text:
I can still hear my piano teacher, Mrs. Wentz, singing along as she called out the notes. "No you got that wrong, it goes like this," and she'd sing, "A, C, B, B, G," Hearing the notes as I watched it on the sheet music was just what I needed to understand how the song was supposed to be played
How does that work for visually impaired music students reading music braille? Even though they know what a quarter note, sixteenth note, and half note should sound like, sometimes stringing it all together can get confusing. Having someone sing or play the rhythm as you see the notes on the page is invaluable. If you're reading braille music, how do you coordinate your hand with their voice? Or how would a beginner make the connection between what they read, and what they hear? Wouldn't it be great if as the music was playing, the braille would play along with it? Sound and touch, together as one.
As you crank the shaft of this box, a familiar song plays. Put your finger on the pad on the top of the box, and you can follow along in music braille. The Braille Music Box is perfect for an introduction into music braille.
The first task at hand was trying to make music. I went through quite a few iterations of prongs, varying the length, thickness, width, and spacing of the prongs. I also added different "weights" to the tips of the prongs to note the effects of pitch changes. After playing around with box sizes and then boxes with holes vs boxes without holes, I settled on the final design. Some of the iterations are shown here:
From these music box tests, I also determined that in order to get the cleanest sound possible, the joint between the music box resting surface needed to be a rigid as possible. All attempts at snapping together the box resulted in "fuzzy" notes, therefore, I chose to use superglue to secure the music box to the frame.
Once the music box design was finalized and tuned correctly, I started designing the music drum. The design of the drum pins are non-traditional. This was driven by the fact that I wanted the drum to be able to be printed without any support material.
The next challenge I recognized was the braille mechanism. The braille mechanism had to do two things: indicate the correct music braille note, and play it in time with the music box. Instead of simply inscribing braille on the perimeter of a drum and having it pass over your fingers, I wanted the braille to "pop" up from a single pad. I realized very early that I wouldn't be able to simply slide the braille drum over the braille pins because while it's engaging and disengaging the pins, it could confuse the reader. This meant that the drum indicating what note was playing had to move up and down as the music played. You can see some of the different versions here:
I chose a cam type mechanism and played around with a few different profiles until the motion looked right. I think the next iteration will be a linkage type mechanism to increase the fluidity of the movement. You can see different iterations here:
The final task at hand was increasing the output torque enough to drive both the braille drum and the music drum. This played well with the fact that I wanted the music to be relatively slow so that the braille reader would have time to recognize the notes as they popped up through the interface. I first determined how fast I thought a typical user would crank the input shaft (approximately 100 RPM). Next I determined what a comfortable reading speed would be for the user (approximately 7 RPM). With those two numbers, I calculated the required gear ratios while also keeping the diameters of the gears at a reasonable diameter.
Measuring in at 250 x 180 x 130 [mm], this is definitely not a pocket-sized music box. The size was mostly driven by the braille mechanism, as it needed to fit the entire song along it's perimeter. Another driver of the large size, was the music box itself. Prong dimensions along with note spacing resulted in a large drum.
All pieces were designed to minimize the use of support material. Every part, with the exception of the music box, snaps together and does not require gluing (see "Issues" section below). The correct print orientation for each part is crucial for smooth assembly and operation. The layer lines for all snap fit parts are oriented for maximum strength. Where possible, the sliding contact joints have the same layer line orientation. Originally I planned on making the shaft supports modular so that their layer line orientation would be the same as the shafts, but that left the potential for misalignment of the shaft supports. I chose to print the entire bottom frame in one piece to guarantee correct shaft alignment.
You can find all my notes that I used during the design process below:
This marks the first version of my printable braille enabled music box. The future versions will have several improvements, including a smoother braille indicating motion, an overall reduction in size, and a modular song design that would allow a user to change the song. Furthermore, the design will be optimized for printing on a wide range of 3D printers, and indicating marks for easier assembly will be included.
This object was designed to be printed with my specific printer (Prusa i3 MK3) and filament (Hatchbox PLA). Due to differences in printers, and filaments, certain aspects of this design (sliding contact joints, gear meshes, snap fits etc.) may not perform as shown here. Filament settings are highly adjusted for each specific part. I will soon upload all settings for every part.
The braille drum was designed to be driven a certain direction, so as to help it over the cam. After printing off the music drum, I realized that I modeled the song backwards to the movement of the braille drum. Because of this, with my printed model, you have to run the music box backwards to hear the song correctly and forward to read the song in braille correctly. I would have re-printed it, but I ran out of time. The supplied model for the music drum is the correct orientation.
The cover for the model was also omitted because of time constraints. The cover is meant to include the Braille Hub frame, as well as the springs. Since the cover is omitted, it is required to superglue to frame and springs together.


text: The namelist of the students who died in the earthquake at Wenchuan (Sichuan, China) on May 12, 2008 has not been proclaimed by the government till now. A Chinese artist named Ai Weiwei initiated a volunteer group to investigate the number and namelist of victim students and teachers in Wenchuan area since the beginning of 2009. Till now part of the namelist was exposed in Ai Weiwei's blog which was soon deleted and shut down by the blog administrator under certain pressure. The names contained in the poster come from Ai Weiwei's blog under his will to spread them to more people. And the namelist is an uncompleted one which includes nearly 4,000 names of the students who died or missed on this major disaster. The names in red indicate the geographic locations of cities and towns in Sichuan province destroyed in the earthquake.

domain: geography


Steven Gerrard has provided an insight in Jurgen Klopp’s fitness regime during the lockdown and how his future remains with Rangers.
Liverpool’s former No. 8 has been readily linked with succeeding Jurgen Klopp once the German’s time at Anfield comes to an end.
The pair signed extensions at their respective clubs in December last year, with Gerrard tied to Rangers and Klopp with the Reds until at least 2024.
After starting with the Reds’ academy, Rangers is Gerrard’s first job in senior management and prior to the pandemic, his side sat in second place – 13 points behind Celtic – in his second season at the helm.
For many, the legendary former skipper is destined to manage Liverpool, but while Rangers had stumbled in the weeks leading up to games being suspended, Gerrard remains focused on the task at hand rather than speculating on long-held prophecies.
But that did not mean he was not full of praise for the Reds when talking to talkSPORT.
“Liverpool have been extremely strong for a few years now, they ran Man City ever so close last year, they’re a team that’s been in form for a long time and I think the job Jurgen has done there has been incredible,” he said.
“They’re so exciting to watch, the mentality of the whole group, they all seem in the zone and they’re such a difficult team to play against because they’ve got so many strengths all over the pitch.
“Liverpool will always be my team, I don’t think anyone would argue against me with that.
“I was there for many, many years, all the way through and I had a good career there. I’ve supported them from the day I left and I’ll always support them and back them.
“The fans make a club and the fans at Liverpool are special, they always have been with me and that’s where we get our connection from.
“But this is the start for me at Rangers now, we’re two years in and I’m hungry to continue there.”
In the meantime, however, with football on hold, Gerrard has returned to his home on Merseyside and as a result has regularly seen Klopp – at a distance that is.
And the manager is set to be “the fittest manager out there” according to Gerrard, if his running regime is anything to go by.
“Jurgen is going to be the fittest manager out there when football comes back,” Gerrard explained.
“He runs past my house at the same time every single day and he runs past going the other way, so he is definitely jogging for more than an hour. I also see him walking his dog and, with the guidelines, we can speak from a distance.
“The majority of managers are feeling the same. We want to get back to doing what we do, but we appreciate the situation the world is in and the need to be patient. But to see Jurgen gives me a lift. To bump into him at this time is always a positive for me.”


text:
You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance
A shoe’s story
Three years ago, in a
I was sitting on a shelf
with a polished top
I had a rope-like noodle
on my nose
With a sole in my body,
giving me an elegant pose.
One fine morning, along came a car
And out came a handsome superstar
And pointing to me, he
“I want that one” and
some money he paid.
This man started ruining my life
Bringing me great pain
Bit by bit, I started to tear
While he didn’t feel the
pain I had to bear.
Now, I am sitting in this dirty rubbish can
Waiting to be collected by the dirt man
Writing this autobiography of myself
In a dirt can, not on a shelf.
— Mohit Shrestha,
Class VI, Gyanodaya
Bal Batika School
Curve of warmth
A smile’s worth more than a well-wrapped gift
It just makes
Remember the time when you were so sad
A friend smiled and
all seemed nice.
A smile’s a curve that
no one regrets
It doesn’t cost anyone
You will always get a smile for a smile
A curve that better not
A smile’s always straight from heart
Something that’s good
as a kind word
One doesn’t need to speak to give a smile
It’s a heart that means it and a heart that understands.
A smile’s that’s not meant, isn’t a smile
It’s the devil’s heart that sneers at us
Don’t be cruel to smile
a devil’s sneer
No one’s going to be
A smile’s not a refined art that no one can do
It’s something that everyone can do but isn’t crude
Everyone who smiles makes the day better
It’s always the heart that smiles, not a mind.
— Divya Shah, Class IX,
DAV Sushil Kedia Vishwa Bharati

domain: artistic


text:
But this is not a typical election.
The Mosquito District will hold its only public hearing on the assessment election on the evening of April 15th. Voting will close at the end of that hearing, with the results to be announced on May 13th.
Yvonne Van Dyke is the current president of the Marin-Sonoma Mosquito, Vector and Disease Control District’s Board of Directors. A retired accounting from Cotati, she supports the assessment increase. But, like Egger, she also sees their pension costs as a potential pitfall, and notes that the district has recently moved to keep the problem from getting worse.
Board member Frank Egger, who remains critical of the ballot measure, contends that the Mosquito District needs to get its financial house in order before asking landowners to pay more.
Sonoma County owns hundreds of parcels within the District, and with them holds thousands of votes to be cast in this election. But political observer and columnist Dick Spotswood questions how the county is handling its decision –making.

domain: law


Yesterday, I noted the tremendous distrust between Republicans and the African American community, exemplified by the “boos” Mitt Romney received for promising to repeal Obamacare at the NAACP national conference. Given the last three years of racially-tinged attacks on President Obama, there wasn’t much Romney could do to repair the damage. Indeed, at The Prospect, I wrote that the speech was actually aimed at white moderates, and not African Americans. But that doesn’t preclude good faith, and I assumed a certain amount of sincerity in Romney’s appearance.
If his comments last night were any indication, that was a mistake.
[I] want people to know what I stand for and if I don’t stand for what they want, go vote for someone else, that’s just fine. But I hope people understand this, your friends who like Obamacare, you remind them of this, if they want more stuff from government tell them to go vote for the other guy — more free stuff.
Buzzfeed’s Andrew Kaczinski points out that this is a standard part of Romney’s stump speech. Even still, it was specifically deployed to criticize the audience at the NAACP conference. And in the context of stereotypes about African Americans — that are “dependent” on government benefits and actively seek more — it’s more than a little objectionable. Romney followed this with an appearance on Neil Cavuto’s Fox News show, where he said he “expected” the negative response from the audience.
Earlier this year, when he was still running for president, Newt Gingrich declared that he would go to the NAACP and tell “the African-American community should demand paychecks and not be satisfied with food stamps.” In much the same way, Romney went to the NAACP to make a statement for his right-wing supporters. For people who see Obamacare as a vehicle for reparations, Romney’s speech was a statement of courage — he essentially told a (middle-class, professional) audience of blacks that they’ll have to work for their benefits if he’s president. Rush Limbaugh certainly got the message:
This group wants to hear about tax increases and bigger government to take care of people. They don’t want to hear about self-reliance; they don’t want to hear about free enterprise. Free enterprise means you’ve gotta do it yourself. Free enterprise means it’s up to you. Free enterprise means you’re on your own. This group doesn’t want to hear that. I don’t think Romney got a single vote in here today.
[Obama was] confident they’ll boo Romney, simply ‘cause Romney’s white.
Far from a good faith effort to appeal to fellow citizens, it was a cynical exercise in pandering. And the message was received by the right people.


text:
Around the large stone is a twist trim with stamped beads & conchos. It has a large hand stamped bail. it is 3 1/4" long and 2 1/4" wide. It has a matte antique finish. I also have a matching bracelet listed that makes a gorgeous set.
If you'd like to have a specific item custom made, send me a email or direct message on Instagram. I have lots of stones in stock that you can choose from. I also can size most of my rings listed for a small charge. Email me if you see a ring you'd like and if it can be sized. I can also adjust most of my cuffs to fit smaller wrist sizes. Always ask before you give up on a particular piece.

domain: design


An Indian man who died in a state-run hospital is alleged to have had his penis chewed off by rats,Asian Age newspaper reports.
Arun Sandhukha, 53, had been a pneumonia patient at SSKM Hospital in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) since December 11. According to the newspaper, his family members arrived at the hospital for a visit and found him in a pool of blood, with no medical staff in sight.
“No nurse was found at the scene and he was writhing in pain. His penis had been nibbled by rats,” a victim’s relative identified as Bishwanath said. The relative said that hospital staff “admitted the presence of rats in the hospital.”
Later in the day, Sandhukha was pronounced dead. (Asian Age published its story on December 24, but it is not clear on what day the incident occurred.)


text:
With the financial district, World Trade Center and some of the area’s best restaurants on its doorstep, the NH Collection Quito Royal hotel is ideally located for business and leisure travelers. Mixing state-of-the-art facilities with personalized service, we are just 15 minutes away from the historic downtown area of Quito.
Very helpful staff. Quick response to requests.
No breakfast. No vending or ice machines. Minibar prices were ridiculous. Surprised by charge for concierge service.
This hotel is very luxurious compared to the average Radisson in the States. The location is wonderful, the room was large and well furnished for working or lounging, the services available were terrific including the spa services, and the staff is great
We had a little problem with the hotel maid 'inadvertently' walking off with a room key. The front desk managed the situation very well and the employee herself was very apologetic, the room was 're-keyed' and all was well but it was disconcerting.
The location is perfect to my needs. Supermarket down street, Deli across street. 24-hr Taxi service. Location near everything. They also have the best French Onion Soup I've ever tasted. The food is outstanding.
The Staff is very friendly and helpful, but a lot is lost in translation, making one repeat themselves over and over or going through same routine several times.
The staff were exemplary from check in to check out and went out of their way to make us comfortable and welcome. My complaints are the room was somewhat cramped which could be caused from several factors, and, the request for the eco-friendly laundry protocol is something that I'll probably have to get used to. In all I feel I will seek out a Radisson whenever I am traveling.
The hotel was quite nice and the rooms were well priced. It was the entire staff that made this stay extremely enjoyable. They arrainged transportation with me. Helped me get cash when the ATM's weren't able to process my card and even got my glasses fixed when I lost a screw and they wouldn't stay on. I enjoyed this hotel so much that I've already booked my stay there for my next trip to Quito in July.
The hotel is perhaps the best luxury hotel I've ever stayed in. The service and accommodations were excellent. The suite I occupied had everything, and nearby restaurants and grocery stores made my stay even more enjoyable. This is spot you really don't want to leave when your time is up! Overall, this was a real 'luxury' experience. All the amenities you want accompanied by some you had not thought of were included. It doesn't get any better than this place.
Excellent service, very attentive staff, room was spacious and had great natural light, hotel is in an excellent location for Quito, comfortable room with black-out shades for sleeping, very minimal noise from traffic and landing aircraft - I would definitely stay at the Radisson Hotel Quito in the future.
Good hotel. Only complaint is lack of dining choices in-house; breakfast buffet @ $* per person is expensive. However, I do not mind staying there again. Location is not too bad, once you have some familiarity with the city. There are other dining options within walking distance from the hotel if you get tired of hotel fare. Reasonably priced airport transfers as well. We were picked up to and from the airport by a staffer named Mauricio and he was great.
This hotel was clean comfortable with a little bit of old-fashioned luxury ambiance. The worst part was the neighborhood where you really should take a taxi at night even though its only a 10 minute walk to the bus and a busy night-life area. The amenities were fine I LOVED the iPod dock in the room to both charge it and listen to my music. But the stand-out about this hotel was the customer service. Im usually low maintenance but my last trip I had a few unexpected issues and the staff especially the guest relations manager was fantastic. I will try to stay here every time I visit Quito. Also value for money there should be a rating above excellent. For what you pay you will not find anything that matches in Quito. BTW also stop by Bar Refugio on Eloy Alfaro close to Portugal for another great customer service experience. #40Corner bar Karaoke#41

domain: travel


work for you?
Editor's Notes & Price Research
These switches automatically turn lights on when you enter a space and off when you leave. Its XCT Sensing Technology detects fine motion, such as typing at a desk or reading, and do not turn off inadvertently. With ambient light detection, you can customize your sensor to detect daylight so lights don't turn on with enough natural light in your room. Compatible with most bulb types. - Randy71
- Uses advanced XCT sensing technology, offering the most reliable on/off performance up to 30 ft.
- Works with all bulb types; 150-Watts of LED/CFL, 250-Watts of incandescent/halogen, 200-Watts of MLV, 2 Amp Ballats
- Programmable time-out of lights: 1, 5, 15, or 30 minutes
- For use in single-pole applications
- Great for laundry rooms, closets, and bathrooms
- No neutral required; ground wire required
- Includes (2) Maestro Motion Sensor switches; coordinating wallplates sold separately


text:
Oh, baby, you're still alive when you could have died. Guys, it's 5:20am, I'm not really sure why I'm awake, I'm sleep-delirious, sick, and really just want to share this album.
They have insanely catchy lyrics, and sound like if metric and sleigh bells had a baby and everyone told the kid when it got older it looked and sounded just like it's mom (metric) and it probably hates the comparison because it's much prettier and all, but I say sleigh bells (don't get turned off by that, there's no screaming or jarring anything, this is very calming in general) because she sounds good when she sings high - the voices sound real similar when the sleigh bells chick ain't screaming her head off being punk rawk. But then that baby had a baby with the xx. Phantogram is that baby, not the one that I don't know if it exists but I want to hear it. Anyway, this album is chill, trip-hoppy, and has some insanely interesting beats in it. You have to listen closely (which I doubt you'll do if you're just in this for the under 25K listeners on last.fm) but you'll hear beautiful things going on in this. The tracks where the dude sings are grittier, realer, and much more honest, and I'm sure you'll love it. There's two different sounds on this album, but they're cohesive, and it absolutely works. It's very sexy, very, very sexy. If you want to bed that chick you met in starbucks - this album and the xx are the two to do it to (if you last that long.)
crap i forgot a preview here it is

domain: entertainment


text:
Medical City Surgery Center Denton provides a variety of outpatient same-day surgical services to patients.
Our physician and professional staff provide the highest levels of patient focused quality care that you expect at a cost-effective price compared to standard hospital provided procedures.
The surgical options listed below are currently available at our surgery center:
- General Surgery
- Otorhinolaryngology (ENT)
- Pain Management
- Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

domain: medical


text:
“Pachakam” means cooking in kerala and Pachakam.Com welcomes you to the magnificent world of easy and healthy Indian cooking with a probe into the fascinating Indian cooking recipes. Cooking is not just about making food but is an art of presenting your culinary skills to those who love food with a different flavor and Indian cooking, by no means is an exception.
A simple & Tasty curry
Published On: 13 Apr 2014
Cook the vegetable using little water chilly powder and salt.
Grind the coconut, cumin seeds and green chilly.
When it gets cooked add curd to it and stir continuously.
To this add the grinded mixture of coconut.
Stir it well and off the flame.
Heat a pan add oil to it and when its hot add mustard and when it splutters add dried red chilly and curry leaves to it ,sauté it well.
Pour this matter to the mixture.
Kerala Vegetarian Side dish ...
Easy Breakfast ...
Vazhapindi/Banana Stem Koottaan is a famous mild flavored cu...
Thenga Aracha Vendakkaya Curry is a simple and easy okra cur...
Cauliflower Egg Stir Fry is a very tasty dish goes well with...
Puttum Kadalayum!One of the famous,traditional and best comb...
Nizana Shammas is a hosewife who has lots of interest n cooking. She is an expert in providing various traditional recipes.
Renukadevi Kumanan is a well versed person in providing varities of South Indian recipes and also some modern recipes. She used to try varities of recipes from different cuisines.
Sign up to receive email updates for New Recipes/Special Announcements

domain: hobby


(Reuters) - Boeing Co
Under the contract valued at about $225 million annually, Boeing will provide engineering support services, resources and personnel for activities aboard the ISS and manage the station's systems.
NASA selected Boeing as the prime contractor for the ISS in 1993.
The U.S. planemaker and aerospace major said recent analysis showed the spacecraft was safe and mission-capable.
(Reporting by Shreyasee Raj in Bengaluru; Editing by Ramakrishnan M.)


VPDS12: Rotary Vane Vacuum Pump 12.0 CFM Continuous Duty
The VPDS12 is an industrial size, air vacuum pump. It can be used for surge/delaval milker pulsator/milking machine hookup and HVAC evacuation jobs. This pump series has been proven to be the most reliable pump in the market.
- Aluminum alloy casing: Alloy casing has high heat dissipation to keep the motor and pump cool, while being light weight and efficient
- Single-Stage Rotary Vane Deep Vacuum Pump
- Direct drive motor allows for easy start up and is maintenance free
- Oil drain valve positioned at bottom of oil reservoir.
- Great tool for: pulsator hookup, AC System Evacuation (Refrigeration or Air Conditioning)
- Adapter to 1/2″ ACME, or 5/16″ barbed can be purchased for $7


Heading to London in the near future? Stop by the British Library’s new Terror and Wonder, which bills itself as the UK’s biggest Gothic exhibition in history. To whet your appetite, you can read this Guardian piece by Neil Gaiman, in which the Sandman author names Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein the apex of Gothic fiction. Related: our own Hannah Gersen on Frankenstein and the “Year Without a Summer.”
Haven’t heard of Teffi? You can blame that one on the Bolsheviks. The early-20th-century Russian poet, playwright and journalist, whose fans included (oddly enough) both Vladimir Lenin and Tsar Nikolai, had to flee a Moscow in turmoil to avoid persecution as a dissident. Now, several publishers are reprinting her memoir of exile, for which The New Statesman has details and a short biography.
New this week: The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman, Carnival by Rawi Hage, In the House upon the Dirt between the Lake and the Woods by Matt Bell, Children of the Jacaranda Tree by Sahar Delijani, the collected letters of Italo Calvino, and the seventh issue of McSweeney’s food mag Lucky Peach.


text:
Auntie Nom is teaching me how to fold a crane from Saa paper. Her hands are wrinkled but her eyes are bright and see well.
“There is an old legend from Japan …”
She stops and shows me how to make the next fold.
“I heard it from my grandmother.”
“No like this,” she says. And folds the paper for me.
“That if you fold a thousand cranes then your wish will be granted.”
Auntie Nom finishes her crane and looks at me. I will never forget the warmth in her gaze.
I hand the paper crane from the mosquitoes net and that night the breeze from the open window makes her dance across the moon, the star-filled night sky.
The other day I found an origami set that my brother had given me as a gift. I took out a piece of beautifully patterned paper and tried to remember the folds. What came back with each fold were Auntie Nom’s words as if the folds and the story were working together and to my amazement I could create the crane.
This prompted me to go searching for crane stories.
“Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes” is the story of a girl who died of leukemia. On August 6, 1945, when the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Sadako Sasaki was just two years old. Though the bomb did not kill her and she suffered no immediate injury, she developed leukemia when she was 11 years old. Sadako had heard that a person could make her wish come true by folding a thousand paper cranes. Wishing for good health, Sadako began folding a thousand paper cranes. But she died at age 12, before her project was completed, it is said, and her classmates finished folding her cranes for her after she died.
Children send in cranes they have folded in prayer for peace.
Sadako’s classmates also collected donations from schools throughout Japan and used the funds to create a monument to children who had been victims of the atomic bomb. Piles of thousand-crane chains sent by people from all over the world surround the monument. To people everywhere, the story of Sadako has come to symbolize the hope that no child will ever again be killed by an atomic bomb.
And more searching led me to https://www.1000cranesofhope.com/
Such a wonderful project.
And here’s a link to : How to Make a Paper Crane”
Together we can all fold a thousand cranes and make a wish for a peaceful world come true.


10 lesser known things about The Ford Motor company
So this morning I was standing on roadside waiting for a taxi. And I felt so relieved when i reached my classes right on time , I was thankful to the taxi driver, and automobile makers because due to them humans can go to whatever place they like with ease . It was then, when I questioned myself, how it all started? I mean who created automobiles and all? I googled right then and came up with the conclusion that it all started when Henry Ford started The Ford Motor Company and started mass production of automobiles. I know that the first gasoline powered automobile was created by German inventor Carl Benz , but it was the Ford Motor Company who started the automotive revolution. So today I bring you top 10 lesser known things about The Ford Motor Company.
10) How big is The Ford?
The Ford Motor company is one of the richest motor company with total assets worth 237.9 Billion USD , and it has 3 divisions naming Ford Lincoln and Motorcraft but thats not all, Ford own shares in brands like Aston Martin, Jiangling. It also have numerous joint ventures and a long list of subsidiaries, it has more than 200,000 employees. It is the fifth largest automaker in the world.
9) How old is The Ford?
The Ford motor company is one of the oldest motor company , it was founded 113 years agon on June 16, 1903. Back when the Ford company started cars were sort of royal things only a few were made and were too expensive for an average person back . Cars were all hand made and some of the cars and wagons back then had steam engines. It was Ford who revolutionized automotive industry with the concept of assembly lines and it was Ford who introduced the first moving assembly line.
8) Who own Ford?
As it is one of the richest car maker and one of the most influential automotive company in history this question is quite obvious. Well for now The Vanguard Group , Ever core Wealth Management and the Ford Family owns the company. It was stated with $28,000 cash from 12 investors however the country went public n the year 1956.
7) How it all started?
Henry ford wanted to be a car maker from the very beginning of his life in fact Ford is not his first attempt to be a car maker. He started his first company under his own name known as “Henry Ford Company” in 1901 which is today known as Cadillac, a division of the general motors. However he made a second attempt and started The Ford Motor company and became one the most successful car makers in the history
6) The first by the Ford Motor Company
After establishment of the country 1903 it started making cars under several model names but it wasn’t getting anywhere.They started with model A and several other models, on the may of 1908 they started production of Ford model T, the first car to be mass produced they sold more than 15 million Model T’s from 1908 to 1927.
5) Contributions by the Ford Motor Company
The Ford Motor company are know for their revolutionary ideas and innovations they started the modern assembly lines, the first moving assembly. They were like prophets they showed the world how to be good at doing things.They introduced the child safety door lock in 1957, they introduced rear seatbelt for the first time in their products .
4) The most iconic things about the Ford
Ford is always known for keeping up with the trends no wonder it was the most sold brand of 1980’s , the ford Model T and The Ford Mustang are the most iconic cars by Ford . The Ford Mustang is one of the most iconic cars ever made and one of the longest running models from 1965 to present and till today Ford mustang is one of the most trending car. There are numerous other trending cars by Ford
3) Is Ford only about making cars?
A Big No ! Ford is not limited to car business they also have Racing vehicle team , special vehicle team, Finance companies like Ford Credit. They are also in Stock Car Racing , Formula One car Racing , Nascar racing , Rally Races and other motosports and in fact they are really good at it. They also have Ford Research labs.
Ford is a huge selling brand , from the late 1980’s to the early 2000’s Ford have dominated the world car market. At the peak of its success the Ford Motor Company had more than 25% car sales market share. But like every company Ford have also seen darker days during the mid 2000’s the country faced huge loss solely in the year 2009 the country faced a 12.7 billion USD loss.
1) What can we expect?
Ford is a come-back king despite immense loss in 2006 the company had a notable sales increment in the 2007, and at many points in companies history the company have made come-back from the point of bankruptcy .In the February 2017, the Ford company acquired majority ownership of Argo AI, which will help in making driver less cars. That suggest Ford is making attempts to develop a driver less autonomous vehicle. If successful this could be a game changer and Ford may become greatest car manufacturer of all time.
So these were lesser known things about The Ford Motor Company, what do u think about it please let us know and do share knowledge with your friends.


LOS ANGELES (WJW) — Eighteen-year-old actor Tyler Sanders has died, multiple outlets reported Sunday.
Known for appearances on “9-1-1: Lone Star,” “The Rookie,” and “Just Add Magic: Mystery City,” Sanders was found unresponsive in his Los Angeles home Thursday, TMZ reported. He was declared dead at that time, and authorities did not suspect foul play.
A representative for Sanders told Fox News an investigation into the death is ongoing.
“Tyler was a talented actor with a bright future,” the family’s representative told Fox.
Sanders reportedly started acting at age 10, with his first credit appearing on IMDB in 2015. The actor was nominated for an Emmy for his work on the Amazon Prime series “Just Add Magic: Mystery City.”


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South African Reserve Bank governor Gill Marcus and senior executives are to forego pay increases for the next year, in response to President Jacob Zuma’s call for executives to help stabilise the economy.
The Reserve Bank announced the decision to freeze salaries following a board meeting held recently, revealing that the Governor Gill Marcus, her three Deputy Governors Francois Groepe, Lesetja Kganyago and Daniel Mminele, and all executive and non-executive directors had agreed to waive salary and fee increases for 2013; citing the “prevailing economic climate locally and globally” as the reason for the freeze.
“This is in support of President Zuma’s call to CEOs and executive directors in the private and public sectors, to agree to a freeze on increases in salaries and bonuses over the next 12 months,” the Bank announced.
President Zuma in October called upon all senior executives to agree a salary freeze for the next 12 months in an effort to stimulate the South African economy, which had been severely hit on many levels by labour unrest over the second half of 2012, as well as by the fragile state of global economies.
South African industries were hit by a wave of strikes over the later period of 2012, as the country’s labour force demanded substantial wage increases, with the mining sector leading the actions demanding that employers match the up to 22 per cent increases in pay packages in line with the infamous deal struck between workers and employers at Lonmin platinum producer; soon copied by workers across a range of industry sectors, bringing the country’s economy to a halt.
The Reserve Bank was among the voices cautioning against the large wage increases, flagging the potential impact of such big increases to wage bills for producers already struggling against a difficult financial climate.
Furthermore, as financial woes plague global economies, South Africa has seen demand for various of its export products dwindle, putting further pressure on the economy.
It is in this context that President Zuma in October stated that senior executives across the country should lead the way in building the economy – prompting the current response from the Reserve Bank senior management.
The Bank noted that the salary freeze would not apply to staff and general management.

domain: politics


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Every year, Asian Paints announces the Colour of the Year (COTY) under its ColourNext initiative that resonates with the current emotion and vibe of the country. In 2019, the colour is called Awakening – a melange of dynamic plum infused with warm purple and earthy brown that makes for a bold, saturated hue, and represents change we are seeing in every area – be it political, cultural and social. Taking inspiration from this trend, various industry experts from the design field came up with their own interpretation of Awakening, and designed decor to match this hue. We asked some of them to tell us what the Colour of Year ‘Awakening’ means to them.
Namrata Seth, Director of Sixinch
The Colour of the Year representing the theme Awakening, depicts awareness and resonates differently from one to one. From a socio-economic to cultural, to personal to fundamental values, beliefs, ideals – 2019 is the year of all sorts of awakening (political, social, economic, cultural, gender, self-growth). Weaving this theme into the space of design was challenging, yet extremely exciting and rewarding.
The Sixinch Technology, which lends a lot of flexibility towards creativity and design allowed the designers Karim Rashid, Michael Foley and Gopalkrishna Pai to create interesting forms and designs that are reflective to the concept of Awakening. The designs were modular, functional, futuristic, interactive, aesthetic and also customisable. In the spirit of the theme, the products were made in high-density full foam, sprayed with a weatherproof coating which can be used both indoors and outdoors and are extremely easy to maintain.
Suzanne Dias, Illustrator and Graphic Designer
The term Awakening signifies change. A change in the way we think and how we live. It signifies a shift in our perspectives. The Colour of the Year represents this change with it’s refreshing and unusual nature. The term is especially relevant in 2019 as we collectively become more aware and conscious of our surroundings. Millennials are the new decision makers, from leading the circular economy to finding meaning in their work or being conscious about the environment, ‘Awakening’ is a metaphor for being aware and having a purpose.
Ashish Bajoria, Founder of Scarlet Splendour
The Asian Paint’s Colour of the Year is an unusual one; it stirs our senses when we experience it. A dynamic hue of plum, it embodies an awakening of the mind, heart and the higher self to strive for the courage to change and bring change. 2019 signifies the near end of this decade and instils hope for new beginnings with a new awakening. The Colour of the Year is a tribute to this.
Gopalkrishna Pai, Designer
Awakening is realising the importance of everything around you. In today’s world, with the advancements in technology, it is crucial to stay connected with people and nature. For me, this year’s colour symbolises love, compassion and joyfulness.
Paridhi Burathoki, Senior Product Designer at Oorjaa
The term awakening has a strong sense of a nearing and inevitable change. The colour—a deeply saturated shade—makes a strong statement. I believe that colour is a tangible emotion which helps us to connect with design. Also being one of the elements of design, it speaks first to the eye of the perceiver.
Gurpreet Kaur, MD, Elite Earth
Awakening means being noticeable as bold, true and yet elegant. The colour is apt for the people who like to stand out, by being what they are. 2019 is all about positive change; taking bold steps in a dignified manner to show our true face in all aspects of life.
These specially curated products were on display at the launch of the Asian Paints Colour of the Year event in Mumbai this week and are available for purchase online.
Enjoyed reading this article? To receive more articles like this, sign up for the Architectural Digest Newsletter


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Kantigas (2013) for Arabic violin, guitar, and Arabic percussion – 18’
- Written for Hanna Khoury, Jason Vieaux, and Hafez Kotain
- Commissioned by World Café Live and LiveConnections
- Premiered at World Café Live June 2013
My "Kantigas" are a re-imagining of folk songs that have roots in the Jewish Ladino culture. The piece seeks to find common ground between contemporary western techniques and the ancient practices that reached from Northern Africa to Central Asia in this far-flung musical diaspora.


text: People walk past parts of Mardi Gras floats past and present, at Mardi Gras World, where Kern Studios creates and stores some of their floats, in New Orleans, Friday, Feb. 12, 2021. New Orleans’ annual pre-Lenten Mardi Gras celebration is muted this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. Parades canceled. Bars closed. Crowds suppressed. Mardi Gras joy is muted this year in New Orleans as authorities seek to stifle the coronavirus’s spread. And it’s a blow to the tradition-bound city’s party-loving soul.

domain: sociology


text: Bryan Mathers siphoned off some booty to Italy from the Reclaim Hosting motherload. We secured a bunch of stickers by backing Visual Thinkery’s Indiegogo campaign, and I’m glad we did. I really love the stickers visually, and they are also quite functional because many of them, like the USA Eagle stamp and EDUPUNK head, are fairly transparent which creates a gorgeous layering effect. After adding them I realized the only thing missing is a ds106 sticker. I believe I have one of Jason Toal‘s #ds106radio skull stickers left, but I am loath to use it given it will be a collector’s item one day. I like how the collage on my laptop speaks to influences and experiences past and present, and the fact that the EDUPUNK character is kissing the Reclaim Hosting logo thrills me to no end. You can also see Jessica Reingold’s DTLT TV, which I dig, some WordPress love, and a lot of Audrey Watters cause she is the ed-tech internet now. I still have a little ways to go, but I am quite happy with this deck. Bryan has been churning out amazing designs all year long, which reminds me I have a post in the queue about his artwork for Domains 17. But until then, enjoy savor the laptop art.


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Ask them in the GlobalSurfers Surf Travel Forum
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Summer Beginner Surf.« on: February 10 2008 08:02:00 »
I spent a few days in Nicaragua last summer and surfed outside of San Juan del Sur..Loved it!! I wanna go to Indonesia this year and explore the country, culture and of course the surf. I am an experienced solo traveller but beginner in terms of surfing.Where are good breaks for a beginner during June- August that are on/off the beaten path. I will be travelling alone and wanna meet others as well as get to remote spots.
RE: Summer Beginner Surf.« Reply #1 on: February 12 2008 11:02:00 »
Well just click the link on my name and you can contact my friend LEO WALSH he runs the surfing-bali.com site. No i am not him but he spends a hit load of time exploring breaks around bali and even if you dont book a package i am sure he would rpley with at least some good info couldnt hurt to try


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Molecular diagnostics for congenital hearing loss including 15 deafness genes using a next generation sequencing platform
- Sarah De Keulenaer1,
- Jan Hellemans1, 2,
- Steve Lefever2,
- Jean-Pierre Renard3,
- Joachim De Schrijver3,
- Hendrik Van de Voorde2,
- Mohammad Amin Tabatabaiefar5, 6,
- Filip Van Nieuwerburgh1, 4,
- Daisy Flamez1, 3,
- Filip Pattyn2,
- Bieke Scharlaken1,
- Dieter Deforce1, 4,
- Sofie Bekaert1,
- Wim Van Criekinge1, 3,
- Jo Vandesompele1, 2,
- Guy Van Camp5 and
- Paul Coucke1, 2Email author
© De Keulenaer et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2012
Received: 12 December 2011
Accepted: 7 May 2012
Published: 18 May 2012
Hereditary hearing loss (HL) can originate from mutations in one of many genes involved in the complex process of hearing. Identification of the genetic defects in patients is currently labor intensive and expensive. While screening with Sanger sequencing for GJB2 mutations is common, this is not the case for the other known deafness genes (> 60). Next generation sequencing technology (NGS) has the potential to be much more cost efficient. Published methods mainly use hybridization based target enrichment procedures that are time saving and efficient, but lead to loss in sensitivity. In this study we used a semi-automated PCR amplification and NGS in order to combine high sensitivity, speed and cost efficiency.
In this proof of concept study, we screened 15 autosomal recessive deafness genes in 5 patients with congenital genetic deafness. 646 specific primer pairs for all exons and most of the UTR of the 15 selected genes were designed using primerXL. Using patient specific identifiers, all amplicons were pooled and analyzed using the Roche 454 NGS technology. Three of these patients are members of families in which a region of interest has previously been characterized by linkage studies. In these, we were able to identify two new mutations in CDH23 and OTOF. For another patient, the etiology of deafness was unclear, and no causal mutation was found. In a fifth patient, included as a positive control, we could confirm a known mutation in TMC1.
We have developed an assay that holds great promise as a tool for screening patients with familial autosomal recessive nonsyndromal hearing loss (ARNSHL). For the first time, an efficient, reliable and cost effective genetic test, based on PCR enrichment, for newborns with undiagnosed deafness is available.
KeywordsDeafness Next generation sequencing PCR based enrichment Genetic diagnostics
Hearing loss (HL) is the most common birth defect in industrialized countries and the most prevalent sensorineural disorder. One out of every 500 newborns has bilateral permanent sensorineural HL of more than 40 dB HL . It is estimated that in developed countries, genetic causes are responsible in at least two-thirds of prelingual cases. In most of the cases there are no clinical abnormalities other than the hearing loss (i.e. nonsyndromic hearing loss, NSHL). Inherited NSHL is monogenic, with over 100 mapped loci and 46 causally implicated genes .
GJB2 mutations are the most frequent cause of autosomal recessive non-syndromic hearing loss (ARNSHL) and account for about 20 % of the cases . Therefore, newborns that are diagnosed with severe-to-profound HL in the absence of other abnormal findings on physical examination are analyzed for mutations in the GJB2 gene. In some cases, when imaging of the inner ear shows abnormalities such as an enlarged vestibular aquaduct, the SLC26A4 gene is analyzed. Besides these genes there is hardly any other gene that is routinely analyzed in DNA diagnostics. For this reason, a positive result is only obtained in less than 20 % of deaf children for which DNA diagnostics is requested . While substantial progress has been made in recent years in identifying the responsible deafness genes, the key challenge lies in determining which gene is responsible in a patient. Sequencing of all genes by traditional DNA sequencing technology is labor intensive and not cost effective .
Recently the next generation DNA sequencing technology has come of age . Companies such as Roche (454 Genome Sequencer FLX), Applied Biosystems (Solid System) and Illumina (Genome Analyzer) have brought high throughput DNA sequencers to the market that can sequence several hundred million to a few billions of basepairs in a few days. Until now, this technology has mainly been used for research purposes. Several genes for hearing loss have been identified using this technology . Most likely, the identification of other as yet unidentified deafness genes will follow. On the other hand, applications in DNA diagnostics in general are still rare. A first genetic test encompassing the NSHL genes using massively parallel sequencing technology has been described . In these studies, an array-based enrichment approach was used on a limited number of patients. Although this new technology holds the promise to significantly reduce the cost and workload per sample, the enrichment used leads to a significant loss in sensitivity, which is deemed unacceptable according to current standards using PCR amplification. Array based enrichment procedures inherently suffer from incomplete selection for two reasons. Firstly, due to the presence of repetitive sequences, not all fragments can be included in the selection set. Secondly, hybridization based enrichment suffers from selection bias and uneven capture efficiency. Much deeper sequencing will be needed to ensure complete or sufficient coverage of the selected fragments, in comparison to unbiased selection techniques such as PCR. In combination, these factors lead to a reduced sensitivity, while sensitivity requirements for DNA diagnostics are generally required to be very high. Here, we report the evaluation of a PCR based enrichment strategy followed by a 454 NGS approach for 5 patients using NGS implicated in ARNSHL.
Five patients with familial congenital deafness were screened for 15 deafness genes on the 454 Genome Sequencer in order to evaluate if next generation sequencing enables the detection of mutations. Three of these patients are members of families in which a region of interest has previously been characterized by linkage studies. Therefore, mutations in respectively CDH23 (for patients 1 and 2) and OTOF (for patient 4) were expected. In patient 5, a known mutation (c.236 + 1 G > A) in TMC1 had to be confirmed. For patient 3, no mutation was known.
Number of exons
Number of mutations worldwide**
Number of homopolymer repeats* in CDS
Function in hearing process
hair bundle, motor protein
exocytose at auditory ribbon synapse
hair bundle, adhesion protein
extracellular matrix protein
hair bundle, cytoskeletal formation
signaling of hair cells and neurons
hair bundle, cytoskeletal formation
hair bundle, adhesion protein
hair bundle, motor proteins
Number of NGS runs
Standard 1/3 run
Standard 1/3 run
Standard 1/3 run
Standard 1/5 Titanium 1/12
Standard 1/5 Titanium 1/12
24940* (Std) 24192* (Tit)
16767* (Std) 40169* (Tit)
Total average coverage
% sequenced amplicons with coverage > 38
% sequenced amplicons with coverage > 30
% sequenced amplicons with coverage > 5
New mutation found in CDH23
New mutation found in CDH23
No mutation could be clearly identified
New mutation found in OTOF
Known mutation in TMC1 confirmed
For patients 4 and 5, 1/5 of the capacity of a Standard run with 2-lane gasket was used for each patient. The average coverage was lower than expected and therefore an additional Titanium run (1/12) was performed to have extra reads (Table 2), resulting in an average total coverage of 73 and 88 for respectively patient 4 and patient 5 (Table 2).
New variants observed in patients 1, 2 and 4
Grantham score ([0–215])
Patient 1–2 CDH23 NM_022124.4:c.5527 G > T Chr10(NCBI 36):g.73214678 G > T p.Asp1843Tyr
Most likely interfere with function (Class C65)
OTOF NM_194248.2:c.3263 T > C Chr2(NCBI 36):g.26550910 T > C p.Leu1088Pro
Less likely interfere with function (Class C0)
Variants observed in patient 3
NM_022124.5:c.8167 G > C Chr10(GRCh37):g.73566027 G > C p.Val2723Leu
NM_194248.2:c.3636_3637del Chr2(NCBI36):g.26549600_26549601del p.Phe1212fs
Frame shift (The new reading frame ends in a STOP codon 78 positions downstream.)
NM_194248.2:c.2317 C > TChr2(NCBI36):g.26553877 C > T p.Arg773Cys rs80356569
NM_194248.2:c.4936 C > T Chr2(NCBI36):g.26541265 C > T p.Pro1646Ser rs17005371
NM_001142763.1:c.1319A > C Chr10(NCBI36):g.55625450A > C p.Asp440Ala rs4935502
The variant analysis of patient 4 revealed a new homozygous missense mutation in the OTOF gene (exon 26: c.3263 T > C (p.Leu1088Pro)). This mutation is in agreement with linkage analysis, previously performed, suggesting a disease causing mutation in the OTOF gene. Prediction programs revealed the mutation as possibly damaging (PolyPhen) and not tolerated (SIFT) and therefore can most likely be considered as disease causing. The mutation was investigated in all available family members and showed full co-segregation with the deafness. The prediction results of the novel mutations, with the different software approaches, are listed in Table 3.
In patient 5, included as a control, we could confirm the heterozygous mutation in the TMC1 gene previously found with Sanger sequencing, with a relative variant frequency of 0.5. The mutation NM_138691.2:c.236 + 1 G > A was found in 13 reads out of 26. This substitution is located in the donor splice site of intron 7.
We have developed an assay to improve the molecular diagnosis of autosomal recessive nonsyndromic hearing loss (ARNSHL) by simultaneous sequencing of the exons, UTRs and alternative transcripts of 15 deafness genes. The selected list of genes includes the most frequently mutated recessive genes in patients with hearing loss (Table 1). In contrast to hybridization based capture approaches , we performed a PCR based enrichment strategy for all target regions of the 15 genes followed by sequencing with a 454 Genome Sequencer FLX. The optimization of the PCR amplification conditions made an efficient semi-automated high throughput processing of the many PCR reactions feasible and straightforward. The PCR reactions of all difficult amplicons can easily be repeated and sequenced with the conventional Sanger method. We are able to complete the screening in a relatively short period of time. The adapter ligation method (Shotgun protocol) was preferred over the fusion primer approach for amplicon sequencing, in order to reduce the sequencing cost and to obtain a more efficient workflow. When screening a limited number of genes, it is more advantageous to use gene specific primers with the forward and reverse adapters already incorporated in the oligo’s. For the 15 genes (646 amplicons) in our setting, the fusion primer approach is cost prohibitive, since the adapter sequence needs to be incorporated in every single primer set. Therefore, the adapters were ligated in one reaction to the pool of amplicons.
Two new mutations were discovered and a known heterozygous mutation could be confirmed. The depth of sequencing coverage was high (greater than 38) for over 90 % of the amplicons, indicating that the majority of amplicons are covered sufficiently. Sanger sequencing remains indispensable to confirm results, to analyze homopolymer regions and to sequence drop-out amplicons. Since this was a pilot study, we restricted the screening to 5 patients. However, by this approach we are able to screen 15 patients within a single Titanium run, making this workflow cost-effective. While further validation with a larger panel of positive controls is needed, our approach holds great promise. Although it was an advantage that the region of interest had already been localized by linkage analysis for patients 1–2 and 4; we believe that we would have found the mutation without the knowledge of the linked region. The main reason for this is that there were no other relevant mutations found in the remaining 14 analyzed genes that could be causal. The new variants that we found in CDH23 and OTOF were homozygous with a relative frequency of 1. These mutations in CDH23 and OTOF were only found in respectively patients 1–2 and 4 and not in the other analyzed deafness samples (e.g. we often did find the same SNP’s in different patients). At the same time, there was no doubt about the causality of both mutations as predicted by the different software tools.
Genetic counseling prior to analysis of genes potentially revealing Usher syndrome (CDH23, PCDH15 and MYO7A) is important and this should be explained to parents who agree to have this type of diagnostics performed for their child.
With patient 3, in whom we were not able to determine the disease causing mutation, we illustrate that the major difficulty with this kind of analysis is the interpretation of the variants. In some cases, the disease causing nature of the variant will not be convincing and additional investigations as segregation in the family or functional analysis will be essential.
Our data demonstrate that the use of NGS technology holds promises as a tool for screening congenital deafness genes. The availability of a more profound diagnostic test compared to the actual “gene by gene” analysis approach, will provide better opportunities to identify the disease causing mutation in patients permitting prompt management and accurate genetic counseling. Once a substantial number of patients originating from a specific population are analyzed, we will be able to determine the relative contribution of this set of 15 deafness genes to recessive hearing loss in this specific population, data which is currently unavailable. From a technical point of view, the screening can be performed even on a sporadic case. However less positive results will be obtained since there are a significant amount of deafness cases caused by non-genetic factors. A continued refinement of the NGS technology will further improve the sequencing accuracy and reduce the cost. At the same time bio-informatics tools will improve. This will be critical for the interpretation of NGS-data and essential for the diagnostic laboratories using NGS technology.
Genomic DNA was obtained from five patients with congenital HL. Patient 1 and 2 are the probands of a consanguineous recessive Iranian family with at least 9 affected members for which linkage to the CDH23 locus has been found previously. Patient 3, a member of a Turkish family, has congenital deafness. This patient has parents with normal hearing and GJB2 mutations have been excluded. Patient 4 is the proband of a consanguineous Iranian family with recessive deafness, for which linkage to the OTOF locus has been proven. The family had 7 affected members. Both Iranian families were seen by a geneticist and filled in a general clinical questionnaire. However, no detailed audiometric or ophthalmological examinations were performed, because the families were collected in remote locations. Both families suffered from profound early childhood hearing loss and no obvious signs of syndromal hearing loss were noted. In patient 5, a known mutation in the TMC1 gene was identified previously, and this patient served as a positive control. As patient 3 was part of routine deafness screening, specific ethical approval was not required. Both Iranian families are part of a research project at the University of Antwerp, for which ethical approval was obtained.
Primerdesign and amplicon PCR
Fifteen autosomal recessive deafness genes were selected, based on their reported mutation frequency (Table 1) . The genes with the highest frequency of mutations reported in the literature were chosen. Primer design using the in house developed primerXL pipeline (Lefever et al., in preparation), resulted in 646 oligonucleotide pairs covering all the coding sequences (CDS) and most of the UTRs of the 15 genes responsible for ARNSHL. After the first round of primer design, with the most stringent conditions (no SNPs in primer annealing region, amplicon length between 250–350 bp, GC content between 30 and 80 %), 97.1 % of all the regions of the 15 genes could be amplified successfully. The missing regions were caused by systematic drop-out of some amplicons during PCR. The primer design was optimized in different steps by accepting less stringent conditions; first by tolerating an increase in the number of generated primers (for example to allow the presence of a single SNP in the 5’ region of the primer), then by lowering the permitted amplicon length and finally by slightly varying the melting temperature (Tm) of the primers. All PCR reactions are performed using the same reaction conditions, enabling an automated workflow. The average length across the 646 amplicons is 319 bp, resulting in an aggregate target size of approximately 200 Kb. The primers used in this step are modified at their 5' end with a universal M13 linker sequence. The primer sequences were synthesized by Integrated DNA technologies and delivered in 384-well plates as a 100 μM stock solution (forward and reverse primer separately).
All 646 amplification reactions of the 15 genes were carried out as singleplex PCR in two 384-well plates per patient. A master mix for each sample was prepared and consisted of 1x Kapa Taq buffer (Sopachem), 1 mM MgCl2 (Roche Diagnostics), 0.12 mM dNTP’s (Invitrogen), 0.02 U/μl Kapa Taq polymerase (Sopachem), 0.32x LC Green Plus (Bioké) and 25 ng gDNA per reaction. Then, 1.25 μl of the forward/reverse primer mix (1 μM stock solution) was added to the 8.75 μl master mix using a Freedom EVO Tecan liquid handling robotic workstation, resulting in a final volume of 10 μl per reaction. The PCRs were first tested on Human Genomic DNA (Roche diagnostics). The amplification reactions were carried out on a C1000 real-time thermal cycler (Bio-Rad) with following cycling conditions: 95°C-5’, 94°C-30”, 58°C-30”, 72°C-50”; 40 cycles (+ plate read after each one), followed by a melt curve (65°C > 95°C for 5” increment 0.5°C). The Cq value was determined and the size of the amplified products was verified on a MultiNA (Shimadzu Biotech). To obtain an equal representation of every amplicon in the pool, PCR products were pooled in an equimolar manner for each patient, based on the end-point fluorescent values. Subsequently, 100 μl of these pools were purified with the High Pure PCR Cleanup Micro Kit (Roche Diagnostics). The quality of the PCR pools was verified on an Agilent 2100 Bioanalyzer with the DNA 1000 K chip (Agilent technologies) and the concentration was measured with the Quant-it Picogreen DNA assay (Invitrogen).
Next generation sequencing
Sanger sequencing homopolymers
We identified the homopolymer regions, defined as 6 or more repeats of the same base, located in the exonic regions of the 15 deafness genes (Table 1). These regions were analyzed with the conventional Sanger sequencing method for patient 3, since we couldn’t confirm a causal mutation in this patient.
Mapping of the sequenced reads was performed by BLAT , software that has been integrated in V.I.P. (Variant Identification Pipeline) . Variants were identified using the variant identification module included into V.I.P. with filter settings: homopolymers < 7, Quality score ≥ 30, relative variant frequency ≥ 0.35 and total coverage ≥ 20. The novel identified variants were analyzed by Alamut version 1.53 (Interactive Biosoftware).
Autosomal recessive non-syndromic hearing loss
- GS FLX:
Genome Sequencer FLX
Low molecular weight
Next generation sequencing
Polymerase chain reaction
Single nucleotide polymorphism
Variant identification pipeline.
This research has been made possible by funding from Hercules Foundation [AUGE/039] and Ghent University IOF StepStone funding. This study was supported by a research grant from ‘Action on Hearing Loss UK’ to GVC and PC. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. We thank Fatemeh Alasti for providing samples 1 and 2.
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- The pre-publication history for this paper can be accessed here:http://www.biomedcentral.com/1755-8794/5/17/prepub
This article is published under license to BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.


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So I was pondering what to blog about today—soundtracks, favorite settings, recurring themes… That was when I realized these were all connected. Here's why.
My soundtrack is usually Food Network. It's either that or the white noise of my favorite coffee shop.
My favorite settings tend to be pubs, restaurants, dining halls, kitchens.
My recurring theme—aside of course from the usual stuff that you'd expect from steamy slashy goodness—is food.
See the connection? ;) I love to cook. Maybe that influenced me to write about food; I know that's what causes me to watch Food Network. Or did the Food Network cause me to focus on food in my fiction? Maybe it's because we always had dinner together as a family when I was a kid that I feel most things are best discussed around the table and that the table must be loaded with food. Whatever the case, I love to put my characters at the dining table.
Do you have any favorite settings or themes? Places you send your character when you need some exposition? Of course, food has the added benefit of being good for both conversation and foreplay. Maybe that's why I like it so much. ::ponders naked boys and spiced maple syrup:: I think I need to get back to work now. ;D

domain: food


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- Aggregates Manager - http://www.aggman.com -
Construction unemployment rate 13.3%, industry adds 26,000 jobs
Posted By Tina Grady Barbaccia On October 7, 2011 @ 2:23 pm In Aggbeat Online | No Comments
The Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) reports that despite a stagnant national unemployment rate, the construction industry added 26,000 jobs in September, and the unemployment rate improved to 13.3 percent for the month, according to the Department of Labor’s Oct. 7 jobs report.
The unemployment rate is down from 13.5 percent in August, and much improved from 17.2 percent the same time last year. Year over year, the construction industry added 37,000 jobs, or 0.7 percent, compared to September 2010, ABC reports.
Article printed from Aggregates Manager: http://www.aggman.com
URL to article: http://www.aggman.com/construction-unemployment-rate-13-3-industry-adds-26000-jobs/
Copyright © 2009 Aggregates Manager. All rights reserved.

domain: news


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domain: pet


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NASA and Elon Musk’s rocket company SpaceX have launched a new four-astronaut team on a flight to the International Space Station, the first crew ever propelled into orbit by a rocket booster recycled from a previous flight.
The company’s Crew Dragon capsule, Endeavour, streaked into the darkened pre-dawn sky atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as its nine Merlin engines roared to life at 5.49am on Friday from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida.
The crew is due to arrive at the space station, which orbits some 400km above Earth, early on Saturday following a flight of about 23 hours.
Watch the latest News on Channel 7 or stream for free on 7plus >>
Within 10 minutes of launch, the rocket’s second stage had delivered the crew capsule to Earth orbit.
The rocket’s first stage, meanwhile, descended back to Earth and touched down safely on a landing platform floating in the Atlantic on a drone ship affectionately named Of Course I Still Love You.
The mission marks the second “operational” space station team to be launched by NASA aboard a Dragon Crew capsule since the United States resumed flying astronauts into space from US soil last year.
That followed a nine-year hiatus at the end of the US space shuttle program in 2011.
It is also the third crewed flight launched into orbit under NASA’s fledgling public-private partnership with SpaceX, the rocket company founded and owned by Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur who is also CEO of electric car maker Tesla Inc.
The first was an out-and-back test mission carrying just two astronauts into orbit last May, followed by SpaceX’s first full-fledged four-member crew in November.
Friday’s Crew 2 team consists of two NASA astronauts - mission commander Shane Kimbrough, 53, and pilot Megan McArthur, 49 - along with Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, 52, and fellow mission specialist Thomas Pesquet, 43, a French engineer from the European Space Agency.
They are expected to spend about six months aboard the orbiting research platform conducting science experiments and maintenance before returning to Earth.
The four members of Crew 1, sent to the space station in November, are slated to fly home on April 28.
The Crew 2 mission made a bit of spaceflight history due to the fact that its Falcon 9 rocket blasted off with the same first-stage booster that lofted Crew 1 into orbit five months ago, marking the first time a previously flown booster has ever been re-used in a crewed launch.
Reusable booster vehicles, designed to fly themselves back to Earth and land safely once they separate from the rest of the rocket minutes after launch, are at the heart of a re-usable rocket strategy that SpaceX helped pioneer to make spaceflight more economical.
SpaceX has logged dozens of successful Falcon 9 booster return landings, and the company has refurbished and re-used most of them, some for multiple flights.
But all of those flights, until Friday’s mission, only carried cargo.
Crew 2’s pilot, McArthur, made some history herself as the first female pilot of the Crew Dragon and the second person from her family to ride aboard the SpaceX capsule.
She is married to NASA astronaut Bob Behnken, who flew the SpaceX demonstration flight with fellow astronaut Doug Hurley last year.
The same Crew Dragon was used for that flight as well.
If all goes well, McArthur and her three crewmates will be welcomed aboard the space station on Saturday by the four Crew 1 astronauts - three from NASA and one from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency JAXA.
Two Russian cosmonauts and a US astronaut who shared a Soyuz flight to the space station are also aboard.
Stream Free on


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New Hyundai NFL TV Spot Puts the Fence in “Defense"
Earlier this summer, Hyundai announced it had struck a four-year deal with the National Football League to become the official automotive sponsor of the NFL, a title previously held by General Motors since 2001.
The deal allows Hyundai to now use NFL trademarks in certain marketing channels and advertising, and during Thursday night’s season opener between the New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers, Hyundai Motor America rolled out its first NFL-themed TV ad. The takeaway? Hyundai is pretty passionate about the NFL…as are Arizona Cardinals fans. Take a look at the humorous spot, below, featuring the 2016 Hyundai Tucson.
Need to get on the Jumbotron? Just bring the fence. A 30-second ad featuring the 2016 Sonata and a very dedicated Houston Texans fan is slated to air on September 24, during the Washington Redskins and New York Giants game. On Thursday, the company sponsored a free kickoff concert in San Francisco, home of Super Bowl 50, which featured performances from Ellie Goulding and Train. The brand is using its #BecauseFootball hashtag on social media to tie in its involvement with the NFL, reminiscent of Hyundai’s use of #BecauseFutbol during the 2014 FIFA World Cup TV coverage. Sister brand Kia is an official sponsor of NBA basketball.

domain: sports


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Speaking on his YouTube channel, Goal’s Arsenal correspondent Charles Watts believes the current squad possesses several leadership figures within it, conceding that is perhaps something they have lacked within their side in recent years.
After the comprehensive 4-0 defeat to Liverpool in their most recent league outing, manager Mikel Arteta revealed his delight of his players’ reaction in the dressing room at Anfield, citing how players took on real leadership and responsibility amid the damaging result.
He said, as per Arsenal.com: “I really liked the reaction that we had already in the dressing room at Anfield after the game. How some players took leadership and described what happened in a really honest way, and looked forward.”
Despite being a criticism that has been aimed at the north London outfit regularly in recent years, Watts believes Arteta’s current squad possesses numerous leaders, citing Granit Xhaka, captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette, Kieran Tierney and summer acquisitions Aaron Ramsdale and Ben White as chief leadership figures.
Watts said: “It’s been well-documented at times Arsenal is a club where you don’t really look at a changing room full of leaders.
“I think Granit Xhaka is certainly one, but he’s not around at the moment. But it feels like that’s changing a little bit now.
“I mean, Aaron Ramsdale, certainly – you know, exactly what he said in that interview after the game to the TV cameras. There’s no doubt in my mind that he went in and he said the exact same thing to the players.
“Now he’s a new face, obviously he’s young – but he’s just the type of character, the type of personality who will go into that changing room and he will make his voice heard, and I think that’s really, really important.
“I think there are some other players in that dressing room as well: I would certainly hope Aubameyang took on what was said, Lacazette maybe had a word, I think Ben White potentially could be in that [leadership group], Kieran Tierney certainly would be in that.”
TIF Thoughts on Watts’ Arsenal leadership claim…
If there’s one thing that Arsenal are constantly criticised about, it’s their lack of leadership. This has been a major concern for the Gunners for arguably the past decade now, but if Arteta’s comments are anything to go by, things may well be changing, as Watts suggests.
While it was always unlikely that they would go to Anfield and beat Liverpool, they can take positives from their first-half display as they largely kept the Reds relatively quiet.
However, despite the comprehensive defeat, if they can bounce back as they did after losing 5-0 to Manchester City earlier in the season, they have a very real chance of finishing in the top four, which would mark an excellent campaign for Arteta’s side.


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domain: economics


It’s been a long time since I’ve posted an update on the Dnepr project, so I thought I’d share a few pictures. I worked about 10 hours on the project this weekend, focusing on finishing the front brake cable installation and adjustments and the clutch cable. Both are now installed, lubricated, adjusted and ready for use.
The rear tubular tail light housings were purchased unpainted, and had to be manually ground to fit the unique curvature of the motorcycle and sidecar fenders. Once fitted, the housings were painted black to match the fenders. These round lights have a vintage appearance and look much nicer than the original Dnepr stamped sheet metal mounts and rectangular tail lights. While appearing vintage, these tail lights will house modern LED bulbs for improved brightness and reduced electrical draw.
The wiring for the turn signals is complete, and the turn signals on the motorcycle itself are working well. I still have to wire the right turn signals on the sidecar, in addition to the running lights, headlight and brake lights. I also have a few dummy lights left to wire, such as the neutral light and oil pressure warning light. A month ago I completed the wiring for the alternator, voltage regulator and discharge dummy lights and all are working perfectly. The voltage is as 12.5 before starting the engine, and 14.3 when the engine is running.
I have about 3 to 4 hours left to complete the wiring, at which point all the wires will be bound into a harness to keep things tidy and protected. The rear brake linkages are connected as well as the sidecar brake cable, but I’m not yet satisfied with the adjustment, so I have to look into that too.
I’ll not make much further progress in August due to a packed schedule, but I do have the entire first week in September off work, so that might be the best chance to finish the work and get the bike back on the road. We’ll see.


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Volvo’s sub-brand Polestar has unveiled the all-new O2 electric roadster concept that could be a future ‘hero car’ for the brand. Polestar boss Thomas Ingenlath says it would be “irresponsible” not to push to put it into production in the future.
- New Polestar O2 concept based on adapted underpinnings of Polestar 5
- O2 takes design inspiration from the Polestar Precept concept
- Focuses on sustainability in terms of design and materials
Polestar O2 concept: what is it?
The potential Tesla Roadster rival is based on an adapted version of the aluminium architecture that Polestar developed for the forthcoming Polestar 5 sports saloon, which, according to the firm's previous statement, offers “supercar levels” of body stiffness.
The O2 takes design cues from the Precept concept – which previewed the 2024 Polestar 5 – and Ingenlath said it was developed with two goals: further reinforcing the brand’s image as a “luxury sports brand”, and pushing internal development.
Polestar has yet to release full technical details of the O2, but the car will use the performance powertrain that appeared in the Precept, and enter production in the 5.
The O2, which features a fixed retracting roof, is substantially shorter than the Polestar 5, at around 4,600mm long, with the wheelbase shrunk by around 400mm. This has been enabled by removing the ‘foot garage’ – a well in the skateboard chassis floor of the Polestar 5 to increase rear legroom – from the platform. Polestar claims this will allow the model to maintain huge rigidity, ensuring it offers strong handling and dynamics.
The O2 also contains a novel feature: an autonomous cinematic drone, developed by Hoco Flow, which can be deployed when the car is moving to record driving sequences. An aerofoil behind the rear seats raises with the roof down to create a calm area of negative pressure that will allow the drone to launch while the car is moving, and it can follow the car at speeds up to 90kph.
Polestar O2 concept: will it enter production
“From packaging and how it’s constructed, it’s possible to put such a car in production,” Ingenlath said when asked by our sister publication Autocar UK if the O2 will lead to a production version. “Our concept cars breed that spirit of being tangible and realistic.”
Although he insisted there are no firm plans beyond the forthcoming Polestar 3 (large SUV), 4 (medium SUV) and 5, he added. “What is beyond 2025, the future will tell. We definitely put out a dream here, and we would be very irresponsible if we would not do everything possible to actually live our dreams and make them real,” Ingenlath added.
Asked if the O2 could be mechanically linked to future models from Geely-owned sibling brand Lotus, Ingenlath said, "The O2 highlights what we created for the Polestar 5. This aluminium frame is Polestar-developed and serves other purposes, being able to have this grand, luxurious GT on there in the Polestar 5. This concept we designed for Polestar, and every brand in the Geely group would like to use it, and we are open to cooperation.”
Polestar O2 concept: focuses on sustainability
The O2 has also been created with a focus on sustainability in terms of design and materials, notably with a new thermoplastic mono-material used as the base for various components, and the use of recycled polyester for all the soft interior materials. Polestar says the machine makes use of recycled materials where possible, including in the aluminium shells.
The concept sits on 22-inch wheels and features aerodynamically sculpted bodywork that is designed to maximise range by improving airflow and reducing turbulence behind the vehicle.
The focus on sustainability has included learning from Polestar’s project to develop a truly zero-emission car by 2030. Design chief Maximilian Missoni said, “We’ve put some of the ideas we’ve developed from Project Zero into the O2 to say, look, we can do products that are highly emotional and aspirational and still take people towards that goal towards zero emissions.”
Will Polestar come to India?
Well, there’s currently no word on whether Volvo’s all-electric sub-brand will be coming to India. However, Volvo has already started electrifying its India line-up with the launch of the mild-hybrid petrol XC60 and XC90 SUVs and the S90 sedan, late last year. This year, Volvo will also launch its first EV, the XC40 Recharge in India.
Do you think Polestar should bring the O2 concept into production? Let us know in the comments below.
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