mg

Synthesis, crystal structure and hydrogenation properties of MgxLi3 − xB48 − y (x = 1.11, y = 0.40)

The ternary magnesium/lithium boride, MgxLi3 − xB48 − y (x = 1.11, y = 0.40, idealized formula MgLi2B48), crystallizes as its own structure type in P43212, which is closely related to the structural family comprising α-AlB12, Be0.7Al1.1B22 and tetra­gonal β-boron. The asymmetric unit of title structure contains two statistical mixtures Mg/Li in Wyckoff sites 8b with relative occupancies Mg:Li = 0.495 (9):0.505 (9) and 4a with Mg:Li = 0.097 (8):0.903 (8). The boron atoms occupy 23 8b sites and two 4a sites. One of the latter sites has a partial occupancy factor of 0.61 (2). Both unique Mg/Li atoms adopt a twelvefold coordination environment in the form of truncated tetra­hedra (Laves polyhedra). These polyhedra are connected by triangular faces to four [B12] icosa­hedra. The boron atoms exhibit four kinds of polyhedra, namely penta­gonal pyramid (coordination number CN = 6), distorted tetra­gonal pyramid (CN = 5), bicapped hexa­gon (CN = 8) and gyrobifastigium (CN = 8). At the gas hydrogenation of MgLi2B48 alloy, formation of the eutectic composite hydride LiBH4+Mg(BH4)2 and amorphous boron is observed. In the temperature range 543–623 K, the hydride eutectics decompose, forming MgH2, LiH, MgB4, B and H2.




mg

Time-resolved high-energy X-ray diffraction studies of ultrathin Ni ferrite films on MgO(001)

Time-resolved high-energy X-ray diffraction was used during growth of ultrathin NixFe3−xO4 films with varying Ni content (0 ≤ x ≤ 1.5) deposited on MgO(001) substrates by reactive molecular beam epitaxy, providing an insight into the growth dynamics of these films. In order to obtain structural information, reciprocal-space maps were recorded and the temporal evolution of the Bragg peaks specific to the octahedral and tetrahedral lattice sites of the inverse spinel structure of NixFe3−xO4 was observed during growth of the films. A time delay, corresponding to a coverage of 1.2–1.8 nm, between the appearance of the Bragg reflections originating from octahedral sites and reflections originating exclusively from tetrahedral sites indicates that the ferrite films grow in two stages. In the initial growth phase, a rock salt interface layer is formed. Afterwards, a structural transition occurs and the films grow in an inverse spinel structure. The thickness of the initial rock salt phase was found to increase with Ni content and to be responsible for atypical strain in the thin films. Films with Ni contents x > 1 do not show a structural transition. These films remain in a (deficient) rock salt structure consisting of a mixed Ni–Fe oxide and do not form a spinel structure at all. They show an increased number of NiO clusters as detected by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of the valence band, accompanied by a significant roughening of the films.




mg

Amazon Makes A Deal To Buy MGM For Nearly $8.5 Billion

Amazon has made a deal to purchase MGM for $8.5 billion.; Credit: /SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Mandalit del Barco and Anastasia Tsioulcas | NPR

Updated May 26, 2021 at 10:12 AM ET

Editor's note: Amazon is among NPR's financial supporters.

Amazon has made a deal to buy Hollywood studio MGM for almost $8.5 billion. It's the second-largest acquisition for the company after purchasing Whole Foods.

The tech company already runs a film studio, Prime Video streaming service, and video game streaming site Twitch. But the MGM deal is its biggest move into entertainment. Amazon will get the rights to the Golden Age studio's film and television library.

The announcement was made Wednesday morning by the two companies. In a statement, Amazon's senior vice president of Prime Video and Amazon Studios, Mike Hopkins, emphasized the intellectual property value of MGM's vast holdings, which go back to the 1920s. "The real financial value behind this deal," Hopkins said, "is the treasure trove of IP in the deep catalog that we plan to reimagine and develop together with MGM's talented team."

With its mascot lion roaring logo, MGM made such movie classics as Singin' In the Rain and 2001: A Space Odyssey. MGM also owns the EPIX cable channel and runs a TV studio that produced The Handmaid's Tale and Fargo.

MGM also splits the highly lucrative James Bond movie franchise with a family that holds creative control of the 007 movies. According to Variety, as of 2020 the 24 films released so far in the series have generated $16.3 billion in global ticket sales, adjusted for inflation.

In all, MGM's catalog includes more than 4,000 films — including such pop-culture staples as Moonstruck, Legally Blonde, Rocky, The Pink Panther, The Silence of the Lambs and Poltergeist — and 17,000 television shows. Access to those movies and shows will certainly augment Amazon's Prime Video offerings, particularly at a time when other studios and networks have created their own platforms to reach consumers, such as HBO Max, Paramount+ and Disney+. As of last month, there were more than 200 million Amazon Prime account holders worldwide, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos told Variety.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that the deal for $8.45 billion includes taking on MGM's current debts. The deal has not yet closed, an Amazon spokesperson noted to NPR, and is subject to regulatory approvals. The company is already facing antitrust inquiries in both the U.S. and Europe.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.




mg

KPMG in India names Hemant Jhajhria as Head of Consulting

With 24 years of professional experience, Jhajhria specializes in strategy consulting and business management.




mg

CEOs in infrastructure and transport sector focus on ESG and Gen AI amid growth prospects: KPMG

The survey indicates that 57% of CEOs believe stakeholder expectations on ESG are evolving faster than they can adjust their strategies, with more than half concerned that inadequate climate adaptation could negatively impact growth in the short to medium term.




mg

MGP Ingredients hires baking application scientist

As baking application scientist, Sarah Gutkowski’s duties will include developing formulations with MGP’s protein and starches for customer applications.




mg

MGP names regional manager for ingredients sales

Bruce Gubser joins the Kansas-based supplier of premium distilled spirits and specialty wheat proteins and starches as east central regional sales manager for ingredients.




mg

MGP celebrates 75th anniversary

The Kansas-based supplier of premium distilled spirits and specialty wheat proteins and starches will hold celebratory observances throughout 2016 tied to the theme ‘75 Years Strong.’




mg

MGP Ingredients announces personnel appointments

Gus Griffin is now president and CEO of the Atchison, KS, company. Randy Schrick is promoted to the newly expanded position of vice president of production and engineering, while Sean McHenry is named technical service director for MGP’s ingredient solutions business segment.




mg

MGP appoints VP of ingredients sales and marketing

MGP Ingredients taps food industry executive Michael Buttshaw to lead its ingredients business.




mg

MGP launches ProTerra textured proteins

MGP Ingredients has announced the ProTerra line of textured proteins.




mg

MGP Ingredients receives FDA approval of Fibersym RW and FiberRite RW as a dietary fiber source

MGP Ingredients, Inc. is pleased to announce the formal approval of its citizen petition requesting dietary fiber status under the new nutrition facts labeling regulations for its flagship brands of Fibersym RW and FiberRite RW.




mg

Marquis Who's Who Honors Amgad A. Eldib, MD, for Expertise in Pediatric Ophthalmology

Amgad A. Eldib, MD, is a distinguished physician and educator at the UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh




mg

ProtectOrg, Inc. launch Configuration Manager Monitoring, delivering real-time monitoring for ConfigMgr (MCM)

Configuration Manager monitoring from the cloud it's simple and quick to deploy. Keeping an eye on your deployments can be time-consuming. ProtectOrg's solution covers the health, deployment, software versions, and as well as many other features.




mg

Receptra Clinical Strength 2000mg CBD Roll-on + Menthol is designed to provide quick pain relief for aching muscles and joints. Transdermal delivery of the platinum blend of Full Spectrum CBD Extract

Our Platinum Blend, crafted by combining CBD Distillate and Full Spectrum Extract, offers unparalleled potency and efficacy. With the highest concentration of cannabidiol (CBD) available, this exceptional formula empowers you to continue activities.




mg

Introducing Hempbridge's Latest Product: Hemp Gummies 50mg

Hempbridge Hemp Gummies 50mg




mg

Astrid R. Baumgardner, JD, Celebrated for Excellence in Coaching and Personal Development

Astrid R. Baumgardner, JD, coaches professional classical musicians for career development




mg

SMG acquires Bulbshare to expand its experience management capabilities

The acquisition enables SMG to offer clients a single source for the best of CX and BX management




mg

Balancing Image Speed and Quality with imgix

Users expect a website to load fast. An average web page loads in about 2.5 seconds. The longer the user has to wait, the higher the user bounce rate. There are a lot of factors that go into site speed, but images account for about 75% of the page weight on an application or website. Google’s Core Web Vitals uses several metrics to rank sites. Visual site speed or largest contentful paint affects ROI as slower sites have fewer repeat users and fewer sales.

Without properly sized images, both site speed and image quality are affected. Accordingly, we use several methods to deliver properly sized images. Our primary solution is imgix because it is easy to implement and saves managers and clients time and effort. 

Imgix Key Features

Imgix provides a lot of features — some we consistently use on projects, and others we use in very specific situations. 

Responsive Images

Setting up responsive images can be complex. As the variety of devices and their screen resolutions continue to expand, managing all the different image requirements is increasingly challenging.

Consider this scenario: a website’s images look crisp and clear on a high-resolution monitor. When that same page is viewed on a mobile device, the images are so large the page takes forever to load. A solution could be to upload a smaller image for mobile, right? It's not quite that simple. We need eight or more different sizes of the same image to account for different screen sizes and retina screens. Keeping track of all the image sizes and saving each size gets complex and would be nearly impossible to do manually on a site that has hundreds or thousands of images. 

One of our clients, National Park Foundation (NPF), wanted to clarify its message to better target major donors. Their gorgeous, large scenic images are essential to their website strategy.  NPF needed the images throughout their site to be crisp and clear at all screen sizes. Using imgix, NPF content managers can load high-resolution images to the CMS and not worry about the site's speed or performance. They rely on imgix to deliver the correctly resized image for any user's screen.

Imgix does this with their Device Pixel Ratio and Client Hints which automatically sets the pixel density for the image based on the user's device. Those API parameters can be easily set in the URLs for the image’s `srcset`. This allows developers to set an image width for an image `srcset` and then imgix delivers the right pixel ratio image to the user. We use `srcset` with imgix on other client sites like Bezos Earth Fund and Human Rights Campaign as well.

Resize and Cropping

Imgix allows you to crop images in addition to setting an image’s focal point. So, only one image needs to be uploaded and it can be used at multiple sizes and croppings throughout the site. Let's say we upload a large landscape image, but on some pages we only need to use a portion of the image cropped as a square. Imgix will crop the image and deliver the smaller versions on the pages we need while persisting the larger versions on other pages.

At Viget we use resizing and cropping on our own website, including our articles, to crop the staff photo to a smaller size at the top of the articles. This makes it possible for us to upload the staff photo once and the article image gets created automatically. 

Color Palette 

Another feature that we've used on client sites is the Color Palette API which allows you as many colors as you want from an image. For example, the Shedd Aquarium website that we built uses this feature by pulling a vibrant color from the image and setting it as the background color for the page hero. Aside from taking the manual work out of closely aligning photography with a page’s design, there’s an additional benefit: if you are on a slow connection, you will see a dynamic colored banner at the top before the image loads.

Image Upscaling

Another valuable feature is the ability to upscale images. Even if you upload an image that is low resolution, it can still be used at a higher resolution. This is especially useful for e-commerce sites or applications where users are uploading their images.  The upscale feature uses Generative AI to take a pixelated image and create a higher-resolution image. The final image will not be perfect, but it looks more professional. See the upscale demo on imgix.

Non-upscaled image
Upscaled image using Imgix

PDF Preview Images

There is also a PDF page to image option in imgix. The API enables the generation of a page-specific image preview from the PDF, which can serve as both a thumbnail and a full-size preview. When we built AHIP.org, they had a resources section for their members containing quite a few PDFs. To help with clarity and findability, we used imgix to show previews of the PDF documents to non-members. This feature allows AHIP to upload resource PDFs without having to also upload any thumbnail images. 

Face Detection

Another nice feature is a face detection parameter that you can pass to the API. This allows you to upload a photo and no matter the cropping or size it will keep the face as the focal point of the image. We used this feature on NEA for their team member page. It's great for user profile images that are used in different contexts throughout the site. 

Video Streaming

Videos have become a key design element on websites. However, determining which service to use for embedding those videos is an ongoing topic of discussion. Video platforms enable you to integrate the video onto the page, yet they introduce scripts that may impede page loading speed. Imgix offers a video embed service that allows content managers to keep all the images and videos in one place. The videos are automatically encoded to Adaptive Bitrate Streaming to get the best compression and video quality. So, videos load fast and look great on mobile and desktop. 

Imgix Video API with Adaptive Bitrate Streaming

Performance 

A lot of CMSs have image transformations built in. An image transformation encompasses everything for that image including responsive sizes, cropping, resizing, and face detection from the original. This is great for small sets of images, but transformations quickly get out of hand the more images there are on a site. For example, the homepage of the National Park Foundation has a minimum of 96 image transformations. 

Processing all of those image transformations uses a lot of server resources. Imgix saves the images and delivers them through their CDN. The imgix image CDN has an average of 0.15 milliseconds return on requests which enables images to load as quickly as possible. The CDN also caches the images on CDN edge nodes making them immediately available for future requests. 

Flexibility

Imgix is flexible enough to work with almost any site structure; including WordPress, Craft CMS, Shopify, React, Ruby on Rails, Python, and more (see the full list). So, whether a site is a WordPress site or a Rails application, imgix fits right into the ecosystem. And, even better: you don’t have to rebuild your web app or website to gain the benefits of image performance, which can save you a lot of time and money.

Setting up imgix on an existing website is easy. Imgix can connect to existing asset storage sources like AWS, Azure, or a web folder on the same domain. Once the image source is set up, a developer can start passing parameters to the API

Cost

Imgix is free for 1,000 images which makes it easy to integrate and grow with your site. Pricing goes to $750/yr for 5,000 images and $3,000/yr for 25,000 images. In their pricing structure, “images” are categorized as origin images, so the count only includes original images and not transformed ones. So, you could have hundreds of images and thousands of image transformations all being delivered through a CDN for free.

Conclusion

Ensuring fast site speed isn't just important. It is vital. It's the cornerstone of a successful online presence, directly influencing search engine rankings, user satisfaction, and ultimately, your return on investment. Properly sized and optimized images are key to ensuring your site loads quickly and displays correctly for users across various devices.

We have found that imgix enables our team to efficiently create projects with diverse image options, saving managers and developers valuable time. Our clients benefit from reduced server space and an increased site speed. Imgix’s API is comprehensive, so you can use one tool for all features and options around site images — from cropping and resizing to face detection and automated color palettes, to video and beyond. Having used imgix for the past five years to support the wide-ranging needs of our clients, we feel confident recommending it and using it again and again. 

Users expect a website to load fast, and imgix is a reliable way to make sure that happens. 




mg

Messages were sent to web-support and website-info-mgt JISCMail lists informing people that the online booking form is now live.

The online booking form for IWMW is now available. [2006-04-05]




mg

Announcement sent to website-info-mgt list

Sent workshop announcement and call for speakers to the website-info-mgt JISCMail list. [2005-14-02]




mg

University of Toronto’s Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering announces establishment of the Foundation CMG Research Chair in Fundamental Petroleum Rock Physics and Rock Mechanics

Toronto, ON – University of Toronto Professor Giovanni Grasselli, of the Department of Civil Engineering, has been named the inaugural holder of the Foundation CMG Industrial Research Chair in Fundamental Petroleum Rock Physics and Rock Mechanics. Professor Grasselli is joining 12 chairs at 12 universities, including Penn State and the University of Texas in Austin, […]




mg

PE Firm Invests in HVAC and Plumbing Contractor VMG

Vertical Mechanical Group is a full-service HVAC and plumbing contractor that specializes in large-scale commercial projects such as hotels and multi-family residential buildings.





mg

Episode 107: Andrew Watson on the OMG

This episode is a discussion with Andrew Watson, Technical Director of the Object Management Group. The episode is structured into five parts. We start with the history of the OMG and its early work. Then we look at the set of standards it has been (or is currently) working on. Next is a discussion of the standardization process used by the OMG, including the much-debated topic of compliance testing. We then look at OMG's relationship to other standards bodies (W3C, OASIS). Finally Andrew and I briefly discuss our common passion, gliding :-)




mg

BMG Announces the Mantis Robotic Trim Press Handler

Compact, flexible and configurable robotic system enables full automated handling of trim press products.




mg

BMG Releases the Mantis Robotic Trim Press Handler

The new machine is the industry’s first robotic automated system that can reliably handle the flow of parts ejected from any trim press, as the system enables full automation of the entire thermoforming process.




mg

MGS introduces compact top load case packer for diverse packaging requirements

Especially well-suited for Home Care, Personal Care and Pharma, the Matrix TL delivers favorable speed and efficient changeovers in a small footprint.




mg

MG Tech Unveils New Palletizer with Yaskawa Cobot and Rockwell Automation

Cobotics brings several advantages to palletizing: a small footprint on the ground, flexibility by the possible movement of the equipment, and easy start-up and use.




mg

CECLOR cefaclor 250mg/5mL (as monohydrate) powder for oral liquid bottle (cefaclor monohydrate)

Unexpected increase in consumer demand




mg

APO-OLMESARTAN/AMLODIPINE/HCTZ 40/5/12.5 olmesartan medoxomil/amlodipine/hydrochlorothiazide 40/5/12.5 mg film-coated tablet blister pack (olmesartan medoxomil)

Manufacturing




mg

APO-PRAZOSIN prazosin (as hydrochloride) 1mg tablet blister pack (prazosin hydrochloride)

Manufacturing




mg

SEVREDOL morphine sulfate pentahydrate 10mg tablet blister pack (morphine sulfate pentahydrate)

Commercial Changes / Commercial viability




mg

MOUNJARO tirzepatide 2.5 mg/0.5 mL solution for injection vial (tirzepatide)

Commercial Changes / Commercial viability




mg

PRASUGREL LUPIN prasugrel 10 mg film-coated tablet blister pack (prasugrel)

Manufacturing




mg

STELAX 25 baclofen 25mg tablet bottle (baclofen)

Transport / Logistic issues / Storage capacity issues




mg

FLECATAB flecainide acetate 50 mg tablet blister pack (flecainide acetate)

Manufacturing




mg

DULOXECOR duloxetine hydrochloride 30 mg enteric capsule blister pack (duloxetine hydrochloride)

Unexpected increase in consumer demand




mg

BRINEURA cerliponase alfa (rch) 150 mg/5 mL solution for injection vial with flushing solution vial (cerliponase alfa)

Manufacturing




mg

CILATIL tadalafil 20mg film-coated tablets blister pack (tadalafil)

Manufacturing




mg

SOLU-CORTEF ACT-O-VIAL hydrocortisone (as sodium succinate) 250mg powder for injection and diluent dual-chamber vial (hydrocortisone sodium succinate)

Manufacturing




mg

LURASIDONE LUPIN lurasidone hydrochloride 40 mg film-coated tablet blister pack (lurasidone hydrochloride)

Manufacturing




mg

APO-ESCITALOPRAM escitalopram (as oxalate) 20 mg tablet blister (escitalopram oxalate)

Manufacturing




mg

MYCOPHENOLIC ACID ARX mycophenolic acid (as sodium) 360 mg enteric coated tablet blister pack (mycophenolate sodium)

Manufacturing




mg

CABASER Cabergoline 2mg tablet bottle (cabergoline)

Manufacturing




mg

TACROGRAF tacrolimus 1 mg capsule bottle (tacrolimus monohydrate)

Manufacturing




mg

APO-BISOPROLOL bisoprolol fumarate 2.5mg tablet blister pack (bisoprolol fumarate)

Manufacturing




mg

MYSOLINE primidone 250mg tablet bottle (primidone)

Manufacturing




mg

PAXAM 0.5 clonazepam 0.5mg tablet bottle (clonazepam)

Manufacturing