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Academics in New South Wales, Australia, who trained a camera on students during a lecture, discovered their hands found their way unconsciously to their faces an average of 23 times an hour (552 time in 24 hours).
It is inevitably that your hands need to direct contact with handles, drawers, or life in every day life. The contacting parts of lift buttons and handles typically poses the risk of virus transmission.
OffordHealth ZeroContact Pro2™ provide you safe solution of avoiding using fingers or hand to contact with door handles, drawers, elevator button.
Washing your hands indisputably is the best way to avoid most of the infectious bacterias and viruses. However, repetitive use of hand sanitizers and hand washing can strip the proteins in the skin layer of your hands. This leading to a compromise of the skin barrier, therefore, the risk of infection.
Additionally, soaps can give rise to irritant hand dermatitis, which presents as dry, flaky, itchy red skin, particularly in the finger web spaces and on the knuckles. It also exacerbate skin conditions, such as eczema or psoriasis
ZeroContact™ provide not only provide a safe solution to protect you direct contact from those infectious diseases but also reduce your hands and skins irritation from using chemical-based hand sanitizers and soap too regular
You operate the tool by just using single hand
OffordHealth ZeroContact Pro2™ is reusable too. The device has 2 padding absorb pad that can filled with alcohol-based sanitizer.
1 unit of OffordHealth ZeroContact Pro2™
weight: 34gram including packaging
1. This tool help you direct open and close door handles, drawers and pressing lift buttons is instead of using bare hands. The tool is NOT use for disinfectant purpose for your hands or handles or drawer or lift buttons.
2. Do not use alcohol as disinfectant kit to clean or disinfect purpose.
3. Please take note for hygiene purpose, product sold are not return and refundable.
4. Due to the product is for personal hygiene tool, it product is not returnable.
people are currently looking at this product


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Spyfall: A Great Location Game, Wait. I’M NOT A SPY
|Game: Spyfall||Player: 3- 8 (Best with 5)|
|Publisher: Cryptozoic Entertainment||Age: 13+|
|Time: 5+ minutes (with more games)||Replayability: 9/10|
Spyfall is a card game perfect for being a party game filler. Whether you are grouped with novice board gamers or just need that change up from the heavier set games, Spyfall is both quick and accessible. Not to mention, this game satisfies every craving ever for bluffing and deduction. Spyfall is a game that pits all players against each other impressing the idea one of them is the spy. In Spyfall, a player will deal a location card for them and everyone else (also including a single spy card to the mix). Then, from the player who passed out the cards (and in our game group– following with the person who was the spy last), you will begin asking questions to each other that relate to the location. The player who is being interrogated will then answer the question to the best of their ability to prove they are not the spy (even if this player is the spy). You will continue until someone either calls out a spy (regardless if they are right or wrong), or the timer (5 minutes) runs out. Now, I love this card game because of how available it can be to people. The game has a huge emphasis on verbal interaction which I find brings together the bond between players. It helps strengthen the confidence in new gamers and helps maintain the bluffing abilities in others (like me!).
I typically play this with my Thursday night group by request (for the past few weeks), and we absolutely get a kick out of this one. Our questions have been getting more impacted by the fear of being convicted of a spy than actually being the spy. We have developed techniques within our answers and questions that help decipher who is who (most of the time we are wrong). In one specific game, I remember we were all in the hotel setting. I personally was the bartender and only made drinks. So when asked about when I’ll be getting off that night, or what I’m doing, I always answer with, “I’ll be here all night, you thirsty?” It could be any location while being vague enough to keep the spy wondering. In one specific game, I handed out 3 spy cards and 2 location cards (because I wanted to see what would happen), It was so intense watching three spies try to figure out where we are as the one other player and I (because it was obvious) were in the school as the security guard and principle. We always get a kick out of this one, and it always introduces us to a night of bluffing and deductions (because we follow the vibe with The Resistance and Sheriff of Nottingham).
This game is a perfect card game experience for more than two players. It’s as exciting no matter how many players you have in the game. It is a fantastic example of complete direct interaction within your group. I find the only learning curve you may have to get over is how to stylize your questions, because at first–you will have no idea how to be vague and how to be a spy (which is terribly difficult).
I am a huge fan of the location design. I think they definitely coat the atmosphere with its relaxed look and comical imagery. If I would have to choose a game I think this is most similar to I’d say either The Resistance, Sheriff of Nottingham, or Ultimate Werewolf.
You will like this game if you want some that is full of bluffing and deduction. It’s very lighthearted and is focused solely on verbalization.
You will not like this game if you aren’t a fan of bluffing games. If you want an experience that extends farther than holding a card and location description.

domain: game


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Permits a must for weekend snowmobile event
Bruce McNeely takes great pride in his grooming.
"We're doing our best to promote snowmobiling in Algoma," said the president of the Bruce Mines Sno-Glyders club.
"We got an early start this year with the good snow coverage in Algoma before Christmas, but southern Ontario wasn't so lucky.”
McNeely was just one of many volunteers working long hours this week, making sure the OFSC trails are at their best for the club’s free ride this weekend, Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
Permits for riding the trails over the three days can be downloaded for at no charge at the OFSC website.
Organizers emphasize riders must follow the laws and stay within the rules.
Jerry Bertrand, of Elliot Lake, said a similar program was carried out in Quebec last winter, which, he said, both encouraged riders to try the trails again and prompted new people to check them out.
In fact, many who took advantage purchased permits for another three days to make a full week trip.
Another free program to promote legal trail usage is being held at the Bruce Mines/Plummer Additional Arena on Saturday.
Rides on one of 22 groomers used in Algoma will also be offered starting at 1 p.m. at the arena grounds just north of Highway 17 on Highway 638.
Games and crafts are also included.
On the web: www.plummertownship.ca/

domain: hobby


Best Rock Band Names
The Contenders: Page 5
81 Falling In Reverse
Falling in Reverse is an American post hardcore band from Las Vegas, Nevada, formed in 2008, signed to Epitaph Records.
FIR is the best band and should win a grammy
Rammstein is a German Neue Deutsche Härte and Industrial Metal band consisting of Till Lindemann (vocals), Richard Kruspe (guitar), Paul Landers (guitar), Oliver Riedel (electric bass), Christoph Schneider (drums) and Christian Lorenz (keyboard), that formed in 1994 in Berlin . ...read more.
83 Dying Fetus
Dying Fetus is an American death metal band originally from Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Formed in 1991, the group is known for their consistently hook-laden song structures, characterized by blast beats, complex riffing, slam riffs and heavy breakdowns.
L'Arc-en-Ciel is a Japanese rock band, founded in Osaka in 1991. With a reported 40 million records sold, they were the first Japanese act to headline at Madison Square Garden.
How is this not on here? The band's name is so amazing. In French it means rainbow. It may sound cheesy, but their music is just as magical as a rainbow. They go as high as the sky with their music and they're so inspiring and their music is so beautiful. L'arc~en~Ciel is the proof of what four men can do in 24 years. For them, the sky is not the limit, it's the beginning, and for them, language is not a boundary and it hasn't stopped them from touching hearts all around the world. I think their name "The arc in the sky" (Rainbow) really represents their music... Live on, Laruku!
Best rock band in Japan, and the name is funny lol. It's a creative name I think.
85 Hollywood Undead
Hollywood Undead is an American rap rock band from Los Angeles, California, United States. They released their debut album, Swan Songs, on September 2, 2008, and their live CD/DVD Desperate Measures, on November 10, 2009. Their second studio album, American Tragedy, was released April 5, 2011. All of ...read more. V 1 Comment
86 Lamb Of God
Lamb of God is an American heavy metal band from Richmond, Virginia. Formed in 1994, the group consists of vocalist Randy Blythe, guitarists Mark Morton and Willie Adler, bassist John Campbell, and drummer Chris Adler.
Nightwish is a symphonic metal band from Kitee, Finland. The band was formed in 1996 by lead songwriter and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, and lead singer Tarja Turunen.
Yes are an English rock band formed in 1968 by bassist Chris Squire and singer Jon Anderson. They first achieved success in the 1970s with a progressive, art and symphonic style of rock music. V 1 Comment
Godsmack is an American rock band from Lawrence, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The band is composed of founder, frontman and songwriter Sully Erna, guitarist Tony Rombola, bassist Robbie Merrill, and drummer Shannon Larkin.
90 Bring Me The Horizon
Bring Me the Horizon is a British rock band from Sheffield, Yorkshire. Formed in 2004, the group currently consists of vocalist Oliver Sykes, guitarist Lee Malia, bassist Matt Kean, drummer Matt Nicholls, and keyboardist Jordan Fish. They are signed to RCA Records globally and Columbia Records exclusively ...read more.
Trapt is an American rock band that formed in Los Gatos, California in 1995, best known for their 2002 single "Headstrong".
93 All That Remains
Primus is an American rock band based in San Francisco, California, currently composed of bassist Les Claypool, guitarist Larry LaLonde and drummer Tim Alexander. Les Claypool is regarded as one of the best bassists of all time for his slap-bass ability in notable songs like "My Name Is Mud", "The Toys ...read more.
Awesome name for an awesome band. - chippchipp1
Eraserheads is a Filipino rock band formed in 1989. Consisting of Ely Buendia, Marcus Adoro, Buddy Zabala and Raimund Marasigan, the band became one of the most successful, most influential, critically acclaimed, and significant bands in the Philippine music history.
98 Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British-American rock band formed in July 1967, in London. The band have sold more than 100 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling bands of all time.
99 New Mexican Disaster Squad
Santana is an American Latin rock band formed in San Francisco, California in 1967 by Mexican-American guitarist Carlos Santana.


Jan. 14 (UPI) -- Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren unveiled a plan Tuesday to fully cancel most Americans' federal student loan debts, and said she will begin on her first day in the White House.
The Massachusetts senator posted the plan, titled "My Plan to Cancel Student Loan Debt on Day One of My Presidency," to her Medium page.
"Student loan debt is holding back our economy and crushing millions of families," she wrote. "We can't afford to wait for Congress -- we need to address student debt on day one."
As part of her proposal, Warren said she would use existing authority held by the Education Department to clear away student debt for 42 million Americans.
"In addition to using all available tools to address racial disparities in higher education, [I will] crack down on for-profit institutions and eliminate predatory lending," she wrote.
Under the plan, 95 percent of student federal loan borrowers would see up to $50,000 eliminated. Warren co-sponsored a bill last year that would have forgiven that amount for students with household incomes under $100,000. She said Tuesday, however, the Higher Education Act already gives the department power clear debts even if they don't qualify for cancellation programs, like the permanent disability discharge.
Warren unveiled the plan just hours before she and five other candidates were set to participate in the seventh Democratic primary debate Tuesday night in Des Moines, Iowa.


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Volunteering for Over 50’s
Volunteering abroad is a rewarding experience at any age and we have many over 50s travellers who come to us for a unique and uplifting travel encounter, a volunteering holiday with a difference. With a number of programs to choose from including English teaching, medical and health volunteering, disabled care, women’s empowerment, wildlife conservation or marine conservation, arts volunteering, or yoga and volunteer work combined, our over 50s travel programs offer something unique and meaningful for every type of traveller. But unlike the big corporate companies, we don’t have a one size fits all program structure. We understand that at any age, at any stage in life, every volunteer has his / her own personal needs and requirements, so we’re flexible to ensure that we can accommodate any age group.
Our over 50s volunteering programs are designed to broaden your horizons, expand your mind and heart, and add value to your life. So if you’re inspired by travelling around the world and doing great things to give back to communities as you set your own path, we invite you to join our friendly team across some of the most incredible and fascinating locations.
Our destinations are India, Nepal, Thailand, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Mozambique and the beautiful island of Bali. Our carefully selected program partners and hand-picked locations have all been tried and tested by our own team and strike the perfect balance between off the beaten path destinations and close proximity or easy access to tourist sites / cities. So you can really personalise your experience.
In addition to our carefully curated programs and locations, we will take care of all the little details such as transfers and accommodation to daily meals plus program excursions or cultural activities. For a little extra you can get single room and air conditioning upgrades.
If you’re looking for a new way to challenge yourself or you want to deepen connections with people from all around the world, we look forward to having you on board with one of our amazing over 50s volunteering projects.
Most of our projects and travel options are suitable for all age groups. If there is any program or travel idea you may have please share this with us and we will do our best to ensure you get the most out of your volunteer holiday.
Why be an over 50s volunteer?
Life is short, so we believe that you should do travel that matters to you. Make the most out of your time, enhance your years of retirement and search for life’s deeper meaning.
We’ve handpicked some of the most spectacular destinations, including blissful beaches in Bali, cosmopolitan communes in South Africa and peaceful villages in Thailand.
Learning never stops no matter what age so come join us and take part in our volunteering projects and get involved in cultural classes and exciting local activities.
Do Your Bit
It’s never too late to give back and our over 50s programs allow you to do your bit helping others whilst travelling responsibly and ethically.
UPLIFTING TRAVEL EXPERIENCES
“There is some kind of magic that happens when you’re in India; the climate, the people, the warm welcome, the happiness in every person, the culture ‘“ it’s simply inspiring. On top of that; having a group of friendly, thoughtful organizers guiding me through the program made my time volunteering with Rainbow Voluntours one of the most memorable moments in my life.
If anyone reading this is considering becoming a volunteer, don’t hesitate, become a volunteer. It will be the most rewarding experience and adventure of your life. I assure you that you will have a vital impact on the community, the place and the children. Kerala was my destination. Safe, beautiful and very friendly. Just do it and have an adventure of your life!”
Harminder Athwal (from Canada) Volunteered in Dec 2015
Over 50s Volunteer Programs
Teaching English in Kerala, Southern India
Come join us in beautiful Kerala on India’s tropical Malabar Coast and teach English in local schools or community centres.
Volunteer in Kolkata, East India
Come join us in this historical city and former capital of the British Raj. Work with slum children. A truly off the beaten path program in India.
Volunteer in Nepal
Help with education programs in Kathmandu and explore this magnificent country surrounded by the Himalayas and learn about Hindu and Buddhist cultures.
Women’s Empowerment in India
Change the lives of women in East India and volunteer at local community centres, women’s colleges, school and orphanages.
Disabled Care in India
Work with children living with mental or physical disabilities in schools, orphanages and hospitals.
Yoga and Volunteer in India
Combine two passions to create the perfect India travel experience; volunteer with local communities and rejuvenate the mind, body and soul through the power of yoga.
Construction Program in India
Have a direct and positive impact on the local communities in India, Nepal OR Thailand and volunteer in our building and community construction program.
Sports Coaching in Sri Lanka
Nurture the talents of young sports stars and work with kids teaching them cricket, swimming, volleyball and more.
Family Volunteering in India
Bring the whole family and volunteer for anything from 2 weeks – 1 month whilst travelling, learning and growing together.

domain: travel


October 01, 2014
New gate opens door for major development in heart of Dublin
By Jeremy Thomas
Contra Costa Times
DUBLIN –Nearly 180 acres on the south side of the Camp Parks military training base lies weedy and vacant, except for a smattering of temporary modular buildings, rotting World War II-era wooden structures, and decrepit hangers belonging to NASA.
But over the next few years, the old will make way for the new, as Camp Parks and developer SunCal prepare for a hand-off of prime real estate just a stone’s throw from the Dublin/Pleasanton BART station.
With the recent completion of a new main gate to Camp Parks off Dougherty Road, SunCal can soon begin laying the groundwork for Dublin Crossing, a massive residential and commercial development of up to 1,995 new homes, 35 acres of parks, 75,000 to 200,000 square feet of retail, office, hotel and industrial space, and a new elementary school, essentially linking east and west Dublin.
“This creates that concept of what Dublin envisions as a central core,” said Camp Parks spokesman Dan Gannod. “The city gets a good tax base, SunCal is able to develop that land, and Camp Parks gets new facilities in a time of downsizing. It moves us forward rather than keep us at status quo.”
The land swap stems from a 2011 agreement between the Army Reserve and SunCal, in which the developer agreed to build six facilities and infrastructure at Camp Parks — at a cost the Army estimates at $66 million — in exchange for 172 acres the military considers excess and expendable.
The first of these projects, a state-of-the-art main gate on the base’s east side, is complete and will be opened following a facility review by the Army Corps of Engineers, according to SunCal. Also expected to be finished this year are a 4,300 square-foot administration building and a 1,200-square-foot visitor center.
Transfer of the first parcel of land, at Camp Parks’ current entrance off Dublin Boulevard, is expected by November. SunCal anticipates grading the parcel later this year in preparation for constructing the first phase of about 400 homes in the second quarter of 2015.
“It’s going to be a mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented new neighborhood in town,” said Joe Guerra, who heads SunCal’s acquisitions and entitlements in Northern California. “It’s not just walking distance to BART, it’s literally a quarter-mile walk to a step on a BART train. There’s not a lot of options in the Bay Area where you could just walk to a station with that kind of housing.”
Future building projects for Camp Parks include a vehicle maintenance yard, a medical training facility, an Army Reserve Center and a warehouse. Guerra estimates the full buildout will take at least six years to complete.
As part of the plan, the city of Dublin will design and construct a 30-acre park in the heart of the Dublin Crossing development. The city has opened an online public survey and is seeking resident input. The planning process is expected be completed in summer 2015.
Once finished, city officials say the park and overall development will close the gap between east and west Dublin.
“It’s a great opportunity,” said Dublin principal planner Kristy Bascom. “It’s a big part of the community that’s been closed off. It will be a nice amenity in the center of town.”
The land’s imminent transfer follows a settlement agreement signed in August by the city of Dublin, Dublin Crossing Venture, and the Alameda Creek Alliance, which had filed a lawsuit in March challenging the project’s environmental impact report for ignoring impacts to Western burrowing owl habitats.
As a result of the settlement, the environmental group will dismiss the lawsuit. In exchange, Dublin Crossing Venture will protect 313 acres for the burrowing owl population either on the Camp Parks property or elsewhere in the East Bay.
“Burrowing owl colonies are increasingly scarce in the Livermore-Amador Valley, so this agreement will be important for helping to maintain the large breeding owl colony at Camp Parks or to protect additional burrowing owl habitat in the East Bay,” said Jeff Miller, director of the Alameda Creek Alliance. “We believe this is suitable mitigation for the impacts of the Dublin Crossing Project on burrowing owls.”


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The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) slashed interest rates again by 25 basis points on October 30, 2019. This is the rate that sets what banks charge other financial institutions for lending overnight. Additionally, it’s also linked to nearly all types of revolving consumer debt.
Is This the Last Interest Rate Reduction?
This cut, though widely expected by the nation’s financial markets, might be the last one for some time if the Fed’s indications are accurate. Though it was the third time in 2019 the Fed dropped the rate, Chairman Jerome Powell noted that the nation’s economic expansion is maturing and that the cut was an adjustment within that cycle.
In June, post-meeting statements from the FOMC included a phrase that indicated that it planned to continue to act appropriately in order to sustain the country’s economic expansion. Chairman Powell used it then as a way of explaining the rationale behind the rate cut that occurred the next month.
During the October meeting, though, the language was toned down considerably. Instead, the statement released indicated that the FOMC would continue with its monitoring activities in an effort to accurately assess the appropriate target range for the rate. During a news conference, Chairman Powell further clarified the position of the Committee. Essentially, he stated that the current monetary policy is likely to remain stable.
Markets Anticipated This Change
In spite of President Trump’s urging for the Fed to continue its rate-cutting ways, new language also included in the committee’s statements from its October meeting indicates that future decisions will be data-dependent instead. This is in contrast to simply making an ongoing intent to lower interest rates.
How Does This Affect Mortgages?
While home loan rates don’t respond quickly when the Fed adjusts the rates, there’s empirical evidence that demonstrates that the two are related. Mortgage rates are more closely linked to the Treasury’s 10-year yield. It’s this number that tends to serve as a benchmark for 30-year mortgage rates that are fixed.
In 2018, the Fed raised interest rates four times throughout the year. Instead of reacting in a similar way, though, mortgage rates continued to slide downward through December of that year. The Fed’s actions don’t usually have a direct connection to mortgage rates, but both numbers are influenced by market forces that are similar. The primary concern is an expectation that a slowing of the economy is imminent.
What Does the Data Show?
The data the Feds looked at during their October meeting showed some concern regarding both the global and domestic economies. Hiring in the United States had slowed over the past few weeks while activity within the manufacturing sector was lagging.
Global growth also showed signs of decelerating. This prompted other central banks around the world to cut their rates too. In addition to short-term borrowing rates falling, potential homebuyers can also expect long-term rates to tumble as well. In fact, just a quarter of a percentage point reduction could mean a monthly payment that is a couple of hundred dollars less.

domain: news


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Or, I like to put carbs in my carbs then fry it up in a pan
I found this bag of frozen japchae goon mandu at a local Korean store. Mandu (sometimes spelled mandoo) are Korean dumplings sort of like gyoza or pot stickers. They come in many varieties and can be served steamed, in soup or fried. Goon means fried, I believe although I’m not 100% on this as when I was a child my mother would give us “yaki mandu” which were also fried. I should know better than to write Korean food posts when my mother is asleep so I can’t call to ask!
Japchae refers to the filling, which I’ve described how to make following my mother’s japchae recipe. You’ll notice on the bag it says jabchae, which is an alternate spelling along with chapchae – many Korean sounds lie between two English sounds so you’ll often find words spelled several different ways on menus.
I found “Tastes good mandu – Authentic flavor of Jabchae” delightful. (note click on each picture if you’d like to see a larger version)
CJ Freshian sounds like HR Puffnstuff’s friend!
Instructions are pretty straightforward. I liked that you don’t need a ton of oil to cook these.
Not exactly health food, but the price is right! Just under $8 for about 25 dumplings.
Frozen, read to cook. Each dumpling had one smooth side, one textured side. I’m not sure why, probably something to do with the manufacturing process.
Fully cooked. While the filling didn’t come out looking like lovely fresh japchae, the taste wasn’t bad at all. You could tell that there was MSG in it as the umami was off the hook – it had that hmmm, these aren’t really as good as they taste but I can’t stop eating them quality, much like the finest Doritos.
At least it contained real vegetables!
These aren’t something you’d want to eat all the time, but they are pretty good for frozen food. I served some on the side with some Asian food while my niece was visiting and she snarfed them right up, so they are teen-friendly. If you’d like something a bit better and fresher, try my mom’s spring roll recipe!

domain: food


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JOHOR BARU: The government is willing to allow candidates contesting in the Johor state election, including from the Opposition, to use the channels provided by Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) as a medium to introduce themselves to the voters.
Communications and Multimedia Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa (pic) said the initiative was to complement efforts towards adopting a mature democratic process.
“Actually, they can, including the Opposition, as long as it is not abused. All candidates are the same and as in the Melaka state election, all candidates including Independent candidates and those from the Opposition are given the opportunity to introduce themselves.
“The people have a right to get to know them and make their own choices so, it should be no problem,” he told reporters after an interview with Johor FM at the Johor RTM headquarters here Saturday.
Also present were Bernama chief executive officer Datuk Mokhtar Hussain and Broadcasting Director-General Datuk Che Roslan Che Daud.
Annuar said RTM, particularly television and radio channels such as Johor FM, were given the opportunity to formulate suitable programmes during the state election, especially after the nomination process.
“It aims to display candidate information so that they are better known to the people. We also understand that the new standard operating procedures will have limitations in terms of candidate movements.
“This is where RTM can play a role by providing suitable space for them (candidates) in a fair and just manner,” he said.
The Election Commission is expected to announce the dates for the 15th Johor state election after a special meeting on Feb 9. - Bernama

domain: politics


text: The Mason family were cleaning out their stuff & I ended up with several bags of Polyfil & 1 quilt batting. I had wanted to make a new Teddy Bear pattern so this was the perfect time. I called him Mason in honor of Teresa & Gary Mason. His name is embroidered on his vest. He turned out pretty cute.


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PALO ALTO, Calif. -- Million-dollar renovations of multimillion-dollar homes are not uncommon along this university town's tree-lined streets.
But spending that kind of money to fix up a garage? And a 12-by-18-foot, wood-frame, one-car garage at that?
When the garage in question is one of the most famous in the business world, that kind of investment might not be so odd. The little brown building with green doors at 367 Addison Ave. is often considered the birthplace of Silicon Valley.
David Packard and William R. Hewlett set up shop there in 1938, cutting a template that thousands of fresh-faced entrepreneurs, just out of school, would use in hopes of building products and companies that could change the world -- and make them rich.
Only a 15-minute drive away at 2066 Crist Drive in Los Altos is the garage where Stephen Wozniak and Steve Jobs built their earliest Apple computers. More recently, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Stanford University graduates like the Hewlett-Packard founders, rented a garage at 232 Santa Margarita Ave. in nearby Menlo Park to start Google.
The powerful hold the garage start-up has on Silicon Valley is the reason Hewlett-Packard spent $1.7 million to buy the property. Company officials plan to celebrate the preservation Tuesday in a low-key ceremony and will offer tours Dec. 11, 12 and 13. After that, the house will be used for corporate functions.
Most of the historical evidence suggests that Hewlett and Packard never became sentimental about the place, said Anna Mancini, the company's archivist, who led the preservation project. "They preferred to look forward, not back," Mancini said.
That left the restorers with little to go on. They had only six photographs: two exterior snapshots of the house from the late 1940s, one of the Packards by the fireplace, a shot of the garage's interior, one of its exterior and one of the oven.
Mancini said the shingled house, built in 1905, was never grand.
"Mostly we worked from recollections of David, Bill and Lucille," said Mancini, referring to writings by Packard, Hewlett and Packard's wife.
The property, with an assessed value of $1.84 million, remains as unremarkable as it was in the Great Depression. Mancini said the shingled house, built in 1905, was never grand. The owner had divided it into two flats to earn rental income from Stanford students 20 years before Packard and his wife rented the place for $45 a month, or about $635 in today's dollars.
Company lore has it that Packard immediately wrote to his Stanford classmate, Hewlett, who was in New York working for General Electric, and offered him the shed next to the garage as his lodgings. Hewlett drove out to California with a Craftsman drill press on the back seat.
The drill press went into the garage next to a workbench. The two engineers -- called radio engineers back in that pre-electronics era -- had several ideas of what to invent to make money.
They decided on a variable audio oscillator that was used to test sound quality in the booming radio and movie business.
Lucille Packard snapped a picture of the first oscillator, the 200A, atop the fireplace in the living room and used the photograph in brochures mailed to prospective customers. Walt Disney, who had begun his company in a Los Angeles garage about 15 years earlier, bought eight to fine-tune the soundtrack for Fantasia.
The company's preservationists, guided by architects at Cody Anderson Wasney in Palo Alto, lavished attention on the garage. "We used kid gloves," said Montgomery Anderson, the principal architect.
Inside, a single 40-watt bulb illuminates a workbench, a small table with a ham radio and a drill press. Mancini bought the antique machine, the same model as the one Hewlett brought back from New York, on eBay for $75. (EBay was founded in Pierre Omidyar's spare bedroom in San Jose, not in his garage.)


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The ongoing fight inside the Democratic party
Conventional wisdom dictates that the 2018 mid term elections should be kind to Democrats. It's not a partisan point, but simple history. The party of an incumbent president loses congressional seats in mid term elections. The losses typically range from 20-40 seats -- sometimes more, sometimes less. Given history is generally on their side, why are Democrats still fighting so much among themselves? It appears, among other squabbles and missteps, the wounds of the 2016 primary fight between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders refuse to heal. Case in point: the infighting inside the Democratic National Committee:
The DNC has become every frustrated Democrat’s favorite piñata, and a symbol of everything that went wrong in 2016. Sanders-Clinton hostilities have taken on a new form: The tension now is over whether Sanders should hand over his massive voter list to the committee, as Perez has asked, and whether the committee has gone far enough to overhaul internal rules that Sanders forces are convinced rigged the nomination for Clinton. Neither side is satisfied, and words like “crazy,” “still doesn’t get it” and, in one case, “Judas” are tossed around to describe people in the opposite camp.
The relationship between Perez and Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), the former rival whom Perez named deputy chair in an attempt to ease tribal infighting, remains chilly, with periodic explosive fights over party strategy and appointments. “Functioning unity is something we’ve got to build back over time,” Ellison said, after praising Perez.
The election calendar -- and the need to show results -- may mute some of the rifts. But we remain somewhat amazed that over a year after Clinton's loss, and over 18 months after she defeated Sanders, Democrats are still out to get each other. Not that we are complaining. A divided Demcoratic party is an ineffective Democratic party. But for a taste of how deep the rift is, consider this ground-level report from deep blue New York, where the Clinton and Sanders partisans are butting heads over tea and sandwiches (the language below is quoted from Democrat sources - and apologize for the following profanity):
In their blind devotion to ALL THINGS HILLARY, which AGAIN, Hillary’s appointees also voted on these same measures (obviously after months of debate, that’s for another article), they still couldn’t get over the stupidity they read. From hellscape sites like DAILY KOS to of fucking course, watching and LOVING Joy Reid.
Now I actually learned something interesting. I just assumed that not everyone or a much smaller fraction of folks were on Twitter. And if anyone is on that platform, that’s where Clinton apologists & hacks like Peter Daou and Tom Watson, the two founders of the too dumb to parody Hillary Men. By the way, we know who Peter Daou is, he’s the failed social media guru who hasn’t worked on a successful campaign in his life. But the real question is who the HELL is Tom Watson, by the way, and why the FUCK is anyone listening to him? In addition to these laughable “Hillary Men” the court of mean girl Hillary Defense League members Neera Tanden, Joy Reid, Sady Doyle, and well the list of left-punchers just goes on and on. What startled me is that they knew about these Hillary-enabler’s Twitter rants – as tweets from Twitter get passed around on the most nauseating website: Facebook. That’s when it all made sense to me.
Again, I can’t stress enough that these #TheResistance warriors only had information from the most rabid Clinton supporters and websites like fucking SHAREBLUE. You know, that ‘unbiased media outlet’ that is a venture of David goddamn Brock and YES Peter God Damned Daou. The “knowledge” they were dropping was oh, so familiar. It’s the exact same language one only has to read when they go on the aforementioned timelines on Twitter.
It's really quite funny to read...and instructive, too. Away from the DC bubble, the fighting, hurt feelings, distrust, and general loathing between Democratic factions is real, and nasty. Does it mean Republicans are shoo-ins this November? Absolutely not. They will have to fight very hard, and very smart, to keep their majorities.
But they may be able to do better -- even much better -- in November than many pundits currently believe.


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Bazaar, a Pakistan based B2B ecommerce and fintech platform has raised $70M in a Series B financing led by Dragoneer Investment Group and Tiger Global Management. Bazaar provides procurement, fulfilment, operating software, digital lending, and supply chain products to merchants and suppliers in Pakistan. This investment, which comes just 6 months after its historic Series A, takes Bazaar’s total institutional funding to over $100M, establishing it as one of the most well-capitalized startups in the country’s rapidly growing tech ecosystem.
Existing investors, including Indus Valley Capital, Defy Partners, Acrew Capital, Wavemaker Partners, B&Y Venture Partners and Zayn Capital also participated in the round.
“We are thrilled to support Bazaar’s vision of building an end-to-end commerce and fintech platform for millions of unbanked and offline merchants in Pakistan”, said Christian Jensen, Partner at Dragoneer Investment Group. “Bazaar’s pace of geographic expansion and new product development is a testament to the rare talent and culture Hamza and Saad have cultivated at Bazaar.”
Bazaar’s mission is to build an operating system for traditional retail in Pakistan. This retail economy, worth over $170B, is primarily offline and mostly served through 5 million SMEs across the country. This merchant base, which is the lifeline of Pakistan’s economy, also lacks access to formal financial services in a country that hosts the world’s third largest unbanked population. At the same time, Pakistan is undergoing a massive digital penetration wave driven by widespread availability of affordable smartphones and some of the lowest mobile broadband costs in the world. Bazaar aims to capitalize on these fundamentals by building an integrated platform of B2B offerings that can aggregate, digitize, and finance the country’s fragmented retail landscape.
Easy Khata, Bazaar’s merchant software product, has onboarded over 2.4 million businesses across 500 cities and towns in the country, recording over $10B in annualized bookkeeping transaction value.
“We believe that Pakistan is at an inflection point in its tech ecosystem development. Bazaar is tapping into the massive merchant opportunity and is leading the charge in the country. We are excited to back their incredible team and phenomenal growth in such a short span of time.” said John Curtius, partner at Tiger Global Management.
Bazaar was founded in June 2020 by Hamza Jawaid and Saad Jangda “We are humbled and excited to continue on the path to create a generation defining story for Pakistan. With the significant backing of two of the largest venture growth funds in the world, we believe this will continue to change the narrative on the country and inspire countless more and bigger stories in near future. This is a result of the trust and partnership of our colleagues, suppliers and most importantly our customers – the small merchants who are the backbone of our economy.” said the founders, Hamza and Saad.
With the fresh round of funding, Bazaar plans to expand into more cities across Pakistan, launch new marketplace categories, scale its lending offerings, and accelerate new product development.

domain: finance


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Volume 12, Number 3—March 2006
Identifying and Quantifying Genotypes in Polyclonal Infections due to Single Species
Simultaneous infection with multiple pathogens of the same species occurs with HIV, hepatitis C, Epstein-Barr virus, dengue, tuberculosis, and malaria. However, available methods do not distinguish among or quantify pathogen genotypes in individual patients; they also cannot test for novel insertions and deletions in genetically modified organisms. The strategy reported here accomplishes these goals with real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and capillary electrophoresis. Real-time PCR with allotype-specific primers defines the allotypes (strains) present and the intensity of infection (copy number). Capillary electrophoresis defines the number of genotypes within each allotype and the intensity of infection by genotype. This strategy can be used to study the epidemiology of emerging infectious diseases with simultaneous infection by multiple genotypes, as demonstrated here with malaria. It also permits testing for insertions or deletions in genetically modified organisms that may be used for bioterrorism.
Simultaneous infection with multiple pathogens of the same species occurs in human patients with HIV, hepatitis C, Epstein-Barr virus, dengue, tuberculosis, and malaria (1–7). However, available laboratory methods do not distinguish among pathogen genotypes in samples from individual patients. They do not permit the identification or quantitation of genotypes in samples with multiple pathogens of the same species, or the identification of size polymorphisms produced by insertions and deletions.
Conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with agarose gel electrophoresis permits the identification of pathogen allotypes (strains) in human blood and tissue and an assessment of the sizes of their amplicons but does not define allotype copy number or genotype copy number. Real-time PCR permits identification and quantitation of allotypes (8,9) but does not permit the identification of genotypes within allotypes.
From the epidemiologic perspective, a molecular strategy to define the allotypes and genotypes of human pathogens and their copy numbers would permit one to study the dynamics of simultaneous infection with multiple genotypes in ways that have been impossible. For example, this knowledge could be used to identify novel genotypes (size polymorphisms) resulting from insertions and deletions at polymorphic loci.
From the bioterrorism perspective, a strategy to identify size polymorphisms (insertions and deletions) in critical regions of pathogen genomes would be of immense value. This information could be used to test for deletions in regulatory (suppressor) regions and for the insertion of new genes in regions controlled by strong promoters. Available methods do not permit the rapid identification of size polymorphisms within allotypes or the quantitation of individual pathogen genotypes.
To address this challenge, we used real-time PCR and capillary electrophoresis. Real-time PCR with allotype-specific primers permits one to define the allotypes present and their copy number (8,9). Capillary electrophoresis permits one to define individual genotypes within allotypes and genotype copy number. The combination of real-time PCR and capillary electrophoresis also permits the identification of insertions and deletions in potentially critical regions of pathogen genomes.
Collection of Patient Samples and Isolation of Pathogen DNA
Using fingersticks, filter paper blot samples (S & S #903 Blood Collection Cards, Schleicher & Scheuell Bioscience, Keene, NH, USA) containing 50 μL of blood were obtained from persons with Plasmodium falciparum infection in Mali. These samples were obtained in a prospective study of asymptomatic P. falciparum infection in the village of Missira (160 km northwest of Bamako), after review and approval by the University of Bamako Institutional Review Board (IRB) in Bamako and the Tulane University IRB in New Orleans. Before obtaining informed consent from the participants (after IRB reviews and approvals), the protocol was reviewed with the chief and elders of the village and the women's council. After those additional reviews and approvals, informed consent was obtained from persons >18 years of age and from the parents and guardians of children <17 years of age before obtaining blood samples. DNA was isolated from filter paper blots and blood samples by using the QIAamp DNA Mini Kit (Qiagen, Valencia, CA, USA).
Control template DNA was obtained from cultured parasites (10) by using the QIAamp DNA Blood Mini Kit (Qiagen). Cloned isolates used as controls for the 4 known allotypes of the polymorphic block 2 region of merozoite surface protein 1 (msp1) were Indochina I/CDC for MAD20, Haiti 135 for K1, 7G8 for RO33, and OK/JC 5 for MAD20/RO33 hybrid allotype parasites (11–13). DNA template concentrations were estimated from standard curves by plotting the fluorescence of 5 DNA standards with concentrations of 1 μg/mL (1,000 ng/ml), 100 ng/mL, 10 ng/mL, 1 ng/mL, and 0 ng/mL (blank or negative control) vs. the log10 of template DNA concentration by using PicoGreen dye (Molecular Probes, Eugene, OR, USA) with the VersaFluor fluorometer (Bio-Rad, Hercules, CA, USA).
Primer and Probe Design for Real-time PCR
Primers and probes were designed by using the Beacon Designer software, version 2.03, Premier (Biosoft International, Palo Alto, CA, USA) (available from http://www.premierbiosoft.com/molecular_beacons/), in combination with manual manipulation. The primers and probes used to amplify the K1, MAD20, RO33, and hybrid (MAD20/RO33) allotypes of the block 2 region of msp1 and the internal control gene (erythrocyte-binding antigen 175, eba175) in P. falciparum are listed in Table 1, together with information on fluorophores, melting temperatures, final reactant concentrations, and the observed ranges of amplicon sizes. Unlabeled primers and fluorophore-labeled probes were obtained from Integrated DNA Technologies (Coralville, IA, USA), LUX-labeled primers from Invitrogen (Carlsbad, CA, USA); and the Cy5-labeled probe for eba175 from Biosearch Technologies (Novarto, CA, USA).
Real-time PCR Amplification of Pathogen DNA
Real-time PCR was performed with the iCycler (Bio-Rad) by using the amplification conditions described below (Table 1) with a 2× multiplex-specific master mix (Qiagen) and 3-μL aliquots of template DNA. Reaction mixtures were supplemented with 2.5 U recombinant Taq polymerase (Invitrogen) and subjected to an initial denaturation at 95°C for 15 min, followed by 45 cycles of denaturation at 94° C for 30 s, annealing at 53°C for 90 s, and extension at 72°C for 90 s. Fluorescence measurements were obtained during the annealing step with TaqMan probes (K1 and MAD20/RO33 hybrid allotypes, and the eba175 internal control), and during the elongation step with LUX primers (MAD20 and RO33 allotypes). Each sample was tested in quadruplicate. Two samples were used to define the allotypes present and their copy number with the iCycler; the other 2 samples were removed from the iCycler during the exponential (logarithmic) stage of amplification for capillary electrophoresis to define the genotypes present and genotype copy number.
Template Specificity and Optimization of Multiplex PCR
Template specificity was tested for each primer probe set with the 4 control template DNAs (from Indochina I, Haiti 135, 7G8 and hybrid MAD20/RO33 parasites). Amplicons of the expected sizes were obtained with matched template and primer probe sets; no amplicons were obtained with unmatched template and primer probe sets. Negative controls likewise yielded no amplicons. DNA extracted from specimens without parasites was used to control for primer-primer and primer-probe interactions, and other potential causes of false-positive PCR results. After establishing specificity, the reaction conditions were optimized by defining the efficiencies of each primer probe set using a series of 10-fold dilutions with each control template DNA. These efficiencies were then matched to the efficiencies obtained with the multiplex PCR to adjust the final primer and probe concentrations so the efficiencies of the multiplex PCR matched those of the individual PCRs.
PCR Amplification and Allotype Quantitation
Standard curves were generated by using 10-fold dilutions of template DNA (3-μL aliquots) from each of the control parasites to estimate the initial copy numbers of the 4 allotypes in each sample. The standard curves (regression lines) for each allotype, the resulting reaction efficiencies, threshold cycle (CT) values and estimates of initial copy numbers were calculated by using the iCycler Software (Bio-Rad).
Capillary Electrophoresis and Genotype Quantitation
To estimate amplicon size (base pairs) and copy number for each genotype, 2 replicates were removed from the iCycler for each sample during the logarithmic amplification stage, as determined by real-time relative fluorescence unit (RFU) data, and stopped with 0.5 mol/L EDTA. For each reaction, two 1-μL aliquots of the real-time PCR reaction mixture were loaded onto a DNA 500 Lab Chip (Agilent Technologies, Waldbronn, Germany) and run on the Bioanalyzer 2100 (Agilent Technologies), according to the manufacturer's instructions. With capillary electrophoresis using the DNA 500 Lab Chip, a linear relationship was shown between amplicon size and elution time (r2>0.998, p<0.001 for amplicons from 25 bp to 400 bp; data not shown). The copy numbers for each genotype were calculated from the molarities provided by the Agilent software. These calculations are based on the observation that the concentration of each amplicon is proportional to its peak area on the electropherogram.
Real-time PCR To Identify Pathogen Allotypes
Real-time PCR with allotype-specific primers permits the amplification of individual allotypes in specimens from infected human subjects (first 3 columns of Table 2, and Figure 1, panel A). Based on control specimens containing only 1 allotype and on negative controls, this strategy is specific. Based on filter paper blots for specimens containing >100 parasites/μL, it is sensitive. However, real-time PCR with allotype-specific primers does not distinguish among (identify) genotypes within allotypes (Figure 1). This is because real-time PCR cannot identify size polymorphisms, whether they result from natural events such as the spontaneous addition and deletion of tripeptide repeats in malaria parasites (14) or deliberately malevolent manipulation of microorganisms in the laboratory as potential agents of bioterrorism.
Optimization of Real-time PCR
Estimates of efficiency (the degree to which replication increases the number of amplicons by the expected 2-fold increment [100% efficiency] in each cycle) indicate that the efficiency of the real-time PCR assays performed in these studies was excellent (90%–100%). In addition, efficiencies of reactions in multiplex did not differ significantly from individual reaction efficiencies, or from other reaction efficiencies in multiplex.
Reproducibility of Copy Number (Threshold Cycle, CT) Estimates
Data for estimates of copy number were based on the amplification of block 2 of msp1 from P. falciparum malaria parasites (Table 2). The reproducibility of CT estimates was examined separately for exemplary 93- and 154-bp amplicons, and found to have means of 27.99 and 28.62 cycles, respectively, with standard deviations of 0.34 and 0.13 cycles (i.e., coefficients of variation [CVs] of 1.2% and 0.5% for these 2 amplicons, n = 10 for each).
Capillary Electrophoresis To Identify Pathogen Genotypes
In contrast to real-time PCR, which identifies only allotypes, capillary electrophoresis identifies genotypes within allotypes (based on size polymorphisms) in samples from persons (Figure 1, panels B–D). Across participants (in groups of samples), this method permits one to identify the spectrum (range) of genotypes in the population (data for samples from 10 persons infected with P. falciparum are presented as an example in Figure 2 and Table 3). The reproducibility of capillary electrophoresis is sufficient to separate amplicons that differ by >5 bp. This conclusion was based on a comparison of amplicons containing 148 and 153 bp with elution times on electropherograms of 60.51 and 61.11 s, respectively (Figure 3).
Reproducibility of Genotype Copy Number Estimates
Based on the electropherograms, the reproducibility of peak area measurements and estimates of genotype copy number was excellent. CVs varied from 0.13% to 0.45% for amplicon concentrations between 10 nmol/L and 80 nmol/L (n = 12 replicates at each of 4 template concentrations of a 95-bp amplicon from 10 nmol/L to 80 nmol/L, data not shown).
Real-time Fluorescence in Relation to Peak Area
The slopes of increasing fluorescence based on real time PCR with the iCycler were indistinguishable from the increasing peak areas on the electropherogram (Figure 4, panels A and B, slopes of 0.2252 and 0.2223, p > 0.5). The similarity of these slopes (based on different parameters) indicates that increases in RFUs are directly proportional to increases in amplicon concentration (molarity). This result permits one to extrapolate from allotype copy number to genotype copy number based on peak area.
Field Samples from Persons with Polyclonal Infections
Three of the 4 known P. falciparum allotypes have size polymorphisms within block 2 of msp1. K1, MAD20, and hybrid MAD20/RO33 allotype parasites have size polymorphisms because they contain tripeptide repeats within block 2 of msp1; RO33 does not have size polymorphisms because it does not have tripeptide repeats (15). These size polymorphisms are evident for K1 in a sample from a single person (Table 2) and for K1, MAD20, and hybrid MAD20/RO33 parasites in samples from 10 persons (Figure 2 and Table 3).
Simultaneous Infection and Detection of Genetically Modified Organisms
Studies by a number of investigators have shown that simultaneous infection with multiple pathogens (genotypes) of the same species occurs in patients with HIV, hepatitis C, Epstein-Barr virus, dengue, tuberculosis, and malaria (1–7) and have identified deletions and insertions (genotypes) due to tandem repeats in cytomegalovirus (15). Because pathogen genotypes based on insertions and deletions are common, the strategy reported here is potentially applicable to all microbial human pathogens. This complexity of infection is likely to be important in the pathogenesis and transmission of many emerging infectious diseases. For example, epidemiologically and clinically meaningful events such as severe disease and antimicrobial drug resistance are likely to be driven by competition among pathogen genotypes in vivo (by the virulence and antimicrobial susceptibility/resistance determinants of the predominant genotypes) and may also affect transmission.
In addition to block 2 of msp1 in P. falciparum, other examples of natural sequence variation detectable by using real-time PCR and capillary electrophoresis (variations >5 nucleotides/bp) include duplications and deletions in the 3´ noncoding regions (NCRs) of dengue (16) and yellow fever (17) and insertions and deletions in the env gene of HIV (18,19). For Mycobacterium tuberculosis, examples include variation in the tandem repeats within IS6110 (20), variable numbers of tandem repeats (VNTRs) (21), and genomic deletions (22). For select agents, examples include variation in VNTRs (multiple locus VNTR analysis) in Bacillus anthracis (23,24), similar differences in Yersinia pestis (25), and insertions, deletions, and variation in the inverted terminal repeat region and the coding region of the smallpox virus (26,27) (Table 4).
In addition, disease-producing agents may be modified in the laboratory to increase their virulence or to introduce antimicrobial drug resistance for bioterrorist events (28–30). However, available methods are inadequate to rapidly diagnose and quantitate simultaneous infection with multiple pathogens (genotypes) of the same species or identify insertions and deletions in critical regions of pathogen genomes. The results reported here provide a strategy to address these issues based on real-time PCR and capillary electrophoresis.
Real-time PCR To Identify and Quantitate Pathogen Allotypes
As demonstrated here and elsewhere, allotype-specific primers permit one to identify the pathogen allotypes in a specimen (1–7). In addition, real-time PCR may be used to quantitate the numbers of microorganisms in a specimen. Because the relationship between the number of cycles necessary to reach the CT and the log10 of copy number is linear, real-time PCR can be used to estimate the initial amount of template DNA (copy number) (8,9).
Capillary Electrophoresis To Identify and Quantitate Pathogen Genotypes
In contrast to real-time PCR (in which all amplicons [genotypes] are examined together in the same well once each cycle), capillary electrophoresis detects the amplicons from each genotype as they pass a fluorescence or absorbance detector. This is accomplished by separating dsDNA amplicons based on their size (base pairs) by using a charged electrical field to drive the dsDNA polyanions to the detector at the anode. Because this separation is driven by the ratio of the electrical driving force to the mass of each amplicon, the rate of movement to the anode is inversely proportional to mass (size in base pairs). Thus, smaller amplicons travel faster and have shorter retention times on the electropherogram (Figure 1, panels B–D).
Detection of Artificial-size Polymorphisms
The results reported here demonstrate that capillary electrophoresis is sufficiently sensitive to detect insertions and deletions >5 bp in size. This finding means that capillary electrophoresis is more than sufficiently sensitive to detect biologically significant insertions and deletions in genetically modified organisms (23–30). Thus, it provides an open-ended strategy to test for genetically modified organisms, by testing for size polymorphisms at critically important sites in the pathogen genome, e.g., at sites related to pathogenicity (virulence) or antimicrobial resistance.
Advantages, Limitations, and Potential Pitfalls
The advantages of real-time PCR followed by capillary electrophoresis are that it can be performed without waiting days or weeks for cultures to grow and that it detects pathogens that do not grow in conventional culture media or under standard conditions (31). In addition, as noted above (14), sequence information is enormously helpful in selecting loci within the genome likely to have insertions and deletions and interpreting the results obtained. Although insertions, deletions, and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) produce detectable changes in melting curves (32,33), melting curves are qualitative rather than quantitative. In addition, melting curves alone cannot identify specific insertions, deletions, or quasispecies (SNPs) without the addition of probes for the affected target region of the genome or the use of PCR (34,35). Finally, because the strategy reported here tests for size polymorphisms, it does not require prior knowledge of the specific sequences that may have been introduced into (or deleted from) the pathogen genome to identify genetically modified organisms. However, this strategy does have 3 limitations.
First, sequences identical to (or cross-reactive with) host sequences cannot be used as targets because blood and tissue specimens are inevitably contaminated with host DNA (this issue can be resolved by searching the GenBank database). Second, the threshold of detection for genetically modified organisms is the addition (or removal) of sequences >5 bp (based on the sensitivity of capillary electrophoresis), i.e., point mutations (SNPs = quasispecies) (36–38) cannot be detected with this strategy. As a result, this method is likely to be of greater value for organisms with dsDNA genomes such as bacteria, eukaryotic parasites, and dsDNA viruses (in which quasispecies are less common because of more accurate replication) than for organisms with single negative-stranded RNA genomes (in which quasispecies are more common because their replication depends on the error-prone reverse transcriptase—HIV, hepatitis C, hepatitis B) (39,40). Third, capillary electrophoresis may need to be performed separately for each allotype to avoid confusion between amplicons of similar size from different allotypes (Figures 1,2, and 3).
The strategy reported here can be used for epidemiologic studies of simultaneous infection with multiple pathogens (genotypes) of the same species in emerging infectious diseases and for the rapid identification of select agents that have been genetically modified to increase their virulence or antimicrobial drug resistance.
Mr Colborn is a doctoral candidate at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana. His research interests include the generation and maintenance of genetic diversity in infectious pathogens, particularly Plasmodium falciparum, as well as the heterogeneity of the host immune response to infections with these agents.
We thank Fawaz Mzayek for his help with the statistical testing; John W. Barnwell, Craig L. Leutzinger, and Mark L. Eberhard for their encouragement and support; Mark Jensen of Agilent Technologies for his helpful advice in development of the capillary electrophoresis strategy; and Mark A. Beilke and Russell B. van Dyke for their suggestions and thoughtful comments on this manuscript.
These studies were supported in part by a cooperative agreement from the Emerging Infectious Diseases Program of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CCU/UR3 418652).
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TablesCite This Article
Table of Contents – Volume 12, Number 3—March 2006
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domain: medical


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New trial set to change the way cancer is treated
A revolutionary clinical trial is underway that could change the way cancer is treated in the future.
40 hospitals across Australia are offering a blood test that detects “invisible” cancers cells still left in the body after surgery.
It could help countless patients avoid unnecessary chemotherapy and related side effects.
Clinician scientist at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Associate Professor Jeanne Tie, told Ross and John patients are being “over treated” and the trial would help mitigate the risks.
“If there’s a way we (could tell people) that they wouldn’t benefit from chemotherapy, we could avoid that side effects,” she said.
Associate Professor Tie said patients were currently unaware whether they had been administered unnecessary chemotherapy.
“If the cancer hasn’t come after five years, I still don’t know whether they’ve benefited from chemo because they could’ve been cured by the surgery alone.
Click PLAY to hear the full interview on 3AW Breakfast


Dr. Guggenheim has served as an environmental consultant and adviser throughout his career, providing his expertise and leadership to nonprofit organizations, industry, governmental agencies and academic institutions. His environmental consulting work has included:
- Building and leading coalitions
- Leading complex research projects and authoring reports and papers
- Advocacy, public speaking and media
- Formal and informal education
- Scientific adviser for marine research projects
- Management adviser
- Leading and conducting field research, including data collection as a submersible pilot, scuba diver, boat captain
He is dedicated to advancing the complex challenges of protecting and sustaining the marine environment and the health of its wildlife through strong, visionary nonprofit leadership, science-based advocacy and effective public education programs that reach beyond traditional audiences and constituencies.
Complementing his environmental consulting work, Dr. Guggenheim is an accomplished media spokesperson and environmental speaker to governments, industry, schools and colleges, etc.


9.Looking down on the knuckle, rotate the spindle clockwise. This will put the knuckle against the steering stops so you can break the ball joint nuts loose. Only loosen; do not remove the ball joint nuts until you've preloaded the spring. Smacking the knuckle with a 5-pound beater (large hammer) will break the ball joint free from its seated position. You can tell by watching the gap that was made between the knuckle and ball joint from loosening the nut. When it breaks free, it closes the gap from the spring tension.


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Splendors and Glooms
“What more can a reader ask? . . . dazzling . . . a brilliant story well told.”
Mix a master puppeteer named Gaspar Grisini, tormented witch Cassandra, two orphans named Lizzie Rose and Parsefall, and a kidnapped little rich girl called Clara and what do you get?
The joy of reading this astonishingly original novel by Newbery Medal winner, Laura Amy Schlitz.
Set in Victorian London, this darkly Gothic jewel opens simply enough when Clara Wintermute begs her wealthy father to bring Grisini’s puppet show to the family home for her twelfth birthday party.
Clara offers Grisini’s orphaned assistants, Lizzie Rose and Parsefall, tea and toast in the drawing room while Grisini prepares for the puppet show. The splendor of the Wintermute mansion dazzles the orphans as much as the clever dancing puppets dazzle Clara.
Clara is the sole survivor of several siblings who succumbed to cholera; she lives with that guilt and the fear that her parents wish she had died instead of her twin brother. But when she goes missing the day after the puppet show, her distraught parents are frantic to find her.
Grisini is questioned by the police, as are Lizzie Rose and Parsefall. The police search their shabby rooms in a boarding house for clues to Clara’s disappearance but find nothing.
Lizzie Rose and Parsefall discover and report Grisini’s criminal past to the police. For it turns out that Clara is not the first child to disappear after one of Grisini’s puppet shows.
Just as Grisini is ready to collect the ransom from Clara’s father, he’s injured in a fall at his boarding house when he tries to teach the orphans a lesson about talking to the police. When he regains consciousness, however, he cannot collect the ransom. Instead, Cassandra is calling him, and he must yield to her magical summons.
Against his will, Grisini joins Cassandra at her bewitched country estate, Strachan’s Ghyll. The two have a long history of magical rivalry, for Grisini is not just a skilled puppeteer, he is an expert and evil magician.
Cassandra wears a stunning fire opal around her neck that’s imbued with the ability to create powerful spells. It also both speeds her death and strengthens her powers. She wishes to rid herself of it, but she cannot give the opal away; it must be stolen from her. Grisini wants the opal for his own purposes even though he knows its dangers.
With a misleading letter, Cassandra lures Lizzie Rose and Parsefall from London to her estate with a promise to bequeath them all of her treasures. Even though the children don’t know her, they are so desperately poor and alone, they make their way to Strachan’s Ghyll to meet with Madama, as Cassandra prefers to be called.
Unbeknownst to Lizzie Rose and Parsefall, they are carrying the kidnapped girl Clara with them. She is hiding in full sight, for Grisini has turned her into a ballerina puppet. The opal allows Cassandra to enter Clara’s mind; the girl can see and hear and think, even though she is tiny, and her limbs are now controlled by puppet strings.
The action soars to unexpected heights once all the characters have gathered around Cassandra’s bedside at Strachan’s Ghyll, as the children’s true natures guide them to take the actions that result in the destined consequences.
The story’s closing is well rounded and extremely satisfying. The setting swings between abject poverty and resplendent riches; the characters are well drawn; and the story is uniquely intriguing.
What more can a reader ask? Capable middle-grade readers—such as those who managed the Harry Potter books on their own—can successfully tackle Splendors and Glooms. It also makes a dazzling read-aloud book for anybody who enjoys hearing the spoken words of a brilliant story well told.

domain: library


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Since joining Bayer in 2017, Dr. Scott Z. Fields has held the position of Senior Vice President and Head of Oncology Development at Bayer’s Pharmaceutical Division. In his current role, Dr. Fields is dedicated to driving the research and development that broadens Bayer’s innovative pipeline and maximizes the impact of existing treatments for patients in need.
With more than 14 years of experience working in the pharmaceutical industry, Dr. Fields has become an expert in global product development. Prior to joining Bayer, he led clinical development divisions at Vertex, Arno Therapeutics, Eisai and Amgen. Previously, he served as an Assistant Professor of Medicine, Co-Director of Bone Marrow Transplant and Head of Intramural Research at SUNY Upstate Medical Center and as a Faculty Member of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Methods in Clinical Cancer Research Workshop. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Columbia University Medical Center where he has taught since 2003.
Dr. Fields received his medical degree from SUNY Downstate and completed his Internal Medicine and Hematology/Oncology training at Columbia University Medical Center.
Robert LaCaze began his position in February 2017 as a Member of the Executive Committee of Bayer AG’s Pharmaceuticals Division and Head of the Oncology Strategic Business Unit (SBU), which was developed to support the company’s growing oncology portfolio at Bayer. His focus lies in cross-functional management of the SBU, Bayer’s approved therapies, as well as other early- and late-stage development candidates.
Prior to joining Bayer in 2015, Mr. LaCaze was at Bristol-Myers Squibb, where he held the position of Senior Vice President, Head of Product and Portfolio Strategy in Princeton, New Jersey. Prior to this role, he held other senior oncology-focused managerial roles at Bristol-Myers Squibb.
Throughout his career, Mr. LaCaze has spent a great amount of time in executive roles in the pharmaceutical industry. His career has particularly been focused on global strategy, operations, and global product launches including small molecules, biologics, and immuno-oncology.
Mr. LaCaze received a bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Louisiana Tech University, where he currently serves on the Advisory Board for the College of Business.
Dr. Theodore Laetsch is a pediatric oncologist and leads both the Developmental Therapeutics Program (DVL) and the Very Rare Malignant Tumors Program (VRMTP) at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, as well as holding national leadership roles in each of these areas within the Children’s Oncology Group (COG).
In the DVL program, Dr. Laetsch conducts early phase clinical trials of new treatments for children with difficult to treat cancers, with a particular area of focus including molecularly targeted therapies that are designed to block specific genetic mutations identified in patients' tumors. In particular, Dr. Laetsch leads the pediatric development of TRK inhibitors for children with NTRK gene fusions, and now leads a COG nationwide clinical trial studying the ability to use TRK inhibitors instead of chemotherapy for children with one of these gene fusions.
While individually very uncommon, together very rare malignant tumors comprise over 10% of childhood cancers. Given the rarity of each individual diagnosis, these cancers have been poorly studied and for many patients there are not standard, defined treatments. As the chair of the Rare Tumors Committee for the Children’s Oncology Group, Dr. Laetsch is working to advance the study of these tumors and define new ways to treat patients. Dr. Laetsch is hopeful that we can advance the care of patients with these tumors by using cancer genomics to identify targetable mutations as well as studying immunotherapy, which has revolutionized the care of many of these cancers in adult patients.
Finally, Dr. Laetsch is a member of the cellular therapy / chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell team at the Children’s Hospital. Prior to joining the Children’s Hospital in 2020, Dr. Laetsch led the pediatric CAR T-cell program at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
In each of these areas, Dr. Laetsch provides clinical care and conducts research, with an overarching goal of improving treatment options for children with difficult to treat cancers.
Professor Ray McDermott commenced his training in Medical Oncology at the Mater Hospital, Dublin during which time he completed an MBA in Health Services Management. From there, he went to the Institut Curie, Paris where he earned a PhD in Tumour Immunology. He subsequently completed his clinical training at Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, where he furthered an interest in Genito-Urinary Oncology. He took up a post as Consultant Medical Oncologist at the Adelaide and Meath, incl. National Children’s Hospital (AMNCH), Tallaght in 2004.
In 2006, Professor McDermott was instrumental in establishing Ireland as a main member of the Eastern Co-Operative Group (ECOG), a multidisciplinary, membership-based scientific organization that designs and conducts biomarker-driven cancer research involving adults who have or are at risk of developing cancer. Professor McDermott is the Principal Investigator for Ireland in this initiative.
In 2009, Professor McDermott became Vice Clinical Lead of the Irish Clinical Oncology Research Group (rebranded as Cancer Trials Ireland in 2016). In 2012, he took over as Clinical Lead and facilitated an organisational restructure with appointment of an independent Board of Directors and development of a strategic vision for cancer trials in Ireland.
Under the auspices of the National Cancer Control Programme and the establishment of “Centres of Excellence”, Professor McDermott’s public hospital commitment was split between AMNCH and St Vincent’s University Hospital, where he pursues his interest in genito-urinary and gastro-intestinal cancers.
Professor McDermott is the National Cancer Control Programme leader in guideline development for prostate cancer and sits on the new drug evaluation committee across all diseases. He is the clinical lead of the All Ireland Clinical Oncology Research Group and Chair of the Genito-Urinary Disease Specific Sub-Group.
In 2016, he was appointed Clinical Professor in Medical Oncology by University College Dublin. He is committed to improving outcomes for Irish patients with cancer through clinical and translational research.


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20 Games Like Dance Dance Revolution SuperNOVA 2()
Dance Dance Revolution 5thMIX, or DDR 5th Mix, is the 5th game in the Dance Dance Revolution series of music video games. It was released to the arcades by Konami on March 27, 2001. Although only officially released in Japan, units exist worldwide. DDR 5th Mix contains a total of 122 songs, nine of which are hidden and unlockable. Of those songs, 40 of them (including all nine unlockable songs) are brand new to Dance Dance Revolution.
Dance Dance Revolution (ダンスダンスレボリューション Dansu Dansu Reboryūshon?), abbreviated DDR and also known as Dancing Stage in earlier games in Europe and Australasia, and some other games in Japan, is a music video game series produced by Konami. Introduced in Japan in 1998 as part of the Bemani series, and released in North America and Europe in 1999, Dance Dance Revolution is the pioneering series of the rhythm and dance genre in video games. Players stand on a "dance platform" or stage and hit colored arrows laid out in a cross with their feet to musical and visual cues. Players are judged by how well they time their dance to the patterns presented to them and are allowed to choose more music to play to if they receive a passing score.
Dance Dance Revolution has been given much critical acclaim for its originality and stamina in the video game market. There have been dozens of arcade-based releases across several countries and hundreds of home video game console releases, promoting a music library of original songs produced by Konami's in-house artists and an eclectic set of licensed music from many different genres. The DDR series has inspired similar games such as Pump It Up by Andamiro and In the Groove by Roxor
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The hottest revolution and bestselling video game in the music game category returns to its arcade roots with Dance Dance Revolution SuperNOVA, the first arcade version to be released in North America in 6 years. Dance Dance Revolution SuperNOVA uses a completely new hardware engine and is the largest game in the series. Players will have access to over 300 songs from different musical genres and 2000+ dance step patterns. Dance Dance Revolution SuperNOVA is a brand new evolution in the DDR series and expands on every aspect of what made the original series innovative, fun and addictive.
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The Dance Dance Revolution series started on November 20, 1998 and has grown to a very sizable collections of games in the franchise. This list of Dance Dance Revolution games documents every single game released including which systems and formats and which regions those games were released in. This list only includes games that have been released to the general public.
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THE iDOLM@STER CINDERELLA GIRLS Starlight Stage is an upcoming spin-off free-to-play rhythm game released for mobile devices based on THE iDOLM@STER CINDERELLA GIRLS. The game revolves around tapping icons of the idols in the rhythm of the background song. Different kinds of notes will be brought in to show how each icon must be tapped; these include simply tapping the icon, tapping and holding down the icon, and tapping two icons simultaneously.
Love Live! School idol festival is a free-to-play rhythm game released for iOS and Android, based on the Love Live! franchise. The game features two modes (Story and Live) and all nine members of the idol group μ's. The school idol group Aqours was later added to the game as a major update on July 5, 2016 with its accompanying songs, stories, cards and events. The players are free to switch between μ's and Aqours mode in the game.
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Get your booty on the floor for Dance Dance Revolution X2. Licensed master tracks from some of today's hottest acts will make DDR X2 one for gamers old and new. Debuting in X2 is the unique Dice Master Mode, where players roll the dice to receive a dance challenge and compete to be the ultimate Dance Dance Revolution champion. Players will be able to dance to the beat of an expansive library of over 40 great songs, including a string of top hits recorded by the original artists.
Dance Dance Revolution Extreme (ダンスダンスレボリューションエクストリーム, Dansu Dansu Reboryūshon Ekusutorīmu) is a music video game by Konami and is the eighth release in the main Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) series. It was released on December 25, 2002 for Japanese arcades, on October 9, 2003 for the Japanese PlayStation 2, and on September 21, 2004 for the North American PlayStation 2. This game is the ninth release in North America, but despite having the same name as its Japanese counterpart, its gameplay and soundtrack is significantly different and won the Video Music Awards in 2005 on MTV for Best Video Game Soundtrack.
While the PlayStation 2 version came out in North America, the arcade version was exclusive to Japan. Despite this, the arcade version was exported to many arcades in the USA (most of them being bootlegged). Dance Dance Revolution Extreme was the last game in the DDR arcade franchise for four years until Dance Dance Revolution SuperNova in 2006. The arcade release of the game contains one of the largest soundtracks of any DDR game, featuring 240 songs, as well as music from other Bemani music titles. Konami issued an in-game thank you to the fans of Dance Dance Revolution and announced a rejuvenation of the entire series, but did not go into details. Konami's announcement led people to believe that DDR Extreme might be the final DDR release or that the series might be on hiatus or rebooted in the same manner as Beatmania and Beatmania IIDX.
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Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch Pichitto Live Start! is a licensed game developed by Konami and published for the Game Boy Advance platform. It takes inspiration from the Dance Dance Revolution series, using music and characters from the anime of the same name. It includes all the songs from the first Mermaid Melody GBA game and adds more from the second half of the TV series.
The first European entry in Konami's long running Dance Dance Revolution franchise.
Dance Dance Revolution X is a music video game, part of the Dance Dance Revolution series. DDR X was announced by Konami in 2008 for Japan and on May 15, 2008 for the North American PlayStation 2. The arcade version was announced on July 7, 2008, July 9, 2008 in Europe, and July 10, 2008 for North America. Released to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Dance Dance Revolution, DDR X sports an improved interface, new music, and new modes of play. The arcade release featured an overhauled (second generation) cabinet design with a widescreen display, e-Amusement and USB access, and an improved sound system. Despite such new design of its arcade cabinet, upgrade kit to change the edition of DDR on its first generation arcade cabinet from SuperNOVA2 (or earlier) to X is also available. The PlayStation 2 release has link ability with the arcade machine, multi-player support over LAN, and other improved and returning features such as EyeToy support. DDR X was called a "truly global version", with a multi-regional release by all three major Konami houses.
Dance Dance Revolution 2ndMix (ダンスダンスレボリューションセカンドミックス, Dansu Dansu Reboryūshon SekandoMikkusu), sometimes abbreviated as 2ndMix (セカンドミックス, SecandoMikkusu), is the second game in the Dance Dance Revolution series of music video games. It was released as an arcade game by Konami in Japan on January 29, 1999. It has a total of 32 songs: ten from the original Dance Dance Revolution arcade game and 26 all-new songs. An updated version, Dance Dance Revolution 2ndMix Link Version, was released to Japanese arcades on April 28, 1999. This version came with a PlayStation memory card reader, installed in the middle of the arcade cabinet. It supports cards that have Link Data from the home version of Dance Dance Revolution, allowing each player to save high scores and play custom step edits. 2ndMix Link Version adds five new songs to the game, two from the home version and three new licenses, for a total of 37 songs. Future Dance Dance Revolution releases in Japan, up to and including Dance Dance Revolution Extreme, integrated Link Data functionality in-game. However, these required different home games to produce different Link Data formats: 3rdMix, 4thMix, 4thMix Plus, 5thMix and New Version.
Touhou Rhythm Carnival Scarlet is a Rhythm Heaven like game including Touhou characters. It is made by Focus Lens and it mainly focuses on Embodiment of Scarlet Devil characters. This game is also known as Touhou Rhythm Carnival Kurenai
New and specially improved version of the zombie smashing hit, exclusively for the Xbox One. Insane mix of cars, speed, explosions, blood and zombies! Fight through an epic narrative campaign or test yourself in the Slaughter and Blood Race modes. Engage huge bosses, save survivors, drive crazy vehicles such as a bulldozer, fire truck or even a tank and smash everything in your way. Take part in the Blood Race tournament - chase other cars and take them down without mercy on brutal racing tracks. Jump into the Slaughter mode and survive as long as possible on specially crafted arenas. Experience super smooth gameplay at 60 frames per second and extra crisp visuals. Zombie Driver Ultimate Edition includes all DLC content that was ever created for the game.

domain: entertainment


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Rupert Murdoch's Fox abandons Time Warner takeover bid
By Jennifer Saba and Soyoung Kim
(Reuters) - Rupert Murdoch's Twenty-First Century Fox (FOXA.O: Quote) decided to pull its $80 billion offer to buy Time Warner Inc (TWX.N: Quote) on Tuesday, abandoning plans to create one of the world's largest media conglomerates.
The surprise announcement appeared to cut short what many investors had viewed as an inevitable battle of attrition over a deal that would have joined two of Hollywood's biggest studios and TV networks from TNT to Fox News.
Still, some investors wondered whether the move could be a shrewd effort to drive down the stock, prompting Murdoch to re-enter the fray later on.
"This could easily be part of their negotiating strategy," said Brett Harriss, an analyst with Gabelli & Co, who said Fox could still try again later.
Murdoch, who is Fox's chairman and CEO, cited Time Warner's management and its board's refusal to come to the table to discuss a takeover as one reason for the stunning turnabout.
"Our proposal had significant strategic merit and compelling financial rationale and our approach had always been friendly. However, Time Warner management and its board refused to engage with us to explore an offer which was highly compelling," he said in a statement released after the market closed on Tuesday.
He also cited Fox's share price - down about 11 percent since the offer was unveiled on July 16 - saying it had become undervalued, making the deal "unattractive to Fox shareholders."
The news of the collapse of the Fox-Time Warner deal was followed - about three hours later - by the implosion of another deal: Sprint Corp's (S.N: Quote) surprise decision to drop its pursuit of T-Mobile US Inc TMUS.N. It was unclear whether the two cancelled deals presaged any kind of a wider slowdown in what has been a red-hot M&A market in recent months. Continued...

domain: economics


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JAMAICA, Queens (WABC) -- An armed man is wanted by police for trying to rape a woman in Queens.
Investigators say the 41-year-old victim was walking home in Jamaica on Sunday, February 23 at 10 p.m., when the man approached her with his pants down.
He took out a gun, demanded a sex act, and grabbed the woman's neck.
When she screamed, the suspect grabbed her purse and ran off.
The victim was treated and released from the hospital.
Anyone with information in regard to the identity of this male is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
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Man approaches woman with pants down, robs her in attempted rape in Queens
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It’s February already? That snuck up on us fast, but now that we’re nice and settled into 2018 we thought it would be the perfect time to get a little nostalgic for 2017.
Yes, it’s time for our annual Year in Review. This year we wanted to illustrate some of the Twitch Community’s biggest moments and milestones in the highest of art forms. Yes, of course we’re talking about comics.
But before you start reading, thank you to the entire Twitch Community for helping to make 2017 one for the record books. Every streamer, chatter, and yes even you lurkers out there, all played a part. So without further ado, we invite you to take a trip down recent memory lane with our 2017 Twitch Year in Review.

domain: artistic


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From the case: Testicular contusions
Enlarged right testicle with heterogenous echotexture. There are multiple ill defined hypoechoic patchy areas within the right testis. This could represent testicular contusion. There is loss of continues echogenic lining of the tunic albugenia adjacent to hypoechoic areas which is highly suspicious for testicular rupture. On colour doppler there is loss of vascularity in these hypoechoic areas. Soft tissue swelling is also present around the penis. Homogenous echotexture of left testicle.