Stuart Backerman, Michael Jackson‘s chief spokesman, resigned Monday, citing “strategic differences” with other members of the singer’s team over the handling of child molestation charges, Reuters reports. “I resigned today over strategic differences with the way things are going,” Backerman told Reuters in an interview. He declined to elaborate on those differences, and added: “The one thing I will say is that I love Michael Jackson and his fans.” Backerman’s resignation comes a day after CBS News broadcast an interview with Jackson in which he emphatically denied the felony charges facing him and reiterated the fact that he saw nothing wrong with sleeping with children. According to preliminary estimates from Nielsen Media Research, the interview drew more than 18 million viewers to 60 Minutes when it aired Sunday from 7:30-8:30 p.m. EST.

Nomination ballots for the 76th Academy Awards were mailed Monday to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Science’s 5,803 voting members–a surprise to some not expecting them so soon. The Academy announced last April nomination ballots would be sent out Jan. 2 but the organization’s rulebook mailed to members in August included a revised calendar with a Dec. 29 date for mailing of the ballots. The ballots must be returned to PricewaterhouseCoopers by 5 p.m. on Jan. 17. Ballots received after that deadline will be ineligible. The nominations will be announced Jan. 27 at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater and the awards ceremony will be held at the Kodak Theater Feb. 29.

New York Movie Tix Pass $10 Mark

The price of movie tickets in New York City just passed the $10 mark as two area chains hiked the price of general admission this week 25 cents to $10.25 for adults and $6.75 for children, Variety reports. It marks the second price hike by the Loews Cineplex theaters and the Regal-owned United Artists Union Square multiplex in less than two years. According to the MPAA, in 2002 the average ticket price in the U.S. was $5.81, up 2.7 percent from 2001. In 2003, the average price increase was around 4 percent. Manhattan has always had the steepest ticket prices and its average ticket price remains a good $4 above the U.S. national average. A statement from Loews said: “Given the richness of entertainment we offer, we feel that our tickets are priced at a fair value for everyone to enjoy the show.”

Home Improvements‘s Earl Hindman Dies

Actor Earl Hindman, who starred on Tim Allen’s long-running TV sitcomHome Improvement, died of lung cancer Monday at the age of 61, The Associated Press reports. Hindman was best known for his Home Improvement character Wilson, whose face was always hidden by a fence with only his eyes and forehead visible to audiences. His wife, the Rev. Molly McGreevy of St. Francis Episcopal Church in Stamford, Conn., told The Advocate of Stamford: “Earl had a very deep voice. It was very rich, very warm and very recognizable. He was the funniest human being I ever met. Even after 27 years of marriage, he could always crack me up.”

Jolie Visits Sudanese Refugee Camp in Egypt

On Monday, Angelina Jolie was in Egypt distributing winter clothes, blankets and toys at a Sudanese refugee camp on the outskirts of Cairo, the AP reports. According to a statement from the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, Jolie was in Egypt as a goodwill ambassador for the UNHCR and toured the Kilo Arbaa We Nus camp outside Cairo with Egyptian film star and fellow goodwill ambassador Adel Imam. The Oscar-winning actress, a goodwill ambassador for the U.N. refugee agency since 2001, also donated $20,000 to build a community health center in the crowded camp, which houses tens of thousands of African refugees, mostly from war-torn Sudan.

Fox Unveils Hybrid Reality Show

Fox has wrapped production on My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiancé, an hour-long hybrid reality-scripted show described as “the ultimate practical joke.” According to Variety, the show’s premise starts with producers enlisting an unsuspecting woman who knew she was going to be on a reality show. Her mission is to convince her friends and family that she met a man on a reality show, fell madly in love with him and is planning a quickie wedding in the next few weeks. She would stand to win $1 million if she can make it through the wedding ceremony as her horrific faux fiancé tests the limits of her entourage. Obnoxious Fiancé, a replacement for the short-lived drama, Skin, is set to premiere Jan. 19.

Spears Set To Rock in Rio

Britney Spears will join Metallica, Guns N’ Roses and Slipknot June 5 at Portugal’s Rock in Rio-Lisbon festival, Billboard.com reports. The Rock in Rio-Lisbon festival will be her first international performance date of 2004 and will be followed by her North American tour in support of her latest studio album, In the Zone, starting March 2 in San Diego and wrapping the second week of April in New York. Sting and Alejandro Sanz are among the other acts set to perform during the May 29-30 and June 3-6 event at the Bela Vista Parque in Lisbon.


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GOP ad contrasts Barack Obama, Bill Clinton on taxes

One big-spending GOP group has a new hero: former President Bill Clinton.

Crossroads GPS, one of the major outside Republican spending groups, said Wednesday that it has begun airing $2.6 million in ads contrasting President Barack Obama with his predecessor, on taxes and their effect on job creators and small businesses.

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POLITICO 44

The issue ad, “Two Presidents,” is running for two weeks in Colorado, Florida, North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Crossroads GPS president and CEO Steven Law said: “President Obama has launched a tax attack on American jobs that hits Main Street businesses, home mortgages, school and road repair funds and even charities. Former President Clinton and bipartisan majorities in Congress agree that Obama’s tax hikes won’t solve the problem The ad aims to get Obama to stop attacking and start listening.”

Readers' Comments (19)

Crossroads GPS president and CEO Steven Law said: “President Obama has launched a tax attack on American jobs that hits Main Street businesses, home mortgages, school and road repair funds and even charities.

You Neglected to mention that we were Losing 700,000 Jobs Per Month when Obama got in:

You also forgot that your crop of Republican Candidates All seem to agree that we should:

Just more Republican lies. Clinton will set them straight. Taxes are lower under Obama than under Clinton. And while Clinton was handed an unbalanced budget and an exponentially growing deficit from Reagan, he was not handed a crashed stock market, even greater deficits, and a worldwide economic meltdown that was hemorrhaging 700,000 jobs a month and spiraling toward another Republican Great Depression, as Obama was by Bush/Cheney. The Republican propaganda will just end up making the case that Republicans are lousy -- even dangerous -- at governing and only savior Democratic presidents are keeping US from sinking into a bottomless Republican pit.

Some facts for the GOP - Clinton never got over 50% of the popular vote (thanks to Perot running). Obama won by a very good majority.

Many democrats have selective memories about Clinton - much like the GOP has about Saint Reagan. Clinton gave us NAFTA, and signed the gutting of Glass-Steagal, which we are paying for, but at least his big scandal was extramarital sex, not selling arms to Iran.

We all know how the GOP demonized Clinton, so for them to now try to portray him in a positive light only highlights their own hypocrisy. All of America is getting the GOP message loud and clear - "If you're not rich, it's your own fault". They are also telling the majority of American voters "we don't care how you voted, our # 1 goal is to defeat Obama".

How about comparing Obama and Reagan who raised Taxes 11 times? Reagan also advocated to raise taxes on the rich. Karl Rove and his allies have run out of ideas to attack Obama. Your AD has failed and thumbs down. Indeed, it will back fire. lol!

I encourage all readers to nickname Willard Romney as Flipper, This nickname will remind readers that he has been diagnosed with the incurable disease of the Flip Flop Flu. If we do this and keep doing it, I hope that the nickname will stick at the national level and with the media by the summer of 2012 if not earlier.

Crossroads is led by a group that couldn't tell the truth if their life depended on it. Trying to make it seems like Obama is advocating something different than Clinton. The President has not proposed raising taxes on immediately to pay for his jobs program. He has proposed raising the revenues beginning in 3 or 4 years out after the economy is stronger. Crossroads and Republicans in Congress need to listen to the people for a change. They support Obama's proposals by significant margins.

The republicans are making a mess out of NC too. It's bad we had a Nation nose bleed of everything. Greed knows no party...true. But the GOP is a LOT worse. I have to laugh at Romney's non specific plan for America. Nothing will change for the Sr Citizens now. Right.. Just that those younger will get the option to fund SS or their own private account. Guess where that's going to leave them and everyone else..in the red. No pun intended. It will drain the account. There's a reason why all those GOP members won't raise taxes. They want to eliminate the Entitlements which will then give them a LOT of money to do other things for their businesses and the country. If you're a poor senior good luck. Romney has no heart. Obama Care may be scary to a lot of you, but it isn't to me. I work in that field, and I'm sick of seeing the costs going up up up up all over the place. You want to talk about socialistic. What do you think capitalism is. It's really communism...and you're at their mercy. My husband's company has done nothing but insurance policy, and company hopping for years. One year we're doing this, and another year we're doing that. When you move it's a mess. I want a federal social program for healthcare, that way when we move it will be the same. We won't have all these companies making money for profit, and we're still paying more and more for premiums. We have to pay for lawsuits, for people who don't have insurance, for the kids that aren't covered by their parents anymore. So, they're out with nothing. Then there are people that get really sick, and have their companies abandon them when they need them the most. It's pathetic. You can say what you want about Obama, he did what was right when we needed him, and raising taxes should have been the next step to compensate for the Federal stimulus that supposedly didn't work. That's the big GOP lie of the century. Towns are enacting their own taxes to take up the slack. Romney is wrong...the mayor does it. The Federal government has been held hostage by the GOP and their do nothing Congress. Blaming the unemployment all on our President, when it would have been so much worse without him....a stock market crash. Including a breadline. We'd all be in the Occupy Wallstreet movement. There wouldn't even be a TEa Party. Romney wants to give Corporate America and businesses the full rein. Capitalism will be our god.for sure. "In business we trust". The only thing they're not telling you is that you'll have to move to a different country to find a job. People are already doing it. Don't you ever watch HGTV House Hunters International. That's all you see now. Everybody is getting out of dodge and living over there too. Obama/Biden 2012. I agree with Clinton.

@BamaDon Clinton didn't introduce Glass-Steagall repeal Lyndsey Grahmm (R) did. The Republicans were all for it. They wanted to deregulate the banks. The Dems said no, and it failed miserably. Later on they filled it with sweetners, comprising, and Clinton signed it. The Greedy took over...Dems and the GOP. It knows no party. Bush caused the big debt. Everybody was having a great party, particularly Fannie and Freddie. The banks were having one too. So, boom. What's sad is Romney plans to even toss out Dodd-Frank which though it was not a full throttle, it did clamp down on few many things. Also, the banks are paying the country back. Romney is kissing their feet. "In Business we trust" Yup, that's the new motto if they win in 2012. The only thing is I'm praying that the country wakes up by next November and realizes that this ain't nothing but BS. The light bulb will come on at the polling place finally, and it will be "I'm going to vote for all that that caused this mess in the first place?" I don't think so. Obama/Biden 2012.


Chondrolysis of the hip (idiopathic and secondary forms).
The writers describe one case of idiopathic chondrolysis of the hip and four cases of chondrolysis secondary to slipped upper femoral epiphysis, all followed up from two to six years. So far as the writers know, idiopathic chondrolysis has not previously been reported in the literature in a male of the white race after the end of skeletal growth. In this case biopsy disclosed necrosis and fibrosis of the articular cartilage with extensive infiltration of lymphocytes and plasma cells in the synovial membrane and in the subchondral medullary spaces. In all the cases described there was gradual regression of pain and improvement in the radiographic appearances within about one year. Moderate limitation of movement persisted, however, especially internal and external rotation. In all cases the treatment consisted of protected weight bearing and physiotherapy.


Simple Cinnamon-Caramel Dip or Spread for a Wholesome Summer Snack

Alisa Fleming ~ As much as I love nut butter, it can weigh a little heavy if you rely on it too much for creaminess and thickening in recipes. To mix thing up, I've been experimenting quite a bit with other ingredients, and was intrigued by the basis behind many of the “cookie dough” recipes I have seen on blogs recently. They use chickpeas, of all things, as the anchor for this sweet treat. Truthfully, many of these recipes are a bit "beany" for my taste buds. So I tinkered with the concept to come up with a nice, thick dip that meets my standards for flavor. It uses a combination of nut or seed butter (just a bit!) and garbanzos for a wholesome spread that you need not feel guilty about.

Truth be told, I can still taste the garbanzos in this dip, but the flavor just works. I've given a range of 3/4 cup to 1 cup of beans to use, depending on your tastes. I prefer it with less, but also devoured the entire batch that contained more chickpeas as a spread on toast. In other words, I enjoyed both.

Since my original purpose of this recipe was something to go with sliced apples for an afternoon snack, I decided to use caramel as my theme. For this recipe, you create a lightning fast caramel for the sweetener. Of course, this isn't a traditional caramel dip, but rather a thick, fiber-rich treat that you could literally eat with a spoon. I did. Enjoy …

1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon + extra to sprinkle on the dip if desired

Water, as needed

Add the sugar, water, and maple syrup to a small saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium heat while whisking. Allow it to simmer, while whisking, for 1 minute. Remove it from the heat and whisk in the vanilla and salt. You should have a dark syrupy mixture, that will thicken as it cools.

Place the chickpeas, nut butter, cinnamon, and the above syrup in a blender or food processor (I used a little personal blender), and whiz until smooth. If it is too thick, add water 1 tablespoon at a time. I use an extra tablespoon to get my desired consistency.

Spoon into a dish, optionally sprinkle with a little extra cinnamon, and serve with apple slices or crackers. You can also use it as a spread on toast.


Reduced dosage of clot-busting drug can improve stroke treatment

London, May 10 (IANS) In a finding that could change the way the most common form of stroke is treated globally, researchers have shown that modified dosage of a clot-busting drug can reduce risk of serious bleeding in the brain and improve survival rates.

Intravenous rtPA (or alteplase) is given to people suffering acute ischaemic stroke and works by breaking up clots blocking the flow of blood to the brain.

However, it can cause serious bleeding in the brain in around five per cent of cases, with many of these proving fatal.

Compared to standard dose (0.9mg/kg body weight), the lower dose (0.6mg/kg) of rtPA reduced rates of serious bleeding in the brain, known as intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH), by two thirds, showed the results of the trial of more than 3,000 patients in 100 hospitals worldwide.

“Most patients who have a major stroke want to know they will survive but without being seriously dependent on their family. We have shown this to be the case with the lower dose of the drug,” said one of the researchers Tom Robinson, professor at University of Leicester in Britain.

The findings were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

“At the moment you could have a stroke but end up dying from a bleed in the brain. It’s largely unpredictable as to who will respond and who is at risk with rtPA,” lead author of the study Craig Anderson, professor at Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney in Australia.

“What we have shown is that if we reduce the dose level, we maintain most of the clot busting benefits of the higher dose but with significantly less major bleeds and improved survival rates. On a global scale, this approach could save the lives of many tens of thousands of people,” Anderson noted.


Evaluating the importance of demographic connectivity in a marine metapopulation.
Recently researchers have gone to great lengths to measure marine metapopulation connectivity via tagging, genetic, and trace-elemental fingerprinting studies. These empirical estimates of larval dispersal are key to assessing the significance of metapopulation connectivity within a demographic context, but the life-history data required to do this are rarely available. To evaluate the demographic consequences of connectivity we constructed seasonal, size-structured metapopulation matrix models for two species of mytilid mussel in San Diego County, California, USA. The self-recruitment and larval exchange terms were produced from a time series of realized connectivities derived from trace-elemental fingerprinting of larval shells during spring and fall from 2003 to 2008. Both species exhibited a strong seasonal pattern of southward movement of recruits in spring and northward movement in fall. Growth and mortality terms were estimated using mark-recapture data from representative sites for each species and subpopulation, and literature estimates of juvenile mortality. Fecundity terms were estimated using county-wide settlement data from 2006-2008; these data reveal peak reproduction and recruitment in fall for Mytilus californianus, and spring for M. galloprovincialis. Elasticity and life-stage simulation analyses were employed to identify the season- and subpopulation-specific vital rates and connectivity terms to which the metapopulation growth rate (lambda) was most sensitive. For both species, metapopulation growth was most sensitive to proportional changes in adult fecundity, survival and growth of juvenile stages, and population connectivity, in order of importance, but relatively insensitive to adult growth or survival. The metapopulation concept was deemed appropriate for both Mytilus species as exchange between the subpopulations was necessary for subpopulation persistence. However, highest metapopulation growth occurred in years when a greater proportion of recruits was retained within the predominant source subpopulation. Despite differences in habitat and planktonic duration, both species exhibited similar overall metapopulation dynamics with respect to key life stages and processes. However, different peak reproductive periods in an environment of seasonal current reversals led to different regional (subpopulation) contributions to metapopulation maintenance; this result emphasizes the importance of connectivity analysis for spatial management of coastal resources.


Hoosier Millionaire

Hoosier Millionaire was an American television lottery game show which aired on television stations in Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky from October 28, 1989 to November 19, 2005.

Original rules
Six contestants faced a board of 30 numbers and played three rounds, with each contestant choosing one number per round. Two numbers hid bonus prizes (most commonly 5,000 Hoosier Lottery scratch-off tickets and a trip sponsored by ATA Airlines), while the others hid cash amounts from $1,000 to $10,000 (the typical layout in the 1990s was ten $1000s, six $2000s, four $3,000s, two $4,000s, one each of $5000-$10,000, Doubler, Tickets). In the mid-1990s, a "Doubler" was hidden behind one square and would double the amount of the contestant's next pick. Contestants kept whatever cash and prizes they found; uncovering a bonus prize did not affect a contestant's cash total, but did allow him/her to choose again on that turn.

Only the two highest scorers after the third round advanced to a playoff, with the other four being eliminated. The lower scorer of the two chose a number first; if the value behind it was not enough to put him/her in the lead, the high scorer won immediately. If it was, the high scorer then chose a number in an attempt to retake the lead and the contestant with the higher total advanced to the bonus round. If the scores were tied after both had chosen, additional rounds were played until the tie was broken.

Bonus round
Version 1 (1989–1990):
The winning contestant is presented a board with four numbers.  Behind each number are three green dollar signs and a red "no dollar sign" (called the "Stopper").  Picking the first dollar sign won the contestant $50,000.  The contestant could then stop and take the $50,000 or risk it for a try at the second green dollar sign.  Picking the second dollar sign earned the contestant $100,000.  The contestant could then risk it by picking from the two remaining numbers; picking the third dollar sign won the contestant the $1,000,000 grand prize. Picking the Stopper symbol would lose the $50,000/$100,000 risked, but the contestant still keeps all money earned in the regular game as well as receiving a stack of free Hoosier Lottery scratch-off game tickets.

Version 2 (1990–2000):
Same as version 1, but the three green dollar signs were replaced by $50,000, $100,000, and $1,000,000 symbols.  This meant that the contestant could now win $1,000,000 on the first selection.   In the mid-1990s, the two smaller prizes were increased to $150,000 and $200,000.  Also, the contestant was presented with a glass case of $100,000 cash that they could take and forget about the bonus round game (again, by hitting the red stop button to stop or green button to go on) or risk it for one of the bigger cash prizes.  Again, picking the Stopper symbol (which was changed by this point to a matching exploding graphic like the cash prizes) lost all bonus round money but the contestant still kept whatever was earned in the regular game. It was also by this point that the contestant was presented his/her winnings with a big check; previously only those who won the $1,000,000 grand prize was presented with the big check at the end.

Version 3 (2000–2005):
The contestant with the highest dollar amount advanced to a Bonus Round with sixteen squares.  The player could reveal cash or prizes with values far less than $1 million.  That player would advance to the Hoosier Millionaire Hysteria episode at the end of the season, where a $1 million prize would be awarded.  However, the Hysteria episode format was unrelated to the regular show: rather than unveiling dollar amounts, the Hysteria board had basketball goals which revealed two or three points, a turnover, or a foul.  The player with the fewest points was eliminated from the tournament bracket.  Eventually one person was left to win the million.

25th Anniversary Show
To celebrate the show's 25th anniversary, a special episode featuring past winners and the original on-air team of Patrick, Hobbs and Lamont was filmed, but not aired on television, at the Indiana State Fair on August 16, 2014 and later uploaded to the Indiana Lottery's YouTube channel. The set was manually operated, with the hostess pulling up pull-cards (instead of turning trilons), and the host turned flip-cards with numbers to show the totals.  The bonus round player had two stop signs; a red sign with the word "STOP" and a green sign with the word "GO."

Broadcast history
The game show began on WTTV/WTTK (Channel 4/29) in Indianapolis/Bloomington/Kokomo. Other stations airing the show on a statewide network upon the program's debut included:

WLFI (18) - Lafayette
WKJG (33) - Ft. Wayne
WNDU (16) - South Bend
WTWO (2) - Terre Haute
WFIE (14) - Evansville
WGBO (66) - Joliet, Illinois/Chicago/Gary
WDRB (41) - Louisville, Kentucky/New Albany/Jeffersonville

With Marion-licensed WNDY (Channel 23) trying to establish itself in Indianapolis, and with the new ownership of Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony George, the Lottery moved the show to that station in February 1996, resulting in a few changes in the statewide network;

WSBT (22) - South Bend
WFFT (55) - Ft. Wayne
WTHI (10) - Terre Haute
WTVW (7) - Evansville
WJYS (62) - Hammond/Chicago/Gary
WFTE (58) - Salem/Louisville/New Albany/Jeffersonville

WLFI continued to carry the show in Lafayette, while the show moved in the Chicago market due to WGBO's conversion to an owned-and-operated station of the Spanish language Univision network.

During the 1990s, the show was sponsored by Long John Silvers, with their logo on top of the main gameboard.  In addition, the show would also spotlight a "Hoosier Lottery retailer of the week" at the end of the show; in the early 1990s they would also spotlight an "[Indiana] county of the week".

Four years later, a new format called "The New Hoosier Millionaire" premiered in January 2000 and returned to WTTV. The budget was essentially cut, with the $1,000,000 grand prize available every 13 weeks instead of on every show.  The set became a black room with contestant podiums and a game board.  The lowest dollar amount on the regular game board was increased to $2,000. More changes to the statewide network occurred:

WPTA (21) - Ft. Wayne
WTSN-LP (41) - Evansville
WKEF (22) - Dayton, Ohio/Richmond

In June 2003, a whole new format emerged, and Tribune Broadcasting took over productions with their purchase of WTTV/WTTK from Sinclair Broadcast Group in 2003 to form a station duopoly in Indianapolis. The new management forced out Mark Patrick and Barbara Hobbs. Cody Stark and Catt Sadler, who were part of WXIN's "Fox 59 Morning News", took over hosting duties, and the program immediately moved to the higher-rated station. WKEF (a Sinclair station and WTTV's sister station before the WTTV/WTTK sale) dropped the program with no other Dayton/Eastern Indiana station taking its place, while in the Chicago area, the program moved to PBS member station WYIN (Channel 56, Gary), one of the few times a lottery game show has aired over a public television station, and WEVV (Channel 44) aired the show in Evansville. Ratings declined for two more years until Hoosier Millionaire's cancellation early in its sixteenth season in the fall of 2005.

See also

 Hoosier Lottery

References

External links

Category:1989 American television series debuts
Category:2005 American television series endings
Category:Lottery game shows in the United States


Expression of beta-amyloid precursor protein gene is developmentally regulated in human muscle fibers in vivo and in vitro.
Regenerating muscle fibers in 25 human muscle biopsies, obtained from patients with a variety of neuromuscular diseases, manifested increased mRNA for the beta-amyloid precursor protein (beta APP) that contains the Kunitz-type protease inhibitor (KPI) motif, whereas adult human muscle fibers were negative in their vast non-extrajunctional region. Aneurally cultured normal human muscle fibers also expressed strong KPI-beta APP mRNA signal, which became significantly down-regulated during muscle differentiation. Our study demonstrates that in human muscle KPI-beta APP mRNA is developmentally regulated, and it suggests that beta APP may play a role in human muscle development.


Australian pay TV company Foxtel has signed a deal with HBO to become the exclusive provider for Game of Thrones. This means that the popular TV-show will not be available online through other channels such as iTunes, a decision that is likely to cause a new piracy surge.

One of the main reasons why people turn to piracy is the lack of legal alternatives. This is in part why Australia has such high piracy rates for TV-shows, Game of Thrones included.

Last year the popular HBO show broke several piracy records and with roughly 10 percent, a healthy chunk of the downloads came from Down Under. This spring the fourth season of Game of Thrones will debut and there’s a good chance that Australia will be on top of the piracy charts again.

Pay TV company Foxtel has announced the signing of an exclusive deal with HBO, which allows it to completely lock up Game of Thrones. This means that fans of the show will only be able to watch it legally when they purchase a subscription.

Last year, Game of Thrones was available in iTunes a day after its Foxtel premiere. With the upcoming season, however, iTunes and other services won’t have the show at all, much to the disappointment of Game of Thrones fans.

The only option for people without a Foxtel subscription is to pirate the show instead. The popular TV- torrent distribution group EZTV doesn’t understand why Foxtel wants to decrease availability, and is anticipating a healthy visitor boost later this year.

“We are ready to help out those Australians who are unable to afford the expensive subscriptions that are forced upon them by these monopoly based companies,” EZTV’s NovaKing tells TF.

“Even for those who are happy to pay we provide more flexibility and a better viewing experience,” he adds.

The high piracy rates of Game of Thrones made headlines all over the world last year.

In Australia for example, the Ambassador of the United States of America got involved in the discussion, complaining about this “plain theft” by Australians. According to him, the lack of legal options would only be temporary.

“Many companies today are working on how to deliver their products flexibly enough to meet the lifestyle and expectations of online consumers. But while they are working out the kinks, we shouldn’t be doing something that hurts people who work in the entertainment industry,” the Ambassador said.

However, since Foxtel has chosen to decrease instead of increase availability next year, things are not going to change anytime soon. Not in a positive way at least.

Of course, Foxtel and HBO know very well that their deal is going to increase local piracy rates. They prefer more exclusiveness over less piracy, hoping that it will earn them more revenue. Whether breeding pirates is a good strategy in the long run has yet to be seen.

In any case, there is little doubt that millions of people will fire up their BitTorrent clients this spring, instead of watching the show through legal channels.


Theodore Swanson

Theodore Swanson (October 8, 1873 – April 2, 1959) was an American farmer and politician.

Born in Red Wing, Minnesota, he moved with his family to a farm in the town of Hartland in Pierce County, Wisconsin. He served in town government, the school district, and was on the Pierce County Board of Supervisors. He was involved with a farmers bank, creamery, and grain business. Swanson served in the Wisconsin State Assembly as a member of the Wisconsin Progressive Party from 1925 to 1929 and then from 1935 to 1941. He died in Red Wing, Minnesota.

Notes

Category:1873 births
Category:1959 deaths
Category:People from Red Wing, Minnesota
Category:People from Pierce County, Wisconsin
Category:Businesspeople from Wisconsin
Category:School board members in Wisconsin
Category:County supervisors in Wisconsin
Category:Wisconsin Progressives (1924)
Category:20th-century American politicians
Category:Members of the Wisconsin State Assembly


Necrotizing myositis secondary to Serratia marcescens in a renal allograft recipient.
We describe a fatal case of spontaneous necrotizing myositis due to a highly resistant strain of Serratia marcescens in a renal transplant recipient. Though Staphylococcus aureus and Clostridium are the usual agents which cause either pyomyositis or necrotizing myositis, gram-negative bacteria are a dangerous and rarely suspected possibility. Such an aggressive disease should be promptly recognized because immunosuppression in susceptible hosts makes conservative management unsuccessful. The prognosis for myositis in immunodepressed hosts is poor and wide excision of all the necrotic muscles, leaving the wound open, and intensive antibiotic therapy are required.


Rio Carbon + Some Headphones = Crap

DAPReview.com have notified Rio of a problem with their new Carbon digital audio player. It appears that if you have headphones with a metal base on the plug, then you will get static and crackling when the metal plug contacts the metal surround of the headphone socket on the player. Rio have agreed that the problem exists, but come up with some pretty unsatisfactory options to stop it happening, including putting sticky tape on your brand new electronic device.

[quote]

As a customer with more than half of my headphones affected, this response is not satisfactory. I don’t get any static using the same headphones on other players, so it is a problem with the Carbon. We will wait to see how things shape up in the near future before making judgement on how Rio handles the situation.


/*
 * Copyright (C) NetStruxr, Inc. All rights reserved.
 *
 * This software is published under the terms of the NetStruxr Public Software
 * License version 0.5, a copy of which has been included with this distribution
 * in the LICENSE.NPL file.
 */
package er.directtoweb.delegates;

import org.apache.log4j.Logger;

import com.webobjects.appserver.WOComponent;
import com.webobjects.directtoweb.D2W;
import com.webobjects.directtoweb.D2WContext;
import com.webobjects.directtoweb.ErrorPageInterface;
import com.webobjects.directtoweb.NextPageDelegate;
import com.webobjects.eoaccess.EODatabaseContext;
import com.webobjects.eoaccess.EODatabaseOperation;
import com.webobjects.eoaccess.EOGeneralAdaptorException;
import com.webobjects.eoaccess.EOObjectNotAvailableException;
import com.webobjects.eoaccess.EOUtilities;
import com.webobjects.eocontrol.EODataSource;
import com.webobjects.eocontrol.EOEditingContext;
import com.webobjects.eocontrol.EOEnterpriseObject;
import com.webobjects.eocontrol.EOSharedEditingContext;
import com.webobjects.foundation.NSDictionary;
import com.webobjects.foundation.NSValidation;

import er.directtoweb.interfaces.ERDErrorPageInterface;
import er.extensions.eof.ERXEC;
import er.extensions.eof.ERXEOControlUtilities;
import er.extensions.localization.ERXLocalizer;
import er.extensions.validation.ERXValidationException;
import er.extensions.validation.ERXValidationFactory;

/**
 * Delete used after confirming a delete action.
 */
public class ERDDeletionDelegate implements NextPageDelegate {

    /** logging support */
    public final static Logger log = Logger.getLogger("er.directtoweb.delegates.ERDDeletionDelegate");

    private EOEnterpriseObject    _object;
    private EODataSource          _dataSource;
    private WOComponent           _followPage;

    // Can be overridden in subclasses to provide different followPages.
    protected WOComponent followPage(WOComponent sender) {
        log.debug("In FollowPage");
        return _followPage;
    }

    public ERDDeletionDelegate(EOEnterpriseObject object, WOComponent nextPage) {
        this(object, null, nextPage);
    }

    public ERDDeletionDelegate(EOEnterpriseObject object, EODataSource dataSource, WOComponent nextPage) {
        _object = object;
        _dataSource = dataSource;
        _followPage = nextPage;
    }

    public WOComponent nextPage(WOComponent sender) {
        if (_object != null && _object.editingContext() != null) {
            EOEditingContext editingContext = _object.editingContext();
            NSValidation.ValidationException exception = null;
            try {
                if (_dataSource != null) _dataSource.deleteObject(_object);
                if (editingContext instanceof EOSharedEditingContext) {
                    //fault the eo into another ec, one cannot delete objects
                    // in an shared editing context
                    EOEditingContext ec = ERXEC.newEditingContext();
                    ec.lock();
                    try {
                        ec.setSharedEditingContext(null);
                        EOEnterpriseObject object = EOUtilities.localInstanceOfObject(ec, _object);
                        ec.deleteObject(object);
                        ec.saveChanges();
                    } finally {
                        ec.unlock();
                        ec.dispose();
                    }
                } else {
                	//Place the EO into a nested ec and try to delete there
                	//to prevent the appearance of a successful delete if
                	//validation fails.
                	EOEnterpriseObject eo = ERXEOControlUtilities.editableInstanceOfObject(_object, true);
                	EOEditingContext childEC = eo.editingContext();
                	childEC.deleteObject(eo);
                	childEC.saveChanges();

                    if (ERXEOControlUtilities.isNewObject(_object)) {
                        // This is necessary to force state synching, e.g., for display groups, etc.
                        editingContext.processRecentChanges();
                    } else {
                        // Only save if the object is NOT new.
                        editingContext.saveChanges();
                    }
                    _object = null;
                }
            } catch (EOObjectNotAvailableException e) {
                exception = ERXValidationFactory.defaultFactory().createCustomException(_object, "EOObjectNotAvailableException");
            } catch (EOGeneralAdaptorException e) {
            	NSDictionary userInfo = e.userInfo();
            	if(userInfo != null) {
            		EODatabaseOperation op = (EODatabaseOperation)userInfo.objectForKey(EODatabaseContext.FailedDatabaseOperationKey);
            		if(op.databaseOperator() == EODatabaseOperation.DatabaseDeleteOperator) {
            			exception = ERXValidationFactory.defaultFactory().createCustomException(_object, "EOObjectNotAvailableException");
            		}
            	}
            	if(exception == null) {
            		exception = ERXValidationFactory.defaultFactory().createCustomException(_object, "Database error: " + e.getMessage());
            	}
            } catch (NSValidation.ValidationException e) {
                exception = e;
            }
            if(exception != null) {
                if (exception instanceof ERXValidationException) {
                    ERXValidationException ex = (ERXValidationException) exception;
                    D2WContext context = (D2WContext) sender.valueForKey("d2wContext");
                    Object o = ex.object();

                    if (o instanceof EOEnterpriseObject) {
                        EOEnterpriseObject eo = (EOEnterpriseObject) o;
                        context.takeValueForKey(eo.entityName(), "entityName");
                        context.takeValueForKey(ex.propertyKey(), "propertyKey");
                    }
                    ((ERXValidationException) exception).setContext(context);
                }
                log.info("Validation Exception: " + exception + exception.getMessage());
                editingContext.revert();
                String errorMessage = ERXLocalizer.currentLocalizer().localizedTemplateStringForKeyWithObject("CouldNotSave", exception);
                ErrorPageInterface epf = D2W.factory().errorPage(sender.session());
                if (epf instanceof ERDErrorPageInterface) {
                    ((ERDErrorPageInterface) epf).setException(exception);
                }
                epf.setMessage(errorMessage);
                epf.setNextPage(followPage(sender));
                return (WOComponent) epf;
            }
        }
        return followPage(sender);
    }
}


# -------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
# Licensed under the MIT License. See License.txt in the project root for
# license information.
# --------------------------------------------------------------------------
import sys

# Ignore collection of async tests for Python 2
collect_ignore_glob = []
if sys.version_info < (3, 5):
    collect_ignore_glob.append("*_async.py")


be explained in the verdict of the reformatory, No moral sense. There was no moral sense to be got out of the thing, for there was little sense of any kind in it. The boy was not given a chance to be honest with himself by thinking a thing through; he came naturally to accept as his mental horizon the headlines in his penny paper and the literature of the Dare-Devil-Dan-the-Death-Dealing-Monster-of-Dakota order, which comprise the ordinary æsthetic equipment of the slum. The mystery of his further development into the tough need not perplex anybody.

But Jacob Beresheim had not even the benefit of such schooling as there was to be had. He did not go to school, and nobody cared. There was indeed a law directing that every child should go, and a corps of truant officers to catch him if he did not; but the law had been a dead letter for a quarter of a century. There was no census to tell which children ought to be in school, and no place but a jail to put those in who shirked. Jacob was allowed to drift. From the time he was twelve till he was fifteen, he told me, he might have gone to school three weeks, no more.

Church and Sunday-school missed him. I was going to say that they passed by on the other side, remembering the migration of the churches up-town as the wealthy moved out of and the poor into the


Data are from the Deutsche Arneiprüfungsinstitut (German Institute for Drug Use Evaluation (GIDE)) which is the owner of the data. The Deutsche Arzneiprüfungsinstitut (German Institute for Drug Use Evaluation, GIDE) is a public data warehouse which supports data analysis for scientific purposes. All data used in this study are available for researchers who meet the criteria for access to confidential data. Data analysis has to be performed in-house. Transfer of basic data is excluded due to federal regulations to protect personal data. For further contact see: <http://www.dapi.de/en/the-dapi/the-dapi/>.

Introduction {#sec005}
============

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory, chronic, and degenerative autoimmune disease of the central nervous system that, at present, cannot be cured. Approximately 140,000 Germans suffer from MS \[[@pone.0133279.ref001]\]. Since 2001 four immune-modulatory-drugs (IMDs), also referred to as disease modifying-drugs (DMDs), have been approved in Germany for relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS): interferon (INF) beta-1a i.m. (Avonex), administered once a week, interferon (INF) beta-1a s.c. (Rebif), administered three times a week, interferon beta-1b s.c. (Betaferon), administered every second day, and glatiramer acetate s.c. (Copaxone), administered daily. DMDs should reduce the number and frequency of exacerbations and slow down the progression of cognitive and physical disability. All of these DMDs require regular, long-term administration by injection, but the route of administration (subcutaneous s.c. or intramuscular i.m.), and frequency of administration differ. Guidelines of neurologist experts recommend a treatment over a minimum of two years, with the benefit expected after 2 years of continuous treatment \[[@pone.0133279.ref002], [@pone.0133279.ref003]\]. To achieve maximum treatment efficacy for chronic diseases, high long-term adherence is necessary. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines treatment adherence as both compliance and persistence. Compliance means the correct application of a prescribed therapy regarding dose, schedule and method of application, while persistence refers to the entire recommended treatment period \[[@pone.0133279.ref004]\]. In international studies, depending on the method of measurement, between 15% and 53% of patients undergoing DMD treatment became non-adherent within the first two years \[[@pone.0133279.ref003],[@pone.0133279.ref005]--[@pone.0133279.ref025]\]. Patients with adherence to DMD therapy of less than 24 months will probably produce high costs (in Germany approximately 1,500€/month / person) without benefit.

In this study we included the records of more than 80% of patients who were covered by Germany´s statutory health insurance scheme and who obtained a DMD during the period of 2002 through 2006. We analyzed adherence by two indirect measurement methods. First, we analyzed the medication possession ratio (MPR) as proxy for compliance. Second, we assessed persistence (continuity of therapy) by determining whether there was a termination of treatment or a defined gap in a patient´s medication profile. Furthermore, we examined medication adherence for the four groups, characterized by the DMD the patient received initially, i.e. interferon (INF) beta-1a i.m. (Avonex), interferon (INF) beta-1a s.c. (Rebif), interferon (INF) beta-1b s.c. (Betaferon), and glatiramer acetate s.c. (Copaxone).

Methods {#sec006}
=======

Database {#sec007}
--------

The German Institute for Drug Use Evaluation (Deutsches Arzneiprüfungsinstitut e. V. (DAPI)) is a non-profit association active in the area of pharmacoeconomics and pharmacoepidemiology. The DAPI database contains pharmacy claims data of patients insured by the statutory health insurance system from more than 80% of German community pharmacies. In Germany, about 85% of the population (70.2 million patients) is insured by the statutory health insurance program \[[@pone.0133279.ref026]\]. This retrospective cohort study focused on data for the period January 1, 2001, through December 31, 2009. The prescription data of the DAPI database are linked to the ABDA database which contains a complete inventory of German medical products \[[@pone.0133279.ref027]\].

The drug claims data within the DAPI database include a unique product identification code (Pharmazentralnummer, PZN), which allows linkage with information on pharmaceutical ingredients, strength, form of administration and quantity required for calculation of days supplied with medication. Additional information includes the date of prescription, the medical specialist group, the region of the prescribing physician, and the insurance status of the patient (full member, family member, retiree). Other personal data such as name, address, age or gender are not included. A de-identified patient code allows for follow-up of a patient´s prescriptions over several years. Not included in the database are prescriptions funded by private health insurance funds, medical samples obtained directly from physicians, medication provided in hospitals, and medication obtained by mail order from pharmacies located abroad. In the database there is no information about demographics such as age and sex, or clinical information about diagnosis, hospitalization, or laboratory tests.

The study was performed according to the recommendations for Good Practice for Secondary Data analysis \[[@pone.0133279.ref028]\]. The study was approved by the ethic committee of the Dresden Medical School and it was registered at the European Network of Centres for Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacovigilance (ENCePP) under the acronym 'ADAPIMS' in 2013.

Cohort Definition {#sec008}
-----------------

Incident users of DMDs were identified with their first (= index) prescription of any DMD during the period between January 01, 2002, and December 31, 2006. Incident use was defined by not having received DMDs up to 365 days prior to the index prescription. Within the long total observation period it is possible to find more than one medication profile (therapy cycle) for the same patient, since a patient could restart DMD therapy after a treatment interruption of more than 365 days. A profile was allocated to one of the four study groups depending on the type of DMD of the index prescription. In order to ensure completeness of follow-up for at least 24 months, patients were excluded they did not appear in the database with any prescription within 24 to 36 months after the index date. Thus, patients who may have changed healthcare companies or may have died were not incorrectly classified as non-compliant. Furthermore, implausible medication profiles with more than 40 different ATC codes prescribed during 180 days before the index date were excluded from analysis, assuming that data processing errors (mostly during electronic transformation from paper-based prescriptions) may have caused this implausibility ([Fig 1](#pone.0133279.g001){ref-type="fig"}).

![Cohort definition and observation period of the study.](pone.0133279.g001){#pone.0133279.g001}

There was a 12 months pre-observation period, followed by a 24 months observation period and a 12 months follow-up period. Because of the long total observation period of 8 years, it would be possible to find more than one medication profile for the same patient (up to four profiles or cycles). For example, this situation could happen when early in the observation period (for example, during 2002) a patient had only one DMD prescription, then stopped therapy and after another 12-months interval started with another DMD, which created a new and second medication profile. Multiple profiles were found for 4.7% of the patients in the main cohort; the remaining 95.3% of the patients had only one medication profile. In a sensitivity analysis, we included only one medication profile per person.

Measuring adherence {#sec009}
-------------------

To estimate adherence to prescribed medications after initiation of DMDs, we measured medication compliance by using the medication possession ratio (MPR). Medication persistence was measured by determining the time from initiation (index date) to discontinuation of therapy or to a defined gap in a patient´s medication profile \[[@pone.0133279.ref029]\].

### Medication Possession Ratio (MPR) {#sec010}

In general, the MPR is calculated from the number of doses dispensed in relation to the dispensing period of time reported as percentages \[[@pone.0133279.ref029]\]. In our study the denominator represented the observation period, which was a fixed duration defined as 730 days (24 months). The numerator consisted of the number of days in which the patient was covered by a prescribed DMD medication, irrespective of the type of DMD. Every pre-filled syringe of a DMD was counted as a single dose. The daily dose was calculated according to the dosage schedule provided by the Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC). If subsequent prescription was provided before a patient´s medication had been depleted, this occurrence was considered to be stockpiling the medication. Stockpiling from the previous, but not from earlier prescriptions was taken into account in the calculation of MPR and persistence. Sufficient compliance was considered for medication profiles showing a MPR≥0.8. In the sensitivity analyses, we analyzed both MPR≥0.7 and MPR≥0.9 as cut-off.

### Persistence {#sec011}

We measured persistence as the number of days from DMD initiation (index date) to the occurrence of a first gap of more than one-fold duration of medication supply of the previous prescription in the medication profile. For example, if a prescription covered medication supply for 84 days, the medication profile was defined as interrupted if there was no repeat prescription within 84+84 = 168 days (84 day duration of medication supply plus 84 days allowable gap interval).

A patient was considered to be persistent for the respective medication profile if there was no medication gap greater than that described above.

### Statistical analyses {#sec012}

For cohort characteristics proportions for categorical variables and mean values for continuous variables were determined. For compliance mean (+- standard deviation), median MPR and proportions of therapy cycles during which a patient was compliant were calculated. Box plots are presented to examine the distribution of MPRs within the study groups. Proportions of therapy cycles during which a patient was persistent were computed and persistence probabilities were visualized using Kaplan-Meier curves. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS.

Results {#sec013}
=======

Patient characteristics {#sec014}
-----------------------

Prescriptions were available in the database for a total of 186,849 patients with a DMD for the period of January 01, 2002, through December 31, 2006. We excluded patient profiles that had no clearly recognizable DMD prescription at the index date (i.e. simultaneous prescription of two different DMDs), or profiles that had a DMD pre-treatment during 365 days before the index date (i.e. prevalent DMD user). In addition, we excluded profiles with unclear covariables at the index date and profiles with incomplete follow-up-information, i.e. that were not available in the database from 730 days (24 months) through 1,095 days (36 months) after the index date. A total of 52,516 medication profiles from 50,057 patients were included in the analyses ([Fig 2](#pone.0133279.g002){ref-type="fig"}).

![Flow chart of inclusion and exclusion criteria and remaining medication profiles/patients.](pone.0133279.g002){#pone.0133279.g002}

[Table 1](#pone.0133279.t001){ref-type="table"} gives an overview over variables such as prescribing medical specialist, region, status of insurance, index year, pretreatment with anti-depressants and muscle relaxants, and number of ATC-codes of pretreatment for the 4 cohorts who used the 4 DMDs Avonex, Betaferon, Copaxone or Rebif ([Table 1](#pone.0133279.t001){ref-type="table"}).

10.1371/journal.pone.0133279.t001

###### Cohort characteristics of the main study cohort at the index date.

![](pone.0133279.t001){#pone.0133279.t001g}

  Characteristics                                                       Overall         Avonex         Betaferon      Copaxone       Rebif
  --------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------- -------------- -------------- -------------- -------------- --------------
  DMD (%)                                                               52516 (100.0)   11891 (22.6)   14060 (26.8)   12353 (23.5)   14212 (27.1)
  Medical specialist (%)                                                Neurologist     42602 (81.1)   9845 (82.8)    11532 (82.0)   10207 (82.6)   11018 (77.5)
  General practitioner                                                  5236 (10.0)     1148 (9.7)     1382 (9.8)     1017 (8.2)     1689 (11.9)
  Institutions                                                          2615 (5.0)      420 (3.5)      618 (4.4)      688 (5.6)      889 (6.3)
  Others/not specified                                                  2063 (3.9)      478 (4.0)      528 (3.8)      441 (3.6)      616 (4.3)
  Region (%)                                                            West            42016 (80.0)   9491 (79.8)    11145 (79.3)   10042 (81.3)   11338 (79.8)
  East                                                                  6379 (12.1)     1469 (12.4)    1984 (14.1)    1159 (9.4)     1767 (12.4)
  Major cities (Berlin, Hamburg, Bremen)                                4121 (7.8)      931 (7.8)      931 (6.6)      1152 (9.3)     1107 (7.8)
  Status of insurance (%)                                               member          34645 (66.0)   8017 (67.4)    8742 (62.2)    8224 (66.6)    9662 (68.0)
  dependents\' co-insurance                                             10819 (20.6)    2237 (18.8)    3471 (24.7)    2545 (20.6)    2566 (18.1)
  retiree                                                               7052 (13.4)     1637 (13.8)    1847 (13.1)    1584 (12.8)    1984 (14.0)
  Index-year (%)                                                        2002            9458 (18.0)    1723 (14.5)    2600 (18.0)    2412 (19.5)    2723 (19.2)
  2003                                                                  10127 (19.3)    2254 (19.0)    2821 (20.1)    2260 (18.3)    2792 (19.6)
  2004                                                                  10120 (19.3)    2504 (21.1)    1684 (19.1)    2273 (18.4)    2659 (18.7)
  2005                                                                  11683 (22.2)    2882 (24.2)    3084 (21.9)    2684 (21.7)    3033 (21.3)
  2006                                                                  11128 (21.2)    2528 (21.3)    2871 (20.4)    2724 (22.1)    3005 (21.1)
  Antidepressants dispensed (%)                                         11487 (21.9)    2493 (21.0)    3138 (22.3)    2989 (24.2)    2867 (20.2)
  Muscle-relaxants dispensed (%)                                        7018 (13.4)     1460 (12.3)    2162 (15.4)    1674 (13.6)    1722 (12.1)
  Number of ATC-codes (pretreatment) Average (standard deviation, SD)   8.32 (±8.30)    8.28 (±8.37)   8.71 (±8.56)   8.13 (±8.01)   8.14 (±8.22)

Compliance/ Medication Possession ratio {#sec015}
---------------------------------------

The distribution of MPRs shows two peaks, one close to zero and one close to one ([Fig 3](#pone.0133279.g003){ref-type="fig"}). For not normally distributed outcomes the mean should not be used, but in order to compare with other studies the mean MPR for all medication profiles was calculated to be 0.5498 (SD±0.36). This result indicates that patients were covered with medication for 55% of the observation period on average The respective mean MPRs for the four individual DMD groups were as follows: Avonex 0.5626 (SD±0.37), Betaferon 0.5536 (SD±0.36), Rebif0.5484 (SD±0.36), and Copaxone0.5347 (SD±0.36).

![Distribution of Medication Possession Ratio.](pone.0133279.g003){#pone.0133279.g003}

The median of all MPRs was 0.624. Hence, for half of the profiles patients received medication supplies for less than 62.4% of the follow-up period. The median MPRs for the four study groups were as follows: Avonex 0.664 Betaferon 0.644, Rebif 0.617 and Copaxone 0.576 ([Fig 4](#pone.0133279.g004){ref-type="fig"}).

![Median Medication Possession Ratios of the four DMD groups.](pone.0133279.g004){#pone.0133279.g004}

We dichotomized the MPRs by defining MPRs ≥0.8 as compliant and MPRs \< 0.8 as non-compliant. The proportion of medication profiles with a MPR ≥ 0.8 among all DMDs was 39.9%. The respective proportions for the four DMD groups were: Avonex 42.8%, Betaferon40.6%, Rebif39.2%, and Copaxone37% ([Fig 5](#pone.0133279.g005){ref-type="fig"}).

![Main analysis: Overview of compliance and persistence in the DMD groups over an observation period of 24 months.](pone.0133279.g005){#pone.0133279.g005}

Persistence {#sec016}
-----------

Over the entire observation period of 24 months, for a total of 32.3% of all included medication profiles patients were considered persistent. Results for the four DMD groups were: Avonex 34.2%, Betaferon33.4%, Rebif31.7%, and Copaxone29.8% ([Fig 5](#pone.0133279.g005){ref-type="fig"}). We found that 25% of the initiated therapies cycles were interrupted within 86 days and 50% within 312 days ([Fig 6](#pone.0133279.g006){ref-type="fig"}). For 22.6% of all therapy cycles the patient did not receive a second prescription within 180 days after index prescription.

![Main analysis: Kaplan-Meier persistence curves of the 4 DMD groups within the observation period of 730 days.\
First day of non-persistence in relation to the index date.](pone.0133279.g006){#pone.0133279.g006}

Sensitivity analyses {#sec017}
--------------------

To assess the influence of adherence and persistence definitions, we performed three sensitivity analyses.

First, we modified the thresholds for MPR: non-compliance was defined as MPR\< 0.7 or MPR\< 0.9. Because of the bimodal distribution of the MPR the threshold for the definition of compliance has a comparatively large impact on the result of the overall compliance ([Table 2](#pone.0133279.t002){ref-type="table"}). The closer the threshold comes to 100%, the more the proportion of therapy cycles during which a patient was compliant (allover MPR≥0.70 = 46.1%, MPR≥0.80 = 39.9%, MPR≥0.90 = 28.0%) decreases. In this sensitivity analysis he relative compliance differences between the four DMD groups remained.

10.1371/journal.pone.0133279.t002

###### Sensitivity analysis (S1): Proportion of profiles of compliant patients for three different thresholds of MPR.

![](pone.0133279.t002){#pone.0133279.t002g}

              MPR≥0.70   MPR≥0.80   MPR≥0.90
  ----------- ---------- ---------- ----------
  All DMDs    46.1%      39.9%      28.0%
  Avonex      48.2%      42.8%      30.8%
  Betaferon   47.1%      40.6%      28.7%
  Rebif       45.6%      39.2%      27.2%
  Copaxone    43.5%      37.0%      25.0%

In a second sensitivity analysis we modified the definition of persistence by decreasing the gap in the medication profile to half-fold or increasing the gap to two-fold of the value of the main analysis. For example for a previous prescription with medication supply for 84 days we detected a gap after 84 days plus 42 days (126 days) or 84 days plus 2\*84 days (252 days) ([Table 3](#pone.0133279.t003){ref-type="table"}). The proportion of therapy cycles during which a patient was persistent increased by a greater tolerable gap. Overall persistence using a 0.5-fold gap was 19.7%, using a one-fold gap 32.3% and using a two-fold gap 42.5%. The differences in persistence between the four DMD groups once again remained.

10.1371/journal.pone.0133279.t003

###### Sensitivity analysis (S2): Proportion of profiles of persistent patients for three different definitions for the tolerable gap in medication profiles.

![](pone.0133279.t003){#pone.0133279.t003g}

  Persistence   Half-fold duration of medication supply of the previous prescription   One-fold duration of medication supply of the previous prescription   Two-fold duration of medication supply of the previous prescription
  ------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------
  All DMDs      19.7%                                                                  32.3%                                                                 42.5%
  Avonex        21.2%                                                                  34.2%                                                                 44.1%
  Betaferon     20.3%                                                                  33.4%                                                                 43.7%
  Rebif         19.1%                                                                  31.7%                                                                 42.3%
  Copaxone      18.2%                                                                  29.8%                                                                 39.9%

The third sensitivity analysis included only the patients\' first medication profile (N = 50,057). Thus, only 4.7% of all medication profiles of the main study cohort were excluded. The influence of undergoing more than one therapy cycles resulted in a decrease in adherence, however, this influence was small (results not shown).

Discussion {#sec018}
==========

According to the guidelines of scientific associations, the treatment of MS with DMDs has to continue over a long term to gain benefits \[[@pone.0133279.ref030],[@pone.0133279.ref002]\]. This study shows that less than 40% of the patients were compliant according to widely accepted definition, i.e., receiving medication for a minimum of 80% of the therapeutically relevant observation period of 24 months. Furthermore, the study revealed that at the end of the observation period only 32.3% of the patients were persistent in terms of having no interruption or having no greater gap in their medication coverage than the one-fold duration of medication supply of the previous prescription. A quarter of the cohort had already discontinued DMD therapy after 86 days. These results are comparable with other studies \[[@pone.0133279.ref031],[@pone.0133279.ref003],[@pone.0133279.ref008],[@pone.0133279.ref010],[@pone.0133279.ref011],[@pone.0133279.ref019],[@pone.0133279.ref022]\]. Compliance data are not easy to compare because of the different measurement methods, different data sources, and different lengths of observation periods. Studies based on questionnaires seem to result in greater adherence than ones based on claims data \[[@pone.0133279.ref005],[@pone.0133279.ref007],[@pone.0133279.ref023]\], which may be due to social desirability, i.e. patients having a tendency to overestimate their adherence behavior and accordingly to report adherence levels, which are too optimistic.

The bimodal distribution of MPR might be caused by the different reasons why patients stop therapy as found in previous studies \[[@pone.0133279.ref008],[@pone.0133279.ref024]\]. They could show that in the first period after the first injection patients stop because of side-effects such like injection-site reactions, flu-like symptoms, headache, for fear of self- injection. Later, stopping therapy is associated with perceived lack of efficacy of the treatment for example because of progress in disease even though they were adherent for a certain period of time.

Remarkably, all four DMDs are equally distributed even though three of them are interferons and one is glatiramer acetate. A 50/50 distribution may be expected. Between 2002 and 2006, there was an overall increase of index prescriptions from 9,458 to 11,128. The three interferons emerged on the German market in 1998, respectively 1999. Approval for Copaxone in the EU was obtained in 2001. It usually takes time to implement new therapies. It appears less likely that prevalence of MS has increased in such a short time period. One may speculate whether the awareness of new disease-modyfiying drugs has led to higher diagnostic rates.

Adherence and persistence were also examined for the four DMD groups, mainly using descriptive methods, because information on possibly predictive covariates such as age, gender, socioeconomic status, side effects, progression stage of disease, duration of disease etc. are not available in the database. Thus it is uncertain whether differences in adherence and persistence between the four study groups are due to the DMDs themselves. Avonex with a compliance of 34.2% and persistence of 42.8% had slightly higher figures than Betaferon with a compliance of 33.4% and persistence of 40.6%, followed by Rebif with a compliance of 31.7% and persistence of 39.2%, and finally Copaxone with a compliance of 29.8% and persistence of 37.0%. Other studies found different orders in levels of adherence, but also suggested that Avonex had the highest level of adherence \[[@pone.0133279.ref005],[@pone.0133279.ref006],[@pone.0133279.ref007],[@pone.0133279.ref010],[@pone.0133279.ref015],[@pone.0133279.ref019],[@pone.0133279.ref021],[@pone.0133279.ref023],[@pone.0133279.ref025],[@pone.0133279.ref031]\]. One of the deficiencies of the present research was the impossibility of determining the reasons for low adherence levels as well as adherence differences between the four different DMD drug products. It is assumed that the frequency of application of a specific DMD (once a week, three times a week, daily), and the side effect profiles of medications play a role \[[@pone.0133279.ref032]\].

As WHO reported already in 2003, adherence is a huge challenge in all chronic diseases worldwide. Depending from measurement method, adherence among patients with asthma ranges from 30% to 70% \[[@pone.0133279.ref004]\]. Grimmsmann, Himmel and Hasford et al. found even poorer adherence among patients in Germany with hypertension \[[@pone.0133279.ref033],[@pone.0133279.ref034]\]. Enting et al. found in their research that the proportions of patients adherent to "around the clock" analgesics varied from 59% to 91% \[[@pone.0133279.ref035]\]. Health care providers and patients should find strategies to improve adherence to distribute rare resources more effective.

One of the strengths of this study was the use of a large sample size.

Limitations {#sec019}
===========

If a patient had a prescription for DMDs, we assumed MS diagnosed, but we had no data to confirm this assumption. In Germany, DMDs are approved only for MS. As there is no useful off-label use for DMDs, we assumed that a patient who received a DMD had a MS diagnosis. A cessation of therapy in our data might have meant that the patient stopped therapy because of non-adherence. Cessation also could have meant one of the following possibilities: the patient moved away from the region that is covered by the DAPI database; the patient received escalation therapy (2.1% of the cases); the physician decided for any other reason to stop therapy; or the patient became pregnant. Results calculated from claims data can only estimate compliance based on dispensing the medication to the patient. However, no information was available as to whether the prescribed medication was actually applied. The assumption that the patient has complied with a prescribed medication may be open to question. For example, Grymonpre et al. compared compliance derived from patient diaries (94.8% of patients were compliant), tablet counts (65.1% of patients were compliant) and using claims data (89.1% of patients were compliant) and thus found big differences in compliance \[[@pone.0133279.ref036]\]. Secondary data analyses might be just one method among others like medical event monitoring, self-report, diaries which are all reasonable methods to describe adherence \[[@pone.0133279.ref037]\].

The authors thank Dr. Miriam Ude (former research fellow at DAPI) for her assistance in the design of the study and Friedemann Schmidt (ABDA President) for giving us the opportunity of collaboration between ABDA and Technical University Dresden.

[^1]: **Competing Interests:**The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

[^2]: Conceived and designed the experiments: KH JK. Analyzed the data: MK JW KS NS. Wrote the paper: KH RF DP MS.


/*
 * Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one or more contributor license
 * agreements. See the NOTICE file distributed with this work for additional information regarding
 * copyright ownership. The ASF licenses this file to You under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the
 * "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance with the License. You may obtain a
 * copy of the License at
 *
 * http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
 *
 * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software distributed under the License
 * is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express
 * or implied. See the License for the specific language governing permissions and limitations under
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 */
package org.apache.geode.internal.cache;

import static org.apache.geode.test.awaitility.GeodeAwaitility.await;
import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThat;
import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
import static org.junit.Assert.assertNotEquals;

import java.util.stream.IntStream;

import org.junit.After;
import org.junit.Before;
import org.junit.Rule;
import org.junit.Test;

import org.apache.geode.cache.Cache;
import org.apache.geode.cache.CacheFactory;
import org.apache.geode.cache.EvictionAction;
import org.apache.geode.cache.EvictionAttributes;
import org.apache.geode.cache.RegionShortcut;
import org.apache.geode.cache.TransactionId;
import org.apache.geode.cache.client.ClientCache;
import org.apache.geode.cache.client.ClientCacheFactory;
import org.apache.geode.cache.client.ClientRegionShortcut;
import org.apache.geode.cache.server.CacheServer;
import org.apache.geode.test.dunit.VM;
import org.apache.geode.test.dunit.cache.internal.JUnit4CacheTestCase;
import org.apache.geode.test.dunit.rules.DistributedDiskDirRule;
import org.apache.geode.test.dunit.rules.DistributedRestoreSystemProperties;

public class PersistentRegionTransactionDUnitTest extends JUnit4CacheTestCase {

  private VM server;
  private VM client;
  private static final int KEY = 5;
  private static final String VALUE = "value 5";
  private static final String REGIONNAME = "region";

  @Rule
  public DistributedRestoreSystemProperties restoreSystemProperties =
      new DistributedRestoreSystemProperties();

  @Rule
  public DistributedDiskDirRule distributedDiskDir = new DistributedDiskDirRule();

  @Before
  public void allowTransactions() {
    server = VM.getVM(0);
    client = VM.getVM(1);
    server.invoke(() -> TXManagerImpl.ALLOW_PERSISTENT_TRANSACTIONS = true);
  }

  @After
  public void disallowTransactions() {
    server.invoke(() -> TXManagerImpl.ALLOW_PERSISTENT_TRANSACTIONS = false);

  }

  @Test
  public void clientTransactionCanGetNotRecoveredEntryOnPersistentOverflowRegion()
      throws Exception {
    createServer(server, true, false);
    putData(server);
    server.invoke(() -> getCache().close());
    int port = createServer(server, true, false);

    client.invoke(() -> {
      ClientCacheFactory factory = new ClientCacheFactory().addPoolServer("localhost", port);
      ClientCache cache = getClientCache(factory);
      cache.getCacheTransactionManager().begin();
      try {
        assertEquals(VALUE, cache.createClientRegionFactory(ClientRegionShortcut.PROXY)
            .create(REGIONNAME).get(KEY));
      } finally {
        cache.getCacheTransactionManager().rollback();
      }
    });
  }

  private void putData(final VM server) {
    server.invoke(() -> {
      IntStream.range(0, 20)
          .forEach(index -> getCache().getRegion(REGIONNAME).put(index, "value " + index));
    });
  }

  private int createServer(final VM server, boolean isOverflow, boolean isAsyncDiskWrite) {
    return server.invoke(() -> {
      if (!isOverflow) {
        System.setProperty(DiskStoreImpl.RECOVER_VALUE_PROPERTY_NAME, "false");
      }
      CacheFactory cacheFactory = new CacheFactory();
      Cache cache = getCache(cacheFactory);
      cache.createDiskStoreFactory().setQueueSize(3).setTimeInterval(10000).create("disk");
      if (isOverflow) {
        cache.createRegionFactory(RegionShortcut.REPLICATE_PERSISTENT)
            .setDiskSynchronous(!isAsyncDiskWrite).setDiskStoreName("disk")
            .setEvictionAttributes(
                EvictionAttributes.createLRUEntryAttributes(1, EvictionAction.OVERFLOW_TO_DISK))
            .create(REGIONNAME);
      } else {
        cache.createRegionFactory(RegionShortcut.REPLICATE_PERSISTENT).create(REGIONNAME);
      }
      CacheServer cacheServer = cache.addCacheServer();
      cacheServer.setPort(0);
      cacheServer.start();
      return cacheServer.getPort();
    });
  }

  @Test
  public void clientTransactionCanGetEvictedEntryOnPersistentOverflowRegion() throws Exception {
    int port = createServer(server, true, false);
    putData(server);
    client.invoke(() -> {
      ClientCacheFactory factory = new ClientCacheFactory().addPoolServer("localhost", port);
      ClientCache cache = getClientCache(factory);
      cache.getCacheTransactionManager().begin();
      try {
        assertEquals(VALUE, cache.createClientRegionFactory(ClientRegionShortcut.PROXY)
            .create(REGIONNAME).get(KEY));
      } finally {
        cache.getCacheTransactionManager().rollback();
      }
    });
  }

  @Test
  public void transactionCanGetEvictedEntryOnPersistentOverflowRegion() throws Exception {
    createServer(server, true, false);
    putData(server);
    server.invoke(() -> {
      LocalRegion region = (LocalRegion) getCache().getRegion(REGIONNAME);
      await()
          .untilAsserted(() -> assertThat(region.getValueInVM(KEY)).isNull());
      getCache().getCacheTransactionManager().begin();
      try {
        assertEquals(VALUE, region.get(KEY));
      } finally {
        cache.getCacheTransactionManager().rollback();
      }
    });
  }

  @Test
  public void transactionCanGetNotRecoveredEntryOnPersistentOverflowRegion() throws Exception {
    createServer(server, true, false);
    putData(server);
    server.invoke(() -> getCache().close());
    createServer(server, true, false);
    server.invoke(() -> {
      LocalRegion region = (LocalRegion) getCache().getRegion("region");
      getCache().getCacheTransactionManager().begin();
      try {
        assertEquals(VALUE, region.get(KEY));
      } finally {
        cache.getCacheTransactionManager().rollback();
      }
    });
  }

  @Test
  public void transactionCanGetNotRecoveredEntryOnPersistentRegion() throws Exception {
    createServer(server, false, false);
    putData(server);
    server.invoke(() -> getCache().close());
    createServer(server, false, false);
    server.invoke(() -> {
      LocalRegion region = (LocalRegion) getCache().getRegion("region");
      assertThat(region.getValueInVM(KEY)).isNull();
      getCache().getCacheTransactionManager().begin();
      try {
        assertEquals(VALUE, region.get(KEY));
      } finally {
        cache.getCacheTransactionManager().rollback();
      }
    });
  }

  @Test
  public void clientTransactionCanGetNotRecoveredEntryOnPersistentRegion() throws Exception {
    createServer(server, false, false);
    putData(server);
    server.invoke(() -> getCache().close());
    int port = createServer(server, false, false);

    client.invoke(() -> {
      ClientCacheFactory factory = new ClientCacheFactory().addPoolServer("localhost", port);
      ClientCache cache = getClientCache(factory);
      cache.getCacheTransactionManager().begin();
      try {
        assertEquals(VALUE, cache.createClientRegionFactory(ClientRegionShortcut.PROXY)
            .create(REGIONNAME).get(KEY));
      } finally {
        cache.getCacheTransactionManager().rollback();
      }
    });
  }

  @Test
  public void transactionCanUpdateEntryOnAsyncOverflowRegion() throws Exception {
    createServer(server, true, true);
    server.invoke(() -> {
      Cache cache = getCache();
      DiskStoreImpl diskStore = (DiskStoreImpl) cache.findDiskStore("disk");
      LocalRegion region = (LocalRegion) cache.getRegion("region");
      region.put(1, "value1");
      region.put(2, "value2"); // causes key 1 to be evicted and sits in the async queue
      TXManagerImpl txManager = getCache().getTxManager();
      txManager.begin();
      assertNotEquals(region.getValueInVM(1), Token.NOT_AVAILABLE);
      region.put(1, "new value");
      TransactionId txId = txManager.suspend();
      region.put(3, "value3");
      region.put(4, "value4");
      diskStore.flush();
      txManager.resume(txId);

      txManager.commit();

      assertEquals("new value", region.get(1));
    });
  }
}


A. R. Schwartz

Aaron Robert Schwartz, known as A. R. Schwartz or "Babe" Schwartz (July 17, 1926 – August 10, 2018), was an American politician who served in the Texas House of Representatives from 1955 to 1959 and in the Texas Senate, District 17 from 1960 to 1981, representing his native Galveston, Texas. He was known as a liberal "yellow-dog" Democrat.

Personal life
A. R. Schwartz, a Jewish Texan politician, attended Texas A&M University at College Station and the University of Texas School of Law at Austin. Schwartz served in the United States Navy during World War II. He was married to the former Marilyn Cohn of Harlingen, and they had four sons: Bob and Dick Schwartz, both of whom reside in Houston, John Schwartz, who lives in New Jersey, and Tom Schwartz, who lives in Florida. "Babe" Schwartz was a lawyer and a lobbyist.

Texas Legislature
Schwartz served in the Texas House of Representatives representing district 21-2 between January 11, 1955 and January 13, 1959. After serving in the house, he served in the Texas Senate for district 17 between January 9, 1960 and January 13, 1981. Additionally, while in the Texas Senate he served as president pro tempore between March 31, 1965 and January 14, 1966 during part of the 59th legislature.

As a legislator, he specialized in legislation to protect the environment and manage the resources of coastal areas, and earned a reputation as a fiery liberal speaker and a wit. In Molly Ivins's book "Molly Ivins Can't Say That, Can She?," Ivins referred to Schwartz as a "white-maned pixie" and called him one of the legislature's "excellent orators." Reporter Patricia Kilday Hart referred to Schwartz in the Houston Chronicle "as one of the most liberal, yellow-dog Democrats ever to serve in the Texas Legislature."  In "[Confessions of a Maddog: A Romp Through the High-Flying Texas Music and Literary Era of the Fifties to the Seventies]", Jay Dunston Milner referred to Schwartz, along with Bob Eckhardt, John Henry Faulk, Maury Maverick, Jr., and others, as being among those in the 1960s who "fought the good fight against the Philistines. They lost most of the time, of course--the Philistines were in the majority. But they won a skirmish here and a point there, anyway, which was better than nothing."  Texas Monthly took note, stating that during the sixties and seventies, the best entertainment the Capitol had to offer was the oratory of Senator Schwartz. Schwartz was also named one of the "Ten Best Legislators" by Texas Monthly four times. The first time, in 1973, the magazine called him "the most complex, remarkable man in the Senate" and "one of the most consistently influential members."  As a legislator, Schwartz was known for his spirited feuds, in particular with fellow state senators William T. "Bill" Moore of Bryan, called "the Bull of the Brazos" and William Neff Patman, son of former U.S. Representative Wright Patman. In a dispute with Hilmar Moore, the longtime mayor of Richmond, Texas, over Moore's appointment to the state's Public Welfare Board, Schwartz said,  “You can have that job over my dead body.” Moore replied, “Senator, I can’t think of any other way I’d rather have it.”

In the 1979 legislative session, Schwartz helped lead the "Killer Bees," a group of state senators who brought the legislature to a standstill by going into hiding and breaking the Senate quorum. During his tenure as a lawmaker, he served on every major committee of the legislature, and served as the chairman of the Rules, Jurisprudence and Natural Resources Committees.

Schwartz was defeated in the 1980 election by Republican J. E. "Buster" Brown, a candidate who was recruited by then 29-year-old Karl Rove,  working at the time for Texas Governor Bill Clements. After his defeat, Schwartz has worked as a lobbyist. Decades after his defeat, however, he remained a newsworthy figure: the Galveston County Daily News, in November 2007, published a story on one of its blogs stating that the "legendary Texas lawmaker" had not, in fact, died. Schwartz s continued to work with the legislature even as he left the Senate. In October 2008, he was appointed to the House Select Committee on Hurricane Ike Storm Devastation to the Texas Gulf Coast by the then-Speaker of the House, Tom Craddick, as the committee's public member. In May 2016, Galveston named a stretch of restored beach "Babe's Beach" in his honor. At the ceremony, Mayor Jim Yarbrough said, “We should have done this for Babe Schwartz many years ago. ... you've given a lifetime of commitment not only to Galveston and our community, but to this state."

Media appearances
Schwartz became a lobbyist and legislative consultant on local, state and national issues. He has appeared in the PBS documentary Vote For Me: Politics in America (1996) and Bush's Brain (2006). Between 1996 and 2005, he taught Legislation and Coastal Zone Management Law at the University of Houston Law Center as an adjunct professor. In 2009, he began teaching Coastal and Ocean Law at the University of Texas School of Law. In September 2008, he was quoted in The New York Times on the subject of damage to Galveston from Hurricane Ike and other hurricanes over the years. The 1900 Galveston hurricane that devastated Galveston, he said, was a “message from God.” He explained: “God’s message was, ‘man wasn’t meant to live on no damned island.’”  In an Associated Press story after Hurricane Ike about the fact that the 1959 Texas Open Beaches Act, a state law protecting public access to beaches might cause some Galveston-area homes to be seized by the state, Schwartz said, ""We're talking about damn fools that have built houses on the edge of the sea for as long as man could remember and against every advice anyone has given." That story, in turn, led to an attack on Schwartz by radio commentator Rush Limbaugh, who said, "You know, folks, it’s one thing to be smacked by a natural disaster; it’s quite another to have to be smacked around by the government that you’re looking to for help." His oral history for the Texas Legacy Project is featured on the project's site  and in a 2010 book published from those interviews.

Political critic
He remained a keen observer of Texas politics, and his comments appeared in The New York Times, the Washington Post, 60 Minutes and many Texas newspapers and magazines. When Republican congressman Tom DeLay was first indicted in October 2005, many commentators predicted that he would bounce back politically; Schwartz, however, told The New York Times that "He's been gut-shot politically,"  and was proven right as DeLay never again sought office.

References

External links
RITUALS; In Texas, a Family Responds to the Call of the Hunt New York Times
Blunt and Driven, Texas Democrat Becomes a Master of Raising Cash New York Times

Category:Texas state senators
Category:Members of the Texas House of Representatives
Category:Jewish American politicians
Category:Texas A&M University alumni
Category:University of Texas School of Law alumni
Category:Jews and Judaism in Galveston, Texas
Category:Jewish American attorneys
Category:1926 births
Category:2018 deaths
Category:People from Galveston, Texas
Category:Military personnel from Texas
Category:Texas lawyers
Category:Texas Democrats


it('should change state', function() {
  var inputs = element.all(by.model('color.name'));
  var color = element(by.binding('color.name'));

  expect(color.getText()).toContain('blue');

  inputs.get(0).click();
  expect(color.getText()).toContain('red');

  inputs.get(1).click();
  expect(color.getText()).toContain('green');
});


Quick Links

eCite Digital Repository

Citation

Park, H and Udalski, A and Han, C and Gould, A and Beaulieu, J-P and Tsapras, Y and Szymanski, MK and Kubiak, M and Soszynski, I and Pietrzynski, G and Poleski, R and Ulaczyk, K and Pietrukowicz, P and Kozlowski, S and Skowron, J and Wyrzykowski, L and Choi, J-Y and DePoy, DL and Dong, S and Gaudi, BS and Hwang, K-H and Jung, YK and Kavka, A and Lee, C-U and Monard, LAG and Park, B-G and Pogge, RW and Porritt, I and Shin, I-G and Yee, JC and Albrow, MD and Bennett, DP and Caldwell, JAR and Cassan, A and Coutures, C and Dominis, D and Donatowicz, J and Fouque, P and Greenhill, J and Huber, M and Jorgensen, UG and Kane, S and Kubas, D and Marquette, J-B and Menzies, J and Pitrou, C and Pollard, KR and Sahu, KC and Wambsganss, J and Williams, A and Zub, M and Allan, A and Bramich, DM and Browne, P and Dominik, M and Horne, K and Hundertmark, M and Kains, N and Snodgrass, C and Steele, IA and Street, RA, Gravitational binary-lens events with prominent effects of lens orbital motion, Astrophysical Journal, 778, (2) Article 134. ISSN 0004-637X (2013) [Refereed Article]


Vince,
We have not started our spring hiring yet.  However, we will review and let
him know we have an interest and tell him when we will be interviewing on
campus.  Thanks

Althea and Shelly,
Please keep track of his resume so that he is considered for a summer
position when we begin the spring recruiting.  Thanks

Vince J Kaminski@ECT
11/15/2000 07:39 AM
To: Charlene Jackson/Corp/Enron@ENRON
cc: Vince J Kaminski/HOU/ECT@ECT

Subject: Summer internship

Hello Charlene,

I am forwarding you a resume of a student from Berkeley.
We would  like very much to have him as a summer intern with my group.

Please, let me know if your program can accommodate him.

Vince

---------------------- Forwarded by Vince J Kaminski/HOU/ECT on 11/15/2000
07:44 AM ---------------------------

Ezequiel Luis <squiel@infosel.com> on 11/13/2000 04:23:23 PM
To: vkamins@enron.com
cc:
Subject: Summer internship

Dear Mr. Kaminski

I am currently pursuing the M.S. in IEOR at UC Berkeley. I attended the
speech you gave some weeks ago.

I am interested in summer internship positions available in Enron. You will
find enclosed my resume.

Sincerely,

Ezequiel Luis

Este mensaje fue enviado desde http://CommCenter.infosel.com

__________________________________________________
Internet Gratis
http://www.terra.com.mx/terralibre

 - Resume ELM.doc


Q:

R1 to R1 MATLAB function using values from vector

I have some efficiency problems in my code that I could solve easily saving the values of an R->R function in a table/vector, and using the vector to give the results instead of computing the function expression every time.
Is there an easy way to do it or I have to implement it for example using "find"?

A:

I think interp1 would do what you want, using the 'nearest' interpolation flag - check the documentation


The prior art is replete with gravity operated nonreturn insect traps, which employ a funnel shaped opening which deposits insects into a holding container or receptacle, from whence the insect cannot escape. Examples of these prior art devices may be seen by reference to the following U.S. Pat. Nos.; 21,726; 111,291; 400,460; 400,572 and 1,867,252.
As can be seen be reference to the above cited patents not only is the prior art very old, but there have not been any major improvements in the design and construction of this type of a device in recent times. Normally, this lack of activity would indicate that the design of this type of a device has been prefected to such a degree, that further improvements are not possible. However, that is not the case with the present invention, which represents a tremendous advancement over the prior art, particularly attractive reduced size roach traps which are currently being marketed.
Miniature or reduced size roach traps are attractive to the consumer, due to the fact that they can be placed in those out of the way inaccessable areas that roaches seem to prefer such as behind refrigeration , under sinks, next to pipe entries, etc.
One of the problems that arises when the prior art devices have been miniaturized is that the dynamics of entry of the insect is drastically altered, due to the proximity of the opposing walls of the funnel or chute.
This proximity of the wall surfaces, and the reduction in size of the chute opening allows a large roach to feel the opposite wall with its antenna. Once the insect is aware of the converging sruface it will instinctively reach for the surface to slow its descent into the trap, and if the roach is sufficiently large, it can oftentimes not only stop its downward travel, but also obtain enough purchase between the opposing surface to clamber out of the trap entirely.
It can be appreciated therefore that more than a mere reduction of dimension of the prior art devices is required to produce an efficient miniaturized roach trap, and that it was necessary to rethink the entire concept of the chute design, to produce an effective roach trap, which would not give the insect the opportunity to anticipate its impending predicament as it falls down the sides of the chute.
The results of that rethinking process are engodied in the present invention and mark the first true advancement in this area of technology in a substantial number of years.