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This article discusses the various considerations and options for planning a kitchen island. It highlights the versatility of kitchen islands, which can provide extra prep space, storage, and a place to sit, eat, and entertain. The article suggests considering a peninsular design for smaller spaces or to divide an open-plan area. It emphasizes the importance of maximizing storage and choosing a central spot for the island. The article also advises on selecting a durable worktop material, considering lighting needs, creating a sociable set-up, incorporating a sink and hob, and taking into account the room shape when designing the island. The article includes several photos showcasing different kitchen island designs and provides price ranges for various products mentioned. [Extracted from the article]

As more information about the virus emerged in the early months of 2020, it struck me that in some respects the pandemic more resembled a polio epidemic on a world scale than the 1918-19 Spanish flu outbreak to which it was often compared. Simple methods of combating the two viruses, such as handwashing, are the same: When Queen Elizabeth II visited Australia during a polio epidemic in 1954, there were fears that the crowds of schoolchildren assembling to greet her might pass the virus to one another and maybe even to the young monarch herself. Few people realized - certainly I didn't - that if polio epidemics were a product of modernity and not of backwardness, then the way might be open for other epidemics of equal or greater severity to appear. FEATURES I MUST HAVE BEEN UNLUCKY TO CATCH POLIO IN CORK, IRELAND, IN 1956, AS THIS was one of the last polio epidemics ever in Western Europe and the US. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the challenges and failures of incorporating artificial intelligence, particularly generative artificial intelligence (AI) similar to ChatGPT, in military intelligence systems, using the example of Shin Bet's experience in Israel and the Pentagon's efforts. Topics include the overconfidence in AI, the Pentagon's collaboration with Silicon Valley, and instances of technology not meeting expectations in military applications.

The increasing computational intensity of important new applications poses a challenge for their use in resource-restricted devices. Approximate computing using power-efficient arithmetic circuits is one of the emerging strategies to reach this objective. In this article, five hardware-efficient logarithmic floating-point (FP) multipliers are proposed, which all use simple operators, such as adders and multiplexers, to replace complex and more costly conventional FP multipliers. Radix-4 logarithms are used to further reduce the hardware complexity. These designs produce double-sided error distributions to mitigate error accumulation in complex computations. The proposed multipliers provide superior trade-offs between accuracy and hardware, with up to 30.8% higher accuracy than a recent logarithmic FP design or up to $68\times $ less energy than the conventional FP multiplier. Using the proposed FP logarithmic multipliers in JPEG image compression achieves higher image quality than a recent logarithmic multiplier design with up to 4.7 dB larger peak signal-to-noise ratio. For training in benchmark NN applications, the proposed FP multipliers can slightly improve the classification accuracy while achieving $4.2\times $ less energy and $2.2\times $ smaller area than the state-of-the-art design.

Personal computing has had a major effect on the way that many people work; whole organisations have been revolutionised by tools such as filing systems and word processors. Whilst personal computing has enhanced the execution of work it has largely failed to support the cooperative environment in which it is done. CSCW (Computer Supported Cooperative Work) aims to remove this artificial division caused by the systemic focus on the single user and to replace it with systems supporting the wider, social, web of cooperation. Unfortunately CSCW in practice has failed in this task. This paper briefly discusses the reasons for this failure, and proposes a "reflexive perspective" of CSCW as an emphasis shift in current CSCW research which, it is argued and demonstrated by example, will result in greater success for future cooperative systems.

Background/Objectives: Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is an inflammatory vascular disease in which prompt and accurate diagnosis is critical. The efficacy of temporal artery biopsy (TAB) is limited by ‘skip’ lesions and a delay in histological analysis. This first-in-man ex-vivo study aims to assess the accuracy of optical frequency domain imaging (OFDI) in diagnosing GCA. Subjects/Methods: 29 TAB samples of patients with suspected GCA were submerged in 0.9% sodium chloride and an OFDI catheter was passed through the lumen to create cross-sectional images prior to histological analysis. The specimens were then preserved in formalin for histological examination. Mean intimal thickness (MIT) on OFDI was measured, and the presence of both multinucleate giant cells (MNGCs) and fragmentation of the internal elastic lamina (FIEL) was assessed and compared with histology, used as the diagnostic gold standard. Results: MIT in patients with/without histological evidence of GCA was 0.425 mm (±0.43) and 0.13 mm (±0.06) respectively compared with 0.215 mm (±0.09) and 0.135 mm (±0.07) on OFDI. MIT measured by OFDI was significantly higher in patients with histologically diagnosed arteritis compared to those without (p= 0.0195). For detecting FIEL and MNGCs, OFDI had a sensitivity of 75% and 28.6% and a specificity of 100% and 77.3% respectively. Applying diagnostic criteria of MIT > 0.20 mm, or the presence of MNGCs or FIEL, the sensitivity of detecting histological arteritis using OFDI was 91.4% and the specificity 94.1%. Conclusions: OFDI provided rapid imaging of TAB specimens achieving a diagnostic accuracy comparable to histological examination. In-vivo imaging may allow imaging of a longer arterial section.

Knowledge of locations and activities of cis-regulatory elements (CREs) is needed to decipher basic mechanisms of gene regulation and to understand the impact of genetic variants on complex traits. Previous studies identified candidate CREs (cCREs) using epigenetic features in one species, making comparisons difficult between species. In contrast, we conducted an interspecies study defining epigenetic states and identifying cCREs in blood cell types to generate regulatory maps that are comparable between species, using integrative modeling of eight epigenetic features jointly in human and mouse in our Validated Systematic Integration (VISION) Project. The resulting catalogs of cCREs are useful resources for further studies of gene regulation in blood cells, indicated by high overlap with known functional elements and strong enrichment for human genetic variants associated with blood cell phenotypes. The contribution of each epigenetic state in cCREs to gene regulation, inferred from a multivariate regression, was used to estimate epigenetic state regulatory potential (esRP) scores for each cCRE in each cell type, which were used to categorize dynamic changes in cCREs. Groups of cCREs displaying similar patterns of regulatory activity in human and mouse cell types, obtained by joint clustering on esRP scores, harbor distinctive transcription factor binding motifs that are similar between species. An interspecies comparison of cCREs revealed both conserved and species-specific patterns of epigenetic evolution. Finally, we show that comparisons of the epigenetic landscape between species can reveal elements with similar roles in regulation, even in the absence of genomic sequence alignment.

An interview with artist Julie Cockburn is presented. Topics discussed include the historical evolution of collage art, tracing its origins from Cubist experimentation in the early 20th century to contemporary practices, the contributions of artists like Hannah Höch and Richard Hamilton and the resurgence of collage in the digital age.

ABSTRACTThis paper identifies a new discourse about tourism, that of final wish making. The website communications of charitable foundations whose dedicated purpose is to grant final wishes for adults with a terminal illness and their families were examined using critical discourse analysis. Specifically, the aim of this study was to understand how these charitable organisations construct, communicate and mediate meanings around terminal illness and travel for these individuals. Our study found that, promoted as a final wish in one’s life, tourism is framed as a transformational concept that is beneficial in the imminent time before death, as a legacy for life, and after death. Our analysis indicated implications around the memory-making potential of tourism and the differential power relations between final wish organisers and vulnerable individuals with a terminal illness. The paper calls for further research exploring the marginalisation of the terminally ill through tourism, but equally the potential of tourism to include the most vulnerable tourists in their final days.

The article discusses the historical significance of New Hampshire's presidential primary and its impact on Joe Biden's candidacy. It highlights the challenges Biden faces in this state and how he is trying to downplay its importance. Topics include the potential for Democratic insurgents like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Marianne Williamson to challenge Biden and the role of insurgent candidates in American politics.

Outsiders generally find it hard to grasp an essential truth about the US military machine, which is that war-fighting efficiency has a low priority by comparison with considerations of personal and internal bureaucratic advantage. FEATURES Innumerable wars originate, wrote Alexander Hamilton in Federalist No. 6, "entirely in private passions; in the attachments, enmities, interests, hopes, and fears of leading individuals in the communities of which they are members." In other words, the military is not generally interested in war, save as a means to budget enhancement. [Extracted from the article]

Automating your pharmacy with SynMed is a way to reduce the workload of your technicians, free up time while reducing errors, and focus on building patient relationships. It is also [...]

Our little group constructed a banner of unusual design, though it outwardly looked like any other Jubilee banner. JULY 7, 2023 This week's episode in the faltering "British Monarchy" series featured King Charles being presented with the Scottish crown jewels at a ceremony in Edinburgh. Worse was the realization that the folds of that banner could have held enough dynamite to blow the whole Jubilee procession to blazes. [Extracted from the article]

IMPORTANCE: Environmental and occupational toxicants have been shown to be associated with an increased prevalence of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). However, few to no studies have evaluated patients for CRS using objective testing and workup protocols that fulfill guidelines for CRS diagnostic criteria. Furthermore, no study, to our knowledge, has investigated the risks of CRS in the context of residential exposure through proximity to a commercial pesticide application site. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate associations of residential proximity to a commercial pesticide application site and the prevalence of CRS with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) and without nasal polyps (CRSwoNP). DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This was a retrospective cohort study of patients who presented to a tertiary care institution for rhinology evaluation between March 1, 2018, and December 31, 2022. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The outcome variable was the clinical diagnosis of CRS (CRSwNP, CRSwoNP, or non-CRS control). Patients’ residential addresses were utilized to determine pesticide exposure status based on a validated computational geographic information algorithm based on data from the California Pesticide Use Report System. The dichotomous independent variable of exposure status (exposed or non-exposed) was determined by assessing reports of any pesticide applications within 2000 m of each participant’s residence in 2017. Multivariable logistic regressions assessing CRS status and CRS subtypes were conducted with pesticide exposure as the primary covariate of interest. The primary study outcome and measurements as well as study hypothesis were all formulated before data collection. RESULTS: Among a total of 310 patients (90 CRSwNP, 90 CRSwoNP, and 130 control), the mean (SD) age was 50 (17) years; 164 (53%) were female. Race and ethnicity information was not considered. Controlling for patient demographic information, smoking history, county of residence, and medical comorbidities, pesticide exposure was associated with an approximately 2.5-fold increase in odds of CRS (adjusted odds ratio, 2.41; 95% CI, 1.49-3.90). Pesticide exposure was associated with similar risks for CRSwNP (adjusted relative risk ratio [aRRR], 2.34; 95% CI, 1.31-4.18) and CRSwoNP (aRRR, 2.42; 95% CI, 1.37-4.30). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The findings of this retrospective cohort study and analysis revealed that residential exposure to commercial pesticide application within a 2000-m buffer was independently associated with an approximately 2.5-fold increase in odds of being diagnosed with CRS. If validated by additional research, this association would have substantial implications for public health.

Malaria is caused by Plasmodiumspecies transmitted by Anophelesmosquitoes. Following a mosquito bite, Plasmodiumsporozoites migrate from skin to liver, where extensive replication occurs, emerging later as merozoites that can infect red blood cells and cause symptoms of disease. As liver tissue-resident memory T cells (Trm cells) have recently been shown to control liver-stage infections, we embarked on a messenger RNA (mRNA)-based vaccine strategy to induce liver Trm cells to prevent malaria. Although a standard mRNA vaccine was unable to generate liver Trm or protect against challenge with Plasmodium bergheisporozoites in mice, addition of an agonist that recruits T cell help from type I natural killer T cells under mRNA-vaccination conditions resulted in significant generation of liver Trm cells and effective protection. Moreover, whereas previous exposure of mice to blood-stage infection impaired traditional vaccines based on attenuated sporozoites, mRNA vaccination was unaffected, underlining the potential for such a rational mRNA-based strategy in malaria-endemic regions.

The authors discuss the problem of replication in computer science research. They mention the typical format for periodical articles reporting on a hypothesis and its testing, the effects of publication biases particularly on articles that present a null hypothesis, and present suggestions for improving the process.

The purpose of economic sanctions was aptly summarised back in 1960 by a US State Department official in a secret memo on Cuban sanctions 'to bring about hunger, desperation and [...]

Pharmacy automation is fast becoming a cornerstone of the pharmacy industry. Most pharmacies, whether they be independent, central fill or long-term care suppliers, have likely considered automation or already taken [...]

Q: While shopping around (dreaming?) about getting a small offshore cruiser, I see there are still a number of Pearson Triton 28s with Atomic 4 gas engines on the market. [...]

ASSAD OR WE BURN THE COUNTRYHow One Family's Lust for Power Destroyed SyriaBy Sam Dagher ''Bashar al-Assad assassinated!'' shouted a man as he cycled past Manaf Tlass, an exiled Syrian [...]

The article offers information on how increased Committee to Protect Journalists reported a record 363 journalists behind bars globally in 2022. Topics include information on Julian Assange's revelations of U.S. government secrets through WikiLeaks which included the number of civilians killed in Iraq and Afghanistan; British government's intentions for the inhabitants of Diego Garcia; and CIA's approach to targeted assassination.

The article offers information on the Ron DeSantis, an American politician, attorney, and former military officer serving as the 46th governor of Florida since 2019. It discusses his political model and how most Florida businesses pay no corporate taxes at all, partly through several easily exploitable loopholes; the few that do have had their tax bills slashed by an estimated 2.8 billion dollars; and mentions that DeSantis does not rely on a small group of seasoned, and trusted advisers.

Osteosarcoma (OST) and Ewing sarcoma (ES) are the most common pediatric bone cancers. Patients with metastatic disease at diagnosis have poorer outcomes compared with localized disease. Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registries, we identified children and adolescents diagnosed with OST or ES between 2004 and 2015. We examined whether demographic and socioeconomic disparities were associated with a higher likelihood of metastatic disease at diagnosis and poor survival outcomes. In OST, Hispanic patients and those living in areas of high language isolation were more likely to have metastatic disease at diagnosis. Regardless of metastatic status, OST patients with public insurance had increased odds of death compared to those with private insurance. Living in counties with lower education levels increased odds of death for adolescents with metastatic disease. In ES, non-White adolescents had higher odds of death compared with white patients. Adolescents with metastatic ES living in higher poverty areas had increased odds of death compared with those living in less impoverished areas. Disparities in both diagnostic and survival outcomes based on race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic factors exist in pediatric bone cancers, potentially due to barriers to care and treatment inequities.

Back in the 1960s, a senior Pentagon official would greet incoming recruits to his department with a cheery announcement: 'Welcome to the world of strategic analysis, where we program weapons [...]

Islamic State is still receiving significant financial support from Arab sympathisers outside Iraq and Syria, enabling it to expand its war effort, says a senior Kurdish official. The US has [...]

At 1:30 that afternoon Langenbach-someone who had campaigned fiercely to protect earthquake-damaged brick buildings from the wrecker's ball- had watched helplessly as 35,000 photographic slides of nineteenthcentury buildings burned blue when his house went up and, as was happening all around the East Bay, his history turned to ash. The rich in the Marina District in San Francisco who lost homes did so because the real estate industry had exploited unsuitable landfill and because budgetary cutbacks had reduced maintenance crews capable of turning off gas mains and the like. [Extracted from the article]

HM: Mao challenged the idea that economic planning would dissolve conflicts of interest between people. Marx, if he had come back alive, would have said, Mao's his boy I haven't seen anything in Marx that isn't good. Mao is the only real Marxist at the leadership level in the post-Marx world. [Extracted from the article]

Alfred Knopf, publisher of Mencken's American Mercury, had famously reproved Mencken for being credulous about Hitler. "If I am alive two or three years hence", Mencken wrote in his diary in 1931, "I shall tackle Homo Sapiens, a large treatise on the human race setting forth all my ideas on the subject. The diary's editor, Charles Fecher, declares that the entries establish that Mencken was an anti-Semite, a charge against which he had previously defended him. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses political history scholar Walter Karp's view of the American political establishment that is useful in 2022. Topics covered include politicians' focus on the pursuit and retention of power and their attendant abuses, the partisanship of the Supreme Court, and the necessary judgment of public officials by what they do. Also noted is Karp's analysis of the actions and motives of Democratic presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, and Lyndon B. Johnson.

We present a newclass of discontinuous Galerkin methods for the space discretization of the time-dependent Maxwell equations whose main feature is the use of time derivativesand/or time integralsin the stabilizationpart of their numerical traces. These numerical traces are chosen in such a way that the resulting semidiscrete schemes exactly conserve a discrete version of the energy. We introduce four model ways of achieving this and show that, when using the mid-point rule to march in time, the fully discrete schemes also conserve the discrete energy. Moreover, we propose a new three-step technique to devise fully discrete schemes of arbitrary order of accuracy which conserve the energy in time. The first step consists in transforming the semidiscrete scheme into a Hamiltonian dynamical system. The second step consists in applying a symplectic time-marching method to this dynamical system in order to guarantee that the resulting fully discrete method conserves the discrete energy in time. The third and last step consists in reversing the above-mentioned transformation to rewrite the fully discrete scheme in terms of the original variables.

The article discusses about women's right to abortion in different countries and its effect on women's social and personal life. Topics discussed include the Catholic Church in Ireland imposing restrictions on many aspects of women's life including right to abortion, it also discusses the decision by U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe vs. Wade case; and discussed how the court decision has been used by Democratic party as a political tool.

A few days after the US/Soviet announcement, the one-eyed ex-general demanded that Carter state publicly that he stood by all secret agreements reached with Israel by previous administrations. Carter, he said, had told President Sadat of Egypt that the US would get Israel to retreat to the 1967 borders and to agree to the establishment of a Palestinian state. MAY 19, 2021 Israeli hostility to Jimmy Carter went back to the early days of his administration when he had given indications that he might actually be serious about pressuring Israel to make concessions to the Palestinians living under its occupation, and had even made reference to a Palestinian "homeland.". [Extracted from the article]