text:
A novel min-cost flow method for estimating transcript expression with RNA-Seq
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Through transcription and alternative splicing, a gene can be transcribed into different RNA sequences (isoforms), depending on the individual, on the tissue the cell is in, or in response to some stimuli. Recent RNA-Seq technology allows for new high-throughput ways for isoform identification and quantification based on short reads, and various methods have been put forward for this non-trivial problem.
In this paper we propose a novel radically different method based on minimum-cost network flows. This has a two-fold advantage: on the one hand, it translates the problem as an established one in the field of network flows, which can be solved in polynomial time, with different existing solvers; on the other hand, it is general enough to encompass many of the previous proposals under the least sum of squares model. Our method works as follows: in order to find the transcripts which best explain, under a given fitness model, a splicing graph resulting from an RNA-Seq experiment, we find a min-cost flow in an offset flow network, under an equivalent cost model. Under very weak assumptions on the fitness model, the optimal flow can be computed in polynomial time. Parsimoniously splitting the flow back into few path transcripts can be done with any of the heuristics and approximations available from the theory of network flows. In the present implementation, we choose the simple strategy of repeatedly removing the heaviest path.
We proposed a new very general method based on network flows for a multiassembly problem arising from isoform identification and quantification with RNA-Seq. Experimental results on prediction accuracy show that our method is very competitive with popular tools such as Cufflinks and IsoLasso. Our tool, called Traph (Transcrips in gRAPHs), is available at: http://www.cs.helsinki.fi/gsa/traph/.
KeywordsAnnotate Transcript Candidate Path Normalize Compression Distance Convex Cost Function Splice Graph
Recent RNA-Seq technology [1, 2] opened a new high-throughput, low cost way for isoform identification and quantification, leading to new understanding of gene regulation in development and disease (e.g., [3]). In an RNA-Seq experiment a set of short reads is produced from mRNA transcripts. The difficulty in assembling these short reads into the transcripts from which they were sampled is non-trivial due to the fact that the transcripts (isoforms) may share exons. As a result, all methods for solving this problem rely on an explicit or implicit graph model. The nodes represent individual reads (overlap graph [4]), or contiguous stretches of DNA uninterrupted by spliced reads (splicing graph [5, 6, 7], connectivity graph [8, 9, 10]), while the edges are derived from overlaps or from spliced read alignments. Each node and edge has an associated observed coverage, and the problem of isoform identification and quantification is seen as separating the coverage of the graph into individual path components, under different models. Furthermore, this problem was also coined under the broad name 'Multiassembly Problem' [11], a hint that it can arise not only with RNA-Seq data, but also in other biological settings, such as assembling metagenomics reads [12].
Except for Cufflinks [4], all tools mentioned above rely on some optimization engine, whose solving is generally difficult. IsoInfer/IsoLasso [8, 9], SLIDE [7], Scripture [10], and CLIIQ [6] exhaustively enumerate all possible candidate paths. For efficiency reasons, each has some restrictions on what a valid candidate path might be, and for each candidate isoform, they define a fitness function. IsoInfer/IsoLasso and SLIDE use a least sum of squares fitness function; IsoLasso and SLIDE both add different shrinkage terms to the fitness function in order to favor isoforms with fewer transcripts, which is computed with a modified LASSO algorithm, or a quadratic program; CLIIQ uses a least sum of absolute differences fitness function, solved by a linear integer program. Cufflinks avoids the problem of exhaustively enumerating all possible paths by returning a minimum path cover, and then assigning expression levels to each path in this cover based on a statistical model. Incidentally, note that computing a minimum path cover (in an acyclic digraph) is done by computing a maximum matching, which can be easily reduced to a flow problem. However, such reduction solves a different (implicitly defined) optimization problem that can be considered as a consensus model in the literature [6, 7, 8, 9, 10], mostly because the fitting of expression levels is separated in the process.
Our contribution
In this paper we propose a radically different and very general method relying on the established field of minimum-cost network flow problems [13]. This will not only provide a simple method and a fast polynomial time algorithm for solving it (as opposed to exhaustively enumerating all possible candidate paths, and then solving a quadratic/integer linear program for evaluating the fitness of each candidate isoform), but it can also lean on the ample literature on splitting a (min-cost) flow into paths, e.g., [14, 15, 16, 17].
As in the case of the other tools, our method assumes that a splicing graph has been built for each gene. Each node of the graph corresponds to a stretch of DNA uninterrupted by any spliced read alignment; such sequences are called segments in [9], but for simplicity we just call them exons. Each edge of the graph corresponds to two exons consecutive in some transcript, that is, to some spliced read whose prefix aligns to the suffix of one exon, and whose suffix aligns to the prefix of another exon. Observe that such a graph can be seen as a directed acyclic graph (DAG, for short), the direction of the edges being according to the absolute position of the exons in the genome. For each exon v we can deduct its coverage cov(v) as the total number of reads aligned to the exon divided by the exon length, and the coverage cov(u, v) of an edge (u, v) as the total number of reads split aligned to that junction between exons u and v. An mRNA transcript candidate thus becomes a path from some source node to some sink node. The requirement that the transcripts start in a source node and end in a sink node is no restriction, as we can add dummy source/sink nodes as in-/out-neighbors to the nodes where we have indication that some transcript might start/end. Indeed, our splicing graph creation tool uses splicing alignments and coverage information to discover such start/end nodes and accordingly indicates them to our tool.
In order to define a fitness function in the broadest possible terms, let us assume that for each node v and edge (u, v) of the graph we have convex cost functions modeling how close that node and edge must be explained by the candidate isoform. Then, we can state the problem of isoform identification and quantification as following problem.
For example, if for all nodes v and edges (u, v), f v (x) = x, f uv (x) = x, then we have a least sum of absolute differences model as in CLIIQ. If f u (x) = x2, f uv (x) = x2, then we have a least sum of squares model as in IsoInfer/IsoLasso and SLIDE; this is the model which we also use in the implementation reported in this paper. Another cost function, suggested by [18], is , for all nodes v and edges (u, v). Observe that many of the other biological assumptions of the other tools can be incorporated in the model of Problem UTEC.
We will show that Problem UTEC can be solved in polynomial time, by a reduction to a min-cost flow problem with convex cost functions. We will argue that finding the optimal tuple of paths explaining the graph is equivalent to finding the optimal flow in an offset flow network. Moreover, any splitting of this optimal flow into paths attains the minimum of Problem UTEC. In the same way as some of the other tools try to limit the number of paths explaining a splicing graph by a LASSO approach, we can rely on established methods for splitting any flow into few paths (e.g., [14, 15, 16, 17]). In this paper, we employ only the simple linear-time heuristic of repeatedly removing the heaviest path, see e.g., [15].
We give experimental results to study how well the predictions match the ground-truth on simulated data, and how well it fares on real-data, compared to Cufflinks [4] and IsoLasso [9]; our method is very competitive, providing in many cases better precision and recall. We expect our lead to be even greater once we incorporate paired-end read information.
- 1.
0 ≤ x uv ≤ b uv , for every (u, v) ∈ E,
- 2.
, for every v ∈ V,
It is well-known that, under the assumption that all the flow cost functions c uv (·) are convex, a min-cost flow can be found in polynomial time [19] (see also [20] for the real-valued flow case).
The reduction to a min-cost flow problem
We will model Problem UTEC as a min-cost flow problem, thus showing that it can be solved in polynomial time. First, we argue that it can be transformed into the following equivalent problem, where the input exon chaining graph has measured coverages only on arcs.
Given an input G = (V, E) for Problem UTEC, we construct an input for Problem UTEJC by replacing every node v ∈ V with two new nodes, v in and v out , and an arc (v in , v out ), with cov(v in , v out ) = cov(v), and . Furthermore, for every arc (u, v) ∈ E, we replace arc (u, v) with the arc (u out , v in ), with the same coverage as (u, v). It is immediate that optimal solutions for G to Problem UTEC are in bijection with the optimal solutions for the transformed graph to Problem UTEJC.
To solve Problem UTEJC, we build an auxiliary offset network with convex costs of the form c uv (x) = f uv (x). An optimal flow for this network will model the offsets (positive or negative) between the measured coverages of the exon chaining graph and their actual expression levels in an optimal solution. Then, we argue that a min-cost flow on this network naturally induces a solution for the UTEJC problem.
Onwards, we denote by the set of out-neighbors of v in the directed graph G, that is, the set {w : (v, w) ∈ E(G)}. Similarly, we denote by the set of in-neighbors of v in the directed graph G, that is, the set {u : (u, v) ∈ E(G)}. When G is clear from the context, we will skip it as subscript.
- 1.we add to G* all nodes and edges of G, together with
- (a)
a new source s0 and a new sink t0 with ,
- (b)
arcs (s0, s), for every source s of G, and arcs (t, t0) for every sink t of G, each with infinite capacity and null cost function,
- (c)
arc (t0, s0) with infinite capacity and null cost function,
- (d)
nodes s* and t*, with initial exogenous flow ;
- (a)
- 2.for every arc (u, v) ∈ E(G),
- (a)
b uv := ∞, c uv (x) : = f uv (x),
- (b)
we add the reverse arc (v, u) to G* with b vu := cov(u, v), c vu (x) : = f uv (x);
- (a)
- 3.for every v ∈ V(G),
- (a)
its exogenous flow q v is zero,
- (b)if , we add arc (v, t*) to G* where:
- i.
- ii.
ii we update ;
- i.
- (c)if , we add arc (s*, v) to G* where:
- i.
- ii.
we update .
- i.
- (a)
The next lemma shows that there exists a min-cost flow x* on N*.
Lemma 1 Given a digraph G with arc coverages cov(·,·), the offset network N* = (G*, b, q) constructed as above is a flow network, i.e., .
From a flow to a set of paths
Moreover, a decomposition of x into at most |E(G)| paths always exists and can be found in time |V (G)| · E(G). Theorem 1 also shows that the paths of any decomposition of x are an optimal solution for G to Problem UTEJC (point (3)).
Theorem 1 Given an optimal flow x* on G*, the function × on G just constructed satisfies the properties, where S denotes the set of sources of G, and T denotes the set of sinks of G:
(1) for all v ∈ V (G) \ (S ∪ T), ;
(3) any decomposition of × into paths attains the minimum of the objective function of Problem UTEJC, on input G.
Observe that for all edges entering t* (exiting s*), their flow equals their capacity, as we have adjusted the exogenous flow of t* (of s*) at point 3.(b)ii. (and 3.(c)ii.) in the construction of G*. We distinguish three cases.
First, if , then . Since the flow x* uses the arc (v, t*) with its maximum capacity, we have that , which shows that , proving the claim.
Second, if , then . Since the flow x* uses the arc (s*, v) with its maximum capacity, we have that , which again proves the claim.
Finally, if then, by construction there is no edge between v and t* or s*, implying, again by construction, that , from which the claim follows.
and from minimality, for all arcs (u, v) ∈ E(G), at most one of z uv or z vu is non null, we have that x* also attains the minimum in (7), proving the theorem. □
In our implementation we use the min-cost flow engine available in the LEMON Graph Library [21]. If no engine for arbitrary convex cost functions is available, or, more generally, if the cost functions themselves happen not to be convex, one can approximate any cost function with piecewise constant or convex cost functions: e.g., one can replace an arc (u, v) of capacity b uv , with |b uv | arcs of capacity 1, such that first arc has cost f(1), and the i th arc, i > 1, has cost f(i) - f(i - 1) (this reduction is only pseudo-polynomial but reveals quite effective in practice), see [13] for further details.
Decomposing the min-cost flow into few paths
As already shown by the other tools, we are generally interested in parsimoniously explaining an RNA-seq experiment, that is, in finding, among the optimal solutions to Problem UTEC, one with a low number of paths. At a closer analysis it can be seen that any flow on a graph G = (V, E) can be decomposed into at most |E| - |V| + 2 paths [14]. However, decomposing a flow into a minimum number of paths is an NP-hard problem in the strong sense, even when restricted to DAGs [14, 15]. To overcome this limitation, various heuristics and approximations have been put forth, see, e.g., [14, 15, 16, 17] and the references therein. The advantage of our method is that once we have obtained the optimal flow, we can apply any of these methods to split the flow into few paths. For simplicity, in this paper we employ the policy of repeatedly removing the heaviest path, see, e.g., [15]: until the network has null flow, we select a path from the sources to the sinks whose minimum flow on its edges is maximum, report it as transcript, and remove it from the flow network.
Results and discussion
We call our tool Traph (T ranscripts in Graph s). We compared Traph to the most used isoform prediction tool Cufflinks [4] and with IsoLasso [9]. We also tried to include SLIDE [7] and CLIIQ [6], but we could not make the former work reliably, and for the latter the publicly available version was not yet available. Full experiment data is available at [22].
We should point out from the start that Traph is not yet employing paired-end read information. Nonetheless, the experiments we report (both simulated and real) are with paired-end reads, Cufflinks and IsoLasso having access to the paired-end information. Moreover, since Traph is not yet employing existing gene annotation information, we ran Cufflinks and IsoLasso without annotation. As already mentioned, we use a least sum of squares model. We experimented in the current implementation with other cost functions, as mentioned in the introduction, , or , respectively, for all nodes and edges z, but they currently give worse results.
Matching criteria
In order to match the predicted transcripts with the true transcripts, we take into account the DNA sequences but also the expression levels. For each gene, we construct a bipartite graph with the true transcripts as nodes in one set of the bipartition, and the predicted transcripts as nodes in the other set of the bipartition. Empty sequences with 0 expression level were added so that both sets of the bipartition had an equal number of nodes.
where γ(x) = 0|bin(x)-11bin(x), bin(x) being the binary encoding of x > 0, j is the index of P in the list of predicted transcripts, d is the unit cost (Levenshtein) edit distance of T and P, editsencoded(T, P) lists the edits and gaps between edits using 2-bit fixed code for edit type, 2-bit fixed code for substituted/inserted symbol, and γ(x+1) for gap (run of identities) of length x, and f(x) is a bijection between {0, 1, -1, 2, -2, . . .} and {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, . . .} defined as f(x) = 2x for x > 0 and f(x) = 2(-x) + 1 otherwise.
Then, the edge cost between nodes and is defined as |code(T i | P j , j)| - |γ(j)|. The closer to zero this number is, the better the match between true transcript T i , with true expression level e(T i ) and predicted transcript P j with predicted expression level e(P j ). The minimum weight perfect matching was then computed; this gives a one-to-one mapping between true and predicted transcripts, therefore true transcripts can be ordered in the same order as they match predicted transcripts and code for the index, γ(j), is no longer required. Let edit code length for an edge between T i and P j be | γ(d + 1) editsencoded(T i , P j )|, where d is the edit distance. Let bitscore be edit code length divided by |γ(|T i | + 1) editsencoded(T i , ε)|; bitscore is asymmetric, and possibly greater than 1 if ε would be a better match to T i than to P j , but minimum weight perfect matching chose otherwise for global minimality. Let us also call relative expression level difference the ratio |e(P j )-e(T i )|/e(T i ). Each matched node pair with relative expression level difference and (edit) bitscore under some given thresholds define a true positive event (TP). The other kind of nodes define false positive (FP) and false negative (FN) events depending on which side of the bipartite graph they reside. Prediction efficiency based on precision, recall and F-measure is also employed in [6, 9].
Simulated human data
As in the case of the other tools, we deem that validating against simulated data is a prerequisite, since, in general, on real data, we do not have available ground-truth. We designed the following validation experiment, closely following the approaches in [6, 9]. We chose a set of genes at random, and looked up the corresponding annotated transcripts from the Ensembl database. Out of these genes, we selected only those having between 2 and 5 transcripts. In all, we had 29 genes. For each transcript, we simulated reads with the RNASeqReadSimulator [24]. This simulator chooses an expression level at random from lognormal distribution with mean -4 and variance 1. For each gene, it simulated paired-end reads, with fragment length mean 300 and standard deviation 20, as follows: a transcript was chosen randomly using its expression level as distribution weight, while the position of the read within the transcript was chosen uniformly. As argued in the case of IsoLasso [9], various error models can be incorporated in these steps, but we chose to compare the performance of the methods in neutral conditions. We mapped the reads with TopHat [25]: these read mapping results were given as input to the tested prediction software, and to a Python program which we wrote to construct the splicing graphs needed for Traph. Cufflinks and IsoLasso were ran with the default parameters, because the parameters they offer relate to RNA-seq lab protocol, which was not simulated; we could not see changes to other parameters which could be relevant to the prediction. We use FPKM values as expression levels.
We devised two experiment setups. In the first one, which we call single genes, 300, 000 paired-end reads were generated independently from the transcripts of each of the 29 genes, with the already assigned expression levels. They were independently given to TopHat for alignment, and these independent alignment results were fed to each tool. In the second, more realistic experiment, which we call batch mode, the transcripts and their assigned expression levels were combined into one file, and from this file 29 * 300, 000 paired-end reads were simulated. All these reads were fed to TopHat for alignment, and these combined alignment results were fed to the tools. The fragment length mean and standard deviation were passed to the tools, except for Cufflinks in batch mode, when it was able to infer them automatically.
Performance of the three tools
Avg. run time/gene
(0.1, 0.2)
(0.9, 0.2)
(0.1, 0.2)
(0.9, 0.2)
(0.1, 0.2)
(0.9, 0.2)
25 s
40 s
72 s
Real human data
We used the same real dataset from the IsoLasso paper [9], Caltech RNA-Seq track from the ENCODE project [GenBank:SRR065504], consisting of 75bp paired-end reads. Out of these reads, we picked the 2,406,339 which mapped to human chromosome 2. We selected the 674 genes where all three tools made some prediction; these genes have 6075 annotated transcripts.
Running times
On the real dataset, Cufflinks finished in 20 min, IsoLasso in 2 min, and Traph in 30 min. We should however stress that for solving the min-cost flow problem and for identifying the transcripts, Traph uses in fact 6 min, the rest of the time being spent by our graph creation tool, which is written in Python. We could not make such a detailed analysis in the case of the other two tools. The running time of our Python script is as well included in the last column of Table 1, where we listed the average running time per gene with simulated reads of each tool.
All tools for isoform identification and quantification use an explicit or implicit graph model. Resorting to such a representation, the main contribution of this paper consists in a novel, radically different method based on minimum-cost flows, an established problem, for which there exist polynomial-time algorithms and solvers. We implemented this method into our tool Traph. Even though Traph is not using paired-end information at this moment, Traph is competitive with state-of-the-art tools.
This leads us to expect that once we incorporate paired-end read information, the performance of Traph will increase significantly. Note also that in the current implementation, each exon equally contributes to the fitness function, independently of its length; we plan to include exon lengths in the fitness function in a future implementation. We also plan to integrate existing gene annotation into a more refined construction of the splicing graph and into the fitness model. Our method is general enough to easily accommodate other biological assumptions. In order to evaluate the tools against real ground-truth data, we have started a process of acquiring long sequencing reads (PacBio) of the true isoforms of a gene.
We wish to thank Antti Honkela for many insightful discussions on transcript prediction. We would also like to thank Teemu Kivioja and the anonymous reviewers for hinting us related literature on refined cost functions for coverage counts, as well as for constructive comments that improved our experiment setup.
Publication of this article was supported by the Academy of Finland under grant 250345 (CoECGR).
This article has been published as part of BMC Bioinformatics Volume 14 Supplement 5, 2013: Proceedings of the Third Annual RECOMB Satellite Workshop on Massively Parallel Sequencing (RECOMB-seq 2013). The full contents of the supplement are available online at http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcbioinformatics/supplements/14/S5.
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Definition of Family Isoetaceae
1. Noun. Quillworts; coextensive with the genus Isoetes.
Generic synonyms: Fern Family
Group relationships: Isoetales, Order Isoetales
Member holonyms: Genus Isoetes, Isoetes
Family Isoetaceae Pictures
Click the following link to bring up a new window with an automated collection of images related to the term: Family Isoetaceae Images
Lexicographical Neighbors of Family Isoetaceae
Literary usage of Family Isoetaceae
Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:
1. Journal of Applied Microscopy by Bausch & Lomb Optical Company (1903)
"Family, Isoetaceae. This quillwort may be found in moist prairies and overflowed fields in the central states of the Mississippi valley. ..."
2. Manual of the Flora of Jackson County, Missouri by Kenneth Kent Mackenzie, Benjamin Franklin Bush (1902)
"... the ridges of the stem each bearing one line of tubercles. —Very common in bottoms, especially along the Missouri River. FAMILY. ISOETACEAE Underw. ..."
3. Studien zur Entwicklungsgeschichte des japanischen Riesensalamanders by Charles Stuart Gager, Daniel Lange (1916)
"Family. Isoetaceae. Genus. Isoetes. Species. (eg, lacustris.} B. Habitat: Some forms grow on the bottom of ponds, others in moist meadows, or on the margins ..."
4. The Flora of the Palouse Region: Containing Descriptions of All the by Charles Vancouver Piper, Rolla Kent Beattie (1901)
"FAMILY. ISOETACEAE. Characters of the Order.. ISOETES. Stem a fleshy corm rooting just above the base, surrounded above by the swollen bases of the ..."


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Working with (re-) building the structures of the afghan state after three decades of war, is a complicated task. One of the main barriers to the establishment of effective and legitimate state institutions in Afghanistan is the systemic corruption at all levels of the political system and government. Building effective state institutions is challenged by limited capacity in the authorities and inadequate political support, primarily due to a low level of education and lack of sound legislation. The challenge is to increase trust between the Afghan government and people and ensure that policy statements are translated into concrete action.
The Danish good governance support constitutes around 130 million DKK annually (approximately USD 24 million). In order to ensure quality and efficiency, Denmark has chosen to focus on strategic areas within the approach to governance: public sector management; democratization; and human rights, civil society and access to justice. The Danish good governance efforts also support development af the national police and stabilization.
Denmark's general support to good governance is through the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF) administered by the World Bank. ARTF is one of the international community's main instruments in supporting the Afghan Government's implementation of the Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS). The Fund contributes to building the Afghan state, reforming the public sector, promoting good governance at national and sub-national levels as well as financial control and fight against corruption. Specifically related to the fight against cor-ruption Denmark is a donor to the United Nations Development Program's Accountability and Transparency Project (UNDP-ACT) which is targeting corruption in a holistic approach involv-ing government institutions, media and civil society in both Kabul and the regions.
Denmark supports the Afghan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU) to conduct high quality research on Afghanistan and to promote the use of academic research in policy development, program design and in wider strategic thinking and policy debates on Afghanistan.
Denmark has supported the elections in 2009 and 2010 through UNDP projects in terms of ca-pacity building of the Independent Election Commission, operational support to the elections and voter registration. Denmark also supported voter education, police training in electoral pro-cedures and monitoring of electoral processes. Denmark also supports the Afghan election ob-servation organisation, FEFA, who had up to 7,000 election observers on the ground on the day of the parliamentary elections in 2010. Furthermore, Denmark supported the Afghan Women's Network in 2010-11 in their efforts to strengthen women's participation in the elections.
Denmark is a key player in the field of human rights in Afghanistan. With Danish support, the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) is working for the promotion and protection of human rights since its establishment in 2002 and is considered today to be an influential rights institution. Through its mandate, the AIHRC investigates cases of alleged human rights abuses and contributes to the release of wrongly detained children, women and men.
Cultural factors, combined with a low education levels in Afghanistan represents a barrier to im-provement of women's rights. Through the project Legal Representation and Legal Capacity Empowerment implemented by the Afghan NGO Da Qanoon Ghusthunky, Denmark is working on increasing women's access to justice by supporting the training of defence lawyers, focusing on promoting women's rights. Furthermore, through a Danish supported project of Global Rights Afghanistan trains law and sharia faculty graduates.
Denmark also supports a UN WOMEN fund for Elimination of Violence Against Women (EVAW Trust Fund), which among other things establishes women's shelters in rural areas, pro-vides access to psychological and legal assistance for women and information on women's rights. Denmark supports Afghanistan's reporting on the UN Convention on the Elimination of Dis-crimination against Women (CEDAW) through capacity building of the Directorate of Human Rights and Women's International Affairs in the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The development of a strong civil society in Afghanistan is needed to hold the government ac-countable to the public. Denmark supports the development of civil society through an Afghan human rights network, Civil Society and Human Rights Network (CSHRN). Its focus is on pro-moting the human rights agenda and the capacity of member organizations so that they are better equipped than the political system in its efforts to promote human rights.
A key factor that will enable the development of a durable Afghan state is the establishment of an effective, competent and democratically controlled police-force. In the capacity of its membership and current position as head of secretariat of the International Police Coordination Board (IPCB), Denmark actively contributes to the reform of the Afghan National Police. This commitment is reinforced by its commitment to the Law and Order Trust Fund for Afghanistan (LOTFA). Concurrently, Denmark continues to support the European Union's Police Mission in Afghanistan (EUPOL), providing the mission with seconded police-officers both at headquarters in Kabul and in the rest of the country. Through these activities Denmark hopes to contribute to the security of the Afghan people and the development of a society based on the rule of law and respect for fundamental rights.
In order to further support improved training of the Afghan police, Denmark has allocated ap-proximately 10 million DKK for the Helmand Police Training Center.
To read more about police reform and EUPOL in Afghanistan go to the following webpages:
Denmark is also supporting the peace and reintegration process. Since 2010, Denmark has been a donor to the Afghan Peace and reintegration Programme (APRP) and has so far pledged 30 million DKR to the programme. The programme is striving to create incentives for foot soldiers fighting for the insurgency to lay down weapons and join the local community as regular citizens. This is being done by providing educational training, building local projects in order to foster local growth and economy. In order to ensure a sustainable reintegration, the programme is focusing on the local society and not only at the individual fighter.
Furthermore, Denmark is supporting the peace and reconciliation efforts by the High Peace Council both at a political level but also through direct financial support to the Salaam Support Group which is the entity in UNAMA working with and supporting the work of the High Peace Council.
The Danish support to the District Delivery Programme (DDP) and seconding stabilization advisors are also important parts of Denmark's effort to foster a more stabile Afghanistan. Read more under Helmand stabilization.
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text: DigitalA Little Early Afternoon Saville Goes a Long WayBy Steve Delahoyde|May 30, 2007ShareBy Steve Delahoyde|May 30, 2007ShareWe like when we get to hear from Peter Saville because, well, we like Peter Saville. This time around, the big shot designer who worked for Factory Records, making all those albums you bought in the 1980s and creating things you and your pals would be admiring for years to come, showed up in an interview with the Scotsman newspaper (which we learned about by way of Eightface). It's an interesting piece, once you get to the first half which is mostly backstory that you probably already know. In the second half, he starts talking and that's when it starts getting interesting. Here's a bit:"Malcolm [Garrett] and I would sit at art college in Manchester looking at books on the Bauhaus and, staring at Market Street, we'd wonder what the f*** had gone wrong. We'd look at packaging and signs, and we'd see how brilliant it could be, and it wasn't and it upset us. We found reality shabby. And although we couldn't change the world from the top down – we weren't invited to redecorate Downing Street! – we did get invited to do record sleeves. And we realised we could make a difference." Sharehttp://adweek.it/2l0b9D9 copy Adweek Adweek


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I'm not sure who took this photo. I wish I knew so I could give them credit. But it was taken on the exit of I-85 next to my boyfriend's house in the middle of the night on Tuesday. That's when the protests got ugly, and an dull haze of fear and rage fell over Charlotte, North Carolina.
The protests began peacefully but quickly became violent. I began contemplating whether or not I should drive to my boyfriend's house this afternoon, knowing it could be really scary.
I've never had to be afraid when I got in my car that I would end up in the wrong place at the wrong time, or that I'd be pulled over for a minor traffic violation and lose my life within the hour. I have not felt this, mainly because I am not a black man. I am lucky in this way, because many people in my community feel that fear every time they put their key into their ignition.
And they wait for change.
And they wait.
And they wait.
And they wait.
I was scared for the first time last night. For the first time in my life I had to feel what black Americans feel every time they put on their seatbelts. It was so unnerving, so uncomfortable. The havoc that kind of stress can wreak on your system over time can break you down.
My city caught fire last night. I wasn't there. I don't know what happened. I didn't see anything firsthand. I don't condone the destruction of private property. I hope that these long nights of protests-- the peaceful ones and the not-so-peaceful ones-- can bring about a positive change to my city. I hope that the black community of Charlotte will feel the effects of their lives improving. I hope something will change that will give back to them the dignity that has been denied them for so long.
And I hope all of my super racist friends unfriend me.


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I use two PicoScope 5243A in a project. Both PicoScopes worked fine for about 6 month. But now from one day to the other PicoScope software says that the devices does not respond. Both devices are visible in windows device manager and windows device manager says that the driver is installed and all is fine. And both devices are recognized by PicoScope software and are visible in the PicoScope device list. (attached screenshot shows one device connected to the PC) I can select the device but then the PicoScope software says that the device does not respond. (Both PicoScopes are powered by an external power supply.)
Do you have any suggestions what happend with the PicoScopes and how it can be fixed?


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Tens of thousands of German workers representing engineering firms have gone on "warning" strikes across the country over a wage dispute, a trade union said.
Germany's biggest trade union, IG Metall, which represents 3.7 million workers, said that engineers working for companies such as BMW, Daimler and automotive supplier Schaeffler staged a strike after rejecting an offer from employers for a 2.2 per cent pay increase for 2015 from 1 March.
IG Metall demanded a 5.5 per cent increase for all of 2015 claiming that the solid growth in Germany's economy could foster such a pay rise.
Some 70,000 workers representing nearly 300 companies took part in the strike, the union said, with Baden-Wuerttemburg and North-Rhine-Westphalia being affected the most.
Further strikes are planned during the coming weeks, unless wage negotiations between employers and the union lead to a deal.
"The next days are going to be hot," the IG Metall branch of Baden-Wuerttemberg said in a statement.
Security staff at two German airports also went on strike, causing the cancellation of hundreds of flights, following three unsuccessful rounds of pay talks.


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Registration Information
"Generosity is the virtue that produces peace."
~ the Sutra of the Recollection of the Three Jewels
Pricing Policy
Many of our programs are free, but for some we charge tuition. The Portland Shambhala Center is a non-profit organization supported entirely by the generosity of its members, donors, program participants, and the energy of its many volunteers. We set our program fees at the level needed to sustain our Center. However, we are committed to keeping our programs accessible to all regardless of financial constraints. At the same time, we want to grow our community and what we are able to offer to the world. Therefore, we encourage all program participants to offer the most generous amount according to their situation. We are using tiered pricing for most programs both to encourage generosity and help support a variety of financial circumstances.
- Patron Level Tuition: Your generosity in offering the patron price helps cover the costs for others who are not able to pay the full price.
- General public: The amount needed to cover our Shambhala Center's costs.
- Generosity Policy: We invite you to contemplate what is the most generous offering you can make at this time. If you would like to use the Generosity Policy, you must arrange to do so prior to the start of the program by contacting the Head Registrar: email@example.com or 503-231-4971.
We invite everyone to engage with the practice of generosity by asking, "How much am I able to give?" Sometimes we can be more generous than other times, and that is perfectly normal. Sometimes we can stretch and sometimes we cannot. By offering your generosity in whatever measure you can at this time, you join us in offering the Shambhala teachings to the world.
Discounts cannot be combined with our generosity policy.
- Repeat Discount: 50% of the listed tuition when attending a program previously completed.
Cancellation Policy
For most programs, full payment refunds are offered if we receive your cancellation no later than 24 hrs prior to the program start time. There will be no refunds after this time, however you are welcome to transfer your tuition to a future program. To cancel your registration, contact the registrar.
Registration Information:
Please register online whenever possible. Registration at the door is accepted only on a space-available basis.
Your registration is complete when we receive your payment. Forms of payment accepted include: Visa, MC, Discover, Amex and direct bank account debits.
You may also mail a check to our registrar. Make the check out to Portland Shambhala Center and include a note with the name of class for which you are registering, your email address and phone number. When your check is received you will be sent an email confirming your registration. Send the check and information to:
Portland Shambhala Center
Attention: Class Registration
1110 SE Alder Street, Suite 203
Portland, Oregon 97214
Entering a program after it has started is only possible by special pre-approval. Contact the registrar for how to proceed.


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SOURCE: Synapse Wireless
February 24, 2010 08:15 ET
SNAP Network Operating System Enabling Internet Smart Grid Applications
HUNTSVILLE, AL--(Marketwire - February 24, 2010) - Synapse Wireless, member of UCA®International's OpenSG and leader in Internet-enabled, wireless energy solutions, today, announced that the Synapse SNAP network operating system earned a 2009 SmartGrid.TMCnet.com Product of the Year award from Technology Marketing Corporation and Intelligent Communications Partners.
"Synapse has proven they are committed to quality and excellence while addressing real needs in the marketplace," said Rich Tehrani, CEO, TMC. "We're proud to honor their accomplishments in the advancement of smart grid technologies."
SNAP provides a modern network architecture through which devices on the Smart Grid can communicate. Importantly, an on-board Python interpreter adds intelligence to these devices so they can interact with the environment through sensors and remote control. Application scripts are easy to write and to wirelessly download into any device from anywhere in the world.
Since SNAP runs on low cost microprocessors and is fast to install and become operational, Smart Grid deployment can accelerate and give return on investments quickly in terms of both energy and environmental savings.
Because SNAP was designed with the Internet in mind, bridging applications into the rest of the world is done easily by remote procedure calls -- a standard that has long served the software industry with an efficient and reliable way to invoke functions on different processors. The evolution of Smart Grid will come in stages of learning and discovery, thus using such flexible techniques provide a way to upgrade and expand systems and avoid premature obsolescence or expensive retrofitting.
"Our SNAP network operating system continues to receive critical acclaim from both the marketplace and industry analysts," said Wade Patterson, Synapse CEO. "SNAP was designed to meet the challenge of Smart Grid applications by pushing intelligence out into devices. SNAP makes interoperable, wireless device communication easy, reliable, affordable and secure."
SNAP was awarded "Best of Show" at the Embedded Systems Conference in Silicon Valley, 2009. Synapse was named "Emerging Company of the Year for 2009" by Frost & Sullivan. And Tom Cantrell, West Coast Editor of Circuit Cellar Magazine, concluded in his recent, in-depth report that SNAP "works as advertised." Almost 800 registered SNAP users worldwide are creating applications for irrigation control, LED lighting, solar panel control, tank monitoring and other critical energy solutions.
The First Annual SmartGrid.TMCnet.com Product of the Year Award winners are featured on the SmartGrid Web site. For more information about the 2009 SmartGrid Product of the Year Awards, please visit http://smart-grid.tmcnet.com/topics/smart-grid-fa/articles/75070-smart-grid-product-the-year-awards-winners.htm
About Synapse Wireless, Inc.
Synapse Wireless® is a privately held company dedicated to developing easy-to-use, intelligent, wireless control and monitoring mesh networks that are low-power, high-performance, self-forming, instant-on, and self-healing. Synapse Portal® and SNAP® products enable energy savings, increased productivity, reduced maintenance costs, and amazing convenience to users. Synapse RF Engine® modules have achieved ZigBee® Compliant Platform (ZCP) certification. Synapse provides OEMs with comprehensive design and implementation support for customized wireless applications. For more information, visit: www.synapse-wireless.com
About Smart Grid
The Smart Grid portal on TMCnet serves as a resource for the rapidly developing technologies that enable and harness Smart Grids, with particular emphasis on applications, products and software for improving residential, business, institutional and facilities' power consumption.
TMCnet's Smart Grid Web portal offers free resources for anyone interested in researching, purchasing and applying smart grid technologies. It includes Smart Grid industry news and expert analysis by Jon Arnold and Shidan Gouran of Intelligent Communications Partners. Additionally this portal encompasses Global Online Communities and Channels, blogs, feature articles, videos and more. Visitors can be regularly updated on what is happening across a spectrum of organizations involved in hardware, wireless communications for video, phone and data and other niches in the Smart Grid market.
All Synapse® products are patent pending
For more Information Bryan Floyd Vice President, Marketing Synapse Wireless Inc. Email Contact 1 256-852-7888 x106 Susan Cain Cain Communications Email Contact 1 503-538-2747
For more Information Bryan Floyd Vice President, Marketing Synapse Wireless Inc. Email Contact 1 256-852-7888 x106 Susan Cain Cain Communications Email Contact 1 503-538-2747
See all RSS Newsfeeds


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Grades 7-12 InWriting on Demand, you'll discover how to help your students gain the valuable skills they need to succeed on the essay portions of the SAT, ACT, Advanced Placement, and other exams and to help them develop as writers. Anne Ruggles Gere, Leila Christenbury, and Kelly Sassi take you through the entire testing process, offering insights on several key strategies for on-demand writing, including how to: quickly decode writing prompts to uncover the goals and expectations of the assignment organize thoughts swiftly and use the allotted time efficiently understand how tests are scored approach the scorers as an audience Most importantly, they show you how integrate these strategies into a program of best practices instead of mere test prep.Will a five-paragraph essay work here, or is some other format, like a letter, required? The requirement ... The questions on college tests are similar to those on high school tests, but they tend to be a bit longer and more complex. For exampleanbsp;...
|Writing on Demand
|Anne Ruggles Gere, Leila Christenbury, Kelly Sassi
|Heinemann Educational Books - 2005
You must register with us as either a Registered User before you can Download this Book. You'll be greeted by a simple sign-up page.
Once you have finished the sign-up process, you will be redirected to your download Book page.How it works:


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Amicus Curiae
Through its Amicus Curiae Committee, the New Jersey Association for Justice strives to maintain a high profile in the New Jersey Appellate and Supreme courts by promoting, through advocacy, the rights of individuals and the goals of the membership.
The Amicus Curiae Committee promptly reviews the several dozen requests received annually, from New Jersey Association for Justice members or others seeking assistance, to determine the appropriateness for a New Jersey Association for Justice role and petitions the Court for participation on those they have agreed to participate in. The Committee identifies a member to write the brief noting that very short timelines are often necessary.
The Committee Co-Chairs make a detailed annual report on the number of requests and responses to the Board of Governors and membership.
Click here to complete and submit your request electronically. The request will be sent electronically to the Amicus Curiae committee co-chairs as listed below and the New Jersey Association for Justice.
Cases that the New Jersey Association for Justice has Appeared as Amicus


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Jude Law Dreams Big
Jude Law returns to his Hottie McHottie status as he arrives at London's Heathrow airport from Miami on Tuesday.
The 35-year-old British actor wore the same "Dream! Dream!" jacket he wore in March.
Jude was recently in New Orleans. According to NOLA, Mr. Law checked out Preservation Hall and joined his pal Irvin Mayfield onstage during the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra's set at the Fair Grounds.
10+ pictures inside of Jude Law dreaming big…


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10 Weirdest Tech Gadgets of 2016A paper microscope, a connected umbrella and a smartbelt were just some of the unusual tech products being demonstrated last year.
1. SCiO food scanner
If you ever wished that you had one of the tricorders from "Star Trek," you might be interested in the SCiO food scanner. Its creators describe it as "the world's first molecular sensor that fits in the palm of your hand." You point it at an object and press the button. The device then sends the object's molecular fingerprint and related information, such as the calories in a type of food, to your smartphone. The company has been showing off its prototypes and expects to ship the consumer version, which costs $249, in March 2017. The food scanner also comes in development and educational versions.
2. Foldscope
Another science-related project, the Foldscope is a real, working microscope made mostly out of paper. It is small enough to fit in your pocket and costs less than a dollar, making it a good option for education institutions without a lot of financial resources.
The project's Kickstarter funding campaign closes on Dec. 1, 2016, but it has already raised more than six times its goal of $50,000. For a pledge of $20 of more, you can receive your own Foldscope kit complete with storage case, LED light, petri dish, pipettes and more with an estimated delivery date of Aug. 2017.
3. PodRide
Mikael Kjellman is a Swedish engineer who likes biking so much that he wanted to do it year-round. To make it easier, he designed a 4-wheel electric "bicycle-car." The PodRide has pedals and an electric motor, a comfy recumbent seat, a cloth cover to protect you from the elements and even a little (very little) room for groceries in the back. It's narrow enough to ride on bike paths and even has studded tires for driving in the snow and ice. It's definitely weird, but also looks like a lot of fun.
The PodRide Indiegogo campaign has exceeded its funding goals. The team hasn't yet released information about when the product will be available for consumers or how much it will cost.
4. Ripple Maker
Latte foam art just got a whole lot easier. The Ripple Maker automates the process of putting pictures in the milk on top of your favorite coffee drink. It doesn't make coffee — it just makes the coffee pretty. The process only takes about 10 seconds, and it can do custom designs created with the Coffee Ripples smartphone app. The app also has a directory of coffee shops and restaurants that have the Ripple Maker machine, as well as a library of designs.
For now, the machine is only available for coffee shops to purchase, and it's not cheap — $1500 plus $100 per month for the service plan.
5. Sensorwake
What if instead of an annoying buzz or loud music and/or bright lights, your alarm clock woke you up with the soothing aroma of croissants, espresso or chocolate? That's the idea behind Sensorwake, the self-described "olfactory alarm clock." It uses special capsules that last for 30 wake-up cycles, and in addition to the scents described above, it also has seaside, toast, peppermint or grass fragrances available.
The Sensorwake was on display at last year's CES show and generated quite a bit of buzz. The alarm clock is currently available for $109, which includes a toast capsule. Additional capsules are $5.45 each with a bundle of seven priced at $136.95.
6. Rocketbook Everlast
The Rocketbook Everlast notebook that looks and feels like real paper, and you write in it with a real Pilot Frixion pen. But it works with a special smartphone app to save anything you write, and the "buttons" at the bottom of the page can send your notes or drawing to a cloud service or your email address. The really amazing part is that the paper wipes completely clean with a bit of wet paper towel, so you can use the notebook over and over again. And its creators swear it feels like real paper — not a whiteboard.
The Kickstarter campaign has already raised more than $320,000 towards a goal of just $26,000, and the campaign doesn't end until January 15, 2017. Products are expected to ship in April of next year.
7. Welt
Another big attention-getter at last year's CES event, the Welt is a smartbelt. It looks like a regular belt, but contains sensors that track your waist size, food intake, steps walked and amount of time sitting. Essentially, it's like a health tracker that you wear around your waist. It connects with a smartphone app and has an estimated 20 days of battery life.
The project is backed by Samsung and also had a Kickstarter campaign that has raised more than $70,000. The campaign ended in October, and product is expected to start shipping next month.
8. Digitsole Smartshoes
Like a few other manufacturers, Digitsole offers a Smartshoe that can tighten itself like the sneakers from the "Back to the Future" movies. But these shoes also have a lot of other features, and Digitsole claims they are the "first connected, interactive, heated and shock absorber shoes with automatic tightening." As you might expect, they track your steps, calories burned and distance traveled, and you can control the heating and tightening from the smartphone app.
The shoes aren't yet available for purchase, but the company demonstrated a prototype at CES 2016. You can buy insoles with very similar capabilities (except the auto tightening) through the company's website.
9. Oombrella
It's creators describe the Oombrella as a smart, connected umbrella you can't forget. It doesn't just collect data from a weather service, the way smartphone apps do, it actually has a miniature weather station built into the handle to collect data about temperature, pressure, humidity and light. It collects and shares weather data among the Oombrella community to enable hyperlocal, accurate forecasts. It sends alerts before it starts to rain, and it notifies you of its location if you forget it somewhere. It had successful campaigns on Indigogo and Kickstarter to raise funding, but those campaigns are now closed.
10. Oliba
The last gadget in our slideshow isn't for adults, it's for young children. The Oliba attaches to stuffed animals so that you can always find them no matter where a toddler might leave them. It connects to a smartphone app that sends push notifications if you get more than 100 feet away from the toy. It also tells stories (including stories recorded by parents or grandparents) and soothes children to sleep with a musical nightlight.
The project is currently accepting pre-orders with anticipated delivery in July 2017.
Every year, aspiring entrepreneurs unveil a host of unusual tech products, and 2016 was no exception. This slideshow highlights ten of the more unique gadgets from the year.
Quite a few of these products are related to one of the hottest trends in technology right now: the Internet of Things (IoT). In fact, many of the items featured in this slideshow connect to a mobile app that enables some of their more noteworthy features. Our world is slowly becoming more connected, and that includes our appliances, clothing, toys and other everyday items.
Some of these products are available for purchase now, but more of them are still in development. Some even still have active fundraising campaigns on Kickstarter or Indiegogo where you can contribute if any of these projects captures your imagination.
It's also worth mentioning that quite a few of these products debuted at last year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES). With CES 2017 scheduled for Jan. 5–8 in Las Vegas, a whole new crop of unusual products is just around the corner. Only time will tell if any of the weird gadgets from last year or this year sticks around and becomes successful.


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Home > TFR > Vol. 4 (2012) > Iss. 2
Article Title
Key Points
· Although there has been a growing emphasis on use of experimental designs in evaluation, there is also increasing agreement that evaluation designs should be situation specific.
· The nature of the program is one of the key factors to consider in evaluation design.
· Two types of programs – models, which provide replicable or semi-standardized solutions, adaptive initiatives, which are flexible programming strategies used to address problems that require unique, context-based solutions – require different evaluation designs.
· Evaluation of models requires understanding the stage of development of the model program, with summative evaluation done only when the model is fully developed.
· Adaptive initiatives require consideration of both the timing and scale of the initiative in determining the appropriate evaluation design.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Britt, Heather and Coffman, Julia
"Evaluation for Models and Adaptive Initiatives,"
The Foundation Review:
Vol. 4:
2, Article 4.
Available at: https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/tfr/vol4/iss2/4


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U.S. Attorney George Beck announced on Tuesday that a grand jury indicted former Auburn point guard Varez Ward on charges of alleged point shaving. The alleged game-fixer was arrested Monday on counts of bribery and conspiracy stemming from allegedly trying to fix the point spread for Auburn's game against Arkansas on Jan. 25, 2012.
Auburn was a 9.5-point underdog in the game. Ward did not start the contest, but came off the bench and fell to the floor with an injury barely 20 seconds later. Auburn lost 56-53, but still managed to cover the spread.
Beck, the US Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama, unsealed the indictment Tuesday. The indictment does not list any co-conspirators but Beck alleges Ward tried to involve his Tiger teammates with pay teammates willing to participate in point-shaving.


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Beginning Monday, July 18, 2016 crews representing AT&T require a closure of Ash Road approximately 200 feet south of McKinley Highway, and from McKinley north for approximately the same distance. The closure is estimated for a period of 3 days for which McKinley Highway will not be accessible from Ash Road. Access to all businesses will be maintained from Ash Road . The detour route will be posted and is as follows:
Ash Road northbound will exit onto westbound Jefferson Road, then west to Bittersweet Road and north back to McKinley.
Ash Road southbound will travel west on Edison to Bittersweet Road and then south to McKinley Highway.
During this time crews will be relocating underground utilities which cross Ash Road in a northwest to southeast direction.
All businesses south of McKinley will have access from Ash Road south of McKinley Highway or directly from McKinley where available.
As for any businesses north of McKinley, access will be from Ash Road north of McKinley or directly from McKinley Highway.


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Last week, the families of those who died in the Kingsmill massacre in Northern Ireland – one of the most notorious attacks of the Troubles – were told that there would be no public inquiry into their relatives' deaths. However, a report by the Historical Enquiries Team, published earlier this month, found definitively that the attack was carried out by the Provisional IRA, which had long denied involvement.
On that grim day in January 1976, armed gunmen stopped a bus taking textile workers home and ordered them out. They told any Catholics to declare themselves. There was one such worker there. His Protestant colleagues, wrongly believing it to be a loyalist ambush, squeezed his hand to tell him: "We'll not betray you." But he was identified, and instructed to run away and not look back, while the IRA gunned down the line of Protestants, killing 10 and injuring one.
There was a slight difference in how the two sides liked to portray their murderous campaigns: loyalist paramilitaries were nakedly and grotesquely sectarian, openly targeting Catholic civilians. The IRA preferred to cover its sectarianism with a veneer of ideology, which is why it was later embarrassed about Kingsmill. But lest anyone in the younger generation be tempted to romanticise the Troubles, let the horror of Kingsmill – and so many other pointless atrocities – stand as a sharp reminder of that squalid and bigoted war.


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SkiErg World Sprints this Weekend
The 5th Annual SkiErg World Sprints will be held this coming weekend, November 8–10, 2013.
This 1000-meter virtual race gives you the opportunity to compare your time against others worldwide in a one-weekend showdown of speed. You can participate in your home, at school, or at a club—all it takes is access to a Concept2 SkiErg.
How it works: Race 1000 meters on the SkiErg at your club, school or home, any time during the race weekend, November 8–10, 2013. Use the pre-set distance mode on the Performance Monitor to set up the 1000m race (learn how here). Then post your time to the Concept2 logbook by 5 p.m. ET, Monday, November 11, 2013.
Prizes will be awarded for the top three times in each age group, as well as fastest man and woman overall. There will also be prizes for adaptive winners. Don't have a Logbook? Visit concept2.com/logbook to set one up. They're free. Don't have a SkiErg? Use our SkiErg Finder to locate one near you to participate. Or check out our list of clubs hosting live SkiErg Sprints.
We expect there will be challenges to the current records in all age groups! View the World and American records to see what records you can chase.
Happy skiing!
The Concept2 Crew


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Basic Space
22 comments:
hehe! that is so cute, I am glad your grandma supports your fashion!! :D so does mine, we are lucky.ReplyDelete
this is soo goshdarncute. I looove your tights with the romper, good suggestion grandmaaaas!
very cute! love the red tights and the purse :)ReplyDelete
The print on that romper is absolutely adorable. It looks amazing with your red tights. You look GORGEOUS as always :)ReplyDelete
I love how the floral print of the shorts matches the tights :)Very prettyReplyDelete
I love those tights, a nice change to the black ones I always wear haha. Pretty outfit xReplyDelete
I've gotten some of my favorite vintage pieces from my Grandma! The tights look great, very rich & romantic.ReplyDelete
These tights and romper are perfect together!ReplyDelete
I love your story for this outfit! Grandmas rule!! That romper is gorgeous too!ReplyDelete
Haha your grandma and her posse must be a styling crew, cause this outfit is amazing! The shorts are incredible and seriously such a good call with the tights, they give such a rich, luxurious look to the whole outfit. Beautiful! Absolutely loving your style, will be back again soon!ReplyDelete
Alexandra xo
Go Grandma! This outfit is great :)ReplyDelete
xo jac
Such a pretty & stylish outfit! Go grandma! :)ReplyDelete
This is a very pretty outfit! I love the color of your tights, and it works amazing with floral skirt!! Hat tops it off very stylishly too :) You look very sweet!ReplyDelete
Good luck!
gorgeous look today :)ReplyDelete
Your blog is so nice!I love your outfits! HYPED you!:)ReplyDelete
Fashionhypnotised girl
I really love the floral print. So pretty! Good job Grandma!ReplyDelete
Utterly lovely.ReplyDelete
absolute cute!!! great sense for style!!!ReplyDelete
Love the colour of your tights and you bag is beautiful! Also, it's so cute that your grandma helped you styling this outfit <3ReplyDelete
Life is a romantic poem
- Anonymous17 January 2012 at 11:54
i really like this combinations, the colours are really similar! i like it a lotReplyDelete
Love this outfit, especially the romper!ReplyDelete
Carli from mariedurantfashion.blogspot.com
Fantastic dress. Kisses.ReplyDelete
Love all the colors in this outfit :)ReplyDelete
xo Jennifer


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Star Trek "The Alternative Factor" (part 1 of 6)
Just when I think I'm out, Star Trek pulls me back in! I honestly didn't plan on doing another Trek article. After all, I've taken the TNG crew back behind the woodshed twice, ribbed the fifth movie's rather overly generous DVD presentation, and given DS9 a solid slap upside the head. What more could I possibly have to say about the franchise?
Then it occurred to me that I haven't really given any attention to the original series. We've had two episodes from the third season, and while that season does have an embarrassment of riffing riches, it's also like shooting fish in a barrel. Today's tepid tale comes from the first season, a miracle of television that yielded legit classics such as "Space Seed" and "City on the Edge of Forever".
It also managed to grunt out "The Alternative Factor", the twentieth episode shot and twenty-seventh aired. It is truly one of the most confusing, poorly thought-out fifty minutes I have ever witnessed (not counting any random stretch of fifty minutes from any Michael Bay movie, other than The Rock).
In light of this, I have Tylenol and a bottle of Cabo Wabo on hand, just in case. Why Cabo Wabo? Because Sammy Hagar rocks, that's why!
Very little actually happens, and what little that does comes about only because Kirk and Company are written to act in such a way that can only be described as severely brain damaged. Confusion reigns here, folks. Abandon hope all ye who enter, for we are truly about to enter Hell.
We begin, as tends to be the case, with the Enterprise orbiting a planet. On the bridge, Spock is looking over some readings while Kirk signs something for a random officer. Hmm… I wonder if they're still using Space Pens.
And no, that sort of pun is not beneath me. In fact, given how bad this episode is, puns may be the only thing that saves me.
Spock begins to report on the planet, noting that it's pretty much nothing worth talking about… much like this episode. As Kirk gives some orders to the replacement helmsman (no Sulu or Scotty in this one—maybe they read the script), the ship is suddenly rocked by something (done by way of the classic "moving the camera back and forth" trick), while a spatial anomaly is superimposed over the bridge.
After a second round of this, in which we see an interesting contrast between William Shatner's acting style and Leonard Nimoy's, things settle down again. To clarify, Nimoy throws himself around the set, while Bill puts his hands up like an actress in a silent movie being menaced by Lon Chaney while twisting around in his chair.
Kirk leaps up and demands an explanation. Well, Leonard is a somewhat more reserved, traditional performer, while you, sir, are such a bizarre ham that even Nicolas Cage would tell you to tone it down.
Spock, after some back and forth, explains that everything ceased to exist for a brief moment. Uhura chimes in, reporting that Starfleet has issued a general alert, which I would imagine is bad. Spock comes back with a report of one lifeform on the planet whose appearance coincided with the bout of non-existence.
Spock is at a loss for an explanation, but reports that the lifeform could pose a potential threat to the ship. Kirk puts together a security team to beam down to the planet, and we go to the opening credits.
Back from the credits, we arrive on the planet, played more than likely by the area near the Bronson Caves. Sadly, there will be no guy in a gorilla suit wearing a diving helmet to provide laughs; we're nowhere near that lucky.
Overly dramatic music starts up (it's like the composer knows the plot is a dud, and is overcompensating) as Kirk, Spock, and a few random redshirts beam down. A captain's log reiterates what we already know (for the folks who were taking a leak for the first four minutes of the episode) and after some wandering around, they find a small one-man spaceship.
The music blares upon the reveal of this, which would be okay if this wasn't a sci-fi show that featured spaceships all the time. This is sort of like having a musical sting on a cop show every time you see a dude in blue with a badge.
As they approach the ship, a voice cries out, "You came!" from behind. They turn to see a disheveled looking man with a cheesy looking fake beard on a mountain. He rants for a bit about there "still being time to stop him" before doing a rather overly dramatic stage faint and falling.
This will prove to be Lazarus, played by Robert Brown. No, not the one who was "M" in a few James Bond films. This one has done…Well, not a hell of a lot outside of some TV guest spots, but I'd guess he has an extensive stage background going by the way he plays his scenes. It gets to the point where Shatner just says, "Fuck it, I'm going low-key if this guy is going to do it like that."
Brown, it seems, was a late replacement for John Barrymore, Jr. who was initially cast in the role. Apparently, Mr. Barrymore didn't show up for filming. Given the script, I can't say I blame the fellow. The rest of the cast should have done the same thing, to be perfectly frank.


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Why did I go long into earnings?
Minutes before the markets closed yesterday afternoon, I carefully considered my risk/reward and purchased OTM call options. Why did I not choose to do spreads? Because the implied volatility pointed to a 7-8% change in the stock price; with spreads, the limited reward was not as enticing as a simple premium risk with limitless upside. A whooping 267% gain before I sold at the open this morning. But that's irrelevant, so here's a chart:
The stock only just broke through the 50 day MA, but feebly is the adjective I'd choose. The candles below the 50 day are almost doji-shaped, which can only mean reversal, which also works in accordance with the lower support line. But furthermore, the RSI is showing some serious areas that were oversold within the past week in comparison to the past 3 months. A bounce from 560 would mean a big bounce.
Many people reasoned that the recent and sharp declines were because of the weak earnings from mobile service providers. Of course, weak mobile service earnings equals weak Apple iPhone sales, right? Yes, and no. Companies such as AT&T did report weakly in the phone section. However, many people forgot about something: China ... and other countries.
Relatives and friends of mine in China called and told me of the outrageous (literally) rush for Apple products. So outrageous in fact, that many stores had to shut down due to insurmountable demand. And such demand is not a force to be reckoned with. And let's not forget that the iPhone 4S was only released in China this quarter, unlike the North American release. Such a simple fact alone is enough to strike some understanding in the bears to not short this stock. Investors should have understood this fundamental fact of supply and demand. Thus, I played these earnings long, and cheers to all the other AAPL bulls.
But at the end of the day, it's Apple, and it's a freight train.


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Quick Reference
B. 1960, USA. Heckel began singing as a child with her family group, the Heckels, in Elkin, West Virginia. In 1977, while still in her mid-teens, Heckel married Johnny Russell ...
Subjects: Music.
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For the best experience on the Abcam website please upgrade to a modern browser such as Google Chrome
Synthetic peptide conjugated to KLH, corresponding to a region within internal sequence amino acids 99-129 of Human HRASLS5 (NP_473449.1).
Our Abpromise guarantee covers the use of ab116295 in the following tested applications.
The application notes include recommended starting dilutions; optimal dilutions/concentrations should be determined by the end user.
|1/100 - 1/500. Predicted molecular weight: 30 kDa.
ab116295 has not yet been referenced specifically in any publications.
Please note: All products are "FOR RESEARCH USE ONLY AND ARE NOT INTENDED FOR DIAGNOSTIC OR THERAPEUTIC USE"


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Yes, that's right. It has been way too long since our last countdown. Here is what {d&k} are looking forward to:
12 days until Christmas (I feel a song coming on)
13 days until we are back in Ohio/Michigan to visit with family and friends (I'm sure I can think of a song for this too)
And, that's it. Now it seems pretty uneventful. Only two things made the countdown. Now, I could have given you our schedule of events while we are in Ohio and Michigan but I think that's probably more information that you're here looking for. Am I right?! So, we'll leave it at that pitiful little countdown.
But yay for only 12 days until Christmas! Seriously, where has the time gone? Thankfully I'm finished with my Christmas shopping. Now, all we have left is to ship a few things off. Ooh, and make Christmas cookies. That's this weekends project. Get excited for pictures. And pack. We'll have to pack sometime soon. But, then we are done and we get to enjoy our first Christmas together as a family (of 3, sort of). Yay! We have a few Christmas traditions we've started over the years and I'm excited to add to those. Yay for Christmas!
Yay for Christmas!!
Enjoy your day,


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Information About Payless' Reorganization
On April 4, 2017, Payless' North American entities, as well as two foreign Hong Kong-based entities involved in logistics (CBL) and supply chain (DAL), filed voluntary Chapter 11 petitions in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Missouri to facilitate the financial and operational restructuring necessary to strengthen its balance sheet and position the Company for long-term success. Payless is also filing for recognition of the U.S. Chapter 11 proceedings under Part IV of the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.
Payless will continue to operate its business in the ordinary course in terms of its customers, vendors, partners and associates and, subject to Court approval, expects to continue:
Providing associate wages, healthcare coverage, and other benefits without interruption;
Honoring pre-petition obligations to customers, including all gift cards with Payless stores and Payless.com; and
Paying vendors and suppliers in the ordinary course for all authorized goods and services provided on or after April 5, 2017.
We intend to use the Chapter 11 process to implement a comprehensive path forward to meaningfully enhance our growth profile and profitability, positioning us to continue to thrive as a sustainable business in the face of the retail industry's radical, unprecedented transformation.
Payless has the strong support of its senior lenders for a consensual restructuring through a Plan Support Agreement (PSA) to reduce debt, materially lower annual cash interest costs, access significant additional capital, and provide a clear path to emergence on an expedited basis. Payless has also negotiated agreements with certain of its existing lenders to provide the Company access of up to $385 million of Debtor-in-Possession financing.
Here you'll find the most up-to-date information, including links to our claims agent site, restructuring information line (844-648-5574 if calling from within the U.S. or Canada, or +1 347-505-5254 if calling from outside the U.S. or Canada), and frequently asked questions. Please check back for updates.


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[The time of] their account has approached for the people, while they are in heedlessness turning away.
No reminder comes to them anew from their Lord except that they listen to it while they are at play
With their hearts distracted. And those who do wrong conceal their private conversation, [saying], "Is this [prophet] except a human being like you? So would you approach magic while you are aware [of it]?"
Not a [single] city which We destroyed believed before them, so will they believe?
And We sent not before you, except men to whom We revealed [the message], so ask the people of the message if you do not know.
And We did not make the prophets forms not eating food, nor were they immortal [on earth].
Then We fulfilled for them the promise, and We saved them and whom We willed and destroyed the transgressors.
And when its inhabitants perceived Our punishment, at once they fled from it.
[Some angels said], "Do not flee but return to where you were given luxury and to your homes - perhaps you will be questioned."
They said, "O woe to us! Indeed, we were wrongdoers."
And that declaration of theirs did not cease until We made them [as] a harvest [mowed down], extinguished [like a fire].
And We did not create the heaven and earth and that between them in play.
Had We intended to take [it as] amusement, We could have taken it from [what is] with Us - if [indeed] We were to do so.
To Him belongs whoever is in the heavens and the earth. And those near Him are not prevented by arrogance from His worship, nor do they tire.
Or have men taken for themselves gods from the earth who resurrect [the dead]?
Had there been within the heavens and earth gods besides God, they both would have been ruined. So Exalted is God, Lord of the Throne, above what they describe.
He is not questioned about what He does, but they will be questioned.
Or have they taken gods besides Him? Say, "Produce your proof. This [Qur'an] is the message for those with me and the message of those before me." But most of them do not know the truth, so they are turning away.
He knows what is [presently] before them and what will be after them, and they cannot intercede except on behalf of one whom He approves. And they, from fear of Him, are apprehensive.
And We placed within the earth firmly set mountains, lest it should shift with them, and We made therein [mountain] passes [as] roads that they might be guided.
And We made the heaven a protected ceiling, but they, from its signs, are turning away.
And it is He who created the night and the day and the sun and the moon; all in an orbit are swimming.
And We did not grant to any man before you eternity [on earth]; so if you die - would they be eternal?
Every soul will taste death. And We test you with evil and with good as trial; and to Us you will be returned.
And when those who disbelieve see you, they take you not except in ridicule, [saying], "Is this the one who insults your gods?" And they are, at the reminder of the Most Merciful, disbelievers.
Man was created of haste. I will show you My signs, so do not impatiently urge Me.
And they say, "When is this promise, if you should be truthful?"
If those who disbelieved but knew the time when they will not avert the Fire from their faces or from their backs and they will not be aided...
Rather, it will come to them unexpectedly and bewilder them, and they will not be able to repel it, nor will they be reprieved.
And already were messengers ridiculed before you, but those who mocked them were enveloped by what they used to ridicule.
But, [on the contrary], We have provided good things for these [disbelievers] and their fathers until life was prolonged for them. Then do they not see that We set upon the land, reducing it from its borders? So is it they who will overcome?
Say, "I only warn you by revelation." But the deaf do not hear the call when they are warned.
And if [as much as] a whiff of the punishment of your Lord should touch them, they would surely say, "O woe to us! Indeed, we have been wrongdoers."
And We place the scales of justice for the Day of Resurrection, so no soul will be treated unjustly at all. And if there is [even] the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it forth. And sufficient are We as accountant.
And We had already given Moses and Aaron the criterion and a light and a reminder for the righteous
Who fear their Lord unseen, while they are of the Hour apprehensive.
And We had certainly given Abraham his sound judgement before, and We were of him well-Knowing
They said, "We found our fathers worshipers of them."
He said, "You were certainly, you and your fathers, in manifest error."
They said, "Have you come to us with truth, or are you of those who jest?"
He said, "[No], rather, your Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth who created them, and I, to that, am of those who testify.
So he made them into fragments, except a large one among them, that they might return to it [and question].
They said, "Who has done this to our gods? Indeed, he is of the wrongdoers."
They said, "Then bring him before the eyes of the people that they may testify."
So they returned to [blaming] themselves and said [to each other], "Indeed, you are the wrongdoers."
Then they reversed themselves, [saying], "You have already known that these do not speak!"
He said, "Then do you worship instead of God that which does not benefit you at all or harm you?
God said, "O fire, be coolness and safety upon Abraham."
And We made them leaders guiding by Our command. And We inspired to them the doing of good deeds, establishment of prayer, and giving of alms; and they were worshipers of Us.
And to Lot We gave judgement and knowledge, and We saved him from the city that was committing wicked deeds. Indeed, they were a people of evil, defiantly disobedient.
And We admitted him into Our mercy. Indeed, he was of the righteous.
And Noah, when he called [to God] before, so We responded to him and saved him and his family from the great flood.
And We saved him from the people who denied Our signs. Indeed, they were a people of evil, so We drowned them, all together.
And We taught him the fashioning of coats of armor to protect you from your battle. So will you then be grateful?
And to Solomon [We subjected] the wind, blowing forcefully, proceeding by his command toward the land which We had blessed. And We are ever, of all things, Knowing.
And of the devils were those who dove deep for him and did work other than that. And We were of them a guardian.
And Ishmael and Idrees and Dhul-Kifl; all were of the patient.
So We responded to him and saved him from the distress. And thus do We save the believers.
And Zacharias, when he called to his Lord, "My Lord, do not leave me alone [with no heir], while You are the best of inheritors."
Indeed this, your religion, is one religion, and I am your Lord, so worship Me.
And [yet] they divided their affair among themselves, [but] all to Us will return.
So whoever does righteous deeds while he is a believer - no denial will there be for his effort, and indeed We, of it, are recorders.
And there is prohibition upon [the people of] a city which We have destroyed that they will [ever] return
Until when [the barrier of] Gog and Magog has been opened and they, from every elevation, descend
And [when] the true promise has approached; then suddenly the eyes of those who disbelieved will be staring [in horror, while they say], "O woe to us; we had been unmindful of this; rather, we were wrongdoers."
Indeed, you [disbelievers] and what you worship other than God are the firewood of Hell. You will be coming to [enter] it.
Had these [false gods] been [actual] gods, they would not have come to it, but all are eternal therein.
For them therein is heavy sighing, and they therein will not hear.
Indeed, those for whom the best [reward] has preceded from Us - they are from it far removed.
They will not hear its sound, while they are, in that which their souls desire, abiding eternally.
Indeed, in this [Qur'an] is notification for a worshiping people.
But if they turn away, then say, "I have announced to [all of] you equally. And I know not whether near or far is that which you are promised.
Indeed, He knows what is declared of speech, and He knows what you conceal.
And I know not; perhaps it is a trial for you and enjoyment for a time."
[The prophet] has said, "My Lord, judge [between us] in truth. And our Lord is the Most Merciful, the One whose help is sought against that which you describe."


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Mega Dodo is about great music - period! We pride ourselves on the quality of our artistes and take great care and attention with every release. This not only means great music but great looking and sounding records and CDs.
Our first release by Mordecai Smyth was issued in July 2011 as a limited edition 7-inch single and digital download. It was followed in August by the band's debut album, 'Sticky Tape & Rust'. Since then Mega Dodo has released records by artistes from Finland, America and London. We've got plenty more great music lined up so be sure to pop back regularly to see what we're doing, or keep up to date by following our artistes on ReverbNation and Facebook.
Goldmine magazine recently wrote about Mega Dodo. You can read the article in full by clicking on the Goldmine logo.