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exFAT was first introduced in late 2006 as part of Windows CE 6.0, an embedded Windows operating system. Most of the vendors signing on for licenses of exFAT are either for embedded systems or device manufacturers that produce media that will be preformatted with exFAT. The entire File Allocation Table (FAT) family, exFAT included, is used for embedded systems because it is lightweight and is better suited for solutions that have low memory and low power requirements, and can be implemented in firmware.
exFAT allows individual files larger than 4 GiB, facilitating long continuous recording of HD video which can exceed the 4 GiB limit in less than an hour. Current digital cameras using FAT32 will break the video files into multiple segments of approximately 2 or 4 GiB. With the increase of capacity and the increase of data being transferred, the write operation needs to be made more efficient. SDXC cards, running at UHS-I have a minimum guaranteed write speed of 10 MBps and exFAT plays a factor in achieving that throughput through the reduction of the file system overhead in cluster allocation. This is achieved through the introduction of a cluster bitmap and elimination (or reduction) of writes to the FAT. A single bit in the directory record indicates that the file is contiguous, telling the exFAT driver to ignore the FAT. This optimization is analogous to an extent in other file systems, except that it only applies to whole files, as opposed to contiguous parts of files.
exFAT is also supported in a number of media devices such as modern flat panel TVs,[6] media centers, and portable media players.[7]
Some vendors of flash media, including USB pen drives, compact flash (CF) and solid state drives (SSD) are shipping from the factory with some of their high capacity media pre-formatted with the exFAT file system. For example, Sandisk ships their 256 GB CF cards as exFAT.
Like NTFS and HFS+, exFAT is a proprietary file system. Microsoft asserts that exFAT is covered by US Patent 8583708,[8] awarded on November 27, 2013, and US Patent 8321439,[9]Quick File Name Lookup Using Name Hash, which is an algorithm used in exFAT to speed up file searches. Microsoft had also applied for, and so far in some cases, received additional US patents on separate components that are used within exFAT. Since Microsoft has not officially released the entire exFAT specification, the Name Hash patent application is a key document in providing internal details in the understanding of the file system, since those details were revealed in Appendix A of the application.
Like NTFS, exFAT can pre-allocate disk space for a file by just marking arbitrary space on disk as 'allocated'. For each file, exFAT uses two separate 64-bit length fields in the directory: the Valid Data Length (VDL) which indicates the real size of the file, and the physical data length.
To provide improvement in the allocation of cluster storage for a new file, Microsoft incorporated a method to pre-allocate contiguous clusters and bypass the use of updating the FAT table and on December 10, 2013 the US patent office granted patent US8606830.[10] One feature of exFAT (used in the exFAT implementation within embedded systems) provides atomic transactions for the multiple steps of updating the file system metadata. The feature, called Transaction Safe FAT, or TexFAT, was granted a patent by the US patent office under US7613738 on November 3, 2009.[11]
exFAT and the rest of the FAT family of file systems does not use indexes for file names, unlike NTFS which uses B-trees for file searching. When a file is accessed, the directory must be sequentially searched until a match is found. For file names shorter than 16 characters in length, one file name record is required but the entire file is represented by three 32-byte directory records. This is called a directory file set, and a 256 MiB sub-directory can hold up to 2,796,202 file sets. (If files have longer names, this number will decrease but this is the maximum based on the minimum three-record file set.) To help improve the sequential searching of the directories (including the root) a hash value of the file name is derived for each file and stored in the directory record. When searching for a file, the file name is first converted to upper case using the upcase table (file names are case insensitive) and then hashed using a proprietary patented algorithm into a 16-bit (2 byte) hash value. Each record in the directory is searched by comparing the hash value. When a match is found, the file names are compared to ensure that the proper file was located in case of hash collisions. This improves performance because only 2 bytes have to be compared for each file. This significantly reduces the CPU cycles because most file names are more than 2 characters (bytes) in size and virtually every comparison is performed on only 2 bytes at a time until the intended file is located.
exFAT introduces metadata integrity through the use of checksums. There are three checksums currently in use. The Volume Boot Record (VBR) is a 12 sector region that contains the boot records, BIOS Parameter Block (BPB), OEM parameters and the checksum sector. (There are two VBR type regions, the main VBR and the backup VBR.) The checksum sector is a checksum of the previous 11 sectors, with the exception of three bytes in the boot sector (Flags and percent used). This provides integrity of the VBR by determining if the VBR was modified. The most common cause could be a boot sector virus, but this would also catch any other corruption to the VBR. A second checksum is used for the upcase table. This is a static table and should never change. Any corruption in the table could prevent files from being located because this table is used to convert the filenames to upper case when searching to locate a file. The third checksum is in the directory file sets. Multiple directory records are used to define a single file and this is called a file set. This file set has metadata including the file name, time stamps, attributes, address of first cluster location of the data, file lengths, and the file name. A checksum is taken over the entire file set and a mismatch would occur if the directory file set was accidentally or maliciously changed. When the file system is mounted, and the integrity check is conducted, these hashes are verified. Mounting also includes comparison of the version of the exFAT file system by the driver to make sure the driver is compatible with the file system it is trying to mount, and to make sure that none of the required directory records are missing (for example, the directory record for the upcase table and Allocation Bitmap are required and the file system can't run if they are missing). If any of these checks fail, the file system should not be mounted, although in certain cases it may mount read-only.
The file system provides extensibility through template based metadata definitions using generic layouts and generic patterns.[12][13]
ExFAT is a proprietary file system and Microsoft has not released a specification for it. This lack of documentation hampered the development of free and open-source drivers for exFAT. Accordingly, exFAT support was effectively limited to Microsoft's own products and those of Microsoft's licensees, which in turn inhibited exFAT's adoption as universal exchange format.
Interoperability requires that certain results be achieved in a particular, predefined way (an algorithm). For exFAT, this potentially requires every implementation to perform certain procedures in exactly the same way as Microsoft's implementation. Some of the procedures used by Microsoft's implementation are patented, and these patents are owned by Microsoft.[14] A license to use these algorithms can be purchased from Microsoft,[15][14] and some companies – including Apple – have done so.[16] However, in the open-source ecosystem, there is no financial incentive for open-source vendors to purchase a license for these algorithms.
Regardless of whether open-source or not (including Samsung's leaked kernel driver source that was initially fraudulently rebadged as GPL-licensed),[17][18] according to Microsoft "a license is required in order to implement exFAT and use it in a product or device."[14] Unlicensed distribution of an exFAT driver would make the distributor liable for financial damages if the driver is found to have violated Microsoft's patents.[19][20] While the patents may not be enforceable, this can only be determined through a legal process, which is expensive and time consuming. It may also be possible to achieve the intended results without infringing Microsoft's patents.cf.[21]
The patents used by exFAT appears on a list of Microsoft's "Android-killer patents" published in June 2014 by the Government of China.[22]
Support for up to 2,796,202 files per directory only.[2][nb 3] Microsoft documents a limit of 65,534 files per sub-directory for their FAT32 implementation, but other operating systems have no special limit for the number of files in a FAT32 directory. FAT32 implementations in other operating systems allow an unlimited number of files up to the number of available clusters (that is, up to 268,304,373 files on volumes without long filenames).[nb 4]
The standard exFAT implementation is not journaled and only uses a single file allocation table and free space map. FAT file systems instead used alternating tables, as this allowed recovery of the file system if the media was ejected during a write (which occurs frequently in practice with removable media). The optional TexFAT component adds support for additional backup tables and maps, but may not be supported.
Companies can integrate exFAT into a specific group of consumer devices, including cameras, camcorders, and digital photo frames for a flat fee. Mobile phones, PCs, and networks have a different volume pricing model.[5]
A FUSE-based implementation named fuse-exfat, or exfat-fuse[3], with read/write support is available for FreeBSD and multiple Linux distributions.[42][43][44][45] A kernel implementation has also been released, written by Samsung.[46] It was initially released on GitHub unintentionally,[47] and later released officially by Samsung in compliance with the GPL.[48][4] None of the solutions can become an official part of Linux due to the patent encumbered status of the exFAT file system.[citation needed] An implementation called exFATFileSystem, based on fuse-exfat, is available for AmigaOS 4.1.[49]
Proprietary read/write solutions licensed and derived from the Microsoft exFAT implementation are available for Android,[50] Linux, and other operating systems from Paragon Software Group and Tuxera.
Two experimental, unofficial solutions are available for DOS. The loadable USBEXFAT driver requires Panasonic's USB stack for DOS and only works with USB storage devices; the open-source EXFAT executable is an exFAT file system reader, and requires the HX DOS extender to work.[53] There are no native exFAT real-mode DOS drivers, which would allow usage of, or booting from exFAT volumes.
^ abAlthough Microsoft published a different value in KB955704, the file size is in bytes and is stored as a 64-bit number. The largest theoretical file size would be 16 EiB−1 byte, the same as in NTFS. However, since the true theoretical maximum volume size under the current specification cannot exceed 128 PiB, a file can never reach that file length. Another reason for the limit is that current IDE/ATA disk addressing is LBA-48, and uses a 48 bit block address to address a sector. A 512 byte sector size is represented by 29, which makes the maximum addressable file system 29 × 248 = 257, which is 128 PiB. In other words, the 128 PiB limit on the architecture is a hardware restriction. This scenario does not include AF (4k sectors) and exFAT is limited to 128 PiB regardless of sector size based on the specification.
^The theoretical maximum volume size is defined by up to 232 − 11 possible clusters with up to 225 − 1 bytes per cluster = ca. 128 PiB. The size is currently also limited by the LBA48 addressing scheme, as with a 512 byte sector size, only 248 × 512 = 257 bytes = 128 PiB can be addressed.
^ ab268,304,373 files = 228 − 11 reserved clusters - 131,072, the minimum number of 64 kiB clusters occupied for the 268,435,445 directory entries (á 32 bytes) without VFAT LFNs, which are required for 268,435,445 files with sizes between 1 and 65,535 bytes. With VFATs, the 131,072 number must be multiplied by 21 (worst case), which would result in 265,682,933 files instead.
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Investing, in general, comes with risks, but thoughtful investment selections that meet your goals and risk profile keep individual stock and bond risks at an acceptable level. However, other risks you have no control over are inherent in investing. Most of these risks affect the market or economy and require investors to adjust portfolios or ride out the storm.
Here are four major types of risks that investors face, along with some strategies for dealing with the problems caused by these market and economic shifts.
Economic Risk
One of the most obvious risks of investing is that the economy can go bad at any given moment. Following the market bust in 2000 and the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the economy settled into a sour spell, and a combination of factors saw the market indexes lose significant percentages. It took years to return to levels close to pre-September 11 marks, only to have the bottom fall out again in the 2008 financial crisis.
For young investors, the best strategy is often to hunker down and ride out these downturns. If you can increase your position in good solid companies, these troughs are usually good times to do so. Foreign stocks can be a bright spot when the domestic market is in the dumps, and thanks to globalization, some U.S. companies earn a majority of their profits overseas. However, in a collapse like the 2008 financial crisis, there may be no truly safe places to turn.
Older investors are in a tighter bind. If you are in or near retirement, a major downturn in the stock market can be devastating if you haven't shifted significant assets to bonds or fixed-income securities. This is why diversification in your portfolio is essential.
Inflationary Risk
Inflation is the tax on everyone, and if it's too high, it can destroy value and create recessions. Although we believe inflation is under our control, the cure of higher interest rates may, at some point, be as bad as the problem. With the massive government borrowing to fund the stimulus packages, it is only a matter of time before inflation returns.
Investors have historically retreated to hard assets, such as real estate and precious metals, especially gold, in times of inflation, because they're likely to withstand the change. Inflation hurts investors on fixed incomes the most since it erodes the value of their income stream. Stocks are the best protection against inflation since companies can adjust prices to the rate of inflation. A global recession may mean stocks will struggle for a protracted amount of time before the economy is strong enough to bear higher prices. It is not a perfect solution, but that is why even retired investors should maintain some of their assets in stocks.
Market Value Risk
Market value risk refers to what happens when the market turns against or ignores your investment. It happens when the market goes off chasing the "next hot thing" and leaves many good, but unexciting companies behind. It also happens when the market collapses because good stocks, as well as bad stocks, suffer as investors stampede out of the market.
Some investors find this a good thing and view it as an opportunity to load up on great stocks at a time when the market isn't bidding down the price. On the other hand, it doesn't advance your cause to watch your investments flatline month after month while other parts of the market are going up.
Don't get caught with all your investments in one sector of the economy. By spreading your investments across several sectors, you have a better chance of participating in the growth of some of your stocks at any one time.
Risk of Being Too Conservative
There is nothing wrong with being a conservative or careful investor. However, if you never take any risks, it may be difficult to reach your financial goals. You may have to finance 15–20 years of retirement with your nest egg, and keeping it all in low-interest savings instruments may not get the job done. Younger investors should be more aggressive with their portfolios, as they have time to rebound if the market turns bad.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is gamma risk in the stock market?
Gamma risk refers to one of "the Greeks" that options traders use to analyze options contracts. Gamma measures the volatility of another Greek known as the Delta. The higher the Gamma, the more sensitive an option will be to swings in the price of the underlying stock. This usually occurs when the option is close to the money. Low-Gamma options contracts are likely either deep in the money or deep out of the money.
What ETF tracks stock market risk?
There isn't an ETF that tracks stock market risk since there are many different types of risks. However, there is a volatility index that tracks the volatility in the S&P 500, and this could be thought of as a general measure of market risk. ETFs like VXX and VIXY track this index. | https://www.thebalance.com/major-types-of-risk-for-stock-investors-3141315 |
In this article, we will share some important chemical compounds which are useful for the upcoming Railways & SSC Exams. In this list Compound name, Chemical formula of the compound and its uses are given.
Here is the list of Chemical Compounds
1. Calcium Carbonate
Formula: CaCO3
Uses: Non-prescription drug for relief from acid indigestion and heartburn. Also considered a calcium supplement..
2. Sodium Chloride
Formula: NaCl
Uses: Used to season food (during food preparation and at the table), also used in the past as a method of food preservation.
3. Methane
Formula: CH4
Uses: natural gas, fuel (also called Marsh Gas)
4. Aspirin
Formula: C9H8O4
Uses: Pain Reliever
5. Potassium Tartrate
Formula: K2C4H4O6
Uses: cream of tartar, cooking
6. Baking soda
Formula: NaHCO3
Uses: cooking
7. Acetaminophen
Formula: C8H9NO2
Uses: Pain Reliever
8. Acetic Acid
Formula: C2H4O2
Uses: Active ingredient in vinegar
9. Caffeine
Formula: C8H10N4O2
Uses: stimulant in coffee, tea, some soda
10. Propane
Formula: C3H8
Uses: fuel for cooking
11. Sodium Carbonate
Formula: Na2CO3
Uses: washing soda
12.Phosphoric Acid
Formula: H3PO4
Uses: flavouring in soda
13. Ascorbic acid
Formula: C6H8O6
Uses: Essential vitamin (vitamin C)
14. Ammonia
Formula: NH3
Uses: fertilizer, household cleaner when dissolved in water
15. Ethylene Glycol
Formula: C2H6O2
Uses: antifreeze
16. Calcium Carbonate
Formula: CaCO3
Uses: antacid
17. Ethanol
Formula: C2H5OH
Uses: disinfectant, alcoholic beverages
18.Carbon dioxide
Formula: CO2
Uses: carbonating agent in soda
19. Hydrochloric Acid
Formula: HCl
Uses: production of batteries, photoflash bulbs and fireworks. It's even used to process sugar and make gelatin.
20. Calcium Oxide
Formula: CaO
Uses: Less common in modern homes than in the past. Glows when heated; was used in theatres before invention of electric lighting. Health risks on skin contact or inhalation.
21. Sucrose
Formula: C12H22O11
Uses: Used in cooking. Use as a sweetener.
22. Potassium Carbonate
Formula: K2CO3
Uses: Potash is the common name for various mined and manufactured salts that contain potassium in water-soluble form.
23. Plaster of Paris
Formula: CaSO4·1⁄2H2O
Uses: used for casts to hold broken limbs in place, modelling casts, sculptures and in plasterboard walls and ceilings
24. Gypsum
Formula: CaSO4.2H2O
Uses: Use to manufacture dry wall, plaster, joint compound.
25. Sodium Bicarbonate
Formula: NaHCO3
Uses: Used in baking where it reacts with other ingredients, releasing carbon dioxide (CO2), helping dough rise.
26. Sulphuric Acid
Formula: H2SO4
Uses: Used in lead-acid batteries for cars and other vehicles. It is also known as Vitriol.
27. Hydrogen Peroxide
Formula: H2O2
Uses: Used as a mouth wash (Personal Hygiene)
Chemical formula of Psuedo Alum - K2SO4.Al2(SO4)3.24H2O
Aqua Regia is a mixture of - HCl and HNO3 . In aqua-regia,3 parts of HCl and 1 part of HNO3 are mixed.
SSC CGL 2018 FREE Mock Test: Attempt Now
All the best!
Team Gradeup! | https://gradeup.co/chemical-formula-uses-of-some-important-compounds-i-088e3d4f-e13a-11e5-bcea-7145d4fa8df9 |
Kirkwood hands St. Dominic rare loss in regular-season finale
Kirkwood senior Ava Losse dribbles through the midfield in a field hockey game between Kirkwood and St. Dominic on Thursday, October 14 at MICDS.
By Ben Vessa | STLhighschoolsports
St. Dominic players prepare to defend one of the 15 corners earned by Kirkwood during a field hockey game between Kirkwood and St. Dominic during a field hockey game played at MICDS on October 14, 2021.
By Ben Vessa | STLhighschoolsports
St. Dominic players try to stay dry during a field hockey game between Kirkwood and St. Dominic during a field hockey game played at MICDS on October 14, 2021.
LADUE — As a college student, Kirkwood High coach Dana Oppermann played left wing on the Southwest Missouri State University field hockey team.
St. Dominic coach Beckey Patterson was the goalie.
The two became best friends, college roommates and participated in each other’s weddings.
But for a short time on Thursday, they stood as rivals, coaching two of the surprise teams of the field hockey season as they battled for playoff seeding.
Oppermann now has bragging rights.
Junior Ellie Francois controlled the midfield and assisted on the game-winning goal from senior Bailey Butler as Kirkwood defeated St. Dominic 2-0 in a driving rainstorm Thursday at MICDS.
Kirkwood (12-8) recorded its second successive shutout and snapped the Crusaders' 10-match winning streak.
Both Kirkwood and St. Dominic (12-3) play home games on grass fields which were unplayable on Thursday, prompting the location to be moved to the water turf field at MICDS.
Francois and the Pioneers excelled on the much quicker surface.
“We mentally prepared for it,” Francois said. “We used the fast turf to our advantage and let the ball do the work.”
Kirkwood connected on crisp passes through the middle of the field, negotiated its way into the circle and earned 15 corners during the game, each one proving more dangerous than the next.
The fourth corner required an excellent play by St. Dominic senior defender Riley Monroe to prevent a goal, but on the fifth corner, Kirkwood finally cashed in.
Francois received the insert and fired a pass that was booted aside by St. Dominic goalie Amelia Green, but Kirkwood senior Bailey Butler corralled the loose ball and tucked it past Green for her first goal of the season.
“There were a few (defenders) in front of me and the ball was rolling, so I pulled it back and hit it in with my reverse shot,” Butler said.
To keep its lead, Kirkwood had to try to contain the area’s second leading scorer, St. Dominic senior Gabriella Povich. Against Pattonville on Monday, Povich used her dynamic blend of speed and physicality to notch her fourth hat trick of the season and her 24 goals trail only Gigi Edwards of Villa Duchesne (28).
But led by freshman Emma Appel, the Pioneers’ defense gave Povich no room to operate and held her without a shot on cage.
“I knew the ball was going to move faster (on the water turf) so I had to stay back and time my runs onto her,” Appel said. “And I don’t mind the physicality.”
Kirkwood won six consecutive games between Sept. 3-10, including all three contests at the Gateway Classic to capture the Pool I championship. But after that winning streak, the Pioneers struggled in close games, going just 1-5 in contests decided by one goal.
The Pioneers continued to apply offensive pressure and earn corners. Two outstanding saves by Green denied a goal on the 10th corner, but the 13th corner brought better luck for the Pioneers.
An excellent pass by junior Josie Ploszay found the stick of freshman Georgia Torpey to give Kirkwood a hard-earned insurance goal late in the fourth quarter.
“We’re super-young and one thing we’ve been great at lately is keeping our composure and not making silly mistakes,” Oppermann said.
A 1-0 victory over Ursuline in a 1-vs-1 overtime shootout on Monday may have given the Pioneers the confidence necessary to win tight matches.
“We just wanted to have fun and push through this last game,” Francois said.
The loss puts a small hiccup in an otherwise outstanding season for St. Dominic, which began competing in varsity field hockey in 2017 and had not won more than four games in any previous season.
The Crusaders lost two of their three games at the Gateway Classic on Sept. 3-4, including a 6-1 loss to North Oldham (Kentucky). Since that defeat, the Crusaders outscored opponents by a combined 24-2 during their 10-game winning streak before the loss to Kirkwood on Thursday.
“Gabby has been a strong leader for our team and our defense has been phenomenal,” Patterson said.
The seedings for next week's Midwest Tournament will be released on Friday.
St. Dominic players prepare to defend one of the 15 corners earned by Kirkwood during a field hockey game between Kirkwood and St. Dominic during a field hockey game played at MICDS on October 14, 2021. | |
Lupus nephritis is a kidney disorder that is a complication of systemic lupus erythematosus, characterized by damage to the glomerulus and progressive loss of kidney function.
Lupus nephritis is one complication of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). It is related to the autoimmune process of lupus, where the immune system produces antibodies (antinuclear antibody and others) against body components. Complexes of these antibodies and complement accumulate in the kidneys and result in an inflammatory response.
Lupus causes various disorders of the internal structures of the kidney, including interstitial nephritis, mesangial GN, membranous GN, membranoproliferative GN, diffuse proliferative GN, and others.
It often causes nephrotic syndrome (excessive protein excretion) and may progress rapidly to renal failure. There is progressive azotemia (the accumulation of nitrogenous waste products in the bloodstream) and urinary abnormalities including protein and blood in the urine.
Lupus nephritis affects approximately 3 out of 10,000 people. Systemic lupus erythematosus is most common in women, especially those 20 to 40 years old. It has a familial tendency, with a higher incidence in blacks. It may be related to other autoimmune disorders including rheumatoid arthritis and scleroderma. It has been known to be triggered by pregnancy in some cases.
In children with SLE, about half will have some form or degree of kidney involvement.
Examination indicates decreased kidney functioning with edema and may indicate renal failure. Blood pressure may be high. Abnormal sounds may be heard on auscultation of the heart and lungs, indicating fluid overload. Lupus nephritis is usually discovered during investigation of the causes of reduced kidney function. Fewer than one-half have other symptoms of systemic lupus erythematosus at the time of diagnosis of lupus nephritis.
A urinalysis is abnormal with protein, casts, and red blood cells present in the urine.
An ANA titer is high.
Syphilis tests may be falsely positive.
BUN and creatinine may be used to assess kidney functioning.
A lupus erythematosus (LE) cell test is positive.
A kidney biopsy is indicated, not to diagnose lupus nephritis, but to determine what treatment is appropriate for the renal component of SLE.
A urine immunoglobulin light chain is elevated.
The goal of treatment is improvement of kidney function.
Corticosteroids or other immunosuppressive medications are often effective in reducing symptoms. Whether high doses of corticosteroids or immunosuppressives are likely to be beneficial depends on the precise findings on kidney biopsy.
The outcome varies. It is usually worse with diffuse proliferative lupus nephritis (one specific form of the disorder). As with SLE, the course is variable, with exacerbations (acute episodes) and remissions (symptom-free periods).
Call your health care provider if blood in the urine or swelling of the body develops.
If you have lupus nephritis, call your health care provider if there is decreased urine output. | http://www.health.am/encyclopedia/more/nephritis_lupus/ |
The College of Engineering and Computing at the University of South Carolina is in the process of expanding its tenured and tenure-track faculty members. As part of this growth, the Department of Mechanical Engineering seeks dynamic new tenured and tenure-track faculty members (at all ranks) for Fall, 2019. Applicants should possess a Ph.D. degree in mechanical, nuclear, or aerospace engineering or a closely-related field, a demonstrated record of research accomplishments, and an outstanding capacity for teaching undergraduate and graduate courses. The successful candidate will be expected to develop internationally-recognized, externally-funded research programs that complement existing departmental strengths. We also desire candidates whose expertise aligns with vital cross-cutting initiatives identified by the College.
enhanced heat transfer, thermo-electric power, drive trains for wind-power, thermo-solar materials for energy, aero-thermal, propulsion, materials for harsh environments, nuclear power, nuclear fuels and materials, nuclear fuel cycle, and nuclear fuel safeguards and non-proliferation.
The Department also supports the Biomedical Engineering program, and prospective faculty with expertise in this area may also apply via: http://uscjobs.sc.edu/postings/44959.
Applicants should possess a Ph.D. degree in mechanical, nuclear, or aerospace engineering or a closely-related field, a demonstrated record of research accomplishments, and an outstanding capacity for teaching undergraduate and graduate courses. The successful candidate will be expected to develop internationally-recognized, externally-funded research programs that complement existing departmental strengths. We also desire candidates whose expertise aligns with vital cross-cutting initiatives identified by the College. | https://jobs.nabcep.org/jobs/11782866/open-rank-tenure-track-mechanical-engineering |
Lipid disorders (dyslipidemia) refer to abnormal levels of cholesterol and/or fats in the blood. Lipids are an energy source that constantly circulate from gut to liver and muscle. Fat and carbohydrates provide the most important form of fuel for exercise and sport activities. During exercise, there are four major endogenous sources of energy: plasma glucose derived from liver glycogenolysis, free fatty acids (FFAs) released from adipose tissue lipolysis and from the hydrolysis of triacylglycerol (TG) in very low-density lipoproteins (VLDL-TG), and muscle glycogen and intramyocellular triacylglycerols (IMTGs) available within the skeletal muscle fibers.
In the past it was easy. High cholesterol meant high risk of heart disease and ultimately high mortality. However, it turns out to be more complicated than that. At the very least, total cholesterol is not very accurate because it is a component of “good” fats (HDL) and “bad” fats (VLDL, IDL, LDL). Having high cholesterol generally refers to having high LDL-C levels, but you can have high Triglycerides or high non-HDL. High-density lipoproteins (HDL) are responsible for carrying cholesterol out of the bloodstream and into the liver, where it is either reused or removed from the body with bile.
Blood lipoproteins are formed by various amounts of cholesterol (C), triglycerides (TGs), phospholipids, and apolipoproteins (Apos). ApoA1 is the major structural protein of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), accounting for ~70% of HDL protein, and mediates many of the antiatherogenic functions of HDL. Conversely, ApoB is the predominant low-density lipoprotein (LDL) Apo and is an indicator of circulating LDL, associated with higher coronary heart disease (CHD) risk. Thus, the ratio of ApoB to ApoA1 may be a better marker than LDL/HDL itself.
Lipid Pathways
Long-chain FA are absorbed in duodenum and transformed into TGs, that, together with cholesterol and proteins, are assembled as chylomicrons for blood transport. Short- and medium-chain FA diffuse into the blood and are transported to the liver through the hepatic portal vein bound to albumin. TG and cholesterol are transported by four main classes of lipoproteins: very low-density lipoproteins (VLDLs) rich in TG, chylomicrons, low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) rich in cholesterol , and high-density lipoproteins (HDLs). Chylomicrons also deliver dietary cholesterol to the liver, whereas VLDLs are LDL precursors derived from their catabolism. HDLs are essential in plasma lipid transport, providing to the metabolism of chylomicrons and VLDL and removing the excess of unesterified cholesterol from these lipoproteins.
HDLs are involved in a process known as “reverse cholesterol transport,” taking care of the cholesterol transport from peripheral cells to the liver to favor its excretion. HDLs remove cholesterol and fats from cells but also from atheroma of the arterial wall, allowing liver excretion or reutilization. HDL blood concentrations above 60 mg/dL seem to have a protective effect against atherosclerosis
Lipid Abnormalities in Athletes
Even athletes can have high cholesterol, sometimes functional, sometimes dysfunctional. Regular aerobic exercise consistently increases HDL-C, specifically the larger HDL2-C fraction, with more robust effects observed with higher levels of training.Aerobic exercise also decreases LDL-C, smaller LDL particles and triglycerides, but the effects are variable and are more consistent with higher volumes of exercise.Ultra-endurance athletes who have a very low-carbohydrate/high-fat diet may have high LDL-C and HDL-C due to a functional expansion of the circulating cholesterol pool to meet the heightened demand for lipid transport during exercise. Also, a footnote, but recent data points to *very high* levels of HDL-C as potentially deleterious to cardio-vascular health, showing a distinct U-shape association between HDL-C above 100 mg.dL−1 and disease risk.
So most people need to keep your eye on your non-HDL cholesterol or LDL-cholesterol but athletes on low-carbohydrate/high-fat diets may have to watch their HDL specifically.
Lipids and Cardiovascular disease
Lipid disorders increase the risk of plaque buildup inside blood vessels, called atherosclerosis or, more generally, cardiovascular disease (CVD). When atherosclerosis occurs in the blood vessels of the heart or brain, it can lead to heart attacks and strokes. Lowering non-HDL cholesterol with both lifestyle changes and medications has been shown to lower the risk of both developing and dying of CVD as shown in this big Lancet study (link).
In fact you can use this simple graphic to grade your risk…..
How to check your lipid levels
Here are the approximate healthy lipid ranges…..
in addition, some labs will measure apolipoproteins—ApoA1 and ApoB. They hold the particles inside LDL and HDL together. While ApoA1 holds the “good” HDL, ApoB holds the “bad” LDL particles. So, looking at the ApoB to ApoA1 ratio gives a measure of the “good” versus “bad” cholesterol balance in your blood.
What Contributes to High Cholesterol Levels?
- Age: As people age, their bodies tend to produce more cholesterol [NON-REVERSIBLE]
- Genes: A family history of high cholesterol or heart disease increases a person’s risk of developing high cholesterol [NON-REVERSIBLE]
- Smoking: Nicotine use lowers good cholesterol [REVERSIBLE]
- Being overweight: Excess weight makes the heart work harder in order to pump blood throughout the body, increasing risk of high blood pressure and heart disease [REVERSIBLE]
- Eating a poor diet: People whose diets are high in fat and sugar and low in fruits and vegetables are more likely to develop high cholesterol [REVERSIBLE]
- Living a sedentary life: A lack of exercise increases a person’s risk of high cholesterol [REVERSIBLE]
Diet as a Treatment for Dyslipidaemia
Fortunately, you can reverse your lipid issues provided you make a consistent change in lifestyle. That means reversing all of the reversible risk factors above.
If you want to know what diet to follow, your can either eat a healthy macro diet (eg portfolio diet) or break it down item by item.
Here is an evidence based review of which foods appear to lower LDL cholesterol in the blood (link)
and if you follow a healthy portfolio diet, these are typical changes…..(see link)
non HDL-C (-14%)
LDL-C (-17%)
TC (-12%)
Apolipprotein B (-15%)
CRP (-32%)
Exercise as a Treatment for Dyslipidaemia
Exercise often improves lipid profile especially in unfit sedentary people. The mechanism might involve adiponectin. Furthermore, after an aerobic exercise there is an increase of ApoA1 and a decrease in ApoB (ApoB/ApoA1 may be a better risk predictor of CHD than LDL/HDL)
Meta-analyses suggest that training period correlate with improvement in lipid profile (ref). Each 10-minute increase in exercise duration corresponded to an increase of 1.4 mg/dL in HDL level.
Regular aerobic training resulted in changes in the levels of
HDL-C (0.4 mg/dL),
LDL-C (-0.18 mg/dL)
TC (- 0.33 mg/dL)
TG (- 0.33 mg/dL)
Resistance training produced changes in the levels of
HDL-C (0.84 mg/dL)
LDL-C (- 0.23 mg/dL)
TC (-0.32 mg/dL)
TG (-1.3 mg/dL)
Drug Treatment for Dyslipidaemia
What if diet fails? Drug treatment with a statin is an option, and provided the drug reduces LDL or non-HDL lipids then there is generally a benefit (figure). But there may be some drug-related risk, hence lifestyle change is preferred IMHO (see link)
Citations
Non-HDL cholesterol concentrations in blood are strongly associated with long-term risk of atherosclerotic…www.thelancet.com
Creighton BC, Hyde PN, Maresh CM, et al Paradox of hypercholesterolaemia in highly trained, keto-adapted athletes BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine 2018;4:e000429. doi: 10.1136/bmjsem-2018–000429
Muscella The effects of exercise training on lipid metabolism and coronary heart disease Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol . 2020 Jul 1;319(1):H76-H88. doi: 10.1152/ajpheart.00708.2019. Epub 2020 May 22. | https://www.cyclingapps.net/blog/cholesterol-and-lipids-for-athletes/ |
an apolipoprotein found in HDL and chylomicrons. It is an activator of LCAT and a ligand for the HDL receptor. A deficiency of this apolipoprotein has been associated with low HDL levels and with Tangier disease.
Farlex Partner Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
APOA1A gene on chromosome 11q23-q24 that encodes apolipoprotein A1, the main protein component of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) in plasma, which promotes cholesterol efflux from tissues to the liver for excretion and is a cofactor for lecithin cholesterolacyltransferase (LCAT), which is responsible for forming most plasma cholesteryl esters.
Molecular pathology
APOA1 mutations cause HDL deficiency (e.g., Tangier disease and systemic non-neuropathic amyloidosis).
Segen's Medical Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.
apolipoprotein A-IA 28 kD single chain protein that comprises 75% of the ApoA in HDL; apoA-I is the major protein constituent of lipoproteins, and participates in cholesterol transport by activating LCAT-lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase; apoA-I levels are inversely proportional to the risk of CAD
McGraw-Hill Concise Dictionary of Modern Medicine. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. | https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/apolipoprotein+A-I |
Sunlight:
Hardiness Zone: 4a
Description:
Large, glossy purple-bronze leaves form low growing mounds on this easy to grow variety; sprays of light pink flowers emerge in late spring through early summer; an excellent choice for borders, woodland or rock gardens; drought tolerant once established
Ornamental Features
Burnished Bronze Foamy Bells features dainty spikes of shell pink bell-shaped flowers rising above the foliage from mid spring to mid summer. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its attractive glossy lobed leaves emerge coppery-bronze in spring, turning dark green in color with distinctive coppery-bronze edges and tinges of purple the rest of the year. The black stems can be quite attractive.
Landscape Attributes
Burnished Bronze Foamy Bells is a dense herbaceous evergreen perennial with tall flower stalks held atop a low mound of foliage. Its medium texture blends into the garden, but can always be balanced by a couple of finer or coarser plants for an effective composition.
This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. It is a good choice for attracting hummingbirds to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.
Burnished Bronze Foamy Bells is recommended for the following landscape applications;
- Mass Planting
- Rock/Alpine Gardens
- Border Edging
- General Garden Use
- Groundcover
- Container Planting
Planting & Growing
Burnished Bronze Foamy Bells will grow to be about 8 inches tall at maturity extending to 18 inches tall with the flowers, with a spread of 14 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 12 inches apart. Its foliage tends to remain low and dense right to the ground. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years. As an evegreen perennial, this plant will typically keep its form and foliage year-round.
This plant does best in partial shade to shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. Consider covering it with a thick layer of mulch in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid. It can be propagated by division; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.
Burnished Bronze Foamy Bells is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing a mass of flowers and foliage against which the larger thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden. | https://plants.kennedyscountrygardens.com/12150017/Plant/3617/Burnished_Bronze_Foamy_Bells/ |
DeKALB — The DeKalb Police Department has created a Community Relations Team to strengthen ties with residents and reduce crime in the city, according to a press release from the DeKalb Police Department.
The team consists of six officers, one Sergeant and two members of the command staff who will all work together on different community relations initiatives.
Most of the initiatives were already being conducted, but team members will engage in a more coordinated effort to address the community’s needs, according to the release.
“When combined with our philosophy of proactive and problem-oriented policing, these community engagement efforts should lead to a reduction of crime in our community, while at the same time, increasing public trust which is crucial to the mission of our organization,” the statement reads.
Interim Police Chief John Petragallo said over the last five years, the department had one officer who handled everything the team currently does. Due to staffing issues, the full-time position was pulled, he said.
Petragallo said the team benefits the community in a way that addresses residents’ concerns one-on-one with department officials.
“When I became interim police chief in June, I knew I wanted to fill that position and the best idea was to create a team,” Petragallo said. “We had several people who were interested in joining and now we have a diverse team of officers who work different shifts and can cover more ground.”
The team’s primary duties are to create crime prevention strategies and safety efforts through community awareness campaigns and safety assessments. This will include an effort to identify underlying problems that the police department can address in order to reduce crime, enhance relationships and foster trust, according to the release.
The teams will also program community events, present public presentations, problem-solve through non-traditional policing methods and coordinate special events such as Heroes and Helpers or National Night Out.
Lekkas said the team is perfect for student organizations who want to have an officer speak or provide information about the department at an organization meeting. He encourages students to call team members because it’s the exact opportunity the department is looking for.
“The reason we started [the community relations team] was to formalize a lot of the events that we already do,” Lekkas said. “That way we have a lot of people working in tandem to get a lot of these events accomplished. With working on crime issues and our proactive policing, we just don't want these things to go by the wayside.”
More News Stories
DeKALB — The DeKalb Police Department has created a Community Relations Team to strengthen ties with residents and reduce crime in the city, according to a press release from the DeKalb Police Department.
DeKALB — The ground floor of the Holmes Student Center, along with a Starbucks and The Depot, a convenience store, will open 8 a.m. Saturday. Students and alumni will be able to see the results of the Holmes Student Center renovation project that began in the fall of 2018.
DeKALB — Students, faculty, staff and the DeKalb community are invited to the first ever NIU Homecoming Pep Rally from 6 to 7 p.m. Thursday at the Convocation Center to show their Huskie Pride and get pepped up for the weekend. | |
Changing market conditions, the pace of technology innovation and the explosive growth of new, heterogeneous data sources have led to a foregone conclusion: legacy archiving, discovery and supervisory systems are no longer suited for purpose. Compliance and risk management solutions must be as transformative as the world in which they operate.
Communications Intelligence is the transformation of traditional compliance and risk management from reactive and limited, to proactive, scalable and strategic.
One of the most transformative aspects of Communications Intelligence is the ability to harness today’s advances in artificial intelligence and natural language processing. The realities of the last couple years have led many firms to conclude that the explosion of content volume and variety are stretching the limits of human, manually intensive content inspection and review beyond their usefulness.
However, getting past small-scale trials and experiments in the use of AI/NLP is often hampered by one critical factor — the quality of the underlying dataset. Capturing and preserving the content, metadata and context of collaborative tools, mobile apps, voice recordings, and other non-textual information — on scalable public cloud infrastructure — builds the basis for unleashing the power of AI/NLP-powered applications.
Virtual event, Smarsh Advance, discussed these changes and how to succeed in a data-heavy, hybrid working world. Sessions were divided into three tracks:
- Collaborate
- Protect
- Transform
In the session “Driving Adoption of AI at Enterprise Scale,” the panel discussed “regulatory-grade AI,” which refers to artificial intelligence that is mission-critical and therefore must have higher degrees of scrutiny for use in applications such as digital communications compliance.
The session was moderated by Brandon Carl, Executive Vice President of Product Strategy at Smarsh, featuring Dr. Uday Kamath, Chief Analytics Officer at Smarsh, Dr. Cynthia Rudin, professor of computer science, electrical and computer engineering, statistical science, and biostatistics and bioinformatics at Duke University, and Alex de Lucena, Senior Vice President at Macquarie.
Panel participants also took a deeper dive into ranging technical approaches to AI, NLP, and machine learning. We recommend viewing this highly informative session from preeminent field experts on-demand.
What’s holding companies back from AI adoption
According to a McKinsey report on “The state of AI in 2021,” AI adoption is growing, with 56% of respondents reporting AI adoption in at least one function, up from 50% in 2020.
“From a high level, deploying AI requires thinking about the process, people and data,” Uday said.
Most proofs of concepts for AI, he said, never make it to production, partially because companies haven’t fully thought it out:
- Process: companies must have clarity about mapping business goals to the AI metrics or machine learning models
- People: it’s important to invest in resources and expertise, including stakeholders from across the organization, to decide who must be supervised and how that will be accomplished
- Data: there must be enough data to train AI models on what to look for, and this may take time
Alex de Lucena said data is of primary importance. “For a small bank, the question is, do you have enough data? If not, how do you supplement it? For a big bank, where do you focus first? Which communication channel, which departments or groups are you prioritizing? You need people who can train these models and who can speak to the risks baked into those models in a way that they can validate it. And you can actually zero in on what the specific behavior is you’re looking to surface.”
He also said properly deploying AI models requires a fully baked strategy. “A lot of people enter into AI training models because there’s been some fire — a regulator said you had to do something or a regulator recommended more broadly that people need to initiate this journey,” Alex continued. “So, they find a vendor and people and then have to decide the first step.”
Alex urged that companies expect AI models to work quickly, especially given legacy surveillance methods such as pre-configured lexicons, but it’s not that easy. You can’t avoid doing the work and allowing for time. “And then everything goes from there.”
AI adoption is growing, with 56% of respondents reporting AI adoption in at least one function, up from 50% in 2020. – McKinsey
The many uses for AI-powered communications analysis
Employee misconduct can be detrimental to an enterprise in many ways — regulatory violations, IP loss/data breaches, and harassment or prejudicial treatment. AI-powered analytics can help to understand human communications and behavior more deeply while also identifying critical insights within that data, including:
- Increased risk discovery: deep learning models identify new and emerging risks
- Reduced false positives/identify true positives more precisely
- Lower operating costs from disparate technologies and inefficient review processes
- Client insights to grow cross-selling opportunities
- Proactive management of legal, internal, cybersecurity, brand and privacy risks
What to look out for when choosing an AI vendor
Consider the process, people, and data that you’ll need first. To achieve data interpretability, you must document what you’re doing as you go. Use an iterative approach with data — at the training level, at the validation level, and then in production, to show that you’ve accomplished the things that you set out to do.
Smarsh simplifies your communications technology stack to unlock the value within your communications.
- Capture over 80 communications channels in full fidelity
- Archive with multi-petabyte global scale
- Monitor all communications across languages and regions
- Streamline in-house investigations and e-discovery
- Analyze data to identify valuable business insights
- Take advantage of AI to understand and manage your data more clearly
The Smarsh Communications Intelligence platform is a single, cloud-native platform that scales to the size of the challenges you face. Unlock the signals in your communications and focus on what’s important to your business. This is Communications Intelligence.
This is the third blog in a series recapping Smarsh Advance virtual event. In earlier posts discussed, the importance of tools like Slack for hybrid work and how to adjust e-discovery to incorporate new digital communications. You can watch all the sessions on-demand.
Featured session: Smarsh Advance Virtual Event “Driving Adoption of AI at Enterprise Scale” Watch On-Demand
Source: Smarsh
Scalable for organizations of all sizes, the Smarsh platform provides customers with compliance built on confidence. It enables them to strategically future-proof as new communication channels are adopted, and to realize more insight and value from the data in their archive. Customers strengthen their compliance and e-discovery initiatives and benefit from the productive use of email, social media, mobile/text messaging, instant messaging and collaboration, web, and voice channels.
Smarsh serves a global client base that spans the top banks in North America and Europe, along with leading brokerage firms, insurers, and registered investment advisors. Smarsh also enables federal and state government agencies to meet their public records and e-discovery requirements. For more information, visit www.smarsh.com.
About us
At LS Consultancy, we provide a cost-effective and timely copy advice and copy development services to make sure all your advertising and campaigns are compliant, clear and suitable for their purpose.
We are experts in Marketing and Compliance, and work with a range of firms to assist with improving their documents, processes and systems to help mitigate risk.
Contact us today for a chat or send us an email to find out how we can support you in meeting your current and future challenges with confidence.
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C++ requires many algorithms to be implemented in amortized constant time. I was curious about what this meant for vector insertion. To get started I first wrote an article about amortized time in general. Now I’d like to apply that to appending vector items.
In this analysis I’m looking at end insertion, which is done with the C++ vector::push_back function.
Complexity analysis is usually based on counting how many times a dominant operation occurs. Often we count the number of comparisons, such as with trees, but that doesn’t make sense for a vector insert.
Let’s focus on the cost of copying data, this should be okay by that definition. For common use, this is the most interesting cost since it is usually the highest cost.
Given a type T we define the cost of an operation as the number of times an object of type T is copied. Each time an item is copied, it costs 1.
The elements of a vector are stored contiguously, meaning that if v is a vector<T, Allocator> … then it obeys the identity &v[n] == &v + n for all 0 <= n < v.size().
capacity is the total space available in store. size is the current number of items in store that are actually defined. The remaining are undefined memory.
size < capacity: The item is copied to store[size] and size is incremented. That’s one copy: a cost of 1.
size == capacity: New space must be allocated first. The old items must be copied to the new store. Then the new item added. We copy once for each existing item, plus once for the new item: a cost of size + 1.
That second cost is clearly linear, not the constant time the standard requires.
This where the amortized cost comes in. We aren’t interested in the worst case, but the average case. As the vector reserves capacity beyond its current size, we don’t always have to resize the vector to add a new item. The amortized cost is the average cost of many insertions.
There must be some way to make this cost be constant time.
Let’s first try the approach of increasing the capacity by each time, some constant amount. This means that every inserts will require a resize. Call the resize operation, so at we have items in the list, at we have items, at we have items. For completeness at we have items.
Strip out the constants, and we’re left with an amortized cost of . Thus any constant size of results in linear time, not the desired constant time.
Let’s move on to another option for resizing: start with 1 capacity and double each resize. Let refer to the resizing of the vector. To simplify the math, we’ll use indexing starting at 0. The operation needs to move 1 item; this is the first resize. The moves 2 items; this is the second resize. The operation moves items.
At this point we could swallow the cost of 1 copy and drop the part. Given the exponential term before it, the constant 1 isn’t relevant. For thoroughness, I’ll leave it in.
The constant 3 is the most significant term, so our amortized cost of insert is . Success! That’s constant linear time as the standard has requested.
That 3 represents a concrete number of operations: how many times each item will be copied. It could have been 2 or 4 and still been constant time. Indeed, if we were off by 1 in our definition of , it would have been 2 or 4, not 3.
What are those 3 copies? The first copy is clear: when you first insert an element it has to be copied into the store memory. That leaves us with two copies.
Think of the structure of store at the moment a resize happens. It starts with size == capacity, it’s full, that’s why it’s being resized. After resize it ends up at size == capacity/2 as the capacity has doubled. The second half of the store is empty.
This second half will eventually be filled, and once filled, all items have to be copied somewhere new. This means that for each item inserted, 2 copies happen. The item itself will need to be copied somewhere new, as well as one item from the first half. This relation holds regardless of how many resizes have been done. Each resize always results in one full and one empty half.
If we think in terms of the accounting method that means insertion costs 3 credits. The first credit pays for its immediate insertion. The second credit pays for it’s eventual copy to a new store. The third credit pays for copying an existing item to the new store. The doubling in capacity each resize ensures these new items always have enough credits to cover the copying cost.
By the formal definition of big O I can write whatever I want for the equation. I could even leave it as .
This is actually also as well, isn’t it?
You really should change your blog title. std::vector insert() is linear. Use append, or push_back.
I was using “insert” in the generic sense of inserting into a collection. As I used it in the original article title I chose not to change it when I’ve updated it. | https://mortoray.com/2019/03/26/the-amortized-cost-of-vector-insert-is-3/?shared=email&msg=fail |
A letter-writing blog extolling the virtues of snail mail:
old-fashioned postal paper mail and all of its varied accessories.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Mail speed and sorting changes
We subscribe to The New Yorker magazine. It used to come on Tuesdays, every Tuesday, like clockwork. Now we don't know when it will arrive... once it came as late as Saturday, and now we've missed a week entirely. This week's issue arrived, but last week's is AWOL. Hmmm. So it was in discussing this that Katie gave me the news about sorting.
I've also noticed that I tend to get all my postcards on one day - Tuesday or Wednesday (notably, NOT Monday) is like the Postcrossing flurry. And this week, Friday was all business mail. I tend to get personal letters now on Monday, Thursday and Saturday. It is interesting food for thought. I'm also tracking postmark dates vs. received dates, and things do seem to be moving more slowly, especially postcards. Now, I'm fine with that - I don't do this snail mail thing for speed - but it is interesting to note the changes. Domestic postcards, except those very nearby on the east coast, are taking a week or more to arrive. (I can now officially get a postcard from Europe faster than from California.) Maybe it just has to do with current mail volume, but I think the decreased sorting has something to do with it.
I know there aren't all that many mail geeks out there who actually track the correlation between postmark and delivery date, the way that I do, but I'm betting a fairly high proportion of my blog readers may be among them. So I'm curious: has anyone else noticed these changes, or learned about them from local postal workers?
I have long said that we have a real deal in our U.S. Postal Service, and I do not like to complain about it. I recall that, given the exchange rate and quality of service, our international letter rate in particular is the best value in the world. I'm not complaining here, just noting with interest the changes. I still say that I would be happy to pay more for a first-class stamp, even a special "personal correspondence" rate (which I know would never fly, because there just aren't enough of us to make that fiscally feasible), rather than give up Saturday delivery.
It's Saturday... and I'm glad I've got mail coming today. (At least, I hope I do!)
14 comments:
I have not noticed a slower mail, but mail here has always been fairly slow. I noticed that when I moved here from Boston 6 years ago. Mail takes lots longer to get to Pittsburgh. I don't track postmarks (usually because I can't read them), so my observation is not scientific. I often get NO mail on Tuesdays. Mondays and Fridays are big mail days. I don't get bills in the mail because I do almost all online billing now, which I know is not helping the USPS.ReplyDelete
I would love a personal correspondence preferred customer card from USPS. It would only be available to those who spend, say, $30 a month on personal correspondence, and that would have to be documented over one month so that there would be no cheating. It might get more people to write mail if they could get special deals on postage, like a percent of their monthly postage purchase as a credit.
I'm also willing to pay more for domestic postage, but not international. And I don't object to giving up Saturday delivery, either, if it means a better postal service. What I would hate to see go away is home pick-up. I just recently learned that the US is unusual in its home pick-up of mail. I thought everyone could put their outgoing in their mailbox and have the mailman take it for sorting, but that is not the case in many countries.
I have no idea if there've been any USPS operational changes in the greater St. Louis area, but I'll still take slower, government-run service with no complaints, rather than see the entire organization privatized.ReplyDelete
Thanks for pointing this out, I was wondering about that too. I used the delivery estimation tool on the USPS website for some letters to Portland (from MA) and it told me delivery is 3-4 days. It's not accurate, 1 week is more like it.ReplyDelete
I am not sure where my mail gets sorted, but two weeks ago I mailed 15 of those pre-paid Hallmark post cards from Warwick, and no further than Bristol, and almost all of them took over a week to arrive. I chalked it up to the pre-paid quirk, but now that you mention the sorting I'm not sure that was the reason for the delay. Thanks for mentioning it!ReplyDelete
I have never noticed slower mail really to be honest with you but just a decrease in the amount of mail I used to get just not there anymore you know . sad .ReplyDelete
It's probably different depending on the type of mail too. I ship all the packages for my business USPS Priority, and they get to their locations amazingly fast. Perhaps USPS is focusing more of its efforts on small businesses like mine to compete with Fedex and UPS, so the letters and postcards aren't as much of a priority (no pun intended)?ReplyDelete
I have noticed slower mail, and getting my postcards in very large lumps on the same day. I thought maybe it was just my new area. I may have to see if I can talk to my mail person..I have not met them yet. but they took my thank you for your picking up of my mail post it :)ReplyDelete
Your New Yorker is most likely coming via periodicals postage and that means it's delivered at the "discretion of the postmaster" at the DC or, possibly, at your local carrier distribution center. That accounts for the randomness as the postmaster can decide to or not to process mail in those classifications based on whatever whim or case is in play at the time. I know here in Roswell, Ga., that some periodicals take a week or two weeks longer to get to me than the same ones do to others in the area. I track this as I edit a magazine delivered under such a postage permit and I've noted folks much farther away from the press plant get their copies a week before I do at times. You can, of course, complain to the local postmaster. It may or may not help. Or it may help for awhile and then slip back to the old way. I've seen both things happen. As for the postcards, those are first-class mail. They should be processed as if they were letters and handled and expedited as first class mail is. Of course, that doesn't mean they will be ...ReplyDelete
I don't have enough incoming mail to really track the speed, but it seems to me that mail from Hawaii is getting slower and slower. (Almost a week between postmark date and date of receipt!) Honestly, I think because I don't get as much that I get a little bit every day of the week, rather than have them all clumped up. Which I rather like better... :)ReplyDelete
Stephanie, I have kind of the opposite experience - I used to get mail every day, and now it's all clumped up!ReplyDelete
Oh my gosh!! I am one of those mail geeks who compares the postmark to the arrival date!!! I didn't know there were other people like that out there!! Like Steph said, I don't get enough mail (yet) to say if it's slower or not... but that is interesting!!ReplyDelete
~misha
I just found your Blog today, and have been reading backwards from the most recent posts... so forgive me, I feel kind of horrible posting a comment this far back in your Blog, but I really wanted to share my story! I tend to date all my letters the day I write them and the day I drop them in the postbox, so that the recipient can track the mail if they want XDReplyDelete
*note* I live in SoCal (err Southern California)
: I received two pieces of mail from the same person 3 days apart. The first had been sent 1 day before, and the second had been sent 3 weeks before. odd? yes.
: I get mail from the east coast anywhere between 5-9 days, I think. | http://www.missivemaven.com/2010/08/mail-speed-and-sorting-changes.html |
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Yes. We are committed to ensuring that everyone can apply to the program and can participate fully if accepted. Please email questions to [email protected] for more about our workplace accommodations.
Application Process
What happens after I submit my application for the Bank of America Internship and Fellows Program?
Staff will read through all the applications to determine whether your interests and skills match an available intern project for an upcoming semester. If we think you are a good candidate for one of the projects, we send your application to the supervisor of the project for consideration. All applicants will be notified about the result of their applications by the date indicated on the internship program page.
How do you review applications for undergraduate and graduate internships?
First, we gather substantial educational projects from supervisors across many Met departments. We categorize the projects based on their learning outcomes, goals, and department areas. We read the applications and match applicants with projects in their areas of interest. If there is no project available in the department or area you select on your application, we consider your application for all related projects. We select students who above all are enthusiastic and eager to learn.
I missed the application deadline. May I submit a late application?
No. We do not accept late applications; there are no exceptions.
May I contact an individual Met staff member about being an intern with her/him/them?
No. Please do not contact staff about internships. All undergraduate and graduate students interested in being an intern at the Met must apply. Individual Met staff members will direct you to our office if you contact them directly.
Will I be notified when my application is received?
Yes. You will receive a confirmation email once your online application has been successfully submitted. If you do NOT receive this confirmation, please contact us at [email protected].
Will I have to interview?
Finalists will be contacted for interviews with departments. All interviews will be conducted on the phone or via Zoom. You will not be asked to travel to the Met for an interview. | https://www.metopera.org/about/internships/internship-frequently-asked-questions/ |
You will need
- The labour Code of the Russian Federation Government Decree №922 dated 24.12.07 G. "On the procedure of calculation of average salary".
Instruction
1
In order to begin to accrue educational leave to the employee, he must submit a certificate call from your school and attach to it a statement with a request to grant such leave. Be aware that educational leave is accrued according to the same rules as paid annual leave. If the period of the school holidaysand have holidays, they should also be paid. If the employee was sick then vacation, then sick leave shall not be payable and shall not extend the vacation for sick days.
2
First, calculate the earnings of an employee during the 12 months preceding the accrual of academic leave. To do this, use order No. 922. It clearly identifies all types of payments that should be included in the basis for calculation of such vacation.
3
Next, calculate the average daily earnings. To do this, divide the sum of the calculated earnings for 12 months (if you have worked more than a year) for 12 months and 29.4 days (average number of calendar days in the year. If the employee worked for 5 months prior to the accrual of academic leaveand then divide his earnings for the 5 months for 5 and 29.4. These rules apply in the case when all months worked out completely.If the calculated period is not fully worked month, calculate the monthly average number of calendar days in such months. I.e. 29,4 multiply by the number of calendar days attributable to hours worked, and divide by the total number of calendar days that month. For example, in July the employee before the 10th day was in holidaye, July 11 went to work. 29,4 * 21 / 31 = 19.92 day.
4
For the final calculation of vacationand multiply the calculated average daily earnings by the number of days of educational leaveas referred to in the help call. For example, the average daily earnings for the 12 months amounted to 680 p., the duration of leaveand 30 days. Ie leave will be credited with in size: 680 * 30 = 20400 R.
Note
After educational leave, the employee must provide a certificate of confirmation signed by head of the institution. | https://eng.kakprosto.ru/how-54645-how-to-accrue-study-leave |
The basic structures involved in the development of auditory function and consequently in language acquisition are directed by genetic code, but the expression of individual genes may be altered by exposure to environmental factors, which if favorable, orient it in the proper direction, leading its development towards normality, if unfavorable, they deviate it from its physiological course.
Early sensorial experience during the foetal period (i.e. intrauterine noise floor, sounds coming from the outside and attenuated by the uterine filter, particularly mother’s voice) and modifications induced by it at the cochlear level represent the first example of programming in one of the earliest critical periods in development of the auditory system.
This review will examine the factors that influence the developmental programming of auditory learning from the womb to the infancy. In particular it focuses on the following points:
- the prenatal auditory experience and the plastic phenomena presumably induced by it in the auditory system from the basilar membrane to the cortex;
- the involvement of these phenomena on language acquisition and on the perception of language communicative intention after birth;
- the consequences of auditory deprivation in critical periods of auditory development (i.e. premature interruption of foetal life). | https://jpnim.com/index.php/jpnim/article/view/010111?articlesBySameAuthorPage=2 |
Support for doctors in postgraduate training has always been a priority for Health Education England as shown in a report published today.
The 2022 Enhancing Junior Doctors’ Working Lives report highlights the strides that HEE has made with expanding flexibility, improving recruitment, and resetting education and training to build on what we have learnt from the pandemic.
Safe, high quality patient care is best delivered by a highly motivated workforce that feels valued; engagement with doctors in postgraduate training is essential to HEE’s work and HEE continues to listen to doctors and respond to their feedback and concerns.
HEE continues to focus on providing flexibility in training and enabling a medical career to be more tailored to the individual. Less than full time training has traditionally only been available to those with caring or health needs or those with unique opportunities for personal development. Responding to valued trainee views, all doctors in postgraduate training can now apply to train on a less than full time basis for any reason, with close to 800 doctors having taken up this option so far. HEE also aims to support those doctors taking time to make career and training choices. The recognition of experience completed outside of training programmes enables a more efficient training pathway, a reduction in costs and enhances the rate of senior workforce provision.
The report highlights many other improvements in medical education and training:
- Adaptation of recruitment processes following the pandemic has enabled HEE to optimise the use of technology, while the use of statistical analysis ensures equality, diversity and inclusion are fully considered.
- 26 million pounds has been invested into the COVID-19 training recovery programme to support solutions and mitigate significant risks to training progression and wellbeing.
- HEE has created the first NHS-wide patient safety syllabus which will result in NHS employees receiving enhanced patient safety training.
Professor Wendy Reid, Executive Medical Director and Director of Education and Training said:
"I am so proud of all of the incredible work that has been achieved as part of the Enhancing Junior Doctors’ Working Lives Programme, as highlighted in our sixth report.
"Health Education England has been working side by side with our postgraduate doctors in training and system partners to deliver a variety of initiatives, valuing and developing doctors to ensure the best quality patient care. As well as recognising that doctors want the opportunity to train flexibly, we have invested 26 million pounds into the COVID-19 training recovery programme to support solutions and mitigate significant risks to training progression and wellbeing. I would like to take this opportunity again to thank every doctor for their commitment during the pandemic and beyond where the professional and personal challenges have been significant for everyone."
Minister for Health Maria Caulfield said:
“Junior doctors play a vital role in the NHS and Health Education England has made great progress in improving the flexibility of postgraduate training, prioritising wellbeing and managing the impact of the pandemic so doctors can continue delivering the best quality care to patients. | https://www.hee.nhs.uk/news-blogs-events/news/health-education-england-supports-flexibility-doctors-postgraduate-training |
29 October 2015
The House will shortly debate the Second Reading of the Housing and Planning Bill. The Bill implements a number of the Government’s key manifesto commitments to enable hardworking people to enjoy the security of home ownership, help those who need a new affordable property, and boost overall housing supply.
The Bill includes measures to get the nation building homes faster, by:
• Requiring local authorities to prepare, maintain and publish local registers of brownfield land.
• Reducing uncertainty in the planning process with a new ‘Permission in Principle’ to be granted automatically when housing is allocated in future local and neighbourhood plans or identified on new brownfield registers.
• Maximising housing delivery in London with further planning powers devolved to the Mayor of London to support strategic development.
• Providing more information on the potential financial benefits of major developments.
• Improving the process for establishing Urban Development Corporations.
• Simplifying the compulsory purchase of land or property.
• Allowing planning applications for non-major development to be submitted to and decided by the Planning Inspectorate where the local planning authority has a track record of very poor performance.
• Including housing in nationally significant infrastructure projects.
• Simplifying and speeding up neighbourhood planning.
The Bill includes measures to help more people buy their own home, by:
• Taking forward measures underpinning the agreement with the National Housing Federation to extend the Right to Buy to housing association tenants, including financial powers to pay the housing associations for the cost of the discount, and powers for the regulator to monitor and report on the delivery of the terms of the agreement.
• Requiring local planning authorities to actively promote the development of Starter Homes (at 80% market value), whilst embedding them in the planning system.
The Bill includes measures to ensure the way housing is managed is fair and fit for the future by:
• Requiring social tenants on higher incomes to pay fair rents.
• Placing a duty on councils to manage their housing stock effectively, consider selling their high value assets when they fall vacant, and require them to make a payment to the Secretary of State based on the value of their vacant high value assets.
• Introducing a number of measures to give local authorities tools to tackle rogue landlords.
• Allowing local authorities access to data relating to nearly 3 million tenancy deposits, estimated to cover over 70 per cent of private rented sector properties.
• Simplifying the assessment of housing and accommodation needs.
• Changing the way the redemption of rentcharges and leasehold extensions is calculated by amending a defunct statutory formula.
• Ensuring the Lead Enforcement Authority for Estate Agents is effective, without a single body named in primary legislation.
To assist the House, we have placed a number of fact sheets in the Library, which give further details on all of these measures. If you have any detailed questions on the Bill before or after Second Reading, we would be happy to answer them. We hope that these fact sheets will assist the House in holding a productive debate, and look forward to discussing the issues with you.
Yours ever, | https://johnredwoodsdiary.com/2015/10/29/ministers-set-out-the-details-of-the-housing-bill/ |
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The current version of the vocabulary builder covers over 2720 words & is useful for students preparing for academic English examinations such as SAT, GRE, GMAT, etc. Now you can also listen to the pronunciation of words. -
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philology (noun)
scientific study of languages or of a language.
A person is interested in philology if they are interested in knowing the origin of languages, their evolution, the various changes that have taken place in them with the passages of time, etc.. Philology deals also with the origin of a word, its change of meaning, its present use, etc..
Philology shows that the North Indian languages including Sanskrit and all the European languages were all derived from a single language, and that from that single language these languages developed when its people migrated to different areas.
He studied philology and so knows the origin and change of the meaning of several words. | http://www.univsource.com/words/philology-noun.htm |
A handful of high-profile researchers and commentators this week put the U.S. financial aid system—always a hot-topic in higher education—under a particularly-intense microscope.
Kevin Carey, a vice president at New America, took a hard look at aid packaging at selective institutions in Slate, calling the system a “sham” that dresses up dynamic pricing as student aid. Meanwhile, Art Hauptman, a policy consultant specializing in higher education finance, and three leading researchers in the field took more sweeping looks at the financial aid structure and how it impacts access and education and workforce outcomes.
The big idea: Across their different perspectives and approaches, all the authors focused on financial aid’s role in promoting equity and economic advancement—not just access, or even more limited measures of student success like graduation rates. And all found major areas for improvement.
Three themes jumped out: the importance of program design, competition among different types of aid, and the idea that financial aid alone can’t address longstanding inequities in education and work.
What we’re talking about
- A new working paper tying together the research to-date on financial aid’s impact on college access and outcomes, written by Susan Dynarski, Lindsay C. Page, and Judith Scott-Clayton, which was published in the National Bureau of Economic Research.
- The first in a series from policy consultant Art Hauptman on fixing what he sees as the financial aid system’s misplaced policy incentives that drive up costs without improving outcomes.
- A reported analysis in Slate from Kevin Carey, vice president for education policy and knowledge management at New America, examining how dynamic pricing—advertised as student aid—disadvantages low-income students and instead serves the interests of wealthier students and institutions themselves.
What they say
All the authors take their own approach to the interplay of aid and economic mobility, and each is worth a deeper read. The NBER paper is particularly rich and nuanced in its examination of the research on how financial aid impacts access, education success, and workforce outcomes.
Across them all, however, common themes emerge:
First, redesigning financial aid to improve access, completion, and workforce outcomes doesn’t necessarily need to cost more money. The NBER review, for example, found that program design, not just award amounts, has a significant impact on access and student outcomes. Learners are particularly responsive to up-front guarantees of aid.
Hauptman, for his part, argues that the system could be greatly improved by better targeting both financial aid and state funding to support the students who need it most.
“State funding subsidies favor institutions with more well-to-do students,” he writes, “and federal aid benefits tend to leak up the income scale to gain greater political support.”
Second, in the U.S. system, federal aid often displaces other aid—often resulting in no net gains for students. Last-dollar scholarships in the states, which only provide aid once all federal aid has been exhausted, have been gaining in popularity. And many colleges and universities do the same with institutional aid.
- Dynarski, Page, and Scott-Clayton cite one particular study, which found that up to three-quarters of federal Pell Grant awards are clawed back from students through reductions in institutional grant aid at selective private institutions.
Third, all access isn’t equal. Dynarski, Page, and Scott-Clayton are particularly pointed in saying that the research is clear that access to certain kinds of institutions—ones that do a good job of supporting and graduating students, especially lower-income students—is far more critical than just access in general.
Typically, they found that financial aid programs have a greater impact on degree attainment and income when they are designed to open up access to institutions with more resources to support students and higher graduation rates.
For that reason, they sound a cautionary note about “free” community college programs that might encourage students who would otherwise attend a four-year institution to instead start at a community college. That kind of enrollment switching, they note, has occurred in states like Tennessee that have been leaders in the free community college movement—though likely not at levels high enough to offset the larger gains from overall increases in college-going.
Their larger point is that the effectiveness of financial aid is inextricably tied to institutional quality and resources. Hauptman, in his critique of the financial aid system, agrees wholeheartedly on the quality piece, but questions policies that equate resources with quality. The country’s wealthiest institutions don’t serve large numbers of low-income students. Thus, he writes, policy incentives that reward colleges for high spending per student tend to widen, not narrow, inequities, by funding institutions with more privileged students.
Fourth, institutional quality ties directly to a large theme: financial aid doesn’t operate in a vacuum. Students with financial need often face other disadvantages that have accrued over time and impact their odds of success in college. Successful approaches account for that, pairing financial aid with wraparound supports like tutoring, counseling, mentoring, and services for basic needs.
“Inequality in educational outcomes begins in childhood, and grows with each transition from elementary school to secondary school,” write Dynarski, Page, and Scott-Clayton.
“Even if the direct costs of college are equalized for all, students’ academic preparation, networks, and family supports are not.”
The pandemic, they write, has only exacerbated those inequalities. Without thoughtful interventions—pairing financial aid with other research-backed supports—an entire generation schooled during Covid is less likely to attend college and to succeed when they do. | https://workshift.opencampusmedia.org/researchers-take-a-hard-look-at-whether-financial-aid-reduces-or-perpetuates-inequality/ |
Mission and Vision
Mission:
To ensure resilient cyberspace through development of technology and tools for identifying cyber threats, protecting systems against threats, detecting ongoing cyber-attacks, responding to threats, and resilient recovery from cyber-attacks.
Vision:
C3iHub aims to address cyber security with a wholistic approach --- from analyzing security vulnerabilities at various levels of system architecture and developing mitigating technology stack, to translating the developed technology to deployment-ready software tools, to nucleating start-ups developing these tools at scale, to partnering with industries in this domain for co-development and transfer of these technologies, to training the next generation of cyber security researchers and professionals.
Planned activities of the Hub are as follows: | https://c3ihub.org/mission-vision |
Ashton College is a private post-secondary institution located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Established some 22 years ago, Ashton College has become a leader in the training of adult learners for
specific careers as well as providing numerous opportunities for lifelong learning through its continued
education division. For the past twelve years, Ashton College has also been very active in the field of
online learning, providing students with the opportunity to study from a variety of locations in the
company of an instructor and fellow students. Our live online learning division has grown significantly
over the past years allowing us to reach students throughout the world.
Position Overview
We are inviting applications for the position of Manager, Online Learning. This full-time position is for a
period of one year with the possibility of extension. This is a newly established position and will allow
the successful candidate to focus on understanding and improving the learning experience for our online
students as well as encouraging our online faculty to engage in developing their online teaching skills.
The College is committed to providing its students with the very best educational experience possible.
The position requires an experienced and dynamic person who specializes in online learning, specifically
online learning which incorporates web conferencing tools. This position will contribute a high level of
skill and experience towards building teaching and learning capacity, promoting innovation and
achieving outstanding educational outcomes.
In this position you will work collaboratively as part of a diverse and dynamic team of faculty and
administrators. A team of three assistants will assist with the execution of your responsibilities.
Key Responsibilities
- In collaboration with faculty, facilitating the delivery of courses for live online learning
- Supervising and training online learning team who provide support to faculty and students
- Reviewing current online learning tools and suggesting upgrades and changes if and when
required
- Promoting and conducting training sessions for online faculty
- Keeping up to date with the latest technologies used for live online learning
- Working with a variety of stakeholders to ensure the successful delivery of courses
- Providing advice to course developers and managers on live online learning delivery
- Preparing reports and presentations as and when required for senior management
Qualifications
- Masters degree is required, ideally in Education or Educational Technology
- Two or more years of appropriate experience
- Strong leadership skills
- Ability to perform comfortably in a fast-paced environment with multiple projects,
collaborations and competing deadlines
- Enthusiasm and passion for teaching and learning in higher education
- Strong written and oral communications skills in English
- Proficiency using learning management systems and web conferencing tools
- Highly skilled in interpersonal and organizational skills, critical thinking and problem solving
Commencement Date
October 16, 2020
Working remotely is permissible. | https://www.ashtoneducation.ca/careers-manager-online-learning/ |
Martha is a licensed psychologist and senior Jungian analyst. She practices Jungian Analysis and psychotherapy in Portland, Oregon. Martha earned a Diplomate in Analytical Psychology from the C. G. Jung Institute, Zurich, Switzerland. She is a licensed psychoanalyst (LP) in the State of New York. The National Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis (NAAP) has certified Martha as a psychoanalyst (NCPsyA). Martha is trained in Compassionate (Non-Violent) Communication, neurobiology, and trauma.
Martha is a member of:
- Inter-Regional Society of Jungian Analysts
- International Association of Analytical Psychologists
- National Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis
- Association of Graduate Analytical Psychologists
- American Psychological Association
- Oregon Psychologoical Association
- Western Oregon Mental Health Alliance IPA
Carl Jung, the Swiss physician and analytical psychologist, helped found the training program that bears his name, the C. G. Jung Institute in Zurich. The C. G. Jung Institute is recognized by the International Association for Analytical Psychology and is under the jurisdiction of the Board of Education, Canton of Zurich. The Institute is accredited by the Swiss Charta for Psychotherapy. Analyst training entails 4-6 years of seminars, lectures, in-depth personal analysis, an extensive analytical internship, supervision, exams, and a thesis. Licensure as a psychologist requires a residency, national and state board exams. Certification requires training at an approved institute and additional in-depth psychoanalytic supervision.
Martha formerly taught Portland State University students of business how to participate consciously as members of a team. She is the author of an on-line university course in quality assurance, articles and papers. | https://www.marthablake.com/martha-blake/ |
To better acquaint community members and stakeholders with the Stafford Brownfields Initiative, a virtual public presentation was held in conjunction with the Board of Selectmen’s Meeting on 12/15/2020. The presentation was designed to broaden understanding and involvement of the Brownfields Program, identify potential Brownfield sites within Stafford, and share adaptive, conceptual reuse scenarios for the former Earl M. Witt Intermediate School.
EPA’s Brownfields Program provides grants and technical assistance to
communities, states, tribes and others to assess, safely clean up and
sustainably reuse contaminated properties.
Grant Funds
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has selected the Town of Stafford to receive two (2) Community Wide Brownfields assessment grants. The $300,000 ($200,000 in hazardous substance sites and $100,000 in petroleum) assessment grant funds will be used to: update an inventory of potential brownfields sites in the Town; educate residents about the Brownfields program; solicit information on additional potential brownfields projects for the inventory; develop a site prioritize and selection criteria for the inventory; conduct Phase I environmental site assessments (ESAs); select sites for Phase II ESAs; and identify possible reuse and cleanup options for selected sites. Brownfield assessments are expected to encourage the cleanup of underutilized and contaminated, or potentially contaminated, properties and return them to beneficial reuse.
What is a Brownfields?
The EPA defines a brownfield site as “real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contamination.” Why is this of interest to property owners and developers? Brownfields are also development and revitalization opportunities. Common contaminants include asbestos, lead paint, hydrocarbon spillages, solvents, and pesticides. If the land is properly cleaned up and the contamination is remediated, the site can safely be used for other purposes. Cleaning up and reinvesting in these properties increases local tax bases, facilitates job growth, utilizes existing infrastructure, takes development pressures off of undeveloped, open land, and both improves and protects the environment.
Stafford Brownfields Initiative
Funds from the community-wide assessment grant will help to transform currently blighted areas within the Town of Stafford into clean public spaces that the whole community can take pride in. Through community engagement efforts, the public will gain knowledge about the brownfield sites affecting their community. These funds will allow us to identify and quantify the contaminants that exist within these brownfield sites so that they can eventually be remediated and redeveloped with additional leveraged funding. The assessment, cleanup, and redevelopment of brownfields will act as a catalyst for the area’s revitalization and lead to sustainable development of Stafford. Stafford’s overarching goals are to preserve attractiveness of the community, increase growth of employment and tax base, and improve the overall quality of life of its residents.
Assessment Grant funds are used for:
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Site inventory and prioritization
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Community engagement
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Phase I & II Environmental Site Assessments
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Cleanup planning
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Site reuse/redevelopment planning
Town of Stafford Brownfield Program goals:
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Return vacant or underutilized properties into productive reuse
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Protect human and environmental health
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Increase tax base
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Spur job growth
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Eliminate blight
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Create usable greenspace
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Leverage additional resources
COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT SURVEY
Take this survey to tell us about local development needs, your redevelopment priorities, and how you would like to be engaged in the future! This survey will be available from December 15, 2020 – January 5, 2020.
For Businesses & Developers
If you are looking to conduct any of these activities at a property in Stafford, this program is here for you. Most financial lenders require an ASTM Phase I ESA to be conducted prior to securing a loan. The Town’s Brownfields Program can walk you through this process and may be able to conduct these Phase I/Phase II and/or Hazardous Building Material Assessments for you.
The Town can also assist with cleanup and reuse planning, if needed, following the outcome of the Phase I/Phase II ESAs and/or Hazardous Building Material Assessments. The services the Town can provide can save property owners and developers anywhere from $5,000 to over $50,000. These services can also help remove the stigma and uncertainties of contamination often associated with brownfields that hinder the revitalization of these properties. Funds are intended to kick-start and assist in the redevelopment process.
Some of the significant benefits of this program for the community and private property owners include:
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Help transform blighted sites in neighborhoods.
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Encourage higher property values, create jobs, positively impact the local economy, and create safer, healthier places for us to live, work, and play.
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Help remove the stigma and unknowns associated with these properties to make them more marketable sand facilitate redevelopment.
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Provide due diligence assistance to potential purchasers of Brownfields sites.
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Opportunity to apply for state tax credits for property cleanup
For Residents
The Town selected the team of Weston & Sampson Engineers, Inc. to work with Stafford to implement the Brownfields program, perform community-wide education and outreach, as well as inventory, site assessment and cleanup/reuse planning activities.
The Town of Stafford is asking the community, local businesses and residents for input on the brownfields sites in the community that they are concerned about and would like to see considered as part of the assessment and cleanup / reuse planning process.
At various stages of the assessment process, the Town may sponsor community meetings to discuss the project and present findings to the public and solicit input. Notices will be posted on our website in advance of the meetings, and announcements will be emailed to residents and other interested parties. In addition, an information repository will be set up at the Town Hall, where residents and members of the public will have access to documents pertaining to the selected site, including Phase I and Phase II reports.
Stay Informed
The Town will maintain a mailing list of residents and the community stakeholders wishing to receive email updates on the grant related brownfields activities. The Town will distribute periodic updates summarizing completed and planned site activities. This mailing list will also be used to notify the public of any upcoming community meetings.
To learn more about property eligibility, contact Amber Wakley at (860) 851-8102 or [email protected]
Helpful Links
Though this program has been funded, wholly or in part, by EPA, the contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the EPA. | https://www.explorestaffordct.com/brownfields |
A second course in numerical methods consisting of the first part of 2D1252/DN2252, numerical algebra and 2D1225/DN2225, numerical treatment of differential equations I. Together this corresponds to 2D1250/DN2250, applied numerical methods II. The course is a part of the first year of study for the international master program in Scientific Computing.
Numerical Algebra:
Linear systems of equations: direct algorithms, perturbation theory and condition, rounding errors. Sparse matrices. Iterative methods: stationary iterations, Krylov space methods and preconditioning.
Eigenvalue problems: Theory, transformation methods and iterative methods.
Singular value decomposition and its applications.
Nonlinear systems of equations and numerical optimization. Model fitting.
Differential equations:
Numerical treatment of initial value problems, boundary value problems, and eigenvalue problems for ordinary and partial differential equations. Discretization by finite differences, finite elements, and finite volumes. Convergence, stability and error analysis.
Application oriented computer labs and a project.
An overall aim with this course is to give the student knowledge about how to formulate, use, analyse and implement advanced computer oriented numerical methods to solve problems in numerical algebra and differential equations from different application areas.
After completing the course the student should be able to
1) in numerical algebra
- identify algebra computations, linear and nonlinear, in a practical problem
- implement such a computation, estimate computer resource needs and judge the quality of the results.
- implement special numerical algorithms adapted to the properties of the problem
2) in numerical solution of differential equations
- for a given problem, identify problem type within the area of differential equations, ordinary and partial, and suggest an algorithm for the numerical solution
- utilise and analyze the most important algorithms for the kind of problems presented in this course
- utilise those algorithms from other areas of numerical analysis which are necessary for solving differential equations, e.g. large sparse linear systems of equations, Fourier analysis, etc
- set up and explain some fundamental mathematical models in science which are based on differential equations
- implement the algorithms i a programming language suitable for numerical computation, e.g. Matlab
- utilise computer tools for simulation and visualization of differential equation models in science and engineering.
No information inserted
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Basic numerical analysis, equivalent to 2D1210 or 2D1240/DN1240 Numerical Methods basic course I or II.
No information inserted
To be announced at least 2 weeks before the course starts at the web page for the course.
A, B, C, D, E, FX, F
Based on recommendation from KTH’s coordinator for disabilities, the examiner will decide how to adapt an examination for students with documented disability.
The examiner may apply another examination format when re-examining individual students.
Examination of first part (TEN1; 3 university credits) from course 2D1252/DN2252.
Examination (TEN2; 3 university credits) from course 2D1225/DN2225.
Computer assignments and project work (LAB1; 3 university credits.) from course 2D1225.
No information inserted
No information inserted
No information inserted
No information inserted
Second cycle
2D1253/DN2253 Numerical algebra, methods for large matrices, 2D1255 /DN2255 Numerical Solution of Differential Equations II, 2D1260 /DN2260 The Finite Element Method, 2D1263 Scientific Computing, 2D1280 Computational Fluid Dynamics, 2D1290 /DN2290 Advanced Numerical Methods.
Lennart Edsberg, tel: 790 8119, e-post: [email protected]
The course cannot be counted in the degree if the student has taken 2D1220/DN2220.
The course replaces 2D1251.
In this course all the regulations of the code of honor at the School of Computer science and Communication apply, see: http://www.kth.se/csc/student/hederskodex/1.17237?l=en_UK. | https://www.kth.se/student/kurser/kurs/DN2251?l=en |
Learn about vEDS genetic testing, the role it plays in a vEDS diagnosis, vEDS in families, and the hereditary mutation in the COL3A1 gene.
Within the spectrum of the Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS), vascular complications are. In view of the vast clinical and genetic heterogeneity of EDS, it may therefore be difficult for clinicians to.
Purpose: We describe a case of a term parturient previously clinically diagnosed with hypermobility type Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS. Nevertheless, subsequent genetic testing during pregnancy.
Ehlers–Danlos syndromes (EDS) are a group of genetic connective tissue disorders. Symptoms may include loose joints, joint pain, stretchy skin, and abnormal scar formation. These can be noticed at birth or in early childhood. Complications may include aortic dissection, joint dislocations, scoliosis, chronic pain, or early osteoarthritis. EDSs are due to a mutation of some of more than a.
Have you thought about Ehlers-Danlos syndrome?” EDS. Most of the other types can be verified through genetic testing, but her type cannot. Diagnosis depends on a clinician taking a medical history.
Academic Scholarly Peer Reviewed Articles It “is at the heart of the processes of not just medical journals but of all of. The Washington Post reported that the academic journal had retracted 60 “scholarly” papers after discovering a “peer. Stephen Pinfield that investigated open-access mega-journals and the future of scholarly communication. of the underpinning research and its academic and social/economic
The path to an EDS/HSD diagnosis starts with an examination. This usually includes physical testing: An assessment of hypermobility using the Beighton Scale to assess how mobile the joints are; A search for abnormal scarring and testing the skin to determine what it feels like and how much it stretches
Craniocervical Instability (CCI), also known as the Syndrome of Occipitoatlantialaxial Hypermobility, is a structural instability of the craniocervical junction which may lead to a pathological deformation of the brainstem, upper spinal cord, and cerebellum. It primarily occurs in patients with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and other hereditary disorders of connective tissue.
The Loeys-Dietz syndrome (LDS) is an autosomal dominant aortic aneurysm syndrome with widespread systemic involvement. As defined by Loeys et al. (2006), the disorder is characterized by the triad of arterial tortuosity and aneurysms, hypertelorism, and bifid uvula or cleft palate.Some patients have craniofacial involvement consisting of cleft palate, craniosynostosis, or hypertelorism.
I also described in some detail the background and market potential of Acer’s first two late stage clinical drug candidates for the U.S. market for severe genetic disorders: EDSIVO™ (celiprolol) for.
"I asked her mother, ‘Have you ever considered Ehlers-Danlos syndrome?’ " A genetic test gave the Graham family the name of the condition that plagued their daughter. "You’re just thankful and.
Welcome To The Atwal Clinic for Genomic & Personalized Medicine. Managed by Dr. Paldeep S. Atwal, a board-certified geneticist, our standalone genetics institute caters to patients with rare genetic conditions and is committed to improving access to state-of-the-art genomic testing.
Is Molecule 01 Worth It Four more were at each of these doses: 5 mg/kg, 1 mg/kg, 0.1 mg/kg, and 0.01 mg/kg. Two participants experienced eight. see comments for discussion that biologics exclusivity is applicable, not. My son has eczema and he has a skin patch of it behind his knees and when I brought him into the Derm the
Methylfolate side effects are significant. Learn about methylfolate side effects and how to stop them. Methylfolate side effects can be stopped quickly.
Dear Dr. Roach: Could you explain to me what Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is. it does not have a defined genetic mutation, so genetic testing is not available. The major organs affected are the skin.
For type IV, a prenatal diagnosis by means of polymorphic restriction genetic studies is possible. Lack of consensus on tests and criteria for generalized joint hypermobility, Ehlers-Danlos.
But the researchers found the same condition – Ehlers-Danlos syndrome – can be found in any breed without the familial association typically present with HERDA. Genetic tests on a gelding presenting.
Joint Hypermobility Alan G. Pocinki, M.D. ©2010 5 prone to leak or rupture, allowing disc material to ooze out of the disc and pinch nearby nerves, causing pain.
During his diagnostic odyssey, Jacob found himself on the internet, searching a wide variety of possible diagnoses from Ehlers Danlos. with 200 genetic diseases that are tested for in newborns,
Purpose: We sought to characterize the natural history of vascular Ehlers. Danlos Consortium in 2017 6 (Table 2). If one or more major criteria or several minor criteria are present, the diagnosis.
MRIs, blood tests. According to The Ehlers-Danlos Society: “The Ehlers-Danlos syndromes are a group of connective tissue disorders that can be inherited and are varied both in how to affect the.
It’s our goal to bring awareness, education & hope to those suffering with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. You are not alone. We’re here for you.
Doctors believe she has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a genetic condition which means her collagen is too. Usually you have to stay on a waiting list for a year for blood tests, but if I go to Stanmore I.
1Unit of Electron Microscopy, Department of Dermatopathology, Unilab Lg, Liege University Hospital, B-4000 Liege, Belgium 2Rheumatology Department, Saint-Luc University Hospital, B-1200 Brussels,
Disclaimer: Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) offers Google Translate to better facilitate access for our community. However, HHS makes no claims regarding the accuracy of translations. Any and all health information should be verified by a health care professional.
We analyzed the patients served by the University of Washington Adult Genetic Medicine Clinic. the number of referrals for hypermobile Ehlers–Danlos syndrome. Referral indications increased with.
I’m going to try the gluten thing, but I’m in the same boat as a lot of the folks on this forum. Also, constipation seems to result from the muscle tightness though it may also be the cause or symptom of a larger correlated issue (i.e. gluten).
Diagnostic genetics services at Boston Medical Center provide expertise in the diagnosis and evaluation of genetic and developmental disorders for patients, including: Management of genetic-based conditions in adult, pregnant and pediatric patients Access to Molecular and Cytogenetic testing Rapid, direct communication with referring physicians Below, are the available
Do Pathologists Go To Med School New Jersey – Keeping our Kids Safe, Healthy and in School Provided in this document are information and resources to aid schools in the establishment of HIB policies, the adoption of HIB program strategies, the implementation of proactive responses to HIB and the adoption of effective HIB reporting procedures. Receiving the news that your child
226 comments on “ Patients Share Humanistic Side of Living in Pain amid Lawmaker Opioid Hysteria ”
Botanical Pesticides For Pest Control Dec 18, 2012. Activities to Reduce Pesticide Risks in OECD and Selected FAO Countries. Semiochemicals Used for Arthropod Pest Control (2001). No. 13. US experiences with the biochemical/botanical pesticide system, including the. Preventative pest management. conservation of biological control agents (predators, parasitoids) should be favored over chemical controls. Use chemical controls only when necessary and
The Ehlers-Danlos syndromes are a group of connective tissue disorders that can be inherited and are varied both in how they affect the body and in their genetic causes.
The availability of genetic testing, which involves direct examination of the. aortopathies – Marfan syndrome, Ehlers Danlos syndrome Type 4, Loeys-Dietz syndrome, and familial thoracic aortic.
DEAR DR. ROACH: Could you explain to me what Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is. it does not have a defined genetic mutation, so genetic testing is not available. The major organs affected are the skin.
Learn about vascular Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a rare inherited disorder that can result in ruptures in arteries, intestines and hollow organs. vEDS is caused by a defect in the COL3A1 gene that weakens connective tissue.
While many genetic tests are available to make or confirm a diagnosis, there are some inherited disorders that can’t yet be detected by a gene test. Hypermobile Ehlers Danlos syndrome is one example.
Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) is a term used for a group of rare. This may precipitate serious complications in pregnant patients. Genetic mutations (either inherited or spontaneous) are the.
Phone, Location, Hours & More From Adult Genetics at the Harvey Institute for Human Genetics
Academia.edu is a platform for academics to share research papers.
The above steps include some interesting details that shouldn’t be overlooked. Did you notice that during the entire injection process (except the initial prick) that the needle is bathed in anesthetic solution?
Douglas has a genetic disease called Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, caused by a variant in a gene that. This feature is part of a series on consumer genetic testing. See the whole series. “As a kid, I was.
Though I’ve been impacted by Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) ever since I was a child. affected while others find themselves unable to function outside their beds. Genetic testing is not fully. | https://www.arispeaks.com/geneticist-testing-for-ehlers-danlos/ |
Tasting Notes:
94 points Wine Enthusiast
Velvety, lush and bright, this wine celebrates a warm, wonderful vintage in its exuberance of clove, currant and chocolate-covered cherry, yet the acidity is focused and tense. Lengthy and built to last, the rounded palate is seasoned in black pepper.
Bottle Size:
750 mL
Storage History:
Stored on it’s side in a climate controlled cellar since purchase.
Condition:
Perfect. | https://www.cultwinesintl.com/product/2012-the-vineyard-house-cabernet-sauvignon-napa-valley-we-94/ |
P3 stands for people, prosperity and the planet. For this annual event, teams of college students consider all three as they design tangible, cutting-edge solutions to real-world problems. They create; they innovate; they strive to make a difference. P3 aims to engage and educate the next generation of scientists about sustainability, spark innovative and sustainability technologies and support their use around the world. With an original grant of $15,000, the student teams develop their designs through the school year and then bring their projects to the National Sustainable Design Expo (NSDE) to showcase their work at the USA Science and Engineering Festival (USASEF). Prior to the Expo, P3 teams submit their project reports to compete for a second grant of $75,000 to implement their designs and potentially bring them to the marketplace.
What is the National Sustainable Design Expo?
The National Sustainable Design Expo (NSDE) is an inspiring exhibition of innovative technologies for a sustainable future. EPA P3 student projects exhibit alongside EPA programs, government agencies, and advanced tech companies to showcase their designs and achievements. | https://www.epa.gov/P3/learn-about-national-sustainable-design-expo |
Bill Text - AB-1500 Hazardous substances.
An act to amend Sections 25404.1.1 and 25510 of, and to add Section 101080.1 to, the Health and Safety Code, relating to hazardous substances.
AB 1500, as amended, Carrillo. Hazardous substances.
(1) Existing law requires the Secretary for Environmental Protection to implement a unified hazardous waste and hazardous materials management regulatory program, known as the unified program. Existing law requires every county to apply to the secretary to be certified to implement the unified program, and authorizes a city or local agency that meets specified requirements to apply to the secretary to be certified to implement the unified program, as a certified unified program agency, or CUPA. Existing law authorizes a state or local agency that has a written agreement with a CUPA, and is approved by the secretary, to implement or enforce one or more of the unified program elements as a participating agency. Existing law defines “unified program agency,” or UPA, to mean the CUPA or its participating agencies, as provided.
Existing law authorizes the UPA, if the UPA determines that a person has committed, or is committing, a violation of any law, regulation, permit, information request, order, variance, or other requirement that the UPA is authorized to enforce or implement, to issue an administrative enforcement order requiring that the violation be corrected and imposing an administrative penalty. Existing law authorizes a unified program agency UPA to suspend or revoke any unified program facility permit, or an element of a unified program facility permit, for not paying the permit fee or a fine or penalty associated with the permit in accordance with specified procedures. Existing law authorizes a unified program agency, UPA, if a permittee does not comply with a written notice from the unified program agency UPA to the permittee to make those payments by a specified date, to suspend or revoke the permit or permit element. Existing law requires the permittee, if the permit or permit element is suspended or revoked, to immediately discontinue operating that facility or function of the facility to which the permit element applies until the permit is reinstated, or reissued.
This bill would repeal the provision authorizing a UPA to suspend or revoke a unified program facility permit, or an element of a unified program facility permit, for not paying the permit fee or a fine or penalty associated with the permit. The bill would authorize the UPA, if a permittee does not comply with a written notice from the UPA to make those payments by the specified date, in addition to suspending or revoking the permit or permit element, to withhold issuance of the permit or permit element.
The bill would authorize a unified program agency UPA to suspend, revoke, or withhold issuance of a unified program facility permit if conditions exist at the unified program facility that the unified program agency UPA considers an imminent or substantial threat to public health, safety, or the environment. The bill would require the permittee to immediately discontinue operating that facility or function of the facility to which the permit or permit element applies until the threat is abated and the permit or permit element is issued, reinstated reinstated, or reissued.
The bill would require the owner or operator of a unified program facility to be liable for a civil or administrative penalty of not less than $500 or more than $5,000 per day for failure to obtain or keep a permit as required pursuant to the provisions governing the unified program.
The bill would provide that the provisions authorizing a UPA to issue an administrative enforcement order or to withhold issuance, or to suspend or revoke, a permit do not prevent the UPA from issuing an administrative enforcement order for the release of a hazardous substance, as defined, for any violation of specified provisions relating to, among other things, business and area plans and risk management plans.
(2) Existing law requires a business that handles a hazardous material, or an employee, authorized representative, agent, or designee of that business, to, upon discovery, immediately report any release or threatened release of a hazardous material, or an actual release of a hazardous substance, as defined, to the UPA and the Office of Emergency Services, as provided.
This bill would require that reporting of the release or threatened release to the UPA and the Office of Emergency Services only if the release or threatened release results in an emergency response.
(3) Under existing law, whenever a release, spill, escape, or entry of waste occurs, as specified, and the Director of Health Care Services or the local health officer makes specified determinations as to that waste, the director is authorized to declare a health emergency and the local health officer is authorized to declare a local health emergency in the jurisdiction or any area thereof affected by the threat to the public health.
This bill would authorize the director or local health officer, if a release, spill, escape, or entry of hazardous waste or of a hazardous substance occurs, which the director or local health officer reasonably determines poses an imminent or substantial endangerment to public health due to specified factors, to take specified actions actions, in consultation with certain state or local regulatory agencies, to protect the health and safety of the public, including, among others, issuing an order to the responsible party to immediately suspend or discontinue the activity causing or contributing to the release, spill, escape, or entry of the hazardous waste or hazardous substance. The bill would require a responsible party to be liable for the costs incurred by the local health officer pursuant to these provisions.
(4) Because the bill would make changes to provisions enforced by unified program agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
(1) Except as provided in paragraph (5), if the order is for a violation of Chapter 6.5 (commencing with Section 25100), the violator shall be subject to the applicable administrative penalties provided by that chapter.
(2) If the order is for a violation of Chapter 6.7 (commencing with Section 25280), the violator shall be subject to the applicable civil penalties provided in subdivisions (a), (b), (c), and (e) of Section 25299.
(3) If the order is for a violation of Article 1 (commencing with Section 25500) of Chapter 6.95, the violator shall be subject to a penalty that is consistent with the administrative penalties imposed pursuant to Section 25515.2.
(4) If the order is for a violation of Article 2 (commencing with Section 25531) of Chapter 6.95, the violator shall be subject to a penalty that is consistent with the administrative penalties imposed pursuant to Section 25540 or 25540.5.
(5) If the order is for a violation of Section 25270.4.5, the violator shall be liable for a penalty of not more than five thousand dollars ($5,000) for each day on which the violation continues. If the violator commits a second or subsequent violation, a penalty of not more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000) for each day on which the violation continues may be imposed.
(b) In establishing a penalty amount and ordering that the violation be corrected pursuant to this section, the UPA shall take into consideration the nature, circumstances, extent, and gravity of the violation, the violator’s past and present efforts to prevent, abate, or clean up conditions posing a threat to the public health or safety or the environment, the violator’s ability to pay the penalty, and the deterrent effect that the imposition of the penalty would have on both the violator and the regulated community.
(c) Any order issued pursuant to this section shall be served by personal service or certified mail and shall inform the person served of the right to a hearing. If the UPA issues an order pursuant to this section, the order shall state whether the hearing procedure specified in paragraph (2) of subdivision (e) may be requested by the person receiving the order.
(d) Any person served with an order pursuant to this section who has been unable to resolve any violation with the UPA, may within 15 days after service of the order, request a hearing pursuant to subdivision (e) by filing with the UPA a notice of defense. The notice shall be filed with the office that issued the order. A notice of defense shall be deemed filed within the 15-day period provided by this subdivision if it is postmarked within that 15-day period. If no notice of defense is filed within the time limits provided by this subdivision, the order shall become final.
(1) An administrative law judge of the Office of Administrative Hearings of the Department of General Services, who shall conduct the hearing in accordance with Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 11400) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, and the UPA shall have all the authority granted to an agency by those provisions.
(2) (A) A hearing officer designated by the UPA, who shall conduct the hearing in accordance with Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 11400) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, and the UPA shall have all the authority granted to an agency by those provisions. When a hearing is conducted by a UPA hearing officer pursuant to this paragraph, the UPA shall issue a decision within 60 days after the hearing is conducted. Each hearing officer designated by a UPA shall meet the requirements of Section 11425.30 of the Government Code and any other applicable restriction.
(B) A UPA, or a person requesting a hearing on an order issued by a UPA, may select the hearing process specified in this paragraph in a notice of defense filed pursuant to subdivision (d) only if the UPA has, as of the date the order is issued pursuant to subdivision (c), selected a designated hearing officer and established a program for conducting a hearing in accordance with this paragraph.
(f) The hearing decision issued pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (e) shall be effective and final upon issuance by the UPA. A copy of the decision shall be served by personal service or by certified mail upon the party served with the order, or their representative, if any.
(g) Any provision of an order issued under this section, except the imposition of an administrative penalty, shall take effect upon issuance by the UPA if the UPA finds that the violation or violations of law associated with that provision may pose an imminent and substantial endangerment to the public health or safety or the environment. A request for a hearing shall not stay the effect of that provision of the order pending a hearing decision. However, if the UPA determines that any or all provisions of the order are so related that the public health or safety or the environment can be protected only by immediate compliance with the order as a whole, the order as a whole, except the imposition of an administrative penalty, shall take effect upon issuance by the UPA. A request for a hearing shall not stay the effect of the order as a whole pending a hearing decision.
(h) A decision issued pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (e) may be reviewed by a court pursuant to Section 11523 of the Government Code. In all proceedings pursuant to this section, the court shall uphold the decision of the UPA if the decision is based upon substantial evidence in the record as a whole. The filing of a petition for writ of mandate shall not stay any action required pursuant to this chapter or the accrual of any penalties assessed pursuant to this chapter. This subdivision does not prohibit the court from granting any appropriate relief within its jurisdiction.
(i) All administrative penalties collected from actions brought by a UPA pursuant to this section shall be paid to the UPA that imposed the penalty, and shall be deposited into a special account that shall be expended to fund the activities of the UPA in enforcing this chapter.
(j) The UPA shall consult with the district attorney, county counsel, or city attorney on the development of policies to be followed in exercising the authority delegated pursuant to this section as it relates to the authority of the UPA to issue orders.
(k) (1) A permittee shall pay a permit fee and any fine or penalty associated with the permit in accordance with the procedures specified in this subdivision.
(2) If a permittee does not comply with a written notice from the unified program agency UPA to the permittee to make the payments specified in paragraph (1) by the required date provided in the notice, the unified program agency UPA may withhold issuance, or may suspend or revoke, the permit or permit element.
(l) (1) If the permittee does not have a valid unified program facility permit or if the permit or permit element is suspended or revoked, the permittee shall immediately discontinue operating, as applicable, that facility or function of the facility to which the permit or permit element applies until the permit is issued, reinstated, or reissued.
(2) A permittee may request a hearing to appeal the withholding of the issuance of, or the suspension or revocation of, a permit or element of a permit pursuant to this subdivision by requesting a hearing using the procedures provided in subdivision (d).
(m) The owner or operator of a unified program facility shall be liable for a civil or administrative penalty of not less than five hundred dollars ($500) or more than five thousand dollars ($5,000) per day for failure to obtain or keep a permit as required pursuant to this chapter.
(n) A unified program agency UPA may suspend, revoke, or withhold issuance of any unified program facility permit, if conditions exist at the unified program facility that the unified program agency UPA considers an imminent or substantial threat to public health, safety, or the environment. The permittee shall immediately discontinue operating that facility or function of the facility to which the permit or permit element applies until the threat is abated and the permit or permit element is issued, reinstated, or reissued.
(1) Otherwise affect the authority of a UPA to take any other action authorized by any other provision of law, except the UPA shall not require a person to pay a penalty pursuant to this section and pursuant to a local ordinance for the same violation.
(2) Restrict the power of a city attorney, district attorney, county counsel, or the Attorney General to bring, in the name of the people of California, any criminal proceeding otherwise authorized by law.
(3) Prevent the UPA from cooperating with, or participating in, a proceeding specified in paragraph (2).
(4) Prevent the UPA from issuing an administrative enforcement order for the release of a hazardous substance, as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 374.8 of the Penal Code, for any violation of Chapter 6.95 (commencing with Section 25500).
(a) Except as provided in subdivision (b), if a release or threatened release of a hazardous material, or an actual release of a hazardous substance, as defined in Section 374.8 of the Penal Code, results in an emergency response, the handler, or an employee, authorized representative, agent, or designee of the handler, shall immediately report the release or threatened release upon its discovery to the UPA, and to the office, in accordance with the regulations adopted pursuant to this section. The handler or an employee, authorized representative, agent, or designee of the handler shall provide all state, city, or county fire or public health or safety personnel and emergency response personnel with access to the handler’s facilities.
(A) Issue an order to the responsible party to immediately suspend or discontinue the activity causing or contributing to the release, spill, escape, or entry of the hazardous waste or hazardous substance. The order may be issued in coordination with the appropriate regulatory agency, including the unified program agency, as defined in Section 25404, if applicable, and shall remain in effect until the director or local health officer determines that the imminent or substantial endangerment to public health has been abated.
(B) Take any other action necessary to protect the public health, including, but not limited to, environmental investigations and temporary relief to, or relocation of, affected individuals.
(2) The director or local health officer, if taking an action pursuant to paragraph (1), shall consult with the state or local regulatory agency that has primary jurisdiction to regulate the entity that caused the release, spill, escape, or entry, in order to ensure that efforts are coordinated.
(b) A responsible party shall be liable for the costs incurred by the local health officer pursuant to this section.
(c) Providing resident assistance and reimbursement for local health officer expenses shall not relieve a responsible party from liability for damages, and any responsible party shall not condition assistance on, or request, a waiver of liability from a recipient of assistance. | http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200AB1500 |
Background: Numerous surgical techniques of silicone tube intubation in congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction (CNLDO) have been described; these techniques can be divided into monocanalicular intubation (MCI) and bicanalicular intubation (BCI). The aim of this study was to compare the clinical effectiveness of MCI versus BCI of CNLDO. Methods: In a prospective, nonrandomized, comparative case study, patients with CNLDO underwent probing under endoscopic control and either BCI or MCI under general anesthesia. Demographic data, including age and sex, duration of preoperative symptoms, method of previous treatment, operative time, timing of silicone tube removal, follow-up periods, complications, and outcomes, were analyzed. Results: The study included 30 eyes from 22 patients for BCI and 30 eyes from 24 patients for MCI. The mean age in the BCI group was 23.3 months and in the MCI group was 23.1 months. Mean follow-up was 16.4 ± 5.9 weeks for BCI group and 11.6 ± 8.2 weeks for MCI group. Operation time was slightly longer in the BCI group. Tubes were most often removed in the operating room under general anesthesia for BCI (66.7%) and in an office setting under topical anesthesia for MCI (100%). Overall, BCI had a 93.3% success rate (28/30), and MCI had a 90.0% success rate (27/30). Conclusions: Although there was no significant difference between the success rates of the 2 groups, MCI allowed technical ease of insertion and tube removal. Moreover, the tubing does not threaten the unprobed part of the lacrimal drainage system. These advantages of MCI should be considered when selecting treatment methods for CNLDO. | https://koreauniv.pure.elsevier.com/en/publications/clinical-effectiveness-of-monocanalicular-and-bicanalicular-silic |
- The International Personality Item Pool is "A Scientific Collaboratory for the Development of Advanced Measures of Personality and Other Individual Differences" maintained by Lew Goldberg at the University of Oregon.
- Personality, Motivation and Cognition Laboratory at Northwestern University is the home of the Personality-Project and inspired Scott Acton's "Great Ideas in Personality" page which is hosted at the PMC lab. Research is focused on the structure of emotion, web based measurement of personality, psychometric theory, and the patterning of relationships between affect, behavior, cognition and desires (the ABCD model).
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience: Lifespan, Cognition and Health Section, Gerontology Research Center, National Institute of Aging: "studies dimensions of personality and their influence on processes of adaptation in adult men and women; determines methods and strategies for coping with stresses of adult life; and evaluates the effects of different coping mechanisms and personality dispositions on such outcomes as subjective well-being, social functioning, and physical and psychiatric health. Section scientists use epidemiological, experimental and longitudinal analyses of personality dimensions to study the interactions of aging with personality and psychological processes."
- Personality Assessment R.J. Harvey at Virginia Tech has focused primarily on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), "Big Five" instruments, and specific scales that are of use in employment related settings. There is also some IRT analyses of Big 5 inventories.
- Animal Personality Institute at University of Texas "is an interdisciplinary organization for bringing together research scientists whose work contributes to understanding personality and temperament in non-human animals. It is dedicated to building a stronger and integrative study of animal personality."
- Riverside Accuracy Project "investigate the factors that influence the considerable accuracy with which people make personality judgments of others in real-life interactions. The four moderators of person perception which are being investigated through the Accuracy Project are the judge (why are some people better judges of personality than others?), the target (why are some individiduals easier to judge than others?), the trait (why are some traits easier to judge accurately?), and the information (what kind of information leads to more accurate judgments of personality?)."
- Laboratory for Affective Neuroscience at the University of Wisconsin "is engaged in a broad program of research on the brain mechanisms that underlie emotion and emotion regulation in normal individuals throughout the life course, and in individuals with various psychiatric disorders. "
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- Attachment Laboratory at SUNY Stony Brook "Reports and commentary on attachment theory and research from Everett Waters, Judy Crowell, and colleagues at SUNY Stony Brook and the New York Attachment Consortium. A library of researchers' publication lists and on-line articles. Attachment measures for infant- mother, childhood, parenting, and marriage research. Course materials. Announcements and summaries of special events. Links to attachment related sites. Special Bowlby and Ainsworth sections. And a gallery of attachment artifacts and observations in the Bowlby- Ainsworth tradition."
- The Personality Assessment Lab at Washington University "... Most knowledge of personality is based on evidence obtained from self-report measures. Unfortunately, there is only a modest correlation between the ways in which people describe themselves and the ways in which they are perceived by others. The research being conducted in our lab began several years ago as an exploration of discrepancies between self-report and informant measures in the assessment of personality and personality disorders. It has evolved into an extensive investigation of interpersonal perception for personality traits. We are studying ways in which people see themselves, ways in which they are seen by other people, and their beliefs about what other people think of them. These studies lie directly at the intersection between basic science and clinical research. They depend heavily on methods and concepts developed by investigators studying interpersonal perception. It is also concerned with the impact of personality traits on functional outcomes in people’s lives."
- Adult Attachment Laboratory at U.C. Davis attempts "... to advance current understanding of adult attachment dynamics. Currently, research in the Adult Attachment Lab is focused on understanding the conscious and unconscious dynamics of the attachment behavioral system and associations between adult attachment style and other psychological constructs such as self-esteem, personality traits, death anxiety, and compassion and altruism."
- Paul Barrett's web page tutorials on stats, pscyhophysiology, and life qualify as a laboratory as well as a personal home page. Great reference source. Unfortunately, because of his use of frames, it is difficult to point to particular portions for particular applications.
- The Social Psychology Network, maintained by Scott Plous of Wesleyan University is in a category by itself. Although (as the name implies) focusing on social psychololgy, there are many useful resources for the personality researcher. Lists of labs, on line experiments, and researchers may be found there. A useful resource (among the many others on the page) is the Research Randomizer which supplies samples (with and without replacement) of pseudo random sequences.
"the largest social psychology database on the Internet. In these pages, you'll find more than 12,000 links related to psychology. " Well recognized as the primary source for Social Psychology. | https://www.personality-project.org/labs.html |
AfterShock is debuting in a brand new series this September called ALTERS, from Paul Jenkins and Leyla Leiz .
As the world struggles to accept the emergence of a new kind of mutant species known as alterations, or “Alters,” a young woman begins her transition from male to female only to find herself also transitioning into a powerful Alter. Faced with persecution by the multi-powered fascist known only as Matter Man, she will face the world as Chalice–a hero for a new age. But as Chalice navigates the path to becoming her true self, she must juggle the complications of her civilian life and the responsibilities of her newfound power.
This groundbreaking series–years in the making–begins the saga of a young woman who can only really be herself…whenever she is not herself.
Alters #1 will feature covers from Tamra Bonvillain and Brian Stelfreeze. It hits comic book shelves on September 7th. | https://boundingintocomics.com/2016/06/24/new-aftershock-comics-series-alters/ |
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Apocalypto
7.5/4425
Set in the Mayan civilization, when a man's idyllic presence is brutally disrupted by a violent invading force, he is taken on a perilous journey to a...
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2018
Bohemian Rhapsody
8/14748
Singer Freddie Mercury, guitarist Brian May, drummer Roger Taylor and bass guitarist John Deacon take the music world by storm when they form the rock...
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Bohemian Rhapsody
1996
Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love
5.7/123
Tara and Maya are two inseparable friends in India. Their tastes, habits, and hobbies are the same. Years later, the two have matured, but have mainta...
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Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love
2021
King Richard
7.9/1375
The story of how Richard Williams served as a coach to his daughters Venus and Serena, who will soon become two of the most legendary tennis players i...
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2021
House of Gucci
6.7/1779
When Patrizia Reggiani, an outsider from humble beginnings, marries into the Gucci family, her unbridled ambition begins to unravel the family legacy...
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2022
The King's Daughter
7.3/534
King Louis XIV's quest for immortality leads him to capture and steal a mermaid's life force, a move that is further complicated by his illegitimate d...
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2021
Burning at Both Ends
5/5
The movie follows a group of resistance radio broadcasters in Nazi-occupied France as they evade capture alongside a Jewish family.
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Against the Ice
6.9/300
In 1909, two explorers fight to survive after they're left behind while on a Denmark expedition in ice-covered Greenland.
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Against the Ice
2021
The Courier
7.1/729
Cold War spy Greville Wynne and his Russian source try to put an end to the Cuban Missile Crisis.
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2019
Midway
7.1/1896
The story of the Battle of Midway, and the leaders and soldiers who used their instincts, fortitude and bravery to overcome massive odds.
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13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi
7.3/2833
An American Ambassador is killed during an attack at a U.S. compound in Libya as a security team struggles to make sense out of the chaos.
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13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi
2019
Ford v Ferrari
8/5798
American car designer Carroll Shelby and the British-born driver Ken Miles work together to battle corporate interference, the laws of physics, and th... | https://nimotv.xyz/genre/36/history |
All You Need To Know About Essay Writing
Derived from the Latin word, “exagium,” the word essay translates to mean, ‘presentation of a case.’ Subsequently, essays are written to present an opinion, argument or factual information. In higher level education, essays are assigned to students in order to gain insight into the student’s opinions on social and academic causes as well as to test their writing abilities.
In addition to presenting one’s argument, essays also serve as a basis to analyse popular researches and statements while conducting a critical evaluation of the stated facts. By means of essay writing, students are provided with the platform to express their thoughts and beliefs by using language. Although there are several types of essay writing, the following styles are often assigned to university students:
Expository Essays:
Expository essays are assigned to students in order to comprehend the level of knowledge that a student possesses. In contrast to other categories, expository comprise only of facts, examples and statistics. The tone utilised in these, is strictly formal in order to demonstrate the validity of the facts. Additionally, these are written on a varied scale such as: compare and contrast, process and cause and effect essay.
Persuasive Essays:
When students are assigned with the task of constructing a persuasive essay, their abilities to convince the reader are tested. These essays should follow a convincing tone and therefore, monitor a formal pattern. The use of strong evidences in the writing can demonstrate the level of knowledge that one has on a particular topic. However, when constructing a persuasive, it is crucial to remain steadfast on one opinion while presenting all sides of the argument. With that in mind, it is essential for the writer to present his/her opinion subtly. Although, discrepancy displayed in one’s writing when it comes to selecting a side demonstrates the lack of knowledge thus, resulting in a weak argument and hindrance in achieving a goal which is to influence the reader.
Narrative Essays:
The purpose of a narrative essay is to allow the writer to articulate a story in the reader’s mind. However, narratives are often assigned to students so that they can express themselves via their writings. Following the structure of first-person writing, narrative essays permit the writer to engross their audience into their story.
Descriptive Essays:
Akin to narrative essays, descriptive essays also involve storytelling. With that said, these essays focus on detail and encourage the writer to define each element in the story clearly so that the reader will be convinced of existing in that particular moment. In most cases, descriptives are employed to define a person, object or place. However, in higher level educational institutions, these essays are a means of expressing a deeper meaning via descriptions so they appeal to the reader’s emotions.
Consequently, all types of essay writing have a similar purpose – to engage the reader while expressing one’s thought process. As a result, the process of writing should be done with planning so that one can demonstrate their arguments with intelligibility. | https://www.essaywritingservice.org.uk/blog/types-essay-writing/ |
Olympics-Athletes escaped sanction for missed drug tests - report
LONDON, Sept 27 Some athletes failed to report for blood doping tests at this year's Olympics but escaped sanction, an independent report into doping procedures at the London Games has revealed.
The Independent Observer (IO) report, compiled by a nine-strong team and published by world anti-doping agency WADA, said several missed appointments had occurred but blamed confusion over tests relating to the Athlete Biological Passport (ABP).
The ABP programme, making its first appearance at a summer Games, was designed to allow testers to compare blood tests with an athletes' existing blood profile, thereby helping identify unusual patterns or anomalies.
However, its introduction proved problematic.
"The process by which athletes were notified of their selection for such tests can be improved, however," the report said.
"Given that the IOC (International Olympic Committee) deferred to the relevant International Federations (IFs) the responsibility to notify athletes of these tests, athletes were obliged to report for testing at a particular time and place.
"It was observed that in some instances athletes failed to "report" to doping control at the assigned time.
"As no written procedure was available for doping control staff in these situations, no consequences for failing to appear seemed to be enforced by the IOC or relevant IF."
The report recommended that advance notice ABP testing only be carried out in very specific situations, saying that it opened the door for manipulation.
While widely-praising London 2012's anti-doping measures, the report identified a lack of information on the whereabouts of athletes as a potential problem and that national Olympic committees (NOCs) should face sanctions if they fail to provide the relevant information.
"Effective testing can be undermined by a lack of accurate whereabouts information," the report on the July and August Games said.
"The IOC should consider the application of sanctions to ensure that all NOCs provide whereabouts information of their athletes no later than two weeks prior to the start of the period of Olympic Games," it recommended.
The London 2012 anti-doping programme, run by the London 2012 organising committee (LOCOG) and UK Anti-Doping at a high-tech facility north of London, was the most extensive ever seen.
More than 5,064 samples were tested as well as an additional 430 samples collected in conjunction with international federations operating an ABP programme.
A total of eight positive tests were recorded during the London Games, two a result of in-competition testing and six emanating from pre-competition controls. (Rorting by Martyn Herman, editing by Mark Meadows)
更多 奥运新闻
LONDON, Feb 15 With only one Olympic medal on snow in nearly a century of trying, Britain has rarely troubled the skiing superpowers but James 'Woodsy' Woods can see a shake-up coming in Pyeongchang next year.
TOKYO, Feb 15 Problems surrounding the venue for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics golf events, which does not allow full membership for women, stem from documents prepared for the original bid, a Japanese media report said on Wednesday. | |
WADA took an important step in the fight against doping in sport when it released at its Foundation Board Meeting in May guidelines designed to enhance cooperation between Anti-Doping Organizations (ADOs) and law enforcement agencies around the world.
‘Coordinating Investigations and Sharing Anti-Doping Information and Evidence’ is a detailed document that will lead to a more concerted effort in the fight against doping in sport by allowing different organizations to pool their intelligence and share their expertise.
“We have been saying for some time now that the battle against doping cheats cannot be fought only in laboratories across the world, and that we need a more collaborative approach to the problem,” said WADA Director General David Howman.
“Based on experience gained, evidence gathered, and lessons learned in the first 10 years of WADA, it is the Agency’s firm view that Anti-Doping Organizations (ADOs) need to move beyond drug-testing alone and develop additional ways to gain information about the use and supply of prohibited substances.
“After all, it’s not only the athletes who are involved in doping – members of the athletes’ entourage may also be involved, as well as the many upstream perpetrators in charge of the supply and trafficking of substances.”
The WADA document is the result of a series of symposia hosted by the anti-doping organizations in the USA, Australia and UK over the last few years to establish a way forward for the sharing of intelligence.
It is not a model of best practice, and nor has it been proposed by WADA for it to become a formal part of the world anti-doping program. It does, however, give advice on how best to establish key relationships with different authorities, and offers ample proof on the effectiveness of previous investigations into doping by law enforcement agencies.
Examples include the investigation by French customs and police into the Festina cycling team at the 1998 Tour de France; the enquiry by US law enforcement agencies into the BALCO laboratory and its president Victor Conte; the raid by Italian police at the 2006 Turin Olympics which seized doping materials from the rooms of the Austrian ski team; and the multi-agency cooperation across the US-Canada border that led to the indictment of Dr Anthony Galea in 2010.
The document also acknowledges the challenges faced by ADOs. It highlights the need for evidence gathering in relation to non-analytical rule violations, and the problem of ‘upstream perpetrators’ who mostly fall outside sport’s jurisdiction.
As well as harnessing the powers of public authorities in a bid to overcome these challenges, the document advises ADOs on how best to ensure that appropriate anti-doping laws exist within their countries, and that those laws encompass all the relevant doping substances.
Furthermore, it advises on how to incentivize robust enforcement of national laws and regulations, and highlights the potential need to remove legal obstacles to the sharing of information between ADOs and public authorities.
“Intelligence gathering is crucial if we are to take the fight against doping on to a new level, and already a number of ADOs already have their own intelligence units in place,” added Mr. Howman.
“These guidelines will help other adopt a similar approach, so that we can develop non-analytical strategies to go alongside the more traditional testing programs that WADA has helped put in place over the last decade. | https://www.wada-ama.org/en/media/news/2011-07/harnessing-law-enforcement-in-the-fight-against-doping |
The role of precuneus and left inferior frontal cortex during source memory episodic retrieval.
The posterior medial parietal cortex and left prefrontal cortex (PFC) have both been implicated in the recollection of past episodes. In a previous study, we found the posterior precuneus and left lateral inferior frontal cortex to be activated during episodic source memory retrieval. This study further examines the role of posterior precuneal and left prefrontal activation during episodic source memory retrieval using a similar source memory paradigm but with longer latency between encoding and retrieval. Our results suggest that both the precuneus and the left inferior PFC are important for regeneration of rich episodic contextual associations and that the precuneus activates in tandem with the left inferior PFC during correct source retrieval. Further, results suggest that the left ventro-lateral frontal region/frontal operculum is involved in searching for task-relevant information (BA 47) and subsequent monitoring or scrutiny (BA 44/45) while regions in the dorsal inferior frontal cortex are important for information selection (BA 45/46).
| |
Srila Prabhupada life-story – New video-audio series
On the auspicious occasion of Srila Prabhupada’s 121st Vyasapuja on 16th August, 2017, I am grateful to announce the beginning of a small offering: a series of over 50 video-audio talks on Srila Prabhupada’s life-story.
The first episode is published here and future episodes will be published every week in the playlist here.
Drawing from the Srila Prabhupada Lilamrita by Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami as well as from several other biographies, memoirs and treatises on Srila Prabhupada’s life, the series attempts to give glimpses His Divine Grace’s fearless devotion, tireless dedication and peerless contributions.
I seek the blessings and good wishes of all the followers of Srila Prabhupada so that I can render this service effectively. | https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/2017/08/srila-prabhupada-life-story-new-video-audio-series/ |
Deerfoot Trail Final Recommendation Report
The City of Calgary and Alberta Transportation are pleased to present the final recommendations of the Deerfoot Trail Study.
PROJECT UPDATE (Dec. 2020)
The Deerfoot Trail Study is a joint initiative between The City of Calgary and Alberta Transportation. The study area covers approximately 35 kilometres of highway, including 18 existing interchanges and one future interchange at 128 Avenue N.E.
In Phase 1 of the study we asked Calgarians and Deerfoot Trail users to identify and confirm challenges on Deerfoot Trail.
In Phase 2 we identified possible short-term solutions (see the Short Term Improvements tab above).
In Phase 3 we asked for feedback on the long-term preliminary Deerfoot Trail improvement concepts at seven interchange areas, (download the Phase 3 “What We Heard” Report for more information).
In Phase 4 we reviewed the long-term recommendations based on Multiple Account Evaluation (M.A.E.), looking at four main factors: financial, environmental, socio-community, and customer service, as well as public feedback.
We are now in Phase 5 which shares the outcomes of the study and presents the final long-term recommendations.
The study outcome is a long-term corridor plan for Deerfoot Trail that describes the recommended improvements to Deerfoot Trail to address current and future traffic needs. This is done by improving safety, mobility, and accessibility for all transportation modes though innovative traffic demand management techniques, targeted infrastructure improvements, and the expansion of various technology applications. The study and recommendations have now been passed to Alberta Transportation who will determine next steps and timelines as funding becomes available for improvements to Deerfoot Trail.
WHAT WE HEARD FROM PAST ENGAGEMENTS
We heard from the public in a variety of ways, including in-person at open houses, stakeholder meetings, and via our online engagement page. The Deerfoot project team is currently reviewing and evaluating all of the feedback as they work to finalize recommendations for the study. For more information and to review the themes that we heard from the public and stakeholders feedback, we invite you to review the Deerfoot Trail Phase 3 engagement What We Heard Report.
SHORT-TERM IMPROVEMENTS
During Phase 2 of the study, the project team developed numerous potential short-term improvement options. In late 2016, the project team held two stakeholder workshops to review short-term improvement options.
For more details on some of short-term options considered, please see the Short-term Options Stakeholder Workshop What We Heard report.
The five recommendations that best met the criteria identified for short-term improvements include:
- New northbound on-ramp from 11 Street N.E.
- "Jughandle" intersection at 32 Avenue / 12 Street N.E.
- Left-turn restrictions at McKnight Blvd / 12 Street N.E. (Council-approved plan)
- Northbound ramp connection between McKnight Blvd and 64 Avenue N.E.
- Southland Drive to Anderson Road / Bow Bottom Trail S.E. southbound basket weave
The study and recommendations have now been passed to Alberta Transportation who will determine next steps and timelines as funding becomes available for improvements to Deerfoot Trail.
PROJECT INFO
The City of Calgary (The City) and Alberta Transportation (AT) are working together to study Deerfoot Trail, between the Stoney Trail interchanges* in the north and south.
The study will consider a range of possible freeway management strategies, including some new to Calgary, and recommend ways to improve safety and mobility in the short- and long-term. The focus will be on making the most of the existing infrastructure, planning for future growth and aligning with the Calgary Transportation Plan.
The study will define and recommend a program of upgrades for Deerfoot Trail by:
- Identifying the existing and future travel needs on the corridor, and any associated impacts on the surrounding communities.
- Engaging the public, community groups and stakeholders to identify users and demands for the corridor, and build a range of potential solutions.
- Recommending safety and mobility improvements for people who drive and take transit.
- Improving air quality and reducing vehicular emissions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the time needed to travel to and within the corridor.
*Please note the Stoney Trail interchanges are included only as the limits of the study. The study recommendations are not anticipated to include significant changes to these interchanges.
DEERFOOT TR INFO
Facts about Deerfoot Trail
- Deerfoot Trail is a core route in the National Highway System, managed by Alberta Transportation since 2001.
- In Calgary, Deerfoot Trail is part of the Primary Goods Movement Network, and is classified as a skeletal road in the Calgary Transportation Plan (CTP). Skeletal roads are often high-speed roads aimed at moving cars and trucks for long distances.
- The average daily traffic ranges from 83,000 vehicles per day at the south end to 170,000 vehicles per day north of Memorial Drive.
- Deerfoot Trail is the only road, other than Stoney Trail, providing continuous north-south connection across the city, and the only north-south skeletal road serving central and east Calgary.
Who manages Deerfoot Trail?
- Alberta Transportation assumed responsibility for Deerfoot Trail in 2001 because of its role in the National Highway Network. There is a possibility The City of Calgary will resume responsibility for Deerfoot Trail once the Calgary ring road is complete. This study needs to be completed regardless of who owns the road.
We heard from the public in a variety of ways, including in-person at open houses, a pop-up event and stakeholder meetings, and our online survey and mapping tool. In total, we received 3364 comments on the map and heard from 8140 people through our questionnaire. Our project team has thoroughly reviewed and evaluated all of the feedback from the questionnaire and developed a detailed What We Heard Report. Included in the What We Heard Report are comments received from the public on an online map. The online map comments have been included in an Online Mapping Tool Report which includes all the verbatim comments and a review by intersection. The review by intersection is also available in a condensed report.
What We Heard Summary:
- Most respondents travel Deerfoot Trail daily, in a vehicle by themselves, between 3 and 7 p.m. to commute to and from work.
- Most drivers experience delays along the study area most of the time.
- Those who don’t use Deerfoot Trail said it was because they don’t feel safe on the road.
- The route most travelled by respondents is from Stoney Trail South to Glenmore Trail, while the most congested segment was reported as McKenzie Lake Boulevard to Glenmore Trail.
- Respondents were most satisfied with signage and traveler information while they are least satisfied with duration of travel times and reliability.
- Efforts to clear collisions and stalls is the most important factor for most respondents while the least important factor is visual appeal / appearance.
- Most respondents indicated they would prefer between 17 Avenue S.E. and Anderson Road to be improved first.
- Lane reduction issues, poorly designed on and off ramps, poorly designed interchanges and congestion were the top issues noted by respondents corridor-wide.
FAQ
Download the Deerfoot Trail FAQ's.
The City and Alberta Transportation partnered on a study for Deerfoot Trail from Stoney Trail North to Stoney Trail South. The purpose of the Deerfoot Trail Study was to review and develop short, medium- and long-term recommendations to enhance safety and mobility for all users and improve and optimize overall operations throughout the corridor and adjacent network. We are pleased to present the final long-term (30 years) recommendations of the Study.
About the study & final recommendations
What happens now?
- The purpose of this engineering study was to identify upgrades and right-of-way requirements to support future decision-making. It provides technical recommendations to determine how Deerfoot Trail could operate 30 years into the future, what it could look like as well as its role and function within Calgary’s and Alberta’s Transportation Network.
- The recommended plan of upgrades will assist Alberta Transportation in future discussions and decisions and any right-of-way requirements to inform decision-making.
What is the long-term recommendation?
- The preferred long term plans recommend High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes or carpool lanes from Barlow Trail to Airport Trail, and significant configuration improvements at many interchanges and key areas.
- Specific areas to be improved include interchanges at 128 Avenue NE, Country Hills Boulevard, Airport Trail, Beddington Trail, McKnight Boulevard, 32 Avenue NE, 16 Avenue NE, Memorial Drive and 17 Avenue SE area, Peigan Trail, 50 Avenue SE connector, Glenmore Trail, and Anderson Road/Bow Bottom Trail Area.
- From 128 Ave NE Interchange to McKenzie Towne Boulevard Interchange: Pedestrians and cyclists' crossings Deerfoot Trail will be improved at each interchange either by providing a new multi-use pathway (MUP) connection or by upgrading the existing facilities to new MUP.
- The preferred long-term plan has the least property impacts and the least environmental impacts when compared to other corridor improvement alternatives.
Why was the study required?
- The principal role of the Deerfoot Trail within Calgary is to provide an efficient, reliable, and safe connection for motor vehicle traffic and goods movement within, to, and from the city
- A traffic operations model, combined with the substantial public input gathered in 2016, identified two main problems: not enough capacity and a lack of east-west connectivity across Deerfoot Trail. We recognized the need to identify improvements to better serve Calgarians.
Funding
How much would the recommendations cost?
- The estimated cost for all recommended improvements over 30 years is $2.25 billion dollars.
How much did this study cost?
- The joint City/Alberta Transportation Deerfoot Trail Planning Study was budgeted at approximately $4 million dollars, provided by Alberta Transportation
Public Engagement and Stakeholder Impacts
How did public input play a role in developing and selecting these options?
- There were various public engagement opportunities throughout the course of the Study.
- There have been several studies on Deerfoot Trail over the past 10 years that identified improvements in specific locations.
- Public input on areas where people experience challenges, along with data from previous studies on Deerfoot Trail and data collected in May of 2016 was used to help determine the areas of focus for the potential short-term and long-term options. The public feedback aligned with the information we gathered in our studies, and that has been used to develop the long-term recommendations.
Q&A – Other
Do these recommendations include any analysis related to COVID-19?
- There was no analysis conducted specifically to assess the impacts associated with COVID-19. However, initial traffic volume data suggests that daily traffic is approaching near normal levels, but there may be a reduction in demand during the peak periods as less congestion and related travel times have been observed.
NEXT STEPS
Deerfoot Trail is part of the provincial highway network and is therefore under the care and control of the Government of Alberta (Alberta Transportation).The Deerfoot Trail Study was undertaken by The City of Calgary with significant input by Alberta Transportation in recognition of this broader context. Future improvements to the corridor would be led by the Government of Alberta as funding becomes available. | https://engage.calgary.ca/deerfoot |
Global warming alarmists are at it again, arguing that higher average temperatures and severe droughts are the worst they have been and a result of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. However, many of those alarmists would be surprised to learn that CO2 emissions are the lowest they've been in 20 years, says Bjørn Lomborg, an adjunct professor at the Copenhagen Business School, and founder and director of the Copenhagen Consensus Center.
The cause for this stems from the switch to reliance on natural gas for energy.
- The United States used to generate only 20 percent of its energy from natural gas and over half from coal.
- Today, coal and natural gas make up 32 percent of energy production.
- Furthermore, natural gas emits 45 percent less carbon per energy unit.
The rise in the use of natural gas comes from technological advancements that have made hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, possible. Fracking has opened up untouched reserves of previously inaccessible shale gas. Aside from some environmental concern, it is difficult to overstate the benefit of fracking.
- Adjusted for inflation, gas has been the cheapest it has ever been in the past 35 years.
- Furthermore, CO2 emissions have dropped 20 percent despite adding 57 million energy producers.
- Overall, U.S. emissions have been reduced by 400 to 500 megatonnes a year, which is twice the total effect of the Kyoto Protocol on the rest of the world.
Many environmentalists incorrectly shift responsibility of the carbon reductions to the investment of alternative energy sources. Wind turbines in the United States reduce emissions by only one-tenth the amount natural gas does. The European Union, for example, has invested over $20 billion annually into solar and wind energy, but its per capita CO2 emission have fallen by less than half of what the United States has achieved.
The United States' investment in green technology has also yielded poor results. The low drop in emissions through wind power ends up costing taxpayers $3.3 billion annually, while the smaller reductions through biofuels and solar power cost $8.5 billion and $3 billion, respectively.
Fracking is not only cost-effective, but the benefits to the environment speak for themselves. Over 30 years of investment and technological innovation have yielded outstanding results and will continue to do so as producers tap into vast natural gas reserves.
Source: Bjørn Lomborg, "A Fracking Good Story," Project Syndicate, September 13, 2012. | http://www.ncpa.org/sub/dpd/index.php?Article_ID=22377 |
A biotechnology pioneer since 1980, Amgen has reached millions of patients around the world.
Amgen has developed a collection of online resources available to help you learn more about areas of interest.
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Overview
Amgen appreciates the opportunity to provide input for ICER’s 2020 Value Assessment Framework. Our comments are informed by our experience engaging in ICER assessments since late 2015 and are intended to support the evolution of ICER’s framework to better align with scientific best practices.
We acknowledge ICER’s mission is “to help provide an independent source of analysis of evidence on effectiveness and value to improve the quality of care that patients receive while supporting a broader dialogue on value in which all stakeholders can participate fully.”1
The credibility and impact of ICER as an independent value assessment body seeking to provide evidence aimed at improving patient quality of care and dialogues on value, hinges on a firm grounding in robust and transparent science, methods, and processes. The US can benefit from rigorous systematic assessments of new technologies to help stakeholders better understand the value of new interventions. We appreciate the steps ICER has taken to refine its value assessment framework over time, and ICER’s openness to further changes. Our comments are focused on changes that we believe are necessary to move ICER’s current framework towards a more reliable and valid approach that better aligns with its stated mission to enable more objective and robust dialogues on value. Our comments cover three areas:
The Amgen team is available to further share detailed observations and insights in support of the below recommendations as needed. ICER’s 2020 Value Assessment Framework has the opportunity to become an evaluation process that is more systematic, transparent, objective, and scientifically robust with continued changes to the existing framework, and we are hopeful that ICER will make the necessary changes to move towards this standard.
PROCESS
(i) Objectivity, Reliability, and Transparency
As an advisor to US healthcare stakeholders, the value of ICER’s contributions relies on its objectivity, reliability, and transparency. This is especially true in a fragmented payer system where it is impossible for value assessment bodies such as ICER to have accountability to multiple budget holders, or liability for the patients potentially impacted by its recommendations. The complexity of the US healthcare system is reflected by the diversity in payers with differing appraisal processes, as evidenced in an observed variation in formularies.2 Results of independent value assessments will be more credible if the approach used is objective and consistent, and the findings are broad such that they may be adapted based on the needs of individual payers. Whether it is an assessment group for a single payer, the FDA or an individual US insurer’s assessment group, these bodies universally recognize that organizations making decisions that affect the quality of health or survival of a given group of patients are also subject to legitimacy, regulation, and accountability. It is not without reason that governments set this accountability, as it is necessary and frequently exercised in practice. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 For example, when the FDA makes a decision to approve a new drug, it is directly accountable to the US government with extensive regulations, audits, and procedures that help to ensure its evaluations are credible, consistent, and as robust as the available evidence base allows. Value is a highly subjective concept, and independent organizations conducting value assessments in the US, such as ICER, should demonstrate an approach that is objective, reliable, and reproducible (i.e., fully transparent), with measures to ensure these qualities are reflected in practice, such as external audits and internal reviews.
Recommendation: As an independent organization that makes its reports public to inform discussions on value, ICER’s approach needs to be objective, reliable, and transparent, with measures in place to monitor this and take corrective action when appropriate.
(ii) Appraisal Committee Composition
As the key body of stakeholders deliberating at ICER’s Public Meetings, the voting panel should include those with relevant expertise and represent those directly impacted by its recommendations for a given disease area. Patients are the end consumer and arguably the most important stakeholder for any assessment of health and treatment value. Payers, physicians, and manufacturers are other stakeholders that may be directly impacted by the panel results. A May 2019 analysis of ICER’s 3 voting panels (CTAF, New England CEPAC, and Midwest CEPAC) found that most members are in the academic field, while there are very few patient advocates. Of the 59 voting members across the 3 panels, 70% were academics, 9% were payers, and only 7% were patient advocates.8 It is a concern that patients in this process are often passengers with highly limited involvement in decisions that most personally impact them. In addition, the patient advocates currently included on ICER’s panels do not represent the views and perspectives of a typical patient that would be impacted by that assessment (for example a male oncology patient representative on a migraine panel is unlikely to be able to empathize with the burden of a female migraine patient). It is very hard for those who have not directly experienced the condition as a patient or treated it as a physician to provide an informed judgement on treatment value. Furthermore, there are no manufacturers or disease experts on the voting panel. More relevant discussions and appropriate decisions could be made by the panel by adding voices of informed individuals and groups. In addition, it is important that panelists are held to ethical standards with clear expectations and a code of conduct for preparations, involvement, and interactions leading up to and throughout the appraisal meeting. The panel moderator should assume an impartial and objective stance and hold the panelists accountable to the appropriate code of conduct.
Recommendation: ICER’s voting panels should include relevant patient advocates, disease experts, physicians, and manufacturers. A code of conduct regarding panelist expectations and panel moderation should be publicly available. ICER has made progress on its overall stakeholder engagement approach and should continue to engage all relevant stakeholders early on and throughout its process, including panel voting.
(iii) Impact Monitoring
Based on ICER’s mission, the corresponding value assessments aim to improve overall patient quality of care, which suggests they should have a positive impact on improving patient access when treatments are “good value”. To remain true to this mission, it is important that ICER’s impact be equally favorable to reducing access hurdles for patients as they may serve as negotiation tools for payers. ICER’s press releases communicate that products are “low value” without tethering the ‘who’ they are low value to – the insurer. In the present U.S. healthcare environment, this translates to cost-savings for the insurer, which the patients and the broader society does not benefit from. ICER assessments may be leveraged by payers in negotiations with manufacturers resulting in 1) greater use of prior authorization for patients and step-edits which can put significant delays in patients being able to access the treatments that their physicians believe are in their best interest and 2) placing drugs into higher tiers which could lead to greater cost falling to patients from co-payments and co-insurance rates.9 We appreciate instances where ICER has reported treatments to be “good value for money” and encouraged payers to provide access; although soft trends suggest there was no improvement in access.10 We hope ICER will seize the opportunity to be an advocate for patient access through greater efforts working with payers to reduce access barriers when treatments are good value.
We encourage ICER to monitor the impact of its assessments on patients’ ability to access treatment, and continue to refine its approach to better help patients achieve optional quality of care. More research is needed to tie HTA presence and type of value framework or methodology to improvements in health delivery and overall healthcare outcomes.11,12 Without ongoing monitoring and refinements, value assessment outputs may have unintended consequences, causing harm to patients. There is a distinct lack of research on how HTA affects healthcare efficiency, budgets, and societal health outcomes.13 While other factors may be at work, much more research is needed on the impact of HTA and patient access.14,15 Furthermore, HTA in which cost-effectiveness is the key determinant of value has been observed to result in more restricted patient access compared to HTA where clinical evidence is the key determinant.16 Additionally, the impact of HTA is inconsistent across therapeutic areas.17 ICER and others looking to apply HTA in the US should first evaluate the impact of different types of HTA on patient outcomes, patient access, and affordability to avoid inadvertent effects on patient health status or financial burden on specific patient subgroups (e.g., subgroups that could take a greater role in ICER assessments, such a rare disease patients, pediatrics patients and caregivers).
Recommendation: We encourage ICER to become an advocate for patient access when treatments are good value, making greater efforts to work with payers to reduce barriers to access and monitor the impact of their findings to understand and learn from how their assessments are being used.
METHODS
i) QALY and evLYG
ICER should actively supplement the QALY as a starting point, with additional relevant data that is appropriately weighted, informed by patient and stakeholder inputs. Over-reliance on the Quality-Adjusted Life Year (QALY) as the sole outcome measure for assessing value will diminish the accuracy and applicability of the value assessments given the size and complexity of the US healthcare ecosystem. A dependence on cost-effectiveness introduces severe limitations in HTA decision making, omitting fundamental variables such as unmet need, patient vulnerability, and the potential of breakthrough treatment innovations. Health economic groups, including the ISPOR Special Task Force on US Value Assessment Frameworks, are attempting to identify alternative approaches to the QALY to better characterize value.18 The empirical application of the QALY is complicated by a multitude of challenges ranging from the inherent unreliability of these outcomes to discrimination in their application that could lead to decisions placing patients’ health at risk. Key challenges are noted below:
ICER has introduced the equal value of Life Years Gained (evLYG) to help address a key issue flagged as a limitation of the QALY – undervaluing treatments that extend life but do not improve quality of life. Although the QALY is in much need of supplementation, and the evLYG ensures that years of life irrespective of health state are considered, it also introduces other limitations in that any changes in quality of life are ignored and it does not address many of the very significant methodological and practical inaccuracies of the QALY.
Recommendation: ICER should actively seek to supplement the QALY and evLYG with additional relevant data with appropriate weighting informed by patient and caregiver preferences, and expert input. Also, please refer to the contextual considerations section below.
(ii) Cost-Effectiveness (Incremental Cost-Per-QALY) Thresholds
Cost-effectiveness thresholds vary significantly based on context, and therefore must be flexible, updated periodically to reflect societal preference and the willingness to pay for care, and only established by budget holders to inform their decisions. We appreciate that ICER seems to accept that a single static threshold may not be the most appropriate approach, and hence, is seeking feedback on this topic. Given the complexities of the US healthcare system and extensive limitations of the QALY, ICER should abandon static cost-effectiveness (C/E) thresholds based on the incremental cost per QALY. Use of static C/E thresholds has consequences on patient outcomes and costs; while greater research is needed, there is evidence suggesting countries that apply static thresholds to decision making also have correlated poorer health outcomes. One study compared the impact of C/E thresholds in decision making for cancer drugs between five countries that use C/E thresholds and five countries that do not. The results showed that patients in countries that use C/E thresholds have both more restricted and delayed access to cancer drugs, with lower associated survival rates.21 ICER should carefully evaluate the possible impact of using static C/E thresholds in the US through the lens of how it could limit access to innovative, lifesaving treatments. ICER has a unique opportunity to deliver good service to decision makers in providing robust cost-per-QALY estimates, without framing these with highly subjective and static C/E thresholds.
Cost-effectiveness thresholds should represent broad ranges that are flexible enough to enable assessments to be appropriately tailored according to important contextual nuances. There is no scientific foundation to leverage a static $50,000 to $150,000 threshold to inform value-based prices, which is pulled from a contextually irrelevant and widely criticized WHO “benchmark” of one to three times per capita GDP, or to adapt thresholds from other countries given the fragmented US healthcare system where there are no data to inform that the true opportunity cost of a new technology is at the margin of health spending.22,23,24,25,26,27,28 Appropriate C/E thresholds could range from as low as $50,000 to greater than $500,000 depending on a number of key contextual variables such as (a). availability of treatments, (b). rule of rescue, (c). severity of condition, (d). prognosis, (e). societal fear, (f). impact to specific populations, and (g). information available to budget holder to optimize healthcare efficiency. Examples of how C/E thresholds could vary from less than $150,000 to greater than $500,000 based on such variables include the following; however, one should keep in mind that C/E thresholds are inherently biased against the oldest and sickest patients, as well as those with rare diseases.
We encourage ICER to empower the appraisal committee’s contributions by enabling deliberation based on the available evidence, without the confines of a threshold that suggests what the voting results should be. The current assessment framework allows ICER’s QALY threshold to overrule the panel’s deliberation and disempowers the committee by automatically designating a ‘low value’ for treatments with an incremental cost per QALY above $175K. This eliminates ICER’s spirit and intent of a process initially designed to allow the committee to appropriately gauge the intangible costs of a disease and the nuanced benefits of each new treatment. It also removes the opportunity for the committee to rate promising new treatments any higher, limiting the committee’s contribution. ICER has the opportunity to abandon this approach and recapture the full richness and patient relevance of contextual criteria reflected in its assessments, aided by a truly empowered independent public appraisal committee.
Recommendation: ICER should disaggregate estimates of cost effectiveness (incremental cost per QALY) from C/E thresholds and leave willingness to pay up to each respective decision maker instead of attempting to define it on behalf of the US public. We also encourage ICER to eliminate the C/E threshold constraints imposed upon the committee and directly include valuation methods in the framework and cost-effectiveness analysis that allow value and contextual considerations to have a greater impact.
(iii) Contextual Considerations
ICER’s framework should be modified to place less weight on the QALY and enable more emphasis on capturing value based on important determinants from all stakeholder perspectives. It is well recognized by many experts that HTAs are limited by an overreliance on QALYs, which place too much emphasis on cost-effectiveness and willingness-to-pay thresholds to guide decision making, and alternative tools that provide a more holistic assessment of value are needed. ICER has a good starting point with its list of contextual considerations reviewed by the appraisal committee. However, based on the current approach, important determinants of value buried within contextual considerations largely sit ‘outside’ of the framework, where they have much less visibility and do not influence the quantitative analysis nor do these influence the panel vote. The treatment of these data obscure value determinants resulting in minimal or no impact on the ultimate assessment of value.
We encourage ICER to explore new methodologies with empirical application that is scientifically sound, robust, and validated. Several techniques are in development to more comprehensively capture aspects of value that include both health and non-health benefits such as wider public health effects, positive net tax flow, distribution of health, stimulation of medical innovation, peace of mind, and increased macroeconomic growth. Examples of methodologies in development and being tested are listed in the Appendix, and include multi-criteria decision-analysis (MCDA), augmented or extended cost-effectiveness analysis (ACEA/ECEA), and the Burden Augmented by Deadliness and Impact.34,35
Recommendation: Make central in the framework varied and flexible valuation methods that synthesize the value from all the areas ICER currently recognizes, rather than as additional contextual criteria that have minimal impact on the ultimate assessment of value. ICER had previously attempted a modified MCDA and should secure learnings from that experience and expert input to inform alternative approaches to incorporate additional data in a robust manner, with relevant weights. This is an evolving field and an iterative approach may be needed which can be refined over time. Until best practices are identified, emphasis should be placed on flexibility, enabling early patient preference and expert input to inform weighting, and ensuring full transparency around the process.
(iv) Uncertainty
Uncertainty is unavoidable and should be managed by incorporating all relevant data as part of the assessment and enabling more data collection over time without penalizing innovation from the start. This includes explicit methods that allow for the incorporation of real-world evidence (RWE) and other data beyond randomized, controlled trials (RCTs). Until more data are available, ICER should take extra caution when reporting results of scenario analyses and sensitivity analyses that are not comprehensive enough to address uncertainty but are communicated with results as absolutes and averages, without context or robust quantification of unknowns. There are examples where ICER used optimistic assumptions when little to no data was available (e.g., gene therapies, CAR-T) and we encourage ICER to continue to incentivize innovation in areas of high patient burden, when data is initially limited and over time becomes available.
Recommendation: ICER’s value framework should incorporate all relevant data beyond RCT data, including real-world evidence (RWE) such as that derived from claims databases and electronic records. In addition, patient-generated data should have equal weight to other types of data and every effort should be made to include local community patient data to ensure that the assessment is relevant to the patient community it is designed to serve. Adequate measures should be recommended to address the uncertainty in evidence in a manner that protects patient access, such as risk share agreements and innovative contracts. Results should be presented as ranges rather than absolutes to acknowledge the significant uncertainty associated with these assessments. Reports should state how the results may differ under scenarios where patients respond differentially to alternative treatment options and value the various outcomes accordingly.
(v) Broad Societal or Multiple Perspectives
ICER should incorporate patient, caregiver, and employer costs in its 2020 Framework, and reflect costs incurred by wider society in its value assessments. ICER’s current framework employs the perspective of the payer/healthcare system not the wider population. Limiting costs to those incurred by payers and the healthcare system will lead to decisions that shift costs to patients, their caregivers, employers, and wider society. By modifying this to reflect wider society, or at least including multiple perspectives as opposed to the payer/healthcare system perspective as the base-case, the results will have greater accountability to the impact of costs on wider society including patient out-of-pocket costs, employer costs and productivity losses.
In ICER’s current approach, costs are not ‘saved’ but simply shifted away from the payer; ICER has the opportunity to present broader savings for society. Specific patient groups, their caregivers and employers are likely to be penalized because of this choice of perspective. For example, depression is a disease that the World Health Organization reports as the largest single cause of global burden of illness and more than half of costs are from lost productivity; this cost burden is similar for pain.36,37 In autism spectrum disorders, 90% of lifetime costs are borne by patients, their caregivers, and society, with patient out-of-pocket costs three times greater than direct healthcare costs.38 High costs outside of the medical system are not limited to a few indications. In a recent systematic review of high-cost drugs, non-medical costs on average comprised 45% of total costs and their inclusion materially changed decision-making in 31% of cases.39 These are conditions affecting patients and caregivers who cannot easily advocate for themselves and are affected by cost burdens that would be silent in ICER’s approach to measuring cost. Exclusion of these costs in assessing the value of new health interventions puts a significant burden not only on patients and their caregivers, but also on employers. Self-insured employers represent 91% of people working in companies above 5,000 employees.40
By adopting a broad societal perspective, ICER’s choice of perspective will better align with over 20 years of expert input. The First Panel on Cost-effectiveness in Health and Medicine convened by the US Public Health Service (PHS) recommended using a societal perspective as the reference case.41 The panel, made up of leading experts in medicine, health economics and health technology assessment, recommended capturing all costs from the perspective of society over 20 years ago as best practice.42 This was confirmed in the Second Panel on Cost-effectiveness in Health and Medicine in 2016.43
Recommendation: Payer-borne direct monetary costs are only one aspect of healthcare burden. ICER should include costs and cost savings resulting from treatment that are relevant to all stakeholders, including non-medical costs, such as patient and caregiver out-of-pocket costs and lost productivity costs in its 2020 Framework reference case as is recommended by the Panel on Cost-effectiveness in Health and Medicine.
ADAPTATIONS/SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS
(i) Rare Disease & Special Considerations
ICER’s Framework should make special provisions for patients with rare disease and other special populations, as it has done for patients with ultra-rare conditions. Although ICER has made advances to allow special considerations for ultra-rare conditions, the current framework runs counter to the US Orphan Drug Act (ODA) of 1983, the legislation designed to incentivize innovation and protect all patients with rare diseases (not just those with ultra-rare conditions).44 By limiting special considerations to those conditions with a prevalence of 10,000 or less (i.e., ultra-rare), ICER’s current framework arbitrarily puts all other rare diseases with a prevalence of 10,001 or more into the same category as common illnesses, with the same evidence requirements and value assessment criteria. This ignores the magnitude of difficulty in performing clinical trials and collecting real-world evidence for rare diseases that do not meet the criteria for ultra-rare disease. The current framework also excludes the costs incurred by patients, caregivers, employers and society, undervaluing the ability of new treatments to offset the significant burden of both rare and ultra-rare disease. The framework’s application of the QALY presents several very specific challenges, excluding these patients from an equal chance at health, or a healthy life and devaluing rare disease patients who have a limited life expectancy. In addition, the choice to use static cost-effectiveness thresholds is not informed by preferences of US citizens or the government. This unfortunate categorization will essentially lead to most (if not all) interventions for these rare disease patients (with disease prevalence >10,000) receiving a ‘low’ value rating, without proper appraisal. This will likely have consequences in slowing the pace of scientific innovation necessary to prolong survival, improve quality of life, and potentially find cures for patients with all rare diseases.
Recommendation: ICER should include special framework adaptations for all rare (orphan) diseases, not just ultra-rare diseases. We encourage ICER not to apply the same value framework to orphan drugs as for common drugs as the methodological concerns around common diseases would be further amplified in orphan diseases, and not to attempt to set a national threshold for orphan drugs. ICER’s 2020 Framework should align with the definitions and provisions in place to protect patients with rare diseases, including provisions that account for the difficulty in designing, recruiting, and performing clinical studies. ICER should ensure the patient voice is heard and put at the center of assessments and should include costs relevant to both them and wider society.
(ii) Biosimilars
The introduction of a biosimilar marks a significant milestone in the treatment landscape, providing more options for patients, and all available biosimilars should be included in value assessments, including those conducted by ICER.Biosimilars present the opportunity for greater value for biologic medicines and greater savings potential that will contribute to the sustainability of the healthcare system.
A biosimilar is not a new category of medicine but an FDA-approved molecule deemed highly similar to a prior approved biologic medicine and should not be treated as a separate class in value assessments. Highly similar is defined by the FDA as having no clinically meaningful differences in safety, purity, and potency (safety and effectiveness) when compared to an existing FDA-approved reference product.45 The totality of evidence, including analytical, non-clinical, and clinical data is the basis of the FDA assessment of the biosimilarity of a drug and of the marketing authorization in all approved indications of the reference product, including those in which the biosimilar has not been studied in a phase 3 clinical study. To be consistent with this, it is important not to create the perception that these are a separate category.
In the US marketplace, biosimilar medicines compete directly with the biosimilar’s reference product, and other products approved as biosimilar to that reference product. A biosimilar product may be approved only to treat conditions for which its reference product is already licensed and intended to be used. For these reasons, instead of creating a separate biosimilars category (such as “Exemplar Biosimilars”), ICER’s analysis should treat biosimilars in the same manner as the reference products, just as they compete directly against the reference products on a level-playing-field basis in the marketplace. In keeping with this, ICER’s ongoing Rheumatoid Arthritis Condition Update for example, should include all available biosimilars, including Renflexis® in addition to Inflectra®.46 With this approach, ICER has the opportunity to help accelerate patient treatment with all biologics, not just a limited few. Equally, this is aligned with precedents in how ICER has considered biosimilars in prior assessments and updates.
Recommendation: ICER should employ a consistent approach to biosimilars as with prior assessments and include all available FDA-approved biosimilars in the assessment and avoid introducing it as a new category. | https://wwwext.amgen.com/media/our-perspective/amgen-comments-for-icers-2020-value-assessment-framework/ |
Your Hierarchy of Health
On your journey to become healthier or to lose weight you may become confused by the advice that you're given, should you choose organic foods, low-carb, get a water filter or start eating vegetables; is there a hierarchy of health?
I want to answer this question because it really can be a huge stumbling block for people to reach a healthier lifestyle. There is a process to follow and when important steps are skipped, the rest of the way becomes that much harder to go through. It's hard to help someone who is focused on the wrong part of the process and a lot of the time it can be a process of reeducation. So what do I mean by hierarchy? Have you ever heard of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs?
Maslow was a psychologist who proposed an idea about how we as humans reach our potential in life. He created a pyramid where the bottom step, the largest and the first one to start at, focuses on attaining the survival basics for life like food and water. Only once you have the basics for survival can we focus on things like safety and security which would include having a home and a job. The top of the pyramid and the highest point is Self Actualization and it is also the last step to be reached and it's only by going through and achieving each of the prior steps that a person can successfully achieve and maintain the top of the list.
Health can be seen in the way as well. We have to master the basics and then we can move up the steps. It is important to master each step before attempting to move on to the next one so that we don't find ourselves falling back. When I first started to try and lose weight, my instinct was to try and eat foods that I had heard help people lose weight. So I was eating peanut butter like it was nothing, salads, and tuna but I wasn't losing weight!!! Then I learned about calories and I realized I was eating a billion calories of peanut butter. Just because something is "healthy" doesn't mean we need a whole jar of it. I didn't know that though and it wasn't until I took the time to learn each of the steps that it started to make sense.
I now have a better understanding of health and I know that I need to ensure that each step is filled before trying to move up. I hope that this tool can help you with making decisions about how to use the information that is presented to you. I also recommend using Maslow's list as well since focusing on our health can be hard when we are being burdened by other issues in our life. (In this list I focus on physical health rather than mental and emotional health and I want to make sure that I let you know that both your mental and emotional health are very important as well and tackling any major issues may be important in order to be able to fully focus on physical health and to be able to maintain physical results long term.)
Step 1: Are you taking care of the basics?
Before you set off to change how you look or how you feel you should first make sure that you are taking care of yourself the right way. Often issues that seem to be caused by our nutrition or weight, can be traced back to stress or sleepless nights. A good way to start is by seeing your doctor for your yearly check up. Your doctor can let you know if you need to lose or gain weight and if there are any medical issues that you need to keep in mind before making any changes to your lifestyle. You can work on ensuring that you are getting the right amount of sleep each night and that you are managing any major stress triggers. You may want to take an inventory of your daily habits so that you can start to recognize any patterns or trends that lead you to feel stressed, tired, craving, or even cranky. By knowing what leads up to these triggers, you will know what you may struggle with as you start to change your lifestyle habits. Another basic that you want to note is whether you smoke cigarettes or drink lots of caffeine and alcohol. These specific habits can have a big effect on your nutrition or weight goals and it's something that your doctor can help you with if you wish to change them. This is the time to start learning about your health and establishing a good educational base for your journey.
Step 2. Are you getting the right amount of calories?
Before you start to look at ingredients and whether the chicken you are buying in organic, it is important that you understand how your body uses energy. In the simplest of terms ->>> if you eat more energy than your body can use, you will gain weight. If you use more energy than you are getting from your food, you will lose weight. It is important to find out what your energy needs are and then figure out what your current energy consumption looks like. You can then make adjustments based on whether you want to maintain your weight, gain it, or lose it. By knowing how many calories you need to eat and how many you are actually eating, you can start to look at where you may be able to make cuts or to add to your daily meals. It can be helpful to use an app like MyFitnessPal that allows you to enter your foods each day and it tells you the calories that you are getting in each day and per meal. This is where you get to learn about how your activity level affects your calorie needs. A person who runs for an hour each day needs a lot more energy from their food than a person who works at a desk and doesn't get any extra physical activity. By understanding how your activity levels can affect the amount of food you can eat, you can make decisions about how active you want to be and how much food you want to eat. If you don't want to eat less then getting more exercise can help offset eating too many calories. (Of Course this does not mean you should eat less than you need for your basic body functions in order to skip a workout or overeat unhealthy foods because you can exercise a lot; moderation and consistency will be key for longterm and balanced health) Another big thing to focus on at this point in the list is water, learn how much you need to drink and work your way up to it.
Step 3.
Are you getting the right Macronutrients?
Now that you have an understanding about how much energy your body needs and what level of activity you are comfortable with, you can focus on ensuring that you are getting in the right balance of Macronutrients. Macronutrients consist of the major nutrients that your body needs in order to function properly. Depending on your health goals the percentage of calories coming from each major group may differ. The AMDR (Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges) for healthy adults are set as 45-65% for Carbohydrates, 20-35% for Fats, and 10-35% for protein. (These percentages are referring to the total calories consumed on a daily basis and not on servings since portions are different for each macronutrient category. Learn more about the Macro nutrients and their roles in our nutrition here.) One reason that this is an important step to master before moving up is that it is really easy to be influenced by trends and fad diets, they are everywhere!!! So if someone is talking to you about following a low-fat or low-carb diet and you don't know what your body needs, you can actually hurt your body. There are tons of fad diets these days that have been shown to increase your chances of having heart disease or causing muscle deterioration but because they do help people lose weight, they stay popular. If your goal is to have sustainable and long-term success then losing weight at the expense of disease is not the way to go. Understand the reality of what the human body needs and what your body needs and then choosing your diet will be a much safer process.
Step 4. What time are you eating?
Nutrient Timing is the next step to master on your journey and once you have a good idea of how many calories you are needing to eat and what kind, it gets much easier to put them into the right times of the day! I'm sure you have heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day or maybe you have heard that it is not a good idea to eat right before bed? Well both of those are actually pretty spot on. There will be variations based on the plan that you follow or the specifics of your day but overall it is important to try and spread out your nutrients so that you are eating the right portions, in the right amount of servings, at the right times of the day. You may want to start by analysing how you eat now, and then from there trying to even out your meals so that you're not having half of your food at lunch or at dinner. Keeping a food journal is a great tool to help you see what you are currently doing and plan how to change it if necessary. You may notice a lack of energy in between your breakfast and lunch and so a snack in between may be a good idea. Ideally your day should consist of you eating 3-6 times a day; that can consist of eating 3 big meals, 3 regular meals and 3 snacks, or 5 to 6 small meals. Ideally you want to get something in your belly every 2.5-3 hours, this helps your metabolism stay fairly active and consistent and can help with things like blood sugar levels and energy. It's really important that you don't skip meals! Working a balance between your macros so that you don't get all your fat in one meal can really help your overall efforts and make sure that you don't feel deprived at any of your meals.
Step 5. What is the quality of your food?
Okay so you know how much to eat, what to eat, and when to eat it. You got this down to the point of waking up and just knowing what to grab, right? Now you can focus on the composition of your food and the quality. Too many people focus wayyyyyy too much on this step and I am going to tell you right now that it does not matter how organic your ice-cream, chips, and cookies are...if you eat too much, you'll still gain weight and if you're only eating those products, you won't be getting the right micronutrients that your body craves. It's important to focus on getting high quality foods that have high levels of micronutrients like vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, enzymes, and phytonutrients. If you want to focus on getting foods without certain ingredients like additives, toxins, byproducts, or preservatives make sure that they are still fitting into your meal plan. A lot of the time products are marketed with a very intentional purpose of tricking consumers. They know that we don't know every single thing about nutrition and science (unless you're a nutrition scientist) and so they make products with huge labels that read "GLUTEN FREE" and "SUGAR-FREE" knowing that people seeking to be healthier will buy them. What they fail to disclose is that gluten free is only necessary if you have Celiac Disease or that sugar free does not mean it doesn't have simple carbs. Try to focus on getting in whole foods in the least processed state possible for you and keep learning about ingredients and slowly add things to your diet based on how your body reacts to them. (You will probably come across the term SUPERFOOD in your journey, watch this video where I discuss the meaning superfoods and whether you need them in your diet.) Then you can start to focus on buying foods based on their processing, such as buying grass-fed beef and eggs from free-range chickens or getting a good water filter to cut any unnecessary "toxins" or "chemicals".
Step 6. Do you need more?
I myself often market nutritional supplements and so I'm not going to lie, while I do believe that they are helpful and can be beneficial, not everyone needs them and they are not beneficial or vital for every person and in every situation. So if someone is telling you that you MUST have so&so product in order to lose weight or get more energy, keep in mind that they are making a sale and will tell you all the amazing things about their product. There are some amazing products out there and they can be very helpful but as a consumer, you must learn to make decisions based on your individual needs. Most healthy people with a healthy lifestyle and good varied nutrition can get all of the necessary nutrients from their diet and do not need extra supplementation. A lot of the time supplements are taken just as an added benefit and in order to ensure that there are no gaps in nutrition. There are some people that do need to take certain supplements because of health issues or diet types for instance people eating a Vegan Diet need to make sure to get B12 from fortified foods or vitamin supplements because their diet will not provide this essential nutrient. A visit to your doctor can help you figure out if you have any vitamin or mineral deficiencies by means of a blood test. Being deficient in certain nutrients can cause a host of health issues and symptoms so if you are eating a health diet and are having issues, then talking to your doctor might be necessary and it's good to remember that Vitamin Toxicity is also a real thing and may be at the root of health issues as well. On top of nutrient based supplements, there are other types like Ergogenic Aids which are sport supplements, herbal supplements which can help with weightloss or mood issues, and diet aids which are just for weight loss. Not all supplements are good for you!!!! There are a ton of products on the market that can be dangerous to take and there are lots of products that aren't even what they say on the label. Because supplements are not regulated the same way as medicine, it is important to look up the manufacturers of the products that you take and that you talk to your doctor ahead of time if you have any health conditions. It's important to remember that the reason this is the last step on the pyramid is because you need to have hit all the other marks first in order for it to be the most beneficial to you. Sometimes it can be enticing to take a diet pill instead of eating healthy but in the end it can do more harm than good. While certain supplements can help from the beginning, the ultimate intention should be to hit all these marks throughout your journey to obtain long term results.
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I really hope that this list helps you make better decisions about your health. I am going through it along with you so don't hesitate to ask questions and ask for resources! I would love to help you with your journey. I do also offer a free coaching session, so make sure to take advantage of it. :)
Tags: | https://www.rociioflores.com/single-post/your-hierarchy-of-health |
When is the answer to better racing slower cars? It just might be for NASCAR.
Note: This post analyzes the change in speed due to the new rules package. Please don’t interpret it as my defending the rules change. I won’t be making up my mind on whether this package ‘works’ until after Phoenix at the the very earliest. I share some of the drivers’ worries that instead of a level playing field, we’re going to get random winners. But I’m going into it with an open mind and we’ll see.
For years, NASCAR has battled ‘the passing problem’. Teams have made huge gains in aerodynamic downforce over the years. These gains don’t just affect peak speed: If you have more grip, you can corner faster. Higher corner entry speeds narrow the racing groove, which makes it difficult to pass. The theory is that decreasing corner entry speeds will widen the groove and allow for more passing.
Aerodynamic downforce (Fd) depends on speed (v) squared.
If you double the speed, you get four times the downforce.
The graph below compares the mechanical grip of the car (i.e. its weight) with its aerodynamic force. The weight doesn’t change with speed, but the aerodynamic downforce does. The faster you go, the larger the fraction of your downforce that is aerodynamic.
NOTE: These numbers are for an earlier rules package, but they give you an idea of how significant aerodynamic grip is.
The easiest way to slow down a racecar is to decrease its engine power. That’s why NASCAR is using differently sized tapered spacers at different tracks in 2019.
So Why Give the Cars More Downforce?
It seems counterintuitive that, at the same time they took away engine power, they increased the spoiler and splitter sizes. That’s because the situation is much more complex that simply total downforce. Different corners of the car experience different forces.
When turning left, the mechanical load shifts to the outer wheels and the inner wheels lose grip.
When accelerating, the rear wheels gain grip and the front wheels lose it.
When braking, the front wheels gain grip and the rear wheels lose grip.
The aerodynamic downforce depends on the attitude of the car, so when the car turns, brakes, or accelerates, the aerogrip of each wheel changes.
Proximity to another car (or a wall) near a car also changes the aerodynamic forces on the car.
Remember that the goal isn’t simply lowering speeds: It’s lowering corner entry speeds. You don’t need to slow the cars down everywhere. Also, you want the cars to have enough stability to be able to race close to each other. That’s the only way they can pass.
So NASCAR took away horsepower, but made a number of other aerodynamic tweaks. NASCAR took from the engine, but gave back a little of what they took on the body.
All some NASCAR fans heard was that they were dropping 200 hp and there was a hew and cry from some NASCAR fans that this rules package would Ruin. NASCAR. Forever.
In reality, the change in average lap speed at the affected tracks is likely to be in the 7- 12 mph range. Some people still think that’s a big deal.
But can you even tell whether a car is going 200 mph or 190 mph?
CAVEAT: Record books record average lap speeds. If you slow corner speeds, average lap speed will slow, but we don’t know how much slower the cars will be on the straightaway — if they are slower at all. Everything from here on out is dealing with average lap speed.
CAVEAT 2: As I’ve discussed before, the speeds reported are not measured. Lap times are measured and the average lap speed is calculated using the standard track length. That doesn’t account for different lines around the track. I’m using speed here because that’s what people complain about, but it would be the exact same analysis if I used lap times.
The television broadcasters like to show this formula when talking about pit road speed and, much to my consternation, someone gets it wrong at least once every year. So watch for it and inundate them on twitter if they do it again this year.
It’s not like this is a difficult formula to remember. Speed is measured in miles per hour. To get a distance (in miles) from miles per hour, you have to multiply by time. Scientists call this dimensional analysis. Regular people call it common sense.
Our perception of speed is really our perception of the time it take an object to traverse a distance. Since the distance the racecars travel doesn’t change, what we’re really talking about is how we perceive time.
There’s a philosophical answer to that question and a physics answer. Let’s go with the physics answer first.
One second is the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the cesium 133 atom when the cesium atom is ata temperature of 0 Kelvin.
Believe it or not, that is actually much clearer than the first definition. But for us, it doesn’t really matter because what’s important here is how we perceive time, not the actual time.
While the second is a very precisely defined quantity, your perception of it differs if you are getting married or sitting in the dentist’s chair. They may both last the same time, but it sure doesn’t seem like it. And there are people who devote their lives to trying to understand why this is.
The study of time perception requires psychology, linguistics and neuroscience. It considers time, not the objective way we measure it, but the way human beings experience it. And human beings’ experience of time is highly subjective.
People tend to remember relatively recent events happening further back in time then they actually happened; conversely, events from the far past are often remembered as being more recent.
Vierodt’s law says that shorter intervals tend to be overestimated while longer intervals tend to be underestimated.
How long you perceive a task to take depends on how motivated you are to do it and whether you are focused on doing the task or just having it done.
Your emotions and mental state can change how you perceive time.
People who are depressed tend to more accurately estimate the passage of time.
Fear tends to make time seem longer.
Hence my husband’s suggestion that all NASCAR really needs to do is add 10 deciBels to the engine so everyone would think the cars were faster.
The red square represents the 2018 fall race.
If we consider only data after the track was reconfigured in 2006, you can see that the pole speed increased almost 15 mph from 2008 (182.3 mph) to 2016 (196.3 mph). The most recent pole speed (fall 2018) was 188.1 mph. The pole speed that spring was 191.489 mph.
Now let’s look at the data from the January testing sessions. There were three test sessions and 50 total runs. These are the top speeds for each car from all three sessions.
22 (44%) were between 177 mph and 178 mph.
This leaves 22 runs (44%) below the median range.
The highest speed in a team car was Jimmie Johnson on Thursday morning, at 178.885 mph.
OUTLIER EXCLUSION: Ross Chastain reached 183.16 mph on Thursday morning, but a) that was in the heavily instrumented Chevy Wheel Force car and b) No one else got anywhere near that speed during the entire test. I’m being conservative and going with Johnson’s speed.
That’s the Clock: What About Me?
What would you see if you were sitting in the stands at LVMS?
The front straightaway at Las Vegas is about 1800 feet. How long does it take to drive that distance?
If you drove at last year’s pole speed (188.1 mph), it would take 6.524 seconds to make it all the way from Turn 4 to Turn 1.
If you drove at the top speed in the testing session (178.885 mph), it would take you 6.861 seconds.
A difference in speed of 9.236 mph corresponds to a difference in time down the frontstretch of about a third of a second (337 milliseconds). The blink of an eye takes about 300-400 milliseconds.
8.9 minutes over the course of a 400-mile race.
Yes — because you’ll be looking for it.
Unfortunately, we can’t do the experiment because you already know the cars will be slower. Your expectations impact what you see. To really test this, we’d need to have you at a track, have a driver make laps at two different speeds and ask you which one was faster and by how much. And we’d have to do it with maybe a thousand people to get a range of opinions.
It would be like when you visit the eye doctor and do the ‘Which is clearer: 1 or 2’ thing. When we’re close, I can’t tell much of a difference. I bet you’d see the same thing with the track experiment.
In general, people aren’t very good at estimating speeds. A 2016 study from the Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety (in Australia) found that drivers did a miserable job estimating how fast trains were coming when approaching railroad crossing.
Drivers estimated a train going 130 km/h (~81 mph) was only going 90 km/h (56 mph) — a 29% error in judgement.
That means the drivers thought they’d have 14 seconds before the train got there when, in reality, they only had 10 seconds.
The farther away the train was, the worse their speed estimates were. When the train was 1100 m (1200 yards) away and going 130 km/h (~82 mph), people estimated the train was only going 75 km/h (47 mph) – a 44% error in judgement.
The lesson here might be that if you think you just have time to scoot past a train crossing before the train gets there, you probably don’t.
A 2009 paper in the journal Vision Research found that people are also very bad at estimating the speed of a flying object, such as a ball. And there are plenty of studies that show that people have a really, really hard time interpreting the motion of accelerating objects, even if those objects are moving slowly.
The takeaway: If you’re one of those people who’s already convinced that the cars are going to be slower and it’s going to ruin your enjoyment of the sport, it’s very likely that this is exactly what is going to happen.
But Is Racing Really Just Speed?
I’d argue no. So would NASCAR, because the entire point of this speed-reduction exercise better racing at intermediate tracks.
I love the people who call into radio shows and say that NASCAR should just use a rules package that is fast and allows for close racing. Believe me, if that were possible, they’d already have done it. That’s what they’d like, too. But the laws of physics say otherwise. And the laws of physics always win.
If all you care about is how fast the cars go, you’d probably find drag racing more your, uh, speed. If you want fast stock cars, follow the folks setting land speed records — like Bob Keselowski, who shattered the all-time stock car speed record by 30 mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats last September by running 271.84 mph.
The best part of this story is that this Dodge Charger was driven in a 2010 Martinsville race, crashed, and repaired. The second-best part is the headlines: “Retired NASCAR Cup Racer Makes 271.89-MPH Pass, Smashes Class Record at Bonneville” and “1989 ARCA Champ Keselowski Sets Speed Records in Utah“. That’s Bob Keselowski on the left and, I think, Bobby Gerhart on the right, who was there to earn his license.
NASCAR fans have been complaining about lack of passing for years. NASCAR has made a number of attempts to address it given the constraints of time and money. I guarantee you that all of this is being taken into account as they design the Gen-7 car.
For me, watching two cars run fender to fender as one tries to pass the other is the best part of racing. It’s good at Bristol at 100 mph and it’s good at Texas at 200 mph. And if I get a choice between Texas at 200 mph with minimal passing and Texas at 190 mph with more passing, I’ll take the latter, thanks.
In summary, the world is not fair. No one’s figured out a way to get high speeds and passing with the current car. Sure, you could solve the problem by throwing money at it, but that’s not a possibility in the current climate. What you see is highly influenced by what you expect to see. So I encourage you to go into Atlanta with an open mind and fingers crossed.
Thanks to @dmcgrew, who figure out I’d transposed the digits in the calculation of time and had 6.681 instead of 6.861. I can’t blame this one on Excel. I messed up typing! Thank you, Drew!
Next Can Simulators and Video Games Make Great Racecar Drivers? | https://buildingspeed.org/blog/2019/02/08/nascar-cars-slower-2019/ |
Challenges to Fiscal Federalism in India
Context:
- With coming in of the GST regime, the states have lost their revenue generating capacity and with waning away of the Planning Commission, there are apprehensions about the weakening of the principle of Fiscal Federalism in India.
Background:
- Even from the Nehruvian era there was inclination towards centralization of fiscal powers as it was justified that it was required to address the concerns of socio-economic and regional disparities.
- After that Planning commission played a huge role in terms of fiscal transfers to the states but even this erstwhile institution has been abolished after 2014.
- Now it is the Finance Commission which has become a major means of fiscal transfer.
- But the Finance Commission has been subject to accusations of being a politicised institution with arbitrariness and inherent bias towards the Union government.
Capabilities of the States:
- The current capability of States to finance their expenditures from their own revenues has declined significantly from 69% in 1955-56 to less than 38% in 2019-20.
- As a matter of fact, the expenditure of the states have been increasing significantly but their revenues remain stagnant.
- As many of the earlier taxes have been subsumed within the GST, the states have only been left with petroleum products, electricity and alcohol for their revenue.
- Even though the devolution of taxes was increased from 32% to 42% after the recommendation of Fourteenth Finance Commission, the non-divisive pool of the cess and surcharges were increased.
- This non-divisive pool in the Centre’s gross tax revenues shot up to 15.7% in 2020 from 9.43% in 2012, shrinking the divisible pool of resources for transfers to States.
Centrally Sponsored Scheme:
- At present there are around 131 centrally sponsored schemes, with only a few of them accounting for 90% of the allocation, and States required to pitch in their share.
- The states spend about 25% to 40% as matching grants at the expense of their priorities.
- These schemes, driven by the one-size-fits-all approach, are given precedence over State schemes, undermining the electorally mandated democratic politics of States. | https://believersias.com/challenges-to-fiscal-federalism-in-india/ |
How Online Therapy Can be Used to Tackle Mental Illness in the Post-COVID-19 World
The post-COVID-19 world promises to impact individuals, governments, and organizations differently. To some, it may be a jolly good run, while to others, it may warrant a drastic change. The health and medical sector, and specifically, online therapy will be impacted greatly. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), online therapy, also known as Web […]
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The post-COVID-19 world promises to impact individuals, governments, and organizations differently. To some, it may be a jolly good run, while to others, it may warrant a drastic change. The health and medical sector, and specifically, online therapy will be impacted greatly.
According to the American Psychological Association (APA), online therapy, also known as Web therapy, telepsychology, e-therapy, distance therapy, or internet therapy, may be as helpful as conventional therapy or meeting with a therapist in-person (face-to-face).
Before considering online therapy for your problem, you must understand that APA has cautioned that those with more serious mental health concerns, like schizophrenia, PTSD, and substance use disorder should seek more attention and care than a remote treatment offers.
Causes of mental illness
You can be said to be mentally ill when you are completely unable to think or behave rationally in a controlled way. An individual can become mentally ill due to a lot of factors but as we are talking of the post-COVID-19 world, and we shall only look at unemployment and underemployment.
1. Unemployment
The research titled “Influence of Unemployment on Mental Health of the Working Age Population,” by the NCBI has revealed the extent an economic crisis can have on mental health. This research looked at the different employment statuses and came up with the conclusion that unemployment has a serious negative impact and even worsens the mental health of the working-age population.
In comparison to the employed, the unemployed working-age participants in the research had strikingly poorer mental health. The highest mean mental health score for GHQ-28 (M=55.30), which incidentally was also the highest impairment of mental health status was attributed to those who were unemployed with previous working experience of more than five years.
2. Underemployment
People are said to be underemployed when they are in paid employment but are made to work fewer hours than they are capable of. This situation has been found out by the Centre of Research Excellence in Disability and Health (CRE-DH), to be linked with a significantly greater reduction in mental health especially among people who have physical disability issues.
The reason for this is not far-fetched. Society expects an employed person to shoulder a lot of responsibilities. Most often, friends and family members expect more from you financially.
Your inability to attain their expectations will leave you distressed and frustrated, both of which can be the onset of mental illness.
The London School of Economics and Political Science found out after researching full-time workers and the underemployed that apart from their different financial statuses, there are also mental health inequalities. This is responsible for the great number of unemployed and underemployed people that suffer mental illness.
There is no need to overemphasize the fact that if we fail to avail persons in these categories with the relevant therapy, their cases can easily degenerate to complete mental disorder. Everybody used to depend on conventional therapy but the internet has changed all that.
The following are four ways we can effectively deploy online therapy in the post-COVID-19 world.
1. Complementing social distancing
Social distancing may be one of the changes we must learn to live with after the pandemic, with online therapy this is attainable. It will also go a long way to solve the problems of a lot of people who live in remote areas and find it very difficult to access the services of conventional therapeutic services.
Online therapy will also take care of the problems associated with a shortfall in the number of practitioners and even the reluctance of certain practitioners to reside in remote areas.
2. Accessibility for those with physical limitations
Unfortunately, even some individuals with mental illness, also have mental issues complications. This group of more disadvantaged people will find it extremely difficult to regularly keep up with their schedule.
Their disadvantaged situation means that they will be deprived of adequate treatment. Online therapy is, therefore, a good opportunity for them to easily access practitioners.
They don’t have to worry about mobility which constitutes another source of concern when it comes to accessing mental health care since this can be done online.
3. Affordability
The economies of the world and individuals have been ravaged by the pandemic and it will take time for the situation to normalize. Online therapy, on the other hand, can be relatively affordable and convenient when compared with conventional therapy.
Given that you will be attending therapy sessions online in the comfort of your own home, you can often schedule your therapy sessions for times that are the most convenient for you. You also will not have to transport yourself to sessions which will save some much-needed costs, especially at this time.
It is a good development that many states in the U.S.have legislated that insurance providers should cover online therapy just as they would conventional therapy sessions. Despite this, online therapists still offer affordable treatment options for individuals that are not covered by health insurance.
However, you need to know that it’s not every state in the U.S. that will allow out-of-state therapists to provide services. If you find yourself in such a situation, you need to ensure that providers are accredited in both their home states and your own, before you can access their services.
4. An easier way of accessing information
The internet has made it quite possible for you to arm yourself with information freely on issues of mental illness. Knowing fully well that this is not a topic people discuss freely because of the stigma attached to the illness, you may not be able to get much information from friends and colleagues.
Even if you don’t have a mental illness related case, online therapy is a good means and an important tool to help you update yourself about mental illness. Then, the information you have so acquired you about online therapy can ensure that you become stronger psychologically.
What might seem a major setback is that online therapists may be ill-equipped to respond quickly and effectively when a crisis happens especially when such cases have to require their physical presence.
How To Attend Online Therapy and Support Groups During COVID-19
“People look for retreats for themselves, in the country, by the coast, or in the hills . . . There is nowhere that a person can find a more peaceful and trouble-free retreat than in his own mind. . . . So constantly give yourself this retreat, and renew yourself.” | |
Murray tried to go skiing at Sunshine Village on Monday and it was so cold that they were not letting people onto the hill. He went to Mount Norquay instead and skied for a couple of hours. It was very cold (-25 C) outside and by the time he stopped skiing and got his boots off, he was quite chilled.
When he got to Canmore, he changed into some warm clothes, had a cold drink as he was thirsty and then climbed into bed to get warm. A couple of hours later, after a long snooze, he got up but was still cold.
We are now wondering whether he had a mild case of hypothermia. I checked my favorite medical website ( http://www.mayoclinic.com ) to see what it said about hypothermia. The symptoms of moderate to severe hypothermia, as listed on the Mayo Clinic website are:
- Shivering
- Clumsiness or lack of coordination
- Slurred speech or mumbling
- Stumbling
- Confusion or difficulty thinking
- Poor decision making, such as trying to remove warm clothes
- Drowsiness or very low energy
- Apathy or lack of concern about one’s condition
- Progressive loss of consciousness
- Weak pulse
- Slow, shallow breathing
The website also lists the following as symptoms of mild hypothermia:
- Shivering
- Faster breathing
- Trouble speaking
- Confusion
- Lack of coordination
- Fatigue
- Increased heart rate
- High blood pressure
After reading the list for mild hypothermia, the only symptom I know he had was the fatigue. So, I am not sure if in fact he had hypothermia, but if this happens again I will be cautious and treat it as mild hypothermia. To warm someone up use warm clothes, blankets, a toque to cover the head, hot drinks, some snuggling to share body heat and be sure to monitor his/her condition.
Anyone participating in winter outdoor activities should be aware of the symptoms of hypothermia and how to treat them. Even summer activities – I have a friend that had hypothermia from swimming in lake with a wetsuit on for too long.
Prevention of hypothermia is done through proper clothing for the temperature and wind. Use layers and try not to over dress as this will cause excess sweating and staying dry is key. If you sweat during the activity, be sure to have warm dry clothes to change into right away and have a hot drink in a thermos waiting for you.
As we are not experts, please review the many websites that discuss hypothermia and its symptoms, treatments and preventions. I know I will pay attention in the future now that I know more. | http://havecarryonwilltravel.com/hypothermia/ |
The next dimension of emotional intelligence focuses on others, and it is social competence (see Bradberry & Greaves, 2009). Social competence encompasses social awareness and relationship management. I’ll focus on social awareness in this post, which is essentially being attuned to others’ emotional responses.
Engage in the Moment
In order to attend to others’ emotions in your workplace, you first have to be aware of them. The only way to do this is to be present in the moment with others rather than focused on your next task, meeting, or concern. Think about one of the most influential leaders in your career. Did they often engage with you as if you were the only person in the room? I presume the answer is “yes,” as I often hear individuals I see in my private practice describe transformational leaders in this manner. Not only does this quality allow others to feel validated in their contributions to your team, it also allows individuals to feel you are invested in their learning and development. When you listen carefully in the moment, it allows for you as a leader to recognize employees’ strengths, areas for growth, and concerns in a more intentional manner. In the words of the great Maya Angelou, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” So the next time you are pondering what your next email response will be when an employee comes to you to seek your feedback, remember those words.
Understand Nonverbal and Verbal Communication
We have all heard the concept that communication is a two-way process. What’s important to remember is that this applies to nonverbal communication as well. For example, are you attending to both nonverbal and verbal cues in social interactions? Are you noticing if individuals are leaning in when you share feedback, or are they distancing themselves from you? Are individuals closing off by crossing their arms as they speak with you? If you stay attuned to nonverbal cues, you may be able to notice an emotion that explicit, verbal communication did not indicate. Depending on an individual’s cultural background and identity, their primary form of communication may be more nonverbal than verbal. In order to have more inclusive and just workplaces, it is important to remember that communication is influenced by cultural contexts. If there is any doubt about what you might be interpreting, you can also gently probe or pose a question that can help clarify others’ emotions.
Summary
There are numerous other strategies for developing social awareness. One of the most important things to remember is that it begins with stepping outside of yourself. It begins with stepping outside of your own cultural context, needs, worries, fears, and goals, at least for a brief moment in time, to truly understand someone else’s experience. That is at the core of emotional intelligence.
References
Bradberry, T., & Greaves, J. (2009). Emotional intelligence 2.0. San Diego, Calif.: TalentSmart. | https://icpstampa.com/the-other-side-of-emotional-intelligence/ |
The School of Mathematics is committed not only to doing great new research, but also to telling people about it.
We have a talented team of staff and students who work hard to communicate their love of mathematics to the wider community. Sometimes this is through talks or school masterclasses; sometimes it involves doing exhibitions at science festivals or visiting local schools. Whatever the medium, our goal is to change the public perception of mathematics as being dull, boring and useless and to show people that maths is actually a beautiful, elegant and creative subject that underpins much of modern society.
On this website you can find out more about the events that we organise for the public and for schools, as well as read about our dedicated Mathematics Outreach Team. Visit out Explore Further page to find out about the cutting-edge research being done here at the School of Mathematics, read our magazine, or start planning your mathematical walking tour of Edinburgh...
Recent and Upcoming Events
11th June: Maths Inspiration show
Three of the best Maths communicators in the UK will come to Edinburg with a highly interactive show, to inspire our teenagers and show many examples of how Maths can crop up in everyday life. The show is entitled: "Playing For Real- How Maths Help You Win". Further information can be found here.
24th-25th May: Anamorphic Mirror Pillar
At the Ocean Terminal shopping centre, our students will join other Maths communicators in this high quality exhibit, to show how geometry and art combine together. Join in and help us to create a giant piece of art! Further details can be found here.
11th May 2019 (1:00pm-4:00pm): Maths Circle
The Edinburgh Maths Circle is an opportunity for children aged 5 to 16 and their families to join us for an afternoon of fun, puzzles, and stimulating hands-on mathematics. More details can be found on this page.
5th-10th April 2019: Edinburgh International Science Festival
At the National Museum of Scotland on Chambers Street, members of the School of Mathematics' Outreach Team joined other scientists from the University to show off what it is that makes their subject great, with hands-on exhibits and enthusiastic student volunteers to guide people through the science.
More than 2000 visitors joined us to discover the Maths behind how planets orbit, embarc on a journey towards the frontiers of our imagination, and explore the 4D world!
2nd March 2019 (10:30am-12:00pm): Learn How to Run a Maths Circle (Teacher Development Workshop)
In this workshop we showed some of the resources we use during our Maths Circles, and we gave advice on how to run a Maths Circle in your classroom or community centres. Further information can be found here. | https://www.maths.ed.ac.uk/school-of-mathematics/outreach |
Attentional deficits in Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are often noted, but their specific nature remains unclear.
The present study used the child Attentional Network Task (Child ANT) in combination with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to determine if the consistently cited deficits of orienting attention are truly due to dysfunctions of orienting-based networks. We hypothesized that these observations are, in fact, a reflection of executive dysfunctions. As such, we expected that although ASD adolescents would perform worse on the orienting portion of the Child ANT, the strongest differences in activation between them and the neurotypical (NT) control group would be in areas classically associated with executive functioning (e.g., the frontal gyri and anterior cingulate cortex).
The brain activity of six high-functioning adolescents with ASD and six NT adolescents was recorded while these individuals performed the three subcomponents of the Child ANT.
ASDs were shown to be more accurate than NTs for the alerting, less accurate for the orienting, and similar in accuracy for the executive portions of the Child ANT. fMRI data showed increased bilateral frontal gyri recruitment, areas conventionally associated with executive control, during the orienting task for the ASD group.
We submit that the increased activations represent neurocorrelates of signal fixation attributable to the subset of executive control responsible for sustained maintenance signals, not the main components of orienting. Therefore, excessive fixation in ASD adolescents is likely due to dysfunctions of executive control and not the orienting subcomponent of the attention network.
Keywords: Adolescents, ASD, Attention, Executive control, FMRI, High-functioning autism.
Attention represents an important avenue of exploration in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) given that individuals have consistently been observed to have impairments . In one of the largest studies undertaken, up to 93% of observed participants were shown to have some form of attentional deficit . While a diagnosis of ASD was previously grounds for exclusion from receiving a diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (DSM IV), the growing awareness of the overlap in attention deficits between the two disorders [1, 3, 4] has caused this to change (DSM V). Deficits in attention for ASD are commonly observed in social contexts (e.g., failures of joint attention and turn taking) and are less severe for executive functioning than in ADHD . Attentional deficits in ASD, however, also occur in elementary forms of processing, including simple target detection tasks and tests of vigilance or sustained attention . For more information on the commonalities and differences in attentional deficits between ASD and ADHD, see .
The concept of attention is, in itself, a series of operations that integrate external sensory inputs with internal information and decision-making and many subcomponents are required to complete even the most basic task [8, 9]. Now that attentional deficits have been demonstrated to be a consistent finding in ASD, it is therefore worthwhile to isolate the subcomponents of attention in an attempt to determine if these impairments represent a wholesale dysfunction or localized deficits. In doing so, we may be able to better tailor our management styles to aid those affected. To this end, the attention model of has served as a basis for identifying the subcomponents of attention in previous investigations [10-14].
This model suggests that there are three main subcomponents of attention: alerting, orienting, and executive control . Each subcomponent is thought to represent an independent neural circuit and is composed of different regions of interest (ROIs) interacting with one another . In brief, the locus coeruleus, right frontal and right parietal cortices are associated with alerting, the temporoparietal junction, superior parietal cortex, and frontal eye fields are associated with orienting, and the prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) are associated with executive control .
In order to assess the three subcomponents of attention proposed by Posner, et al. (i.e., alerting, orienting, and executive control), Fan et al. created the Attentional Networks Task (ANT). The task consisted of a series of arrows pointing either right or left with a “target” arrow at the center of the screen. Participants were asked to identify the direction of the centrally presented arrow by pressing a key indicating either the left or right direction. For the alerting condition, an asterisk was briefly flashed at the center of the screen before the stimuli were shown, thus alerting participants to an upcoming stimulus. For the orienting condition, two warning cues corresponding to the position of the upcoming stimuli were briefly flashed at either the top or bottom of the screen, thus orienting participants to the position of the upcoming stimuli. Finally, executive control was evaluated by having flanking arrows either be congruent or incongruent with the direction of the target (i.e., central) arrow . The ANT was originally tested in neurotypical (NT) adults and was shown to produce consistent single-subject estimates of the three subcomponents of attention. These results further supported the notion that processing efficiencies for the three subcomponents is largely independent .
A variation of this test designed for children (aptly named the Child Attention Network Task; Child ANT) was then created for the possibility of providing insight into how to help improve their attentional abilities . The Child ANT has since been used to investigate attention processes in NT children , children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) , and children with ASD .
Previous investigations of ASD through the use of the ANT and Child ANT have shown differing results with deficits being observed in all three subcomponents of attention at varying ages [11, 13, 14]. Posner and Rothbart suggested that the orienting network deficiencies (perhaps the most consistent finding in ANT studies of ASD) are a probable explanation for the commonly reported overly fixative nature of those with autism (e.g., their tendency to focus their gaze on an ear lobe rather than on more informative features of a human face such as the eyes). Others, however, have proposed that these delays are in reality due to executive impairments [18, 19], which produce difficulty in dividing (or inhibiting) attentional resources amongst competing external stimuli. Neuroimaging may help settle this dispute by allowing us to observe the areas of activation whilst ASD participants perform the ANT in real time.
Indeed, fMRI studies of ASD have exploded in recent years and range in topics from social cognition to inhibition control . Amongst the most consistent findings related to executive control are atypical activations in the ACC in participants with ASD [21-23], suggesting decreased cortical specialization (mild shifting of cortical location areas in response to a variety of tasks), leading to the hypothesis that autism is a distributed brain systems disorder . (An extensive review can be found in ). A previous fMRI investigation of attentional processing in children with ASD used socially and non-socially-cued stimuli to show that regions commonly activated in NT children for the socially-cued stimuli were only active for children with ASD during the non-socially-cued stimuli presentations. Unique areas of activation in the left dorsal frontal parietal cortex and medial temporal lobe were seen when children with ASD saw the socially-cued stimuli (. Therefore, the incorporation of the ANT with fMRI may allow us to identify differences in attentional processing between adolescents with ASD and their NT counterparts for the subcomponents of attention.
The present study uses the child ANT in combination with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to identify behavioral and brain activation differences between ASD and NT adolescents for the three subcomponents of attention in an attempt to reconcile previous observations and to determine if the consistently seen deficits of orienting attention are truly due to dysfunctions of orienting-based networks or are a reflection of executive dysfunctions. In accordance with previous work in children, we expected that ASD adolescents would perform demonstrably worse on the orienting and executive portions of the Child ANT, while performance on the alerting section would likely be normal . We hypothesized that deficits in orienting and executive performance would relate to decreased patterns of brain activity within the fronto-cerebellar network (specifically the ACC, the middle and superior frontal gyri (MFG and SFG), and the cerebellum); a network previously indicated to play a role in directing attention (i.e., searching for responses) and executive decision-making (i.e., response selection) more so than the orienting network proposed by . We base this assertion on consistent pathology and decreased brain activity noted in the cerebellum of ASD individuals as summarized in a review by .
Six high-functioning ASD (Mean age: 17.33 years, 4 males/ 2 females, ADOS scores ranging from 7 to 21) and six NT adolescents (Mean age: 15.83 years, 4 males/ 2 females) performed the Child ANT while undergoing fMRI scanning. Clinical diagnoses were confirmed using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS). The ASD group did not display significant motion artifacts for any participants and standard preprocessing motion correction using MCFLIRT was performed on all subjects. The response rate was 100% for both groups. Per parent-report, participants in the NT group were free of ASD-related symptoms or any other neurological or psychiatric conditions. Participants provided informed consent and received $25 compensation for their involvement in the study. All participants had normal or corrected-to-normal vision and were right-handed. Informed written consent was obtained from all participants before scanning. This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of Texas Tech University.
Six high-functioning ASD and six NT adolescents performed the Child ANT while fMRI images were acquired via a Siemens 3T Skyra. A modified version of the Child ANT was developed for use inside of the scanner and was presented using ePrime 2.0. Each session lasted 30 minutes and consisted of 3 blocks of 48 trials. Stimuli were presented for 2 second-intervals in an event-related design. Participants were told to “feed the fish” by pressing fiber optic buttons (left or right index finger) that matched the direction the target fish was facing. Trials began with a fixation cross followed by 1 of 4 trial types, each indexing the efficiency of alerting, orienting and executive attention by presenting stimuli in 4 different cueing conditions: no cue, central cue, double cue, and spatial cue. On no cue trials, the target fish appeared alone; central cue, an asterisk was presented at the same location as the fixation cross; double cue, an asterisk appeared simultaneously above/below the fixation cross; spatial cue, a single asterisk was presented in the same position as the target fish. On executive trials two flanker fish appeared to the left/right of the target, oriented either congruently/incongruently (i.e., pointing in the same/opposite direction, Fig. 1).
Fig. (1). Schematic of the experimental protocol for the Child ANT (adapted from Rueda et al. 2004) with the target stimulus being the center yellow fish.
Response time (RT) and accuracy were calculated for each attentional subcomponent using the methodology developed by alerting (no cue - center cue), orienting (center cue - spatial cue) and executive (congruent flanker - incongruent flanker). A 2(group) x 3(attention type) mixed-design analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed for the RT and accuracy data.
Functional images were acquired via a Siemens 3T Skyra (located at the Texas Tech Neuroimaging Institute; TR=2000ms; TE=20; FOV=240 mm; Flip angle=80; Voxel size: 3x3x4 mm; axial slices=34). Structural 3D high resolution T1 images were acquired using same orientation as the functional sequences (0.9X0.9X0.9 mm). Functional data analyses were carried out using the fMRI Expert Analysis Tool (FEAT) in FSL. Imaging preprocessing involved removing non-brain structures by Brain Extraction Tool (BET), motion correction by using MCFLIRT, temporally high-pass filtered with a cutoff period of 100s, spatial smoothing with a 5mm Gaussian FWHM algorithm and co-registration of the fMRI data to anatomic images with each subject and MNI 152 standard brain space.
The Child ANT paradigm was presented using ePrime with a random ordering of trials per session. The log files for each session were interrogated to determine the order of trials and an onset time vector was generated for each of the six conditions in that session. The design matrix was constructed to model the three attention conditions at the individual level, by segregating images according to attention/trial type (i.e., alerting, orienting, and executive). These vectors were grouped according to the above three network definitions and saved along with duration values and condition labels for importation during the First Level Analysis (FLA). Since this study was event-driven, durations were determined from the log files, as they were dependent on participant responses. A summary of the fMRI contrasts used to determine each subcomponent network is given in Table 1.
Table 1. Summary of fMRI contrasts.
In the group level analyses, average brain activations across participants and contrasts between groups were conducted using the FMRIB Local Analysis of Fixed Effects tool (FLAFE) and activation was thresholded using clusters determined by z >2.3 at Pcorrected<0.05 (default FWE correction in FSL).
A 2(group) x 3(attention type) mixed-design analysis of variance (ANOVA) on the accuracy data revealed no significant main effects, but did reveal a significant Group x Attention Type interaction (F= (2, 20) =6.307, p < 0.01). A 2 (group) x 3 (attention type) mixed-design ANOVA on the RT data revealed no significant main effects and no significant interactions with attention type (Fig. 2a). Post-hoc comparisons of least significant difference test (LSD) (p < 0.05) showed a significant difference on alerting and orienting accuracy between the ASD and NT groups (Fig. 2b). Specifically, ASD participants (M=-1.852, 95% CI [-3.609,-0.095]) were more accurate than NT participants (M=1.389, 95% CI [-0.368, 3.146]) on alerting trials, while NT participants (M=-1.389, 95% CI [-2.610, -0.168]) were more accurate than ASD participants (M=0.463, 95% CI [-0.758, 1.684]) on orienting trials. There was no significant difference between the groups on executive trials. NT and ASD adolescents showed no difference in RT for any of the three attentional networks.
(Fig. 3) presents the activation areas of significant contrast for the ASD versus NT adolescents. In the alerting attention condition, more activation was found for the NT group in the left cerebellum (i.e. the left inferior semi-lunar lobule, the left pyramis, the left culmen, and the left declive) and in the left parahippocampal gyrus (Brodmann Areas (BA) 19 and 36). No significant differences in alerting activation were found in the ASD minus NT contrast. For orienting attention, the ASD group was significantly more active than the NT group in the bilateral MFG (BA 9 and BA 10), the right SFG (BA 10) and the left ACC (BA 32). Again, no significant activation differences were found between groups for the ASD minus NT contrast. For executive attention, the ASD group was significantly more active than the NT group bilaterally in the anterior cerebellum. The NT minus ASD contrast revealed no significant differences in activation between the two groups. Table 2 lists the exact coordinates of activation for each of the three attention types as a function of ASD versus NT contrasts.
Fig. (3). Activation maps for contrasts of group averaged BOLD fMRI signal intensities for ASD and NT groups. Axial slices demonstrate average brain activations across participants and contrasts between groups using the FMRIB Local Analysis of Fixed Effects tool (FLAFE) and thresholding clusters of z >2.3 at Pcorrected<0.05 for: alerting (top), orienting (middle), and executive control (bottom).
Table 2. Attentional network activations for ASD and NT contrast. ISL=inferior semi-lunar lobule. Pyr = pyramis, Cul = culmen, PHG= parahippocampal gyrus, Dec = declive, MFG= middle frontal gyrus, SFG= superior frontal gyrus, ACC= anterior cingulate cortex, ACe= anterior cerebellum.
Our behavioral and imaging findings are, overall, consistent with previous investigations of ASD that used the ANT or Child ANT [11, 13, 14, 25, 28] with some minor differences that may be explained by the high-functioning nature of our participants or their age . Consistent with our hypothesis, the ASD group showed significantly more activity in brain regions that are commonly associated with executive processes of attention during the orienting task (e.g., bilateral MFG [BA 9 and BA 10], the right SFG [BA 10] and the left ACC [BA 32] , suggesting an increased reliance on executive functions in an attempted compensation of a dysfunctional orienting network. These regions have been indicated by to be involved in a subset of executive control that is responsible for sustained maintenance signals. Such over-activation of this network would reasonably result in fixation on a given signal, leading to an inability to shift attention, which in turn would lead to lower accuracy on an orienting task. This resulting fixation would not only explain the lower accuracy seen here, it has been previously reported in young children with ASD .
Somewhat surprisingly, the ASD adolescents in this study were more accurate than NTs on alerting trials suggesting that they were better able to “detect” the occurrence of an event in the environment. The only significant contrasts noted from our fMRI results for this task showed decreased left-hemispheric cerebellar (left inferior semi-lunar lobule, left pyramis, left culmen, left declive) and parahippocampal activations (BA 19 and 36). This may seem somewhat puzzling as alerting function was previously ascribed to be mediated by the locus coeruleus, and the right parietal and frontal lobes; not the cerebellum . The role of the cerebellum, however, is not without precedent in attention circuitry, especially with regard to visual tasks. Gottwald et al., demonstrated that patients with focal cerebellar lesions showed distinct deficits in a divided attention task. Schweizer et al., went even further to provide evidence for the role of the cerebellum in visuotemporal attention by reporting an increased magnitude of attentional blink in patients with chronic focal cerebellar lesions. This hemispheric lateralization previously seen in other studies of alerting may support the left-sided lateralization seen here as a probable component of the greater accuracy observed in ASD adolescents during the alerting phase of the Child ANT. For a full review of the cerebellum’s known role in attention and its implications in ASD, see .
Similar to previous studies, it was seen that deficits of the subcomponents of attention represent a common occurrence in ASD. To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate attention networks in ASD adolescents using a combination of fMRI and the Child ANT. Here, high-functioning ASD adolescents were found to have enhanced alerting abilities, deficient orienting, and comparable levels of executive functioning when performing the Child ANT. fMRI contrasts of the ASD and NT groups during task performance lead us to suggest that the observed differences are underlined by aberrant task-related brain processing efficiency. ASD adolescents were shown to have markedly reduced brain activity in areas related to the alerting task despite their superior accuracy. Conversely, they were shown to exhibit heightened activity in areas related to sustained maintenance signals during the orienting task; likely representing fixation that led to lowered accuracy. This finding is particularly significant as it serves as a probable candidate for the highly sought after neurocorrelates that underlie the often cited excessive fixation displayed by ASD individuals that are noted by a deficit in orienting , but were otherwise previously elusive .
Limitations of this study include its specified age range, its use of a fixed effects model for BOLD fMRI analysis, and its lack of biomarkers to further classify participants into subgroups; as is becoming a consistent standard for neuroimaging studies . A fixed effects model was used as it would allow for a more accurate analysis of how attentional processing may be affected in these specific individuals. The small sample size for each group is due in part to the difficulty of identifying individuals who are high-functioning enough to complete this task within an MRI scanner, yet are still symptomatic. Furthermore, the sample size is still within common practice for BOLD fMRI studies. This may, however, limit the generalizability of our observations to the adolescent ASD population as a whole.
This research is funded through a donation from Allen and Linnie Howard. We would like to acknowledge and thank the Howards for their generous contribution.
This research is funded through a donation from Allen and Linnie Howard. We would like to acknowledge and thank the Howards for their generous contribution. We would also like to thank Justin Brough, Catherine Chesnutt, Dipika Patel, Bryan Schiller, Courtney Kastner, Omatsolu Mene-Ejegi, Amanda Bosch, and Wesley Dotson for their assistance.
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Is hardwood harder than the softwood?
You may have heard about different types of trees? One of the distinctions comes through the definition of hardwood and softwood. In fact, distinguishing these types by measuring hardness is not the finest idea, since wood shows a great variability in hardness between the species. The best way to distinguish them is by observing leaves. Hardwoods have large leaves which they lose every autumn, with some exceptions, as usual. They reproduce by flowers. Such trees are also called deciduous. Perfect examples of hardwood trees are birch, maple, oak, eucalyptus (evergreen, actually), chestnut and poplar.
Coniferous forests. Photo by: Johannes Plenio. / Deciduous forest. Photo by: Valentin Sabau
Softwood trees are, on the other hand, coniferous with spruce and pine being the most popular examples. Softwood trees are often taller and grow faster than hardwood. This is the reason they are the largest source of timber on Earth. In Europe, they predominantly grow in the northern hemisphere making Nordic regions rich in forest and related industries.
What if you get two chunks of wood. Is it possible to distinguish them?
Often yes. They softwood has a more porous structure and, therefore, feels rougher when you rub it. A spongier structure is the reason why softwoods are indeed often lighter than hardwoods, and this is where “hard” and “soft” originate from. We tend to associate hardness with density.
Oak. Photo by: Anja Osenberg / Spruce. Photo by: Ilona Freiburg
What about pulp fibers? Is there a remarkable difference between them depending on the source?
Well, here it more complicated since fibers may have undergone a rough treatment on the way from trees to pulp or can even be recycled. Furthermore, a great variability in fiber morphology makes the visual comparison very difficult. However, on average, softwood fibers are considerably longer (1-3 mm as compared to 0.6-1 mm in hardwoods) and somewhat thicker than hardwood. The shape factor plays a role in producing the paper grades. Hardwood fibers tend to give a smoother surface. Hardwood contains large vessel cells which are specialized in transporting the water in the tree. These vessels have such a characteristic shape for each type of tree, that it is sometimes possible to identify the source of pulp by looking at the vessel cells in it.
The most popular hardwood used in paper-making is eucalyptus, which can grow extremely fast in an appropriate climate and thus can compete with softwoods.
Softwood pulp (optical microscopy and SEM)
Writer: | http://fibrenet.eu/index.php?id=blog-post-nine |
Most machine learning models accept only numerical variables. This is the reason behind why categorical variables are converted to number so the model can understand better.
Now lets address your second query lets look into what is
one-hot encoding and
dummy encoding and then see the difference
Nbinary variables for
Ncategories in a variable. Dummy encoding uses
N-1features to represent
Nlabels/categories
To complete the accepted answer :
From what I encountered, the big advantage of
sklearn.preprocessing.OneHotEncoder is that you can save it as an sklearn encoder, so you can train it on a train set, and apply it on your test based on what you train (you'll re-create the same columns). In the other side,
pandas.get_dummies only applies directly on your dataframe, so you won't be able to train it on a set and then apply it to another based on what you trained first. This then causes issues on Machine Learning problems. Basically always use OneHot.
Example : Training set :
Dog Cat Rabbit
Train your One Hot Encoder on that and applies it :
Dog Cat Rabbit 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1
Test Set :
Dog Horse Cat
One Hot Encoder trained from your Training set applied to your Test :
Dog Cat Rabbit 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
If you used pandas
pandas.get_dummies, you could only apply it directly on your test :
Dog Horse Cat 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1
And you'll have a column mismatch between your train and test :
['Dog', 'Cat', 'Rabbit'] differs from
['Dog', 'Horse', 'Cat']
OneHotEncoderhas a parameter
dropto allow for dropping reference levels. $\endgroup$ – Ben Reiniger yesterday
The purpose of one-hot encoding is to assign numbers to categorical variables which does not create a false, meaningless numerical pattern.
If you have categorical variables "Apple", "Orange", "Cherry", "Tomato" and you assign them numerical values 0, 1, 2, 3, then these numerical values have interpretations like "Cherry is between Tomato and Apple, but closer to Tomato" because 2 is between 0 and 3, but closer to 3. This is nonsense. It's bad nonsense, because algorithms to analyze this data (like regressions, or whatever) can pick up on it and read too much into it.
If you instead represent "Apple", "Orange", "Cherry", and "Tomato" as the 4-tuples (1,0,0,0), (0,1,0,0), (0,0,1,0), and (0,0,0,1), then you don't have this problem. Each coordinate is either 0 or 1, and measures the "Appleness" or the "Orangeness" or the "Cherriness" or the "Tomatoness" of your fruit. That's one-hot encoding.
As an example of this, suppose that the average apple weighs 200 grams, the average orange weighs 150 grams, the average cherry 30 grams, and the average tomato 100 grams. With one-hot encoding $(x_1, x_2, x_3, x_4)$, this average weight is a linear function of the encoding: $200x_1 + 150x_2 + 30x_3 + 100x_4$. This is something a regression can figure out from data. With the 0, 1, 2, 3 encoding, there's no nice function that will give you the average weight of a fruit given its number.
Now, as for dummy encoding: one-hot encoding still has a problem, which is that the linear function is not unique. The function $100 + 100x_1 + 50x_2 - 70x_3$ gives the same values as the previous function at the points (1,0,0,0), (0,1,0,0), (0,0,1,0), and (0,0,0,1). That's because each valid point $(x_1, x_2, x_3, x_4)$ satisfies $x_1 + x_2 + x_3 + x_4 = 1$.
(Again, this is not just a curiosity; this affects the way we analyze the data. For example, linear regressions behave badly when an $n$-dimensional input doesn't actually range freely across all $n$ dimensions.)
Dummy encoding drops one of the coordinates, since it can be inferred from the other three, to avoid this issue. The four fruits might be encoded as (1,0,0), (0,1,0), (0,0,1), and (0,0,0). | https://datascience.stackexchange.com/questions/98172/what-is-the-difference-between-one-hot-and-dummy-encoding |
One of the most common problems leading patients to seek medical attention is neck or back pain. This is because most of the motion of the spine occurs in the neck (cervical spine) or the back (lumbar spine). Often, patients who seek help may end up confused when they are told they have “degeneration” or “arthritis” when imaging reports list disc bulges and osteophytes, or spurs.
Anatomy
A disc is the “cushion” between two vertebrae (or bones) in the spine. Whether cervical or lumbar, it has the same structure and function – it serves as both a shock absorber as well as helps with motion and stability of the spine. A useful analogy is to think of the disc as a tire on its side. The outer portion of the disc is similar to multiple layers of the tire while the inner portion of disc is like the air in the tire. When the tire is properly inflated the walls are under tension and provide strength and stability while still being able to flex. As the tire gets low on air, the walls are under less tension to bulge out, providing less stability and allow wobbling.
The disc is very similar. When we are younger, the disc is similar to a properly inflated tire. The inner portion of the disc is hydrated and strong, and it keeps the outer portion of the disc under tension. Movement is allowed, but it is stable. As we age (typically in the twenties) the inner portion of the disc starts to dry out, providing less tension on the outer portion of the disc. The disc may bulge and not be as stable or strong. As more aging occurs, the disc may actually look shorter in height, with less water content. The body tries to compensate, and eventually spurs form in an attempt to stabilize the region.
These changes are referred to as spinal spondylosis and are best seen on MRI imaging. The same change may also be called “degenerative disc disease”, “degeneration”, or “arthritis” by some doctors. However, what gets confusing is that all of these changes are part of the natural aging process, not any disease.
Causes of Pain & When to Seek Treatment
If you are having neck pain or back pain, it could just be a muscle or fascia strain. However, pain, numbness or weakness in the arm or leg could be a more serious issue, such as a bulged disc (also called a herniation or extrusion) or a bone spur pressing on a nerve or the spinal cord. On the other hand, sometimes what is thought to be a spinal issue may actually be a hip or shoulder issue, or simply carpal tunnel syndrome. Since the source of neck and back pain can vary, it’s important to consider seeing a specialist for evaluation. After reviewing your medical history, performing a physical exam, and ordering any necessary tests (e.g. MRI), a specialist can help determine the best course of action, including but not limited to therapy, injections or surgery.
Minimally Invasive Surgery
Should surgery be the best course of action, there are minimally invasive procedures available, sometimes performed in an outpatient setting. Minimally invasive spine surgery allows the surgeon to make much smaller incisions in the skin and avoid any unnecessary muscle damage, while achieving the same surgical result. Muscle is left intact and only separated, or “split,” along natural divisions to reach the affected area. Special live-action x-ray machines are used along with imaging systems and tiny cameras (image guidance or navigation), so a large opening isn’t needed to visualize the problem. Orthopedic surgeons and neurosurgeons can then work precisely through the smaller openings, which mean significantly less tissue trauma to the patient. Spinal fusion and cervical disc arthroscopy are two procedures that can be performed using minimally invasive approaches.
(O-arm™ surgical imaging system used during minimally-invasive spine surgery)
(Dr. Tekula using StealthStation™ navigation (part of the O-arm system), which provides enhanced visibility of the spine during surgery.)
Advantages of minimally invasive procedures include:
- Recovery is faster with less post-operative pain
- Quicker return to work and normal activities
- Shorter hospital stays – outpatient surgery vs. two to three days with open surgery
- Less soft tissue damage, due to reduced muscle stripping (retraction)
- Incisions are much smaller (less than one inch vs. up to four inches) so scarring is less noticeable
- Reduced blood loss
In conclusion, there are many different causes of neck and back pain. If the discomfort is too great and/or the issue persists, it is likely time to make an appointment with a specialist for evaluation. A specialist can work to find the source of the pain and help determine the best course of action for pain relief. Should surgery be needed, minimally invasive procedures are available, sometimes in an outpatient setting. | https://ciocenter.com/blog/neck-and-back-pain-causes-and-treatment/ |
Q:
Word or Phrase for People Who Claim to be a Professional to Increase Their Credibility
What is a word or phrase for someone who claims to be a professional to increase the credibility or weight of their opinion?
I'm looking for something along the lines of ad hominem, but for the correct scenario.
A:
At first I thought about an answer like Josh61's charlatan (which I think is a good one). However, after re-reading your "something along the lines of ad hominem I think that perhaps you are refering to the logical fallacy of claiming one's reputation in order to 'prove' a point. If that is the case, I think that you may want be looking for ad verecundiam or argument from authority
| |
The prevalence of obesity is increasing worldwide, which indicates that the primary cause of obesity lies in environmental and behavioural changes rather than in genetic modifications. Among the environmental influences, the percentage of fat energy of the everyday diet and the lack of physical activity are two important factors, which contribute to explain the rising prevalence of obesity. In this review, several lines of evidence are presented to illustrate why dietary fat does affect obesity development. There are four factors which support a link between dietary fat and obesity development:
-
1
The thermic effect of nutrients, expressed as percentage of their energy content, is 2–3% for lipids, 6–8% for carbohydrates and 25–30% for proteins. This means that the efficiency of nutrient utilization (calculated as 100%—the thermic effect of the nutrient) is higher for fat than for carbohydrate or protein.
-
2
Postingestive fuel selection favours the oxidation of dietary proteins and carbohydrates, whereas dietary fats are preferentially stored as triacylglycerol in adipose tissue. Alcohol, by inhibiting lipid oxidation, indirectly favours the storage of dietary fats.
-
3
High-fat diet promotes excessive energy intake by passive overconsumption; the fat-induced appetite control signals are too weak or too delayed to prevent excessive energy intake from a fatty meal.
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4
The only proof that dietary fats contribute to weight gain is to test the long-term effect of ad libitum low-fat diets. Most studies on low-fat diets show that they induce a modest weight loss in obese individuals, but their long-term effect from a public health perspective is limited, probably due to a low compliance to the dietary advice.
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Jéquier, E. Pathways to obesity. Int J Obes 26 (Suppl 2), S12–S17 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0802123
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Issue Date: | https://www.nature.com/articles/0802123?error=cookies_not_supported&code=66847a3a-cfd6-4721-8da6-afbce78abbd5 |
The goal of this study was to compare how multivariate statistical methods for dimension reduction account for correlations between simultaneously recorded neurons. Here, we describe applications of principal component analysis (PCA) and independent component analysis (ICA) (Cardoso J-F, Souloumiac A. IEE-Proc F 1993;140:362-70; Hyvarinen A, Oja E. Neural Comput 1997;9:1483-92; Lee TW, Girolami M, Sejnowski TJ. Neural Comp 1999;11:417-41) to neuronal ensemble data. Simulated ensembles of neurons were used to compare how well the methods above could account for correlated neuronal firing. The simulations showed that 'population vectors' defined by PCA were broadly distributed over the neuronal ensembles; thus, PCA was unable to identify independent groupings of neurons that shared common sources of input. By contrast, the ICA methods were all able to identify groupings of neurons that emerged due to correlated firing. This result suggests that correlated neuronal firing is reflected in higher-order correlations between neurons and not simply in the neurons' covariance. To assess the significance of these methods for real neuronal ensembles, we analyzed data from populations of neurons recorded in the motor cortex of rats trained to perform a reaction-time task. Scores for PCA and ICA were reconstructed on a bin-by-bin basis for single trials. These data were then used to train an artificial neural network to discriminate between single trials with either short or long reaction-times. Classifications based on scores from the ICA-based methods were significantly better than those based on PCA. For example, scores for components defined with an ICA-based method, extended ICA (Lee et al., 1999), classified more trials correctly (80.58±1.25%) than PCA (73.14±0.84%) for an ensemble of 26 neurons recorded in the motor cortex (ANOVA: P<0.005). This result suggests that behaviorally relevant information is represented in correlated neuronal firing and can be best detected when higher-order correlations between neurons are taken into account. Copyright (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. | https://jhu.pure.elsevier.com/en/publications/independent-component-analyses-for-quantifying-neuronal-ensemble--3 |
exercise intolerance and post exercise malaise, swelling and/or discolouration (dusky purple/red) in the legs after standing for only relatively short (e.g., 5 min) periods of time (as seen in OI), peripheral vasoconstriction (cold, dusky hands, and feet) . Even if you are still awaiting a definite diagnosis, it should still be relevant
Chronic fatigue is an important contributor to impaired health-related quality of life in Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. There is overlap in the symptoms and findings of EDS and chronic fatigue syndrome. A proportion of those with CFS likely have EDS that has not been identified. The evaluation of chronic Ehlers Danlos is rarely diagnosed, but I doubt it is rare. Current estimates are that incidence runs about 1 in 2500 to 1 in 5000. I keep meeting more and more people who have the symptoms but need to wait 6-8 months for diagnosis. So many don't get diagnosed due to insurance issues The Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS) is the name given to a group of non-inflammatory hereditary conditions, which are all disorders of the connective tissue. Connective tissue is a supporting structure in our body and is made up of a number of proteins including collagen, which is the protein most often thought to be involved in EDS A person with hypermobility may have problems with floppy heart valves, which cause heart murmurs. Heart palpitations and noticeable extra beats can also be signs. Lung infections - I have always struggled with lung infections but since the age of 38 I have had three serious bouts of pneumonia, which led to a chronic lung condition Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Lambert-Eaton syndrome. Vitamin B and E deficiencies; Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). A common sign of dysautonomia is orthostatic intolerance, which means you can't stand up for long, without feeling faint or dizzy. Exercise intolerance (heart rate doesn't adjust to changes in activity level).
You can alleviate anxiety by practicing relaxation and regular physical activity. Daily relaxation practice arouses your parasympathetic (calming) nervous system. Relaxation techniques like deep breathing, meditation, and yoga and exercise can boost happiness hormones (endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin) that help manage stress The vast majority of adolescents and young adults with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) have POTS or related forms of orthostatic intolerance. The intensity of the fatigue, exercise intolerance and other symptoms are greater in those with ME/CFS and POTS than in those with POTS alone Increase Exercise & Sweating. the LDN. I have always had IBS and fibro, and food intolerances from birth. Food sensitivities including histamine intolerance, IBS and thyroid CA as well as ADHD run in the family. I am on a strict organic, low hist, unprocessed diet, but have been troubled my entire life with intolerance to all fruit and. Vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is a severe form of the syndrome and affects the blood vessels in the body. If you have EDS and are unable to work because of severe symptoms from it, you may be eligible for disability benefits, including Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
With hypermobility type Ehlers Danlos Syndromes (which many experts consider as the same as JHS and BJHS), the genetic fault that has caused the faulty collagen remains constant. It doesn't change. It doesn't progress in a medical sense of the word. But the symptoms can get worse. The level of disability can progress. Mine got worse. Lots worse Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (1) Electromagnetic Radiation (2) Exercise (18) Fasting (1) Fibromyalgia (52) Finances (6) Gut (19) Heart (1) Herbal (4) Mast cell activation syndrome (2) Migraine (5) Mind/body (36) Mindfulness (20) Mold (7) Neuroplasticity (3) Orthostatic intolerance (20) Pacing (7) Physical Therapy (1) POTS (12) Recovery stories (8.
Recently in my clinic I have had a wave of interest in discussing the role of nutrition in Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and the trifecta that often presents itself as EDS, Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) and Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS). As one of the few practitioners in Please look into Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. This condition is characterized by hypermobility (being extra flexible, double jointed and many of us are naturals in gymnastics, ballet, and even musicians) however, there are many conditions that accompany EDS Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is a group of disorders that affect the connective tissues that support the skin, bones, blood vessels, and many other organs and tissues. Defects in connective tissues cause the signs and symptoms of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, which vary from mildly loose joints to life-threatening complications
Hyperadrenergic POTS is a subtype of POTS that affects about 10% of patients with dysautonomia symptoms due to orthostatic intolerance. (Grubb et al, 2011) The mechanism differs from other types in so far as it is caused by centrally driven sympathetic activation Constitutional symptoms are any symptoms that affect the function of several systems at once. They are often nonspecific and can be attributed to many causes, complicating diagnosis. For many people with MCAS, the constitutional symptoms present first and with the greatest frequency. Fatigue and malaise (the feeling of being out of it) are the most Read More »Constitutional symptoms. An illness described as a CSS involves something called central sensitization. Central means the central nervous system, which is made up of your brain and spinal cord. Sensitization is the end result of something that has made you sensitive. Allergies are the type of sensitivity people are generally the most familiar with One Gene Mutation Links Three Mysterious, Debilitating Diseases. On a good day, my shoulders, knees, and hips will dislocate two to five times apiece. The slightest bump into a table or door will.
Metformin. 1. Avoid Taking Things With Folic Acid. Folic acid is the inactivated form of folate (one of the B vitamins). In order to be converted into an active usable form by the body, it must undergo methylation. Ingesting high levels of folic acid can be toxic for those with MTHFR gene mutation. 2 Food intolerance. Indigestion of or intolerances to certain foods can also contribute to excessive belching. This is because the nutrients remain in the gut for consumption by bacteria, which. The Vanderbilt Autonomic Dysfunction Center (ADC) is one of the nation's leading expert centers in dysautonomia, or autonomic dysfunction. Established in 1978, our center continues to provide clinical and research expertise, advanced patient care, and valuable support resources to patients with disorders of the autonomic nervous system
There are a number of non-pharmacological treatments and lifestyle adaptations that may help POTS patients reduce and cope with their symptoms. The following are a list of the most commonly recommended measures. It is important to remember that treatment, pharmacological or non-pharmacological, should be individualized as POTS patients may react differently to treatments depending on POTS. Idiopathic Mast Cell Activation Syndrome. MCAS is a condition in which the patient experiences repeated episodes of the symptoms of anaphylaxis - allergic symptoms such as hives, swelling, low blood pressure, difficulty breathing and severe diarrhea. High levels of mast cell mediators are released during those episodes Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) is a condition characterized by too little blood returning to the heart when moving from a lying down to a standing up position (orthostatic intolerance).Orthostatic Intolerance causes lightheadedness or fainting that can be eased by lying back down. In people with POTS, these symptoms are also accompanied by a rapid increase in heart rate The focus is on whether the hypermobile-type of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome is causing the cervical spine to become unstable and allow for the bones of the neck to compress on the vagus nerves. This then can be seen as a possible cause of the cardiac-like problems that are characteristic of POTS
Dysautonomia is a complex set of conditions caused by a malfunction of the autonomic nervous system. (ANS). The ANS regulates breathing, keeps blood pressure level, and moderates the heart rate. Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Ehlers-Danlos Syndome is a hereditary connective tissue disorder that typically presents with stretchy skin and joint hypermobility, frequent dislocations, and pain. There are some genetic tests but the diagnosis is usually based on a clinical evaluation by a geneticist or rheumatologist
. Insulin resistance is the driving factor that leads to type 2 diabetes, gestational diabetes and prediabetes Insulin resistance is closely associated with obesity; however, it is possible to be insulin resistant without being overweight or obese Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) is a circulatory disorder that can make you feel faint and dizzy. Learn more about the symptoms, causes, and treatment of this condition POT syndrome (POTS, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome) is a heart condition that involves the body's blood vessels. Symptoms include lightheadedness and fainting when standing from a seated or lying position. Often the only relief is laying back down. Doctors don't know exactly what causes POTS, but episodes seem to begin after trauma, major surgery, a viral illness, just before.
Hypokalemia is a metabolic imbalance characterized by extremely low potassium levels in the blood. It is a symptom of another disease or condition, or a side effect of diuretic drugs. The body needs potassium for the contraction of muscles (including the heart), and for the functioning of many complicated proteins (enzymes) MedlinePlus Genetics provides information about the effects of genetic variation on human health. Learn about genetic conditions, genes, chromosomes, and more Postural tachycardia syndrome (PoTS) is an abnormal increase in heart rate that occurs after sitting up or standing. Some typical symptoms include dizziness and fainting. It's sometimes known as postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. PoTS affects a range of people but is most common in girls and women aged 15 to 50 . Diet, and the body's relationship with various types of foods/ingredients, can play a HUGE role in pain, or lack thereof
Chiari malformations affect individuals of every race and ethnicity. Some studies suggest that females are affected more often than males. In most cases, a Chiari malformation is thought to be present at birth (congenital), although some cases may not be discovered until adulthood (sometimes incidentally when a brain scan is done for another reason) The official blog for Stickman Communications - addressing disability related needs and life issues through simple, fun stickman cartoons; creating instant understanding of complex issues. By Hannah Ensor - cartoonist and Chair of the board of trustees of the Hypermobility Syndromes Associatio Step 1: Medial sternotomy incision is made in the chest and the chest wall is retracted: --> Keyhole CABG surgery. Step 2: Distal vein or artery grafts are harvested. Step 3: The patient is then hooked up to a heart- lung (bypass pump) machine that pumps and oxygenates the blood for the heart and lungs. --> CABG may be done off pump
Myopathic EDS (mEDS) is one of the 13 types of a group of inherited connective tissue disorders. These disorders, known collectively as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, or EDS, are caused by mutations in genes that encode for collagen and collagen-related proteins.. The various types of EDS all target the connective tissue that provide structure to joints, skin, and blood vessels Exercise as it relates to Disease. Exercise in disease is a resource where implications for exercise as they relate to different chronic diseases, and their treatments are explored. The wikis are created by students, as part of a University assignment, and should not be taken as medical advice. 2020 Wiki pages are due to be completed by. MCAS is often found in individuals with hypermobility syndromes (Ehlers-Danlos syndrome), postural orthostatic hypotension (POTS) as well as chronic inflammatory response syndrome (CIRS) and tick-borne illnesses (Lyme disease and co-infections). The most common symptoms of MCAS include: Feeling as though you have been sick foreve The complexity and challenges of cervical neck instability treatment is fully displayed in the controversies and confusions surrounding the diagnosis of vertebrobasilar insufficiency, also called vertebrobasilar artery insufficiency or Bow Hunter Syndrome. As a patient diagnosed with one of these diagnostic tags, you probably know first hand that your journey of treatment has taken many turns
join the priority care list. for the latest update Tendinitis is inflammation of a tendon - a thick, flexible cord of tissue that attaches muscle to bone. Tendons help muscles move bones. Tendinitis most commonly occurs in the shoulder, bicep, elbow, hand, wrist, thumb, calf, knee or ankle. Since the pain of tendinitis occurs near a joint, it is sometimes mistaken for arthritis SaltWrap started out as a small group of fitness professionals specializing in therapeutic and corrective exercise—working with physical therapy facilities and one-on-one clients.. The guys at SaltWrap brought me on to oversee all their new research and nutrition protocols. With a background in Human Biology and Pharmaceutical Science, my job is to make sure the team's recommendations are. | https://piacerevan.com/tenosynovitis-and-tendonitis-in-multiple-joints-what-can-cause-thisv0-14027n2d-.html |
NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – In BMC Genetics, Polish researchers report on the ancient DNA analysis that they used to take a peek back at social organization patterns in a native population in Peru prior to Columbus' journey to the Americas. The analysis relied on DNA from bone and tooth samples from 41 individuals found at six traditional burial sites, known as chullpas, in the Arequipa area of Peru. By looking at markers from the mitochondrial genome, Y chromosome, and autosomes, researchers discerned family relationships between individuals at each site, using that information to surmise clues about the broader societal structure in the Andean population at the time.
"Our results show that this community of llama and alpaca herders was (genetically) an extended patriarchal society," corresponding author Mateusz Baca, a researcher with the University of Warsaw's Center for Precolumbian Studies, said in a statement. "The use of chullpas as family graves is consistent with the idea of … communities based around strong kinship relationships."
American and Australian researchers resequenced the genomes of two bulls that have served as dairy cattle sires as part of an effort to track down trait-related haplotypes under selection in dairy cattle — work that they describe in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The group sequenced the genome of a bull known as "Chief" to around 7.3 times coverage and the genome of his son "Mark" to about 13.5 times coverage. In the process, they identified more than a million SNP differences between the bulls, both widely used as dairy sires. To assess the accuracy of their haplotype reconstruction method, the team compared these SNPs with variant patterns in the BovineSNP50 database. From there, they brought in genotype data for 1,149 of Chief's offspring to unearth chromosomal regions that seem to have been under selection in the dairy cattle, along with candidate SNPs suspected of contributing to traits such as milk production and disease resistance.
A study in Neuron is highlighting genetic ties between autism and fragile X syndrome.
Researchers from Cold Spring Harbor lab and elsewhere did exome sequencing on members of 343 families affected by autism spectrum disorder. Each of these families were enrolled through the Simons Simplex Collection and included one child with ASD, at least one unaffected sibling, and two unaffected parents.
Although de novo missense and synonymous mutations were found at comparable levels in affected and unaffected individuals, the team reported, coding sequences from individuals with ASD contained an over-representation of de novo alterations expected to produce premature stop codons, frame shift changes, or splice site glitches. And when they looked at the genes affected by these changes — or by copy number alterations identified in past ASD analyses — investigators found a subset of genes that overlapped with genes whose translation appears to be influenced by the fragile X mental retardation gene product.
"Our finding has important implications for therapy and shows that autism is in large part a molecular disorder of neuroplasticity, the mechanisms by which our nervous system adapts to change," CSHL researcher Michael Wigler, corresponding author on the study, said in a statement.
The spread of agriculture from southern Europe to northern parts of the continent involved migrants who have left their genetic mark in the region, according to a Science study.
Researchers from Sweden and Denmark sequenced and assessed nearly 250 million bases of genomic DNA from the ancient remains of three hunter-gather individuals and one individual from a nearby agricultural community, generating enough sequence in the process to look at the individuals' mitochondrial genomes, too. The samples were found in Scandinavia and estimated to be roughly 5,000 years old. Genetic patterns identified in the hunter-gatherers resembled those found in existing northern European populations, though they did not fall squarely into any one group. On the other hand, the Stone Age farmer was more closely related to populations now living in the Mediterranean.
"The results suggest that agriculture spread across Europe in concert with a migration of people," Uppsala University evolutionary biologist Pontus Skoglund, the study's first author, said in a statement. "If farming had spread solely as a cultural process, we would not expect to see a farmer in the north with such genetic affinity to southern populations."
In another Science study, two University of California at Berkeley researchers describe the approach they used to assess rates of evolution in free-living bacteria from environmental biofilms. Using samples obtained from the same acid mine drainage site in California over the span of almost a decade, the pair used metagenomic sequencing and genome analyses to characterize genetic patterns in Leptospirillum bacteria, the main bugs in the biofilms, over time. From the SNP patterns and estimated nucleotide substitution rate, for example, they defined six Leptospirillum genotypes in the acid mine drainage site samples and teased apart the mutations and recombinations that led to their emergence in that environment.
Genomics In The Journals is a weekly feature pointing readers to select, recently published articles involving genomics and related research. | https://www.genomeweb.com/archive/genomics-journals-60 |
Emotions are our weather and the sky is our equanimity. To practice equanimity we must cultivate mindfulness, and awareness of when we are becoming the weather, so that we are less jerked around by transitory thoughts. Use this word when you feel yourself being pulled into a riptide of thoughts that are not serving you."
This was the reading and theme used in a yoga class I went to last week, and it seems to fit perfectly with the sutra we'll be focusing on this week. Remember that the goal of yoga (from sutra 1.2) is "the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind." So putting the previous quote together with our yoga studies, we can equate that yoga (and our natural, authentic way of being) is the sky and everything else (the emotions, distracting thoughts, etc.) are the weather. The sky is always there being exactly as it is despite being overshadowed and overtaken sometimes by different weather patterns. So it is with us. Who we really are is always there despite being overshadowed and overtaken by different distractions and obstacles that take us away from this truth. Sutra 1.30 tells us exactly what these distractions and obstacles (i.e. weather patterns) are.
According to sutra 1.30 there are nine distractions that create obstacles on our path of yoga and prevent us from not only celebrating our amazing, authentic selves, but also take us away from the power of the present moment. These distractions include:
- physical illness
- mental laziness
- doubt or indecision
- carelessness or indifference
- idleness
- desire or over indulgence
- delusions or confusion from false assumptions
- inability to be grounded or have determination
- inconsistency and the inability to maintain a steady practice
So far in our journey of the sutras, Patanjali has given us the definition of yoga, given us various techniques and ways to practice and will continue to give us more, but seems to take this pause to warn us that though the system of yoga is simple, it's not always easy. Just as we can predict that not every day will be a clear, blue sky day, we can expect that not every yoga practice and not every moment in our life will be smooth sailing. I like to think it's his way of telling us that things will occasionally get rough, we'll have bad days where we are frustrated, beat down and may want to give up on the path, but these are only passing distractions and we simply need to keep our focus on the sky.
Your challenge for this week friends is to stay focused on the sky. Notice when you are taken out of your practice or when you are pulled away from the present moment and maybe even identify and label which distraction is your current obstacle. As always, don't judge or analyze . . . simply observe. Know that these obstacles can sometimes end up being transformational jumping off points to discovering our powers. But . . . that's for another sutra :)
Sutra 1.30 Distractions that are obstacles on the path (to samadhi) are illness, mental laziness,
doubt, carelessness, idleness, desire, delusions, lack of determination and inconsistency.
doubt, carelessness, idleness, desire, delusions, lack of determination and inconsistency. | https://www.shine8out.ca/2020/07/sutra-130-focus-on-sky.html |
Mlkwood is a new creative studio gallery, in the historic Old Town of Bridlington.
Showcasing original contemporary artwork, artistic prints and greetings cards by local artists. In addition to crafted handmade ceramics, jewellery and unique objects.
12 High Street
(Old Town)
Bridlington YO16 4PX
Tel: 01262 678375
Mob: 07874 921664
email -
Directions: At the A165 roundabout take the exit for the Old Town. Turn left at the bottom of the Market Place onto the High Street and follow the road down until you reach the traffic lights. Mlkwood is located on the left.
No Disabled Access. | https://www.eastyorkshireopenstudios.org/copy-of-kerry-duncan-2019-1 |
The project, funded by the Scotch Whisky Action Fund, takes a youth-centered approach – enabling young people to take full ownership of the design, delivery, and evaluation of the programme.
Through digital workshops, young people have created a series of virtual reality scenarios that will allow users to explore issues such as peer pressure, underage drinking, and risk-taking.
Darran Gillan, Youth and Programme Development Manager at YMCA Paisley, said:
“Meaningful conversations about alcohol can be difficult to initiate, virtual reality provides a great starting point for those discussions. Young people are talking about things they would not otherwise share in a youth club setting.
The immersive scenarios allow young people to see the dilemmas and challenges that others have experienced before them – in that sense, it’s a very effective preventative tool.
Having a completely youth-led project means that the scenarios come from young people’s lived experiences – that’s what makes this project impactful.”
18-year-old Jake, who was involved in developing the VR scenarios, said:
“We created a VR house party project to address the issue of underage drinking. For many young people, binge-drinking is a rite of passage and we wanted to raise awareness to the fact that this can leave them extremely vulnerable. Social media also plays a big part in peer pressure and it can be used to shame people. This project engages deeply with all these issues with scenarios that come from our shared experiences.”
In the next few months, the young people from Paisley YMCA will bring this interactive programme to schools and youth clubs throughout Renfrewshire. | https://www.ymca.scot/ymca-uses-vr-to-help-teenagers-say-no-to-alcohol-press-release/ |
It’s been another busy season at The Cornish Seal Sanctuary with over 70 seal pup rescues.
Although the seal pupping season is from September until March – the period of time in the UK where we receive the most storms and rough seas – this is nonetheless a busy time of year for the Cornish Seal Sanctuary, being peak season for visitors as well as the Animal Care Team’s ongoing care of the sanctuary’s permanent residents.
“a journey from rescue to release”
A pup will need to come to the sanctuary for a variety of reasons, from malnourishment, being separated from its mother too early, or for more sinister reasons – such as life threatening wounds from being entangled in marine litter. This season, the sanctuary has had four pups come into their care as a result of plastic pollution in our oceans.
One pup, named after Queen legend Brian May, was rescued at five weeks old by British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR), due to severe malnourishment and superficial wounds. The seriousness of his condition came to light during his first week recovering at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary. He spent the majority of his time sleeping, and when it came to feeding times he had trouble swallowing fish and the team had to gently force feed him fish in order for him to eat. It came as a great shock when Brian May passed two pieces of plastic bag, totalling 8cm in diameter.
The sanctuary are aware that rubbish in the ocean affects seals – previous research conducted at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary indicated that seals ingest plastic via fish. Seals in Cornwall are also heavily affected by plastic pollution and entanglement. Volunteer surveys conducted by Cornwall Seal Group Research Trust around the south west of England identified 102 different entangled seals in 2016/17 alone. However, Brian May is the first example the sanctuary has seen of a seal directly ingesting a plastic bag. Thankfully, after going through rehabilitation, Brian May was successfully released back into the wild after making a full recovery.
The sanctuary rely heavily on members of the public getting in touch if they discover a seal pup on the beach, and without this vital help the team would not be able to do their pup rehabilitation work every year. This year, the sanctuary launched their brand new Beach Signage around local beaches in Cornwall. The signage was made in collaboration with several charities and organisations as a guide for the public when out and about on the beaches; what to do if they come across a seal, who to call, and some tips on how to protect local wildlife and look after our beaches. This signage is supplied and maintained by the Cornish Seal Sanctuary, and if any local beaches would like a sign they simply need to call the sanctuary who will organise the rest!
As all of this season’s rescued pups have been released into the wild, the sanctuary are launching their brand new Virtual Reality experience this summer. Guests can take a journey from rescue to release with the rescued seal pups, getting closer to pups than the animal care team do, all through the medium of virtual reality. The Virtual Reality experience was made possible by Rose Summers, a visual communicator, using 360° virtual reality, photography and video to tell stories that highlight conservation and the natural world.
‘Rescue to Release: A 360° Virtual Tour’ was part of Rose’s final year project for her Marine & Natural History Photography degree at Falmouth University. She worked with The Cornish Seal Sanctuary and local seal conservation and research groups to produce a virtual reality experience that takes audience’s to the centre of the action.
The Cornish Seal Sanctuary also provides a permanent home to animals that need special care from their team of marine animal experts. When visiting the sanctuary, you can experience wonderful marine animals up close and learn all about their individual stories.
DISCOVER MORE
The Cornish Seal Sanctuary opening times are from 10am until 5pm with last admissions at 4pm.
The Cornish Seal Sanctuary
[email protected]
sealsanctuary.sealifetrust.org
"a journey from rescue to release" | https://cornwall-living.co.uk/seal-life/ |
Given the current rapidly-evolving situation with COVID-19, CPSC likes to take this opportunity to reassure that it will continue to deliver programs through the WEBINAR to the valued TVET stakeholders. As a Face-to-Face training is not possible, on-line training is the best solution which is also cost effective and time saving.
A webinar is an online seminar that turns a presentation into a real-time conversation from anywhere in the world. Webinars allow large groups of participants to engage in online discussions or training events and share audio, documents or slides – even when they’re not in the same place as the meeting host or in the same room where the event or presentation is taking place.
This concept paper is prepared for the next webinar topic “Test Items Development Techniques for TVET teachers”. At present, all reputable assessments carried out in TVET systems are competence-based assessment. Assessments are only relevant for the workplace if it has consider prevalent knowledge, abilities and skills which are required in work-based situations.
Assessment provides information that can help improve students’ learning and help teachers in teaching. The role of classroom assessment is to improve students’ learning and teachers’ teaching in order to ensure that students reach their individual potential. Teachers, therefore, generally understand that assessment is integral to teaching. Thus, TVET teachers need to know how to develop test items, administer tests, assign grades as per the results of tests, and report the outcomes of the tests to the concerned authority. Teachers should be able to integrate assessment and teaching to make the teaching process more interesting and to enhance the students’ learning outcome. Teachers need to create and provide opportunities for all students in which students can progress at their own pace and remedial measures need to apply where necessary. After testing a constructive feedback should be given to students based on the ability of individual students to refer to the standard criteria rather than student achievement.
Thus, there are different test items need to be developed by a TVET teacher in order to test students achievements and diagnose learning problems. Those test items are based on Skills, Knowledge, and Attitudes (Soft Skills) which are taught to the students and test is conducted only after students have adequately practiced the skills. Test items need to be developed differently for each domain of learning and there are specific process of developing each test item.
Thus, CPSC is looking forward to this webinar on “Test Items Development Techniques for TVET Teachers” and meet all the CPSC member countries participants & discuss about it. It is hoped that this experience will enable us to think and act differently on development of test items, administrating, and produce tests results in TVET institutions.
- Bring CPSC member countries participants in one online platform
- Understand the TVET Assessment System
- Be familiar with the types of test items
- Internalize the process of development of each test item
- Formulate strategies on adopting test items development process
To join the webinar, each participant should have the following: | https://www.cpsctech.org/2020/04/test-items-development-techniques-for.html |
Management decisions for natural resources are not made in a vacuum; the environmental and ecological conditions as well as the socioeconomic and political contexts affect goals, the choice of interventions, their feasibility, and which outcomes are obtained. Although uncertainty is recognized as a feature of natural resource management, little attention has been given to the uncertainty generated by institutional settings, historical contingency, and individual people's influence. These implementation uncertainties, related to the translation of policy into practice, make it difficult to predict the outcomes of management interventions within social-ecological systems. Using the conservation of species hunted for bushmeat in the Serengeti as a case study, we investigated the challenges and potential barriers to successful implementation of natural resource management policies. We used a mixed-methods approach, combining semistructured interviews with scenario building, social network, and institutional analysis exercises. Using a management strategy evaluation (MSE) conceptual framework, we obtained insights into the constraints and opportunities for fulfilling stakeholder aspirations for the social-ecological system, analyzed the multiple roles played by different institutions in the system, and described the interactions between different actor types. We found that the respondents had generally similar views about the current and future status of the Serengeti but disagreed about how to address issues of conservation concern and were more uncertain about the actual outcomes of management interventions. Improving conservation implementation (rather than research, monitoring, or status assessment) was perceived as the key priority to be addressed. Institutional barriers were perceived as an important challenge given that the decision-making and implementation processes were broadly distributed across a number of institutions. Conservation social networks were centered on very few individuals, suggesting their importance in bridging across conservation arenas but also potentially affecting the resilience of governance structures. Our study gives an improved understanding of the underlying causes of discrepancies between conservation plans and outcomes for this case study, as well as providing a novel framework for the analysis of implementation uncertainties more broadly. A next step would be to use this framework as a basis for collaboratively developed models that integrate research findings with specific management questions. By bringing tools and findings from social psychology, natural resource management, and bioeconomics together into a unified operational framework, researchers may be better able to understand the barriers to successful resource management and engage with stakeholders to overcome them. | https://www.stir.ac.uk/research/hub/publication/622945 |
Carnegie has been developing its prized CETO wave energy technology for more than 15 years, and attracted tens of millions of taxpayer dollars from both federal and state governments to commercialise the technology.
Administrators said they were talking to shareholders about a further capital raising program, to allow the company to remain trading and recapitalise before attempting to sell off parts of the business.
Any such sale could potentially include some of the intellectual property of Carnegie's wave energy technology.
It is thought the company's Northam solar farm and Garden Island projects will be insulated from the sale. | |
Gestion de servicios de TI is the process of ensuring that a company’s technology services meet and exceed commercial expectations. To effectively deliver these services, they must be constantly updated and monitored for effect. These services must also be mapped and properly activated. This article describes what exactly is required to implement effective IT Service Management. Whether your company has a service desk or an in-house IT department, there are some key steps you need to take to ensure a high-quality service.
Contents
IT Service Management
ITSM encompasses the entire range of IT services provided by an organization. By using these processes, an organization can reduce costs, streamline employee tasks, improve availability and security, and automate reporting. These are just a few of the benefits of ITSM. If you’re considering using ITSM in your organization, read on to learn how you can benefit. And, what’s more, it’s free! Learn how to start using ITSM in your business today.
ITIL
The key to successful ITIL Service Management is to integrate it into every activity and project. In this way, it is able to align with the efforts of digital transformation. Additionally, the concept of ITIL Service Management can be extended to other areas of a business. For example, companies can extend it to their customer support and supply chain management processes. It’s important to balance the four dimensions of IT management when designing and implementing a new service.
Service Desk
The service desk is a central point of contact for all IT communications. The majority of these communications are related to Incident Management tickets, however there are other types of communication, as well. This article will discuss the role of the service desk in an organization and how it can help improve the productivity of end users. Also, it will discuss the benefits of integrating service desk functions into the management infrastructure. Using a service desk software, you can track and analyze tickets, track your staff, and get insights into your overall efficiency.
Problem management
The main objective of Problem Management is to prevent incidents from occurring again. Repeat incidents increase the number of incidents, reduce customer satisfaction, and damage the service desk’s reputation. Shadow IT initiatives are also likely to increase. Problem management can help prevent these situations from happening by identifying and prioritizing contributing causes. However, there is one crucial difference between Problem Management and Incident Management. The difference is in how the two processes are triggered.
Also read: Time for a New Tech Career? How to Find the Best IT Job
Change management
TI services companies often need change management to ensure a smooth transition. Managing change is difficult and most changes can’t be accomplished in a spreadsheet. To measure success, you need to set key metrics and feedback tools to keep track of change. Change management software can also help you walk people through new programs and processes. Investing in this type of software can save your organization time and money, too. Read on to learn how.
Incident management
The GKE service, which carries out global data exchange, was experiencing outages when a bug in its cloud infrastructure caused a disruption. The incident required coordinated decision-making and interaction among different teams. The Incident Commander assigned the appropriate operations team members from both teams and worked with them directly. Despite the tumultuous nature of this incident, the Incident Commander was able to focus on the most critical aspect of the incident and communicate its implications to real customers. | https://greatrockdev.com/what-is-it-service-management/ |
The tongue is a muscular organ found in the mouth. In snakes it is a sensory organ. Some animals use it to capture insects. The woodpecker uses its tongue to probe inside the holes it has created. The tongue in mammals helps in chewing, tasting, and swallowing. Cats use their tongues in grooming also. The human tongue tastes, helps in chewing and swallowing and most important, speaking.
The Bible has much to say about the use of the tongue in speech. James tells us that the tongue, though very small, has great power for good or for evil, great power to help or to hurt.
For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. James 3:2-10.
It is so very easy to tell a lie, or speak an unkind word, or spread a rumor, or speak a word of gossip and cause great hurt to another.
Only God can tame our tongues.
Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. (Psalm 34:13).
The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness.
For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil,
A woman known for causing much pain and sorrow to others through the use of her tongue to spread gossip and lies was told by her minister to get a bag full of feathers and to scatter them throughout the city.
Having obeyed, she returned to find out what she needed to do next. "Go and collect them all," he told her.
"But that would be utterly impossible!" said the woman.
Even so the lies and gossip, and unkind words we speak, once out of our mouths, can never be collected or taken back again.
Oh be careful little tongue what you say,
Oh be careful little tongue what you say,
For the Father up above is looking down in love,
So be careful little tongue what you say.
If I can be of help to you in knowing the Lord or if you would like to write me a note write to:
CBM
Home Page
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344-1103.
Hear our daily 2 minute message by dialing (Connecticut) 860 344-1103. | http://www.bibleline.org/talk.html |
Costing is the technique and process of ascertaining costs. Keeping this definition in view, various methods have been developed to ascertain costs. A few of the important methods are listed below:
- Job Costing
- Contract Costing
- Cost-plus Costing
- Batch Costing
- Process Costing
- Single (unit or output) Costing
- Operating Costing
- Departmental Costing
- Multiple or Composite Costing
- Operation Costing
Important Costing Methods
1. Job Costing
In job costing, the costing of each job undertaken and executed is calculated. This method is adapted in production units that do not involve highly repetitive work.
Production units in which job costing is performed should be able to separate each job or lot based on the number of orders executed. In commercial foundries, drop forging shops, and specialized industrial equipment manufacturers, job costing is commonly used.
2. Contract Costing
Job costing and contract costing are the same in terms of their underlying principles. A contract is a big job, whereas a job is typically small. Job costing and contract costing are also frequently referred to as terminal costing.
3. Cost-plus Costing
This is an aspect of contract costing. Cost-plus costing occurs when, for a contract, both the contract price and an extra agreed sum are paid to the contractor.
4. Batch Costing
When orders or jobs are arranged into different batches, after taking into account the convenience of producing items, it is known as batch costing. Under batch costing, the cost of a group of products is ascertained.
Batch costing is suitable for companies producing general engineering goods, in which the components can be easily arranged in convenient economic batches. In pharmaceutical companies, batch costing is also used advantageously and effectively.
5. Process Costing
When a product passes through different stages, each of which is distinct, well-defined, and easily separable, process costing can be applied. Process costing helps to calculate the cost of production at each stage.
Extractive industries, including companies dealing in chemicals, paints, foods, or soaps, can effectively and advantageously use the process costing method.
6. Single Costing
Single costing is also known as unit costing or output costing. Under single costing, the cost per unit of output or production is ascertained. Each element constituting such a cost is determined separately.
This costing method is suitable in industries such as brick-making, paper mills, and flour mills.
7. Operating Costing
When expenses are incurred to provide services such as those rendered by bus companies, transport agencies, and electricity companies, the operating costing method is used to good effect.
8. Multiple Costing
In this costing method, the costs of different sections of production are combined after ascertaining the cost of each and every part manufactured.
In the automotive industry, as well as other industries in which products are comprised of many assembled parts, multiple costing is frequently applied.
9. Departmental Costing
In this method, the main objective is to ascertain separately the cost of outputs for each department. Whenever an organization consists of several departments, departmental costing is a reasonable option to adopt.
10. Operation Costing
Operation costing is a refinement of process costing. When mass production or repetitive production are carried out. or where components must be stocked in a semi-finished stage, operation costing is suitable and used with advantage.
Types/Techniques of Costing
In addition to the above-mentioned costing systems, there are different types/techniques of costing. These refer to the various systems that are used to ascertain and analyze costs. They include the following:
1. Historical Costing
Ascertaining and recording costs after they have been incurred is known as historical costing. It provides the management with a record of what has happened and, therefore, is a postmortem of the actual costs.
Since this approach is conventional, it is known as conventional costing or actual costing. Actual costs can be ascertained in two ways: first, post costing; and second, concurrent or continuous costing.
Post Costing
Under this system, costs are ascertained after production is completed. This is achieved by analyzing financial data in such a way as to disclose the cost of the units that have been produced.
The main advantage of this procedure is that the figures analyzed are the actual figures. For this reason, the cost arrived at is correct.
However, a serious drawback of post costing is that it is historical in nature. This is because the information is obtained after the events have already taken place. As such, this procedure does not enable the manufacturer to take corrective action in time.
Continuous Costing
Under this system, costs are ascertained by recording expenditures and allocating these to production as and when they are incurred. The result is that costs are ascertained as soon the job is completed or even when the job is in progress.
Continuous costing necessarily involves estimates, especially in terms of overheads. Therefore, the cost figures may not be exact.
Nevertheless, since continuous costing makes costing data available promptly, it enables the management to take corrective actions.
A core weakness of continuous costing is that it does not provide a standard that can be used to evaluate the efficiency of the current operations. Additionally, continuous costing does not disclose what the cost of the job ought to have been.
2. Standard Costing
According to the Terminology of Cost Accountancy published by the Institute of Cost and Management Accountants, standard costing is defined as follows:
The preparation and use of standard costs, their comparison with actual costs, and the analysis of variances to their causes and points of incidence.
Under standard costing, costs are calculated in advance based on normal or probable expectations. These costs are known as standards or standard costs. They are compared to actual costs when incurred to ascertain the variances or differences.
These variances or differences are analyzed in terms of their causes later on. As a result, management can take corrective action when necessary.
3. Marginal Costing
Marginal costing, also known as variable costing, is defined as follows:
The ascertainment of marginal costs and of the effect on profit of changes in volume or type of output by differentiating between fixed costs and variable costs.
Under marginal costing, costs are classified as fixed or variable. Fixed costs tend to remain fixed or constant with changes in the volume of output, whereas variable costs typically vary in a directly proportional way based on changes in the volume of output.
The main objective of marginal costing is to deal with the effects of changes in the volume or range of output on the costs or profit of a business concern.
4. Direct Costing
According to the Terminology of Cost Accountancy published by the Institute of Cost and Management Accountants, direct costing is defined as follows:
The practice of charging of all direct costs to operations, processes, or products, leaving all indirect costs to be written off against profits in the period in which they arise.
This differs from marginal costing in that some fixed costs could be considered to be direct costs in appropriate circumstances.
5. Absorption Costing
The Institute of Cost and Management Accountants defined absorption costing as follows: “The practice of charging all costs, both variable and fixed, to operations, processes or products.”
Under absorption costing, no distinction is made between fixed costs and variable costs. Furthermore, all costs, whether fixed or variable, are considered to determine the cost of production. Absorption costing is also known as full costing.
6. Uniform Costing
Uniform costing was defined by the Institute of Cost and Management Accountants as “the use by several undertakings of the same costing principles and/or practices.”
Thus, when a number of undertakings, whether under the same management or otherwise, decide to adhere to one set of accepted costing principles (particularly in matters where there can be two opinions), they are said to be following uniform costing.
Uniform costing seeks to establish uniform costing methods. This enables the performance comparison of different undertakings to be undertaken easily and effectively, leading to the common advantage of all participating undertakings. | https://learn.financestrategists.com/explanation/cost-accounting/costing-methods-and-techniques/ |
Morocco is a place of great linguistic diversity.
In one conversation people often switch between three or four languages, one of which existed long before Greeks or Romans paid a visit to Morocco's Mediterranean coast.
These main languages in Morocco are Moroccan Arabic, Berber, French, and Spanish.
Morocco is the modern, vibrant economic powerhouse of North Africa, so English is also very important for education and business.
The rich historical heritage of this unique nation is reflected in its array of languages.
The form of Arabic spoken in Morocco is shared by the greatest number of Moroccan speakers and is one of the country's two official languages.
Many speakers also use standard Arabic for writing, official addresses, and worship.
This makes the Moroccan form of Arabic an anomaly, as its speakers can generally understand other dialects, but speakers of Arabic from even neighboring Algeria do not understand Moroccans.
There is some debate as to whether Moroccan Arabic, or darija is actually an Arabic dialect, but it shares enough characteristics with other Arabic dialects to sustain that it is.
This language represents the effects of centuries of commerce and conflict within Morocco.
Arabic arrived in Morocco late in the eighth century and conquered the Romans who controlled the territory. While Arab rule did not last long, the language stayed on as a legacy of the conflict.
Within the Moroccan dialect of Arabic there are three geographical variations.
These represent the North, East, and West of the country. In each of the variants, the influence of European or indigenous languages dominant in the region causes a curious mixture of languages.
Code-switching is very common among darija speakers, with some French, Spanish, or indigenous words completely replacing Arabic equivalents.
Darija principally gives other Arabic speakers such problems because of pronunciation differences.
Short vowels are deleted between consonants, giving the Arabic spoken in Morocco a quicker, clicky rhythm.
Most words also receive a spoken prefix that sounds like a hummed "m," causing further confusion.
The Moroccan dialect also has some grammatical differences, including changes to possessive and demonstrative pronouns.
There are also differences in how to express "there is" and "there are" in comparison with standard Arabic. Question words also change, in addition to the numbers 2 and 9.
Even some of the present tense verbs change. All of these differences make darija challenging for speakers of standard Arabic.
The Berbers are a North African ethnic group that has lived in Morocco, Algeria and neighboring countries for at least 10,000 years.
The name is derived from the Greek for "barbarian," so the language and ethnic group are often referred to as Tamazight.
While previously considered to be a derivation of Arabic, it is now known to be its own separate language.
In Morocco there are two distinct Tamazight languages. Tarifit is spoken in northern Morocco, with Tachelhit spoken in central Morocco.
Its use is especially prevalent in more isolated areas such as the Atlas mountains.
As a written language it modern times, Latin and Arabic spelling is used in Morocco. It is recognized as an official language and can often be found alongside Arabic and French in official signage or communication.
Tamazight has its own grammatical peculiarities, as well as similarities to well known European languages. For example, nouns have two cases.
One is unmarked when it is the subject of a clause. The other case changes as a transitive verb's subject or a prepositional object.
Like many languages, nouns also have gender markings with the masculine unmarked and the feminine marked by the prefix t-.
In Morocco between 60-80% of the population speaks one of the two Tamazight languages, usually in addition to French or Arabic. In terms of the total population, this accounts for over 7 million speakers.
A similar percentage of the population speaks the language in Algeria.
Other nations that contain populations of Tamazight speakers include Tunisia, and Libya, in addition to other Middle Eastern, European, and African nations with immigrant populations of mainly Moroccan or Algerian origin.
Languages in Morocco are heavily influenced by two key colonial groups; the French and Spanish. The French invasion and control of Morocco lasted from 1907 until independence in 1956.
The Spanish influence also lasted approximately the same time, from 1912 until 1956.
During this time both of these languages established strong foothold Morocco that continues into the present time.
The French protectorate in Morocco was much larger than the Spanish protectorate of the same time, and the linguistic influence was too.
The French used their language as a tool of colonization.
They mandated its use in the educational system, government, and media.
Once Morocco gained its independence in 1956, the country maintained its international business and political ties through the use of French as a de facto official language.
More than 30% of the population maintains fluency in French into the present day.
Moroccan French speakers usually learn the language as part of their educational process. Its role as an important skill for business, travel and international status serves to maintain the dynamism of the language Morocco.
Smaller portions of Morocco fell under the Spanish protectorate.
As the closest European neighbor in North Africa, Morocco maintains very close ties to Spain and its language. While not nearly as widespread as the usage of French, Spanish is widely spoken in the north, especially among returning migrant communities.
Much of this influence continues because of the existence of Spanish territories with land borders to Morocco. It may seem an anomaly in the 21st century, but these territories continue to influence Moroccan culture.
In fact, many people living near the Spanish territories of Ceuta and Melilla learn Spanish long before French.
Its influence even spreads into media and the educational system in the north of the country.
In 2002 the Moroccan government instituted educational reforms that favored English teaching in schools.
Many areas of science and business are now conducted at least partially in English, and the popularity of this language continues to grow throughout the educational and business structures of the country.
Its use as an internationally shared language for commerce points towards an increase in popularity as Morocco gains power as a reliable trading partner for Europe, the Americas, and Asian countries.
Some older forms of Arabic are also spoken by isolated groups throughout the country, including Hassaniyya and Judeo-Moroccan Arabic.
While two other indigenous dialects, Ghomara and Senhaja de Srair, are now extinct, they indicate the linguistic and cultural richness that Morocco's combination of commerce and geography holds.
Morocco is one of the strongest monarchies in the world today.
Languages in Morocco reflect a history of conflict, invasion, and a proud indigenous population that refused to be conquered for centuries.
Today the reliance on European and Arabic languages for cultural and business ties coexists with the largest population of Tamazight speakers.
This makes Morocco one of the most unique nations on the globe linguistically, at the same time as it continues to build an ever-stronger presence on the global business scene.
Ready to learn to speak Moroccan Arabic?
Head over to “Moroccan Arabic – Unit 1” to kick start your Darija learning.
Or pick any other Moroccan Arabic material you are interested in for the moment.
Come join us in the Speak Moroccan Forums for Moroccan Arabic exercises, free Moroccan Arabic-English translations, and much more. | https://speakmoroccan.com/languages-of-morocco/ |
Another entry for the ever-expanding category of "the brain is a very strange place" posts. A paper in PNAS suggests that what we call a color may influence how we perceive it. The image below shows a spectrum of colors that, to an English speaker, would probably all be described as "blue." Russian speakers, however, distinguish between lighter blues ("goluboy") and darker blues ("siniy").
It's been known for a while that the presence of separate terms for a color in a language appears to correlate with an improved ability to distinguish fine differences in the shade of that color. But it has been unclear how the two interplay—it has been difficult to define a test that doesn't involve memorization or bringing linguistic ability directly into play.
The new paper attempts to produce some definitive answers on the topic. They designed a test in which subjects were shown three different-colored squares arranged in a triangle. They simply had to say whether the one at the left or right of the base of the triangle matched the color of the one at the top. No memorization involved, and no use of language-specific color terms. The researchers measured accuracy and reaction time.
The results were clear. Russian speakers, although slower overall, were consistently faster at identifying color differences that fell into the two different categories than they were at identifying differences between colors that would be named using the same term. English speakers had no such advantage. This is not simply a matter of perception, as when English speakers were asked to place the border between light and dark blue, they placed it at the same point in the spectrum as the Russian speakers placed the border between their two terms.
This advantage appeared to rely on the brain's language centers. When presented with a distracting visual task, the difference in the Russian speakers' scores persisted. But when a verbal distraction was included, the Russians' advantage vanished: it actually became harder for them to distinguish colors that fell into the two different categories than it was for them to notice differences within a category.
It's not clear from these data whether the language processing areas of the brain are directly involved in the decision making process, or whether the brain simply waits until the language centers are up to date before allowing any action on a decision that's made elsewhere. But it's clear that our ability to make some fine-scale discriminations can be influenced by what we call them. | https://arstechnica.com/science/2007/05/language-influences-color-perception/ |
School is in session! Even if your child has been going to pre-school or prep classes, kindergarten is likely the first time they will be attending a full-day, 5 days a week class. Kindergarten introduces the educational framework that will lead your child through their adolescence and into higher education. Luckily, your child has been preparing for this moment simply by growing, gaining new experiences, and interacting with the world each day. But as the first day of kindergarten approaches, you can boost your child’s readiness by introducing additional elements into your daily reading routine. These simple adjustments to storytime will be the wind beneath your little one’s wings as they walk through the front doors on that first day of school.
Review Stories After Reading
In order to prepare your child for reading in a classroom setting, discuss the story after reading. Rather than being done with a book after the last page, ask your child to repeat what happened in the story. Who were the characters? Where did the story take place? How did the characters feel in the story? Asking your child to repeat the details of the story will help with their attention and reading comprehension.
Ask Open-ended Questions
But don’t just ask questions that have strict answers! As much as we want to boost our children’s reading comprehension and information retention, we also want them to cultivate their own ideas and think beyond “yes” or “no” answers. So ask your child who their favorite character was. Ask them how the story made them feel. Or what they think could happen next in the story. Ask if they liked the story or not, and why. Asking open-ended questions encourages your child to think critically and creatively. It also inspires them to form and share their own opinions and gain confidence in their unique way of thinking.
Establish Reading Routines
Creating routines is key to preparing your child for kindergarten. A full day of class will contain more structure than they’ve experienced before, so introducing daily routines at home can be a wonderful beginning. Morphing storytime into a routine is a great way to do that. Instead of just reading every day, try reading every day for twenty minutes after breakfast, or right before dinner. Pick whatever time fits in your schedule, but be sure to be consistent so that your child becomes accustomed to the daily routine. Once they go to kindergarten, reading or doing other work at the same time each day will feel familiar!
Do a Story Based Activity
As you establish a reading routine, try introducing an activity to go along with your reading. This can be anything and can be adapted to your child’s interests. If your child loves drawing, have them draw their favorite character from the story. If they love dolls or action figures, act out a part of the story. If they love physical activity, go on a scavenger hunt to find items that were in the story. Feel free to be creative! Partaking in these activities will not only help with your child’s reading engagement, but it will also prepare them for classwork.
Take a Trip
Home is where the heart is… but it’s not where kindergarten is! You want your child to be comfortable learning in other places and with other people. So try not to do all your reading at home. Sign your child up for classes! Take trips to the bookstore or library not only to pick out books but to sit and read for a bit. Introduce your child to the idea of reading, learning, and existing in a public space that is away from home. Once the first day of kindergarten rolls around, your child will know what it’s like to adjust to new environments.
Preparing your child for kindergarten can feel scary, but have grace for yourself and remember: there is no secret formula. As Mark Twain said, “the secret to getting ahead is getting started.”
Bibliography
“5 Ways to Prepare Your Child for Kindergarten.” Book Nook Enrichment, 9 Nov. 2021, https://booknooknyc.com/5-ways-to-prepare-your-child-for-kindergarten/.
“Ready or Not Kindergarten, Here We Come!” NAEYC, https://www.naeyc.org/our-work/families/kindergarten-here-we-come. | https://booknooknyc.com/5-ways-to-enhance-reading-to-prepare-your-child-for-kindergarten-3-5-years-old/ |
- A learning disability is not a disorder that a student "grows out of." It is a permanent disorder affecting how students with average to above-average intelligence process incoming information, outgoing information, or both.
- Learning disabilities are often inconsistent. They may be manifested in only one specific academic area, such as math or foreign language. There might be problems in grade school, none in high school, and again in college.
- Learning disabilities are not the same as mental retardation or emotional disorders.
- Common accommodations for students with learning disabilities are alternative print formats, taped lectures, note takers, course substitutions, early syllabus, and exam modifications.
Types of Impairments and Disabilities
Instructional Strategies
- Keep instructions brief and as uncomplicated as possible.
- Assist the student with finding an effective note taker from the class.
- Allow the student to tape-record lectures.
- Clearly define course requirements, the dates of exams, and when assignments are due; provide advance notice of any changes.
- Provide handouts and visual aids.
- Have copies of the syllabus ready three to five weeks prior to the beginning of classes to facilitate the taping or scanning of textbooks.
- Break information into small steps when teaching many new tasks in one lesson (state objectives, review previous lesson, summarize periodically).
- Allow time for clarification of directions and essential information.
- Allow the use of spell-check and grammar-assistive devices.
- When in doubt about how to assist the student, ask him or her.
- Allow the student the same anonymity as other students. | http://new.uno.edu/disability-services/faculty/learning |
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued an advisory Monday outlining three steps consumers with a reverse mortgage should take in response to complaints lodged by borrowers.
The advisory was issued on the same day that the CFPB released a report highlighting consumers’ top complaints for reverse mortgages.
“We’ve heard many complaints from consumers who have experienced problems with reverse mortgages,” the CFPB says on its website, noting the most common complaint is regarding difficulty with changing the loan terms and problems communicating with reverse mortgage loan officers.
Additional complaints include those coming from non-borrowing spouses who are facing the loss of their home after the borrowing spouse has died, the CFPB says.
While updates to the Federal Housing Authority’s (FHA) Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) program allow some non-borrowing spouses to remain in the home after the death of the borrower spouse for HECM loans originated after Aug. 4, 2014, that change is not retroactive, the CFPB notes.
Three steps the CFPB advises consumers with a reverse mortgage to take are: verify who is on the loan; make a plan for the non-borrowing spouse, if the reverse mortgage is only in the name of one spouse; and make a plan for any non-borrower family members living in the home.
Read the advisory here.
Written by Cassandra Dowell
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The advisory looks like it was written by industry rookies. Who but rookies would call FHA, the Federal Housing “Authority” in the first reference to FHA as found in the third sentence of the advisory. I guess the authors have so little communication with the Federal Housing ADMINISTRATION that they do not know who insures the HECM program. No real surprise.
The CFPB claims: “The most common reverse mortgage complaint is about difficulty with changing the loan terms….” And you mean we have no record of the CFPB hunting down and punishing those who change loan terms which are not explicitly stated in the mortgage documents in a manner which is in compliant with federal and state law? Shame on the CFPB!!
Perhaps if the CFPB had stated that borrowers complain about loan terms which change in compliance with law and the terms of the mortgage documents but borrowers complain they somehow were not prepared for such changes despite the well intended and extensive education efforts of counseling and lenders, the complaint would be even handed. But is the CFPB so unbiased? It seems not.
Then the CFPB foolishly recommends: “If you took out a reverse mortgage with two borrowers, check with your reverse mortgage servicer to make sure its loan records are accurate.” What good does that do? If reverse mortgage borrowers are worried about this, they should get an official copy of the recorded mortgage documents from the local government office (generally the recorder’s office) showing the borrowers and then check with servicer to determine if the servicer’s record reflect the legal documents. If either is incorrect they should try to get the records corrected and if necessary, engage a competent attorney to get that done. After all what is more important what servicer’s records reflect or the records which have a higher legal value in a court of law, like the mortgage documents recorded in compliance with real property recording law? Yet both sets of records should reflect the same information and be corrected in all material respects if they do not agree as soon as possible.
The CFPB goes on to say: “If your reverse mortgage is in the name of only one spouse, contact your loan servicer to find out if the non-borrowing spouse may qualify for a repayment deferral.” If the goal of the CFPB is to protect borrowers, why send the borrower to the agent of the lender to make legal determinations. Because of the seriousness of the subject, it would be much better for the non-borrowing to seek such advice from the attorney of the non-borrowing spouse. That attorney should be competent in reverse mortgage matters so that various options can be presented to the non-borrowing spouse and if appropriate, the borrowing spouse.
As to reverse mortgages, it seems the CFPB is more consumer advocate in name only than in practice and that this advisory was the considerable work of its junior staff.
string(91) "https://reversemortgagedaily.com/2015/02/09/cfpb-offers-new-reverse-mortgage-borrower-tips/" | https://reversemortgagedaily.com/2015/02/09/cfpb-offers-new-reverse-mortgage-borrower-tips/ |
This 40-hour course will provide you with in-depth instruction of the processes and techniques that apply to all aspects of criminal investigations, from the initial response to the scene to the final courtroom presentation. You will learn methods to evaluate a crime scene and determine the type of crime that has been committed and the physical parameters of the area of involvement. We'll show you how to properly locate, document, collect and preserve the physical evidence and effective techniques for interviewing witnesses, victims and suspects. You will also learn about networks and databases that can assist you in the investigative process.
Exercises will reinforce the classroom discussions as you build a case through the use of field notes, statements, physical evidence and laboratory reports. During the course, we will teach you how to perform basic investigative duties and prepare you for future, more specialized training.
Topics Include
This advanced five day, 40-hour course is designed for crime scene investigators, detectives, crime laboratory analysts and others in the field of forensic science that have the basic training and skills for shooting crime scene examinations. This course will assist law enforcement officers in connecting all of the forensic pieces for the purpose of shooting crime scene reconstruction. A crime scene is a huge puzzle, and piece by piece we compile the physical evidence in each case; the more difficult job is trying to connect those pieces to obtain the big picture, the shooting crime scene reconstruction. This course will also assist in the documentation of physical evidence at the scene which previously might not have been recorded. The attendees will have a brief review of basic techniques and skills that may have been acquired in other courses but will quickly expand their knowledge base and skillset with advanced techniques acquired through lecture and hands-on performance of exercises designed to test the attendees’ ability to put all the pieces together. At the conclusion of the course the attendees will have acquired the ability to be able to generate a shooting reconstruction report for the purposes of ultimately providing expert testimony. Mock scenes for this course are specifically designed to assist the attendee in the importance of scene documentation, and to obtain the maximum, accurate information for ultimate shooting crime scene reconstruction. The course will be challenging but will yield the attendee great rewards in advancing their abilities in shooting reconstruction scenes.
This course will provide you with hands-on training in the latest state-of-the-art techniques for crime scene processing. Emphasis will be given to recognizing, documenting, collecting, preserving, and analyzing physical evidence. Investigators, crime scene technicians, and agency personnel who investigate crime scenes will all benefit from this course. We will pay particular attention to the interpretation of discovered evidence, its value within the scene and usefulness in solving the crime. You will participate in exercises that will give you experience in latent print development techniques, locating and collecting DNA evidence and using light energy to process a scene. You will also learn how to interpret bloodstain patterns and use chemical enhancement methods. Each of the techniques covered during the course will be accompanied by a discussion on how to explain the particular process in court. The instructor will share actual cases where techniques were successful in solving cases.
This course is IAI Crime Scene Certification approved.
IAI CRIME SCENE CERTIFICATION PREPARATION COURSE
Designed for Levels CCSI, CCSA, CSCSA
This course is specifically designed with the goal of enabling students to pass whichever crime scene certification level examination that they are preparing for in the near future. This is a concentrated and fast-moving review of either two or three books depending on the examination that you are testing to pass. Every book review will have pre-testing and post-testing composed of hundreds of extracted questions covering every chapter so that students will know their areas of strengths and weaknesses. Whether novice or experienced, this class is a must for maximizing the chances of successfully passing the examinations to improve your credentials and professionalism by becoming certified in the crime scene specialty. Students who attend this course will have a distinct advantage over those who have not attended this dedicated and intensive review course when it comes to testing for the IAI certification examinations.
As always, the International Association for Identification Crime Scene Certification Board will work with the host and hosting facility to facilitate a proctor being present for the last day of class in order for the students to sit for the examination. If you wish test after this course, you must have your application submitted and approved at least (60) days prior to testing and be familiar with the application requirements that can be found at the following link: https://www.theiai.org/crime_scene.php
THIS COURSE IS A BOOK REVIEW:
In order to maximize benefits from taking this course, any registrant must read and bring each book used for the module being tested or studied for, listed below. | https://www.viethconsulting.com/members/calendar5.php?org_id=FDIA |
Dean G. Kilpatrick, PhD. is a licensed clinical psychologist and a Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, SC where he serves as the Director of the National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center (NCVC) and the Director of the National Mass Violence and Victimization Resource Center (NMVVRC). His 45-year professional career as a researcher, clinician, and educator, is notable for his extraordinary lifetime achievements at the national and state levels.
Dr. Kilpatrick has been dedicated to conducting research to better understand the problems and needs of crime victims and others exposed to traumatic events, to evaluate what works and what doesn’t work, and to use this information to improve victim and mental health services through training and public policy. His research focuses on three broad areas: 1) understanding the mental health impact of exposure to trauma including crime (e.g., homicide, terrorism, and large-scale mass violence incidents), child maltreatment, military combat, and natural disasters; 2) studying the implementation of victim rights and services and how those relate to victim well-being and satisfaction; and 3) reducing the impact of trauma on mental health. His work is considered groundbreaking in nature by his professional colleagues and has served as the foundation of numerous policy changes to improve clinical services and educational approaches related to crime victims and those who have experienced other traumatic events. | https://evawintl.org/people/dean-g-kilpatrick-phd/ |
Job Summary: Under general supervision, the Therapist uses extensive knowledge and skills obtained through education and experience to perform responsible and difficult professional casework. Provides intensive therapy involving complex social problems and treatment plans. May provide a wide array of social work functions such as assessment interviews, counseling or case evaluation. Determines appropriate methods of treatment and/or provides other social services to individuals, groups or families. May also provide referrals to appropriate community services or financial assistance. Provides accurate and understandable interpretations of program guidelines via a client orientation program as well as maintains proper records according to organization, state and federal guidelines.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
• Screen, assess, diagnose, create treatment plans and conduct therapeutic intervention with clients which may include observation of clients and/or conducting psychological testing
• Provide interpretation of assessment and diagnosis and ensure understanding of treatment plan which may include interpretation of medical records, as needed
• Formulate measurable goals and objectives in accordance with client’s needs
• Participate in treatment team conferences which may include other professionals, family members and referral sources
• Research and locate available help outlets based on identified needs of the client which may include both in-house and external referrals
• Provides coordination of services and may participate in services as part of an interdisciplinary team
• Follow up on the various services the client was referred to ensure participation and program compliance which may involve reviews conducted in clients’ home or other location
• Review, discuss and determine progress towards goals and formulate measure goals
• Document all services in compliance with the agency’s quality assurance plan
• Report on program progress at required intervals per funding guidelines
• Maintain agency confidentiality and client’s privacy in accordance to the agency’s policies and procedures
• Maintain currency in areas of psychosocial rehabilitation and therapeutic intervention techniques
• Follow the funding sources requirements and the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) standards applicable to the services provided
• Conduct group therapy sessions, as needed
• May sign off on patient charts, if fully licensed
• May supervise interns, if fully licensed
• May conduct psychological testing and substance abuse counseling as appropriate based on qualifications and assigned functional area
• May translate and interpret information for non-English speaking clients, as needed
• May lead the work of others including coaching and mentoring paraprofessionals, clerical staff and interns
• Operate standard office equipment and use required software applications
• Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
Knowledge of:
• Biological, psychological and sociological concepts and trends
• Intermediate to advanced concepts, practices and procedures of crisis intervention techniques
• Community resources including social services agencies and crisis intervention providers
• Processes, rules and regulations of various services and funding agencies surrounding the eligibility and maintenance of the services being received
Skill in:
• Operating standard office equipment and using required software applications for program area and other applications, including Microsoft Office
Ability to:
• Partner with other functional areas to accomplish objectives
• Facilitate meetings, ensuring that all viewpoints, ideas and problems are addressed
• Objectively gather information, identify linkages and trends and apply findings to assignments
• Organize and prioritize multiple tasks and meet deadlines
• Handle stressful situations and provide a high level of customer service in a calm and professional manner
• Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing
• Speak and write in English
• Interpret, speak and write in Arabic, Spanish or other native language of the predominant service population is preferred
• Maintain confidentiality of agency and client information
Educational/Previous Experience Requirements:
• Minimum Degree Required:
o Master’s degree
• Required Disciplines:
o Social Work, Psychology, Counseling or related field
~and~
• At least 2 years of experience working in a mental health setting as a Full Licensed Master Social Worker, Full Licensed Professional Counselor, Full Licensed Psychologist, or any equivalent combination of experience, education and/or training approved by Human Resources
Licenses/Certifications:
• Licenses/Certifications Required at Date of Hire:
o Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
o Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW)
o Licensed Psychologist (LP)
o Limited License Professional Counselor (LLPC)
o Limited License Master Social Worker (LLMSW)
o Limited License Psychologist (LLP)
o CAFAS certified if position is responsible for child therapy.
o MCBAP Certified Addiction Counselor or Certified Advance Addiction and Drug Counselor may be required based on assigned functional area or ability to obtain within 6 months
Working Conditions:
Hours:
Normal business hours, some additional hours may be required
Travel Required: Local travel, up to 10% Working
Environment: Climate controlled office
About the Organization:
For almost 50 years, ACCESS, the nation’s largest Arab American community nonprofit organization, has built communities and institutions that span multiple sectors with a focus on community empowerment. From human service programs serving recent immigrants, to a national program promoting Arab American philanthropy, ACCESS transitions people from being service recipients to fully engaged citizens able to advance justice and equity. Utilizing our vast experience in human services, ACCESS has developed an integrated and comprehensive program model of service delivery for diverse communities, including low-income and immigrant communities, in the areas of health, education, economic empowerment, workforce development, civic engagement, and arts and culture. Our impact also extends far beyond our regional presence in southeast Michigan. Through our Arab American National Museum, Center for Arab American Philanthropy and National Network for Arab American Communities, we are leveraging the power of Arab Americans in the arts, philanthropy and advocacy to advance social change on a national level. | https://socialwork.wayne.edu/career-resources/postings/78864 |
Filipino Director Solito to Attend DC Screening of Busong
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Internationally-acclaimed and award-winning Filipino director Auraeus Solito will be in Washington, D.C. for the screening of Busong at the National Geographic All Roads Film Festival on September 27, the Philippine Embassy said.
In a press release, the Philippine Embassy reiterated its invitation to the Filipino-American community to watch the film and interact with Solito after its screening at the Grosvenor Auditorium of the National Geographic headquarters.
Busong is described as a mystical drama, where a determined young man carries his sister, unable to walk, on a fateful journey to see a healer. It is the first feature film coming from Palawan province. Busong was screened at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival Directors’ Fortnight, and won awards for Best Director, Best Sound Design, and Best Original Music Score at Cinemalaya 2011.
Solito will also be among the panel of film directors who will discuss the opportunities and demands that arise when a director channels a deep familiarity with a place and its culture. The Festival’s panel discussion “You Can Go Home Again: The Challenges of Familiarity” will also include Aleskei Vahrukshev and Eriberto Gualinga. This particular event will be also held at the Grosvenor Auditorium from 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. also on September 27 and is free-of-charge.
Solito’s first feature film, Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros (The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros), won 15 international awards, including three awards at the Berlinale – the Teddy award, International Jury Prize at the Kinderfest, and Special Mention from the Children’s Jury of the Kinderfest. It is also the first Philippine film nominated for Best Foreign Film at the Spirit Awards in the United States. It has been shown in more than 50 film festivals around the world.
Solito is the first Filipino to make it to the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, two years in a row for bothThe Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros and his second feature, Tuli. In addition to Sundance, his films have been screened in major festivals around the world including Berlin, Montreal, Pusan, Toronto, and Rotterdam. He recently finished a screenplay development program at the Binger Film Lab in Amsterdam where he wroteDeluge. Busong, part of the Palawan Trilogy, was recently screened at the prestigious Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes.
The screening of Busong at the All Roads Film Festival is being co-hosted by the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C. Interested parties who wish to purchase tickets for the Busong screening may visithttp://events. | http://www.usasianpost.com/filipino-director-solito-to-attend-dc-screening-of-busong/ |
I tend to switch off when a reviewer complains about a game ‘not being a true game’. It’s usually from someone with a bee in their bonnet about visual novels or walking simulators when the distinction doesn’t really matter. These genres have their audiences, and a lack of interaction is often the point. Besides, they clearly are games: they deliver something that couldn’t be achieved in another medium, and that’s good enough to earn its right.
But I’m a hypocrite. A Sketchbook About Her Sun isn’t a game. At least, there are two ways of ‘playing’ it, and the best way is without any interactions at all. A Sketchbook About Her Sun is something that absolutely could have been delivered in another medium – specifically, a music video, or sequence of music videos – so, by my own criteria, that doesn’t really make it a game.
The important thing is, as long as you are aware of this fact, it doesn’t matter. Purchase and play A Sketchbook About Her Sun with the full knowledge that it’s the equivalent of switching channels to MTV for thirty minutes (if MTV was still about playing music), then there’s enough here to recommend it.
Our first thought was that A Sketchbook About Her Sun was going to be a visual novel. Not quite. It starts with the main character, Lucia, who has escaped a long-term relationship and is now living in a remote, small town. She is taking the opportunity to brush up on her painting in the sketchbook of the title. However, her mind keeps wandering to the relationship she left behind, and the many emotions that came with it.
We write as if we’re confident of the backstory in A Sketchbook About Her Sun, but we’re not. A lot of the narrative is left for the viewer to piece together from watercolour paintings that form the game’s backdrop, from the music that soundtracks the visuals, and a poem that you can read at the end of each sequence. But much of it is left to the imagination.
What story there is doesn’t particularly develop. A Sketchbook About Her Sun is more a mood, as the main character’s emotions swing like a pendulum. We ride that pendulum through regret, loneliness, freedom and relief, as the main character dallies over whether to return to her ex (the Sun of the title, often literally represented as one). It takes some calibration: you have to realise and accept that the story’s not going to go anywhere or do anything remarkable.
There are ten sequences, all in different locations – under a tree, in the road, looking into a mirror as she brushes her teeth – and they each soundtrack a song from Red Ribbon’s 2020 album, Planet X. You sense that this was A Sketchbook About Her Sun’s initial purpose: to turn that album into a multimedia experience, and it grew from there.
We’re not music journalists, so forgive us for our lack of knowledge in the area, but Red Ribbon’s album is fantastic and you can see why this project sprung forth from it. It sits somewhere between the scuzz-rock of The Raveonettes, and the emotional highs (plus knack for harmonies) of Wolf Alice. We skipped straight to Spotify to save three tracks to various playlists, and my wife asked me to leave it playing through a second time. We can’t give higher recommendations than that. Tracks like Way, High and Score (there’s a love for monosyllabic titles here) are real standouts, and – while they don’t explicitly call out moments on the screen – they match the general plaintive mood.
We were less taken with the poetry, however. As mentioned earlier, there are two ways to play A Sketchbook About Her Sun. The first is to interact. As the song progresses, you are given two words or phrases to choose from. You might be picking from ‘Space’ or ‘Distant’, before the music continues and then you’re picking from ‘Loneliness’ and ‘Defeat’. There will be five or six choices in a song, before your word choices are crowbarred into an end-of-sequence poem.
We weren’t taken with the mechanic at all. The choices feel completely arbitrary. There’s no inkling of the surrounding sentence or couplet, so you’re choosing words based on, well, whatever you fancy. Without any weight behind the decision, we found ourselves picking the left-hand word every time, emerging with a complete lack of investment in the poem that followed.
The poem, perhaps because it has to accommodate so many different permutations, also doesn’t register. They are vague and slightly artless, never landing on poignancy or anything clever. They have a floaty, ‘could mean anything’ outline that we’d expect from the contents of a fortune cookie. We found ourselves ignoring them, punching A to move onto the next section.
Which leads us to the second way of playing A Sketchbook About Her Sun. An achievement suggests playing the game without making any choices or interactions at all. It’s possible to experience A Sketchbook About Her Sun by only pressing A to progress from one song to another, and this is the format where it flourishes. The music becomes the focus, the poems effectively don’t appear, and everything transitions from a mediocre (or lacking) game to moody, effective music video. We were there for the transition.
There is an almighty caveat to purchasing A Sketchbook About Her Sun. It is a thirty minute-long music video to an album. The interactions that it offers – and there are only a few – all detract from the experience. But arrive with that knowledge, perhaps as a fan of the band Red Ribbon or a prospective fan, and you may consider it £4.19 well-spent. It’s certainly 1000G for leaving a controller on a table.
You can buy A Sketchbook About Her Sun from the Xbox Store for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S
TXH Score
3/5
Pros:
- Red Ribbon’s music is well worth the game’s focus
- Some fine artwork
- When treated like a music video, it’s lovely
Cons:
- Can be barely considered a game
- Poems and their related interactions are poor
- Over in thirty minutes
Info: | https://www.thexboxhub.com/a-sketchbook-about-her-sun-review/ |
.
Posidonia oceanica is a protected species and the meadow habitat is also protected by legislation. We are not able yet to produce P. oceanica in vitro. All the material used in the restoration projects comes from natural populations, and its collection may interfere with the natural dynamics of the population.
Replanting marine angiosperms, including Posidonia oceanica meadows, does not make sense in any scenario. Ecosystem restoration organizations, such as UNEP or the Society for Ecological Restoration, agree on a series of standards that are applicable to any restoration project.
Why: Reason for intervention
An ecological restoration project does not justify an impact. Any impact on Posidonia oceanica must be avoided or managed to prevent the degradation of existing meadows. Ecological restoration is an action to repair an unavoidable damage and seeks to stop and reverse the degradation of an ecosystem, facilitate its recovery and stop the loss of biodiversity
Where: Site of intervention
There is no agreement for assigning absolute value to different ecosystems to justify the substitution of one habitat for another. Posidonia oceanica restoration must be done in areas where there was an old meadow that is degraded. Otherwise, we would introduce the species in an area where the natural habitat is of another nature and would promote an action of habitat replacement.
The presence of P. oceanica dead matte is an indicator of the previous presence of a meadow in the area, although not all dead matte areas are anthropogenic. Restoration on mobile substrates has until now poor survival results. Regarding rocky substrates, we need to improve restoration techniques to restore degraded meadows on this kind of substrate.
Cause of degradation known, managed or extinct
Before restoring degraded Posidonia oceanica meadows the cause of degradation must be known and such impacts should not be still operating. Replanting in an area with high anchoring pressure if the impact has not been previously regulated will lead to the loss of the replanted plots.
Measure of success: include a reference habitat
The international standards for ecological restoration include measuring the success of the restoration project using a reference habitat (i.e. non-degraded natural meadow) for comparison. Restoring projects for P. oceanica should include quantifiable measures of performance evolution and success compared to an established meadow. The aim of ecosystem restoration is to help the degraded area returns to its pre-degradation trajectory, in terms of biodiversity, structural complexity, etc. Due to the slow development of P. oceanica and the previous data, we recommend follow-ups of at least 5 years.
Need for the intervention
P. oceanica meadows have their own propagation mechanisms. Small areas of dead matte that are integrated into a healthy meadow can regenerate by the plant’s propagation mechanisms (rhizome vegetative growth and natural recruitment with seedlings and / or rhizome fragments). These processes can be more efficient than a replanting intervention.
Does the intervention threat natural meadows?
The collection of material for transplant must minimize the impact on natural recruitment and propagation processes of the natural population. Two fundamental criteria:
Fragments: Replant with drifting fragments. Extraction of material from living meadows is not allowed in the Balearic Islands.
Seedlings: Use seeds extracted from fruits collected on the beach for replanting.
Integrate replanting into a larger-scale meadows management strategy at regional/national level. | https://imedea.uib-csic.es/sites/bosc/en/posidonia-oceanica-restoration-en/ |
Ph.D.
MetadataShow full item record
Abstract
Mechanisms of pyrolysis/gasification (steam and carbon dioxide) of mallee biomass were investigated. Wood biochar obtained under slow pyrolysis kept botanical structure but lost its original skeleton under fast pyrolysis. Both types of biochar can be used as CO2 sequestrater and soil amendment or be gasified to produce activated carbon (AC). Some inherent oxygen in biochar was transformed during steam gasification. Comparatively, CO2 gasification led to AC with lower specific reactivity, surface area, and micropore fraction.
School
Department of Chemical Engineering
Collection
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DNA diagnosis of neurofibromatosis 2. Altered coding sequence of the merlin tumor suppressor in an extended pedigree.
To define the DNA mutation causing neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2), a severe genetic disorder involving the development of multiple nervous system tumors in adulthood, in a large, well-studied NF2 pedigree previously used to chromosomally map and to isolate the disease gene. Single-strand conformational polymorphism (SSCP) and DNA sequence analysis of the NF2 gene amplified from affected and unaffected family members. Affected, unaffected, and at-risk members of a large pedigree segregating NF2, an autosomal dominant disorder caused by inactivation of the merlin tumor suppressor encoded in chromosome band 22q12. A DNA alteration in the merlin coding sequence caused a shift on SSCP gels that was characteristic of the disease chromosome in this NF2 pedigree, being transmitted with the disorder, present only in affected members of the pedigree, absent in unaffected members of the family, and absent from 158 unrelated individuals. The alteration caused substitution of a tyrosine for an asparagine at position 220 of the merlin protein, in a region highly conserved in closely related members of the family of cytoskeletal-associated proteins. The DNA change could also be detected by restriction enzyme digestion with Rsa I. Current practice dictates screening of all those "at risk" for NF2 with magnetic resonance imaging, but the frequency and duration of screening are problematic because of the variable course of the disease. The identification of a DNA alteration in the NF2 gene will permit predictive molecular testing of individuals at risk in this specific family, sparing the expense and emotional burden of protracted screening programs. This information, by providing diagnostic certainty, should also reduce psychological and financial burdens and improve medical care for affected family members. A similar approach to defining the underlying lesion and developing a predictive test is applicable in any documented NF2 family.
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“The Yellow Wallpaper” is an example of a first-person narrative because it is told exclusively from the viewpoint of the unnamed protagonist, and the reader is given access only to her thoughts and emotions. However, since she is suffering a mental breakdown, she is also considered an unreliable narrator, as the reader cannot be certain if she is accurately relating the events of the story. This adds emotional impact to the narrative because the reader is given an intimate account of the protagonist’s growing feelings of despair and confusion.
Since the story is, in part, a transcription of a journal in which the narrator secretly writes, her writing style and the way it changes as the story progresses give the reader clues to her deteriorating mental condition. For example, over time, the narrator’s sentences become shorter and more curt, with paragraphs consisting of only one or two sentences. This helps convey her distraught mental state and inability to think clearly. The overall tone of her writing also changes. At the beginning of the story, she writes with humility, stating that while she does not agree with her treatment, her husband probably knows better than she what is good for her. By the end of the narrative, however, a tone of complaint and rebellion takes over her account. When she locks the door of the nursery, for example, she declares: “I don’t want to go out, and I don’t want to have anybody come in, until John comes. I want to astonish him.”
The most important symbol in the story is the yellow wallpaper. Most critics have concluded that the wallpaper represents the state of mind of the protagonist. In a more general sense, the wallpaper also symbolizes the way women were viewed in 19th-century society. It is described as containing “pointless patterns,” “lame uncertain curves,” and “outrageous angles” that “destroy themselves in unheard of contradictions.” Despite the narrator’s detailed description of the wallpaper, it remains mysterious to the reader. Hedges wrote in the afterword to the 1973 edition that “the paper symbolizes [the narrator’s] situation as seen by the men who control her and hence her situation as seen by herself. How can she define herself?”
Other important symbols in “The Yellow Wallpaper” are the nursery, the barred windows, and the nailed-down bed. The nursery is said to represent 19th-century society’s tendency to view women as children, while the barred windows symbolize the emotional, social, and intellectual prison in which women of that era were kept. Finally, the bed is viewed by some critics as a symbol of repressed female sexuality.
The story is considered part of the genre of psychological realism because it attempts to portray the mental deterioration of the narrator. It is also considered realistic in that it depicts the way life was for women during the 19th century. Gilman deliberately tried to make the narrator typical of that time period: she is economically dependent on her husband; she is not allowed to make her own decisions; she is discouraged from engaging in intellectual activity; and she is frequently treated like a child. Further, Gilman did not romanticize the character of John. While she could have depicted him sympathetically, she instead painted him as controlling, inconsiderate, and emotionally inaccessible. | https://www.novelexplorer.com/the-yellow-wallpaper/literary-qualities-78/ |
Photo identification is required for entry to the venue. Participants must be verified as 18 or older.
The legal drinking age in Japan is 20. Please drink responsibly.
Serving alcohol to minors is prohibited. Those who are underage will require a wristband to be worn during the event.
Please do not take photos or videos without permission. Always ask before sharing on social media.
Bringing outside food or drink inside the venue is prohibited. If discovered, you may be asked to leave the venue.
Smoking is not permitted inside the venue.
The venue is standing room only, please refrain from sitting on the floor. Be mindful of others around you.
Gifting of drinks to DJs is allowed, but please do so behind the booth to avoid equipment damage.
Changing rooms will be provided for cosplayers on site.
Please use the lockers outside the event area to store your belongings. The safety of your valuables is your responsibility.
There is no tolerance for any kind of abusive behavior or harassment. Please notify a staff member immediately if an incident occurs.
Please register for this event using one Twitter account per person.
This is an unofficial event organized by fans, and has no association with Crypton Future Media.
For all English inquiries, please contact Yui using Twitter @KannaSP, or email [email protected].
Depending on the event schedule of Snow Miku 2019, times and dates are subject to change. Please continue to check the News page for updates. | https://wintersnow39.com/en/rules |
First the good news:
At the district level, the Truro Central School saw a growth of 37 percentage points in their 2013 Grade 3 MCAS Reading scores and grew by 35 points in Math. Wellfleet grew by 18 points on Reading and 23 points on Math. Chatham increased by 14 points in Reading and 8 points in Math.
On the Other Side of the Column:
Orleans Elementary School’s third grade Reading scores dropped 20 percentage points. 71% of OES’s students scored advanced or proficient on this year’s test, as opposed to 91% in 2012. OES lost 13 points in 2013 grade 3 Math versus last year. On the positive side, not a single OES student outright failed the Reading test though 29% of their children scored needs improvement. Orleans’ Math scores fell by 13 points from 2012.
Reading Scores
Wellfleet Elementary School leads the Cape in Grade 3 Reading, with 88% of its students scoring advanced or proficient, an increase of 18 points from 2012. Eastham holds second place at 78%, down 6 points from last year.
The performance was observed at Dennis-Yarmouth where only 49% of the students scored advanced/proficient. DY had the highest number of failures at 12%.
Mashpee also embarrassed itself with 44% of its students scoring needs improvement or warning/failure. Sandwich had a surprising 40% of its third graders scoring in that same low category.
Math Scores
Wellfleet parents should be proud. 92% of their third graders score advance/proficient on the Grade 3 Math MCAS, leading the Cape. No Wellfleet child failed the test. Orleans came in second at 79% and Brewster at 75%.
The poorest math scores among third graders were in Truro, where a whopping 43% of the kids failed the test and 27% scored needs improvement. 39% of the third graders at Barnstable Community Horace Mann Charter scored needs improvement or warning/failure. Dennis-Yarmouth came in third with 37% in the lower two scoring categories.
Reading is Crucial
In a study published in 2010 by the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University, the author cites a study that found “74 percent of third-graders who read poorly are still struggling in ninth grade”.
With the Annenberg study in mind, a quick look down the NI+Fail column tells us that, on the average, Cape towns are looking at 32.9% of their third graders who do not read well. This is a number that could continue to vex our school districts for a decade if administrators do not work hard to improve the weak readers among their students.
A Bright Moment at HyWest
While we usually do not focus on individual schools in our initial articles on MCAS scores, we are pleased to make an exception for Hyannis West Elementary School.
In 2013 52% of Hyannis West’s students score advanced/proficient on the MCAS third grade reading test. That number is down 6 percentage points from last year but the number of students who failed fell from 13% last year to only 2% this year.
In Math, Hyannis West surprised everyone with 75% of its third graders scoring advanced/proficient versus only 56% last year.
While these numbers are not “revolutionary” by any means, Hyannis West holds most of Barnstable’s high needs students. From children of poverty to non-English speakers to disabilities – Hyannis West has it all in abundance. 92.4% of HyWest’s students were classified as High Needs last year.
Making this kind of progress in a 92.4% high needs school is an achievement worth celebrating. We tip our hats to HyWest Principal Kathi Amato and her staff for standing by their children and to Barnstable Superintendent Mary Czajkowski for allocating the resources to ensure their success.
CapeCodToday.com welcomes thoughtful comments and the varied opinions of our readers. We are in no way obligated to post or allow comments that our moderators deem inappropriate. We reserve the right to delete comments we perceive as profane, vulgar, threatening, offensive, racially-biased, homophobic, slanderous, hateful or just plain rude. Commenters may not attack or insult other commenters, readers or writers. Commenters who persist in posting inappropriate comments will be banned from commenting on CapeCodToday.com. | http://www.capecodtoday.com/article/2013/09/24/21817-MCAS-Truro-37-percent-Orleans-down-20 |
There has been no greater advocate of mass Muslim migration into Europe than the purported head of the Catholic Church, “Pope Francis.” At a recent conference, he urged that “asylum seekers” be accepted, “through the acts of mercy that promote their integration into the European context and beyond.”*
Jorge Bergoglio is the “purported pope” of the Catholic Church because, as certain theologians have argued, he was neither validly ordained as a priest or consecrated as a bishop in the traditional Catholic rites of Holy Orders. Since a pope must first be a bishop, in particular the bishop of Rome, Bergoglio cannot, therefore, be pope.
He is not a Catholic pope, but head of a new “Conciliar Church” which was concocted at the time of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65), actually an “Anti-council,” and in the tumultuous years that followed, which witnessed fundamental changes in doctrine and the Sacraments, most damaging the promulgation of the New Mass by Paul VI-Montini. The New Church also did away with its traditional view on evangelization and conversions and adopted the previously condemned heresy of “syncretism,” which contends that “we all worship the same god,” and that “one religion is as good as another.” This idea pervades post-Vatican II Catholicism and is what Francis bases most of his justification for the mass migration onto lands which once made up Christendom.
While Bergoglio cannot be pope on technical grounds, he is also disqualified for his blasphemies and heretical actions, words, and teachings, all of which have flowed at a breathtaking pace. From the infamous, “who am I to judge,” about sodomites, to his alteration of two millennium of teaching on divorce and remarriage, to such whoppers as “God does not exist,” Bergoglio has placed himself “outside of the Church” and thus cannot hold ecclesiastical office and certainly not that of supreme pontiff.
Despite the overwhelming theological and empirical evidence that the Chair of St. Peter is vacant (sede vacante) and its restoration will take place in its Founder’s good time, for the vast majority of Catholics and the world at large, Jorge Bergoglio is pope and his actions have consequences. And, since his promotion and support of mass Muslim migration is leading to not only the destruction of what is left of Western Civilization and the species which largely created that civilization – white, gentile, heterosexual men – Bergoglio and the organization which he represents, must be stopped. If Pope Francis and his New World Order cohorts are not countered, whites, and the cultures which they built, will vanish.
The Catholic Church is an integral part of Western Civilization even if Bergoglio and the pack of cultural Marxists prelates which surround him will not admit it. It was the Church that preserved the heritage of Antiquity from the barbarian invasions during and after the fall of the Roman Empire. Without the actions of the monks and other clerics, many of the classical works would have been lost forever, leaving future generations bereft of the wisdom and treasures of the Ancients. It was the Church that was the indispensable part in the formulation of the greatest civilization known to mankind, Christendom. Moreover, it was the Catholic Church, largely through the Papacy, that inspired the Crusades, which for a glorious time drove out the Muslims from the Holy Land and returned it to its rightful possessors.
It is undeniable that the Catholic Faith (which Bergoglio is supposedly its chief representative) inspired numerous European sovereigns, most notably Queen Isabella, to take up arms against the Mohammedans. It was her faith which drove the heroic queen to free the Iberian Peninsula from the Muslim yoke, which then allowed her to finance Christopher Columbus on his epic, world-changing voyage.
Yet, Bergoglio and his fellow heretical Churchmen assiduously avoid any reminiscing of such facts and instead are deliberately encouraging Muslim migration into the lands that Europeans spilled blood and sacrificed treasures to defend – Queen Isabella must be turning over in her grave!
If Western Civilization is to be salvaged, those who seek its destruction must be removed from their positions of authority and influence. Whether through political means, armed revolt, or de-legitimization, those who hold such power must be toppled. Exposing “Pope Francis” for what he is, or is not, will go a long way in that most vital and necessary task. | https://antoniusaquinas.com/category/queen-isabella/ |
Romare Bearden grew up in the Harlem of the 1920s and 30’s when that glittering neighborhood was the epicenter of the jazz universe. As early as the 1940s, jazz musicians appeared in his work, and by the 1950s he was seeking visual translations for what he heard in the structures of jazz - its improvised lines, rhythms, and textures.
The way Bearden worked was jazz. “You have to begin somewhere,” he said, “so you put something down. Then you put something else with it…Once you get going, all sorts of things begin to open up.”
The way the pianist Earl Hines spaced his notes suggested to Bearden ways of spacing lines and colors in art. “Silences” between visual elements became vital to Bearden’s art. On silences in the music, Bearden’s friend the drummer Max Roach has said, “It’s not that there’s necessarily nothing going on. There’s always a pulse there. There are times when there’s nothing but the pulse…. Bearden’s paintings are like that.”
Romare Howard Bearden was born on September 2, 1911, to (Richard) Howard and Bessye Bearden in Charlotte, North Carolina, and died in New York City on March 12, 1988, at the age of 76. His life and art are marked by exceptional talent, encompassing a broad range of intellectual and scholarly interests, including music, performing arts, history, literature and world art. Bearden was also a celebrated humanist, as demonstrated by his lifelong support of young, emerging artists.
Recognized as one of the most creative and original visual artists of the twentieth century, Romare Bearden had a prolific and distinguished career. He experimented with many different mediums and artistic styles, but is best known for his richly textured collages, two of which appeared on the covers of Fortune and Time magazines, in 1968. An innovative artist with diverse interests, Bearden also designed costumes and sets for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and programs, sets and designs for Nanette Bearden's Contemporary Dance Theatre. | https://www.kmadisonmooreportfolio.com/2011/05/ |
Clear, concise corporate governance guidelines are vital in today’s business environment to foster sustained shareholder and consumer confidence. A strong corporate governance foundation will provide guidance for future endeavors and contribute to our company’s goal of continuing to operate at the highest level of performance. To that end, Hersha has promulgated a comprehensive Corporate Governance Compendium.
We believe that the financial success of our shareholders and the positive growth of our company is fueled by a steadfast commitment to highly ethical and moral business practices. The central tenet of our culture is for all tasks to be performed with unwavering integrity and honesty. We are proud that fair dealing is at the foundation of all that we do. It is our goal to constantly reinforce the promotion of good citizenship and community involvement in the activities of our company. All senior officers, trustees, and employees exercise openness and maintain accessibility to allow transparency and optimal synergies. Above all, we believe good ethical conduct leads to a strong, respectable, and successful company.
At Hersha’s 2017 Annual Meeting, an independent director, Jackson Hsieh, was elected to the Board of Trustees. Jackson Hsieh, President and Chief Executive Officer of Spirit Realty Capital, Inc., brings substantial experience across his career in investment banking and the real estate and lodging industries.
For more information on Hersha’s Governance practices, please visit Hersha’s website to download our Governance Documents. | https://2017.hershaearthview.com/governance/ |
Pipeline Research Limited offers a design, development and simulation service for pipelines and pigging. This enables better understanding of pigging, safer passage of pigs through pipelines and innovative solutions for the challenges that face pipeline and pig users today.
Our involvement in pigging is mainly from a specialist viewpoint such as dual and multi-diameter pigging, pipeline dewaxing and pigging frequency and pig dynamics in gas pipelines. We also address standard issues such as pipeline design, fluid flow, feasibility studies, operations and procedures. The aim is to approach the subject in a scientific manner, with models and analysis providing insight into the motion and function of the pig, see Software.
Concepts, new ideas for possible use in pigging problems.
Pigging plays an important role in assuring flow of oil and gas. Pigs are used to dewax and remove debris from pipelines. They can be used to remove liquids that build up in gas lines for example. This helps to reduce the pressure drop over the line and maintain production.
It is important that pigs are efficient, do their job properly and do not get stuck in the line. It was once enough that the pigs made it through the line, now the emphasis is on making the pigs perform efficiently and safely. This can be achieved through proper pig design and correct pigging procedures. Progressive cleaning with the right pigs can help to maintain the cleanliness of pipelines. Dual- and Multi-diameter pigs can be designed to cope with changes in line diameter. With the correct design, pigs should no longer get stuck in the line and still perform their function effectively. More information can be found in Resources. | http://www.pipeline-research.com/ |
How can you stay sane and well when things get tough? How can you ride the waves when the sea is rough?
In this episode I talk about exactly that and dive into equanimity: the ability to remain calm and grounded, especially in difficult times.
Obviously this episode is very fitting given the ongoing pandemic, but it’s helpful no matter what is going on in your life that feels hard. So how do you stay sane when things get tough?
Here is the workbook that I mention in this episode.
And if you wanted to explore becoming a client of mine to really turn your mental health around now, then simply arrange a free half hour call with me via this link.
Read the transcript here:
Dear listener, I welcome you to what might be your first time listening to my podcast, or perhaps you’ve been here before.
I always share my thoughts and advice on improving your mental health holistically. So sometimes I discuss things like nutrition and lifestyle changes, or gut health or inflammation or thyroid health – in short I focus on improving your physical health in order to then experience better mental health.
But today I want to talk about ways to cope in those very moments when you feel that the world around you is simply too overwhelming. When the sea is rough, the storms are raging so to speak and the skies are dark. 2020, I mean what a year! is behind us but the pandemic is obviously ongoing….
I don’t know about you but life still feels so very different to what it’s normally like – without Covid. And I know that every single person has experienced this pandemic in different ways, and I know that some people, particularly the ones that often get very anxious around meeting people, have actually found a sense of relief when staying home became the normal, and there was nothing you were really missing out on.
But I’d say for a lot people these times right now feel overwhelming. The news feel like too much sometimes. So many disappointments, so many worries, so much stress. Loneliness, isolation and often a lost sense of purpose. Perhaps grieving for life pre-Covid and feeling like you’re really running out of steam now and you just wished life could go back to normal.
And I don’t know about you, but all of what’s happening in the world, whether it’s covid or climate change or racism or social inequalities etc…all of it can feel crazy and like we’re in some kind of dystopian novel or film. Longing to wake up to a safer world, with more ease and peace and less overwhelm, negativity and challenge.
And of course, all of this national and global crises are on top of any personal and private challenges that you might be facing in your very own life. Perhaps somebody you love is ill and suffering. Perhaps you’ve lost someone or something significant in your life. Perhaps you’re a victim of terrible things that should have never happened to you. Perhaps you feel lonely…. Yeah, perhaps you feel lonely. Like so many million others.
Or, perhaps you’re struggling with your sense of purpose, not having a good reason to get out of bed in the morning. There are lots of things that can be challenging. If you’re listening to this podcast, it’s likely that you, like so many others unfortunately, are struggling with your mental health and are finding it hard to cope and to be well.
So how can you stay afloat when life feels really hard? How can you ride out the waves without sinking? Remain firmly rooted whilst the wind is howling around you? How can you protect the light that’s trying to shine from within you when the world or your life feels pretty dark at times?
Well first of all, if you haven’t yet heard of the word equanimity (that’s equanimity), then I’d love to tell you about it. Equanimity is defined as calmness and composure, especially during difficult times. So when you feel that you are going crazy or are losing your mind or just can’t handle everything anymore, well that would probably be the opposite of equanimity. Equanimity is defined as calmness and composure, especially during difficult times. There’s a wonderful saying that goes like this:
You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.
You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf. As an individual, I can’t stop Covid. I also can’t stop racism, on my own. I can’t solve the climate crisis, or end world hunger and terrible conflicts or solve poverty on my own. I can’t solve, fix, stop or avoid all sorts of things even just in my personal life- no matter how much I want to.
Lots of things are outside our control. Even though we really don’t like it: Lots of things are outside our control.
But what I, as an individual, can do is this: to practice equanimity. Develop my surfing skills so to speak. Nurture and develop beliefs and tools that will help me to remain steady even in really rough seas. To try and remain calm (as much as possible) when things get really stressful. That is something I can do and that I do have quite a lot of control over.
And as I’m sure you can see – developing equanimity will help you throughout your entire life. It’s not just about the current craziness that we find ourselves in. We can’t stop external events but we can practice remaining calm despite them. To not automatically react to unpleasant feelings that we get in response to things like yet another lockdown.
But to make it clear that this isn’t about simply becoming indifferent, I want to quote my all time favourite psychologist Rick Hanson. Here’s what he said about equanimity:
“Equanimity is neither apathy nor indifference: you are warmly engaged with the world but not troubled by it. Through its non-reactivity, it creates a great space for compassion, loving-kindness, and joy at the good fortune of others.” Rick Hanson
I love this. And I love the word space in there. Equanimity is very much about giving yourself space.
So that sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? And before I dive into some of the ways through which we can all grow this quality within yourselves, so that we can try to stay sane in a crazy world – let me just make this really clear:
Any advice that I ever give, including today’s topic, is never ever about perfection. Is it possible that you will never react to unpleasant events again? No!
Is it possible that you become so Zen that life will be nothing but pure bliss in any given moment no matter how challenging? No!
That’s not what it’s about. Life is rich and varied (even if you can’t feel that way at the moment) and it’s complex and so much is still going to happen from right now till that last breath of yours. I would certainly choose an interesting, challenging and adventurous life over a pleasant and nice but yet boring one.
And also, developing equanimity is not yet another thing that you should now be adding to your to-do list. You’ve got enough on that list already.
Instead, just simply to approach it with a sense of curiosity.
It’s not something that you either master or fail at, it’s an ongoing practice and an ongoing way to try and relate to what is happening in your life. Sometimes it will come easier than other times. Sometimes you’ll remember to consider this practice, and there will be plenty of times when you will simply forget about it, especially in the beginning.
So, let’s make this practical: How can you develop equanimity? How can you learn to surf the waves? How can you remain calm during stressful times?
Well, luckily this whole concept is not a new one. It’s actually ancient and found across the main religions and also philosophical ideas. It’s not new. Which makes it wonderful because it means that there’s a lot of thought around it.
First of all, you need to know or perhaps be reminded that our brains are designed by evolution to constantly trigger reactions to things that are happening. Because if that’s not the case, if we’re not paying attention to what’s going on, we might get attacked, eaten and killed. Or these days, if we don’t pay attention we might get run over by a car or miss important work deadlines, we miss paying the bills on time and then get into trouble. We have evolved to constantly be on the lookout for negative things all around us, and we are designed to react.
But the thing is, we also react to negative comments, upsetting news, Covid, lockdowns and even just the thoughts in own very own heads. We react. And with that reaction often comes a sense of longing for things to be different.
We react and then we’re often troubled by these reactions and what they bring forth. And that’s what can often leave us feeling really torn and unhappy or even desperate. It’s not the event itself necessarily, but rather our reaction to it. That’s an important, important distinction. You may well have heard about this before but it’s also worth reminding ourselves of this: Things happen. They have done, they do and they always will. But what really matters is how to react and respond to them.
I think it’s easy to see how the constant, in many ways automatic, reacting to things can feel like you’re being battered by the wind, tossed around in every direction – without much control on your part. Your peace and harmony are shattered and your happiness drops. All because of how you are reacting to what’s going on around you.
So remind yourself that your brain is designed to react. It’s designed to spot all the negative things really quickly. In this way, it’s there to help you stay alive and be alert. It’s normal. It’s a good thing in many ways. That’s why you’re still here, listening to this episode.
But: instead of becoming harshly critical of yourself and perhaps your mind, try simply noticing what is going on.
When you feel angry, notice it. Try saying to yourself “I feel angry” or “I notice I am feeling angry” as opposed to saying “I am angry”. There’s a difference there. One is about you as a whole being – I AM angry. That makes YOU the angry PERSON.
The other is simply about a present feeling or emotion that you are experiencing in that moment: You feel angry. You are noticing that right now, in this moment you are feeling angry.
So step one in developing equanimity is simply being able to consciously notice how you are feeling and experiencing things. Naming your feelings. Detaching yourself from your reactions to some degree. You aren’t your feelings – but instead you are noticing your feelings come and go.
Right now, I notice that I’m feeling worried and concerned that the virus will be here for quite a while longer. This makes me feel tired and sad. I notice my longing for life to feel normal again.
Whatever you are feeling right now, try to name it. Try to name it. You don’t even need to put that thought into a sentence, just simply try to name the feeling: Anger. Sadness. Despair. Hopelessness. Boredom. Longing. Grief. Or joy. Relief. Excitement. Love. Peace. Harmony.
Whatever you feel, in any given moment, it can be helpful to simply name it for what it is. Acknowledge it rather than pushing difficult feelings away, allow them to have some space and name them for what they are. Feelings come and go.
And then pay attention to how it feels in the body. How does it feel? Can you notice the emotion in a particular part of your body? Perhaps a heaviness or a tightening around your chest, or something around your head or heart or your whole body? What does it feel like? Have you noticed this before?
This practice alone can reaaaaally help to ground you in the here and now. It can also help you to avoid going down rabbit holes, creating mountains out of mole hills and overreacting.
It can calm you, avoid activating the stress response again and again. It can help you to avoid feeling utterly overwhelmed and like you’re losing control. And it can help you to feel centered enough so that your emotions won’t trigger certain reactions that you might later on regret doing.
So to summarise this first point: Try to become aware of your feelings by allowing some space them, naming them for that they are, and noticing how they feel in the body. Become aware, name it, notice how it manifests in the body.
And the more you do this, the more you will realise that emotions come and go. As I’ve said previously, the brain is designed to react and so it will continue to do it. And so you will continue to react to things happening, these reactions will trigger certain emotions, and these feelings will keep on coming and going.
You know, sometimes the sea is calm, gentle and flat, even like a mirror at times. So smooth and inviting. Other times, the sea becomes dangerous and the waves keep crashing on top of one another, they are wild and loud. Stressful thoughts and emotions are like waves on the ocean of life. They rise and they fall. And they will continue to do so.
This practice, what I’m telling you about here, is really what mindfulness is all about. So in order to become more at peace with our world and our life and all the things that keep on happening, we need to become more aware and more mindful of our thoughts and feelings.
Another key aspect of developing equanimity, so again remaining calm in a hectic chaotic world, is spaciousness, meaning being able to see whatever is going on in your life from a perspective of wisdom, of patience, of compassion. Being able to see the wider perspective instead of getting caught up in little things.
This is where it can be really useful to spend time reflecting on your values in life: What is it that truly matters, to YOU? Is it the big house, the big pay check? The cleanliness of your kitchen, the prestigious career and extraordinary reputation? The perfect family? Or is it honesty, love, adventure, lifelong learning, family, open-mindedness, commitment, loyalty? What is it that matters to YOU?
Once you have a good understanding of the things that matter to you. And by the way, if you have no idea- I have created an inexpensive workbook that will help you to do exactly that, I will link it in the show notes – so once you have a good understanding of your values and the things that really matter, whenever something difficult or irritating occurs, you can ask yourself whether this will really matter? Will this matter at the end of my life?
If you become attached to particular things in your life, especially if they are things that you want because society tells you that they’re great – for example a certain job or career, a certain house, to be the perfect mother who has everything on perfect control, or perhaps you’re after the latest fashion trends, a certain amount of money to make each month, a certain social media following. Whatever it is, if you become attached to these outer goals, without them really being rooted in any of your true values, you will probably be suffering a great deal in your life.
So again, become an expert on your own values. Reflect on what it is that truly matters to you in your own life, and notice how you can actually let go of a lot of the pressures that come from other people, the media and society to be a certain way. Try to make sure that what you pursue is grounded in your values, not because of a desire for fame, success and prestige. And notice what you are attached to: Are you attached to certain people to feel happy? A certain income or reputation? If you want to be of service to others for example in your work and be helpful, do you need to climb to the top of your career ladder? There’s nothing wrong with striving for success as such, just make sure you would want to be on top of that career ladder because that’s what best reflects your values and where you can do your best work. Not because your parents would be telling all their friends and neighbours about you, and because the newspaper might one day write about you.
And before I leave this point, can you think of people in your life who live according to their values? Who aren’t overly attached to certain people or possessions? Who are they? What are they doing differently?
Another piece of advice I’d like to give you is to start practicing equanimity in the small moments of your life. Rather than trying to tackle the pandemic for example, see whether the next times something small but let’s say irritating happens, can you try to stay present with that experience? Can you keep your heart open to the experience and the feeling? And importantly, can you observe these emotions without adding a mental story to them? So for example, if someone made you feel angry because of something they said or did to you, can you observe that feeling of anger without continuously thinking about how bad this is person is or how very wrong they are, and how dare they etc?
So start practicing equanimity in small everyday moments. Next time you spend ages outside queuing outside a shop, or when your computer stops working or your kids keep on talking and interrupting your conversation. Can you try to stay present and centered?
I know, this isn’t always easy. No one ever said that it was. But simply continue practicing. It pays off.
You can also learn to surf the waves by focusing on what’s good in your life. Each call that I have with my clients, I also start by asking them for 3 things that went well since we last spoke. So I’ve told you how our brains are designed to react and also to dwell on what’s negative. This is called the brain’s negativity bias – again, it’s here to keep you alert and alive. But it also means that that one tiny criticism remains at the top of your mind, even though it came alongside 10 lovely compliments that you’ve already forgotten about.
It’s simply how parts of your brains are designed. But the good news is that our brains are also not completely set in stones. The common saying of “What you focus on grows” is completely true: You have a choice. You can dwell on what’s negative and difficult, and worse spin these things out of proportion. Or you can little by little just keep pulling your attention back to what is good right now. What is going well? Or as we are at the end of this year: Reflect on all the things that actually went well!
So you can simply keep a list or do this in your head whenever you remember: What went well? Or at dinner time, ask yourself or each other about your highlights of the day. Or, you can keep a gratitude journal and focus on specific things you feel grateful for.
New connections between the nerve cells in your brain will form, and it will become easier and easier, little by little, to notice all the good things that are happening in your life. But certainly in the beginning, this will require conscious effort on your part – but it’s luckily a feelgood activity so you should feel the benefit straight away. And then more longer-term, you will become more centered and grounded and that’s why this is another great way to practice equanimity.
The last thing I’d like to say about this topic is to not mistake equanimity for inaction. Equanimity is not about indifference and simply not caring about anything anymore. It’s quite the opposite. Equanimity allows you to feel whatever it is you are feeling, to remain steady and calm despite those feelings and to take important and meaningful action DESPITE those feelings. So equanimity, learning the surf the waves, is about not getting sucked into stories of your mind, into your past or your future. It’s about being rooted in the here and now, being true to whatever it is that you are experiencing, and being open to life as it is happening. And then being able to continue with what matters in your life regardless.
So these are my thoughts and advice around staying sane when the world around you feels crazy. As always, send yourself some love. You are doing so well given the circumstances and it’s okay to struggle and to find life hard at times.
Do let me know your own thoughts on this topic and whether you have any other tips to add that have worked for you. I always, always welcome hearing from you!
Like I said at the beginning, I am running a free live class on Zoom all about holistic mental healthcare on January 4th, so if you’re still in time when you’re listening to this episode, then do sign up and join me! The link to register is in the show notes.
Take good care of yourself and I will be back with another episode in 2021. | https://claudiasmithwellbeing.com/episode-15-how-to-stay-sane-when-things-get-tough/ |
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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Susanne Pohl,
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Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax, is exposed to host-mediated antibacterial activities, such as reactive oxygen species (ROS), during the early stages of its disease process. The ability to resist these host-mediated insults is an essential characteristic of a successful pathogen while it is generally assumed that non-pathogenic environmental bacteria succumb to these antimicrobial activities. In order to gain insights into the underlying mechanisms that pathogens use to resist host-mediated oxidative stress, we have compared the oxidative stress responses of B. anthracis and B. subtilis, a well-studied environmental bacterium. Among the four putative catalases encoded by B. anthracis we identified KatB as the main vegetative catalase. Comparative analysis of catalase production in B. anthracis and B. subtilis in response to superoxide and peroxide stress reveals different expression profiles, even though both are regulated by the PerR repressor that senses and responds to peroxide stress. A B. anthracis perR deletion mutant exhibits enhanced KatB activity and is hyper-resistant to peroxide stress. Superoxide dismutase A1 (SodA1) is the main contributor to the intracellular superoxide dismutase activity in vegetative cells and the gene encoding this enzyme is constitutively expressed. Although aspects of the ROS detoxifying systems of B. anthracis and B. subtilis are similar, their responses to superoxide stress are different. The observed differences are likely to reflect adaptations specific environmental niches. | https://eprints.ncl.ac.uk/179796 |
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I am an honors program graduate with experience in multiple subjects such as Math, Science, English, Political Science, Psychology, and Philosophy. I have tutored at Saddleback College both in the classroom and in the college's Learning and Resource Center. I have a certificate from the College...
In-personView Courtney V. Profile
Fountain Valley, CA
$40 / hour
Hello! I'm Jo! I am a native bilingual Japanese American dual citizen! Professional experience as a translator Years of experience translating and helping with English and Japanese language learning Let me help you with your Japanese! I have both Japanese and American school system...
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Laguna Beach, CA
$50 / hour
I am an open minded, friendly, multicultural experienced teacher of foreign languages. My native language is Arabic, grew up communicating in English as a second language, hence I have understanding of the difficulties learning a second language. I graduated from Baghdad University with a science...
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Newport Beach, CA
$40 / hour
I have been teaching and tutoring for more than five decades all around the nation and the world. I believe that it is essential for tutors and tutees to know each other and to discover things together. I am flexible and understanding, I love teaching and I love to make each student into a...
In-person + OnlineView Katherine W. Profile
Santa Ana, CA
$75 / hour
I have a military background and after my military service I went back to school and finished a BA at UCLA in June of 2015. I graduated with a double major of International Development Studies and Japanese language and culture with a minor in global studies. I would often make friends with...
In-person + OnlineView Vanessa W. Profile
Irvine, CA
$49 / hour
I am a part time college teacher, CPA, and attorney. I love teaching, and thought I'd tutor a little. I know business, accounting, and business law and taxation very well, and have taught college classes in those subjects. I am able to keep people laughing while they are learning! I have...
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Los Alamitos, CA
$40 / hour
My patience and smile keep my students happy. I have taught for many years in a multilevel, international classroom setting and enjoy teaching very much. My goal is to have my students feel comfortable and confident with the English language. I provide a relaxing atmosphere for my students,...
In-personView Shereen O. Profile
La Palma, CA
$45 / hour
So, you want or need to learn English? Congratulations! Just by looking for tutors, you have taken the first step on the road to improving your language skill! The second step is much longer and requires a lot of work. It is the difference between improving a little and improving a lot. But...
In-personView Charles K. Profile
Santa Ana, CA
$35 / hour
A graduate of the University of Irvine Extension TEFL Program, I enjoy helping the international adult student who has come to the U.S. for career development. Before I started tutoring, my career was in a corporate administrative setting for over 30 years. To that end, I can provide...
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Artesia, CA
$30 / hour
I have been an English teacher since 2013. I first taught as part of an outreach in Tokyo with a group I worked with for the summer. Throughout my Master's program, I have also taught students from all around the world. Since then, I have taught more students in and around Long Beach. I have...
In-person + OnlineView Brian K. Profile
Yorba Linda, CA
$45 / hour
I love to teach languages in the context of the culture. I have a master's degree in education with an emphasis in teaching English to the speakers of other languages. I taught English to medical students in Dali Medical College, China, for more than 10 years, at the same time I tutored Chinese...
In-person + OnlineView Ruobing L. Profile
Long Beach, CA
$25 / hour
I have several years of tutoring experience; I have worked with grades K-12 as well as college and adult students. I have worked for private tutoring companies, as well as colleges. I have worked for Academic Advantage as a Learning with Laptops tutor for the No Child Left Behind Program as well...
In-person + OnlineView Candice C. Profile
Irvine, CA
$40 / hour
Expert ESL and Farsi teacher with 7 years of international experiences which helped me gain vast knowledge regarding teaching, coursework design, interactive learning and individual instruction. Being a well-rounded educator, I have had the opportunity to teach a diverse group of elementary and...
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Aliso Viejo, CA
$52 / hour
A very caring and patient master teacher of 35 years! As a certified K-8 Reading Specialist, I will assess your child's phonics and reading comprehension skills and create a program for his/her particular needs. I have had years of experience working with students diagnosed with ADD/ADHD,...
In-person + OnlineView V. Barbara M. Profile
Irvine, CA
$40 / hour
Hello! My name is Marie and I am a licensed teacher with 5+ years of in classroom teaching experience at the elementary and junior high level. I also have certifications in bilingual education, TOEFL, IELTS and ESL as well as an extensive background in curriculum writing. I stay at home now,...
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Orange, CA
$40 / hour
I have been teaching and tutoring in Orange County for 15 years. I relate very well to people and can see things from their point of view. This comes in very handy when I'm tutoring someone who "just doesn't get" the subject we're working on. I try to make learning fun, and the time goes...
In-personView Brooke T. Profile
Newport Coast, CA
$200 / hour
Your verbal skills equal your destiny. Your ability to write incisively, think critically, reason logically, and speak eloquently is the master key to unlocking wealth, wisdom, and happiness. Yet these skills are going extinct. Employers identify verbal communication as the glaring weakness in...
In-person + OnlineView Oliver W. Profile
Downey, CA
$50 / hour
I have always had a dual career path as a bilingual creative professional and educator. I have been teaching Photoshop and English to non-native speakers as the teacher of record at Otis College of Art and Design since 2005. I started tutoring in college where I tutored Spanish, French, Italian...
In-person + OnlineView Angela A. Profile
Irvine, CA
$65 / hour
I graduated from UCLA with a B.S. in Biochemistry, and am offering tutoring in a variety of subjects. I've been tutoring since my early teenage years, and during my high school and college years, I tutored dozens of students in all levels of math including Algebra I/II, Trigonometry,...
In-person + OnlineView Christy R. Profile
Irvine, CA
$49 / hour
Hi! Thanks for responding to my Profile! I would love to help you with your English language skills! As a fully Credentialed California Teacher, I have over 15 years experience teaching students of all ages, from Pre-K to Adults, both in classroom and private settings. Speaking, Phonics,...
In-personView Sharon H. Profile
Huntington Beach, CA
$35 / hour
Reading has to be fun as well as relevant to the student, or progress, if there is any, will be slow and painful. I've had excellent results teaching reading and English literature in regular education and special education classrooms in Los Angeles and Orange Counties California. The first...
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Costa Mesa, CA
$50 / hour
Hey Everyone! I'm an experienced English, Mandarin Chinese, and ESL tutor and graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, currently living in the greater Los Angeles area. I have over ten years of experience in language tutoring, working with students who are picking up a second...
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ESL/ESOL Tutors near UC Irvine
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UC Irvine ESL/ESOL TutorsConnecting with ESL/ESOL Tutors at UC Irvine is easy on Uloop.com. Browse for UC Irvine ESL/ESOL Tutors and more in and around Irvine, CA. You can check out ESL/ESOL Tutors listings from UC Irvine students and profiles from local Irvine residents. To make things easier, you can narrow your UC Irvine ESL/ESOL Tutors search down using filters to refine results and enhance your tutor search experience. Share relevant UC Irvine ESL/ESOL tutors with UC Irvine classmates to make the tutor search process even faster for them. Utilize Uloop.com to find UC Irvine ESL/ESOL tutors today! | https://uci.uloop.com/tutors/index.php/esl-esol |
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced that it would begin collecting data in its population health surveys that would facilitate identification of health issues and reduction of health disparities among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) populations.
Under the plan, HHS will integrate questions on sexual orientation and gender identity into national data collection efforts. This includes the testing of questions on sexual orientation and potential incorporation of these questions into the National Health Interview Survey, the department’s flagship data instrument for collecting health information on populations, by 2013. This would be the first step toward development of a government-wide standard for LGBT data collection.
To date, HHS surveys have not collected data on transgender status. While HHS is in the beginning stages of developing data collection on gender identity, many researchers (e.g., Williams Institute at the University of California Los Angeles and the Center for Population Research in LGBT Health at the Fenway Institute) have been working on such data collection for several years. Before the end of 2011, HHS will hold two roundtables with key experts in collecting data on sexual orientation and gender identity. HHS officials and the experts will review existing literature, discuss proposed questions, and develop a progression plan for gender identity data testing.
Under Section 4302 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the HHS Secretary is authorized to ensure that any federally conducted or supported health care or public health program, activity or survey collects and reports, to the extent practicable, demographic data as deemed appropriate by the Secretary on health disparities. | https://ignatiusbau.com/2011/06/29/hhs-to-collect-data-on-sexual-orientation-and-gender-identity/ |
Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999
Introduced to reinforce the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (MHSWR) place a duty on employers to assess and manage risks to their employees and others, to prevent work accidents and work-related illness.
The 1999 Regulations supercede MHSWR of 1992 and 1994, The Health and Safety (Young Persons) Regulations 1997 and Part 3 of The Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regulations 1997
In October 2003 the regulations were amended to allow
- Employees to claim damages from their employer in a civil action, where they suffer injury or illness as a result of the employer breaching the 1999 Regulations.
- Employers to bring actions against employees for breaches of their duties under the 1999 Regulations.
What is required by MHSWR?
In the first instance, employers are required to undertake an assessment of the risks to health and safety of their employees and other people who may be affected by their work activity. Any significant findings should be recorded where there are 5 or more employees in a business.
In undertaking the risk assessment the MHSWR state 9 General Principles of Prevention should be applied. These outline a hierarchy of risk control.
- Avoiding risks
- Evaluating the risks which cannot be avoided
- Combating the risks at source
- Adapting the work to the individual, especially as regards the design of workplaces, the choice of work equipment and the choice of working and production methods, with a view, in particular, to alleviating monotonous work and work at a predetermined work-rate and to reducing their effect on health
- Adapting to technical progress
- Replacing the dangerous by the non-dangerous or the less dangerous
- Developing a coherent overall prevention policy which covers technology, organisation of work, working conditions, social relationships and the influence of factors relating to the working environment
- Giving collective protective measures priority over individual protective measures
- Giving appropriate instructions to employees
What happens once the assessment has been completed?
It is not sufficient to merely carry out a risk assessment. The regulations require employers to:
- Make appropriate arrangements to put in place the required health and safety measures identified. This should cover policy, organising, planning, monitoring, auditing and review. Records must be kept.
- Provide health surveillance where it is appropriate for significant risks.
- Appoint competent persons to assist in applying the necessary preventive and protective measures. Individuals may be from within the business or an external source.
- Ensure procedures are in place in case of emergencies and other serious and imminent danger.
- Provide information and training to employees so they may gain understanding of risks and how to minimise them.
- Co-operate and co-ordinate with other employers or the self-employed where the businesses share premises.
- Provide temporary workers with information to allow them to comply with health and safety duties.
- Facilitate consultation with employees where new work arrangements, equipment or procedures may affect health and safety.
- Undertake risk assessments to ensure the health and safety of new or expectant mothers.
- Ensure the health and safety of young persons is not compromised.
Under MHSWR employees also have duties to report any shortcomings in health & safety arrangements. They should take reasonable care of their own health & safety and those of others who may be affected by their acts or omissions.
Any dangerous situations should be reported and all equipment should be used in accordance with training and instruction.
Claiming for compensation under MHSWR
If you have been injured at work as the result of a health and safety breach, you may be entitled to compensation.
Rather than considering the impact of the regulations in isolation, your solicitor will look at all the facts, witness statements and medical evidence associated with you case in order to advise you on the strength of your claim.
Call us on 0800 612 7456 to discuss your options with a specialist. | https://www.quittance.co.uk/personal-injury/advice/work-accident/management-of-health-safety-at-work-regulations-1999 |
The design process is usually a challenging endeavor that is custom tailored for each client individually. There is no cookie cutter to copy and paste the design scheme from one project to another. Each client has a special user group that can differ vastly between projects. Usually, most clients want to be involved in the design process and observe the progress, there are exceptions to the rule but mostly this is true. It's not like in the good old days where the designer would get specifications, retreat to his "cave" and come out with finished designs. Today's users are much more mutable in their expectations, and the "old way " is too slow and rigid to accommodate to the constantly changing user needs.
A new process is necessary, easy to understand for everyone included, fast and effective. A modern approach of solving problems that fits into the platform, in our case it’s Sitecore. In an ideal situation the design process is an iterative process of finding the best solutions through constant discussions, improvements and testing different viable solutions. Sometimes, and more than often, it's a more messy situation where anything that can go wrong goes wrong by Murphy's law.
So what is this different approach and how does it differ so much that can make significant improvement? I'll try to clarify this and shed light on how a comprehensive design process helps us achieve our goals faster and more effective. Depending on the complexity of the project, the time available and the resources, the definition of the design process can differ significantly. Simple one pager applications with a few users don't need to be detailed and well documented processes that are necessary when building full scale applications with tens of thousands of daily users. You can imagine the design process like building a house for one family, or making a building with 20 floors that will maybe need another 20 floors built on top of them in the future. As an engineer and a creative professional you need to take much more factors into equation when designing something so much bigger than the simple solutions for a small number of users.
Simply put, the design process is nothing more than a tool responsible to ensure the consistency of different bricks of the "building", implemented with speed and efficiency. It sounds mechanical and dull for a design process, but this is needed if we want to design not only interfaces but complex systems that work perfectly in harmony. I mentioned in this article how the term design transcends from visual to abstract terms, when you take into account that everything needs to be "designed", even the components that are implemented into Sitecore by developers are designed. It is a slower process but needed if you are building something to last rather than only work for a short period of time without any scalability.
With this introduction about the importance of the design process, let's jump into what the components of this process are and how they work together to create a flow. As I mentioned, in the ancient times of IT, the designer would get specifications from clients what to create, the output would be a finished design that would be handed out to developers. But what if developers are blocked by a third party, what if the designs need to be revisited when the implementation has already started, what if the users change their mind? The design would usually go back and forth at a great cost of time and money. More often the design would go obsolete before its live launch. The missing part of this practice and why it didn't last were people, the end users. In that past time, we did not fully understand how much and how quick user needs can change and that this needs to be taken into account. Designers, developers, management and the client often played a game of chasing the existing user needs or even long past needs, rather than anticipating what could change in future. One of the pioneers that figured out this game early on was Steve Jobs. His approach was not to try and catch people and yield them into using what he created, he rather anticipated what people really want now and, more importantly, will want in the future. The core design of the iPhone interface and the phone shape did not change radically over the years, the premium customer service that is unique to Apple was ahead of its time. Jobs did not create a group of followers, he merely recognized this emerging culture of elite gadget users and invested into the future. The rest is history.
To go back from Apple to our design process we need something we can use to quickly accommodate the growing user needs, and still have the time for innovation. Most of the companies have processes that are short sighted and oriented on current user needs. This is mostly because there is a pressure of the stakeholders and the competitive market. Imagine if you could scale the projects multiple times without much strain to your resources. That's why the right process needs to be implemented from the start. It's nearly impossible to change things later on.
I mentioned in past articles what wireframes are and how to use them, what their benefits are and which types of wireframes exist. Also in these articles, there is a lengthy explanation of what pattern libraries are and what is the importance of pattern libraries. I think everyone knows what design in general represents and what are the differences between design mockups and wireframes.
The items that are missing from this list are: brand guidelines and the component catalog. Brand guidelines represent an official company document made of branding elements that are unique to a company, such as brand colors, the official logo, fonts, gradients etc. Often times companies have brand guidelines created as a graphic design foundation for their banners, business cards, memo pads etc. Brand guidelines are important later on when creating design mockups.
A component catalog is a list of wireframe parts for each page individually. If you can imagine each page as an organism, the components are molecules that have atoms. For example, the main slider component is a molecule of a landing page organism that has a title, a background, and a subtitle as an atom. The component catalog has a wireframe bare bone look with an additional description that is useful to developers when implementing Sitecore components. So, the component catalog is a document of listed components taken from wireframes that developers can lurk into any time, and use as a foundation for implementation.
Let's connect everything together. We have wireframes that show the bare bone skeleton display of different pages. We have the components catalog created after the wireframes are finalized. This catalog is used by developers and updated by designers in collaboration with the clients. Finally, we have design mockups and brand guidelines. Brand guidelines and wireframes are inputs for a designer when creating design mockups or updating existing ones. The design can be created in parallel with component implementation in Sitecore and frontend and backend development. Developers can implement the bare bone bootstrap looking application that only needs a makeover. This is a much more effective and faster way of doing things than the waterfall model in the predefined phases. Design, development and company marketing can move at the same pace, regardless of how the user needs change and scale over time. Everybody knows, at any time, where they are and in which phase the project is. And this system represents a process that is a fast, scalable and effective way of developing Sitecore applications.
Feel free to contact us if you have any questions! | https://www.coria.com/en/insights/blog/design/how-to-implement-the-design-process-into-sitecore-successfully |
HEATSHOCK protein 60 (hsp60) in the matrix of mitochondria is essential for the folding and assembly of newly imported proteins1. Hsp60 belongs to a class of structurally related chaperonins found in organelles of endosymbiotic origin and in the bacterial cytosol2-9. Hsp60 monomers form a complex arranged as two stacked 7-mer rings6. This 14-mer complex binds unfolded proteins at its surface, then seems to catalyse their folding in an ATP-dependent process10. The question arises as to how such an assembly machinery is itself folded and assembled. Hsp60 subunits are encoded by a nuclear gene and translated in the cytosol as precursors7 which are translocated into mitochondria and proteolytically processed. In both intact cells and isolated mitochondria of the hsp60-defective yeast mutant mif4, self-assembly of newly imported wild-type subunits is not observed. Functional pre-existing hsp60 complex is required in order to form new, assembled, 14-mer. Subunits imported in vitro are assembled with a surprisingly fast half-time of 5-10 min, indicative of a catalysed reaction. These findings are further evidence that self-assembly may not be the principal mechanism by which proteins attain their functional conformation in the intact cell.
- Publication:
-
Nature
- Pub Date:
- November 1990
- DOI:
- 10.1038/348455a0
- Bibcode: | https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1990Natur.348..455C |
The ribosome-associated chaperone trigger factor (TF) assists the folding of newly synthesized cytosolic proteins in Escherichia coli. Here, we determined the substrate specificity of TF by examining its binding to 2842 membrane-coupled 13meric peptides. The binding motif of TF was identified as a stretch of eight amino acids, enriched in basic and aromatic residues and with a positive net charge. Fluorescence spectroscopy verified that TF exhibited a comparable substrate specificity for peptides in solution. The affinity to peptides in solution was low, indicating that TF requires ribosome association to create high local concentrations of nascent polypeptide substrates for productive interaction in vivo. Binding to membrane-coupled peptides occurred through the central peptidyl-prolyl-cis/trans isomerase (PPIase) domain of TF, however, independently of prolyl residues. Crosslinking experiments showed that a TF fragment containing the PPIase domain linked to the ribosome via the N-terminal domain is sufficient for interaction with nascent polypeptide substrates. Homology modeling of the PPIase domain revealed a conserved FKB (FK506-binding protein)- like binding pocket composed of exposed aromatic residues embedded in a groove with negative surface charge. The features of this groove complement well the determined substrate specificity of TF. Moreover, a mutation (E178V) in this putative substrate binding groove known to enhance PPIase activity also enhanced TF s association with a prolyl-free model peptide in solution and with nascent polypeptides. This result suggests that both prolylindependent binding of peptide substrates and peptidyl-prolyl isomerization involve the same binding site. | https://kops.uni-konstanz.de/handle/123456789/7324 |
Hey guys, Young Coconut here, musician and Fauxtown Records artist. Lately, as I’ve been getting more into making electronic music of my own, I’ve been hearing a lot about this program called Kontakt, and specifically the fifth version Kontakt 5, by Native Instruments.
My buddy Daniel Kern uses it frequently with his own compositions, and so I decided to ask him a few (a lot of) newbie questions about this extensive music software suite, and he basically gave me his review of it plus a whole lot more.
This chat is a companion piece to his actual review of Kontakt by Native Instruments he did recently for this website. Check out our chat and hopefully if you’ve been wondering about it, this should tell you what someone who uses it regularly thinks of it.
YC: Hey Daniel, how are you today?
DK: Hey YC. I’m fine, how are you?
YC: Ah, you know, pretty good. Since you are an audio buff who uses a lot of digital software to create your music, I wanted to ask you a few things about the program called Kontakt. You know, the Native Instruments sample player?
DK: Of course. I hope I’m able to answer your questions adequately. Hit me!
YC: Ok, which version of Kontakt do you have currently running on your computer?
DK: I have Kontakt 5. Here’s what it looks like.
YC: Aha, so for those who don’t know what Kontakt is, can you tell me and the people what it does, and why one might want to use it?
DK: Kontakt does a lot. I guess most people are using it as a VST plugin inside their DAW (Cubase, Nuendo, etc. ) – but it also works as a standalone! I guess not many are using it to develop their own Kontakt-Libraries (“VSTs”). The thing is that Kontakt is working as a “host” for a huge variety of Kontakt Libraries /.nki files. Theres everything from drums and percussion to instruments like pianos and guitars, world instruments, synthesizers, and of course also orchestral sounds. Either from Native Instruments (the makers of Kontakt) themself or from various other creators.
YC: I wasn’t aware that it worked as a standalone DAW.
DK: No, not as a standalone DAW, just as a standalone plugin. I mean you can record stuff with it, but I guess the standalone application is rather for live-purposes.
YC: Right, so how do you tend to use it mostly?
DK: I use it mostly as a “host”-VST in Cubase playing different libraries. I mean mostly I combine them with other VST plugins like VSL. Especially when doing orchestral stuff.
YC: Can you share with us all an example of a composition you’ve made with Kontakt?
DK: Puhh.. I dont know if I have any that are made completely with Kontakt, without using any other plugins.
YC: Well it can just include Kontakt stuff. Not purely Kontakt.
DK: Alright let me search.. 🙂
YC: Ya just to talk about something concrete.
DK: Well, I’m sure I have a lot of sounds in this track from various Kontakt plugins.
DK: But I edited a lot there 🙂 Let me see if I also can find one thats not too electronic..
YC: Sure.
DK: Let’s try this one.
DK: In my sample-reel are many different musical styles but in the first part (the more “classical” one) a few strings from the background are from Kontakt for example in the electronic part that follows I also used Kontakt for a few things but we could at some point make a “Only Kontakt” Track 😉
YC: Yeah, I see.. so for the second link you shared, “Sample One”, besides Kontakt, what else is in there?
DK: uh .. there are a bunch ^^ For instance, the piano is “The Grand” from Steinberg.
YC: Ok, yeah…
DK: The violin and cello are from VSL. Those are definitely some of the greatest orchestral plugins on the market.
YC: What’s from Kontakt in that track? It’s obviously kinda tough to know what is coming from where.
DK: The background strings are from Kontakt. And, well, most of the things you remember.. ^^
YC: You’d have to be sort of a plugin master to know what sample library provides what sound to a track like this I think…
DK: No I wouldn’t say so.. I think you just need to know your plugins haha.
YC: How many instruments would you say make up this track?
DK: From beginning to finish or just the classical part?
YC: The whole thing.
DK: Puh…that’s a lot haha. Let me give it a listen.. Its been a while since I did that track.
YC: Ok sure.
DK: I’d say between 70-100, maybe more..because I layered a lot of sounds, every part of the drums is another plugin.
YC: Wow, yeah, so like 70 tracks essentially? …or some crazy amount of tracks.
DK: I’d say if 70 instruments, about 90 tracks .. some of them have a few copies, not counting stuff like tempo track, velocity tracks, etc.
YC: aha. yeah.. you must have a decent computer set up to run all that.
DK: Well it could be better. I’m actually looking to build up a new setup.
YC: You’ll get there. How do you think Kontakt has come up with such rich sounds for their sample libraries?
DK: I think that besides the huge sound library that you can get by buying KOMPLETE 11 – made by / or at least in cooperation with Native Instruments (the creators of Kontakt). The crazy thing about Kontakt is that it allows also “outsiders” to create Sound Libraries and in agreeance with NI they are also allowed to sell them. So that changes the game, they dont have to build up their own VST Interface, and programming the sampler from scratch – they can use Kontakt for that. I’m sure this is the biggest reason why they have such a huge variety of sounds.
YC: How do you go about making your own Kontakt sample libraries? Is it easy, or does it take a long time? How do you go about it?
DK: I actually dont have too much experience with creating complex libraries in Kontakt, but most of my own libraries are completely sample-based. I record different sounds first via Cubase (Drums, Percussion, SFX,.. different velocities – different sounds) and then I slice them up and put them on the different keys / velocities. I would say it depends on what you are gping to make if its easy .. if you want to build a complex synthesizer, there will be some programming to do, if you want to record whale-sounds in the antarctica – you will need money and equipment to succeed.
YC: What was your experience with installing Kontakt? I’ve heard it can be tricky.
DK: Installing Kontakt was actually pretty easy as far as I remember.. installing via setup and then put the .dll file into the VST folder you chose for your DAW.
YC: Did you download Kontakt or buy it? You think it’s worth it?
DK: I bought it, and I’d say its definitely worth the money !
YC: Do you usually update Kontakt when you can?
DK: I update it there and then, but not as often as I should maybe 🙂
YC: Any systems it doesn’t run on that you know of? What are you running Kontakt 5 on?
DK: I don’t know if they work well on Apple, but they worked fine for me with Cubase and also for a friend of mine with studio one. I also guess they should work in Ableton.
YC: If you were to tell someone the most basic way to use it, what would that be. For a beginner. I’m not talking about a lesson, but for a new guy, would would you recommend they do once the software is running.
DK: I would recommend people who just bought and successfuly installed Kontakt, that they browse through the plugins as much as they can try to remember what they have, play around with the sounds, familiarize yourself with your libraries so later on when you need a specific instrument in a composition – you know where to find it. And you can get a lot of inspiration out of playing with those sounds 🙂
YC: What’s your favourite instrument to use in Kontakt and why?
DK: My favourite Instrument depends on what I need to do. For Chiptunes I like to use Bitkits, for Background Strings I sometimes use NI Action Strings, I also like some Big Fish Audio Libraries for cinematic stuff, there are a bunch of cool instruments for electronic sounds, some cool things for hiphop stuff .. I cant really say that I have a favourite 🙂
YC: How many instruments are in the library overall? I guess i could just look that one up, but what the hey.
DK: Well the number of instruments depends on if you have the free Kontakt Sample Player, the Kontakt Komplete or the Kontakt Komplete Ultimate Bundle. And also on how many Libraries you buy from other creators! So it depends!
YC: Yeah man, well I may just have to get my hands on Kontakt myself. It sounds pretty great!
DK: Definitely check it out if you can.
YC: I will! Thanks for the chat, dude.
DK: No problem, later! | https://youtubemusicsucks.com/using-kontakt-sample-player-music-software-suite-overview-chat-with-producer-daniel-kern/ |
The lifespan of your pet snake depends on their species but, on average, they will live until around 10 years old, meaning that they will shed 3-4 times a year. This means that you will need to keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t get too old. The most important thing to do is to provide them with plenty of food and water.
Snakes are omnivores and will eat almost anything they can get their mouth on. They will also eat a wide variety of insects and other small animals. If you are keeping a large snake, you may want to consider feeding them a diet that is high in protein and low in fat.
It is also a good idea to give them lots of space to move around in, as this will help them get used to their new surroundings. You can also provide your snakes with a safe place to lay their eggs, which is a great way of keeping them safe from predators.
Table of Contents
How many times does a snake shed its skin in a month?
A snake that’s 0-6 months old will shed a lot. The snake sheds every few months. Four times a year is the maximum number of times a mature snake sheds. It’s also important to note that snakes shed skin all over their body, not just on their head and neck. So, if you’re worried about your snake shedding skin on its head, don’t worry, it won’t happen to you.
Do snakes grow every time they shed?
Put another way, snakes shed their skin because it doesn’t fit anymore or because it’s old. The skin of snakes does not grow as fast as it should. They replace their outer layer of skin with a new one when this happens.
This new skin is called the epidermis, and it is made of keratin, the same substance that makes up our fingernails and toenails. When a snake sheds its skin, it does so in two stages. The first stage is the shedding of the exoskeleton, which is a thin, flexible layer that protects the snake’s body from the elements.
During this shedding process, skin cells are shed and replaced with new ones. In the second stage of shedding, cells that are no longer needed are replaced by those that have grown into the skin. These new cells, called dermal papillae, are made up of collagen and elastin, two types of connective tissue that make up the body’s outermost layer.
What months do snakes shed their skin?
They don’t shed during the year. If they get too large for their skin, they should shed it off. Unlike many other animals, snakes grow throughout their lives. The outer layer of skin protects snakes from the sun’s rays as they grow. Snakes shed skin all the time, but they do it in different ways. Some snakes shed their outermost layer, called the epidermis.
This layer is made of keratin, a protein found in the skin of all animals. Keratin is the same substance that makes up fingernails and toenails, and it is also the material that gives skin its elasticity. Snakes, however, do not shed this layer. Instead, when a snake sheds, it sheds its skin.
The skin is shed in a process called exfoliation, in which the snake removes the dead skin cells and replaces them with new ones. Exfoliating is a very important part of snake care, because it helps to keep the snakes’ skin healthy and healthy-looking. It also helps prevent the growth of bacteria and fungi that can cause skin problems.
What does it mean when you find a snake skin in your yard?
“A common sign that you have a snake infestation is finding snakeskin around your property,” Toby Cahoon from B&T Pest Control tells Best Life. It’s a good sign that they’re still alive when you find old skin around. Cahoon the best way to get rid of snakes is to keep them away from your home. He also recommends keeping your pets indoors, and not allowing them to come into contact with snakes.
What time of day do snakes shed?
They can be shed any time of the year. Young snakes lose their skins about once a week as they grow. The age of the reptile is an important factor in how often a snake sheds its skin. The older the snake the more likely it is that it will shed. The shedding of skin is a natural process that occurs in all reptiles. However, some snakes are more prone to shedding than others.
This is due to a number of factors, including the type of snake, its diet, and environmental factors such as temperature and humidity. It is also important to note that the shedding process does not always occur at the same time every day. Some snakes may shed at different times during the day and at other times in the night. | https://www.reptilesfreak.com/how-many-times-does-a-snake-shed-its-skin/ |
Author Archive for Rebecca Carey
During ROV Jason operations on the seafloor there can often be ‘spare time’ when we’re waiting for a measurement to complete or when we’re traversing between locations for geological observations. Recently there was one such time when we were waiting for a measurement of heat flow to be finished. So I jumped in the driving seat of the ROV Jason!
With the offer to give Jason a quick spin on the seafloor I promptly replied, “I was very good at computer games as a child so I’m sure I’m not going to destroy the Jason!” Was this welcome news for the Jason operations team? I’m not so sure…
Piloting Jason was partly like playing a computer game and partly like using a flight simulator. But driving Jason is especially dynamic and challenging because the driver has to coordinate with two other engineers to move the ship and monitor Jason’s tether to its partner vehicle Medea and the boat.
Jason weighs about 5000 kilograms, yet is able to hover and move in all directions on the seafloor just like a helicopter in the air. I was tasked with the job of traversing laterally (i.e., moving to the side while facing a hill) while looking at the rocks. The outcome of my driving time was that I didn’t bump into anything, but I was about 45 degrees off the planned direction!
Jason holds a rock sample up before placing it into the collection basket.
The Jason piloting control box.
The Jason manipulator arm controller.
Driving Jason.
Jason can not only move around in any direction, but can also sit on the seafloor or hover in mid-water and use its manipulators to pick up rocks and our measuring equipment. The manipulators work like a human arm, with joints that permit separate movement of the upper or lower arm. Jason has a shoulder, elbow and wrist joint, but unlike the human arm Jason’s hand can spin continuously. This is of real benefit when we need to drill into volcanic deposits with our corers. The joystick for the manipulator arms is a miniature replicate of the real manipulators – so its relatively quick to adapt to. Using the manipulators was really fun – the idea that I was moving the Jason’s arms at more than 1000 meters (about half a mile) below sea level was aweing.
One significant benefit of driving Jason was realizing just how skilled the ROV pilots are. It has helped me to plan missions and sampling tasks while on the seafloor to make operations easier for the ROV pilots.
After the 2012 eruption the ship remapped the volcano, and by comparing these two maps we were able to determine the new (in 2012) eruption products. I’ve been staring at these maps for the past two years and now I get to use the AUV Sentry and ROV Jason to do some underwater geology. Read More →
On Friday (New Zealand time), R/V Roger Revelle sailed from Auckland and we’re on our way to Havre Seamount to make seafloor observations and take samples from this newest known submarine volcanic deposit. This is my third trip, widely spaced over two decades, to study deposits of volcanic eruptions on the seafloor, but my first in which the team will deploy a remotely operated vehicle (ROV). It will also be, by a wide margin, the youngest eruption deposits that I will have seen on the seafloor.
James White on deck with ROV Jason.
My first trip, in 1995, was led by a scientist named Rodey Batiza and was among the earliest to employ the submersible Alvin to conduct a focused study of physical eruption processes. We made nine dives on that trip onto a small area of a volcano called Seamount Six to look at and sample a deposit type called “hyaloclastite,” which is made predominantly of small, angular chunks of basaltic glass only one or two millimeters across. Among these miniscule glass fragments are a small proportion of particles broken from very thin glass sheets, which were bent and twisted as they formed. The aim of the cruise was to test the predictions of a model from Rodey’s previous work that suggested these glass sheets are solidified remnants of fluid basaltic magma that was torn apart in submarine lava fountains.
To test this, we looked for the distinctive features of lava-fountain deposits on Hawaii, which are progressively thinner and made of smaller particles at greater distances from the fountain. These deposits also have an elliptical shape when viewed on a map and are elongated in the direction that the wind was blowing during the eruption.
Seamount Six deposits are estimated to be about 2 million years old, but the glassy particles are very fresh beneath, and partly held together by, a centimeters-thick layer of seafloor manganese, which looks like bulbous black moss or mold covering the deposits.
What we found over the course of nine Alvin dives was not what we anticipated. Instead of deposits that became thinner and composed of smaller particles at greater distances from what we inferred to be the source of the lava fountain at the top of the volcano, we found many small patches of deposits, all with about the same thickness and composed of roughly similar-sized grains, over distances of more than a kilometre. This told us that the deposits could not have been formed and dispersed from a single lava fountain.
We then looked for evidence of small lava-fountain sources, particularly small cones of “spattered lava in or near the individual deposit patches, but found none of these, either. Everybody agreed that the most likely origin for all of the blocky glass fragments forming 90 percent or more of the material in the deposits was quench-shattering of hot lava as it cam in contact with cold seawater, but we had no source for the small proportion of small glass sheets that were curved and twisted, even folded, that we thought came from lava fountains.
In one of our many interesting discussions, we realized that these small glassy sheets had a lot in common with much larger, but still very thin and glassy, sheets of basalt that form along the coast at Kilauea where water gets trapped in lava. The trapped water expands as it boils, blowing big bubbles, or balloons, of basalt that pop to form the thin glass sheets. Volcanologist Ken Hon named these formations limu o’ Pele when he wrote about the activity and described how they formed. Deep-sea limu are much smaller than those found on the coast because the great water pressure at Seamount Six depths (1700 to 2000 meters) prevented the boiling water trapped in its basalt bubble from expanding very much at all. It was an interesting and unexpected outcome of my first trip to the ocean floor, and I immediately began trying to arrange another submarine project.
My second trip was over a decade later, in 2006, and was led by Bruce Houghton, who had joined the University of Hawaii from New Zealand just as Rodey left Hawaii for a new position on the mainland. Bruce, a PhD student I was supervising in New Zealand, and I made series of dives with a different small research submarine, Pisces IV, operated by the Hawaii Undersea Research Lab, onto the surface of Loihi seamount. Loihi is the youngest Hawaiian volcano lies lies underwater a few tens of kilometers southeast of the Big Island’s Kilauea volcano. On that cruise, we revisited seafloor deposits where another volcanologist, Dave Clague, had described layered outcrops of volcanic particles that found in small hills built on top of Loihi. Our aim was to sample the outcrops very systematically and then look at the internal textures of the particles to determine how the deposits formed. Rebecca Carey, the cruise co-chief scientist for the Havre expedition we are on now, also took part in the dives.
In one deposit on Loihi, we found more limu associated with a very thin lava flow, but the main samples we took were bubbly basalt glass fragments a few centimeters across. By measuring the volume, shapes, and sizes of the bubbles in different fragments; examining the shape of small grains with a scanning electron microscope; looking at the shapes of tiny crystals; and analyzing the chemistry of the glass, the crystals, and of small blebs of glass that had gotten trapped inside crystals as they grew before the eruption, my student Ian Schipper was able to determine that different small hills were cones from different eruptions. He also showed how the different eruptions behaved, and that, for at least one of, them magma-water explosions must have broken up the erupting magma. The Loihi deposits don’t have thick manganese layers, and are generally much fresher than those at Seamount Six, and, though we don’t know the deposit ages, it is inferred that these deposits are young—perhaps hundreds to a few thousands of years old considering how quickly Loihi has been growing—and much younger than at Seamount Six.
This trip we’re on now to Havre will be a great adventure, but if I hadn’t had the opportunity to study those other submarine volcanoes, I doubt I would be here. There are not a lot of physical volcanologists who study submarine volcanoes, and there have been very few submarine eruptions that we know of historically. This isn’t because there are very few eruptions–in fact, most of Earth’s volcanic activity occurs underwater—it’s because the ocean is vast and seawater covers these volcanoes obscuring eruptions from us on the surface, even if someone is in the vicinity.
The story elsewhere on this site, about how people found out about the Havre eruption, provides a great illustration of how different it is to study submarine volcanoes compared to those on land. And now, after I’ve worked with a 2-million-year-old deposit, and one perhaps only hundreds or thousands of years old, I’ll finally get to look at a fresh one, from an eruption that we know quite a bit about already. This time, however, we won’t be collecting samples from a, so I won’t get another visit to one of Earth’s least-visited realms, but the ROV is much more efficient. Watching the big screens from the ship’s control room will actually provide a better view than you get “live” looking out of the portholes of a research submarine—plus you don’t have to hold your bladder for six or eight hours!
Over the last few days, the science party, vehicle operators, and ships crew have been working feverishly to prepare for departure from New Zealand. The transformation of the research vessel Roger Revelle from its previous cruise to MESH has been dramatic and has included the addition of five container vans, an ROV (Jason), an AUV (Sentry), a crane, miles of wires and cables, hundreds of boxes and equipment cases, and (of course) new people.
Richard Wysoczanski of New Zealand’s National Centre of Water and Atmospheric Research gives the HAVRE team a preview of what we might find once we reach our dive sites.
A fraction of the equipment and stores we took on board R/V Revelle during mobilization in New Zealand.
Both Jason and Sentry arrived at the ship entirely assembled, but numerous small modifications and extensive testing must take place before they are ready to get wet. We had to develop a plan for configuring Jason‘s science basket, with its sampling equipment and sensors. Jason can carry 400 pounds of gear and samples, but the placement of equipment in the basket thought through ahead of time according to the order and manner it will be used. At the same time, the Sentry team was busy tweaking the vehicle’s command and control software and sensor payload for the upcoming missions we have planned for it.
Installation of the acoustic equipment that will track both vehicles while they are underwater has also taken place. This ultra-short baseline (USBL) system is installed in a well that passes through the ship’s hull and pings the vehicles in the water so that we know their position relative to the ship at all times.
The researchers on board have likewise been busy preparing laboratory spaces to process and describe rock samples, assembling gear, and getting computers hooked up to the ship’s network.
Yesterday evening, we also had a visitor to the ship, Richard Wysoczanski of New Zealand’s National Centre of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA). Richard was one of the first scientists to recognize the eruption at Havre and conducted initial sampling of the volcanic deposits. He gave a short presentation to describe the mapping and sampling he has done, which spurred vigorous discussions of what we might find once we get to the site.
All of this activity has helped build anticipation of the work ahead, and we are set to get underway at mid-afternoon (New Zealand time). Stay tuned!
A quick examination of the weather forecast (surface pressure and wind) in the Havre region reveals… eeeek! .. a significant low pressure system that looks cyclonic! We’re definitely keeping an eye on weather systems for the next few weeks to come, and thinking about doubling the quantity of ginger tablets to combat seasickness during our expedition!
About this Expedition
From March 27 to April 17, an international team of scientists, technicians, and engineers will use remotely operated vehicle Jason, the autonomous underwater vehicle Sentry to investigate the largest recorded submarine explosive eruption in history. More
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Lily is a fell runner but she can’t seem to win any of her practice races as she always gets beaten by the same person! This worries Lily because she has her big race coming up, which will be her best chance to impress her gran; if her gran can even remember who she is! Lily’s gran has Alzheimer’s and everyone is finding it difficult to deal with this. However, when Lily’s gran finds out Lily likes fell running, she is over the moon to discover that another member of her family is a fell runner. Lily’s great-great grandfather, Ernest, was a runner too! When Lily reads his diary she is inspired as she finds out about how WW1 affected her family and affected Ernest’s running.
Can Lily win the race?
Does her gran’s Alzheimer’s get worse?
Read this fantastic book to find out!
We were delighted to be given this book by Tom Palmer as we love his books. Thank you so much Tom for sending it to us.
We recommend this book to 8+ readers who enjoy reading about historical events and stories based on real-life situations.
We give it 5*****.
Remember, “If someone is troubled, be the first to comfort them. Then you can be proud of yourself”. | http://www.bookbrothers.co.uk/armistice-runner/ |
Lily is a girl who would rather spend her time playing video games than playing outside. One day, Lily’s mother brings her along to help plant a community garden with their neighbor, Mrs. Hoover. Lily, who hates everything about gardening, learns many different things from spending time planting and gardening. Lily learns the important lesson that small things matter and make big impacts on the world around us.
Keywords: giving back, learning from the world, nature, appreciation
Lily woke up to the sun streaming through her curtains, a bright sun beam landing directly on her face. She groaned, pulled the soft blanket over her head, and tried to fall back asleep. Not but two seconds later her mother yelled,
“Lily Paulson! It is almost 7:30. You need to get up and get ready to go. We are helping Mrs. Hoover plant the community garden today. Do not make me come up there and pull you out of bed! You have one minute, get a move on!”
‘Great’, thought Lily, ‘just what I wanted to do on a Saturday, spend my time around a bunch of dirt and bugs.’ She stretched her arms above her head with a huge yawn. One foot at a time, Lily dragged herself out of bed. She sighed and started to get ready for the day. Lily dawdled as she ate her breakfast, dreading the day ahead. She sulked as she walked outside to the car. Lily’s mother was an avid gardener and loved everything that was green. Lily, on the other hand, hated pretty much everything involved with gardening and plants.
“Why did you feel the need to bring me with you today, Mom? I’m already sweating, and it is barely 8 o’clock in the morning,” Lily complained to her mother.
“Mrs. Hoover asked for our help and it is the neighborly thing to do,” her mother replied. “I also thought it would be a great opportunity for you to spend some time outside this summer… rather than being holed up in your room playing video games all day,” her mom said, quickly mumbling the last part under her breath.
Lily rolled her eyes. “Fine. But do not even think about asking me to touch any worms or bugs we see.” Lily shuddered at the thought of the creepy crawlers that might be looming in the garden.
When Lily and her mother arrived, Mrs. Hoover was already there. Her ginormous, bright red sun hat was glaring in the sun. Lily chuckled at how ridiculous Mrs. Hoover’s hat looked. Her mother flashed her a glare to behave as they got out of the car.
“Andrea,” Mrs. Hoover called out to Lily’s mother, “I am so glad you could make it!”
Lily’s mother smiled and waved at Mrs. Hoover’s greeting.
“Hello Lily! It is nice to see you too,” Mrs. Hoover added.
Lily replied with a forced smile and a wave, thinking about how she would rather be any place else.
Lily’s mother and Mrs. Hoover started chatting about the different types of fruits and vegetables that were going to be planted in the community garden. Lily was more focused on kicking a rock than listening to the talking, which slowly faded to mumbling in the background. Lily’s focus was broken when her mother pushed a pair of gardening gloves right in front of her face. Lily looked at her mother with irritation. She pulled on the gardening gloves with a deep sigh and was once again distracted by Mrs. Hoover’s bright red sun hat.
“Lily,” Mrs. Hoover called to get her attention, “We are going to have you start with poking holes in this trough for the squash seeds. Does that work for you?”
Lily replied with a nod and headed over to the dirt patch designated for the squash seeds. Mrs. Hoover kneeled down next to Lily and started to explain how the seeds should be planted. She first poked a small hole with her index finger, and then continued to make holes down the whole length of the dirt patch, each a few inches apart.
“First, you are going to have to make enough holes to cover this entire patch of dirt, just like I showed you. Then,” Mrs. Hoover paused to grab an open package of squash seeds, “You are going to place one seed in the hole and cover it back up with the dirt. Do you think you can do that?”
Lily answered, “Yes, I think I can handle that.”
Lily secretly thought to herself, ‘This is going to take me years to plant all of the seeds. This is so tedious.’
She got to work poking holes in the dirt with her gloved fingers. Mrs. Hoover stood behind her to make sure she was doing it correctly, but eventually left to start planting something else. The whole time Lily was poking holes and planting the seeds she hoped and prayed that no bugs would come near her. She eventually finished planting the seeds in the patch of dirt.
Lily turned and asked her mom, “I’m done. Is it time to go now?”
Lily’s mom laughed. “No, Lily, it is not time to go. We still have more fruits and vegetables to plant. Here, why don’t you go over to that plot of dirt and start planting some strawberry seeds, just like you did the last ones.”
Lily groaned and walked over to the patch of dirt. As she was planting the strawberry seeds, a gigantic bumblebee flew at Lily’s face. She shrieked and sprinted away from the bee.
“I hate gardening! I hate bugs! I do not understand the purpose of creating this stupid garden. It is too hot to spend all day in the dirt surrounded by disgusting bugs,” Lily screamed at her mother.
Lily looked over to see Mrs. Hoover chuckling softly at what Lily had just said. Lily glared at Mrs. Hoover, not understanding what she thought was so funny.
“Lily come take a walk with me,” asked Mrs. Hoover. Lily cautiously walked over to Mrs. Hoover and followed her down the rows of dirt patches.
“Do you know why I wanted to create this garden?” Mrs. Hoover asked Lily.
Lily shook her head no.
“I wanted to create this garden to give back to those around us who are less fortunate, those who can’t afford to buy fresh fruits and vegetables. By planting this garden, we are helping those around us and creating change through good deeds.” Mrs. Hoover stopped to look at a few patches of healthy plants with yellow and orange flowers blooming from the stems. “I planted these seeds a few weeks ago. Look at them closely. Do you see the bees on the flowers?”
Lily nodded her head yes, worried that the bees would fly at her.
“Those bees play an essential part in making fruits and vegetables grow. We need the bees to pollinate the plants in order for the plants to grow food. I want you to remember that even the smallest of things make an impact on what is around them.”
Lily and Mrs. Hoover walked back and continued to plant the seeds. Eventually, all of the patches of soil had been planted and watered. Mrs. Hoover smiled with an accomplished look on her face. Squash, strawberries, peppers, beans, corn, carrots, and blackberries were just some of the fruits and vegetables they had planted that day. Lily’s mother and Mrs. Hoover exchanged goodbyes. Lily gave an exhausted wave to Mrs. Hoover as they got in the car and drove home.
Lily continued to go back to the community garden every Saturday. She learned to love and appreciate everything about gardening, even the bugs. Whenever Lily works in the garden, she thinks of Mrs. Hoover’s reminder that the smallest things make big impacts to the world around them. | https://iastate.pressbooks.pub/steamchallenges/chapter/lily-and-the-community-garden/ |
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