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Non-destructive Fourier Transform InfraRed (FTIR) mapping of Eocene aged fossil reptile skin shows that biological control on the distribution of endogenous organic components within fossilized soft tissue can be resolved. Mapped organic functional units within this approximately 50 Myr old specimen from the Green River Formation (USA) include amide and sulphur compounds. These compounds are most probably derived from the original beta keratin present in the skin because fossil leaf- and other non-skin-derived organic matter from the same geological formation do not show intense amide or thiol absorption bands. Maps and spectra from the fossil are directly comparable to extant reptile skin. Furthermore, infrared results are corroborated by several additional quantitative methods including Synchrotron Rapid Scanning X-Ray Fluorescence (SRS-XRF) and Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (Py-GC/MS). All results combine to clearly show that the organic compound inventory of the fossil skin is different from the embedding sedimentary matrix and fossil plant material. A new taphonomic model involving ternary complexation between keratin-derived organic molecules, divalent trace metals and silicate surfaces is presented to explain the survival of the observed compounds. X-ray diffraction shows that suitable minerals for complex formation are present. Previously, this study would only have been possible with major destructive sampling. Non-destructive FTIR imaging methods are thus shown to be a valuable tool for understanding the taphonomy of high-fidelity preservation, and furthermore, may provide insight into the biochemistry of extinct organisms.
1. Introduction
Recent palaeontological research has concluded that physical structures within soft tissue may be preserved during fossilization [1–3]. Related attempts to detect organic compounds preserved over geological time have also shown progress. Pioneering work has shown the survival of plant-derived matter from sediments as old as 1 Gyr [4] and that protein moieties derived from invertebrate material may survive over at least 25 Myr [5]. Several recent studies that apparently show preservation of biological structures [1,6] and biomolecular residue [7,8] are still under active scientific debate [9–11]. Thus, it may be concluded that the results from current studies showing structural control on biomolecular preservation point towards the need for advances in analytical methods.
A recent multi-technique study of an exceptionally well-preserved Upper Cretaceous (approx. 65 Myr old) hadrosaurine dinosaur (specimen MRF-03) unequivocally showed differences between the organic compounds present within the fossilized skin envelope and compounds present within the enclosing sedimentary matrix; this difference was interpreted as resulting from the presence of endogenous organic compounds within soft tissue [12]. This interpretation was verified by combining the results from Fourier Transform InfraRed spectrometry (FTIR), Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) and amino-acid composition analyses [12]. Infrared methods especially can fingerprint chemical units [13–15] and map their distribution. FTIR analysis of fossilized skin demonstrated the presence of characteristic amide I and II bands that were comparable to those measured in extant beta keratin samples. However, mapping of the beta keratin distribution in the skin of MRF-03 was not possible because of the friable nature of the available samples. The study suggested that using modern infrared mapping of organic functional groups within more suitable specimens may provide important new constraints on interpreting fossil preservation without requiring destructive sampling.
A related advance in chemical imaging applied to palaeontology has involved the use of non-destructive Synchrotron Rapid Scanning X-Ray Fluorescence (SRS-XRF) to map trace elements within the soft tissues of fossil specimens and has produced the first study to reveal remnants of original feather chemistry in an Archaeopteryx specimen [16]. The MRF-03 and Archaeopteryx studies highlight the fact that non-destructive chemical mapping using FTIR or SRS-XRF may be applied even to extremely precious specimens.
Therefore, the current study was completed in order to determine whether biological structural control on the distribution of organic molecules in fossil tissue may be resolved through infrared mapping of diagnostic amide absorption bands as first suggested by Manning et al. [12]. To that end, we selected fossilized reptile skin to test the efficacy of FTIR mapping for several reasons:
— Beta keratin is a tough fibrous protein that may have a higher preservation potential than collagen [11].
— The amide moiety within beta keratin has high stability [17].
— Amide functional groups have been detected before in fossilized skin [12].
Comparative FTIR analyses of extant reptile skin moult (leopard gecko, Eublepharis macularius), well-preserved fossilized reptile skin (Squamata: Reptilia tent., BHI-102B, figure 1 and electronic supplementary material, figure S1, [18]) and fossil leaf material (Platanus wyomingensis, BHI-7032) are presented here. The fossil skin and leaf are both from the Eocene Green River Formation (Utah, USA; approx. 50 Myr old). Py-GC/MS, X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and SRS-XRF were also performed. (Further details on the extant and fossil materials are given in the electronic supplementary material, note S1. Fossil geological context is given in electronic supplementary material, note S2. Information about several additional Green River fossil specimens analysed to support the results presented here is also given in the electronic supplementary material.)
2. Methods
(a) Sample handling and storage
Attempts to resolve trace organic residue in soft tissue over 50 Myr old must take extreme caution with respect to adventitious contamination. Many samples, which have been handled and curated using traditional methods, are no longer suitable for the types of analyses described here. This is a key reason why we selected BHI-102B as a suitable specimen for FTIR mapping; a member of our team sampled it and we know how it has been handled and stored. Most importantly, the sample surface has, to the best of our knowledge, never been exposed to any type of organic or inorganic contamination. All samples handled by our research team for analysis follow a strict protocol to minimize any contamination, see electronic supplementary material, note S3 for further sample handling details.
(b) Fourier Transform InfraRed
Absorption spectra and maps were recorded with a Perkin Elmer Spotlight 400 FTIR Imaging System. The gecko skin map was collected in transmission mode with a 100 × 100 µm aperture and consists of 33 × 23 points with two spectral scans per point. The BHI-102B map and BHI-7032 point analysis were collected using Attenuated Total Reflectance (ATR) mode also with a 100 × 100 µm aperture. The BHI-102B map consists of 26 × 26 points with 10 spectral scans per point, resulting in a spatially resolved dataset of 676 individual point analyses. Every point on these maps records a full range infrared spectrum (4000–800 cm−1 with 4 cm−1 resolution). Maps are produced by selecting a specific absorption band and then displaying the intensity of absorption (or transmission) within each spectrum recorded at each point in the area mapped. All spectra and maps were background subtracted. Organic peak assignments were made using the Bio-Rad KnowItAll Informatics System 8.2 Multi-Technique database. Absorption bands for the inorganic phases are assigned based on mineralogical reference values [19]. The modern and fossil specimens have never come in contact with each other and they have furthermore never even come in contact with the same surface, therefore transference of material is a virtual impossibility. See electronic supplementary material, note S3 for further FTIR details.
(c) Synchrotron Rapid Scanning X-Ray Fluorescence
Maps of Cu and Fe were obtained at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL) wiggler beamline 6-2 under ambient conditions with an incident beam energy of either 12 or 13.5 keV, and a flux varying between approximately 1010 and 1011 photons s−1. For sulphur mapping at the SSRL, specimens were placed inside a helium-purged sample chamber. Two different methods were used. Method 1 mapped total sulphur, while Method 2 was used for BHI-102B to either map total sulphur or to exclude sulphate and map only organic sulphur. See electronic supplementary material, note S3 for further details of SRS-XRF maps and point analyses.
(d) Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry analysis
Residues of the skin (BHI-102B), surrounding sedimentary matrix (BHI-102B), and another leaf from the Green River Formation (MGSF312; see electronic supplementary material, note S1) were analysed by normal flash Py-GC/MS. See electronic supplementary material, note S3 for further Py-GC/MS details.
(e) Other destructive methods
As an additional stage in characterizing the organic component of this fossil, amino-acid analysis was attempted as a precursor to proteomics. There is simply not enough material to proceed with this type of destructive analytical pathway for BHI-102B given current technology. This underlines the importance of the chemical information that can be acquired using non-destructive FTIR and SRS-XRF mapping for samples such as this. See electronic supplementary material, note S3 for further details of other destructive analyses.
(f) Image analysis
Spatial correlations of the optical, FTIR and SRS-XRF images were calculated with ImageJ [20] using the Image CorrelationJ plugin [21]. See electronic supplementary material, note S3 for further image analysis information.
(g) X-ray diffraction
X-ray powder diffraction was completed on a bulk sample of sediment from BHI-102B and also on a sample scraped from the bedding plane surface where the fossil reptile skin was deposited. A Bruker D8-Advance diffractometer was used to scan the 2θ range from 5° to 70° with step size of 0.020° at a scan rate of 2 s per step. Quartz was present and used as an internal standard to check that alignment gave accurate peak positions. Incident beam was Cu Kα radiation. Patterns were interpreted using the EVA software.
3. Results
(a) X-ray diffraction
Diffraction analysis of the bulk sedimentary matrix of sample BHI-102B shows the presence of several silicate and carbonate minerals, dominated by quartz and ankerite, respectively (see electronic supplementary material, figure S2 for the full diffraction patterns and peak assignments). Inorganic carbonate and silica functional groups are infrared active. Notably, both analcime (a feldspathoid mineral with zeolite-type cavities) and smectite (a phyllosilicate clay mineral group) are present. Ankerite (a rhombohedral calcium-iron carbonate) was most probably precipitated within pore space after sediments were deposited [22]. Along with ankerite, calcite (hexagonal calcium carbonate) is also detected. In the sample taken from the bedding plane surface, the mineralogy is nearly identical to that of the bulk, except for the emergence of an additional single strong diffraction peak at relatively low angle (approx. 19.2° 2θ). Unambiguous mineral assignment is not possible based on a single peak; however, this peak may indicate the presence of an evaporite sulphate mineral (thenardite, Na2SO4) that has been preferentially deposited along the bedding plane surface. Evaporite minerals are well-documented and abundant in the Green River Formation [23], and therefore, the presence of thenardite or a related sulphate phase is consistent with what is known about the geochemistry of this location. The diffraction patterns taken from the sedimentary matrix of BHI-102B do not detect any common iron sulphide, iron oxide or manganese oxide minerals.
(b) Fourier Transform InfraRed imaging and spectroscopy
Figure 2a presents an optical image of the extant gecko skin moult, clearly illustrating a physical structure dominated by distinct (approx. 1500 µm) scales. The infrared spectrum of beta keratin, the dominant component of reptile skin [24], shows strong absorption at wavenumbers corresponding to the characteristic amide functional group (–CO–NH–C) present in the beta keratin molecular structure. A map of the FTIR absorption intensity of the amide I band (C=O at 1653 cm−1) for the region shown in figure 2a is presented in figure 2b. The amide I map clearly resolves the physical structure of the extant skin, in particular it shows higher absorption in the scales when compared with the inter-scale integument or hinge regions. Figure 2 also shows an optical image (figure 2c) and an FTIR amide I map (1653 cm−1; figure 2d) of the fossil skin. The amide I absorption band intensity map in the fossil displays a spatial distribution pattern that is comparable with the structure of extant tissue.
Full FTIR point spectra within the extant and fossil skin are compared in figure 3. Spectra obtained in this study (black lines) are compared with reference peaks (blue regions). A full spectrum from a point on the extant reptile skin (crosshair 1 in figure 2a) is presented in figure 3a, and shows that infrared absorption is dominated by the characteristic amide functional group (amides I, II and III). Several other expected peaks corresponding to C–H groups from the lipid portion of the skin are also present [25]. Full spectral analysis of a point on the fossil skin (crosshair 2 in figure 2c) is presented in figure 3b, and also clearly shows the presence of amide I, II and III absorption bands (along with the C–H peaks). Although attenuated, these diagnostic organic absorption bands are easily resolved in the fossil and are directly comparable to extant skin. Amide I peak analysis [26] shows strong similarities between the fossil and extant skin (see electronic supplementary material, figure S3). A comparison of the distribution of C–H (2931 cm−1) and amide I groups within the fossil skin shows good correlation between these two different functional units which were both present in and thus may be derived from the original organism (see electronic supplementary material, figure S4). Note that carbonate and silicate peaks are present in the fossil infrared scans because the evanescent wave of the infrared beam penetrates through the organic material and interacts in part with the underlying inorganic sedimentary matrix. Full FTIR band assignments are given in electronic supplementary material, table S2.
In contrast, an FTIR spectrum (figure 3c) produced exclusively from the sedimentary matrix of BHI-102B (crosshair 3 on figure 2c) shows only the inorganic carbonate (green box) and silicate (grey box) peaks. A representative FTIR spectrum of fossil leaf material from the Green River formation (BHI-7032) is also shown for comparison (figure 3d) and although it clearly shows the presence of organics, amide peaks are not resolvable. Importantly, a thiol stretch (S–H) is also apparent in the skin of BHI-102B, weak, but clearly visible at approximately 2535 cm−1. Maps of thiol distribution (not shown) replicate the amide and CH maps.
(c) Elemental maps using Synchrotron Rapid Scanning X-Ray Fluorescence
SRS-XRF maps of total sulphur distribution using Method 1 described above (see electronic supplementary material, figure S5) confirm that sulphur is correlated with fossil skin and also show that the sulphur distribution in extant and fossil skin is comparable. Beta keratin is high in cystine moieties (up to 6% by weight [27]), which contain cross-linking S–S bonds. Degradation of keratin breaks these S–S bonds and protonation produces a cysteine-like moiety. Products would then contain an –SH group, thus explaining why thiol appears in the FTIR spectrum from the fossil but not in extant skin. As a further test of the hypothesis that the thiol groups may be skin residue, we employed the second method of sulphur mapping in order to try to distinguish organic from inorganic sulphur. Figure 4a shows total sulphur in a detailed area of the fossil. (Spatial resolution is a factor of five poorer than in electronic supplementary material figure S5 because the pinhole was removed in order to increase X-ray flux on the sample.) The region where part of the sample was removed for Py-GC/MS analysis is obvious. Figure 4b reveals the organic sulphur distribution mapped by setting the incident beam energy below the sulphate absorption edge. Comparison of figure 4a with b shows that there is a clear presence of inorganic sulphur on this bedding plane (consistent with the XRD analyses), but that the organic sulphur signal is strongly correlated with the fossil reptile skin. Figure 4c shows the X-ray Absorption Near Edge Structure (XANES) spectrum produced from the organic material within the fossil skin. The position of the sulphate absorption energy as determined from the K2SO4 reference material is also indicated (vertical dash-dotted line at 2481.3 keV). Inorganic sulphate is associated with the fossilized skin as shown by the large peak coincident with the reference sulphate energy. However, to the low energy side of the dominant peak a region of lower intensity absorption peaks is discernable. Peak energies here correspond to cystine (a pair of vertical dashed lines at 2471.4 and 2473.1 eV), cysteine (thick solid line at 2472.3 eV) and methionine sulphoxide (2475.1 eV). Energies of possible sulphur species are taken from Sandström et al. [28] and adjusted for comparison to our data relative to the sulphate peak energy reported herein. The sulphur XANES spectrum agrees with the FTIR spectroscopy, and shows that along with the thiol-bearing organic compounds (cysteine), apparently there are also traces of intact disulphide bonds (cystine) associated with the organic matter in the skin. The fact that organic sulphur compounds do not coat the bedding plane but rather are confined to the fossil skin region supports the interpretation of the organic components as being endogenous to the organism.
Trace metals are present in skin owing to chelation by melanin. Ca, Mn, Fe, Cu and Zn were mapped in both skin samples. Best results for metals were obtained for Fe in the extant skin and Cu in the fossil (high Fe levels in the sedimentary matrix interfered with mapping Fe in the fossil skin). Trace metal fluorescence for both the extant and fossil skins is higher within scales and lower in hinges (figure 5). Image correlation analysis of the fossil optical image (as a proxy for organic carbon) with the Cu map indicates that the best correlation between organic carbon and Cu occurs within scales and not in hinge regions (electronic supplementary material, figure S6). Thus, both FTIR and SRS-XRF maps both reveal biological structure in this fossil.
Point analyses were completed on the gecko skin, fossil skin and sedimentary matrix at both high and low incident energies in order to further quantify the chemistry of the fossil residue and also to constrain the concentration range represented within the chemical maps. Sulphur concentrations in the gecko skin are approximately 1.65 wt%, about a factor of seven higher than sulphur concentrations in the fossil skin (0.24 wt%). Iron in the gecko skin ranges from 110 to 7 ppm, comparable to the copper concentration in the fossil skin of 177 ± 70 ppm (see electronic supplementary material, table S3 for further point analysis details).
Because melanin chelation is a likely origin for copper in the fossil skin, we note that there also may be a contribution from melanin-derived organic residue to the FTIR spectrum displayed in figure 3b. Carboxylate groups in melanin tend to dominate its FTIR absorption spectrum [29], and therefore, we label the asymmetric (1600–1560 cm−1) and symmetric (1420–1400 cm−1) C = O carboxylate stretch positions in figure 3b which could potentially resolve the presence of such material but are obscured by the strong amide II and inorganic absorption bands.
(d) Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry
Py-GC/MS analysis was performed to provide further details about the organic chemistry of these specimens. Unextracted and extracted surface matrix samples (without skin) were analysed to determine if there was a free or bound bacterial hopanoid component within the sedimentary matrix of BHI-102B. Unextracted samples contained hopanoids, but these were removed upon extraction. Extracted fossil skin displays absolutely no evidence of a hopanoid component (see electronic supplementary material, figure S7). Hopanoid producing microbes are dominantly aerobic, and so the lack of hopanes in the skin material indicates that the organic signal identified by FTIR is probably not a product of aerobic microbes, either ancient or modern. This was expected, since the remarkable preservation of BHI-102B makes it unlikely that the skin was exposed to aerobic conditions for long after death.
Partial m/z 55 and 57 mass chromatograms are presented in figure 6. The chromatogram presented in figure 6a was obtained from a fossil leaf similar to BHI-7032 (MGSF312) and reveals a diagnostic n-alkane/n-alkene pattern [30]. The pattern in the matrix of BHI-102B (figure 6b) is similar to the fossil leaf, indicating that the matrix contains organics derived from plant material, not surprising for an organic-rich oil shale. In contrast, this n-alkane/n-alkene pattern is completely different in the fossil skin (figure 6c). This shows that there has been little transfer of organics from the matrix to the skin, so the organics mapped by FTIR are, therefore, unlikely to be a secondary component brought in from the matrix (see electronic supplementary material, note S3 for more Py-GC/MS details).
Anaerobic microbial activity could explain some features of the branched alkane/alkene pattern observed in the skin and so microbial reprocessing cannot be categorically ruled out. However, it would be extremely difficult to explain how a microbial consortium could faithfully and simultaneously reproduce distributions of amide, organic sulphur and Cu comparable to extant reptile skin and scrupulously avoid mixing matrix-derived and skin-derived molecules unless the chemistry we image is residual from the original organism.
4. Discussion
(a) Origins of the organic compounds and trace metals in the fossil skin
The Green River Formation is universally recognized as a major hydrocarbon reservoir and has been studied in detail for over 80 years [31,32]. These hydrocarbons are derived from the degradation of ancient organisms (higher plants being the likely dominant contributor) and not from modern sources. Therefore, the survival of organic compounds for 50 Myr within the Green River Formation is not problematic. Py-GC/MS shows the presence of plant-derived organics within the BHI-102B sample matrix, but also clearly shows that there has been little or no transference of this component into the fossil skin because the skin shows a distinct inventory of organic matter. Furthermore, all our multiple-technique analyses strongly indicate that contamination cannot cause our observations. Modern human contamination is unlikely as no amide peaks are seen in the matrix or on any of the other fossil samples we have examined except for two other specimens of fossilized keratinous skin including MRF-03 [12] and a second reptile sample also from the Green River Formation (BHI-045A). BHI-045A also displays an FTIR spectrum containing a strong amide I band (see electronic supplementary material, figure S8) consistent with our findings from BHI-102B. In comparison, fish integument from the Green River displays a significantly different FTIR spectrum with organic peaks apparently dominated by carboxylate (see electronic supplementary material, figure S9). Out of nine non-reptilian Green River Formation samples analysed via FTIR including fish, feathers, leaves and invertebrates, with over 50 maps reviewed, only skin from BHI-102B and BHI-045A has so far produced clearly resolvable intense amide absorption peaks. In all, over 20 fossils from various formations have been examined and over 100 maps reviewed with only BHI-102B, BHI-045A and MRF-03 displaying intense amide bands.
It is not just the fact that amide bands are only resolved in fossil keratinous skin, however, that argues against contamination. We must also consider the fact that skin patterns in amide, thiol, hydrocarbons and copper are also preserved. FTIR maps consist of a two-dimensional grid of multiple data points, with each point recording a full range infrared spectrum. The map of the fossil skin consists of 676 individual point analyses. Over 200 points, or approximately 30 per cent, of the individual point analyses that are combined to form the image presented in figure 2d are taken from matrix material and none of these show amide peaks. Amide I and II absorption is confined to the skin region as determined optically. For the observed amide distribution pattern to be caused by contamination, there would need to be a process whereby contamination intermittently missed over 200 points in the course of scanning, affected only points within the skin, and somehow managed to reproduce the scale/hinge pattern that is visible in both infrared and visual light. This scenario has vanishingly small probability.
Having discounted contamination, we then need to consider whether the mapped chemistry is endogenous or not. In the section on Py-GC/MS, we explain why the patterns we see are extremely unlikely to be caused entirely by microbial processes, and hence we concluded that at least part of the chemical inventory is residual from the original organism. However, it would be possible for geochemical fluids to transfer a range of components into the system and potentially replace the original chemistry. In particular, the processes of sulphurization, phosphatization and pyritization have been identified as important pathways to preserve biological structures over geological time. Pyrite is not identified here via XRD and the sulphur XANES are also inconsistent with sulphide mineralogy, and so pyritization is not probable. Phosphate levels are below detection by point analysis in BHI-102B and so phosphatization is also not probable. Sulphurization remains as the last potential process, but this process is also not consistent with our data. First of all, sulphur containing moieties such as thiophenes [33], which could be indicative of sulphurization as a mode of preservation were not detected. Secondly, there is no need for sulphur to be added to account for the sulphur inventory we see in the skin: quantification reveals a negative mass transfer vector of sulphur from the original skin (several weight per cent) to produce the much lower levels we measure in the fossil skin (approx. 0.24 wt%). Sulphurization apparently acts to stabilize organic compounds by adding disulphide bonds, but the keratin structure is already rich in disulphide crosslinks. Finally, even if sulphur was added from the inorganic sulphate present on the bedding plane to the fossil skin, this does not explain the presence of amide groups and unique organic inventory in the skin relative to the matrix, and so we are confident in concluding that at least part of the imaged organic chemical distribution is original to the fossil.
In a similar way, we can consider whether the trace metal distribution that correlates strongly with the organic components of the skin reflects an original pattern in the organism or if copper has been added via geochemical activity. Unfortunately, we are not able to resolve whether two other typical melanin chelates, calcium and iron, show patterns similar to copper because the background levels of these two elements are too high in the matrix. Zinc, another chelate, is slightly higher in the skin relative to the matrix (SRS-XRF point analyses give approx. 116 versus 68 ppm, respectively), suggesting that at least two melanin chelates are present in the fossil skin. Interference from the copper emission line and the smaller difference in matrix versus skin concentrations obscures zonation in the zinc map. However, there is no evidence of copper or zinc fluid transport such as enrichment at zones of high permeability (fractures or along the bedding plane) and there are virtually no copper- or zinc-enriched oxide precipitates within the fossil skin. In fact, if the evaporitic sulphates on the bedding plane occurred sub-aerially or soon after burial, then the persistence of highly soluble sulphate along the bedding plane implies that the fossil environment may have been extremely dry for most of the geological history of the specimen. In that case explaining addition of copper by aqueous fluid movement would be difficult.
It is also worth noting that transfer of copper into the skin is not required in terms of mass balance. Just as for sulphur, the maximum copper levels that we map here of approximately 180 ppm are not problematic. Iron levels in the extant gecko skin moult are as high as 110 ppm, and so trace metal concentrations on the order of a few hundred ppm in skin do not require mass transfer into the fossil. Note also that volatile loss will tend to concentrate metals and raise their concentration in residual material: based on sulphur loss approximately 85 per cent of the original skin mass may have been lost as volatiles. If we reasonably assume that trace metals remain concentrated in the solid residue, this would mean that original copper concentration in the skin could have been as low as 30 ppm. Melanin within the original skin could act as a sink for divalent trace metals, and so it is of course possible that copper and other metals were added to the skin posthumously from evaporating fluids or from other soft body tissues as they desiccated. But a scenario involving large amounts of mass transfer from large volumes of geochemical fluids is not required, and in fact, is contrary to several pieces of evidence as described above. In any case, the copper maps do correlate with original biochemical structure in the fossil. We conclude that at least part of the mapped copper, in addition to the organic residue, is original to the fossil.
(b) Taphonomy of exceptional skin preservation
Interestingly, experimental work shows that the cysteine –SH group may deprotonate and strongly adsorb to Cu2+ substituted smectite minerals, thus decreasing compound mobility [34] and thereby preserve an original biochemical distribution. Cysteine (or thiol) is shown by both FTIR and XANES to be contained in the fossil skin, and XANES furthermore indicates that precursor disulphide (cystine) is also present. These spectroscopic results support the postulated breakdown pathway for keratin derived from the original reptile skin. Other groups like melanin-derived compounds within skin residue may also bond to trace metals. Chelate complex formation may act to stabilize these organic compounds over time. An additional bonding mode for cysteine has also been documented, which does not involve deprotonation; in this mode cysteine adsorbs onto phyllosilicate basal plane surfaces while retaining the thiol group [34]. A combination of edge and basal plane adsorption modes for cysteine-terminated degradation products would result in: (i) stabilization of amide groups, (ii) preservation of amide, CH, sulphur and copper distributions, (iii) presence of a weak thiol infrared peak, and (iv) presence of a cysteine band in the XANES spectrum. XRD shows that silicates, such as analcime [35] and smectite, which display cation-exchange capabilities suitable for the formation of ternary complexes are indeed present. Furthermore, copper is shown by SRS-XRF to be present in the skin and thus is proximately available for complexation. Precipitation of carbonate minerals, such as ankerite and calcite detected here, may also act to preserve organic material. It has been suggested that rapid carbonate precipitation could encapsulate cellular material and thus reduce rates of organic degradation [12]. That process was proposed to explain the exceptional skin preservation observed in specimen MRF-03. Carbonate precipitation could act in parallel with ternary complexation as an additional process preserving beta keratin-derived degradation products, or it could act to enhance preservation of ternary complexes by acting subsequently to complex formation and encapsulating adsorbates post-attachment. Precipitation could also aid preservation simply by decreasing local permeability. Extremely dry conditions, either evaporitic before the specimen was buried or imposed after burial as implied by the presence of highly soluble sulphate minerals, would also serve to inhibit microbial degradation and solvent attack (hydrolysis) of the organic compounds present in the skin. This proposed taphonomic model explains all of the FTIR, SRS-XRF, XRD and Py-GC/MS data.
5. Conclusions
We have used FTIR mapping to show that the chemistry of this fossilized reptile skin is different from the embedding sedimentary matrix and retains important compositional features in common with extant skin. SRS-XRF mapping, another non-destructive method, supports these findings. Previously, results such as those presented here could only be achieved at the cost of major damage to the specimen. Reluctantly, we decided to carry out an additional test on this specimen and performed destructive sampling for Py-GC/MS analysis, whereby our original interpretation of the infrared images was indeed confirmed.
Taken together, all the analyses performed in this study strongly suggest that the fossilized reptile skin in BHI-102B is not a simple impression, mineralized replacement or an amorphous organic carbon film, but contains a partial remnant of the living organism's original chemistry, in this case derived from proteinaceous skin. On the basis of residual chemistry, we have proposed a cleavage/adsorption model to explain the taphonomy of beta keratin breakdown and preservation. Our data, therefore, suggest that the presence of transition metal substituted silicates may aid in the preservation of beta keratin degradation products through the formation of stable ternary surface complexes. This process may act in sequence with or in parallel to carbonate mineralization processes previously postulated to aid in the preservation of skin-derived organic matter [12]. The observed spatial correlations, combined with the precise composition and structure of the organic and inorganic phases of the specimens robustly supports the mode of preservation proposed.
We conclude that it is now possible to non-destructively map organic compounds and reveal the chemistry of biological structures preserved from fossil organisms up to at least 50 Myr old. This opens up new applications for FTIR imaging in the science of palaeontology such as: performing organic analyses of rare specimens where destructive sampling is not possible, targeting 'hotspots' and thereby minimizing destructive sampling required for proteomics and mass spectrometry, and providing spatially resolved comparative organic analyses to improve our understanding of taphonomic processes.
The authors would like to thank Kelly Palmer and Perkin Elmer for the loan and technical support of the FTIR imaging system. The fossil skin specimen is accessioned at and loaned from the Black Hills Institute Museum, Hill City, South Dakota, a public access museum. Peter Falkingham donated the leopard gecko skin. Mike Buckley, George Wolff, Kevin Taylor and Peter Dodson are thanked for helpful discussions of the work. Funding assistance was provided by an NERC Envirosync grant and an anonymous private donation.
N.P.E. assisted in all measurements and contributed text to the manuscript. H.E.B. and P.L.M. assisted in all measurements. B.E.v.D. supervised the Py-GC/MS measurements and consulted on data interpretation. U.B. supervised the SRS-XRF analyses. P.L.L. provided the specimens and assisted with SRS-XRF measurements. W.I.S. assisted with SRS-XRF measurements. R.A.W. supervised the FTIR analyses, assisted in the SRS-XRF measurements, and wrote the manuscript. All authors reviewed and contributed to the final version of the manuscript.
- Received January 20, 2011.
- Accepted February 16, 2011.
- This Journal is © 2011 The Royal Society


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Watch The ::God Is Imaginary Videos On YouTube ::
1) I wish God would heal amputees but perhaps the reason he does not is because that would be too obvious a miracle. Obvious miracles could replace faith to the point when there would be no faith. Without faith there is no salvation, this is why you must choose Christianity before you die and see God.
3) This is a tough question but I think that the old testament writers could not fully interpret Gods' inspirational meanings. This is one of the reasons why Jesus came here, to clarify what God The Father meant. This is why you do not read such laws within the new testament.
4) The Bible is scientifically accurate, for example: biblical lists of clean and unclean creatures have a significance often ignored. These lists emphasize a fact not discovered until late in the last century, that animals carry diseases dangerous to man. In fact, the same animals labeled unclean in Scripture still carry parasitic diseases that are still dangerous to human beings today.One of Gods' laws is to circumcise a baby boy when he is exactly 8 days old, doctors now know that a baby's' immune system is very strong on the 8th day. Also, Modern scientific studies have shown that the blood-clotting mechanism in a baby is not fully developed until the eighth day, so it was not wise to do a surgical procedure earlier because of the threat of hemorrhage.The Bible revealed that the earth is round. Job 26:10, Prov 8:27, Isaiah 40:22, Amos 9:6. The people of the fifteenth century feared sailing because they thought they would fall over the edge of the flat earth. Yet the Bible revealed the truth in 1000 B.C. 2500 years before man discovered it for himself!
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subset: commoncrawl


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September 19, 2018
Wednesday, 1-4 pm
Audience: Groups, Adults, High School Students, Middle School Students, Families, Seniors, Educators, Volunteers, Preschool Students, Elementary School Students
Location: Presidio of San Francisco
Event Type: Volunteer
Volunteer at the Presidio Nursery and learn how to grow and care for native plants, as well as be a part of a thriving community-based restoration program. Activities include transplanting seedlings, pruning, planting (winter season), composting, and seed collecting.
Volunteer programs take place on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 1-4 pm.
Individuals and Families
Registration required for participation, but individuals are welcome to register up to the day before the event.
Check the Presidio Nursery volunteer homepage for program updates and cancellations.
Nursery programs are limited in capacity. Groups of five or more may require special arrangements and must be confirmed in advance. Fill out the Group Project Request Form or visit our Groups volunteer page to learn more.
Age, Skills, What to Bring:
- Volunteers of all ages are welcome. Read our Youth Policy Guidelines (PDF) for youth under the age of 15.
- Bring your completed Volunteer Agreement Form (PDF). Volunteers under the age of 18 must have the parent/guardian approval section signed.
- We'll be working rain or shine. Wear clothes that can get dirty. Long pants and closed-toe shoes are required. Bring layers for changing weather and rain gear if necessary.
- Bring a personal water bottle and sunscreen.
- No experience necessary. Training and tools will be provided. Fulfills community service requirements.
Meeting Location
Meet at Presidio Nursery (click on map above).
Contact Information
For general questions regarding volunteer programs, contact us at (415) 561-3044 or email@example.com.
You can also view the Volunteer FAQ page for more information.
The Golden Gate National Parks Volunteer Program is a cooperative parkwide effort of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, the National Park Service, and the Presidio Trust.


text:
SOURCE: NewBridge Pharmaceuticals
August 13, 2012 08:45 ET
DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES--(Marketwire - Aug 13, 2012) - NewBridge Pharmaceuticals, a specialty therapeutics company focused on pharmaceuticals, biologics, diagnostics and medical devices serving the AfMET region (Middle East, Africa, Turkey & Caspian regions), today announced that the company has established an exclusive agreement with Genomic Health, Inc. (NASDAQ: GHDX), a global health company that provides actionable genomic information to personalize genomic health decisions, to provide the Oncotype DX® test in the NewBridge's core strategic territoriesin the Middle East, Africa, and Caspian regions. As part of this agreement, NewBridge will be able to offer the Oncotype DX tests for treatment of patients with early-stage, estrogen-positive (ER+) invasive breast cancer, DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast), as well as colon cancer patients with stage II and stage III disease.
"Breast cancer is the most common cancer in Arab women, constituting up to 42 percent of all cancers in women, and it presents itself almost 10 years earlier in comparison to women affected by breast cancer in the US and Europe," said Joe Henein, president and chief executive officer, NewBridge Pharmaceuticals. "While facing a very difficult decision about chemotherapy treatment, the Oncotype DX test can help women with ER+, node negative or DCIS breast cancer make the treatment decision that is right for them. In addition, as colon cancer rates are also high in the region, we are pleased to provide Oncotype DX Colon Cancer, a diagnostic test that can help determine the likelihood of colon cancer returning after surgery in patients who are considering chemotherapy. We are delighted to enter into this exclusive partnership with Genomic Health, a world leader in developing multi-gene tests for cancer patients."
Traditionally, doctors have used traditional cancer characteristics such as tumor size, grade and lymph node status to assess how likely cancer is to recur. While these characteristics are still helpful in choosing a course of treatment, the additional genomic information provided by the Oncotype DX® test helps physicians and patients determine a more personalized treatment plan based on a patient's individual tumor biology.
"Licensing Genomic Health's innovative molecular test underpins our long-term strategic mission to bridge the access gap and bring new technologies into the AfMET region to serve the unmet medical needs of our patients," said Garrett Vygantas, M.D., vice president of business development and licensing, NewBridge. "A genomic test like Oncotype DX has an important role to play in improving treatment decision making and ultimately impacting on quality of care."
About the Oncotype DX® Breast Cancer Test
The multi-gene Oncotype DXtest has been shown to predict the risk of recurrence and likelihood of chemotherapy benefit in invasive breast cancer and predict the likelihood of recurrence in pre-invasive breast cancer or ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). The test can help patients and their doctors determine the most likely progression of the disease in order to make more informed decisions about their individual treatment. Multiple studies from different countries have shown that the knowledge of the Oncotype DX test's Recurrence Score® result changes physician treatment recommendations in about 30 percent of their early-stage, ER+ invasive breast cancer patients.
About the Oncotype DX® Colon Cancer Test
The Oncotype DX colon cancer test is a clinically validated multi-gene test that can help men and women with stage II and stage III colon cancer learn more about the biological features of their specific tumor by indicating the likelihood that a patient's cancer may return in the future. Coupled with other pieces of information, the results from the Oncotype DX test can help patients and their doctors make personalized decisions about whether or not to include chemotherapy in their treatment plan.
"All of our products have been developed based on rigorous science, and the growing body of evidence demonstrates the clinical utility and cost effectiveness of the Oncotype DXtest across countries and healthcare systems," said Peter Zuendorf, vice president, International Sales and Marketing in Europe, Middle East and Africa, Genomic Health. "This agreement reinforces how the Oncotype DX test can help physicians worldwideuse their patients' tumor biology to go beyond the traditional clinical and pathologic factors to establish a more appropriate treatment plan for an individual patient."
About NewBridge Pharmaceuticals
NewBridge Pharmaceuticals is a specialty therapeutics company focused on pharmaceuticals, biologics, and medical diagnostics serving the AfMET markets (Middle East, Africa, Turkey, and Caspian regions) to address the unmet medical needs of diseases with high regional prevalence. Headquartered in UAE with strong local and international business network, NewBridge is uniquely positioned as the partner-of-choice for companies seeking to create value for their pharma or medical products in the high growth emerging AfMET markets.
For more information, please visit www.nbpharma.com.
About Genomic Health
Genomic Health, Inc. (NASDAQ: GHDX) is a global health company that provides actionable genomic information to personalize genomic health decisions. The company's lead product, the Oncotype DX(r) breast cancer test, has been shown to predict the likelihood of chemotherapy benefit as well as recurrence in invasive breast cancer and has been shown to predict the likelihood of recurrence in ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). In addition to this widely adopted test, Genomic Health provides the Oncotype DX colon cancer test, the first multi-gene expression test developed for the assessment of risk of recurrence in patients with stage II disease and appropriate stage III patients. As of June 30, 2012, more than 10,000 physicians in over 65 countries had ordered more than 295,000 Oncotype DX tests. Genomic Health has a robust pipeline focused on developing tests to optimize the treatment of prostate and renal cell cancers, as well as additional treatment decisions in breast and colon cancers. The company is based in Redwood City, California with European headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. For more information, please visit, www.GenomicHealth.com. To learn more about Oncotype DX tests, visit: www.OncotypeDX.com and www.mybreastcancertreatment.org.
NewBridge Pharmaceuticals contact details:Business Development:
Garrett Vygantas, M.D.
Tel: +1.415.591.5483
Email: Email Contact
Anita Sahagian
Tel: +971.442.98700
Email: Email ContactGenomic Health contact details:Media Contact:
Victoria Steiner
Tel: +1.650.569.2499
Email: Email Contact
NewBridge Pharmaceuticals contact details:Business Development:
Garrett Vygantas, M.D.
Tel: +1.415.591.5483
Email: Email Contact
Anita Sahagian
Tel: +971.442.98700
Email: Email ContactGenomic Health contact details:Media Contact:
Victoria Steiner
Tel: +1.650.569.2499
Email: Email Contact
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text:
Release Date: 2010 |
Lol the band's name.
Album Rating: 4.0great review sick album
Album Rating: 3.0Good review, pretty fun album.
Album Rating: 1.5i don't like this band
How have the mods let his post count get up to 29?
oh dear god. albums pretty fun...
but yeah fuck staff.
Album Rating: 3.0wtf?
Solid and effective review man. Have a pos.
My friend likes this.. not into the whole pop core thing.
Good review, pos. I wanted to like this but I didn't.
Fuckin' eh those pictures are random.
never really heard of this band before I randomly clicked on the review..Super random ..popcore..would you say it's like party metal, but with a lot less screaming, Kinda ..never really heard of this genre so...
"In Friends We Trust" received a lot of my attention for a couple weeks but the rest of the album failed to impress me as much.
Album Rating: 3.0i love this..the only thing that bothers me is the accent.
Album Rating: 3.0Pinkblackberry,
it's supposedly a combination of pop punk and hardcore. A lot of catchy synth backed moments over whiny clean singing, but with portions of screams and more hardcore based moments.
vocals are awful
So...calling this popcore seems a bit off. Kinda sounds like..you know..ADTR and stuff.
eitherway, It's not a bad listen. Youtubed it earlier.
hey i'm good with seeing tits...
Yeah I'm really not sure what in the fuck that dude is going for, but showing a bunch of people a girl with a decent body and decent tits isn't exactly scaring me away
Album Rating: 2.0lmao this band
Digging: The Ocean - Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic
This is probably the dumbest band name I've ever heard. Music isn't too bad, though.
Bands: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z


text:
Brickman did what he does best and then some on Saturday in leading the three-time defending NEC champion Blackbirds to an 87-80 win over Saint Peter's at Barclays Center. Brickman shredded the Peacocks with precision passing and registered some timely buckets on his way to a 13-point, 14-assist, six-rebound, three-steal performance.
With the Blackbirds trailing by two with just over three minutes to play, the San Antonio native sparked an 11-0 run by assisting on three-of-four buckets, highlighted by a dish to junior Landon Atterberry in transition to cap the scoring and give the Blackbirds an 81-72 lead with 49 seconds to play.
The 14 assists were two shy of his career-high of 16, set against Quinnipiac on February 18, 2012, and was also the highest single-game mark in the NCAA through the first weekend of play. Brickman, a preseason All-NEC honoree who led the nation with 8.5 ppg a year ago, lifted his career assist total to 733, just 72 shy from establishing a new NEC record.
LIU Brooklyn returned to action on Tuesday, Nov. 12, at Indiana.


text:
Patient Guide for Women's Cancer
The more patients know about their condition and its treatment options, the better prepared they are when it comes to making a decision and pursuing a particular therapy. In this section, we offer information and a variety of resources to help you navigate your internet search for additional information regarding procedures and health-related conditions. Here you will also find resources for support groups that may be of interest to you.
Please keep in mind that Cedars-Sinai does not have a direct relationship with any of these resources listed and we have not reviewed or approved the content they may share.


text:
Police with bomb-sniffing dogs have swept a Boston-bound commuter rail train after a man was overheard making what were interpreted by some as threatening remarks.
A spokesman for the MBTA says a man was overheard saying people "should not get on" the train at the Southboro station on Wednesday morning. The man then left the area without boarding and some commuters alerted police.
The spokesman said the train was stopped in Framingham, passengers got off, and police searched the train without finding anything suspicious.
The train then proceeded to Boston.
No one was arrested.


text:
Difference between revisions of "Juno/Simultaneous Release Plan"
|Line 28:
|Line 28:
M4 Friday, December 16 12/09 to 12/16 6 5 (from M3) (shift from 2 week window to 1 week window)
M4 Friday, December 16 12/09 to 12/16 6 5 (from M3) (shift from 2 week window to 1 week window)
M5 Friday, February 03, 2012 01/27 to 02/03 7 7 (from M4) (extra week for end of year holidays)
M5 Friday, February 03, 2012 01/27 to 02/03 7 7 (from M4) (extra week for end of year holidays)
M6 Friday, March
M6 Friday, March 03/16 to 03/23 7 7 (from M5) (extra week from 53 week year)
EclipseCon! 03/26 to 03/29
M7 Friday, May 11 04/27 to 05/
M7 Friday, May 11 04/27 to 05/ 7 7 (from M6) (extra week for EclipseCon)
RC1 Friday, May 25 05/18 to 05/25 2 2 (from M7)
RC1 Friday, May 25 05/18 to 05/25 2 2 (from M7)
RC2 Friday, June 01 05/25 to 06/01 1 1 (from RC1)
RC2 Friday, June 01 05/25 to 06/01 1 1 (from RC1)
Revision as of 15:05, 10 August 2011
NOTE: this document is currently under development, and not ready yet for review
This document is for developers of the June 2012 Juno Simultaneous Release. Users and consumers should instead see the general Eclipse page for Juno (once it is available, approximately May, 2012.
- 1 Requirements For Participation
- 2 Milestones and Release Candidates
- 3 Communication Channels
- 4 Builds and P2 repository
- 5 Service Releases
Requirements For Participation
Projects that are part of Juno agree to abide by the requirements of the Eclipse yearly Simultaneous Release.
Compliance Reports show progress on meeting the requirements and their final achievement.
Milestones and Release Candidates
The Release is always on the fourth Wednesday of June. The milestone dates are at roughly 6 week intervals. Any end-of-cycle release-candidate (RC) dates are typically one week apart. Each project has their deliveries due at times offset from the end-date, so that the project dependencies can come together in a reasonable order. These delivery times are based on the dependencies between projects. They are labeled +0, +1, +2, and +3, with +0 coming first (the Platform) and +3 coming last (EPP). Projects themselves decide if they are +0, +1, +2, or +3. The actual time-offset represented by these intervals change over the course of the year of development, being several days at first, but then only one day near the end of the release. The following calendar is the official schedule of the overall Juno Release. Projects are free to have their own schedules as long as they meet the Juno deliverables.
Note that projects choose their own +n category based on major or primary dependencies. There are many cases where a project might have to deliver pieces of their code a little earlier, if some project depends on it, or a little later if they have a stray dependency. These sorts of deviations are left to the projects to work out, pair-wise, among themselves. Feel free to bring up complicated cases for discussion.
Given all these constraints, the exact dates for any particular year are pretty predictable. The following table summarizes the most significant Juno dates, but see the subsequent calendar for the important details. That is, your stuff is due earlier than these table dates! Projects need to deliver a week or two before these "end dates", depending on their chosen, committed offset category (+0, +1, etc).
After RC4 is quiet week. There will be no further builds. That time is reserved for final, in depth testing, and preparation for release. Emergency rebuilds might be considered, by following the usual Planning Council Exception Process, but only for serious, blocking regressions.
Elapsed Weeks End Date Span from +0 for RC0 for EPP avail M1 Friday, August 19, 2011 08/05 to 08/19 6 8 (from previous release GA) M2 Friday, September 30 09/16 to 09/30 6 6 (from M1) M3 Friday, November 11 10/28 to 11/11 6 6 (from M2) M4 Friday, December 16 12/09 to 12/16 6 5 (from M3) (shift from 2 week window to 1 week window) M5 Friday, February 03, 2012 01/27 to 02/03 7 7 (from M4) (extra week for end of year holidays) M6 Friday, March 23 03/16 to 03/23 7 7 (from M5) (extra week from 53 week year) EclipseCon! (03/26 to 03/29) M7 Friday, May 11 04/27 to 05/11 7 7 (from M6) (extra week for EclipseCon) RC1 Friday, May 25 05/18 to 05/25 2 2 (from M7) RC2 Friday, June 01 05/25 to 06/01 1 1 (from RC1) RC3 Friday, June 08 06/01 to 06/08 1 1 (from RC2) RC4 Friday, June 15 06/08 to 06/15 1 1 (from RC3) Quiet time, June 16 to June 27 (no builds during "quiet time", assumed all code is done by end of RC4 Release Wednesday, June 27, 2012
The calendar is available in the following formats: ICal,ATOM News Feed,HTML
Communication Channels
Cross-Project Milestone & RC Status Reporting
Only negative status needs to be reported. It is essential for many aspect of the simultaneous release that communication be prompt and clear, on many topics. One of the most important ones, is if someone is not meeting some date or delivery. Put another way, we assume everyone is on target and has delivered their stuff unless a note is sent to cross-project list that you are delayed. Its better to be up front about it, so everyone knows what to expect, rather than to hope things turn out ok at the very last minute, since if you "miss" without saying anything you are more likely to impact other people, and miss your chance to be part of the release.
Mailing Lists and Newsgroups
Eclipse projects have three communication channels: a mailing list for developers, a newsgroup for users, and Bugzilla. While Juno is not a "project" per se, it will use the same structure:
Developer mailing list
- cross-projects-issues-dev - mailing list for developers and releng (see archives). This is the list to use to discuss build issues, announce changes in plans, slippage in deliverables, etc.
Users news group
- eclipse.simultaneous-release - newsgroup for users (see archives)
If there is any doubt about where a bug belongs, it can always start in the "Cross-Project" component. (Under Eclipse Foundation > Community). If it turns out to be a single-project's responsibility, it can be moved to that project. If it is a true cross-project bug, where several projects need to act, then it can stay in the cross-project component.
- Search in Eclipse Foundation > Community > Cross-Project
- Open a new Cross-Project bug
The Planning Council Mailing List
Because there has been confusion in the past, we'll be explicit here that the planning council mailing list (eclipse.org-planning-council) is for Planning Council business, not the Juno Release activities per se. While they sometimes overlap, there is no need to cross post. While anyone can request a subscription to the planning council list (for openness and transparency) the expectation is that only Planning Council members post to it.
Conference Calls
The Planning Council has regularly scheduled calls for Planning Council business. See conference calls.
But there are no planned calls for the release, per se, or for larger audiences, but they can be arranged if required or desired (for example, if needed for build coordination).
Builds and P2 repository
Builds (Aggregation)
This section, about assembling the repositories, is subject to change, as improvements in the process are made.
A number of utilities have been written to automate the assembly of Callisto '06, Europa '07, Ganymede '08, Galileo '09, Helios '10, and now Juno '11 builds. These are available in their own CVS repository. You can find more information about the history and organization by looking at some of the old, previous information on the Contributing to Helios Build, Galileo Build, Ganymede Build and Europa Build pages).
With Juno we are using the Buckminster b3 Aggregator.
The Contributing to Juno Build page is where you go to learn how to add your project to the Juno build.
p2 Repository
To obtain the latest published bits from Juno, use this URL:
It contains the latest milestone, release candidate, eventually the release itself, and then eventually service releases.
To obtain the latest working version, as we build up to a milestone or release, you can test the site at
Service Releases
Coordinated Service Releases are (always) scheduled for the fourth Friday of September, and the fourth Friday of February. Individual Projects may have their own, of course, at any time, if they need to, but all participants in the Yearly Release, are expected to participate in the Coordinated Service Releases. What bugs are fixed, if any, is up to each Project to decide, but each Project must continue to "fit in", build, install, avoid conflicts, etc.
[Note: the following Service Release dates have not yet been added to the above calender, but will be soon.]
TODO: still need to update these SR section for Juno ... though will be similar
GA: 9/24/2010 (last Friday of September)
In the SR1 rampdown, as shown in the following table, there will be 4 RCs, each spanning one week, with projects staging themselves into the build just one day apart.
Projects may elect not to participate in a particular RC, but have an obligation to fix any build problems that are related to their code or p2 repository.
RC1 will be in the middle of August, several weeks earlier than previous years, just to make sure we can still build, etc. Subsequent RCs dates are similar to previous years, except a "quiet" final week is also planned. (It is normally pretty quiet anyway ... this just formalizes it).
The Final week before GA will not have any further builds or contributions, but instead be reserved for final adopter testing and preparation and only emergency fixes for very serious regressions will be considered.
The 'promote' day (9/23) will be the day projects put final zips in their final spot (without displaying them) so they can propagate through the mirroring system. Similar for the p2 repository -- it will be replaced on 9/23 with the new content so it can start mirroring. Note: there is no plan to retain multiple versions in the common discovery repository (unless someone volunteers to do what's required to make that happen). At noon on 9/24 projects can make their final maintenance releases visible.
| +0
| +1
| +2
| +3
|Juno SR1 ("GA")
|promote: 9/23
2/25/2011 (last Friday of February)
Rampdown similar to SR1.
| +0
| +1
| +2
| +3
|Juno SR2 ("GA")
|promote: 2/24


text:
Julian Ramirez has always loved to fight. Even before he began boxing at age 11, he fought often while growing up in areas like Boyle Heights, Lincoln Heights and El Sereno.
"I had an aggressive mind-set before I even started training," said Ramirez, who eventually attended Alhambra High. "I was always fighting in school and fighting at the family parties, you know, taking people's teeth out."
Ramirez said a cousin who was already boxing told him he could beat him up, and Ramirez accepted his challenge to spar.
"I sparred with him and I did really good for the first round, and then I got winded, I got tired and he started taking off on me," said Ramirez, a featherweight. "After that, I wanted to get back at him and so I started training. And three months later, I had my first fight."
Ramirez, now 20, went 75-3 as an amateur. But he said he never liked the amateur "tippy-tap style." All he ever wanted was to turn pro. He did in February 2012 and from that moment he has demonstrated a seek-and-destroy style that has made him one of the most exciting up-and-comers around.
In his most recent bout, Ramirez – a hard-hitting southpaw who fights under the Golden Boy Promotions banner – took apart undefeated Abraham Rubio, knocking him out in the first round at StubHub Center in Carson. It gave Ramirez a 9-0 record and six knockouts, with five of those knockouts coming in the first round.
On Friday, at Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, Ramirez will try to improve upon that when he takes on veteran Jose Angel Veranda of Mexico on the undercard of Josesito Lopez-Mike Arnaoutis (on Fox Sports 1).
It was Thursday, about 11:30 a.m., and Ramirez was beginning a day of work at the GTO Boxing Gym in El Sereno. Among other things, he talked about his incredible will to be all he can be, which he shows every time he steps in the ring.
"I'm an athlete and I played all the sports," Ramirez said. "I always like to win. I'm a competitor with anything. It could be a little game of Monopoly with my littler sister. I won't let her win and I always tell her, 'Nothing's going to be given to you.' "
Ramirez described some of his uncles and cousins as "aggressive boxing fans."
"They would always tell me when I started fighting, 'If you win, I'll give you 20 bucks. If you knock this guy out, I'll give you a hundred bucks,' " he said. "I always wanted to get that extra money as a little kid and I would try to go for that knockout all the time. Little by little, I just started being more aggressive."
Ramirez caught himself.
"Well, I was always aggressive," said Ramirez, who is co-managed by his mother, Rosaelena, and Joel De La Hoya. Ramirez's father, Sal, consults, making it a family affair.
The way Ramirez goes about his business in the ring is exactly the kind of stuff most fight fans love to see. He fights with mean intentions and obviously wants nothing to do with boring fights that end in decisions.
He's fast, he hits hard and he has an engaging personality. A promoter's dream, one could say. The only thing that seemingly could slow him down is if he gets full of himself and starts thinking he's got it made and knows more than everyone else.
It wouldn't be the first time that's happened to a young prospect. Happens all the time. Ramirez spoke knowingly in that regard, and he assured that will never be the case.
"I've seen a lot of fighters, too," Ramirez said. "They don't train right, their heads start getting big. I think you've gotta stay humble. As soon as you think, 'Oh, I'm big. I'm the person, I'm the champ. I'm this, I'm that,' I think you drop as fast as you come up."
Although, with what he's been doing in the ring, it's difficult to keep that humbleness when people are telling Ramirez how good he is and how much better he figures to become.
"A lot of people are saying, 'You've got the potential to be something. You've got skills, you've got power to be champion,' " Ramirez said. "I don't let it go to my head."
If Ramirez is smart – and he appears to be – he'll take the advice given him by his great-uncle, the late and great super featherweight champion Genaro "Chicanito" Hernandez, who lost his life because of cancer in 2011 at age 45.
"He was already passing away and we had our one-on-one moment," Ramirez said. "He just told me, 'You're already right there. You're a pro, you're a bad (expletive).'
"He told me, 'If you're going to train and you're going to be in the sport, you've gotta train until your arms are dead, until you can't move your arms.' That kind of stuck with me."
If Ramirez sticks to that credo, the sky is the limit.
Brooklyn bragging rights on line in New York
Paulie Malignaggi was rather respectful at this week's final news conference promoting his fight tonight against fellow Brooklynite Zab Judah (42-8, 29 KOs) at Barclays Center in Brooklyn (on Showtime). As much as anything, he spoke of how stoked he is to be in the feature event on a card that includes three world title fights.
"I was blown away to be in the main event of such an incredible card," said Malignaggi, a former junior welterweight and welterweight champion. "When I saw the co-features, I said, 'Wow.' Seeing everyone come up here (to the podium) one by one really lets me know how amazing this card is."
While Malignaggi's mind was there, Judah's was apparently somewhere else. A place he goes when it's time to rumble.
"I'm going to make sure Paulie's job is locked in stone," Judah said, referring to Malignaggi's other job as Showtime color man. "After this, he's going to be a full-time commentator. … This isn't a game for me. People keep saying this fight is friendly, but at the end of the day these are the old Roman days. Only thing different is I can't behead him, so I'm going to knock him out."
Malignaggi (32-5, 7 KOs) is right, though. This is a solid card on paper. Devon Alexander (25-1, 14 KOs) of St. Louis defends his welterweight belt against Shawn Porter (22-0-1, 14 KOs) of Akron, Ohio, in the semi-main event. Erislandy Lara (18-1-2, 12 KOs) of Cuba and Austin Trout (26-1, 14 KOs) of Las Cruces, N.M., will tangle for Lara's interim junior middleweight championship. And Sakio Bika (32-5-2, 21 KOs) of Australia will defend his super middleweight belt against former U.S. Olympian Anthony Dirrell (26-0, 22 KOs) of Flint, Mich.
Guillermo Rigondeaux of Cuba will defend his two super bantamweight titles tonight when he squares off against Joseph "King Kong" Agbeko (28-4, 22 KOs) from Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City (on HBO). Rigondeaux, a two-time Olympic gold-medal winner, is coming off a wide decision over Nonito Donaire in a title unification bout in April in New York City. Rigondeaux (12-0, 8 KOs) defeated Donaire with a style that was technically solid and a winning formula, but one that made for a boring fight. … Darren Barker of England will defend his middleweight world title against former champion Felix Sturm tonight in Germany. There is no American television, but it's a noteworthy fight in as much as the winner could be a possible opponent for Gennady Golovkin. Golovkin defends his title against Osumanu Adama on Feb. 1 in Monte Carlo. … Joseph Diaz Jr., a 2012 U.S. Olympian from South El Monte, will be on Friday's undercard at Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio. Diaz will take on Carlos Rodriguez in an eight-round super bantamweight bout. … Adrien Broner (27-0, 22 KOs) of Cincinnati will defend his welterweight belt against hard-hitting Marcos Maidana (34-3, 31 KOs) of Argentina next Saturday at the Alamodome in San Antonio (on Showtime).


text:
8 Stylists' Tricks That Really Work
We look at a lot of photos of interiors, and there are a few tricks we see again and again. Why? Because they almost always work...
We've asked a few magazine writers, stylists, and photographers about how they stage a home, and every single one told us that they rarely add anything, but they often subtract. Editing is probably the single easiest way to ramp up a room's sense of style.
Simplicity applies to color as well. Photos look great when you group similar hues together in a collection or keep the color scheme as basic as possible.
We also see a lot of photos with just one or two details that show someone actually lives there, whether it's a pair of shoes by the door or a half-full water glass. For examples from the full list, click through the photos above:
• 1 Leave a couple of things out of place.
• 2 Display your best stuff, and hide the rest.
• 3 Group collections by color to create a sense of cohesion.
• 4 When in doubt, decorate with symmetrical pairs.
• 5 Make an instant tablescape with artwork, books, and a lamp.
• 6 Subtract, and then subtract some more.
• 7 Use one large-scale piece to create a focal point.
• 8 Don't forget the plants and flowers.
(Images: Living Etc., Tine K Catalog, Marie Claire Maison, Ideal Home, Phoebe Howard, Seven, The Rug Company, Inspace)
Post originally published 10.16.09


text:
|2007-08-11, 04:53
|Link #721
freshly noob
Join Date: Nov 2006
in episode 7 (the episode where the computer club president went missing), on timeframe about 19:08, what is the poster behind kyon? cant see it well on my tv or comp. but it doesnt look anime. is it a poster of the VA's for suzumiya, mikuru, and yuki?
|2007-08-11, 11:48
|Link #722
One PUNCH!
Join Date: Dec 2005
Yup, that is what exactly it is.
|2007-08-26, 14:22
|Link #725
Is Neither Goth Nor Emo
Join Date: Feb 2007
Kyon might presumably present a love-interest in a harem-ish sort of way. Not that it matters, because Haruhi already won.
In episode 9, Kyon wakes up to Haruhi leaning over his face. Apparently she had given her cardigan to Kyon as a blanket and was embarrassed to be caught. Kyon is draped with another cardigan and wonders who must have left it on him. He looks briefly over to where Yuki was sitting, which *might* imply Yuki had left it there.
That they bothered including a scene where Yuki gets up after Kyon falls asleep and that Kyon even looks over where she sat, gives only a very subtle hint that this is a definate possibility. In any case, whether Yuki actually left the cardigan or not, it does foreshadow some emotional blooming on Yuki's part.
Last edited by Twisted Reality; 2007-08-26 at 14:41.
|2007-08-27, 23:20
|Link #726
Junior Member
Join Date: Aug 2007
Real Episode Order
I've only watched Haruhi once, but I know that the episodes arent in order...and I also noticed that at the end of each episode, during the preview of the next episode, they always give away the supposedly "real" next episode to the storyline... Haruhi says "Next time on The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya: Episode ____(Random episode that doesnt go in order)!" Then, Kyon always says "Wrong! Next time on The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya: Episode ____(Next one in order)!
Well, here's what I got:
1. Episode Two
2. Episode Three
3. Episode Five
4. Episode Ten
5. Episode Thirteen
6. Episode Fourteen
7. Episode Four
8. Episode Seven
9. Episode Six
10. Episode Eight
11. Episode One
12.Episode twelve (no idea why they did that)
13. Episode Eleven
14. Episode Nine
I think you already have this thread, but just wondering lawl
|2007-08-29, 11:43
|Link #727
Join Date: Aug 2007
|2007-08-30, 00:49
|Link #728
Join Date: Jul 2006
Age: 32
Well, first, I have to tell you that, as you already said, there is NO solid evidence on the matter...
But there are little hints and facts... hidden of course, because we can't forget the story is being told by Kyon, who is unaware of everybody else's feelings...
(WARNING: I'm kind of Itsuki-esque... I wrote a lot XD... AND some of my reflexions are fangirlish and DISTURBING X.x)
Oh well... The hints and... stuff:
Last edited by inkyubasu; 2007-08-31 at 02:39.
|2007-08-30, 13:03
|Link #729
Junior Member
Join Date: Aug 2007
Spoiler for Huge Postcard:
|2007-08-30, 13:50
|Link #730
Join Date: Aug 2007
|2007-08-30, 15:08
|Link #731
Junior Member
Join Date: Aug 2007
|2007-08-31, 09:56
|Link #732
Is Neither Goth Nor Emo
Join Date: Feb 2007
I always took it to be him teasing Kyon. There are a lot of hints to suggest that Koizumi might actually like Haruhi. Namely, that he openly expresses his jealousy for Kyon's and Haruhi's "unconscious bond of trust." He also admits that he admires Haruhi's energy and finds her attractive. Of course, we're not sure whether to take him all that seriously.
However, he certainly spends a lot of time worrying about Haruhi's mental status and is always constantly encouraging Kyon to look at things from Haruhi's perspective as a person and not just an insane girl to be brushed off. He really does care about her, but he has to look after her from a distance. It might not be surprising for him to be attracted to her, especially if he were to discover that Haruhi, was just in fact, a reasonably normal girl compared to what Haruhi's inner-spaces and powers might otherwise indicate.
But Haruhi picked Kyon. That's the end of that.
If his attraction to Haruhi is real, than it wins me respect points for him. He's such an accommodating character, but it never seems to drive him insane. He deliberately loses games to Kyon (even picks out different types of games). He's Haruhi's toadie. He nudges Kyon in Haruhi's direction when he can. He's Brigade's resident psychologist. He's Haruhi's Ritalin. And he does it all with an pleasant and effete demeanor. He's set himself up to be a facade. A half-person either Kyon's or Haruhi's eyes. He's nonexistent, invisible, as far as Mikuru or Yuki are concerned.
Spoiler for Also. . .:
I also look through your examples and a lot of it can be interpreted otherwise.
Spoiler for Sasaki:
Last edited by Twisted Reality; 2007-08-31 at 10:21.
|2007-09-03, 00:32
|Link #733
Join Date: Jul 2006
Age: 32
About him being a facade, I totally agree, that's why I'm so attracted to the character, he is indeed a "mysterious transfer student", his real self is pretty much unknown... which makes him tasty for my intellect...
And that's also why, as I said in the first post, there is NO solid evidence on the matter... there are as many clues about him liking Haruhi as he liking Kyon... but the user Question asked about Koizumi's gay tendencies, so I recopiled the evidence on that scenario... yet, I'm sure I can do the same to state otherwise...
Last edited by inkyubasu; 2007-09-03 at 23:52.
|2007-10-10, 18:09
|Link #735
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Is it just me or is the plot of the homemade movie in episode 0 of the anime reveals the actual plot of the whole story of the novels where instead of Itsuki having to choose between Asahina and Yuki to decide the fate of the universe, Kyon has to decide between Asahina and Haruhi to either doom or allow said universe to evolve.
|2007-10-24, 01:37
|Link #738
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Age: 29
Hm...if I'm unnecessarily reviving a conversation from over a month ago, I apologize, but I'd like to add a bit on the nature of Kyon's relationship with Itsuki and Sasaki.
I think Kyon's relationship with Sasaki and his relationship with Haruhi are fundamentally different. Furthermore, Sasaki and Koizumi are indeed superficially similar.
It was somewhere in Volume 9, I think Kyon's dream in class in the Beta dimension/timeline, that Sasaki mentioned this: Kyon has the qualities of an ideal listener. Possessing just the right amount of intelligence to be able to comprehend another person's ideas, while at the same time maintaining an innocence or disinterest such that a person can be sure that they aren't telling him something he already knows. Actually, I find Kyon's attitude of deliberate ignorance and lack of intellectual curiosity somewhat interesting. He feels real, but I'm not sure such a personality type genuinely exists, since this attitude contributes significantly to the author's ability to maintain a level of suspense in the story. After all, Kyon almost certainly is not a projection of Tanigawa's own personality.
Anyway. As I was saying. Koizumi (superficially?) and Sasaki both enjoy talking, and may usually find a willing and capable audience in Kyon. I think this is the basis of their relationship, such that Kyon is always in the passive, shall we say, pursued role. Along these lines, I think that it is unlikely that Kyon could ever feel any attraction on his side of the relationship.
To reiterate, Kyon's function in their context would be an audience for thinking.
Conversely, with Haruhi, Kyon functions as a participant (actor, you might say) in action. This is a dynamic role, and furthermore involves more balanced levels of input from both parties. Actually, if you'll notice, Haruhi rarely ever explains at Kyon. The two instances I can think of are at the railroad crossing in Volume 1 Chapter 6 and in the hallway of the mansion in Snow Mountain Syndrome. In both instances, Kyon cannot demonstrate comprehension by responding meaningfully to Haruhi. On the other hand, their bond is best illustrated by unspoken understandings, such as that silence beneath the trees in the aftermath of Live Alive.
Anyway, though, that wasn't really my point. The main thing is how Kyon and Haruhi have a dynamic, active relationship with comparable levels of input (although, really, I guess you could say that it's forced on Kyon's part after the SOS Brigade is formed; he was the pursuer in the initial stages of their relationship, however). Haruhi demands participation from Kyon, a personal investment. Sasaki/Koizumi, however, appreciate him as a passive listener, and although this is a legitimate basis for a friendship, the potential for growth in their relationships with Kyon exist only to the extent that they have more to say.
Mm, all of this doesn't really deny attraction on Koizumi or Sasaki's part towards Kyon, though. A bit of a tangent, sorry.
|2007-10-24, 16:15
|Link #739
Bemused Scholar
Join Date: Jan 2007
Age: 30
The novel series is not finished yet.
No clue. We have enough novel material out so far for at least two more new one-cour seasons.
|2007-10-26, 02:26
|Link #740
Is Neither Goth Nor Emo
Join Date: Feb 2007
Black hair isn't really fully black. It's actually just a very very deep shade of brown. If you can get enough light shine through it, you can actually see the brown. This is particularly noticeable if the person in question has long hair.
Seriously, try it sometime with a friend's hair. Pluck out a few hairs and hold it up to a good light source.
I have two ideas about Haruhi's hair:
1) The artists are just being inconsistent.
2) You're seeing a shading effect of lighter and darker portions. This pretty much happens to every character in the anime. Occasionally it's because of a light source. Generally it just looks nicer to shade it that way for a neat little "shiny hair" effect.
Last edited by Twisted Reality; 2007-10-26 at 02:52.
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AMD has finally released Radeon HD 7950, which happens to be the cut-down version of the Radeon HD 7970 graphics card that hit the streets on January 9th, 2012. The AMD Radeon HD 7950 graphics card is based on the same 'Tahiti' core
architecture that is used on the Radeon HD 7970, but some has less features and lower
clock speeds.
The AMD Radeon HD 7950 is internally codenamed 'Tahiti
Pro' and features a core clock speed of 800MHz (13.5% slower than the Radeon HD 7970) with 1792 stream processors and 112 texture units. AMD did keep the 3GB of GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus, but is lowering the clock speed down to 1250MHz (5000 MHZ effective). Since the card has fewer cores and lower clock speeds the board power is down by 20% to just 200 Watts and the price has also been slashed. The suggested retail price of the AMD Radeon HD 7950 base design is $449, which is $100 less than the AMD Radeon HD 7970. With a 20% price slash and performance down around 15% this card should appeal to gamers on a budget.
AMD sent over a reference card for us to test, but they went on to say that no one would be offering the reference design. We don't see the point of spending a ton of time talking about a card that no one will ever be able to buy, so we will focus on the first retail AMD Radeon HD 7950 card that arrived for testing. We aren't sure about how unlocking cores is going to work with no standard design, so at this point in time we are unsure if it is possible to unlock a 7950 and turn it into a 7970.
XFX was the first company to send us a card, so we'll focusing on their card in this review. We'll include the AMD Radeon HD 7950 reference card numbers though as they do make for a good baseline score.
The XFX Radeon HD 7950 Black Edition Overclocked card that we were sent uses a Double Dissipation GPU cooler for improved thermal characteristics and a custom PCB design that was made by XFX. XFX offers four AMD Radeon HD 7950 cards and the card that we were sent just happens to be the flagship model.
XFX Radeon HD 7950 Video Cards:
XFX was unable to provide us with pricing for the entire series, but they did say that XFX R7950 Black Edition featuring Double Dissipation has an MSRP of $499.99. The AMD Radeon HD 7950 base design cards have an MSRP of $449.99.
Turning the XFX Radeon HD 7950 Dual Dissipation video card over we don't find too many interesting things as the card doesn't have a back plate or any of the GDDR5 memory chips on the back of the PCB. The serial number sticker is the most important thing that is located on the back of the R7950. The PCB of
the card measures ~10.25″ in length and stands at ~4.0″ in height. It
should be
noted that the metal fan shroud extends past the PCB, so the true length
of the card is ~10.6″ in length.
We noticed that the GPU cooler screws have stickers on them and if you remove them or break the seal to get to the screws it will terminate the two year warranty that XFX places on all Radeon 7900 series cards.
The XFX Radeon HD 7950 has a pair of mini-DisplayPort 1.2
connectors, a full size HDMI 1.4a output for 3D video (Blu-ray 3D)
support, and a dual-link DVI-I when it comes to video outputs. The AMD
Radeon HD 7900 series supports up to six DisplayPort displays by
"daisy chaining" them to two mini-DisplayPort outputs. XFX also placed their logo in the exhaust fan as you can see in the image above.
The XFX Radeon HD 7950 has two CrossFire interconnects and you can link up to four of these cards together for improved performance. The PCB that XFX is using has a spot for a BIOS switch, but they did not place it on the card. The AMD Radeon HD 7950 reference card did have a BIOS switch on it, but that card is using the Radeon HD 7970 PCB.
The XFX R7950 has two 6-pin PCIe connectors located along the top of the PCB that need to be hooked up. AMD says that the Radeon HD 7950 requires a 500W or greater power supply with two 75W 6-pin PCIe connectors. These are the same requirements that the Radeon HD 6950 had, so nothing too shocking here.
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Ageism and Retirement
Lynn McDonald
Retirement is a modest social institution that appeared in most industrialized nations near the start of the 20th century. The aim of retirement was to solve the societal dilemma of an increasingly aged labor force by moving older workers systematically out of their jobs so as to not cause them financial harm (Atchley, 1980, p. 264). Although retirement has been considered benign since its inception, the history of retirement indicates that it is one of the main progenitors of ageism in society today (Atchley, 1982, 1993; Haber & Gratton, 1994; McDonald, 2013; Walker, 1990). Retirement and its accompanying stereotypes have been used as a tool for the management of the size and composition of the labor force contingent on the dictums of current markets in any given historical era. Ever-changing ideologies about older adults that extend from negative to positive ageism have been utilized by business, government, the public, and the media to support whatever justification is required in a particular era, with little thought to the harm perpetrated on older adults. Unfortunately, society has subscribed to these justifications en masse, including older adults themselves. In this article the ageism embedded in retirement is examined to make what is implicit explicit to social work practitioners and policymakers in the field of aging.
Charitable Foundations
Helmut K. Anheier and Marcus Lam
Foundations are private institutions for public benefit. With a long history that reaches back to antiquity, foundations are experiencing a renaissance and increased attention paid to them by policy makers. Already by the mid-1980s, observers had begun to report the end of the relative decline in the overall size and importance of the foundation sector—a trend that had characterized the previous decades. Some analysts suggest the possibility of a new, third "foundation wave," after a first growth period in the late Middle Ages, alongside the rise of commerce and finance, and a second period of growth in the late 19th century, following the industrial revolution. Political stability, an increase in demand for social, educational, and cultural services of all kinds, and economic prosperity are certainly significant factors behind this growth. Yet a more immediate reason is the way in which foundations have been suggesting themselves as instruments of welfare state reform in the broadest sense.
Child Care Services
Laura Lein
Child care services, enabling parents to commit themselves to paid employment while providing a supervised environment for their children, have a long and complex history in the United States. Child care services can provide children with educational and other advantages, as well as custodial care. In fact, the United States has multiple kinds of services providing child care and early childhood education. Publicly funded services have concentrated on care for impoverished children and those facing other risks or disadvantages, but many of these children and their families remain unserved because of gaps in programs and lack of support for subsidies, while other families purchase the services they need.
Contexts/Settings: Private/Independent Practice Settings
Sandra A. Lopez
Private independent practice (known historically as private practice) is a growing segment of the social work profession. Social workers entering this context are providing a range of services, including clinical and nonclinical. Major considerations for establishing, maintaining, and marketing a successful and ethical private independent practice will be discussed. Existing tensions and challenges in the social work profession and in the field of social work education will be briefly examined. Future directions for private independent practice of social work will be explored.
Fundraising for Human-Services Nonprofits
Kirsten A. Grønbjerg
Of the 1.6 million tax-exempt organizations registered with the IRS as of March 2012, about one-fourth are human service nonprofits, including some 254,100 charities with about $134.5 billion in total revenues. In 2011 human-service charities received about $35.4 billion in charitable contributions. This represents 12% of all charitable contributions (Giving USA Foundation, 2012) and is about 15% of the combined revenues reported by the roughly quarter million registered human-service charities. While government funding is a major driving force for human-service nonprofits, philanthropic funding clearly is important as well. Securing such funding requires solid understanding of the fundraising process and dedicated time and effort, however. Moreover, competition for donations (and fundraising expertise) appear to be growing across the board, with donations from individuals, United Way, and corporate contributions most at risk for human-service nonprofits.
International Social Welfare: Organizations and Activities
Doreen Elliott
The major international governmental and nongovernmental organizations and their activities are discussed with reference to their global co-coordinating, advocacy, service, and research functions. Attention is also given to the work of international professional associations.
Leadership and Leadership Development
James Woolever and Jim Kelly
The study of leadership has a long history in disciplines outside of social work. Theorists have struggled with a myriad of definitions of leadership, as well as trait, behavioral, and situational leadership models. They have identified leadership types from transformational and charismatic to motivational. There has been much speculation and some study of the traits and characteristics of effective leaders, as well as effective leadership styles, abilities, and practices. Social-work theorists have contributed to this field by identifying the critical and unique characteristics of social-work leadership, such as adherence to social-work norms and orientation to the needs of disadvantaged groups. In the early 21st century, social workers have begun to elaborate technologies for creating tomorrow's leaders through practices such as formal training, mentoring, and peer networking. There has always been, and will be, a critical need for leadership in social-work endeavors. Leadership development can be viewed from two perspectives: the individual and organizational. From the individual perspective, the system begins with a critical assessment of the individual's strengths and limitations, along with the opportunities and threats for professional growth. Ultimately, the organization is responsible for providing resources to enable individual development. The long-term goal is to implement a developmental mind-set throughout the organization. Leadership development must be intended for all employees, not just a select few. Both individual and organizational job performance are ultimately dependent on the leadership developmental structures embedded within each organizational unit. The issue at hand is designing and delivering leadership development programs that meet the leadership requirements for today's complex, yet changing organizations.
Leadership, Foundations of
Darlyne Bailey, Katrina M. Uhly, and Jessica Schaffner Wilen
The concept of leadership has evolved from focusing on innate abilities, to learned skills, to recognition that leadership is composed of both skills and abilities. Recently, theorists and practitioners have identified core elements of leadership for social-work organizations. These elements encourage social-work leaders to understand their organizations as living systems within an interdependent world and aid them in connecting humanistic intentions with effects. Acknowledgment and enactment of these competencies secure skills of communication and guidance needed for engagement in dialog and action. Social-work students and leaders can learn and hone these qualities in social-work programs, schools, and professional development opportunities for effective leadership in the field.
Macro Practice Competencies
Dorothy N. Gamble and Tracy M. Soska
"Macro practice" is identified as social work with communities, organizations, and inter- and intra-organizational groups engaged in progressive maintenance or change strategies. Social workers in macro practice engage in planning, organizing, development, collaboration, leadership, policy practice, advocacy, and evaluation. In 2010, the Association of Community Organization and Social Administration (ACOSA) defined competencies expected of people doing this work. ACOSA identified two separate but related sets of competencies: one based on the literature found in its sponsored journal, The Journal of Community Practice, and a second derived from 10 competencies elaborated on in the Council on Social Work Education's (CSWE) Educational Policies and Accreditation Standards. Identifying competencies defines knowledge, values, judgments, and skills that social workers doing macro practice should address. Evaluating competencies can be determined by educational programs, service organizations that employ macro practitioners, or by the practitioners themselves as they move through their career in social work.
Management: Human Resources
Michàlle E. Mor Barak and Dnika Jones Travis
Social work organizations depend on a well-trained and responsive workforce to provide quality services. Human resource management (HRM) refers to the design of formal systems that ensure effective and efficient use of human talent, and serves as a vehicle to accomplish organizational goals. Effective HRM requires applying the same person-in-environment value orientation that guides client services to managing human resources. Considering the complexity of HRM, we have developed an organizing framework focused on employee development, organizational effectiveness, and cross-cutting HRM issues. In today's economic, legal, cultural and technological environment that emphasizes accountability, effective management of human talent is critical.
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Jan 13
As a fan of the social networking site Plurk I have been waiting for an iPhone/iPod Touch App to navigate it. You can use the mobile page for Plurk, but it is quite simplistic. For those who don't know, Plurk is like Twitter except the comments are threaded and everything is displayed on a timeline. The comment threads are the best part of Plurk. In Twitter there is no connection between Tweet and reply and you can't have a conversation as easily as you can on Plurk.
Now if you don't know what Twitter is well it is difficult to explain. Kind of a micro-blog limited to 140 characters per posts (called Tweets) where people Tweet everyting from heading to the dentist to passing links to sites on the internet, etc. A boring thing to explain, but quite addictive once you get immersed.
As for iPlurk app I must say I am a bit dissapointed. It provides three tabls for All, Unread, and Private to select in a list the various Plurks. The Plurks are then listed vertically along with the Avatar and informaton about responses including unread responses (nice touch). Click on the right side of the entry to read the comments. To reply click on an icon in the top right and then enter via the standard keyboard.
In operation this is much better than the mobile version of Plurk, but it is also quite miminmalistic on features. For one I would much prefer also having a horizontal view in addition to the standard horizontal view. I really prefer the horizontal especially for replies and being able to use the easier keyboard. The font used to display the Plurks is not very large at all and for me somewhat difficult to read.
There are some settings you can set at the preference pane that allows highlighting to make beginning words look like they do in Plurk. Rich Text I believe gives you the ability to see emoticons. Poll interval specifies how often it looks for new Plurks/replies. I am not sure what Timeline paging which I think allows you to easily move down 4 Plurks at a time (I like this).
I do hope they maintain this app to add more features. It would be nice to be able to graphically select emoticons like you can in Plurk. It would be nice also to have a mechanism to select commenter names to reply to. Right now clicking on their name will bring you to their timeline.
One nice thing is that if you click on an entry you prevoiusly Plurked you can choose to edit it, delete it, or reply to it.
So final verdict is that I will be using this app since it is an improvment over over the mobile page for Plurk for the most part since it is easier to read through and reply to Plurks. It costs $1.99 so it won't set you back much, but like I said I hope it is maintained and updated with new features in the future.
Here is their web page which has screen shots of iPlurk.


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Light, dreamy, airy, Melodic and thoughtful electronic ambient soundtrack. It's associates with a flying in the sky, career and labor, it can be a film scene with a something action, dramatic and hopeful moments e.t.c.
It can be useful as a music for any cinematic project(for example, preview cinematic scene,film trailer), also it can be nice for a game, background music, website, TV show, telecasts, titles, advertising purposes e.t.c.
Music in video projects by BaiTaiga: