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TMC HealthCare is Southern Arizona's regional nonprofit hospital system with Tucson Medical Center at its core. Each day staff comes to work to use their skills and expertise to improve the health of the entire community, from birth to the end of life.
We are the Adult Critical Care Unit, with 28- 36 beds which includes cardiac thoracic surgery; cardiac interventions, and critically ill patients with a variety of surgical and medical problems. The staffing ratio is 1:1 to 1:2. Staff utilizes a supportive and collaborative approach to interactions with the patients and their families including 24/7 visitation.
SUMMARY:
In collaboration with a physician, provides comprehensive assessment of patient’s health status, evaluates assessment data, and makes treatment decisions.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
Initiates patient admissions and collects health, illness psychosocial, and family history from patients; provides initial care of emergencies.
Performs physical examinations, and orders appropriate diagnostic tests.
Records patient’s health information, performs periodic health evaluations, and establishes/records care plans; evaluates care plans, monitors and records progress, and makes modifications accordingly.
Determines normal and abnormal findings on patient history, physical examination, diagnostic tests; initiates referral and consultation when appropriate.
Consults and collaborates with members of the health care team in the assessment and management of health care problems; functions as a liaison between physicians, nursing, technologists and area support staff.
Prescribes, regulates, and adjusts medications including over the counter medications and treatments.
Provides teaching and counseling aimed at prevention of illness and modification of risk factors to health, and maintenance of high-level wellness; instructs and supervises students and hospital personnel in methods and theories of diagnostic testing.
Assumes responsibility for the therapeutic management of stable long-term health problems in the critically ill.
Completes patient discharge summary.
Assists in the development, implementation, and revision of nursing protocols and standards of care.
Provides IT skills and familiarity, by using the basic functionality of the computer, Word, Excel, Outlook e-mail and attachment capabilities.
Maintains compliance with regulatory requirements.
Performs other evaluative and supportive duties, due to the advanced nature of training and the Licensed Independent Practitioner (LIP) status, as needed.
Researches and provides advice on patient care processes, nursing processes, and larger-scale quality improvement projects.
Adheres to and supports team members in exhibiting TMCH values of integrity, community, compassion, and dedication.
Adheres to TMCH organizational and department-specific safety and confidentiality policies and standards.
Performs related duties as assigned.
Diabetes:
Provides support to patients who have Diabetes including managing insulin therapies and infusions, monitoring patients glucose levels and provide education on diet and exercise. Follow appropriate policies, procedures and protocols for Diabetes patients. Develop diabetes education plan based on assessment of the patient’s medical, nutritional, lifestyle and educational needs. Collaborates as needed with the physician in developing an appropriate treatment plan including discharge instructions and follow-up.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
EDUCATION: Master’s degree in Nursing or related area, or an equivalent combination of relevant education and experience.
EXPERIENCE: Five (5) years of related experience, preferably in an intensive care (ICU) setting.
LICENSURE OR CERTIFICATION: National certification as a Nurse Practitioner or must be National Certification as a Nurse Practitioner eligible, must become credentialed at TMC through the Professional Staffing Office prior to appointment. Must have and maintain a current Arizona state license as a Registered Nurse and Nurse Practitioner including prescriptive authority. Must obtain and maintain a current Federal Drug Enforcement Agency License for prescribing controlled substances. Must obtain and maintain current certification in Basic and Advanced Cardiac Life Support; for Mental Health only Crisis Prevention Instruction (CPI) required. | https://chj.tbe.taleo.net/chj04/ats/careers/v2/viewRequisition?org=TMCAZ&cws=38&rid=21260 |
What is Chiropractic?
Chiropractic is a lifestyle. Chiropractic is one of the largest primary-contact health care professions today. Chiropractors provide non-invasive, hands-on health care that serves to diagnose, treat, and help prevent disorders and conditions relating to the spine, nervous system, and musculoskeletal system.
Chiropractors use a combination of treatments, which are tailored to the specific individual needs of the patient. After taking a complete history and providing a detailed diagnosis to the patient, Dr.Beckley will develop and carry out a treatment plan, as well as recommend rehabilitative exercises. Dr. Beckley may also suggest nutritional, dietary, and lifestyle modifications to help the patient reach their health goals. Dr. Beckley believes in addressing the patients overall health and not just their specific symptoms. She is focused on how a patient’s musculoskeletal system and nervous system function in relation to the whole body. | https://www.beckleychiropractic.com/new-patients/what-is-chiropractic/ |
The spine is one of the most important structures of the body as it has the crucial jobs of providing structure and support and protecting the spinal cord. It also enables movement of the neck, back, core and lower body. The joints, in addition to intervertebral discs, responsible for spine movements are the facet joints. Like all joints of the body, the facet joints are susceptible to arthritis. Facet joint arthritis is a painful condition that can alter the way patients live their lives.
Illustration 1- The facet joints
Symptoms of Facet Joint Arthritis
The main symptom of facet joint arthritis is pain in the spine or extremities when bending backward or sideways. Typically, pain increases with movement and activity. Symptoms like tingling and numbness are not seen unless a spinal cord or nerve compression condition like spinal stenosis or a herniated disc occurs in conjunction with facet joint arthritis.
Diagnosis of Facet Joint Arthritis
A Neurosurgeon diagnoses facet joint arthritis using the following:
- A medical history. Symptoms, medical conditions, activities, and prior injuries provide clues that facet joint arthritis may be present.
- A physical examination. A series of examinations help find the exact location and cause of pain.
- Medical imaging studies. X-rays, MRIs, and CT scans show arthritic damage to the facet joints and surrounding bone and soft tissue.
Once an accurate diagnosis is made, a treatment plan can be prescribed.
Treatment of Facet Joint Arthritis
Non-surgical treatment options typically resolve pain associated with facet joint arthritis. The most commonly used non-surgical treatment options include the following:
- Rest and ice. Slowing down or stopping movements and activities that cause pain and applying ice to painful areas helps reduce inflammation and pain.
- Physical therapy. Strengthening and stretching the muscle and ligaments of the spine helps correct muscle imbalances and enables patients to perform movements easily and without pain.
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Over-the-counter and prescription medications that can be taken orally to resolve pain and decrease inflammation.
- Corticosteroid injections. Injecting an arthritic facet joint with powerful anti-inflammatory medications known as corticosteroids provides fast acting pain relief.
When these treatment options do not improve pain, surgical treatment may be necessary.
A facet rhizotomy is a surgical procedure in which tiny nerves that surround the facet joints are coagulated so they stop sending pain signals to the brain.
Seeking Treatment for Facet Joint Arthritis
If you are experiencing pain that gets worse when you move your spine, please contact our NYC office to make an appointment. Regardless of the severity of your condition, we will have a treatment option that is right for you. Dr. Patrick Senatus is a Board Certified Neurosurgeon in New York City with extensive experience in Minimally Invasive and Restorative Spine Surgery. Dr. Senatus employs a personalized patient-centered approach that prioritizes optimum functional outcome and well-being. Each consultation begins with a comprehensive evaluation by Dr. Senatus designed to create an individualized evidence based treatment plan which includes the patient, family, and collaborating providers.
Following a conservative treatment philosophy, Dr. Senatus offers his patients solutions using the most advanced minimally invasive spine surgery. His approach is to perform the most effective and least invasive intervention available, specifically tailored to each patient, guided by the principal that surgical options be considered only after all reasonable non-operative therapies have been exhausted. Returning his patients to a functional pain free lifestyle is the ultimate objective. Contact us today to schedule an appointment! | https://www.patricksenatusmd.com/2017/08/facet-joint-arthritis/ |
Common treatments may involve one or more of the following:
- Surgical removal
- Curettage and cautery (in which a local anaesthetic is applied, the cancer is removed with a small tool and heat is applied to destroy any remaining cancer cells)
- Cryotherapy (using extreme cold to destroy cancer cells)
- Radiotherapy (also known as radiation therapy)
- Topical medications
- Chemotherapy (often used when the cancer has spread to other parts of the body)
Your doctor will discuss the treatment options most suited to your specific diagnosis and help you to formulate a treatment plan that suits your individual needs. The cost of treatment will vary depending on the severity of your skin cancer and the type of treatment used. If detected early, many removals can be done with a simple in-clinic procedure. | https://www.specialistaustralia.com.au/specialties/skin-cancer/treatment/ |
Results of a recent patient survey reveal that women with a diagnosis of uterine fibroids prefer to be part of the decision-making process when it comes to their treatment plan, especially since hysterectomy remains the standard of care.
“Women advocated for expanded shared decision-making that acknowledged their contribution to their own treatment plan and felt early screening and improved patient/provider education of uterine fibroid symptoms would facilitate greater congruence between treatment approaches and patient goals,” the researchers wrote.
For the survey, 47 women with uterine fibroids were interviewed about their experience with shared decision-making during the treatment process.
Results showed that many of the women “expressed a desire for a more proactive therapeutic approach,” the researchers wrote. That could include a more-detailed discussion with their physician about medical and surgical treatment options, as well as a discussion about the impact symptoms have on patients’ quality of life.
“Despite the considerable impact on personal and psychosocial well-being, many participants felt that providers did not adequately take into account their lived experiences and values during the treatment process,” the researchers wrote. “Efforts to actively engage women in the shared decision-making process, including discussion of nonsurgical interventions, may facilitate greater patient agency and autonomy in uterine fibroid management and treatment acceptance.”
—Amanda Balbi
Reference: | https://consultant360.com/exclusive/consultant360/uterine-fibroids/uterine-fibroid-treatment-patients-prefer-detailed-shared |
Ukraine has been facing an unprecedented attack by Russia. Truth and objective information are important as ever.
The Fix, together with Ukrainian NGO ‘Media Development Foundation’, the Netherlands’ ‘Are we Europe’ and media partners around Europe are launching a global fundraising campaign to keep Ukrainian media going.
So far we are representing more than 10 national and regional media outlets, including Ukrainska Pravda, Ukrainer, Liga.net and Kyiv Independent. All of them are covering news about Russia’s war in Ukraine around the clock – keeping the world informed.
The main needs for Ukrainian journalists now are:
If you can help Ukrainian media with equipment or emergency funds reach out to us at @[email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], and enter your details. Also, here we have launched global crowdfunding — you can donate here. Any amount of support is appreciated. | https://thefix.media/2022/02/25/saving-ukraines-journalism/ |
A door-to-door legal awareness programme on ‘Equal Justice and Free Legal Aid’ organised under the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) Pan India Awareness and Outreach Campaign reached old age homes and children homes in Imphal West on Tuesday.
As a part of the campaign, essential items such as masks, hand sanitisers, and dry ration etc. were distributed.
A team visited Punya, IWCDC and SAA, Thangmeiband; Langol Old Age Home, Lagol; Destitute Children Home, Tera; Observation Home, Takyel; Deaf and Mute School, Takyel; The Government Ideal Blind School, Takyel; Rural Women and Children Development Welfare Association, Tabungkhok; Nirvana Foundation, POCSO, Ghari; Nirvana Foundation, Children Home, Ghari; Observation Home for Girls, Langthabal; BB Paul Mental Development Home, Mongsangei; Shree Shree Radha Madan Mohan Nampala, Khangempali; Children Home run by United Social Development Association, Sagolband.
It was led by District and Sessions Judge, Imphal West A Guneshwar Sharma and accompanied by Chief Judicial Magistrate, Imphal West Y Somorjit Singh media coordinator Salam Devananda (Devan) and other legal officials.
It may be mentioned that as a part of NALSA’s Pan India awareness and outreach campaign, all District Legal Services Authorities (DLSA) under the Manipur State Legal Services Authority (MASLSA) launched a special 15-day door-to-door campaign. The campaign was organised to identify the marginalised, vulnerable and those needing help and ensure that their rights and entitlements are actualised in reality.
First published:20 Oct 2021, 7:40 am
Tags: | https://www.ifp.co.in:443/10469/legal-awareness-campaigns-reach-old-age-children-homes-in-imphal-west |
In an effort to break business barriers in Vietnam, today, The Asia Foundation announced the largest and most comprehensive survey of Vietnam’s business perceptions of the performance of provincial governments. The Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI) provides the first-ever full ranking and assessment of provinces based on their regulatory environments to improve private sector growth.
The 2006 PCI — developed and implemented by The Asia Foundation and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry as a part of the larger USAID-funded Vietnam Competitiveness Initiative project managed by Development Alternatives, Inc. — polled over 6,300 Vietnamese private sector firms in all 64 provinces, enabling them to voice their concerns and experiences with their respective provincial governments.
The PCI rates provinces on a 100-point scale in an effort to explain why some parts of Vietnam perform better than others in terms of private sector dynamism and growth. The index combines the perceptions of businesses on key aspects of local business environments directly influenced by the actions and attitudes of provincial officials with credible and comparable data from official sources.
In 2005, the first PCI was released based on the perceptions of 2,020 businesses across 42 provinces. It quickly became an important tool to identify and drive areas in need of regulatory, policy, and governance reform. Cited as one of the “Top 10 Economic Events” of 2005 by Vietnamese national TV news (VTV1), the PCI was also a central part of donor efforts to promote private sector development at the provincial level.
With the inclusion now of all 64 provinces and a tripling of the amount of responses, the 2006 PCI takes a more comprehensive and decisive look at areas such as business establishment costs, transparency and access to information, inspections, confidence in legal institutions, and labor training. 2006 has also seen a strong response from smaller, more remote provinces not included in last year’s PCI. This year, strong performers include Binh Duong, Da Nang, Vinh Long, Vinh Phuc, and Dong Nai. The outstanding newcomer is Lao Cai, which performed consistently well across all sub-indices.
“The Asia Foundation is proud to have aided in producing the 2006 Provincial Competitiveness Index,” says Doug Bereuter, President of The Asia Foundation. “It is a landmark assessment that provides a sound resource not only for the Vietnamese Government, but for the private sector interested in Vietnam’s business environment.”
Launched in Hanoi today, U.S. events will take place in Washington, DC on June 13, 2006, and San Francisco on June 15.
Read our latest news, or insights from our blog.
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415-743-3340
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415-743-3318
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Thank you for powering The Asia Foundation’s mission to improve lives and expand opportunities. | https://asiafoundation.org/2006/05/31/the-asia-foundation-launches-the-2006-vietnam-provincial-competitiveness-index/ |
American Enterprise Institute
Articles written for the GLP list the source as Genetic Literacy Project. All other articles were written for the sources noted with excerpts provided by the GLP.
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The Meera Kaul Foundation, is hosting its annual event Women in STEM in the Middle East and will be held on January 14-15, 2015 at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel in Dubai.
Striving to highlight high-ranking women in the corporate world, the conference brings together women speakers and delegates who are successful in the field of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). This move aims to increase the interest and confidence of young women pursuing degrees and careers particularly in the fields of STEM. In addition to this, the two-day event will honor leading women in the mentioned sectors from all around the region.
The event will also include a brand new collaborative concept, the Hackathon. This is especially designed for women software programmers and UI and graphic designers to identify and showcase their wide-ranging expertise and in-depth know-how.
The Meera Kaul Foundation has a strong interest in encouraging women to consider entrepreneurship in STEM-based industries. According to Meera Kaul, Global Chair of Meera Kaul Foundation "Many young girls are reluctant to be a part of the STEM fields due to numerous reasons such as typecasting and conservative norms and we are hoping to break these barriers and stereotypes by providing mentorship and industry-focused role models for these determined women who want to lead and be successful.
The foundation focuses on women and women-led enterprises in STEM in North America, Eastern Europe, Africa, China, India, and countries across the Middle East. The Meera Kaul Foundation’s primary objective is to make a difference by growing communities through investing in women.
The event is open to women who are in the fields of STEM; in addition to women entrepreneurs or those aspiring to be one. Registration for this landmark event is open to women from the Middle East, China, Africa, and India at www.womeninstem.com.
About Meera Kaul Foundation: | https://africanewsline.ucoz.net/news/investing_in_women_for_a_better_tomorrow/2014-11-23-2999 |
Current Affairs in:
हिंदी
India’s Zero Hunger Programme to be launched in Gorakhpur, Koraput and Thane
Sep 20, 2017
India’s Zero Hunger Programme to be initiated by ICAR in association with ICMR, M S Swaminathan Research Foundation and BIRAC aims at coming up with suitable methods of measuring the impact of the intervention and identify the nutritional maladies in each district. The programme will be implemented in sync with India’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end hunger by 2030.
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Speculation is rife that Hillary Clinton will try to come back in 2024.
Join Our Telegram Chanel Here: Donald Trump News
Clinton Foundation has launched a new program entitled “Clinton Global Initiative (CGI).” Many people are wondering if the Clinton Foundation’s new initiative means the two-time unsuccessful presidential candidate will run for office again in 2024.
An Associated Press report stated that former President Bill Clinton sent a letter to certify that the foundation’s donors are behind the Clinton revival.
TRENDING: EXPOSED: Biden Paid $1 Billion to MSM To Push COVID 10 Vaccine Propaganda
In spite of the letter claiming the foundation will focus on COVID, democracy, and climate change, critics point out that these issues have been around for years. “So why the sudden decision to get involved now?” a reporter for BizPac Review asked.
Alternatively, Hillary might need to raise money for a second run at the White House. In 2016, after Hillary Clinton ended up losing the presidential election to Donald Trump, CGI abruptly shut down.
The last 5 years have ripped the cover off of longstanding global vulnerabilities, but I still believe we can accomplish far more together than we can apart. That’s why I’m looking forward to the next chapter of @ClintonGlobal. My letter here: https://t.co/SQAJFmIF6G https://t.co/S1cHCwUHFS
— Bill Clinton (@BillClinton) March 4, 2022
The Clintons explain in the letter that the reboot will lead to “cooperation and coordination.”
“The COVID-19 pandemic has ripped the cover off of longstanding inequities and vulnerabilities across our global community,” the letter said, according to reports.
“The existential threat of climate change grows every day. Democracy is under assault around the world, most glaringly in Ukraine where Russia has launched an unjustified and unprovoked invasion that has put millions of lives in grave danger. The number of displaced people and refugees worldwide is higher than it has ever been—more than one in 95 of all people alive on the planet today has been forced to flee their home—and rising.”
Referred to as the Clinton Global Initiative, this subset of the Clinton Foundation “convenes global and emerging leaders to create and implement solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges,” the organization’s website states.
“Rather than directly implementing projects, CGI facilitates action by helping members connect, collaborate, and develop Commitments to Action — new, specific, and measurable plans that address global challenges,” it continues.
During Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign in 2016, the Clinton Global Initiative ended due to concern it could create a conflict of interest. The summit will take place September 19-21 in New York City.
“Just like the world we’re living in, the September meeting will likely look different than the ones we held before. But what will not be different is the spirit that has driven CGI from the very beginning—the idea that we can accomplish more together than we can apart,” the former president wrote in the declaration.
Former Presidents Barack Obama and Jimmy Carter, as well as A-list celebrities like Ben Affleck and Bono have spoken at past events. Additionally, major corporations, including Coca-Cola, Barclays, Goldman Sachs, Blackstone Group, Laureate Education, Monsanto, and Standard Chartered Bank, have sponsored the initiative. In 2016, the Washington Examiner described how CGI has been called out due to “its atypical method of operation.”
“Instead of issuing traditional grants to groups in need, the Clinton Global Initiative’s primary function is to convene powerful figures from the business, political or entertainment worlds and encourage them to pledge contributions for future projects called ‘commitments,’” the Examiner report stated.
“However, the group’s most recent philanthropic portfolio indicates fewer than half of the thousands of commitments made since 2005 have ever been completed,” it continued. “The charity’s financial structure has also raised eyebrows, since most direct contributions go toward the annual meeting or salaries rather than philanthropy.”
According to BizPac, the “second most common theory” is that the Clintons need more cash for themselves.
“And indeed, the record shows that their top donors prior to falling off the map had come from Ukraine,” the report adds.
Bill Clinton just announced the Clinton Global Initiative is coming back online and that is all the confirmation we need that Hillary is running
— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) March 5, 2022
Steve Bachar, a long-time co-chair of CGI, was arrested last year on charges of felony theft and securities fraud.
A criminal complaint indicated that he stole up to $1 million from an investor then lied about it “in connection with the offer, sale or purchase of a security.” The allegedly criminal acts occurred between October 2017 and August 2018.
A series of accusations have been leveled at the Clinton Foundation.
“Clinton Foundation officials repeatedly skirted or ignored federal laws and regulations while converting the controversial non-profit from its tax-exempt purpose of building a presidential library in Little Rock, Arkansas, into a $2 billion global machine selling political influence and access on an unprecedented scale,” BizPac reported in 2016.
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“It was during the foundation’s first six full years of existence from 1998 to 2004 when the tight-knit circle of Clinton insiders progressively mis-represented in annual tax filings the non-profit’s activities and compliance with its exempt purpose.”
Of course, Hillary can’t expect an easy ride in her third attempt at the White House. In the event that Republicans win control over Democrats in the midterms, Republican-controlled committees are expected to start investigating Durham’s allegations over Clinton’s spying on Trump and later the Republican presidential nominee.
Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ohio) announced the pledge last month in a Fox News interview in response to Durham’s report that Clinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussmann employed a tech firm to snoop on Trump’s campaign and White House. | https://conspatriots.com/breaking-hillary-clinton-makes-insane-announcement/ |
Qatar Foundation has announced the appointment of Abeer al-Khalifa as president of its Pre-University Education division (PUE).
Qatar Foundation’s Education City is uniquely placed to educate students for global competence and prepare graduates to thrive in a more interconnected world, finds a study by scholars at VCUarts Qatar and Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) ..
Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation, will share unprecedented insights into the first days and years of establishing Qatar Foundation during “The Untold Stories of QF,” a panel discussion airing on Qatar TV on October 17, at 9pm.
Qatar's ambassador to the United States Sheikh Meshaal bin Hamad al-Thani has announced the signing of an agreement by Qatar Foundation (QF) and Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) with the American University of Afghanistan (AUAF)
Sidra Medicine, a member of Qatar Foundation, has launched a week long patient education awareness campaign on safe sleep to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
The health control section in the Municipal Control Department of Doha Municipality inspected 3,650 food establishments in September and issued 137 seizure reports for violation of Law No 8 of 1990 regarding the regulation of human food control.
An abstract of a research study on horse rehabilitation, led by Dr Florent David, head of the Surgery and Sports Medicine Service at Qatar Foundation's Equine Veterinary Medical Centre has won first place at the 2021 annual American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation
Qatar Foundation’s Qur’anic Botanic Garden (QBG), the first garden in the world to exhibit all plant species mentioned in the Holy Qur’an, Hadith, and Sunnah – hosted an online discussion with the University of Arizona
Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), a member of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science, and Community Development (QF), is a homegrown research and graduate studies University that acts as a catalyst for positive transformation in Qatar and the region while having a global impact.
Qatar Foundation’s technology hub and Skolkovo Foundation have signed a MoU to strengthen economic and technological ties between Qatar and Russia.
More than 1,600 young graduates are to celebrate their achievements and look to the future together – in a special virtual edition of Qatar Foundation (QF)’s Convocation ceremony.
The Doha International Family Institute (DIFI), a member of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, has organised its first discussion session in a series of episodes that it holds weekly throughout the holy month of Ramadan. | https://www.gulf-times.com/stories/t/1337/0/Qatar%20Foundation |
Rights.
Panel Discussion on IMPACT OF FREE TRADE ON CHILDREN 14 APRIL 2005
Organised by — HAQ: CENTRE FOR CHILD RIGHTS
Also involved in this movement
Ankur, All India Trade Union Congress, Centre for Education &
Communication, Campaign Against Child Trafficking, CACL – Delhi, CITU,
Hind Mazdoor Sabha, India Alliance for Child Rights, Jan Swasthya Abhiyan
INTRODUCTION
As part of the various activities in India during the Global Week of Action -
10 to 16 April 2005, HAQ: Centre for Child Rights organised a panel
discussion in New Delhi at Gandhi Peace Foundation on the topic - “Impact
of Free Trade on Children” on 14 April 2005.
Global Week of Action is a part of the Trade Justice Movement. The Trade
Justice Movement is a fast expanding coalition of organisations including
trade unions, aid agencies, environment and human rights campaigns, fair
trade organisations, faith and consumer groups. The movement is
supported by more than 50 member organisations that have over 9
million members, and new organisations are joining every month.
Together, the organisations are campaigning for trade justice - not free
trade - with the rules weighted to benefit poor people and the
environment. The movement is calling on world leaders to change the rules
that govern international trade so that poor countries have the
freedom to help and support their vulnerable farmers and industries.
Five immediate demands of the campaign are:
1. Stop the EU's free-trade agreements with former colonies
2. An end to the IMF and World Bank setting poor countries' trade policies
3. Special treatment for poor countries at the WTO
4. Cut the massive export subsidies used in rich countries
5. Debt cancellation and aid increases must not be used to further impose
free trade
In an International Conference in Delhi during Nov. 2003, over 100 Trade
Justice activists and concerned partners of this movement came together
to share and discuss future strategies to strengthen the international
Trade Justice campaign at the local as well as global level. Global Week of
Action (10-16 April 2005) was an outcome of this meeting, to say
NO to the rich and powerful imposing unjust trade agreements,
indiscriminate liberalisation and privatisation on the poor
YES to everyone’s right to food, a livelihood, water, health and education
The GWA has had series of events and actions worldwide. It could be the
biggest international mobilisation yet against poverty. The GWA built on
existing campaigns and strengthened and added value to them to show
the strength of people’s resistance and rejection of the logic of free
trade, privatisation and liberalisation and increasing visibility for media and
decision-makers. The observance of GWA was a focused time for
coordinated campaigning in the run up to the G8 in the UK and the next
WTO ministerial in Hong Kong.
With the objective of consolidating the Indian Campaign a National
Consultation was organised on the 5th and 6th Oct. 2004 at Chennai.
Within the context of resisting neoliberalism and setting out the peoples’
alternatives, the India national trade consultation proposed the following
specific issues as a focus for the Global Week of Action, 10-16th April 2005
in India:
Overarching theme
Globalisation and the “Threat to Food Sovereignty of communities” — in
particular Dalits, Adivasis, Women and Children.
Specific Issues
· Yes to restoration of tariff protection.
· Yes to land reforms in favour of the poor and community control over
natural resources.
· Yes to the right to decent work and full employment.
· No to privatisation of water, health and education.
· No to corporatisation of agriculture.
· No to genetic engineering and patents on life forms.
Global Week of Action is a global action against neo-liberal globalisation
and unjust global trade with the conviction that people can make changes.
The direct impact of free trade on children may not leap to the eye. But
experiences of other processes of globalisation and liberalisation on
children definitely indicate that there is a strong case for making a closer
examination of this linkage. This is borne out by worsening levels of basic
health, nutrition and shelter as they fall to the knife of social sector
cutbacks and policies, programmes and development initiatives that
continue to deprive communities and families to resources that they have
traditionally depended through loss of control over and access to land,
forest resources and water. Privatisation of social sector benefits such as
education, health and provision of water are clearly taking their toll on
millions of children.
The symptoms of negative fallout are visible: children deprived of even
sparse social benefits as forced and economic migration displaces them,
increasing number of children on the streets, the growing number of street
girls, more and more children being trafficked within and across borders
and rising numbers of children engaged in part or full-time labour.
Over the last decade, countries across the world have embarked on a
course of changing their existing economic models in favour of one driven
by the free-market, incorporating processes of liberalisation, privatisation
and globalisation.
Promoters of free trade describe it as the general openness to exchange
goods and information between and among nations with few to no barriers
to trade. But experiences over the years have shown exchanges between
developed nations and lesser-developed countries (LDCs) seldom occur as
is being publicised. Indeed, what is shared is along uneven terms. This
had led to violent social protests in countries such as in Mexico, Venezuela,
Argentina, etc. | https://archive.crin.org/en/library/news-archive/india-impact-free-trade-children-23-may-2005.html |
ATLANTA — Fair Count, Inc. and the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc. (CBCF) today launched a series of data trainings to create targeted census maps to help guide outreach and mobilization efforts in hard-to-count (HTC) communities across the nation. Using Fair Count’s model to identify the communities, by December 2019, CBCF and Fair Count will review census turnout rates in low income Black and Latinx communities that may not have Internet access, as well as other communities that lack the resources to accurately complete the 2020 Census in numbers comparable to other communities, populations, or regions.
The maps, an initiative of ‘Black America Counts’, will identify the areas of the greatest need at the county level. Announced during CBCF’s 2019 Annual Legislative Conference, ‘Black America Counts’, a partnership with Fair Count and CBCF, is a campaign designed to increase participation in the 2020 Census by Black and Latinx populations in all 50 states.
“In 2010, 3.8 million Black people and 3.9 million people of Hispanic origin were missed in the census,” said Dr. Jeanine Abrams McLean, Vice President, Fair Count. “This loss to communities in representation, federal resources, and political power—particularly in communities of color—is seismic. I am thrilled to be working with the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation in creative ways to close this gap for 2020 and ensure that all people are fairly and accurately counted and equally represented.”
Fair Count and CBCF, in cooperation with CBCF research interns, will use the data to create and launch a nationwide awareness campaign about the 2020 Census targeted to Black and Latinx populations. Fair Count’s partnership in this larger national effort was created from its commitment to achieving a fair and accurate count of HTC populations in Georgia.
“CBCF specializes in conducting rigorous policy analysis and research, and works to provide insights into the characteristics and needs of the global black community,” said Dr. Menna Demessie, CBCF’s Vice President, Center for Policy Analysis and Research. “We are proud to partner with Fair Count to help ensure all black and brown communities achieve equity in the 2020 U.S. Census, and in accessing essential resources.”
Every 10 years, the Census Bureau counts every person in America. That count steers hundreds of billions of dollars for critical services like health care and education; guides the drawing of lines for political districts and school zones; and informs businesses and employers about opportunities for growth and economic development. However, with every census, certain populations — particularly people of color and immigrants — are historically undercounted, resulting in a loss in both resources and political power.
About Fair Count
Founded by Stacey Abrams in 2019, Fair Count, Inc. is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to partnering with HTC communities to achieve a fair and accurate count of all people in Georgia and the nation in the 2020 Census and to strengthening the pathways to greater civic participation. For more information about Fair Count, visit faircount.org.
About the CBCF
Established in 1976, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc. (CBCF) is a non-partisan, nonprofit, public policy, research and educational institute committed to advancing the global black community by developing leaders, informing policy and educating the public. For more information, visit cbcfinc.org. | https://www.cbcfinc.org/fair-count-and-cbcf-kick-off-black-america-counts-campaign/ |
Rochester, NY, USA. On October 17, 2005, Fisher hosted the Right Honourable Kim Campbell, former Prime Minister of Canada. This visit was the fifth in the College’s annual “Head of State” series. During the afternoon, Ms. Campbell participated in a question-and-answer session with students at the College. Then she met with student representatives from The Cardinal Courier, and, at 7:30 p.m. in the Varsity Gym, she made a presentation entitled “The Culture of Power.” Throughout her distinguished political career, the Right Honourable Kim Campbell has been an influential leader and a role model. Campbell served as the nineteenth Prime Minister of Canada, while at the same time earning the distinction of being the first female to hold the office. Prior to becoming Prime Minister, she held countless prestigious positions within the Canadian government. Campbell worked as Minister of State for Indian Affairs and Northern Development, Minister of Justice and Attorney General, and Minister of National Defense and Veterans’ Affairs. She was the first woman to hold the Justice and Defense offices.
Prague, Czech Republic. October 9 - 10th, 2005 Kim Campbell participated in the Forum 2000 Conference: "Our Global Co-Existence: Challenges and Hopes for the 21st Century." This was to become a series dedicated to the nature and meaning of the current conflicts that prevent peaceful coexistence of the international community.
Former Prime Minister Campbell spoke at the Global Foundation for Democracy's inaugural International Conference "Establishment and Development of Democracy" at the President Wilson Hotel in Geneva, Switzerland, September 27-28, 2005. The conference gave a unique opportunity to former statesmen and experts in economics, health, the environment and consumer affairs, Nobel Laureates, and business leaders to exchange ideas and expertise, and learn more about issues democracies in transition face today. Over the course of the two-day conference, the discussions were organized into a series of keynote speeches and two panel discussions, "Development of Democratic Societies" and "The Impact of Democracy on National Health Care, the Environment and Defense Spending." Former Prime Minister Campbell spoke and participated on the "Development of Democratic Societies" panel and other speakers included General Wesley Clark, Former Prime Minister John Major Former Vice President Al Gore, and CNN's Larry King. Learn more about the conference at Global Foundation for Democracy.
Kuwait City, Kuwait. Former PM Campbell delivered a keynote address to the a Regional Women's Campaign School convened from Sept 25 to 28, 2005. Over 70 women candidates and political activists from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region attended. The event was sponsored by Partners in Participation, which is a collaborative undertaking between civil society communities in the MENA region, the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and the International Republican Institute (IRI), two independent non-governmental organizations headquartered in Washington, DC.
For more information about the event, download the document below.
Washington, DC. Former Prime Minister Kim Campbell spoke at a major national policy forum on terrorism held on September 6-7, 2005 in Washington, DC. The forum: "Security, Prosperity and America’s Purpose: Strategic Choices for the 21st Century" gathered more than 1,000 participants over the two days including media, public policy practitioners, Congressional and administration officials, academics, association representatives, military and security professionals, and other important members of civil society.
The session during which Ms. Campbell presented was called "American Interests & Global Interests: Security in an Insecure World." Other speakers during that session include Francis Fukuyama, (Ret.) Col. Lawrence Wilerson, and G. John Ikenberry.
The objective of the conference was to examine the challenge of international terrorism on the 4th anniversary of the 9/11/2001 attacks in New York and Washington and to encourage thinking about terrorism that is ‘comprehensive’ – that recognizes the importance of self determination in countries where America has interests, that considers the economic dimensions of this new type of conflict, and acknowledges the significance of legitimate grievances that terrorists have exploited in rhetoric and acts of terrorism. The conference was designed to encourage a bipartisan conversation that moves beyond an over-reliance and central focus on military responses to terrorism.
Chattanooga, Tennesee, USA. Former Prime Minister Campbell spoke about Gender & Power at an event that included local and regional civic, business, education and political leaders as well as the general public. The event was sponsored by the Women's Leadership Institute and kicked off a month of focused activities on female leadership. It also was the first of an annual addresss to the community by an influential female leader sponsored by the Women's Leadership Institute, which is an organization in Chattanooga that aims to identify local women leaders and potential leaders; provide women with the skills and opportunities which give them quality preparation to assume leadership roles; promote women in leadership positions by maintaining data banks of qualified women available for corporate boards, non-profit boards, civic organizations and other opportunities for significant decision making.
New York, USA. Kim Campbell, former Prime Minister of Canada, presided over the Alan Cranston Peace Award ceremony honoring Ted Turner on April 20, 2005 at the United Nations in New York City. Campbell was joined by Jane Goodall and Jonathan Granoff, President of the Global Security Institute, and Mikhail Gorbachev presented Ted Turner with the award. Turner was chosen as the recipient due to his courageous leadership in business, the environment and arms control, including creating the United Nations Foundation and the Nuclear Threat Initiative.
Speaking at a Headquarters press conference prior to an awards ceremony at which he was to receive the 2005 Alan Cranston Peace Award, businessman and philanthropist Ted Turner called the huge nuclear arsenals of the United States and Russia “the most important threat we face” and cited the urgent need to get rid of all nuclear weapons as soon as possible.
Dubai, UAE. Former Prime Minister Kim Campbell spoke at the Women as Global Leaders: Educating the Next Generation sponsored by Zayed University in Dubai March 14-16, 2005. Ms. Campbell spoke to two different sessions about the issue of Gender and Power, referencing social science studies, which help explain some of the challenges that women encounter in trying to obtain leadership positions. This field of study also explains why woman and men often have the same notions about leadership being "gendered" masculine. Therefore, empowering women is not a question of women vs men, but rather, women and men who "get it" persuading women and men who don't "get it." | http://kimcampbell.com/appearances/2005 |
The campaign of distributing clothing of Eid was launched with the blessing of Allah under the patronage of Al-Anwar Al-Najafia Foundation, which is sponsored by the office of the Eminence of grand Ayatollah the great religious authority, Sheikh Bashir Al-Najafi (May Allah prolong his life) in Nasiriyah governorate.
This campaign included a number of orphans, which amounted to (125) beneficiaries of orphans in different regions of Nasiriya, by taking them directly to the clothing stores and choosing the appropriate clothing and measurements for them. It is mentioned that the team established the health regulations and environment.
Meanwhile, the families expressed their thanks for the efforts being made by the foundation towards those in need, especially during the days of this holy month. | http://www.anwar-n.net/index.php/departments/aytamuna-charity/331-al-anwar-foundation-125-beneficiaries-of-orphans-in-eid-distribution-5-24-2020 |
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«Биение сердец» выпускников семинара АСПЕН - для бездомных девушек
14 апреля Ассоциация выпускников семинара АСПЕН провела в Киеве шестичасовую благотворительную акцию «Биение сердец». 16 волонтеров собрали в торговом центре «Велика Кишеня» вещи на 20 тысяч гривен для бездомных девушек – подопечных центра «Право на...
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The documentary film "How to survive a plague". World history of the fight against AIDS and the fate of Ukraine
The famous documentary film by David France "How to survive a plague" that deals with stories of HIV-positive people in the United States, won official recognition and attributed to notable reductions in mortality rate of AIDS victims. The film will be shown in Ukraine before the World AIDS Day...
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Love Fashion AID: "Life must go on!"
October, 16 2007 Elena Pinchuk ANTIAIDS Foundation presented a unique social collection Love Fashion AID devoted to the fight against AIDS. Each of 38 Ukrainian designers created two wedding dresses for this collection dedicated to HIV-positive people. “HIV/AIDS is not a verdict. Live is...
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Charitable Elton John concert on Maidan Nezalejnosti
On June, 16 in the context of the informative and educational program “On The Edge” the world-famous composer and singer Sir Elton John gave the free charitable concert organized by ANTIAIDS Foundation. It took place on Maidan Nezalejnosti and broadcasted live on the “New...
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I love life so much!
On 20 of May 2006, the day before the International Candlelight Memorial Day, Elena Pinchuk ANTIAIDS Foundation presented for the first time to the partners and mass media the theater project “I love life so much” in Kiev’s Theater on Podol. This is the joint project of ANTIAIDS...
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People living with HIV/AIDS need our support
On April 11th, 2005 ANTIAIDS Foundation have launched on the national television media campaign to support people living with HIV/AIDS. Discrimination and rights violation, rejection and fear – this is what usually get those who is seeking for our understanding and support. The primary aim...
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As an advocate Michelle King, is a senior advisor to the UN Foundation’s Girl Up Campaign and she leads their Next Level Leadership Development program.
In 2021 Michelle launched the 100 actions for equality campaign to encourage everyone to take action everyday to advance equality.
On behalf of UN Women, in 2019 Michelle launched She Innovates a global program helps female innovators and entrepreneurs to defy gender barriers and turn their women-centered solutions into reality. | https://www.michellepking.com/advocate/ |
For over 100 years, Rotary has been an organization of business and professional leaders united worldwide who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build goodwill and peace in the world. In more than 166 countries worldwide, approximately 1.2 million Rotarians belong to more than 33,000 Rotary clubs.
How Did Rotary Get Started?
The world’s first service club, Rotary began with the formation of the Rotary Club of Chicago, Illinois, on February 23, 1905. The club was started by a young lawyer, Paul P. Harris, and three of his friends. He wished to recapture the friendly spirit he had felt among business people in the small town where he had grown up. Their weekly meetings “rotated” among their offices, thereby providing the new service club with its name.
What Is the Main Objective of Rotary?
The main objective of Rotary is service—in the community, in the workplace, and throughout the world. Rotarians develop community service projects that address many of today’s most critical issues, such as children at risk, poverty and hunger, the environment, illiteracy, and violence. They also support programs for youth, educational opportunities and international exchanges for students, teachers, and other professionals, and vocational and career development. The Rotary motto is Service Above Self. The four Avenues of Service are Club Service, Community Service, Vocational Service, and International Service.
Who Are Members, and How Often Do They Meet?
Rotary club membership represents a cross-section of the community’s business and professional men and women. The world’s Rotary clubs meet weekly, and, although Rotary is nonpolitical, nonreligious, and open to all cultures, races, and creeds, each club develops distinctions that reflect its local community. Attendance is mandatory and missed meetings must be “made-up” to maintain membership.
What Is Rotary’s Classification System?
Rotary uses a classification system to establish and maintain a vibrant cross-section or representation of the community’s business, vocational, and professional interests among members and to develop a pool of resources and expertise to successfully implement service projects. This system is based on the founders’ paradigm of choosing cross-representation of each business, profession, and institution within a community.
A classification describes either the principal business or the professional service of the organization that the Rotarian works for or the Rotarian’s own activity within the organization. Some examples of classifications include: health care management, banking, pharmaceutical-retailing, petroleum distribution, and insurance agency.
What Is The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International?
The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International is a not-for-profit corporation that promotes world understanding through international humanitarian service programs and educational and cultural exchanges. It is supported solely by voluntary contributions from Rotarians and others who share its vision of a better world. Since 1947, the Foundation has awarded more than $1.1 billion in humanitarian and educational grants, which are initiated and administered by local Rotary clubs and districts.
What Is Rotary International’s Premier Service Program?
Although Rotary clubs as well as districts develop autonomous service programs, all Rotarians worldwide are united in a campaign for the global eradication of polio, PolioPlus. Since its inception in 1985, Rotarians have raised nearly $800 million to immunize the children of the world, and more than two billion children have received the oral polio vaccine. In addition, Rotary has provided an army of volunteers to promote and assist at national immunization days in polio-endemic countries around the world.
Although the original goal was to have the world polio-free by 2005, it has not been possible to meet this goal. However, Rotary was so respected in their efforts that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has provided a matching grant totaling $335 million to help reach the goal of a polio-free world in our lifetime. Rotary’s current PolioPlus Challenge is to raise $200 million to meet the Gates Foundation match.
How Is Rotary Organized?
Rotary is organized at club, district, and international levels to carry out its program of service. Rotarians are members of their clubs, and the clubs are members of the global association known as Rotary International. Each club elects its own officers and enjoys considerable autonomy within the framework of the standard constitution and the constitution and bylaws of Rotary International. Once accepted, you are therefore a member of your local Rotary club, not of Rotary International.
How Are Clubs Grouped?
Clubs are grouped into 531 Rotary districts, each led by a district governor who is an officer of Rotary International and represents the RI Board of Directors in the field. Though selected by the clubs of the district, a governor is elected by all of the clubs worldwide meeting in the RI Convention. The 50 clubs in south Alabama are part of District 6880.
Does Rotary Work with Other Organizations?
Throughout its history, Rotary International has collaborated with many civic and humanitarian organizations as well as government agencies in its efforts to improve the human condition. Just one excellent example of what these partnerships can accomplish can be found in Rotary’s ambitious PolioPlus program, launched in 1985 in concert with the World Health Organization, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and UNICEF, whose goal is to immunize every child in the world against polio. Rotary brought to the effort millions of volunteers to assist in vaccine delivery, social mobilization, and logistical help at the local, national, regional, and international levels. | http://fairhoperotary.org/what-is-rotary/ |
The existing global economic governance arrangements are failing. They are incapable of dealing with our challenges of poverty, inequality, unemployment and environmental degradation. Nevertheless, they are proving to be exceptionally resistant to change. Although the old powers — primarily Europe and the United States — have lost some of their authority, they have demonstrated that they will not easily surrender control and are still capable of imposing their will on the international community in matters of most interest to them.
It means that achieving substantial, progressive global economic governance reform will be a slow, painful process. It requires emerging powers to exploit each opportunity, no matter how small, for advancing the process of change. Skilled diplomatic efforts are needed when the chances for clear victories are slim but can generate collateral benefits that increase the chances of future successes.
The selection of the next World Bank president offers a useful occasion for advancing this process.
History not on Africa’s side
Historically, this official has always been an American. There is general agreement that this arrangement should be replaced by an open, transparent and merit-based selection process. In fact, all G20 member states committed themselves to support such a process. However, because the Europeans reneged on this commitment by insisting that Christine Lagarde from France be appointed International Monetary Fund managing director, the US is now demanding that the next World Bank president be an American. Given the realities of political power and the voting arrangements in the World Bank, it is likely to get its way.
The rest of the world should not passively accept this. It should force the US candidate to compete for the post and publicly commit to meaningful reform of the governance of the bank and of its operations.
The stakes for Africa in this matter are high. This appointment is about more than just finding a technically competent World Bank leader. The next president must have the skills, experience and commitment to make a complex institution more responsive to the evolving needs of all its stakeholders: its debtor and creditor member countries and their citizens, who are the intended beneficiaries of the bank’s operations but can also be harmed by them. The person must ensure that the bank has the credibility and capacities to work with its borrower countries to meet their most urgent challenges — finding growth strategies that reduce poverty, inequality and unemployment within the constraints created by climate change and other environmental stresses.
Africa must back a candidate who’s sympathetic to the continent
For Africa, this means supporting a candidate for the position who is committed to hearing and responding to the views and concerns of the continent. The most effective way to achieve this objective is to organise a campaign to support an undeniably qualified African for the position. Even though this campaign may not succeed in its stated objective, it can bring other benefits for Africa. It will show the world that, despite the recent ineffective African responses to the Libyan and Côte d’Ivoire crises and the deadlock in the election of the next head of the African Union, Africa can unite and advocate for its interests in international institutions. It will also remind the World Bank membership that African states are important consumers of its services and that it should pay careful attention to their needs and concerns. Finally, it will put down a marker that, in future, the heads of major international institutions must be selected through open, transparent processes on the basis of their qualifications and not their nationality.
South Africa has a special responsibility in this campaign. It is a leading voice in Africa and a respected participant in the institutions of global economic governance.
Leadership brings responsibility and South Africa needs to take the initiative in organising and promoting this campaign. There are many qualified African candidates and South Africa should consult key African allies to identify the most suitable candidate for the continent. Once an agreement is reached on whom the “African candidate” will be, South Africa should use its seat on the World Bank board to nominate the candidate, work with African institutions to co-ordinate the campaign and with its international networks to promote the candidate to its allies in the Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) grouping, the G20 and civil society internationally.
Although the campaign may not succeed in its immediate objective of selecting the next World Bank president, it can bring benefits such as demonstrating the advantages that South Africa’s leading role in global governance can bring to the continent, strengthening Africa’s ability to advocate effectively for its interests in international affairs and laying the foundation for future global economic governance reforms.
This campaign may not be a game changer, but it can help to bring the day of genuine global governance reform closer and, in the meantime, accrue Africa important collateral benefits. | https://mg.co.za/article/2012-03-09-we-must-lead-in-putting-africa-first/ |
With the phase-out of the Multi-Fibre Arrangement (MFA) to be completed by January 2005, the least developed countries such as Bangladesh are expected to face a formidable challenge. Whilst critical dependence of these countries on export of readymade garments is set to be put under severe test, Bangladesh, with three-fourth of its total export earnings and the livelihood of more than one and a half million workers directly depending on this single sector, is most likely to experience the negative implications of the phase-out. The present volume highlights these emergent concerns.
Part A of the volume is the Strategy Paper that focuses on the possible impact of the MFA phase-out and comes up with suggestions to address the emerging challenges. It is argued in the paper that the overarching approach to any strategy that aims to address these challenges must have the objective of poverty reduction at its heart. Part B is a compilation of proceedings from various CPD Dialogues which were organised to exchange information with, and have inputs from various stakeholder groups such as workers and trade union leaders, entrepreneurs, academics and NGOs as regards strategies for coping with post-MFA challenges. This publication was brought out in connection with Oxfam’s Global Campaign Make trade work for the poor.
The choice of the RMG sector, for the global campaign, is informed by the growing importance of the RMG sector for external sector performance and macroeconomic development of the country, and also in view of the formidable challenges this sector is likely to face as a result of the phase-out of the MFA by 2005 and the attendant global and domestic challenges. It was felt that Bangladesh’s RMG sector, with its highly feminised labour force, is forced to face the full onslaught of globalisation, anatomises the issues which the global campaign set forth to highlight in the first place. | http://rubibook.com/books/phasing-out-of-the-apparel-quota-addressing-livelihood-concerns-in-bangladesh |
There is a common imagination about New Zealand that, since it is a part of the commonwealth of Australia, there are no serious differences between the ways of life in these two countries. However, New Zealand has a distinctive unique culture, which is actually a symbiosis of local (Maori) and continental (Pakeha) customs and traditions taking source from ancient indigenous tribal civilization. From social and business perspectives, the cultures of Pakeha (European) and Maori ethnic groups differ substantially. That is why it makes sense to consider them separately.
Pakeha Zealanders are broad-minded, opened, but a little conservative people. Their culture originates from early British colonizers in New Zealand and, therefore, traditional British conservatism is flourishing among Pakeha. They value comfort, personal achievements and good social relationships, that is why it is crucial for every overseas businessman to establish good interpersonal connections with Pakeha partners. Besides, Pakeha Zealanders are very concerned about environmental problems and do everything possible to preserve their beautiful green country.
In addition, members of Pakeha society give less importance to wealth or social status of a person, they believe that everyone has equal opportunities and must use own skills and abilities to achieve success in life. Maori Zealanders are very reserved, old-fashioned and well-mannered people, whose main values are their cultural identity and hospitality. In order to show pride for their country, they always try to assist foreigners and make their staying in New Zealand comfortable. In addition to traditional environmental concern, Maori always tend to demonstrate the elements of their ancient culture and make foreigners familiar with it.
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For example, they enjoy singing national songs and frequently involve overseas guests in such ceremonies. Social hierarchy is an important value in Maori business culture and in formal situations everyone must respect social status and position of Maori people (Kwintessential). In addition, it is necessary to mention that country’s social and cultural development was also heavily influenced by a great amount of immigrants from the Pacific and Asian regions. This influence is especially obvious in the existing forms of local art and religious beliefs.
Therefore, there is a little uniformity in the attributes of social culture and cultural identity of New Zealanders, that is why it is quite hard to identify the phenomenon of “New Zealand culture” (Liu, McCreanor, McIntosh & Teaiwa). Nevertheless, as any nation of the world, the country has own traditional ways, customs and etiquette rules, which must be taken into account and followed by all overseas businessmen in New Zealand. Overview of the specifics of local business culture can be put to the following. New Zealanders usually great each other with a handshake and the expressions like “Good morning” or “Good Afternoon”.
Men must wait until a woman gives her hand first for a handshake. A smile and a meaningful (but not disturbing) eye-contact are also important elements of greeting procedure. In Maori business culture greeting ritual includes a special welcome ceremony, which is leaded by a head (Powhiri) and usually embraces a series of welcome speeches from the host side, a speech from the guest side, a special traditional singing followed by traditional Maori greeting hongi (touching noses). For the majority of the situations, conservative dress code is preferred in New Zealand, and it is always necessary to keep in mind climatic specifics of the country.
Weather conditions of New Zealand resemble the ones of London, with a great number of rainy days. That is why a raincoat and umbrella are essential things. It is polite to bring gifts for the hosts, which must be wrapped and given in the beginning of the meeting. The best gifts are considered to be a pack of chocolates, a book or a souvenir from the home-country. Usually, meetings must be scheduled not less than a week beforehand by fax, phone or e-mail. Punctuality in everything is absolutely vital in New Zealand. One must never be late either for formal or informal meetings; otherwise it will be understood as rudeness.
Since people of New Zealand are friendly and outgoing, even in terms of business relationships they tend to show their good attitude and move to first names very fast. Nevertheless, it is recommended to use the last names and titles of local businessmen, until it is offered from their side to start using the first names. As a rule, meetings or negotiations start with a small informal talk about the weather or latest cultural events. During the negotiations or presentation of own business project, the best strategy is to operate with factual information and concentrate on the very business idea, but not on own personal commercial skills.
Such tricks as loud voice, high pressure or too enthusiastic behavior during the presentation will not impress New Zealanders and, therefore, it is better to be self-possessed, calm and respectful. It is good to keep some eye contact during the presentation, as well as some certain personal space. Table manners practiced in New Zealand are continental and no special knowledge is required. Before a formal or informal dinner it is necessary to wait to be shown where to sit. When eating, one must not talk and must not keep elbows on the table.
When the meal is finished, it is necessary to place the fork and knife parallel on the plate. Eating ceremony of Maori society is a bit more complicated: it is leaded by Powhiri and includes the procedure of “blessing the meals”. As a rule, the guests are placed among the locals in order to have a better opportunity to get to know each other (Kwintessential). Thus, New Zealand can offer not only a series of unique tourist attractions, but also great opportunities for businessmen to invest their funds in various developing industries, starting from agriculture and ending with informational technologies.
Such important factors as flourishing economy, transparent governmental system, low risks and sophisticated national infrastructure stimulate and encourage foreign investors to enter local market. However, anyone must remember that working in a foreign business environment “…demands careful preparation, the development of an understanding of the cultural mores and rigorous attention to the subtleties of meaning that lurk behind what is actually being said” (Mackenzie, 20).
Works Cited:
"Doing Business in New Zealand. " Kwintessential. CommunicAid Group Ltd. 24 Mar. 2008 < http://www. kwintessential. co. uk/resources/global-etiquette/new-zealand. html >. "Index of Economic Freedom 2008: New Zealand. " The Heritage Foundation. 2008. 24 Mar. 2008 <http://www. heritage. org/research/features/index/country. cfm? id=NewZealand>. Mackenzie, Rod. "The US and Us. " NZ Business Oct. 2000: 18-20. Liu, James H, Tim McCreanor, Tracey McIntosh and Teresia Teaiwa, eds. “New Zealand Identities: Departures and Destinations” Wellington, NZ: Victoria University Press. 2005. "Staring a Business in New Zealand. " Immigration New Zealand. 2005. 24 Mar. 2008 <http://www. immigration. govt. nz/migrant/stream/invest/startingabusiness/>.
Did you know that we have over 70,000 essays on 3,000 topics in our database? | https://phdessay.com/interpersonal-connections/ |
Daga village in the Southern Highlands Province will host its 09th Kutubu Kundu and Digaso Festival from the 19th to 21st of September 2019.
With the theme ‘’Strongim na Wok Bun Wantaim’’, it calls for the local communities to share ideas, encourage each other in collaboration to enhance growth in their communities.
To be hosted for the ninth year, the festival continues to bring hope to more than 40 different indigenous conservation communities from Kutubu, Bosavi and Kikori areas as well those from Hela, Enga and the nearby surrounding local level government areas.
Organiser, Saina Jeffrey Philyara says this festival has united communities and opened opportunities for tourism and other sustainable means of development initiatives that is benefiting more than five thousand people.
‘’The Kutubu Kundu and Digaso Festival is a celebration of Indigenous cultures. It plays a vital role in safeguarding traditional practices and the diverse biodiversity and cultural heritage of the people. It provides a forum to highlight the sharing and exchanging of cultural knowledge for their well being, establish deeper understanding and build long term friendship,’’ he said.
Since 2011, the festival has brought together people from more than 40 different indigenous communities as well as tourists from all over the world to experience its exquisite, authentic and fascinating cultural fiesta that is held in this remote part of Papua New Guinea.
Ms Philyara said that the festival is the only platform created to showcase to the world their rich, biological and cultural diversity in the country.
She added that social and other issues related would not hinder the preparations for the festival.
“Our participation in this festival allows us to connect to other people and enable us to break barriers, forge mutual respect and appreciate one another. We have seen growth and interest among people in the communities, individual tourists and tour operators over the past years and we’d like to see that continue,” she said
It is anticipated that Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Hon. Emil Tammur and Chief Executive Officer of PNG Tourism Promotion Authority, Mr Jerry Agus will be attending the 9th Festival in Daga village come September.
PNG Tourism Promotion Authority is embarking on promoting sustainable tourism the Kutubu area part and are working with the communities to be resilient despite various challenges.
It is also a call for support from government houses, corporate partners, and business houses to support this event in promoting sustainable tourism in PNG. | https://postcourier.com.pg/kutubu-kundu-digaso-festival-hosted-9th-time/ |
BEING Maori, identifying with Mana Maori and believing in the principles of anarchism is a seemingly huge paradox, full of insurmountable contradiction.
Maori who are part of the struggle for Tino Rangatiratanga (Maori sovereignty) see their political and social ideal in the return of Mana Whenua, the control over their own physical (fisheries, land, forests, seas) and intangible (Te Reo Maori, health, justice, beliefs) resources and the working in partnership with the colonial government on issues affecting the nation.
How can this reconcile with the political and social ideals of anarchism, where every person is free to organise themselves and their lifestyle as they please, in co-operation with others and the environment; without oppressive hierarchical or discriminatory structures, especially as the traditional Maori structure of society is hierarchical, patriarchal, oppressive and sexist?
Hapu and iwi were ordered into rangatira (ruling class), tutua (commoners), and taurekareka (slaves). Power was handed down from the chief to his eldest son, although if he was a bad or inadequate leader he could be usurped by one of his younger brothers. Women, if a member of the chief’s family (sister, daughter) were accorded the mana of the ruling class, but did not become chiefs. They were used as bartering objects to build stronger alliances with other hapu and iwi. This enforced marriage/slavery often led women to choose suicide as their only option. Women were also prevented from being involved in some tasks because of menstruation, which was considered unclean and capable of rotting vegetable crops and spoiling food.
There are many aspects of traditional Maori culture which work contrary to basic anarchist principles: Maori were a warrior race, who actively sought to invade other communities, killing, brutalising and enslaving the inhabitants, destroying their homes and crops and stealing their possessions.
Yet there are some aspects of Maori culture which are living examples of anarchist co- operation – the concept of whanaunatanga, the extended family, was the basis of all Maori society. The hapu was simply a larger whanau with a leader (chief) and iwi were related hapu to a common ancestor. The whanau was usually made up of three or more generations, who worked and lived together for the good of common existence. Each generational group had a particular role to play, and each role was recognised as equal in value for the good of the whanau.
Adults made up the regular labour force of working the gardens, maintaining the buildings, cooking, making clothes, fishing, hunting, and any other heavy labour work, including war parties. Having and raising children was considered the primary function of the whanau and their care was left mainly to the elders, who were greatly esteemed for their knowledge and life experience.
Everybody took responsibility for the children regardless of who the parents were. This collective responsibility is demonstrated through the language were matua applies to mother, father, aunt and uncle, and tuakana, teina, tungane and tuahine applies to brothers, sisters and cousins.
Overall the whanau and the hapu worked collectively for the benefit of everyone, crops were collectively worked and shared amongst everyone. Fishing and hunting successes were also shared. Each hapu worked for themselves, and traded with neighbouring communities if necessary or desirable.
One of the most important and significant aspects of Maori culture is the relationship of the people to the land. Maori cosmology forms the basic premise of the creation of the world and its people and prescribes the way people must behave and relate to the earth and its resources. Many stories and myths describe exactly how to fish, plant, and catch birds while still respecting environment’s need of time and space to recover.
People’s relationship with the earth is one of child to parent, where Papatuanuku is revered as the giver of sustenance, provider of life, as well as the receiver of a person’s body for protection and comfort at death. Every living thing: plants, trees, animals, and even inanimate things eg. rivers, mountains, waka, wharenui have a mauri, an essential lifeforce which is respected and valued. Any handling of these things required chants, rituals and expressions of appreciation and concern for its well-being.
This principle of respect and value of the earth is still an essential part of Maori identity and many practices are still maintained, especially with fishing and the collecting of flax and other natural resources for making cloaks, kete etc. This area is one maintained predominantly by Maori women.
Working with our natural resources rather than against them is a basic premise of a successful anarchist society.
A culture is not a static institution but a living, growing response by a self-identified people to their changing environment. But a people whose culture is threatened by imminent absorption (destruction) will hold steadfastly to its remaining ideals and practices in an effort to protect and preserve itself.
Maori culture was nearly wiped out by colonial invasion. Maori people were decimated by a combination of introduced disease and government sponsored genocide; the Maori population declined by 60% in only 20 years.
The assault against our culture forced Maori who had the knowledge of our cultural ways into staunchly keeping them alive through rigid practice and rejection of change. This ‘cultural freeze’ is a self-protective response to a threat of destruction and the very real fear of being ‘pakehafied’.
Maori feminists have struggled for years against a barrage of accusations of ‘having gone the Pakeha way’ or that feminism is a Pakeha thing and anti-Maori. Yet Maori women continue to struggle not only against white New Zealand patriarchal dominance, but also Maori patriarchal dominance, believing that “unless Maori feminism is harnessed and the sexism of society, including Maori society, challenged, the successful attainment of the goals of Maori development will elude Maoridom”.
A society under siege had no room for development, only self-preservation. There is no way Maori culture will change or grow unless guaranteed by white society security from interference or integration.
So, how can this contribute to anarchism’s movement towards free, non-hierarchical collective communities? I have already given a few examples of some aspects of Maori culture which relate directly to many anarchist’s ideas of anarchist society. There are many more, such as holistic healing and real justice and rehabilitation for victims and offenders.
Many ways of doing things inherent in our culture and which were suppressed by the colonial government and its institutions, correspond with many anarchist principles.
But only through the restoration of Tino Rangatiratanga to Maori people will our culture have the freedom to grow. And only through cultural growth will Maori society be able to discard the oppressive and hierarchical structures of the past and develop into a free and egalitarian society. | http://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/metiria-turei-anarchism-a-maori-perspective |
Write about the following topic:
Every year several languages die out. Some people think that this is not important because life will be easier if there are fewer languages in the world.
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
Test 4 Task 2 Model Essay by an Expert
To an extent, we have to accept that over time, the face of the world shifts and changes, and language is an inevitable casualty in the constantly shifting landscape of the world’s cultures. However, I think that when there are enough people to maintain a language’s existence, efforts should be made to prevent the language dying out altogether.
Linguists and psychologists have long acknowledged that language is central to culture and identity. To many people, their language represents their home, their family and their cultural identity. This is particularly important for communities which feel that their cultural identity might be under threat from the homogenising force of globalisation. For example, many Maoris in New Zealand feel that it is vital for them to maintain their indigenous language, in order that their culture is not lost in the predominantly white European population in New Zealand today. As a result, national efforts are made in order to assuage the potentially devastating effects of colonialism on this central part of Maori identity. Whilst having fewer languages would certainly be convenient in some respects, it could have a detrimental impact on individuals belonging to oppressed cultures.
If we refuse to protect languages which are dying out, we have to accept that one day, humans could speak just a handful of languages, or even just one. It’s difficult to imagine a world in which humans cannot enjoy the rich variety of tongues Earth has to offer. Not only is learning a language an enthralling pastime, but it is also beneficial for the brain. Neurological studies have shown that learning a second language, particularly from an early age, has myriad benefits for a child’s mental development. Dramatically reducing the number of languages available to learn would therefore deprive young people of the valuable opportunity to learn and practise another language.
Of course it would be more convenient from a business perspective for there to be fewer languages. However, convenience isn’t the only thing to consider. For me, a sense of cultural identity and the thrill of learning a language are too high a price to pay. | https://myenglishtutorhk.com/ielts-writing-model-essays/ielts-book-9/ |
New Zealand Steel takes pride in being a good corporate citizen and contributing to the communities in which it operates, aiming to make a positive impact on people's lives and to build a sense of community.
We enter into collaborative partnerships with community groups that are based on building trust and mutual respect and are sustainable over the long term.
We aim to communicate regularly and openly with all stakeholders and seek to demonstrate the respect we have for the wide range of cultures represented in our workforce and our communities.
New Zealand Steel is increasingly directing community support to projects that promote youth, culture and eduction. Projects we were involved with over the last year include the Waiuku Search and Rescue safe boating training video, Youth Skills New Zealand, Eco HERO Awards and the Maui Dolphin Recovery Program.
Strong relations with local indigenous Maori people are very important to New Zealand Steel. For example, the Waikato North Head ironsand mine is both the source of a key raw material used in the Glenbrook plant's steelmaking operation and a place of significance for the local Maori of the Ngaati Te Ata tribe as a Urupa (burial site) and wahi tapu (sacred area).
New Zealand Steel provides financial support to a range of Maori cultural programs and leases the Huakini dairy farm located in company-owned land adjacent to the Glenbrook plant to local Maori people, which assists in fostering farming skills.
Each year we support New Zealand communities through financial contributions to community programs and through in-kind support, in the form of products and materials and our employees' time, energy, skills and experience. | http://hsecreport.bluescopesteel.com/community/new-zealand.html |
Online Classrooms as Porous Spaces
When we first move into online classroom spaces, we often miss the dynamic energy of gathered bodies in a familiar location. We lose the immediate gratification of watching in real time as new knowledge “clicks” for students in discussions and class activities. Online classrooms may initially feel sterile, artificial, and indistinguishable from one another in our learning management system.
With time and experience in teaching in online classrooms, we may begin to reconsider how a traditional residential classroom is also an artificial space. Residential education occurs on the educational institution’s “turf,” asking students to put their relational connections, participation in the economy, and other vocational expressions on hold to enter into these four walls to be formed and informed. Traditional schooling is an attempt to engage life wisdom from across generations and cultures in a simulated environment that speeds knowledge acquisition and re-organizes it more efficiently from how we might naturally encounter it in life. There is nothing “natural” about a classroom with 12-200 students in it all trying to learn the same things at the same time, regardless of their existing experience or knowledge. What feels “traditional” about this education is actually a factory model of education largely adopted during the industrial revolution for the sake of increasing access to and efficiency of education for the masses.
To be certain, online classrooms have many of the same constructed elements. However, they are also more porous than synchronous residential learning experiences. You may experience this in the plethora of Zoom meetings that are happening right now in the midst of staying-at-home as a part of Covid 19 mitigation. Suddenly, you see your students in their home contexts, sometimes with roommates, children, spouses, or pets wandering into the picture. The students’ home contexts become a part of the teaching and learning milieu in more pressing ways when they stay embedded in them. While they are still engaging with a community seeking knowledge, they are also embedded in other relationships and contexts where that knowledge can be tested and integrated on a daily basis.
Another of the unique features of online spaces is the capacity for immediate linkage to communities and resources far beyond those of the “walled-in” residential classroom. Opportunities to have students video-conference with scholars or practitioners around the world, curate their own examples or applications of course content drawn from internet resources and their local context, or interact with external media or images related to the course are easy to arrange in online classrooms. This allows course content and the contexts in which knowledge is situated to expand in ways sometimes even beyond faculty expectations and expertise. By asking students to take the insights they are gaining into other settings or to make connections with external resources, faculty may find ways to make online interactions more analytical, more relevant to students’ final vocational destinations, and more engaging for both students and faculty.
Additionally, porosity means that students can share learnings from the course through online forums from Twitter feeds to YouTube videos by linking to these in the online classroom. This practice serves as a way to test out ideas in other publics and to help students understand that ultimately this knowledge is not for regurgitation in a classroom setting for their instructor to judge but rather for integration and application in other settings. The longer I have taught online, the more I have become reluctant to serve as the primary audience for student written work. While I always read student work and provide the best feedback my own expertise and experiences with the material can provide, I find that they are better and more committed scholars when they know that what they are creating will find its way into a group who can benefit from what they are creating, whether their class colleagues or some other part of their community. Student papers are remarkably stronger when they know they will share them with their classroom colleagues or other external audiences in comparison to the ones that they will just dash off at the last minute to submit to me in order to complete an assignment. This strategy improves student formation by positioning them more regularly as persons whose knowledge impacts not only their experience but serves other communities as well. The space for collaborative exchange between students is so much easier to engage in porous online settings where students can share resources and insights easily through links and public postings.
There are times when the porosity of online classrooms can be concerning. It is helpful to protect some spaces where mistakes can be made and opinions shared that are within relationships of mutual accountability rather than in the general public. And in theological education where I teach, students are often accountable to ordination boards and hiring committees who may not yet need to witness their growth and development as they encounter new ideas. Some of those boundaries can be maintained in online classrooms to the extent that they can in the public space of a residential classroom. But the possibility of regularly opening up the classroom to the world outside the four walls is an engaging gift of online education. | https://www.wabashcenter.wabash.edu/2020/04/online-classrooms-as-porous-spaces/ |
From GFOIs Sharon Press and Noam Ebner:
Dear Colleagues:
The ABA Section of Dispute Resolution will once again host a virtual conference in April and we are pleased to announce that the Resource Share will take place live on Saturday, April 17, from 12:00 noon 1:00 pm Eastern.
For those of you who are new to the Resource Share, it is a session in which educators share teaching resources with one another to use freely in their classrooms. Join in this session to learn how your colleagues are teaching specific topics or tackling tricky pedagogical challenges. Share your own most effective teaching tool, or an exercise your students always learn from and enjoy.
We ask you all to submit the resources you wish to introduce in the session to us in advance. This will allow us to plan the session’s flow and to add your contributions to the ever-growing Resource Share compilation. Here is the document we compiled from last year’s resource share.
Some of you have already submitted resources… thank you! We have them and they will be included. Those of you who have not done so yet, now is the time to do so.
Rolling with the times, we request that you give special thought to resources that you intend to keep, even as you transition to being back in the classroom as well as resources that will work with some people being in the class and others joining remotely. For example, here are some possible categories:
- Simulations specifically created with online interaction intended
- Activities/ice breakers/fun stuff that can be done online or in hybrid class/online settings
- Adventure learning assignments that can be done remotely (where physical interaction is limited)
- Adapted instructions for “traditional” assignments
- Instructions on how to use current news events
Of course, since we are optimistic that we will someday see our physical classrooms once again, please share “regular” resources as well.
As a reminder, this is about resources, not just ideas. Please include instructions, guides, write-ups, and links that will support your colleagues in implementing your suggestions in their teaching.
We also are interested in resources you have found for taking care of yourself and/or of your students during these challenging times.
Please email your resources to Sharon Press.
We look forward to hearing from you soon and seeing you on April 17.
In the meantime, we hope you stay safe and healthy! | http://indisputably.org/2021/03/please-send-materials-for-this-years-resource-share/ |
The purpose of this study was to document the nature of elementary writing instruction and classroom physical environments in eight Utah school districts. One hundred seventy-seven full-day observations were completed throughout a one-week period. Results indicated teachers included at least one of the following types of writing: writing workshop/writing process, non-process writing, and writing conventions and mechanics. Process writing time was dominated by instruction from the teacher. Other elements of the writing workshop were implemented, but in a fragmented way. Only five teachers combined aspects of the workshop simultaneously. Non-process writing activities were dominated by prompts and formulas that resulted in one-draft products created with limited teacher assistance and no expectation for revising, editing, or publishing. Conventions of writing were taught regularly, but always in isolation, rather than being integrated with other aspects of writing. Classroom physical environments were generally not literacy rich, showing more evidence of traditional resources instead of resources to support the writing process. Process-oriented teachers had richer environments than those focused on conventions. In fact, classroom environment could be better predicted by the kind of writing the teachers and students did rather than the amount of time spent writing.
Degree
MA
College and Department
David O. McKay School of Education; Teacher Education
Rights
http://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/
BYU ScholarsArchive Citation
Billen, Monica Thomas, "The Nature of Classroom Instruction and Physical Environments That Support Elementary Writing" (2010). Theses and Dissertations. 2106. | https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/2106/ |
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The Maritime World of the Makahs
Joshua L. Reid
Price: $25.00
For the Makahs, a tribal nation at the most northwestern point of the contiguous United States, a deep relationship with the sea is the locus of personal and group identity. Unlike most other indigenous tribes whose lives are tied to lands, the Makah people have long placed marine space at the center of their culture, finding in their own waters the physical and spiritual resources to support themselves. This book is the first to explore the history and identity of the Makahs from the arrival of maritime fur-traders in the eighteenth century through the intervening centuries and to the present day.
Joshua L. Reid discovers that the “People of the Cape” were far more involved in shaping the maritime economy of the Pacific Northwest than has been understood. He examines Makah attitudes toward borders and boundaries, their efforts to exercise control over their waters and resources as Europeans and then Americans arrived, and their embrace of modern opportunities and technology to maintain autonomy and resist assimilation. The author also addresses current environmental debates relating to the tribe’s customary whaling and fishing rights and illuminates the efforts of the Makahs to regain control over marine space, preserve their marine-oriented identity, and articulate a traditional future.
Publication Date: March 6, 2018
36 b/w illus. | https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300234640/sea-my-country |
Ola Erstad,
Department of Education, University of Oslo
[email protected]
Kenneth Silseth,
Department of Education, University of Oslo
[email protected]
Rethinking the boundaries of learning in a digital age
Developments in digital media and mobile technologies that enable new ways for learners to move in and between settings, have implications for how we conceptualize and study learning (Sefton-Green & Erstad, 2017). There has been a growing interest in studying how learners move between settings and are positioned as learners in specific ways (Barron, 2006; Bricker & Bell, 2014; Leander, Phillips, & Taylor, 2010), and scholars have identified possible continuities and discontinuities in and between contexts of participation and learning (Akkerman & Bakker, 2011; Bronkhorst & Akkerman, 2016). In addition, challenges in how to define what a learning context is and how such contexts change over time have been emphasized (Biesta, Thorpe, & Edwards, 2009).
New developments in media and technologies (such as social media, apps, big data, learning analytics) necessitate a critical exploration of how boundaries and borders between different contexts for learning are understood and experienced by learners. In this field of research, we often operate with polarities such as online and offline, formal and informal, in and out of school, and education and work, while the technologies we use are becoming more and more borderless and polycontextual (Greenhow & Lewin, 2016; Leander & Lovvorn, 2006). For instance, smartphones enable young people to engage in social practices that are characterized by ‘anywhere, anytime’ connectivity. Thus, there is a need to theorize and empirically study how ‘boundaries’ can be understood in contemporary learning contexts.
Movement and connectivity might be understood as physical movement across time and space using diverse mediational means and technologies, or ways of blending online and offline activities, or as ways of drawing on resources across contexts when teachers bring knowledge and practices from students’ everyday life into the classroom discourse (Kumpulainen, Mikkola, & Jaatinen, 2014). However, technologies might also contribute to creating new tensions and challenges when moving across such boundaries in different ways (Säljö, 2010). Furthermore, digital technologies challenge the school as the crux for learning and development, since more informal environments, such as computer games, social media and other interest-driven activities can provide young people with rich communities to develop competences and knowledge necessary in the twenty-first century (Gilje & Silseth, 2019; Ito et al., 2018).
In this Special Issue, we are interested in building a collection of theoretical, methodological and empirical studies that enhances this field. We aim to bring together articles that investigate boundaries in and across both formal and informal settings for learning with new technology. We invite scholars to contribute with theoretical explorations and empirical studies focusing on what enacts educational boundaries in a digital age, by whom and for what purposes, and how this is experienced by learners. The contributions will provide theoretical, methodological and empirical developments to this field of research and promise to become key reference contributions for future research in this area.
The articles in this Special Issue will focus on issues such as:
- Boundaries of learning in a digital age, including the tensions, dilemmas and possibilities created
- Trajectories across different contexts using diverse technologies
- Interrelationships between online and offline learning and participation
- Digital technologies to rethink and expand notions of learning and teaching in schools
- Transcending polarities and borders between communities using digital media
Submission Instructions
Interested authors are invited to send an abstract for the special issue (max 500 words), alongside brief CVs of the proposed authors by email to Ola Erstad & Kenneth Silseth by 24 October 2021:
Invitations to submit a full manuscript will be sent 19 November 2021, with full manuscripts due 20 May 2022. Please remember to select ‘special issue title’ when submitting your full manuscript to ScholarOne. | https://think.taylorandfrancis.com/special_issues/rethinking-boundaries-learning-digital-age/ |
In 2008, I read Clayton Christensen’s Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns. It inspired me to think about changes in education that would benefit students by transforming teaching and learning and I was excited about the possibilities. Technology advancements promised to make a great impact to initiate change in the classroom, but now we are faced with a newer set of obstacles.
Eleven years later, as I walk through the halls in a middle school/high school setting, I see students sitting on a tile floor crowded around a device trying to type, communicate, take videos, and record their voices with background noise and distractions often interrupting their progress. This happens all over the country in traditional educational buildings today. Students are assigned a tech-integrated project and are faced with limited resources and inadequate workspaces to use the latest tools. So how are we supporting change?
Obstacles for teachers who are trying to engage learners during change
The environment
Teachers are diligently meeting state standards while covering course content and using technology to address collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and creativity. They are hoping to teach their subject area while enhancing lessons, developing assessments, and engaging students in a more personalized manner. They are trying to contribute to change, disrupt their classes, reach all learning types, and prepare learners for the latest careers. But is the existing standard school building an effective environment for teaching and learning today? It’s no surprise that many teachers are hesitant to assign project-based and technology-integrated lessons knowing that the physical state of the building doesn’t support their efforts.
To keep current, teachers are required to participate in professional development and are faithfully adapting their curricula to include STE(A)M and social skills that are a necessity in the workforce. Yet, in a majority of areas, the infrastructure doesn’t cooperate. A teacher could have an outstanding lesson using technology, but if the wi-fi is slow, the hardware and/or software unavailable, or there’s a lack of space to communicate and collaborate, then teaching and learning becomes a difficult and frustrating practice.
The pedagogy
Throughout history there has always been the suggestion that students should take “college prep” courses to gain acceptance to college. The promise was that this path would result in entry to a specific career. Yet we now find that students are lacking in some of the softer skills that are needed in an age of technology innovation. The resources and tools once used in the classroom have changed and the environment in which students gathered to learn is transforming into a more personalized, high-tech and collaborative space. Education is moving beyond the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic and is surpassing skills assessment through standardized testing. Sitting in rows and facing front is no longer the best option for students to participate in the classroom. The venue now requires students to focus on content with available resources to integrate lifelong skills and share their voices in a global community.
So how do educators deal with the pressure of giving students the appropriate background and skills for the future while our system relies heavily on the concept of grades and test scores to gain access to college? Should we be preparing our students for college coursework or future careers?
How can we prepare students for the future?
It begins with supporting the “change.” When I mention change, I am not suggesting that we change the content that students are learning. I am referring to changing the way in which that content is absorbed by the learners and providing all the necessary resources to accommodate teachers and students. | https://www.eschoolnews.com/featured/2019/02/13/10-things-teachers-can-do-today-to-prepare-students-for-the-future/ |
Anticipated High School English Teacher - 2021/2022 School Year
Must hold a license issued by any agency.
The license position area must be in one of the following areas: Computers, Elementary Teacher, Success for All, Title I, English as a Second Language (EFL/ELL/ESL/ESOL), English, Journalism, Reading, Reading Specialist, Reading/Language Arts, Art, Art Therapy, Dance, Design/Graphic Arts, Photography, Theater, Generalist/Integrated Curriculum, Adapted Physical Education, Health, Physical Education, Economics, Geography, History - US, History - World, Humanities, Jewish Studies, Philosophy, Political Science/Government, Psychology, Religion, Social Studies (General), Sociology, Autism, Deaf-Blind, Early Intervention Specialist, Educational Diagnostician, Emotional Behavior Disabilities, Hearing Impairment, Intellectual Disabilities, Learning Disabilities, Mild/Moderate Disabilities, Physical Disabilities, Severe/Profound Disabilities, Special Education (General), Traumatic Brain Injury, Visual Impairment, Alternative Education, Art, Assessment, Communications, Continuing Education, Curriculum, Distance Education, Elementary, English, Federal Programs, Foreign Language, Language Arts, Mathematics, Music, Outdoor Education, Physical Education, Reading, Science, Social Studies, Special Education, Technology, Vocational Education.
The license must be in one of the following grades: Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th.
Description
The minimum performance expectations include, but are not limited to, the following actions:
Meets and instructs the students(s) in the locations and at the time designated; Develops and maintains the physical environment of the classroom that is conducive to effective learning within the limits of resources provided by the system; Prepares for classes assigned and shows evidence of preparation upon request of the immediate supervisor; Encourages students to set and maintain high standards of classroom behavior; Provides an effective program of instruction to include: Instructional skills; Knowledge of child growth and development; Knowledge and use of materials and resources in accordance with the adopted curriculum and consistent with the physical limitations of the location provided; Demonstrates mastery of content area; Takes all necessary and reasonable precautions to protect students, equipment, materials, and facilities; Maintains and upholds school and county policies and procedures; Maintains records as required by law, system policy, and administrative regulations; Assists in upholding and enforcing school rules and administrative regulations. Makes provision for being available to students and parents for education-related purposes within contractual commitments; Attends and participates in faculty and department meetings; Cooperates with other members of the staff in planning instructional goals, objectives, and methods; Assists in the selection of books, equipment, and other instructional materials; Works to establish and maintain open lines of communication with students, parents, and colleagues concerning both the academic and behavioral progress of all students; Establishes and maintains cooperative professional relations with others; Performs related duties as assigned by the administration in accordance with the school/system policies and practices. KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:
To Be Determined.
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:
Candidates must hold or be eligible for a Virginia teaching certificate with endorsement in applicable subject area.
PHYSICAL CONDITIONS AND NATURE OF WORK CONTACTS:
Duties performed typically in school settings to include: classroom; gym, cafeteria; auditorium; and recreational areas. Frequent walking, standing, light lifting, up to 40 pounds, and other limited physical activities are required. Occasional travel with students on field trips may be necessary. Occasional movement of students by wheelchairs and other mechanical devices may be required. Regular Instruction to special needs children may be necessary. Occasional lifting of equipment such as audio-visuals weighing up to 50 pounds may be required. Daily personal and close contact with children to provide classroom management and learning environment support is required. Regular contact with other staff members and parents is required. Occasional contact with medical professionals may be required. Frequent contact with parents by phone and in person is necessary.
EVALUATION:
Performance will be evaluated on the ability and effectiveness in carrying out the above responsibilities. | https://www.k12jobspot.com/job/2466065 |
Recently I received a catalog in the mail which announced a new venture in distance learning: earn a Masters in Liberal Arts by watching videotaped lectures of famous professors (including at least two from Penn). Look at any number of newspapers, magazines, or Internet articles and you find a burgeoning number of such attempts to reach, in non-traditional ways, the growing market for non-traditional students. Even at Penn, the move towards residential learning, the use of "new" technologies like the Internet, and the drive to create more programs for continuing education students adds an air of uncertainty, for those who worry about such things, as to what kind of education faculty will be expected to deliver in the next century. As for distance education, it's probably safe to say that, at the least, it makes us uneasy even to contemplate it.
Aside from the possibility that distance learning ventures for non-traditional students may prove to be an important source of revenue for Penn, the challenge of thinking about what constitutes a Penn education for such students gives us ample opportunity to re-explore what we do and why we do it that way even for our primary "customers." In physics, for example, we've known for a long time that the standard methods of lecture-recitation-lab have remarkably little effect in getting students to learn central concepts about how the universe works. There is plenty of evidence from the mid-1970's on that shows that even the better students in our "service" courses often finish our classes with no firm belief in Newton's Laws of Motion. The video that shows students, faculty, and staff at Harvard's 1992 graduation failing miserably at explaining why the earth has seasons is often presented as evidence of how shockingly bad traditionally taught science classes are in making important concepts part of our lifelong knowledge set.
So why is there such reluctance to radically reform classes in the basic sciences (or in a number of other disciplines)? It's not because people don't know how to do it better. Eric Mazur's method for "concept teaching" with peer-instruction in the classroom has been described in at least two previous "Talk About Teaching" articles (e.g., www.upenn.edu/almanac/v42/n3/teach.html). This method, appropriately administered with new technology, focuses classroom time on core concepts through peer discussions and, through classroom voting, provides immediate feedback on student understanding of those concepts while maintaining the economy of scale of large lectures. In principle, votes and peer discussions can be transmitted and recorded from almost anywhere on the planet: in short, an interactive classroom without borders. Yet, despite the success of this method in a variety of institutional settings and the desire to improve science teaching (witness the substantial changes in the undergraduate laboratory experience), the traditional lecture lives on.
One reason why is that the present roles of students and faculty are comfortable, even if a bit creaky. Ultimately, a radical change in how we teach will come from making demands of our courses which are fundamentally different than those engendered by traditional students. To get rid of the lecture, we need a set of students who can't respond to the blackboard and won't sit passively for 50 minutes without some form of interaction. To get faculty to focus more on concepts, we need to provide a means for knowing more about each student's strengths and weaknesses as part and parcel of how a course is run. The same technology that can make distance learning the personally engaging and interactive experience we expect it should be can also incorporate the peer-instruction method in a perfectly natural way. A high-tech version of such a course can have the peer discussion take place through chat rooms much as discussions extended after class take place now for a few of our humanities courses, although considerably more sophisticated software technology would have to be used. Technical problems remain, of course, but the electronics industries seem eager to provide worldwide high-speed access to global information on a fairly short timescale. Anticipating how we can make educational use of this trend might lead to a new path for re-invigorating our roles as teachers for either traditional or non-traditional students.
Some examples of where the communication boundaries of space and time are currently being challenged, even for traditional students, lie with experiments that Penn is already implementing. In the fall of 1997, SEAS presented a complete introductory course in Telecommunications through asynchronous lectures offered, in audio and text, over the Web. Students were allowed considerable flexibility as to when and from where they could "tune in" for extended class discussion and interaction through the computer. This semester, Penn is offering a course on expository writing to 32 early admissions students. The course, directed completely over the Web, makes use of expertise already incorporated into a system that offers remote help on writing to current Penn students. On the science side, an interactive, interdisciplinary textbook on introductory calculus, physics, and chemistry, available only through the Web, serves as the sole text for a credit-bearing course offered during Penn's Pre-Freshman Program. Web accessibility makes it possible to incorporate rich graphics, animations, Java simulations and links straight from the text to science or math topics in the news available over the Internet. The grandest vision of such experiments might have faculty assuming an educational role that is no longer constrained by the view of what constitutes a "classroom" or a "semester." We can imagine a suite of courses which allow high school students who have chosen to come to Penn to do advanced placement at Penn but without requiring a physical presence on campus. Alumni can engage in quantitative classes that are as engaging, interactive, and convenient as the Alumverse course taught by Al Filreis. Finally, proper use of technology allows for an education for any student that is as personalized as we care to make it.
Inevitably, leadership for determining the way we educate students in the next century must come from the faculty, at least for so long as we are not replaced by videotapes and online software. The danger in not being proactive in "embracing and extending" these technologies is not so much in being left behind by them, but being simply left out. Although no one can predict with certainty, it is at least plausible that distance technologies will play a significant role for students of all types in the new millenium. We can run the risk that education, say on the Internet, will become just a new form of television or we can take a dynamic role in shaping it as an educational medium that truly embraces and extends the values we treasure. While it might be too early, or maybe already too late, perhaps it's about time to give a new vision of an interactive form of distance learning a chance. | https://almanac.upenn.edu/archive/v44/n22/teach.html |
Teacher education refers to the policies and procedures designed to equip teachers with the knowledge, attitudes, behaviours and skills they require to perform their tasks effectively in the school and classroom.
Teacher education is often divided into:
- initial teacher training / education (a pre-service course before entering the classroom as a fully responsible teacher);
- induction (the process of providing training and support during the first few years of teaching or the first year in a particular school);
- teacher development or continuing professional development (CPD) (an in-service process for practicing teachers).
The process of mentoring is also relevant.
Organization
Initial teacher education may be organized according to two basic models.
In the 'consecutive' model, a teacher first obtains a qualification (often a first university degree), and then studies for a further period to gain an additional qualification in teaching; (in some systems this takes the form of a post-graduate degree, possibly even a Masters).
The alternative is where a student simultaneously studies both an academic subject and the ways of teaching that subject, leading to a qualification as a teacher of that subject.
Other pathways are also available. In some countries, it is possible for a person to receive training as a teacher under the responsibility of an accredited experienced practitioner in a school.
Teacher Education in many countries takes place in institutions of Higher Education.
Curricula
The question of what knowledge, attitudes, behaviours and skills teachers should possess is the subject of much debate in many cultures. This is understandable, as teachers are entrusted with the transmission to children of society's beliefs, attitudes and deontology, as well as of information, advice and wisdom.
Generally, Teacher Education curricula can be broken down into these blocks:
- foundational knowledge and skills--usually this area is about education-related aspects of philosophy of education, history of education, educational psychology, and sociology of education
- content-area and methods knowledge--often also including ways of teaching and assessing a specific subject, in which case this area may overlap with the first ("foundational") area. There is increasing debate about this aspect; because it is no longer possible to know in advance what kinds of knowledge and skill pupils will need when they enter adult life, it becomes harder to know what kinds of knowledge and skill teachers should have. Increasingly, emphasis is placed upon 'transversal' or 'horizontal' skills (such as 'learning to learn' or 'social competences', which cut across traditional subject boundaries, and therefore call into question traditional ways of designing the Teacher Education curriculum (and traditional ways of working in the classroom).
- practice at classroom teaching or at some other form of educational practice--usually supervised and supported in some way, though not always. Practice can take the form of field observations, student teaching, or internship (See Supervised Field Experiences below.)
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Supervised Field Experiences
- field observations--include observation and limited participation within a classroom under the supervision of the classroom teacher
- student teaching--includes a number of weeks teaching in an assigned classroom under the supervision of the classroom teacher and a supervisor (e.g. from the university)
- internship--teaching candidate is supervised within his or her own classroom
These three areas reflect the organization of most teacher education programs in North America (though not necessarily elsewhere in the world)--courses, modules, and other activities are often organized to belong to one of the three major areas of teacher education. The organization makes the programs more rational or logical in structure. The conventional organization has sometimes also been criticized, however, as artificial and unrepresentative of how teachers actually experience their work. Problems of practice frequently (perhaps usually) concern foundational issues, curriculum, and practical knowledge simultaneously, and separating them during teacher education may therefore not be helpful.
Quality Assurance
Feedback on the performance of teachers is integral to many state and private education procedures, but takes many different forms. The 'no fault' approach is believed by some to be satisfactory, as weaknesses are carefully identified, assessed and then addressed through the provision of in service training. | https://psychology.fandom.com/wiki/Teacher_education |
Iman Soltani: Automation Renaissance Man
For mechanical and aerospace engineering (MAE) assistant professor Iman Soltani, automation is vital to the present and a key to the future. With experience automating everything from microscopes to assembly lines and vehicles and a desire to collaborate across campus, Soltani plans to help make UC Davis a leader in the field as the world becomes more automated.
Though automation is important, Soltani feels the field is largely misunderstood.
“Automation is usually equaled to robotics, but it’s so much more than that,” he said. “It is such a powerful field because you can develop new techniques for a wide variety of applications, and I think it’s going to become more and more important in the future.”
The future he works toward is one where machines work side-by side with humans to accomplish tasks. Some tasks, such as connecting wires in an assembly line, are too difficult to automate and others, such as operating atomic force microscope, require a level of precision that humans are not capable of.
“The picture that usually comes to people’s minds when you tell them about car manufacturing companies and automation is a line filled with robots working together and assembling all the parts and then the car coming out on the other end of the line, but this could not be further from the reality, as the majority of activities on the production lines are still manual” he said.
Soltani describes his research as “automation across the scales.” His past work has ranged from designing high-speed large-range atomic force microscopy, monitoring oil quality in jet engines, automating industrial assembly and controlling self-driving cars. He feels the underlying concepts are largely the same despite the differences in how they’re applied.
Human-inspired machines
Soltani focuses on naturalistic automation, which means looking to humans to understand the optimal forms of automation.
“We need to look at the problem in a different fashion and see how humans deal with assembly or driving tasks,” he said. “Rather than measuring everything very accurately [and programming it], we want to get inspiration from the way humans operate and try to implement that on our algorithms.”
Part of this is combining control, mechanical engineering and AI-powered automation techniques into a single system to make it function like a human with a brain and arms. On assembly lines, for example, the “brain,” or AI system, will identify parts and the best ways to fit them together. The system uses control theory hand-in-hand with mechanical dynamics to smoothly and reliably operate the robot “arms” for successful assembly
Soltani is also interested in few-shot learning, where the algorithm is trained on a handful of training examples. When told “turn left at the gas station,” for example, humans can imagine what a gas station looks like in the daytime, at night and when it’s raining just from that one piece of information. This doesn’t come naturally to a machine—which sometimes needs thousands of example images under various conditions to be trained—so this is a problem Soltani hopes to help solve.
“I’m very interested in designing controllers that behave like humans,” he said. “For example, rather than treating driving as an automation problem the way it is conventionally done where everything is measured and controlled very accurately, in this approach, actions such as turning right or keeping straight do not require the GPS coordinates of every point that we want to be in ahead of time.”
Excitement to collaborate
Soltani became interested in automation through robotics while earning his M.S. in mechanical engineering at the University of Ottawa in Canada and continued his work while earning his Ph.D. at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He has spent the past few years working on automation for assembly lines and self-driving cars as part of Ford Motor Company’s Greenfield Labs in Palo Alto.
Soltani officially joined the MAE department on July 1, but his relationship with UC Davis began long before. He forged research partnerships with the department at Ford and was eventually invited to serve on the MAE external advisory board before joining the faculty.
At UC Davis, he plans to pursue his interests in manufacturing automation, industrial diagnosis and self-driving vehicles while expanding his work to new areas through collaborations with the UC Davis School of Medicine, the Institute of Transportation Studies and the Center for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Research, as well as the MAE department’s Advanced Highway Maintenance and Construction Technology Center (AHMCT).
“UC Davis makes it easy to start new collaborations, so I’m very excited to start up my lab,” he said. | https://mae.ucdavis.edu/news/iman-soltani-automation-renaissance-man |
assembly processes involving: units for measuring electrical quantities (current, voltage, breakdown strength, magnetic field strength, resistance), units for measuring distance, speed, RPM, dimensions, forces, torque and units for measuring pressure, flow, leakage, etc.
assembly processes involving: cartesian, SCARA and multiaxis robots and machine vision systems to control assembly operations or to measure dimensions, processes, etc.
The automation of assembly processes delivers greater productivity, higher product quality and greater competitiveness. In addition to smooth production, companies can achieve greater manufacturing precision and be more flexible in responding to market requirements, resulting in better operating results. With automated manufacturing processes, companies can even produce technologically demanding products with higher added value.
Development, design and implementation of all production, logistics and management processes in the Competence Centre Industrial Automation is conducted in accordance with ISO 9001: 2008.
development, construction and manufacture of custom designed assembly lines, machinery and assembly automation devices. | http://www.hidria.com/en/about-us/innovative-centre/hidria-technologycentre/ |
Over the years, and thanks to advances in technology and the rise of automation, numerous variations in the methodology of assembly lines have been developed.
Another factor in the evolution of assembly line methodologies is industry itself. Each industry has developed its own optimum techniques to speed up manufacturing. This is also true for each specific company within an industry, because, for example, capital limitations can impact a businesses’ plans for introducing new machinery or production methods. In addition, changes in international business competition, availability of materials and new regulations can all influence the structure of assembly lines in different industries. What follows are brief descriptions of the most popular assembly line methods in use today.
Cell Manufacturing
Cell manufacturing is a production method that has evolved due to the availability of machines that can perform multiple tasks at once. Cell operators can generally perform three or four tasks, and operations like materials handling and welding are often performed by robots or machines. Cells of machines can be run either by a single operator, or a work cell made up of multiple employees. It’s also possible to link older machines with newer ones in machine cells, thus limiting the need for additional investment in newer machines.
Modular Assembly
Modular assembly was conceived as a method of improving throughput on assembly lines by boosting the efficiency of sub-assembly lines that feed into the main line. In the example of automobile manufacturing, there are several sub-assembly lines devoted to manufacturing the chassis, interior, body etc, each of which feed into the final assembly line where production is finished off.
Team Production
A more recent development in assembly line methods is referred to as team-oriented production. Whereas in traditional assembly line environments workers are usually assigned to one or two workstations and never move from these, in team production setups, workers follow a job all the way through each step of the assembly line, right through to final quality control checks. Supporters of this method claim that it leads to greater worker involvement and a more thorough understanding of the manufacturing process, which leads to better productivity.
U-shaped assembly lines
Despite the name “assembly line”, not all setups are in a ‘straight’ line. A U-shaped or curved production line can often be more efficient, depending on the industry. For example, workers can be placed in the curve of the U-shaped assembly line to improve communication between employees, which is often difficult when workers are placed in a straight line. It also means that each worker has a better view of the overall manufacturing process, so they can see what is coming and how fast it’s moving. This means that some workers can be deployed to perform several tasks at once, moving up and down the line as required to prevent bottlenecks. U-shaped assembly lines are far more flexible, and this flexibility brings enormous benefits to any manufacturing effort.
Pall-Pack delivers packaging solutions for all industries. They have a wide range of different packaging machines. | http://www.freedomchannel.com/popular-assembly-line-methodologies/ |
EPSRC Reference:
EP/S031464/1
Title:
Applied Off-site and On-site Collective Multi-Robot Autonomous Building Manufacturing
Principal Investigator:
Stuart-Smith, Mr R
Other Investigators:
Kovac, Dr M
Glass, Professor J
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Dr V Pawar
Project Partners:
Arup Group Ltd
Buro Happold
Cementation Skanska
Constructing Excellence
KUKA Robotics UK Limited
Manufacturing Technology Centre
Department:
Computer Science
Organisation:
UCL
Scheme:
Standard Research
Starts:
01 January 2019
Ends:
31 December 2021
Value (£):
1,201,254
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Construction Ops & Management
Robotics & Autonomy
Structural Engineering
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
Construction
Related Grants:
Panel History:
Panel Date
Panel Name
Outcome
20 Nov 2018
ISCF TC Research Leadership
Announced
Summary on Grant Application Form
Construction is significantly behind other UK sectors in productivity, speed, human safety, environmental sustainability and quality. In addition to inadequate building supply and affordability in the UK, humanitarian demand and economic opportunity for construction is set to increase substantially with global population growth over the next 40 years. However, with an aging work-force and construction considered to be one of the most dangerous working environments, the industry needs to explore radically new approaches to address these imminent challenges. While increased off-site manufacturing provides a partial solution, its methods are not easy to automate. Where individual mass-produced parts can be moved efficiently through production assembly lines that separate workers from dangerous machinery, building manufacturing involves mass-customisation or one-off production at a larger scale. This requires machinery and people to move around, and potentially work inside of a fixed manufacturing job e.g. a prefabricated or on-site house, as various independent and parallel tasks are undertaken in safety-compromised, overlapping work-zones. To address these issues, this project investigates fundamentally new operational and delivery strategy for automation to offer new ways of working with robots.
Automation of shared construction environments requires robotic capabilities to be flexible and adaptive to unpredictable events that can occur (indoors or outdoors). Social insects such as termites, despite their small size and individual limitations, show an ability to work collectively to design and build structures of substantial scale and complexity; by quickly and efficiently organising themselves while also providing flexible, scalable coordination of many parallel tasks. Inspired by this model of manufacture, this project will develop an innovative multi-agent control framework that enables a distributed team of robots to operate in a similar way for the manufacture and assembly of buildings undertaken by off-site manufacture, on-site construction, or hybrid solutions using on-site factories. This requires the enhancement of existing robots, and development of new capabilities for collision avoidance and collaborative working. As many building tasks require specialist equipment, heterogenous teams comprised of different robot platforms such as agile mobile ground vehicles (UGVs), aerial vehicles (UAVs), alongside larger scale industrial robot arm, track and gantry systems, will be able to collaborate, and collectively undertake tasks beyond the capabilities of each individual robot such as lifting objects heavier than any one robot's payload capacity.
To address construction relevant challenges, we will integrate capabilities for additive manufacturing, manipulation and assembly for building and building-component scale manufacture, in addition to computational means for individual robots to make local decisions. The final research deliverable will be the demonstration of the world's first collective multi-robot building manufacturing system that can autonomously build parts such as a façade or roof, assemble a structure, or construct a freeform building pavilion. We will also integrate these technologies within prototype building systems themselves, to create a new type of 'active' building that can use a multi-agent system to self-regulate energy and harvest data to provide a closed operational ecology between design, manufacturing, construction and building use, revolutionizing the way we manufacture, operate and use buildings. Further, evaluation frameworks will be developed to assess multi-robot construction and obtain objective measures for collective systems to deliver greater resource efficiency, quality, speed, safety and up-time compared with established construction methods. In doing so, we will establish new metrics quantifying the impact of these technologies from both economic and environmental perspectives.
Key Findings
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
Potential use in non-academic contexts
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
Impacts
Description
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
Summary
Date Materialised
Sectors submitted by the Researcher
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
Project URL:
Further Information:
Organisation Website: | https://gow.epsrc.ukri.org/NGBOViewGrant.aspx?GrantRef=EP/S031464/1 |
In a manufacturing context, collaborative operations refer to specific applications where operators and robots share a common workspace [1, 2]. This allows operators and industrial robots to share assembly tasks within the pre-defined workspace—referred to as collaborative workspace—and this ability to work collaboratively is expected to improve productivity as well as the working environment of the operator .
As pointed out by Marvel et al. , collaborative operation implies that there is a higher probability for occurrence of hazardous situations due to close proximity of humans and industrial robots. The hazardous situations can lead to serious injury and, therefore, safety needs to be guaranteed while developing collaborative applications .
ISO 10218-1 and ISO 10218-2 are international standards aimed at specifying requirements for safety on the design of industrial robots and robotic systems, respectively. They recognize collaborative applications and list four specific types of collaborative operations, namely (1) safety-rated monitored stop, (2) hand-guiding, (3) speed and separation monitoring, and (4) power and force limiting that can be implemented either individually or as a combination of one or more types.
As industrial robots and robotic systems are designed and integrated into specific manufacturing applications, the safety standards state that a risk assessment needs to be conducted is to ensure safe and reliable operations. Risk assessment, as standardized in ISO 12100 , is a detailed and iterative process of (1) risk analysis followed by (2) risk evaluation. The safety standards also state that the effect of residual risks needs to be eliminated or mitigated through appropriate risk reduction measures. The goal of a risk assessment program is to ensure that operators, equipment as well as the environment are protected.
As pointed out by Clifton and Ericson , hazard identification is a critical step, where the aim is the cognitive process of hazard recognition, whereas the solutions to mitigate the risks are relatively straightforward. Etherton et al. noted that designers lack a database of known hazards during innovation and design stages . The robot safety standards (ISO 10218-1 and ISO 10218-2 ) also have tabulated a list of significant hazards whose purpose is to inform risk assessors of probable inherent dangers associated with robot and robotic systems. Therefore, a case study is used to investigate the characteristics of hazards and the associated risks that are relevant for collaborative operation. The study is focused on a collaborative assembly station, where large industrial robots and operators are to share a common workspace enabled through the application of a systematic and standardized risk assessment process followed by risk reduction measures.
This article is structured as follows: in Section 2, an overall description of the methodology used to conduct the research will be presented along with limitations; Section 3 will detail theoretical background; and Section 4 will present the results of the article followed by discussion of the result and conclude with remarks on future work.
Recently, there have been many technological advances within the areas of robot control which aims to solve perceived issues associated with robot safety . A safe collaborative assembly cell, where operators and industrial robots collaborate to complete assembly tasks, is seen as an important technological solution for several reasons including (1) ability to adapt to market fluctuations and trends . (2) Have the possibility to decrease takt time [13, 14]. (3) Improving working environment by decreasing the ergonomic load of the operator .
having a high production rate, where the capacity of the plant can vary significantly depending on several factors, such as variant, plant location, etc.
being dependent on manual labor as the nature of assembly tasks require highly dexterous motion with good hand-eye coordination along with general decision-making skills.
Though, operators are often aided by powered tools to carry out assembly tasks such as pneumatic nut-runners as well as lifting tools, there is a need to improve the ergonomics of their work environment. As pointed by Ore et al. , there is demonstrable potential for collaborative operations to aid operators in various tasks including assembly and quality control.
Earlier attempts at introducing automation devices, such as cobots [13, 16], have resulted in custom machinery that functions as ergonomic support. Recently, industrial robots specifically designed for collaboration such as UR10 and KUKA iiwa are available that can be characterized as: (1) having the ability to detect collisions with any part of the robot structure; and (2) having the ability to carry smaller load and shorter reach compared to traditional industrial robots. This feature coupled with the ability to detect collisions fulfills the condition for power and force limiting.
Industrial robots that does not have power and force limiting feature, such as KUKA KR210 or the ABB IRB 6600 , have traditionally been used within fenced workstations. In order to enter a robot workspace, the operator was required to deliberately open a gate, which is monitored by a safety device that stops all robot and manufacturing operations within the workstation. As mentioned before, the purpose of the research project was to explore collaborative operations where traditional industry robots are employed for assembly tasks. These robots have the capacity to carry heavy loads with long reach that can be effective for various assembly tasks. However, these advantages correspond to an inherent source of hazard that needs to be understood and managed with appropriate safety focused solutions.
To take advantage of the physical performance characteristics of large industrial robots along with the advances in sensor and control technologies, a research project ToMM comprising of members representing the automotive industry, research, and academic institutions were tasked with understanding and specifying industry-relevant safety requirements for collaborative operations.
The requirements for safety that are relevant for the manufacturing industry are detailed in various standards such as ISO EN 12100 and ISO EN 10218 (parts 1 and 2) which are maintained by various organizations such as International Organization for Standardization (ISO ) and International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC ). Though these organizations do not have the authority to enforce the standards, a legislatory body such as the European Union, through the EU Machinery directive mandates compliance with normative standards which are prefixed with an EN before their reference number.
Regular meeting in order to have detailed discussion with engineers and line managers at the assembly plant .
Visits to the plant allowed the researchers to directly observe the functioning of the station. This also enabled the researchers to have informal interviews with line workers regarding the assembly tasks as well as the working environment.
The researchers participated in the assembly process, guided by the operators, allowed the researchers to gain intuitive understanding of the nature of the task.
Literature sourced from academia, books as well as documentation from various industrial equipment manufactures were reviewed.
Introduction of a robot into a manual assembly cell might lead to unforeseen hazards whose potential to cause harm needs to be eliminated or minimized. The machinery safety standard suggests the practice of conducting risk assessment followed by risk reduction measures to ensure the safety of the operator as well as other manufacturing processes. The risk assessment process is iterative that concludes when all probable hazards have been identified along with solutions to mitigate the effects of these hazards have been implemented. This process is usually carried out through a safety program and can be documented according to .
Figure 1 depicts an overview of the safety-focused design strategy employed during the research and development phase. The case study was analyzed to understand the benefits of collaborative operations done through a conceptual study, where the overall robot, operator, and collaborative tasks were specified. Employing the results of the conceptual study, the risk assessment methodology followed by risk reduction was carried out where each phase was supported by the use of demonstrators. Björnsson and Jonsson have elaborated the principles of demonstrator-based design along with their perceived benefits and this methodology has been employed in this research work within the context of safety for collaborative operations.
Overview of the demonstrator-based design methodology employed to ensure a safe collaborative workstation.
In this section, beginning with an overview of industrial robots, concepts from hazard theory, industrial system safety and reliability, and task-based risk assessment methodology will be detailed.
An industrial robot is defined as an automatically controlled, reprogrammable, multipurpose manipulator, programmable in three or more axes, which can be either fixed in place or mobile for use in industrial automation applications . Figure 2(A) shows an illustration of an articulated six-axis manipulator along with the control cabinet and a teach pendant. The control cabinet houses various control equipment such as motor controller, input/output modules, network interfaces, etc.
(A) An example of a manipulator along with the control box and the teach pendant. Examples include KUKA KR-210 and ABB IR 6620 . (B) Illustrates the interaction between the three participants of a collaborative assembly cell within their corresponding workspaces .
The teach pendant is used to program the robot, where each line of code establish the robot pose—in terms of coordinates in x, y, z and angles A, B, C—which when executed allow the robot to complete a task. This method of programming is referred to as position control, where individual robot poses are explicitly hard coded. In contrast to position control, sensor-based control allows motion control to be regulated by sensor values. Examples of sensors include vision, force and torque, etc.
On a manufacturing line, robots can be programmed to move at high speed undertaking repetitive tasks. This mode of operation is referred to as automatic mode, and allows the robot controller to execute the program in a loop, provided all safety functions are active. Additionally, ISO 10218-1 has defined manual reduced-speed to allows safe programming and testing of the intended function of the robotic system, where the speed is limited to 250 mm/s at the tool center point. The manual high-speed allows the robot to be moved at high speed, provided all safety functions are activate and this mode is used for verification of the intended function.
The workspace within the robotic station where robots run in automatic mode is termed Robot Workspace (see Figure 2(B)). In collaborative operations, where operators and robots can share a workspace, a clearly defined Collaborative Workspace is suggested by . Though the robot can be moved in automatic mode within the collaborative workspace, the speed of the robot is limited and is determined during risk assessment.
Safety-rated monitored stop stipulates that the robot ceases its motion with a category stop 2 when the operator enters the collaborative workspace. In a category stop 2, the robot can decelerate to a stop in a controlled manner.
Hand-guiding allows the operator to send position commands to the robot with the help of a hand-guiding tool attached at or close to the end-effector.
Speed and separation monitoring allows the operator and the robot to move concurrently in the same workspace provided that there is a safe separation distance between them which is greater than the prescribed protective separation distance determined during risk assessment.
Power and force limiting operation refers to robots that are designed to be intrinsically safe and allows contact with the operator provided it does not exert force (either quasi-static or transient contact) larger than a prescribed threshold limit.
An industrial robot normally functions as part of an integrated manufacturing system (IMS) where multiple subsystems that perform different functions operate cohesively. As noted by Levenson (page 14 ), safety is a system property (not a component property) and needs to be controlled at the system level. This implies that safety as a property needs to be considered at early design phases, which Ericson (page 34 ) refers to as CD-HAT or Conceptual Design Hazard Analysis Type. CD-HAT is the first seven types of hazard analysis types, which needs to be considered during various design phases in order to avoid costly design rework.
To realize a functional IMS, a coordinated effort in the form of a system safety program (SSP ) which involve participants with various levels of involvement (such as operators, maintenance, line managers, etc.) are carried out. Risk assessment and risk reduction processes are conducted in conjecture with the development of an IMS, in order to promote safety, during development, commissioning, maintenance, upgradation, and finally decommissioning.
Functional safety refers to the use of sensors to monitor for hazardous situations and take evasive actions upon detection of an imminent hazard. These sensors are referred to as sensitive protective equipment (SPE) and the selection, positioning, configuration, and commissioning of equipment have been standardized and detailed in IEC 62046 . IEC 62046 defines the performance requirements for this equipment and as stated by Marvel and Norcross , when triggered, these sensors use electrical safety signals to trigger safety function of the system. They include provisions for two specific types: (1) electro-sensitive protective equipment (ESPE) and (2) pressure-sensitive protective equipment (PSPE). These are to be used for the detection of the presence of human beings and can be used as part of the safety-related system .
Electro-sensitive protective equipment (ESPE) uses optical, microwaves, and passive infrared techniques to detect operators entering a hazard zone. That is, unlike physical fence, where the operators and the machinery are physically separated, ESPE relies on the operators to enter a specific zone for the sensor to be triggered. Examples include laser curtains , laser scanners , and vision-based safety systems such as the SafetyEye .
Pressure-sensitive protective equipment (PSPE) has been standardized in parts 1–3 of ISO13856, and works on the principle of an operator physically engaging a specific part of the workstation. These include: (1) ISO 13856-1—pressure sensitive mats and floors ; (2) ISO 13856-2—pressure sensitive bars, edges . (3) ISO 13856-3—bumpers, plates, wires, and similar devices .
Successful robotic systems are both safe to use and reliable in operation. In an integrated manufacturing system (IMS), reliability is the probability that a component of the IMS will perform its intended function under pre-specified conditions . One measure of reliability is MTTF (mean time to failure) and ranges of this measure has been standardized into five discrete level levels or performance levels (PL) ranging from a to e. For example, PL = d refers to a 10–6 > MTTF ≥ 10–7, which is the required performance level with a category structure 3 ISO 10218-2 (page 10, Section 5.2.2 ). That is, in order to be viable to the industry, the final design of the robotic system should reach or exceed the minimum required performance level.
Ericson states that a mishap or an accident is an event which occurs when a hazard, or more specifically hazardous element, is actuated upon by an initiating mechanism. That is, a hazard is a pre-requisite for an accident to occur and is defined as a potential source of harm and is composed of three basic components: (1) hazardous element (HE), (2) initiating mechanism (IM), and (3) target/threat (T/T).
A hazardous element is a resource that has the potential to create a hazard. A target/threat is the person or the equipment directly affected when the hazardous element is activated by an initiating mechanism. These three components, when combined together, can be referred to as a hazard (see Figure 3(A)) and are essential components for it to exist. Based on these definitions, if any of the three components are removed or eliminated, by any means (see Section 3.4.2), it is possible to eliminate or reduce the effect of the hazard.
(A) The hazard triangle where the three components of hazards—hazardous element, initiating mechanism, and target/threat—are essential and required for the hazard to exist (adapted from page 17 ). (B) Shows the layout of the robotic workstation where a fatal accident took place on July 21, 1984 .
To better illustrate these concepts, consider the fatal accident that took place on July 21, 1984, where an experienced operator entered a robotic workstation while the robot was in automatic mode (see Figure 3(B)). The robot was programmed to grasp a die-cast part, dip the part in a quenching tank and place it on an automatic trimming machine. According to Lee et al. , the operator was found pinned between the robot and a safety-pole by another operator of an adjacent die-cast station who became curious after hearing the hissing noise of the air-hose for 10–15 min. The function of the safety pole was to limit robot motion and together with the robot-arm can be considered to be a hazardous element. The hazard was initiated by the operator who intentionally entered the workstation either by jumping over the rails or through a 19-inch unguarded spacing and caused the accident. The operator was the target of this unfortunate accident and was pronounced dead after 5 days of the accident.
Ericson notes that a good hazard description can support the risk assessment team to better understand the problem and therefore can enable them to make better judgments (e.g., understanding the severity of the hazard), and therefore suggest that the a good hazard description needs to contain the three hazard components.
Risk assessment is a general methodology where the scope is to analyze and evaluate risks associated with complex system. Various industries have specific methodologies with the same objective. Etherton has summarized a critical review of various risk assessment methodologies for machine safety in . According to ISO 12100, risk assessment (referred to as MSRA—machine safety risk assessment ) is an iterative process which involves two sequential steps: (1) risk analysis and (2) risk evaluation. ISO 12100 suggests that if risks are deemed serious, measures should be taken to either eliminate or mitigate the effects of the risks through risk reduction as depicted in Figure (4).
An overview of the task-based risk assessment methodology.
Within the context of machine safety, risk analysis begins with identifying the limits of machinery, where the limits in terms of space, use, time are identified and specified. Within this boundary, activities focused on identifying hazards are undertaken. The preferred context for identifying hazards for robotics systems is task-based, where he tasks that needs to be undertaken during various phases of operations are first specified. Then the risk assessors specify the hazards associated with each tasks. Hazard identification is a critical step and ISO 10218-1 and ISO 10218-2 tabulates significant hazards associated with robotic systems. However, they do not explicitly state the hazards associated with collaborative operations.
Risk evaluation is based on a systematic metrics where severity of injury, exposure to hazard and avoidance of hazard are used to evaluate the hazard (see page 9, RIA TR R15.306-2014 ). The evaluation results in specifying the risk level in terms of negligible, low, medium-high, and very-high, and determine risk reduction measures to be employed. To support the activities associated with risk assessment, ISO TR 15066 details information required to conduct risk assessment specifically for collaborative applications.
When risks are deemed serious, the methodology demands measures to eliminate and/or mitigate the risks. The designers have a hierarchical methodology that can be employed to varying degree depending on the risks that have to be managed. The three hierarchical methods allow the designers to optimize the design and can choose either one or a combination of the methods to sufficiently eliminate/mitigate the risks. They are: (1) inherently safe design measures; (2) safeguarding and/or complementary protective measures; and (3) information for use.
In this section, the development and functioning of a safe assembly station will be detailed, where a large industrial robot is used in a hand-guided collaborative operation. In order to understand potential benefits with hand-guided industrial robots, an automotive assembly station will be presented as a case study in Section 4.1. With the aim to improve the ergonomics of the assembly station and increase the productivity, the assembly tasks are conceptualized as robot, operator, and collaborative task where the collaborative task is the hand-guided operation and is described in Section 4.2. The results of the iterative risk assessment and risk reduction process (see Section 3.4) will be detailed in Section 4.3. The final layout and the task sequence will be detailed in Section 4.4, and Table 1 will document the hazards that were identified during risk assessment that were used to improve the safety features of the assembly cell.
An operator picks up the flywheel housing cover (FWC) with the aid of a lifting device from position P1. The covers are placed on a material rack and can contain upto three part variants.
This operator moves from position P1 to P2 by pushing the FWC and installs it on the machine (integrated machinery) where secondary operations will be performed.
After the secondary operation, the operator pushes the FWC to the engine housing (position P3). Here, the operator needs to align the flywheel housing cover with the engine block with the aid of guiding pins. After the two parts are aligned, the operator pushes the flywheel housing cover forward until the two parts are in contact. The operator must exert force to mate these two surfaces.
Then the operators begin to fasten the parts with several bolts with the help of two pneumatically powered devices. In order to keep low takt time, these tasks are done in parallel and require the participation of more than one operator.
(A) Shows the manual workstation where several operators work together to assemble flywheel housing covers (FWC) on the engine block. (B) Shows the robot placing the FWC on the integrated machinery. (C) Shows the robot being hand-guided by an operator thereby reducing the ergonomic effort to position the flywheel housing cover on the engine block.
Figure 5(B) and (C), shows ergonomic simulations reported by Ore et al. and shows the operator being aided by an industrial robot to complete the task. The first two tasks can be automated by the robot, i.e., picking the FWC from Position 1 and moving it to the integrated machine (position P2, Figure 5(B)). Then, the robot moves the FWC to the hand over position where the robot will come to a stop and signal to the operator that the collaborative mode is activated. This allows the operator to hand-guide the robot by grasping the FWC and directing the motion towards the engine block.
Once the motion of the robot is under human control, the operator can assemble the FWC onto the engine block and proceeds to secure it with bolts. After the bolts have been fastened, the operator then moves the robot back to the hand-over position and reactivates the automatic mode which starts the next cycle.
The risk assessment identified several hazardous situations that can affect the safe functioning during the collaborative mode—that is when the operator goes into the workstation and hand-guides the robot to assemble the FWC—and has been tabulated in Table 1.
The robot needs to be programmed to move at slow speed so that it can stop (in time) according to speed and separation monitoring mode of collaborative operation.
To implement speed and separation monitoring, a safety rated vision system might be probable solution. However, this may not be viable solution on the current factory floor.
(A) and (B) are two versions of the end-effector that was prototyped to verify and validate the design.
A change in design that would allow the operator to visually align the pins on the engine block with the mating holes on the FWC.
A change in design to improve reliability as well as avoid tampering through the use of standardized components. Ensure that the operator feel safer during hand-guiding by ensuring that the robot arms are not close to the operator.
The layout of the physical demonstrator installed in a laboratory environment.
3. The operator places their hands between the FWC and the engine, thereby crushing their hands Crushing Operator distracted due to assembly task Operator An enabling device can ensure that the operator’s hands are at a predefined location.
The table describes the hazards that were identified during the risk assessment process.
Feature comparison of two versions of the end-effector shown in Figure 6(A) and (B).
Figure 7 shows a picture of the demonstrator developed in a laboratory environment. Here, a KUKA KR-210 industrial robot is part of the robotic system where the safeguarding solutions include the use of physical fences as well as sensor-based solutions.
The robot tasks, which are preprogramed tasks undertaken in automatic mode. When the robot tasks are completed, it is programmed to stop at the hand-over position.
The collaborative task which begins when the operators enters the monitored space and takes control of the robot using the hand-guiding device. The collaborative mode is complete when the operator returns the robot to the hand-over position and restarts the automatic mode.
The operator task is the fastening of the bolts required to secure the FWC to the engine block. The operators need to fasten several bolts and therefore use pneumatically powered tool (not shown here) to help them with this task.
The figure describes the task sequence of the collaborative assembly station where an industrial robot is used as an intelligent and flexible lifting tool. The tasks are decomposed into three — Operator task (OT), Collaborative task (CT) and Robot task (RT) — which are detailed in Table 3.
The table articulates the sequence of tasks that were formulated during the risk assessment process.
With an understanding that operators are any personnel within the vicinity of hazardous machinery , the physical fences can be used to ensure that they do not accidentally enter a hazardous zone. The design requirements stated that the engine block needs to be outside the enclosed zone, meant that the robot needs to move out of the fenced area during collaborative mode (see Figure 8). Therefore, the hand over position is located inside the enclosure and the assembly point is located outside of the enclosure and both these points are part of the collaborative workspace. The opening in the fences is monitored during automatic mode using laser curtains.
During risk evaluation, the decision to have several interfaces was motivated. A single warning LED lamp (see Figure 8) can convey that when the robot has finished the preprogrammed task and waiting to be hand-guided. Additionally, the two physical buttons outside the enclosure has separate functions. The Auto-continue button allows the operator to let the robot continue in automatic mode if the laser curtains were accidentally triggered by an operator and this button is located where it is not easily reached. The second button is meant to start the next assembly cycle (see Table 1). Table 1 (Nos. 2 and 3) motivates the use of enabling devices to trigger the sensor guided motion (see Figure 6(B)). The two enabling devices provide the following functions: (1) it acts as a hand-guiding tool that the operator can use to precisely maneuver the robot. (2) By specifying that the switches on the enabling device are engaged for hand-guiding motion, the operators hands are at a prespecified and safe location. (3) Additionally, by engaging the switch, the operator is deliberately changing the mode of the robot to collaborative-mode. This ensures that unintended motion of the robot is avoided.
In this section, the discussion will be focused on the application of the risk assessment methodology and the hazards that were identified during this process.
A risk assessment (RA) is done on a system that exists in a form that can function as a context within which hazards can be documented. In the case study, a force/torque sensor was used to hand-guide the robot and this technique was chosen at the conceptual stage. RA based on this technique led to decision of introducing enabling devices (No. 2 in Table 1) to ensure that, while the operator is hand guiding the robot, the hands are within a predetermined safe location and is engaged. Another industrially viable solution is the use of joysticks to hand-guide the robot but this option was not explored further during discussion as it might be less intuitive than force/torque based control. Regardless, it is implicit that the choice of technique poses its own hazardous situation and the risk assessors need a good understanding of the system boundary.
Additionally, during risk assessment, the failure of the various components was not considered explicitly. For example, what if laser curtains failed to function as intended? The explanation lies in the choice of components. As stated in Section 3.2.2, a robotic system to be considered reliable, the components must have a performance level PL = d, which implies a very low probability of failure. Most safety-equipment manufactures publish their MTTF values along with their performance levels and the intended use.
The critical step in conducting risk assessment (RA) is hazard identification. In Section 3.3, a hazard was decomposed into three: (1) hazardous element (HE), (2) initiating mechanism (IM), and (3) target/threat (T/T). The three sides of the hazard triangle (Section 3.3) have lengths proportional to the degree with which these components can trigger the hazard and cause an accident. That is, if the length of IM side is much larger than the other two, then the most influencing factor to cause an accident is IM. The discussion on risk assessment (Section 3.4) stresses on eliminating/mitigating hazards which implies that the goal of risk assessment can be understood as a method to reduce/remove one or more of the sides of the hazard triangle. Therefore, documenting the hazards in terms of its components might allow for simplified and straightforward downstream RA activities.
The hazards presented in Table 1 can be summarized as follows: (1) the main source of hazardous element (HE) is slow/fast motion of the robot. (2) The initiating mechanism (IM) can be attributed to unintended actions by an operator. (3) The safety of the operator can be compromised and has the possibility to damage machinery and disrupt production. It can also be motivated, based on the presented case study, that through the use of systematic risk assessment process, hazards associated with collaborative motion can be identified and managed to an acceptable level of risk.
As noted by Eberts and Salvendy and Parsons , human factors play a major role in robotic system safety. There are various parameters that can be used to better understand the effect of human behavior in system such as overloaded and/or underloaded working environment, perception of safety, etc. The risk assessors need to be aware of human tendencies and take into consideration while proposing safety solutions. Incidentally, in the fatal accident discussed in Section 3.3, perhaps the operator did not perceive the robot as a serious threat and referred to the robot as Robby .
In an automotive assembly plant, as the production volume is relatively high and requires collaborating with other operators, there is a higher probability for an operator to make errors. In Table 1 (No. 6), a three-button switch was specified to ensure unintentional mode change of the robot. It is probable that an operator can accidentally engage the mode-change button (see Figure 7) while the robot is in collaborative mode or the hand-guiding operator did not intend the collaborative mode to be completed. In such a scenario, a robot operating in automatic mode was evaluated to have a high risk level, and therefore the decision was made to have a design change with an additional safety-interface—the three-button switch—that is accessible only to the hand-guiding operator.
Informal interviews suggested that the system should be inherently safe for the operators and that the task sequence—robot, operator, and collaborative tasks—should not demand constant monitoring by the operators as it might lead to increased stress. That is, operators should feel safe and in control and that the tasks should demand minimum attention and time.
The article presents the results of a risk assessment program, where the objective was the development of an assembly workstation that involves the use of a large industrial robot in a hand-guiding collaborative operation. The collaborative workstation has been realized as a laboratory demonstrator, where the robot functions as an intelligent lifting device. That is, the tasks that can be automated have been tasked to the robot and these sequences of tasks are preprogrammed and run in automatic mode. During collaborative mode, operators are responsible for tasks that are cognitively demanding that require the skills and flexibility inherent to a human being. During this mode, the hand-guided robot carries the weight of the flywheel housing cover, thereby improving the ergonomics of the workstation.
In addition to the laboratory demonstrator, an analysis of the hazards pertinent to hand-guided collaborative operations has been presented. These hazards were identified during the risk assessment phase, where the hazardous element mainly stems from human error. The decisions taken during the risk reduction phase to eliminate or mitigate the risks associated with these hazards have also been presented.
The risk assessment was carried out through different phases, where physical demonstrators supported each phase of the process. The demonstrator-based approach allowed the researchers to have a common understanding of the nature of the system and the associated hazards. That is, it acted as platform for discussion. The laboratory workstation can act as a demonstration platform where operators and engineers can judge for themselves the advantage and disadvantages of collaborative operations. The demonstration activities can be beneficial to researchers as it can function as a feedback mechanism with respect to the decisions that have been made during the risk assessment process.
Therefore, the next step is to invite operators and engineers in trying out the hand-guided assembly workstation. The working hypothesis in inviting operators and engineers is that, personnel whose main responsibility during their working time in an assembly plant is to find the optimal balance between various production related parameters (such as maintenance time, productivity, safety, working environment, etc.) might have deeper insight into the challenges of introducing large industrial robots in the assembly line.
The authors would like to thank Björn Backman of Swerea IVF, Fredrik Ore and Lars Oxelmark of Scania CV for their valuable contributions during the research and development phase of this work. This work has been primarily funded within the FFI program and the authors would like to graciously thank them for their support. In addition, we would like to thank ToMM 2 project members for their valuable input and suggestions. | https://www.intechopen.com/books/risk-assessment/risk-assessment-for-collaborative-operation-a-case-study-on-hand-guided-industrial-robots |
The increased deployment of robots to automate repetitive, high precision, and difficult tasks is a key enabler for the Industry 4.0 paradigm. Robots and autonomous systems (RAS) provide significant productivity gains by allowing flexible production lines that can be dynamically reconfigured to manufacture highly customized products. However, such flexibility can only be harnessed when RAS are intelligent enough to adapt, communicate, and interact with one another and the operators, regardless of the operational environment. | https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/190985/ |
Nearly 30 years ago, in 1987, the Nobel-winning economist Robert Solow surveyed the impact of IT on the economy and concluded that “you can see the computer age everywhere but in the productivity statistics.”
Solow’s quip crystallized a frustrating disconnect in the 1980s. Why did an observed technology boom coincide with a prolonged slump in the productivity data? Companies were using computers, but they didn’t seem to be getting any more productive.
Strangely, it took another seven years for U.S. productivity growth to surge. At last, the computers Solow and everyone else saw around them had become visible in the statistics. It just took a while.
Well, here we go again. Now robots are everywhere — but they are also an object of confusion.
In early April the think tank Third Way published research by Henry Siu and Nir Jaimovich that blamed robots and automation for the fact that many repetitive jobs have all but vanished from the economic recovery. And yet, as Larry Summers noted recently, for all of the anecdotal evidence that automation is prompting mass layoffs and presumably increasing productivity, the “productivity statistics over the last dozen years are dismal.”
Again, something is failing to compute. And what’s more, the fact that there hasn’t been much macroeconomic research on the impact of robots has only added to the confusion. Commentators have largely been forced to rely on anecdote.
However, empirical evidence is beginning to trickle in that could begin to clear up the current paradox. Provided in a new paper from London’s Center for Economic Research, the analysis offered by George Graetz and Guy Michaels of Uppsala University and the London School of Economics, respectively, offers some of the first rigorous macroeconomic research and finds that industrial robots have been a substantial driver of labor productivity and economic growth.
To fuel their analysis, Graetz and Michaels employ new data from the International Federation of Robotics to analyze the use of industrial robots across 14 industries in 17 countries between 1993 and 2007. What do they find? Overall, Graetz and Michaels conclude that the use of robots within manufacturing raised the annual growth of labor productivity and GDP by 0.36 and 0.37 percentage points, respectively, between 1993 and 2007. That might not seem like a lot but it represents 10% of total GDP growth in the countries studied and 16% of labor productivity growth over that time period.
Moreover, to put that gain in context, it’s worth noting that the robots’ contribution to productivity growth in the 1990s and 2000s is comparable to that of a true “general purpose technology” (GPT) — one that has a pervasive, longstanding impact on a number of dissimilar industries. Graetz and Michaels calculate, for example, that robotics have of late increased labor productivity by about 0.35% annually — or by about the same amount as did the steam engine, a classic example of a GPT, during the years 1850 to 1910.
More recently, other analysis has shown that the pervasive IT revolution supported 0.60% of labor productivity growth and 1.0% of overall growth in Europe, the U.S., and Japan between 1995 and 2005. That’s about two to three times the amount contributed by robotics thus far but capital investment rates in IT during those years were also five times higher than those in industrial robots during the 1993 to 2007 period. As many economists have noted, productivity figure are often quite difficult to calculate in new technology categories, and could be larger or smaller than official estimates. Nonetheless, to the extent that one can trust today’s flawed productivity data, Graetz and Michaels’ work suggests the young robotics revolution is going to be a very big deal.
And yet, there is another critical question that needs asking, and that is whether the robots’ productivity impacts are resulting in job losses.
Consider that between 1993 and 2007 (the timeframe studied by Graetz and Michaels) the U.S. increased the number of robots in use as a portion of the total hours of manufacturing work (a standard measure of economic output) by 237%. During the same period the U.S. economy shed 2.2 million manufacturing jobs.
So is there a relationship between the use of industrial robots and job loss? The substantial variation of the degree to which countries deploy robots according to Graetz’ and Michaels’ data should provide clues. If robots are a substitute for human workers, then one would expect the countries with higher investment rates in automation to have experienced greater employment loss in their manufacturing sectors. For example, Germany deploys over three times as many robots per hour worked than the U.S., according to Graetz and Michaels, largely due to Germany’s robust automotive industry, which is by far the most robot-intensive industry (with over 10 times more robots per worker than the average industry). Sweden has 60% more robots per hours worked than the U.S. thanks to its highly technical metal and chemical industries.
However, these data don’t compute with expectations. By our calculations there is, as yet, essentially no visible relationship between the use of robots and the change in manufacturing employment. Despite the installation of far more robots between 1993 and 2007, Germany lost just 19% of its manufacturing jobs between 1996 and 2012 compared to a 33% drop in the U.S. (We introduce a three-year time lag to allow for robots to influence the labor market and continued with the most recent data, 2012). Korea, France, and Italy also lost fewer manufacturing jobs than the United States, even as they introduced more industrial robots. On the other hand, countries like the United Kingdom and Australia invested less in robots but saw faster declines in their manufacturing sectors.
For their part, Graetz and Michaels also see a lot of ambiguity when it comes to robotics’ influence on the labor force. They cannot rule out that there is no effect of robot densification on national employment levels. But they do see variegated skill-biased impacts. Specifically, their data suggest that the arrival of robots tended to increase the employment and pay of skilled workers even as it seemed to “crowd out” employment of low-skill and, to a lesser extent, middle-skill workers. So while robots don’t seem to be causing net job losses, they do seem to change the sort of workers that
are in demand.
In the end, the new data are important because they dispel at least some of the robotics productivity paradox. Assuming more analyses fall into line with Graetz’ and Michael’s work it will be possible to say that robots have become visible in the productivity data — and that the data and observed realities match up and can be useful. In addition, the scale of the robots’ impact — even with technology improvements racing along — suggests that robotics may well be a big thing: a general purpose technology that over time pervades the economy, spawns myriad new innovations, and elevates productivity for years, with major impacts on society. No, we’re not there yet, as Summers notes, but the evidence suggests that day is coming. As to the bots’ impact on employment, that is less clearly visible, and may be positive, negative, or mixed. Yet if the IT experience is any indicator, full adoption of a powerful technology can take a generation, and come after years of delay. In that sense, while it’s early, the advent of the robots is beginning to conform to expectations. | https://hbr.org/2015/06/robots-seem-to-be-improving-productivity-not-costing-jobs |
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Seven Vision was born to serve youth in our community facing diminishing in-person connection and healthy social reflection. With the increasing normalization of the technological reality as primary method of communion, we recognize that youth growing up today are especially vulnerable to toxic virtual landscapes. As humanity moves faces an ever-changing and uncertain world, we are finding a way to adapt to fill the need for educational experiences that can effectively engage with students and provide community connection and encouragement of healthy forms of self-expression for mental health and positive self-identity.
Seven Vision was established in 2021 by Quincy Davis based in Portland, USA who's work draws from his life experience of personal transformation out of a self-destructive path to follow his calling with a love for humanity and consideration for the well-being of future generations. Quincy has independently-produced over 25 music videos, 3 documentary-shorts and 4 albums.
While the majority of mainstream music continues to promote fantasy and escapism, our team of powerful collaborators and guest artist, who have been involved in many years of youth education work serving some of our most vulnerable youth in our community, are committed to using their artistic craft to provide uplifting messages for humanity, encouraging community-power, at this crucial time in history.
WHAT IS OUR MODERN MYTHOLOGY?
WHAT IS OUR MODERN MYTHOLOGY?
Young people all over the world are recognizing that a new story is needed and they are seeking that but unfortunately there is almost nowhere to go to express this. Without the support of a community, as a result, a lot of the times these expressions turn into frustration, rage, depression and other forms of grief. This energy could be seen as “rebellious” at an age when they would normally be going through an initiation, if an intact and healthy village was in place.
Corporate-owned media narratives are not the only reality, but many people have gotten lost in this illusion, especially with the increased use of modern-technology and screen-time. Historically, within cultures all over the world, community was informed through the visions and dreams that people would have. This would not just be one special person but the dreams that are moving through the village, with each person contributing to the evolving vision of the community. Also, ceremonies such as the vision quest, where people would go up on the mountain to seek an understanding and clarity of their purpose, would provide a way of receiving such information. They would come down with gifts for the village and the collective story would change. Although at this time we may not have the capacity to take youth out to vision quest, at least we can hold space for a virtual talking circle where everyone’s voice is heard, honored and respected.
We believe the collective healing of society's grief is manifested through individual healing, supported by community. Our dream is for the younger generation to experience this, to express their unique voice, awaken to their gifts and be a part of creating solutions, grounded in community-values and traditional life-ways.
EDUCATIONAL MISSION
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Offering safe and supportive environments for healthy reflection, expression and exploration of one’s unique gifts including talking circles and workshops of creative expression.
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Offering a bridge to elder teachings in a way that connects with the most vulnerable youth in our community.
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Introduce youth to independent musicians / Hip-hop artists that share life-affirming messages and model a way of being that is alternative to the mainstream narrative.
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Support the development of career-readiness and technical skills in music production, video production and other digital creative forms with support from mentors in the profession.
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Offer tools and healthy alternatives to modern forms of self-medication and trauma-response, to support the restoration of connection within one’s body, environment and overall holistic awareness.
SEVEN VISION MOVING FORWARD
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Establish 7Vision as a sovereign media channel for showcasing visionary music, art and culture with life-affirming values.
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Inspire the next generation of leaders ready to be a part of a movement and align to create a new paradigm .
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Build a following and align with organizations, businesses and collectives who are involved with effective ways of building new social and political realities rooted in community values and environmental awareness. | https://www.sevenvisionstudios.com/about |
Discovery comes through the process of painting. Inspiration starts with a mark, a color, a form, a layer, and it builds from there. I refuse to be bound by a specific direction or an expected outcome. Each of us is profoundly different - peace begins when expectations end. We are all on our own path. I choose to walk the path of creativity. My work speaks of this path of discovery; it speaks of the unknown, of the pure pleasure of form, of line, of color. Subtle layers and hidden memories peek through in my pieces. In creating something out of nothing, I seek a balance of complex-simplicity that fires my imagination and lights up my soul. I find the exploration of non-objective abstraction deeply gratifying. My work is a continual evolutionary journey of discovery and I believe I am simply along for the ride. | https://www.graciesquareartshow.com/deborahtcolter |
The DiMenna Children’s History Museum at the New-York Historical Society transports children ages 8-12 into a world where the history of New York can be explored. The exhibits are created to help develop children’s research and exploration through objects from the N-YHS’s collection. Visitors become “history sleuths,” or detectives, to unlock information that makes objects, events and historical persons come to life through the context of a child’s life in New York. Visitors will use these new findings to continue discovery and meaning-making beyond the walls of the N-YHS as they experience New York City’s streets, parks, public places and infrastructure.
The space is designed as a library of wonderment, full of objects and displays that blur the line between past and present, and that upon closer examination, reveal hidden opportunities to delve deeper into the historical context. A bookshelf spins to reveal technology kiosks that allow discovery of historical documents; keyholes focus visitors attention on an historical event; various “decoders” translate handwriting from the past, or aid visitors in developing symbolism and meaning from historical objects and depictions. “Portraits Come to Life” uses peoples innate fascination with personal stories to immerse them in the lives of individuals from New York’s past through audio, scents, textures and other sensory elements. The DiMenna Children’s History Museum also includes the Barbara K. Lipman Children’s History Library, where the New-York Historical Society makes its collection of children’s books easily accessible. | http://www.skolnick.com/property/dimenna-childrens-history-museum/ |
SUMMER WITH QUARTZ CO.
Text by:Quartz Co.
A feeling of freedom – the reinvigoration that only summer in nature can bring. Discover Quartz Co.’s visual exploration inspired by the collective energy found by reconnecting in the outdoors.
A mood embodying escapism and summer adventure. As we dream of discovery, we seek the hues of Northern life — from camping trips in Magdalen Islands, Quebec to lakeside in Kelowna, British Columbia. | https://quartz-co.com/blogs/journal/summer-with-quartz-co |
The Lightkeeper is an interactive first-person exploration simulator where you will delve into the most unfathomable mysteries of mankind without neglecting your main mission: to keep the lighthouse of the Sinnigan Islands alight, come what may.
Mix of gameplay and narrative: The game maintains a balance between puzzle solving and narrative weight through the discovery of notes and newspapers that advance the story.
Complete exploration of an island: You have complete freedom to explore every corner of the island without limitations. You can also return again and again to revisit corners that have caught your attention.
Spectacular environment: The scenery on the island is breathtakingly spectacular and is one of the strong points from a photographic point of view.
Exploratory research: You will find valuable objects and can examine them for clues:
Investigate Harry, the former lighthouse keeper, to understand what has happened to him.
At the same time, he investigates the events that have taken place on the island since time immemorial, leading to a series of unsolved mysteries.
Year 1965. A young Englishman decides to take a job as a lighthouse keeper on remote islands in the north of Scotland. When he accepts the conditions of the job to escape from his own reality, he has no idea of the delirious adventure he is about to begin.
When he arrives on the island not a soul greets him and a powerful loneliness grips him. Where is the previous lighthouse keeper? Why hasn't he taken over from him?
The halo of mystery and legends that envelop these islands are responsible for sowing enough breeding ground in the mind of the protagonist to doubt what is real or imagined. Through puzzles, enigma solving and a dizzying investigation that takes him around every corner of the island, the young man realises that what is hidden in its entrails is something much more disturbing and unsettling than he can assume.
Delusion, fantasy or reality? Only you can find out.
Made with Unreal Engine 4.
Role
I worked for this project as a Game Designer. My tasks included:
Documentation
Active involvement in game design brainstorms. | https://www.carlosperezsanchez.com/the-lightkeeper |
In 1974 I made a spontaneous drawing with geometric shapes imposing their will on the figure (see fig. #1 below). I call these geometric shapes "Obstructions" and began to explore all their implications and associations. The strong interplay between rigid shapes and the fluid organic lines of the captive squeezed figures, held great potential to express on a formal level, many of the esoteric ideas I was studying (see fig. #2 below).
On another level, the images represent an agonizing condition of helplessness and unconsciousness, hinting at the conflicted relationship of humanity vs. technology, or the divine battle between the spirit and the flesh. Much like the Cubists, my figures are also reinvented, but now as a direct result of cause and effect; powerful directional forces; binding limitations; and gravity, stretching, squeezing and pulling the figure into a different "state of being" (see fig. #3 below).
Initially, this obstructed figure represented a kind of blame, a force affecting us from outside of ourselves, outside of our control. As this idea evolved, two new ideas emerged. In the first one, the Obstructions disappeared; and the human figure itself became "the container", with an inner figure (essence) painfully unaligned within its outer shell (see fig. #4 below). But now, the expressed meaning is clearly an inner process, no blame just "inner work", as the figure struggles to normalize, and align the inner with the outer (authenticity).
The second transformation changed the Obstructions from a positive, solid geometric object, into negative space, a hole, that can no longer exert any force to distort the figure, but now it offers new spatial possibilities and adds another layer of complexity. These "Cut-Outs" reveal an unseen inner-world, and create opportunity to juxtapose the inner with the outer; and create tension between the surface of the painting and the interior pictorial space; between the parts of the figure and the whole. As the figure is broken down into smaller pieces and parts, perhaps on its passage to the quantum level, I think of the movement from the physical realm into the realm of light. (see fig. #5 below).
Some of the cutout paintings create a kind of "virtual reality", asking the viewer to see what’s revealed in the inner space of the window, and then, to use their own imagination to see what the hidden regions of the paintings look like and imagine the image whole. This is a very interesting idea which I continue to explore.
After 10 years of creating many different esoteric drawings, one day I spontaneously drew a figure with the inner figure coming out of its mouth, out of it's outer shell (see fig. #6 below). It was so obvious when it finally appeared yet it took me a decade to finally see it materialize. Once expressed I felt a freedom to expand my exploration and express more of what it means to be human and alive, expressing all kinds of emotional, intellectual and psychological content.
I coined the term Esoteric Realism, to contain and represent this large body of work. This work captures something fundamental about humanity, and essential about human suffering. It represents a painful condition of man being stuck in an unconscious state of being, unable to see it or change it, and in this unconscious state, doing great damage to the perfect balance of the natural world, and man's ability to protect of life on Earth. Esoteric Realism is a contemporary portrait of this inner struggle to separate fiction from fact, and face the Truth. | https://richardgins.wixsite.com/richard-gins/obstructions-inner-outer |
Discovery Metals Corp. has released its operating and financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2020.
The Company is focused on advancing a portfolio of silver projects in historic mining districts in northern Mexico, including our flagship Cordero project in Chihuahua State ("Cordero" or the "Project"), as well as the Puerto Rico, Minerva and Monclova projects in Coahuila State.
In February 2020 we were named to the TSX Venture Exchange's 2020 Venture 50 in recognition of our share price appreciation, market capitalization growth, and trading volume growth over the past year.
In March 2020 we temporarily suspended all exploration activities at our Mexican operations due to the increased health and safety risks associated with the growing number of COVID-19 cases in the country. We have put in place business continuity plans so that exploration activity can quickly ramp up once it is deemed safe to do so.
In April 2020 we announced the divestiture of our non-core Congress property located in British Columbia, to Talisker Resources Ltd. ("Talisker"). Under the terms of the purchase agreement, Talisker issued 1,000,000 common shares to our Company in return for 100% ownership of Congress.
On May 18, 2020, we announced a $25 million private placement that included a $10 million investment from Mr. Eric Sprott. This financing is expected to close in early June. Support for this placement is indicative of the strong investment interest in our Company and the exposure and leverage that our Cordero project provides to a rising silver price. Upon completion, we will have over $40 million of cash on our balance sheet - this positions us as one of the best financed silver exploration companies in the industry.
Exploration highlights
At Cordero, our 100% owned project in Chihuahua State, Mexico, we:
Q1 2020 FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
The following selected financial data is summarized from our Company's unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto (the "Financial Statements") for the three months ended March 31, 2020. A copy of the Financial Statements is available at the company's website or on SEDAR.
LOOKING AHEAD
Discovery has transformed itself over the last 12 months and we believe we are now in the best position since the Company's formation to benefit from a rising silver price. Through the acquisition of our Cordero project in August 2019 we now have 100% ownership of a very large silver endowment. Post-acquisition we have been actively adding value through drilling with highly encouraging results reported from our Phase 1 drill program. Upon completion of the recently announced financing, we will have a cash balance of over $40 million. Our balance sheet has never been stronger and moving forward we have the firepower to aggressively advance Cordero and to accelerate our exploration efforts on the surrounding regional property package.
On March 31, 2020, we announced the temporary suspension of exploration activity in response to COVID-19. We are using this period to evaluate the substantial amount of data collected to-date to refine our drill targets. We still have assays pending from 16 holes completed prior to the shutdown and we look forward to releasing these holes in the coming weeks. We have also been busy putting in place business continuity plans so that we can ramp up our drilling activities in an efficient and systematic fashion once it is deemed safe to do so.
We look forward to providing further details on the progress we have made to our shareholders at our upcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM). The AGM will be held via conference call on June 26, 2020.
About Discovery
Discovery Metals is a Canadian exploration and development company headquartered in Toronto, Canada, and focused on historic mining districts in Mexico. Discovery's flagship is its 100%-owned Cordero silver project in Chihuahua State, Mexico. The 35,000-hectare property covers a large district that hosts the announced resource as well as numerous exploration targets for bulk tonnage diatreme-hosted, porphyry-style, and carbonate replacement deposits.
Qualified Person
Gernot Wober, PGeo, VP Exploration, Discovery Metals Corp., is the Company's designated Qualified Person for this news release within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") and has reviewed and validated that the information contained in this news release is accurate.
We seek Safe Harbor.
© 2020 Canjex Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved. | https://www.stockwatch.com/News/Item?bid=Z-C%3ADSV-2912743&symbol=DSV®ion=C |
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Ideas and Thoughts:
As designers, our sole aim is to facilitate ease in communication for the viewer. Creating persuasive enquiry based approach to comprehend, sometimes a hidden visual order to lure the viewer or at times to guide him through a well-defined Visual Order.
Feeling and Reasoning:
The connect between design theory and application is difficult to grasp for a novice student of design, because the nature of design decisions are sometimes very subjective and contextual. Moreover, it becomes difficult, when the novice tries to seek rules or formulae to attempt solving of design problems. This does not necessarily mean that there are no rules in design. In fact, there are principles and concepts that need to be taught and internalized rather than rote learned. Design solutions are felt, experienced, compared and judged. They don’t conclude as absolutes in themselves, because each time the context differs. The designer trains himself to respond to contexts, based on the knowledge acquired while learning principles of Visual Design.
Giving reason acts as a convenient approach, to teach a skill, explain knowledge or a concept. Rationality also gets well accepted and appreciated. To act without a reason, seems uncomfortable and paints a picture of being artistic, intuitive or subjective. Maybe that is why, quantitative results seem more pleasing compared to qualitative, since they are easily articulated by a rational mind.
Visual Order as a method will face arguments in its nature of explaining a concept through reference to analogies; but such is the case as most of these tasks (design problems) are related with concepts to be experienced; rather than being taught or told about. Most of these tasks are analogous; i.e., understood by doing, seeing and comparing and not based on results, translated numerically. Comparison provides insights, not results, as they are based on learning through perception. (Otl Aicher 1994).
Design assignments today, are currently under pressure to rationalize and at times, reason out acts as an incentive to make someone work towards a goal. It is difficult for sense of exploration to flourish within such environments, as exploration is based on a foundation of interests, rather than reasons. The method presented here attempts new approaches to strike a balance between both modes of thinking (vertical + lateral).
Considering the current context, where choice of font is available at a mouse click, the exercises in Visual order become extremely important as they act as rudimentary level courses in instilling the concept of Visual Order in the minds of novice designers, with the aim of making them familiar with the nature of design decisions. While encouraging students to have a sense of exploration towards tackling design problems, the instructors can also answer the rationale queries of students through the use of analogies. It is this marriage of exploration and rationale that Visual Order is trying to achieve. | http://www.dsource.in/course/visual-order/conclusion |
The Future of Archaeology
I often wonder about the state of my field in future generations. 50 years seems a little to short a time for any major change, but what will archaeologists 1000 years from now think of our technology-driven society? How will they react to landfills full of motherboards and plastic bottles that refuse to biodegrade? Of the ruined skyscrapers which cling precariously to the sky? Will my fields still exist 1000 years from now, or has the internet rendered archaeology and museums obsolete?
First, a little background on my thought process. My first semester at Beloit College, I took the introductory to archaeology course: “Archaeology and Prehistory.” The professor had us read a fun children’s book in the last few weeks of the class, called Motel of the Mysteries. Its purpose was to serve as a sort of “What-If” wake-up call for archaeologists, as it asks “what if we are wrong?” In it, the author re-appropriates the discovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb for his tale. The archaeologist, whose name is a pun on Howard Carter (discoverer of King Tut’s tomb), describes the wondrous things found in this “tomb”- actually a simple hotel room. For example, he completely misidentified such rudimentary things as the folded toilet paper (seen at fancy hotels), bathtub, and even the bed as religious relics. The most intriguing misappropriation, which carries with it a certain social commentary with it, is the wrongful identification of the television as an idol of a god. (Macaulay, David 1979)
While this book is a humorous exploration of the “what-if”- taken to an extreme – it nonetheless is a worthwhile exercise. Paper trails and physicality of communication and personal connection are disappearing into the digital world. To a future researcher, who would not have access to the internet, what will our civilization look like? And what if the Internet DOES still exist in the future, in some heightened form? Will virtual reality become our ACTUAL reality? Science Fiction writers use that particular trope quite often. In every instance that I’ve read, the problem is the same: if we can live in a universe of our own making, then why would we choose not to? The logical result would be the sacrifice of reality for the life of fantasy.
This questions are difficult ones to grasp, and impossible to answer. Nonetheless, they are considerations that we must make as professionals. Take museums for example. Already, there is a push to make collections available online, whether through such open source ware as ContentDm, or through some other service. At the very least, museums are expected to have collections highlights on their websites (which themselves are considered a necessity). Virtual museums are also coming into vogue, yet while these do increase access to the collections for the broadest possible audience – anyone with an internet connection – it potentially limits ACTUAL visitation. Is that a con that museums can afford? In today’s economy, probably not, but they are accepting it nonetheless. Personally, I can see physical museums consolidating in the future, or disappearing altogether, if the trend to “virtuality” continues down the path to Veelox.
The same issue holds true for archaeology. One archaeologist, Sarah Parcak of the National Geographic, has pointed out that “less than one percent of ancient Egypt has been discovered and excavated.” (National Geographic website, 2012) Considering the ubiquity of discovered Egyptian sites, this makes the true number of possible sites mind-boggling. If we take Egypt as a microcosm for the entire world’s history and prehistory, then it should follow that archaeologists have nothing to fear in terms of “job security.” Yet, modern research involves scientific technologies such as ground-penetrating radar that keeps the site intact and undisturbed. If the ‘tools of the trade’ continue to develop away from actual excavation, then we could reach a point where the concept of discovery is rendered obsolete, particularly if the findings are published online for everyone to access.
All is not doom and gloom, however. After all, the entire purpose of museums and archaeology is to align and disseminate information to the masses. What will have to change is how these professionals will go about the business of doing so. The issue is finding a balance between the traditional field and the “newest and greatest” technology. What cannot be helped is that the everyday lives of everyone is available for all to see. If the internet does persist into the future as a working tool, then archaeology of the 21st century in the 22nd and beyond will have to accommodate the information that it provides.
The Future Archaeology | DudeLOL.com. | https://devonsdigs.com/2012/12/19/the-future-of-archaeology/ |
Innovation = Regenerating Knowledge | Integral Worlds Theory
Integral Development Theory:
Realising Individual and Collective Transformation
With Integral Development, a groundbreaking development framework and process is introduced to address the most burning issues that humanity faces.
Building up Integral Development
In Integral Development theory we argue that the current development crisis is not only a crisis within the discipline of so-called development studies and/or in the political and economic practice of development. Rather, the overall ineffectiveness of current development theory and practice, as lamented by a large number of renowned international development thinkers and practitioners, is merely one of many symptoms of a profound civilisational crisis humanity as a whole is facing.
Humanity, we believe, is in a transition phase from a modernist, rational, monocultural, capitalist paradigm towards a new evolutionary stage. During this transition time – which, according to the leading US-American sociologist Immanuel Wallerstein, may well last for another few decades – humanity will have to deal with massive disruptions, on all levels. While some thinkers hold that the direction and outcome of such a new evolution is totally unknown, there are a growing number of social philosophers articulating the rise of an Integral Age.
Indeed, all over the world, we can notice attempts to develop more integrated, holistic and balanced perspectives – within scientific disciplines, within various domains of life and within organisations. Local and global movements are promoting ecological balance, sustainable development, gender equality, social justice, cultural unity in diversity, religious dialogue within and in between religious (and non religious) belief systems, equitable livelihoods, inter- and transdisciplinary forms of knowledge creation, peaceful co-evolution of nations and civilisations and more. All these initiatives seek to bring about a more integrated approach, overcoming the highly fragmented and unequal state of our current world.
In the process, the predominant dualistic thought-and-action pattern of the modernist era – which also underlies the distinction between ‘developed’ and ‘developing’ societies – begins to dissolve. We can witness globally a rising awareness that this current evolutionary phase is not any more engaged in ‘tweaking’ existing systems, but rather points towards something fundamentally new.
In a thorough analysis of past and present development discourses we surfaced major disintegrating patterns. In our work, we suggest a set of integrative orientations that need to be included in a new more integrated approach to development, serving to overcome the destructive impact of the existing one. In doing so, we laid the foundation for our approach to Integral Development, building on our prior work on Integral Community, Enterprise, and Economics, Integral Research and Dynamics.
The Integral Development Model: The 4Rs of Integral Development
The four main elements of the Integral Development approach, drawing from our overall ‘Integral Worlds’ approach, are what we called the ‘4Rs’: Realities, Realms, Rounds and Rhythms. These four constituents are dynamically and interactively interwoven.
- Transcultural Realms: Integral Development acknowledges diverse reality viewpoints within each context and across the world. It captures this diversity by differentiating and integrating four archetypal worldviews or realities:
• Southern Relationship based Viewpoint on Reality
• Eastern Inspiration based Viewpoint on Reality
• Northern Knowledge based Viewpoint on Reality
• Western Action based Viewpoint on Reality
Altogether these realities relate to a rich variety of typological and structural patterns across civilisations.
- Transdisciplinary Realms: Each reality viewpoint has a different emphasis, which leads to four different knowledge fields or realms, each providing a particular perspective. Any given development calling & challenge requires the transdisciplinary engagement with all realms:
• Southern Realm of Relationship: Nature & Community
• Eastern Realm of Inspiration: Culture & Spirituality
• Northern Realm of Knowledge: Science, Systems & Technology
• Western Realm of Action: Enterprise & Economics
- Transpersonal Rounds: Each particular development calling & challenge is to be followed through (or: fully ‘rounded out’), traversing each realm via four interconnected rounds:
• 1st Round of Self Development
• 2nd Round of Organisational Development
• 3rd Round of Societal Development
• 4th Round of Uni-Versity Development
- Transformational Rhythms: Realities (worldviews), realms and rounds are altogether aligned with and are hence subject to fourfold transformational rhythms:
• Southern formative and grounding (G)
• Eastern reformative and emerging (E)
• Northern (newly) normative and navigational (N)
• Western (fully) transformative and effecting (E)
These rhythms stimulate and enable dynamic and interactive processes towards authentically addressing the development calling & challenge at hand. They are designed to release the GENE-ius of a particular self, organisation, community & society.
The interactive and dynamic engagement of all ‘4Rs’ with a specific, central development calling and challenge, lodged within a particular local context and global setting, is reflected in the circular, integral framework of Integral Development
Having laid out the full architecture of the Integral Development model, we now introduce the full terrain of Integral Development, including compass and travel maps.
The Integral Development Terrain
Each reality viewpoint informs a specific realm or knowledge field. Each of the four realms is underpinned by a particular theme. For example, the main development theme underlying the southern realm of relationship with its perspectives of nature and community is expressed as ‘restoring life in nature and community’. Then, each realm contributes to the realisation of a specific guiding value reflecting the full potential of the realm. For example, the ‘northern’ realm of knowledge with its perspectives of science, systems and technology is underpinned by the value of ‘open and transparent knowledge creation’. These main themes and core values, inform the integral journey.
- Southern Reality and Realm of Relationship
Main Theme: Restoring Life in Nature & Community
Core Value: Healthy & Participatory Co-Existence
- Eastern Reality and Realm of Inspiration
Main Theme: Regenerating Meaning via Culture & Spirituality
Core Value: Balanced & Peaceful Co-Evolution
- Northern Reality and Realm of Knowledge
Main Theme: Reframing Knowledge via Science, Systems & Technology
Core Value: Open & Transparent Knowledge Creation
- Western Reality and Realm of Action
Main Theme: Rebuilding Infrastructure and Institutions via Enterprise & Economics
Core Value: Equitable & Sustainable Livelihoods
In order to fully actualise the potential of the four realities and realms, the Integral Developer needs to gradually engage with all four rounds of individual, organisational, societal, and Uni-Versity development, dynamically led by the integral development rhythms that we introduced earlier.
With these four rounds (self-organisation-society-Uni-Versity) rhythmically associated with each of the four (southern, eastern, northern and western) realities and realms, we came up with a travel map in a matrix form that encompasses 16 fields, that is four rounds and rhythms for each of the four reality viewpoints and realms.
To navigate the Integral Development journey we developed a travel map with guiding questions, providing orientation.
The developmental tasks in each realm always starts with the individual round, to then successively round out organisation, society and Uni-versity in turn. While the Integral Developer may start this journey on his or her own, s/he would thereby be guided to gradually engage your particular context – concretely with a group, organisation, community and society.
In each realm we link theory and practice. While on the first three rounds (self, organisation and society) we focus primarily on relevant theory, in the final round we emphasise the integration of that theory through new practice. We illustrate such new practice through inspiring case stories from all over the world. Each of these cases, however, embodies not only an integrated organisation or community, it also represents a new educational-developmental space, that we coined a ‘Uni-Versity. We argue, that for each integral reality-and-realm to be fully actualised, such new ‘Uni-Versities’ would need to be established. Why? Because such institutionalisation would then promote the development of new integral development theory and practice in a way that it can be ‘universally’ shared, while at the same time being lodged in a particular context. Without such a conscious articulation through a ‘Uni-Versity’, the danger is that the particular knowledge and consciousness generated in a given case as well as its practice would not developmentally inform and transform society at large. That has been our repeated experience.
The concluding Figure shows the Integral Development Map with its 16 fields, now presenting the major developmental task in each field. This culminating map introduces the core challenges of the full Integral Development journey – challenges, that, with the help of Integral Development theory, can be addressed holistically. | https://www.trans-4-m.com/integral-worlds-theory/integral-development-theory/ |
Monica vs. The Internet (Tales of a Social Justice Warrior) is a funny, yet hard-hitting testament to navigating the often violent online world as a Filipina social justice vlogger. Performed and created by Monica Ogden, creator of YouTube’s Fistful of Feminism, and Ann-Bernice Thomas, 2016 Victoria Youth Poet Laureate, the show provides in-depth reflections on the real life struggles of an intersectional feminist with an online persona.
Through R-Rated sing-alongs, video, and real comments from her YouTube channel, Monica provides frank and accessible analysis on the intersecting oppressions of race, gender, and ability. By adopting a conversational tone whilst addressing the audience, and encouraging audience participation, a feeling of safety is developed between audience and performer, creating a unique space for raw discussions on violence and privilege.
An astonishing accomplishment of the show is the balance between intensely personal storytelling and the exploration of oppression within online and theatre communities. Speaking directly to her own experience, Monica challenges white supremacy and the ongoing colonization of Indigenous material within the Victoria theatre community. Using online comments as a starting point, Monica also explores the effects of hate speech on the internet, calling upon her own struggles with PTSD, anti-Asian sentiment, and sexual assault. Refreshingly, Monica acknowledges her own privilege throughout these discussions, making it clear that the stories of some oppressed people are not fair game for any artist who has been oppressed. Through this perspective, Monica analyzes problematic facets of white feminism, including the refusal to acknowledge colonization and racism within feminist communities.
Monica’s effectiveness as a social justice activist is evident throughout the piece, although arguably the most powerful aspect of her exploration is accepting the genuine struggle of facing daily violence online. She reflects upon the hateful push back online and in real life against her activism and comfort in identity, producing an honest claim to the struggle of continuing to be vocal in the face of racist and misogynistic threats. Through such a raw exploration, Monica reclaims the title of Social Justice Warrior, speaking directly to the battle being fought daily as an oppressed individual speaking frankly on her experience. The result of such exploration is a hilariously honest, heartbreaking account of how online hatred affects the often oppressed individuals pushing against it.
Bottom Line
Monica vs. The Internet succeeds in exploring the challenging reality of existing as an intersectional feminist online and in real life. Through quirky music, hard-hitting humour, and raw personal accounts, the show leaves its audience not only informed, but invigorated and passionate, renewing the rage within the activists in attendance. It would be a true shame to miss the opportunity to hear the testimony of this talented, unapologetic warrior. | http://victoria.showbill.ca/2232-2/ |
By Bart Taylor | Jul 06, 2022
As much as forecasts of an impending recession shape the business news today, manufacturing is in growth mode. Despite a gloomy macro-economic narrative, June's Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) measured a solid 53, squarely in 'expansion' territory.
Moreover, against the backdrop of recession fears, manufacturers are increasing staff. In the same ISM survey, an "overwhelming majority" of companies said they were hiring.
In our ongoing series, we circled back with Jim Watson, CEO of California Manufacturing Technology Consulting (CMTC), to talk manufacturing and prospects for growth.
CompanyWeek: Jim, great to chat with you again. How do we parse the conflicting news? Is growth still on tap for manufacturing, or are we to interpret a slight downtick in the PMI as others have -- a sign of contraction to come?
Jim Watson: No, growth is still on the minds of manufacturing leadership. However, while opportunities for growth exist, seizing new business is encountering some strong headwinds. The rise in inflation has increased materials cost, which is stressing margins and bottom lines. Supply chain issues continue to bring uncertainty in securing sufficient materials in time to meet demand. Also, finding skilled workers has inhibited many manufacturers from aggressively looking for new business. Today, growth is definitely an aspiration but proving to be elusive for many small- and mid-sized manufacturers (SMMs).
CW: We hear more and more about automation as a catalyst for growth. Can automation alleviate some of the pressure manufacturers are facing in trying to grow?
JW: Yes, manufacturers need to make automating a priority. In a manufacturing survey commissioned by CMTC last year, 61 percent of respondents said they will have a significant or moderate increase in automation in the next three to five years. However, because of the continuing need to increase productivity -- that for the most part will be driven by automation -- automation deployment timeframes will need to be expedited.
CW: I wrote last week that automation is becoming a magnet for attracting new workers. Are you seeing manufacturers improve workforce prospects via automation?
JW: Great question. The need for skilled workers is at an all-time high. In fact, California has a significant appetite for high and high-to-medium technology jobs -- 51 percent of all manufacturing jobs in California fall into those two categories. In comparison, the nation has a lower level of tech employment at 43 percent of their manufacturing jobs. In addition, according to a CMTC-commissioned study by Beacon Economics, 63 percent of manufacturing jobs require a high school diploma (or equivalency) for an entry-level job.
The challenge is that, if you are not already automating, getting sufficient skilled workers to automate is a tall order. What comes first? The chicken or the egg? It's estimated that there are presently more than 50,000 open manufacturing jobs in California. Upskilling existing workers could provide some relief in the tight labor market.
CW: Let's switch gears. What role is the supply chain having with those manufacturers who want to grow?
JW: Those who want to grow will need to rethink their supply chains and look for ways to improve their own performance as a supplier to secure additional business. Effective supply chain management is becoming increasingly data driven. Today, close to 70 percent of supply chain functions are handled on spreadsheets; and, only 17 percent of manufacturers have extended visibility into their supply chains. Moreover, most manufacturers agree that they do not have the necessary digital skills to meet future goals. Without automating supply chain functions, increasing visibility to their supply chains, and reevaluating their suppliers, manufacturers will continue to struggle getting the right materials delivered at the right time to meet demand.
To grow as a supplier, internal processes need to be improved to eliminate waste then automated to expand production. Suppliers will need to focus on building operational efficiencies, managing costs, and enhancing their resiliency to increase the ability to overcome supply chain and environmental challenges.
CW: Has inflation impacted growth plans for manufacturers?
JW: Higher costs are lowering bottom line profits and reducing cash reserves. For many manufacturers, this has diminished financial resources that were going to be used to expand automation, sales, and marketing programs. This has greater implications in California due to already high costs associated with manufacturing. Cost control takes a front seat to reduce the impact of inflation. Also, the Great Resignation has significantly increased the cost of acquiring a skilled workforce, which is adding to the inflationary challenges for manufacturers.
CW: How would you sum up the outlook for growth?
JW: Growth opportunities exist in many manufacturing sectors, but challenges remain in the form of rising costs, supply chain issues, material, and labor shortages. Manufacturers will be tasked with acquiring new talent, adding capabilities, and diversifying product portfolios to act as a foundation for growth. Manufacturers must remain agile and be prepared to take action to build resiliency in the short term to set up future successes. Technologies will create both a challenge and opportunity for manufacturers to seize the opportunity to grow. | https://companyweek.com/article/companyweek-q-a-cmtcs-jim-watson-on-growth-strategies-for-middle-market-manufacturers |
By Carla Reed, president, New Creed LLC
Cell and gene therapies are game changers. Critical health conditions that were once chronic or terminal are now being addressed, which is exciting news for patients and caregivers. But these therapies have a level of complexity from a supply chain perspective that needs new approaches, including a high level of information sharing and integration.
This topic was covered from different perspectives at two conferences I recently attended. What was fascinating was that both events highlighted a key enabler for these personalized therapies — a community-based supply chain supported by a responsive digital network.
Creating The “Digital Twin”
The first of these two events, the Futurelink conference hosted by Tracelink in Nashville, TN, included presentations and case studies from experts in the field of network technologies and tools, the use of orchestration platforms, and the growing value of data available through the mandates for serialization down to the item level. Participants and presenters provided thought leadership from the pharmaceutical/biotech industry sectors, while experts in the area of digital technologies explored solutions.
A theme reinforced by each presentation was the increasing complexity of the chain of custody — and in many cases a chain of identity. Technologies addressing the challenges of collaboration and communication across a network of diverse entities were discussed from a variety of perspectives. The term orchestration platforms, used to describe common digital platforms and data integration tools, highlights the need for collaboration and real-time communication across communities of participants. The outcome, a shared view of the sequence of activities, with related reference data across the chain of custody and into the chain of care, was a common goal. This should effectively create a “digital twin” of the physical flow of raw materials and products as they circulate around the patient in the center of the supply chain.
Once the challenge of connecting the dots between the different players in an increasingly global supply chain community is mastered, there is additional benefit in the digital data. Presenters debated what to do with the oceans of data that could be shared in digital format. Artificial intelligence — or machine learning — was touched on in a variety of presentations, highlighting many opportunities to monitor trends and predict requirements across geographic regions and specific therapies. These present exciting opportunities for the life sciences community in general.
Addressing Issues Specific To Cell And Gene Therapies
Presenters focused on cell and gene therapies addressed issues specific to that sector. This therapeutic area includes small patient populations whose previously unmet needs are now being addressed by a combination of highly personalized and novel therapies.
Although many of these therapies are still in early stages — Phase 2 and 3 clinical trials — the subject of supply chain is one that challenges all constituents. The complexity of these environments — from starting material acquisition to delivery of drug product — requires new approaches and process innovation. Unlike traditional therapies, which are characterized by linear supply chains, with cell and gene therapies each functional element revolves around the patient, the clinical environment, and the caregivers who are integral to the patient journey.
Figure 1: Evolving models for a patient-centric supply chain for cell and gene therapies
Presenters and panels discussed the differences between traditional biopharma and cell and gene therapies, highlighting some of the critical elements. Whether autologous or allogeneic, the product life cycle is supported by a complex supply chain, from acquisition of the starting materials through to delivery to the patient for infusion and treatment.
Unlike traditional pharmaceutical and biotech manufacturing, where starting materials are inventoried and can be integrated into production planning, the timing and schedule for the acquisition of materials for cell and gene therapies have a high level of variability. Whether using patient-specific blood or donor materials, the scheduling and acquisition of these biological ingredients needs to be balanced with the requirement to align personnel and production resources. This is challenging, as many of the required details are generated by clinical resources captured on paper or multiple media, across a variety of information systems and networks. This lack of integrated systems and controls is currently addressed through a series of emails, telephone calls, and unstructured information that needs to be harmonized and aligned with the batch records of subsequent production steps. This is no simple task, and it is compounded by different activities taking place across geographic boundaries and time zones.
This complexity extends into the supply networks that deliver the final product to the point of patient. Even without the requirement for personalization (for potentially more mainstream therapies) order fulfillment for cell and gene therapies does not take place through traditional channels — in many cases the request for specialized therapies comes directly from the physician. This is a very different model and one in which the standard communication flow falls short. There is no room for error, and timing and communication must be flawless. Once an order has been placed, the patient needs to be scheduled for treatment, with product delivery aligned with the infusion process. In this environment, a cohesive flow of information through a responsive communication network from point of supply is critical.
During the course of the event, a resounding message was communicated:
- There are many options available to address these challenges; the key is to identify all the primary constituents and review the current and desired processes for information sharing.
- This can then be standardized using the technology and tools that are now available.
This is good news for those already integrating their communities into their information system environment as part of the global serialization initiatives.
Cell and Gene Therapies Require Communal Collaboration
This train of thought moved onto another track as I prepared for the second event on the circuit, the Annual Conference of the Bio Supply Management Alliance (BSMA). This is a highly focused organization of pharmaceutical manufacturers and the service providers that support the increasingly complex biotech research, development, and path to commercialization. In the past, the event has focused on the more mature biotech companies and their specific supply chain related challenges. For the first time, a track was added to support a growing interest in cell and gene therapy.
The program for the afternoon included experts engaged in the production and commercialization of cell and gene therapies, including:
- Heather Erickson, VP supply chain, Sangamo
- Laura Alquist, VP global supply chain, Kite Pharma
- Carlo Guy, global head, supply chain, Novartis
- Franck Toussaint, managing director, BioLog Belgium
Presented as an overview of some of the challenges being addressed by each of these organizations, the common message was clear.
- This is an immature supply chain environment requiring a different approach for design and development of distribution networks.
- Patient populations are small, the cost of the therapy is high, and there is no tolerance for delay or disruption.
A resounding theme was the need for increased collaboration, consistency at the process and documentation level, and stringent monitoring of time and temperature for all materials, from acquisition of starting materials — donor or patient blood and tissue — all the way through to final delivery and infusion at the point of patient.
Although a couple of cell and gene therapies have made it through the approval cycle and into commercial distribution, the majority of the therapies discussed are still in the exploratory and clinical trial stages. This creates its own challenges:
- Unlike more traditional clinical trials where patients are recruited and treated with drug product and placebos, in many cell and gene therapies the source material for the clinical trial product is blood or other patient material.
- In the case of autologous therapies, this is a batch of one — with the experimental product produced from the blood or other cellular material from each unique patient.
- Allogeneic therapies share many of the same challenges, further compounded by the complexity of retaining the digital DNA (or audit trail) of the source material, important for all cell and gene therapies.
- Ensuring product integrity is critical — each activity should be captured and recorded, reflecting time, state, and chain of control from material acquisition, transportation, quality control through transformation of biological materials to drug substance, drug product, and, finally, reconstitution and infusion at point of patient.
Centered around the patient, supply chain participants include caregivers who are responsible for the acquisition of biological material and the administration of the final drug product. They constitute a complex network of entities that use different information systems but are inter-dependent and need immediate access to accurate data and information across the vein to vein life cycle.
A follow-up conversation with one of the keynote presenters engaged in the development of a supply chain for two of the few commercial cell and gene therapies provided the following take-aways:
- Developing strategies for these “one size fits one” supply chains requires deep functional expertise and hands-on experience working in complex, global supply chains.
- This is a moving target — physical and digital networks need to be agile and responsive.
- Technology is an enabler, but global variations in regulations need to be understood and planned for.
- The cost of failure is high, not only in monetary terms but in potential lives lost.
Other presenters reinforced this message, highlighting the interdependence of the flow of material and information and coordination of clinical, production, and logistics resources across the chain of custody and control.
The focus of the final presentation of the day was the acquisition of the starting material — something that had not been reviewed in depth earlier in the day. Panelists represented three important constituents in these first links in the chain:
- Donor Community: Donor engagement and collaboration with clinical environments for the acquisition of the patient material, the starting ingredients for cell and gene therapy (Greg Bodnar, senior client engagement manager, Be the Match Bio Therapies)
- Clinical sites: Representing the patient experience, from acquisition of blood, tissue, or other materials to administration of the therapy (Heather Steinmetz, QA manager for bone marrow transplant, UCLA)
- Manufacturers: The production of new and novel therapies is fraught with challenges and although there are a growing number of therapies that are getting closer to the finish line, the list of companies with commercial products can be counted on one hand. (Grace Randhawa, tissue operations expert, Apheresis Operations, Novartis)
Each panelist reviewed challenges and opportunities they were facing, describing how they were collaborating with others in the industry to overcome obstacles to success. One of the biggest issues facing all participants — and the constituents they represent — is a lack of standards and common practices for the acquisition of material and the final administration of the drug product.
This is further aggravated by the variety of different information systems used across different manufacturers and the complexity of following different procedures for each clinical trial. Challenges include:
- Training and ongoing compliance with a variety of requirements
- Different procedures for the packaging, labelling and shipment of materials
- Complexity of temperature management and control — some materials are shipped at a controlled range of 2 to8 degrees Celsius, while others are cryo-preserved at the point of acquisition and shipped in LN2 packaging units.
A shared goal was a common system of record, which is something not currently available. Initiatives for serialization and tracking/tracing at the line item level are under development and promise to address many of these challenges. However, to date this is not a standardized process and variability leads to high levels of risk.
Conclusion
Although neither of these two events had conclusive messages, there was consensus in terms of what needs to be done, including development of common digital networks to facilitate collaboration, communication, and consistency across these integrated communities of clinical practitioners and the manufacturers and service providers that support this supply chain.
About The Author: Carla Reed is a seasoned supply chain professional with more than 25 years of experience providing leadership and program management across a variety of programs for the life sciences industry. Her broad range of experience and expertise has provided solutions for pharmaceutical and biotech companies challenged by the growing complexity of extended supply chain environments. Her firm, New Creed LLC, provides change leadership to facilitate sustainable solutions, providing hands-on experience in all aspects of supply chain operations. You can email her at [email protected] or connect with her on LinkedIn. | https://biosupplyalliance.com/the-need-for-digital-networks-to-support-cell-and-gene-therapies/ |
General Motors announced North American plant closures in late November. Citing sluggish sedan sales, more than 2,500 jobs are set to leave the Greater Toronto Area as General Motors looks to refocus its production to SUVs and crossovers. Plants in Detroit, Michigan, Warren, Ohio, and White Marsh, Maryland, are also slated to close.
Oshawa’s plant closure will affect 2,500 employees, but reports estimate that 15,000 jobs could be swept up in the ripple effect, as the closure impacts the entire automotive supply chain (Source: Government of Canada). Canada currently has 125,000 automotive jobs.
Human resources teams at the shuttered factories will mobilize to help affected employees as best they can, but management teams across the entire supply chain must anticipate the impact on their own organizations and act accordingly.
The headlines announcing GM’s pre-holiday layoffs were shocking, but many business analysts went on record to say they were not at all surprised. Auto sales have been flat for several years. In GM’s case, consumer spending habits are a direct driving force in the plant closures.
Artificial intelligence and coding, according to a recent Canadian government report, will be the future of the Canadian automotive industry, as more autonomous vehicles take to the roadways. Early estimates indicate that 34,000 jobs could be created to fulfill demand for these cars within the next few years. And while General Motors is shedding 2,500 jobs, it has already added 1,000 jobs in the Greater Toronto Area with this new tech focus. The development of a more techno-centric workforce is already underway.
Technological advancements might be viewed as a threat to long-term employees with a certain skill set, especially those in more traditional assembly line jobs. Indeed, some companies will employ strategies where they simply lay off employees who lack certain technological skills. Instead of relying on the traditional layoff, recruit, onboard, train, repeat every time there is a downturn. Companies looking to retain institutional knowledge and build better brands along with customer and employee loyalty are looking at ways to reskill, upskill, retrain and retain workers.
Companies considering a shift toward more digitized manufacturing practices may want to consider offering training programs aimed at employee retention. Those training programs might reside in-house, be government-sponsored, or exist within local colleges with robotics and supply chain management programs.
When those training programs aren’t available through an employer, individuals in the manufacturing industry might want to take notice of the changes in progress and take ownership to actively pursue reskilling opportunities as part of a personalized professional development plan. Human resources professionals can serve as advocates for the employees, and facilitators of this professional development programming.
For those manufacturers supporting the automotive industry, the key to future business success might just lie in management’s ability to provide the kind of communication and transparency that will result in a dedicated workforce willing to go the extra mile. Changes to the workforce can be addressed in simple ways, such as one-on-one conversations, team meetings and all company newsletters.
During one-on-one employee meetings, managers and HR professionals might ask individual employees, “What are you doing to be ready for technological changes to the manufacturing industry?” This type of question can open the door for more conversations about preparedness. HR teams can provide valuable linkage between the employee and programs that can help advance the employee’s skill set.
Sometimes, even after steps are made to avoid them, layoffs become a necessary reality. When layoffs cannot be avoided, the way a company handles workforce restructuring can make a strong public statement about corporate values. It is possible to lay off a person, and also take care of that person through severance plans that include support services, such as outplacement or redeployment.
Providing outplacement services is the best way to care for employees impacted by workforce changes. Through a combination of high-touch and high-tech services employees are able to land new roles faster than they could on their own. Through resume writing services, hand-picked job leads, access to recruiters and personalized career coaching services, impacted employees get the support they need to find their new career beginnings with greater ease.
Redeployment is another option for employees swept up in layoffs. Contemporary outplacement services providers can be instrumental in helping employees identify new positions within the same company, and help coach them through the transition. This has benefits for both the employees and companies, as redeployment requires less cost in recruitment and onboarding of new employees, as well as lower severance costs. Additionally, these redeployed employees already have valuable corporate culture equity.
We all try to be proactive in simple ways, such as checking the weather. If it’s raining, we grab an umbrella. In the coming years, the workforce will look different. It is incumbent upon human resources professionals to prepare, guide and advocate for employees who will be facing that future. Companies like GM may not always be able to accurately predict the economic storms that lie ahead, but with emerging technologies making waves in the headlines, it may be time for companies to develop their workforce now, rather than arrive late to the puck.
Laurie Compartino is the general manager of RiseSmart Canada, a career transition services firm. | https://www.canadianmanufacturing.com/business-intelligence/how-manufacturers-can-prepare-for-workforce-changes/ |
Identifying Opportunities in Your Supply Chain
Before manufacturers can begin implementing new operational practices or reaching out to prospective supply enterprises, they must have a firm understanding of their own organization’s supply challenges.
Recently, EMC hosted Manufacturing Consultant Kim Wolf (of Kim Wolf Consulting) for an event on Supply Chain Challenges. During this event, Kim gave a thorough explanation of how to address and overcome supply chain obstacles to an audience of Canadian manufacturing leaders and business owners. The information presented in this article is based on the discussions held during Wolf’s presentation at the event.
Modern supply chain challenges have affected every Canadian manufacturer in some way (image left), and business leaders across the country are feeling the sting of reduced production resources. While some manufacturers may see these challenges as an unsurpassable obstacle, proactive leaders understand that change is vital to progress, and correctly recognize that supply chain issues provide an unprecedented opportunity to re-evaluate their business’s activities and relationships. In today’s manufacturing landscape, an almost limitless amount of tools, resources, and networks are available to help businesses address supply chain issues. By taking advantage of these opportunities, manufacturers can move past obsolete production methods, optimize their existing supply channels, and establish invaluable relationships with alternative suppliers.
Before manufacturers can begin implementing new operational practices or reaching out to prospective supply enterprises, they must have a firm understanding of their own organization’s supply challenges. Ask yourself: Does my organization have a steady, stable influx of production resources? What would happen if my primary supplier couldn’t keep up with demand? Can my business’s supply chain survive the impact of uncertain global events? Each of these questions can be answered through use of a risk assessment — an evaluation tool commonly used to identify potential hazards in an organization’s activities. Consider also performing a SWOT analysis of your business, which will allow you to accurately determine your company’s internal strengths and weaknesses and external opportunities and threats. Having access to the data collected by these analyses is critical to developing a strong action plan for your supply chain, ensuring that you and your team have a quantifiable list of priorities, deadlines, and activities to reinforce your supply chain’s stability. Proper information collection is key when determining how to utilize opportunities — without it, you may waste valuable resources pursuing untenable goals.
No organization has access to an unlimited supply of production resources on its own. In manufacturing, powerful relationships are one of the most important assets a business can have to maintain its ability to meet consumer demand. While long-held connections with established suppliers are certainly valuable, manufacturers shouldn’t limit themselves to relying on these enterprises exclusively — in the event that these suppliers can’t provide their resources, manufacturers will find themselves at a loss. Instead, a thorough portfolio of both primary and secondary suppliers should be constantly upheld and expanded upon. There are a vast number of supplier entities across Canada and beyond that manufacturers now have access to, and, by spreading one’s supply chain across this network, business leaders never need to worry about delays in a single stream. Frequent communication and correspondence are necessary for success in today’s manufacturing sector, and, by reaching out to clients, customers, and consultants, organizations protect their supply chain’s structural integrity, and propagate their business’s influence and reputation throughout the globe.
By making a concerted effort to understand their organization’s supply chain and reaching out to a wide range of potential partners, manufacturers can utilize modern supply challenges to revitalize their business’s production practices and professional connections. For easy access to a diverse network of supplier entities, consider an EMC membership. EMC’s range of Manufacturing Consortium Managers keep extensive portfolios of Canada’s leading suppliers, and are eager to introduce them to your business.
For future discussions on overcoming supply chain adversity, contact Craig Mannell, Manufacturing Consortium Manager at EMC. Attend EMC events frequently for specialized manufacturing expertise.
Related News
Stay up-to-date with industry news and other hot topics! | https://emccanada.org/newsroom/-identifying-opportunities-in-your-supply-chain |
Medically Necessary: The enormous challenge of scaling up global vaccine production
This is an excerpt from the March 30, 2021 edition of Medically Necessary, a health care supply chain newsletter. Subscribe here.
The big challenge: Estimates vary widely, but the world will likely need billions — maybe more than 10 billion — doses of COVID-19 vaccines to stop the spread of the new coronavirus.
- Drugmakers are aiming to produce 14 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines this year, according to a tally of disclosures by vaccine manufacturers.
That’s much more vaccine than the world typically produces in a normal year. That number is also hard to pin down. However you slice it, producing enough COVID-19 vaccines will be an enormous challenge.
- The World Health Organization estimated that 5.5 billion doses of vaccines were purchased in 2019. In 2016, another WHO program estimated that existing infrastructure operating at maximum capacity could produce 6.4 billion doses of flu vaccine.
- Supply chain researcher Prashant Yadav estimated the world needs 1 billion to 1.5 billion vaccine doses in a normal year on an episode of the podcast Trade Talks.
Vaccine manufacturing supply chains are spread out across the globe. Some researchers say sharing information will be critical to optimize production. Others say governments will need to invest heavily in infrastructure to avoid bottlenecks.
The bottlenecks: Earlier this month, a coalition of vaccine manufacturing trade groups and international public health organizations (CEPI, COVAX, IFPMA, DVCMN and BIO) hosted a summit to discuss proposals for scaling up global vaccine manufacturing.
In a background document prepared for participants, organizers identified a list of raw materials that could disrupt vaccine production. Here are a few.
- Bioreactor bags: In February, the Financial Times reported that some manufacturers were struggling to get the large, plastic bags needed for production of several vaccines.
- Lipid nanoparticles: The Washington Post reported in February that Pfizer and Moderna were struggling to get enough of these fat molecules needed for their new mRNA vaccine platform.
- Glass vials: A recent Government Accountability Office report noted that glass vials used to store vaccines were also in short supply.
The summit’s organizers also pointed out that hoarding behavior and trade barriers could cause big problems for efficiently producing vaccines.
- “We were having conversations with some of the upstream providers of these critical supplies, hearing about lengthening back-order times and compensatory behaviors of the companies that rely on these materials — placing larger orders because they were concerned they were going to need to stockpile or hoard,” Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations CEO Richard Hatchet told STAT in an extensive Q&A.
More visibility: Adding more visibility to the vaccine supply chain could help governments and manufacturers make better decisions and speed up production, according to Robert Handfield, a supply chain researcher at North Carolina State who participated in the manufacturing summit.
At the summit, he proposed building a system that would show the inventory of key raw materials at supplier and manufacturer sites.
- “Anyone who understands supply chains knows you need data,” he told FreightWaves. “What we’re proposing is that we get better information, in the form of some kind of control tower that would be adjudicated by the World Trade Organization [and] CEPI.”
That control tower could facilitate the flow of raw materials, Handfield explained in a recent blog post. If manufacturers could confirm their supply was secure they wouldn’t need to hoard, which might free up resources for other producers.
That kind of system would require an enormous amount of international cooperation, and for-profit companies may not be enthusiastic about sharing information with competitors.
Handfield said there could be firewalls to prevent competing companies from seeing raw numbers. Instead, they’d see relative inventory levels. But even with those firewalls, he predicted companies would need additional incentives.
- “We have to create contractual incentives for firms to participate,” Handfield said. “There’s value in these organizations just to be able to gain market intelligence themselves. Today they don’t have any information on the market. … We could provide them with access to intelligence.”
Sanchoy Das, a supply chain researcher at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, said he’s not optimistic about this kind of international cooperation in the immediate future while many materials are still in short supply.
- “When there is sufficient supply everyone is willing to shake hands,” he told FreightWaves. “We can have WHO … manage the supply so that we can all benefit. Right now when we have a shortage of supply, all kinds of national borders, political borders kick in.”
More factories: Das said the main focus should be on simply adding additional infrastructure: more factories to make the vaccine.
- “Right now, [when it comes to] the actual vaccine production, we are maxed out,” he told FreightWaves. “They used the Defense Production Act to get the low-hanging fruit. … After that you have to build a new plant or access new facilities.”
The simplest way to speed up production is to simply improve the efficiency of existing manufacturing sites. Das said that in many cases that has already happened. In February, Pfizer announced that it had cut production time nearly in half through incremental improvements. However, Handfield argued that there’s still opportunities on that front.
- “Normally, development of a vaccine, and production, takes place over five to 10 years. Over that process, there’s a lot of productivity improvements that companies come up with,” he said. “There’s still a lot of room for productivity improvements.”
After those options are exhausted, the next step is retrofitting existing facilities to produce COVID-19 vaccines, a process that is already in full swing. Merck’s high-profile partnership with Johnson & Johnson is a good example. However, Das doesn’t expect Merck’s facility to ship any Johnson & Johnson vaccine until October.
- “It costs a lot of money to change these plants or prepare them for this particular vaccine,” he said. “Any effort like that, we are looking at multiple months.”
The most expensive and most difficult option is to build new facilities from scratch. In February, AstraZeneca announced it was working with a contract manufacturer in Germany to build new production capacity, but it won’t come online until the end of 2022, according to a press release.
The price tag and timeline associated with building new capacity makes it a dangerous bet for drug manufacturers, Das said. If boosters are needed each year and demand for COVID-19 vaccines stays high, then it could pay off. If vaccines effectively squash the virus, the extra capacity could sit idle.
- “If the pandemic goes away … and a company spent a huge amount of money to build this facility and now it’s selling at the same price as a flu vaccine,” Das said, “then you would have all kinds of economic issues.”
More investment: During a recent congressional hearing, Tom Bollyky, a fellow with the Council on Foriegn Relations, called for a version of Operation Warp Speed on a global scale to finance improvements to manufacturing capacity.
- “This initiative can work with governments and development-finance institutions to provide the support, assurances and trained personnel that vaccine sponsors will require to transfer technology and tap unused contract vaccine manufacturing that still exists in well-regulated markets,” he told lawmakers earlier this month.
In a recent essay, Bollyky and Chad Bown of the Peterson Institute for International Economics wrote that this effort would need a global administrator to direct government investments across the supply chain, from raw materials to finished vaccines.
- In addition, they propose incentivizing countries that produce vaccine inputs, but not finished vaccines, to scale up production capacity by guaranteeing access to future vaccine doses.
Participating countries would also have to agree not to stop exports of vaccines or vaccine supplies to participate in the initiative Bollyky and Bown are imagining.
Feeling optimistic: Scaling up global vaccine manufacturing and getting all the stakeholders to cooperate is a daunting task, but both Das and Handfield said they’re feeling optimistic.
Handfield said he’s hopeful that the World Trade Organization’s new Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala will be able to facilitate the kind of international cooperation needed right now.
- “We think that she can take a lead in helping to drive this forward,” he said. “There’s still a lot of people who are not comfortable with the idea of a third-party adjudicator managing this thing, but I think it’s required and hopefully we’ll get there.”
While current supply shortages make widespread international cooperation more difficult, Das said he can see it happening relatively soon. | https://www.freightwaves.com/news/medically-necessary-the-enormous-challenge-of-scaling-up-global-vaccine-production |
The shift from vertical to virtual integration dramatically increased the manufacturing industry’s dependence on suppliers. Today’s market dynamics have further elevated many of your suppliers to strategic contributors of customer value and profitable growth.
In this era of disruptive innovation, shorter product lifecycles, shifting global cost structures, and emerging market opportunities, your supply decisions directly impact your ability to achieve your company’s growth and profitability objectives.
By making better supply decisions and changing the way you work with suppliers, you can turn your direct materials supply chain into a competitive advantage that enables you to achieve product cost targets, launch new products faster, and deliver greater value to your customers.
To accomplish these objectives, you must have a supplier engagement approach that supports your efforts to drive product innovation, improve costs, and create profitable growth.
The increasing amount of supplier-related activity is overwhelming many manufacturers. There’s just too much to do and not enough people to do it. Traditional approaches and enabling technologies are not designed for today’s more collaborative business environment and manufacturers are searching for a better way to select supply partners and capture greater value from their supplier relationships. | https://www.directworks.com/strategic-suppliers/ |
- This event has passed.
Manufacturing Reimagined: COVID Impacts on NY Manufacturers: Industry Spotlight – Food & Beverage
November 12, 2020: 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Event Navigation
Any manufacturing company currently in operation has been subject to a number of COVID-related issues including risky supply chain to enhanced employee safety requirements to uncertain distribution channels. But for manufacturers in the Food & Beverage industry, there is an additional health component that puts their operations at even greater risk.
This event will offer manufacturers an opportunity to network and share successes and best practices, followed by experts sharing insights on how Food & Beverage manufacturers can navigate through various pandemic-related issues and get access to the necessary resources they need.
Manufacturing Reimagined is a series of webinars and workshops to help manufacturers manage the challenges created by COVID-19, emerge from the crisis more resilient and adaptable, and prepare for future emergencies.
These virtual training and educational opportunities include topics such as emergency preparedness, supply chain utilization during crisis, cybersecurity and digitization, equipment strategies for manufacturing resiliency, and disaster recovery. | https://www.ceg.org/event/manufacturing-reimagined-covid-impacts-on-ny-manufacturers-industry-spotlight-food-beverage/ |
The NAM is working to improve and pass federal legislation currently before Congress that would provide billions of dollars for supply chain resiliency, innovation and support for domestic semiconductor production. These measures can also provide key trade relief and aid in the industry’s fight against fake and counterfeit products. Below are related NAM resources we encourage you to review:
|Strengthening the Manufacturing Supply Chain:
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This document serves as the industry’s blueprint for an enhanced manufacturing economy, providing policymakers and the administration with recommendations on how we can help resolve the global supply chain crisis and lay the foundation for a renewed modern manufacturing industry. This document is part of the NAM’s its “American Renewal Action Plan.“
|The National Impact of a Los Angeles and Long Beach Port Stoppage:
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This study quantifies the impacts of a 15-day closure at the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports. Specifically, it estimates how such a closure would impact U.S employment, output, and income.
|Competing to Win: This blueprint on issues from taxes and trade to energy and the environment provides a wide-ranging tool to guide policymakers’ actions and ensure that manufacturers can continue transforming the world for years to come.|
|Building to Win: Proposals in this plan were at the core of the bipartisan 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act—and will help to make us more resilient, from 21st-century transportation and energy to broadband and water infrastructure, as we work to outcompete China.|
|A Way Forward: Our nation’s rich heritage and global economic influence have been made possible by generations of immigrants. This reasonable, practical and comprehensive proposal addresses the problems created by our current immigration system and how policymakers can fix those issues once and for all.|
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|Related News, Insights and Stories: Click here to stay up to speed on the latest related to the NAM’s policy advocacy to invest in and improve manufacturers’ supply chain resiliency.
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Broken down by issue: Below are quick links to our most recent news pieces and stories across the major issue areas that play a role in our larger supply chain effort:
Immigration: Immigration reform is essential to our competitiveness worldwide and is a priority of manufacturing leaders across the U.S. as we work to solve the worker shortage that is contributing to our supply chain crisis.
Infrastructure: Our global supply chain network depends on strong and reliable infrastructure. From roads and rails to pipelines and broadband—a healthy supply chain means that manufacturers can move materials and products efficiently, giving our hardworking employees the tools to succeed.
Manufacturing Operations: Facing supply chain challenges, manufacturers are implementing innovative programs that are supporting their efforts to keep their doors open and their workforce strong.
Research, Innovation and Technology: Manufacturing doesn’t just use cutting-edge technology—we create it. But our proven ability to stay innovate and competitive relies on the health of our global supply chain.
Trade: With a level playing field and an accessible market, manufacturers in America can out-perform any competitor. That’s why solving the supply chain crisis is paramount to expanding opportunities to sell our products around the world and ensure global trade is open and healthy.
Workforce: From a historic worker shortage to wage inflation, manufacturers understand that focusing on growing and supporting our workforce is critical to solving our supply chain crisis. | https://www.nam.org/supplychain/ |
The Barbados Manufacturers’ Association Trade & Innovation Summit (TIS) evolved from our premiere annual event BMEX. It aims to meet the changing needs of our membership, other stakeholders, and our national, regional and international customers.
Our Global Village
This year’s theme, “Our Global Village”, allows us to create a space that will foster increase trade for local manufacturers, while embracing international manufacturing as we work together with our counterparts regionally and globally to ensure the availability of goods, development, and expansion of local sectors.
TIS 2022 Objectives
Our Summit has a strong development approach with the following objectives:
- Promote innovation in the manufacturing sector by connecting manufacturers with global experts who will share insights on areas critical to the future of manufacturing.
- Present smart and sustainable technologies capable of transforming local manufacturing processes.
- Provide participants with networking opportunities with companies, distributors in current and potential export markets.
- Showcase equipment which can assist manufacturers improve the capacity, efficiency of their businesses and quality of their products.
- Provide opportunities to generate new customers for businesses through the showcase of products to the public.
- Increase trade for local, regional and international businesses.
- Expand traditional manufacturing sectors through new market opportunities.
- Find solutions to global issues through the manufacturing of innovative products.
- Transform local and regional manufacturing by acting on technology transfer frameworks embedded in various trade agreements signed by Barbados.
The Summit is the first of its kind regionally because of its strong focus on the development and expansion of manufacturing. It is focused on building a global manufacturing network that is key to facilitating global market activity defined by interconnected functions, operations and transactions needed to bring products from prototyping to final delivery. The Summit allows for the rethinking supply chain management through exposing participants to alternative global partners for the sourcing of raw material etc. We are bringing players together in one place to facilitate opportunities for businesses which will make the difference to economic growth.
The Trade and Innovation Summit also allows us to celebrate our traditional sectors as they have played an important role in the development of our economy while acting as a launching pad for other businesses. It brings to manufacturers professional advice from global experts as it pertains some of the most topical areas of manufacturing. Moreover, it will allow all participating local, regional and global manufacturers the opportunity to showcase their products, advertise a range of equipment that can enhance various manufacturing processes and bring funding institutions in one place for them to access.
How will the Summit be delivered?
There are three main elements of the Summit:
- The Pre-Summit Activities commence on July 01st 2022 and will run to October 10th;
- Delegate Cultural exchange sessions will commence on October 10th and end on the 19th; and the
- Summit Dialogue and Exhibition commence on October 21st and end on October 23rd. | https://bma.bb/tis-2022/ |
Impact Dakota Blog is a blog dedicated to supporting North Dakota’s manufacturing community improve People, Purpose, Processes and Performance. Entries provide information on opportunities, new ideas, quick tips, celebrations of success, and well, frankly, anything to help you become a better manufacturer.
Our world has changed dramatically over the past two-and-a-half years. And so have the needs, desires and expectations of the people you hope to hire and retain. To help organizations of all kinds improve their ability to recruit and retain great workers, the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program and the U.S. Department of Commerce, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Labor and around 60 industry representatives, developed the Job Quality Toolkit. The toolkit is derived from the globally emulated Baldrige Excellence Framework and incorporates insights from numerous job quality experts. The toolkit describes eight key drivers that influence how workers perceive the quality of their jobs, which of course impacts their satisfaction with and commitment to those jobs. It also offers suggestions for strategies and actions and provides resources that can help you move the needle on those drivers and improve the quality of the jobs you offer, and ultimately increase worker retention, productivity and the success of your business.
In the past, enterprise systems in manufacturing facilities had distinct boundaries. The shop floor was separated from the office functions of the company both physically and electronically. Few production systems were connected to each other or the internet. In some ways, this approach, commonly known as “air gapping,” gave reasonable protection for small manufacturers. Without the risks associated with connectivity, manufacturers were seen by attackers as hard targets and not worth the effort. Today, with the growing use of the internet and mobile devices, boundaries between traditional information technology (IT) systems, production systems, operational technologies (OT), or other equipment have almost disappeared. With the recent increase in the number of employees working remotely, the boundaries that remained in place were weakened further. Meanwhile, attacks to get around the air gap have become well known. Manufacturing is now the most targeted industry for cybersecurity attacks. This is one of the reasons cybersecurity has become a critical component of Industry 4.0 implementation.
Many manufacturers who adopted lean principles by applying a “just-in-time” (JIT) mindset to inventory of materials and parts have been burned, sometimes badly, by cascading supply chain disruptions. Broken links in the supply chain have created havoc, especially for smaller manufacturers. Some have scrambled to build “safety stock” of hard-to-find supplies. Others have sought out redundant sourcing. The reality is that everything is connected in your supply chain, and those connections can be fragile when they are not well supported. No, lean supply chain is not dead. It’s quite the opposite. When your supply chain breaks down, lean systems for the rest of your value stream system will help you deal with the issue. Solutions revolve around agility and controls, not masking inefficiencies.
Through a recent seminar at The City Club of Cleveland, MAGNET’s Matt Fieldman learned that there are eight simple reasons why you’re struggling with your workforce. These “social determinants of work” are plaguing most cities and towns and must be addressed. When we’re talking about millions of Americans still on the sidelines of our economy, this isn’t about individuals – this is about our systems. These factors are all outside of your employee’s control but because they have significant individual consequences, they are affecting your company and our American manufacturing industry.
The COVID-19 pandemic brought to light a stark reality about current supply chains. In their recent MEP National Network™/Modern Machine Shop webinar “How Smaller Manufacturers Can Develop Risk Management Strategies for Their Supply Chains,” Gary Steinberg of California Manufacturing Technology Consulting (CMTC, the California MEP Center) and Chris Scafario from the Delaware Valley Industrial Resource Center (DVIRC, part of the Pennsylvania MEP) shared strategies for identifying and mitigating supply chain risks, especially aimed at small and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs).
The manufacturing community has long struggled with finding skilled workers, citing, among other things, the misperceptions that manufacturing jobs underpay, are monotonous and involve working in dirty factories. With the adoption of Industry 4.0 — automation and robotics — the task at hand for the industry is as much about raising awareness and creating interest for high-tech careers in advanced manufacturing as it is about changing perceptions. That’s why manufacturers should be getting more involved with their local schools. According to Bill Padnos, workforce development manager with the National Tool and Machining Association, 64 percent of high school students choose their careers based on their interests and experiences. Engaging with students via factory tours, educational programming and interactive contests helps raise awareness in ways that will help to fill the future talent stream. Plus, the more your region knows about manufacturing, the easier it is to get people interested in manufacturing careers.
A new infographic, Reshoring and the Pandemic: Bringing Manufacturing Back to America, delves into various factors related to reshoring supply chains and shines a light on how the MEP National Network™ supports these efforts. Even before the pandemic, some manufacturers were thinking seriously about bringing manufacturing back to the U.S., as a million jobs were reshored in the past decade. Product quality, freight costs and supply chain risks were all considerations before the pandemic. Proximity to customers and markets, government incentives and availability of skilled workers also all played a role in manufacturers’ decisions to move back to the U.S. The infographic will help you learn about various considerations behind this trend. You’ll see the top countries manufacturing is returning from and the top industries coming back to the U.S.
Workforce “FireWorks” were on full display in Cleveland, Ohio, on June 22 and 23! We all know and love fireworks; who hasn’t “ooh’ed” and “aah’ed” as they light up the sky? Fittingly, these workforce programs, ideas, innovations, and collaborations had exactly that same impact, expanding the horizons of more than 70 workforce professionals from inside and outside the MEP National Network. A day and a half of networking, sharing, brainstorming, and collaborating was exactly what these professionals were looking for to illuminate their local workforce ecosystems.
We have to ensure that the employees and team members we’re serving bring a diversity of perspectives so we can create organizations capable of solving the complex challenges of our modern world. It’s time for us to move beyond simple operational excellence — making your processes as efficient and cost-effective as possible — and start thinking about inclusive excellence, which prioritizes people above products and profits.
The MEP National Network can aide in certification processes. | https://impactdakota.com/blog/ |
Alien Scientist 52: Ever-Speculative Extraterrestrials
Stephen Marshall, a former resident of Tsukuba, has been writing Alien Scientist articles for the Alien Times since 2001. Even though he no longer lives in Tsukuba, he is still a regular contributor to the magazine. Here is his latest intergalactic report.
The existence of aliens is nowadays so often associated with the advent of space travel that we have to remind ourselves that people have imagined the existence of other worlds, populated by extraterrestrial beings, long before humanity ever had the means to get off the Earth’s surface.
Since the dawn of humanity, people have associated the heavens with celestial beings of one sort or another – whether deities, angels or some other kinds of spirits. Ancient Greek and Roman writers speculated on the possibility of creatures inhabiting the Moon – and the possibility of humans travelling there. But it was with the astronomical and geographical discoveries of the ‘age of science’ that speculation on this topic really took off.
Copernicus’ suggestion that the Earth was not the centre of the Universe naturally prompted speculation that the Earth might not be the only inhabited ‘world’ circling the sun. Meanwhile, Galileo’s observations that the sun and planets appeared to have visible imperfections helped promote the idea that the heavens were not a separate celestial region, but were made of the same base kind of matter as down on Earth.
Speculation about other worlds was also spurred by the ‘discovery’ of the New Worlds of the Americas and the Antipodes – and the discovery of humans living there. Could such locations – at the time assumed to be inaccessible to the known world – harbour inhabitants unrelated to known humanity? If so, might some kind of ‘people’ also exist in other worlds, previously assumed to be uninhabited, such as the Moon?
As the historian David Cressy has pointed out, a succession of speculative books and treatises appeared in this early modern period. These were in part cosmological and part anthropological, such as John Wilkins’ magnificently titled The Discovery of a World in the Moone; or, A Discourse Tending to Prove, That ‘Tis Probable There May Be Another Habitable World in That Planet (1638).
To many of the writers of this age, the possibility of extraterrestrial life was not merely a biological matter, but a theological one, since the existence of other worlds could alter our perceived special relationship with God. (Christians wondered if the ‘men on the moon’ would have suffered the Fall of Adam, or would be redeemed through the resurrection of Christ).
To these ethereal matters were added speculations about the practical matter of space propulsion. The second-century satirical writer Lucian imagined his heroes ascending to the Moon by means of a whirlwind; or in another case, through flapping of the wings of an eagle and a vulture. One seventeenth century lunar voyage made use of a harness contraption drawn by a flock of migratory geese; another relied on a fiery chariot.
While these means of space travel may seem laughably naïve, they did at least express a degree of physical specificity that allows them to be subject to scientific scrutiny in the first place, rather than using purely magical or supernatural means.
And while these literary treatments of celestial mechanics may be unconvincing, they were not significantly surpassed even into the twentieth century, when space ships would still be imagined propelled by just as incredible forms of mechanical locomotion, or mysterious anti-gravitational forces.
The inhabitants of these extraterrestrial worlds – whether believed to be divinely created, or evolved – were routinely assumed to be sentient and intelligent: in other words, the equivalent of extraterrestrial humans, rather than merely extraterrestrial animals or plants.
The prospect of intelligent extraterrestrials raises the likelihood of the aliens themselves having the intellectual capacity to imagine a plenitude of worlds, rather than the universe being just a faintly-lit, dusty vacuum. It seems as likely that aliens would speculate on other worlds inhabited by other, yet otherworldly aliens, as the prospect of a plenitude of worlds in which each alien race believed itself to be unique.
Of course, we are so accustomed to imagining aliens all over the place that we may need to be reminded that their existence remains as speculative as ever. It remains to be seen by what means we might eventually come to meet any extraterrestrials, if ever. Alien contact could yet be centuries or millennia in the future, before we have the slightest chance of shaking tentacles with an extraterrestrial. By this time, the idea of corporeal astronauts blasting off from the Earth’s surface in fossil-propelled rocket-ships may seem almost as quaint as traversing the heavens by means of a flaming chariot – or the wings of a vulture. | http://blog.alientimes.org/category/science/alien-scientist/page/2/ |
The Zoo Theory gains powers once again as a theory that might explain why aliens haven’t contacted us. It proposes that aliens act like zookeepers avoiding contact with human beings to let them function normally and perform their everyday tasks.
The Zoo Theory was first proposed in 1973, by astronomer John A. Ball. It explains that human beings are too unevolved and uncivilized for aliens to pose a threat to them. However, they have watched us for all whole existence. The Zoo Theory is making headlines once again for its strange explanation of why there hasn’t been a confirmed alien sighting to this day.
“An OC [other civilization] that is, say, a century younger than we are might not be able to communicate over interstellar distances; a century ago we couldn’t,” Ball wrote. “And an OC a millennium older than we are would probably be using a technology for interstellar communications, such as modulated gamma rays, that we humans haven’t yet learned how to do.”
Aliens are the zookeepers of human beings
The so-called “Zoo Theory” was proposed more than four decades ago when Massachusetts Institute of Technology radio astronomer John A. Ball wrote about the behavior of aliens towards human beings. He said the whole thing is like a zoo where the aliens are the zookeepers.
Therefore, they take care of humans but also avoid having contact with the creatures to let them be as normal as possible by no interfering with their behavior. Aliens are watching us all the times, and they allow us to evolve naturally.
This theory, therefore, states that aliens exist but are hiding on purpose, and they are way more evolved than humans, maybe they are part of an older civilization. These aliens are smarter, but not powerful enough to take over the universe. They are curious about us, and that is why so many people claim to have seen UFOs.
“Why are we unaware of ETI (Extraterrestrial intelligence)? A premise of most searches is that ETI are trying to communicate with us, but we are not quite clever enough to see or hear them. I suggest, instead, that if ETI had chosen to announce their presence to us, we would be aware. Since we are not, I presume they have not,” wrote Ball.
In a 2016 article by the Science alert, they explain that the zoo theory is plausible because it is likely for other civilizations to exist on other planets. It there is life outside Earth, it has evolved at a much faster rate that life changed on planet Earth.
Is life on other planets more evolved than life on Earth?
Though many believe that if aliens exist it is because they are more evolved, there is no ground to think that. Other theories suppose the exact contrary, considering that life exists outside the Earth, but it is a non-intelligent life, a premature and unevolved kind of life.
For example, scientists have been studying planets and other moons, such as Saturn’s moon Enceladus hoping it has all the necessary elements to the development of life. They consider it has an ocean that could be habitable, but if life is found there, it can only be microbial forms of life.
Despite all the efforts made by scientists down on Earth to confirm any form of life outside the planet, it seems that humans are the only intelligent life existing in the entire universe. Last months, some scientists conducted the first search of signals from aliens. However, they found nothing in a distance of 50 parsecs (963 trillion miles) from Earth in all directions.
So, no evidence might lead people to think that aliens exist, whether they are more intelligent than us or if they are just a simple form of life. Some researchers, however, are confident that – despite the futile efforts made up until now – they will find the proof of alien life.
For example, earlier this year, Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute senior astronomer Seth Shostak, “bet everybody a cup of coffee” that scientists will find and confirm intelligent ways of life in other places of the universe in a period not longer than 20 years.
On this, Ball said that humans could not look for life in planets that are similar to Earth, as scientists have been seeking. Ball believes that Earth-like planets are only suitable places for ETI to originate from, but not to exist. Elements like warmth, air, and gravity could actually be detrimental to ETIs, and we might not understand why because they are much more advanced than us.
“Now I can imagine talking with mammals and birds; indeed I’ve done it, although the conversation was on a pretty low intellectual level. But oysters? The point is that if this analogy is good for anything, then our relationship with typical ETI is probably nothing like the relationship of a primitive human tribe with technological man, which analogy seems to be in the minds of many who propose ETI searches, but instead is more like the relationship of an animal, a rather primitive animal with mankind,” he explains. | https://www.pulseheadlines.com/zoo-theory-explains-aliens-watch-dont-contact/69470/ |
Could extraterrestrials be our distant offspring?
Life on earth is detectable for extraterrestrials
In a few centuries, however, extraterrestrials could also see other signs of our technological capabilities. For example, in a new study in the Astrophysical Journal, astrophysicist Hector Socas-Navarro demonstrated that we could find intelligent life by looking for satellites orbiting other worlds. This means that aliens could find us the same way.
When a planet with numerous satellites passes in front of its home star, the satellite belt blocks some of the starlight before and after the planet itself begins or completes its transit. This metallic belt would stand out in comparison to natural planetary rings.
Currently, the Earth's satellite network is nowhere near dense enough to be discovered this way. But it's growing all the time. According to Socas-Navarro, if humanity continues to shoot satellites into Earth orbit at the current rate, they could be discovered in 200 years by extraterrestrials who have telescopes that are state-of-the-art.
ALWAYS IN CHANGE
The earth is around 4.5 billion years old - during this period, life on our planet has changed dramatically. What if extraterrestrial astronomers looked our way a billion years ago?
In 2018, as part of a study that appeared in Science Advances, Olson and her colleagues simulated how the Earth's atmosphere had changed over time. Even three billion years ago, extraterrestrials could have inferred life from the methane and carbon dioxide in the Earth's early atmosphere. However, our modern atmosphere is only around 500 million years old.
"For more than a billion years, an extraterrestrial astronomer could have been sufficiently deceived to conclude that the earth was barren - despite the fact that marine life was thriving at the time," explains Olson.
Still, if the aliens were progressive and thorough enough, even a young Earth would have provided convincing evidence of life, says co-author of the study Joshua Krissansen-Totton of the University of Washington.
"The existence of life on earth has been evident for the past four billion years to anyone who could build a large enough telescope," he wrote in an email. “If there was anything bad out there, it would have wiped out life on earth a long time ago. I think we will be safe if we invite them to visit and talk about the cosmos. "
If the aliens tick like us, the news that they are not alone in space would probably not be earth-shattering either. A study published in Frontiers in Psychology in February suggests that humanity would be fine with the discovery of extraterrestrial life.
"People will be able to adapt themselves to very important scientific discoveries without their world collapsing," said theologian Ted Peters in this context.
But just like us, potential aliens could be afraid of hostile aliens - in this case humans - who suddenly appear on their cosmic doorstep without notice.
"Of course," added the study author Michael Varnum of Arizona State University, "I would also predict that we would not be happy if an enemy armada appeared near Jupiter."
Follow Michael Greshko on Twitter.
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ETS® Proficiency Profile scores are used by more than 500 institutions nationwide to:
- gauge student learning outcomes of traditional, blended learning and distance learning students
- meet requirements for accreditation and program funding by measuring and documenting program effectiveness
- identify strengths, weaknesses and opportunities to improve curriculum through the assessment of student proficiency in core academic skill areas
- compare their own performance against the performance of their peers
Using the Standard Form vs. the Abbreviated Form
Some institutions may choose to use the ETS Proficiency Profile test to assess the skills of individual students. Others may use it to characterize the skills of groups of students, for example, an incoming freshman class or a graduating senior class. In selecting a test to assess general education outcomes, an institution should begin by considering its purpose in wanting to test.
- How will the test results be used?
- Is it important to assess the skills of each individual student?
- Is it sufficient to assess a class of students as a group?
The Abbreviated Form
The Abbreviated form requires only 40 minutes of testing time, but it provides only group information — a set of statistical reports for each group of students, or "cohort" — tested plus some additional information on subgroups of the students determined from the demographic data.
The Abbreviated form is constructed by dividing the Standard form into three parts, and packaging them in alternating sequence so that each part is taken by one-third of the students. The alternating sequence makes it likely that the groups taking the three parts will be similar, particularly if the number of students is fairly large. This sampling technique makes it possible to obtain reliable information about the group even when no individual student answers enough questions to provide reliable individual subscores.
The Standard Form
The Standard form requires two hours of testing time, but it provides scores and proficiency classifications for individual students, in addition to the group information provided by the Abbreviated form. The individual information can be used in advising students and in making decisions about individual students. Students taking the Standard form can also earn a Certificate of Achievement.
Choosing a Form
An institution's decision to use the Standard form versus the Abbreviated form of the ETS Proficiency Profile test will depend mainly on its purpose in testing. An institution must decide whether it is beneficial to give up the individual scores and proficiency classifications provided by the Standard form in exchange for the reduction in testing time offered by the Abbreviated form. As the needs and priorities of a particular institution evolve, the institution can consider switching from one form to another based on the different benefits these different forms offer.
Because the Abbreviated form is derived from the Standard form, the Abbreviated form is also statistically equated to the Standard form — making the scores on each form fully comparable to scores on the other form. The two forms can be used interchangeably and scores from each can be compared with full confidence that they mean the same thing and can be interpreted the same way. This also implies that aggregation of data from both the Standard and Abbreviated forms is possible. However, because subscores and proficiency classifications are not considered adequately reliable at the student level, reports derived from a combination of both Standard form and Abbreviated form test takers only include summary data.
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ETS Proficiency Profile Administrator Portal (Program Workshop)
Order tests, manage test administrations, run reports (for existing customers only)
ETS Proficiency Profile Annual Comparative Data Guide
Compare the performance of your students with those of a large group of students at other institutions. | https://www.ets.org/proficiencyprofile/scores/usage/ |
As we talk about a lot here at MemberHub, good school communications are essential to student learning, parent involvement, a fun learning environment, and more. But when you’re dealing with a crisis situation, having a good emergency preparedness plan (including a well-thought-out communications component) is absolutely imperative.
The thing about emergencies, of course, is that there’s often little if any warning or lead time. So the time to develop your school emergency preparedness plan is now.
You need to publicize it regularly and keep it updated, as well as run the appropriate drills, but once you’ve got it in place, you have the peace of mind of knowing it’s there should you ever need it. A detailed emergency preparedness plan is something the parents at your school really appreciate, too.
Connect with community emergency responders to identify local hazards.
Review the last safety audit to examine school buildings and grounds.
Determine who is responsible for overseeing violence prevention strategies in your school.
Encourage staff to provide input and feedback during the crisis planning process.
Determine major problems in your school with regard to student crime and violence.
Assess how the school addresses these problems.
Conduct an assessment to determine how these problems—as well as others—may impact your vulnerability to certain crises.
Determine what crisis plans exist in the district, school, and community.
Identify all stakeholders involved in crisis planning.
Develop procedures for communicating with staff, students, families, and the media.
Establish procedures to account for students during a crisis.
Gather information about the school facility, such as maps and the location of utility shutoffs.
Identify the necessary equipment that needs to be assembled to assist staff in a crisis.
Determine if a crisis is occurring.
Identify the type of crisis that is occurring and determine the appropriate response.
Activate the incident management system.
Ascertain whether an evacuation, reverse evacuation, lockdown, or shelter-in-place needs to be implemented.
Maintain communication among all relevant staff at officially designated locations.
Establish what information needs to be communicated to staff, students, families, and the community.
Monitor how emergency first aid is being administered to the injured.
Decide if more equipment and supplies are needed.
Strive to return to learning as quickly as possible.
Restore the physical plant, as well as the school community.
Monitor how staff are assessing students for the emotional impact of the crisis.
Identify what follow up interventions are available to students, staff, and first responders.
Conduct debriefings with staff and first responders.
Assess curricular activities that address the crisis.
Allocate appropriate time for recovery.
Plan how anniversaries of events will be commemorated.
Capture “lessons learned” and incorporate them into revisions and trainings.
For more info, you can download the Department of Education’s complete Crisis Planning Guide here.
We sincerely hope you never need to execute on your emergency plan—but it’s always important to be prepared.
One of the things we’re most proud of here at MemberHub is offering schools the technology to broadcast important alerts to the entire school community on a moment’s notice, helping to keep parents informed and students and staff safe. If you’ve got any questions about how it works, we’d love to talk to you anytime. Just call or drop a line at your convenience.
Such an important topic, and one that often gets overlooked until it’s too late. Get your emergency plan in place now, and you can clear the decks for all the fun stuff the school year has to offer! | http://memberhub.com/blog/school-emergency-preparedness-plan/ |
Find out about our school’s adapted curriculum for pupils and students with additional complex needs and visual impairment at RNIB Pears Centre for Specialist Learning, Coventry.
Our specialist school offers a highly personalised and multi-sensory approach to learning. We provide a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum which is differentiated to meet needs of individual students.
Our curriculum takes into account the particular requirements of students who have to rely on senses other than vision. We believe that learning should be enjoyable and that the development of students will be best served where they are actively engaged in, and motivated by, their work.
Literacy, numeracy, music and PE are taught as stand-alone subjects. As young people grow older their curriculum adapts to prepare them for adulthood. This focuses on life skills, vocational studies and work experience. In turn, this encourages progression and allows a focus on age-appropriate activity and learning.
School enrichment activities include creative arts, dancing and theme days such as Chinese New Year. Regular charity events also offer opportunities for children and young people to contribute to the wider community and develop their understanding of issues faced by others.
Personal, social and health education (PSHE) deals with many real life issues young people will face as they grow up. It underpins much of the work undertaken in both our school and children's home and spreads across many areas of our curriculum.
Relationship and sex education is provided for all students. This includes issues connected with growing up, physical changes and relationships with other people. Careful and sensitive attention is given to the individual needs of the students in relation to levels of understanding and their need for access to teaching materials through sound and touch.
Parents have the right to withdraw students from these lessons by submitting a written request to the headteacher. However parents cannot withdraw their young person from the biological aspects of learning about reproductive systems and living things.
There are a number of ways in which we monitor and record student progress. One of these includes PIVATS (Performance Indicators for Value Added Target Setting) which helps us to assess achievement within the P-Level Scales so that we are able to monitor all areas of teaching and learning. This system enables targets to be set effectively for individual students.
Working within a specialist curriculum, students complete AQA (Assessment and Qualification Alliance) units at pre-entry and entry level which are nationally recognised.
For more information about our specialist school’s education and curriculum download our prospectus. Find out our term dates. | https://www.rnib.org.uk/services-we-offer-rnib-schools-and-colleges-rnib-pears-centre-specialist-learning-education-rnib |
The curriculum at Bottisham follows the standard National Curriculum subjects for the vast majority of students.
However, where a student has particular learning or medical needs, and/or where they are gifted and talented, the curriculum may be personalized to reflect their individual needs.
In September 2018, we admitted 240 students into Year 7.
Students are placed in broad ability bands for all subjects except art, drama, music, creative design and physical education which are mixed ability. The banding is carried out on the basis of the KS2 standardised scores. Our aim is to ensure that all students are at national expectations by the end of year 7.
Students’ work is regularly assessed in all subjects, with internal, formal examinations being held in Years 10 and 11.
All faculties follow a common framework for assessing students’ learning and providing feedback. Oral and written feedback recognise what has been achieved and indicate how further progress can be made. Students are encouraged to reflect on their assessments, to engage in peer and self-assessment, and to take increasing ownership of their learning.
Each faculty updates their assessment data at least once per term, together with information regarding effort, behaviour, homework and organisation. This is usually done once a formal assessment has been completed.
In both key stages, two formal progress checks are sent home. These checks summarise progress against targets in each subject area and give grades for effort, behaviour, homework and organisation. One of the reports contains a tutor comment on general progress and wellbeing (2018-19), and gives additional data about the attendance and behaviour of students, along with any rewards that they have received.
Parents can also access the college intranet at any time; this contains the above information.
Statutory assessment information is available to parents throughout the year via BVC Parental Remote Access. Through this system, we offer a dynamic live output of current levels/anticipated grades against targets in each subject. This facility also gives the opportunity for parents and carers to contact subject or form teachers directly and to monitor all key data regarding their sons/daughters.
A summary of how we assess students in years 7, 8 & 9 is below.
Mr Gee is the member of staff in charge of higher attaining students.
Led by Mr Gee, the college will offer a range of activities to foster these high-level skills.
Parents are invited to make contact with Mr Gee to discuss, if appropriate. | http://www.bottishamvc.org/curriculum/curriculum-overview |
Materials needed:
Description of the task:
The Presentational Task will allow the students to expand their knowledge of one individual country in the European Union while they are scaffolding their knowledge for the Interpersonal Task during their peers' presentations. In this sense, the Presentational Task is perfectly situated to build upon one task (the general knowledge about the countries in the European Union assessed in the Interpretive Task) and provide a foundation for the next (the specific knowledge required in the Interpersonal Task). They will all be distributed documents in English and French from several sources about their countries. These documents, from the French source L'atlas géographique mondiale http://www.atlasgeo.ch (Gross, 2005), and the English sources Information Please, http://www.infoplease.com (Pearson Education, 2005) and National Geographic, http://plasma.nationalgeographic.com/mapmachine (National Geographic Society, 2005), will give them enough information.
I will then give the students these verbal instructions in English:
I will also provide this information to the students in written form in a short handout. With this, I will give the students a copy of the rubric that I will use to evaluate their presentations and their peer assessments (see Appendix C). The rubric is centered around the guidelines I describe in the introduction to the task. When students see the rubrics before their tasks, as Glisan et al. state, "students …monitor their own progress, set realistic goals for themselves…constantly work on improving their performance…[and] understand their roles and responsibilities in the language learning process " (p. 27).
The students will have two class periods and two homework evenings to work on this task. On the third day, they will present their work. During the two preparation days, the students will decide on the information that they will present, they will translate unknown words and prepare the written and oral work, and they will practice. I will circulate continuously to help the students work out their linguistic difficulties. I will also keep writing key phrasings and helpful vocabulary hints on the board as the students ask questions. I will emphasize and re-emphasize the importance of comprehensibility in how the written and oral presentations interact in front of the audience. However, students will of course have some latitude in figuring out which five "important" things they would like to share about their country. I would direct them while keeping in mind the words of Underhill (1987) in his discussion of topic choice in oral reports: "Ideally, the topic should be chosen by the learner in consultation with his teacher who will help match the ability of the learner with the difficulty of the given topic" (p. 47). That is, in this context, if a student chooses to speak about a challenging point (like primary exports, for example), I will have to consult with them to find out if they can find a way to present it where the audience will understand (using pictures of the exports). If they cannot, I will redirect them to an easier topic.
Additionally, during these two days of preparation, I will be taking notes about what the students are going to present. These notes will help me be responsive to the students' work, in that they will provide the basis for a peer listening guide for the students to complete during others' presentations. More specifically, I will take notes on the general categories that will be covered by students in their presentations. Some examples might include: country capitals, population, type of government, languages spoken, or exports (see Appendix D for a sample page). I will probably omit categories that would require students to write too much in the short interval of the presentation. This listening guide will be written in French, but it will be clearly linked to the presentations because it will be based on my notes. Furthermore, the presenters' visuals will help the rest of the class understand what they are covering. This guide will have three primary functions: to ensure that students pay attention during others' presentations, to give me a way to assess how well they understand (assessing the guide writer as well as the presenter), and to provide students with a base of information for the interpersonal task. This guide will be reflected in the rubric in two ways: I will assess if the guide writer took generally good notes in the non-negotiables, and I will include in the "Comprehensibility" trait of the presenters' rubrics a consideration of how well the students were able to report on their presentations on the listening guides. I will encourage students to do their best in filling out the guides, although they will not be allowed to stop the presentation to ask questions.
As I have already mentioned, as the students give their presentations, I will fill out the rubric (Appendix C). They will see the completed rubric after all of the presentations are over and I have had a chance to assess the listening guides as well. There are a few more things worth explaining in this rubric. First of all, process is not considered extensively in how this task is evaluated, therefore it is only featured in the rubric's non-negotiable of "You worked steadily and maintained focus during class." The students are completing a task that is not extremely complex, and spending time on draft work rather than informal correction would emphasize detail over message, also bypassing the communicative nature of the activity (Cohen, 1994). I feel that it is appropriate to evaluate their preparation informally without collecting drafts. Secondly, since the visual presentation is primarily a support for the oral presentation, it is assessed only in terms of how it supports the oral work and helps to transmit the message.
When I hand back the scored rubrics (hopefully the day
after the presentations are over and at the beginning of the Interpersonal
Task), I will review them with the class as a whole. Due to the nature
of the Interpersonal Task and the fact that it builds so directly on
the Presentational Task, it is important that I have a chance to review
common errors and answer questions on the part of the students. Additionally,
in forcing myself to assess the presentations that quickly, I will identify
weaknesses in students' work and opportunities to help them further.
This fits in the IPA Manual's feedback loop, wherein practice and performance
lead back to feedback, which will lead, in the start of the Interpersonal
Task, to modeling and practice again (2003, p. 23). | http://carla.umn.edu/cobaltt/modules/assessment/ipa/example5/presentational.html |
After checking for special provisions eligibility, students can apply through their school. In consultation with the student and based on evidence provided, the school will determine what type of reasonable adjustments are appropriate.
Although the decision is made by the school, anyone can seek advice from the SACE Board at any time.
For an overview of the process, see Special provisions — Flowchart [DOC 43KB] and Information sheet 58 - Special provisions in curriculum and assessment
On this page
Step 1: Conversation between student and school
Firstly the student should speak to their subject teacher, SACE coordinator, or school counsellor.
During this conversation, the school will assess the student's needs and explain what type of special provisions may be available.
Special provisions for a student may vary from subject to subject, and from assessment to assessment, according to the eligible student's choice and needs.
Short term special provisions
If the student is affected by a sudden illness or an unforeseen incident, they can apply for special provisions at any time.
Long term special provisions
If a student has a long-term impairment, they should apply to their school when enrolling in Stage 1, or in Term 1 of Stage 2.
Step 2: Gather evidence
Evidence is required to support a student's application for special provisions, and can be provided through:
- observations of teachers, counsellors, and other school staff
- discussions with the student (or their associate)
- results from reading or other standardised tests (optional)
- reports from medical practitioners or psychologists (optional)
The student (or their associate) are responsible for providing true and accurate information and for working with their school to determine the most appropriate reasonable adjustments in curriculum and assessment.
Evidence required will vary between students. This is because each student will have different needs.
Step 3: The school makes a decision
Based on evidence provided, the school will determine if a student is eligible and what type of special provisions they can access.
Considerations will be made for both school-assessed tasks and externally-assessed tasks.
School-assessed tasks (Stage 1 and Stage 2)
For school-assessed tasks there may be adjustments to deadlines, the number or format of tasks, the granting of extra time, rest breaks, or word processors in tests.
Externally-assessed tasks (Stage 2)
For externally-assessed tasks there may be adjustments to how exams, performances, and investigations are undertaken. Sometimes these adjustments involve changes to SACE Board processes, so the school will need to request that the SACE Board can apply them.
Step 4: Special provisions put in place
Once reasonable adjustments are determined for a student, the school will put a plan in place to ensure they can participate in assessment tasks on the same basis as other students.
Step 5: Monitor and review
The school should regularly monitor and review the student's circumstances. If circumstances change, there may need to be an appropriate adjustment to special provisions. | https://www.sace.sa.edu.au/web/special-provisions/how-to-apply |
The general advice for when to use Flexbox and when to use CSS Grid is to use Flexbox for one-dimensional layouts and CSS Grid for multi-dimensional layouts. But what does that really mean?
One-dimensional layouts are when you want to stack elements in either rows or columns. Even if a row has to wrap when more elements are added, those are essentially just wrapping (
flex-wrap) and part of the same long row.
Multi-dimensional layouts are when you want to take both rows and columns into account when positioning elements. Think of the Grid as a chess board or a map, where the position is determined not only by rows but also by columns. CSS Grid keeps track of both directions at the same time.
Use Flexbox when…
You want to line elements up in one direction, and it is ok that the elements don’t line up in the other direction. Perhaps you want elements that don’t fill up an entire row to be centered.
You need to support older browsers. Flexbox has full browser support in modern browsers (as well as Edge and Safari 8 with prefix), and partial support in Internet Explorer 11 and 10.
You want to animate the elements. As for now, animation support for flexbox is much better than for CSS Grid (although it is possible to animate elements inside the grid like is done in this example).
Use CSS Grid when…
You don’t have to support older browsers. Dealing with outdated or non-supporting browsers is as simple as wrapping a
@supports rule around the CSS code concerning grid. Compared to Flexbox, CSS Grid has fewer browser bugs and behaves more consistent across different browsers.
You want better control of elements that vary in size depending on their surroundings, for example by using
auto-fit and
auto-fill.
You want full control over the placement of your elements. For example, you want to be able to overlap or place elements on top of each other. Even if CSS Grid automatically will place elements aligned in rows and columns, you can also take precise control of where you want to place certain elements. CSS Grid allows you to place elements exactly where you want them, even if that means pulling them out of the expected layout flow.
You want better and easier control of setting the spacing between columns and rows. Use
grid-gap to set the spacing between rows and columns, without having to worry about grid items not aligning with the start and end lines of the containing grid.
When in Doubt
If you’re really not sure which layout suits the situation best, try building it out using both techniques and evaluate which one seemed the most successful. But before committing time to create the layout twice, consider these things:
Does the layout need to handle dynamic content, and if so: how do you want each piece of dynamic content to behave in the layout? For example, what happens when a text gets really long/short/disappears?
Also, do you foresee the layout changing in the future? If so, perhaps it would be a good idea to make it easy to add another button or more images without breaking the layout.
Depending on your layout and how you want these changes to be handled, it should hopefully make it easier to assess which technique is best suited for the job.
It depends on which one has the superpowers that you need at that moment.
Flexbox vs. CSS Grid — Which is Better?, Layout Land, Mozilla
Jen Simmons’ wise words essentially mean that each of the techniques excels in different areas. Try to figure out which superpower is needed to solve the challenges of your layout.
Combining Flexbox and CSS Grid
Perhaps the most powerful layouts are created when both layout models are allowed to show off their respective strengths. By combining the strengths of each layout model, better layouts can be achieved.
An example is a typical grid with a repeating card layout, where CSS Grid controls the width and placement of each card. The content of every card is controlled by flexbox to be aligned within the card.
Have a look at my article “Magic Cross-Browser CSS Grid” for a more in-depth description of how to set up this layout (including fallbacks for older browsers).
See the Pen Magic Cross Browser CSS Grid by Frida Nyvall (@fridanyvall) on CodePen.
Another example of creative layouts using flexbox and CSS Grid is our contribution to the Smashing Magazine CSS Grid Competition, which awarded us a 2nd place. | https://redonion.se/en/flexbox-vs-css-grid-when-to-use-what/ |
Some designers dream about building interfaces that approach the richness of 3D reality. They believe that the closer an interface resembles the real world, the easier the usage. They strive for resolution that matches ...
Meaningful Presentations of Photo Libraries: Rationale and Applications of Bi-Level Radial Quantum Layouts (2005)
(2005)
Searching photo libraries can be made more satisfying and successful if search results are presented in a way that allows users to gain an overview of the photo categories. Since photo layouts on computer displays are the ...
A Rank-by-Feature Framework for Unsupervised Multidimensional Data Exploration Using Low Dimensional Projections (2004)
(2005)
Exploratory analysis of multidimensional data sets is challenging because of the difficulty in comprehending more than three dimensions. Two fundamental statistical principles for the exploratory analysis are (1) to examine ...
Dynamic Layout Management in a Multimedia Bulletin Board (2002)
(2005)
This paper proposes a novel user interface to manage the dynamic layout of multimedia objects in the Multimedia Bulletin Board (MBB) system. The MBB has been designed and implemented as a prototype of an asynchronous ...
Dynamic query tools for time series data sets: Timebox widgets for interactive exploration (2004)
(2005)
Timeboxes are rectangular widgets that can be used in direct-manipulation graphical user interfaces (GUIs) to specify query constraints on time series data sets. Timeboxes are used to specify simultaneously two sets of ...
Making Computer and Internet Usability a Priority (2000)
(2005)
As usability professionals, we are all too aware of the productivity losses, frustration, and lost business that results from poorly designed user interfaces. And we are uncomfortable with the risks created by poorly ...
User Frustration with Technology in the Workplace (2004)
(2005)
When hard to use computers cause users to become frustrated, it can affect workplace productivity, user mood, and interactions with other co-workers. Previous research has examined the frustration that graduate students ...
Dynamic Query Visualizations on World Wide Web Clients: A DHTML Solution for Maps and Scattergrams (2002)
(2005)
Dynamic queries are gaining popularity as a method for interactive information visualization. Many implementations have been made on personal computers, and there is increasing interest in web-based designs. While Java and ...
Designing a Metadata-Driven Visual Information Browser for Federal Statistics (2003)
(2005)
When looking for federal statistics, finding the right table, chart or report can be a daunting task for anyone not thoroughly familiar with the federal statistical system. Search tools help, but differing terminologies ...
Bi-Level Hierarchical Layouts for Photo Libraries: Algorithms for Design Optimization with Quantum Content
(2005)
A frequently-used layout for a collection of two-dimensional, fixed aspect-ratio objects, such as photo thumbnails, is the grid, in which rows and columns are configured to match the allowed space. However, in cases where ... | https://drum.lib.umd.edu/handle/1903/4376/discover?filtertype_0=author&filter_relational_operator_0=equals&filter_0=Shneiderman%2C+Ben&filtertype=dateIssued&filter_relational_operator=equals&filter=%5B2000+TO+2005%5D |
review: CSS Grid v Bootstrap.
Published:
CSS Grid is a new feature introduced in CSS3. It offers a native CSS method for creating clear, structured grid styling for a website. This is my quick review to compare the experience of using CSS Grid in contrast to Bootstrap 3.
I've used basic Bootstrap formating for a number of years and last year I spent time revising and improving my Bootstrap knowledge. I've always found Bootstrap to be an excellent tool but I've found the time required to code Bootstrap, particularly for more complex layouts, to often be quite a significant overhead. In this light, I've recently taken the time to learn the use of CSS3 Grid.
The CSS Grid system starts with a similar approach to Bootstrap but, rather than be restricted to manipulating Bootstrap's twelve column structure, with the CSS
grid-template-columns and
grid-template-rows commands you have more control over the composition of the grid. While a similar effect can be achieved by nesting
<div> with Bootstrap column classes, I find the CSS Grid approach to be simpler and it keeps the HTML cleaner.
The
grid-template-areas and
grid-area commands add a visual structure for the layout in the CSS code. This speeds the process for developing a page, making it suitable for prototyping as well as production sites. It also makes altering an existing layout much simpler.
Combining CSS Grids with
@media calls adds an extra level of flexibility. While in Bootstrap, some control over the representation of the page is possible by the application of multiple classes such as
col-xs-* and
@media call to implement a revised layout.
One further benefit from using CSS Grid rather than Bootstrap is the reduction in site overhead on load. With Bootstrap, the framework must be loaded either from a CDN or hosting system along with jQuery. Because CSS Grid is available as a native part of CSS3, so no extra load is incurred by its use. However, the real scale of any benefit is probably negligible in most cases, and for more complex sites jQuery may need to be loaded anyway.
Summary: Overall I've been very impressed with CSS Grids. I've managed to break a few layouts, mainly because I was making mistakes and needed to develop my skills in this area, but when I truly began to userstand its workings I found it refreshingly easy to work with. It offers some significant benefits over Bootstrap, particularly when prototyping, and the ability to simple make radical layout changes based on
@media calls is especially powerful. I wouldn't advocate rewriting existing Bootstrap sites using CSS Grid unless a significant overhaul of the site is required, but I would recommend that you give serious thought about using it on new sites. | http://markallenwebdeveloper.co.uk/blog/grid%20v%20bootstrap.html |
Simon Collison’s two column layout is changed to a three column layout for wider windows. Simon has published the code which controls his website layout – in his case the script changes a class on a wrapper div.
There is some interesting chat in the comments. In particular, in reference to John Allsopp’s Dao of Web Design, Simon points out (tongue somewhat in cheek) that the layout does indeed adapt to the browser window [...] as the designer my need for pixel-perfection is not compromised, and as such I achieve the designer vs reader “enlightenment” .
Designed and built by Dave Shea, this site has three fixed width layouts based on the same design. The script in this case is based on work by Cameron Adams and instead of changing a class, switches to an alternative style sheet.
I’m not entirely sure why this site wasn’t just built using a liquid layout with some min-width and max-width functionality attached, as the layout does not fundamentally change for different window sizes. I know that Dave is not the world’s biggest fan of liquid layouts so I guess this is the compromise he came up with.
The web stats application, Mint, displays many tables of data, arranged side by side. As you can see from the demo the tables are liquid in width and rearrange themselves to an optimum layout depending on window size. This is a particularly effective use of the technique as it really does make best use of the screen estate for displaying large amounts of data in the most readable way.
UX Magazine uses a style switcher technique, similar to Rosenfeld Media. The way the large right hand column (on windows >1024 px) drops down below and slots in perfectly with the grid is impressive. Here the tight grid design really benefits from the change in layout, particularly as a liquid approach to this design would not really do it justice.
Based on Simon Collision’s code, I’ve put together a four column example which goes through four layout changes depending on window size. The idea was to have a liquid layout that adapted to keep the photography at a sensible size. In truth a variable fixed width approach would probably be more appropriate here and it actually ended up a bit all over the place – think of it as an example of what not to do.
A few people have been experimenting with a similar idea but using CSS alone – essentially by combining floats with min-width. See work at Muffin Research and morethanseven.net.
Interesting that recently Stopdesign and Simplebits have both subtly redesigned to be fixed width – moving away form their previous liquid designs. I’d love to know why. | http://clagnut.com/blog/1663/ |
An ordered collection of data items displayed in a customizable layout.
SDK
- macOS 10.5+
Framework
- App
Kit
Declaration
Overview
The simplest type of collection view displays its items in a grid, but you can define layouts to arrange items however you like. For example, you might create a layout where items are arranged in a circle. You can also change layouts dynamically at runtime whenever you need to present items differently.
You can add collection views to your interface using Interface Builder or create them programmatically in your view controller or window controller code. It is recommended that you configure your collection view with a data source object, which is an object that conforms to the
NSCollection protocol. Data sources support multiple sections and the modern layout architecture and are the preferred way for specifying your data.
In addition to displaying items, collection views support the display of supplementary and decoration views. Support for supplementary and decoration views is defined by the current layout object, but both types of views add to the visual presentation of your content. Supplementary views are associated with a specific section and can be used to create header and footer views for a related group of items. Decoration views are purely visual adornments and can be used to implement dynamic backgrounds or other types of configurable visual content.
The layout of a collection view can be changed dynamically by assigning a new layout object to the
collection property. Changing the layout object updates the appearance of the collection view without animating the changes.
The Objects of a Collection View Interface
An
NSCollection object itself is a facilitator, taking information from disparate sources and merging them together to create an overall interface:
The data source object provides both the data and the views used to display that data. You define the data source object by implementing the methods of the
NSCollectionprotocol in one of your app’s objects.
View Data Source
The visual representation of items is provided by the
NSCollectionclass. Item objects are view controllers and you use their views to display your app’s data. The data source creates items on demand and returns them to the collection view for display.
View Item
The collection view delegate makes decisions about behaviors. The delegate also coordinates the dragging and dropping of items. You define the delegate by implementing the methods of the
NSCollectionprotocol in one of your app’s objects.
View Delegate
The layout object specifies the position and appearance of items onscreen. AppKit defines layout objects that you can use as-is, but you can also define custom layouts by subclassing
NSCollection.
View Layout
Figure 1 illustrates how the collection view works with its other objects to create its final appearance. The collection view obtains the views for items and supplementary views from its data source, which creates the views and fills them with data. The layout object provides the layout attributes needed to position those items and supplementary views onscreen. The collection view merges the two sets of information to create the final appearance that the user sees onscreen.
There are other helper classes and protocols that you can use to customize the layout behavior and other aspects of the collection view interface. For example, when using a flow layout object (
NSCollection), you can modify the flow layout’s behavior using the methods of the
NSCollection protocol. When implementing a custom layout, you might also work with
NSCollection and
NSCollection objects, which help the layout object manage updates.
Managing the Collection View’s Content
Data for the collection view is managed by the data source object—that is an object that adopts the methods of the
NSCollection protocol. You are responsible for defining the data source used by your collection view. The data source provides information about the number of sections and items in the collection view and it provides the visual representation of that data. Every data source object is required to implement the following methods:
The
NSCollection class defines the visual appearance of items in the collection view. Your data source object vends items from its
collection method, creating and configuring the item in one step. Each item is essentially a snapshot of the data it represents. Items are often short-lived because they can be recycled by the collection view and reused to display new data. As a result, never store references to items in your app.
Supplementary views are another way to display data in your interface. Each layout object defines the supplementary views it supports, and different layouts can define supplementary views for different purposes. For example, an
NSCollection object lets you add header and footer views to each section. Your data source must know enough about the layout to know which supplementary views are supported by the layout object and how those views are displayed. The data source can then provide supplementary views when asked for them.
When your content changes in a way that requires you to update what the collection view displays, call the
reload,
reload, or
reload method to perform that update. These methods cause the collection view to discard the views currently being used to display your content and ask for new ones. Never try to modify the views associated with your items directly. The collection view does not maintain views for all items, only those that are currently being displayed. Reloading the items ensures that the views are updated correctly.
For more information on defining your data source object, see
NSCollection.
Inserting, Deleting, and Moving Content
The collection view includes methods for inserting, deleting, and moving items and sections. All of these methods affect only what the collection view displays onscreen; they do not change the data in the associated data source object. As a result, when updating your collection view’s content, always do the following:
Update the internal structures of your data source object first.
Call the
NSCollectionmethods to insert, delete, or move items and sections.
View
When you call methods like
insert or
delete, the collection view fetches any new data from your data source object and then updates the layout. When inserting, moving, or deleting items, the collection view updates the layout for all affected items, which might include items not directly affected by the operation. For example, inserting one item might require adjusting the onscreen position of many other items. When the layout attributes for any visible items changes, the collection view animates those changes into place automatically.
The layout object determines how inserted and deleted items are animated into position. Because newly inserted items are not onscreen initially, the layout object provides the initial layout attributes for those items. Similarly, the layout object provides the final layout attributes for any items that are being deleted. For example, the layout object might specify final layout attributes that are offscreen so that a deleted item animates out of the visible rectangle.
Because individual methods for inserting, deleting, and moving content animate their changes right away, you must use the
perform method when you want to animate multiple changes together. The
perform method takes a block containing all of the insert, delete, move, and reload method calls you need to update the collection view. All of those operations are captured and performed as a single animated sequence.
Interface Builder Configuration Options
Xcode lets you configure information about your collection view in your storyboard and nib files. Table 1 lists the basic collection view attributes. Additional attributes are available based on the selected value for the Layout attribute.
Table 2 lists the attributes you can configure when you set the Layout attribute to Flow.
Table 3 lists the attributes you can configure when you set the Layout attribute to Grid.
Table 4 lists the attributes you can configure when you set the Layout attribute to Custom.
Table 5 lists the attributes you can configure when you set the Layout attribute to Content Array (Legacy).
Legacy Collection View Support
Prior to OS X v10.11, the collection view always displayed its contents in a grid structure that could not be changed. The data for the collection view was stored in the
content property, which was often populated with data using bindings. You specified the visual appearance for the collection view’s data by creating an
NSCollection object and assigning it to the
item property. That item object acted as a template and was used to create all of the items in the collection view.
You are encouraged to use the modern collection view architecture when configuring collection views in macOS 10.11 and later. Use the legacy architecture only for apps that must run in earlier versions of macOS.
For more information about how to configure a collection view using the legacy architecture, see Collection View Programming Guide for macOS. | https://developer.apple.com/documentation/appkit/nscollectionview?language=objc |
Dynamic layouts in Sitecore
This blog post is about the implementation of dynamic layouts in Sitecore. And yet two questions arise immediately:
What are dynamic layouts?
And why don’t they exist in Sitecore innately?
What are dynamic layouts?
The best way to explain what dynamic layouts are by differentiating them from static layouts:
Let’s say we have an ordinary homepage, which is divided into different display areas. In reference to a classic text document there is, so-to-say, a header, a content area and a footer. Header and footer contain information that should be displayed on every page of the whole document. So, for a website that means contents, which always have to be visible. Usually those are things like the company name, the logo in the header area, links to the legal notice or a contact form in the footer area. The herein described global document structure represents the static parts of the layout.
The content area should be able to contain various content types such as text, images or charts. For this purpose, an additional spacial structure of the display area is necessary per page. A text document is flexible in this area: If you want to add a picture on page 3 you can do so easily. But contrary to the header and footer areas this picture will not appear on all pages of the document. This is the dynamic part of the layout. This generally refers to the area, where the breakdown is not set in stone during drafting times but only unfolds during the definite elaboration with contents. You know how important this differentiation is, when imagining creating the whole document on paper and being forced to draw the company logo on each page. This should make it clear, how important and useful the division in static and dynamic display areas is.
And why don’t dynamic layouts exist in Sitecore?
To answer the second question regarding the absence of options for dynamic page design in Sitecore, firstly you have to generally look at how contents in Sitecore are displayed. First off, it is important to differentiate between the spacial proportioning of a page, so the layout on the one hand and the actual contents on the other hand. Generally, you initially define a grid of layout areas in which the actual contents are placed in the second step. For this purpose, corresponding place holders are defined in the layout, which can then be used for content types in Sitecore CMS. For the answer of the actual question the fact, that each of those space holders has its own identification and that those have to be obvious within the corresponding page, is crucial.
We would like to explain why this fact is the heart of the problem with a concrete example.
The ACME website
So let’s start with the implementation of the website for the fictional business ACME (A Company Manufacturing Everything). The scenario provides that several people with different roles create the website. There would be software developers, who realize the concept created by designers and therefore build the basis in which the editors of the corresponding business areas enter their contents. The fundamental layout grid follows the concept of header, content and footer areas mentioned above, merely completed by a navigation area.
The global layout
The global layout defined in Sitecore, which our website uses, refers to a respective .aspx file, in which place holders for the global elements are defined:
Graphic 1: Global Layout in Sitecore
Graphic 2: Place holder in Document.aspx
Those place holders are then filled with the corresponding contents in Sitecore CMS. Here, the key attribute serves as a clear key.
Graphic 3: Assignment of global elements
One requirement here is, of course, that the assignment to these content areas has to be done only once globally and not repeatedly for each page. This can be achieved through assignment on the level of standard values of the global page draft:
Graphic 4: Assignment of layout details on the level of standard values
I would like to note here that this solution reaches its limits when the inheritance hierarchy of the Sitecore templates exceeds two levels. We will discuss how to solve this problem in another blog post.
Now, additional pages of the ACME website that all use the global layout can get created and with that also all have the global elements, i. e. logo, navigation, etc.
Content area
Several sub layouts are defined for the content area, which each allow a specific combination of texts and graphics to present the strengths and goals of ACME. Eventually, even those sub layouts are static and the number of versions correlate 1:1 with the number of respective definitions in Sitecore, according to the underlying .ascx files. These sub layouts don’t use place holders but show the contents of the respective Sitecore item directly by analyzing the according fields of the item. For this purpose, there are numerous tags in Sitecore that simplify this task.
Graphic 5: Sub layout for the header element with logo and title
The editors of the various business departments should have the option, though, to design the content area flexibly and individually, but the existing sub layouts don’t offer enough room for this. So, you begin to equip some of the sub layouts with additional place holders which can hold additional sub layouts. This way, it should be possible to increase the flexibility of the sub layout with nesting. Initially, this seems to work. Until an editor gets the idea to use the same sub layout twice within one page. This simply results in the fact, that not all contents display as expected.
After an extensive analysis you realize that, due to the fact that the key of the individual place holders within a page have to be clear, the assignments of the contents simply overwrite in the case of double keys. With the help of restrictions with the options of assignments to place holders (insert options) the problem could be bypassed, but the desired flexibility would still not be attained.
At this point it becomes clear that the problem can only be solved by interfering with the Sitecore layout system.
Dynamic layouts in Sitecore
To reach the desired flexibility with the page design, various sub layouts are defined, which each offer specific layout grids. Those should be able to be combined and nested within each other.
Graphic 6: Sub layouts with different numbers of columns
In order for the whole thing to work, all that’s left to solve is the problem with double keys. And since we are dealing with dynamic layouts the solution is to make the key for the place holder dynamic as well.
The first step is a definition of a new place holder Controls, which replaces the existing place holders when dynamic assignments are necessary.
Graphic 7: Two-columned sub layout with dynamic place holders
With the help of the ID of the superordinate rendering the implementation generates a clear key for the place holder, with which the key attribute is then overwritten.
Graphic 8: Automatically generates place holder key in the layout details
Additionally, you have to engage with the Sitecore rendering pipeline to make sure that e. g. the placeholder settings are adopted correctly. For this purpose, the generated key has to be used in its original form again
In the page editor you can now make a page dynamic to complete the required components and adjust the layout according to the requirements without having to create new sub layouts.
Graphic 9: First row of the two-columned layout in the page editor
The dialogue for adding new renderings makes the choice of previously created layout components possible. In this case the two-columned sub layout is added again:
Graphic 10: Selection of an additional layout component
And you receive a second two-columned row on the page:
Graphic 11: Two-lined or additional two-columned layout
This way, the layout can now be adjusted as desired.
There are a few blog posts regarding this topic in which various developers took to this very fundamental problem in Sitecore. So let’s not hide the fact that inspiration for the solution of the problem also came from the following sources: | https://www.cocomore.com/blog/dynamic-layouts-sitecore |
Challenging behaviors are frequently the primary obstacle in supporting students with Asperger's Syndrome (AS). While there are few published studies to direct educators towards the most effective behavioral approaches for these students, it appears most evident (given the heterogeneity among these individuals) that effective behavioral support requires highly individualized practices that address the primary areas of difficulty in social understanding and interactions, pragmatic communication, managing anxiety, preferences for sameness and rules, and ritualistic behaviors. While the specific elements of a positive behavioral support program will vary from student to student, the following ten steps will go a long way in assuring that schools are working towards achieving the best outcomes on behalf of their students.
Understand the characteristics of Asperger’s Syndrome that may influence a student’s ability to learn and function in the school environment.
Impairment in social interactions: difficulty understanding the "rules" of interaction, poor comprehension of jokes and metaphor, pedantic speaking style.
Acknowledge that behavior serves a function, is related to context, and is a form of communication.
Effective behavioral support is contingent on understanding the student, the context in which he/she operates, and the reason(s) for behavior. In order to effectively adopt a functional behavioral assessment approach, several assumptions about behavior must be regarded as valid.
The first assumption is that behavior is functional. In other words, it serves a purpose(s). The purpose or function of the behavior may be highly idiosyncratic and understood only from the perspective of the individual with Asperger's Syndrome. It is important to remember that individuals with Asperger’s Syndrome generally do not have a behavioral intent to disrupt educational settings, but instead problematic behaviors may arise from other needs, for example, self-protection in stressful situations.
The second assumption is that behavior has communicative value (if not specific intent). Remember that individuals with Asperger’s Syndrome experience pragmatic communication difficulties. While they are able to use language quite effectively to discuss high interest topics and such, they may have tremendous difficulty expressing sadness, anger, frustration and other important messages. As a result, behavior may be the most effective means to communicate when words fail.
Behavior is context related. Understanding how features of a setting impact an individual (either positively or negatively) has particular value for adopting preventive efforts and sets the stage for teaching alternative skills.
Use functional behavioral assessment as a process for determining the root of the problematic behavior and as the first step in designing a behavior support program.
The key outcomes of a comprehensive functional behavioral assessment should include a clear and unambiguous description of the problematic behavior(s); a description of situations most commonly, and least commonly associated with the occurrence of problematic behavior; and identification of the consequences that maintain behavior. By examining all aspects of the behavior, one can begin to design a program that can ultimately lead to long-term behavioral change.
Too often the focus of a behavior management program is on discipline procedures that focus exclusively on eliminating problematic behavior. Programs that are reactive to problematic behavior do not focus on long-term behavioral change. An effective program should expand beyond consequence strategies (e.g., time out, loss of privileges) and focus on preventing the occurrence of problem behavior by teaching socially acceptable alternatives to problem behavior and creating positive learning environments.
Use antecedent and setting event strategies.
Antecedents are those events that happen immediately before the problematic behavior. Setting events are situations or conditions that can enhance the possibility that a student may engage in a problematic behavior. For example, if a student is ill, tired or hungry, he may be less tolerant of schedule changes. By understanding settings events that can set the stage for problematic behaviors, changes can be made on those days when a student may not be performing at his best to prevent or reduce the likelihood of difficult situations and set the stage for learning more adaptive skills over time.
In schools, there are many examples of antecedents that may spark behavioral incidents. For example, many students with Asperger’s Syndrome have difficulty with noisy, crowded environments. Therefore, the newly arrived high school freshman who becomes physically aggressive in the hallway during passing periods may need an accommodation of leaving class a minute or two early to avoid the congestion which provokes this behavior. Over time, the student may learn to negotiate the hallways simply by being more accustomed to the situation, or by being given specific instruction or support.
What can be done to eliminate the problem situation (e.g., the offending condition)?
What can be done to modify the situation if the situation cannot be eliminated entirely?
Will the strategy need to be permanent, or is it a temporary "fix" which allows the student (with support) to increase skills needed to manage the situation in the future?
Make teaching alternative skills an integral part of your program.
It is critical that students with Asperger’s Syndrome are taught acceptable behaviors that replace problematic behavior and that serve the same purpose as the challenging behavior. For example, a young child with Asperger’s Syndrome may have trouble entering into a kick ball game and instead simply inserts himself into the game, thereby offending the other players and risking exclusion. Instead, the child can be coached on how and when to enter into the game. Never assume that a student knows appropriate social behaviors. While these individuals are quite gifted in many ways, they will need to be taught social and pragmatic communication skills as methodically as academic skills.
One particularly relevant skill to teach is the use of self-management strategies. Self-management is a procedure in which people are taught to discriminate their own target behavior and record the occurrence or absence of that target behavior (Koegel, Koegel & Parks, 1995). Self-management is an especially useful technique to assist individuals in achieving greater levels of independent functioning across many settings and situations. By learning self-management techniques individuals can become more self-directed and less dependent on continuous supervision and control. Instead of teaching situation specific behaviors, self-management teaches a more general skill that can be applied in an unlimited number of settings. The procedure has particular relevance and immediate utility for students with Asperger's Syndrome. For example, an important self-management skill may involve teaching a student with Asperger’s how to practice relaxation or how to find a place to regroup when upset.
Effective behavioral change may require that all involved change their behavior also.
Since behaviors are influenced by context and by the quality of relationships with others, it is also important for professionals and family members to monitor their own behavior vigilantly when working with students with Asperger’s Syndrome. For example, each time a teacher reprimands a student for misbehavior, an opportunity may be lost to reframe the moment in terms of the student's need to develop alternative skills.
Design long term prevention plans.
In the midst of problematic behaviors, it may be difficult to adopt a long-term approach to a student's educational program. However, it is imperative that plans for supporting a student over the long term be outlined right from the start. Many procedures and supports with the most relevance and utility for student's with Asperger’s Syndrome (e.g., specific accommodations, peer supports, social skills, self-management strategies) must be viewed as procedures that are developed progressively as the child moves through school. These are not crisis management strategies but the very things that can decrease crisis situations from arising.
Discuss how students with Asperger’s Syndrome fit into typical school-wide discipline practices and procedures.
A major issue to discuss is how students will fit into and respond to typical disciplinary practices. Many students with Asperger’s Syndrome become highly anxious in the presence of practices such as loss of privileges, time outs or reprimands, and often cannot regroup following their application. Another issue relates to school-wide discipline procedures. Schools which focus on suspension and expulsion as their primary approach, rather than on teaching social skills, conflict resolution and negotiation and on building community learning, will typically be less effective with all students, including those with Asperger's.
Educators, administrators, related service personnel and parents will all need to collaborate on a behavior support plan that is clear and easily implemented. Once developed, the plan will need to be monitored across settings, and regularly reviewed for its strengths and weaknesses. Inconsistencies in our expectations and behaviors will only serve to heighten the challenges demonstrated by an individual with Asperger's.
Pratt, C. & Buckmann, S. (2002). Ten steps towards supporting appropriate behavior. The Reporter, 7(3), 24-28. | https://www.iidc.indiana.edu/pages/Ten-Steps-Towards-Supporting-Appropriate-Behavior |
Key Concepts:
Terms in this set (19)
Network Topologies Types
Bus
Ring
Star
Mesh
Tree
Hybrid
Network Topology
A pattern in which nodes are connected to a local area network (LAN) or other network via links.
Bus Topology
A network layout in which there is one main trunk, or backbone, that all the various computers and network devices are connected to.
Ring Topology
Topology where the computers are connected on a loop or ring. Data flows in one direction only.
Star Topology
A topology with one central node that has each computer or network device attached to the central node. All data first goes into the central node and then is sent out to its destination.
Advantages of the bus topology
-Easy to extend
-Very reliable
-Simple layout uses the least amount of cable
-Best for handling steady (even) traffic
Advantages of the ring topology
- data is transferred quickly, as data only flows in one direction so there are no (or least risk of) data collisions
- cheapest to set up
Advantages of the star topology
-Cable layouts are easy to modify and centralized control makes detecting problems easier
-Nodes can be added to the network easily
-Effective at handling short bursts of traffic
- Fastest to transmit data
- Most secure for sending data
- Most robust (i.e. can still keep running if one node/cable breaks)
- Needs technicians to set up / maintain
Advantage of all topologies
Easy to add extra nodes - If the networks are small, extra nodes can easily be added to all topologies.
(However, as a star network grows it becomes more difficult to keep adding additional nodes).
Bus Topology Image
Ring Topology Image
Star Topology Image
Node
A point of connection within a network.
Hub
A device that connects devices (computers, printers, etc.) together by using its ports.
Router
A device that forwards data between computer networks.
Switch
A computer networking device that connects network segments together.
Cable
A thick steel rope made of strands of wire twisted together which connects all devices together.
Data Collision
When two computers send data at the same time and the sets of data collide.
Terminator
A device attached to the end-points of a bus network. The purpose of it is to absorb signals so that they do not reflect back down the line.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE... | https://quizlet.com/gb/384172588/network-topology-diagram/ |
Responsible network managers need to acknowledge that attacks leading to data breaches do happen and plan accordingly. By focusing on the fundamentals of best practices, they can control the breach and limit the amount of damage.
In the wake of numerous high profile data breaches, I talked to security expert Eric Cole of the SANS Institute to pick his brain on what organizations can do to stem the tide of data theft attacks. Cole believes that people aren’t focusing on the fundamental actionable things that their organizations can do to be able to minimize and stop these types of attacks from occurring.
“Whenever a major event occurs, somebody always wants the name of someone who is responsible as well as a quick fix of what went wrong,” says Cole. “In the case of Target, people are saying one of their vendors didn’t have a system that was secure and that was the reason that Target got compromised.”
But when you really look at it, Cole says there is never a single reason why organizations get compromised. “There are always many things that go wrong, and simply saying a third-party vendor didn’t have a secure system is really overlooking the fundamentals of what is really needed to secure, protect and lock down an organization.”
One of the first things organizations have to recognize is the bad guys are going to get in. “An organization expecting that it is never going to get compromised is as naïve as a person saying he is never going to get sick,” Cole says. “It is going to happen, so we need to put more energy and effort on minimizing the frequency at which it occurs and minimizing the impact it has. For example, if Target got compromised and there were only 5,000 credit cards stolen, that would be a completely different news story than the more than 100 million accounts that did get compromised. It’s important to find that balance of recognizing that things will happen but controlling the overall impact.”
With that backdrop, Cole says a return to the fundamentals would greatly reduce the likelihood of data breaches:
* Asset identification – When you look at recent breaches, it becomes apparent that organizations don’t know what is on their network. Cole doesn’t believe Target, for example, knew there was a third-party system directly connected to its core network. When it comes down to asset inventory, organizations need to control, manage and understand what is plugged into their network. There shouldn’t be any surprises. They should be aware of any device that is plugged in. They should understand the interconnectivity and minimize and control how much access it has.
* Configuration management – Every device plugged into that network needs to have proper configuration management. The network managers need to know how those devices are configured, secured and locked down. Cole can’t imagine that Target had any idea how the system from the HVAC vendor was configured and whether it introduced exposures or vulnerabilities. He surmises that if Target would have tied the asset inventory with the configuration management, they would’ve been able to recognize and possibly proactively either fix the issues or put the third-party’s system on a separate VLAN in order to minimize and reduce the exposure that that attack would have in their environment.
* Change management – Knowing every device and having proper secure configurations on those devices doesn’t do any good if changes can be made that the network managers are not aware of. Cole says it’s critical to have strict change control where all changes go through a formal process in order to maintain a proper security posture.
* Data discovery – Cole says organizations need to know where their critical data is located. “One of the big flaws in a lot of these retail breaches is they had no idea they had information stored on servers in plain text and unencrypted. That was a big failure component.”
* Network segmentation – If we assume that networks are going to get broken into, then a good way to limit and control the damage is with highly segmented networks. “By having each system on a different network and different segments with limited visibility, now if a system gets broken into, it would make it that much harder to do large-scale damage,” Cole advises.
Looking back to any of the major retail breaches, think how different the outcome could have been if…
• They had known what devices were on their network, and
• They were able to properly configure those devices and control changes to them, and
• They tracked where their data was, and
• They had highly segmented networks to prevent an attacker from going anywhere he wants.
The attacks might still have occurred, but they would have been smaller, more controlled and more limited in terms of damage.
Linda Musthaler ([email protected]) is a Principal Analyst with Essential Solutions Corp. http://www.essential-iws.com) which researches the practical value of information technology and how it can make individual workers and entire organizations more productive. Essential Solutions offers consulting services to computer industry and corporate clients to help define and fulfill the potential of IT. | https://www.networkworld.com/article/2175014/focus-on-fundamentals-to-reduce-data-breaches-expert-advises.html |
Layers of OSI Model
OSI stands for Open Systems Interconnection. It has been developed by ISO – ‘International Organization of Standardization‘, in the year 1984. It is a 7 layer architecture with each layer having specific functionality to perform. All these 7 layers work collaboratively to transmit the data from one person to another across the globe.
1. Physical Layer (Layer 1) :
The lowest layer of the OSI reference model is the physical layer. It is responsible for the actual physical connection between the devices. The physical layer contains information in the form of bits. It is responsible for transmitting individual bits from one node to the next. When receiving data, this layer will get the signal received and convert it into 0s and 1s and send them to the Data Link layer, which will put the frame back together.
The functions of the physical layer are :
- Bit synchronization: The physical layer provides the synchronization of the bits by providing a clock. This clock controls both sender and receiver thus providing synchronization at bit level.
- Bit rate control: The Physical layer also defines the transmission rate i.e. the number of bits sent per second.
- Physical topologies: Physical layer specifies the way in which the different, devices/nodes are arranged in a network i.e. bus, star or mesh topolgy.
- Transmission mode: Physical layer also defines the way in which the data flows between the two connected devices. The various transmission modes possible are: Simplex, half-duplex and full-duplex.
* Hub, Repeater, Modem, Cables are Physical Layer devices.
** Network Layer, Data Link Layer and Physical Layer are also known as Lower Layers or Hardware Layers.
2. Data Link Layer (DLL) (Layer 2) :
The data link layer is responsible for the node to node delivery of the message. The main function of this layer is to make sure data transfer is error-free from one node to another, over the physical layer. When a packet arrives in a network, it is the responsibility of DLL to transmit it to the Host using its MAC address.
Data Link Layer is divided into two sub layers :
- Logical Link Control (LLC)
- Media Access Control (MAC)
The packet received from Network layer is further divided into frames depending on the frame size of NIC(Network Interface Card). DLL also encapsulates Sender and Receiver’s MAC address in the header.
The Receiver’s MAC address is obtained by placing an ARP(Address Resolution Protocol) request onto the wire asking “Who has that IP address?” and the destination host will reply with its MAC address. The functions of the data Link layer are :
- Framing: Framing is a function of the data link layer. It provides a way for a sender to transmit a set of bits that are meaningful to the receiver. This can be accomplished by attaching special bit patterns to the beginning and end of the frame.
- Physical addressing: After creating frames, Data link layer adds physical addresses (MAC address) of sender and/or receiver in the header of each frame.
- Error control: Data link layer provides the mechanism of error control in which it detects and retransmits damaged or lost frames manage by CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check).
- Flow Control: The data rate must be constant on both sides else the data may get corrupted thus , flow control coordinates that amount of data that can be sent before receiving acknowledgement.
- Access control: When a single communication channel is shared by multiple devices, MAC sub-layer of data link layer helps to determine which device has control over the channel at a given time.
* Packet in Data Link layer is referred as Frame.
** Data Link layer is handled by the NIC (Network Interface Card) and device drivers of host machines.
*** Switch & Bridge are Data Link Layer devices.
3. Network Layer (Layer 3) :
Network layer works for the transmission of data from one host to the other located in different networks. It also takes care of packet routing i.e. selection of the shortest path to transmit the packet, from the number of routes available. The sender & receiver’s IP address are placed in the header by the network layer.
The functions of the Network layer are :
- Routing: The network layer protocols determine which route is suitable from source to destination. This function of network layer is known as routing.
- Logical Addressing: In order to identify each device on internetwork uniquely, network layer defines an addressing scheme. The sender & receiver’s IP address are placed in the header by network layer. Such an address distinguishes each device uniquely and universally.
* Segment in Network layer is referred as Packet.
** Network layer is implemented by networking devices such as routers.
4. Transport Layer (Layer 4) :
Transport layer provides services to application layer and takes services from network layer. The data in the transport layer is referred to as Segments. It is responsible for the End to End Delivery of the complete message. The transport layer also provides the acknowledgement of the successful data transmission and re-transmits the data if an error is found.
At sender’s side:Transport layer receives the formatted data from the upper layers, performs Segmentation and also implements Flow & Error control to ensure proper data transmission. It also adds Source and Destination port number in its header and forwards the segmented data to the Network Layer.
Note: The sender need to know the port number associated with the receiver’s application.
Generally, this destination port number is configured, either by default or manually. For example, when a web application makes a request to a web server, it typically uses port number 80, because this is the default port assigned to web applications. Many applications have default port assigned.
• At receiver’s side:Transport Layer reads the port number from its header and forwards the Data which it has received to the respective application. It also performs sequencing and reassembling of the segmented data.
The functions of the transport layer are :
- Segmentation and Reassembly: This layer accepts the message from the (session) layer , breaks the message into smaller units . Each of the segment produced has a header associated with it. The transport layer at the destination station reassembles the message.
- Service Point Addressing: In order to deliver the message to correct process, transport layer header includes a type of address called service point address or port address. Thus by specifying this address, transport layer makes sure that the message is delivered to the correct process.
The services provided by the transport layer :
- Connection Oriented Service: It is a three-phase process which include
- Connection Establishment
- Data Transfer
- Termination / disconnection
In this type of transmission, the receiving device sends an acknowledgement, back to the source after a packet or group of packet is received. This type of transmission is reliable and secure.
- Connection less service: It is a one-phase process and includes Data Transfer.
In this type of transmission, the receiver does not acknowledge receipt of a packet. This approach allows for much faster communication between devices.
Connection-oriented service is more reliable than connectionless Service.
* Data in the Transport Layer is called as Segments.
** Transport layer is operated by the Operating System. It is a part of the OS and communicates with the Application Layer by making system calls.
Transport Layer is called as Heart of OSI model.
5. Session Layer (Layer 5) :
This layer is responsible for establishment of connection, maintenance of sessions, authentication and also ensures security.
The functions of the session layer are :
- Session establishment, maintenance and termination: The layer allows the two processes to establish, use and terminate a connection.
- Synchronization: This layer allows a process to add checkpoints which are considered as synchronization points into the data. These synchronization point help to identify the error so that the data is re-synchronized properly, and ends of the messages are not cut prematurely and data loss is avoided.
- Dialog Controller: The session layer allows two systems to start communication with each other in half-duplex or full-duplex.
**All the below 3 layers(including Session Layer) are integrated as a single layer in the TCP/IP model as “Application Layer”.
**Implementation of these 3 layers is done by the network application itself. These are also known as Upper Layers or Software Layers.
SCENARIO:
Let’s consider a scenario where a user wants to send a message through some Messenger application running in his browser. The “Messenger” here acts as the application layer which provides the user with an interface to create the data. This message or so-called Data is compressed, encrypted (if any secure data) and converted into bits (0’s and 1’s) so that it can be transmitted.
6. Presentation Layer (Layer 6) :
Presentation layer is also called the Translation layer.The data from the application layer is extracted here and manipulated as per the required format to transmit over the network.
The functions of the presentation layer are :
- Translation : For example, ASCII to EBCDIC.
- Encryption/ Decryption : Data encryption translates the data into another form or code. The encrypted data is known as the cipher text and the decrypted data is known as plain text. A key value is used for encrypting as well as decrypting data.
- Compression: Reduces the number of bits that need to be transmitted on the network.
7. Application Layer (Layer 7) :
At the very top of the OSI Reference Model stack of layers, we find Application layer which is implemented by the network applications. These applications produce the data, which has to be transferred over the network. This layer also serves as a window for the application services to access the network and for displaying the received information to the user.
Ex: Application – Browsers, Skype Messenger etc.
**Application Layer is also called as Desktop Layer.
The functions of the Application layer are :
- Network Virtual Terminal
- FTAM-File transfer access and management
- Mail Services
- Directory Services
OSI model acts as a reference model and is not implemented in the Internet because of its late invention. Current model being used is the TCP/IP model
TCP/IP Model
The OSI Model we just looked at is just a reference/logical model. It was designed to describe the functions of the communication system by dividing the communication procedure into smaller and simpler components. But when we talk about the TCP/IP model, it was designed and developed by Department of Defense (DoD) in 1960s and is based on standard protocols. It stands for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. The TCP/IP model is a concise version of the OSI model. It contains four layers, unlike seven layers in the OSI model. The layers are:
- Process/Application Layer
- Host-to-Host/Transport Layer
- Internet Layer
- Network Access/Link Layer
The diagrammatic comparison of the TCP/IP and OSI model is as follows :
Difference between TCP/IP and OSI Model:
TCP/IP has 4 layers. OSI has 7 layers.
TCP/IP is more reliable OSI is less reliable
While in OSI model, Protocols are better covered
Protocols cannot be replaced easily in and is easy to replace with the change in
TCP/IP model. technology.
The first layer is the Process layer on the behalf of the sender and Network Access layer on the behalf of the receiver. During this article, we will be talking on the behalf of the receiver.
- Network Access Layer –
This layer corresponds to the combination of Data Link Layer and Physical Layer of the OSI model. It looks out for hardware addressing and the protocols present in this layer allows for the physical transmission of data.
We just talked about ARP being a protocol of Internet layer, but there is a conflict about declaring it as a protocol of Internet Layer or Network access layer. It is described as residing in layer 3, being encapsulated by layer 2 protocols.
- Internet Layer –
This layer parallels the functions of OSI’s Network layer. It defines the protocols which are responsible for logical transmission of data over the entire network. The main protocols residing at this layer are :
- IP – stands for Internet Protocol and it is responsible for delivering packets from the source host to the destination host by looking at the IP addresses in the packet headers. IP has 2 versions:
IPv4 and IPv6. IPv4 is the one that most of the websites are using currently. But IPv6 is growing as the number of IPv4 addresses are limited in number when compared to the number of users.
- ICMP – stands for Internet Control Message Protocol. It is encapsulated within IP datagrams and is responsible for providing hosts with information about network problems.
- ARP – stands for Address Resolution Protocol. Its job is to find the hardware address of a host from a known IP address. ARP has several types: Reverse ARP, Proxy ARP, Gratuitous ARP and Inverse ARP.
3. Host-to-Host Layer –
This layer is analogous to the transport layer of the OSI model. It is responsible for endto-end communication and error-free delivery of data. It shields the upper-layer applications from the complexities of data. The two main protocols present in this layer are :
- Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) – It is known to provide reliable and errorfree communication between end systems. It performs sequencing and segmentation of data. It also has acknowledgment feature and controls the flow of the data through flow control mechanism. It is a very effective protocol but has a lot of overhead due to such features. Increased overhead leads to increased cost.
- User Datagram Protocol (UDP) – On the other hand does not provide any such features. It is the go-to protocol if your application does not require reliable transport as it is very cost-effective. Unlike TCP, which is connection-oriented protocol, UDP is connectionless.
4. Application Layer –
This layer performs the functions of top three layers of the OSI model: Application, Presentation and Session Layer. It is responsible for node-to-node communication and controls user-interface specifications. Some of the protocols present in this layer are: HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, TFTP, Telnet, SSH, SMTP, SNMP, NTP, DNS, DHCP, NFS, X Window, LPD. Have a look at Protocols in Application Layer for some information about these protocols. Protocols other than those present in the linked article are :
- HTTP and HTTPS – HTTP stands for Hypertext transfer protocol. It is used by the World Wide Web to manage communications between web browsers and servers. HTTPS stands for HTTP-Secure. It is a combination of HTTP with SSL(Secure Socket Layer). It is efficient in cases where the browser need to fill out forms, sign in, authenticate and carry out bank transactions.
- SSH – SSH stands for Secure Shell. It is a terminal emulations software similar to Telnet. The reason SSH is more preferred is because of its ability to maintain the encrypted connection. It sets up a secure session over a TCP/IP connection.
- NTP – NTP stands for Network Time Protocol. It is used to synchronize the clocks on our computer to one standard time source. It is very useful in situations like bank transactions. Assume the following situation without the presence of NTP. Suppose you carry out a transaction, where your computer reads the time at 2:30 PM while the server records it at 2:28 PM. The server can crash very badly if it’s out of sync. | https://examtube.in/osi-model/ |
What is DMZ Network?
In computer security, a DMZ stands for a demilitarized zone and is also known as perimeter network, or screened subnet. Let’s take a look at the topics that we will be covering in this blog today.
- What is DMZ Network?
- Purpose of a DMZ
- Why are DMZ Networks Important?
- How does a DMZ work?
- Architecture and Design of DMZ Networks
- Benefits of Using a DMZ
- Applications of DMZ
- Key Takeaways
A DMZ configuration allows for additional security to protect against external attacks in a Local Area Network (LAN). The term, ‘DMZ’, has been borrowed from the geographic buffer zone that was set up at the end of the Korean War between North Korea and South Korea. But, what is DMZ network in computer security?
What is a DMZ Network?
A DMZ is a physical or logical subnet that isolates a LAN from untrusted networks like the public internet. Any service that is offered to users on the public internet should be set up in the DMZ network. The external-facing servers, services, and resources are usually placed there. Services include web, Domain Name System (DNS), email, proxy servers and File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).
The resources and servers in the DMZ network can be accessed from the internet but are isolated with very limited access to the LAN. Due to this approach, the LAN has an additional layer of security restricting a hacker from directly accessing the internal servers and data from the internet.
Hackers and cyber criminals can reach the systems that run services on a DMZ server. The security on those servers must be tightened to be able to withstand constant attacks.
The main objective of a DMZ is to enable organizations to use the public internet while ensuring the security of their private networks or LANs.
Purpose of a DMZ
The DMZ network is there to protect the hosts that have the most vulnerabilities. DMZ hosts mostly involve services that extend to the users that are outside of the local area network. The increased potential for attacks makes it necessary for them to be placed into the monitored subnetwork. This will protect the rest of the network if they end up getting compromised.
Hosts in the DMZ have access permissions to other services within the internal network and this access is tightly controlled due to the fact that the data that is passed through the DMZ is not as secure.
To help expand the protected border zone, the communications between the DMZ hosts and the external network are restricted. This enables the hosts in the protected network to communicate with the internal and external network, while the firewall takes care of the separation and management of all the traffic that is shared between the DMZ and the internal network.
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An additional firewall typically protects the DMZ from exposure to everything on the external network. Here are some uses of DMZ in some of the most common services accessible to users on communicating from an external network:
- Web Servers – Web servers that maintain communication with an internal database server may need to be placed into a DMZ for the safety of the internal database, which often stores sensitive information. The web servers can then interact through an application firewall or directly with the internal database server, while still having DMZ protections.
- Mail Servers – Emails and user databases that contain personal messages and login credentials are usually stored on servers that do not have direct access to the internet. An email server can be built or set up inside the DMZ for interaction with and access to the email database without exposing it to potentially harmful traffic.
- FTP Servers: FTP servers can host critical content on the website of an organization, and allow direct interaction with files. Due to this, FTP servers should always be partially isolated from the internal systems that are critical.
The additional security provided from external attacks by a DMZ configuration typically has no use against internal attacks like spoofing via email or other means or sniffing communication via a packet analyzer.
For almost as long as firewalls have existed, DMZ networks have been an integral part of enterprise network security. DMZ networks are deployed to protect sensitive systems and resources. DMZ networks are often used for:
- Isolating and separating potential target systems from internal networks
- Reducing and controlling access to the systems by external users
- Hosting corporate resources to give authorized access to some of these resources to external users
Enterprises have lately chosen to use virtual machines or containers to isolate a few sections of the network or specific applications from the rest of the corporate environment. Cloud technologies have eliminated the need for in-house web servers in organizations. Most external-facing infrastructures that were once set up in the enterprise DMZ have moved to the cloud (for example, SaaS apps).
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Why are DMZ Networks Important?
Internet-enabled devices on many home networks are built around LAN, which accesses the internet from a broadband router. The router acts as both a connection point and a firewall that automates traffic filtering to ensure that the messages that enter the LAN are safe.
A DMZ on a home network can be built by adding a dedicated firewall between the router and the LAN. While this structure can be expensive, it can effectively protect internal devices from sophisticated attacks and possible external attacks.
DMZs are crucial for network security for both individual users and large organizations. The extra layer of security tightly protects the computer network by restricting remote access to internal servers and data, which when breached can be very damaging.
How does a DMZ work?
Customers of a business that has a public website must make their web server accessible from the internet to visit the website. This puts their entire internal network at high risk. To avoid this, the organization can pay a hosting firm for hosting the website or their public servers on a firewall. However, this could end up negatively affecting the performance. Therefore, the public servers are hosted on a separate or isolated network.
The DMZ network serves as a buffer between the internet and the private network of an organization. It is isolated by a security gateway like a firewall that filters traffic between the DMZ and LAN. The default DMZ server is secured by another gateway that filters the incoming traffic from external networks. It is ideally located between two firewalls.
The DMZ firewall setup makes sure that the incoming network packets are observed by a firewall or other security tools before they reach the servers hosted in the DMZ. So, even if an attacker somehow gets past the first firewall, they will have to have access to the hardened services in the DMZ to cause any kind of serious damage to a business.
If the external firewall is penetrated by an attacker and a system in the DMZ is compromised, they will also have to get past an internal firewall before even gaining access to all the sensitive corporate data. A highly skilled attacker may sometimes be able to breach a secure DMZ, but various alarm systems and resources are there to provide plenty of warning about the breach in progress.
Organizations that are required to comply with regulations sometimes install a proxy server in the DMZ. This allows simplification of the monitoring and recording of user activities and the centralization of web content filtering. It also ensures that employees are using the system to gain access to the internet.
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Architecture and Design of DMZ Networks
There are several ways a network can be built using a DMZ. The two primary methods of achieving this are a single firewall (or a three-legged model) or dual firewalls. Both these systems can be expanded to build complex DMZ architectures that satisfy network requirements:
- Single Firewall
Using a single firewall with a minimum of 3 network interfaces is a modest approach to network architecture. The DMZ is placed inside this firewall. The connection to the external network device is made from the ISP. The second device connects the internal network and the third network device handles the connections within the DMZ.
- Dual Firewall
Using two firewalls is a more secure method to create a DMZ. The first firewall is referred to as the frontend firewall and is built to only allow traffic that is headed towards the DMZ. The second firewall or the backend firewall is only in charge of the traffic that travels to the internal network from the DMZ.
To further increase the level of protection, firewalls that are built by separate vendors are used as there are fewer possibilities of having the same security vulnerabilities. It is a more effective, but more costly scheme to be implemented across a large network.
Security controls for various network segments can also be fine-tuned by organizations. An Intrusion Detection System (IDS) or Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) within a DMZ can be configured to block any traffic other than Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) requests to the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) port 443.
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Benefits of Using DMZ
The primary benefit of a DMZ is that it provides an extra layer of advanced security to an internal network by restricting access to sensitive information and servers. It allows the website users to avail themselves of certain services while having a buffer between them and the private network of the organization. The DMZ also offers additional security benefits like:
- Enabling Access Control – Businesses can provide access to services outside the perimeters of their network to their users through the public internet. The DMZ allows this while ensuring network segmentation to make it challenging for unauthorized users to access the private network. There can also be a proxy server included with the DMZ, which centralizes internal traffic flow and simplifies its monitoring and logging.
- Preventing Network Reconnaissance: Providing a buffer between a private network and the internet helps a DMZ prevent attackers from performing reconnaissance work that is carried out to search for potential targets. Servers that are within the DMZ do get exposed to the public but have an extra layer of security by a firewall that prevents anyone from seeing inside the internal network.
If a DMZ system happens to get compromised, the internal firewall will separate the private network from the DMZ and keep it secure making external reconnaissance hard.
- Blocking Internet Protocol (IP) Spoofing: Hackers attempt to gain access to systems by falsifying an IP address and impersonating a device that is already approved and signed in to a network. However, a DMZ is capable of discovering and stalling such attempts as another service verifies the legitimacy of the IP address. The DMZ enables network segmentation to create a space for organized traffic and public services to be accessible away from the internal networks that are private.
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Applications of DMZs
Some of the various DMZ network examples can be seen in:
- Cloud Services
Some cloud computing services use a hybrid security approach with an implemented DMZ between an on-premises network of an organization and the virtual network. This is typically applied when an organization’s applications are run partly on the premises and partly on the virtual network.
DMZ is also used where audit is required for outgoing traffic or where granular traffic control is necessary between the virtual network and the on-premises data center.
- Home Networks
A DMZ is also useful in home networks where computers and other devices are connected to the internet through a broadband router and a LAN configuration. Some home routers have a DMZ host feature. This can be contrasted with DMZ subnetworks that are used in organizations with more devices than one would usually find in a home.
One device on the home network is designated by the DMZ host feature to operate outside of the firewall and serve as the DMZ. The rest of the home network is inside the firewall. Sometimes, a gaming console is chosen to be the DMZ host so that gaming is not interrupted by the firewall. The console can also act as a good DMZ host because it usually doesn’t hold sensitive information compared to a personal computer.
- Industrial Control Systems (ICS)
Security risks of ICSs are offered potential solutions by DMZs. Industrial equipment are merged with IT, which makes for smarter and more efficient production environments. However, this also results in a larger threat surface.
Much of the industrial or Operational Technology (OT) equipment connected to the internet are not designed to deal with attacks like IT devices do. A DMZ allows for increased network segmentation that can make it challenging for ransomware and other network threats to fill the gap between the IT systems and their much more susceptible OT counterparts.
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Key Takeaways
A DMZ layer is fundamental in network security. A layered security structure is created by the subnetworks that reduce the chances of facing attacks as well as the severity of it if one happens. They isolate any outward-facing applications from the corporate network. Any system or application facing the public internet should be put in a DMZ.
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As cyber threats continue to increase exponentially, and the concept of cyber-risk becomes a constant concern even in less sophisticated IT environments; there are quite a few priorities from a technology procurement as well as a project perspective that IT executives tend to focus on:
This list is not complete but represents some of the more prevalent concerns of IT executives and SecOps teams. However, when discussing security operations and corresponding “internal” projects; network segmentation invariably gets raised as a topic for discussion or as a “frustrating” initiative that was started and was never completed.
Segmentation is the division of a network into smaller groupings of interfaces that can be referred to as zones. These zones consist of IP ranges, subnets, and/or security groups designed to improve performance and reduce the attack surface by limiting lateral movement across the network.
In greenfield environments, it is easier to plan and deploy a properly segmented network. However, it is much more difficult to do in flatly designed existing environment. The main difficulty is that it usually requires IP address changes, which in many environments, can cause application failures/outages if not properly planned and executed. Despite the possible hurdles, implementing a properly designed network is necessary, as a basis on which to incorporate the security controls required to protect data assets in an increasingly dangerous threat landscape.
Unified Tech has a cornucopia of talent, so as part of the exercise of preparing the report, we incorporated the thoughts of some of the senior resources -regarding how segmentation affected their specific area of expertise:
Our Senior Collaboration SME had these key points to share:
We typically consider our edge and demilitarized zone (DMZ) networks to be protected and by their very nature, segmented; however, our Senior Financial Services Technology Architect had these thoughts:
To achieve the highest levels of protection, even the DMZ should be properly segmented. This could be based on the nature of the asset being secured or the nature of the resources accessing that resource. Below are some considerations for resource/network segmentation:
Additionally, one of our Senior Security SME’s had these notes:
Segmentation is critical, but it can introduce management and operational overhead as networks become more complex.
There are many ways to achieve good segmentation and there are a plethora of good reasons to achieve this initial goal. It is, however, a moving target because as the needs of the business change the network must evolve (usually first) to support it. The first step is to categorize your assets e.g. (users, devices, systems and applications) as well as define the network locations to which these assets belong or need to communicate with (e.g. inside, outside, cloud or vendor). Based on these categories, we can develop the process of creating a design and the corresponding policies for protecting the different classes of assets. This is just an introduction as the topic can become very complex very quickly, but this is one instance where a little complexity may go a long way in helping to secure our networks. | https://unifiedtech.com/why-should-we-segment-our-networks/ |
Corporate networks have quickly become more and more complex. Change requests are regularly processed in the hundreds by IT security teams, which are then applied to company owned network devices. As a result, underlying network configuration processes increase in size and complexity, impacting the resources needed to manage the required changes. These changes affect all environments, from multi-vendor firewalls and routers, to SDN and hybrid cloud platforms. The sheer size of the modern network therefore makes it increasingly difficult for companies to manage the complexity that comes with it. Cybercriminals are ideally positioned to take advantage of this confusion, which has left businesses scrambling to safeguard their networks from both targeted and automated attacks that penetrate the network by capitalising on overly permissive access policies.
A popular approach to meeting these initial network security challenges is network segmentation, where applications and infrastructure are divided into segments, so that threats can be contained and prevented from spreading to other areas. In the event that the attack exploits an existing service, monitoring can be prioritised, and vulnerable access rules assessed to direct incident response and mitigation.
Whilst network segmentation is not a new approach, it is by no means outdated. However, the definition of effective network segmentation, its implementation and long-term maintenance is a major challenge for many companies, especially in the face of new stringent privacy regulations and frequent changes to the infrastructure footprint through the adoption of the cloud. So, how can companies guarantee the effective implementation of network segmentation practices, while considering all the complexities of a corporate network? And how can they achieve their ideal state of limited access in granularity?
The first step is to evaluate the actual situation: What do businesses need from their network and how should they choose to divide it? To put it simply, individual departments are often keen to contain their applications within their own subsection or unit, which is entirely logical and a necessary step towards ensuring that sensitive data doesn’t find its way into the wrong hands.
Further than this, segmentation is a crucial consideration for businesses to demonstrate best practices to align with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Under the new regulation, organisations need to track access to data pertaining to residents of the EU. After dividing the corporate network into individual segments or security zones, or tagging applications, IT managers will need to ensure the provisioning of minimal required access to those zones or applications. Above all, highly sensitive areas should be proactively monitored to identify if unnecessary access can be removed.
Monitoring network traffic within each segment to gauge normal levels of activity.
Reducing access to particular segments via firewalls to minimise exogenous threats.
Separating data assets by regulatory mandates, providing more visibility into what the protected assets contain, and what measures need to be taken to reduce risk.
Continuously monitoring for violations and threats to the network, so changes can be made in real-time, baking risk analysis into the change management process.
Conducting regular internal audits to ensure prior changes in firewall policy haven’t introduced risk.
Depending on the maturity and complexity of the company, as well as its business requirements, microsegmentation serves as a pragmatic solution to managing network access through a more dynamic and application-specific approach. Using microsegmentation, the individual segments are broken down even further – even down to the application and user levels. In these cases, access to data is only granted to a pre-defined security group of users that is carefully managed by the security team. The group can be easily modified to reflect changes in personnel, and access is provided between the specific security group and the specific application. Rather than treating networks as broader segments of users, microsegmentation allows you to employ security from the start in a manageable way.
Microsegmentation can be achieved with physical networks, as well as private and public cloud networks using software-defined network technologies for managing advanced cloud infrastructures. This requires comprehensive segmentation solutions that address the hybrid cloud and heterogeneous networks, thereby enabling IT security teams to effectively maintain and visually manage a microsegmentation policy for their organisation.
In a constantly changing business environment, it is imperative to ensure that this volatility does not increase the attack surface, exposing the company to a network breach. The right automation tools can empower the solution to mitigate significant security risks by fostering a security-first mentality when it comes to meeting change requirements and reducing the complexity and time required to manage network changes continuously.
It can also help ensure the effective segmentation of networks, although a balance must be reached. Businesses must be aware of overcomplicating the management of the different groups and getting too granular with the control.
Maintaining the desired network segmentation can therefore be a difficult task given the complex nature of security policies, and the fact that constant change requests are now the norm in most companies. However, if the network is divided into smaller zones, an attack on one segmented area cannot spread to another, creating a much more secure infrastructure overall and significantly bolstering network security. Ultimately, businesses must avoid over-segmenting the network and maintain a central console to effectively manage a micro-segmented network across multi-vendor, physical and cloud platforms. | https://www.informationsecuritybuzz.com/articles/network-segmentation-how-to-make-it-work-for-you-every-day/ |
As we know the computers are connected through each other and it forms a network of computers. The communication and data transfer in the network is by using packets. A packet have a header and a data part where the header contains the sender and receiver information and the data part contains data. There are many protocols and layers included in sending and receiving these packets.
OSI or the Open System Interconnection model, which can be called as a reference model that describes these layers and protocols, associated in sending and receiving the packets of data. It starts from the question How an application of one computer send and receive a packet through the layers to the physical medium to the application of another computer.
OSI model is developed in 1984 by the ISO organization, which consists of seven layers, and each layer is independent and has its own function in sending and receiving a packet of data.
It has many different points describing the need of a reference model in network that are
OSI model is an international model in network so it must be made as per international guidelines.
Each layer must be independent in functionality so that changes in one layer may not make the changes in another layer.
Make different functions in different layer and there should not be different functions in the same layer. Also do not make too many layer to make the architecture complex.
Total layers in a OSI model are divided into two which is application layers, which are the upper layers, and other network layers, which are lower layers.
Application layers are close to a user or an application, which is doing all the application related issues. Mostly application layers are dealing or communicating with the applications that are running in the systems in network.
The lower layers of the OSI model are designed with the network and physical medium of data transfer. Physical layer is the lower end of the OSI model, which deal with all physical medium issues.
It was started in 1970 where the ISO conduct a seminar for making some international standard rules in networking
The need for higher level protocols was identified in 1973 in an experiment in packet switch system.
In 1983 the first model of OSI was initially developed but in 1984 the ISO accepted the OSI model architecture.
As we said, different layers are independent and assigned different function in the data transfer. Let us examine the OSI layers and its functions in detail that is essential to know about network and cyber security.
This is the lowest layer in the OSI model that is related to the physical medium of data transfer. Physical layer is not dependent on any of the protocols like the higher layer in the OSI model. This layer is responsible for establishing and maintaining the connection between physical medium and system for data transfer. Physical layer is responsible for defining the electrical and mechanical specification needed for transfer.
This is the next layer above the physical layer so the data from a physical layer enters the data link layer where the error free transfer of data frames happens.
Data link layer makes a format for data and establishes a protocol for the data transfer and communication of devices in the network.
From this layer we have the IP address of a device to identify each unique device (logical addressing) in the network.
For easy understanding the functions of data link layer it is divided into two sub layers that are
Network layer is the third layer of the OSI model that is above the data link layer. Network layer is responsible for proper routing and forwarding the data.
This layer can able to find and locate the devices in a network and able to send the data using the best routes to reach the receiver after analyzing the network conditions.
In this layer, we are using the protocols such as IP, IPV4 and IPV6 for proper routing of packets that are called network protocols.
Addressing: Network layer adds the sender and receiver address in the header of the data frame.
Routing: As we said, routing is a process to find the perfect path to send data to the receiver. There are different routing protocols used in this layer
Internetworking: It makes a network by giving a logical connection to all the objects in a network
Packetizing: By using the IP protocols, the network layer makes the packets that it receives from the upper layers called packetizing.
Transport layer is the 4th layer of the OSI model and also called the heart of the OSI model. Transport layer is responsible for sending the data completely without any loss.
This layer makes sure that the data is transmitting in the perfect order as that send without any duplicate content.
Transport layer is the layer, which makes an end-to-end connection with the sender, and receiver to assure the data is send reliably.
Transport layer divides the data packets into smaller parts which can be called as data segments.
As we said this transport layer is responsible for end-to-end connection and data transfer without any loss or duplication. There are two different protocols used in this layer.
TCP is a protocol that helps the data to be sent over the networks and it allows the devices in a network to communicate. It makes a connection and maintains the connection between the sender and receiver.
In TCP protocols, the data is divided into different small parts that we call as segments; these segments are sent to the receiver using the best route. Different segments take different routes and reach the receiver in different order. The TCP reorder them to get correct data.
UDP is another protocol used in transport layers but it is not a reliable protocol so it is not much used as TCP.
The problem with UDP protocol is that the receiver will not have the acknowledgement mechanism to inform the sender that the data is reached correctly. This lack of acknowledgement makes this UDP less reliable.
Port Addressing: In a system, multiple process needs to send data to another system like browsers, ftp, etc which are using different ports or service points. It is the responsibility of the transport layer to transmit data from one process to another process.
Transport layer adds a port address to reach the packet that contains the address of the sender and receiver process so that it can reach the process of different computers correctly.
Segmentation and reassembly: As we already discussed, the transport layer divide the data into different segments with a sequence number before it is send to the receiver. The receiver will reassemble these segments using the sequence number before sending to the upper layers.
Connection Control: Transport layer can make 2 connections
Flow Control: It maintain the flow of data packets from end to end connection
Error Control: It performs he error check using the end to end connection. Transport layer make sure that all the data packets reach the receiver without any error.
Session layer is above the transport layer and this layer is more closely related to applications and processes running on the system.
Session layer is important to make and maintain the connections and communications between the sender and receiver applications.
Session layer is responsible for handling all the login and its credentials.
Synchronization: Session layer is responsible for adding some checkpoints in the data while transfer the data. The usage of such checkpoints is to resend the data from that checkpoint if any error or loss of data is happened during the transfer.
Communication control: Session layer is responsible for allowing communication between two process of sender and receiver systems.
Session make and maintain and close the sessions.
Presentation layer is above the session layer, which is also called the syntax layer because it mainly concerns the syntax and semantics of the data that is transferred.
Presentation layer is a part of the Operating system that will convert the data from one format to another format before sending it to the receiver that is called as encryption.
Translation: The sender and the receiver system may not be using the same type of encoding. Presentation layer convert the data from the source-encoded format to a general format and this general format is translated back to the receiver format by receiver presentation layer.
Encryption: Encryption is processing of converting the data from one form another form for maintain the privacy and security of data. Presentation layer is behind the data encryption while transmitting the data.
Compression: Compression is process of making the sending of data little simple (reduce the bits in data) mainly used in multimedia transfer. Presentation layer is responsible for data compression.
This is the top most layer in the OSI model which will act as an interface to the user and the process to use the network. This layer’s responsibility includes transparency and resource allocation. This layer offers services to end users for using the network for example are file transfer, email, remote login, etc.
File transfer, Access and management: Application layer is responsible to allow the user to access the file in a remote system. Also manage and interact with another process in another system.
Mail: Application layer is behind the email services to happen in network
It allows remote login and use that system and also offers a large amount of database sources on the internet. | https://learnetutorials.com/cyber-security/osi-model-layers |
In February, Information Technology Services sent out a campus wide email informing students of upcoming fiber upgrades to the campus network. Matthew Haschak, the Chief Information Security Officer and Director of IT Infrastructure at the University offered more insight into what these changes mean to the campus community.
Haschak explains that the upgrades are really a multitude of changes converging as one project.
“There’s a lot of things going on right now, and they’re all kind of interconnected,” Haschak said.
The upgrades are what he calls Supernet 2.0, a reference to an ambitious project from the late 1990s to early 2000s that unified networking standards across the university, improving data, video and voice services on campus. Haschak said Supernet 2.0 focuses on capability, redundancy, efficiency and seeks to prepare the university network for the next 30 years of supporting the campus community.
The fiber upgrades change the current 10-gigabit network capacity to 40-gigabit capacity. That doesn’t necessarily mean improved internet speeds at once, as the university’s current 10-gigabit connection has capacity to spare. However, ITS expects that remaining capacity will be reached soon and wants to be ready to rapidly switch over.
“We want to be ready; we didn’t want to hit that threshold and wait six months and have our users upset during that time that we were unable to meet their demands,” Haschak said.
The university is working with its primary internet service provider, OARnet, and its secondary provider Spectrum, to make the connection ready to go when it is needed.
Wi-Fi 6 will bring faster, more reliable and more secure Wi-Fi to campus, according to Haschak. This upgrade will result in the replacement of over 3,000 Cisco access points with new access points produced by Aruba Networks, a subsidiary of the Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company.
“We have been with Cisco for access points since 2001” says Haschak, who noted that ITS made their choice of new access points after consulting with other universities, including Indiana University.
This wireless upgrade, with enhanced network segmentation, will allow for more consumer devices such as Apple TV, Chromecasts, and other consumer devices in residence hall rooms through Aruba Clearpass according to Haschak, who also noted that the Wi-Fi upgrade will occur either in late spring or early summer.
Cost is an important factor in these upgrades.
“Twenty years ago, when we installed this fiber, we had a warranty on it. We discovered there were some failing parts on it, and we’re getting close to the end of the warranty,” Haschak said.
Thus, the university is getting repairs done under warranty. The repairs focus mainly on the end connectors, not the actual fiber cables themselves.
The upgrade to 40-gigabits instead of 100-gigabits was chosen because of the added cost involved in a 100-gigabit network; however, Haschak says the upgrade from 40 to 100 will be easier and cheaper than the current upgrade from 10-gigabit to 40-gigabit.
Other network upgrades in the works include better internal wiring inside buildings to support features such as power over ethernet, and more redundancy in the fiber network, which already has a degree of redundancy.
With talk of union renovations moving Starbucks and the Black Swamp Pub, ITS also has plans to move the computer lab to the current Starbucks location.
“Because the space is smaller in the new location, we want to find a sweet spot between how many computers will fit in the space, and how students are currently utilizing the current computer lab so nobody’s losing access,” ITS Student Support Supervisor Meredith Errington said. “We would never ever want to limit access.”
Details on the new lab are currently sparse, with one concern being the ability to limit too much sunlight from harming computers. Errington estimates there would be around 45 computers in the new lab.
Errington emphasized the construction would not stop access to labs for students who need them, saying “At no point will it be closed, or inaccessible for students. We won’t close the lab until the new lab is ready to be open”.
Errington also noted that ITS was offering workshops on how to use some of the tools offered by their department, and invited students to attend. | https://www.bgfalconmedia.com/campus/its-upgrades-coming-to-campus/article_a8b6d23a-6330-11ea-ad80-b31bb8a599a0.html |
An Agent is a software process that responds to SNMP queries to provide information about a network-connected device.
Ancillary
Auxiliary, supplementary.
B
Blocking calls
Blocking calls are calls that monopolize the Davicom telephone line for long periods of time and prevent the unit from signalling alarms. Examples are: voice, terminal, fax, pager (voice digital, alphanumerical), and DavNet Dial-up calls. Note however that if the Davicom also has an IP connection, blocking calls will not be an issue.
D
DHCP
The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol is a network management protocol used on UDP/IP networks whereby a DHCP server dynamically assigns an IP address and other network configuration parameters to each device on a network so they can communicate with other IP networks.
DNS
The Domain Name System is a hierarchical and decentralized naming system for computers, services, or other resources connected to the Internet or a private network that associates various information with domain names assigned to each of the participating entities.
DTMF
Dual-tone multi-frequency signaling is a telecommunication signaling system using the voice-frequency band over telephone lines between telephone equipment and other communications devices and switching centers.
E
ESD
Electrostatic discharge is the sudden flow of electricity between two electrically charged objects caused by contact, an electrical short, or dielectric breakdown.
F
Factory Reset
Restoring a device’s system back to its original “ready for delivery from factory” state and erasing all of its internally-stored data.
Firmware
A low-level computer software that controls the hardware of a device.
FTP
The File Transfer Protocol is a standard network protocol used for the transfer of computer files between a client and server on a computer network.
H
HTTP
The Hypertext Transfer Protocol is an application protocol for distributed, collaborative, hypermedia information systems.
HTTPS
Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure is an extension of the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) that is used for secure communication over a computer network, and is widely used on the Internet.
I
I/O
Input/output is the communication between an information processing system, such as a computer, and the outside world, possibly a human or another information processing system.
M
Manager
A Manager is an application that manages SNMP agents on a network by sending commands (SETs) to control devices, requesting responses (GETs), and listening for agent-issued alarms (TRAPs).
MIB
Related to SNMP, MIB stands for Management Information Base. It is a specially formatted text file that contains all the data that is needed to properly use SNMP on a piece of equipment. It provides details like value, type, range of values, description of commands, measurement units, etc. Every SNMP-capable device has at least one MIB related to it.
MIB Browser
Related to SNMP, a MIB Browser is a computer program that allows one to examine MIB files to find information about OID’s. For example, using a MIB browser could allow the measurement range of a specific value, or its data type to be known.
Modbus
Modbus is a communication protocol developed by Modicon systems. It is a method used for transmitting information over serial lines between electronic devices. The device requesting the information is called the Modbus Master and the devices supplying information are Modbus Slaves.
Modem
Hardware device that converts data into a format suitable for a transmission medium so that it can be transmitted from computer to computer (historically over telephone wires). It is used to communicate with Davicom units over dial-up lines.
N
NTP
The Network Time Protocol is a networking protocol for clock synchronization between computer systems over packet-switched, variable-latency data networks.
O
OID
Related to SNMP, OID stands for Object IDentifier. It is a unique identification number that is attached to an Object within an SNMP-capable device, like an Input, an Output an address etc.
Opto-isolated
In electronics, an opto-isolator, also called an optocoupler, photocoupler, or optical isolator, is a component that transfers electrical signals between two isolated circuits by using light. Opto-isolators prevent high voltages from affecting the system receiving the signal.
P
PDU
Power Distribution Unit.
Ping
Computer network administration software utility used to test the reachability of a host on an Internet Protocol (IP) network.
Power Bar
Multi-outlet power distribution device.
PSU
Power Supply Unit.
R
Rectifier
A rectifier is an electrical device that converts alternating current (AC), which periodically reverses direction, to direct current (DC), which flows in only one direction, for easier detection.
RF
Radio frequency is the oscillation rate of an alternating electric current or voltage or of a magnetic, electric or electromagnetic field or mechanical system in the frequency range from around 20 kHz to around 300 GHz.
RoHS
The Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive restricts the use of hazardous materials in the manufacture of various types of electronic and electrical equipment.
RTP
The Real-time Transport Protocol is a network protocol for delivering audio and video over IP networks.
RTSP
The Real Time Streaming Protocol is a network control protocol designed for use in entertainment and communications systems to control streaming media servers.
RTU
A remote terminal unit is a microprocessor-controlled electronic device that interfaces objects in the physical world to a distributed control system or SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) system by transmitting telemetry data to a master system, and by using messages from the master supervisory system to control connected objects.
RU
Rack Unit
S
SMTP
The Simple Mail Transfer Protocol is a communication protocol for electronic mail transmission.
SNMP
Simple Network Management Protocol is an Internet Standard protocol for collecting and organizing information about managed devices on IP networks and for modifying that information to change device behavior. There are SNMP Agents and SNMP Managers. An agent is a software process that responds to SNMP queries to provide information about a network-connected device. A manager is an application that manages SNMP agents on a network by sending commands (SETs) to control devices, requesting responses (GETs), and listening for agent-issued alarms (TRAPs).
SNMP GET
SNMP command that reads or polls data from a device.
SNMP SET
SNMP command that writes or sends data to a device.
T
TCP
The Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) is one of the main protocols of the Internet protocol suite. It originated in the initial network implementation in which it complemented the Internet Protocol (IP). Therefore, the entire suite is commonly referred to as TCP/IP. TCP provides reliable, ordered, and error-checked delivery of a stream of octets (bytes) between applications running on hosts communicating via an IP network.
TRAP
SNMP single-event message that is sent from one device to another (destination receiver). Generally used to signal an alarm. | https://dex.davicom.com/glossary/ |
The PCI Security Standards Council has released new guidance that is designed to help organizations simplify network segmentation, a practice the council strongly recommends to help protect payment card data.
"This guidance we've had in some shape or form for many years, but [the new release] makes it easier to understand," Troy Leach, CTO of the PCI Council, says in an in-depth interview with Information Security Media Group.
Network segmentation reduces exposure of cardholder data by confining the information to systems and servers that are isolated from other parts of the network. The new guidance, Leach explains, aims to help organizations understand how they can put controls in place to limit connectivity among servers.
"What we tried to do is provide practical guidance that helps shape the assessment before it begins so that you can create good, practical, manageable environments for network security around cardholder data without having to break the bank when trying to secure all systems equally," he says.
The new guidance, Leach explains, also points out:
Only systems that contain or are connected to systems that contain sensitive cardholder information need to comply with the PCI Data Security Standard.
By storing less data, organizations can minimize their PCI DSS compliance costs.
By re-engineering a network, organizations can reduce the number of systems that must be PCI DSS compliant, thus reducing the number of controls that have to be implemented. | http://ewingoil.com/news/new-pci-guidance-simplifying-network-segmentation |
Before we understand why OSI was developed let’s see what is a protocol. Most of them know that a protocol is something that is used by computers to communicate among them. Initially there was a proprietary protocol which was unable to communicate effectively among different manufactured devices in a network. It became increasingly difficult to use different devices from different manufacturers. This led to the birth of standard protocols. Open standards are not specific to any company and is common to all. This helped us to use a device from any vendor in a network.
For a network communication to work effectively open standard protocols became necessary which enabled devices using different software to co-exist. OSI is a reference model which explains how the information flows in a network. How the communication happens between two devices in a network.
It is basically a reference model used by applications to communicate over a network. It is called as Open System Interconnection because it is expected to help developers understand the importance of inter-operability of the software applications that they create. It is mainly focused on communication which is the basic forte of a network. OSI states that telecommunication usually flows through the seven layers of source computer and the network and then through the layers of the destination.
Layer 7 Application layer: Set of services an application should be able to make use of or in some cases it would be the application itself.
Layer6 Presentation layer: Here data is converted from one form to another.
Layer 5 Session Layer: this deal with authentication and re-connection in case of interruption.
Layer4 Transport Layer: This layer is more into fragmenting data into different packets and transporting them to the destination and also checks for any errors.
Layer3 Network layer: This layer is mainly about routing data in the right direction.
Layer2 Data link layer: This layer deals with link establishment.
Layer1 Physical layer: This layer mainly does the transmission and reception of signals to all levels.
By having seven layers it makes the job of a network administrator very easy as communication process can be segmented into smaller components which are easier to handle. Changes in one layer do not affect the changes in the other layers. As mentioned earlier, it helps different types of hardware and software components to communicate in a network. Troubleshooting and understanding becomes easier as the whole complex thing is distributed into smaller components.
Data segmentation: Data is divided into smaller packets so that they can be transmitted easily in a network.
Acknowledgment of packets: Every data packet that is received is acknowledged.
Error detection: If any data packet that is received is corrupted, it is sent back and informed accordingly.
Data encryption: Data is encrypted for maintaining its security.
This conceptual OSI model provides as a standard reference for all data that needs to be transmitted in a network. We can see that without OSI model any data transmission would be difficult and since it is a standardized process, it makes it even easier to use it. With a lot of data that is being transmitted over a network without having the features that are mentioned above, it becomes a tremendous task. OSI model gives us the easiest option along with features like data security, simplicity and also helps in avoiding data redundancy.
Imagining a network without the OSI is very difficult to handle, especially for administrators who handle a lot of information flow within a network. | https://www.logitrain.com.au/blog/25417.html |
Overview:
Responsible for the management of funds in various complex and / or large volume trust, estate and agencies to attain investment objectives of trust, estate, corporate, institutional clients and other M&T Bank high profile clients.
Primary Responsibilities:
Manage a portfolio of investments for trust, estate, and corporate institutional clients to maximize investment return commensurate with an acceptable level of risk. Develop short and long term investment policies and strategies based on management investment philosophy and customer investment objectives.
Perform portfolio analysis to determine overall structure of client portfolio including risk return, term payments and investment vehicles.
Consult with customers and account administrators to maintain investment objectives, providing advice and guidance to clients.
Keep informed of developments in various trust and institutional markets, researching trends and developments to arrive at sound and timely investment decisions and initiating action to effect purchases and sales of securities.
Perform special projects or related assignments and project as requested by management.
Scope of Responsibilities:
Internal and external contact is extensive and includes clients, brokers, bank personnel, consultants, various trust committees, and outside investment professionals.
The incumbent is responsible for complex and / or larger volume assigned accounts.
Provide guidance to junior staff.
Education and Experience Required:
Bachelor's degree, or in lieu of degree, four to five years' relevant work experience.
MBA preferred.
CPA or CFA preferred.
Minimum seven years experience in investment portfolio management.
General knowledge of personal computers and software utilized by the department.
Excellent interpersonal skills including strong customer relations and communication (verbal and written) skills.
Strong analytical and mathematical ability.
Excellent presentation skills. | https://jobs.livecareer.com/l/portfolio-manager-iii-mt-bank-04199a8d9dbd79a70117d42a5d8e3853 |
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CMBS Credit Sanctioner VP
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Morgan McKinley
in London, United Kingdom
Permanent, Full time
Be the first to apply
Competitive
Morgan McKinley
in London, United Kingdom
Permanent, Full time
Be the first to apply
Competitive
CMBS Credit Sanctioner VP
Job Summary
London
Permanent
BBBH762188
Feb 19, 2021
Competitive
Job Description
Global investment bank seeks a VP level Credit Sanctioner to focus on a CMBS portfolio responsible for the analysis, approval and monitoring of securitization transactions,
The team that was established to provide a globally consistent approach to risk management of structured transactions across asset classes within the bank.
The team assumes overall responsibility for the assessment, approval, monitoring, review and challenge of Structured transactions globally. In line with hybrid nature of the underlying risk, the team draws upon complimentary skill sets from both- Credit & Market risk, in addition to aspects of Counterparty Credit
Overall purpose of role
The role, based in London, is a Vice President position on the CMBS credit sanction team covering UK and
EMEA.
The CMBS credit sanction team is responsible for the analysis, approval and monitoring of securitization
transactions, including exposures to both pre and post securitization collateral pools, risk retention facilities,
securitization derivatives and liquidity facilities.
The candidate will require a detailed understanding of securitization approaches and analysis techniques across
assets classes and jurisdictions, including related documentation. Knowledge of applicable rating agency
methodologies is essential, including core assumptions and limitations. The candidate is expected to have
working knowledge of applicable regulatory frameworks, including with respect to the calculation of Risk
Weighted Assets across banking and trading book frameworks, SRT and balance sheet de-recognition
requirements.
The role comprises initial transaction analysis, review and sanction, in addition to post sanction monitoring,
annual review and excess/exceptions management. The candidate will be required to hold and exercise credit
approval authority.
The successful candidate will be in regular communication not only with line management and immediate peers
in other areas of Risk (e.g., Counterparty Risk, Market Risk, Country Risk and Portfolio Risk), but also with
stakeholders in the Front Office and other Functions.
Key Accountabilities
Effective risk management (evaluation of risk/exposure management) of credits within the CMBS asset
class asset and related financing activity, including conduit, large loan, and CRE CLO warehouse
financing.
Prudent and appropriate use of delegated discretion to approve the granting of credit approval in
accordance with Bank policy.
Ensuring continued growth of the business without incurring unmanageable risks.
Engage in assessing and making recommendations of proposals received from business
development/product areas.
Stay current with financial analysis and risk profile of the assigned sector, borrowers, and
counterparties.
Alerting senior management to negative developments and trends within the assigned sectors and
clients.
Maintain data integrity of appropriate Credit Risk systems and ensure they reflect the approved
sanction.
Continuous development of product and industry knowledge through research, contacts, and
participation in seminars.
Stakeholder Management and Leadership
Liaise with support functions across Investment Bank and Corporate Bank where appropriate for Legal,
Compliance, Operations, etc. in support of approval and managing the credit risk associated with each
client.
Essential:
Bachelor's degree in Finance/Economics or Real Estate related discipline.
Experience in credit risk or relevant experience, preferably gained at a major institution or rating agency,
covering both Investment Grade and Leveraged and/or Sub-Investment Grade clients in the Real Estate
sector.
Experience across core Commercial Real Estate sub-classes (e.g. office, retail, multifamily, lodging and
industrial) including knowledge of fundamental bottom up Commercial Real Estate underwriting,
valuation metrics, including assessment and sizing of relevant reserves, review of lease profiles,
renewal risks, cap rates, market trends, and leading / lagging credit indicators.
Strong background in CMBS and/or Middle Market Commercial Real Estate underwriting experience.
Preferred Qualifications:
Formal Credit training from a major institution preferred.
Knowledge of key rating agency approaches and criteria.
Understanding of corporate finance and banking products, related markets, documentation and
precedents.
Strong analytical skills with attention to detail.
Strong interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills, and have the ability to clearly articulate
complex concepts and ideas.
Possess a high degree of self-motivation, the ability to drive for results, and track record of setting and
achieving goals and meeting schedules.
Morgan McKinley is acting as an Employment Agency and references to pay rates are indicative.
BY APPLYING FOR THIS ROLE YOU ARE AGREEING TO OUR TERMS OF SERVICE WHICH TOGETHER WITH OUR PRIVACY STATEMENT GOVERN YOUR USE OF MORGAN MCKINLEY SERVICES.
Job ID: BBBH762188
tX0GODwKYEXUdiM2
Posted Date: 28 Feb 21
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Charterhouse Partnership is supporting a regionally renowned Financial Institution to source for a Manager, Portfolio Risk and Analytics, who will provide insights into Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) specific performance and deviations from ESG benchmarks, positioning and portfolio movements to internal stakeholders.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
Reporting to the Head of Portfolio Analytics, Business & Compliance, you will ensure timely generation and delivery of ESG-specific risk and positioning reports to senior management and internal stakeholders.
You will work with respective stakeholders to address queries pertaining to Industry Wide Stress Test, Variance analysis, ERM surveys, IAIS surveys etc.
You will collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to facilitate transition to ESG related allocation, benchmark changes and provide impact analysis of large rebalancing and develop new ESG reports (attribution and contribution) to identify outperformance and under-performance of portfolios’ carbon metrics.
You will take ownership in considering business and regulatory compliance risks and takes appropriate steps to mitigate the risks and maintains awareness of industry trends on regulatory compliance, emerging threats and technologies in order to understand the risk and better safeguard the company.
REQUIREMENTS:
To be qualified for this position:
Degree in Finance, Economics or any related disciplines
Around 4-6 years of relevant experience in a financial institution is preferred
Knowledge of performance returns calculation methodologies
Knowledge of Fixed Income, Equity, alternative investment product characteristics and applicable analytics calculations
Strong computer skills with knowledge of Excel VBA, R Studio, Bloomberg, MSCI Risk Manage
Please contact Xuan Kwok at +65 6950 0354 or [email protected] for a confidential discussion.
EA License no: 16S8066 | Reg no.: R1433611
Only successful candidates will be notified. | https://www.charterhouse.com.sg/job/manager-portfolio-risk-and-analytics-financial-institution |
Geneva, 22 September 2022
A group of 33 participants from 32 developing countries and customs territories are taking part in an Advanced Course on Trade in Services from 19 to 23 September at the WTO, the first to take place in person since 2019.
Organized jointly by the WTO Trade in Services Division and the Institute for Training and Technical Cooperation, the course forms part of the WTO’s technical assistance and training activities, aimed at helping developing countries build trade capacity so that they can participate more effectively in global trade.
The objectives of this course are to deepen participants’ understanding of the main provisions of the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) by looking at key services provisions and main trends in WTO members’ regional trade agreements and by exploring recent trends and developments in methods of measuring services trade and trade policy analysis. The course also delves into the emerging services policy agenda, such as environmental services, e-commerce and investment facilitation.
In her opening remarks, Deputy Director-General Anabel González stressed the growing role of services trade in the global economy.
“The services sector, for the great majority of countries, accounts for the largest share of domestic production and employment. Services also play a prominent role in the participation of women in the workforce,” she noted.
Touching on the outcome on services domestic regulation adopted by a group of WTO members in 2021, she stated:
“Due to technological changes and the rise of the knowledge economy, the importance of services will only increase in the future. For the WTO, the challenge is to keep abreast of these changes and to provide a framework of rules in which trade can flourish without neglecting regulatory concerns of members.”
Ms María Florencia Iborra, one of the course participants and economic analyst with Argentina’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, said:
“I hope this training will help me improve my knowledge of trade in services so that I can support public officials in negotiating new and more comprehensive trade agreements. Services are becoming one of the most important subjects in trade so it is very important to be properly prepared to explore all the possibilities that they can offer to our economies.”
Jan Redmond Dela Vega, Senior Trade-Industry Development Specialist at the Bureau of International Trade Relations of the Philippines’ Department of Trade and Industry, said that the advanced course was timely given new and emerging disciplines on services being pursued by WTO members at the multilateral level alongside global efforts to recover from the COVID-19 crisis.
“By bringing in WTO services negotiators, technical experts on international trade, and government officials from various WTO members and observers, the course will allow us to deepen our understanding and analysis of the current trends and issues in trade in services, such as on domestic regulation and environmental services, and of the increasing relevance of e-commerce, among other topics. This will prove useful as we are involved in ongoing trade negotiations as well as in communicating with stakeholders and the private sector back home about the benefits of engagement in services trade,” he added.
The course programme is available here. | https://portal.ieu-monitoring.com/editorial/wto-32-countries-taking-part-in-advanced-course-on-trade-in-services/387768?utm_source=ieu-portal |
Opportunity to join an award-winning firm which provides financial planning, investment management and investment advisory services to private clients.
The purpose of the role is to monitor the regulatory change horizon, providing information to senior management and the wider business, through analysing proposed regulatory changes and their relevance to and impact on the company.
This is a key role and will include providing highly technical guidance and support to the business in a clear and concise manner. You will also represent compliance and regulatory viewpoints on projects and wider business initiatives and, where appropriate, on industry forums.
Develop a thorough approach to horizon scanning which ensures coverage of all relevant regulatory publications and websites.
Produce regulatory development updates, in various formats, as required, for the Risk & Compliance team, the wider business, senior management and specific business lines.
Provide specialist compliance input, advice, support and rules interpretation to both line and project managers on projects and business developments in order that they meet regulatory requirements.
Ensure that the wider Risk & Compliance team is provided with an in-depth analysis of the FCA’s annual Business Plan to ensure all relevant issues are captured in the annual Compliance plan.
Represent Compliance at project team meetings and at other forums, including external forums where relevant.
4-6 years’ experience gained working in regulatory advisory or policy compliance role within the wealth/investment management or financial planning sector.
Must be able to demonstrate significant technical experience of delivering wide-ranging regulatory guidance and solutions in a commercial environment in a medium to large wealth management organisation.
Excellent drafting, written and verbal communication skills.
Ideally, exposure to and understanding of FCA systems such as GABRIEL and processes related to FCA returns, permissions and approved person applications.
Up to date knowledge of relevant regulatory rules and guidance within the FCA Handbook, particularly COBS, SYSC, CASS sections as well as GENPRU, IFPRU and BIPRU changes.
Able to demonstrate significant experience in interpreting, understanding and applying the FCA rules to achieve business focused and commercial outcomes.
Ability to influence at all levels and build rapport.
Ability to sell difficult messages to all levels within the organisation and with the necessary persistence to follow it through and market regulatory change in a positive way. | https://www.merje.com/job/senior-regulatory-development-manager-investment-manager-and-financial-planning/ |
A MARKET LEADING ENERGY PRACTICE
The global energy group at Clifford Chance is a multi-disciplinary team of highly-experienced lawyers who provide innovative legal advice, with expertise in Capital Markets, Corporate, Construction, Environment, Litigation, PFI/PPP, Project Finance, Restructuring, Real Estate and Tax.
Our broad international network which covers Africa, Asia Pacific, the Americas, Europe and the Middle East, specialises in the particular requirements of the global energy sector, specifically within the oil and gas, power, renewables and nuclear sectors. We are committed to helping clients keep pace with market and regulatory developments, as well as enabling entry into new markets, managing risk and strengthening your business by providing top tier legal advice combined with industry knowledge and an acute awareness of your commercial drivers.
We are at the forefront of emerging trends such as hydrogen, offshore wind, emerging technology solutions (including smart grids and smart meters), energy storage (including carbon capture and battery storage) and associated ESG considerations.
Our Global Clean Hydrogen Taskforce is actively monitoring hydrogen developments globally. To read more about what we're seeing in this space, please click here. | https://energycouncil.com/event-sponsors/clifford-chance/ |
The Latest Released Pawpaw market study has evaluated the future growth potential of the Global Pawpaw market and provides information and useful stats on market structure and size. The persistence of the research is to deliver the market knowledge and strategic insights to assist decision-makers in making informed investment decisions and identifying potential gaps and growth opportunities. Additionally, the report also finds and analyses changing dynamics, emerging trends along with essential drivers, challenges, opportunities, and restraints the in Pawpaw market. The study includes market share analysis and profiles of players such as Panreac, S.I. Chemical, M/S Shri Ganesh, BSC, Enzybel International, MITSUBISHI-KAGAKU, SENTHIL, PATEL REMEDIES, Fruzyme Biotech, Rosun Natural Products, Pangbo Enzyme, Nanning Doing-Higher Bio-Tech, Huaqi, TIANLV, Nanning Javely Biological, Guangxi Acade
The global Pawpaw market exhibited moderate growth during 2021-2027. Looking onward, the market is to grow at a CAGR of around 2.6%.
If you are a Pawpaw manufacturer and would like to check or understand the policy and regulatory proposal, designing clear explanations of the stakes, potential winners and losers, and options for development then this article will help you understand the pattern with Impacting Trends.
For Sample Report:
https://www.marketintelligencedata.com/reports/500350/global-papaya-papain-pawpaw-market-research-report-2021/inquiry?mode=ich_anirudh
Market Overview:
Dragon Fruit Market is projected to register a CAGR of 3.9% over the forecast period (2021-2026). During the pandemic outbreak, Vietnam’s dragon fruit exports fell about 10.0% for the period January-November of 2020, as the Covid-19 pandemic hit hard.
Although Vietnam exports dragon fruit to a number of global markets, including the European Union, United States, Australia, Japan, and more, China still accounts for the majority (about 91% in 2019) of overall Vietnamese exports. The outbreak of coronavirus in China, therefore, had a big impact on exports last year.
Types of Products:
- Animal Feed
- Dietary Supplements
- Food
- Beverage & Ingredients
Application spectrum:
- Endopeptidases
- Aminopeptidases
- Dipeptidyl Peptidases
Market Analysis:
Dragon fruit has high water content and is a good source of iron, magnesium, vitamin B, phosphorus, protein, calcium, and fiber. The fruit’s edible seeds are also nutritious and have been proved to lower the risk of cardiovascular disorders. Dragon fruit is a low-calorie fruit that is high in fiber and contains a good amount of vitamins and minerals. Owing to the aforementioned benefits, coupled with the changing diet pattern among the Chinese population, the demand for dragon fruit is increasing, thereby, escalating the imports.
The Chinese people consume most of the whole dragon fruit produced from Vietnam. According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam, 80.0% of the dragon fruits produced in Vietnam are exported to China, while 99.0% of dragon fruits in the Chinese market are imported from Vietnam. The demand for the Vietnamese dragon fruit is high in the Chinese market mainly due to its sizable production and high economic importance.
Regions and Countries Level Analysis:
In the Asia Pacific, Vietnam, China and Indonesia are the largest producers of dragon fruit. Vietnam alone contributed more than 50.0% to global dragon fruit production and the majority of the fruit production is meant for exports rather than domestic consumption. It is categorized as a high-value crop, and the local fruit industry in Vietnam has a competitive advantage. In Vietnam, the total area under the production of dragon fruit is approximately 55,000.0 hectares in 2019 with the white flesh variety accounting for more than 95.0% of production, followed by the red flesh variety at 4.5%.
Dragon fruit is mainly grown in Binh Thuan, Long An, and Tien Giang provinces with more than 48,000.0 ha being devoted to its production, annually. However, recently dragon fruit production in Vietnam is facing many difficulties, including the impact of climate change and disease emergence.
The report offers an in-depth assessment of the growth and other aspects of the Pawpaw market in important countries (regions), including:
North America (the United States, Canada, and Mexico)
Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia, and Italy)
Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, and Southeast Asia)
South America (Brazil, Argentina, etc.)
Middle East & Africa (Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Nigeria, and South Africa)
Access Full Report:
https://www.marketintelligencedata.com/reports/500350/global-papaya-papain-pawpaw-market-research-report-2021?mode=ich_anirudh
Highlights of the report:
A complete backdrop analysis, which contains an assessment of the parent Pawpaw market
Important changes in market dynamics
Market segmentation up to the second or third level
Historical, current, and expected size of the Pawpaw market from the standpoint of both value and volume
Reporting and evaluation of recent industry developments
Market shares and strategies of key players
Emerging position segments and regional Pawpaw market
An impartial assessment of the trajectory of the market
References to companies for strengthening their foothold in the market
(BUY NOW) a 20% discount is available on the Pawpaw Market Report:
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Please contact our sales professional ([email protected]), we will ensure you obtain the report which works for your needs.
Impact and Recovery Analysis of Covid-19:
The Global Market Report investigates the results of coronavirus (COVID-19) in transactions. Since December 2019, COVID-19 infection has spread to more than 180 countries around the world, with the World Health Organization saying it is a general well-being crisis. The global impact of Covid Infection 2019 (COVID-19) Square Major is now beginning to be felt and may primarily affect the 2020 market.
Customization:
The Global Pawpaw market report may be modified to meet your specific business needs. Because we understand what our clients want, we provide 25% customization for any of our syndicated reports at no additional cost to all of our clients.
About Us:
Research Studies is a reliable source for market research reports that can give your company the edge it needs. Market intelligence data goal at Research Reports is to provide a platform for many top-notch market research businesses around the world to publish their research reports, as well as to assist decision-makers in selecting the most appropriate market research solutions all under one roof.
Contact Us: | https://xherald.com/market-news/pawpaw-market-analysis-technical-study-and-business-opportunities-to-2027-nanning-javely-biological-guangxi-acade/ |
A nap during the day won’t restore a sleepless night, says the latest study from Michigan State University’s Sleep and Learning Lab.
“We are interested in understanding cognitive deficits associated with sleep deprivation. In this study, we wanted to know if a short nap during the deprivation period would mitigate these deficits,” said Kimberly Fenn, associate professor of MSU, study author and director of MSU’s Sleep and Learning Lab. “We found that short naps of 30 or 60 minutes did not show any measurable effects.”
The study was published in the journal Sleep and is among the first to measure the effectiveness of shorter naps — which are often all people have time to fit into their busy schedules.
“While short naps didn’t show measurable effects on relieving the effects of sleep deprivation, we found that the amount of slow-wave sleep that participants obtained during the nap was related to reduced impairments associated with sleep deprivation,” Fenn said.
Slow-wave sleep, or SWS, is the deepest and most restorative stage of sleep. It is marked by high amplitude, low frequency brain waves and is the sleep stage when your body is most relaxed; your muscles are at ease, and your heart rate and respiration are at their slowest.
“SWS is the most important stage of sleep,” Fenn said. “When someone goes without sleep for a period of time, even just during the day, they build up a need for sleep; in particular, they build up a need for SWS. When individuals go to sleep each night, they will soon enter into SWS and spend a substantial amount of time in this stage.”
Fenn’s research team – including MSU colleague Erik Altmann, professor of psychology, and Michelle Stepan, a recent MSU alumna currently working at the University of Pittsburgh – recruited 275 college-aged participants for the study.
The participants completed cognitive tasks when arriving at MSU’s Sleep and Learning Lab in the evening and were then randomly assigned to three groups: The first was sent home to sleep; the second stayed at the lab overnight and had the opportunity to take either a 30 or a 60 minute nap; and the third did not nap at all in the deprivation condition.
The next morning, participants reconvened in the lab to repeat the cognitive tasks, which measured attention and placekeeping, or the ability to complete a series of steps in a specific order without skipping or repeating them — even after being interrupted.
“The group that stayed overnight and took short naps still suffered from the effects of sleep deprivation and made significantly more errors on the tasks than their counterparts who went home and obtained a full night of sleep,” Fenn said. “However, every 10-minute increase in SWS reduced errors after interruptions by about 4%.”
These numbers may seem small but when considering the types of errors that are likely to occur in sleep-deprived operators — like those of surgeons, police officers or truck drivers — a 4% decrease in errors could potentially save lives, Fenn said.
“Individuals who obtained more SWS tended to show reduced errors on both tasks. However, they still showed worse performance than the participants who slept,” she said.
Fenn hopes that the findings underscore the importance of prioritizing sleep and that naps — even if they include SWS — cannot replace a full night of sleep.
Acute and chronic sleep loss are linked with a range of negative physiological and psychological outcomes (Kecklund & Axelsson, 2016). While complete sleep deprivation rapidly impedes simple and complex cognitive functions, sleep restriction impairs whole‐body homeostasis, leading to undesirable metabolic consequences in the short‐ and longer‐term (Reutrakul & Van Cauter, 2018). Most metabolic tissues including liver (Shigiyama et al., 2018), adipose tissue (Wilms et al., 2019), and skeletal muscle are at risk of developing sleep loss‐associated adverse outcomes.
Skeletal muscle is a primary regulator of human metabolism. Sleep deprivation (Cedernaes et al., 2015, 2018) and restriction (Harfmann et al., 2015) have the potential to profoundly affect muscle health by altering gene regulation and substrate metabolism. Even relatively short periods of sleep restriction (less than a week) can compromise glucose metabolism, reduce insulin sensitivity, and impair muscle function (Bescos et al., 2018; Buxton et al., 2010).
Skeletal muscle is made up of 80% proteins and maintaining optimal muscle protein metabolism is equally critical for muscle health. In situations where skeletal muscle protein synthesis chronically lags protein degradation, a loss of muscle mass is inevitable. Low muscle mass is a hallmark of and precursor to a range of chronic health conditions, including neuromuscular disease, sarcopenia and frailty, obesity, and type II diabetes (Russell, 2010).
Population‐based studies report that the risk of developing these conditions is 15%–30% higher in individuals who regularly experience sleep deprivation, sleep restriction, and inverted sleep–wake cycles (Kowall et al., 2016; Lucassen et al., 2017; Wu et al., 2014). To this end, a growing body of evidence suggests that a lack of sleep may directly affect muscle protein metabolism (Aisbett et al., 2017; Monico‐Neto et al., 2013; Saner et al., 2020).
Rodent studies first demonstrated a possible causal link between complete sleep deprivation and disrupted muscle protein metabolism. Rats subjected to 96 hr of paradoxical sleep deprivation, where rapid eye movement sleep is restricted, experienced a decrease in muscle mass (Dattilo et al., 2012) and muscle fiber cross‐sectional area (de Sa et al., 2016). In this model, sleep deprivation negatively impacted the pathways regulating protein synthesis and increased muscle proteolytic activity (de Sa et al., 2016).
These findings were paralleled by a human study reporting a catabolic gene signature in skeletal muscle following one night of total sleep deprivation in healthy young males (Cedernaes et al., 2018). To expand on this acute model, investigators recently demonstrated that five consecutive nights of sleep restriction (4 hr per night) reduced myofibrillar protein synthesis in healthy young males when compared to normal sleep patterns (Saner et al., 2020). The possible mechanisms underlying these effects might involve the hormonal environment.
Factors that regulate skeletal muscle protein metabolism at the molecular level are influenced by mechanical (muscle contraction), nutritional (dietary protein intake), and hormonal inputs (Russell, 2010). Testosterone and IGF‐1 positively regulate muscle protein anabolism by promoting muscle protein synthesis (Sheffield‐Moore et al., 1999; Urban et al., 1995), while repressing the genes that activate muscle protein degradation (Zhao et al., 2008).
Testosterone binds its specific nuclear receptor, the androgen receptor (AR), at the surface of the muscle fiber and triggers the non‐DNA binding‐dependent activation of the Akt/MTOR pathway (Urban et al., 1995), while IGF‐1 directly upregulates skeletal muscle protein synthesis by activating PI3k/Akt/mTOR (Velloso, 2008). In contrast, cortisol drives catabolism by activating key muscle protein degradation pathways (Kayali et al., 1987).
Experimental evidence suggests that acute and chronic sleep loss alter anabolic (Leproult & Van Cauter, 2011; Reynolds et al., 2012) and catabolic (Cedernaes et al., 2018; Dáttilo et al., 2020) hormone secretion patterns in humans. On this basis, we hypothesized that one night of sleep deprivation would decrease muscle protein synthesis and that the hormonal environment may provide a possible mechanism for impaired muscle protein metabolism.
While our understanding of the health consequences of sleep deprivation continues to improve, important gaps and opportunities remain. This includes linking acute mechanistic changes with clinically observable outcomes and moving toward a more prescriptive, individualized understanding of sleep deprivation by examining sex‐based differences. In this study, we sought to determine if one night of complete sleep deprivation promotes a catabolic hormonal environment and compromises postprandial muscle protein synthesis and markers of muscle protein degradation in young, healthy male and female participants.
reference link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7785053/
Original Research: | https://debuglies.com/2021/08/15/short-naps-dont-mitigate-the-effects-of-a-night-of-sleep-deprivation/ |
Summer is almost here. Beautiful sunshine and the shining blue sea are waiting for you. But before you can dip your toes into the blue ocean during summer break, you have final exams to divide and conquer. In fact, a little hard work before a break makes it all the more rewarding. After all, variety is life. The four strategies below will give you the energy you need and the academic caliber to survive finals week.
1. A Bird's-eye View of Your Exam Dates
Consolidate all your exam dates into a master schedule or better yet plug them all into Google calendar next to other pre-committed obligations, so you can accurately see which will be your lighter and heavier days. Then, you can begin to spread all tasks out a bit to evenly distribute your workload. If you do not proactively forecast and re-distribute your tasks, then it will be overwhelming when papers, projects, and exams all are due at the same time along with other personal plans that you may have for yourself. Chunk everything out in advance with extra cushion time and make it work for you. Stress management is also about self-management.
2. The Power of Rehearsing Knowledge
Spaced repetition is all about reviewing the same concepts repeatedly over a short period of time until you have achieved a perfect memory and understanding of major concepts in a class. The potency here lies in repetition. The more you rehearse and practice a familiar knowledge, the deeper it is seared into your memory. For example, if you are learning the quadratic equation, you may do 15 practice problems every two days. After the first week, you discovered some steps you don't quite understand. You asked for the professor's help. Now, your understanding is close to being perfect. Then, you up the game to doing 30 problems every two days and you do that for an entire week. Consistency is victory. If you get a 100% correct with your 30 practice problems every two days and can solve them correctly and swiftly, then you will do great on the real test, of course. Even computers need time to download data, so the human brain needs time and repetition to soak in knowledge.
3. Deep Handwriting Creates Deep Working Memory
How you take in information affect the speed of your memory and the quality of your mental assimilation to the learning content. Research has proven that handwriting notes during and after class improve retention of knowledge. So if taking notes during class by hand significantly deepen your memory of what you are learning, then you should also use the same process to commit concepts to your memory for tests and exams. The active motor movement of the hand somehow deeply affects the cognitive memory of the brain thereby helping you actively take in knowledge and reserve those cognitive imprints for later retrieval. Some people have survived examinations that last three to four hours (like myself) simply due to the potency of recalling and rehearsing information by handwriting everything out until their memory is perfect before a test. Tried and true, experience the power for yourself.
4. Protect Your Sleep
Sleep does miracles for the brain. "Studies have demonstrated that sleep deprivation leads to a continuous decline in attention. Sleep deprivation has a more adverse effect on cognitive functions." Findings from research support that the quality of information that is stored in memory is reduced when the individual is sleep deprived. This poses a significant, academic setback for students since memory of prior knowledge is a major vehicle that helps students pass exams. Therefore, protecting your sleep is the best way to arm yourself with an abundance of mental energy to fuel your cognitive processes, which you will be doing a lot of during exams week. It is recommended that students should get at least 8 hours of sleep nightly and make a point to limit your bedtime well before midnight. Also, do not neglect a healthy diet. This goes a long way too. The life of the mind entirely depends on the healthy vigor of the body. This is simply science.
Now you are well armed with the best repertoire to survive finals week. If you can see behind all the chaos of close deadlines and strings of endless tasks, finals week, in a strange way, is a time to claim your badge of honor in learning all that you should learn. Finals week is a time to demonstrate your knowledge and shine your scholarly prowess as a student. There is beauty in this; it is a matter of us seeing it. Hopefully, if you see it this way, if you see it with love, and with love everything is lighter. Good luck with your final exams!
Want to move knowledge into long-term memory and ace tests? Find out how. Sign up for May's free webinar now!
Thuy Truong, M.A. Ed.
I am a licensed professional educator, executive function expert, former tenured high school teacher and college instructor with 15 years experience. I am also a student success designer. I enjoy recognizing the missing puzzle in the student's learning and personalizing that solution in a language that is unique to that student. I love the creative challenge of inventing a new language for every child. | https://www.thuyptruong.com/post/4-stress-free-ways-to-survive-finals-week |
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