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We rounded up our visit to San Francisco with a visit of the world famous, Golden Gate Bridge, which is located on Highway 101 North. After checking out from our lodging at Castro District in the morning, we made our way there by car.
A point to note to any visitor in San Francisco:- The city is built on rolling hills and uneven terrain, and many of the city's skyline and buildings/houses are on VERY steep slopes. I have never seen such unique geography which make for very fun street views!
Thinking back, when we first arrived San Francisco 2 days ago, our eyes were also nearly blinded by the merciless sun's rays!
Just to share some trivia, a great earthquake and first of 1906 that wiped out 3/4 of the city, and present day San Francisco was later rebuilt on said steep slopes to produce a city with unique topography
We went to various spots to see the Golden Gate Bridge from different angles, and we took many random photos too.
We had our brekkie in a tiny cafe which is located nearby the Golden Gate Bridge.
The view of the Golden Gate Bridge was amazingly beautiful.
We left San Francisco on Easter's Day, as we made our way to Las Vegas. I literally spent half of my Easter's Day on the road. It was a long drive again of 7 hours from San Francisco to Barstow, CA (rest stop before continue to Las Vegas).
We stopped by to have lunch at Applebee's which was located at Salinas, a rest point off the highway. We opted for the sampler portion at 3 for USD12.50, and we selected Chicken Quesadilla, Sriracha Shrimp and Grilled Chicken Wonton Tacos.
After our meal, we continued our drive and we reached Barstow, CA at night around 8pm.
We checked in to Comfort Suites Barstow, which was located off the highway. We received a little surprise by seeing an Easter egg with candy in the room. Happy Easter's Day!
I am pretty amazed by the lodging/inns around the highway, as some of them are pretty good and clean. Our room was spacious and clean, with a comfy King-sized bed. Our stay came with a decent breakfast too.
After leaving our belongings in the room, we walked around the nearby area to seek for a decent eatery for our dinner. Baby was craving for something hot and soupy due to the cold, and we had Chicken Udon at a Korean eatery place, called 'Hana Grill' which is located among other fast food joints at this rest point.
We excluded exploring the small town of Barstow in order to rest up for the 2nd leg of our journey, as we had to wake up early to have breakfast and to head for Las Vegas, NV!
Next up, stay tuned to my write-up to the entertainment capital of the world, Las Vegas, NV!


text:
A new study says that Bitcoin along with its fellow cryptocurrencies is the ‘next step’ towards money and are going to transform the mainstream form of transactions by taking the center stage.
The Imperial College of London and eToro, a trading platform had its researchers examine the basic purpose and roles of the traditional currency against the achieved growth of cryptocurrencies.
According to the researchers, the three primary criteria to assess its importance are:
- Store of value
- Medium of exchange
- Unit of account
They connected the three criteria and verified that Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are passing the criteria of ‘store of value’. This is because of the widespread adoption of cryptocurrencies by common people to invest, trade, and buy goods and services in places around the globe.
Issues of scalability, regulations, and suchlike are a major hindrance for the cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin to fulfill the two last criteria out of the three.
Professor William Knottenbelt from Imperial in context with this research says:
“The world of cryptocurrency is evolving as rapidly as the considerable collection of confusing terminology that accompanies it. These decentralized technologies have the potential to upend everything we thought we knew about the nature of financial systems and financial assets.”
Despite the adoption of cryptocurrency in real life, there is much skepticism regarding their use-case. The study, according to its researchers, proves that cryptocurrencies are not behind in their use-case and have achieved a good amount of success to be accepted on an even larger scale.
Moreover, researchers also believe that cryptocurrencies are to be adopted naturally in the future, drawing from the history of our economy where the payment methods kept becoming smoother, easier, and more advanced. The key to achieving this is the technology used to run them. To justify this, an example of lengthy cross-border transactions was cited against an easy, low-cost, and fast-paced decentralized remittance service.
The post Bitcoin [BTC] and others are evolutionary to our economy, implies a new study appeared first on AMBCrypto.

domain: economics


Cars Burglarized on Lockwood Avenue
- A resident in the 16100 block of Lockwood Avenue notified police that sometime between 8 p.m. Oct. 29 and 7 a.m. Oct. 30, an unknown person(s) entered his vehicle and removed a Sony GPS unit. The victim said that the vehicle was left unlocked in the driveway of their home. A neighbor of the victim said that they heard the vehicle's alarm going off at 4:30 a.m. that morning, but did not see anyone.
- A victim in the 16100 block of Lockwood Avenue notified police that sometime between 12:15 a.m. And 7 a.m. An unknown person(s) smashed in their rear driver's side window. The victim told officers that the only thing missing from the vehicle was a work bag, which contained objects related to home health care. The victim said they were unsure exactly what was in the bag, but would contact their employer for a full list of items and their value.
That's Not My Secret
A resident in the 5500 block of Ellen Court notified police that they were the victim of financial identity theft. The victim told police that an unknown person(s) had opened a Victoria's Secret charge card account and charged nearly $750 to the account.
The victim told officers that they contacted the credit card company and closed the account and that they wished to file a report to start a fraud investigation with the company.
Police Blotter information is provided by the Oak Forest Police Department. Charges are not evidence of guilt. They are a record of police actions taken on a given day, and persons charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. If you or a family member are charged or cited and the case is subsequently adjudicated, we encourage you to notify the editor. We will verify and report the outcome.


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If you’re considering dentures in Battle Creek MI to replace one or more missing teeth, Battle Creek Family Dentistry may be the perfect practice for you and your family. Our staff would love to sit down with you during a dental consultation to help determine whether dentures would be the best option for restoring your smile.
Finding a dental practice that offers dentures in Battle Creek, MI is not a difficult task. Finding one that is committed to your total satisfaction requires time and effort to ensure the completed dentures fit right, feel great, and truly meet your needs.
Schedule a Consultation
Our staff at Battle Creek Family Dentistry believes that great dental care begins with a thorough evaluation of our patients' teeth. Following an oral exam, we’ll discuss treatment options with you and let you know what our recommendations are - and whether they are in line with the treatment you’re seeking. New patients at our practice receive a free exam & x-rays by clipping the digital coupon on our website.
Dentures are not the only option for replacing missing teeth; however, they do come with many distinct benefits:
- Cost-effective. Dentures remain one of the most affordable treatments for replacing missing teeth. For the lowest cost available, your dental professionals can restore the function of your mouth with custom-made dentures that will allow you to speak correctly, eat most of the foods you enjoy, and regain lost confidence.
- Improve Health. Missing teeth can keep you from eating healthy foods, since teeth may not function optimally. A properly fitting set of dentures can help incorporate more solid foods into your diet.
- Durable. Dentures are designed to last up to 10 years, making them one of the best investments in your dental care. Dental experts recommend having your dentures examined annually to check for damage, fit, and function. It’s crucial that your dentures continue to fit well over the years.
- Confidence Booster. The smiles on our patients face after being fitted with their new dentures is proof that great fitting dentures change lives. If you lack self-confidence or worry about smiling, there are numerous reasons to call our staff regarding new dentures in Battle Creek, MI.
If you’d like additional information on dentures, schedule a consultation with our staff at Battle Creek Family Dentistry by phone or through our contact form.Dentures Battle Creek Mi
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domain: health


text:
Endicott man charged with felony DWI
An Endicott man was charged with driving while intoxicated and aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle after he was pulled over early Sunday morning on Main Street in Endwell, officials said.
Rasheen Page, 42, was taken into custody after performing poorly on field sobriety tests and refusing a roadside breath test, according to a statement from the Broome County Sheriff’s Office.
Page’s license had been suspended following a DWI conviction in 2013, police said. Sunday’s DWI and aggravated unlicensed operation charges are both felonies. Page was also charged Sunday with driving without an interlock device, a misdemeanor, and multiple vehicle and traffic violations, including refusal to submit to a breath-screening device test.
Page was stopped after a deputy observed a vehicle traveling nearly 20 mph under the speed limit, according to police.
He was arraigned in the Town of Union and remanded to Broome County Jail without bail.

domain: law


text:
Newcastle-based sausage manufacturer Blakemans is sponsoring Eddie 'The Beast' Hall as he attempts to realise his goal of becoming the 2017 World’s Strongest Man.
A local lad, Eddie has already been crowned the UK's Strongest Man five times and last year finished third on the world stage.
He currently holds the world record for a dead-lift of 500 kg — that’s just under half a ton or, in Blakemans terms, 110 boxes of Supreme Sausages!
In January, Eddie 'The Beast' Hall retained his UK title of The Strongest Man at the Doncaster Dome, sending him through to the world finals in May this year.
He comments: "I gave it my all and I think I won by a good 10 points. I could have missed an event and still won so I'm pretty happy with that.”
“It is so important to me to keep improving on my weaknesses and my strengths. Thanks to all the people of Stoke-on-Trent who are behind me in my effort to win The World’s Strongest Man title later this year.”

domain: sports


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In different types of K+ channels the primary activation gate is thought to reside near the intracellular entrance to the ion conduction pore. In the Shaker Kv channel the gate is closed at negative membrane voltages, but can be opened with membrane depolarization. In a previous study of the S6 activation gate in Shaker (Hackos, D.H., T.H. Chang, and K.J. Swartz. 2002. J. Gen. Physiol. 119:521–532.), we found that mutation of Pro 475 to Asp results in a channel that displays a large macroscopic conductance at negative membrane voltages, with only small increases in conductance with membrane depolarization. In the present study we explore the mechanism underlying this constitutively conducting phenotype using both macroscopic and single-channel recordings, and probes that interact with the voltage sensors or the intracellular entrance to the ion conduction pore. Our results suggest that constitutive conduction results from a dramatic perturbation of the closed-open equilibrium, enabling opening of the activation gate without voltage-sensor activation. This mechanism is discussed in the context of allosteric models for activation of Kv channels and what is known about the structure of this critical region in K+ channels.
Voltage-gated K+ (Kv) channels open and close in response to changes in membrane voltage, a property that underlies their role in electrical signaling throughout biology. These channels are tetramers, with each subunit containing six transmembrane segments, termed S1 through S6. The region of the protein that senses changes in membrane voltage is contained within the S1-S4 domain, with S4 containing the highest density of charged residues (Yellen, 1998; Li-Smerin et al., 2000a; Lu et al., 2001; Bezanilla, 2002; Gandhi and Isacoff, 2002; Jiang et al., 2003). The tetrameric arrangement of the S5 through S6 regions forms the ion-conduction pore, providing a pathway for ions to cross the membrane in the open state. In the closed state, ion permeation is minimized by an activation gate that is formed by the S6 segment at the intracellular entrance to the pore (Armstrong, 1969, 1971; Armstrong et and Hille, 1972; Holmgren et al., 1997; Liu et al., 1997; Holmgren et al., 1998; del Camino and Yellen, 2001; Zhou et al., 2001a; Hackos et al., 2002; Soler-Llavina et al., 2003) (Fig. 1 A). Structural studies on prokaryotic K+ channels in conformations that can be equated with open and closed states further supports the notion of a gate at the intracellular pore entrance (Doyle et al., 1998; Roux et al., 2000; Zhou et al., 2001a; Jiang et al., 2002a,b, 2003). When opening, the inner helices that line the pore in these channels, equivalent to the S6 segment in Kv channels, have been proposed to bend at a conserved Gly residue (Fig. 1 B, pink shading), dramatically widening the intracellular entrance to the ion conduction pathway (Jiang et al., 2002b).
In the Shaker Kv channel, the S6 activation gate is closed at negative membrane voltages, but can be opened with membrane depolarization. A previous mutagenic scan of the S6 activation gate in Shaker identified several positions that are particularly sensitive to mutation (Hackos et al., 2002). For example, mutation of Pro 475 to Asp (Fig. 1 B, blue shading) results in a channel that displays a large macroscopic conductance at negative membrane voltages where the wild-type channel is normally closed. In contrast, mutation of Val 478 to Trp (Fig. 1 B, green shading) results in a channel that traffics to the plasma membrane, but does not conduct ions even though the voltage-sensors can translocate gating charge (Hackos et al., 2002). In the Shaker Kv channel, residues P475 and V478 are positioned within the region that displays pronounced changes in accessibility during opening (Liu et al., 1997; del Camino and Yellen, 2001), intracellular to the Gly residue (466) that has been proposed to function as a gating hinge. In this paper we examine three basic types of mechanisms that might explain the constitutively conducting phenotype that is observed in the P475D mutant channel. First, it is possible that the mutation effectively disrupts the structure of the S6 gate so that it no longer participates in gating. A second possibility is that the mutation increases the conductance of the closed state (Soler-Llavina et al., 2003) without completely eliminating the ability of the S6 gate region to decrease the flow of K+ ions in the closed state. Finally, it is possible that the mutation perturbs the closed to open equilibrium in a way that allows for opening of the activation gate without prior activation of the voltage sensors. We explore these possible mechanisms using both macroscopic and single-channel recordings, and probes that interact with the voltage sensors or the intracellular entrance to the ion conduction pore. Our results point to constitutive activation of the channel resulting from a dramatic perturbation of the closed to open equilibrium.
Materials And Methods
Molecular Biology and Channel Expression
Experiments were performed using the Shaker H4 Kv channel (Kamb and et al., 1988) in pBlu-SK+ or the Kv2.1 (Frech et al., 1989) Δ7 channel in pBlu-SK−. Kv2.1Δ7 contains seven mutations in the S5-S6 linker (Aggarwal and MacKinnon, 1996; Li-Smerin and Swartz, 1998) that render the channel sensitive to the pore-blocking toxin Agitoxin-2, thus enabling the toxin to be used to subtract background conductances. Except for the experiment in Fig. 7, B and C, the Shaker Kv channel contains a deletion of residues 6–46 to remove fast N-type inactivation (Hoshi et al., 1990; Zagotta et al., 1990). Point mutations in Shaker and Kv2.1 were generated through sequential PCR and ligation into appropriately digested vectors. All mutations were verified using automated DNA sequencing. Shaker and Kv2.1 cDNA constructs were linearized with HindIII and NotI, respectively, and then transcribed using T7 RNA polymerase. Xenopus laevis oocytes were removed surgically and incubated with agitation for 1–1.5 h in a solution containing (in mM): 82.5 NaCl, 2.5 KCl, 1 MgCl2, 5 HEPES, and 2 mg/ml collagenase (Worthington Biochemical Corp.), pH 7.6 with NaOH. Defolliculated oocytes were injected with cRNA and incubated at 17°C in a solution containing (in mM): 96 NaCl, 2 KCl, 1 MgCl2, 1.8 CaCl2, 5 HEPES, and 50 μg/ml gentamicin (Invitrogen/GIBCO BRL), pH 7.6 with NaOH until electrophysiological recording.
Macroscopic ionic currents were recorded using two-electrode voltage clamp recording techniques between 1 and 5 d after cRNA injection using an OC-725C oocyte clamp (Warner Instruments). In most instances, oocytes were studied in a 160 μl recording chamber that was perfused with a solution containing (in mM): 50 RbCl, 50 NaCl, 1 MgCl2, 0.3 CaCl2, and 5 HEPES, pH 7.6 with NaOH. In several experiments, where noted, 50 mM KCl was used instead of RbCl. Data were filtered at 2 kHz (8-pole Bessel) and digitized at 10 kHz. Microelectrode resistances were between 0.2–1.2 MΩ when filled with 3 M KCl. Linear capacity, leak, and endogenous currents were subtracted after obtaining voltage-activation relations in the absence and presence of Agitoxin-2 (100 nM to 1 μM) (Garcia et al., 1994). Voltage-activation relations were fit with single Boltzmann functions according to:
where G/Gmax is obtained from normalized tail current amplitude, z is the equivalent charge, V50 is the half-activation voltage, F is Faraday's constant, R is the gas constant, and T is temperature in Kelvin.
Unitary currents were recorded in inside-out patches using a patch-clamp amplifier (Axopatch 200B). Data were filtered at 1 or 2 kHz (8-pole Bessel) and digitized at 20 kHz. Patch pipette resistance when filled with the recording solution was 10–15 MΩ. For the data presented in Fig. 8 the intracellular (bath) solution contained (in mM): 140 RbCl, 4 EGTA, 1 CaCl2, 2 MgCl2, 5 HEPES, pH 7.6, and the extracellular (pipette) solution contained (in mM): 140 RbCl, 1 CaCl2, 2 MgCl2, 5 HEPES, pH 7.6. For the data in Figs. 10 and 11, 140 mM KCl was used instead of RbCl for reasons described in the text, but otherwise the solutions were identical. Leak and capacitive currents were subtracted using null sweeps with no openings. All experiments were performed at room temperature (∼22°C).
When the membrane of a cell expressing the wild-type Shaker Kv channel is held at negative voltages (e.g., −90 mV), the channel predominantly adopts a closed conformation. If the membrane is subsequently depolarized, the voltage sensors activate and the intracellular activation gate opens, allowing the channel to conduct K+ ions. An illustration of this behavior for the wild-type Shaker Kv channel is shown in Fig. 2, A and B, where the channel was expressed in Xenopus oocytes and studied using two-electrode voltage clamp recording techniques with an external solutions containing 50 mM K+ (internal K+ is ∼100 mM). There is no detectable macroscopic K+ current observed at the negative holding voltage (Fig. 2 A, arrow), but robust voltage-activated K+ currents following depolarization above −50 mV. A strikingly different situation is seen for the mutation of Pro475 to Asp in the Shaker Kv channel where even at −150 mV there is a large standing conductance (Fig. 2 A, arrow), a phenomenon that we will refer to as a constitutive conductance. Although a large fraction of the conductance appears to be voltage independent, there are small and steeply voltage-dependent changes in macroscopic conductance that occur with membrane depolarization (Fig. 2, A and B), suggesting that some form of gating remains intact. Fitting of a single Boltzmann function to these voltage-dependent changes in conductance yields a midpoint (V50) of −100 mV and a slope (z) of ∼3. Unless otherwise indicated, all of the current records presented here were obtained by subtracting endogenous and leak currents that remained after blocking the Shaker Kv channel with Agitoxin-2, a Kv channel-specific pore-blocking toxin (Garcia et al., 1994; Miller, 1995). Thus, we are confident that the large constitutive conductance is not due to leak or endogenous conductances, but arises from the expressed Shaker Kv channel.
Gating Properties of Different Substitutions at P475
To begin our studies of the mechanism underlying this constitutively conducting phenotype we explored the side-chain dependence of the phenotype by mutating P475 to all other amino acids and examining the gating behavior of each mutant. In each case we recorded macroscopic currents using a standard external solution containing 50 mM Rb+.
As shown in Fig. 3, the constitutively conducting phenotype is not restricted to the Asp substitution, but is observed with other hydrophilic substitutions, including Gln, Asn, His, Lys, Arg, and Glu (Fig. 3, A and B; Table I). Interestingly, the degree of constitutive conduction is not fixed, but varies considerably for the different hydrophilic substitutions. For example, the fractional constitutive conductance (defined here as the limiting conductance at negative voltages divided by the maximal conductance at positive voltages) is ∼0.3 for P475Q, ∼0.05 for P475N, and ∼0.9 for P475D. In contrast to hydrophilic substitutions at P475, mutations to Trp, Tyr, Phe, Met, Cys, Ile, Val, Thr, Ser, and Gly result in channels that are similar to the wild-type in that they exhibit undetectable macroscopic current at negative voltages (fractional constitutive conductance <10−4) even though they display greatly altered conductance (G)-voltage (V) relations (Fig. 3 C, Table I).
It is evident from Fig. 3 that most of the mutations perturb the closed-open equilibrium in favor of the closed state (i.e., rightward shift of the G-V relation) and exhibit no constitutive conductance, or favor the open state and produce a detectable constitutive conductance. To further examine the relationship between substitutions at P475 and the gating properties of the channel we calculated the free energy difference between closed and open states at 0 mV (ΔG0) from both the midpoint (V50) and slope (z) of the G-V relation (Table I; Fig. 4). The ΔG0 quantity does not account for the constitutive conductance because it relies only on the voltage dependence of the channel. Fig. 4 shows plots of either side-chain volume or solvation energy, a measure of the energetics of side-chain transfer from cyclohexane to water (Fersht, 1999), against ΔΔG0 (ΔG0mut – ΔG0wt), with the constitutively conducting mutants demarcated using red symbols. There are several revealing trends evident in these plots. First, larger side chains tend to favor the open state, as indicated by more negative values of ΔΔG0. This trend is particularly evident among residues that do not give rise to a constitutive conductance (e.g., Ser, Cys, Val, Ile, Met, Phe, Tyr, Trp). Second, residues with the most negative ΔΔG0 values also have the most negative solvation energies (i.e., high hydrophilicity), and vice versa. This relationship is such that residues cluster together into two defined regions of the ΔΔG0 vs. solvation energy plot. If ΔΔG0 < −2 kcal mol−1, the solvation energy is less than −3.5 kcal mol−1, and the channel exhibits a constitutive conductance. In contrast, if ΔΔG0 > −2 kcal mol−1, the solvation energy is greater than −3.5 kcal mol−1, and the channel exhibits an undetectable level of constitutive conductance. We will return to these interesting patterns in the discussion after presenting experiments addressing the mechanism of constitutive conduction.
Effects of Hanatoxin on a Constitutively Conducting Mutant in the Kv2.1 Channel
The voltage independence of the macroscopic conductance that we observe at negative voltages for the constitutively conducting mutants suggests that ion conduction can occur irrespective of the conformation of the voltage sensor. Hanatoxin is a spider toxin that binds to the four voltage-sensing domains in the Kv 2.1 channel and shifts activation to more depolarized voltages (Swartz and MacKinnon, 1997a; Li-Smerin and Swartz, 2000, 2001). If the constitutive conductance is independent of the voltage sensors, Hanatoxin would be expected to inhibit the voltage-activated conductance but spare the standing conductance at negative voltages. Because Hanatoxin interacts with the Shaker Kv channel very weakly, we first asked whether mutation of the equivalent Pro in Kv2.1 (P406) gives rise to a constitutively conducting phenotype that is similar to what is observed in the Shaker Kv channel. These experiments were done using the Kv2.1 Δ7 construct (Aggarwal, 1996; Li-Smerin and Swartz, 1998) because the high-affinity binding site for Agitoxin-2 in the outer vestibule of this channel allows us to use this pore-blocking toxin to identify currents associated with the expressed channel, as in the previous experiments with Shaker. As shown in Fig. 5, mutation of P406 in Kv2.1 to Asp results in a channel that displays a constitutive conductance at negative voltages with a fractional constitutive conductance of ∼0.6 in an external solution containing 50 mM Rb+. Next, we tested the effects of Hanatoxin at a concentration that is nearly saturating for the Kv2.1 channel. As shown in Fig. 6, Hanatoxin binds to the P406D Kv2.1 channel and inhibits the voltage-activated current by shifting activation to more depolarized voltages, similar to what is observed for the wild-type Kv2.1 channel (Swartz and MacKinnon, 1997a; Li-Smerin and Swartz, 2000, 2001). However, even though Hanatoxin shifts activation by more than 50 mV, the toxin has no effect on the constitutive conductance. These results confirm that the constitutive conductance is independent of the voltage sensors.
Testing for Movement of the Intracellular Pore with the NH2-terminal Inactivation Domain
One of the potential mechanisms underlying constitutive conduction that would be consistent with the results presented thus far is that the structure of the S6 activation gate has been completely disrupted so that it no longer participates in gating. In this case, the gating that remains (e.g., Figs. 2 and 3) might reflect the action of a gate elsewhere in the protein. The NH2-terminal inactivation domain in Shaker is a useful probe for structural changes at the intracellular entrance to the pore because it binds in this region, but only after the activation gate opens (Hoshi et al., 1990; Zagotta and Aldrich, 1990; Zagotta et al., 1990; Demo and Yellen, 1991; MacKinnon et al., 1993; Murrell-Lagnado and Aldrich, 1993a,b; Zhou et al., 2001a). If the S6 inactivation gate has been disrupted, the inactivation ball might block the channel with only weak voltage dependence, or possibly it might not block it at all, depending on how drastically the structure in this region has been altered. We therefore asked whether the P475Q mutant of Shaker, a channel that displays both robust constitutive and voltage-dependent activity in extracellular solutions containing 50 mM Rb+ (Fig. 7 A), undergoes fast inactivation if the NH2-terminal inactivation domain is intact. Fig. 7 B shows that when the inactivation ball is present in the NH2 terminus the voltage-activated macroscopic conductance inactivates. The kinetics of inactivation are somewhat slower (∼3-fold) for the P475Q mutation compared with the wild-type channel when examined at positive voltages where inactivation exhibits no apparent voltage dependence (Fig. 7, B and D). This result is not surprising if we consider that the inactivation ball is thought to bind in the vicinity of this residue (Zhou et al., 2001a). The apparent voltage dependence of inactivation during test depolarizations closely follows the voltage-activation relation (Fig. 7 E), consistent with the open state dependence to inactivation, and therefore indicating that the activation gate moves during the test depolarization.
In addition to promoting inactivation of the voltage-activated conductance, membrane depolarization also results in a reduction of the constitutive current at −150 mV. This observation is most clearly seen after repolarization where recovery from inactivation is evident (Fig. 7 B). If we measure the fractional inactivation of the constitutive current 60 ms after repolarization to −150 mV (Fig. 7 B, black arrow), a time point at which the control channel has nearly completely deactivated (Fig. 7 A, gray arrow), and plot against the voltage of the test depolarization, the observed voltage dependence closely follows the voltage-activation relation (Fig. 7 E). The steep voltage dependence observed here implies (a) that the conducing state of the channel that exists at negative voltages is relatively insensitive to the inactivation domain; and (b) that the conducting state at negative voltages is in rapid equilibrium with the conducting state observed at depolarized voltages, after voltage-sensor activation. The observed inactivation of both the voltage-dependent and constitutive conductances strongly suggests that the structure of the intracellular entrance to the pore changes conformation during the process of activation.
Single Channel Properties of Two Constitutively Conducting Mutants
The results presented thus far suggest that the constitutive conduction is independent of the voltage-sensors, yet the S6 gate still changes conformation with membrane depolarization. Another potential mechanism that would be consistent with these findings is that the intracellular activation gate undergoes its normal conformational change but can no longer effectively minimize the flow of ion when in the “closed” conformation. Previous estimates suggest that the conductance of the closed state of the Shaker Kv channel is at least 105 lower than for the open state of the channel (Soler-Llavina et al., 2003). Perhaps these mutations increase the conductance of the closed state to readily measurable values. To evaluate this possibility we studied the unitary properties of both Shaker P475Q and P475D, two mutant channels with different degrees of constitutive activity at negative voltages (Figs. 2 and 3). As will become evident, the constitutively conducting mutants exhibit rather complex single channel behavior, with rapid transitions between different apparent conductance levels that are poorly resolved. We use the term “apparent” because these lower conductance levels might correspond to brief openings whose measured amplitude has been decreased by filtering. Our goal here is not to explore the channel kinetics in detail, but to examine whether the channel can close completely.
We initially examined the unitary properties of P475Q in symmetrical 140 mM Rb+ and observed channel activity that displayed very rapid transitions between different apparent conductance levels (Fig. 8 A). This type of activity was not observed in patches pulled from uninjected oocytes or when Agitoxin-2 was included in the patch pipette (n = 17). Thus, we are confident that the observed activity arises from the Shaker Kv channel. Although ensemble averaging of the activity observed for Shaker P475Q yields a fractional constitutive conductance (Fig. 8 B) that agrees with macroscopic recordings (Fig. 3), it is difficult to ascertain whether the mutant can close completely.
In two electrode voltage clamp recordings we observed that the fractional constitutive conductance is not fixed for a given mutant, but varies considerably with the species of permeant ion in the extracellular solution (Fig. 9). In the case of P475Q, the fractional constitutive conductance is 0.3 when 50 mM Rb+ is the external charge carrier, but only 0.05 in 50 mM external K+ (Fig. 9). In addition to a difference in the extent of constitutive conductance, the midpoint of the G-V relation in Rb+ is shifted to more negative voltages by ∼13 mV when compared with recordings in external K+ (Fig. 9 B). Although the standing conductance at negative voltages is small in the presence of external K+, its sensitivity to Agitoxin-2 (Fig. 9 A) distinguishes it from leak or endogenous conductances. To look for evidence of complete closure we examined the unitary properties of P475Q using K+ as the external permeant ion. The much smaller fractional constitutive conductance observed with external K+ might be expected to make closures more frequent, and thus easier to discern. Channel activity similar to that illustrated in Fig. 10 was observed for P475Q in eight single-channel patches in the presence of 140 mM symmetrical K+. The highest conductance level for P475Q was estimated to be 60 pS (Fig. 10, A and C), compared with ∼24 pS for the wild-type channel under similar ionic conditions (Heginbotham and MacKinnon, 1993). P475Q could be seen to enter quiescent states where no apparent activity was observed for several minutes (unpublished data), presumably because the channel entered a slow-inactivated state. When active, the mutant channel opens to multiple apparent conductance levels (Fig. 10 A). At −150 mV the channel opens to apparent subconductance levels that can be seen as a broad tail in the all points histograms (Fig. 10 A) and exhibit a probability of ∼0.18. Importantly, under these ionic conditions there are events in the unitary recordings where the channel appears to close completely. These events are relatively frequent, with a probability of being closed around 0.8 at −150 mV (Fig. 10, A and D). No such activity was observed in uninjected oocytes. The P475Q mutant also exhibits further activation with depolarization of the membrane (Fig. 10 A), with the probability of residing in the highest conducting level showing clear voltage dependence (Fig. 10 D). If the apparent closed events that we observed for P475Q correspond to states of the channel that are effectively nonconducting, they could not contribute to the constitutive conductance seen in macroscopic recordings. In this case, the observed openings should be able to account for the fractional constitutive conductance in macroscopic recordings. The openings at −150 mV occur with a probability of 0.18 and have a unitary conductance of ∼15 pS, whereas the openings at more positive voltages have a probability of 0.9 and are dominated by openings to the main conductance level (60 pS). The fractional constitutive macroscopic conductance predicted from these values is 0.05, a value that is comparable to the fractional constitutive conductances measured from macroscopic recordings with K+ as the charge carrier (0.05; Fig. 9, A and B) and from tail currents in single-channel ensembles (0.06; Fig. 10 B).
If the gate in the constitutively conducting mutants is capable of full closure, we would predict that the observed closed events for P475D would be more infrequent compared with P475Q because the P475D mutant has a much larger fractional constitutive conductance in macroscopic current recordings (∼0.9; Fig. 2). We therefore examined the unitary properties of the P475D mutant in symmetrical K+ (140 mM) and observed channel activity similar to that illustrated in Fig. 11 in four single-channel patches. The highest apparent conductance level is ∼100 pS for P475D (Fig. 11, A and C) and the channel entered quiescent states where no apparent activity was observed, similar to P475Q. For P475D, the fractional constitutive conductance from single-channel ensembles and macroscopic recordings are both ∼0.9 (Figs. 2 B and 11 B). As predicted, in the case of P475D there are infrequent events (probability ∼0.03) where the channel appears to close completely. We conclude that the apparent closures observed in unitary recordings correspond to states when the Shaker channel is for all intensive purposes nonconducting. These findings would seem to rule out the possibility that constitutive conduction arises from a leaky gate. In the discussion we will explore how the present results can be understood if the mutations have pronounced effects on the closed to open equilibrium.
The objective of this study was to explore the mechanism by which mutations within the S6 activation gate give rise to a constitutive macroscopic conductance in Kv channels. In Shaker, this phenotype is not observed for all substitutions at P475, but occurs only after substitution of the most hydrophilic amino acids, including Asp, Glu, Gln, Asn, His, Lys, and Arg (Figs. 3 and 4). We observed a very similar phenotype in the related Kv2.1 channel when we mutated the equivalent Pro to Asp (Fig. 5). In this Kv channel our experiments with Hanatoxin, a gating modifier that interacts with the voltage-sensing domains of the channel, suggest that this constitutive conductance is independent of the voltage-sensors (Fig. 6).
Constitutive Conduction by Disruption of the S6 Gate
One of the mechanisms that we examined was that hydrophilic substitutions at P475 completely disrupt the intracellular S6 activation gate. If the S6 gate were destroyed in the constitutively conducting mutants then another gate, perhaps the selectivity filter (Chapman et al., 1997; Zheng and Sigworth, 1997, 1998; Zhou et al., 2001b), would need to be invoked to explain the variable extent of voltage-dependent gating that remains. In the case of P475N with Rb+ as the external permeant ion (Fig. 3) and P475Q with K+ as the external permeant ion (Fig. 9), the fractional constitutive conductances are sufficiently small that they would be impossible to define were it not for our use of the Agitoxin subtraction procedure. It seems unlikely that the large extent of gating that remains in these mutants could be explained by gating of the selectivity filter since only relatively small changes in single channel conductance have been attributed to gating at the selectivity filter (Chapman et al., 1997; Zheng and Sigworth, 1997, 1998; Zhou et al., 2001b). A nonconductive conformation of the selectivity filter has been observed in X-ray structures of the KcsA K+ channel solved in low concentrations of K+ (Zhou et al., 2001b). In this instance, gating at the selectivity filter was proposed to occur via the ability of the intracellular S6 gate to regulate the access of K+ to the filter. This scenario would predict that full disruption of the S6 gate would uncouple gating at the selectivity filter and result in unregulated constitutive conduction, counter to what we observe for most mutants at P475. Although complete abolition of one of two gates probably cannot explain our results for all substitutions at P475, it is possible that for the most extreme mutants (i.e., P475D and E), where the macroscopic conductance changes relatively little as a function of membrane voltage, the intracellular gate plays little or no role in the gating of ions.
Our experiments with the NH2-terminal inactivation domain in the Shaker Kv channel show that the P475Q mutant is capable of inactivating. Both the voltage-activated and constitutive conductances exhibit enhanced inactivation with membrane depolarization (Fig. 7). The observed voltage dependence to inactivation in both cases has a similar steepness and position on the voltage axis when compared with voltage-dependent activation (Fig. 7), suggesting that the voltage dependence to inactivation largely arises from coupling between inactivation and activation. (Destabilization of the inactivated state due to K+ permeation from the external side of the membrane [Demo and Yellen, 1991; Murrell-Lagnado and Aldrich, 1993a; Gomez-Lagunas and Armstrong, 1994] and a small amount of intrinsic voltage dependence to inactivation, could also contribute to the observed voltage dependence.) The lower conducting states observed at negative voltages in single-channel recordings (Figs. 8 and 10) appear to be relatively insensitive to the inactivation domain (Fig. 7), either because they are too short lived or because the structures of these states are distinct from those that exist at depolarized voltages. In either case, the apparent voltage dependence to inactivation in P475Q implies that the S6 gate undergoes a conformational change with membrane depolarization. We conclude that the S6 activation gate has not been completely disrupted by the constitutively conducting mutations.
Constitutive Conduction from a Closed Gate that Conducts
Another mechanism that we tested was whether the conductance of the closed state has been increased by the hydrophilic substitutions. Our analysis of the unitary properties of both P475Q and P475D (Fig. 8–11), two mutants of the Shaker channel with rather different fractional constitutive conductances, suggest that these mutants can enter states that are effectively nonconducting (see results for rationale). In particular, the changes in the probability and conductance of the observed openings can readily account for the fractional constitutive conductances measured from macroscopic conductances, arguing against undetected conduction during the apparent closures. When taken together with conformational changes in the intracellular pore detected with the inactivation domain, these results suggest that the intracellular gate closes and is capable of decreasing the flow of ions to levels that are insignificant for the purposes of the present discussion.
Constitutive Conduction by Perturbation of the Closed-open Equilibrium
The mechanism that is the most compatible with our results is that mutations at P475 produce a dramatic perturbation of the closed to open equilibrium. We will discuss this possibility in the context of two relatively simple gating schemes that are conceptually useful in thinking about the mechanism of constitutive activation. There is considerable evidence for a general model of Kv channel activation, illustrated in Scheme IHoshi et al., 1994; Zagotta et al., 1994a,b; Schoppa and Sigworth, 1998a,b,c; Smith-Maxwell et al., 1998a,b; Ledwell and Aldrich, 1999; Horn et al., 2000; Mannuzzu and Isacoff, 2000).
The independent transition between C1 and C2 is governed by the equilibrium constant Kv and is presumed to correspond to movements of the four voltage sensors, whereas the concerted transition is governed by L and is presumed to reflect opening of the S6 activation gate. A dramatic perturbation of the final opening transition in Scheme I would predict a shift of the voltage-activation relation to more negative voltages, as we observed (Figs. 2–5, and 9), but cannot account for constitutive openings because the transition governed by Kv would drive the open probability to very low values once a sufficiently negative voltage is applied. In addition, the insensitivity of the constitutive conductance to Hanatoxin, a toxin that is thought to influence the transition between C1 and C2 (Swartz, 2001), cannot be explained in Scheme I because stabilization of C1 by the toxin would inhibit the constitutive conductance. A modified allosteric model for activation of Kv channels is depicted in Scheme II,Lu et al., 2002, for additional discussion). In this scheme, voltage-dependent gating can be produced simply by making L much larger than L′. One way to explain our results in the context of this scheme would be that hydrophilic substitutions at P475 perturb the closed to open equilibrium in such a way that the equilibrium constants L and L′ change dramatically. If we assume that L and L′ are voltage independent, then Scheme II could account for opening of the channel before voltage-sensor activation and a leftward shift in the G-V relation. The variation in the fractional constitutive conductance with different substitutions (e.g., Gln vs. Glu) could be explained by the extent to which mutations perturb both L and L′. The Hanatoxin insensitivity of the constitutive conductance can be explained by Scheme II if the toxin affects Kv and Kv′ equally. The effects of external permeant ions on the fractional constitutive conductance (Fig. 9) might be related to the “foot in the door” effect studied by Armstrong and coworkers, where they proposed that the intracellular activation gate cannot close with an ion in the aqueous cavity (Swenson and Armstrong, 1981; Matteson and Swenson, 1986; Doyle et al., 1998; Melishchuk and Armstrong, 2001). If the dwell time of Rb+ in the cavity is greater than K+, then one would predict differential effects of these permeant ions on the closed-open transitions in Scheme II. Our unitary recordings of P475Q with external Rb+ and K+ show a higher constitutive open probability with Rb+ (Figs. 8 and 10), a finding that is to a first approximation consistent with both the “foot in the door” model and Scheme II.
In the simplest form of Scheme II, the structure of the intracellular activation gate is equivalent for the two open states (O1 and O2). However, there are two observations that point to a possible structural difference between the open states that occur before and after voltage-sensor activation. First, our results in Fig. 7 suggest that the open state before voltage-sensor activation (O1) is relatively insensitive to inactivation (see previous discussion). Second, the openings that occur before voltage-sensor activation correspond to what appear to be subconductance levels. Although both the inactivation and the subconductance findings can also be explained by brief open events, we cannot exclude the possibility of two structurally distinct open states.
There is another way to understand the present observations using a concept of coupling between conformational changes in the voltage sensors and the activation gate. In Scheme II, these two types of conformational changes are coupled by virtue of the fact that the equilibrium constants for conformational changes in the gate (L and L′) depend on the conformation of the voltage sensor, and vice versa. In this scheme the strength of coupling can be defined by a coupling constant that is equal to the ratio of L to L′ which thermodynamically must also equal the ratio of Kv to Kv′. What is known about the strength of coupling in the wild-type Shaker Kv channel? Single-channel recordings of Shaker show steeply voltage-dependent open probabilities down to values as low as 10−9 at negative membrane voltages (Islas and Sigworth, 1999) and a maximal open probability at positive voltages ∼0.8–0.9 (Hoshi et al., 1994; Zagotta et al., 1994b; Schoppa and Sigworth, 1998a; Islas and Sigworth, 1999), pointing to a ratio for L to L′ of >109. However, macroscopic recordings for cells expressing large numbers of Shaker channels suggest that the minimal open probability at negative voltages could be as high as 10−5 if the kinetics of the C1 to O1 transitions are sufficiently rapid so as to be unseen in single-channel recordings (Soler-Llavina et al., 2003). Thus, we can estimate that the strength of coupling is ≥105. In Scheme II, one could account for most of our observations by an increase in L′ without changing L, an effect that would be tantamount to a change in the strength of coupling. Interestingly, we don't see a significant increase in the maximal open probability for either P475Q or D, perhaps indicating that L remains relatively unaffected. However, it is possible that a second gate such as the selectivity filter serves to limit the maximal open probability, and thus masks a pronounced change in L. We therefore conclude that the constitutively conducting mutants produce a marked change in the closed-open equilibrium, occurring either with or without a change in the strength of coupling. This conclusion is consistent with studies of chimeras between KcsA and Shaker that display a constitutively conducting phenotype (Lu et al., 2001, 2002).
Reflections on K+ Channel Structure
Can we explain a pronounced effect of hydrophilic substitutions at P475 on the closed to open equilibrium in light of the structures of K+ channels that have been solved by X-ray diffraction? From sequence alignments of the inner helices within the activation gate regions of Shaker, KcsA (Doyle et al., 1998), KirBac (Kuo et al., 2003), MthK (Jiang et al., 2002a), and KvAP (Jiang et al., 2003) (Fig. 1 B), we identified residues that appear at positions equivalent to P475 in Shaker and then examined their location and environments in the four known structures (Fig. 12). In the case of both KcsA and KirBac, which both have intracellular gate regions that appear closed (Roux et al., 2000; Zhou et al., 2001a; Jiang et al., 2002a; Kuo et al., 2003), the residue at the position equivalent to P475 is located in a relatively tightly packed region of the helical bundle, with Cα and Cβ atoms oriented such that side chains would project directly toward the adjacent inner helix (Fig. 12, A and B). Interestingly, these residues in KcsA and KirBac are surrounded by residues with strong hydrophobic character (green residues in Fig. 12, C). In contrast, in either MthK or KvAP, where the internal pores appear open (Jiang et al., 2002a,b; Jiang et al., 2003), the residues positioned at the equivalent of P475 project into water-exposed regions of the pore (Fig. 12, D and E). This open accessibility of residues at the internal end of the inner helix is largely due to the fact that the intracellular portions of the inner helices move away from the central pore axis (and thus each other) in the open state. In light of these dramatically different environments between open and closed states, it is not surprising that large hydrophilic substitutions would destabilize the closed state and have little if any effect on the open state. This structural picture is remarkably consistent with the observed relationships between gating phenotype and both side chain volume and solvation energy (Fig. 4), which suggest that P475 is located in a restricted hydrophobic environment in the closed state, but an aqueous and less confined environment in the open state. The pronounced effects on gating that we observed here are probably unrelated to the known effects of Pro residues on the stability of α-helices. Many substitutions at 475 have only very small effects on the closed to open equilibrium even though their known effects on helix stability are very different than Pro (Figs. 3 and 4; Table I).
It has been suggested that the S6 helix in Shaker is kinked by the presence of a Pro-Val-Pro motif that is absent from the four prokaryotic K+ channels discussed above (Holmgren et al., 1998; del Camino et al., 2000; del Camino and Yellen, 2001). In the closed state of Shaker, the environment around P475 is likely to be hydrophobic even if there is a kink in the S6 helix because the hydrophobic residues discussed above (Fig. 12 C) are well conserved in all K+ channels, including Shaker (Fig. 1 B). In addition, mutagenesis studies in Shaker's activation gate suggest that the region around P475 is likely to be tightly packed and crowded in the closed state (Hackos et al., 2002; Yifrach and MacKinnon, 2002). If the movements of the activation gate in Shaker are roughly similar to what has been proposed from the structures of MthK and KvAP, the region around P475 will be water exposed and less crowded in the open state. Thus, to a first approximation, the simple structural explanation for the effects of large hydrophilic substitutions will likely be applicable for all K+ channels.
The results presented here show that hydrophilic substitutions within the activation gate region of the Shaker Kv channel cause a dramatic destabilization of the closed state of the gate. This perturbation is sufficiently profound that the gate can open even though the voltage sensors remain at rest, supporting an allosteric model for activation of Kv channels and the presence of a voltage-independent closed to open transition in the activation pathway. The proposed mechanism for constitutive activation in the Shaker Kv channel can be understood in light of the X-ray structures of other K+ channels in this region.
We thank Miguel Holmgren, Mark Mayer, and Shai Silberberg for helpful discussions and critique of the manuscript, and J. Nagle and D. Kauffman in the NINDS DNA Sequencing Facility for DNA sequencing.
Olaf S. Andersen served as editor.
Manana Sukhareva and David H. Hackos contributed equally to this paper.

domain: literature


text:
Camaronal Beach is located on the Nicoya Peninsula of Guanacaste Province between the beaches of Carrillo and Islita with a wildlife refuge that preserves the rainforest.
Playa Camaronal doesn’t have a lot of buildup from hotels and tourism, because it is a wildlife refuge. Some of the animals that the area regularly sees passing through or calling it home include sea turtles (it is an important nesting site), American Crocodiles, crabs, iguanas, monkeys, armadillos and many different species of birds including hummingbirds, trogons, hawks, kingfishers and warblers to name a few.
The main role of the reserve is to make sure that the landing sea turtles are safe, and have a place to lay their eggs with the greatest possibility for survival. The species of sea turtles that land at Camaronal consist of Olive Ridleys, Black Sea Turtles, Hawksbills and the largest turtle on the planet: Leatherback Sea Turtles. Olive Ridleys land in mass at beaches further north along the peninsula, but they land one by one at Camaronal.
When heading to Camaronal, you’ll want to bring a bathing suit, towel, shorts, tee shirts, aquatic shoes (flip flops or sandals are fine), rain gear, sun block and insect repellent. You will probably need to plan your trip from nearby beaches of Playa Samara, Carrillo or Islita, and boats are likely to be your best bet for heading into the area. If you do plan on driving in yourself, you may want to reserve a four wheel drive vehicle.
Playa Camaronal is 3 hours and 39 minutes from San Jose and the Juan Santamaria International Airport. It is 2 hours and 15 minutes from Daniel Oduber Quiros International Airport in Liberia, Costa Rica. You will find some great accommodations in the area including Villas Playa Samara, Hotel Punta Islita and El Sueno Tropical. The area can be reached by plane via airports at Punta Islita and Playa Carrillo. The domestic airlines in Costa Rica are Nature Air and Sansa Air.
Items to bring: a bathing suit, towel, shorts, tee shirts, aquatic shoes (flip flops or sandals are fine), rain gear, sun block, insect repellent
Distance from San Jose:3 hours 39 minutes
Distance from Liberia: 2 hours 15 minutes
Hotels nearby: Villas Playa Samara, Hotel Punta Islita, El Sueno Tropical
Ways to get here: boat, rental car (4X4 preferred), plane, private shuttle

domain: travel


text:
Princess Diana’s former bodyguard Ken Wharfe spoke out about Kristen Stewart’s portrayal of the late royal and praised her performance in Pablo Larraín’s 2021 drama “Spencer.”
Wharfe served as the Princess of Wales’ personal protection officer from 1989 to 1993, which means he was her bodyguard at the time when the movie takes place: in 1991, during a three-day period over Christmastime in Sandringham with the rest of the royal family.
“Out of all the people who have played Diana over the past 10 years, she’s the closest to her,” he told People about the “Twilight Saga” star. “She managed to perfect her mannerisms.”
“It was purgatory for her,” Wharfe continued, adding that Diana often “confined herself to spending time in the kitchen with the chef or with people like me, in the hope that time would while away, and she could get back to London.”
Stewart, 31, also recently discussed what it was like to put on Diana’s iconic wedding dress — well, a replica that is.
“Putting that on was a spooky day,” she told Entertainment Tonight on the red carpet at the “Spencer” premiere late last month. The wedding dress scene is just one of many included in a montage of several moments that flash before her eyes during the course of the movie.
“Even though I play her as a speculatively 29, 30-year-old person, we still wanted to give a taste of the scope of her life,” Stewart shared. “Kind of touch on every part.”
Diana was further immortalized this year when a Broadway show entitled “Diana: The Musical” hit the stage. Her life and legacy will be examined further in Season 5 of Netflix’s “The Crown,” out next year.
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domain: celebrity


Discussion for the Delta 31-050 Type 1 Belt Sander
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Question: Belt Size
delta 31-050 1" belt sander....how long is the belt? does porter-cable make a replacement part # for the belt? if not, then I can probably find one if I know the length. thank you.
James B Holt
I need the belt size and how to get the belt back on. I took the old belt off. I got a new belt the same size I took it off but I can't get it back on. I even tried to put the old belt back and it won't go. Can you send me a diagram showing how it goes back on? The belt seems to short.
my name is joseph king. what length was the belt you took off your sander??
the belt isn't listed on the parts list and I'm having a problem finding out the length.
would appreciate your help.
click on the 31-050 type 1 and print the parts diagram.
Look for a screw to the right of the back of the belt housing. Loosening this screw loosens the top back wheel and your belt will slide on relatively easily. Use this scres also to tighten the belt and keep it in the center
Review: Delta - 31-050 31-050
It was a great sander...too bad not many parts can be gotten now. All tool manufacturers "upgrade" their tool every 4 or 5 yrs. to get you to buy the new ones and then a couple of yrs. later quit making the parts for the old ones so you have to buy a new one. If they didn't, their tools would never wear out and they would go out of business, so it has to work that way. Delta has always made a quality tool!!
Reply: Delta - 31-050 31-050
I found 1x30 belt in 80 and 120 grit and very inexpensively at Harbor Freight. Search under, simply "sanding belts".
They also have an inexpensive replacement with the Harbor Freight name


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DJI appears to be readying the release of a first-person-view (FPV) drone, according to FCC filings spotted by DroneDJ. Three products — a “DJI FPV Air Unit,” “DJI FPV Remote Controller,” and “DJI FPV Goggles” — were recently registered with the government agency.
DJI has dabbled with FPV drones in the past. The company released a PlayStation VR-sized headset dubbed DJI Goggles in 2017 that worked with a few different DJI drones. But that somewhat clunky solution was about as far as the Chinese company ever went with the idea.
Meanwhile, an “FPV air unit” with dedicated goggles and a controller sounds more like a drone built for racing, or at the very least, high maneuverability. It would make sense; DJI is far-and-away the leader in…
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text:
By Bell, DavinaIllustrated by Masciullo, Lucia
It's 1918. Alice lives with her big family by the Swan River in Perth, while on the other side of the world, the Great War rages. Alice's deepest wish is to become a ballerina, and when she auditions for a famous dance teacher from London, it seems as if her dreams might come tru...e. But then there's a terrible accident, and Alice must ask herself whether there are more important things than dancing. Meet Alice and join her adventure in the first of four stories about a gifted girl in a time of war.Read more
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Davina Bell is a writer from Western Australia. She is the author of the award-winning picture book The Underwater Fancy-dress Parade (illustrated by Allison Colpoys), which won the 2016 Australian Book Industry Award for Best Children's Book from a Small Publisher, as well as the Alice books in the best-selling Our Australian Girl series. For six years she was a Senior Editor at Penguin Books in the Young Readers Division, where she worked with some of our country's most beloved children's book creators. Davina lives and works in Melbourne, where she still dreams about the Western Australian beaches while drinking a lot of very good Melbourne coffee.
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domain: library


text:
Crop diversification denotes the number of crops grown in a region within a specific period of time. It is an indicator multiplication of agricultural activities which indicates intense competition between various crops for space. Stiffer the competition higher is the magnitude of diversification, and lesser the competition greater will be the trend towards specialization or monoculture.
Also there is seasonal variation in crop-diversification. Agricultural diversification is now almost a normal feature of stable agriculture and progressive farm management in most of the extensive agricultural parts of the world.
It has been made possible by modern irrigation, use of fertilizers, HYV seeds, pesticides and mechanization technologies. Besides, the vagaries of weather, subsistent and orthodox farming practices also compel farmers to sow a number of crops. Hence, the magnitude of agricultural diversification shows the impact of physical, socio-economic and techno-organizational factors on agriculture.
The degree of crop diversification may be measured by relating the number of crops in a regional unit to the total percentage occupied by those crops in the same unit. If the number of crops grown in an area! Unit is ten, each occupying only 10% of the cropped area, the crop diversification is of a very high degree. On the contrary if a particular crop occupies 100 per cent of the cropped area the. On the basis of the map following three diversification categories may be identified:
(a) High Crop Diversification (Dl less than 15)
This incorporates Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, central Bihar, southern Madhya Pradesh, and north-east- ern Maharashtra, Telangana, southern Karnataka, southern Kerala, eastern Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. While in Punjab and Haryana the diversification is the outcome of modernized agriculture based on Green Revolution technology, elsewhere in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim etc. it is linked with the traditional farming system.
(b) Medium Crop Diversification (Di 15-25)
This includes Uttar Pradesh, northern and north-western Madhya Pradesh, western Maharashtra, northern Gujarat, north-eastern Karnataka, and northern Tamil Nadu. Here fertility of soils, development of irrigation and modernization of agriculture has been responsible for more crop diversification while traditionalism, in some areas, has contradictory effects.
(c) Low Crop Diversification (Dl Less than 25)
This incorporates north-eastern India (Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram, Tripura and Manipur), West Bengal, northern Jharkhand, Bihar, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, coastal Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu plains, Malabar and Konkan coasts, Kathiawar and western Rajasthan. Whereas rice is the main crop in the north-eastern region and coastal plains, bajra attains popularity in the arid regions of Rajasthan. Hence both physical and cultural factors have played dominant role in attaining such crop specialisation.

domain: agronomy


text:
When did volleyball become an olympic sport???????????? When did volleyball become an olympic sport????????????
It became an Olympic sport in1964.
In the summer of 1996
Beach volleyball had its Olympic debut at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
Badminton became an official Olympic sport 1992 in Barcelona.
Because of its growing popularity and it keeps you active
In 1964,volleyball was introduced to olympic games in Tokyo, as a result of that it is said to be an olympic game which is recognised internationaly and may be played in four years interval.
beacuse it is part of volleyball
Becoming an olympic volleyball player will be a great experience for young players who are devoted to the sport. It will bring you happiness to something you love.:)
Volleyball is an summer Olympic sport. There are two types: indoor and beach.


text:
Hartmann Schedel (1440-1514), was a native of Nuremberg, and first studied in Leipzig from 1456 to 1462, obtaining the degree of Master of Arts (Magister Artium), before moving to Padua, Italy to continue his humanistic studies and also to study medicine. His great passion in life was books. His library, most of which still survives, consisted of 370 manuscripts (many of them copied out by himself) and 670 printed books, a huge amount for that time. It was this library that formed the basis of the Nuremberg Chronicle.
The Nuremberg Chronicle was first published 1493 in Latin and German. This was the year that Columbus arrived back after his first trip to the New World. It's hardly surprising then, that the Chronicle looks to the Old World and back to the narrative tradition of medieval universal chronicles. The book follows a biblical framework although biblical and non-biblical historical events are often interwoven with lengthy digressions on the subject of natural catastrophes, wars, reports of the founding of cities, etc.
The book was printed by Anton Koberger. The two artists who were responsible for overseeing the design and illustration of the Chronicle were Michael Wohlgemut (1434-1519) and his stepson Wilhelm Pleydenwurff (c. 1450-1494). The young Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528), was Michael Wohlgemut's apprentice, and trained in his workshop from 1486-1489, when many of the early designs for the illustrations of the Chronicle were created. There are a large number of woodcuts used in the book. Many were moved around in the book so that they were used 2 or 3 times to illustrate different characters (with the same image!).
It is estimated that approximately 1400-1500 Latin copies and 700-1000 German ones were printed.
Books printed before 1500 are often called "Incunabula" from the Latin for "cradle".
"When Ulysses[Ulixes] (as Augustinus and Boecius write) returned from the Trojan War he travelled ten years over the sea and finally came to Italy next to Sicily to an island, there lived Circe, the black sorceress, a very beautiful woman, who was called the daughter of the sun. She made by her skill and sorcery a drink by which - according to her intention - all who drank from it were transformed from human nature into beastlike shape. Now she handed this drink to the companions of Ulysses and turned so one of them into a wild pig, this into a lion, the other into a stag. But Mercurius has given Ulysses a flower which served against such skill and sorcery. And because she couldn't do harm to him he compelled her with his bare sword to bring his companions to their former shape. Solinus writes: This Ulysses has built the city of Olissipo [Lisbon] in Spain and called after him."
Early Printed Books - Introduction
1493 Nuremberg Chronicle (Schedel's World History) [THIS PAGE]
1572 The Wittenberg Bible
1588 Michael Eytzinger: Of Leone Belgico, eiusque topographica atque historica..
1617 Theodore de Bry: Grand Voyages to the New World -Introduction and pages on Raleigh, Drake and Pizarro
1617 Theodore de Bry: Grand Voyages to the New World -Florida and the French: le Moyne's pictures
1617 Theodore de Bry: Grand Voyages to the New World -Mexico


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Tonight’s biggest after-hours movers we have seen are as follows: A123 Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: AONE), Achillion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ACHN), China Wind Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CWS), Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS), Fuqi International, Inc. (NASDAQ: FUQI), Metabolix, Inc. (NASDAQ: MBLX), Netlist, Inc. (NASDAQ: NLST), SunPower Corporation (NASDAQ: SPWRA), and The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS). We have included the news, shares traded, the moves, and relevant color where applicable.
A123 Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: AONE) reported a wider first quarter loss and revenue wqas $24.5 million versus Thomson Reuters $26.4+ million estimates. A123 closed at $10.16 on the day, but shares are down 5% at $9.65 on over 100,000 shares since the 4:00 PM close. This traded almost 3 million shares in regular trading and shares closed up 4.7% at $10.16 in regular trading.
Achillion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ACHN) was halted and shares are now higher after releasing additional preliminary data on a Phase 1b ACH-1625 trial in hepatitis C treatments. Shares closed at $2.36 and are up 16.5% at $2.75 on over 181,000 shares since the close.
China Wind Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CWS) is up on light volume after guidance: 2010 revenues of $76.5 to $85 million (43% to 59% increase); EBITDA $22.7 to $25.2 million (106% to 129% increase); Adjusted net income $15.5 to $16.3 million (99% to 109% gain). Shares closed at $3.77 and shares are up 15% at $4.34 on only 6,585 shares in the after-hours session.
Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) said revenue rose 14% to $979 million; earnings of $0.09 EPS beat Thomson Reuters figure of $0.05. The problem is guidance: a loss at -$0.35 to -$0.40 EPS and revenue of $460 to $500 million; Thomson Reuters had -$0.33 EPS $516.8M. Shares closed at $18.80 and shares are down over 3% at $18.20 on over 1.5 million shares in after-hours trading.
Fuqi International, Inc. (NASDAQ: FUQI) is lower after filing an NT-10Q, a non-timely quarterly report. Shares closed at $9.64 and shares were down 5.3% at $9.13 on 16,000 shares. Whether shares are still lower in the morning is another issue, but this was up 7% in regular trading today.
Metabolix, Inc. (NASDAQ: MBLX) rose after the close when it and ADM announced that Telles received FDA clearance for the formulated products Mirel™ F1005 and F1006, food contact injection molding grades for use in food contact applications. Shares closed at $12.8, and the stock was up 10% at $14.10 on over 14,000 shares since the market close. Its 52-week range is $6.20 – $14.98.
Netlist, Inc. (NASDAQ: NLST) rose ahead of earnings and rose after earnings. Revenues in the quarter were up 265% from a year ago at $7.9 million; sequentially revenues rose 17.8%. Gross profit was $1.8 million. Shares closed up 9.5% today at $2.65 and shares are up another 12% at $2.97 on over 300,000 shares since the close. Due to the cult status, tomorrow could be very active.
SunPower Corporation (NASDAQ: SPWRA) closed at $15.29 today before earnings. Its Q1 revenue was $347 million, non-GAAP gross margin was 22.5%, and Q1 GAAP EPS $0.13 and non-GAAP EPS $0.05. Shares are trading down 4.2% at $14.65 on over 200,000 shares since the 4PM close.
The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) closed up 1.3% at $35.76 in regular trading today before earnings. The Mouse-House had a 55% earnings jump after almost $1 billion in “Alice in Wonderland” sales. The problem was media-networks with flat and there is the notion that shares were already elevated. In the after-hours session, Disney shares are down 3.2% at $34.60 on over 1 million shares since the 4PM close.
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domain: food


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In our group, we are interested in the molecular function of disease resistance genes in wheat. In an integrated approach we study both the immune receptors on the plant side as well as the recognized effectors in the pathogen. A focus is on the powdery mildew disease caused by the fungal pathogen Blumeria graminis f.sp. tritici (Bgt). There, we study the Pm3 allelic series encoding NLR immune receptors, the Pm8 and Pm17 orthologs in rye and the mildew effectors recognized by these genes. This work relies on pathogen genomics and in addition to the molecular isolation and functional analysis, we study avirulence effector evolution and diversity. Among others, our projects in evolutionary biology have revealed that mildew adaptation on the novel host crop Triticale is caused by hybridization. Finally, in a translational approach, modified immune receptors have been transformed into wheat and the resulting genotypes are tested in the field (www.protectedsite.ch).
In addition to effector triggered, NLR-based immunity, we also study quantitative and durable leaf rust resistance in the Swiss winter wheat variety “Forno”, and we have molecularly identified the Lr14a and Lr34 genes as two major QTL controlling resistance. Functional studies of these two genes are ongoing. We have recently identified genes encoding a tandem kinase (WTK4) and a kinase-MCTP (Pm4) as novel, race-specific powdery mildew resistance genes. Several projects in the group aim at the characterization of molecular function of these genes in wheat immunity as well as at the identification of the recognized avirulence factors.
Based on the recent advances in wheat genomics and the availability of reference genome sequences we are aiming at the molecular identification of novel resistance genes in genetic material stored in genebanks or available as breeding lines.
Our work is based on the knowledge and genetic characterization of disease resistance in wheat by breeders and geneticists during hundred years of wheat breeding, and we are inspired by the enormous natural genetic diversity in this crop. We want to contribute to the molecular characterization of this diversity, and we also aim at translational work to support wheat breeding for disease resistance.


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November 14, 2011
AHA news and updates for the history profession.
The print version of the Program of the 126th Annual Meeting contains an incorrect map of the Ballroom Level of the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers. See this PDF of the hotel floorplans posted online for the correct version.
Program of the 126th Annual Meeting
There are now two ways to access the Program of the 126th Annual Meeting online: the Program website and a PDF version. The web version is the easiest to search, but the PDF version may be easiest to use on portable devices like iPads.
General information from the print Program is also now available online, with links out to many valuable resources. Check it out for information on public transit in Chicago, quiet rooms at the meeting, the shuttle schedule between hotels, accommodations for persons with disabilities, and much more.
Session of the Week
From now until the 126th annual meeting, we’ll be running a series of “Session of the Week” posts on the AHA blog to highlight the varied scholarship you can expect at the upcoming meeting. With over 250 sessions in the Program of the 126th Annual Meeting, there’s something for everyone’s field of interest. The most recent featured session is:
- Historians and the Obama Narrative
Saturday, January 7, 2012, 9:00–11:00 a.m.
Chicago Ballroom VII (Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers)
Chair: James Grossman, American Historical Association
- Peniel E. Joseph, Tufts University
- James Kloppenberg, Harvard University
- Dianne Pinderhughes, University of Notre Dame
- Thomas J. Sugrue, University of Pennsylvania
Reservations are still being accepted for the annual meeting Job Center. There are some tables and a very limited number of interview rooms available. Please log on to the Job Center page to find the latest availability information and reservation forms. Questions? Contact Liz Townsend.
Institute for Constitutional History
The Revolutionary Origins of American Constitutionalism
Date: February 17 and 24, March 2, 9, 16 and 23 (2012)
Applications due: December 1, 2011
Location: New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York City
Instructors: Pauline Maier and R.B. Bernstein
This seminar will explore the origins of American constitutionalism and law in the Anglo-American past and the arguments and achievements of the revolutionary period (roughly 1764-1789). Its six sessions will examine the ideology and organizational forms of the resistance to Britain, look closely at the first state constitutions (the world's first written constitutions) and the issues they raised and to some extent resolved, then turn to the Articles of Confederation, the Federal Convention, the Constitution, state ratification debates, and the contributions of the First Federal Congress in fleshing out the new constitutional system.
Equal Justice Under Law: The Enduring Legacy of the Warren Court, 1953-1969
Date: February 9 and 23, March 1, 8, 22 and 29 (2012)
Applications Due: December 1, 2011
Location: George Washington University Law School, Burns Hall, Room 415, 2000 H Street NW, Washington, DC
Instructor: Stephen Wermiel
This seminar will examine the Warren Court of the 1950s and 1960s, stressing politics, doctrine, and the strong judicial personalities of the period. Topics covered will include the Court's transformative role in civil rights and civil liberties, the rights of the accused, the electoral process and access to the courts. The seminar will explore both the politics of the Warren Court and the Warren Court's impact on the politics of the nation.
Humanities Advocacy Day
The National Humanities Alliance's Annual Meeting & Humanities Advocacy Day will take place on March 19-20, 2012 in Washington, D.C. This event provides a unique opportunity to connect with a growing network of humanities advocates from around the country. Participants will have the opportunity to communicate the value of the humanities to Members of Congress and key Congressional staff as part of organized delegations.
First-time advocates have the option of participating in a pre-meeting Advocacy Training session to be held the evening of Sunday, March 18. On Monday, March 19, all participants are briefed on the current state of federal funding, and receive materials to distribute on the Hill for a range of important federal programs.
See the AHA Calendar for more upcoming meetings and seminars, research, awards and fellowships, and upcoming exhibitions. Have a call for proposals, event, or award listing you'd like to submit? Simply send it in through our online form.
Call for Papers, Panels, and Posters: W. E. B. Du Bois 50th Anniversary Commemorative Conference
The year 2013 will mark the 50th anniversary of the passing of Dr. W.E.B. Du Bois. On his birthday in February of that year, it is fitting that Clark Atlanta University (CAU) celebrate his life and scholarship: Dr. Du Bois wrote his most influential works in the 23 years he spent as a professor at Atlanta University. In a four-day conference, beginning on February 20, 2013 and concluding on Du Bois's birthday of February 23, Clark Atlanta University will host panels that highlight his countless contributions. Conference proposals (individual papers, panels of 4-6 papers, and posters) should be sent to Dr. Stephanie Y. Evans (email@example.com, 404-880-6352) between January 1, 2012 and July 1, 2012.
Research Support: Berlin Program for Advanced German and European Studies
The Berlin Program for Advanced German and European Studies offers up to one year of research support at the Freie Universität Berlin. It is open to scholars in all social science and humanities disciplines, including historians working on modern and contemporary German and European history. The program accepts applications from U.S. and Canadian nationals or permanent residents. Applicants for a dissertation fellowship must be full-time graduate students enrolled at a North American university who have achieved ABD status by the time the proposed research stay in Berlin begins. Also eligible are U.S. and Canadian PhDs who have received their doctorates within the past two calendar years. The Berlin Program is based at, funded and administered by the Freie Universität Berlin. The program's publicity and selection process is organized in cooperation with the German Studies Association (GSA). Applications are due December 1, 2011. For more information see the website or send an email to firstname.lastname@example.org.
Jobs — Most Recent
Colorado State, Public
The Department of History at Colorado State University seeks to fill a position in public history, open to any subfield. Entry-level, tenure-track, nine-month assistant professor position beginning August 15, 2012. The PhD in history or related field must be completed by the time of employment. The preferred candidate will contribute to the department's undergraduate and graduate curriculum and programs.
Virginia Military Inst., 20th-Century United States
The Virginia Military Institute announces a new tenure-track position at the beginning assistant professor level with a specialization in 20th-century U.S. history. The successful candidate will participate in the two-semester sophomore-level American history survey, and an upper-level sequence on 20th-century U.S. history. Candidates who specialize in political, social, cultural, or economic approaches to history are most welcome.
Columbia, Pre-1900 United States
The Department of History at Columbia University in the City of New York seeks a distinguished scholar and professor of American history concentrating on any aspect of U.S. history before 1900. Candidates must have a distinguished record of publications, teaching, and research. The successful candidate will be appointed to the rank of tenured professor or associate professor in the Department of History, to begin July 1, 2013.
The AHA has begun to develop discount offers for our members. Log in to member services and click the link to "Member Discounts" for current offers, and check back soon for updates and additions.
Steel on Lippmann, Leffler on Black Leadership
Today’s Washington History Seminar welcomes Ronald Steel, author of the acclaimed 1980 biographical study, Walter Lippmann and the American Century. Steel will reassess the place in history of Lippmann, arguably the most prominent journalist of the twentieth century. His presentation is also part of the History Center’s new collaborative venture, “Historians, Journalists, and the Challenges of Getting It Right.”
On November 21, Phyllis Leffler will discuss the findings of a ten-year oral history project on Black leaders and leadership, co-directed with Julian Bond. Leffler and Bond interviewed fifty individuals on topics such as the future of the family and the inspiration of the Civil Rights movement.
The seminar concludes the semester with presentations on two questions. On November 28, James Hershberg will consider whether the Vietnam War could have been concluded significantly earlier. On December 5, Thomas Bender will ask whether American history truly is exceptional. The program recommences for the spring semester on January 23 with Kevin Kenny on Lincoln and the Irish.
Keep up with the latest information on history and the profession on the AHA’s blog, AHA Today. Recent posts include:
Native American Heritage Month
November is Native American Heritage Month. Learn more about Native American history and culture, and find teaching resources, through the links we’ve rounded up on AHA Today.
From the Archives Wiki: The UK Web Archive
The UK Web Archive, which is based in the British Library, is one of the oldest, most ambitious national initiatives to archive a small selection of the millions of web sites currently in the U.K. domain. Its aim is to “collect, preserve and give permanent access to key UK websites for future generations.”
What We’re Reading
The November 10 edition of What We’re Reading includes articles on the National Archives collaboration with National History Day, Veterans Day Resources, the British Library Royal Manuscripts App, and more. For the November 3 edition, we linked to more options for history PhDs, the 2011 Cliopatria Awards, thoughts on online peer review, and more.
Grant of the Week
Our most recent Grant of the Week posts include Massachusetts Historical Society-NEH Long-Term Research Fellowships and University of Chicago Library Short-term Fellowships.
The AHA draws on the efforts of a number of coalitions that support the Association's agenda to keep track of issues in the nation's capital that will be of concern to historians. Their most recent reports include:
National Coalition for History
Recent news from the National Coalition for History:
ESEA Bill Passes With “Well-Rounded” Education Provision
On Oct. 20, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP) completed its markup of the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The bill includes an amendment, offered by Sen. Robert Casey, D-Pa., that would create a “well-rounded” education fund. School districts could use the money to fund programs in history, civics education, social studies and eight other subject areas.
National Humanities Alliance
Announcements from the National Humanities Alliance:
Online Registration Opens for NHA's 2012 Annual Meeting & Humanities Advocacy Day
Events to be held March 19-20, 2012 in Washington, DC
General Appropriations Update
Senate Starts Moving FY12 Funding Bills
Read COSSA's most recent Washington Update for news on spending bills, Senate hearings, education and more.
Please feel free to forward this email on to a colleague or friend.
Last Updated: November 10, 2011


- Administer the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting scheme (NGER) and the Safeguard Mechanism
- Administer the Renewable Energy Target – small-scale renewable energy scheme (SRES) and large-scale renewable energy target (LRET)
- Administer the Australian National Registry of Emissions Units (ANREU)
- Administer the Emission Reduction Fund (ERF)
- Administering legislated schemes for measuring, managing, reducing or offsetting Australia's carbon emissions.
- Clean Energy Regulator Act 2011
- Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Act 2011
- Australian National Registry of Emissions Units Act 2011
- National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act 2007
- Renewable Energy (Electricity) Act 2000
- Renewable Energy (Electricity) (Large scale Generation Shortfall Charge) Act 2000
- Renewable Energy (Electricity) (Small scale Technology Shortfall Charge) Act 2010
- Corporations that meet a National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (NGER) threshold.
- Greenhouse and Energy Auditors.
- Individuals and small businesses who install eligible small-scale renewable energy systems
- Persons who own/operate renewable energy power stations in Australia.
- Liable entities (individuals or companies) who make relevant acquisitions of electricity on a grid which has an installed capacity of 100 megawatts or more.
- Organisations and individuals that choose, or are required, to own, transfer, cancel, or relinquish Australian Carbon Credit Units issued under the Emissions Reduction Fund or emissions units issued under the Kyoto Protocol.
- Organisations and individuals that choose to undertake a project under a defined methodology determination and to earn Australian Carbon Credit Units for carbon emissions stored or avoided by the project.
- NGERS: Corporations that meet thresholds for greenhouse gas emissions, energy production, or energy consumption.
- The Safeguard Mechanism regulates Australia’s largest greenhouse gas emitters.
- RET: large and small-scale voluntary participants who wish to invest in renewable energy, liable entities (primarily electricity retailers) who are required by law to surrender large-scale generation certificates and small-scale technology certificates to meet scheme compliance obligations, and emissions-intensive trade-exposed industries who report electricity consumption for exemption purposes.
- ANREU: Organisations and individuals who want to own, transfer, cancel, or relinquish emissions units.
Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water
Internal to department / external entity


19 Sep 2012 . In fact, the flexibility available for highway design during the detailed design phase is . After construction is completed, ongoing operation and.
The road construction process includes a number of stages. If road improvements are being done in your neighbourhood, you can expect to see the following.
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Saarlouis Schwalbach Dillingen (ots) - Saarbrücken / Saarlouis. Last Saturday (August 22.08.2020nd, 18) the Saarland police - this time the Verkehrsdienst West with the support of the Saarlouis Police Inspection - checked "speeders, posers and tuners". In the city center of Saarlouis, in the Schwalbach area, in the “Lisdorfer Berg” industrial area and the localities of Dillingen and Fraulautern, a total of 00 cars, eight motorized two-wheelers and two cyclists were checked between 00:30 p.m. and 56:XNUMX a.m.
In the recent past, the Saarlouis Police Inspectorate has recorded many complaints regarding loud, tuned vehicles, some of whose drivers are driving too quickly and inconsiderately on public roads.
For a total of 26 vehicles, the operating permit had expired due to impermissible lowering of the vehicle, manipulation of the exhaust systems and the lighting equipment, which is why these vehicles were no longer allowed to drive. Vehicle drivers and vehicle owners expect fines of 90 to 135 euros.
A man traveling on his friend's motorcycle didn't have a driver's license for it. The driver and his friend await criminal proceedings because of driving without a license or allowing driving without a license.
The two controlled cyclists were carrying small amounts of narcotics. One of the two was also wanted by arrest warrant and taken to the Ottweiler prison on Saturday evening.
The emergency services noticed a quad because it was being led loudly and too quickly through the city center of Dillingen. The measured speed was 50 kmh at a permitted 104 km / h. In addition, the prescribed volume limiter was missing on the exhaust of the quad. The driver can expect a fine, three points in Flensburg and a one-month driving ban.
Further controls of this kind will follow.
Source: Read here
Originally written by: State Police Headquarters Saarland
The text is a press release from the responsible police authority. The text was not edited or changed by our editorial team.


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Gala Concert Stars of Russian Ballet features assorted fragments from the classical 19th and 20th century ballets, performed by the internationally acclaimed stars and aspiring young dancers. Gala Concert offers Pas de Deux from Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Nutcracker (P. Chaikovsky), Don Quixote (L. Minkus), Le Corsaire (A. Adam), Esmeralda (C. Pugni), Harlequinade (R. Drigo),Le Papillon (G. Offenbach), Raymonde (I. Glazunov), Flames of Paris (B. Asafyev), Romeo and Juliet (S. Prokofyev), Spartacus (A. Khachaturian) and others. Apart from selected choreografic scenes, Gala Concert will include one-act ballets Pas de Quatre (C. Pugni), Le Spectre de la Rose (K. Weber), Chopeniana or Les Sylphides (F. Chopin).
The concert is a two-part show, each part ca. 45–50 minutes.

domain: entertainment


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Author Lynne Heinzmann will be on Rose Island to sign her new book, The Curious Childhood of Wanton Chase. The book is based on one of Rose Island's more famous child residents. Come learn about Wanton's childhood adventures as a grandson of a lighthouse keeper in this delightfully illustrated book. Books will be available for purchase.
Hop on and off the Jamestown Ferry from Fort Adams to get you the book signing. Pack a picnic enjoying an afternoon on Rose Island.
Admission Fee: $10/adults & $7/children to be collected by the Jamestown Ferry: RILH Members Free
Please RSVP to let us know you are attending through the link provided.


The annual State Department Report on Human Rights released on March 13, contained several notable changes in its Armenia and Azerbaijan sections pertaining to the Karabakh conflict.
Thus, the report’s Azerbaijan section took notice that “individuals with Armenian-sounding names” were “occasionally” barred from entering Azerbaijan. In reality, based on multiple experiences reported in the press such individuals have been barred from entering Azerbaijan as matter of policy for over two decades. The Russian Foreign Ministry recently issued a warning to its citizens planning to travel to Azerbaijan.
The State Department also modified its language on the territorial status quo, making it more neutral. In the past, the Human Rights reports referred to “Nagorno Karabakh and seven other Azerbaijani territories;” starting from 2017 report the language was changed to “Nagorno Karabakh and seven surrounding Azerbaijani territories.” As before, the report noted that the “final status Nagorno Karabakh remained the subject of international mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group.”


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PartyNextDoor – Freak In You (Remix) Ft. Drake Mp3 Download
If you didn’t know, there was a very special episode of OVO Sound Radio that just aired Friday night on Apple Music which was curated by October Firm & Oliver El-Khatib. The show kicked off with official versions of both Drake’s new “Signs” record & Majid Jordan’s “Gave Your Love Away” being released, but that was just the beginning. Immediately following that, Oliver El-Khatib decided to air a new remix of PartyNextDoor’s Colours 2 track “Freak In You” featuring Drake.
Take a listen to the G Ry-produced upgrade & let us know what you think.

domain: artistic