text:
(1) Species that contain genes encoding homologs associated with

(1) Species that contain genes encoding homologs associated with erythritol, adonitol and CA-4948 L-arabitol

catabolism. This includes S. meliloti, S. medicae, S. fredii, M. loti, M. opportunism, M. ciceri, R. denitrificans and R. litoralis. These genomes contained homologs to genes that encode enzymes specifically involved erythritol catabolism such as EryC, and TpiB as well as specifically involved in adonitol and L-arabitol catabolism including LalA, and RbtBC. They also contain genes encoding an ABC transporter homologous to the S. meliloti erythritol, adonitol and L-arabitol transporter (MptABCDE) and do not encode homologs to the R. leguminosarum erythritol transporter (EryEFG). One notable exception is M. ciceri which encodes EryEFG homologs rather than MptABCDE (Table  2). (2) Species that contain all the genes associated with erythritol catabolism, but lack the genes associated with adonitol or L-arabitol catabolism. These species include R. leguminosarum bvs. viciae and trifolii, A. radiobacter, O. anthropi, B. suis, B. melitensis, and E. fergusonii. These loci encode EryABCDR-TpiB as well as homologs to the R. leguminosarum ABC transporter EryEFG, but lack genes encoding homologs to enzymes associated specifically with adonitol and L-arabitol catabolism

or the S. meliloti transport protein MptABCDE. E. fergusonii contains the most minimal set of homologs to erythritol genes of all the genomes investigated, and did not encode EryR and TpiB. (3) AZD1390 in vivo Species that do not encode the specifically erythritol associated EryC, EryR, and TpiB, but encode the adonitol/L-arabitol catabolic complement LalA-RbtABC and homologs to the S. meliloti polyol transporter MptABCDE. These include Bradyrhizobium spp. BTAi1 and ORS278, A. multivorum, A. cryptum and V. eiseniae. The genetic Tideglusib chemical structure structure of erythritol loci The genetic context of eryA in each of the genomes in our data set supported that aminophylline each of these organisms contained an erythritol locus. A

physical map of the loci in each of these organisms is depicted in Figure  1. Of note, a number of putative erythritol loci were identified in organisms with incomplete genome sequences at the time of analysis, and thus are not discussed here, including: Octadecabacter antarcticus, Pelagibaca bermudensis Enterobacter hormaechei, Fulvimarina pelagi, Aurantimonas sp. SI85-9A1, Roseibium sp. TrichSKD4, Burkholderia thailandensis and Stappia aggregata. The putative erythritol loci of bacteria in our data set ranged in genetic complexity with the loci from S. meliloti and S. medicae containing 17 different genes, to the simplest being the locus of E. fergusonii, which contained only two divergently transcribed operons that are homologous to the eryEFG and eryABCD loci of R. leguminosarum. A number of species contained loci that were identical in content and arrangement to the R.

Insects living on unbalanced nutritional diets house

Insects living on unbalanced nutritional diets house LXH254 mouse so-called obligate endosymbionts, which interfere in the early stages of host embryogenesis with the differentiation of specialized host cells (the bacteriocytes) that isolate the endosymbionts and protect them from the host immune systemic response [6, 8]. In addition to the primary endosymbiont, which is fixed in all host populations and is essential for host fitness and survival, insects may integrate,

during their evolutionary history, secondary endosymbionts that are facultative and have an impact on other biological and ecological features of the host [9, 10]. Evidence of symbiont elimination and displacement has also been reported in weevils [11, 12] and suspected in other insect groups where multiple

bacterial species are coexisting within a single host lineage [13, 14]. Once established within the host, endosymbionts can experience severe genome size Trichostatin A reduction due to relaxed evolutionary pressures on the genes that are unnecessary or redundant with respect to the host functions [15–17]. As reported in Sodalis, the secondary endosymbiont of the tsetse fly, gene mutation and deletion processes can also affect cell membrane components and genes encoding Microbe-Associated Molecular Patterns (MAMPs) [18]. As these elements are essential for bacterial perception by the host immune system, the complexity of molecular cross-talk between partners may evolve according to the Inositol oxygenase level of bacterial genomic degeneration and, hence, according to the age of the association. However, while physiological and evolutionary aspects of insect endosymbiosis have been

thoroughly investigated over the past decades, very little is known about the molecular mechanisms that permit the establishment of symbiosis and then the maintenance and the regulation of symbiotic intracellular bacteria. Important questions concern, first, how endosymbionts are recognized and tolerated by the host immune system, secondly how cellular pathways are regulated to prevent bacteriocyte cell disorders and death due to chronic infection with endosymbionts and, thirdly, how does endosymbiosis influence host immunocompetence directed at pathogens? In Drosophila melanogaster, microbe recognition leads to signal production via four pathways (Toll, Immune Deficiency (IMD), JNK, and JAK/STAT) [19–21]. Each pathway responds to particular types of pathogens, i.e. Gram-positive bacteria and fungi for Toll and Gram-negative bacteria for IMD. Signalling through the Toll receptor activates a set of phosphorylating reactions involving complex adaptors. An inhibitor protein, called Cactus, is degraded, thus releasing its associated nuclear factor protein, called Dorsal-related Immunity Factor (DIF), which translocates into the nucleus and induces antimicrobial peptide genes. The Imd PS-341 mw protein is upstream of two separate pathways.

5 mmol/l or ≥5 5 mmol/l; or uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, as di

5 mmol/l or ≥5.5 mmol/l; or uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, as diagnosed by a plasma fasting glucose concentration >11.0 mmol/l or a plasma glycosylated hemoglobin concentration >8.5 %; and patients who were taking antidepressant medication or were allergic to the study medication. The following diseases or conditions did not lead to exclusion:

a history buy Gemcitabine of stroke (excluding transient ischemic attack) at least 6 months prior to inclusion; the presence of coronary heart disease (a documented coronary atherosclerosis or stenosis); evidence of arrhythmia (on an electrocardiogram); dyslipidemia (a serum total cholesterol concentration ≥6.22 mmol/l, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol ≥4.14 mmol/l, or triglycerides ≥2.26 mmol/l,

or use of statins); controlled diabetes mellitus (a fasting plasma glucose concentration from 7.1 to 11.0 mmol/l or on oral antidiabetic drugs or insulin); and chronic kidney disease (albuminuria or a serum creatinine concentration from 132.6 to 176.8 μmol/l in men and 123.8 to 176.8 μmol/l in women). 2.3 Efficacy and BIIB057 price safety Evaluations The primary efficacy variable was the goal blood pressure-attaining rate at the end of the 12-week study. The goal blood pressure was defined as a systolic/diastolic blood pressure of <140/90 or <130/80 mmHg in the absence or presence of diabetes mellitus, respectively. Secondary efficacy variables included changes from baseline in systolic selleck compound and diastolic blood pressure at 4, 8, and 12 weeks of follow-up, and in the echocardiographically measured left ventricular mass and urinary albumin excretion as measured on a first morning void urine sample at 12 weeks of follow-up. We defined

left ventricular hypertrophy as a left ventricular mass index of at least Vildagliptin 112 g/m² in men and 105 g/m² in women, and microalbuminuria as a urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio of at least 2.5 mg/mmol in men and 3.5 mg/mmol in women. All adverse events were documented for information on symptoms, severity, relation to the study medication, intervention, and outcome. Routine biochemical tests of blood and urine were performed for clinical laboratory safety evaluations. Any clinically significant changes in physical examinations or laboratory findings were recorded as adverse events. 2.4 Statistical Analysis We performed intention-to-treat and per-protocol analyses in all patients who entered the study treatment period and in the patients who completed the 12-week study on study drugs, respectively. The safety analysis was performed in all patients who had ever started the study treatment. Continuous and categorical variables were analyzed using the Student’s t test and χ 2 test, respectively. Normality of distributions was evaluated by the Shapiro–Wilk statistic.

01; Figure  4A) and FC-IBC-02 (P < 0 01; Figure  4C) However, th

01; Figure  4A) and FC-IBC-02 (P < 0.01; Figure  4C). However, the difference was not statistically significant compared with AZD8931 alone. Figure 4 AZD8931 inhibits the growth of SUM149 and FC-IBC-02 cells in vivo in SCID mice. SUM149 (A) and FC-IBC-02 (C) cells were orthotopically transplanted into the mammary fat

pads of SCID mice. Animals were randomized into groups (n = 5/group) when tumor volumes were approximately 50–80 mm3. AZD8931 was AG-120 ic50 given by oral gavage at doses of 25 mg/kg per day, 5 days/week for 4 weeks. Paclitaxel was given twice weekly by subcutaneously injection at 10 mg/kg for 4 weeks. The mean tumor volumes were measured at the time points indicated. In SUM149 xenografts (A), *P < 0.01 (vs. control), **P = 0.01 (vs. paclitaxel + AZD8931). In FC-IBC-02 xenografts (C), *P < 0.001 (vs. control), **P < 0.01 (vs. paclitaxel + AZD8931). SUM149 (B) and FC-IBC-02 (D), the size of tumors was measured by weights (mg) after tumors were removed from KPT-8602 cell line mice at the end of experiments. The data shown represent the mean of tumor weights with SD. *P < 0.05 (vs. control); **P < 0.01 compared to control. The combination of paclitaxel + AZD8931 compared with paclitaxel (P = 0.008, SUM149; P = 0.001, FC-IBC-02). In addition, we also examined the weight of xenografted tumors at the end of study. The inhibitory

pattern of tumor size following different treatments was very similar to that seen in tumor growth curves in both IBC models. The combination of paclitaxel + AZD8931 was more effective at before reducing tumor sizes than all of the other treatment groups. The difference was also significant for paclitaxel + AZD8931 versus paclitaxel alone in

SUM149 (P = 0.008; Figure  4B) and FC-IBC-02 (P = 0.001; Figure  4D) models. Compared with AZD8931 alone, the difference was marginally significant for SUM149 tumors (P = 0.056) and FC-IBC-02 tumors (P = 0.07).Finally, we examined the expression of total EGFR, HER2, HER3, phosphorylated EGFR, phosphorylated HER2, and phosphorylated HER3 in SUM149 xenografted tumors by immunohistochemistry. As expected, high level expression of EGFR and low levels of HER2 and HER3 expression were observed in both AZD8931-treated and control tumors. The expression of phosphorylated EGFR, HER2, and HER3 was inhibited in AZD8931-treated tumors compared with control tumors (Figure  5A). The average of pathologist’s H-score for both membrane and cytoplasmic staining was shown in Figure  5B. Together, we selleck products conclude that AZD8931 significantly inhibits tumor growth in HER2 non-amplified IBC xenograft models by inhibiting EGFR, HER2 and HER3 phosphorylation. The combination of paclitaxel + AZD8931 was more effective than single agent paclitaxel or AZD8931 alone at delaying tumor growth. Figure 5 AZD8931 inhibits EGFR pathway protein expression in vivo . A.

M Lipoproteins 3 7 3 3 A 1 127 AmfS Peptide Exporter (AmfS-E) Pe

M. Lipoproteins 3 7 3 3.A.1.127 AmfS Peptide Exporter (AmfS-E) Peptides, Morphogens 2 2   3.A.1.129 CydDC Cysteine Exporter (CydDC-E) Cysteine 1 1   3.A.1.132 Gliding Motility ABC Transporter (Gld) Polysaccharides, Copper Ions 2   2 3.A.1.134 Peptide-7 Exporter (Pep7E) Peptides, Bacteriocins 3 1   3.A.1.135 Drug Exporter-4 (DrugE4) Drugs 1 2   3.A.1.140 FtsX/FtsE Septation

(FtsX/FtsE) Septation   1 selleck chemical 1 3.A.1.141 Ethyl Viologen Exporter (EVE) Ethylviologen   2 2 3.A.1.201 Multidrug Resistance Exporter (MDR) Drugs, Fatty Acids, Lipids 1   2 3.A.1.204 Eye Pigment Precursor Transporter (EPP) Pigments, Drugs, Hemes 2 1   3.A.1.210 Heavy Metal Transporter (HMT) Drugs, Metal Conjugates, Heme 1 1 1 Numbers of integral membrane ABC export proteins in Sco and Mxa arranged by family. ATPases in Sco and Mxa Both Sco and Mxa have a single F-type ATPase as indicated by the 3 integral membrane constituents listed in Additional file 1: Table

S1 and Additional file 2: Table S2. These enzymes function to interconvert chemiosmotic energy (the proton motive force, pmf) with chemical energy (ATP). They both also have an H+-translocating pyrophosphatase complex. P-type ATPases in general appear to function in mediating stress responses in prokaryotes, and their occurrence by selleck Family in numerous organismal types has been defined [90, 91]. Sco has eight such enzymes while Mxa has seven. buy AZD1152 While only Mxa has a Ca2+-ATPase (Family 2) and only Sco has a heavy metal ATPase (Family 6), both have the three components of Kdp-type K+ uptake ATPases as well as three distinct copper ATPases. Remaining P-type ATPases in these organisms are functionally uncharacterized. Sco has two

members of Family 23 and one member of Family 25 while Mxa has one member each of Families 27 and 32. While Family 23 members are of the type 2 ATPases with 10 TMSs, Families 25, 27 and 32 have the basic type 1 topology of 6 TMSs plus or minus one or two extra N-terminal TMSs [91]. One member of Family 27 has been shown to function in the insertion of copper into copper-dependent oxidases, such as cytochrome oxidase, but not in copper tolerance [92]. This is probably the function of the enzyme in Mxa. Since both organisms have complete Urocanase cytochrome oxidase systems, it may be that Sco uses an alternative mechanism to insert copper during the biogenesis of this enzyme complex. Possibly, it uses one of its three copper ATPases. Protein secretion As expected, both organisms have the general secretory pathway for protein export (TC# 3.A.5) as well as the Twin arginine targeting (Tat) protein secretion system (TC# 2.A.64) and the DNA translocase (DNA-T). Sco, but not Mxa, appears to have a type IV protein/DNA secretion system (found in both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria). However, only Mxa has components of type II (MTB) and type III protein secretion systems, both present in certain Gram-negative bacteria but lacking in Gram-positive bacteria [93, 94].

The newly developed assay described here is rapid, low-cost, and

The newly developed assay described here is rapid, low-cost, and time-saving, providing a useful tool for both basic research and epidemiological investigation. Methods Cells, virus and antibodies Baby hamster kidney cells (BHK-21) and African green monkey kidney (Vero) cells were cultured in Dulbecco’s Modified Essential Medium (DMEM; Invitrogen) supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS; Hyclone) and 1% penicillin–streptomycin at 37°C in a 5% CO2. Human erythroleukemic K562 cells were maintained in RPMI 1640 medium (Invitrogen) supplemented with 10%

FBS (GIBCO) at 37°C INCB028050 manufacturer in a 5% CO2. The reporter Luc-DENV has been previously described [9] and was prepared and tittered in Vero cells. The following characterized monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against DENV were used in this study: 4G2, 2B8 and 2A10G6. Clinical samples Serum samples were collected from Rhesus monkeys (#175, #052) immunized with a single dose of a live attenuated DENV (unpublished data), and serum SN-38 ic50 from the unimmunized

animal was set as negative control (#NS). Human convalescent sera from DF patients (#19-20, #37-20, #37-30) and control serum negative for DENV (#NC) were from Guangzhou No.8 People’s Hospital, Guangzhou, China. All samples were inactivated at 56°C for 30 min before assay. Plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT) PRNT were performed as previously described [12]. Briefly, 2 × 105 cells/well of BHK-21 cells were seeded into 12-well plates and incubated overnight. 100 μl serially diluted www.selleckchem.com/products/mk-4827-niraparib-tosylate.html antibody samples were mixed with an equal volume of Luc-DENV containing 30 PFU. After 1 h incubation, 200 μL of antibody-virus mixture was added to BHK-21 cell monolayer in 12-well plates for another 1 h. Next, the supernatant was removed, and cells were overlaid with 1 mL of 1.0% (w/v) agarose (Promega) in DMEM containing 4% FBS. After further incubation at 37°C for 4 days, the overlay was removed,

and cells were fixed with 4% formaldehyde for 30 min, and stained with 1% (w/v) crystal violet. DMEM served as negative control, and each sample was assayed in triplicate. Plaques were counted and PRNT50 is defined as the antibody dilution resulting in 50% plaque reduction referred to negative control. Luc-base neutralization assay Luc-based neutralization assay was performed in 12-well plates, and the procedure was similar to the conventional PRNT assay. Briefly, virus-antibody mixture was Sitaxentan added to BHK-21 cells in 12-well plates and adsorbed for 1 h at 37°C. Supernatant was removed and 1 mL DMEM-2% FBS was replenished onto cells. After 48 h incubation at 37°C, the supernatant was removed, cells were lysed with 250 μl lysates (Promega) per well for 15 minutes. 50 μl lysed suspension was assayed for enzyme activities after adding 100 μl substrate reagent. Data was collected using a continuous-read luminometer (GLOMAX 96 Microplate Luminometer, Promega) integrated over 10 seconds with a 2 second delay. Medium served as negative control, each sample was assay in triplicate.

To validate the microarray results, quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR)

To validate the microarray results, quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) of selected genes was performed. Five of the genes were selected from the up-regulated group and the other five from the down-regulated group in the polyP-treated P. gingivalis cells. We used 16S rRNA as a reference gene for normalization of the qRT-PCR data. There was a high correlation

between the expression ratios determined by the microarray and the qRT-PCR (r = 0.926) (Figure 2). Figure 1 Differential gene expression in P. gingivalis W83 by CB-839 polyP75 treatment. Differentially expressed genes with 1.5 fold change and P-value < 0.05 were plotted. X-axis presents fold difference between log2 expression of polyP75 treatment and no treatment, and y-axis shows the –log10 P -value. Up-regulated genes (over-expressed in polyP75 treatment) were represented as red color and down-regulated genes were colored in blue. Figure 2 Comparison Stattic cost of transcription measurements by microarray and qRT-PCR. The relative transcription levels for 10 genes are listed in Table 6. The qRT-PCR log2 values were plotted against the microarray data log2 values.

The selleck chemical correlation coefficient (r) for comparison of the two datasets is 0. 92. To broadly characterize the differentially expressed gene (DEG, up- and down-regulated genes) set, GO category enrichment analysis was performed. This analysis identified distinct biological themes associated with each group of the up-regulated and the down-regulated genes. The down-regulated genes were associated with GO terms

related to metabolic process (GO:0008152, P = 0.0004), pyridine nucleotide biosynthetic PIK-5 process (GO:0019363, P = 0.0012), regulation of cell shape (GO:0008360, P = 0.002), and polysaccharide biosynthetic process (GO:0000271, P = 0.0015). The up-regulated genes were associated with GO terms related to cellular iron ion homeostasis (GO:0006879, P < 0.0001), ribosome (GO:0005840, P = 0.0032), transposase activity (GO:0004803, P < 0.0001), and DNA binding (GO:0003677, P < 0.0001). Using 202 DEGs belonging to the above biological themes, we generated the protein-protein interaction network based on a database of known and predicted protein interactions. The network analysis identified 162 DEGs that have direct interaction with one another (Figure 3), and 5 biological meaningful clusters related to 1) iron/hemin acquisition, 2) energy metabolism and electron carriers, 3) cell envelope and cell division, 4) ribosome, and 5) transposon functions. Figure 3 Protein-protein interaction network of differentially expressed functional genes. The network was constructed based on the STRING database. Nodes (symbolized as circles and square) and edges (linking lines) represent DEGs and interactions among DEGs, respectively. Up-regulated genes were represented as a circular shape and down-regulated genes were presented as a square shape. Node color represents the functional annotation of each gene.

1 mmol/kg) Animals were anaesthetised via i p application of ke

1 mmol/kg). Animals were anaesthetised via i.p. application of ketamine/xylazine mixture prior to imaging. Body weight was assessed twice weekly. For histological examination tumors were explanted,

fixed in 4% formalin and embedded in paraffin. SNS-032 supplier Hematoxylin/Eosin staining of slices was performed according to standard protocols. All selleck chemicals llc animal protocols were approved by the laboratory animal care and use committee of Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany. Quantification of xenograft tumor growth was performed by 1.) volume calculation based on calliper measurements using the formula a 2 × b × π/6 with a being the short and b the long dimension and 2.) measurement of pixel extensions of tumor sections based on NMR images (128 × 128 JPG) using the measure tool of GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP 2.6.8) and calculating the area using formula A = a/2 × b/2 × π. Results Imaging of organs and tumors; gadobenate dimeglumine (Gd-BOPTA) induced MRI contrast A Talazoparib purchase nude mouse xenograft model of different human tumors was used to determine the image sensitivity and quality of the BT-MRI system. Gd-BOPTA as one of the clinically used low molecular weight gadolinium chelates was selected for contrast agent enhanced MRI. A good differentiation between cortex of kidney and renal pelvis could be observed depending on circulation time of the contrast agent (Figure 2A). Furthermore, the fast renal

elimination of Gd-BOPTA was visualised. The urinary bladder was visible as a bright, hypertense sphere unlike the NMR image without contrast agent (Figure 2B). Subcutaneous xenograft tumors were easily identified as relative hypointense area at each body site (Figure 2C). Figure 2 Transaxial NMR images of mice (face-down position) bearing two s.c. xenografts; left: 1411HP germ cell tumor, right: DLD-1 colon carcinoma. Images were taken

without Gd-BOPTA selleck chemical and 10 min, 20 min and 30 min after i.v. application of Gd-BOPTA. (A): The illustration of renal pelvis was clearly enhanced directly after contrast agent injection in light grey compared to a black central area without Gd-BOPTA. The fast nephritic elimination caused a signal decrease (darker grey) already after 30 min. White arrows point at kidneys. (B): High contrast enhancement in the urinary bladder (white arrow) was identifiable as hypertense area compared to a hypotense one without contrast agent. (C): Subcutaneous xenograft tumors are visible as relative hypointense area (white arrows). To study the contrast agent associated effects with special focus on xenograft tumors we used a higher dose of Gd-BOPTA according to dosage applied in men. As shown in Figure 3A an interior structuring of tumors could be observed. This was characterized by time dependent alterations of contrast enhancement with initial enhancement of the tumor rim followed by a centripetal progression of the signal.

01, for 10- and 50-mg/kg administration groups

versus sal

01, for 10- and 50-mg/kg administration groups

versus saline control; Figure 4). There was a significant difference in the production of IFN-γ between the carbon dot administration groups (P < 0.01). However, the secretion of IL-4 in thymocyte suspensions was not detected in all experimental groups both at 1 and 9 days after administration (data were not presented). BIBW2992 Figure 4 Concentration of cytokine INF-γ in splenocyte suspension. The levels of INF-γ were measured quantitatively using IFN-γ ELISA kit. Data are presented as means ± standard deviations, n = 5. *P < 0.01 compared with saline control. find more Significant difference was calculated by one-way ANOVA using SPSS19.0. Effect on the expression level of the cytokines Cytokines play an important role in cellular immunity. To clarify the possible mechanism of the effects of carbon dots to the immune system in mice, the expression levels of IL-12, IFN-γ, IL-4, and TNF-α in the spleens of mice

treated with carbon dots were detected by Western blot. Compared with the saline group, the expression levels of four cytokines buy ASP2215 did not have any obvious change in the three carbon dot administration groups both on the first and ninth days after administration (Figure 5). Figure 5 IL-12, IFN-γ, IL-4, and TNF-α in spleens of mice treated with carbon dots. Western blot was used to measure the levels of cytokines. Compared with the saline group, the expression levels of four cytokines did not have any obvious change in the three carbon dot-treated groups both on the first and ninth days post exposure. Discussion B and T lymphocytes, which play an important role in the process of adaptive immunity, are the central cells of the immune system. Both of them are resting cells in the G0 phase of the cell cycle when they have not interacted with antigens. Once stimulated by certain mitogens, these cells would be activated

into the cell cycle (by progressing from G0 into G1 and subsequently into S, G2, and M) and promoted to proliferate and differentiate. Thus, the proliferation of lymphocytes following exposure to mitogenic stimuli is an important methodology for the assessment of cell-mediated immunity [16]. In the present study, Lck we investigated the influence of carbon dots on lymphoproliferation in the spleen following exposure to the B cell mitogen (LPS) and T cell mitogen (ConA). As the results showed, splenic lymphocytes had little increase in proliferation in the carbon dot groups at 1 day post exposure. However, both B and T lymphocyte proliferation in treated groups increased significantly in a dose-dependent manner on the ninth day after administration. B and T lymphocytes can be distinguished by the presence of either CD3 or CD19 membrane glycoproteins on their surfaces; thus, the number of T and B lymphocytes can be approximated by assaying the percentage of CD3+ and CD19+. Also, the subsets of T lymphocytes can be distinguished by the presence of CD4 and CD8.

Virus Genes 2012, 44:408–414 PubMedCrossRef 17 Tang Y, Rodpradit

Virus Genes 2012, 44:408–414.PubMedCrossRef 17. Tang Y, Rodpradit P, Chinnawirotpisan P, Mammen MP Jr, Li T, Lynch JA, Putnak R, Zhang C: Comparative analysis of full-length genomic sequences of 10 dengue serotype 1 viruses associated with different genotypes, epidemics, and disease severity isolated in Thailand over 22

years. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2010, 83:1156–1165.PubMedCrossRef 18. Holmes EC, Worobey M, Rambaut A: Phylogenetic evidence for recombination in dengue virus. Mol Biol Evol 1999, 16:405–409.PubMedCrossRef 19. Arenas M, Posada D: Recodon: coalescent simulation of coding DNA sequences with recombination, migration and demography. BMC Bioinformatics 2007, 8:458.PubMedCrossRef 20. Arenas M, Posada D: Coalescent Doramapimod simulation of intracodon recombination. Genetics 2010, 184:429–437.PubMedCrossRef 21. Thompson JD, Higgins DG, Gibson TJ: CLUSTAL W: improving the sensitivity of progressive multiple sequence alignment through sequence weighting, position specific gap penalties and weight matrix choice. Nucleic Acids Res 1994, 22:4673–4680.PubMedCrossRef 22. Tamura K, Dudley J, Nei M, Kumar S: MEGA4: Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis (MEGA) software version 4.0. Mol Biol Evol 2007, 24:1596–1599.PubMedCrossRef 23. Rozas J, Sánchez-DelBarrio JC, Messeguer X, Rozas R: DnaSP, DNA polymorphism analyses by the coalescent and other methods. TPX-0005 Bioinformatics

2003, 19:2496–2497.PubMedCrossRef 24. Kosakovsky Pond SL, Frost SD: Not so different after all: a comparison of methods for detecting amino acid sites under selection. Mol Biol Evol 2005, 22:1208–1222.PubMedCrossRef 25. Moura G, selleckchem Pinheiro M, Arrais J, Gomes AC, Carreto L, Freitas A, Oliveira JL, Santos MA: Large scale comparative codon-pair context analysis unveils general rules that

fine-tune evolution of mRNA primary structure. PLoS One 2007, 2:e847.PubMedCrossRef 26. Moura G, Pinheiro M, Silva R, Miranda I, Afreixo V, Dias G, Freitas A, Oliveira JL, Santos MA: Comparative context analysis of codon pairs on an ORFeome scale. Genome Biol 2005, 6:R28.PubMedCrossRef 27. Hudson RR: Two-locus sampling distributions and their application. Genetics 2001, 159:1805–1817.PubMed 28. McVean G, Awadalla P, Fearnhead Gefitinib P: A coalescent-based method for detecting and estimating recombination rates from gene sequences. Genetics 2002, 160:1231–1241.PubMed 29. Hudson RR, Kaplan N: Statistical properties of the number of re-combination events in the history of a sample of DNA sequences. Genetics 1985, 111:147–164.PubMed 30. Myers SR, Griffiths RC: Bounds on the minimum number of re-combination events in a sample history. Genetics 2003, 163:375–394.PubMed 31. Hudson RR: Generating samples under a Wright-Fisher neutral model of genetic variation. Bioinformatics 2002, 18:337–338.PubMedCrossRef 32. Fury W, Batliwalla F, Gregersen PK, Li W: Overlapping probabilities of top ranking gene lists, hypergeometric distribution, and stringency of gene selection criterion.


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text:
WATCH: Lyrica Okano In Season 2 Trailer For Marvel’s ‘Runaways’

Hulu’s original sci-fi series “Runaways” is back with a new trailer for its second season, returning Dec. 21.

“Runaways,” based on the original Marvel Comics, follows six teenagers with superpowers who run away from home after they find out their parents are members of a villainous group called the Pride. The trailer shows the group picking up where the first season left off, with the teens honing their superpowers and engaging in combat on the streets of Los Angeles.

Lyrica Okano plays Nico Minoru, a goth who isolates herself after the death of her older sister, Amy. The cast also includes Rhenzy Feliz, Gregg Sulkin, Virginia Gardner, Ariela Barer and Allegra Acosta.

Check out the Season 2 trailer here:

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text:
This Wasn’t a Working-Class Revolt—It Was a White Revolt

In their anger and their desire for change, Trump voters elected a racist and sexist president.

Author:Tamara Draut/

Emphasis Mine

Resentment won this election. It was a middle-finger, throw-caution-to-the-wind, damn-the-consequences vote — cast overwhelmingly by white people.

Only white people had the luxury and the safety to ignore Trump’s promises to restore law and order, to deport millions of immigrants and to endanger Americans who practice the world’s second most popular religion. His phony economic populism was the icing on the cake — the cherry on top of the dog-whistle sundae. It was not the driving motivation behind Trump voters.

A quarter of Trump voters said he was not qualified to be president, yet still voted for him to lead the country. Trump was as likely to win affluent voters — individuals making more than $100,000 — as Clinton. This wasn’t a working-class revolt. It was a white revolt.

Did Democrats do something wrong? Absolutely, but not just in this election. For the last three decades, the party has abandoned pocketbook issues and working-class people in favor of business leaders and Wall Street titans. The Republican Party never had an economic platform for the working class, just its effective Southern strategy: blame African-Americans (and now immigrants, too) for white struggle, and position government as the finger on the scale tipping the advantage to people of color.

A full-throttle Democratic commitment to once again being the party of the working class — the janitors, home health aides, housekeepers and what’s left of our factory workers — might have provided a bulwark against white resentment. In fact, Clinton won the votes of people we’d consider working-class — those with yearly incomes below $50,000.  Clinton won the votes of people who are fighting to protect hard-fought gains but still waiting for equity: people of color and women with college degrees. Clinton also won the votes of millennials, those under the age of 30, who more than any other generation are bearing the burden of our failed economic paradigms.

So what comes next? Every indication is that the Democrats will engage in soul-searching. We’re all trying to figure out “what went wrong.” As a former working-class kid from Ohio whose mom and siblings epitomize the white working class, I’ll offer caution against two explanations. First, we should not forget that Hillary Clinton won the popular vote — so she’s not the terribly flawed candidate many want to paint her as. Second, we should avoid the temptation to blame the loss on being out of touch with “middle America.”

This didn’t happen because you like chardonnay and the white working class likes beer. Thinking that this vote comes down to where people shop, the television shows they watch or what kind of alcohol they like to drink after a long day of work is an elitist reduction of people to their consumer habits. Please don’t do it. Instead, white liberals and progressives, we’ve got to grapple with the reality that we lost this election largely due to white privilege.

White parents can wake up in Trump’s America and not worry their kid will be told “to go home” despite being born here. White parents, despite living in poverty, won’t experience the aggressive policing Trump championed. And white Christians won’t be viewed as threats because of the religion they practice. These incidents are already happening just days after the election. The white working class will suffer none of these abuses in Trump’s America.

Not all Trump voters are racist, but they were willing to vote for a racist. Not all Trump voters are sexist, but they were willing to vote for a sexist. That is the definition of privilege.

And just which chord was struck, Maestro?

Donald, Donald, he’s our man! If he can’t do it, the Ku Klux Klan!

Donald, Donald, he’s our man!  If he can’t do it, the Ku Klux Klan!

Multiple time Republican Presidential hopeful Rick Santorum – appearing on Realtime with Bill Maher on August 5th – rather superciliously noted that Donald Trump has ‘struck a cord with voters’.  True that, but the questions to be asked are: which ‘chord’, and what voters?

Santorum – as have many Trump apologists – echoed the GOP wishful thinking that the voters to whom Trump appeals are lower income working class (traditionally Democrat voters),  that the chord which was struck was economic populism, and that Trump recognizes their plight and will address their concerns if elected.

In fact Trump supporters have a higher median income than the national average –  see  – which means his supporters are not lower income.  Which ‘chord’?

The ‘chord’ which has been struck is in fact not economic populism but rather racism, and its bedfellows misogyny and xenophobia: the deportment of his supporters at rallies confirm that these are their primary concerns.

“At the end of the day”, elections are won with voter turnout, and to defeat him, then,  we must register and turnout people of color, women, and those citizens who were born in ( and whose parents were born in) another country.  Despite his nodding toward working Americans, he has a historically anti-labor record, and labor must get out the vote as well.

N.B.: Trump read an economic speech in Detroit on August 8, and in summary: “I don’t know if Trump has tiny hands or not. But when it comes to the economy, he definitely has tiny plans. We were promised a bold new vision. What we got instead was, with one or two notable exceptions, a warmed-over version of the House Republicans’ standard-issue voodoo economics.”   Richard Eskow –

N.B.:The first Presidential election in which I voted was 1964, and an unpopular person at the top of the GOP ticket  helped facilitate a Democratic landside: let’s do that again!  That candidate was Barry Goldwater: he carried his home state of Arizona, and the five states of the original Confederacy.

Donald, Donald, he’s our man!  If he can’t do it, the Ku Klux Klan!

(In 1964 it was Barry, Barry…)


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Liberal minority predicted; Cons. control C-K L and L-K-M

Oct 21 • '19 ELECTION, Local NewsNo Comments on Liberal minority predicted; Cons. control C-K L and L-K-M

Dave Epp, Conservative candidate, at the podium of his Election Day party at Deer Run Golf Course.

Canada is headed towards a Liberal minority government, while our region stayed blue tonight.

While results are still coming in, Dave Epp had a comfortable lead with about half the polls reporting in for Chatham-Kent Leamington. The Conservative candidate replaces his predecessor, Dave Van Kesteren, as MP.

Meanwhile, to the north, poll numbers are slow to come in. But Conservative Lianne Rood, with only 30 of 242 polls reporting, holds a commanding lead over Liberal Jesse McCormick. Her numbers all but doubled those of McCormick.

If they stand up, Rood will successfully replace her Conservative predecessor, Bev Shipley.

With the grim reaper hanging out by the television set, supporters of Katie Omstead, Liberal candidate for Chatham-Kent Leamington, watch the numbers roll in across the country Monday night. While Omstead lost, the Liberals formed a minority government.

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They have the best coaches. My daughters love it. To see my oldest daughter improve tremendously with her technique, jumps and tumbling in under 3 months is amazing! I would recommend this gym.

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My daughter has blossomed at this gym, both Brenham and Humble gym. She has improved her technique and abilities. She absolutely loves the coaches.

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Couldn't have asked for a better group of people to spend three and a half years of my life with! Not only was I able to be a part of the "first" team, but I was able to spend those two years and six months with an awesome staff and amazing students! I love and miss all of y'all!

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Summer Reading Favorites

I am overwhelmed, in a happy way, every summer when newspapers, bookstores, and websites publish their summer reading lists of what they think are the next hot summer books of the year. Instead of sharing what I think are the new smash hits, I am going to share a short list of books with you that I have very vivid memories of reading during summertime and encourage you to give them a try! No spoilers here.

  1. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. I read this book one summer during high school after my mom had encouraged me to read it for…oh I don’t know…about four years, at least. I felt so deeply connected to the main character, Francie, and it was one of the first times I remember reading a novel that evoked strong emotions in me that I, to this day, don’t know how to describe.
  2. The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister. I ran across this book one summer in college when I did one of my big library hauls, aka, check out 25 books, stack them next to my bed, read three, return the rest unread (the public librarians LOVE me, ha!). The story centers around a local cooking school for home chefs and each chapter is devoted to a different student who attends the classes. This novel made me feel so in touch with each character even though you only get them for one chapter. I thought it was so amazing, in fact, that when it came time to do my senior thesis where I discussed elements that a novel should incorporate to draw the reader in, it was this book that I thought of the entire time.
  3. Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal. Some of my favorite books were recommended to me or given to me by my mom (see this one, #1, #5, and Bonus). I got this for my 26th birthday and devoured it while on vacation. This is another novel where the points of view shift to different characters while centered on a “restaurant.” There are also recipes included. What more could you want?
  4. Give a Girl a Knife by Amy Thielen. This memoir is about how Thielen grew up in the Midwest, lived the New York City dream in her 20s, and eventually returned to her Minnesota roots to a literal homestead. I couldn’t get enough of her story and her writing.

    give a girl a knife

    The majority of her memoir relates to being in the kitchen, professionally and personally, and how important a role it has had on every aspect of her life. It made me want to walk barefoot through a garden, cook outside, and share giant meals with all my friends and family in one place. This is an excellent read no matter what the season, but give it a go this summer! If you love it, she has a cookbook and used to have a Food Network show that I’m sure you could dig up! Her Instagram is also lovely.

  5. The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean Auel. People look at me like I’m crazy when I recommend this book and then tell them it’s about cave people. I probably gave my mom the same look when she recommended it to me! This is the first novel in a series of six. The story follows Ayla, a Cro-Magnon girl, who is lost by her family and found by a clan of Neanderthals who reluctantly adopt her. The descriptions of prehistoric life, land, culture, and food give you an escape from reality. When I wasn’t reading this book, I was thinking about this book. I still think about it all the time and look forward to reading the next five at some point. (Maybe this summer? Who knows!)

Bonus: Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling. This wouldn’t be a summer reading list if I didn’t include this series, but I really just want to share the story of how I discovered good ol’ Harry. When I turned nine, my aunt sent me an Amazon gift certificate (an actual piece of paper and shipping took over a week, can you belieeeve?). My mom and I sat at the computer and I told her I wanted all Baby-Sitters Club books. She said, “okay, but let’s see what else there is first.” We picked one Baby-Sitters Club (Mary Anne Saves the Day, in case you were wondering), but then my mom came across Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. “Why don’t we try this one? I read about it and I think you’ll really like it.” So I anxiously awaited the arrival of my BSC book and blew through it. I picked up Harry Potter and thought, “alright, I guess I’ll try this out.” I was immediately sucked in and in love with every aspect of it. I remember staying up through the night reading about the basilisk (sorry, spoiler), absolutely petrified (get it?), but I couldn’t get enough of it. I’ve been a Potterhead ever since and YES I did read the second book first…we had no idea what this series was back in the day!

I have a million more book recommendations to make, but too many at once can be too much, and then I leave little room for more suggestions in the future!

Happy Reading!

One thought on “Summer Reading Favorites

  1. Good list of books. I believe we own a tree grows in Brooklyn and I should read it. I’’m currently reading Nine Stoires by JD Salinger. They originally appeared in The New Yorker.

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More on bottles and how I reconnected with cycling

Upon returning to the UK after spending three weeks in the densely populated Chinese city of Kunming, I felt a yearning to get out into the countryside. For me, the easiest way to get out into the countryside to take to the stretch which exists between home and work. However, since moving house to the other side of Chester in early February 2016, I had not tried cycling between work and the new house, or really done any cycling which wasn’t strictly functional. Because of this, when I reviewed my Klean Kanteen Insulated bottle, I never really considered that the Kilner/Grolsch style swing-lock lid on it would be quite difficult to drink from whilst actually on the bike (When carrying it on the bike, I had usually not bothered drinking any of the contents until I got to the train). Because of this, on my ride through the country lanes I had to stop every time I wanted to take a sip.

The swing-lock cap can be removed fairly easily (although I am not sure how well it would hold up to being removed/replaced frequently) and replaced with either the standard loop carabiner top or the sport cap, so I decided to replace the swing-lock cap with the sport cap for drinking iced water whilst riding. I tend to get quite hot when cycling and the physiological and psychological benefits of having a really cold drink available when doing some fairly physical riding was something of a revelation for me. I haven’t really seen any of the other people on bikes, particularly the sport cyclists, using insulated bottles and this seems very odd to me now. I hope this is due to simple lack of awareness rather than misguided concerns over weight. There is no escaping the fact that water is heavy, so in the face of such a significant benefit why would you worry about a few extra grams from the bottle itself?

This left me with a bit of a problem. Before work I usually fill my insulated Klean Kanteen with Pepsi Max and drink it on the train or bus (I have recently been experimenting with travelling to and from work via bike-bus-bike rather than bike-train-bike due to the piss-poor punctuality, reliability and frequency of the Arriva Trains Wales service). In addition to requiring the the use of the swing-lock lid (which would have to be swapped for the sport cap each day) there is no way for me to refill my bottle with properly cold water after I leave the house. The solution was to buy another bottle so I could also take some iced water to work with me for later in the day (or if I choose to cycle home) so I purchased a 709 ml (24 US fl. oz.) Hydro Flask.

I chose Hydro Flask for the additional bottle because the insulating properties are generally regarded as pretty much identical to the Klean Kanteen but they differ in the available sizes and a few design details. The standard mouth Hydro Flasks are available in 18, 21 and 24 US fl. oz. sizes (532, 621 and 710 ml to the rest of the world) whereas the standard mouth insulated Klean Kanteens are available in 12, 20, 32 and 64 US fl. oz (355, 591, 946 and 1900 ml). Both manufacturers have some additional sizes only available with the wide mouth.

The designs of the bottles and caps also differ in a few ways. The thread on the loop carabiner and sport caps offered by both Klean Kanteen and Hydro Flask are compatible with standard mouth bottles from either company. The loop caps are similar, but the Hydro Flask one is solid and insulated, wheras the Klean kanteen one is hollow.

Solid, insulated HF on the left. Hollow KK on the right.

The loop caps differ in their sealing gaskets too; the Klean Kanteen lid uses a silicone O-ring with a circular cross section whereas the Hydro Flask uses a silicone gasket which appears to have a rectangular cross section and which is more recessed into the lid.

Artist’s impression of lid sealing. KK on the left, HF on the right. Both lids will seal on either bottle.

I have discovered that the gasket of the Hydro Flask loop cap, in addition the the vents cut in the threads seem to make this lid work better with carbonated beverages than the Klean Kanteen loop cap. This is true whether the cap is fitted to a Hydro Flask bottle or a Klean Kanteen bottle.

HF cap with thread cut-outs on left. KK cap without cut-out on right.

The sport caps are both similar, with both having a silicone spout which can be pulled open using fingers or teeth and both using a little silicone vent valve to let air into the bottle to replace the volume of liquid sucked out. A lot of users have reported that the vent valve on the Hydro Flask sport lid is prone to falling out with use, leading to leaks, which does not seem to a problem with the Klean Kanteen sport lid. Like the loop lid, the Hydro Flask sport lid is insulated, but is sealed with an O-ring similar to the Klean Kanteen rather than the gasket in the loop cap. I am not sure how much benefit the insulaton in the lids really provides, but the extra volume of the insulated lids should prevent the liquid inside from being able to slosh around as much.

I find that the green Klean Kanteen sport lids produce a mild plastic taste in water when it is not very cold which the black version does not seem to suffer from. However, YMMV.

The necks of the bottles also differ, with the Hydro Flast has a plain top instead of the folded-over lip which forms the top on the Klean Kanteen. The plain top of the Hydro Flask is easier to keep clean, but means that the threadless swing-lock type lids available for the Klean Kanteens, which in my experience are the best option for carbonated beverages, are not an option on the Hydro Flask.

591 ml KK on the left. 709 ml HF on the right.

As I had a spare Klean Kanteen sport cap, my solution has been to use the Hydro Flask loop cap when I put the bottle in my bag and then switching to the Klean Kanteen sport cap when I want to drink my water. This arrangement lets me drink iced water whilst riding and since overheating is usually the main limiting factor I encounter when cycling, having an insulated bottle filled with ice and water means I enjoy riding a whole lot more and can cover longer distances faster than I could before.

3 thoughts on “More on bottles and how I reconnected with cycling

  1. I really like the Hydro Flask! I’ve been using the Sport Cap on my rides, and it works fine. It insulates better than Klean Kanteen, but I found the Hydro Flask “Solid” top with stainless steel insulates MUCH better than any of the above. I’ve put ice in one of them and there is still ice in there the next day!

    • Hydro Flask is based in Oregon too isn’t it? It must be nice to be able to easily get the full range of stuff from them. I haven’t tried the HF sport cap, so the information is second hand. The Hydro Flask stuff is not that widely available here (the Klean Kanteen isn’t exactly common either) and I haven’t had a chance to see the HF sport cap in real life. I’ve not seen the solid + SS cap in any of my online research, do they still make it?

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SCORE Chicago Mentors are Ready to Help you Succeed

  • Get advice for a small business loan.
  • Start a business.
  • Draft a business plan.
  • Use free management consulting.

SCORE Chicago’s 50+ mentors and consultants provide services from over 9 locations in Cook County.

  • We offer free and low-cost business education workshops on a wide range of topics, from insurance and financing to website and social media marketing, in the downtown office and in community locations.
  • SCORE mentors can advise clients about options for loans and other types of business financing. SCORE and the SBA do not provide financing directly.

SCORE Chicago’s Volunteers

  • Come from a variety of business and ethnic backgrounds
  • Are experienced business executives and entrepreneurs who volunteer their time to help others start their businesses
  • Can draw on the expertise of other Chicago mentors, or reach out to the more than 11,000 SCORE mentors nationally.

Meet Hannah Fernandez, Chairperson at SCORE Chicago

Hannah Fernandez, Chairperson at SCORE Chicago

The national SCORE Association is a not-for-profit organization with 320+ chapters and 11,000+ volunteer mentors throughout the United States.

SCORE is a resource partner of the Small Business Administration (SBA). You can find information about the national organization at and Score’s “Guidelines & Statement of Understanding.”


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Call for a Houston Patent Attorney! 1-832-621-0353
Part 7: How To Prevent Design Around

You can listen to this blog below:

How to Patent an Idea: A Guide for Beginners

This is the seventh post in my series How to Patent an Idea: A Guide for Beginners. In the previous articles I’ve discussed how to understand patents, common types of claims, protecting your product or method, and many other topics. Hopefully by now you’re feeling a little more informed about the patent claim process. In this article we’ll discuss how to prevent design around.

How Can I Prevent Design Around?

 The term “design around” is commonly used when referring to some minor change that allows a competitor to avoid infringing the claims of your patent. Depending on your technology, you may not be able to prevent all design around, however you can make it as hard as possible for your competitors to steal your invention. In exchange for disclosing your innovation to the public, the government will grant you a patent that allows you to sue others for using or selling your invention without first requesting permission. The purpose of the patent law system is to encourage the public disclosure of innovation, not to protect you from competition.

This may seem like a subtle difference, but it is a critical one. Patents and their claims are published so that competitors can learn from your innovation and avoid infringing your claims. The system is designed to encourage your competitors to innovate and market non-infringing products and methods. Honestly, do you care what the patent system is designed to do? Probably not.

The purpose of the inventor and/or patent owner is to use their patent to protect a competitive advantage in the marketplace. From this point of view, your goal is to draft claims that force competitors to spend as much time and money as possible trying get around your patent claims. The worth of a patent depends on the competitive advantage it confers in the marketplace, which depends on how easy it is to design around. If your competitors can essentially copy your invention with a minor tweak to your product or method, then your patent has little value except as marketing tool.

If your competitors are forced to alter the product or method in a way that makes

it is difficult for them to compete, then the patent confers a competitive advantage. For

example, your competitors may have to spend so much time and money to research

their product that they can’t undercut your market price. Alternatively, your competitor

may have to alter the product so much that the product cannot successfully compete as its advantages have been diminished.

If your competitors cannot come up with any competing product or method that

does not infringe a claim of your patent, then your patent grants you the competitive

advantage of a monopoly. When that happens, congratulations, you win!

How Can I Avoid Design Around?

The best way to avoid having a competitor easily design around your claims is to consult with an experienced patent attorney regarding the scope (coverage) of your claims. At Childs Law our clients can count on two highly experienced patent attorneys working together to draft their patent application. If you’d like to schedule a free consultation to discuss how to prevent a competitor from designing around your patent feel free to schedule a complimentary consultation by giving us a call at (832) 621-0353.

Now let’s discuss two important factors in preventing design around – effective communication and focus.

Effective Communication

To understand how to communicate effectively with your patent attorney, you’ll need to understand a few things about legal culture. First – large law firms are billing machines that are designed to make as much money as possible for their partners. They are in the business of selling trust and the illusion of perfect legal services. Selling this image requires a great deal of posturing.

For example, many patent attorneys will go out of their way to avoid admitting that they do not understand your technology as well as you or your inventors. As patent attorneys our job is NOT to know your technology better than you or your inventor. Our job is to guide you, your inventors, and your business safely through the maze of patent law.

1. This knowledge means that you need to spend time considering all of the possible variations in design that your competitors might create.

2. Then you need to ask your patent attorney if your claims would cover that

Patent claims are not designed to protect ideas or generalizations. They are designed to grant the owner the exclusive right to market a product or service. The first step in avoiding design around is to visualize as clearly as possible the EXACT product or method that you plan to use or bring to market. Ask your patent attorney if your claims will cover that product or method. Better yet, if you can, take a picture of your product, make a video of the method, or provide drawings or illustration of your product. Ask your patent attorney if your claims will cover it? Thisstep should ensure that your claims cover your intended product or method.

The second step will be to try to envision improvements and manufacturing considerations. The first conception of your invention may not be the best one to take to market. You may find that as soon as you talk with suppliers, industrial manufacturers, your business unit, and others, that the first draft of the invention is not commercially feasible.

Keep visualizing and re-visualizing the exact product or method that you plan to sell or use until it becomes commercially viable. Ask your patent attorney if your claims will cover that commercially viable product or method. This step should ensure that your claims cover the product that you will actually sell.

The third step in avoiding design around is to then picture the exact products or methods that your competitors might develop to compete with you. Ask your patent attorney if your claims can be drafted to cover that product or method too.

The Value of a Patent

The value of a patent usually depends on two factors. First, your innovation must confer a commercial advantage in the marketplace. No customers = no money. Second, the value of the patent will rest on your ability to enforce the patent to exclude others from practicing your invention. This protection is why patents can be your most valuable assets.

A useless patent is one where your innovation provides no advantage in the marketplace, or your competitors can make a minor change and avoid your claims. A moderately valuable patent is one where the claims force your competitors to spend vast amounts of time and money to design around your patent. The very useful patent is one where your competitors are forced to spend so much time and money trying to design around your claims that they are essentially forced to come up with their own invention. In doing so, they may lose most or all of your commercial advantages. The most useful patent gives you are monopoly on a unique product or service. Your patent creates an instant unique sales proposition (USP) for the product or service you want to sell.

Block The Bottle Neck!

I find that the strongest patents are those where the science, the application, and/or regulations severely limit design around. The only paths through are like passes in the mountains. For example, a patent claiming new drug molecules can be very difficult to design around. First, design around is limited because only certain chemical combinations are possible, and their properties are usually difficult to predict. Second, the molecular requirements for drugs are strict, because the body’s drug receptors are highly selective. Third, and most importantly, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) only approves one molecule at the cost of one to two billion dollars. The only way that competitors can design around an FDA approved drug molecule is to pay their own one to two billion dollars for regulatory approval!

When trying to prevent design around, look for science, the constraints of the application, or regulations that will effectively limit most design around efforts . . . and then claim the remaining paths.

Find the bottleneck!

Defend the bottleneck!

The next post in my How to Patent an Idea: A Guide for Beginners series will cover

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General Electric signs Myanmar deals after US eases sanctions

YANGON, Myanmar — Just days after the U.S. eased key sanctions on Myanmar, General Electric became the first American company to invest in the former pariah state, signing deals Saturday to provide medical equipment to a pair of hospitals in the country’s biggest city.

Myanmar President Thein Sein held talks on Friday with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who declared the country open to American investment. The meeting in Cambodia was attended by some of the largest U.S. corporations.

On Wednesday, President Barack Obama’s administration officially gave the green light to American companies to invest in the country, also known as Burma. Western nations imposed economic and political sanctions on Myanmar’s previous military regime in response to its repressive and undemocratic policies, and the easing of sanctions is a reward for a series of reforms by Thein Sein’s new government over the past year.

GE’s deals were signed in Yangon the presence of Derek Mitchell, who assumed his job Wednesday as the first U.S ambassador to Myanmar in 22 years.

The agreements, worth about US$2 million, were inked with two private hospitals. Under the deals, GE will provide X-ray machines through Sea Lion, a local company.

“The recent granting by the U.S. government of licenses to operate will enable us to fast-track our plans to establish an office here in Yangon and execute our strategies, mainly in the energy and healthcare sectors,” said Stuart Dean, who heads GE’s Asia operations. “We believe there is no turning back.”

Mitchell added, “My fervent hope is that we’re going to be doing this on a regular basis.”


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Action, she said: TV holds potential for female directors

By Lynn Elber ,AP

NEW YORK — When writer-producer Marti Noxon, ��Gone Girl�� author Gillian Flynn and a studio executive met with a potential star for the upcoming TV adaptation of another Flynn novel, the actress was struck by something unusual.

��I don’t think I’ve ever had a meeting with all women,�� Noxon recalled the actress, who typically worked in movies, commenting. ��I said, ‘Get used to it.’��

Behind-the-camera hiring both in film and TV is so statistically dismal that the American Civil Liberties Union last week called for an investigation into the industry’s ��systemic failure�� to hire female directors.

However, while the percentage of big-screen directors has slipped, TV is displaying its potential for significant change. The contrast is due in part to studios’ obsession with costly action movies that are entrusted almost exclusively to veteran male directors.

It also stems from the unique and influential role of the TV showrunner: the person who steers writing and production on a series.

Formally titled executive producers, showrunners generally come from the ranks of screenwriters. Although women are underrepresented as TV writers �X holding less than a third of cable and broadcast jobs, according to a Writers Guild of America study �X the ones who rise to the top can pull other women along.

Noxon is proof of that. Her Bravo series, ��Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce,�� hired four female directors in its debut 2014-15 season.

��That is a conscious effort,�� she said. ��But the great news is it’s not difficult because they’re supertalented.��

The ACLU’s request for a hiring probe by state and federal civil rights agencies coincided with last week’s unveiling of freshman network series for 2015-16, a window into the current state of female hiring in TV.

New series with female showrunners include ��The Catch,�� created by Jennifer Schuur, and ��The Family�� from Jenna Bans, both on ABC; ��Crowded�� from Suzanne Martin, ��Hot & Bothered�� from Chrissy Pietrosh and Jessica Goldstein, and ��Heartbreaker�� from Jill Gordon, all on NBC; and CBS’ ��Code Black,�� with Noxon among its executive producers.

They join a field of returning shows topped by women that include ��Fresh off the Boat�� from Nahnatchka Khan and ��Secrets and Lies�� from Barbie Kligman, both on ABC.


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Find a Chiropractor

Chiropractor position – Full and Part Time

Classifieds > Chiropractor position – Full and Part Time

Chiropractor position – Full and Part Time

Category: Marketplace / Practice Opportunities / Associate Position
Category: Marketplace / Practice Opportunities / Other
Category: Marketplace / Practice Opportunities

Massage Addict is Canadian owned and operated. With almost 100 clinics across the country and over 1,400 Registered Massage Therapists, Registered Acupuncturists and Certified Reflexologists, we provide over 70,000 treatments each month to help manage pain, stress, anxiety, injury, muscle tension, and much more. Since opening the first clinic in 2008, Massage Addict has been helping patients improve their health through high quality therapeutic treatments that’s both affordable and convenient. Visit our website to learn more about us at

Our professional, clean and well-established North and South clinics in Barrie are looking for a Chiropractor. The ideal candidate is professional, has exceptional customer service skills, a passion for improving the health of Canadians and is motivated to work collaboratively within a team of other health care practitioners.

Our clinics have 8-10 treatment rooms and are located in a high-traffic, convenient retail plaza alongside other well-known national brands. Massage Addict offers a membership program, which allows members to enhance health through regular monthly treatments and, at the same time, allows us to have a consistent patient base.

Join a rewarding, nurturing, and professional team with a consistent schedule and income. We will fill your schedule so you can focus solely on providing high-quality treatments. Daytime, evening, and weekend opportunities available.

What we offer

  • Positive, upscale, fun and professional work environment
  • Immediate and consistent patient base – steady flow of patients all year round
  • Clinical approach to treatments – in a friendly and inviting atmosphere
  • Comprehensive and competitive compensation package
  • Flexible schedules to meet work-life balance
  • Full administrative support and reception services (filling appointments, billing, laundry)
  • Optional health-care benefits package
  • We take care of the booking, marketing, rent, and supplies

Duties and Responsibilities

  • Perform high-quality treatments with a complete focus on the patient
  • Assess, diagnose, treat and recommend options to relieve pain, restore mobility and prevent reoccurrence so patients can lead healthy active lives
  • Recommend treatment plans and home care based on individual needs
  • Maintain accurate patient records
  • Abide by all regulations, by college, association and the Insurance companies
  • Maintain a strong collaborative working relationship with the colleagues and in-clinic staff

Education and Qualifications

  • Must be registered and in good standing with the provincial regulatory body and have personal liability insurance
  • A positive, professional, and flexible attitude
  • Ability to work in a team environment and collaborate with other Health Care Professionals
  • New Grads Welcome

If you are a Chiropractor, with a passion for improving the health of Canadians, looking to work in an upbeat professional and well-established clinic then we would love to hear from you. We thank all applicants but only those qualified will be contacted.

Massage Addict is proud to partner with The Arthritis Society

Contact Email:


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TOMORROW! Federation of BC Writers Young Writer’s Conference

Federation of BC Writers Young Writer’s Conference

Saturday March 7
12 pm- 4 pm
Surrey Public Library, Room 418

Entrance by at-the-door donation to Youth Food Bank (suggested donation $5 or 2 non-perishable items). All proceeds to Purpose Society Youth Food Bank. Seating is limited, please pre-register via

Three workshops by youth for youth

Cody Shaw- Creating a Graphic Novel
Try your hand at sequential storytelling! This workshop is for people who are interested in visual storytelling, and want to learn to communicate with more than just words. Get started with some simple exercises and get used to a new way of getting through to readers!

Mingshu Dong- Character and Dialogue
Learn how to develop well-rounded and realistic characters for your story. Focus will be on character creation, and dialogue. Learn how to write dialogue that fits specific characters and using dialogue to show instead of tell in a story.

Yilin Wang- Setting
How do you create a fresh and vivid setting that leaves a lasting impression on your readers? Come explore the art of creating setting through this hands-on, interactive workshop. We’ll discuss ways to generate setting ideas, deepen your understanding of the story world, and use sensory details in your writing.

The winner of the VBT Memorial Emerging Youth Writer Award will be announced and the prize awarded. Coffee/tea and light refreshments will be served.

Surrey Muse Event This Friday Night

I am reading at the Surrey Muse event this Friday night, April 25th, 2014.

I’m going to read the opening chapter of  my new project, Downward Dog, and perhaps also a chapter from Blood Rain, which will be forthcoming in January 2015 (I’m still noodling with it).

Surrey Muse: An Interdisciplinary Art & Literature Presentation Group

by donation : all welcome

10350 University Drive, Surrey, BC
ROOM 418
(behind Surrey Central SkyTrain)

5:30 to 8:30 PM

Book Signing Author: TBA

Open mic begins with JANENE WHITE

Check out the poster here


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Friday, 1 March 2013

Are We Losing Touch With the Countryside?

Worth posting as it bears out what a lot of us (birders) know!

One in four of us have never been to a river and one in 10 couldn't identify a badger, according to new research from the youth hostelling charity YHA (England and Wales).
Many of us look back fondly on youthful days spent climbing trees, exploring woodlands and looking for bugs in the great outdoors, however it seems many of us are losing touch with the countryside. With school holidays just around the corner, YHA is now urging families to get out and explore the UK countryside.

The *survey also found that nearly four in 10 UK adults have never climbed a tree, while nearly a quarter of respondents claim to have never even been to a lake and 16% have never been to a woodland!
As for flora and fauna, many of us have little idea what's out there. Eleven per cent of those polled believe they might bump into a wolf or a skunk on their ramble through the British countryside, while one in 10 wouldn't recognise a badger if they saw one. Additionally, 60% of UK adults are unaware our coastal waters are inhabited by sharks, whales and dolphins.

In total, 38% of respondents have either never been to the countryside or go only once a year or less - something that YHA wants to change.
YHA (England and Wales) Chief Executive Caroline White said: "This survey shows that a large part of the population are losing touch with the countryside - and missing out on so much. England and Wales has an abundance of things to explore and discover – better still; most of it is free or low cost, which, in the current economic climate, can only be good news.

“Giving people the chance to experience the great outdoors means more of us can find out all about what is out there and is also good for our health and happiness."
For more information about YHA, or to make a booking at any of its hostels, visit

Another example of how some (most) of us view the outdoors is:
No wonder litter is a problem, a friend of mine when walking his dog in Wantage recently came across a couple of 11 year olds with a carrier bag full of rubbish, they were just about to throw it in a ditch when he questioned them. They said their Mum had told them that their rubbish bin was full so go and take it and dump it in the ditch.

You can’t blame the kids but what the hell is a parent like that thinking!
What’s the answer?

“If you don’t engage with it you aint gonna fight for it!”

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Dear America

The Fourth of July has been my favorite holiday for a long time. There are several reasons why I love it: watermelon, snow cones, flip-flops, and fireworks; dressing in red, white, and blue makes me very, very happy and, the most important reason, I love my country! In the 33 years that I've been alive, … Continue reading Dear America

Happy Father’s Day!

Happy Father's Day, guys! I did a post like this for Mother's Day. You can read it here. Now it's time to hear from my wonderful man. Jon-Michael is a leader, loves Jesus, prioritizes our marriage, and is an intentional father. He has been a huge example to me and will hopefully encourage you too. … Continue reading Happy Father’s Day!

It's 2020! Can you even believe it? I love the start of a new year. Everyone has fresh hope and vision. There's nothing magical about 12 am on New Year's Eve, but there is something important about how you end one season and enter into another. 2019 was a good, hard, character-building year for me. … Continue reading 2020

Christmas Goals

I have a few goals for this week. Our family usually does Christmas ALL OUT. We have a traditions advent calendar where we do one of our favorite things to celebrate Christmas per day. This year we have accomplished 3 things. It is the 21st of December. That means there were 18 days where we … Continue reading Christmas Goals


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Be Nice! October is Bully Prevention Month

By Melissa K. Burkhardt, M.S. Ed, BCBA

Certified Early Start Denver Model Therapist and Autism Specialist

 Print Version

Did you know that October is Bully Prevention month and Disability Awareness month? Sadly, children with an exceptionality are 2 to 3 times more likely to be bullied than their typical peers.

So, what can you do to help ensure that your child is not a victim of bullying or does not become a bully themselves? To put it simply---EMPATHY! Parents who show empathy for their child when upset, without ignoring their child’s feelings or trying to change their child’s emotional state, help them to develop empathy.

How to Spot Empathy in a Child

Let’s look at a couple of examples of how to develop empathy in your child.

• Your young child wants to go outside, but it is raining and your child is crying and frustrated. Empathy is reflecting how your child feels. Describe to your child what you see, “Your face is going like this” (get on your child’s level and mirror your child’s face). “You look like you feel sad because you can’t go outside right now. I know this is hard for you but you can handle this.” Dr. Becky Bailey, creator of Conscious Discipline, wrote the Schubert and Sophie series. These books help teach children crucial social skills, such as regulating their own emotional states and how to be assertive with others who do not respect their boundaries, such as bullies. This series walks the child and parent through the steps on how to handle upsets, as in the scenario described above.

• Another example of teaching your child empathy is by expressing respect, care, and concern for everyone your child sees and hears you interact with. Yes, even the driver who cuts you off in traffic! Showing empathy in this situation could be by saying out loud, "Boy, that really scared me and I need to take a deep breath to help me feel calm! That driver must have an emergency to be driving so fast! I hope that everything works out well for her!” Not only will you be modeling empathy, but you will be modeling self-regulation for your child.

• A further effective way to teach empathy is to teach children to value one another’s differences. I authored the book Exceptionally Good Friends: Building Relationships with Autism (EGF), winner of the Autism Society’s, “2015 Dr. Temple Grandin Outstanding Literary Work of the Year.” One of the reasons I wrote the book is specifically to help children develop empathy, tolerance, and understanding of one another’s differences. The story is told from the point of view of a neuro-typical child about her friend with autism. The book can then be flipped over for another story told from the point-of-view of the child with autism, experiencing the same events. The two stories lend themselves very well to the discussion of these differences. One of my favorite quotes from the book is, “Next time I see someone who looks or acts differently, I will remember to be kind to them.” To learn more about this insightful resource, visit

Compassion, Empathy and Character Development

The Creating Compassionate Children™ (CCC) campaign is a curriculum for schools that is centered around EGF. “Get caught Being Kind™” is the campaign’s slogan. The curriculum provides teachers and schools with discussion questions to be used along with my book and extension activities and materials to help students develop compassion and empathy for peers who look or act differently. The CCC campaign meets federal guidelines for the requirement for Character Development. To donate a kit to a classroom or to find out about implementing the program in your county, visit

Avoid Bullying

Equipping your child with strong self-advocacy skills can help your child to avoid becoming a victim of bullying. A common home situation that is ideal to teach self-advocacy skills is when your child takes their sibling’s toy. Attend to the “victim” first, offering empathy and empowerment. Ask the victim, “Did you like it when your brother/sister took your toy?” The child will likely say, “No!” emphatically. Help the “victim” use this energy to approach the “aggressor” to say, “I don’t like it when you take my toy, give it back, please!” Next, attend to the “aggressor” saying, “Look at your brother/sister’s face. His/her face shows that he/she feels mad and doesn’t like it when you take his/her toy. You wanted your sibling’s toy but did not have the words to tell him/her. Instead of grabbing, next time say, ’May I have a turn please.’ Try it with me now.” You have now taught your child a new skill to use in a similar situation in addition to reinforcing empathy.

Children are much less likely to become bullies themselves when their caregivers are responsive to their emotional and physical needs, connected to their child, treat others with respect, and utilize positive discipline.

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You are here: Home / Blog / Atlas Shape Fitness Tracker Review

Atlas Shape Fitness Tracker Review

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The Atlas Shape, by Austin-based Atlas Wearables, is a legit fitness tracker, including steps, sleep, personal-training, training programs--but for me, it's only a half-solution to me.
Atlas Shape Fitness Tracker Review

Atlas Shape from Atlas Wearables

The Atlas Shape, by Austin-based Atlas Wearables, is a legit fitness tracker, including steps, sleep, personal-training, training programs--but for me, it's only a half-solution to me. That said, it's the missing half to my Atlas Wristband2, which lacks the all the fitness tracker functions Atlas Shape offers me but with a suite of workout, weightlifting, and training functions that the Atlas Shape lacks. Luckily, they work beautifully together and you'll generally find me wearing both devices whenever I am getting my sweat on.

The Wristband2 and Shape are Peanut Butter and Chocolate

I originally purchased Atlas Wristband2 because I do a lot of two-handed kettlebell swings. That, walking, and indoor rowing is the holy trinity of my workout regimen. I wanted to be able to track my kettlebell swings so that I could swing without needing to count. I wanted to just focus on my form and my breath. The Wristband2 is just a dumb sensor with a little memory and some autonomous smarts. Set it on FREESTYLE and if you have had the forethought to download the right exercises to your device, your device will not only identify your exercise but also judge your form and track your heart rate (HR). All the magic happens on the web server in their data center.

The Atlas Wristband2 Isn't a Fitness Tracker But The Shape Is

The battery of the Atlas Wristband is limited, even with the MOWER SAVE MODE set to ON. So, you need to be judicious and make sure that you charge your device completely before you need it again. The Atlas Shape, on the other hand, is both surprisingly thinner, smaller, more delicate, and much more of a fitness tracker like the Fitbit Charge, Fitbit Blaze, Garmin Vivoactive, Fitbit Versa, Fitbit Altra, Garmin Vivosport, the Apple Watch, Jawbone UP Move, Misfit Flash, Xiaomi Mi Band 2, Fitbit Flex 2, or the Fitbit Zip's always clipped to the hem of my rowing trou.

I Refuse to Use the Apps and Notifications

Yes, the Atlas Shape offers apps and notifications that I neither use nor have enabled. They include SMS, missed call, incoming calls, e-mail alerts, social media, calendar events, loss protection, and "activate screen on wrist raise." I don't use any of them. There's a warning underneath these toggle options that warns you that every single smartwatch sort of update or notification will reduce the band's battery life--so, no to all of those guys!

I Wear My Shape in My Trou When I Use My Treadmill Desk

I transitioned from my Fitbit Charge HR to my old school Fitbit Zip when I realized that wrist-based step-trackers are not ideal when it comes to treadmill desks. For me, I clip my Fitbit Zip to the hem of my rowing trou and then use the polypro/lycra blend of the trou to mount my Atlas Shape to my right thigh when I am walking on the treadmill desk (I don't know how it works yet--I am comparing the steps my Fitbit tracks with the Shape and with the number of steps my desk tells me I have taken. We'll see in a follow-up post.

Charging Is Easy But It's Not Simple

I love having a generic USB charger for my devices. Micro-USB or Mini-USB. However, those USB ports and plugs, both male and female, fail so quickly. Yikes! So, it's nice that the Shape has a very nice, magnetized, proprietary charging dock. That said, don't lose is or you're SOL. I have mine in its little home and it works really well. Instead of a gator clip like some Garmins have, it's magnetic. It's cute, and it mates with a Micro-USB. Neither the Atlas Wristband2 nor the Atlas Shape take long to charge up, but the Shape lasts a lot longer and is intended to be on your body all the time.

Don't Wear the Atlas Shape in the Shower

Dude, right after I showered with my Fitbit Shape, things started going wrong. So, immediately after my shower, I checked the Atlas FAQ and it says NO SWIMMING OR SHOWERING which is a serious fail since the Wristband2 is more durable than that, I think. Here's the notice, for your convenience:

Atlas Shape is water-resistant, which means it is rain-proof and splash-proof and can stand up to even the sweatiest workout. However, do not swim or shower with your tracker. Shape is able to resist water, but it is not 100% full proof (water-proof). Whenever you get your tracker wet, dry it thoroughly before putting it back on.

So, while my device still tracks my steps and my sleep and syncs with the Atlas Shape app, but the touchscreen is being a total jerk. I need to thwack it with my fingers and swipe hard at it and maybe the LED screen will turn on or maybe not. I need to become a heavy-handed beast with this device, which is OK, because I don't really need to interact with it all the time (because I have all the notifications turned off).

But, it's annoying. And I would call it partly broken after the first offense. But I don't want a replacement. Why? Because the screen never turns on anymore unless I really want it to so I guarantee I am generally only sipping battery. If the screen is mostly unresponsive, the Atlas Shape fitness tracker will surely last a short week at the very most. It does pop on once in a while to let me know it thinks I'm sleeping and to remind me to be more active.

But I am going to take it off before going to the pool, the beach, or into the shower. Pity. So close to being competitive with all the other devices, which are pretty much all pool and shower-friendly. I recommend charging your Atlas Shape while you're doing the dishes, washing your car, taking a bath, grabbing a shower, or at the pool or the beach.

That's enough charging.

Sleep Tracking isN'T Fancy Like GARMIN, Fitbit, or TomTom

I love the Atlas Shape sleep tracker. It tells me all I need to know. When I hit the sheets, how long it took me to fall asleep, how fitful my sleep was, and how many minutes of actual sleep I got (versus just the amount of time I was supine or prone in bed). Garmin, Fitbit, and TomTom have a lot of other cool metrics, but I like what my delicate, red, unobtrusive, and svelt, offers me. Besides, a lot of those other new devices, especially the Fenix, Suunto, Apple Watch, and TomTom which are beefy and oftentimes made of steel, aluminum, and titanium. You can see how tiny this device is compared to the size of my Casio G-SHOCK Military Black Series (DW-5600BBN-1JF).

I Get to Track My Workouts Using an AI Robot Lady

I have an Atlas-supplied Coach. But she's a robot lady. I assume she's a lady because this device seems to be the more feminine of the two Atlas devices. It's so purty and delicate and red and svelt and all the workouts are pretty feminine. I am into it. I am a modern man. Whenever I wear both devices, it's total yin and yang. See it yourself. I'll share it again here. See how good they look together? And they work together, too! The main differences between the Atlas Shape and the Atlas Wristband line of workout trackers is that the Shape only offers guided workouts. As far as I know, the Shape isn't as smart as the Wristband2.

It has a little HR one-LED heart rate monitor (compared to the three green LEDs on the Wristband) and when you let your Atlas Shape App know you want to do a predefined workout, it tells you what to do and when you do it, your Shape knows what you're doing it, so it leads you. The Wristband2, when using FREESTYLE, which is the only way use it, follows your lead, trying to use its big machine learning brain and little black box full of sensors to sort out which exercise you're doing for any set, from pushups to TRX rows to crunches to deadlifts to anything I throw at it--just as long as that exercise has been intentionally downloaded to the device before I start working out. It's super cool. What's better?

That my Shape App recognizes all the workouts I do using my Wristband2--without conflicting with it. They work together beautifully, once you get it working (don't be frustrated on your first sync, it can be a little tricky). So, once you do all your FREESTYLE reps on your Wristband, they show up not only in the diary/journal/log of workouts on the Atlas Dashboard but also on the Shape App, and all of your workouts synced from your Wristband is included in whatever my very own AI robot mistress personal trainer IM chatter lady tells me.

She--I'll call her Eliza from now on--knows all the manly work I've been doing on my other device and includes them all in my real-time coaching (not by a person but by the equivalent of a fitness ELIZA. I thought I would show you what it looks like but it sort of looks like a combination of ELIZA, an SMS/Chat back and forth with a real trainer, and a choose your own adventure/Japanese role-playing Nintendo game. You can't ask any unique questions, you can only choose from a couple questions that it asks you at the end of every analysis that robot Trainer Eliza offers you. I feel like I have run out of first impressions. I chose not to call this a full review because I have had some technical difficulties over the last week or so--but I just didn't want to wait any longer.

Wearing both the Atlas Wearables Atlas Wristband2 and Atlas Shape at the same time on my left wrist.

Casio G-SHOCK Military Black Series DW-5600BBN-1JF

Wearing both the Atlas Wearables Atlas Wristband2 and Atlas Shape at the same time on my left wrist.

Created to demonstrate the superficiality of communication between humans and machines, Eliza simulated conversation by using a 'pattern matching' and substitution methodology that gave users an illusion of understanding on the part of the program, but had no built in framework for contextualizing events.

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