text:
Praya dubia
|Praya dubia
|Scientific classification
P. dubia
|Binomial name
|Praya dubia
Praya dubia or giant siphonophore is an invertebrate, a siphonophore that lives in the deep sea at 700 m (2,300 ft) to 1,000 m (3,300 ft) below sea level. It has been found off the coasts of a rapidly-growing list of nations around the world — 19 countries so far, from Iceland in the North Atlantic to Chile in the South Pacific[1] — thanks to advancements in deep-sea submersible technology.
Praya dubia is a member of the Hydrozoa class with a body length of up to 50 m (160 ft), the second-longest sea organism after the bootlace worm. Its length also rivals the blue whale, the sea's largest mammal, although Praya dubia is as thin as a broomstick.[2][3]
The giant siphonophore is not a single, multi-cellular organism, but a huge colony of tiny biological components called zooids, each having evolved with a specific function. These zooids cannot survive on their own,[4] relying on symbiosis in order for a complete Praya dubia specimen to survive.
Praya dubia zooids arrange themselves in a long stalk that is whitish and transparent, known as a physonect colony.[5] The larger end features a transparent, dome-like float known as a pneumatophore,[6] filled with gas that provides buoyancy, allowing the organism to remain at its preferred ocean depth. Next to it are the nectophore,[7] powerful medusae which pulsate in rhythmic coordination to propel Praya dubia through ocean waters in any direction.[8] Together, the array is known as the nectosome.
Beneath the nectosome is the siphosome which extends to the far end of Praya dubia, containing several types of specialized zooids in repeating patterns.[5] Some have a long tentacle used for catching and immobilizing food and distributing their digested nutrients to the rest of the colony. Other zooids known as palpons or dactylozooids appear to contain an excretory system that may also assist in defense, though little is known about their precise function in Praya dubia.[9] Transparent bracts (also called hydrophyllia), are leaf-shaped organs generally thought to be another type of zooid which covers and forces other zooids to contract in times of danger.
These animals burst,[10] when raised to the surface because their hydrostatic skeleton is held together by water pressure above 46 MPa (460 bar). Because of this, Praya dubia remains dredged up in fishing nets resemble a blob of gelatin, preventing their identification as a unique creature until the 19th century. In 1987, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute observed living Praya dubia during a systematic study of a water column, the animal's natural habitat, in Monterey Bay.[11][12][13]
Praya dubia is an active swimmer that attracts its prey with bright blue bioluminescent light.[14] When it finds itself in a region abundant with food, it holds its position and deploys a curtain of tentacles covered with nematocysts which produce a powerful, toxic sting that can paralyze or kill prey that happen to bump into it.[15] Praya dubia's diet includes gelatinous sea life, small crustaceans, and possibly small fish and fish larvae.[16] It has no known predators.
A Praya dubia specimen, filmed in its native habitat, was featured in Episode 2 of the David Attenborough television series Blue Planet II, produced for the BBC.[17]
- ^ "http://iobis.org/explore/#/taxon/497295". iobis.org. Retrieved 2018-01-30. External link in
- ^ "Beauty and the deep". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved 2018-01-30.
- ^ "Giant siphonophore, Deep Sea, Invertebrates, Praya sp at the Monterey Bay Aquarium". www.montereybayaquarium.org. Retrieved 2018-01-30.
- ^ The Deep; the University of Chicago Press, London (2007)
- ^ a b "Siphosome - Biology-Online Dictionary". www.biology-online.org. Retrieved 2018-01-30.
- ^ "Pneumatophore - Biology-Online Dictionary". www.biology-online.org. Retrieved 2018-01-30.
- ^ "Nectophore - Biology-Online Dictionary". www.biology-online.org. Retrieved 2018-01-30.
- ^ "Medusa - Biology-Online Dictionary". www.biology-online.org. Retrieved 2018-01-30.
- ^ "Dactylozooids". The Free Dictionary.
- ^ "Giant siphonophore". Archived from the original on 1999-11-28.
- ^ Praya dubia, at the Animal Diversity Web Archived 2008-04-09 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Prayid siphonophores". www.lifesci.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2018-01-29.
- ^ "The Deep Next Door | Ecology Center". ecologycenter.org. Retrieved 2018-01-29.
- ^ "The Bioluminescence Web Page". biolum.eemb.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2018-01-29.
- ^ "Siphonophores". www.siphonophores.org. Retrieved 2018-01-29.
- ^ "Giant siphonophore, Deep Sea, Invertebrates, Praya sp at the Monterey Bay Aquarium". www.montereybayaquarium.org. Retrieved 2018-01-29.
- ^ "Episode two of Blue Planet II gives a glimpse of deep under the ocean". Mail Online. Retrieved 2018-01-30.
External links[edit]
- Giant Siphonophore Sighting.YouTube, 22 May 2015, by E/V Nautilus during the 2015 ECOGIG dives in the Gulf of Mexico, Accessed 28, January 2018..
- Deep sea siphonophore off Roatán Honduras - 2300 feet, YouTube, 10 June 2013, Roatán Institute of Deepsea Exploration, Accessed 28, January 2018.
- Praya dubia Distribution Map at Ocean Biogeographic Information System
- Praya dubia Habitat at Encyclopedia of Life
|This cnidarian-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.


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In this position at Wood & Co, you will be accountable for the overall management of a specific portfolio of properties (residential or commercial) on behalf of the owners of the properties.
Wood & Co's quality assured policies and procedures will give you the guidelines to ensure you maintain a high standard of client care and diligent management practices. Just like our Sales Consultants, Wood & Co's Property Managers are required to hold an Agent's Representative qualification from the Victorian Business Licencing Authority and we maintain ongoing training to help our team stay abreast of changes in legislation and best practice procedures.
Property owners pay for service
In Property Management, the agency usually gets paid only when a property is leased.
Unlike letting out a hotel room or caravan park site, the business doesn't own the product or stock it's leasing – we are simply an "agent" engaged by the owner to lease the property on their behalf. While the tenant is paying rent for the house, unit, shop or office, it's the property owners who are paying for our service – but they only pay us if we lease their property and look after it well.
A secure salary and more
However, the Property Managers at Wood & Co don't have to shoulder all the risk and Wood & Co doesn't employ Property Managers on a "commission only" basis. A secure salary is paid with a package that provides quarterly bonuses when the Property Manager's leasing fees and rental commissions exceed a certain level.
Another unique thing about leasing real estate is that a Property Manager cannot simply "order more stock" as needed. He or she has to find properties that people are considering leasing out and then be favoured with the owner's instructions to market and lease the property. That's called a listing – where the Property Manager has permission to add that property to the list of properties for lease.
An advisor to property owners
Included in the process of listing, the Property Manager will be called upon to provide advice on the right rent, suggestions on presentation and recommendations on marketing. Once a property is listed for lease, the Property Manager then starts working on finding a tenant who will pay the best rent and look after the property. This is where the right presentation and effective marketing come in and it's important that the manager's negotiation skills are honed and perfected in order the truly represent the owner's best interests.
While the Property Manager must never forget that their first loyalty is to the property owner (who pays the commission) everyone must be treated fairly and with respect and the manager must be completely honest in his/her dealings.
Residential property management is not a 9-5 job and our investors are paying us to take initiative and do what is required to properly look after their investments. A good Property Manager will soon earn the respect of his or her clients and for those who have the right attitude and skill set, property management can be very rewarding.
Get in touch
If property management sounds like your cup of tea, give Lauren Wood a call at Wood & Co to discuss how to get started.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Victor Provost Group at @exuberance
Philadelphia, PA
Contact host about attending
Sun, August 12, 2018
7:00 pm
Save Event
Victor Provost returns to @exuberance.
All we can say is better reserve now.
The audience from his otherworldly appearance here two years ago will definitely be back. Victor raises the bar for steel drum in a jazz ensemble—breathtaking chops, musical intelligence of a bebop mind, pure soul and ethereal sounds. His stunning album Bright Eyes attests to that intelligence, energy and beauty. But there is no substitute to hearing Victor live. And in our acoustic space it's heaven. You experience the sound of Victor's pan swirling around you—bell notes, hammer notes, melismatic lines in 3D. Seriously engaging and not to be missed....
Brendan McGeehan uploaded this event on July 11, 2018
Start your ticket shopping from Jazz Near You and you'll support us in the process. Learn how.


text:
PARIS — An eclectic mix of arthouse fare and a genre pic will battle it out for the 14th Prix Lumieres, to be decided by Paris-based members of the foreign press.
Francois Dupeyron's "With a Little Help From Myself," Martin Provost's "Seraphine" and Palme d'Or winner "The Class," helmed by Laurent Cantet, lead the pack with four nominations each.
"Seraphine" and "The Class," alongside "Christmas Tale," were nominated for the Prix Delluc, voted on by French critics, but lost to Raymond Depardon's docu, "La Vie moderne."
Jean-Francois Richet's gangster film "Mesrine," which has grossed $15 million in Europe since its Oct. 22 bow, followed with three nominations for picture, helmer and actor, for Vincent Cassel.
Hosted by TV5 Monde journalist Estelle Martin, the award ceremony will take place in Paris on Jan. 19 and will close the Unifrance Rendez-Vous film market.
Regarded as the Gallic equivalent to the Golden Globes, the Prix Lumiere was created by leading producer Daniel Toscan du Plantier, who died in 2003, and American journalist Edward Behr to honor French-language cinema from Gaul and abroad.
And the nominees are…
"Christmas Tale," Arnaud Desplechin
"The Class," Laurent Cantet
"Mesrine," Jean-Francois Richet
"Seraphine," Martin Provost
"With a Little Help From Myself," Francois Dupeyron
Laurent Cantet, "The Class"
Arnaud Desplechin, "Christmas Tale"
Francois Dupeyron, "With a Little Help From Myself"
Martin Provost, "Seraphine"
Jean-Francois Richet, "Mesrine"
Samuel Benchetrit, "I Always Wanted to Be a Gangster"
Dany Boon, Franck Magnier, Alexandre Charlot, "Welcome to the Sticks"
Francois Begaudeau, Laurent Cantet, Robin Campillo, "The Class"
Benoit Delepine, Gustave Kerven, "Louise Michel"
Martin Provost, Marc Abdelnour, "Seraphine"
Catherine Frot, "Mark of an Angel"
Yolande Moreau, "Seraphine"
Kristin Scott Thomas, "I've Loved You So long"
Sylvie Testud, "Sagan"
Felicite Wouassi, "With a Little Help From Myself"
Albert Dupontel, "Love Me No More"
Andre Dussolier, "Cortex"
Vincent Cassel, "Mesrine"
Kad Merad, "Welcome to the Sticks"
Claude Rich, "With a Little Help From Myself"
Special nomination: Guillaume Depardieu, "Versailles"
Nora Arnezeder, "Faubourg 36"
Karina Testa, "Dolls and Angels"
Bertille Noel-Bruneau, "The Fox and the Child"
Sara Reguigue, "Mascarades"
Lea Seydoux, "La Belle Personne"
Anton Balekdjian, "Un monde a nous"
Emile Berling, "Les Hauts murs"
Mohamed Bouchaïb, "Mascarades"
Francois Civil, "Dying or Feeling Better"
Marco Cortes, "Khamsa"
Special nomination:
The students in Laurent Cantet's "The Class": Nassim Amrabt, Laura Baquela, Cherif Bounaidja Rachedi, Juliette Demaille, Dalla Doucoure, Arthur Fogel, Damien Gomes, Louise Grinberg, Qifei Huang, Wei Huang, Franck Keita, Henriette Kasaruhanda, Lucie Landrevie, Agame Malembo-Emene, Rabah Nait Oufella, Carl Nanor, Esmeralda Ouertani, Eva Paradiso, Rachel Regulier, Angelica Sancio, Samantha Soupirot, Boubacar Toure, Justine Wu, Atouma Dioumassy, Nitany Gueyes.


text:
2PCS Multifunction Silicone Dish Bowl Cleaning Brush Dish Sponge Kitchen Washing Tool - Red
Processing Time: Item will be shipped out within 5-10 business days.
Note: In orders with more than one item, the processing time will be based on the item with the longest processing time.
Your coupon code: XXXXXXXXXXXX


text:
Manchester Slang
Getty Images
"You're Twisting My Melon Man!"
Made famous in the opening bars to the Happy Mondays Step On, this is a phrase which has been speculated upon since the golden age of 'Madchester' from whence it came. While some believe it to be an expression of confusion, others say it relates to a state of irritation or even approval. Norman Jewison, director of The Cincinatti Kid, once attributed it to Hollywood actor Steve McQueen as an example of how "he talked so hip'. However, when delivered by the rasping genius that is the Mondays' Shaun Ryder - it's pure Mancunian poetry.
Brutal Honesty
Mancs aren't scared to let you know if your appearance isn't to their liking. But with so many words up here for ugly and a penchant for brutal honesty, you'll need to try not to be too offended if we say you've got "an 'angin napper." This gentle recommendation to seek plastic surgery might also come out as "she needs to sort her fizzer out," or even "he looked like he had one eye goin' to the shop and the other comin' back with the change."
Friendly-ish Rivalry
Whether we're 'Bitter Blues' or 'Dirty Reds', one key thing separates us Mancunians - the footballing churches we devote ourselves to. We Man City fans regularly berate Man United supporters for having a ground clearly within the parish of Salford, while ignoring jibes about how we haven't won a trophy since 1976. But one thing's for sure, with City's new found riches and United's new found debt; the war between the 'Bitters' and the 'Rags' has never been more interesting.
Our Kid
According to one of our most famous sons, Liam Gallagher, "Everyone knows that if you've got a brother, you're gonna fight." While this might be true, as a term of endearment, 'our kid' shows just how important siblings can be to the Manc family dynamic. As one of two brothers, I know that after 'me mam', the most important person is 'our kid.' The fact I'm a Bitter and he's a Rag just gives us another reason to have the odd scrap before making up over a pint.
Madchester - Still Ravin' On
Despite the fact Manchester has a thriving cultural community to rival any other major city; we locals do have a tendency to revel in past glories. Whether it's our experience watching The Stone Roses play Spike Island back in the summer of 1990 or witnessing the spectacular rise and fall of Factory Records - we love our Hacienda heroes. With a brand new club, The Factory, unabashedly celebrating this era on a weekly basis, it'll be a while yet until we stop 'ravin' on'.
Getting Your Scran On
There's no shortage of great places to get decent food - or 'scran' - in Manchester. In many, you'll also be able to quaff some top quality - or 'mint' - drinks. Situated halfway up the 171-metre behemoth that is Beetham Tower, Cloud 23's offers both, as well as a rich scarlet and walnut interior matched only by the breathtaking panoramic view of the city. But take my word for it, if you too many Shakermaker cocktails steer clear of the glass floor looking 23 floors straight down - it'll proper twist your melon man.
The 'Mad For It' Myth
Although there was a time you could barely walk down one of our city streets without hearing it, the simple fact is no-one in Manchester says 'mad for it'. The phrase, which emerged during the Oasis-obsessed mid 90s, is now as much of a dated northern cliche as flat caps and whippets. Want to express your excitement at spending the evening out on the town? Then 'ave it!' will do just fine.
Dustin Hoffman
The Academy Award-winning actor has played everything from an impressionable young graduate to a career-conscious transvestite. However, it seems unlikely he's aware of the strange association his name has in some suburbs of Greater Manchester. Derived from the verb to 'dust' (which means run), this is a phrase that has evolved into 'I'm Dustin' - meaning 'I have to leave'. Naturally, since then, announcing you are 'Dustin Hoffman', 'Hoffman' or 'on my Hoffmans' is just one way to inform your friends that you cannot stay - as is getting 'on yer toes'.
As the arch nemesis of Top Cat, Officer Dibble was the long arm of the law who kept the eponymous anti-hero and his felonious felines under control. However, in Manchester, his name lends itself to all members of the Police force - whether on their own or as a collective. As a youngster bunking off school, we would regularly flee to the panicking cry of "Dibble! Dust!!" when the member of our group charged with the task of 'keeping dog' raised the alarm.
Planning an Escape Route
In a recent conversation with my non-Manc friend, I came to realize I'd used one particular Manchester slang so heavily throughout life that I'd forgotten all alternatives for it. After repeating the word 'ginnel' at increasing volume as many times as it takes to make a girl from the Midlands scream, it became clear a non-local might prefer the term 'passage' or 'alley'. So, if you ever need to get on yer toes to escape the dibble - why not head for the nearest ginnel?


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I am a Reader (Associate Professor) in Engineering Maths at the University of Bristol and Bristol Robotics Laboratory.
I lead and am a Principal Investigator for the Tactile Robotics research group at Bristol Robotics Laboratory.
The Tactile Robotics research group is currently supported by a major (£1M) award from the Leverhulme Trust on a `Biomimetic Brain for Robot Touch'.
The research in our group spans robotics, neuroscience and biomimetics. We design and build novel 3D-printed dexterous tactile robotic hands and sensors. We develop artificial intelligence that enables tactile robots to perceive, explore and manipulate their environment. We take inspiration from and link these developments to the computational neuroscience and psychology of human and animal perception and action.
May 2019: (conference) I'm co-organizing a workshop at ICRA 2019 (main organizer Shan Luo) on ViTac: Integrating Vision and Touch for Multimodal and Cross-modal Perception. Come and see us on Friday May 24th.
May 2019: (new papers) Our group has three papers accepted in ICRA, two also in IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters: From pixels to percepts: Highly robust perception and exploration using deep learning and an optical biomimetic tactile sensor, A Sense of Touch for the Shadow Modular Grasper and Continuous contact sensing with a soft biomimetic tactile sensor.
April 2019: (announcement) Well done Kirsty Aquilina on winning best paper/presentation award at the UK Manipulation workshop.
Nov 2019: (new PhD student) Welcome to Noor Alakhawand, who has joined our group to work on tactile robotics and haptics.
Nov 2019: (announcement) Well done Ben Ward-Cherrier on being awarded a Vice Chancellor's Research Fellowship.
Oct 2018: (new PhD students) Welcome to Pernilla Craig and Alex Church, who have jointed our group to work on Computational Neuroscience and Robotics.
Oct 2018: (conference) Our group has two papers accepted in IROS, one also in IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters: Slip detection with a biomimetic tactile sensor and TacWhiskers: Biomimetic optical tactile whiskered robots.
May 2018: (conference) I'm running a workshop at ICRA 2018 on Active touch for perception and interaction: How nature inspires robotics. Come and see us on Friday May 25th.
May 2018: (conference) Our group has three papers accepted in ICRA, one also in IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters: Principle components of touch, Voronoi Features for Tactile Sensing: Direct Inference of Pressure, Shear, and Contact Locations and Dual-modal tactile perception and exploration.
April 2018: (book) Our Handbook of Living Machines is finally published by Oxford Univ Press.
April 2018: (new postdocs) Welcome to Dr Thom Griffiths and Ben Ward-Cherrier, who are our two new hires for our Leverhulme award - Thom is an expert in Computational Neuroscience and Ben in Tactile Robotics.
January 2018: (new paper) Ben's invited paper on The TacTip Family: Soft Optical Tactile Sensors with 3D-Printed Biomimetic Morphologies is now published in Soft Robotics. An editorial will follow relating to our win of the Soft Robotics Toolit competition.
January 2018: (book) My children's book Robots is out on Amazon (published by Dorling-Kindersley as part of their Findout! series)
October 2017: (new PhD students) Welcome to Sophie-Anne Baker and Jasper James, who have joined our group to work on computational neuroscience and robotics.
June 2017: (competition) Our team came 3rd in the ICRA 2017 Soft Material Robot Challenge, from about 20 teams. Well done Ben!
May 2017: (conferences) Ben Ward-Cherrier and I are off to ICRA - Ben is presenting at the Robotic sense of touch workshop and I am presenting at the Innovative Haptic Interfaces workshop, and we're both presenting at the main conference.
April 2017: (new RA) We have just made the first hire for our Leverhulme Award - Dr John Lloyd, an expert in artificial intelligence applied to robot touch.
Mar 2017: (press) Two excellent stories that covered some of our research were covered in Digital Trends and The Register.
Feb 2017: We have an exhibit of a 3d-printed tactile robot hand and tactile sensor (photo) at the ROBOTS exhibition in the Science Museum, London.
Jan 2017 (press): Harvard and University of Bristol have both made press releases on our win of the Soft Robotics Competition. The story was taken up at several news sites, including The Engineer, 3D printing news, phys.org, ACM Technews and optics.org.
Jan 2017 (new papers): Our group has three papers accepted in IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters from from the recent ICRA-RAL call: Exploratory tactile servoing with active touch, Exploiting sensor symmetry for generalized tactile perception in biomimetic touch and A biomimetic fingerprint improves spatial tactile perception.
Dec 2016 (funding): I have been awarded a Leverhulme Leadership Award (£1M) on 'A biomimetic forebrain for robot touch'. The award represents a major investment in Tactile Robotics research, funding four RAs, a technician and equipment.
Nov 2016 (announcement): The Bristol Tactile Robotics Team has won the international Harvard 2016 Soft Robotics competition for its contribution to soft robotics research, from over 80 teams. The competition entry was for an open-source 3d-printed tactile sensor: the open TacTip.
Oct 2016 (announcement): We have 6 Scholarships of £5k available for International Students on the MSc in Robotics for 2016.
Oct 2016 (new PhD student): Kirsty Aquilina has chosen to do her CDT PhD in Tactile Robotics and Control with David Barton and I.
Oct 2016 (new PhD student): Emma Roscow has chosen to do her Welcome Neural Dynamics PhD on 'Pon(dering) the Replay: modelling reward-based replay strategies for replay coordinated across hippocampus and nucleus accumbens' with Matt Jones and I.
Sep 2016 (announcement): Welcome to the 38 new students on the MSc in Robotics this year.
Aug 2016 My paper Biomimetic Active Touch with Whiskers and Fingertips is #1 ranked by popularity in IEEE Transactions on Haptics at the moment.
Aug 2016 (funding): I have been awarded (with Maria Elena Giannaccini and Ben Ward-Cherrier) EPSRC impact acceleration funds for our work on tactile sensing (£20k).
Aug 2016 (new paper): I have have a paper accepted in Neural Information Processing Systems (NIPS) on Threshold Learning for Optimal Decision Making.
Aug 2016 I'm helping organize a special issue of the journal Bioinspiration & Biomimetics based on papers from Living Machines 2016.
May 2016 (new papers): My paper on Biomimetic Active Touch with Whiskers and Fingertips has been published in IEEE Transactions on Haptics, in the Special Issue on Active Touch that I was a co-editor.
May 2016 (new papers): Luke Cramphorn and I both presented papers at ICRA on Tactile manipulation and Tactile quality control. Ben Ward-Cherrier gave invited presentations on his paper in IEEE Robotics Automation Letters in two workshops.
May 2016 (funding): Maria Elena Giannaccini has been awarded an equipment pump priming grant (£3k); Ben Ward-Cherrier has been awarded funds to attend ICRA.
Jan 2016 (new RA): Maria Elena Giannaccini has started an RA post with me on my EPSRC First Grant on Tactile Superresolution Sensing.
Jan 2016 (new papers): Ben Ward-Cherrier and I have have two papers in the first issue of IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters on Tactile manipulation with a TacThumb integrated on the Open-Hand M2 Gripper and Tactile quality control with biomimetic active touch.
Dec 2015 (funding): I have been awarded (with A. Richards) a University of Bristol Capital Bid (£22k) to buy robotic equipment (an arm and F/T sensor) for the MSc and CDT in Robotics.
Dec 2015 (new PhD student): To complement my EPSRC First Grant, the Engineering Faculty has assigned me a DTP PhD Scholarship, which I have awarded to Nick Pestell.
Nov 2015: I'm serving as Program Chair for Living Machines 2016 (18-22 July, Edinburgh).
Nov 2015 (funding): I have been awarded an EPSRC First Grant on 'Tactile superresolution', with funding (£100k) for a postdoc for just over a year.
Oct 2015 (new PhD student): Luke Cramphorn has chosen to do his CDT PhD with me in Tactile Robotics.
Oct 2015 (new PhD student): Fliss Inkpen has chosen to do her Welcome Neural Dynamics PhD on 'Modelling ion channel expression in developing neurons' with Mike Ashby and I.
Oct 2015 (announcement): We have 6 Scholarships of £5k available for UK and International Students on the MSc in Robotics for 2016.
Sep 2015 (announcement): Welcome to the 23 new students on the MSc in Robotics this year.
July 2015 (new paper): I have a paper in IEEE Transactions on Robotics on 'Tactile superresolution and biomimetic hyperacuity'.
Mar 2015: I have contributed an article to Scholarpedia on 'Active tactile perception'.
Jan 2015 (new paper): Giovanni Pezzulo and I have a paper in PLoS Computational Biology on 'Embodied choice: How action influences perceptual decision making'.
Nov 2014 (funding): I have been awarded a University of Bristol Pump Priming award (£5k) on Tactile Superresolution.
Oct 2014: I have been invited to serve as guest editor for a special issue on active touch in IEEE Transactions on Haptics.
Sep 2014 (new PhD student): Ben Ward-Cherrier been awarded a DTP PhD Scholarship to study Tactile Robotics.
Sep 2014 (announcement): Welcome to the 24 new students on the MSc in Robotics this year.
Jan 2014: My paper 'State-of-the-art in biomimetics' in Biomimetic and Bioinspiration was the most highly read paper in that journal last year, with more than 10000 reads.
Jan 2014 (announcement): I am beginning my job as Program Director for 9 students on the MSc in Robotics.
Jan 2014: I have taken up a Lectureship in the Dept of Engineering Maths at the University of Bristol, affiliated with Bristol Robotics Laboratory.


text:
We're a family-owned and operated business, started up in 1996 when we established the Kubota dealership for this area. As our business has grown, we have steadily added products and new product lines. We obtained the dealerships for Walker Mowers in 2001 and Land Pride in 2002. Besides having a large inventory of new equipment on hand, we also have a wide array of used equipment.
Company details
2450 Heartland Drive , Sheridan , Wyoming 82801 USA
- Business Type:
- Distributor
- Industry Type:
- Agriculture
- Market Focus:
- Nationally (across the country)


text: I would like to hear from other Powerwall users with solar regarding how they programmed their SolarEdge inverter to draw energy from the Powerwall. For about the first month of operating my Powerwall I set it to "Max Self Consumption". That can be done through the inverter screen interface I have now reprogrammed it through the SolarEdge web portal to draw energy from the Powerwall through a Storage Profile I set up based on my utility TOU plan (PG&E, Northern California). Note that you can only set up a Storage Profile if you have SolarEdge Installer level access to your inverter. It is not the standard homeowner level of access. I had to persuade SolarEdge to allow me that level of access and then I had to request that my solar installer set it up through their Installer account. I wanted it so that I could configure my system to use the Powerwall based on my TOU schedule. I don't know if there are any other Powerwall owners on TMC but if there are I would appreciate hearing from you.


text:
Thank you for your interest in EA Consulting Pvt Ltd. Please complete the form below so we can better understand your needs.
AL-9 15th Lane, Phase VII, DHA, Karachi 75500
409, Siddiq Trade Center 72 Main Boulevard Gulberg III
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201, 2nd Floor, Khalifa Al Kubaisy Building No. 7 Maroor Road
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PO Box # 35161
Villa No. 1A Street No 16, Ugdat Al Ameriya Com., Al- Jimmy District,
PO Box # 23944


text:
For every person in pursuit of film induced fear and disgust, here are 10 horror movies to make you sick. LOOK HERE TOO
I have excluded many revered films such as Salo, Last House on the Left, Exorcist, Jacobs Ladder, Dead Silence, Hostel, Eraserhead and Cannibal Holocaust (everyone reading this should have seen those, except maybe Dead Silence). All the films on the list below are there for three reasons; they are undeservingly little known, nightmarishly accomplished in their production and have made me go "Naaaaah!"
Unfortunately some mild spoilers await so, if you are worried, just check the titles and get to seeking them out…
Grotesque (2009)
This crazy ass film is about two people who, at the moment of experiencing something close to love at first sight, get abducted by a sadistic but well-mannered bastard. The movie is shot in a slightly artistic b-movie style and is excessively gruesome, with lots of torture, blood and scenarios you can wince at. There is an upsetting twist around the halfway mark that makes the torturer and his acts even more affecting.
1Mad moment: The man (Kazuo) is untied and is finally allowed to set the girl free on the other side of the room, in as long as he can last with his intestines out.
Reminded of: Haze
Poughkeepsie Tapes (2007)
Helmed by the sick minds of the Dowdle bros, this documentary tells of the "Water street butcher" serial killer and his ugly acts of brutal torture and murder in a small american town. He filmed all of them and left a selection of the tapes for the police to find. Why this film is so disturbing is its realism. The cast is pretty large for a low-budget production and they all act extremely convincingly, a few scenes made me upset, forcing me to think about those who really have endured such abhorrent abuse. His prized slave's last interview is stunningly composed.
1Mad moment: A woman is in the foreground, tied up, as the killer crawls up to her from behind, on all fours, with a mask on and a black leotard. He then kills her candidly in one of the most unsettling scenes I have ever witnessed.
Reminded of: Feed
Martyrs (2008)
From the (old)new-wave of french horror. The film starts explosively with a family at home being shot to bits, then a grotesque monster/girl comes into the house and wreaks havoc on the two female shooters and then one is locked downstairs and uwatchably, unflinchingly, systematically tortured. All this mad nastiness has to have a reason and I won't spoil it for you, it wont disappoint. If you have a sister or at least a heart in your body, you will remember this film for years to come.
1Mad moment: The resolution and the realisation that there are people who really would agree with the absurd reasoning behind the poor woman's trials.
Reminded of: Salo
Noroi: the curse (2005)
A japanese documentary that follows a paranormal investigator on the days leading to his disappearance. Although well advertised in east Asia, not many people in the west have heard of this film despite the popularity of Blair Witch and Paranormal Activity. Very raw in its composition, this had me engrossed in its complicated plot and its memory has refused to let go of me. This film is a very strange experience, watch on your own and in one go.
1Mad moment: Honestly, with this one, there's just too many to choose from, the ending is masterfully done.
Reminded of: Shutter
Inside (2007)
'The' other film from the new-wave of french horror. Frontiers, a film usually said in the same breath as this and Martyrs, is highly overrated. This film is truly disturbing for expecting couples; a woman is chased around her home by another, a psychopath who is after the baby she holds. Though not a great film, it serves its purpose well, its claustrophobic scenario and execution keeps things simple, focused and harrowing with a very strong performance from the lead actress.
1Mad moment: The pregnant lady peacefully sleeping is suddenly awoken by the mad woman puncturing her naval with scissors.
Reminded of: Panic Room
Niku Daruma (1998)
A faux-snuff movie from the land of bizarre, rocking almost flawless make up and effects and delivering pure shocking nastiness. Two mentally unwell wretches find a girl willing to participate in what she thinks is an amateur porn shoot, they mess around with her a little bit and then knock her out to slowly mutilate and chop her up. This is a truly abhorrent piece of work and I won't watch this again, ever! (Like most flicks on this list!)
1Mad moment: A, real enough, potato peeler to the tongue.
Reminded of: Koroshia Ichi
Creep (2005)
This one affected me primarily because I am from London and it is set in the Underground train network and secondarily because the monster is very realistic and has animalistic mannerisms (kind of like that scene from PK tapes). The film doesn't do anything new with the creature-feature scheme but what's done is done to perfection. For me, this was one of the creepiest movies ever and a classic.
1Mad moment: A lady lays beaten and in tears as the creature partly puts on dirty surgical gloves and brandishes a huge rusty knife. We see him/it doing, what I must name, a "slit to tit rip".
Reminded of: Tony
Mordum (2003)
A bad b-movie to make you barf, I need not speak of it. Looks like shit, has zero story but has a few absolutely real-looking scenes and no fear, skill or decency on show from its creators.
1Mad moment: Bathtub, Deadchild, Sickman
Reminded of: Nekromantic
Seed (2007)
Videogame license murderer Uwe Boll redeems himself with a less than terrible film. Serial killer breaks out of captivity and continues his reign of terror after surviving the electric chair. The gruesome special effects are the highlight here and there's nasty footage of actual animal death at the beginning. A deeply unpleasant watch that some should take notes from.
1Mad moment: In a single shot that must last over 5 minutes, a woman is tied up in a chair and, chunk by chunk, has her head bashed away.
Reminded of: Jason X
Serbian Film (2010)
This one should be the least little-known film on this list now, I saw it early. Its got to be the most angry film ever, in its conception and production. It's about a male pornstar who gets an offer for a groundbreaking film role. Full of surreal imagery, this one is especially disturbing because of what the protagonist goes through of his own accord. It seems like the film could be a long and varying sexual fantasy for some until the final act. There is lots of deranged sex, high energy and strong character development.
1Mad moment: The main man is shagging a small person, face down, presumably anal. It is revealed to him, that it is his……
Reminded of: Belladonna's Dark Meat 🙂
Enjoy, you nasty bastard!! Do you know of any other harrowers that only a few people know about? Top 5's?
Hook up the RSS man!!


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Your Community Supported
Animal Shelter
Contact Us
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Thank You Sponsors!
Microchip Identification
Career Cats
If you find a
lost animal
within City limits, please contact your local law enforcement or animal control officer for instructions.
Northfield Police Non-Emergency Number:
(507) 645-4477
If you are surrendering an animal it is very important that you complete the surrender form first.
Please DO NOT bring your pet to the shelter without prior contact with us. To surrender a cat we must have shelter space available, to surrender a dog we must have a foster home available. Contacting us in advance will help us to plan space for your pet and will result in your pet receiving the best possible outcome.
Following this procedure will allow us to help as many animals as possible, which is our mission. We will do our best to take in your pet as quickly as possible. Thank you for understanding!
To begin the Surrender process, please download and fill out the appropriate surrender profile form below. You may fax your surrender form ahead of time to (612) 444-2112 . Or scan and email it to
. You will be contacted by the coordinator to setup an appointment to bring it in.
Dog Surrender Profile
Cat Surrender Profile
If you are
surrendering a dog
, you will need to schedule an appointment. All dogs are now housed in foster homes for their benefit instead of kept at the shelter building. We will ask you to hold the dog until we can match it with a foster home. You may email our foster coordinator at
to discuss surrendering a dog.
If you are
surrendering a cat
you must call ahead and schedule an appointment. If the shelter is full we may ask you to keep the cat until we have space.
If we ask you to hold your pet for a few days until we have a suitable foster home or space at the shelter we can help you with food and supplies in order to do so if it will cause you a financial hardship.
When surrendering your pet you will be asked for a monetary "surrender donation".
This is not a required donation. The suggested surrender donation is $60 for one animal
(adjusted for multiple animals). If you are unable to pay the surrender fee, we will still take in your pet, care for it and work our best to find a suitable home for your pet. Your pet will not be turned away due to the inability to make a monetary surrender donation. If you can pay a lessor amount we will gladly accept it or if you find at a later date that you are able to send us a monetary donation of any amount, we will be grateful. The care of your surrendered pet will NOT be affected by your ability to pay a surrender fee. We do not ask for a surrender fee for stray animals who are brought to the shelter.
When surrendering your pet you will be asked a few questions as to the personality of your pet, any issues your pet may have, if your pet has lived with other pets or children, any commands your pet may know, etc., filling out the above surrender form will help this process go much faster and give us the information we will need to provide the best outcome for your pet.
It is important that you answer the questions honestly as the more information we have on your pet the better outcome your pet will have as far as finding a new home.
Please bring any health records
you may have in regards to your pet that you are surrendering as well as any favorite toys or items that your pet may like to have at their new home.
If you find a stray or lost animal within City limits, please contact your local law enforcement or animal control officer for instructions.


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A few of the miracles we saw today:
Max is off of antibiotics(turned out that positive culture was just common bacteria from his mouth)
Max's arms are open wide to receive all the blessings that Heaven has to offer (and it will help give him keep full range of motion)
He is breathing like a champ.
Pain medications that help support Max through this most painful time of his healing as his donor skin sites begin to heal and his skin grafts take fully.
John Canaan came and sang these sweet words to Max:
Consider the lilies of the field
How they grow, how they grow
Consider the birds in the sky
How they fly, how the fly
Consider the sweet, tender children
Who must suffer on the earth
The pains of all of them he carried
From the day of his birth
He clothes the lilies of the field
He feeds the lambs in his fold
And he will feed those who trust him
And make their hearts as gold
Lots of love and prayers still flowing to keep us all safe & peaceful.
Angelic help at every turn (my sweet sister Susan, Kathy's constant presence at every turn, Spencer, Daniel, Lorene, Rachel, Katelyn, Tiffany…)


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The theme for the 2012 conference, which will take place at the University of Oxford from the 5-7 July, is 'Bonds, Links, and Ties in Medieval and Renaissance Chronicles'. Keynote addresses will be given by Prof Pauline Stafford (Liverpool), Dr Elizabeth van Houts (Cambridge), and Dr James Howard-Johnston (Oxford). The conference will take place at Oxford's Ioannou Centre for Classical and Byzantine Studies.
Registration is £60 (full) or £50 (reduced). This includes lunch and refreshments on all three days. A limited number of bursaries will be available to assist graduate students with travel costs.
Call for Papers
Abstracts of no more than 300 words for papers of 20 minutes must be submitted to the organizers via e-mail (at firstname.lastname@example.com) by 31 January 2012.
Topics may include, but are not limited to:
• genealogies (real or imagined)
• family bonds
• textual links
• breaks and discontinuities
• links between past, present, and future
• ties of religion and faith
• law, order, and disruption
• oaths, promises, and betrayals
• local, regional, and national identities
Please visit our website for more information: www.ocics.co.uk
We look forward to receiving your submission!
Yours faithfully,
The OCICS 2012 Organizing Committee.


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Salmon in the Deschutes River rely on suitable-sized gravel and cobbles for spawning. We have designed an experimental gravel augmentation program to test the feasibility of using this type of restoration measure to increase and improve salmon spawning and incubation habitat, particularly downstream of dams.
Experimental augmentations were designed to mimic topography, flow depths, and velocities at existing gravel bars. We photographed the sites pre- and post-implementation using Low Elevation Aerial Photography (LEAP) to document sediment movement. We are continuing to work with PGE to monitor transport and topographic adjustments, spawning use, and gravel quality of the augmentation material. Biological monitoring will determine if/when the addition of new gravel would be necessary and beneficial to salmon populations in the Deschutes River.
This work is part of a larger overall study of assessing sediment transport following high flows, evaluating and mapping salmon spawning habitat. PGE will use the results of these studies to evaluate the potential impacts of the Pelton-Round Butte Hydroelectric Project on downstream fisheries and develop possible mitigation measures
We developed a Lower River Gravel Study Plan for the Deschutes River, which included an experimental gravel augmentation component. We sampled subsurface bed material at the Warm Springs Bridge site (pictured here) to determine grain size specifications for the augmentation material.View the gallery


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C-Bo & E-40 Are "F*ckin Wit It" on "Orca" - By : Rud - June 7, 2012Last month we announced that West Coast veteran C-Bo was getting ready to drop a solo LP next month; see C-Bo Recruits WC For "187" Video, New LP Coming Soon. That update dropped off a brand new video for 187 (Featuring WC) which was said to be from an upcoming album entitled "Orca." Earlier this week we were back with the full "Orca" tracklist, the mp3 download/stream of the 187 single as well as this Exclusive Dubcnn Interview with C-Bo that we conducted just before he was jailed again in late April.The legend - most recently hailed for his guest appearance on E-40's Block Brochure project - talks to Dubcnn.com about his approach to recording, how the Block Brochure opportunity came about and whether or not folks every try to put him to the test while he is onstage at a show. C-Bo also discusses the "Orca" project - giving the LP its full title "Orca: The Killer Whale of the Hood" - as well as discussing how he plans on remaining in your eardrums for the foreseeable future!In that update we also promised a WORLD PREMIERE from "Orca" and today we return to give you the exclusive "Fuckin Wit It" track featuring E-40 - enjoy this banging record below along with the full tracklist if you missed it!C-Bo - Fuckin Wit It (Feat. E-40) 01) Orca02) 187 (Feat. WC) (Feat. WC)03) I Hustle04) Bullets (Feat. Slim The Mobster & King T)05) For Nothing (Feat. Dubb 20, Liq and LM)06) Life Is A Gamble (Feat. Yukmouth and Realest)07) Addictive (Feat. Slick Pulla, Brotha Lynch Hung and Dead Mike)08) Bitch I'm Ballin (Feat. Paul Wall)09) Murder One (Feat. MC Eiht and BG Knocc Out)10) Getting To The Money (Feat. B-Legit)11) Waiting On Me12) New Beginning (Feat. Marvaless, Rydah J Klyde and T-Nutty)13) Killas Like Me (Feat. Kokane, Killa Tay and Lil Cyco)14) No Warning (Feat. Young Buck and Omar "Big O" Gooding)15) Can't Grind Forever16) C-Bo - Fuckin Wit It (Feat. E-40) Enjoy the 187 single and music video plus the Fuckin Wit It record and spread the word of the Exclusive Dubcnn Interview with C-Bo and stay tuned for the latest media from "Orca." Discuss This Topic..........................................................................................
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|Adult Concepts
|Adult Concepts
The story of a life long love affair with the movies, Cinema Paradiso tells of a young boy in a small Italian village, where the only past time is a visit to the movies at the Cinema Paradiso. Enchanted by the flickering images, Salavtore yearns for the secret of the cinema's magic, and is overjoyed when Alfredo, the projectionist, agrees to reveal the mysteries of movie making to him.
As their friendship grows, so does Salvatore. Growing older with his good friend and the movies he adores, he learns from them both how to court his first love. He also dreams of making his own films one day. When the day comes for Salvatore to leave the village, Alfredo makes him promise to never look back, just to keep moving forward. Salvatore does just this – for 30 years. Until one day, a message arrives that beckons him back home….
"A sweet hymn to the romance of cinema" Time Out
120 minutes
Are you interested in hiring CINEMA PARADISO?Click here to contact Umbrella


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I did not enjoy Croatia as a country to backpack in except for two places, Plitvice Lakes National Park and Rovinj. If you are staying in Pula and looking for a good day trip, Rovinj takes the cake.
It is a smaller, more charming coastal town than Pula and the fresh fish is legit.
After a tasty lunch fresh from the sea you can rent a bike a take a ride through Park šuma Zlatni.
Along the edge of the park there are rocky outcrops where you can take a nap or a dip, with or without clothing.
Before you get too excited about the romantic idea of a nude beach, let me pop that bubble right quick.
Most of the swimmers that elect to forego a swimsuit in favor of their birthday suit are well over the age of 50 and are no longer in top physical condition.
If you can ignore these occasional "mid-50s-flashes" the bike ride is well worth it.
Rovinj has a very artsy hill winding up its old town on the western peninsula. The steep, diagonal streets act as a permanent art bazaar, with hundreds of local studios to choose from.
Its not my thing – I'm not an art guy, nor a souvenir guy – but it might be yours. Plus, it would be mighty difficult to tote a painting around in a backpack for three months. If I buy any gifts at all while abroad, it is usually in the city I fly home from.
At the end of the art hike and at the top of the hill in Rovinj's old town is Saint Euphemia's basilica, a baroque church, which you can see in the upper left in the above photo.
At the end of the day while waiting for the bus and watching old men play chess in the central square I realized I would have rather stayed in Rovinj than Pula. If you're thinking about making a trip to Croatia I would recommend you do the same.


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- "Yukusu kenza keena!"
"Uh...Uncle Owen, this R2 unit has a bad motivator?"
- ―Charl Sstena rambling to a spacer
Charl Sstena was a male Jawa smuggler, apparently from the planet Tatooine.
Around 0 ABY, Charl Sstena helped sell C-3PO and R2-D2 to Luke Skywalker and his family.[1]
He apparently survived the onslaught by the Imperial Stormtroopers soon after, when he was found by a spacer on Corellia some time around 1 ABY.[1]
Behind the scenesEdit
Charl Sstena is a Non-Player Character (NPC) in the MMORPG Star Wars Galaxies. Players who take part in the "Meatlump Themepark" can receive a quest where they must speak to Charl. When the player speaks to him, Charl will ramble on about Uncle Owen and R5-D4.
- Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided (First appearance)


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Content Management Systems
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Bringing control and flexibility to wild wild west of web content management.
AVID Design specializes in harnessing the power and capabilities of a web content management system, while ensuring that your web site user experience and administrative user experience is flexible and easy to use. By applying our "user first" approach to website CMS, AVID Design is able to apply your website branding and digital user experience model to a variety of CMS platform.
- AVIDCMS - We believe webmasters should not be impeded by a lack of technical background. That's why the AVIDCMS makes updating your site faster and easier than ever before. We empower our clients to advance their web performance.
- SharePoint® - SharePoint's possibilities as a site platform are limitless, but can be intimidating. At AVID, we translate your needs into a focused internal solution or public facing website backed by web best practices.
- Sitecore - Combined with the xDB platform, Sitecore is the only customer experience platform architected from the ground up as a single solution.
- Umbraco - Providing an open source platform on the Microsoft ASP.NET technology stack, Umbraco allows your organization to leverage a powerful and secure CMS, without large upfront costs or licenses.
- WordPress - The #1, most used content management system on the planet, WordPress offers a user friendly platform that combines a huge library of plug-ins, with opportunities for custom solutions and experiences.
The solutions above are just a few of the platforms that AVID Design can use to bring your website to life. Contact us today to learn more about how AVID Design can partner with you to develop a CMS driven website that empowers and propels your site.


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Guilty pleasures…Justin's got me again. I immediately thought this song was catchy but it wasn't until Gov Ball with Chance the Rapper's performance of his rap verse that I was sold.
Did a great dance routine to this during one of my classpass classes…she's an underrated artist.
Future's Mask Off…but with the "Mask Off Challenge" back to loving Chace the Rapper.
Another Calvin Harris summer hit.
Nick Jonas (does anyone else confuse him and Joe…maybe its just me since I wasn't a Jonas Brothers fan…but this song is hot!!).
Catch ya on the dance floor,


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CONTEXT: From 9-13 August, I went on a Project Mingde Voluntary Teaching Summer Camp in Dabao Village, Guangxi, China. The following was the reflections I wrote for the trip specifically, but also happened to be something I had thought about more generally in the last few months, so I felt it had heightened meaning, even if it doesn't necessarily capture the breadth of my thoughts on this.
Hiding safely in our air-conditioned multi-storied concrete edifices, it is easy not to realise how truly privileged we are to live and grow-up in Hong Kong. It certainly was not at the forefront of our minds as the 20 of us made the trip to Dabao Village some 600 km away.
Gathering at the border crossing at a mean 8am, we made our day-long journey to Danzhou Ancient Town. The quaint and beautiful old island surrounded by a yellow silt-filled river began as a bit of a shock – what with the unfamiliar food, unstable internet connection, and undesired company of various small critters. But it soon came to represent a comforting respite from the even more foreign environment a half-days travel away. Along the way into Dabao our bus (perhaps inevitably) broke down, live animals and vegetables were sold in street stalls literally within reach from the car's windows, and our walk into the village was pre-emptively cooled by heavy rainfall as the bus climbed upwards (though the sky had thankfully dried up by the time our walk started).
Despite all the silent (or not so silent) half-jokes, concerns and worries about the difficult living conditions we might face in the days ahead, our arrival triggered more pressing concerns as our program of events kicked-off. We hurriedly went about putting into action our well-meaning plans for games, activities and mini-classes, joined variously by around 40 children. Unsurprisingly some plans went better than others, and we almost always had to make impromptu adjustments. We alternated between fear that it might rain and make outdoor activities impossible, and worries that it was too hot and sunny to be outdoors for long periods of time. We tried to keep the children's attentions as they ran off, refused to come into classrooms, or just engaged in their own games and conversations.
No doubt the three days of activities honed our ability to think quickly on our feet, taught us how to work with children, and refined our ability to communicate in Putonghua. But perhaps most striking was the sheer irrelevance of our intricate and imperfect plans to the children who joined us. Of course it was great that we had the opportunity to teach meaningful health practices like washing ones hands and brushing ones teeth, and it was heart-warming to see their joy as we made musical instruments and launched water rockets. But ultimately I'd like to think it was our company that they truly enjoyed. Whether watching the Olympics together, digging for worms and snakes, or them showing off their favourite fishing spots.
Throughout, they embodied a joy and happiness that is conspicuously absent amongst even children in Hong Kong. To us, it might appear to be a very simple life, lacking in many material comforts and missing the complexities of our social environment. But perhaps it wasn't us that did the real teaching. They were the ones that helped us realise that you don't have to own a phone, access the internet and play Pokémon Go to be truly happy. They were the ones that enjoyed and treasured what they had, rather than be constantly troubled by what might have been.
Of course, that's not to say that Dabao was a perfect nirvana. The prevalence of both smoking and drinking was evident during our short three-day stay, though I would be remiss not to mention the considerable efforts of our members, who organised a well-attended and well-received personal hygiene and anti-smoking performance. My conversation with a villager during our evening visit to their home reflected the painful struggles they faced in securing the educational opportunity we so easily take for granted in Hong Kong. I was also painfully aware when some of the children returned each day in the same clothes whilst others had the luxury of a change of clothes. There of course remain deep and significant challenges, but that does not detract in the slightest from the local community's positive outlook. If anything, it is all the more impressive that they can cherish what they have without dwelling on those trials and tribulations.
There was, as might be expected, a process of adjustment. Our arrival was preceded by some extremely bumpy roads, and quickly followed by the discovery that there was an almost complete absence of phone signal literally everywhere in the village. Though we were surrounded by lush greenery and had clear skies, neither fully compensated the shower-less and bed-less lodgings that contributed to some less comfortable evenings. Our palates remain someway apart, and we probably surprised on kind hosts with our constant desire to literally wash everything, from the fish before it was deep fried to the plates before we ate.
But through it all, we should remember that these minor adjustments and discomforts are literally that – minor. Yes the road was extremely bumpy and the bus's air-conditioning unreliable, but at least we had a bus to carry the heavy load. Yes the food was not what we were accustomed to, but even then we were eating copious portions compared to what our hosts were having. Yes our activities could have been better planned and executed, but the children enjoyed our company as much as we thought they ought to enjoy what we were doing.
It is probably human nature to be competitive and comparative. But we ought to ask ourselves who we are competing and comparing against. It is all too easy to be caught up in the social rat-race that is Hong Kong, but this trip to Dabao is a telling reminder that there is a world outside of ours. For all the things we might complain about, we are speaking from a position of extreme privilege. And we had better do something good with that.


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Cornwall is located in New York.
Cornwall, New York 12518 has a population of 12,563.
The median household income in Cornwall, New York 12518 is
The median household income for the surrounding county is $70,794
compared to the national median of $53,482.
The median age of people living in Cornwall 12518 is
40.8 years.


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This is the second charter for the Web Services Coordination Group. For reference purposes, the first charter is available.
The Web Services Coordination Group is part of the Web Services Activity.
The Web Services Coordination Group provides a forum for coordination for Web services work at W3C, between the Working Groups of the Web Services Activity, the Semantic Web Activity, other parts of W3C, and other organizations.
The Coordination Group (CG) itself has no deliverables; those are produced by Working Groups (WG).
The functions of the Web Services Coordination Group is to:
The duration of this charter is until 1 February 2006.
The proceedings of the meetings of the Web Services Coordination Group are public. The mailing list used is <email@example.com>. A public mailing list <firstname.lastname@example.com> is also available.
The Web Services Coordination Group membership consists of:
A Working Group Chair can appoint a representative to the CG if he/she is not available. Members (including the Team contact) are expected to devote approximately 2-4 hours a week to CG activities. Members are expected adhere to the W3C IPR disclosure policy.
The Chair of the Web Services Coordination Group is Steve Ross-Talbot (Enigmatec Corporation). The W3C Team contact is Hugo Haas.
The Web Services Coordination Group will pay particular attention to related Web services work carried in external groups and recommend technical liaisons as appropriate, including work happening in the following organizations:
The Web Services Coordination Group will hold a distributed meeting every other week. The Coordination Group may meet face-to-face if deemed necessary.
The home page of the Coordination Group, maintained by the Chair and Team contact, provides convenient access to:
The Coordination Group meeting records must include attendance, the results of the group's decisions, and action items. These records must be made publicly available except for W3C-confidential and administrative information. The Chair is responsible for deciding what information is to be withheld from the public record.
W3C promotes an open working environment. Whenever possible, technical decisions should be made unencumbered by intellectual property right (IPR) claims. This Coordination Group will operate under the W3C Current Patent Practice as amended by the W3C Patent Policy Transition Procedure.


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EA has cut the price of the full instrument edition of Rock Band – ahead of the game's sequel's release in September.
The Instrument Edition of Rock Band will now retail for €139.99 in Europe and 109.99 in the United Kingdom on Xbox 360.
The price will also apply to the new PS3, PS2 and Wii versions of the game, which are released this week.
The news comes months after Rock Band's controversial release, when the full instrument pack cost UK consumers a whopping 180.
In addition, EA has announced that Rock Band's full North American library of more than 200 songs is now available in Europe on 360 and PS3.


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Last minute shopping is almost inevitable during the holiday season and so are gift cards. These are impersonal and easily available and make a great gifting idea when there is no time to choose gifts. The retail merchants also love gift cards because people generally tend to lose them or forget to use them. According to the most recent consumer reports at least 27% of the people who received gift cards have not redeemed at least one or more of those gift cards. As per the Tower Group consumers have forfeited close to $8 billion the previous year either due to loss of gift card, expiry or because of unredeemed gift cards.
Gift cards could be a rip-off at times as they come with a lot of hidden fees and both the recipients as well as the givers must be aware of their rights.
Most of the reputed ones such as Wal-Mart, Target, Best Buy and such others sell their house brand cards and at face value. For instance, a $50 Wal-Mart card can be purchased for $50 and there is no expiry date. If the same card is purchased online, the shipping is done by Wal-Mart for free through the USPS and it takes about 7 to 10 days to deliver. Faster shipping means it could cost $15 and would take one day to be delivered.
Most often, Visa, MasterCard, American Express prepaid gift cards are all laden with hidden charges.
However, this year new protections were in place for gift card users which includes a set of rules by the Fed which was in effect in August 2010 and a part of the credit card act. As per the new rules:
- The money on the gift card is valid for 5 years after purchase of the card. Funds that are added on later to the card are also valid for the next five years.
- There should be no hidden fee and all the charges must be stated on the card or on its packaging.
- There are lesser gift card fees that are now allowed. Restrictions are applicable to maintenance fees, usage, inactivity as well as charges for adding funds to the card.
- Inactivity fees might be charged if the card hasn`t been used for at least a year.
Each state will have its consumer protection laws that might exceed fed rules and regulations. Use the Consumers Union handy guide to check it out.


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- Research
- Open Access
Understanding foot-and-mouth disease virus transmission biology: identification of the indicators of infectiousness
© Chase-Topping et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2013
- Received: 18 February 2013
- Accepted: 5 June 2013
- Published: 3 July 2013
The control of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) outbreaks in non-endemic countries relies on the rapid detection and removal of infected animals. In this paper we use the observed relationship between the onset of clinical signs and direct contact transmission of FMDV to identify predictors for the onset of clinical signs and identify possible approaches to preclinical screening in the field. Threshold levels for various virological and immunological variables were determined using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and then tested using generalized linear mixed models to determine their ability to predict the onset of clinical signs. In addition, concordance statistics between qualitative real time PCR test results and virus isolation results were evaluated. For the majority of animals (71%), the onset of clinical signs occurred 3–4 days post infection. The onset of clinical signs was associated with high levels of virus in the blood, oropharyngeal fluid and nasal fluid. Virus is first detectable in the oropharyngeal fluid, but detection of virus in the blood and nasal fluid may also be good candidates for preclinical indicators. Detection of virus in the air was also significantly associated with transmission. This study is the first to identify statistically significant indicators of infectiousness for FMDV at defined time periods during disease progression in a natural host species. Identifying factors associated with infectiousness will advance our understanding of transmission mechanisms and refine intra-herd and inter-herd disease transmission models.
- Challenge Period
- Nasal Fluid
- FMDV Infection
- Preclinical Screening
- Virus Isolation Method
Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV), a member of the Aphtho virus genus within the Picornaviridae family, is the causative agent of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), one of the world's most important infectious animal diseases, responsible for huge global losses of livestock production and trade, as well as frequent and highly disruptive large-scale epidemics [1, 2]. The disease is characterised by a short lasting fever, epithelial lesions on the tongue, dental pad and inner mouth area leading to excessive salivation and drooling and lesions on the feet causing lameness. Secondary infection of epithelial lesions can significantly increase the severity of disease [3, 4].
There are seven immunologically distinct serotypes and more than 60 antigenic variations [5, 6] and many are endemic in large parts of Asia, Africa and South America [7]. Here, we focus on serotype O, which is the most prevalent serotype globally and shown to be transmitted by several different routes. One of the most common routes of transmission in ruminants is by direct contact between infected and naïve animals. Indirect contact also occurs by mechanical transfer via people, wild animals and birds, vehicles, fomites and animal products e.g. milk or meat products [8–13]. The virus may also spread by inhalation of infectious droplets and droplet nuclei originating mainly from the breath of infected animals [14] which can be wind borne [15]. Wind borne transmission occurs infrequently, as it requires particular climatic and epidemiological conditions [16–18].
A recent publication [19] reported the results of experimental studies of direct FMDV transmission in cattle. The results of that study suggested that conditions promoting transmission exist for only a brief period and showed that infectiousness is a complex phenomenon related not just to virus dynamics but also to host responses and clinical signs, which is consistent with a common but rarely tested expectation that disease signs may be functionally linked to infectiousness. Prior to this research, studies into FMDV transmission had used proxy measures for infectiousness (for example the detection of virus in the blood or other tissues) rather than directly demonstrating transmission to another animal. Recent results [19] highlighted that cattle infected with FMDV are substantially less likely to be infectious before showing clinical signs than was previously realized. As such there is a need for more robust empirical evidence on relationships between clinical signs and infectiousness.
The aim of the present study was to utilize the relationship between the onset of clinical signs and direct contact transmission of FMDV to identify possible predictors of the onset of clinical signs as well as identify candidates for preclinical screening in the field. Such information will advance our knowledge of the transmission mechanisms and improve the model predictions that are used in disease control. The assumption that the likelihood of transmission is decreased if control can be implemented just 24 h earlier provides strong support for investment in the development of practical tools for preclinical diagnosis. If we can identify infected cattle before they show signs of disease using tests in the laboratory then perhaps these can be used in the field during an outbreak. Measures of concordance between qualitative real time (qRT)-PCR results and virus isolation results were also determined in each experiment. These measures of concordance are useful in evaluating the performance of both methods of virus detection.
Materials and methods
Details of the methods used in this paper have been published elsewhere [19] but are described in brief below. All experiments were approved by the Institute's ethical review process and were in accordance with national guidelines on animal use.
Animal experiments and samples
Four individual animal experiments using 100–150 kg Holstein Friesian calves were performed. For each experiment, two animals (referred to later as inoculates) were selected at random, and were needle challenged intradermolingually (1) with 1 × 105.7 TCID50 of cattle adapted FMDV O UKG 34/2001. Forty eight hours after challenge naïve animals ("donors", 2 animals for each of 4 experiments) were introduced to the inoculates and were challenged by direct contact exposure for 24 h. The inoculates were removed from the study and the animals exposed to infection (n = 8) were used to attempt transmission to further naive cattle ("recipients") at two, four, six and eight (in experiments 3 and 4 only) days post infection for a period of 8 h each time. A total of 28 recipients were used in this study design.
Individual donors were examined daily for the presence of clinical signs (lesions in the mouth, tongue, snout, feet and the presence of nasal discharge). Rectal temperature was also recorded. Blood and nasal fluid samples were taken daily for the first 8 days following challenge and then every other day for up to 14 days after challenge. The samples were transferred immediately to the laboratory for processing; nasal fluid was stored at −80°C and heparinised blood aliquoted and stored for subsequent virus detection in bovine thyroid cells (BTY) culture as described earlier [19]. Aliquots of serum were stored at −80°C for subsequent total antibody (Ab) detection, nucleic acid extraction and analysis by qRT-PCR. Samples of oropharyngeal fluid (OPF) were collected by probang cup from all the animals before challenge and thereafter from the donors daily for the first week and fourteen days after challenge. All probang samples were stored at −80°C for subsequent virus detection using BTY cell culture and genome detection using real-time quantitative PCR.
Several air samples using multiple devices were collected simultaneously, each hour, during all but 2 of the 28 challenge periods. Air samples were collected using an all-glass Cyclone sampler (operated for 5 min at a flow rate of approximately 390l/min) and an all glass Porton impinger sampler (operated for 5 min at a flow rate of 11l/min). These sampling periods were determined as the optimal sampling configurations for the instruments [20–22]. The collecting media employed in these samplers was modified eagle's medium (MEM) -HEPES with antibiotics and 0.1% (w/v) BSA [16, 23]. The concentration of virus per litre of air was determined by endpoint titration for each particular air-sample, which was multiplied by the volume of the collecting fluid and the flow of the sampler. The amount of infectivity recovered was expressed as the total amount (50% tissue culture infectious dose, TCID50) of airborne FMDV per animal per challenge period (8 hrs).
Virus detection
Live virus was detected in the biological samples collected (heparinised blood, nasal swabs, OPF) and in the collecting media from the air samples using BTY primary cell cultures [16, 23, 24]. Given the large number of samples taken, they were first screened to determine the presence of virus, and then a tenfold dilution series of those verified to be virus positive were made and each dilution inoculated onto five BTY tubes. Titres were calculated by the Karber equation according to Lennette [25]. The specificity of any cytopathic effect was confirmed by an antigen capture ELISA [26–28].
Viral nucleic acid purification
RNA (200 μL of sample, mixed with 300 μL of MagNA Pure LC total nucleic acid Lysis/Binding Buffer) was extracted using the MagNA Pure LC total nucleic acid isolation kit (Roche, UK) and an automated nucleic acid robotic workstation according to the manufacturer's instruction (MagNA Pure LC, Roche, UK). The samples were eluted in a volume of 50 μL and stored at −80°C for later analysis.
FMDV RNA standards and reverse transcription
As these experiments were performed with the O UKG 34/01 isolate, a homologous RNA standard was used (synthesized in vitro from a plasmid containing a 500 base pair insert of the internal ribosomal entry site (IRES) of FMDV O UKG 34/01) as described by Quan et al. [29]. The reverse transcription was performed as previously described [29–31].
Quantitative RT-PCR
To determine the amount of FMDV RNA in extracts of the total nucleic acid from blood, OPF, and nasal fluid a qRT-PCR was performed according to the methodology previously described [30, 32]. In the PCR reaction, primers SA-UK-IRES-248F (50-AAC CAC TGG TGA CAG GCT AAG G-30)/SA-UK-IRES-308R (50-CCG AGT GTC GCG TGT AC CT-30) and a UK-IRES- 271T (6-FAM-TGC CCT TTA GGT ACC C-MGB) TaqMan® Minor Groove Binding probe (Applied Biosystems) were used, as this primer/probe set was designed for optimum detection of the FMDV O UKG 2001 virus [29]. The PCR was performed on a Stratagene® MX3005P™ QPCR system using MXPro-MX3005 v 3.00 Build 311 software (Stratagene, UK), and fifty PCR cycles were carried out. Once obtained, results and amplification plots were analysed and standard curves constructed from cycle threshold values [32–34] of the RNA standard dilutions, to provide a measure of the number of FMDV genome copies.
Assay for FMDV specific antibodies
Serum samples were tested for the presence of antibodies to FMDV using a liquid phase blocking ELISA (LPBE) [35, 36].
Assay for interferon detection
Type-I interferon (IFN) biological activity was measured in serum samples from donor animals by using an Mx/chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (Mx/CAT) reporter gene assay [37].
Database management and statistical analysis
List of virological, immunological and environmental variables generated in this study and included in statistical analysis
Quantity of live virus in oropharyngeal fluid (OPF) (log10 TCID50/mL)
OPF qRT-PCR
Quantity of FMDV genome copies in OPF (log10 copies/mL)
Blood VI
Quantity of live virus in the blood (log10 TCID50/mL)
Blood qRT-PCR
Quantity of FMDV genome copies in blood (log10 copies/mL)
Type-1 interferon in serum (IU/mL)
Nasal fluid VI
Quantity of live virus in the nasal fluid (log10 TCID50/mL)
FMDV-specific antibodies detected in serum (titre/mL)
Air sample
Total airborne FMDV per animal per challenge period
Only data up to and including day 8 were used in the statistical analyses as after day 8 data was not collected daily. In addition, all donor animals had exhibited clinical signs by day 8. To account for the repeated measures structure in the data (i.e. daily sampling) analyses using multiple explanatory variables were performed using a GLMM with covariance pattern model (Proc Glimmix SAS version 9.3, SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC). The GLMM was fitted with a binomial distribution and a logit link function. The response variable was the presence or absence of any clinical signs. Donor was fitted as the sole random effect, other variables were fitted as fixed effects. Given the small sample size (n=8 donors) only single factor models were generated. In total 63 variables were analysed.
Diagnostics were performed and plots of residuals were examined, confirming the goodness-of-fit of each model. Odds ratios (OR) and their associated 95% confidence intervals were estimated in the final models for factors statistically significantly associated with the onset of clinical signs. The generalised chi-square/DF (χ2/DF) was used to compare the fit of different models. Unfortunately no significance test of model fit is available, however, the χ2/DF can identify models that given their fixed and random effect specifications more (or less) closely meet the specified distribution (binomial logit). The closer the χ2/DF is to unity the better the model and data meet the assumed residual distribution.
Virus in the blood and OPF was measured using both the virus isolation method (from heparinised blood samples) and the qRT-PCR method (from serum samples). The relationship between the two methods was examined by looking at the temporal trends using PROC LOESS (SAS version 9.3). LOESS is a nonparametric method for estimating local regression surfaces. In addition, agreement between the two methods was examined using Cohen's kappa (StatXact v.8, Cytel Software Corp, Cambridge, MA, USA).
Preclinical predictors were identified in the data by examining the virological and immunological variables in the time frame surrounding the onset of clinical signs. Data from ±4 days from the onset of clinical signs for each donor animal were included.
Prior to analysis, it was specified that results with p <0.05 would be reported as exhibiting formal statistical significance.
Associations with transmission
As previously described [19] there were 28 attempts to transmit the disease from donor to recipient animals over the 8h periods, 8 (29%) of which were successful in transmitting disease. Six of these transmissions occurred on either day 4 or day 6 since exposure of the donor to the virus. Only one transmission event occurred on each of day 2 and day 8. One donor transmitted the disease on two occasions, days 4 and 6 post exposure to the virus. One cow failed to transmit FMDV, even though FMDV was detected in the nasal fluid (NF) and oesophageal-pharyngeal fluid (OPF), although not the blood.
Transmission was significantly associated (Fisher's exact = 6.16; p = 0.021) with the onset of clinical signs (Figure 1). The peak at time 0, illustrates that for most cows transmission occurs on the same day as clinical signs appear. Only one transmission event occurred prior to the onset of clinical signs. However, this animal showed overt signs the next morning, approximately 16 h after the end of the successful challenge period. The clinical signs observed were varied: nasal discharge and lesions in the mouth or tongue were the most frequently reported "first" signs (Figure 1).
GLMM air sampling
Estimated effect
Air sample
Cut-off levels
Predictors of transmission and the onset of clinical signs
GLMM Onset of clinical signs
Estimated effect
χ 2/DF
>5.0 log10 TCID50/mL
<5.0 log10 TCID50/mL
Onset OPF VI > CT
OPF qRT-PCR
>6.5 log10 copies/mL
<6.5 log10 copies/mL
Onset OPF qRT-PCR > CT
Blood VI
>2.4 log10 TCID50/mL
<2.4 log10 TCID50/mL
Appear -1D blood VI > 0
Appear -2D blood VI > 0
Onset blood VI > CT
Onset -1D blood VI > CT
Blood qRT-PCR
>4.6 log10 copies/mL
<4.6 log10 copies/mL
Appear -1D blood qRT-PCR > 0
Onset blood qRT-PCR > CT
Onset -1D blood qRT PCR > CT
Nasal fluid VI
>4 log10 TCID50/mL
<4 log10 TCID50/mL
Appear of nasal fluid VI > 0
Onset nasal fluid VI > CT
Type 1 IFN
Onset Type 1 IFN > CT
VI vs qRT-PCR measurements
Pre-clinical predictors
In summary, virus is first detectable in the OPF, but detection of virus in the blood and nasal fluid may also be good candidates for preclinical indicators. Interestingly, the donor that did not transmit in this study never had any measurable amount of virus in the blood. However, virus was detectable in the OPF and nasal fluid.
Previous analysis of the experimental data used in this study showed that transmission was associated with onset of clinical signs [19]. In this study we further characterize this relationship and look for predictors of the onset of clinical signs as a proxy for transmission, thus increasing the statistical power to identify indicators of infectiousness. This is important because experiments with large animals held in high containment facilities are challenging and, inevitably, it is only feasible to use a low number of replicates. Despite this, we were able to identify factors significantly associated with different stages of FMDV infection. However, the association between transmission and the onset of clinical signs implies that relying on the detection of clinical infections will not facilitate the removal of infected animals before they become infectious, so preclinical diagnosis is required to achieve this.
All immunological and virological variables measured (with the exception of total FMDV-specific antibodies) were positively associated with onset of clinical signs. This result is not surprising given that they were chosen a priori as useful measures of the transmission of FMDV [19]. It does appear that onset of clinical signs only occur when virus levels exceed thresholds. This will surely be a useful measure for monitoring animals in further research programs and possibly in the field.
Air sample results were not included in previous analysis of this data [19] because problems associated with including missing data in an ordination analysis. This study, however, has shown that there is a significant association between virus detected in the air and transmission of FMDV. This does not mean that virus in the air is a vehicle of transmission in this study. We believe, however, that it is a marker for transmission. We note that the initial designs of this transmission study included an indirect transmission element (data not shown). Although airborne virus was detected in the air during the challenge periods no transmission occurred by this indirect route so further attempts at indirect transmission were not done. With such a small sample size the confidence limits are large, however, this possibly suggests that this is not a major route for disease spread between cattle, even though it appears to be an indicator of when an animal is infectious. Though the lack of airborne transmission might be due to the properties of this particular strain of virus as there was only a limited number of documented cases of airborne spread [40, 41]. Planned future research will include more rigorous air sampling as these results suggest that air sampling shows great promise as a predictor of transmission and may also prove to be useful to detect preclinical infection. Hand held devices have been developed and their feasibility for monitoring shedding of FMDV in cattle is being tested [42].
Temperature was a good indicator of the onset of clinical signs and of transmission [19]. However, elevated temperatures do not occur early in the course of infection. Temperature is, of course, a non-specific clinical sign as such would have limited utility as a pre-clinical screening tool.
For OPF there was no difference between the two methods of virus detection. The levels recorded using qRT-PCR tended to be higher at the peak but for both methods there was perfect agreement with respect to detection of virus. Measurement of virus in the blood using the VI method resulted (in some cases) in low levels of virus being detected earlier. Virus was detectable by qRT-PCR (in some cases) even when it was not using the VI method, but this always occurred later in the course of infection. It is unknown whether the virus detected by qRT-PCR at these stages is inactivated or at such a low concentration that it is unable to be detected by virus isolation.
This analysis has confirmed the close association between the onset of clinical signs and the transmission of FMDV from an infected bovine reported previously [19]. In addition, we have identified predictors of clinical signs, namely virus present in the OPF, blood or nasal fluid but, importantly, only above a measured threshold. We also find that transmission is strongly associated with detectable levels of virus in the air although this need not imply that air-borne spread is itself a major route of transmission.
It has been argued that early detection of FMDV infection was critical to effective control of outbreaks and could help remove the need for pre-emptive culling [19]. As clinical signs appear very close to the onset of infectiousness these are not ideal indicators. Here, we report that the detection of virus in OPF provides the earliest indication; however, this is unlikely to be practicable in the field. Alternatively, detection of virus in the blood or nasal fluid is possible days before the appearance of clinical signs. In terms of early detection of infection, the VI method performs best but, in contrast to PCR methods, is not a good basis for a rapid penside test. In future work, given that we have demonstrated that virus can be detected early in the course of infection in OPF samples and nasal swabs, we intend to explore the possibility of developing more sensitive air sampling methods as the most obviously practicable approach to mass screening.
Authors' information
Paul V Barnett and Bryan Charleston are Jenner Institute investigators.
We thank Luke Fitzpatrick, Colin Randal and Mark Jenkins for their assistance with the handling and management of experimental animals. We also thank John Gloster, Eoin Ryan and Caroline Wright for their assistance with air sampling, Pip Hamblin and Phil Keel for help and advice with serology assays and David Paton for valuable advice on study design. The work was funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (grant ref. BBSB00549).
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