak ring current which somewhat counteracts a magnetic field simulated at the center of the borazine ring. A small ring current does suggest some delocalization.
Atoms in Molecules (AIM)
Atoms in Molecules (AIM) analysis can examine degree of covalency in bonding through examination of critical points in the negative Laplacian of electron density for a given molecule. In the case of borazine, bond critical points are found to lie extremely close to the boron atoms, indicating electrons are concentrated around the nitrogens, and thus there is a large difference in charge between B and N. Furthermore the Laplacians of these bond critical points are positive, implying that these bonds are largely ionic. AIM analysis thus suggests poor covalency and thus poor electron sharing, indicating only weak aromaticity, if any.
Electron Localization Function (ELF)
Topological analysis of bonding in borazine by the Electron Localization Function (ELF) indicates that borazine can be described as a π aromatic compound. However, the bonding in borazine is less delocalized than in benzene based on a difference in bifurcation values of the electron basins. Larger bifurcation values indicate better electron delocalization, and it is argued that when this bifurcation value is greater than 0.70, the delocalization is sufficient to designate a compound aromatic. For benzene, this value is 0.91, but the borazine π system bifurcates at the ELF value 0.682. This is caused by the difference in electronegativity between B and N, which produces a weaker bond interaction than the C-C interaction in benzene, leading to increased localization of electrons on the B-H and N-H units. The bifurcation value is slightly below the limit of 0.70 which suggests moderate aromaticity.
Although often compared with benzene, borazine is far more reactive. With hydrogen chloride it forms an adduct, whereas benzene is unreactive toward HCl.
- B3N3H6 + 3 HCl → B3N3H9Cl3
- Addition reaction of borazine with hydrogen chloride
- B3N3H9Cl3 + NaBH4 → (BH4N)3
- Reduction with sodium borohydride
The addition reaction with bromine does not require a catalyst. Borazines undergo nucleophilic attack at boron and electrophilic attack at nitrogen. Heating borazine at 70 °C expels hydrogen with formation of a borazinylpolymer or polyborazylene, in which the monomer units are coupled in a para fashion by new boron-nitrogen bonds. Boron nitride can be prepared by heating polyborazylene to 1000 °C. Borazines are also starting materials for other potential ceramics such as boron carbonitrides. Borazine can also be used as a precursor to grow boron nitride thin films on surfaces, such as the nanomesh structure which is formed on rhodium.
Polyborazylene has been proposed as a recycled hydrogen storage medium for hydrogen fuel cell vehicle applications, using a "single pot" process for digestion and reduction to recreate ammonia borane.
Among other B-N type compounds mixed amino-nitro substituted borazines have been predicted to outperform carbon based explosives such as CL-20.
Main article: Heterocyclic Compounds
Carborazine is another six-membered aromatic ring with two carbon atoms, two nitrogen atoms and two boron atoms in opposing pairs.
Media related to borazine at Wikimedia Commons
- ^Nomenclature of Organic Chemistry : IUPAC Recommendations and Preferred Names 2013 (Blue Book). Cambridge: The Royal Society of Chemistry. 2014. p. 968. doi:10.1039/9781849733069-FP001. ISBN 978-0-85404-182-4.
- ^Duward Shriver; Peter Atkins (2010). Inorganic Chemistry (Fifth ed.). New York: W. H. Freeman and Company. p. 328. ISBN 978-1429218207.
- ^Stock, Alfred; Pohland, Erich (October 1926). "Borwasserstoffe, VIII. Zur Kenntnis des B2H6 und des B5H11" [Boric acid solution, VIII Regarding knowledge of B2H6 and B5H11]. Berichte (in German). 59 (9): 2210–2215. doi:10.1002/cber.19260590906.
- ^Boese, R.; Maulitz, A. H.; Stellberg, P. (1994). "Solid-State Borazine: Does it Deserve to be Entitled "Inorganic Benzene"?". Chemische Berichte. 127 (10): 1887–1889. doi:10.1002/cber.19941271011.
- ^Shen, W.; Li, M.; Li, Y.; Wang, S. (2007). "Theoretical study of borazine and its derivatives". Inorganica Chim. Acta. 360: 619–624. doi:10.1016/j.ica.2006.08.028.
- ^Santos, J. C.; Tiznado, W.; Fuentealba, P. (2004). "Sigma–pi separation of the electron localization function and aromaticity". The Journal of Chemical Physics. 120 (4): 1670–1673. doi:10.1063/1.1635799.
- ^Islas, R.; Chamorro, E.; Robles, J.; Heine, T.; Santos, J. C.; Merino, G. (2007). "Borazine: to be or not to be aromatic". Struct. Chem. 18: 833–839. doi:10.1007/s11224-007-9229-z.
- ^Davis, B. L.; Dixon, D. A.; Garner, E. B.; Gordon, J. C.; Matus, M. H.; Scott, B.; Stephens, F. H. (2009). "Efficient Regeneration of Partially Spent Ammonia Borane Fuel". Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 48 (37): 6812–6816. doi:10.1002/anie.200900680. PMID 19514023.
- ^Koch, E.-C; Klapötke, T. M. (2012). "Boron-Based High Explosives". Propellants, Explosives, Pyrotechnics. 37: 335–344. doi:10.1002/prep.201100157.
- ^Kervyn, Simon; Fenwick, Oliver; Di Stasio, Francesco; Shin, Yong Sig; Wouters, Johan; Accorsi, Gianluca; Osella, Silvio; Beljonne, David; Cacialli, Franco; Bonifazi, Davide (10 June 2013). "Polymorphism, Fluorescence, and Optoelectronic Properties of a Borazine Derivative". Chemistry: A European Journal. 19 (24): 7771–7779. doi:10.1002/chem.201204598.
- ^Srivastava, Ambrish Kumar; Misra, Neeraj (2015). "Introducing "carborazine" as a novel heterocyclic aromatic species". New Journal of Chemistry. 39 (4): 2483–2488. doi:10.1039/c4nj02089h.
- ^Bonifazi, Davide; Fasano, Francesco; Lorenzo-Garcia, M. Mercedes; Marinelli, Davide; Oubaha, Hamid; Tasseroul, Jonathan (2015). "Boron–nitrogen doped carbon scaffolding: organic chemistry, self-assembly and materials applications of borazine and its derivatives". Chem. Commun. 51 (83): 15222–15236. doi:10.1039/C5CC06611E.


text:
A permanent center for water resources management will be created in the city of Kerki in Turkmenistan’s eastern province of Lebap.
The instructions on the creation of the center were given by President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov to Annageldy Yazmyradov, the Deputy Chairman of the Turkmen Government in charge of the agro-industrial complex, during the online meeting on the agricultural issues on Monday, the country’s official media reports.
The Head of State stressed the need for proper irrigation of crops at this time, to carry out quality plowing of the land, to attach great importance to the quality of seed material, rational use of water for irrigation. The solution of these issues should be approached taking into account the achievements of modern science and agricultural traditions of ancestors, President Berdimuhamedov stated.
Focusing on the creation of the new center, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov said the off-site meetings of the center will be held taking into account the volume of water reserves.
The Head of State also instructed the Vice-Premier to continue operating the agricultural sector at the proper level, improve the water supply to crops, properly maintain channels, streams and reservoirs.
On June 11, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov signed the Resolution on establishing the the Governmental Commission on Water Supply of Turkmenistan.
The new entity oversees the efficiency and rationality of use of water resources, increase of their reserves, analysis of Amudarya and Karakum rivers and improvement of their water flow as well as supply of population with clean drinking water through construction of desalination plants.

domain: agronomy


text:
On Tuesday, November 15th 2016, the Lab launched the Premium members’ Horizons community, a “retro-futuristic” mainland environment featuring 36 residential regions each with 24 parcels available for auction to Premium members, with auctions commencing on Friday, November 18th 2016, with parcels being auctioned in batches of (generally) 10.
Obviously with 864 parcels to auction, it would take some time to get through things. However, the holiday period marked the half-way point in the auctions with 432 parcels auctioned across 18 regions. As Whirly Fizzle and I started monitoring things (largely out of curiosity), and I gave a snapshot at the end of the first weeks of auctions, the half-way point seemed a good opportunity to provide a further snapshot, based on how those 432 regions looked as of Friday, January 6th, 2017.
|GENERAL STATUS OF PARCELS FOR BATCH 1 (10 regions) AND BATCH 2 (8 regions)
|Auctioned||Parcels Available For||(Sold / Rented)||Original Auction||Others|
- Parcels Available For = those parcels bid for and placed immediately on sale / for rent / either
- Sold / Rented= number of parcels actually sold / rented whether placed for sale or for rent or either. These set subsets of the Parcels Available For figures, and further breakdowns are provided below
- Original Auction = those parcels which went directly to private residential use / commercial use during the original auction
- 4 of the residential parcels may in fact be rented out by bidder
- Aband = parcels already abandoned by original bidder
- Pend = regions obtained for sale, but either currently not on sale by bidder (6) or removed from sale by bidder (7 – see sales review, below)
- Unkn = regions which are not currently in use, nor are they apparently for sale or for rent, and where parcel holders have not responded to enquiries.
|RENTAL PARCELS SUMMARY
|For Rent||Total Rented (16)
- 153 is the total number of parcels available for rent (121), and those offered for rent or purchase (32)
- Of the 153 parcels currently for rent / rented:
- 89 are offered through one group of rental operators
- The remaining 64 are offered through 11 rental groups, with between 1 and 14 parcels on offer per group
- The average weekly rental for those parcels offered for rent is L$885 (low: L$550; high: L$975)
- The average weekly rental for parcels offered for sale or rent is L$608 (low: L$495; high: L$800)
|PARCEL SALES REVIEW
|Total for Sale||Sold (32)
||For Sale Below Bid Price|
- Total for regions on sale does not include those parcels offers for sale or for rent – see rental figures above
- Of the 139 parcels currently available for sale / sold:
- 98 are offered by three land sales groups
- The remaining 41 are offered by 12 land groups / individuals, with between 1 and 12 parcels per individual / group
- 5 parcels are on sale at prices above L$100,000, ranging from L$112,000 (58.98% mark-up on bid prices) to L$249,000 (255.67% mark-up on bid price) by two land holders
- Average sale prices:
- Among all 139 parcels for sale: L$45,408.
- Among the three biggest parcel sellers (98 parcels): L$37,360
- The margins between bid price and sale price vary hugely, between just 2.42% (L$41,000 on a bid price of L$40,033) through to 231.38% (L$199,999 on a bid price of L$62,232)
- Some 45 parcels have been reduced in price since first being offered for sale
- The average mark-down on their original price being approximately 25.88%
- 20 are current for sale at below their original bid price
- Average drop below bid price: 17.44%
- Largest drop 50.02% – sale price of L$15,000 on original bid of L$30,010
- Smallest drop is 0.3% – sale price of L$38,000 on original bid of L$38,010
- The majority of these drops have been to parcels auctioned in the first batch, and bring prices down to more closely match the prices of parcels the same bidders are selling on other Horizons regions
- Of the four regions purchased and flipped for re-sale, 3 are by residents without an associated land group / business; one is by another land company active in Horizons.
Commercial activities are largely stores (avatar accessories, building materials etc.). Two adult club environments are within Horizons and one sci-fi themed bar.
Approximate Revenue Breakdown
The following table gives a breakdown of approximate revenue across the 18 regions auctioned to date. The US $ value is based on L$260 to the $.
|APPROXIMATE AUCTION REVENUES – BATCH 1 AND BATCH 2
|Auction Batches||Approx L$ Raised Through Auction
||Approx US $ (at L$260 / US $)
|Batch 1 (10 regions / 240 parcels)||8,714,966.00||33,519.10|
|Batch 2 – (8 regions / 192 parcels)||4,309,833.00||16,576.28|
Unsurprisingly, the two regions with direct access to open water (that is, parcel which directly access water, with no intervening protected land) – Apollo and Pandora, both located on the south side of Horizons and facing Zindra across water open for sailing / boating, drew the most competitive bidding.
|BATCH 1 BY REGION (All 24 Parcels per Region)
||Approx US $
||Direct Water Access
|Apollo||962,882.00||3,703.39||L$80,000||L$29,787 (x2)||6 parcels|
|Pandora||1,029,400.00||3,959.23||L$102,454||L$27,110 (x2)||6 parcels|
The second batch of regions auctioned drew considerably lower value bids, with the third batch of regions more-or-less matching the second thus far.
|BATCH 2 BY REGION (All 24 Parcels per Region)
||Approx US $
||Direct Water Access
Outside of those bidding on the parcel lots, there appears to be little direct interest from Premium members in obtaining a property within Horizons. Some may be put off by the Adult rating, others by the lack of any covenant. While the high price of bids places during the first batch of auctions might be considered a reason, the second batch of auctions averages close to half the per parcel bid price of the initial batch, and still generated little direct take-up. This appears to be the case with the third batch.
Rentals – which should allow non-Premium members to gain a parcel within Horizons if they wished – are currently gaining little traction, although this could be own to lack of promotion on the part of the rental groups. Obviously, the advantage of Mainland holding is they are not a tremendous drain on resources in the way that partially occupied private regions can be.
There may be a follow-up report at the conclusion of the bidding. Or at least a summary of potential revenues. Putting this report together was too much like hard work!

domain: geography


text:
Marchers demonstrate on Earth Day for environmental change
Taking to the streets to protest climate change and to push for a greener tomorrow, more than 120 people marched in downtown Rochester for the second annual People’s Climate March on Sunday.
On Earth Day, a modest crowd gathered in Peace Plaza and toted repurposed signs made from cardboard while marching down First Avenue to People’s Food Co-op for EarthFest. This was a culmination of EarthFest 2018, a weeklong celebration of the planet in Rochester.
For many in attendance, the march was the time to demand action against several environmental issues such as fracking, dredging, coal mining and oil drilling. The demonstrators also implored city government officials to take steps in committing to using 100 percent renewable sources of energy.
Kim Sin, 41, of Rochester, brought his family along to march in the People’s Climate March because of his involvement in studying air pollution. He believes that with the city growth, along with DMC expansions, that a closer environmental impact study needs to be taken of the air quality.
“It’s important to track our air quality, and pollution has got my attention,” Sin said. “Climate change is real. ... with DMC we really gotta plan for the future.”
Many climate scientists state that the main cause of global warming is the “greenhouse effect,” when the planet’s atmosphere traps heat radiating from the Earth toward space, according to NASA’s website. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change — 1,300 independent scientific experts from all over the world — concluded there is more than 95 percent probability that human activities during the last 50 years warmed the Earth.
One marcher was Vikas Prasad, a 17-year-old Century High School junior, who implored local business owners and government officials to work toward a 100 percent renewable energy initiative for Rochester by 2031.
“We need to fight back on climate change,” Prasad said. “We need to task our local government officials to commit to change.”
Aly Welch, an 18-year-old Century High School senior, also shared those sentiments.
“It’s imperative to use our voices, even on days that aren’t Earth Day,” Welch said. “We demand action for renewable energy and cleaner resources.”

domain: sociology


text:
A genomic and bioactivity informed analysis of the metabolome of the extremophile Amycolatopsis sp. DEM30355 has allowed for the discovery and isolation of the polyketide antibiotic tatiomicin. Identification of the biosynthetic gene cluster was confirmed by heterologous expression in Streptomyces coelicolor M1152. Structural elucidation, including absolute stereochemical assignment, was performed using complementary crystallographic, spectroscopic and computational methods. Tatiomicin shows antibiotic activity against Gram-positive bacteria, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Cytological profiling experiments suggest a putative antibiotic mode-of-action, involving membrane depolarisation and chromosomal decondensation of the target bacteria.
Treatment of resistant infectious diseases poses a significant threat to human health, in particular those arising from the emergence of multidrug-resistant pathogenic bacteria. This has prompted significant efforts in the development of new small molecule antibiotics1,2,3,4, resulting in a resurgence of interest in natural product research to discover selective, novel mode-of-action therapeutic lead molecules5,6,7,8,9. Actinobacteria are a rich source of antibiotic natural products, with developments in this area being fuelled by the application of next-generation whole-genome sequencing technologies in combination with advanced bioinformatic analysis10,11,12,13,14. The combination of modern genomic techniques with the more classical approach of focussing on understudied, extremophilic, “unculturable” (so far not cultured) bacteria or rare bacterial genera, provides a rich ground for the discovery of new mode-of-action antibiotics. We therefore decided to investigate the metabolome of the extremophile Amycolatopsis sp. DEM3035515,16, which was isolated from a soil sample collected from the El Tatio geyser field within an arid part of the Atacama Desert in Chile17, through a combined genomic and bioactivity informed isolation approach resulting in the discovery of a novel anthracenone polyketide, tatiomicin. Following structural assignment, absolute stereochemistry was determined through a combination of crystallographic (resonant scattering), spectroscopic and computational methods, supporting the reassignment of the absolute stereochemistry of its nearest known natural product congeners the rishirilides18. Tatiomicin shows selective antibiotic activity against a focussed group of Gram-positive bacteria, including clinically relevant MRSA. Mode-of-action experiments indicated that tatiomicin may act as a Michael acceptor in vitro, an electrophile that can undergo conjugate addition reactions with biomolecules, and exhibits its antibiotic activity via a pathway involving membrane depolarisation and chromosomal decondensation.
Results and discussion
The actinomycete DEM30355 was isolated from a soil sample, collected from the El Tatio geyser field within an arid part of the Atacama Desert in Chile17. Strain DEM30355 was recovered in the genus Amycolatopsis, based on 16S rRNA analysis, forming a subgroup with Amycolatopsis vancoresmycina DSM 44592 T and Amycolatopsis bullii SF27T (see ESI). The genus Amycolatopsis contains 94 species and four subspecies encompassing both extremophiles and producers of bioactive secondary metabolites, including the clinically used vancomycin and rifamycin antibiotics19,20. Preliminary bioactivity screening showed that extracts of Amycolatopsis sp. DEM30355 displayed promising antibiotic activity against B. subtilis, thus we decided to examine the genome of Amycolatopsis sp. DEM30355 for novel biosynthetic potential. Purified genomic DNA from Amycolatopsis sp. DEM30355 was analysed using both PacBio® and Illumina® sequencing technologies and genome assembly was performed using the combined datasets to give a 9.6 Mb draft genome, in 13 contigs. The draft genome of Amycolatopsis sp. DEM30355 was examined using the secondary metabolite analysis software AntiSMASH 6.0.121. Of the 31 biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) detected, a PKS cluster was identified showing moderate overall similarity (81%) to that which encodes for rishirilides A and B22,23,24,25,26. These compounds are anthracenone polyketides, originally isolated from Streptomyces rishiriensis OFR-1056, with no reported antibiotic activity. Rishirilide B has been shown to be a moderately potent inhibitor of α2-macroglobulin, glutathione S-transferase and asparaginyl-tRNA synthetase, whilst little is known about the biological role of rishirilide A (Fig. 1)18,27,28.
Further inspection of the BGC from Amycolatopsis sp. DEM30355 revealed a highly altered gene synteny (see ESI), compared to the rishirilide BGC, along with the presence of several new genes: one postulated to be involved in PKS biosynthesis (tatS1), two encoding methyltransferases (tatM1 and tatM2), two encoding cyclases (tatC4 and tatC5) and one cytochrome p450 oxidoreductase (tatO11) (Fig. 2). Due to the significant variation in the genetic make-up of the BGC, we postulated that it may code for the production of an as yet undiscovered polyketide and as such we set about attempting to identify this molecule from the metabolome of Amycolatopsis sp. DEM30355.
Preliminary analysis of the fermentation supernatant of Amycolatopsis sp. DEM30355 by HPLC-HRMS showed the presence of a large number of secondary metabolites, in keeping with the predicted number of BGCs, including a compound with activity against Gram-positive bacteria (MW of 402 Da, m/z = 403 [M + H]+, m/z = 425 [M + Na]+, (–)-tatiomicin (3)). Fermentation of Amycolatopsis sp. DEM30355, removal of the biomass, extraction of the supernatant and bioactivity guided fractionation by multiple chromatography steps resulted in a fraction which retained antimicrobial activity and contained two closely related compounds. HRMS analysis suggested that these compounds were stereoisomers of each other, the major compound showing m/z = 425.1221 [M + Na]+ corresponding to a molecular formula of C21H22O8 for both molecules (see ESI).
Structural determination of the major component was initially performed by NMR, which provided the majority of molecular connectivity with the exception of the ordering of the three contiguous quaternary centres at the C-3, C-4 and C-4a positions. Structural assignment was completed via single-crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, revealing a highly oxygenated anthracenone polyketide, structurally consistent with the BGC of interest, which we named (–)-tatiomicin (3) (Fig. 1)29.
NMR and HPLC experiments demonstrated that the minor compound was the C-2 epimer, capable of equilibrating with (–)-(3) under acidic conditions (see ESI).
Determination of the absolute stereochemistry of (–)-3 was undertaken in parallel via vibrational and electronic circular dichroism spectroscopies and additional single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD) experiments.
Absolute configuration determination by vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) was based on a comparison of experimental and computationally predicted spectra, taking into account the presence of two epimers of (–)-3. Conformational analysis (see ESI), removal of redundant geometries and final optimization at the B3LYP/6–311 + + G(d,p) level allowed Boltzmann-weighted VCD spectra for both epimers of (–)-3 to be constructed. The final predicted spectrum was obtained by applying a 3:1 ratio to account for the experimentally analysed mixture of epimers. Numerical analysis was used to establish agreement between experiment and theory, the neighbourhood similarity values (ΣIR = 92.0, ΣVCD = 71.2, ESI = − 57.8) suggesting an absolute stereochemical assignment of (2S,3S,4R,4aR,10R) (Fig. 3 and ESI)30. The assignment was supported through similar electronic circular dichroism (ECD) experiments; however, in this case correlation between experiment and prediction was weaker (see ESI).
A suitable, albeit small, single-crystal of tatiomicin (3) was grown via slow evaporation from a benzene solution. Due to the crystal’s dimensions, diffraction data were collected at beam line I19 at the Diamond Light Source using synchrotron radiation at standard operating wavelength (λ = 0.6889 Å), providing a data set of sufficient quality to allow for structural confirmation. (–)-Tatiomicin (3) crystallized as an H-bonded dimer in the unit cell (Z’ = 2) along with a single molecule of solvent (benzene). To validate the absolute stereochemical assignment a further single-crystal X-ray diffraction experiment was undertaken at I19, employing non-typical, longer wavelength synchrotron radiation (λ = 1.4879 Å) to enhance resonant scattering contributions (also known inappropriately as anomalous dispersion). The absolute-structure (‘Flack’) parameter (0.05(6)) was insignificantly different from zero and with a small standard uncertainty, indicating the correct absolute configuration in the refined (2S,3S,4R,4aR,10R) structure (see ESI)29. Interestingly, following extensive stereochemical debate and several reported total syntheses, the absolute stereochemistry of the congeneric (+)-rishirilide B (2) was recently revised (2S,3S,4S), matching that of (–)-(3) over the three common stereocentres, suggesting a similar biosynthetic pathway for both sets of natural products (Fig. 4)31,32,33,34,35.
To verify that the BGC previously identified does indeed encode the biosynthetic pathway for tatiomicin (3), a high molecular-weight P1 artificial chromosome (PAC) library was obtained, consisting of 2,688 clones with an average insert size of 138 kb which contained resistant markers for kanamycin (for E. coli) and thiostreptone (for S. coelicolor). The PAC library was screened by PCR, using four primer pairs for the putative BGC. A single PAC clone was identified with the required PCR profile, which was then transferred into E. coli strain ET12567/pR9604 (dam- dcm-), the plasmid was subsequently transferred into S. coelicolor M1152 via conjugation. Exconjugants containing the plasmid integrated on the chromosome were selected for resistance to thiostrepton. Ninety-six putatively identified exconjugants were arrayed into 24 well plates and screened for the production of tatiomicin (3) by TLC, with detection based on the characteristic fluorescence upon UV irradiation at 365 nm. Based on these screening parameters, S. coelicolor M1152::tat was identified as a producer of tatiomicin (3) (see ESI).
Growth of S. coelicolor M1152::tat was examined on solid medium, the agar was extracted (EtOAc) and analysed by LCMS alongside similar fermentation extracts from both the parent strain M1152, Amycolatopsis sp. DEM30355 and a tatiomicin (3) standard. An LCMS peak corresponding to tatiomicin (3) was observed in the extract from S. coelicolor M1152::tat but was absent in that of the parent strain M1152 (Fig. 6).
Tatiomicin (3) was subsequently isolated from the fermentation of S. coelicolor M1152::tat in liquid medium (GYMG), as demonstrated by HRMS ([M + H]+ = 403.1403), with a production level in the heterologous host estimated at 0.57 mg/L, confirming the identity of the tatiomicin BGC (Fig. 5).
Based on a comparison between the tatiomicin and rishirilide BGCs22,23,24,25,26 we propose the following biosynthetic pathway operates for the assembly of tatiomicin (3) (See ESI). The modular type I polyketide synthase TatS1 is likely responsible for the biosynthesis of the polyketide starter unit, cis-crotonyl-ACP, which is then elongated via the attachment of eight malonyl-CoA by minimal PKS enzymes TatK1, TatK2, and TatK3. TatC1, TatC2, TatC3 and TatO10 show close homology to rishirilide cyclases RslC1, RslC2, and RslC3 and C9-ketoreductase RslO10, respectively. Thus, TatC1 and TatO10 likely act together to form the A ring of tatiomicin (3), whilst TatC2 and TatC3 catalyse the formation of the B and C rings. Tailoring of the polyketide core likely involves oxidation of the C ring by TatO4, and installation of the C ring epoxide by flavin mononucleotide (FMN)-dependent monooxygenase TatO1 together with a putative flavin reductase, TatO2. Opening of the epoxide is proposed to be mediated by NADPH:acceptor oxidoreductase TatO5, followed by the key Baeyer–Villiger oxidation/rearrangement controlled by TatO9 and finally reduction of the B ring ketone by ketoreductase TatO8.
Three additional tailoring enzymes are present in the BGC of tatiomicin (3) for which no homologues are present in that of rishirilide, TatO11, TatM1 and TatM2. TatO11 is a cytochrome p450 oxidoreductase, likely responsible for oxidation of the A ring to the hydroquinone form, followed by double methylation by the two methyl transferases TatM1 and TatM2 to yield the completed molecule (Fig. 6).
The enzymes TatC4 and TatC5, which are not present in the rishirilide cluster, encode for a dehydrogenase and a monooxygenase and are located in the centre of the biosynthetic gene cluster. The tatiomicin BGC contains all orthologous genes responsible for the synthesis of rishirilide. The function of these additional genes is therefore not immediate obvious and might be a result of evolutionary divergence.
(–)-Tatiomicin (3) showed no detectable antimicrobial activity (MIC > 64 µg/mL) against ten Gram-negative bacteria and two eukaryotic microorganisms (Candida spp.) (see ESI). However, antibacterial activity was observed against a sub-set of Gram-positive bacteria (MIC = 4–8 µg/mL), namely Staphylococcus and Streptococcus species. Due to the interest in developing new antibiotics against drug-resistant Staphylococcus infections, we further evaluated (–)-3 against a panel of MRSA clinical isolates, including twenty-four EMRSA-15 and EMRSA-16 strains (the main causative agents of nosocomial epidemic MRSA bacteraemia in the UK, with resistance to penicillin, ciprofloxacin and erythromycin)36, and twelve MRSA strains isolated from Belgian, Finnish, French and German hospitals (see SI). In all cases antibiotic activity was maintained (MIC = 4–8 µg/mL), suggesting that (–)-3 does not operate via a mode-of-action previously encountered by these strains, prompting us towards further investigation.
Elucidation of the mode-of-action (MOA) for a new antibacterial agent is a significant experimental challenge. The characterization of resistance mutations can be informative, however all attempts to isolate Bacillus subtilis mutants resistant to (–)-tatiomicin (3) proved unsuccessful (see ESI). Also, no positive responses were seen with a panel of B. subtilis strains containing lacZ reporter genes used to indicate common antibacterial mechanisms of action, including: fatty acid synthesis (fabHA), DNA damage (ɸ105 prophage induction), RNA polymerase (RNAP) inhibition (helD), cell wall damage (ypuA), gyrase inhibition (gyrA), and cell envelope stress (liaI)) (see ESI)37,38,39.
Due to the presence of an, albeit electron-rich, α,β-unsaturated carbonyl moiety, we postulated that the observed biological activity of (–)-tatiomicin (3) may involve the covalent modification of thiol-containing enzymes through a conjugate or Michael addition of the thiol to the α,β-unsaturated carbonyl. Thus, (–)-tatiomicin (3) was reacted with L-cysteine hydrochloride, L-cysteine methyl ester hydrochloride and a short thiol-containing peptide (LcrV (271–291)) as an enzyme proxy, under biologically relevant conditions. In all cases thiol adducts could be detected by LCMS, suggesting that (–)-tatiomicin (3) may have biologically relevant Michael acceptor activity (see ESI).
To gain further insight into a potential mode-of-action, we undertook a bacterial cytological profiling experiment in which antibacterial induced changes in the morphology of test bacteria are compared to those induced by known mode-of-action antibacterials40,41. B. subtilis 168CA-CRW419 expresses two fusion proteins, HbsU-GFP and WALP23-mCherry, allowing simultaneous visualization of both the chromosomal DNA and the bacterial cell membrane by fluorescence microscopy. The cytoplasmic membrane was unaffected unlike in the control compound nisin, which forms large pores in the membrane42. Interestingly, treatment with (–)-tatiomicin (3) induced chromosome decondensation in B. subtilis 168CA-CRW419, similar to the effects elicited by the RNAP inhibitor rifampicin (Fig. 7).
The combination of the negative result observed with the helD reporter strain, cell lysis after prolonged incubation with the compound and the inability to create resistant mutants suggest that direct RNAP inhibition is unlikely. We therefore attempted to examine the integrity of the cytoplasmic membrane using the voltage sensitive dye DiSC3(5). This dye accumulates in well-energised cells in the cytoplasmic membrane15,43 but is released upon depolarisation of the membrane, and this release can be measured by fluorescence microscopy. DiSC3(5) is used in parallel with Sytox Green, a membrane-impermeable DNA stain used as a reporter for pore formation44. Upon addition of nisin, which forms large pores in the B. subtilis membrane42, both a loss of DiSC3(5) and uptake of Sytox Green was observed. In contrast gramicidin, which forms small cation-specific channels45, showed loss of DiSC3(5) without Sytox Green staining. Treatment with (–)-tatiomicin (3) showed a similar effect to that of gramicidin, i.e. loss of DiSC3(5) without Sytox Green staining. Hence tatiomicin probably acts to dissipate the membrane potential without the formation of large pores (Fig. 8).
In an attempt to ascertain whether the observed loss of membrane potential is a downstream effect or occurs at the same time as chromosome depolarisation we performed a time-course experiment using DiSC3(5) in combination with a HsbU-GFP fusion to assess chromosome decondensation with images taken every two minutes. This showed that the loss of membrane potential occurred simultaneously with the chromosome decondensation, between 2 to 4 min, suggesting that they are closely linked events (Fig. 9).
We have identified (–)-tatiomicin (3) from Amycolatopsis sp. DEM30355, isolated from an hyper-arid Atacama desert soil, which shows antibiotic activity against a range of Gram-positive bacteria including MRSA clinical isolates. Comprehensive structural elucidation included absolute stereochemical assignment by complementary VCD and single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis, using long wavelength synchrotron radiation. The biosynthetic gene cluster of (–)-tatiomicin (3) was identified and validated through expression in a heterologous host, allowing us to propose a biosynthetic pathway. Single-cell microscopy studies suggest a pleiotropic mode-of-action involving membrane depolarisation and chromosomal decondensation, potentially involving the covalent modification of a target protein(s), although a definitive mode-of-action remains elusive at this time. Thus, we have demonstrated that modern bioprospecting techniques when applied to actinobacteria from extreme environments can still result in the discovery of new natural products with important bioactivity.
Growth conditions of Amycolatopsis sp. DEM30355
Fermentation was carried out at the Centre for Process Innovation, UK. DEM30355 was transferred from GYMG plate (yeast extract 0.4%, malt extract 1%, glucose 0.4%, glycerol 1% and agar 1%) into two conical flasks filled with 10 mL of GYMG media (yeast extract 0.4%, malt extract 1%, glucose 0.4% and glycerol 1%). After 2 days of growth, cells were transferred into a 200 mL wv (working volume) flask. After incubation overnight, the two flasks were combined and an 8 L wv bioreactor was inoculated. An overnight incubation of a 50 L seed bioreactor was inoculated with 2.5 L of culture broth. Incubation for 15 h resulted in 40 L of exponentially growing cells at an OD450nm of 5.4. The 500 L wv bioreactor was inoculated with 25 L of this culture broth. The temperature was controlled at 30 °C. The dissolved oxygen was controlled at 50% via the agitation speed (starting speed 400 rpm). Compressed air was applied to the vessel at 1 vvm. The pH was adjusted to pH 7 prior to autoclaving.
Isolation of tatiomicin
Biomass was removed via centrifugation (disc stack centrifuge, Satorious) and filtration Satorious depth filters). Amberlite XAD-16 absorption resin (10 kg) was applied to the supernatant. After overnight incubation under agitation, the beads were filtered off and washed with deionised water. Elution using methanol (40 L) was carried out. The solvent was evaporated to an aqueous extract. The pH of the aqueous extract was adjusted to 4 using sulphuric acid and twice extracted with ethyl acetate. The organic layer was evaporated to dryness resulting in 231.11 g of crude extract.
An aliquot (~ 4 g) of ethyl acetate extract, obtained from a 500 L fermentation of DEM30355, was dissolved in 20 mL of methanol (MeOH), absorbed onto 10 mL of chromatography grade silica and dried. This was loaded onto a 100 g silica SNAP Biotage cartridge and eluted with ethyl acetate (528 mL; 4 CV) at a flow rate of 50 mL/min and a fraction size of 50 mL. Fractions containing tatiomicin (Rf: 0.67, ethyl acetate, TLC) were combined and the organic solvent was evaporated under reduced pressure. The resulting black oil was dissolved in 5 mL of methanol and loaded onto an LH20 size exclusion column (GE Healthcare XK 26/100; 2.6 cm diameter, 90 cm bed height). The column was eluted with methanol at a flow rate of 1 mL/min. The first 80 mL of eluent (1 CV) was discarded, after which 10 mL fractions were collected to give 80 fractions in total. The fractions were analysed by TLC and those containing tatiomicin were combined and the solvent evaporated under reduced pressure. The resulting dark yellow oil was dissolved in 5 mL of methanol, absorbed onto 5 mL of chromatography grade silica, dried and loaded onto a 50 g silica SNAP Biotage cartridge. The column was eluted with diethyl ether at a flow rate of 50 mL/min, with 50 mL fractions collected. The fractions were analysed by TLC and those containing tatiomicin, as a mixture of two epimers, were combined, and the solvent evaporated under reduced pressure to give 171.5 mg of yellow powder.
Chemical characterisation of tatiomicin and tatiomicin*
[α]D -78 (c 0.3, CH2Cl2); 1H NMR (700 MHz, CD2Cl2) δH 8.12 (1H, s), 7.05 (1H, d, J = 9.1 Hz), 6.92 (1H, d, J = 9.2 Hz), 5.77 (1H, dq, J = 12.0, 7.2 Hz), 5.49 (1H, s), 5.47 (1H, dq, J = 12.0, 2.0 Hz), 3.85 (3H, s) 3.84 (3H, s), 2.78 (1H, q, J = 7.6 Hz), 1.94 (3H, dd, J = 7.2, 2.0 Hz), 1.20 (3H, d, J = 7.6 Hz); 13C NMR (175 MHz, CD2Cl2) δC 196.3, 174.9, 152.9, 151.2, 133.2, 131.9, 129.0, 124.7, 123.3, 118.9, 115.9, 112.8, 83.5, 82.7, 81.7, 66.5, 56.5, 56.4, 49.8, 15.6, 11.3; HRESIMS m/z found 425.1207, C21H22O8Na requires 425.1207.
1H NMR (700 MHz, CD2Cl2) δH 8.14 (1H, s), 7.07 (1H, d, J = 9.1 Hz), 6.95 (1H, d, J = 9.1 Hz), 5.76 (1H, dq, J = 11.9, 7.3 Hz), 5.52 (1H, s), 5.54–5.50 (1H, m), 3.88 (3H, s) 3.87 (3H, s), 2.81 (1H, q, J = 7.4 Hz), 1.98 (3H, J = 7.3, 1.7 Hz), 1.41 (3H, d, J = 7.4 Hz); 13C NMR (175 MHz, CD2Cl2) δC 196.3, 177.7, 153.1, 151.5, 133.9, 132.0, 129.4, 125.8, 123.5, 119.2, 116.1, 113.1, 83.7, 81.9, 80.0, 66.8, 56.8, 56.7, 49.7, 15.9, 11.3.
DNA extraction, sequencing, genome assembly and bioinformatic analysis
Exponentially growing cells (20 mL) were harvested (3000 rpm; 15 min), lysed and the DNA was purified via a phenol–chloroform extraction. The purity of extracted DNA was assessed via NanoDrop and visualisation on an agarose gel. Sequencing was performed using the next-generation sequencing platforms of Illumina HiSeq 2000 technology (Illumina) and PacBio (Pacific Biosciences). The data received from PacBio sequencing was assembled into 13 contigs using the open source PacBio software SMRTportal and subsequently corrected with the illumina reads using CLC Genomic Workbench 7.0.4 with a trial license. The gene sequence of the tatiomicin gene cluster was analysed using AntiSMASH 6.0.1 The cluster was visualized in artemis. The rishirilide gene cluster was retrieved from the MIBiG database (MGC0001179) and using the Blastp algorithm manually aligned to the tatiomicin gene cluster to find homologous genes (Table S11). The nucleotide sequence of the tatiomicin cluster was deposited in the NCBI database with the accession number (ON685203).
Creation of bacterial artificial chromosome (PAC) library
A genomic library of Amycolatopsis strain DEM30355 DNA was constructed in pESAC13 (by BioS&T). The supplied genomic library was screened for the tatiomicin gene cluster using PCR with multiple primer pairs (Table S12). PCR amplifications was performed using Herculase II Fusion according to manufacturer’s protocols. This resulted in one PAC clone (61H7) being identified which was transferred together with pR9604 into E. coli ET1256. We subsequently conjugated the plasmid pEASAC13_61H7 into S. coelicolor M1152.
Analysis of exconjugants
The received exconjugants were arrayed into five 24 well plates filled with 4 mL of GYMG media (0.4% yeast extract, 1% malt extract, 0.4% glucose and 1% glycerol) and incubated shaking at 300 rpm for 5 days at 30 °C. The supernatant was subsequently freeze dried and resuspended in 100 µL DMSO. This was subjected to TLC analysis in ethyl acetate (tatiomicin Rf 0.67, ethyl acetate). Six strains showed putative tatiomicin production and were subjected to expression analysis at a 500 mL scale in GYMG media in baffled flask for 5 days at 30 °C. One exconjugant showed via TLC clear tatiomicin production. The supernatant was delipified using petroleum ether before extraction of tatiomicin using diethyl ether at equal volume. The tatiomicin extract was then subjected to HPLC and MS analysis. Alternatively, the strain was grown on GYMG agar (7 plates in total). The plates were homogenised, freeze thawed and extracted with 500 mL ethyl acetate and subjected to LC–MS analysis.
MIC determination against a panel of bacterial isolates
Agar titration was performed in accordance with British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy guidelines46, against a collection of 54 bacterial and 2 yeast isolates. The collection included 16 isolates acquired from the National Collection of Type Cultures (NCTC, Colindale, UK), 3 isolates acquired from the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC, Manassas, USA), 1 isolate from the National Collection of Pathogenic Fungi (NCPF, Colindale, UK) and 36 MRSA strains frequently encountered in Europe. Tatiomicin/tatiomicin* (3:1) was prepared at a stock concentration of 10 mg/mL in 100% DMSO, which was tested in IsoSensitest agar at a concentration range of 0.031 to 64 μg/mL, and inoculated using a multipoint inoculator to deliver a final concentration of 104 CFU/1 µL spot of each isolate. An inhibitor-free control plate was also included. Incubation occurred at 37 ± 0.5 °C for 18 h. The MIC was defined as the lowest concentration of tatiomicin/tatiomicin* inhibiting visual growth after overnight incubation.
Assessment of Michael acceptor ability of tatiomicin
Stock solution preparation
A stock solution of tatiomicin (10 mg, 0.025 mmol) was prepared in DMSO (10 mL) to give a 2.50 mM solution. A stock solution of L-cysteine hydrochloride (1.57 mg, 0.0100 mmol) was prepared in deionised water (1 mL) to give 0.01 M solution. A stock solution of L-cysteine methyl ester hydrochloride (1.72 mg, 0.0100 mmol) was prepared in deionised water (1 mL) to give 0.01 M solution.
Experiments with L-cysteine and L-cysteine methyl ester
To a 5 mL pear shaped RBF, was added water (725 µL), 0.01 M solution of L-cysteine hydrochloride or L-cysteine methyl ester hydrochloride in water (75 µL, 0.75 µmol) and a 2.50 mM solution of tatiomicin in DMSO (200 µL, 0.50 µmol). The reactions were stirred for 180 min at room temperature. After 30, 60, 90, 120, 150 and 180 min, a 50 µL aliquot of each reaction mixture was diluted into 250 µL of water, and then analysed by LCMS to identify possible Michael addition products.
Stock solution preparation
A stock solution of tatiomicin (10 mg, 0.025 mmol) was prepared in DMSO (1 mL) to give a 25 mM solution. A 4.5 mM solution of LcrV (272–291) was prepared in 200 mM Tris buffer (pH 8) in 20 mM DTT (as a stabilizer).
Experiments with short peptide LcrV (272–291)
To a 0.2 mL Eppendorf tube, was added water (2.6 µL), 4.5 mM solution of LcrV (271–291) in 20 mM DTT (4.4 µL, 0.020 µmol), 200 mM solution of Tris buffer 200 mM (pH 8) (5 µL, 1.0 µmol) and 25 mM solution of tatiomicin in DMSO (8 µL, 0.20 µmol). The resulting mixture was mixed for 5 s (vortex) at room temperature. After 0, 15, 30, 45 and 60 min, a 2 µL aliquot of the reaction mixture was taken, diluted with 10 µL water and then analysed by LCMS to examine the presence of Michael addition products.
Single cell microscopy
B. subtilis 168CA was grown to an OD600 of 0.1 in LB medium at 37 °C while shaking. Tatiomicin/tatiomicin* was imaged at 2 × the inhibitory concentration at an OD600 0.1 (32 µg/mL). The control antibiotics rifampicin at 3 µg/mL, nisin at 33 μg/mL and gramicidin at 38 µg/mL (mix of gramicidin A–D). We assayed the effect of the compounds after 8 min of incubation with the compounds by transferring the cells onto a microscope slides covered with 1.2% agarose in water. For DiSC3(5) and Sytox Green staining a final concentration of 2 μM and 50 nM was used retrospectively. Cells were incubated for 5 min at 37 degrees before adding the compounds. Microscopy was carried out with Nikon Eclipse Ti (Nikon Plan Apo 1.40 Oil Ph3 objective) and the images acquired with Prime 4.2 sCMOS camera (Photometrics) and Metamorph 7 (Molecular Devices).
All the data generated or analysed during this study are available as Supplementary Information files. The tatiomicin gene cluster has been deposited in NCBI GenBank under accession number of ON685203.
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The authors thank Newcastle University (NCL) for funding and PhD scholarships (S.M-L. & J.C.), EPSRC (EP/G037620/1) for an EngD studentship (B.K.), the Wellcome Trust (B.K.) for an Investigator Grant to J.E. (209500), the Technology Strategy Board (N.E.E.A.) (100953, 131143), the Rosetrees Trust (M.J.H.) (M543), the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO-Vlaanderen) (J.B.) for a pre-doctoral scholarship (1198318N) the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) for fermentation and processing support, Diamond Light Source for access to beamline I19 (allocations MT6749 and MT11145), I19 beamline staff for assistance with long-wavelength X-ray experiments, Prof. W. McFarlane (NCL) for NMR support, J. Devi (Demuris) for SEM microscopy, C. Willis (NCL) for the construction of B. subtilis strain CRW419, Prof. A. Bull for collecting the soil sample from which Amycolatopsis sp. DEM30355 was isolated, and Bio S&T for the production of the P1 artificial chromosome (PAC) library.
N.E.E.A. is an employee of and J.E. scientific founder of and shareholder in Demuris, as is M.G. Demuris and Newcastle University have filed UK patent GB2009053.6. Other authors do not have any conflict of interest.
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Kepplinger, B., Mardiana, L., Cowell, J. et al. Discovery, isolation, heterologous expression and mode-of-action studies of the antibiotic polyketide tatiomicin from Amycolatopsis sp. DEM30355. Sci Rep 12, 15579 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-18726-3
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text:
Yifang Taiwan Fruit Tea is located in Greater Vancouver of British Columbia province. On the street of 152 Street and street number is 10224. To communicate or ask something with the place, the Phone number is (778) 822-9777. You can get more information from their website.
10224 152 St Unit 109, Surrey, BC V3R 6N7, Canada
|Hours (Report Incorrect Data)|
|Monday:||12:00 – 10:30 PM|
|Tuesday:||12:00 – 10:30 PM|
|Wednesday:||12:00 – 10:30 PM|
|Thursday:||12:00 – 10:30 PM|
|Friday:||12:00 – 11:00 PM|
|Saturday:||12:00 – 11:00 PM|
|Sunday:||12:00 – 10:30 PM|
Had my first visit and I can easily say it's my new "go-to" for all of my bubble tea cravings! I appreciate the use of quality ingredients and look forward to trying the rest of their menu. The staff was also very friendly and the shop is nice and clean :)
The place is very clean and the service staffs are very friendly, and they are willing to give suggestions when I'm not sure what to get. The fruit teas and bubble teas are very fresh.
Yifang promotes their use of no artificial flavours. Fresh milk and sugar. You also have several options for your perfect drink
It’s right besides Gifford and it’s little, yet quite spacious is really cute.
Glad one of theses opened near Surrey.
Food / 4
Service / 4.5
Location / 5
Vibe / 4.5
I went to Yifang three days in a row. Their signature fruit tea and brown sugar pearl drinks are very very good. The staff in this store are so nice too. This bubble tea store is arguably the best spot in surrey right now. I wish they had a bit more seating space. ????
I like the fact that everything is so fresh, no artificial flavours. They use organic milk and cane sugar. It's quite nice and refreshing.


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5 best phones with up to 7 inches screen
It would seem that devices that have a screen above 6 inches is an exaggeration and it is better to buy a tablet then. So is there a demand for such devices? Of course, yes. In this text we will present a few devices that have even about 7 inches of screen and still enjoy popularity. Such equipment will be aimed at people who are looking for a device that will combine the capabilities of a smartphone with a tablet. This type of customers can reach for one of the models presented below.
iPhone XS Max
You will certainly be able to distinguish the iPhone XS Max, which has a 6.46 inch screen. The power of this model is undoubtedly the A12 Bionic processor, which is the most powerful processor in the history of smartphones. It guarantees fast operation and exceptional performance as well as very high data security. Beauty concealed in a slim and streamlined plastic housing, gently rounded sides, as well as a large OLED Super REtina screen. The phone has two 12 MP phones. However, the cost is more than 7 thousand zlotys for an option with 512 GB of memory.
Huawei Mate 20
Another option is the flagship device from Huawei, namely the Mate 20, which has a 6.53 inch screen. It is one of the most refined equipment from a Chinese manufacturer. A small tear-shaped note that does not hit the eyes is also good. On board Android 9 and, of course, the powerful Kirin 980. The model has a FHD+ display, which occupies about 88% of the front. At the back there are three cameras. It is also important to have a powerful battery in this device. Equipment available without a contract for about 3 thousand zlotys.
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
Business Samsung Galaxy Note 9 has a 6.4-inch display. This model attracts attention because it has a stylish glass and aluminium casing with a superb 18.5 by 9 Super AMOLED QHD+ screen. The smartphone is equipped with two 12 Mpix cameras on the back and 8 Mpix cameras on the front. It is waterproof and dustproof equipment. Remote control, great speaker, face and iris recognition system. All this makes it an excellent protection for the data collected. The price of the device is about 4 thousand zlotys.
Honor 8X Max
This time the device that crossed this magical limit of 7 inches. This is the Honor 8X Max, a device in the form of an enlarged hardware for gamers. But it has a weaker processor inside. Its diagonal is as much as 7.12 inches. The body of the device is 177 mm. This is not a proposal for people who do not want a device with a large display. Underneath the chassis there is Snapdragon 636 or 4 and 6 GB of RAM. Powerful battery with a capacity of 5000 mAh allows you to work with such equipment for a long time. Unlike other models, this equipment does not allow you to create such nice pictures.
Honor Magic 2
The last model we offer is Honor Magic 2, which has a 6.39 inch screen. Recent novelty on the market from a Chinese manufacturer, which has an interesting form, because it receives a retractable camera for selfie. It is a return to the slider casing and a certain curiosity on the market of devices that use modern technological solutions.


text:
One thing Iran’s sprawling intelligence machine does not lack is a proliferation of spy agencies. Yet supreme (unelected) leader Ali Khamenei‘s has invented a new one as a sure remedy for a pressing problem.
The new branch that has come into being in recent weeks is called, according to DEBKA-Net-Weekly’s intelligence sources, Eghab-2, or “Islamic Punishment” – the kind meted out to sinners. Directly controlled from the supreme ruler’s office, the new agency is tailored specifically to the mission of catching nuclear spies. Its cover comes from being placed formally under the Ministry of Intelligence and State Security (VAVAK) headed by Hojat-Ol Eslam Ali Younessi.
Khamenei’s bureau already runs the Hefazat-Ettelaat field security agency, which is overseen by his chief of staff, and the Islamic Propagation Organization (IPO). The IPO, not content with spreading the word of the Prophet around the world, also maintains covert intelligence and counter-intelligence units.
To keep a close eye on the spymasters, Khamenei sends a personal representative to every meeting of Iran’s intelligence agencies. With the new branch, the office of Iran’s turbaned strongman becomes the most powerful intelligence hub in the country.
Eghab-2 was born in response to 18 months of accurate leaks to the West on Iran’s nuclear weapons program (starting with DEBKA-Net-Weekly 82 and 85 issues in October 2002). The Mujahideen a-Khalq, the leading Iranian opposition group in Iran and outside the Islamic Republic, chipped in with top-secret nuclear information released at a Washington news conference, whereupon Khamenei ordered a full investigation to find the “traitors.”
Another shock to Iran’s closed ruling system came in July 2004, at the height of negotiations Iran was conducting with the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Europeans on a freeze of its uranium enrichment program and other nuclear issues, such as the heavy water reactor in Arak. From comments European representatives let slip during the talks, the Iranians deduced that moles were punching security holes in their secrecy-shrouded nuclear program.
Iran’s existing intelligence agencies were ordered to plug the leak, but failed. Several Iranian nuclear scientists came under suspicion, but the secret services were unable to nail the culprits passing classified information or identify its recipients.
With so many intelligence branches engaged in the same investigation, the embarrassment of treading on each other’s feet and contradictory announcements was unavoidable.
Leaks galore, still no detentions
The first arrests were trumpeted last November. (See DNW 182, November 19, 2004.)
However, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Assefil and cabinet secretary Abdollah Ramezan Zadeh claimed eight spies had been caught, whereas intelligence minister Younessi put the figure “at about 10.” He added only three detainees had actually worked on a nuclear development project.
If this bumbling performance hardly added to the credibility of Iran’s undercover agencies, faces turned really red when finally, after years of digging, US intelligence came up with proof of two nuclear sites operating in the suburbs of Tehran. The first, Lavizan-2, northwest of the capital, is a huge military base built by the Shah. Iran set up nuclear testing facilities at the facility but had to destroy them when they were discovered. The second site, at Parchin, southeast of Teheran, is where Iran assembles Shahab-3 missiles, which have a range of 1,300 km (780 miles), and the Shahab-4, which can hit targets up to 5,000 km (3,000 miles) away. It is at Parchin that Iran has been concentrating its efforts to match nuclear warheads to the Shahab missiles.
Exposure of the two sites hit the Iranian government hard. Eghab-2 was the result.
In the last few days, its agents have interrogated dozens of scientists with the help of lie detectors. But so far no spies have been found.
DEBKA-Net-Weekly’s intelligence sources can reveal exclusively the makeup of the new intelligence agency’s directorate – all Khamenei trusties:
Revolutionary Guards (Pasdaran) representative Ahmed Haidari; military intelligence chief Gen. Akbar Dianat Far; police intelligence representative Ali Naghdi: internal security and Vayak’s counterintelligence agency representative, Gen. Ali Rabiei: and Ali Reza Afshar of the Bassij militia’s intelligence apparatus.
The supreme ruler’s personal representative is a leading light on the Eghab-2 directorate. He is Gen. Seyyed Mohammad Hejazi who advises Khamenei on security and defense matters and is also commander of Iran’s military reserve, known as the Revolutionary Enlisted Forces.
Eghab-2’s operational commanders are: Gholam-Reza Mehrabil, Pasdaran’s deputy commander for intelligence affairs, and Ali-Mohammad Shahroudi, head of the intelligence ministry’s operations department.


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- 1 year ago
About the show
Gwaith Sŵn's Sonic Darts. The London sound art collective presents new sound works, features and discussion. This month the theme is Ambience, with new pieces by Kevin Ka Wei Chan, Tom Fox, Paul Freeman, Dan Linn-Pearl, Stephen Stamper, and an interview with sound artist/designer Yuri Suzuki.

domain: artistic