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To mark the recent World Diabetes Day, the London Assembly called on the Mayor to do more to increase awareness of the symptoms of Type 1 diabetes among children and young people, and ensure all parents can recognise the symptoms. The frightening levels of ignorance about Type 1 diabetes leaves those children who suffer from the disease fighting a battle on two fronts. If you speak to any of the 29,000 children in the UK with diabetes, you will hear how at least half have experienced bullying in school and not only by their classmates. There are examples of teachers saying they can’t eat in class or sending them unattended to the school office when they are having a hypo. They can also face being excluded from activities and school trips, and at worst, schools have been known to refuse admission to children with Type 1 because they (the school, not the child) can’t cope with a condition that requires injections during the day. The level of ignorance about Type 1 diabetes means only 1 in 10 parents is able to recognise the symptoms of the disease. With only 2,000 people diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes annually, GPs rarely see children with the condition and so don’t necessarily spot the signs either. Diagnosis can be confirmed by a simple finger prick test. Despite this, one in four children and young people are diagnosed with diabetes only when they arrive critically ill at A&E with diabetic ketoacidosis – a life threatening condition that requires urgent specialist treatment. Increasing awareness of Type 1 diabetes is essential and will lead to more people being diagnosed early. The campaign launched earlier this month by Diabetes UK, and highlighted by the London Assembly, aims to do this and prevent the trauma and long-term health implications of diagnosis at A&E. Shockingly, young women with Type 1 diabetes are nine times more likely to die than women without diabetes due to largely preventable damage to their health. A five-year-old child diagnosed with the disease can show signs of damage that can lead to serious health complications by their mid-20s, including visual impairment, kidney disease, amputation, heart attacks and strokes. It is essential the symptoms of Type 1 diabetes are promoted more widely among parents, schools and healthcare professionals because early diagnoses can help. Charities like Diabetes UK clearly have a role to play in promoting the conditions, but with relatively modest resources, they cannot do this alone. Traditionally the NHS has played a role in health promotion with Strategic Health Authorities, taking a lead over wider areas. NHS London, for example, ran a major campaign on diagnosing Type 2 diabetes a few years ago with a London-wide campaign ‘Measure Up’. While moving public health to local authorities is generally welcome, the localisation of health promotion contains a risk. There is a danger priority will be given to health issues with a greater number of sufferers than Type 1 diabetes. However, this is precisely why it is important for knowledge of the symptoms to be more widely known. When I wrote the motion passed by the London Assembly earlier this month, my understanding was the London Health Improvement Board could play a role in ensuring this happens in London. The LHIB – which met for the first time last week and which has already been refused a statutory role – appears now not to have the remit or resources to carry out any substantial work on health promotion. The Mayor could not tell me how much funding the LHIB will receive but is clear it is much less than anticipated previously and most health promotion funding is being devolved to Health and Wellbeing Boards. It is not currently clear who will be responsible for providing a strategic overview on public health and ensuring gaps don’t appear. This matters because it is potentially children who will fall through the gaps. Like this article? Sign up to Left Foot Forward's weekday email for the latest progressive news and comment - and support campaigning journalism by making a donation today.
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If we become aware that we have unknowingly collected Personal Information from a child under the age of 13, we will make commercially reasonable efforts to delete such Personal Information from our database. What Steps Do We Take To Protect Your Information? We take measures designed to protect your Personal Information in an effort to prevent loss, misuse, and unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, and destruction. We provide physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards to protect Personal Information we process and maintain. Please be aware, however, that despite our efforts, no security measures are perfect or impenetrable and no method of data transmission can be guaranteed against any interception or other types of misuse. Miscellaneous This Policy and the privacy practices of Relief TMS will be subject exclusively to the laws of the the United States. We make no representation that this Policy and our practices comply with the laws of any other country or jurisdiction. Users of the Site who reside outside the United States do so on their own initiative and are responsible for compliance with local laws, if and to the extent local laws are applicable. If you reside outside of the United States, by using the Site, you consent to the transfer, processing, and use of your information outside of your country. Questions?	https://www.relieftms.com/privacy-policy/
Jovi Harp drops Hate Speech featuring BRM More About the Track Hate Speech: Our flesh constantly wars against the Spirit of God in us. Through Christ we have victory over our flesh, however, we must always be putting it to death! Where can we listen to the music? Audio Preview – Jovi Harp – Hate Speech featuring BRM: About BRM BRM is a Rap artist who isn’t afraid to tell his story through his lyrics. With catchy hooks, energetic flow, and bold lyrics – you hear emotion, feelings, testimony, and his life story. BRM has a very unique sound that is missing in all rap genres! The music he puts out is relatable and you can tell his passion for music and people is real. BRM Leaves his heart on the mic, lyrics in your face, and points to GOD all at the same time.	https://www.thebookkeeper247.com/jovi-harp-hate-speech-featuring-brm/
Added: Zorina Mejias - Date: 25.01.2022 00:14 - Views: 11040 - Clicks: 8261 Try out PMC Labs and tell us what you think. Learn More. Box 36, Byblos, Lebanon. The data set used and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. Very few studies report on the prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome IBS and its correlates in the Middle East. This study investigated Irritable Bowel Syndrome IBS prevalence in a sample of Lebanese adult individuals and associated demographic and behavioral lifestyle factors. This is an observational population-based study. The target population is working Lebanese adults, eighteen-to-sixty five years old. The sample was selected from a convenience population of bank employees in different geographical areas in Lebanon. The study participants completed an anonymous self-administered questionnaire, to collect data on their socio-demographic, behavioral and life style characteristics, and diagnostic questions following Rome III criteria to assess IBS occurrence. The difference in IBS prevalence by socio-demographic characteristics, smoking, alcohol consumption, and physical activity was assessed by using the Chi-square test. Logistic regression adjusted odds ratios were used to investigate the association between risk factors and IBS. Data was collected from individuals and consisted of The bivariate analysis indicated that being younger than 30 years old, a female, an ever water pipe smoker, an ever alcohol consumer are ificantly associated with a higher prevalence of IBS. Educational level, cigarettes smoking and physical exercise were not ificantly associated with IBS occurrence. The logistic regression adjusted odds ratio showed that females were 1. Those who ever smoked waterpipe were 1. New data on the high prevalence of IBS in an adult population in Lebanon has been reported. This is also the first study to investigate and show an association of waterpipe smoking and IBS. Further longitudinal studies are warranted to determine whether this association is causal. The online version of this article Irritable bowel syndrome IBS is a functional gastrointestinal disorder characterized by abdominal pain and alterations in bowel habits [ 1 ]. The global prevalence of IBS is estimated to be IBS is not a life-threatening condition, yet people with IBS have a reduced quality of life that may affect their educational, social and occupational achievements [ 2 ]. The economic burden of IBS is substantial on the healthcare system too. The indirect costs in terms of absenteeism, workdays lost, disability will double the monetary figure estimated as direct costs [ 3 ]. Thus, the use of different diagnostic criteria will affect the reported IBS prevalence worldwide. The lowest reported rates were in Southeast Asia 7. The prevalence of IBS varies by socio-demographic factors, gender and age [ 78 ]. In developed countries, women are times more likely to develop IBS compared to men [ 79 ]. IBS is more prevalent among adolescents and declines with age [ 10 ]. The odds of having IBS are higher among those younger than 50 years compared to those older than 50 years of age [ 11 — 13 ]. Lifestyle factors such as smoking, alcohol consumption [ 14 — 16 ] and physical activity [ 1718 ] have also been linked to IBS. Epidemiologic studies assessing the prevalence of IBS and its correlates are lacking in the developing world and specifically in African and Middle Eastern countries, particularly in Lebanon. Lebanon is a Middle Eastern middle-income country with a population of about four million that experienced a protracted civil war for almost two decades from to Thus, the current study aims to 1 estimate the prevalence of IBS in a Lebanese population based on a sample of employed adults and to 2 assess the behavioral risk factors, including smoking, waterpipe, alcohol use and physical inactivity associated with the disease. This is an observational, population-based study. The target population is Lebanese adults, eighteen-to-sixty five years old. The sample was selected from a convenience population of bank employees in Lebanon. The choice of bank employees was based on the rationale that they represent a ificant percent of the private working force. Bank employees also provide a sufficient wide age range of a cohort of working adults in Lebanon. All major banks in Beirut were contacted initially by e-mail to request the administration approval to conduct the survey among their employees in the main headquarters in the city of Beirut, as well as branches in other cities. The selected banks were representative of the Lebanese banking sector, as they constituted the major banks in the country. The data collection extended from January to April The employees were informed about the survey by the administration and asked for voluntary participation in the study. The questionnaires were distributed and collected by the study team during working hours Additional file 1. The consenting participants were asked to return the filled questionnaire in a sealed envelope and deposited in an ased box for confidentiality. A screening question was used to exclude the non-eligible participants. Are you currently taking medication for peptic ulcer disease?. Any respondent who responded yes to any of these two questions was not eligible to participate in the study. All eligible employees in the selected banks completed a fifteen minutes anonymous self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire included a consent form on its coverall participants completing the questionnaire were considered to be indirectly providing their informed consent. IBS is defined as recurrent abdominal pain or discomfort in the last three months for at least 3 days per month, associated with at least two of the following: relief after defecation; changes in bowel movement frequency, and occurrence of symptoms associated with changes in stool form [ 20 ]. The questionnaire collected data on socio-economic, demographic and behavioral characteristics sex, age, education and regional distributionsmoking patterns cigarettes, waterpipe, cigars and pipealcohol consumption physical activity and food intolerance. The association between IBS and socio-demographic characteristics, smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity and food intolerance was assessed by Chi-square. Logistic regression was used to predict the independent association of demographic factors, smoking, alcohol consumption, and physical activity on the odds of having IBS. A p -value less than 0. The total of questionnaires collected was but some had to be discarded due to incomplete information on IBS and other characteristics. The final sample size was individuals and consisted of The mean age among the females was The majority of the sample had a university degree It varied by socio-demographic and lifestyle factors. The prevalence of IBS was higher among females Age was negatively related to IBS, study participants older than 30 years reported less IBS than those younger than 30 years of age. No ificant difference was observed with respect to the educational level of the respondents, Table 2. The prevalence of current cigarette smoking in the total sample was The prevalence of current waterpipe smoking was No sex or educational level differential was noted among waterpipe smokers. The prevalence of reported current alcohol consumption was The prevalence of physical activity was The respondents were also asked to report if they experience any food intolerance. Table 3 describes the adjusted odds ratio of IBS correlates and their confidence intervals. The logistic regression showed that the odds of having IBS are 1. A younger age of less than 30 years old, was associated with a higher odds of IBS occurrence 1. Those who ever smoked water pipe were 1. Physical exercise and cigarette smoking were not ificantly associated with having IBS. This study assessed the prevalence of IBS among a sample of Lebanese employees as well as major lifestyle associations. The prevalence of However the occurrence of IBS was much higher than what has been reported in the West [ 2 ]. The reported sex and age differential among those with IBS was consistent with reported in the literature [ 78 ]. Various hypotheses have been proposed to explain the higher prevalence of IBS in females, i. The association of IBS with educational level is inconsistent in the reported literature, where some studies show a higher prevalence of IBS among educated compared to less educated [ 25 — 27 ]. Gwee et al. Yet, lower education was associated with a higher IBS prevalence in one study [ 29 ]. There was minimal variability in the educational level of the participants in our study; therefore such a statistical association could not be analyzed adequately. Individuals who consumed alcohol in our study were twice as likely to suffer from IBS compared to those who did not. The association between alcohol consumption and IBS has been inconsistent in the literature, some studies report no effect [ 1415 ], while others show that alcohol consumption was associated with a higher IBS prevalence [ 16 ]. Certainly, more studies are required to reach a better understanding of the association between alcohol and IBS. Our study is the first to investigate the relationship between IBS and waterpipe smoking. Waterpipe smokers were found to have ificantly more IBS compared to non-smokers. Waterpipe smoking Hookah or Shisha is becoming popular in coffee shops across the Middle East and North Africa and its prevalence in Lebanese youth years has reached Unfortunately, Lebanese women have the highest female reported water pipe smoking rate in the region [ 30 ]. This social habit seems to have spread to Western countries namely in Europe [ 3132 ]. Cigarette smoking was ificantly more prevalent in males One probable explanation for this difference in sex prevalence seen in cigarette but not waterpipe smoking can be related to the wide social acceptance of waterpipe in the Lebanese culture and the limited knowledge about its risks. Physical activity has been shown to be an effective measure in relieving gas-related symptoms, and is currently recommended for people who suffer from abdominal bloating as it improves impaired gas clearance related to altered small bowel activity [ 33 ]. Although Costanian et al. The ificant relationship observed in our study of IBS in patient reporting food intolerance, is well established and in agreement with what has been reported in the literature. However, the respondents were not asked what type of food induces the food intolerance, which is a study limitation. There are several limitations that should be noted in this study. The data was collected through self-administered questionnaires that may lead to a higher percentage of incomplete data than interview surveys. Selection bias is also possible as we limited the study population to bank employees that might already have a better socio-economic status and educational level compared to the general Lebanese population. Moreover, other factors known to be associated with IBS were not addressed, such as depression and anxiety. In addition, the amount of tobacco use, alcohol consumption, and water pipe use was not quantified. Given the impact of IBS on the quality of life of those afflicted with the disease, a better understanding of the prevalence and associated socioeconomic and behavioral risk factors among the Lebanese is needed. This is one of the first studies to estimate the prevalence of IBS and its association with lifestyle risk factors physical activity, waterpipe smoking and alcohol consumption in an adult subset of the Lebanese population. With respect to waterpipe smoking and its association with IBS, a longitudinal cohort study, controlling for major confounders such a stress is warranted to establish causality of this observed correlation. Future studies would open the door towards an improved understanding of IBS complex GI pathology, and allow a healthier management geared towards the psychological and lifestyle factors related to IBS. We would like to acknowledge the tremendous help in data collection of Ghassan Daye and Ahmad Naja. Our gratitude is also extended to all the bank employees who participated in the study. Additional file 1: K, docx Bloating Questionnaire. DOCX 98 kb. RC and MD contributed to the study conception and de; RC, EH, MM, NS, MD contributed to data collection, data analysis and interpretation and writing of the article; MD performed all the statistical analysis; All authors contributed to editing, reviewing and final approval of the article.	https://napthe247.info/ibs-there-sex-clubs-gilbert-town.php
Short-term bowel adaptation has been documented, but data on long-term effects are scarce. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the long-term consequences of infantile short bowel syndrome (SBS). A cross-sectional assessment (2005-7) of growth, nutritional status, defecation pattern and health status in individuals with a history of infantile SBS, born between 1975 and 2002, were performed. Data were compared with reference values of healthy controls and presented as means and standard deviations or median and ranges. A total of forty subjects (sixteen male and twenty-four female; mean age 14.8 (SD 6.8) years) had received parenteral nutrition during a median of 110 (range 43-2345)d, following small bowel resection. The mean standard deviation scores (SIDS) for weight for height and target height cm) of the children were normal; mean SDS for height for age was -0-9 (SD 1-3). The median BMI adults was 19.9 (range 17-26) kg/m(2); mean SDS for height for age was -1.0 (range - 2.5 to 1.5). Height in general was significantly shorter than TH, and 53% of children and 78% of adults were below TH range. Most subjects had normal body fat percentage (%BF). SIDS for total body bone mineral density were generally normal. The SIDS for bone mineral content (BMC) of the children were -10 (SD 1.1). Mean energy intake was 91% of the estimated average requirements. The frequencies of defecation and bowel complaints of the subjects were significantly higher than in healthy controls. In conclusion, infantile SBS results in shorter stature than was expected from their calculated TH. BMC was lower than reference values, but the subjects had normal weight for height and %BF.	https://pure.eur.nl/en/publications/long-term-impact-of-infantile-short-bowel-syndrome-on-nutritional
Art Appropriation? I've always loved the art that was inspired by Japan. By the 1860s, several well known European and American artists were avid collectors of Japanese art. It influenced their work. This influence was so great that a new phrase took the art world by storm in 1872 — Japonisme.Japonisme is the influence of Japanese art (especially ukiyo-e wood block prints) on impressionist painters of the late 19th century. It also applies to later influences upon Art Nouveau and Cubism. Van Gogh, Toulouse Lautrec, Edgar Degas, Mary Cassatt - a few in a long list of western artists who incorporated qualities of Japanese art into their own. I don't think this could happen today. Cultural appropriation is a very hot topic in the art world. Exhibitions have been cancelled because of concerns that the artist was exploiting a culture not her/his own. I have even decided that as a white woman, it is not acceptable for me to portray children of other races in illustrations for a children's poem. I would love to hear your comments. Just leave them below or send me an email at [email protected] Here's a very good article that describes the artists who are well-known for the Japanese influence on their work.	https://www.evelyndunphy.com/single-post/2018/10/27/art-appropriation
Tracy was featured as a guest on the True Detox podcast. Below is more information on her episode, How to Stay Motivated and Not Fear the Unknown from True Detox. You can listen to this podcast on the True Detox website, Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app! This episode comes at the perfect time for our listeners. We understand that everyone is dealing with a great deal of stress and looking for answers in this time of uncertainty. How do we remain positive amidst all the negativity that is going on? Tracy Southwick is back on the podcast to talk about finding the right tools for stress and emotional cleansing as we go through these unprecedented events. She teaches us tools to reset and find peace in chaos. One of the ways to remain calm is by learning to maintain deep breaths. Many people, when faced with uncertainty, tend to breathe shallow. This can trigger a fight or flight mode within the body. Tracy takes us through the 4-7-8 breathing technique to help us heal our body and mind. Social distancing doesn't mean you can find alternative ways to be social. We are going to talk about keeping your social connections. Check on an elderly family member or neighbors in our communities through writing letters, calling or sending positive messages online. These positive interactions are another way to ease anxiety and stress during this period. We also talk about how to use this time we are in to bring positive change to our lives and build positive habits. We can learn how to meditate, cook healthy meals, and maybe learn a new language. At the end of the day, we need to accept that we cannot change the external situation. We can only control how to react. Key Takeaways Learning to keep taking deep breaths in stressful situations to calm our minds (3:11) How to take control of your physiology and not letting the environment control it (6:01) What is the 4-7-8 breathing technique and how it helps us in stressful situations (7:35) Having a grateful attitude for the things we take for granted by keeping a gratitude journal (16:44) Fighting loneliness by keeping our social connections going on (21:12) Creating positive changes and habits (23:32) Grabbing this opportunity to learn something new and creative during this time (23:32) Being outside in the sun and fresh air helps bring down our stress response (25:18) Additional Resources: You can listen to this podcast on the True Detox website, Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app!	https://www.heightsofhealth.com/post/how-to-stay-motivated-and-not-fear-the-unknown
The Role of Causal Criteria in Causal Inferences: Bradford Hill's "Aspects of Association" - PMID: 19534788 - PMCID: PMC2706236 - DOI: 10.1186/1742-5573-6-2 The Role of Causal Criteria in Causal Inferences: Bradford Hill's "Aspects of Association" Abstract As noted by Wesley Salmon and many others, causal concepts are ubiquitous in every branch of theoretical science, in the practical disciplines and in everyday life. In the theoretical and practical sciences especially, people often base claims about causal relations on applications of statistical methods to data. However, the source and type of data place important constraints on the choice of statistical methods as well as on the warrant attributed to the causal claims based on the use of such methods. For example, much of the data used by people interested in making causal claims come from non-experimental, observational studies in which random allocations to treatment and control groups are not present. Thus, one of the most important problems in the social and health sciences concerns making justified causal inferences using non-experimental, observational data. In this paper, I examine one method of justifying such inferences that is especially widespread in epidemiology and the health sciences generally - the use of causal criteria. I argue that while the use of causal criteria is not appropriate for either deductive or inductive inferences, they do have an important role to play in inferences to the best explanation. As such, causal criteria, exemplified by what Bradford Hill referred to as "aspects of [statistical] associations", have an indispensible part to play in the goal of making justified causal claims. Similar articles - Causal Criteria and the Problem of Complex CausationA Ward. Med Health Care Philos 12 (3), 333-43. PMID 19219564.Nancy Cartwright begins her recent book, Hunting Causes and Using Them, by noting that while a few years ago real causal claims were in dispute, nowadays "causality is ba … - On the Origin of Hill's Causal CriteriaA Morabia. Epidemiology 2 (5), 367-9. PMID 1742387.The rules to assess causation formulated by the eighteenth century Scottish philosopher David Hume are compared to Sir Austin Bradford Hill's causal criteria. The strengt … - A Supervised Adverse Drug Reaction Signalling Framework Imitating Bradford Hill's Causality ConsiderationsJM Reps et al. J Biomed Inform 56, 356-68. PMID 26116429.Big longitudinal observational medical data potentially hold a wealth of information and have been recognised as potential sources for gaining new drug safety knowledge. … - Making Valid Causal Inferences From Observational DataW Martin. Prev Vet Med 113 (3), 281-97. PMID 24113257. - ReviewThe ability to make strong causal inferences, based on data derived from outside of the laboratory, is largely restricted to data arising from well-designed randomized co … - The Practice of Causal Inference in Cancer EpidemiologyDL Weed et al. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 5 (4), 303-11. PMID 8722223. - ReviewCausal inference is an important link between the practice of cancer epidemiology and effective cancer prevention. Although many papers and epidemiology textbooks have vi … Cited by 18 PubMed Central articles - Use of Real-World Evidence From Healthcare Utilization Data to Evaluate Drug Safety During PregnancyKF Huybrechts et al. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf 28 (7), 906-922. PMID 31074570. - ReviewThe approaches presented provide guidance regarding the important methodological considerations that need to be attended to in order to generate valid, minimally biased r … - Causal Criteria: Time Has Come for a RevisionJ Olsen et al. Eur J Epidemiol 34 (6), 537-541. PMID 30649703.Epidemiologists study associations but they are usually interested in causation that could lead to disease prevention. Experience show, however, that many of the associat … - Effect of Child Marriage on Girls' School Dropout in Nepal: Analysis of Data From the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2014K Sekine et al. PLoS One 12 (7), e0180176. PMID 28727793.School dropout and child marriage are interrelated outcomes that have an enormous impact on adolescent girls. However, the literature reveals gaps in the empirical eviden … - Realist Theory Construction for a Mixed Method Multilevel Study of Neighbourhood Context and Postnatal DepressionJG Eastwood et al. Springerplus 5 (1), 1081. PMID 27468381.The meta-theory of critical realism is used here to generate and construct social epidemiological theory using stratified ontology and both abductive and retroductive ana … - The Causal Effect of Opioid Substitution Treatment on HAART Medication Refill AdherenceB Nosyk et al. AIDS 29 (8), 965-73. PMID 25915170.In a setting characterized by universal healthcare and widespread access to both office-based OST and HAART, OST substantially increased the odds of HAART adherence. This … References - - Salmon WC. Causality and Explanation. New York, NY: Oxford University Press; 1998. - - Arjas E. Causal Analysis and Statistics: A Social Sciences Perspective. Eur Sociol Rev. 2001;17:59–64. doi: 10.1093/esr/17.1.59. - DOI - - Woodward J. Making Things Happen: A Theory of Causal Explanation. New York, NY: Oxford University Press; 2003.	https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19534788/
Overall guest ratings Review highlights Good to know Nearby About Guests are welcomed at the hotel, which has a total of 110 rooms. Services and facilities at the hotel include a dining area, a bar, room service, a conference room and a business centre. Wireless internet access in public areas allows travellers to stay connected.The rooms each feature a double bed. Features include internet access, a safe and WiFi. The accommodation offers non-smoking rooms.The establishment offers attractions including sport and entertainment opportunities. A pool and an indoor pool are available to guests. The hotel offers a sauna (for a fee) to travellers.Bed and breakfast is bookable.
Cost of living crisis: the effect on small businesses and advice on how to stay afloat Costs are rising across the board, and not just for consumers. Small businesses have been hit hard by the increase in prices – both at home and at work. To give small businesses a voice during this trying time, we surveyed more than 1,000 Tide members to learn how the cost of living crisis is affecting them. Read on to hear what your fellow business owners said, as well as our call for government action and some cash flow advice from former Small Business Commissioner and Tide Cash Flow Expert, Philip King. Table of contents - Why are costs rising? - How small businesses are mitigating the impact - Tide’s call for government action - Advice on how to stay cash flow positive during the cost of living crisis - Wrapping up Why are costs rising? Inflation, which is the rate at which prices are rising, currently stands at 9% in the UK. That’s the highest it’s been since 1982¹. There are a number of factors causing this hike in inflation, including a perfect storm of rising energy prices, Brexit, and the after-effects of the pandemic which include supply chain issues. All of this has created a difficult trading environment for small businesses across the UK. 1. Fuel and energy prices It’s no surprise that rising fuel and energy prices dominated the list of concerns for more than half (57%) of the small businesses in our survey when we asked them what factors are having the biggest financial impact on their businesses. An energy crisis is continuously driving prices up. Multiple factors have contributed to this, including greater demand for gas and oil as COVID-19 restrictions end around the world, and Ofgem raising the energy price cap in April, allowing suppliers to charge up to 54%, or £693, more². That’s not all – as Russia is a key exporter of gas and oil, the conflict in Ukraine has caused uncertainty around supply and has therefore pushed prices up globally. The price increase in gas has had a knock-on effect on electricity prices since gas is often used to generate it. Overall, the increase in energy prices has led to higher prices for energy companies, which in turn, has created higher prices for businesses and consumers. 2. Inflation Inflation topped the list as the second biggest concern (22%) for small businesses. It’s a valid worry considering that the Bank of England has warned inflation could hit as high as 11% later this year. This isn’t just a problem in the UK, either: inflation has been rising across the world since 2021. Two key factors in this rise are demand for products increasing post-pandemic, and the war in Ukraine. In fact, economists predict the latter will drive high inflation for a while³. 3. Supply chain issues COVID-19 disrupted global trade and factory production massively, particularly in Asia, and businesses are still feeling the effects today. Of course, demand for products and raw materials has increased significantly as pandemic restrictions have eased, however, this demand is outstripping supply. Delays in producing goods and providing services have contributed to bottlenecks in supply chains across multiple industries. Against this backdrop, it’s no wonder that 8% of small businesses say that they’re concerned about supply chain issues, and the impact on their future trading. How small businesses are mitigating the impact Once again, small businesses are battling hard through a tough time. Our survey found that they’re doing everything to combat the cost of living crisis, from increasing their own hours (71%), to relying on friends and family for support (35%), to taking on another job elsewhere (28%). It’s not just small business owners who are bearing the brunt of rising costs, either. 12% of survey respondents said they’re cutting contractor hours, and 10% said they’ve had to lay staff off. It’s clear that small businesses are doing their best, but these results indicate that more support is needed to help them do so. Tide’s call for government action The government has put steps in place to help consumers during this time, including a one-off discount on energy bills. However, small businesses don’t benefit from many of these measures, like the energy price cap for example. Over 400,000 small businesses use Tide, and we’re urging the government to do more for them and the rest of the UK’s SMEs. “Small businesses are a pillar of the UK economy and clearly they are finding it extremely tough in the current macroeconomic climate. Tide’s research shows that the UK could face a mass closure of small businesses, as the cost-of-living crisis turns into a cost-of-doing-business crisis. We urge the Government to help small businesses through the crisis e.g. by introducing VAT relief for all small businesses until 31 March 2023, the end of the full tax year. Small business owners are doing their best to keep their companies running, including getting help from their family and friends, but they need more support.” Oliver Prill, Tide CEO Advice on how to stay cash flow positive during the cost of living crisis It’s a challenging time for small businesses as costs are rising, but there are some things you can do to keep a positive cash flow. We asked former Small Business Commissioner and Tide Cash Flow Expert, Philip King, to share some top tips: “The UK economy is dependent on small businesses, and those small businesses are dependent on cash flow to survive. Increasing costs make less cash available and failure more likely. Small businesses need to do everything they can to preserve cash and maintain a positive bank balance. - Don’t be afraid to raise prices to ensure you don’t incur a loss on products you sell, and/or services you provide, and you should keep tight control of your cash flow - Making sure you get paid promptly, and chasing payment for unpaid invoices is vital. Checking that large invoices have been received and approved before the due date makes sure unexpected delays are avoided - Reviewing all regular expenses and checking whether they can be reduced, or even avoided altogether, can reduce the cash going out of the business. Holding less stock can minimise the cash tied up in products, and looking for alternative materials or production methods can reduce the amount being spent And let’s not forget that, if all businesses behaved responsibly by paying their suppliers on time, then the impact of late payments would be eradicated. Businesses fail when they run out of cash so helping them survive is crucial.” For more of Philip’s advice, watch our ‘Step-by-step guide to mastering your cash flow’ Masterclass series: - Why it’s crucial to have your cash flow under control - The importance of knowing your customer to get paid on time - Why the right payment terms can get you paid quickly - How to get paid on time with bulletproof invoicing - How to get overdue invoices paid quickly Wrapping up Running a business is hard enough at the best of times, let alone with the added challenge of the cost of living crisis. As a small business owner, you’re likely putting in overtime to stay afloat. However, it’s important that you also focus on your personal wellbeing to stay healthy in the long term. Check out these resources for practical advice: - How to look after your mental health and combat loneliness as a startup founder - The Future Hustler: Burnout Awareness - Listen again: A conversation about mental health with High Definition You Sources used for this article (checked as of 7 July 2022):	https://www.tide.co/blog/business-tips/cost-of-living-crisis-the-effect-on-small-businesses-and-advice-on-how-to-stay-afloat/
Gwinnett County Public Schools has retained its accreditation through Cognia, a nonprofit organization that accredits schools throughout the country. GCPS is accredited through June 30, 2022. The announcement came from Superintendent Dr. Calvin J. Watts, who shared the information Monday, Sept. 13, 2021. GCPS underwent a special review conducted remotely June 13-16, 2021, in response to complaints about the district. According to Cognia’s special review report, those complaints focused primarily on the board of education upholding its duties as a governing body and certain members adhering to their roles and responsibilities. Examples of such complaints regarding board members included: - Exhibiting a lack of understanding regarding their roles and responsibilities as members of the Board. - Not demonstrating collegiality for their differences or working cohesively to promote student achievement and the district’s success. - Not adhering to the Code of Ethics. - Having allowed discrimination to take place against students of color for discipline infractions. - Making decisions that seem unethical and discriminatory regarding the use of social media. - Having not been responsive to a downward trajectory in student achievement within the district. According to the special review report, the review team examined the district’s written responses submitted to Cognia regarding the alleged complaints, reviewed current website information, examined recordings of board meetings, and reviewed documentation provided by the district. During the review, the team conducted individual interviews with the five school board members and the superintendent, conducted additional interviews with stakeholder groups, including 15 district staff members, 17 principals, 28 teachers, 19 students, 22 parents and 17 community members, totaling 124 stakeholder interviews. Within the findings, the review team determined some board members had not separated their personal and professional roles and responsibilities. A board member also called at least one emergency meeting along with a second board member to discuss the pandemic without abiding by the protocols that a special meeting must be called by the chairperson or at the request of three or more board members. The special review report also noted concerns expressed by stakeholders regarding offensive postings and comments by some board members on social media. One member’s postings on YouTube and TikTok were provided as evidence by stakeholders. In an interview with the review team, that board member said the postings expressed artistic talent and were replications of other people’s work. The review team found that one of the videos contained unprofessional language and another had racially offensive statements and connotations. A board member’s Facebook posts were also a concern expressed by stakeholders, who argued the posts were inappropriate and promoted the board member’s self-interest. The review team found supporting evidence that the board member marketed personal business and solicited funds from stakeholders. “Parent, teacher, and principal interviews indicated that the school board’s unprofessional behaviors and actions do not contribute to positive student outcomes,” the report reads. “On several occasions, principals and teachers reported the school board’s activities as ‘embarrassing’ due to the adverse publicity of board actions and behaviors.” The stakeholders also reported school board meetings were combative, uncivil and strained. The review team recommended the board review current policies for ethics and conflicts of interest, among other directives. According to a statement on the school system’s website, improvement areas have been addressed or will be addressed through future training sessions for the board of education and superintendent. “We are excited to see that the recommendations Cognia suggested are initiatives our Board is already working on,” Board of Education Chairman Everton Blair Jr. said in the statement. “We look forward to growing and learning together as a Board governance team with our new superintendent.” Within the review, the school system was evaluated based on six Cognia Performance Standards for School Systems, meeting three standards, exceeded one and needing improvement in two others. - Leadership Capacity Standard 1.4 — The governing authority establishes and ensures adherence to policies that are designed to support system effectiveness. \| Rating: “Initiating,” which represents areas to enhance and extend current improvement efforts. \| Improvement Priority 1 — Conduct, with immediacy, a review and revision, where applicable, of board policies and procedures required by state legislation and state board rules and regulations to ensure that the Board and school district are in compliance. - Leadership Capacity Standard 1.5 — The governing authority adheres to a code of ethics and functions within defined roles and responsibilities. \| Rating: “Initiating,” which represents areas to enhance and extend current improvement efforts. \| Improvement Priority 2 — Establish and publish the roles, responsibilities, and functions of the superintendent and board members and ensure that future board training comprehensively addresses these practices and focuses on ethics and conflicts of interest to promote optimal organizational effectiveness. - Learning Capacity Standard 2.1 — Learners have equitable opportunities to develop skills and achieve the content and learning priorities established by the system. \| Rating: “Improving,” which pinpoints quality practices that meet the standards. - Learning Capacity Standard 2.7 — Instruction is monitored and adjusted to meet individual learners’ needs and the system’s learning expectations. \| Rating: “Improving,” which pinpoints quality practices that meet the standards - Learning Capacity Standard 2.7 — Educators gather, analyze, and use formative and summative data that lead to demonstrable improvement of student learning. \| Rating: “Improving,” which pinpoints quality practices that meet the standards. - Resource Capacity Standard 3.8 — The system allocates human, material, and fiscal resources in alignment with the system’s identified needs and priorities to improve student performance and organizational effectiveness. \| Rating: “Impacting,” which demonstrates noteworthy practices producing clear results that exceed expectations. “In Gwinnett County Public Schools, we believe accountability is a good thing,” Watts said in the statement posted online. “… We will use Cognia’s findings and recommendations to improve. We know that this commitment and work toward improvement will benefit the school district, which ultimately benefits our students, schools, and community.” For more information on the special review and to read the complete report, visit gcpsk12.org.	https://www.northgwinnettvoice.com/gwinnett-county-public-schools-retains-accreditation-following-cognia-special-review/
The name Pinelandia was coined by Prime Minister Charles Burgardt upon the founding of the kingdom in 2019. The name is composed of "Pine" and the germanic suffix "-landia", meaning Land of Pine. History This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. Government and politics His Majesty's Government in Pinelandia The Government of the Kingdom of Pinelandia, officially known as His Majesty's Government in Pinelandia (French: Gouvernement de Sa Majesté en Pinelandia) is a constitutional monarchy. The document linked above provides an overview of the government’s structure. It is designed to be simple and efficient, hence the reason why there doesn’t appear to be three distinct executive, legislative, and judicial branches. King of the Pinelandians The King of the Pinelandians (French: Roi des Pinelandiens) is the ceremonial head of state of Pinelandia. Despite being largely disconnected from Pinelandian politics, the King has complete authority over members of the Royal House (and by extension, the line of succession to the throne). Prime Minister The Prime Minister of Pinelandia (French: Premier ministre de Pinelandia) is the Kingdom’s head of government. The Prime Minister is democratically elected in bi-monthly elections, and chairs/appoints members to the Council of Ministers (Pinelandia’s cabinet and de facto legislature). Among other things, the Prime Minister sets policies for Pinelandia’s government, oversees ties with foreign governments, and establishes goals and policies for the Pinelandian government. Council of Ministers The Council of Ministers (French: Conseil des ministres) is Pinelandia’s cabinet and legislature. It is headed by the Prime Minister, who is responsible for appointing all members of the Council. The Council enforces policies established by the Prime Minister, usually by way of “Acts of Council,” documents carrying the force of law passed by the Council of Ministers. Ministers, when acting individually, enforce Acts of Council when applicable and carry out orders issued by the Prime Minister that affect their ministry. The composition of the Council varies depending on how many people the PM appoints as ministers. Geography As stated previously, Pinelandia is located on an unclaimed and formerly unnamed island in Bottle Lake, Maine. It is important to note that while the country itself is called “Pinelandia,” the island it claims as its territory is known as “Pine Island.” Pinelandia gets its name from a large amount of pine needles on Pine Island, along with the area’s abundant evergreen trees. A map of the area is shown below: Administrative Divisions The Principality of Teplonia was a semi-autonomous principality under Pinelandia. Culture Languages of Pinelandia Given its proximity to the Canadian border, English and French are the official languages of the Kingdom of Pinelandia. However, most, if not all, of the Kingdom’s population speak English as a first language. As a result, French is usually seen only as subheadings on official government documents. Flag and Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of Pinelandia Coat of Arms The Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of Pinelandia (French: Armoiries du Royaume de Pinelandia) features elements symbolic of Pinelandia: three fish, embodying the island’s proximity to an abundant supply of freshwater fish, and a brown pine cone symbolizing the nation’s namesake (Pine Island and its abundance of pine trees). The yellow and green colors represent the warmth of the sun and vast forests that surround Pinelandia, respectively. The entire shield is crowned with a simple heraldic crown, representing the nation’s status as a monarchy. Its blazon is as follows: Or on a chief engrailed vert three fish azure a pine cone tenne. Flag The Flag of the Kingdom of Pinelandia (French: Drapeau du Royaume de Pinelandia) features two pine cones and several pine needles placed on a green and white background. The green represents the pine trees that lend their name to Pine Island, and the white for Pinelandia’s devotion to peace, respectively. The Royal House of Pinelandia The Royal House of Pinelandia (French: Maison Royale de Pinelandia) comprises all individuals in line to the Pinelandian Throne. The King of the Pinelandians is the house’s head and is responsible for appointing and removing members from the Royal House, as well as granting royal titles to said members of the House. It is important to note that the term “Royal House” has been used instead of “Royal Family” to denote the fact that individuals not related to the monarch may be included in the royal line of succession. Pinelandian National Motto Pinelandia’s national motto is “For King and Country!” (French: Pour Roi et Pays!); the motto may change slightly depending on the reigning monarch’s gender. Although the King of the Pinelandians has largely ceremonial duties, the motto reinforces the monarch’s symbolic importance to the Pinelandian national identity. Pinelandian Heraldry Heraldic matters in Pinelandia are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Heraldry (French: Ministère de l'héraldique). The Minister of Heraldry is ex officio the Chief Herald of Pinelandia, responsible for approving armorial grants to Pinelandian citizens and foreigners. All coats of arms are publicly accessible in the Pinelandian Heraldic Registry. It should be noted that armorial achievements are awarded, meaning that citizens are not permitted to request a personal coat of arms. References - ↑ Enthronement Act. Pinelandian Government. Archived from the original 19th of March 2020. Retrieved 19th of March 2020.	https://micronations.wiki/wiki/Kingdom_of_Pinelandia
Influence of fire-exclusion on fauna communities in Peachester State Forest. Arianne Allen, Honours Student, Southern Cross University Ecosystems are incredibly diverse, requiring varied applications of fire to maintain community health. Just as fire can change vegetation and fauna compositions, lack of fire can have the same effect. Fire exclusion can change vegetation structure by increasing canopy cover, promoting rainforest invasion and altering fauna species composition. This has been witnessed at one study site within Peachester State Forest, Queensland, which is transitioning from wet sclerophyll forest to rainforest. As a result of vegetation thickening, mid-storey birds which rely on a clear visual line of sight for prey are affected. Although it is well understood that vegetation clearing, fragmentation and predation negatively impact fauna species, the affects of fire-exclusion is not well researched. The aim is to investigate how variations in ‘time since fire’ affect fauna composition in a wet sclerophyll forest. Arianne’s study targets comparisons of forest structure, application of fire and how this impacts variations in faunal species, particularly frogs and birds. By analysing vegetation, fauna, sound ecology and fire treatments across twelve sites, the research aims to determine variances that can inform appropriate fire management. It is expected that most fauna data will be from birds, which will help identify preferred vegetation structure and fire treatments. Any frog data will assist frog conservation at the site. Results will help land managers to prioritise appropriate ecological burns to reduce localised extinction of fauna species. Effects of firefighting chemicals on endangered Fleay’s barred frog tadpoles Kate Tunstill, Honours Student, Griffith University (Gold Coast) The ‘Black Summer’ 2019/20 bushfires were extensive and caused the decline of many native species. With climate change, fire frequency and severity is predicted to increase, and with it the use of chemical fire retardants. This combination will put further pressure ecosystem health. Fire retardants are a chemical tool used by firefighters to control or slow bushfires. The most common is the aerially applied PHOS CHek, identifiable by its red colouring. Over the years, awareness around the environmental safety of fire retardants has been increasing, with earlier studies finding that previous fire chemicals were hazardous to ecosystems. To date, insufficient research has been conducted on the affects of current retardants on aquatic species, especially amphibians. Owing to their permeable skin and dependance on aquatic environments, amphibians are particular vulnerable to changes in water quality and therefore good indicators of ecosystem health. Kate’s study aims to understand the impacts PHOS Chek on the endangered Fleay’s barred frog (Mixophyes fleayi) of South-East Queensland. Restricted to fragmented mountain-top environments, this species is vulnerable to bushfire and therefore toxins from fire retardants. A series of controlled laboratory exposure challenge experiments will be conducted to test the effects of toxins on tadpole metamorphic and behavioural changes. GIS mapping will be used to visually compare the impacts of fire and chemically treated areas on species distribution. It is expected that the results will encourage the development of more environmentally friendly fire retardants and inform policy and practice.	http://www.fireandbiodiversity.org.au/news/students-awarded-qfbc-scholarship-to-undertake-research-on-fire-exclusion-effects-on-wildlife-and-ef
Ecology is a subdiscipline of biology that examines the interrelationships of organisms and their environment. Environmental protection and nature conservation are elements of ecology. Because environmental awareness has been on the rise since the middle of the 20th century, the term ecology is frequently used in the same breath as environmental protection andnature conservation. There is a demarcation line however. Ecology describes the relationship between living beings and the environment, while environmental protection and nature conservation involve measures aimed at preserving the environment. Although ecology research is a broad field, it can be broken down into three main subdisciplines : At a high level, ecology involves the propagation and frequency of organisms. Where do they come from? What type of organism did they originate from? How many are there? And where do they appear? The goal of ecological analyses is providing answers to these questions. Biotic and abiotic environmental factors that can influence the environment are also part any ecological analysis. What makes ecological research so difficult is the complexity of the biological systems. Individual observations serve less as focal points and more as general conclusions produced from mathematics, statistics or experiments. A vital part of ecology is reducing complex structures to simple conclusions based on natural science. While ecology takes a holistic approach, environmental protectionmainly involves measures aimed at preserving the basic existence of all living beings. This calls for maintaining a healthy ecosystem. For this reason, nature conservation plays a leading role in ecology as well as in environmental protection. A basic element of environmental protection involves rectifying human-induced damage to the environment. As a result, this requires observing not only the individual parts, but the overall relationships between the parts as well, The term environmental protection first gained attention in the 1970s. One of the primary goals of environmental protection is preserving the human ecosystem. Although preservation of the human ecosystem is a major aspect of environmental protection, technical solutions are still frequently employed. Environmental protection can be divided into several disciplines: From a global point of view,environmental protection is always related to one of these subdisciplines. Apart from ecology and environmental protection, an important area is nature conservation. Although environmental protection and nature conservation typically complement one another, there are certain exceptions. In the field of ecology, renewable raw materials such as wood are points of conflict between nature conservation and environmental protection. While nature conservation demands that trees be preserved as long as possible and eventually turned into deadwood for the ecosystem of a variety of animals, environmental protection views wood as a sustainable energy source and raw material. Environmental protection also seeks to avoid the radical deforesting of lands and forests. Within nature conservation there are also initiatives that oppose wind power and small hydropower systems. Under the context of nature conservation, the idea is to impact nature as little as possible. Nature conservation is also a local issue. Nature conservation frequently involves single locations. As it pertains to ecology, nature conservation examines ways to preserve and reestablish a balanced ecosystem. Nature conservation strives toward sustainable human use of our natural environment. Nature conservation is a goal of government and is established in Article 20a of the German constitution. Nature conservation also means the protection of animals and homelands. Many individuals also view nature conservation as important, because they understand the dramatic consequences if society is not actively engaged in nature conservation. This complex theme deals primarily with interactions between organisms and the environmental factors that impact them, but to a greater extent between individual inanimate environmental factors. innovations-report offers informative reports and articles on topics such as climate protection, landscape conservation, ecological systems, wildlife and nature parks and ecosystem efficiency and balance. Plastic recyclates produced from waste packaging have to meet high sensory requirements in order to be used for new products. Plastic recyclates often have off-odors, some of which have not hitherto been identified. The Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV has analyzed the sensory properties of post-consumer shopping bags made of low density polyethylene (LDPE) and originating from different collection systems. More than 60 odorous substances were identified using combined chemo-analytical methods. The information gained provides a targeted strategy for avoiding off-odors. The results of this collaborative study with the Chair of Aroma and Smell Research at the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and the...31.03.2020 \| Read more A LEGO brick could survive in the ocean for as many as 1,300 years, according to new research. A study led by the University of Plymouth examined the extent to which items of the ever-popular children's toy were worn down in the marine environment.17.03.2020 \| Read more Wearing clothes can release even greater quantities of microfibres to the environment than washing them, new research shows. In a first-of-its-kind study, scientists from the Institute for Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials of the National Research Council of Italy (IPCB-CNR) and...12.03.2020 \| Read more A study by the UPV/EHU-University of the Basque Country has demonstrated that 15 days' exposure to microplastics affects some freshwater systems Concern about contamination caused by microplastics is growing; owing to their abundance, ubiquity and persistence over time, microplastics pose a potential...11.03.2020 \| Read more A particularly warm winter is coming to an end – in summer the next heat wave is looming. Is it possible to create cool zones in cities to tackle the more pronounced heat island effects due to climate change? Empa researchers have developed a simulation program that can make detailed predictions about which pavement and which type of vegetation could help. Using the Münsterplatz in Zurich as an example, they have run through such a model calculation. The warmest winter since weather records began is just coming to an end. The average temperature was 3.4 degrees Celsius above the average for the years 1981...05.03.2020 \| Read more Heat, dry conditions, and the resulting low flows in rivers and lakes characterized the summer months of 2003, 2015 and 2018 in Europe. Another low flow period is on the cards for the summer of 2020. Researchers from the University of Freiburg, working with the Universities of Trier and Oslo, Norway, have presented a new method which can help scientists tell more precisely how vulnerable rivers are to drought conditions. Their findings are published in the journal Hydrology and Earth System Sciences. “We are seeing that different rivers react very differently to a lack of precipitation,” says the author of the study, Dr. Michael Stölzle from Environmental...04.03.2020 \| Read more CO2 concentrations in the air continue to rise rapidly, and a rapid reduction in man-made emissions is becoming increasingly important. In order to assess the effectiveness of political measures, timely and reliable emission levels are needed. However, current methods are costly. The European Space Agency ESA is therefore working on the development of new satellites which will be able to determine CO2 emissions in the future - with the help of Empa. Cities are veritable CO2 spinners, but how much emission is actually emitted can hardly be reliably determined at present. Current estimates are based on...25.02.2020 \| Read more Within the framework of a sino-german working group, the research project "ChinaRes" bundles the knowledge about the energetic utilisation of agricultural residues in China and Germany. The project, which runs until January 2021, is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture and coordinated by the DBFZ (German Biomass Research Centre). Comprehensive information on the project can be found on the project website www.dbfz.de/en/projects/china-res The "ChinaRes" project aims to pool knowledge on the energy recovery of agricultural residues. Against this background, the project objectives are13.02.2020 \| Read more Together with international partners, researchers at Graz University of Technology have developed a measurement method that measures particles below 10 nanometres for the first time and will contribute to the implementation of future, stricter emission standards A few days ago, the European Commission presented its Green Deal, which aims to make the EU climate neutral by 2050 in order to protect the environment and...21.01.2020 \| Read more On 1 January 2020, the island state of Palau implemented one of the world's largest and most ambitious marine protected areas in its territorial waters. The international advisory team of experts also included an ecologist from the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT). On 1 January 2020, the island state of Palau implemented an unparalleled marine sanctuary in its territorial waters: the Palau National Marine Sanctuary. It is...17.01.2020 \| Read more Published by Marc Tudela, Laura Becerra-Fajardo, Aracelys García-Moreno, Jesus Minguillon and Antoni Ivorra, in Access, the journal of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers The project Electronic AXONs: wireless microstimulators based on electronic rectification of epidermically applied currents (eAXON, 2017-2022), funded by a... The Belle II experiment has been collecting data from physical measurements for about one year. After several years of rebuilding work, both the SuperKEKB electron–positron accelerator and the Belle II detector have been improved compared with their predecessors in order to achieve a 40-fold higher data rate. Scientists at 12 institutes in Germany are involved in constructing and operating the detector, developing evaluation algorithms, and analyzing the data. Electrolytes play a key role in many areas: They are crucial for the storage of energy in our body as well as in batteries. In order to release energy, ions - charged atoms - must move in a liquid such as water. Until now the precise mechanism by which they move through the atoms and molecules of the electrolyte has, however, remained largely unknown. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research have now shown that the electrical resistance of an electrolyte, which is determined by the motion of ions, can be traced back to microscopic vibrations of these dissolved ions. In chemistry, common table salt is also known as sodium chloride. If this salt is dissolved in water, sodium and chloride atoms dissolve as positively or... Drops of water falling on or sliding over surfaces may leave behind traces of electrical charge, causing the drops to charge themselves. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (MPI-P) in Mainz have now begun a detailed investigation into this phenomenon that accompanies us in every-day life. They developed a method to quantify the charge generation and additionally created a theoretical model to aid understanding. According to the scientists, the observed effect could be a source of generated power and an important building block for understanding frictional electricity. Water drops sliding over non-conducting surfaces can be found everywhere in our lives: From the dripping of a coffee machine, to a rinse in the shower, to an... 90 million-year-old forest soil provides unexpected evidence for exceptionally warm climate near the South Pole in the Cretaceous An international team of researchers led by geoscientists from the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) have now... Anzeige Anzeige Aachen Machine Tool Colloquium AWK'21 will take place on June 10 and 11, 2021 07.04.2020 \| Event News International Coral Reef Symposium in Bremen Postponed by a Year 06.04.2020 \| Event News 13th AKL – International Laser Technology Congress: May 4–6, 2022 in Aachen – Laser Technology Live already this year!	https://www.innovations-report.com/Ecology--The-Environment-and-Conservation.html
AccTech Systems Virtual Training Virtual Training refers to training done in a virtual or simulated environment or when the learner and the instructor are in separate locations. Virtual training and virtual training environments are designed to simulate the traditional classroom or learning experience. Five main advantages of Virtual Learning: - Increased Convenience - Schedule Flexibility - Knowledge Retention - Immediate Feedback - Increased Participation & Engagement We currently have the following available for Virtual Training: Sage 300 Training: Microsoft Office Training: Microsoft Projects Training: Free Microsoft Teams Training:	https://acctech.biz/AccTech/virtual/training
It's not often that movie titles make headline news, it's something that only people like Woody Allen and Michael Bay can actually pull off. And here's an example - THR reports today that the title of Woody Allen's new London-set film is You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger. The film stars Antonio Banderas, Josh Brolin, Anthony Hopkins, Naomi Watts, and Slumdog Millionaire star Freida Pinto, seen above shooting a scene for this in the rain in London (via Zimbio). You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger revolves around different members of a family, their tangled love lives and their attempts to try to solve their problems. After seeing multiple times and enjoying Whatever Works earlier this year, I'm actually getting into Woody Allen again, and I've been looking forward to this mainly for the cast (give or take Naomi Watts). While I know that a lot of people have been saying that Freida Pinto may not be all that she's cracked up to be (since Slumdog Millionaire was her first role ever), I still think she'll show us that she's actually a great actress, at least in the right roles (and this may be one of them). That and also that I love London and always enjoy Woody Allen showing us how twisted love can be. This is currently in post and will hit theaters next year! FEATURED POSTS POPULAR COMMENTS LAST YEAR'S TOP 10 FOLLOW US HERE Follow Alex's main profile on :	http://www.firstshowing.net/2009/woody-allens-new-film-titled-you-will-meet-a-tall-dark-stranger/
I admit that I had low expectations going into this movie. I wasn't a fan of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? when it was on television (is it still on the air? I have no idea). I'm not a fan of gameshows and have little point of reference for life in India, so I didn't expect this movie to interest me much. I was completely wrong. The movie is a fairy tale. That shouldn't be a spoiler, since it's been touted as the "feel-good movie of the year" enough times. The story involves Jamal, his brother Salim and his girl friend (note: not girlfriend) Latika, three musketeers in the slums of Bombay. The story begins as Jamal is near to winning the grand prize in India's version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, and is told through flashbacks to how he came this far. Having begun his life as a barely-educated "slumdog" and advancing only as far as chai walla (which apparently is a coffee gopher), it's unlikely that Jamal would know the answers to many of the questions. But the questions are coincidental to epic moments in his life, which ultimately lead him to finding his long-lost love, Lakita. If all this sounds unbelievable and trite, it is. But I was riveted right through to the end. As with most fairy tales, it's easy to guess how it will turn out right from the beginning. So it's the journey that makes or breaks the story. I found this one to be engaging, if not exactly believable.
The Millersville University excavations conducted during 2005 at Elizabeth Furnace represent the first archaeological research undertaken at this site. Because the core area of the property contains roughly six acres of densely-packed colonial and later period settlement and associated archaeological sites, a thorough archaeological investigation and survey of the property will necessarily be a long-term process. Our initial research focused on testing and excavation around the John Huber house (ca. 1746). Testing during the summer of 2005 indicated that much of the area north, west, and south of the Huber house had been disturbed, most likely by grading activity conducted sometime during the early to mid- 20th century. Intact stratigraphy dating back to the 18th-century was found to exist on the east side of the house. Additionally, a large stone-lined furnace race (a man-made stream constructed to carry water to power the bellows of the furnace) was found directly off the north-west corner of the house. Large-scale block excavations were conducted in these areas during the Fall of 2005, revealing all of the underlying stratigraphy and features in these areas. \|The excavations around the Huber house revealed the furnace race channel. The furnace race's base is approximately 4ft. below \| The Huber house is a classic central-Pennsylvania German vernacular house. Measuring 18 by 38 feet, the asymmetrical windows and doors mirror the interior room layout, which is the standard 3-room "Kitchen - Stove room - Chamber bedroom" Germanic small-house plan. Significant discoveries resulted from these initial excavations. The furnace race was found to extend nearly 4 feet below the present ground The excavations clearly revealed the channel of the furnace race, bounded on the downslope side by a large dry-laid stone wall, and on the uphill side by a more ephemeral stone lining. The stones lining both sides were there presumably to prevent erosion during times of high-volume water flow in the channel. Surprisingly, at its nearest point, the upper wall of the furnace race was built less than two feet from the foundation of the Huber House. The initial excavations have produced more than 23,500 individual artifacts all of which have been cleaned, stabilized if necessary, and \|The excavations around the Huber house revealed the furnace race channel. The base of the channel is approximately 4ft. below \| Numerous metal artifacts including many pieces cast at the furnace, such as these fragments of stove plates, were found. Faunal remains consisted almost exclusively of cow and pig bones and teeth. One particularly interesting artifact was a loaf of lead found in the furnace race. Small pieces were removed from the loaf in order to cast lead shot individually for muzzle-loading weapons, usually around a campfire or hearth, and this example shows clear evidence of the hack-marks and cuts of previously removed pieces. Other artifacts included numerous pieces of creamware and pearlware, including several specimens that could be cross-mended into nearly complete vessels. Hand-blown bottle glass with pontil marks, a black basalt teapot, and pipe-stems and bowls were typical. For more on artifacts from this excavation (Click Here)... The artifacts indicate that the primarily German immigrants, who were working and managing the furnace during the first 25 years of its operation, utilized English and American manufactured material culture in their daily lives. Every piece of ceramic recovered thus far was of English or American manufacture. Not a single piece of German stoneware, for example, was present in this artifact assemblage, an interesting fact given the ethnicity of the occupants. Additionally, transport or local availability does not appear to be an issue, as Germanic-manufactured materials, particularly Westerwald Stonewares, were found during excavation at nearby Ephrata Cloister as well as other contemporary sites in Colonial Pennsylvania at this time. \|This is one of the many chamber pots discovered in the furnace race. The fact that many of the chamber pots are nearly complete or broken in large pieces, suggests that they broke as they were dropped or thrown in the furnace race. This suggests that the furnace race was being used for human waste disposal.\| Additionally, there appears to be strong evidence of human waste being In terms of refuse disposal, trash produced by the occupants of the Huber house was disposed of on the grounds surrounding the building, appearing to cluster outside windows and doors in the common pattern. Several small trash pits showing deliberate disposal of items were found within five to ten feet of the exterior walls of the building. \|The above is \| Excavations also revealed the unexpected discovery of the foundation trenches of a building and an associated fireplace hearth directly adjacent to the furnace race. The location produced a strong domestic artifact scatter including window glass and numerous ceramic fragments, as well as charcoal flecking in the soil. It appears this was a wood-framed building with a large stone The layout of the landscape, including the discovery of the location of the furnace race and an associated building foundation adjacent to it, display clear evidence of a work life and built environment ordered around Germanic, as opposed to English, practice. Unlike settlers of English descent, who tend to locate buildings and activity areas away from water, a significant number of buildings at Elizabeth Furnace were deliberately sited directly on or adjacent to the furnace race. A total of five buildings, including the charcoal house, stables, a domestic or craft house, and two dwelling houses, were all deliberately sited on the furnace race. It is possible there are more, as yet undiscovered, buildings sited on the race, as well. The overall layout and organization of the built environment One of the research issues we immediately encountered at this site was how to identify, explain, and understand differences and similarities between the primarily German immigrants who owned and operated this furnace and the predominantly English broader culture. Questions of assimilation and creolization immediately became significant. The historical and archaeological evidence appears to indicate an interesting mixture of both the retention of Germanic cultural models or practices in certain areas of life, juxtaposed with the adoption of English practices and accommodations to the broader culture in others.	https://www.millersville.edu/archaeology/research/elizabeth-furnace/excavation2005.php
Construction has begun on a brand new affordable housing development in downtown Jamaica. The mixed-use building going up on 164th Street, called Tree of Life, will have 174 units available, with a mix of studio, one, two, and three bedrooms, including a superintendent’s unit. 12 stories high and includes over 15,000 square feet of commercial space, over 9,000 square feet of community facility space, 64 parking spaces, and approximately 1,500 square feet of residential amenity space including a fitness room and community room. The project officially broke ground on June 9 during a special event with the New York City Housing Development Corporation (HDC), the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and a number of representatives and elected officials from Queens. Financed under the HPD and HDC’s Mix & Match program, the project apartments will be available for families with incomes ranging from $31,750 to $66,550 for an individual and from $40,800 to $85,470 for a family of three. Approximately 53 of the units available will be permanently offered to households with maximum income limits of $50,800 for an individual and $65,280 for a family of three under the City’s Inclusionary Housing program. Tree of Life will include a number of energy efficient qualities, including solar panels and a co-gen system. Because of its location in the Special Downtown Jamaica District of Queens, the building is nearby many modes of transportation. In addition to servicing those in need of affordable housing, the community facility space at Tree of Life is anticipated to include an education and training center with a library and computer area, conference room, and individual counseling rooms that will be accessible to the community. For more information, visit https://fjcudc.com/tree-of-life/.	https://qns.com/story/2017/06/29/jamaica-tree-life-neighborhoods-largest-affordable-housing-complex-date/
Last year’s COVID crisis was a catalyst for profound political, economic, and even personal change around the world. The isolation brought on by lockdowns, remote work, or even job losses was eye-opening for many: people realized they were discontent and struggled to find meaning in such troublesome times. It goes without saying that the pandemic was devastating on many levels, but it also became a time of serious reflection. What you wanted before the pandemic was likely one of the many changes you encountered last year. Whether you realize it or not, you entered 2021 a new person whose professional n eeds, goals, and values have shifted. It makes sense, considering how the workforce itself had to adjust with remote work, loss of business, and the anticipated high turnover rate, what has now been termed the “turnover tsunami.” We’re now cautiously optimistic as we head toward a post-pandemic world, with the U.S. job market beginning to re-stabilize while simultaneously preparing to see an enormous number of workers and laborers looking for new work. According to this recent Prudential study, 26% of American workers will be job hunting this year, and other studies estimate that that number will be closer to half. If you’re one of them, now is the time to figure out who you are in a post-pandemic world, what you really want moving forward, and how to get it. Preparing for the Job Search What kind of culture do you want to work in now? What kind of leader do you want to be? Alternatively, what style of management do you thrive under? These are just a few of the many questions you will be asking yourself during this time. However, the pandemic crisis was a time of great upheaval, forcing everyone to react immediately to things that couldn’t be controlled. It might feel hard to take a break right now, but it’s important not to respond to unemployment, underemployment, or change in a rushed fashion. Take a step back and take some time to really think through your next steps and come up with a smart strategy. This is especially crucial if you are currently employed but are considering new employment. Taking a moment to self-reflect might be the difference in whether you find an impactful, supportive environment to work in moving forward or if you find yourself in another search at this same time next year. MORE FOR YOU Gain Clarity: What’s Working, and What’s Not? Your first impulse may be to ask yourself what you enjoy, what challenges you, what you want out of a career… but that can be challenging. Sometimes you simply don’t know yet what works best for you. It might help you to start by writing out what doesn’t work for you first. If you are currently employed, what are the reasons you are now considering a career change? Is the current style of management incompatible with the kind of worker you are? Are there not enough opportunities offered to help you develop professionally? Is the work culture outdated, or not inclusive?You can ask yourself these questions, too, if you’re unemployed. If your departure was voluntary, reflect on the past and what led you to leave. If you were laid off due to the pandemic, you can take this moment to reflect positively on the opportunities ahead of you: what will you not miss from your last job? When it’s finally time to start job searching, the answers to these questions will help guide you as you research companies. For example, if your last company was inflexible when it came to paid time off, you can look into organizations that offer unlimited PTO (yes, they exist!). You may also want to read up on the various leadership styles, and be equipped to confidently understand what style works best for you and what style doesn’t. If you’re not sure on what your next step in your career should be, I’d like to encourage you to ask yourself two questions: “what am I exceptionally skilled at doing” and “what do I love to do?” The intersection of these two is usually a great first step in finding clarity in what your next step should be and will help eliminate options that might not be a good fit for your passion or your skillset. Assess Your Priorities and Values In the same way you might write out all the things that haven’t been working for you, it’s also wise to write out what speaks to you when it comes to priorities. What is important to you? This is a loaded question, of course, but it can be quite simple: what do you want to achieve in a career? Perhaps you’ve never held a management position, but you’ve dreamed of being a great leader. Maybe you even know, deep down, that you would make an excellent leader and haven’t yet had the opportunity. Maybe you will come to find that there are certain benefits that you value, like professional development opportunities or tuition reimbursement. Based on the aforementioned self-reflection, you may have come to realize that there wasn’t enough accountability in your last workplace, and that is now an important value to you. There are many directions to take this in: is risk taking important? Discipline? A work culture that offers employees some fun (like team-building exercises or taking the crew out to an Escape Room)? What kind of creative projects do you value? Write out anything that comes to mind, even if you aren’t 100% certain that it’s a true priority. You’ll figure that out once you rank your values and priorities from most important to least important. Pay More Attention to Your Network Don’t waste time feeling bad for having lost touch with some of your most meaningful contacts. No one has the same social expectations anymore, especially because of the pandemic last year. If you haven’t been active on LinkedIn, it’s time to dust off your profile, update it, and re-activate your network. Many people find networking uncomfortable or awkward; it can be difficult to ask for help from people. However, more and more, the job search has shifted away from the traditional classified search. In fact, most people now find jobs through “The Hidden Job Market,” social networking, word-of-mouth, and other means of finding employment that don’t involve job listings. Be confident, but respectful. No one wants to feel like they’re being used, and neediness is not an attractive quality. Show your connections that you truly value them. Work on reconnecting or building a meaningful relationship with them. Ask how they’ve been, what they’ve been working on, what they’re looking forward to, and go from there. Career Coaches: More Valuable Than You Think Even if you’ve put your best foot forward, figuring out what you want versus what you need can be difficult, if not daunting. It can be intimidating and overwhelming to figure out where to start. Although a career coach can be an investment, it can be one of the most valuable investments if you make the most out of your relationship with one.Career coaches have been professional leaders and innovative thinkers for many years. What’s more, they will always give you honest, unbiased feedback and insight. Career coaches are well-versed in rejection and how to bounce back and they are most certainly experienced in the job hunt and how to tap into that hidden job market. The great thing about career coaches, too, is that there are many different kinds of professionals to choose from. Some coaches specialize in personal growth and mindset (and can help you answer those earlier questions). Others specialize in resume building and networking. There are also coaches that specialize in specific industries. The list goes on. A great coach will help you stay accountable to your long term goals and will help you see the opportunities to improve and stand out among your competition. Take time to look through who is available, who you connect with the most, and who can help you achieve your goals, and you will quickly see that it might be the most important investment you’ll ever make.	https://forbes.nzuchinews.xyz/the-post-pandemic-job-hunt-how-to-find-what-you-really-want/
Scientists revisit the cold case of cold fusion A calorimeter designed by UBC researchers that is capable of detecting anomalous heat at high temperatures and high pressures. Credit: University of British Columbia Scientists from the University of British Columbia (UBC), the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Maryland, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and Google are conducting a multi-year investigation into cold fusion, a type of benign nuclear reaction hypothesized to occur in benchtop apparatus at room temperature. A progress report published today in Nature publicly discloses the group's collaboration for the first time. The group, which included about 30 graduate students, postdoctoral researchers and staff scientists, has not yet found any evidence of the phenomenon, but they did find important new insights into metal-hydrogen interactions that could impact low-energy nuclear reactions. The team remains excited about investigating this area of science and hopes their ongoing journey will inspire others in the scientific community to contribute data to this intriguing field. "We need a fundamentally new energy technology that can be scaled within the span of a human lifetime," says UBC chemist Curtis Berlinguette, principal investigator on the study. "This program provided us with a safe environment to take the long shot—given the profound impact this could have on society, we should remain open to it even if there is an unknown probability of success." Operating as a "peer group" with a stringent internal review process, the team started out by vetting previous claims of cold fusion, which have not been pursued in mainstream academic research for the past 30 years. If cold fusion could be realized, the heat released by this process might offer an attractive option for decarbonizing the global energy system. "If any research project ever met the definition of high-risk, high-reward, this would be the one," says Yet-Ming Chiang, principal investigator and Kyocera professor of materials science and engineering at MIT. "Electrochemistry can create interesting states of matter. If those states of matter help us in the search for new clean energy sources, all the better." The collaborative effort has produced nine peer reviewed publications and three arXiv posts. The team continues to search for a reproducible reference experiment for cold fusion. This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only. E-mail the story Scientists revisit the cold case of cold fusion Note Your email address is used only to let the recipient know who sent the email. Neither your address nor the recipient's address will be used for any other purpose. The information you enter will appear in your e-mail message and is not retained by Phys.org in any form. Your message Newsletter sign up Get weekly and/or daily updates delivered to your inbox. You can unsubscribe at any time and we'll never share your details to third parties. Your Privacy This site uses cookies to assist with navigation, analyse your use of our services, and provide content from third parties. By using our site, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
All energy is electromagnetic in nature, and nothing happens in the body without an electromagnetic exchange between cells. We are all familiar with the electrocardiogram (EKG) and electroencephalograph (EEG) tests, which measure the electromagnetic activity of the heart and brain, respectively. When electromagnetic activity ceases, life ceases. Electromagnetic energy controls our chemistry. Disruption of this energy in cells causes impaired cell metabolism, and if our cells are not healthy, our body is not healthy, in whole or in part. The following is an introduction to magnetic fields, PEMFs, and their therapeutic actions in the body. If you’re interested in more detailed and specific information, please see the Education sections of this site. What is an electromagnetic field? What are PEMFs? If you have ever held two magnets in your hands, tried to force them together, and felt a resistance between them, then you have experienced a magnetic field. That type of magnetic field is produced by a static magnet and is called a static magnetic field. A changing magnetic field (such as a magnetic field moving through a coil) generates an electric field (which would drive a current in the coil). This forms the basis for many electrical generators and motors. Similar to the way that a changing magnetic field generates an electric field, a changing electric field generates a magnetic field. Since the magnetic field is being generated by an electric current, it’s called an electromagnetic field – a physical field produced by moving electrical charges. PEMF stands for Pulsed Electromagnetic Field. Magnetic fields affect the behavior of any other charged objects in the vicinity of the field. This is the fundamental basis for their therapeutic use. Our bodies are electric – every heartbeat generates electromagnetic waves throughout the blood vessels of the body, stimulating tissues at a cellular level. External magnetic fields and the normal electric and electromagnetic fields produced by the body interact. So, a magnetic field passing through our whole body will have an electromagnetic effect on each of our 70 trillion cells. As a result, magnetic fields act in basic and fundamental ways on molecules and tissues. They affect the most basic functions of all cells—human, animal, and plant included. What are some basic cell functions, and how do magnetic fields facilitate them? Some of the basic actions of a cell are to generate energy to eliminate waste, to repair and regenerate itself, and perform its predetermined functions based on the cell’s type and location in the body. Magnetic fields cause or increase motion of ions and electrolytes in the tissues and fluids of the body. It’s both easy and quick to move an ion or electrolyte in a living organism using magnetic fields. This movement stimulates a vast array of chemical and electric actions in the tissues of the body, helping them to rebalance or heal themselves where necessary. All cells need energy to function. Cellular energy requires ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) and is fundamental to all cell and body functions and is necessary to sustain life itself. ATP regulates cell metabolism by transporting chemical energy within our cells. Low ATP levels cause our cells to be sick, and decreases their ability to heal, regenerate, or function properly. Through the increased motion of ions and electrolytes, magnetic fields help cells increase their energy (or “charge”) by up to 500%. Why do I need treatment at a cellular level? Magnetic fields also affect the charge of the cell membrane, which allows membrane channels to open up. These channels are like the doors and windows of a house. By opening cell channels, nutrients are better able to enter the cell, and waste is more easily eliminated from the cell. This helps to rebalance and restore optimum cell function. If you restore enough cells, they will all work more efficiently. Cells of the same type come together to make tissues, and those tissues come together to make organs. So, by restoring or maintaining cellular function, you will, in turn, restore or maintain organ function, allowing the entire body to function better. We all know that the body ages over time. Maintaining the function of every individual cell at an optimal level every day is an important part of slowing aging. Can PEMF therapy protect me from future illnesses? Cellular “injury”, the state of a cell when it is not healthy, leads to disease conditions. Magnetic fields protect against cell injury by improving circulation, repair processes, and energy, and increasing special stress proteins in the cells. These proteins are used to prevent cell breakdown and wear and tear, as well as help speed recovery from injury. Magnetic fields balance cells, tissues and bodily functions at very fundamental levels, even before damage and problems become obvious to you. I thought magnetic fields were bad for me. There are distinct differences in the effects of devices at various frequency ranges, from extremely low frequencies (ELFs), to very low frequencies (VLFs), to microwave level frequencies, radio frequencies, infrared and ultraviolet frequencies, and more. Most magnetic field exposure risk comes from power lines and cell phones, because of their particular exposure times or field strengths and frequencies. These frequencies and intensities, known as electro-smog, can induce heat in the tissues of the body and modify genes, and therefore can damage cells. Most PEMF devices we recommend produce frequencies in the ELF to VLF range, since they do not induce heating actions. The home-based devices we promote have carefully selected frequencies which are most natural and balancing to the body. Our recommended treatment devices have a very safe track record – even the much higher intensity and frequency diagnostic MRI machines have been found to be safe to the people that operate them daily, as long as the safety directions are followed. For more detailed information about the safety of PEMF therapy, see our safety section. How quickly will my illness or health issue improve? Minor imbalances in individual cells can be rebalanced very easily before they become an obvious problem. Regrettably, many people wait until they have a significant health issue before they seek treatment with a PEMF system or get a magnetic system for their own home use. By this time, some problems have become too deep-seated to reverse, and only symptom control remains possible. It is important to say that PEMFs are not expected to cure disease. Their role is to stimulate the various functions of the body so that the body can better support and heal itself. Understanding the extent of a health problem will help the individual to have realistic expectations of the time required to produce expected or desired results. If the problem took a long time to get to where it is now, PEMFs may take a long time to give the greatest benefit – and may never produce hoped-for results if the damage is too great. That doesn’t mean they won’t work, and it doesn’t mean you won’t get significant health benefits. We need to respect the body’s healing timelines and processes, and work positively with them. When treatment is begun, the order of healing will follow the body’s own wisdom of what tissue and symptoms will be cleared first, second, etc. Patience and acceptance of this natural order will aid in the healing process. Which system is the best? You wouldn’t walk into a pharmacy and ask for the best medication to make you healthy without first discussing what problems you are trying to treat—the same is true of PEMF systems. Some health problems require higher intensity fields to get the best benefit. Some require a wider range of frequencies. Sometimes a person’s sensitivity determines which system is best for them. Sometimes affordability is the primary concern. There are a variety of PEMF systems available because there is no one “best” system. Only when we understand what health issues are of greatest concern to an individual can we begin to determine which system is most likely to achieve the desired results. Our experience is that most PEMF systems will provide at least some benefit, even if not the optimal system. What can I do to improve the effects of PEMFs in my body? Since most of the effects of magnetic fields happen because of how they act on ions, especially calcium, sodium, potassium, and magnesium, these ions and electrolytes need to be at the right levels in the body. It is difficult to heal depleted tissues without sound nutrition. Supplements may also be quite helpful for magnetic therapy to be most effective. Dr. Pawluk usually recommends magnesium supplementation and adequate amounts of daily water. Additionally, some individuals (particularly women) need extra melatonin to optimize health while using PEMFs. What are some of the basic beneficial actions PEMFs will have in my body? Increased Circulation One of the most basic functions magnetic fields have in the body is to increase circulation. When a cell (such as a red blood cell) is injured or ill, it does not hold its ideal charge. This causes red cells to “stick” together, making circulation slow. When a magnetic field passes through the red cell, the membrane becomes properly charged, allowing the cell to repel itself and keep itself separate from other red cells, thereby increasing circulation. In addition, PEMFs increase various chemicals in the blood vessel walls that cause the blood vessels to dilate, improving the amount of blood flowing through the vessels and therefore increasing the amount of oxygen delivered to the tissues. Poor circulation makes tissues unhealthy and prone to disease and breakdown. Improved circulation helps tissues get the nutrition and oxygen they need, while expelling the waste they produce. Good circulation helps with tissue healing and regeneration. The result of improved circulation is the reduction of swelling and the removal of bruising. Enhanced Muscle Function Muscle energy, needed for muscles to work, is developed through a process called Myosin Phosphorylation. Myosin is muscle, and phosphorylation is energy (ATP) production. Optimal energy allows muscles to work harder and longer, and recover more quickly from their work. Muscles that are contracted or in spasm are better able to relax, decreasing tension and reducing the pain caused by spasm. Decreased Inflammation Inflammation is a cascade of physiologic processes initiated by the body to repair cellular damage in tissues by increasing the blood flow to the damaged area and increasing the number of good inflammatory cells. The process of inflammation is generated and supported by the interaction of a number of immune cell types, with other cell types (like T cells) playing a regulatory role in the cascade effect. Inflammation is a necessary and beneficial process, but it often persists longer than necessary, resulting in chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation is frequently a cause of chronic pain. PEMFs have been found to reduce chronic, damaging inflammation. Inflammation can be initiated by many causes, and knowing the nature of the cause is important in designing therapeutic approaches. T cells are a major regulator of the inflammatory cascade. In bacterial infections, early infiltration of the affected tissues by white blood cells is followed by the arrival of T cells, which kill bacteria. In this circumstance, eliminating of T cells can delay or stop healing. Conversely, in trauma-induced injury, T cells are less important to the healing process, and may be harmful if present for too long. In this case, elimination of T cells can minimize the unwanted effects of inflammation, accelerate healing, and reduce the risk of chronic inflammatory diseases. In chronic inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, or tendinitis, T cells support the persistence of the disease state, and removing them would be favorable. Research shows us that PEMFs can induce the appropriate death of aged, chronic T lymphocytes, by actions on T cell membranes and key enzymes in cells. For example, PEMFs affect ion flow through specific cell membrane channels (like those for sodium, potassium, and calcium), which positively affect these enzymes. Stress Reduction Stress is part of being human. Normal stress, called eustress, is necessary for survival. Too much stress is very harmful to the body, and accelerates aging. Stress is responsible for at least 65% of our illnesses, so stress reduction is necessary for all of us. Stress-reducing activities performed only now and then will allow too much stress-related damage to accumulate over time. Therefore, stress reduction must be a daily activity. Magnetic fields have many stress-reducing effects. Daily use of PEMFs help to wash away the negative effect natural stresses have on our bodies. Bone Healing Magnetic fields pass through the body – even the bones – as if the body wasn’t even there. PEMFs work to repair bones, whether they are damaged by surgery, injury, or disease, and have been found to improve bone regeneration such as occurs with osteoporosis and osteopenia, among other bone destroying conditions. Blood Oxygenation Just as a fire cannot burn without oxygen, our cells cannot produce heat and energy without oxygen. Our lungs extract oxygen from the air we breathe. It passes into our blood and is carried by arteries away from the heart and delivered to the rest of the body, including all the organs. PEMFs help with the process of extracting oxygen out of the air we breathe and help it to be transported into the circulation. The absorbed oxygen is then transported through the body to all the cells, where it is absorbed into the individual cells. In the cells, enzymes and other basic cell energy production processes use the oxygen for cell metabolism, the energy necessary to function properly. The metabolism of an organism determines which substances it will find nutritious and which it will find harmful. Proper blood-oxygen levels at the cell level (not just in the blood) allow this process to continue quickly and efficiently. After the oxygen exchange takes place, veins carry deoxygenated blood and metabolic waste products away from those same cells and back to the heart for recycling again. The purpose of this document is to provide a basic understanding of how magnetic fields, especially PEMFs, work in the body. In addition to these basic balancing actions, magnetic fields also help with many other functions and conditions, and new ones are discovered regularly. Some of these other actions include:	https://www.drpawluk.com/education/magnetic-science/new-pemf-start/
The last two years of the Covid-19 pandemic have seen multiple changes in the field of human resources (HR). This has happened at local, national and global levels. The problem is that with the confusion created by a term like “global HR”, the reference to global HR is often a generalization of the experiences of a certain part of the English-speaking world. But the blinders many people wear only allow them to see change in the areas that matter, not always in the areas that support them. Overall, we look at a small window. In reality, the world is bigger than ours. The business sector represents a small percentage of the employability scenario. The data that people work on is often drawn solely from this sector. This is how generalization is based on perceptions. It is not necessary to dispute this, but it is necessary to understand that the word “global” is used in a loose sense. There are other problems of definition and understanding. When we talk about employability, we must bear in mind that a large part of the rural and agricultural sector earns its living independently. Much of the service sector, such as blacksmiths, mechanics, shoemakers and even domestic helpers, is in freelance mode. There is little data on this. Second, what has changed in the HR scenario often focuses on business changes and challenges. Few experimental data are available. The changing HR scenario is a broader issue. Take the hospitality industry. Some of them are located in prime locations in multi-storey buildings in major metropolitan centers. Using this example, empirically, one notices that many hotels housed in these places have a fractured existence. They have outsourced catering, laundry, transportation and sometimes even medical care. There are occasions when a client who falls ill has to find a doctor for himself. Such cases have been rare in the past. Clearly, much of the hospitality industry is changing. What hurts profits and what cannot be absorbed has been changed. Empirically, this creates unusual experiences for the user. One wonders if despite the adversities, there were disguised opportunities during the pandemic that could have benefited certain groups. The truth is that there is no total opportunity or total loss. In the worst situations, there is always an environment where benefits emerge. Also with the Covid pandemic there are benefits, but often in a limited sectoral sense. They often manifest themselves in terms of profitability and growth. For example, the pandemic has benefited the pharmaceutical sector and the e-commerce industry. After nearly two years of spending on video conferencing and online meetings, the first experience of physical meetings is viewed differently. In fact, no situation was a total winner. The same goes for the pandemic. Some facets of the business have won and others have lost. An example in the IT sector may be useful. The question is the future nature of this sector. Will distance always be taken into account in sales, time investment? The second question is that of HR. Will it be changed? In reality, nothing has changed except the location of employees during working hours: Do they work at home or in the office? The third issue may be the system of evaluation, performance and interpersonal exchanges. Companies should examine the structure of the system. It is obvious that the valuation assumptions will have to be re-examined. The focus will have to be shifted to a new work environment. We often hear that the HR sector must change when the Covid-19 takes hold and then readjust with the lifting of the pandemic. However, the disease is here to stay. From pandemic, it can become endemic. People will have to get used to it. The disease affected organized work style in several ways, including job design. Employment externalities have changed in many ways. Those who are not savvy, intelligent and familiar with electronics are abandoned to work-ghetto spaces. This is a significant proportion of the workforce. Simple things like the number of documents that now need to be uploaded for each online service are exponential. Such a push to make money on the electronic platform is immense. It gives the aura of movement in the right direction. In this context, the upcoming 49th IFTDO World Conference, taking place in New Delhi in May, is a very valuable effort that should be watched and replicated. The HR fraternity is big and we talk about scenarios that number in the thousands and counting. While it might be said that the HR fraternity is too big a scenario for a single conference to answer all the questions, such efforts are helpful in keeping the issues alive. Hopefully the conference will have an impact. The impact on the business world will be significant. The 49th IFTDO, due to its global nature, involved experts from the United States, North African countries, the Arab world, Australia, to name a few. The perceived impact at this stage is ambitious. However, it will be a forum to raise several topics of interest. What is important is that it would be an opportunity to interact globally and to bring back a message. In summary, as the pandemic tends to become endemic, it is clear that the focus of many management functions like HR will need to change. Design issues will arise and livelihoods will be affected. The facets are many. We must resist the temptation to generalize. It will be an ongoing situation. It will be necessary to ensure that a new type of poverty does not replace the existing deprivation.	https://hokuro99.info/the-hr-dilemma/
ZF Friedrichshafen AG is joining the Open Manufacturing Platform (OMP), which was announced in 2019 by the BMW Group and Microsoft. The OMP is an open industrial IoT platform to accelerate production and logistics optimization efforts. (Earlier post.) The aim of this initiative is to enable faster and more cost-effective innovations in the manufacturing industry. The OMP technology framework and community are designed to nurture the development of smart-factory solutions across the sector. Sharing knowledge and utilizing industrial use cases and sample code, OMP members will be empowered to simplify and accelerate the development of their own services and solutions. Seamless data sharing is still a vision, since many data sources first need to be connected and interlinked within a company, and then extended to partners and external entities. ZF is working actively in improving Industry 4.0 maturity towards smart factories, one major aspect is the seamless data integration via open and interoperable platforms and processes. The OMP aims to provide community members with a reference architecture with open-source components based on open industrial standards. The approach is designed to standardize industrial data models to accelerate analytics and machine learning scenarios by unlocking the access to data that used to be stored in proprietary systems. Features of OMP include: The OMP will be compatible with existing Industry 4.0 reference architecture, leveraging the industrial interoperability standard OPC UA. The community members retain full control over their data. The OMP addresses the needs of the entire industry—for example with regard to data connection of machines and systems or system integration. This means that manufacturers, suppliers, and their partner companies do not need to build new software from scratch but can build on existing components. One example is the integration of functions with which autonomous transport systems can be coordinated regardless of the manufacturer.
Who first settled Walnut Creek? What is the oldest commercial building in downtown? Who was Walnut Creek’s first mayor? Looking for answers to questions like these — and preserving and sharing the answers — is the mission of the Walnut Creek Historical Society. The Historical Society invites the community to use this website to learn more about our local heritage… to explore our history at Shadelands Ranch Museum and through our tours and educational programs… and to support our work to preserve and interpret our local history. Welcome to the Walnut Creek Historical Society Photograph Collections Search This database is a work in progress and is constantly growing. Please check back frequently as new items are added often. If you do not find the photograph you are looking for, please click here to request the photo. Walnut Creek Historical Society (WCHS) provides access to these materials for educational and research purposes, and for personal enjoyment. WCHS’s written permission, or that of other possible rights holders (including publicity and/or privacy rights), is required for distribution, reproduction, or other use of protected items beyond that allowed by fair use or other statutory exemptions. WCHS encourages the use of these materials for education and personal enjoyment. Any other use, for example in web pages, documentary films, or publications of any kind, must be approved by the WCHS.	https://wchistory.org/
This week, Jim Gill of Hanzo takes up the slack in your discovery process (see what I did there?) by discussing a few things to consider when preserving Slack data for eDiscovery. In the article (A Few Considerations When Preserving Slack Data for Ediscovery, available here), Jim points out that court rulings in the past few years have codified what people working in eDiscovery have known all along: Slack (and other collaboration app data) is discoverable during litigation and should be preserved the same as email as stipulated in Rule 26 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP). These two cases illustrate that point very well. With that in mind, Jim discusses four things to consider when preserving Slack data for eDiscovery and four best practices for Slack preservation. Here is one of the considerations: Cost In eDiscovery, data volume translates to costs. The more data you have entering the top of your eDiscovery funnel, the more you’ll pay to process, review, analyze, and ultimately produce that data. Not only does more data translate to higher processing and review costs, but it also results in higher routine expenditures for data storage and transfer. When you over-collect data to preserve it, you pay for it. First, you pay to transfer that data to an external repository. Then you pay every month to store it there safely. And that’s before you even use it. You’ll still need to pay for each gigabyte of data that you eventually process, review, analyze, and produce. It can add up fast. Be careful that you don’t negate the cost savings of preserving data in place by later exporting or collecting everything you’ve preserved. The goal is to preserve broadly and collect narrowly—which means you need to use eDiscovery tools that allow you to do both. So, what are the other three things to consider when preserving Slack data for eDiscovery? And what are the four best practices for Slack preservation? You’ll have to read his blog post here to find out! It’s just one more click! 😉 So, what do you think? How do you address the requirement of preserving Slack data for eDiscovery? Please share any comments you might have or if you’d like to know more about a particular topic. Disclosure: Hanzo is an Educational Partner and sponsor of eDiscovery Today Disclaimer: The views represented herein are exclusively the views of the author, and do not necessarily represent the views held by my employer, my partners or my clients. eDiscovery Today is made available solely for educational purposes to provide general information about general eDiscovery principles and not to provide specific legal advice applicable to any particular circumstance. eDiscovery Today should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a lawyer you have retained and who has agreed to represent you.	https://ediscoverytoday.com/2022/10/05/preserving-slack-data-for-ediscovery-consider-this-ediscovery-best-practices/
Job Description : Works with communications leaders and EHVC administration to identify programs, research, clinical advancements, and cultural and other events appropriate for media relations attention. Develops and implements promotional strategies and media relations programs to promote the organization locally, regionally, and nationally. Establishes and maintains relationships with reporters through letters, telephone calls, and personal visits. Creates media opportunities. Responds to incoming media inquiries and prioritizes media coverage. Attends campus events to host reporters on evenings and weekends. Travels to meet with reporters and editors. Monitors news to be aware of current events. Researches issues/trends relevant to higher education. Develops, writes and edits news releases, stories, articles, letters and other media relations communications materials. Plans and assigns article ideas for periodicals. Interviews sources for stories and obtains quotes and background information. Participates in strategic communication planning and implementation including crisis communication and issues management. Monitors new developments in digital communications technology; recommends the acquisition and implementation of appropriate new technologies/applications. Assists in developing distribution procedures and mailing lists. May be responsible for managing various aspects of social media and internal communications. Performs related responsibilities as required. Minimum Qualifications : A bachelor's degree in public relations, journalism or related field, and five years professional experience in public relations, writing, or editing, OR an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience. Additional Details Overview: The Assistant Director of Media Relations (ADMR), Emory Heart and Vascular Center (EHVC), within Woodruff Health Sciences Center (WHSC) Communications, serves as a strategist and directs local and national medical, science, and business media relations and public affairs for EHVC and related entities. The role of this position is to increase awareness and visibility of the EHVC, for purposes of enhancing reputation, attracting research and donor support, attracting excellent physicians and faculty, and increasing patient referrals. The ADMR works proactively and reactively to maintain and promote EHVC, Emory and the WHSC brand and to safeguard and enhance its reputation. The ADMR is responsible for cultivating and maintaining positive relationships with local and national news media, as well as create messaging, both internally and externally, to help position the EHVC as a go-to resource for leadership/consultation in providing solutions in health care. Additional Job Responsibilities : The Assistant Director, Media Relations, EHVC leads the dissemination of accurate information to relevant constituencies, including the general public, patients, affiliated institutions, donors, and others to promote awareness of the EHVC and WHSC mission, contributions, and services. This role develops media relations strategic plans for the EHVC and develops and maintains key relationships with other Emory communications and marketing professionals, including in Emory Healthcare. This position advises EHVC leadership and physicians on release of information to news media; provides media training to leadership; develops media briefings and press conferences; develops and issues materials for media relations and public affairs. In addition, this position works with a larger communications and marketing team that identifies media outlets, develops contacts, and places news, features, and opinion pieces; utilizes all methods of digital communication; and provides leadership in media crisis communications planning and implementation. Additional Preferred Qualifications : The Assistant Director, Media Relations, EHVC, is an accomplished spokesperson who executes communications strategies with an understanding of large complex integrated academic medical centers. The ADMR provides communications assistance to manage challenging media relations issues that face the organization, primarily the Emory Heart and Vascular Center. This position requires creative thinking to solve problems and to advance the best interests of the WHSC and Emory University. Successful candidates will have demonstrated leadership in strategic media relations and crisis communications with documented results. Ability to articulate communications and marketing communications plans with an understanding of the diversity of the internal and external audience. Apply Now Connect With Us! Not ready to apply?	https://emory.jobs/atlanta-ga/assistant-director-media-relations-emory-heart-and-vascular-center/1B6D28918E254170B46D828FF6117742/job/
Confused about how to ensure data management activities get accomplished as you organizations transitions from a traditional software development and management methodologies to agile ones? This presentation explains the key differences in integration points between traditional and agile processes, provides tactical approaches to inserting data governance work into the agile flow. It provides an overview of agile organizational structures, enabling you to ensure they account for data governance roles performed in your organization. Agile and Data Governance seem like they are worlds apart, but implementing data governance in an Agile framework can be very successful. Undergoing a Data Governance initiative can be a daunting feat. Bringing together data, information, reporting, reconciliations, controls and stewardship into a platform to provide “one version of the truth” for an organization is not a small, or quick task. Agile principles align very well with the keys to success for Data Governance. Using Agile methodology for Data Governance focuses on deliverables that are valuable to the business and continuously introduced into the organization. These are delivered through close collaboration of motivated individuals. Through continuous improvements to the Data Governance process, an organization can remain flexible, compliant, and responsive; and end up with an integrated data governance program that enables the delivery of accurate and timely information for operational or financial disclosure needs. Communication plays an enormous part in successful agile implementation. How important is it to effectively communicate when implementing agile methodologies? How does one avoid conflicts when working with the agile methodology? To understand the answers to those questions, it is important to become more self-aware of individual actions, the actions of others and how those interactions affect the agile development environment. Emotional Intelligence (EI) helps us understand those actions. The core of high EI is self-awareness: if you don’t understand your motivations and behaviors, it’s nearly impossible to develop an understanding of others. A lack of self-awareness can also thwart your ability to think rationally and apply technical capabilities.	http://dama-phila.org/wp/event/466/
Computer is very important in our life. It helps us study better and gives us a lot of information. But we must not spend much time using the computer. We have to take part in ourdoor activities. And we must protect our eyes.bởi Võ Xuân Tùng 12/05/2019Like (0) Báo cáo sai phạm - The Importance Of Computers In Our Daily Lives. In the current world, it's almost impossible to imagine that someone can live without computers. They have become an electronic device of almost every day use for individuals of every age, and essential in almost all the business dealings that are made nowadaysbởi Chu Xuân 15/05/2019Like (0) Báo cáo sai phạm - Computers are devices or systems that automatically perform arithmetic operations in numerical or logical operations. Small computers are often called computers, among them personal computers are often called computers. Computers are made up of components that can perform simple functions defined in advance. The complex interaction process of these components gives the computer an ability to process information. If properly set up (usually by computer programs) the computer can simulate some aspect of a good problem of a system. In this case, when provided with an appropriate data set it can automatically solve the problem or anticipate the change of the system.bởi Đinh Trí Dũng 31/07/2019Like (0) Báo cáo sai phạm Nếu bạn hỏi, bạn chỉ thu về một câu trả lời. Nhưng khi bạn suy nghĩ trả lời, bạn sẽ thu về gấp bội! Lưu ý: Các trường hợp cố tình spam câu trả lời hoặc bị báo xấu trên 5 lần sẽ bị khóa tài khoản Video HD đặt và trả lời câu hỏi - Tích lũy điểm thưởng Các câu hỏi có liên quan - Viết 1 bài văn nói về internet đã làm thay đổi cuộc sống của bạn như thế nào, lợi ích và tác hại? 06/05/2019 \| 2 Trả lời - II. Choose the word which has the underlined part pronounced differently from the rest. Question 6. A. recycle B. medical C. chemical D. athletic Question 7. A. pollute B. botanic C. contaminate D. economy Question 8. A. into B. history C. tiny D. disease III. Choose the word which is stressed differently from the rest. Question 9. A. national B. grammatical C. medical D. chemical Question 10. A. athletic B. historic C. dramatic D. classic Question 11. A. scientifically B. economic C. artistic D. scientific IV. Choose the correct answer to complete each sentence. Question 12. Water pollution can put negative __________ on our health. A. contamination B. affects C. effects D. problems Question 13. A: How can light pollution __________ animals? B: It can make animals change their behavior patterns. A. cause B. make C. affect D. lead Question 14. The dove is a universal __________ of peace. A. symbolizing B. symbolize C. symbolic D. symbol Question 15. The city has an atmosphere which is quite __________. You will never feel like that in other places. A. important B. normal C. unique D. common Question 16. __________ about the storm that stroke Hanoi last night? A. Did you hear B. Do you heard C. Have you hear D. Did you heard Question 17. Many people __________ because of the earthquake last week. A. did injure B. injured C. have injured D. were injured Question 18. When I looked at the river, I knew it __________ for a long time. A. had contaminated B. had been contaminated C. was contaminated D. contaminated Question 19. All flights to Ha Noi had to be cancelled __________ the storm. A. as a result B. due to C. because D. so Question 20. When we were young, we __________ in the river near our home. A. used to swim B. have swum C. had swum D. were swimming V. Find a mistake in each sentence. Question 21. My father worked (A) in a noisy factory for (B) a long time, since (C) he suffered from hearing loss (D). Question 22. The River Thames flows (A) through southern (B) England and connect (C) London with (D) the sea. Question 23. Much (A) of the town was reconstruct (B) after (C) the tornado (D). Question 24. Look at (A) those (B) grey clouds! It will (C) rain soon (D). Question 25. Students might (A) only use the (B) laboratory once (C) a (D) week. VI. Read the passge. And decide if the following statements are true (T) or false (F). Living in Scotland Scotland is the UK’s most northern country and has around 790 islands off its coasts – 130 of which have people living on them. Scotland is well known for its stunning landscapes, beautiful beaches and lochs, which are fress water lakes. There are over 600 square miles of lochs in Scotland including the most famous one, Loch Ness. It has a population of just over five million people which is about 8.5 per cent of the whole UK population. Over 2 milion of these live in Glasgow and Edinburgh, and almost half of Scotland’s population live in the Central Belt, where both the largest city (Glasgow), and the capital city Edinburgh) are located. Scotland also hostsone of the biggest arts festivals in the world. This is commonly known as the Edinburgh Festival but is actually made up of a number of different festivals which happen at different times of the year, though many do take place in August and September. Many people have heard of the Fringe Festival, but there are also the International Festival, the Film Festival, the Children’s Festival and the Edinburgh Mela which is an intercultural festival. Question 26. Scottish people inhabit on over 1/6 of its all islands. __________ Question 27. Scotland’s population is over 1/10 of the whole UK population. __________ Question 28. People in Scotland prefer living in other areas to big cities. __________ Question 29. There are 2 common months for Edinburgh Festival. __________ Question 30. There won’t be any special events exclusively for kids in this Festival. __________ VII. Read the passage and answer the questions. Technology has advanced to the point where instant communication anywhere in the world is an everyday fact of life. Technology has improved, and has a positive impact on communication as a whole in many (31) __________ . It has increased the reliability of sending messages to others, made it easier to meet new people and keep (32) __________ touch with friends. Modern communication is handled by wireless signals, undersea cables, satellites and other (33) __________ technology, ensuring the fast delivery of messages and data to any locations. The accessibility of technology also means that you don’t need to be in any special locations like a post office or mail room to send a message; all you need is a cell phone. Online communication has (34) __________ the door to new ways of communicating with strangers and taking part in communities. Chat rooms, (35) __________ forums and dating sites let people meet each other and get to know more people without having to be there in person. Question 31. A. methods B. means C. forms D. ways Question 32. A. on B. out C. for D. in Question 33. A. advanced B. high C. simple D. basic Question 34. A. opened B. closed C. been opened D. been closed Question 35. A. channel B. discussion C. cyber D. media VIII. Choose the best sentence that can be made from the cues given. Question 36. We/ use/ art/ communicate/ 200 years. A. We will be using art to communicate in 200 years. B. We will use art for communicating for 200 years. C. We will have used art to communicating in 200 years. D. We will be using art for communicating by 200 years. Question 37. I/ look forward to/ hear/ you/ soon. A. I am looking forward to hearing from you soon. B. I am looking forward to hear from you soon. C. So am I looking forward to hear from you soon. D. I look forward to hear from you soon. Question 38. The number/ English speakers/ increase/ recent years. A. The number of English speakers increase in recent years. B. The number of English speakers have increased in recent years. C. The number of English speakers increased in recent years. D. The number of English speakers has increased in recent years. Question 39. According/ latest report/ the number/ people/ injured/ typhoon/ nearly/ 150. A. According to the latest report, the number of people injured in the typhoon was nearly 150. B. According to the latest report, the number of people were injured in the typhoon were nearly 150. C. According to lastest, the number of people injured in the typhoon were nearly 150. D. According to the lastest report, the number of people have injured in the typhoon was nearly 150. Question 40. Tsunamis/ also/ refer/ the public/ tidal waves. A. Tsunamis also referred to the public as tidal waves. B. Tsunamis also refer to the public as tidal waves. C. Tsunamis is also referred as the public as tidal waves. D. Tsunamis are also referred to the public as tidal waves. _________THE END___________ 05/05/2019 \| 7 Trả lời - Viết một đoạn văn 50-60 từHow are computers useful to you? 29/04/2019 \| 1 Trả lời - Viết đoạn văn trình bày những việc nên và không nên đôi với học sinh bằng tiếng anh 25/04/2019 \| 1 Trả lời - 1a. ecology b. environment c. autography d. residential 2a. physiography b. alternatively c. criminology d. unsuccessfully 3a. temporary b. geology c. emergency d. logography 4.a. astrology b. unnatural c. medication d. demography 5.a. voluntary b. apology c. television d. nationlize 6.a. engineer b. volunteer c. muontaineer d.reindeer 7.a. tropical b. natural c. terrible d. destructive 8a. nationality b. mobility c. equality d. majority 9.a. transitive b. effecttive c. positive d. sensitive 10.a. unpopular b.unorganized c. unfortunate d. unambitious 25/04/2019 \| 10 Trả lời - Viết một bức thư kể về 1 chuyến đi Huế cho 1 người bạn. 24/04/2019 \| 3 Trả lời - Find and corect the mistakes 1.I wish my mother give me presents more often. A B C D 2.The school library is free and open for all the pupils and teacher staff. A B C D 3.They will be travelling to Korea by the time you arived here. A B C D 17/04/2019 \| 18 Trả lời - Find the word which has different sound in the part underlined. 1.A,wanted B,washed C,danced D,watched 2.A,goes B,watched C,misses D,brushes 3.A,come B,mother C,open D,some 4.A,mention B,question C,action D,education 5.A,who B,when C,where D,what 17/04/2019 \| 15 Trả lời - 1.Angkor Wat is a famous Buddhist.................center in Cambodia (religion) 2.First-aid instructions should..........be taught at school (real) 3.Hue and Ha Noi are interesting...............in my itinerary (arrive) 4. She is delighted that we are intersted in..........the environment. (protect) Give the correct form of words 15/04/2019 \| 5 Trả lời - Find the word which different stress pttern from the others.	https://hoc247.net/hoi-dap/tieng-anh-8/viet-khoang-5-cau-trinh-bay-quan-diem-cua-em-ve-may-tinh-faq456353.html
Today, Dr. Bernardo A. Huberman, the director of HP Labs’ Social Computing Lab, released research on the nature of user influence on social media networks such as Twitter. After analyzing 22 million tweets, Dr. Huberman and his co-authors calculated a novel measure of influence for individual users and developed a corresponding algorithm that automatically identifies particularly influential users. PDG wrote about Twitter user influence scores here.	https://paulgurney.com/whats_new_blog/category/social-media/page/2/
The Wisdom Council formed when we realized that we needed some more formal structures of support for the work we do. We invited 12 trusted and long-time contributors to our community to join us. Each has a strong kinship with the monk and artist path. We call on them for wisdom when creating new programs, considering new ideas, or navigating challenges. They offer their time and guidance to us and so are also in service to the wider community. Many of the members also help facilitate or teach portions of our programs, both live and online. We are so grateful to have this vibrant gathering of both spiritual and practical support for the contemplative and creative programs we offer.In addition, several of the members are available for spiritual direction via Skype, phone, or email. Please contact them directly to inquire about fees, availability, and whether they might be a kindred spirit to support your journey. Aisling Richmond, M.A is a teacher, therapist and soul guide living in the West of Ireland. She loves to share with others a juicy, embodied, and creative approach to life. Aisling holds three teaching qualifications in Yoga, Conscious Dance, and Somatics, and is a fully accredited Somatic therapist. In 2011 she earned her Masters degree in Movement Research, which focused on dance as a spiritual practice and healing art. Aisling teaches weekly Yoga classes, runs Somatic Wisdom courses, and works as a therapist to help people to overcome life challenges through Somatics or body-mind wisdom. She runs retreats set in the beauty spots of Ireland, inviting people into a deeper connection with nature. Having worked collaboratively with many organisations including Amnesty International, Aisling has also been a guest lecturer with both Galway and Limerick Universities. Her passion is to support each person's soul growth, and invite a home-coming to the wisdom and wonder of our sacred bodies. Amber Andreasen is a contemplative, ever desiring to deepen into and dance the rhythms of monk and artist. She has trained as a spiritual director, receiving her M.A. in Spiritual Formation and Soul Care from The Institute of Spiritual Formation at Talbot School of Theology. Wherever she finds herself, she desires to nurture a compassionate space where others can be listened and loved into fuller being by the Beloved. She is continually awed by the body as sacred storyholder and storyteller, and her heart beats loudly for the weaving together of creativity and spirituality in the discovering of what it means to live an embodied, fully human life in all its mystery and wonder. Betsey Beckman, MM is nationally acclaimed as a spirited dancer, storyteller, teacher of SpiritPlay and dancing Spiritual Director. With her extensive repertory of sacred storydances, she is regularly featured as artist/presenter at national conventions as well as local churches. She earned her Masters in Ministry degree from Seattle University, her certificate in Movement Therapy from the Institute for Transformational Movement, and is a certified InterPlay leader. As dancer, choreographer, author, mother, wife, teacher and spiritual director, she is passionate about living life fully and fostering creativity in all those with whom she shares life and ministry. Betsey’s publications include books (she is co-author of Awakening the Creative Spirit: Bringing the Expressive Arts to Spiritual Direction), recordings, and The Dancing Word series of DVDs on embodied prayer. She offers the gift of playful improvisation whenever possible. As a contemplative soul with a love for photography and poetry Cheryl is passionate about deep listening and co-creating safe, welcoming spaces where there is room to glimpse the flow of the Spirit and inner wisdom through the sharing of sacred stories and engaging in the process of creative expression. Cheryl brings years of experience as a teacher, parent and soul friend in addition to further education in counseling, grief support and pastoral counseling through Camosun College, The Burquitlam Grief society and Island pastoral Services. A long time practice of centering prayer led to completing a Leadership for Contemplative Practice program with author and teacher Rev. Dr. Cynthia Bourgeault. Cheryl is a graduate of the Pacific Jubilee Program in Spiritual Direction, a qualified teacher in the Usui system of natural healing and a certified teacher of Enneagram Studies. She currently offers spiritual companioning, guided meditation and centering prayer groups, retreats and Enneagram teaching. Jamie Marich, Ph.D., LPCC-S, LICDC-CS, REAT, RYT-200, RMT travels internationally speaking on topics related to EMDR therapy, trauma, addiction, expressive arts, LGBTQ issues, spirituality and mindfulness while maintaining a private practice in her home base of Warren, OH. Jamie is also the developer of the Dancing Mindfulness expressive arts practice. Jamie is the author of EMDR Made Simple: 4 Approaches for Using EMDR with Every Client (2011), Trauma and the Twelve Steps: A Complete Guide for Recovery Enhancement (2012),Trauma Made Simple: Competencies in Assessment, Treatment, and Working with Survivors (2014), Dancing Mindfulness: A Creative Path to Healing and Transformation (2015, with foreword by Christine Valters Paintner), and EMDR Therapy and Mindfulness for Trauma Focused Care (2018, with Stephen Dansiger). Her newest book Process Not Perfection: Expressive Arts Solutions for Trauma Recovery released in 2019, heavily influenced by the growth she has experienced through her study with Abbey of the Arts! Kayce holds a Masters in Counseling Psychology with additional emphasis in spiritual direction and experiential learning practices and is a Certified Martha Beck Life Coach. She is the author of As I Lay Pondering: Daily Invitations to Live a Transformed Life and the co-author of “Arts Centered Supervision” published in Awakening the Creative Spirit: Bringing the Expressive Arts to Spiritual Direction. Kayce is a trained SoulCollage® facilitator, a founding member of the Soul Care Institute, and has worked with groups and individuals for more than 30 years in a variety of settings. Lacy Clark Ellman is a writer and spiritual guide based in Seattle, WA. She holds an M.A. in Theology and Culture and a Certificate in Spiritual Direction and was recently recognized as a New Contemplative by Spiritual Directors International. Lacy writes about spirituality and intention in travels and daily life at asacredjourney.net and is the author of Pilgrim Principles: Journeying with Intention in Everyday Life. When she's not writing or guiding others on their journey Lacy enjoys food, books, growing and making things, far off places, and lovely spaces. Melissa Layer, MA honors our unfolding journeys through life’s challenges and transitions as compelling invitations for creative, integrative meaning-making in BodyMindSpirit. Her sacred calling and training as a psychospiritual therapist, hospice grief counselor and interfaith spiritual director have taught her about the potency of the “thin places” in thresholds and dark nights of the soul. Often utilizing expressive arts for curious exploration of the Great Mystery, Melissa offers her compassionate presence and deep listening to individuals and groups. Like the honeybee for which she is named, she claims her role as “a bee of the invisible… passionately plundering the honey of the visible in order to gather it in the great golden hive of the invisible” (Rilke). The evergreen forests of Puget Sound in the Pacific Northwest are her sacred sanctuary. Melissa is available for spiritual direction by Skype, phone, email and also in-person for those living near Olympia, WA. Polly Burns MA UKCP has worked for many years as a psychotherapist and trainer in the field of trauma. Most days she can be found in her Lodge by the Lake, creating art and helping clients to connect to the Divine through art and nature. A member of the Iona Community, Polly was coordinator of their healing ministry for 11 years and when in that role ran regular retreats on the Isle of Iona. With roots in the contemplative and monastic traditions, Polly also draws wisdom from other spiritual paths such as Druidry and Sufism. She is passionate to help those wounded by the institutional church, to restore their image of God and themselves. Richard Bruxvoort Colligan, MA is a Psalmist, spiritual director and freelance musician. He enjoys all manner of projects in theology and the arts. Through his company, Worldmaking.net, he is publishing imaginative and adventurous songs for the ever-evolving church. Raised in the Midwestern United States, he is a husband to Trish and a dad to Sam. Faves: discovery, music, Star Wars, bosc pears, blue, laughter, naps. Stacy Wills is a contemplative artist and spiritual director living in Mississippi. In 2007, she completed Journey Partners, a two year training program in the art of spiritual direction, sponsored by The Center for Ministry, located in Jackson, MS. Her passion is to explore the intersection of creativity and spirituality, and to share what she's discovering with others. She is currently co-facilitator for Way of the Monk, Path of the Artist. She also offers workshops for children and adults using the mandala and other creative methods as tools for self-expression, self-exploration and community building. She has been married to her husband Dan for 32 years, and they three children and four grandchildren.	https://abbeyofthearts.com/about/wisdom-council/
The provider community has been begging for documentation reform for over 20 years, and there is no question that simplifying the complex requirements of clinical documentation is necessary. Unfortunately, the recent release of the proposed changes from CMS surrounding evaluation and management (E/M) is not the answer. The benefits of the modest reduction in documentation requirements are more than offset by the devastating impact the changes will have operationally, clinically, and financially. Hayes' Healthcare Blog Topics: clinical documentation, cms, compliance risk, reporting, Medicare, Coding and Documentation, risk management, Hayes Thought Leadership Blog Series, revenue integrity, Revenue Rules, Regulations, and Reimbursement: Straining Relationships Among Clinicians, Compliance and Revenue Cycle Teams This is the third in a series of four posts discussing how a revenue integrity program can help clinical, compliance and revenue cycle teams join forces to address the increasing challenges of compliance. In our first post, we discussed how a revenue integrity program can be a unifying force in the organization and in the second we explored the growing complexity of physician practices as regulatory demands grow. In our previous post we discussed the increasing regulatory burden on the healthcare industry, and how it spurred the creation of large physician groups who could afford to staff their organizations with compliance teams and revenue cycle departments. Today we’ll look at how these regulatory demands sometimes put these groups at odds, and how a strong revenue integrity program can help bring them together in a new spirit of cooperation. Gentlemen, take your corners The growing oversight by government payers and insurance companies caused a splintering inside healthcare organizations into three groups, each with seemingly different goals and responsibilities: - Physicians. Practicing clinicians were forced to balance the desire to spend quality time with their patients with the need to fulfill documentation demands. - Compliance teams. In an effort to avoid the penalties and reimbursement costs associated with compliance violations, compliance professionals became the "watch dogs" – responsible for monitoring clinicians to make sure they were adhering to the new requirements. - Revenue cycle departments. As clinicians began to “play it safe” and under-code the services they were providing in order to avoid compliance penalties, the revenue streams of their organizations began to suffer. This required establishing another team – the revenue cycle department – to monitor payments to ensure the organization was being properly reimbursed. Increasing pressures cause tension As each group diligently attempted to carry out its mandate, it was inevitable that relationships between them would become strained. For example, when Medicare changed the DRG reporting requirements in 2008, another new group was created – Clinical Documentation Improvement (CDI) – to “support” physicians to tell them how to document their services according to the new requirements. However, many clinicians interpreted this as payers dictating to them how to practice medicine in order to be compliant, causing further frustration. At the same time, revenue cycle teams, who were trying to collect for the services provided, would often become irritated when claims were rejected because of improper coding or insufficient documentation. The shift from fee-for-service to value-based care increased the pressure on all three groups. Because of the additional risks posed by the new requirements, which could result in inadequate reimbursement for services delivered if they didn’t meet certain quality standards, compliance teams now also had to audit clinicians to make sure they were complying with new requirements. They also had to protect the organization from additional penalties for not complying with new mandates. Increasing cost burden The costs associated with the additional resources needed to monitor compliance and protect revenue streams - plus the reduction in the time that physicians could spend with patients - all contributed to a hit on both the top and bottom lines, creating a fiscal nightmare for many healthcare organizations. Over the years the mountain of regulations has taken its toll: suppressing revenue; imposing new controls on clinicians and how they practice medicine; inducing fear of financial penalties for non-compliance; and causing conflict across all three groups instead of bringing them together as collaborators. It doesn’t have to be that way. Focusing the resources and experience of all three groups to provide quality care, to help make the organization profitable, and to remain in compliance can be much more effective approach. In the fourth and final post of the series, we will outline how you can set up a revenue integrity program that will break down silos and get clinicians, compliance groups and revenue cycle teams to work together to reach those common goals. Topics: Revenue Cycle Health, Healthcare Regulatory Compliance, Telehealth From Simple Practices to Physician Conglomerates: The Burdensome Journey of the Practicing Physician This is the second in a series of four posts discussing how a revenue integrity program can help clinical, compliance and revenue cycle teams join forces to address the increasing challenges of compliance. In our first post, we discussed how a revenue integrity program can be a unifying force in the organization. When it comes to medicine, many like to wax poetic over the simpler times of the 1990s. Although we have improved dramatically when it comes to medical advances and quality of care over the past several decades, clinicians sometimes long for a return to certain aspects of those “good old days” when practicing medicine was a much simpler pursuit. Looking back at the evolution of the physician practice over the past quarter century, you can certainly understand that point of view. One thing is clear: the dramatic changes affecting the health care profession since the 1990s have contributed to a growing regulatory monster, which has negatively impacted the relationship between clinicians, compliance and revenue cycle teams.	http://meetings.hayesmanagement.com/blog/archive/2018/08
The European Union has been based on a number of values that are the common identity of their members: respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, solidarity, rule of law. These values give an ethical dimension to the European project. A series of decisions adopted at European level in recent years, in context of immigration crisis, and individual decisions of some Member States, however, call into question those values. Given that fundamental texts for European construction, such as those governing the Schengen area or regulations in the field of asylum, seem not to exist, the question arises to what extent the European Union can be considered the bearer of values which it proclaims. The study aims to highlight the main controversial aspects of the European migration policy from the perspective of ethical considerations, by reference to the values on which the European Union is founded, identifying the prospects as these aspects should be improved as a result of the recent actions taken at the European Union level and the proposals for reform in the course of implementation. Keywords: European Unionrefugee crisismigration policyasylumethical values Introduction The European Union is often invoked as a model of transnational democratic construction in which the member states, learning from their experience of old bloody conflicts, abolished the frontiers between them and established a collaboration based on a series of common “values”, such as respect for human dignity, democracy, the rule of law and human rights. The Union’s motto, “unity in diversity”, reflects a commitment of transnational solidarity, combined with respect for the national differences. If inside the community the goods, services and European citizens move freely, for those coming from outside but (people fleeing war, poverty or instability), the European Union appears rather as a “fortress” (Geddes, 2000; Bendel, 2005) protected by solid legal barriers. Conscious that with the deepening of the freedom of movement within the European area (in particular, within the Schengen area) to create an area without borders for people from all over the world and that counterbalancing the consequences for this response is required at the European level, the Member States have developed a common European approach to asylum and immigration. Originally developed in an intergovernmental framework fully within the framework of the Schengen Convention since 1985, entered into the third pillar of the Maastricht Treaty in 1992, the European policy on asylum and immigration was progressively linked to the European Union law since the Treaty of Amsterdam, currently (according to the Treaty of Lisbon) area of shared competence between the Union and the member states (art. 4 TFEU) keeping the ordinary legislative procedure (art. 77-81 TFEU). This emphasis on securing the external borders, combating clandestine migration, fostering a movement that laid down by law sufficient to meet the needs of the labour force (in particular for certain qualified jobs) and the establishment of a common European asylum system. In spite of the adoption at the European level of a large number of legal texts addressing to the harmonization of rules in relation to the immigration and asylum, the European policy remains under construction, migratory, being still subject to a certain margin of interpretation from the member states wishing to maintain the sovereign control and decide who can enter and reside in their territory. The European structural weaknesses, relating principally to the decision-making process, made it impossible to reconcile the views of those 28 countries and the development of a genuine common policy responding to a realistic manner for the needs of protection of people who are trying to take refuge in the European territory. Problem Statement The context of the past few years, marked, on the one hand, an unprecedented increase in the arrival of people fleeing war, instability and poverty in the European territory, and on the other hand, a certain strain at the European level and a fragility of social, economic and political, made all the more difficult consensus among the Member States on a common migration policy. Much of the European instruments of harmonization of rules in the field of asylum and immigration proved functional in the new context, each State having to deal with the challenges of the influx of migrants and refugees in a way. Under the pressure of national opinion increasingly dominated by nationalist feelings and ethnocentric, who see immigration as a threat to their own companies and welfare, the control of migration flows and the fight against the clandestine immigration were considered major priorities, while the principle of the protection of refugees appears rather marginal. From fear of losing ground in the face of nationalist movements and xenophobe, much of the national political leaders yielded to the pressures of these movements, accepting by default as the political agenda and the values to be fixed by them. Against this backdrop, although almost every document of the European Union’s migration and asylum referred to fair procedures for humanitarian values and solidarity, the size of the migration policy of the European ethics was tempered by the popular anti-immigration realities, pressures and intergovernmental negotiations. While the values are at the basis of the European construction advocates humanism, mutual aid and solidarity, the European Union and its members approach appears rather as one of isolation, in which refugees and migrants are seen as “harmful elements” destabilizing, to be treated as such. As a result, instead of having to make common front around humanitarian purposes, to cooperate in programs for relocation or common procedures to adopt fair, the European Union members have agreed on measures to restrict migration into the EU aimed at strengthening border control, tightening asylum rules and transfer the responsibility for the protection of the asylum seekers beyond its borders. The results of this approach is the dilution of the responsibilities between the Member States, increasing the risk of the persons’ return to such places where life or freedom is at risk, subjecting applicants for protection of irregular proceedings and the erosion of their rights. Towards the criticism from the international institutions, the human rights organizations, the academia or the civil society, the European Union has adopted in the past two years a number of documents, starting with the European Agenda concerning migration (European Commission, 2015), and continuing with a series of measures taken to implement it, through which, by identifying the need for new approaches to the problem of migration, which have a more pronounced European character, proposes a series of reforms of the European migration policy through which it becomes more efficient, equitable, and humane. Research Questions The paper is considering highlighting the main problematic issues of the European migration policy from the perspective of ethical considerations, by reference to the values on which the European Union is founded, identifying the prospects as these aspects should be improved as a result of the recent actions taken at the European Union level and the proposals for reform in the course of implementation. Purpose of the Study The study proposes an approach which is both legal and ethical from perspectives on issues of migration considerations at the European Union level, contributing to the literature that claims that the two approaches are not mutually exclusive. It tries to suggest that an excessive focus on limiting migration and mechanisms implemented to achieve this target are likely to contradict the values on which the Union is based. Research Methods The work represents a theoretical research into the essential provisions which are considered international and the European law that regulates the issue of migration, as well as the literature addressing this problematic regarding not only legal terms, but also ethical ones. Based on these problematic issues are identified in terms of the migration policy of the European ethics and it is evaluated the potential of the modifications of this policy to transform it into one more equitable and humane. Findings Elements of the European Community Migration Policy’ Critics from the Perspective of the Ethical Considerations a) The Criminalization of the Irregular Migration One of the central objectives of the European policy on migration is, in accordance with the article 79 of the Treaty on the functioning of the European Union (TFEU), preventing the “illegal immigration”. The “illegal migrants” or “clandestine” are those persons entering the EU territory without the necessary authorization or in possession of a visa or residence which exceeds the period provided for by the visa. Considered a priority in all European strategies relating to migration, the fight against clandestine migration is backed by an arsenal of legal instruments aimed at discouraging irregular migration, expulsion and repatriation of persons in irregular situation is residence and checking at the external borders of the Union. As a deterrent, measures have been adopted in the directive on sanctions against transporters (Directive 2001/51/EC), which provides for sanctions against those carrying undocumented migrants in the EU and the Directive regarding the facilitation (Directive 2002/90/EC) defines the unauthorized entry, transit and residence and provides sanctions against those who facilitate such violations. The private sector is also involved in controlling migration, the Directive on penalties to employers (the Directive 2009/52/EC) prohibiting the employment of the third-country nationals who do not have the right to reside in the EU. The border control is based on the existence of the European Agency for the management of the Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States of the European Union (Frontex) and harmonization of legal, technical and border control instruments. Assuming the appeal to the sophisticated technologies (biometrics), they eventually approve the existence of databases for the recording and monitoring of migrants, such as the Schengen Information System (SIS II), Visa Information System (VIS) and the Central European System of Automatic Fingerprint Identification (CESAFI). Also, to balance the financial burdens between the Member States relating to the control of the external borders, bearing in mind that not all of them have external borders that need to control them and are not equally affected by flows of traffic at the border, having been created a number of funds (the Fund for the external borders, replaced for the period 2014-2020 with Homeland Security Fund: Borders and Visas) benefiting from a major financial allocations (almost 2 billion euros for the period 2007-2013, and nearly 4 billion euros for the period 2014-2020). As regarding the expulsion and repatriation of persons residing illegally in the state of residence, it is based on the return Directive (Directive 2008/115/EC) and the conclusion of readmission agreements or to develop the cooperative projects for the control of migration with the countries of origin and transit. The return directive establishes common rules and procedures applicable in the Member States for their removal from its territory of nationals of third countries which are in a situation of illegal residence. The procedure starts with a return decision, followed by a voluntary return and, if this does not occur, by forced removal measures. In addition, the directive provides for the possibility of a ban on new entries into the EU for a term which may extend to five years. In terms of ethics, the principle itself of controlling the migration and the fight against irregular migration can be considered problematic, as the proponents of freedom of circulation rate (Pécoud & De Guchteneire, 2009), for it comes in contradiction with art. 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which proclaims the right of any person to circulate freely and to choose residence within a State’s borders and the right of anyone to leave any country, including his own, and return to his country. At least in the present context, when the official discourse focuses on the need for strict surveillance at borders, the principle of free movement that seem illusive at the European Union level. Although the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights enshrines the right to free movement, and its collapse can occur for specific grounds (public health, public safety, public order), the member states shall be attached to sovereignty approach, citing a “right of exclusion” (Schotel, 2012) concerning the “normal migrants” (those people who made the decision to emigrate freely, without intervention of an external binding factor) in the European speech, are known as “economic migrants”, which allow them to refuse admission to their territory. At the same time, concerning the refugees (persons fleeing persecution, conflict or war) and seeking asylum in the EU, the problem remains open in principle. The member states are obliged, pursuant to the Geneva Convention of 1951 relating to the status of refugees, to which all are the contracting parties and to which the EU treaties make reference (art. 78 TFEU; art. 18 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights), to provide protection and to ensure the compliance with the principle of non-refoulement, according to which a person cannot be returned in a country where there is a serious risk of being subjected to the death penalty, torture or other inhuman or degrading treatments. However, various strategies and measures implemented to limit the arrival of migrants and restrictive way in which the member states interpret the legal foundations of the right to asylum had the effect of subjecting persons who are in need of international protection and have serious risks of being deprived of that right. Thus, on the one hand, in the face of the difficulties of obtaining visas for the member states, the majority of people in need of international protection arrive in Europe without having travel documents. Although the international law rules forbid states to make the entry into their territory of asylum seekers on the possession of such documents, many member states ignore this rule and are treating the persons concerned as clandestine migrants/illegal. Beyond the fact that this practice has as a consequence, stigma, dehumanization of refugees by condemning them to a condition of illegality, which negates the minimum social rights (to medical care or education), the living in conditions that are very far removed from the principle of the protection of the dignity of the human being (Council of Europe, 2015), it involves subjecting such persons of various measures of repression against illegal migration in which the fundamental rights are likely also to be violated. In European idea, the irregular migration is reckoned as a matter of internal security, representing a threat to public and social order, being associated with criminogenic attributes. The highlight of this criminality is the detention of migrants, although aimed at people who have not committed any “crime”, has a criminal meaning and is widely used by Member States. Such a practice is permitted by the directive on the return as a last resort for the expulsion of a person (including minors) against which was taken a measure of return, where it is likely to evade or does not cooperate, the duration of the detention can reach up to 18 months. According to the Court of Justice of the European Union, the directive does not preclude to any national rule which describe the illegal stay of a third-country national law offence and provides for criminal penalties, including imprisonment or that of preventive arrest in order to establish legal or illegal character of the stay (CJEU, 2011). The Agency for the Fundamental Rights (FRA) has looked into several occasions the member states’ practices in this respect, reaching the conclusion that there are reasonable arguments that they are not fully in conformity with the standards of the Fundamental Rights of the Union. A study given to publicity in 2014 (FRA, 2014) notes that most member states punish by imprisonment and/or fine the irregular migration. This pulls the alarm in the sense that there is a risk that migrants should be placed in detention and in other situations than those permitted under the directive on the return (before they take a decision against their return). There are also highlighted the practices of the states that, contrary to the Directive regarding the facilitation (Directive 2002/90/EC), criminalizes not only the migrants in case of irregular entry or residence, but also those who help them in their capacity as providers of legal or humanitarian assistance or to help those migrants who are in difficulty at sea, these humanitarian gestures often penalized by arrests or prosecutions. Or, the judicial fact that a state encourages the public to reports the illegal migrants to the immigration authorities determined the migrants to seek refuge in undercover, depriving them of access to public services and making them more vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. b) “Outsourcing” the European Migration Policy The European Union treats migration and asylum as a global problem and a security issue that requires a response together with foreign partners. This approach, which combines aspects of its internal policy and the external form of readmission agreements and cooperation projects for the migration control. The result of this approach represents an “outsourcing” of European migration policy, under which the responsibility for the reception of migrants is transferred to third States, and it is entrusted to States which are not part of the Union, a part of its external border security. The readmission agreements, by which non-member states undertake to readmit their own nationals, no national or of third states on their territory with stateless, were negotiated and concluded by the EU member states or at EU level since the 1990s, initially with the applicant states of the Central and Eastern Europe, and subsequently with partners more removed. They allow the application of accelerated procedure concerning the return of illegal migrants and asylum seekers whose applications have been rejected, but can also point the asylum seekers whose applications have not been analyzed. Agreements have been concluded with the regime in Balkans, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Macao, Sri Lanka, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Cape Verde and opened negotiations with other countries, such as Morocco, Algeria and China. In some cases, negotiated within the framework of trade agreements and cooperation (in the form of “mobility partnerships”), the readmission agreements have both an element of coercion and incentives for those States which accept the readmission, consisting of aid for development or facilities for visas. A more recent approach to the European Union, which translates its willingness to intervene as far as possible on the European borders to prevent the maximum access of migrants to the territory of the Member States, is the development of the regional protection programs, whereby EU grants technical assistance and financial support to the states of a given region (Eastern Europe, North Africa, The Horn of Africa) to develop their capacity to better manage migration, including strengthening the capacity to protect refugees. Although this Union action is depicted as having an ethical dimension, this dimension can be seriously questioned as long as most of the assistance provided is focused on controlling migration, through investment in the infrastructures of the frontier control of those States. In addition, the developed countries that does not Excel in terms of the protection of human rights, regional protection programs do not ensure an adequate level of protection of refugees from those regions. On the same level there are the cooperative programs between the EU and the third countries such as Libya, Morocco or Egypt, which involve joint actions of the Union (via Frontex) and of the third states to detect the movements of people and to discourage migrants to embark on journeys to the EU member states. The European Union’s approach to involve increasingly more third states in controlling the migration and to transfer beyond the jurisdiction of the Union the task of the protection of refugees, which comes in large part to address the weaknesses of the intra-European solidarity has been the subject of numerous criticisms (Zapata-Barrero, 2013; Den Hertog, 2013). These aims, on the one hand, the asymmetry of the relationship between the Union and third States, that there is no balance of power, being therefore one unilateral. We are speaking, for example, of readmission agreements, although the readmission obligation is a bilateral one, it is unlikely that an EU member state to be in a position to take back an illegal immigrant from a third country. At the same time, instead of focusing on the root causes of migration, the European policy focuses almost exclusively on controlling migration as far away from the borders of the Union, thus neglecting its responsibility towards the third countries. The EU has too little in view of the needs of the states origin or the transit of migrants, in fact, binding countries that already suffer from inequality and lack of infrastructure to take back migrants or refugees in exchange for the development aid. Those countries should bear the financial burdens related to readmission, while much of the development aid granted are used for controlling the borders, as in the case of failure the aid may be suspended. In addition, although the promotion of the legal migration is included in agreements with the third countries, and in fact the EU labor market only supports qualified migrants, which proves once again that it has exclusive interests. The most important criticism is aimed at “double standard” that uses Union with regard to the protection of the fundamental rights (Dover, 2008). Intending to promote the rule of law and to protect the fundamental rights, the EU does in fact this only in relation to their own nationals, neglecting the citizens of other states. From this point of view, the cooperation with the third states is not based on common standards and guarantees between the parties, and, the human rights are not a criterion for the selection of states that are concluded with the readmission agreements or the regional protection programs. The conclusion of such agreements with countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka or Libya, where persecution for religious reasons, political or ethnic origin are well-known, being seriously jeopardized the lives of migrants returned to those countries, clearly shows the concern of the Union for the Protection of the Human Rights (Rodier, 2006). The doctrine (Zapata-Barrero and Pécoud, 2012) highlights the fact that, at a more general level, the way in which the European Union tackles the problem of migration contribute to a transformation of international relations, which is no longer based on trade or defense, but on the movement of people. Beyond the fact that it represents a new approach, transforming the movement of persons into a geopolitical problem and international cooperation and focusing on limiting its strong ethical implications worldwide, perpetuating inequalities. Its result is the decrease in the human rights, especially those of the refugees under international standards. c) Unfair and Discriminatory Asylum Proceedings Common European Asylum System (SECA) is based primarily on the Dublin Regulation adopted in 1990 and revised several times, the last time in the year 2013 (Council Regulation (EU) no 604/2013), according to which an application for asylum lodged by a third-country national or a stateless person shall be examined by a single member state, which is the first member state in which the person concerned entered (except where they have family in another country). The asylum procedures directive (Directive 2013/32/EU) lays down rules as regards the examination of asylum applications. The European rules apply but only to people who can get on the territory of a Member State, at the border or in a transit zone. To discourage the phenomenon called “asylum shopping”, when an asylum seeker lodges applications for asylum in several European countries to increase their chances of receiving protection, Dublin Regulation prohibits multiple applications, including the case of waiting too long for processing the request, denial or even personal preferences. Beyond that it raises an ethical issue related to the free movement of persons, the regulation presents a series of dysfunctionalities which limits the opportunities for them to represent a viable solution for the protection of the persons in need. On the one hand, it allows the exercise of excessive pressures on the asylum systems of the Member States which have borders with other States outside the European Union, while the number of applications to be reviewed by the EC countries of Central Europe is infinitely lower. Although it was established a mechanism for the allocation of responsibilities concerning the examination of applications for asylum, which involved input from the States, the States responsible for processing the application, for asylum requests, for the transfer of responsibility between Member States is done after a certain period of time, and after a review of the application. The administrative systems of the frontline states are further overburdened, which leads to non-compliance with EU rules establishing a maximum duration for processing the requests. It appears all the more problematic as the duration of the application of the procedures of return or transfer to other member states, the asylum seekers are waiting in detention the completion of the procedures, thus being separated from family. As it was found in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR, 2011), the asylum seekers often have to endure conditions of receiving under the minimum standards imposed by the EU, in which their fundamental rights and dignity are affected. A second important critique of the Dublin system is that, although it is based on the premise that the existence of harmonized rules at European level allows asylum seekers to enjoy similar levels of protection in all EU Member States, the reality is another. The many delays in the implementation of European legislation (in particular the Council Directive 2013/32/EU asylum procedures and the Directive 2013/33/EU relating to reception conditions) and different interpretation of the European rules in this area makes the national law and practice in matters of asylum differ considerably from state to state, which lead to different treatments of the asylum seekers at both the procedure and at the level of reception conditions for asylum applicants, making the discriminatory situations. Recent Developments. Towards a more Ethical and Fairer European Migratory Policy? After presenting the European Agenda concerning migration, in May 2015, numerous measures have been adopted for its implementation, some of which were intended for resolving urgent issues related to the massive flow of refugees and migrants, while others are considering reforming for the European migration policy instruments to enable it to better manage migration on the medium and long term. Although in the case of both categories of measures are often invoked humanitarian considerations (saving lives), the concern for the protection of the fundamental rights, the conditions of a worthy reception or the solidarity between the member states and with third countries, it may find that these considerations were rather intended to justify the initiation of more restrictive policies and measures strengthened surveillance at the external borders. In contradiction with the rules and the values of the Union, the measures taken recently exacerbating the negative immigration approach, perceiving it as a threat that requires enhanced control measures. Although maintaining this general philosophy of the European migration policy is itself criticized, some of the measures taken involve a higher dose of concern, given the potential which blatantly contradicts the European values and affect the rights and dignity of the migrant persons. First, it is about the complex recent measures taken to stop the refugee arrivals, some of which are contrary to the international law, which are providing the criticism that the assistance to persons in danger is not a priority for the EU. Between them, the transformation of Frontex, renamed “The European Agency for the Border Police and the Coast Guard”, in the “watchdog” of Europe is among the most criticizing. Its mandate has been strengthened, with a considerable increase in its human and financial resources, a role reinforced in return operations. The Agency has a “right to intervene” where a Member State does not cope with the pressure of migration and has a greater degree of autonomy and can organize operations or carry out exchange of information with a growing number of third countries, some of which have great inadequacies in respect for the human rights, and this without any form of democratic control. The Agency has the opportunity to move quickly at the external borders of the Union and to ban the path of those who try to cross them (which only increase precautionary travel), and, in spite of the principle of non-refoulement, may disembark the persons it intercepts, in a port designated as “safe”, including non-European States. The migrants are thus forced to seek asylum in countries that do not provide sufficient guarantees for the protection of their rights. The multiplication and modernization for the monitoring of the movements of persons, such as EUROSUR program or the package on “Smart borders” that come to fill the reinforcement of the Frontex role, aside from the fact that they are attempting to certain fundamental rights (right to privacy or data protection), to demonstrate the transformation of Europe into a fortress. In fact, an e-Fortress (Mészáros, 2012) guarded with the secure invisible fences of the most sophisticated technologies, to implement them the colossal sums are mobilized. Another criticizing direction of action which brings an additional degree of stigmatization of migrants, affecting their dignity, is excessive focus on detention and deportation in relation to the measures for increasing the effectiveness of the return policy. Administrative detention, which should be possible only in exceptional circumstances, becomes the rule, and emphasis, and it is placed on increasing “performance” mechanisms in the field, through the substantial increase in the financial resources made available. The transformation mechanisms intended to facilitate the receiving of migrants (the so-called “access points” or hotspots) in detention centers is a development direction of confirming this action. For example, although they are regarded by the human rights organizations as places where migrants live in conditions of degrading, even cruel, become hotspots, according to a law adopted recently by Greece (Law nr. 4375/2016), locations in which they will be considered asylum seekers during the asylum procedure. At the same time, according to a communication from the European Commission (European Commission, 2016), although originally intended for registration and displayed for quick transfer of migrants before their hotspots to the continent, will have to be reconfigured to become mechanisms for “accelerated readmission procedures to migrants in irregular situation”, in other words, transitional places intended for sending migrants outside European borders. The nationality of the applicant for international protection is the basis for assessing the primary legitimacy of a claim of protection, taking into account a “rapid refund” for migrants who do not have the appropriate nationality (only those coming from Syria, Iraq and Eritrea are deemed to have clearly in need of international protection). Such an approach is difficult to accept because they do not distinguish between individual cases and can have negative consequences on the family unit, many of those who may be the subject of return of having family members already present in other member states. At least as controversial, representing a serious challenge to the basic principles of the international law of the refugees, the state of law and the democratic accountability of the Union, is the conclusion of the agreement between the EU and Turkey, from March 2016. Viewed as a solution to reduce migration flows towards Greece, this agreement is considered to be devoid of morality, ethics, discriminatory, threatening to jeopardize the rights of refugees. By virtue of this agreement, all new migrants in irregular situation which, as of March 20, 2016, the frontier from Turkey to the Greek Islands will be returned in Turkey. Also, instead of each immigrant received by Turkey, the EU will accept a Syrian refugee. The criticisms formulated by the international organizations (Council of Europe, 2016) and numerous observers to this agreement mainly aimed at the fact that the returns object may be Turkey and migrants who are potentially eligible for obtaining asylum (people in real danger in their home states) and Turkey cannot be considered a “safe” third country in terms of access to the asylum procedure, nor in respect of the protection granted. In conditions in which the fundamental rights in this state have not ceased to degrade, there are serious risks of deportation of such persons by their country of origin (for example, Syria or Afghanistan), where life is put into danger. The rule of receiving by the EU of a Syrian refugee (excluding Syrians not covered by the agreement, and migrants who come from other areas of conflict) in exchange for another returned to Turkey, though presented as a means of promoting legal access to the asylum, is immoral, because it assumes that the number of refugees who could be accepted by the EU depends on the number of refugees prepared to risk the life of other routes to reach the borders of the EU. At the same time, focusing solely on the Syrians, they induce the idea they deserve better treatment in relation to migrants who come from other areas of conflict, and thus contrary to the principle of non-discrimination on grounds of nationality enshrined in the European Law and guaranteed by article 3 of the Geneva Convention relating to the status of refugees. Conclusion A significant number of scientific studies (Schotel, 2012; Carens, 2013; Rochel, 2016) reveals the need for a moral approach to immigration, which derives from the existence of the fundamental moral principles that should govern the practices of limiting immigration and to shape immigration policies of democratic nations. These studies highlight, however, the difficulties encountered in the pursuit of such an approach, the difficulties arising different perspectives on this subject posed, making a distinction between an ideal world in which borders are open, and the discretionary control over immigration becomes incompatible with fundamental democratic principles, and one that is framed by the political constraints of the contemporary world. It is obvious that today the European Union is facing major challenges related to the large number of people who want to come to Europe, faced the challenge of existing instruments for action to be misfit. In fact, a part of the doctrine (Schotel, 2012) supports the idea of the lack of need of a common migration policy because it detracts from what is being done or could be done at the regional and national level and dilutes responsibility. Without intending to put into question the political virtues of the European Union in matters of asylum and migration or need for it, we tried out the above interpretation of some of the recent actions undertaken at the European level in this field in terms of the values on which the European Union is built, to see that it manifested as a power too. While values are at the basis of the European construction calls for respect for the dignity of the human being, freedom, equality, solidarity, democracy and the rule of law, the European Union and its members appear rather as one of isolation, in which refugees and migrants are seen as “harmful elements” destabilizing, to be treated as such. As a result, instead of having to make common front around the humanitarian purposes, to cooperate in programs for relocation or to adopt common fair procedures, the European Union members have agreed on measures to restrict migration into the EU aimed at strengthening border control, tightening asylum rules and transfer the responsibility for the protection of asylum seekers beyond its borders. Some of the measures adopted recently emphasizes negative immigration approach, perceiving it as a threat that requires enhanced control measures. The fact that today almost 70% of the world’s refugees are kept from developing the states argues for a greater involvement of the member states in ensuring the protection of those in need, not to confirm the scenario of Europe as a “Fort”, which would be very dangerous for both the normative tradition and European humanitarian and human rights values (Neisser, 2007). Instead of the extremely expensive projects, the European Union should equip themselves with a coherent and ambitious policy based on solidarity between the member states, on measures to facilitate the legal migration, solid partnerships with the third countries and the provision of support for economically significant countries of origin. This policy should, first of all, bear in mind the care to preserve the dignity of persons seeking protection in the EU and not violating it. References - Bendel, P. (2005). Immigration Policy in the European Union: Still bringing up the walls for fortress Europe? Migration Letters, 2(1), pp. 20-31. - Carens, J. H. (2013). The Ethics of Immigration. Oxford: Oxford University Press. - CJEU (2011). Judgment of 6 December 2011 in case C-329/11, Alexandre Achughbabian/Préfet du Val-de-Marne. EU:C:2011:807. - Council of Europe (2015). Criminalisation of irregular migrants: a crime without a victim. Parliamentary Assembly. Resolution 2059 (2015). - Council of Europe (2016). The situation of refugees and migrants under the EU-Turkey Agreement of 18 March 2016. Parliamentary Assembly, Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons, Doc. 14028. - Den Hertog, L. (2013). Fundamental Rights and the Extraterritorialization of EU Border Policy: A Contradition in Terms? In: D. Bigo, E. Build, & S. Carrera (Eds.), Foreigners, Refugees or Minorities? Rethinking People in the Context of Border Controls and Visas (pp. 205-226). Farnham: Ashgate. - Dover, R. (2008). Towards a Common EU Immigration Policy: a Securitization Too Far. European Integration. vol. 30 (1). 113-130. - ECHR (2011). Case of M.S.S. v. Belgium and Greece. Application no. 30696/09. Judgment of 21 January 2011. - European Commission (2015). Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions - A european agenda on migration. Brussels: COM(2015) 240 final. - European Commission (2016). Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the European Council and the Council - Next Operational Steps in EU-Turkey Cooperation in the Field of Migration. Brussels: COM(2016) 166 final. - European Union: Council of the European Union, Council Directive 2001/51/EC of 28 June 2001 Supplementing the Provisions of Article 26 of the Convention Implementing the Schengen Agreement of 14 June 1985, 9 August 2001, Official Journal of the European Union, L 187/45, 10 July 2001. - European Union: Council of the European Union, Council Directive 2002/90/EC of 28 November 2002 Defining the Facilitation of Unauthorised Entry, Transit and Residence, 28 November 2002. - European Union: Council of the European Union, Directive 2008/115/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 on common standards and procedures in Member States for returning illegally staying third-country nationals, 16 December 2008, OJ L. 348/98-348/107; 16.12.2008, 2008/115/EC. - European Union, Directive 2009/52/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 June 2009 providing for minimum standards on sanctions and measures against employers of illegally staying third-country nationals, 18 June 2009, 2009/52/EC. - European Union: Council of the European Union, Regulation (EU) No 604/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 June 2013 establishing the criteria and mechanisms for determining the Member State responsible for examining an application for international protection lodged in one of the Member States by a third-country national or a stateless person (recast), 29 June 2013, OJ L. 180/31-180/59; 29.6.2013, (EU)No 604/2013. - Geddes, A. (2000). Immigration and European Integration: Towards Fortress Europe? Manchester: Manchester University Press. - Greece: Law No. 4375 of 2016 on the organization and operation of the Asylum Service, the Appeals Authority, the Reception and Identification Service, the establishment of the General Secretariat for Reception, the transposition into Greek legislation of the provisions of Directive 2013/32/EC [Greece], 3 April 2016. - Mészáros. E. L. (2012). Quo Vadis’ United Europe: An E-Fortress in Becoming or the Promise Land ”Eldorado”. Annals of University of Oradea, International Relations and European Studies Series. TOM IV, pp. 173-192. - Neisser, H. (2007). European Migration Policy. In B. Gebrewold (ed.), Africa and Fortress Europe: Threats and Opportunities, Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing Limited. - Pécoud, A. & De Guchteneire, P. (2009). Migrations sans frontières: essais sur la libre circulation des personnes. Paris: Éditions UNESCO, Collection Études en sciences sociales. - Rochel, J. (2016). Repenser l'immigration. Une boussole éthique. Lausanne: Presses polytechniques et universitaires romandes. - Rodier, C. (2006). Analysis of the external dimension of the EU’s asylum and immigration policies - summary and recommendations for the European Parliament. The European Parliament, Policy Department. - Schotel, B. (2012). On the Right of Exclusion: Law, Ethics and Immigration Policy. Oxford and New York: Routledge. - Union Agency for Fundamental Rights - FRA (2014). Report - Criminalisation of migrants in an irregular situation and of persons engaging with them. Retrieved from http://fra.europa.eu/en/publication/2014/criminalisation-migrants-irregular-situation-and-persons-engaging-them - Zapata-Barrero, R. (2013). The External Dimension of Migration Policy in the Mediterranean Region: Premises for a Normative Debate. Revista del Instituto Español de Estudios Estratétigos, 2, pp. 1-35. - Zapata-Barrero, R. & Pécoud, A. (2012). New perspectives on the Ethics of International Migration, special issue of American Behavioral Scientist, 56(9), pp. 1159-1164. Copyright information This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. About this article Publication Date 18 December 2019 Article Doi eBook ISBN 978-1-80296-026-6 Publisher Future Academy Volume 27 Print ISBN (optional) - Edition Number 1st Edition Pages 1-893 Subjects Teacher training, teaching, teaching skills, teaching techniques,moral purpose of education, social purpose of education, counselling psychology Cite this article as:	https://www.europeanproceedings.com/article/10.15405/epsbs.2017.07.03.47
Workplace wellness programmes are no longer considered to be an expensive extravagance. There are a growing number of companies who recognise that investing in their employees’ wellbeing can help reduce stress, reduce sickness absenteeism, promote staff retention and enhance creativity. The British Academy of Sound Therapy approach to therapeutic sound baths has been researched and proven to be more deeply relaxing than other relaxation methods. By using percussion instruments and our voices in a particular sequence, the stress hormone cortisone is reduced, brainwave activity calms to levels experienced in deep relaxation (optimal for learning and creativity) and the body gets a chance to experience rest and cellular regeneration. We’ve worked with office workers in their lunch breaks or after office hours and the feedback we’ve received consistently is that staff feel more deeply relaxed, energised and motivated.	https://www.bardsofavalon.com/wellbeing-at-work
Oxidative stress is known to play an important role in the response of brain to traumatic insults. We tested the hypothesis that increased extracellular superoxide dismutase (EC-SOD) expression can reduce injury in a mouse model of closed head injury. Neurologic, cognitive, and histologic outcomes were compared between transgenic mice exhibiting a fivefold increase in EC-SOD activity and wild-type littermate controls. Severe or moderate transcranial impact was induced in anesthetized and physiologically controlled animals. After severe impact, transgenic mice had better neurological outcome at 24 hr postinjury (p = 0.038). Brain water content was increased, but there was no difference between groups. Moderate impact resulted in predominantly mild neurologic deficits in both groups at both 24 hr and 14 days postinjury. Morris water maze performance, testing cognitive function at 14-17 days after trauma, was better in EC-SOD overexpressors (p = 0.018). No differences were observed between groups for histologic damage in hippocampal CA1 and CA3. We conclude that EC-SOD has a beneficial effect on behavioral outcome after both severe and moderate closed head injury in mice. Because EC-SOD is believed to be predominantly located in the extracellular space, these data implicate an adverse effect of extracellular superoxide anion on outcome from closed head injury.	https://scholars.duke.edu/display/pub715374
COVID-19 is a rapidly evolving situation. Many countries have introduced measures that significantly affect how we live, work, and travel. As the Canadian weather turns bitterly cold and with the holiday season in full swing, Canadians more than ever want to hop on a plane somewhere warm or to visit loved ones. Many Canadians are now wondering; is it safe to travel, can we even travel, and what happens when we get home? It is no surprise that our typical concerns over safety in travel have shifted in 2020. We are less concerned whether it is safe to travel alone or not to some “unsafe” destination, and fully aware and anxious over mask-wearing, social distancing and hygiene practices on a plane. But now as our priorities in travel change with the time of year, it is inevitable to start wondering about the next steps, and if we can safely leave our homes and travel and how to come back to our lives using the right precautions. Topics of Discussion: Is it safe to travel outside of Canada? If you are planning a trip to visit a family member, take a dip in the sea or even travel abroad for work, please note that Canadians are currently allowed to fly to destinations around the world, but be aware of what is expected of you when your enter another country you could face a few extra challenges, such as: When it comes to international travel, different places around the world will have their own rules and safety measures when it comes to regulating the spread of COVID-19 and you will be required to comply with their safety protocols upon entering. Is it safe to travel by plane? When people think of catching COVID-19 while they travel, a plane trip where travellers cannot significantly physically distance is one of the major travel and safety concerns. Other things like the airflow on airplanes and the cleanliness of our tray tables are of utmost concern during these times. While there are risks associated with flying due to the coronavirus, it may be safer than you think. For starters, the air quality on a commercial airliner is actually quite high, with the air volume in the cabin is completely refreshed every two to four minutes. Air flows into the cabin vertically — it enters from overhead vents and is sent downward in a circular motion, exiting at floor level. Once air leaves the cabin, about half is dumped outside, and the rest is sent through HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filters, similar to those used in hospitals, before being mixed with fresh outside air and entering the cabin again. Early in the coronavirus pandemic, a man flew from Wuhan to Toronto with a dry cough and subsequently tested positive for COVID-19. He wore a mask during the flight, and no other passengers were infected. As for social distancing, most airlines are blocking the middle seat, which makes it safer to travel. That is why prior to taking a trip and flying, it would be best to do proper research and fly only with those airlines blocking the middle seat. Always check with the airlines you are thinking of travelling with and read up on their updated health and safety standards, this way you will be prepared. Health and safety tips for travel during COVID Whether it is walking around in your neighbourhood or on a resort week trip to your favourite island in the Caribbean, it is always important to take the necessary health and safety measures wherever you are going. Follow all the rules. If the country you are visiting has specific rules and regulations regarding COVID-19, respect and follow them. The safety precautions in destinations are going to be clear and easy to understand, just make sure to pay attention to the signs and notices placed in public areas. If you have any uncertainties regarding rules and regulations, do your research prior and ask questions when you arrive at your destination. The most important thing is that you know what they are and adhere to them. What will happen when I come back to Canada from abroad? The Government of Canada is still advising against non-essential travel outside Canada, but if you have been living abroad, or you had to travel for essential reasons you may be wondering what will happen when you arrive back in Canada. You must keep in mind that the COVID-19 pandemic situation is changing constantly, and the Canadian government is responding swiftly so it is best to check official sources before making decisions about travel and how it can affect you when you get back to Canada. This includes federal as well as provincial and territorial public health authorities. Below are measures that may be expected of you once you enter Canada, starting at the airport, and when you arrive at your home: For the latest updates, look to The Government of Canada’s advice for returning travellers.	https://www.mhcaremedical.com/post/can-canadians-travel-safely-what-precautions-they-should-take-when-arriving-back-to-canada-during-covid-19
Tennis Star Novak Djokovic Records and Bio Novak Djokovic born 22 May 1987 is a Serbian professional tennis player. He is currently ranked as world No. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). Djokovic has been No. 1 for an all-time record total of 346 weeks, and has finished as ATP Year-End No. 1 on a record seven occasions. Novak Djokovic has won three Grand Slams in 2021 and has now won 31 of his last 34 matches. The Serbian went close to winning all four Grand Slams, his quest ending in the US Open final where he lost against Daniil Medvedev. The World No.1 took some time off before returning to action in Paris. He beat Marton Fucsovics 6-2 4-6 6-3, had a walkover against Gael Monfils before beating Taylor Fritz 6-4 6-3. Djokovic beat Hubert Hurkacz 3-6 6-0 7-6 in the semi-finals, winning 62% of his 2nd serves. - Nationality: Serbia - Age: 34 (22 May 1987) - Height: 6’2″ (188 cm) - Plays: Right-Handed - World Ranking: 1 - Career High: 1 (July 2011) - Career Singles Titles: 85 - 2021 Singles Titles: 4 Djokovic vs Nadal Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have met 58 times, including in all four Grand Slam finals, an Open-Era record for head-to-head meetings between male players, and Djokovic leads 30–28. Djokovic leads on hard courts 20–7, while Nadal leads on clay 19–8, and they are tied on grass 2–2. They have played a joint-record 17 Grand Slam matches (tied with Djokovic–Federer) and a joint-record nine Grand Slam tournament finals (tied with Federer–Nadal). Djokovic is the first player to have at least ten match wins against Nadal and the only person to defeat Nadal seven times consecutively (which he did twice). The two share the record for the longest Grand Slam final match ever played (5 hours and 53 minutes), at the 2012 Australian Open final. In the 2011 Wimbledon final, Djokovic won in four sets, which was his first victory over Nadal in a Major. Djokovic also defeated Nadal in the 2011 US Open Final to capture his third major title of the year and fourth overall. By beating Nadal, Djokovic became the second player to defeat Nadal in more than one Grand Slam final (the other being Federer), and the first player to beat Nadal in a Slam final on a surface other than grass. In 2012, Djokovic defeated Nadal in the Australian Open final which made Nadal the first male player to lose in three consecutive Grand Slam finals. At the 2012 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters in April, Nadal finally beat Djokovic for the first time since November 2010. They had met in seven finals from January 2011 to January 2012, all of which Djokovic won. Nadal again defeated Djokovic in the final of the Rome Masters tournament. Djokovic vs Medvedev Though Djokovic is in the number 1 position in the world ranking Medvedev is extremely good in some techniques. His methods of playing are really worth praising. In the last match ofí Medvedev, he performed very nicely. Only in 80 minutes did he scores a 6-2 and win that match. On the other hand, Djokovic ensured the number 1 position by defeating Hubert Hurkacz in the semifinals. That was a tough win by Djokovic. And on some p,o,ints Medvedev is quite better than Djokovic. Daniil Medvedev has exhibited on various events that he has the methods to down the opposite one with much power and aggression. So, it is highly predicted that Medvedev may win this tournament.	https://wnu365.com/tennis-star-novak-djokovic-records-and-bio/
Local Experts to Offer Services Through New Non-Profit Under its charter, SBTAC (pronounced ‘S-B-tac’) will provide these services to other organizations that participate in or make use of emergency services in Santa Barbara County. Such organizations include non-profits, schools, and associations, including homeowners associations. Co-founder Bill Talanian sums it up this way, “SBTAC is an organization made up of people within Santa Barbara County who have unique and highly sought-after skills in various areas of telecommunications. All of those serving as SBTAC members give their time freely to assist other organizations that do not have telecommunications expertise and are in need of the services provided by SBTAC.” “Further,” he states, “we realized the need for this type of organization because as experts in our given telecommunications fields, we are already being called upon, individually, to provide these services to other organizations. As a group, we can offer the desired level of expertise in the specific telecommunications areas that are needed.” Members of SBTAC are already working with The Nature Conservancy, Santa Barbara Search & Rescue, the Reagan Ranch, and several school systems and fire departments within the County. Co-founder and the SBTAC’s first President Andrew Seybold said, “For three years I have been donating my time equally between acquiring additional radio spectrum for the Public Safety community on a nationwide basis and working with Bill and others on local projects. There are so many telecommunications experts who have retired to Santa Barbara or work here that forming an organization to make this expertise available to the community seemed like a great opportunity to assist our local community and to work side by side with others who have extensive knowledge in telecommunications.” SBTAC is in the process of creating a dedicated website that will provide information on how to engage its services. In the meantime, for further information, contact Andrew Seybold at [email protected] or Bill Talanian at [email protected].	https://www.independent.com/2012/04/13/local-experts-offer-services-through-new-non-profit/
Theatre by the Lake’s Main House is our largest performance space and plays host to a year-round programme of home produced and incoming work. It is a comfortable, modern auditorium with a modern twist on the traditional proscenium arch. Sightlines are perfect from almost every one of the 389 seats on three levels. Actors and audiences alike enjoy the theatre’s intimacy and excellent acoustics. It is easily accessible for customers with disabilities with options of sitting in the stalls, circle or boxes. The Main House is home to Theatre by the Lake’s own productions of established plays and new commissions showing plays ranging from Shakespeare to Ayckbourn. Touring companies also fill the stage with performances of dance, drama, music, opera and comedy. It is also the primary venue for the Words by the Water Literary Festival, the Banff Mountain Film Festival and speakers for the Keswick Mountain Festival. Opening details Prices Prices vary, please contact for more details Events at this Venue \|date\|\|event\| \|Wed 5 Feb\|\|Open Space - TBTL's first scratch night\| \|Thu 6 Feb\|\|Tannie & Tannie\| \|Fri 7 Feb\|\|Picasso's Women\| \|Fri 7 Feb\|\|Strangers on a Train Set\| \|Sat 8 - Sun 9 Feb\|\|High Drama and Dance\| \|Tue 11 Feb\|\|U.DANCE CUMBRIA 2020\| Address Lakeside, Keswick, Cumbria, CA12 5DJ Directions NY 264227 54.59411 -3.14059 From M6 jct 40 and follow A66 towards Keswick, follow brown signs to Theatre and Lakeside. On foot the theatre is a 5 minute walk from the centre of Keswick. with charge : 24 miles from Penrith station Nearby Facilities - Baby changing facilities - Coach parties accepted - Credit cards accepted (no fee) - Disabled toilets - Facilities for groups - Facilities for educational visits - On-site catering - On-site light refreshments - Public toilets - Regional Tourist Board Member - Telephone (public) - Wheelchairs available - Accepts groups - Facilities for conferencing - Facilities for corporate hospitality - Children welcome - Disabled access - Dogs not accepted (except guidedogs) - Smoking not allowed - Facilities for hearing impaired Self-Assessed Accessibility Details Parking - Designated parking for guests with disabilities - Within 50 metres approx. of entrance - The surface of the car park and pathway leading to entrance: - is solid - Drop-off point for guests outside entrance - The route from the parking area to the entrance: - Is flat (i.e. without steps) Public Areas - Level access (no steps/thresholds) or access by ramp or lift: - From the entrance to reception / ticket area - To a specially adapted public toilet suitable for wheelchair users - Good contrast between the floor and walls - Lift equipped with verbal floor announcements - Lift equipped with raised floor numbers or braille numbers or letters - Contrast markings on clear surfaces such as glass doors - Baby changing facilities - Visitor information available in large print (14pt and over) - Visitor information available in audio format - Hearing loop installed in public areas General - Hearing loop system - Seating available for visitors with limited mobility - Clear signage - Good colour/tonal contrast for visually impaired visitors - Wheelchairs provided - Free - Routes/pathways suitable for wheelchair users or visitors with limited mobility - Displays at suitable height for wheelchair users / children - Audible alarm system - Visual alarm system Entrance - Entrance is well lit - Automatic door at the main entrance Food - Restaurant / cafe provide meals for visitors with special dietary requirements:	http://search.visitallerdale.co.uk/thedms.aspx?dms=3&feature=9&venue=5014735
MTA New York City Transit announced today that the next phase of a project to bring full accessibility to the Greenpoint Av station will require ‘round-the-clock’ track and platform access to construction crews who will be installing three new elevators and other accessibility features this winter. The Greenpoint Av elevator project will install three new elevators and update station infrastructure such as stairs, handrails, turnstiles, powered gates and braille signage. An elevator will link the southern end of the station mezzanine to the sidewalk on the east side of Manhattan Avenue between Greenpoint Avenue and Kent Street. Two other elevators will provide access to the northbound and southbound platforms, respectively, from the station mezzanine. In addition, the station agent booth will be modified to a wheelchair user-friendly height and new sidewalk pedestrian ramps will be installed. From 9:45 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 30 to 5 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 31, only northbound trains will stop at Greenpoint Av. Additionally, the Greenpoint Av station will be closed in both directions on weeknights between 9:45 p.m. and 5 a.m. and on weekends at all hours from Monday, Dec. 3 to Monday, Dec. 24. Alternate service during these closures is specified below. A similar one-direction station bypass for northbound service at Greenpoint Av will be scheduled in March 2019. Specific dates, including any weeknight and weekend work, will be announced closer to the start of that scheduled work. Construction began in September and is expected to take a total of 28 months. More than 9,400 weekday customers use the station, which remains open to service during the work, though short-term outages such as these limited station bypasses have been scheduled to accommodate work requiring platform or track access. Announcements, signage and outreach to the affected communities and local elected officials detailing any additional service changes related to the construction will be posted and disseminated ahead of each service change as they are scheduled. In May 2018, President Byford unveiled the Fast Forward Plan to establish a roadmap for the modernization of the subway, bus and paratransit networks. It proposes to add, in the span of five years, enough new elevators to ensure that all subway riders will not be more than two stops away from an accessible station. The plan proposes making more than 180 subway stations ADA accessible over the course of 10 years. In June, President Byford appointed the agency’s first systemwide accessibility adviser, Alex Elegudin, to implement accessibility initiatives outlined in the plan. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has invested nearly $5 billion to make subway stations accessible, including $1.4 billion in the 2015-19 MTA capital program for adding accessibility at 20 stations. The 2015-19 capital program includes $479 million to replace 42 existing elevators and 27 escalators. Future capital programs will include funding for additional stations.	http://www.mta.info/press-release/nyc-transit/greenpoint-av-g-elevator-installation-project-moves-forward
CitizenHeritage will organize 8 events, to act as field test for the participatory approaches and methodologies in Citizen Science. Due to the evolution of the covid-19 crisis, some of the events may be in virtual form. More details about each event coming soon. 26-27 May 2021 HISTORY IN PICTURES FROM BULGARIA In this event, students of digital humanities from the University of Sofia workED on metadata improvement, by annotating and enriching the beautiful digitized collection of early Bulgarian photography published by NALIS Foundation in Europeana. Result of the action is over 5.000 new metadata added to nearly 700 heritage photographs. 15 October 2021 FACTS AND FICTION: HUNGARY IN BLACK-AND-WHITE PHOTOGRAPHS In this event, students of digital humanities and film history at Media and Communication department of Pázmány Péter Catholic University worked on metadata improvement, by annotating the collections of OSZK the National Széchényi Library that are published in Europeana, comprising early photography and film stills. 27 November 2021 PATTERN-A-THON AT MOMU IN ANTWERP The event, organized in collaboration with MoMU, the fashion museum in Antwerp, piloted a new type of Edit-a-thon based on MoMu’s rich Study Collection, available for direct consultation in MoMu’s Library, engaging students, designers and researchers in enriching Wikipedia through creating patterns of fashion objects. January 2022 REDRAWING THE MAP This event is about Leuven and its student community. We will invite students, academics and local experts to reconstruct the (hi)stories of Leuven’s recent past by means of images in cooperation with collaborators of the City Archive. This event will especially test expert and non-expert collaborations. March 2022 USING OPEN GLAMS FOR NEW CREATIONS Thi event will test how to engage creative industries professionals and students in the creation of new products and services using Open GLAM collections. Rotterdam is a vibrant creative city with many Cultural Heritage Institutions emerging in the fashion, food, architecture and design industries. The process of reuse in the creations will be documented to inform GLAMs involved in Open Data publication. June 2022 REDISCOVERING DRESSING CODES In this event we will test how to engage Cultural Heritage professionals and students in crowdsourcing campaigns. We will launch a campaign to enrich the metadata of Greek and Balkan costume collections online national repository. In so doing, we will enrich the collections and improve their discoverability, but also engage a wider audience with this heritage. December 2022 ICT AT THE SERVICE OF CITIZEN SCIENCE This will be an online challenge for under- and postgraduate computer science students in order to implement added-value features to improve crowdsourcing platforms, such as e.g. gamification elements, interlinking with automatic outputs extracted via a machine learning algorithm, etc.	https://www.citizenheritage.eu/citizen-science-workshops/
As 350 members of the Aspen Global Leadership Network gather for the inaugural Aspen Leaders Action Forum, distinguished professionals and innovators from around the globe will focus their attention on some of the most pressing global challenges -- committing as a group to move further along the path from "success to significance," the network's credo. I am excited to be joining my colleagues in the network during these precious few days where our dialogue will shift from one of shared learning and reflection to the potential for action. In our respective fields, we've shown we can take individual action to lead, create, and innovate. I see the possibility of exponential impact stemming from our dialogue and commitment to directing our collective energy toward solutions that can yield sums that are greater than their parts. These admittedly ambitious goals require some honest introspection and self-assessment. I first began this process as a 2010 Catto Fellow in Environmental Leadership, where we wrestled with the questions both of personal leadership and collective effort to mitigate the plight of ocean plastic. It became clear over the course of our two years together that those of us dedicated to restoring the environment, through business, non-profit or political channels, need to develop a new way of communicating with our audiences if we are to be relevant beyond the "choir." One important way is to use more accessible and adaptive language, and to use tools and messages that "meet people where they are," encouraging them to relate to environmental issues in more personal ways. Another key learning from that work was how challenging indeed it can be to collaborate around competing priorities and interests. And perhaps my most powerful epiphany -- the discovery that 'connecting the dots' of organizations working on adjacent goals is one of the most important opportunities of our time. Inspired by the Action Forum's new Action Pledges, I have transformed these key lessons into a personal pledge "...to work to make sustainability education mainstream." While this goal is grounded in my own business -- a global immersion training program and on-line education platform for triple bottom line innovators -- its true potential lies in the strength of the Aspen Global Leadership Network and the web of networks I'm privileged to be a part of. By visually committing, I open myself to the insights from a broad scope of professionals and visionaries, and to the serendipitous ideas and connections that can arise from that. From a writer advocating for an up-cycling consumer culture in China, to an attorney reducing the rate of child abuse in San Francisco, to an entrepreneur improving access to credit in Tanzania, each of us draws from a specific context of challenges whose lessons might be more easily transposed onto our individual work than we might have imagined. However diverse on the surface, challenges in sustainability, social justice, and personal economic security are receptive to a more interwoven set of solutions if we think of them from a systems perspective. And the sooner we are able to identify and highlight those interdependencies, the more powerfully we can design sets of actions that honor them. Whether in interactive roundtable discussions or on a morning hike in the crisp mountain air, we are fortunate to have this time to continue to probe these big questions and to look for answers in unlikely places, in order to best serve where we are needed most.	https://www.huffpost.com/entry/aspen-leaders-action-foru_b_3668199
A plea for thresholds, i.e., maximal allowed levels for prohibited substances, to prevent questionable doping convictions. With the development of highly sensitive drug testing technologies that can detect a minute quantity of a prohibited substance in an athlete's body, accidental contamination through contact with publicly circulated materials can more readily result in a "positive" reading. To discharge the burden of a positive finding, the athlete must show the "factual circumstances" in which the prohibited substance entered his/her system. In cases of accidental contamination, the athlete generally cannot even know how it occurred, as there are many known and unknown possible sources of contamination. When an athlete does give an account, it cannot generally be proven or disproven. Outside the realm of sports anti-doping, the use of scientifically established thresholds for drug testing is standard practice. Basic logic dictates that thresholds would enable one to differentiate between relevant and irrelevant amounts in the context of a possible sports doping offence. Such a threshold should be functionally motivated, i.e., enable the differentiation between relevant and irrelevant quantities in the context of a possible doping offence, rather than based on instrument performance limits.
Mount Vernon With a timely rescue by Mount Vernon area donors, the shelves in the Rising Hope Mission Church food pantry are now full and 377 young people received backpacks filled with school supplies to head back to school for a fresh start. Recent articles alerted the community to critical shortages at the church which aids the homeless and needy along the Route 1 corridor. “Please be sure to say ‘Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!’” said Sarah Heckman who manages the food pantry. “We have food on the shelves and money in the account, and that relieves stress.” Kay Barnes, director of missions, called the community response “astonishing and wonderful.” But she also noted that in the long-term budget “we have a huge hole.” “It’s desperate times because in the current economic climate the number of people we’re supporting is rising week after week and it’s really squeezing us right now.” She said that just in the past two weeks, 50 more families have turned to Rising Hope for help. Much depends, she said, on ticket sales to a benefit concert this Sunday, Sept. 16. Performing at the Hilton Memorial Chapel in Woodbridge is the nationally famous Christian Rock band Tenth Avenue North, now traveling the country for their “Struggle Tour.” Their song “You Are More” was the number one Christian song of the year in 2011 according to Billboard. “It’s a nail-biter,” said Barnes because ticket sales have been slow. “We very much hope that organizations with large youth groups will support it.” The money the concert raises, she added, “will go a long ways to getting us to the end of the year.” Tickets are available at http://www.itickets.com/tours/1220.html.	http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2012/sep/13/community-rallies-aid-rising-hope/
The Sentinel Awards recognize exemplary achievements of TV and streaming shows that inform, educate and motivate viewers to make choices for healthier and safer lives. For many loyal viewers, TV provides both entertainment and factual information about a wide range of health topics and social issues. As the entertainment landscape expands and TV programs continue to push boundaries, issues such as disease, injury, national security, addiction, mental health, violence, discrimination and access to healthcare are being explored through original, dynamic storytelling. Through their portrayals of characters' lives, writers and producers have a unique opportunity to touch viewers' lives. The way a popular character deals with a personal health decision can prompt audience members to think about their own choices. A compelling storyline that demonstrates risky behavior and consequences, or shows how to avoid risk, portrays social determinants of health or examines global health issues, can benefit millions of viewers around the world. The awards program is administered by Hollywood, Health & Society (HH&S), a program of the USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center that provides entertainment industry professionals with accurate and timely information for storylines on health, safety and security. How Entries Are Evaluated Each entry is screened by Hollywood, Health & Society staff for eligibility and all qualifying entries are evaluated in two rounds of judging. In the first round, each storyline is reviewed for accuracy by a panel of topic experts who take the following into consideration. Does the storyline: 1) Demonstrate the causes of the topic 2) Show how it can be prevented 3) Show how a character’s choices can affect their health or safety 4) Explain how the topic impacts the lives and relationships of characters 5) Portray characters at greatest risk from the topic 6) Address and debunk common myths about it 7) Demonstrate professional standards and practices to address the issue 8) Demonstrate the potential to positively affect viewers’ knowledge, attitudes and behaviors Finalists from the first round of judging are then reviewed by a second panel of entertainment industry professionals. The entries are evaluated on the following criteria:	https://hhs.secure-platform.com/a/page/about
23 May When is the best time to exercise? Morning workouts boost your metabolism. Evening exercise affects your sleep. Sorting the facts from the myths about when to exercise can be challenging. Here we discuss what time of day is truly best to fit in a workout. Morning workouts There is truth to the fact that morning exercise helps to boost your metabolism and helps your body burn calories during the day. Research also shows that individuals who workout in the morning are more likely to remain consistent with their workout schedule. Morning workouts ensure you stick to your designated time and aren’t given the shove as competing commitments pop up throughout the day. In saying that, if you did not gain a good night’s sleep, it is very easy to press the snooze button and miss your workout for the day! Evening workouts Working out in the evening does not interfere with your sleep regardless of what you may have heard. Exercise raises your heart rate and temperature which doctors say will not impact your sleeping habits. If you’ve had a busy or stressful day, working out in the evening can help to relieve some of that tension and help your mind de-stress. Evening workouts are also great for socialising, especially if you find group exercise classes or working out with partners key in maintaining motivation. So which is best? The truth is everyone’s different and there’s no one time that suits everyone. In order to achieve your fitness goals, you need to listen to your body and develop a consistent routine that works for YOU. Consistency is vital in maintaining and improving fitness levels. So regardless of what time you exercise, the most important thing is to ensure you will stick to your regime. If you’re not a morning person, avoid morning workouts! If you’re too tired in the evenings, try a morning workout. If you have an hour lunch break, fit in a midday session. I’ll say it again, do what is right for you and your lifestyle to maintain a consistent workout schedule. If you’re not partial to sweating it out at the gym for hours each week, you can easily work exercise into your daily routine in other ways. Government guidelines are for adults to accumulate 150 to 300 minutes (2 ½ to 5 hours) of moderate intensity physical activity or 75 to 150 minutes (1 ¼ to 2 ½ hours) of vigorous intensity physical activity each week. This may seem daunting but it’s actually a lot easier than you think. For instance, a morning brisk walk (10 mins), lunchtime brisk walk (10 mins) and evening brisk walk (10 mins) accumulates 30 minutes for the day. If you do this every weekday you have already reached your 150 minutes for the week – easy! Final thought It has been proven that individuals with random exercise habits are least likely to stick to their fitness goals over time. Similarly, individuals who have a clearly defined schedule and stick to the same times each week, are more likely to stick to their routine and achieve their goals. Regardless of whether you workout out in the morning, middle of the day or evening, scheduling your exercise each week will make it much easier to make exercise a healthy habit.	https://sisuhealthgroup.com/fitness/when-is-the-best-time-to-exercise/
Consanguineous marital life in scientific genetics is defined as a marriage among two related individuals. The individuals result from close family member or are second cousins exhibiting inbreeding pourcentage higher or perhaps equal to 0. 0156. Consanguinity is more widespread amongst the world population moving into North The african continent, West Asia, and Midsection East, and among these types of communities’ emigrants who are currently residing in Quotes, Europe, and North America. The increased open public awareness applications on innate and congenital disorders avoidance in offspring has made different couples to consider reproduction and marriage. This is especially in communities which have been highly consanguineous. Among these folks, there has been a lack of, or very little education concerning the effects of consanguineous marriages to the offspring. Rather, you can say that these individuals do not take into account what might happen in the event they get into such relationships. These residential areas are in search of counseling upon consanguinity. Companies of main health care happen to be faced with many challenges in particular when they have to present answers to consanguineous couples regarding all their offspring predicted health risks. As a result, it is important in the event that health care providers are trained in areas just like consanguinity premarital and preconception counseling. Bittles (33) states that the wide-spread form of consanguineous marriage globally is caught between 1st cousins, those that are carefully related to the fogeys of the marrying cousins, of whom the parents may be siblings and/or siblings. One eighth of these couples’ genes will be inherited from your ancestor that is certainly common between them. He also remarks that national populations could be categorized into four primary groups. The first group involves persons whose consanguineous marriage accounts for approximately 1% of Assemblage, whilst the other category makes up 1% to 10%, the next category can be 20% to 50% although the final category involves individuals whose consanguinity level is usually unknown. Bittles (76) likewise points out that, regardless of the current legislation, consanguineous marriage is going to decline in future as a result of the decline in family sizes. Today, many people have resorted to having more compact families with a few children, while many have resorted to keeping single simply by choice. Nevertheless , there will be not any consistency when it comes to decline around populations. The decline will probably be experienced amongst populations inside the urban areas, among couples with high degrees of education, and the future generation marriages due to focus that they lay upon issues apart from building a relatives. As the dimensions of the family members decreases, twice uncle-niece and first relative, will be extremely difficult to coordinate within the regular norms of couple’s age group distinctions. Likewise, there will be fewer emphasis to get an individual to marry inside the set of consanguineous union routine as a result of increased socio-economic circumstances and cable connections that will find off this practice slowly and gradually. In light of the above, there exists limited understanding and understanding regarding consanguinity marriage resulting from the limited number of analysis conducted. For instance, amongst the Traditional western societies, the available details tends to give full attention to undesirable scientific outcomes of marriages between individuals from a close kin. The damaging outcome effects a group of individuals and families. As a result, for uses of gaining communities and families in which one or many damaging recessive genes happen to be undergoing segregation, it is of big significance if investment is definitely put to developing a a comprehensive survey to estimate the condition level. This will be then putting in place guidance programs which might be community primarily based. Consanguineous relationships are caught in various populous countries in the world. Additionally , in countries which might be less produced, inherited disorders are deadly hence the necessity of life time cares about you under treatment facilities which can be highly improved. Since consanguineous marriages increases inherited disorders, it is important intended for counseling courses to be put in place in order to profit the whole of human culture (Bittles, 102). According to Agarwal et al (741), in various elements of the globe, consanguineous marriages will be prevalent. Consanguineous marriage in a few societies makeup to 60% and is often between deeper biological family members or second cousins. Around 10% in the population all over the world is as a consequence of consanguineous parentage. This is regardless of the marriage getting linked with genetic disorders, congenital malformations, and increased numbers of mortality amidst offspring’s as well as reduced exercise. Consanguinity distribution and beginning is often characterized with its multiple benefits which have been socio-economic. Unquestionably, union among relatives is vital because it supplies the newly engaged couple having a sense of security. Similarly, the partner is cared for well and wealth of the family always remains in one piece. Even though socioeconomic theory seems to be logical, it is very limited with regards to explaining for what reason people in non-consanguineous marital life societies quit from centralizing with close biological backlinks. The theory likewise fails in explaining first cousin relationships popularity between societies that practice consanguineous marriage. As a result of the socio-economic theory failure, there has emerged alternative elucidation for consanguineous marriage. Presently, extremely inbreeding low levels have been correlated with fertility increase, thus increased levels of fitness for the society and individual family. Similarly, recessive genetics selection can be bigger by simply inbreeding. Overall, marriages that occur between close kin result in family members exhibiting strong support (Agarwal et al, 747). Uksel et approach (134) believe the population structure is influenced by consanguineous marriages. Consequently, it is utilized in various parts of the globe. Yet , higher frequencies are experienced in the African, Asian, and Middle East populations. Consanguineous marriage is much less dominant in the us and The european union. According to studies carried out by the above authors, it really is evident that despite the existence of various programs that is aimed at promoting child and mom health just like activities to minimize consanguineous relationships, it was extremely difficult to achieve the anticipated outcomes. The study also mentioned that between consanguineous relationships, genetic disorders were high. This is a clear indication intended for the need for additional studies in this field. The studies need to focus on the negative outcomes as well as the reason for consanguineous marriages. As well, there is a requirement of public education programs to enhance awareness regarding the consequences of consanguineous marriage. Accordingly, there is also a need for more effort to reduce consanguineous marriage connected sociable factors. Hamamy et approach (512) speak about that there is an alteration in consanguinity rates, actually among relation marriages. From one generation to another, there is a sharp decline amongst first-cousin partnerships. The changes are caused by various things like female education increased costs, population influxes, increased family members economic status, lower fertility rates, and increased degrees of alertness with regards to consanguineous matrimony effects upon children especially when their is out there an inherited family recessive disease.	https://astischool.com/essay/consanguineous-marriage-essay/
Computer, internet and related digital technology are the functional platform upon which many of the largest and most robust economies across the globe now operate. Further, these services are vital for the continued operation and integration of the global economy. Accordingly, legal liability relating to actions (or failures to act) in cyberspace and other media, now greatly affects decisions by governments, companies, and individuals across the globe. In the ten-plus years since the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) took effect in the United States, many of the jurisdictions topping rankings of annual GDP lists have enacted similar laws or provisions. The WIPO Copyright Treaty (WCT) and the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty (WPPT) generally require that treaty signatories provide copyright protection concerning technological measures used to protect copyrighted works, as well as regarding rights management information. Thus, the signatories to these treaties are more likely to have enacted laws similar to the United States’ Digital Millennium Copyright Act than nonsignatory countries.1 However, non-signatory countries may also have laws providing limited similar protections, and a review of the law in the individual jurisdictions would be necessary to confirm the extent of such protection. In order to determine the extent to which these provisions have been implemented and the specific embodiment these provisions take in a given country, one must analyze the specific laws in each given jurisdiction. Analysis of individual laws is necessary because, while many of the countries analyzed herein are signatories to common copyright treaties such as the Berne Convention and the WIPO Copyright Treaty,2 each possesses significant freedom regarding how to implement specific provisions of these treaties within the framework of their existing laws.3 Two countries that continue to be of significant interest with regard to changes and developments in their respective intellectual property laws are China and India. The following is a brief synopsis of the Digital Millennium Copyright Law in the United States and a review of some of the key “DMCAtype provisions” implemented in China based on its implementation of the WIPO Copyright Treaty and/or the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty. While India is not a member of either treaty, India has nonetheless implemented some DMCA-type laws, which are briefly discussed. BACKGROUND ON THE DIGITA L MILLENIUM COPYRIGHT ACT (DMCA) Enacted in October of 1998, the DMCA implements two 1996 World Intellectual Property Organization treaties: the WIPO Copyright Treaty and the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty.4 The DMCA is divided into five titles: (1) Title I–WIPO Copyright and Performances and Phonograms Treaties Implementation Act; (2) Title II, Online Copyright infringement Liability Limitation; (3) Title III–Computer Maintenance Competition Assurance Act; (4) Title IV–miscellaneous provisions relating to the functions of the Copyright Office, “ephemeral recordings,” “webcasting,” and collective bargaining agreements; and (5) Title V–Vessel Hull Design Protection Act. Title I, among other things, creates two prohibitions in Title 17 of the United States Code: one prohibiting circumvention of technological measures used by copyright owners to protect their works and a second prohibiting tampering with copyright management information. Title II, in adding new section 512 to the Copyright Act, creates a “safe harbor” by placing limitations on liability for copyright infringement by online service providers. These limitations are based on four primary categories of conduct by “service providers”: (1) transitory communications, (2) system caching, (3) storage or transmission of information at the direction of users, and (4) information location tools. Titles I and II, taken together, are typically considered the “heart” of the DMCA. Title III expands exemptions relating to computer programs allowing an owner of a copy of a program to make reproductions or adaptions when necessary to use the program in conjunction with a computer. For example, this title permits an owner of a computer to make (or permit making of) a copy of a computer program in the course of maintaining or repairing that computer. Title IV includes a number of miscellaneous provisions. Among the miscellaneous provisions is confirmation of the Copyrights Office’s authority regarding policy and international functions and an exemption under the Copyright Act for making “ephemeral recordings” (e.g., recordings to facilitate a transmission). Title IV also expands the Digital Performance Rights Act (DRPA) to include webcasting as a new category of “eligible nonsubscription transmissions,” revises the criteria for an entity to be eligible for a license, and creates a new statutory license for making ephemeral recordings. Lastly, Title IV also addresses the assumption of contractual obligations upon transfer of rights in motion pictures. Title V adds a new chapter 13 to Title 17 of the United States Code and, along with it, creates a new system for protecting original designs of certain useful articles (i.e., hulls of vessels no longer than 200 feet).5 This article principally discusses Titles I and II —circumvention of technological protections and the “safe harbor” provisions for service providers—and whether various foreign jurisdictions provide similar types of protection. DMCA-TYPE PROVISIONS IN CHINA AND INDIA China: China’s laws in accordance with the WCT and WPPT went into force on June 9, 2007. In China, “computer software” is specifically identified as one of the “forms of expression” protectable by copyright.6 Chinese law also provides anti-circumvention protection of computer technology. China’s first anti-circumvention provisions were set forth in 1998 in the form of ministry regulations (“Interim Regulations”). Article 18 of the Interim Regulations prohibits “production of pirated software, software for deciphering secrets and software with the main function of removing technology-protection measures.”7 Further anti-circumvention regulations were later introduced in the Copyright Law of 2001, which prohibits “intentionally avoiding or destroying the technical measures” taken by copyright owners or obliges without permission or unless otherwise authorized under the law.8 These same anti-circumvention rules were also promulgated by the State Council in 2002 in the Regulations on the Protection of Computer Software.9 More recently, on June 1, 2006, the State Council set forth further anti-circumvention rules explicitly authorizing an owner to adopt “technical measures” to “protect the right to network dissemination of information.”10 These rules prohibit organizations or individuals from purposely avoiding or breaking the technical measures (often in an attempt at reverse engineering) or purposely manufacturing, importing or providing to the general public devices or components that are mainly used to avoid or break the technical measures unless otherwise provided for in law or regulation.11 Thus, China has adopted several provisions in the spirit of the DMCA related to the “anti-circumvention” provisions of Title I of DMCA. These recent developments in Chinese law are generally believed to have expanded the scope of protection available to copyright holders (and adjacent right holders) utilizing encryption software and various other technical measures to protect copyrighted subject matter and content.12 However, it has been suggested by some that the current anti-circumvention laws need to be improved because the current provisions: (1) are “too simple and vague” including a lack of limits on the scope of protection; (2) make no distinction between the varied technical measures utilized; and, (3) fail to account for or explicitly exempt legitimate or potentially desirable circumvention activities (e.g., research and academic arenas) as is done in many other countries.13 After a dispute initiated by the United States, a panel of the World Trade Organization determined in January 2009 that certain provisions of China’s intellectual property laws were not in compliance with the Berne Convention and TRIPS Agreement.14 Specifically, the panel determined that China’s copyright laws do not provide the same efficacy to non-Chinese nationals as they do to Chinese citizens, as is required by the Berne Convention.15 The panel also determined that China’s copyright laws do not provide enforcement procedures so as to permit effective action against any act of infringement of intellectual property rights, as required by the TRIPS Agreement.16 Based on these findings, the panel concluded that China’s copyright laws nullify or impair benefits accruing to the United States, and recommended that China amend its laws to be in conformity with its obligations under the TRIPS Agreement.17 As a result, expect additional changes to China’s intellectual property laws in the future. India: India has been a little slower and less comprehensive in its implementation of DMCA-type laws. Indeed, India has not signed either the WCT or WPPA. However, India continues to contemplate implementation of DMCA-type provisions. As a result, India may continue to revise its copyright laws to include further provisions that resemble the DMCA. For example, some believe India’s laws will soon be amended with the introduction of anti-circumvention provisions as well as protections for rights management information.18 In India, like most other jurisdictions that provide copyright protection of computer programs and related subject matter, computer programs are considered “literary works.”19 Despite being considered “literary works,” computer programs receive special consideration under Indian Law based on a right “to sell or give on commercial rental or offer for sale or for commercial rental any copy” of a computer program, regardless of whether such copy is sold or rented previously. This right specific to computer programs contrasts with other types of “literary works” under Indian law, which provides a right “to issue copies of the work to the public” provided the copy is “not already in circulation.”20 Accordingly, computer programs are exempt from what resembles the United States’ “first sale doctrine” limitation on the distribution rights of the copyright owner even though the “first sale doctrine” applies to other forms of literary works in India. Currently, Section 52(1) of the Indian Copyright Act sets forth several provisions specifically limiting the rights of copyright owners in relation to utilization of computer programs, making of back-up copies, interoperability between computer programs, and reverse engineering.21 First, the “making of copies, or the adaptation, of a computer program” by the lawful possessor of the program is allowed “(i) in order to utilize the computer program for the purpose for which it was intended or (ii) to make back-up copies purely as a temporary protection against loss, destruction, or damage.”22 Second, “any act necessary to obtain information essential for assuring the interoperability . . . with other programs,” provided that the information is not otherwise readily available, is also allowed under the Indian Copyright Act.23 Lastly, “observation, study, or test[ing] of the functioning of a computer program,” in order to determine “the ideas and principle that underlie any elements of the program” while performing such acts as necessary for which the program was supplied is also permitted.24 CONCLUSION Since 1998 digital technology has continued exponential growth in importance, complexity, and breadth. Very few locales on the planet have not been influenced by digital media and technology. Accordingly, in the time since the U.S. passed the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) as the manner in which the United States governs copyright and related issues relating to the facets enumerated in that Act, many other countries have also amended or added to their body of law relating to digital media, technology and related issues. After reviewing DMCA-type provisions currently implemented by two of the larger players on the world economic stage, China and India, it is evident that many factors influence each nation’s approach to addressing the expanding challenges introduced by new and evolving technologies. While many issues must be worked out in order to have a sense of harmony or universal approach to the use of copyright laws in this age, similarities in the approaches are apparent. This is an arena that will continue to develop and, although perhaps never reaching full harmonization, the significance of such laws is clear.	https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=89e26729-52ba-4418-bbb5-05294dff2a2a
Kuala Lumpur, 12 December 2005 - The 11th ASEAN Summit, with the theme “One Vision, One Identity, One Community”, was chaired by The Honourable Dato’ Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, the Chairman of the 11th ASEAN Summit and the Prime Minister of Malaysia. The Leaders of ASEAN had a productive meeting, which was held in plenary, and in retreat for the first time allowing for candid and frank discussions. - A total of 10 documents listed in the Annex, were issued as the outcome of the 11th ASEAN Summit. ASEAN Integration and Community Building - We welcomed the progress in ASEAN integration and the ongoing community building efforts. We underscored the importance of ASEAN’s cohesion in dealing with issues and challenges facing the region to enhance ASEAN’s credibility, transparency and solidarity to protect and nurture the collective interest of ASEAN. ASEAN Charter - We signed the Kuala Lumpur Declaration on the Establishment of the ASEAN Charter, which will be a landmark constitutional document embodying fundamental principles, goals, objectives and structures of ASEAN cooperation capable of meeting the needs of the ASEAN Community and beyond. In this connection, we agreed to establish an Eminent Persons Group (EPG), comprising highly distinguished and well respected citizens from ASEAN Member Countries with a mandate to examine and provide practical recommendations on the directions for ASEAN and nature of the ASEAN Charter. We further tasked our Ministers to establish, as necessary, a High Level Task Force to carry out the drafting of the ASEAN Charter based on the Declaration and the recommendations of the EPG. Vientiane Action Programme - We noted the reports on the progress in the implementation of the Vientiane Action Programme (VAP) and the follow-up to the previous ASEAN and Related Summits. We acknowledged the steady progress made in the implementation of the VAP and our decisions and initiatives. We welcomed the establishment of the ASEAN Development Fund (ADF) and urged the ASEAN Member Countries and our Dialogue Partners to consider contributing to the Fund to support ASEAN’s integration. We called on our Ministers and Senior Officials to study the bottlenecks in the implementation and to find creative solutions to carry out pending measures in the VAP and our decisions and initiatives taken at previous Summits. We requested the Secretary-General of ASEAN to update us with the progress made at our next Summit. ASEAN Security Community - We noted the steady progress made in the implementation of the ASEAN Security Community (ASC) related activities through the VAP and the ASC Plan of Action (PoA). We noted the accomplishments in implementing the ASC, including the establishment of the Inter-Sessional Support Group on Confidence Building and Preventive Diplomacy and the revival of the Inter-Sessional Meeting on Disaster Relief under the ASEAN regional Forum (ARF); the setting up of the ASEAN-China Joint Working Group on the Implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea; and the promotion of greater public awareness about ASEAN through holding activities on the occasion of ASEAN day. - We welcomed the efforts towards enhancing ASEAN’s cooperation in combating terrorism and other transnational crimes through the implementation of agreements among ASEAN Members Countries and the revitalisation and re-ordering of priorities of existing work plans and programmes to give sharper focus to meeting the challenges posed by such crimes. We recognised the important role of inter-faith dialogue in fighting the spread of terrorism and promoting understanding among our people. ASEAN Economic Community - We noted with satisfaction ASEAN’s positive trade performance with total trade exceeding US$ 1 trillion. ASEAN total exports increased by 20.69% from US$ 456.71 billion in 2003 to US$ 551.19 billion in 2004. ASEAN total imports likewise increased by 26.77% from US$ 388.79 billion in 2003 to US$ 492.86 billion in 2004. We also noted with satisfaction that after a number of years of consecutive decline in foreign direct investment (FDI), the flow rebounded in 2004. ASEAN FDI flow for 2004 reached US$ 25.1 billion, a 22% year-on-year increase. Prospects for 2005 are good with FDI for the first quarter of 2005 already amounting to US$ 7.2 billion. This achievement was significant in the context of concerns arising from SARS, avian influenza, increasing international competition and a global FDI downturn. - As a result of the above fine performances, the ASEAN economies continued to grow with real GDP expanding by 6.1% in 2004. ASEAN has certainly done well compared to the average global GDP growth of 5.1%. Based on the momentum generated, despite the current uncertainty in oil prices and rising interest rates, ASEAN’s economic growth is likely to be sustained at around 5.5% in 2005. - We endorsed the ASEAN Economic Ministers decision to accelerate the liberalization of trade in services not covered in the Priority Integration Sectors by 2015, with flexibility. We are encouraged by the signing of Agreements on the Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) for the ASEAN Harmonized Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) Regulatory Regime; Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) on Engineering Services and the Agreement to Establish and Implement the ASEAN Single Window. We urged our Ministers responsible for tourism and air transport to integrate the sectors at an even faster pace. - We discussed the possibility of advancing the target date for the realisation of the ASEAN Economic Community from 2020 to 2015 with some flexibility for the new Member Countries. We recognise the challenges some ASEAN Member Countries might face by advancing the target date and tasked our Ministers and senior officials to study the matter. - We noted the progress in the implementation of the two plus x formula in moving the Multilateral Agreement on the Full Liberalisation of All Cargo Air Services. We recognise the formula is an extension of bilateral cooperation between two ASEAN Member Countries to other countries for promoting economic cooperation. We agreed that more should be done for the development of the Asia Bond Market Initiatives. - We noted with concern that the prolonged rise in oil prices will have a negative impact on the economic growth of the ASEAN Member Countries and the region. We agreed to further enhance ASEAN cooperation in the energy sector and between ASEAN and other countries, including our Dialogue Partners, to promote energy efficiency and to explore and develop alternative energy sources to ensure energy security and sustainable economic growth. - We welcomed the launching by the ASEAN Finance Ministers in September 2005 of the FTSE-ASEAN Indices, the first internationally recognised indices that have been created for the ASEAN equity markets, which will raise the profile of leading ASEAN companies to global investors and encourage greater direct investments. This marks an important milestone in promoting ASEAN as an asset class. - We stand committed to the common goals of eradicating poverty and hunger in ASEAN as pledged at the World Food Summit and Millennium Declarations, and reiterated in the VAP. We, therefore, strongly support further resource mobilisation for agriculture and rural development in the ASEAN Member Countries as agriculture plays a pivotal role in improving food security and poverty reduction. We acknowledged that more and better investment in the sector will create additional employment opportunities, enhance competitiveness and ensure sustainable economic growth. In this regard, we welcomed a number of national and ASEAN initiatives and plans of action and cooperation with various regional and international organisations, including those within the United Nations system such as the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific to bolster projects and activities in agriculture and propose practical modalities for financing the cooperative programmes. ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community - We were satisfied with the overall progress made in the implementation of the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC)-related measures and activities of the VAP and the ASCC PoA, particularly, in the areas of disaster management and emergency relief; prevention and control of the diseases such as HIV and AIDS and avian influenza; combating transnational crimes; promoting social, women and child development; and poverty eradication. We agreed to further enhance cooperation in these areas to move towards the realisation of the ASCC by 2020. - We welcomed the responsive action and coordinative efforts by ASEAN Member Countries to control and eradicate the spread of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in the region. We called for further institutional linkages and partnerships among all stakeholders in public and private sectors and civil society. We reaffirmed the commitment and support of our countries to the various initiatives undertaken by HPAI Taskforce and ASEAN Expert Group on Communicable Diseases, through the Regional Framework for Control and Eradication of HPAI, establishment of ASEAN Animal Health Trust Fund, and ASEAN Plus Three Emerging Infectious Diseases Programme. We emphasised the importance of ASEAN’s collective strength in coordinating a common regional approach and sharing resources to address transboundary threats, including the setting up of a regional network of antiviral drugs stockpile. We called upon our Dialogue Partners, international organisations, and other relevant donors to work closely with ASEAN and all concerned parties in combating avian influenza. - We agreed on the need to work closely and collaborate in the area of avian influenza. We noted Malaysia’s intention to establish the Regional Avian Influenza Research and Reference Centre (NAIRRC) as well as the Regional WHO Collaborating Centre for Influenza. The two centres will share their respective experience in virological surveillance and diagnostic capabilities for the benefit of this region. - We noted with encouragement the progress made in addressing the HIV transmission and AIDS treatment through the implementation of the ASEAN Work Programme (AWP) on HIV/AIDS II and look forward to the agenda for future action through a strategic framework for AWP III, which we endorsed. We strongly believe that ASEAN’s strength in fighting the HIV and AIDS lies in joint action and coordination among the Member Countries. We looked forward to convening the Second Special Session on HIV and AIDS in conjunction with the 12th ASEAN Summit in 2006, to signal ASEAN’s commitment in combating the AIDS pandemic and to give impetus to regional responses in taking urgent action to eradicate this threat to our future generations. We agreed to promote a higher profile and voice for ASEAN’s work in this area with the international community, particularly in global decision-making on fund allocation for HIV and AIDS prevention and control. - We recalled with sorrow the loss of lives and devastation caused by the Tsunami of 26 December 2004 last year, and resolved to prevent the recurrence of such devastation. In this regard, we underlined the importance of establishing a regional early warning system. - We welcomed the signing of the ASEAN Agreement on the Disaster Management and Emergency Response in July 2005 in Vientiane, Lao PDR, which inter-alia provides for a stand by regional military and civilian capacity to deal with disasters, to further intensify cooperation in this area among ASEAN Member Countries as well as between ASEAN, and other countries and regional and international organisations. - We expressed serious concern over the impact of land and forest fires and the resulting transboundary haze pollution that affects our region almost annually. While noting the various measures that have been undertaken at the national level over the years, and at the regional level guided by the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution, we recognised the need to further intensify and undertake coordinated action, particularly to address the underlying causes of land and forest fires. We noted with satisfaction the concerted action taken by ASEAN Member Countries during the recent severe haze episode by mobilising personnel, aircraft and equipment to suppress the fires and stand ready to provide such assistance during critical periods in the future. We called for swift and more effective inter-agency collaboration and coordination at the national and regional levels to deal comprehensively with the transboundary haze pollution. Recognising also its transboundary nature and widespread impact on various sectors, we have directed our relevant Ministers and agencies to deal collectively with this issue. - We also noted the efforts to establish a transboundary network of sanctuaries on the island of Borneo involving Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam and Indonesia. Such sanctuaries would protect the biological diversity of plants and animals in the green Heart of Borneo and would play a vital role in protecting all of the island major water catchment. - We welcomed the decision of the ASEAN Ministers of Education to convene the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Education on a regular basis. This is a significant development given the important role of education in ASEAN’s social and economic development and its community building efforts including raising the awareness of ASEAN, instilling the ‘we feeling’ and creating a sense of belonging to the ASEAN Community. We also agreed that the Meeting should focus on enhancing regional cooperation in education matters among Member Countries as well as to cooperate closely with other ASEAN sectoral bodies in the context of the building the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) and implementing the Plan of Action of the ASCC. - We agreed to establish ASEAN university games, ASEAN youth peace corps, ASEAN computer games and ASEAN science olympiad to promote greater interaction and understanding among the youths in the region. We tasked our ministers to look into the possibility of synchronising the university vacation period so as to enable students to partake in the activities. - We exchanged views the utilising information communication technology (ICT) to promote interaction among our people, including the possibility of an e-ASEAN community. Bridging the Development Gap - We reiterated that bridging the development gap is critical to regional integration. We noted ASEAN’s efforts to bridge the development gap through the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) in the past few years focusing on human resources development, infrastructure (transport and energy), regional economic integration and information technology. We were encouraged by the steady progress in the implementation of the IAI projects and expressed our appreciation to the ASEAN Member Countries, Dialogue Partners and regional and international organisations for their support and contribution. - We noted the mid-term review report of the IAI, in particular the recommendations put forward in the report. We acknowledged the need to further broaden the scope of the IAI to meet the urgent needs of the CLMV countries, the need for participation in IAI activities by other underdeveloped sub-regions in ASEAN and the need to mobilise resources to support IAI implementation. - We welcomed Malaysia’s additional grant of up to USD500,000 for the period 2006-2008 to support the Smart School Projects for the CLMV, which will provide these countries with ICT facilities and a human resource development programme package. We also noted Vietnam’s offer to host the Second IAI Development Cooperation Forum in 2006 to accelerate the pace of implementing the IAI. - We recognised the important contribution of various sub-regional arrangements to ASEAN integration and noted the substantial progress made in the implementation of the initiatives and programmes under such arrangements. In this regard, we welcomed the successful convening of the Second Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippine East Asia Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) Summit and the BIMP-EAGA Roadmap to Development, which will guide the stakeholders in the implementation of doable, practical and sustainable strategies, programs and projects that will benefit the communities of member countries in BIMP-EAGA. We also welcomed the First Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT) Summit, and the Second Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Viet Nam (CLMV) Summit on 11 December 2005 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. - We also appreciated the valuable contribution of sub-regional cooperation framework aimed at narrowing the development gap and accelerating the integration of new members, as such as the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) and Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMEC). ASEAN Foundation - We noted the Report of the Executive Director of the ASEAN Foundation. We agreed that the Foundation should further intensify its efforts in promoting awareness of ASEAN among the peoples of ASEAN, and addressing issues related to poverty alleviation and socio-economic disparities in the region. Aceh, Indonesia - We welcomed the positive developments in the solution of the conflict in Aceh, Indonesia, through the dialogue leading to the conclusion of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Indonesia and GAM. We also welcomed the efforts made to keep member states of ASEAN informed of such developments. We supported the cooperation between Indonesia and ASEAN contributing countries to the Aceh Monitoring Mission as a model for cooperation between ASEAN Member Countries in conflict resolution as provided for in the ASEAN Security Community, as well as a model for cooperation between regions, in this case with the European Union. Myanmar - We noted the increased interest of the international community on developments in Myanmar. In this context, we took note of the briefing by Myanmar on the latest developments in the implementation of its Roadmap to Democracy. We encouraged Myanmar to expedite the process and welcomed the invitation by Myanmar to the Foreign Minister of Malaysia in his capacity as Chairman of the ASEAN Standing Committee to visit Myanmar to learn first-hand of the progress. We also called for the release of those placed under detention. External Relations ASEAN Plus Three Cooperation - We were pleased with the overall progress made in our cooperation within the ASEAN Plus Three framework, including the steady implementation of the short-term and some of the medium and long term East Asia Study Group measures. We looked forward to the signing of the Kuala Lumpur Declaration on the ASEAN Plus Three Summit on 12 December 2005 to reaffirm our commitment to the ASEAN Plus Three cooperation. We reiterated our commitment to ensuring that the ASEAN Plus Three process would be the main vehicle for the realisation of the East Asian community in the future, and would work closely with our Plus Three partners on this common objective. Cooperation with Dialogue Partners - We noted the encouraging progress in ASEAN’s cooperation with its Dialogue Partners. We also noted the Report of the ASEAN-China Eminent Persons Group, in particular their recommendations to strengthen the ASEAN-China partnership, which we will discuss with the Premier of China on 12 December 2005. We also look forward to the adoption of the Joint Statement with Japan to further enhance the partnership for a stable and prosperous region. - We welcomed the ASEAN-Russian Federation Joint Declaration on Progressive and Comprehensive Partnership and the Comprehensive Program of Action for 2005-2015 to strengthen ASEAN-Russia relations, which we will conclude with the President of the Russian Federation on 13 December 2005. We will adopt a Plan of Action with the President of the Republic of Korea to implement the Joint Declaration on Comprehensive Partnership on 13 December 2005. - We also welcomed the recent accession of Australia, Mongolia and New Zealand to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, which will further enhance the role of the Treaty as a code of conduct governing inter-state relations in the region for the promotion of peace and stability. - We noted the progress in the free trade area (FTA) negotiations with China, India, the Republic of Korea, Japan, and the Australia New Zealand. We underscored the importance of these arrangements in collectively strengthening ASEAN’s trade and economic cooperation with our Dialogue Partners and contributing to the progress, prosperity and development of the region. We encouraged all partners to work with ASEAN towards the realisation of the FTAs with the longer-term benefits of such FTAs in mind. We looked forward to the signing of the Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Economic Cooperation with the Republic of Korea on 13 December 2005 and welcomed the other agreements pertaining to the ASEAN-ROK FTA signed by our Economic Ministers with the ROK on 9 December 2005. We further welcomed the signing of the ASEAN-Russian Federation Economic and Development Cooperation Agreement by the ASEAN Foreign Ministers and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation on 10 December 2005, which will strengthen the economic and development cooperation dimensions of the relations as both sides work towards a progressive and comprehensive partnership. East Asia Summit - We welcomed the convening of the East Asia Summit (EAS) on 14 December 2005, as an open and inclusive forum with ASEAN as the driving force for broad strategic, political, economic issues of common interest. We also agreed that the EAS should be a “top-down” forum for Leaders to exchange views. We looked forward to the signing of the Kuala Lumpur Declaration on the East Asia Summit. We agreed that the efforts of the EAS to promote community building in this region will be consistent with and reinforce the realisation of the ASEAN Community, and will form an integral part of the evolving regional architecture. - We agreed that the EAS and the ASEAN Plus Three process should move on parallel tracks without overlapping and complement one another as well as other regional processes. - We also agreed to propose the convening of the EAS on an annual basis to the other participants of the First EAS. Regional and International Political and Security and Economic Issues - We exchanged views on the regional and international situation and acknowledged that our regional environment continues to be peaceful and stable. We are aware that the region is being confronted with challenges such as the threat of terrorism, the outbreak of avian influenza, and the rise in oil prices which have direct negative impact on regional economic development and public health. We agreed that ASEAN should step up efforts to address these challenges at the bilateral, regional and multilateral levels in accordance with our obligations under international law and with respect for national sovereignty, territorial integrity and the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries. - We were outraged at the series of terrorist attacks in our region and other parts of the world that resulted in the loss of innocent lives. We strongly condemned such acts of terror and extended our sympathies to the victims and their families. We condemned acts of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, and emphasised the need to maintain and intensify cooperation among states in the region to combat terrorism and seriously address the root causes of terrorism. We continue to reject any attempt to associate terrorism with any race, religion, nationality or ethnic group. - We reaffirmed our support for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and support the efforts made by the Six Party Talks to find a peaceful and comprehensive solution to the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula. In this connection, we welcomed the fourth and fifth rounds of the Six-Party Talks held in July and November 2005 in Beijing, China, and called on all concerned parties to exert utmost efforts to move towards a peaceful resolution to the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula. - We underscored that current developments in Iraq and Middle-East remain a cause of concern. We hoped for a solution in the foreseeable future that would lead to a durable peace, security, stability and national harmony so that the Iraqi people can truly be the master of their own destiny and country. We also looked forward to the realisation of the vision of two states -Israel and Palestine- living side by side in peace within secure and recognised borders. - We welcomed and supported the decision of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) to establish the Inter-Sessional Group on Confidence Building Measures and Preventive Diplomacy (ISG on CBMs and PD) with a view to making the ARF a more proactive forum capable of responding in a timely manner to situations likely to disturb peace and security in the Asia-Pacific region. We resolved to maintain ASEAN’s role as the driving force in the ARF and agreed to support the operationalisation of the enhanced role of the ARF Chair. - We reaffirmed our commitment to the United Nations and supported a comprehensive reform of the United Nations and underlined the need to enhance the voice and role of the developing countries within the United Nations system. - We reaffirmed our strong support for the ASEAN candidate from Thailand, Dr. Surakiart Sathirathai, for the post of United Nations Secretary-General (UNSG) which will become vacant upon the expiry of the term of the current UNSG at the end of 2006. WTO - We recognized that a successful outcome of the WTO Doha Development Agenda (DDA) negotiations would crucially contribute towards further strengthening of the multilateral trading system, promoting global economic growth and in particularly enhancing economic development in developing countries. For this reason, it is important to maintain the level of ambition established in the Doha Declaration and ensure that the objectives of the DDA are pursued to a successful conclusion. - An ambitious and overall balanced outcome at the end of the Round must include, among others; a comprehensive package in agriculture to ensure substantial reductions in trade distorting domestic support, substantial improvements in market access for all products by significantly lowering tariffs and reducing quantitative restrictions, and the elimination of all forms of export subsidies of developed Members by 2010; an agreement on non-agricultural market access through a Swiss formula with ambitious coefficients and sectoral agreements on a voluntary basis that will ensure real market access improvements for all WTO Members; an agreement in services that will create commercially meaningful and real market access opportunities in all WTO Members; clarification and improvement of the WTO rules for securing and enhancing benefits in market access that will ensure clearer and more predictable trade disciplines; and clearer and improved WTO rules for trade facilitation that will contribute to further expediting the movement, release and clearance of goods. - We stressed that the development dimension of the Round should be embodied in all negotiating areas and deliver real, effective and operational development benefits to all developing country members and in particularly, take into account the special needs of the least developed countries (LDCs). - We called on all WTO Members, especially those that have the largest stake in the global trading system and derive the biggest benefits from it, to make all necessary contributions and additional efforts to ensure that the upcoming Ministerial Conference in Hong Kong provides a substantial platform to move the DDA negotiations forward to a successful completion of the round by the end of 2006. - We also noted the progress made so far in WTO membership negotiations of Lao PDR and the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam. We called on WTO members to turn their strong support for the WTO membership of these countries into concrete actions by accelerating the negotiations and by not posing excessive requests beyond their capacities so that these countries become WTO members soon. Early accession to the WTO of these countries will facilitate their full integration into the international economy and further strengthen and enrich the multilateral trading system. Other Matters - We noted with appreciation the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ABAC) report and agreed to continue to support its role in the overall strategy of increasing the private sector engagement in ASEAN economic policy deliberations. We also underscored the need for closer coordination and regular engagement between the private sector and relevant public agencies in the implementation of ABAC’s recommendations as well as the ASEAN economic initiatives and programmes. - We welcomed the convening of the ASEAN Tourism Investment Forum on 9 December 2005 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which would contribute to our countries’ efforts to attract more tourism-related investment into the region and to developing ASEAN as an attractive tourist destination. - We took note of the Report of the ASEAN Civil Society Conference (ACSC) which was held on 7 – 9 December 2005. We recognised that the civil society will play an increasing important role in ASEAN as we develop a people-centred ASEAN Community. Thus, we supported the holding of the Conference annually on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit and that its report be presented to the Leaders.	https://asean.org/?static_post=chairman-s-statement-of-the-11th-asean-summit-one-vision-one-identity-one-community
In order to keep exploiting the waters for fish despite the challenges, some fishermen have turned to revenue from tourism in their community to introduce non-native species such as Bayard, African Arowana, and Grunts, which now dominate the marine wildlife in the Lagoon. by Senami KojahMay 03, 2020 The collision of paddle and sand in the middle of the rainy season and the receding water stain on wooden stilts attests to the impact of climate change on Makoko, a floating village sitting at the foot of the Lagos Lagoon inhabited by a fishing tribe of more than 100,000 people. Young boy makes his way through the now shallow water in Makoko. Locals say some naturally occurring fish species such as the lesser African threadfin (Galeoides decadactylus), the Senegal jack (Caranx senegallus), the West African Ladyfish (Elops lacerta) and Blue Mussels, which sold for higher prices in the market, started to disappear putting a strain on their sole source of livelihoods. Native occurring marine wildlife such as the Senegal jack are becoming rarer to find. "The catch used to be enormous in the past, we use to catch all the different types of fishes then we stopped seeing Titus fish (Mackerel), Sharks that wander from the ocean seasonally, Silver Catfish and others," said Segun Azankpo, a popular fisherman in the area. Fisherman Segun Azankpo casts his net into the Lagos Lagoon. His meagre catches are now supplemented by money he makes from lending his canoe to tourists. A study by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations in 2007 discovered that apart from climate change, overfishing by industrial fleets in Nigerian coastal areas such as Lagos was leading to a decline in quantity and quality of catch while also causing "environmental degradation seriously impeding the productivity of the artisanal sector and declining efficiency due to lack of technical innovation". In order to keep exploiting the waters for fish despite the challenges, some fishermen have turned to revenue from tourism in their community to introduce non-native species such as Bayard, African Arowana, and Grunts, which now dominate the marine wildlife in the Lagoon. Local fisherman Segun Azankpo and his family sort White Bait inside his canoe. Fascinated by the allure of murky intricate waterways woven in-between makeshift wooden stilts that pale in comparison to other floating cities like Venice, foreign and local tourists seeking new adventures, YouTubers and celebrities looking to create unexplored content for their audience, are trooping into Makoko in droves, thereby providing revenue, which local fishermen in turn use to grow their fish farms. In February 2020, World Heavyweight Champion, Anthony Joshua, visited Makoko floating slum to celebrate his victory with locals. John Awume, a middle-aged man, who used to fish actively but now paddles tourists around while serving also as a tour guide, said he decided to pause fishing to enable him to save money to create his own fish farm with new species that yield faster and are not within the reach of foreign boats. "I used to fish actively in the past but the yields became low and my boat developed technical problems so I became broke, my specialty used to be big fishes. “When tourists come, they pay, even though it is not a lot but I am saving it to start my own fish farm because it is working for others around me," he said. The introduction of new and exotic fish species in waters where there is obvious native decline is controversial because of concerns around the conservation of freshwater biodiversity. For example, research in North-Eastern Italy shows how temporal variation in fish assemblages was analyzed over an 18-year period in 14 waterways of the lowland backwaters of the Po River, 14 native and eight exotic species were collected. In less than 20 years, 10 native species underwent local extinction. In Zimbabwe's Lake Victoria, the predatory Nile perch, Lates niloticus, and the herbivorous Tilapiines, Oreochromis niloticus, Oreochromis leucostictus, Tilapia zillii and Tilapia rendalii, was introduced in the 1960s due to a decline in native species. While the lake flourished and fishermen thrived through the economic opportunities it created, the lake underwent ecological changes which led to the disappearance of native species. In Lagos, marine conservation expert, Damilola Ewuro, is calling for the regulation of artisanal fishermen on the lagoon, who are introducing non-native species as a way of protecting the natural habitat. Locals lounging and weaving nets on the Lagoon. "In a place like Nigeria where employment is hard to come by, you have to give the fishermen kudos for their innovation in converting the tourism their community is attracting to a means of keeping the skills their forebears handed to them alive. However, there has to be massive regulation of the process. "This regulation must come with education so as to earn the trust and cooperation of the fish farmers/fishermen who should be at the frontline of protecting the biodiversity of Lagoon," Ewuro said. White Bait is a common find in the Lagoon. For now, locals like Teju Azankpo, who is a fishmonger along with the rest of her family, are enjoying the boom the new method of fish farming has brought. Teju's mother, Mrs Azankpo processes the fish for sale. Processing many large bowls of varying fish, she says she has lost count of the specific types of fish she processes every day. "The men bring them in, plenty. We don't ask for the names, we just clean and process. We went to school from the proceeds of the fish so I'm happy to do the work," she said. Teju Azankpo and her sister scale and prep fish for processing in Makoko. Another tour boat owner, Moses Stephen said, "We used to make money from making nets and selling to augment the income from the catch we used to make before people started fish farming. Moses Stephen (Bobo) is a fisherman turn tour guide in Makoko. “Now, we rely on the N10,000, N7,000, or N20,000 from people coming to take photos of our slum to fill that gap. "The water where the houses are is dry and it smells. There is always dirt and pollution so no fish survives here so to start the farm, you have to move further down the Lagoon," he said. Farm escapees and invasive, genetic pollution, disease, parasite transfer, and habitat modification are all major concerns around the practice which calls for more studies and monitoring. The shift from fishing native occurring species, which are fast disappearing may mean a resurgence for undisturbed biodiversity in the Lagoon. For now, residents in the floating community are happy that they can host tourists and fish in abundance again. This story was written with the support of REJOPRA, Network of Journalists for Responsible Fisheries in Africa (Rèseau des Journalistes pour une Pēche Responsable en Afrique) SaharaReporters.com is an outstanding, groundbreaking news website that encourages citizen journalists to report ongoing corruption and government malfeasance in Africa. Using photos, text, and video dynamically, the site informs and prompts concerned African citizens and activists globally to act, denouncing officially-sanctioned corruption, the material impoverishment of its citizenry, defilement of the environment, and the callous disregard of the democratic principles enshrined in the constitution.
2) грузоподъёмность CH-53K не дотягивает 907 кг до требуемой КМП 13.6 тонн. During operation "Protective Edge", the IAF's transport helicopters performed dozens of operational sorties in the Gaza theatre and in the peak of the operation they executed complex extractions of wounded combatants from the heart of the conflict in the strip. In light of the results of the debriefing of the operation's extraction sorties, today, airborne mechanics, who are responsible for operating the cargo hold, take off for every mission and training exercise with a camera on their helmet. This innovative installation is a result of the understanding that there is great potential in the integration of the footage when debriefing. "The debriefing camera help us understand if the mission in the cargo hold is performed properly", explained Master Srgt. Adir, an airborne mechanic in the "Leaders of the Night" Squadron, which operates the "Yas'ur" (CH-53) Helicopter. "Most of our missions in the cargo hold include team work with other elements, from the pilots, with whom we work closely, to a third party like SAR Unit 669 operators or infantry forces. Working with many elements creates a very dynamic element and we are required to execute our mission efficiently". Transport helicopters perform many different missions, from the evacuation of injured civilians, through the extraction of infantry forces from enemy territory and to PSAR (Pilot Search and Rescue). Airborne mechanics are a critical part of the chain in each of these missions and no helicopter takes off without an airborne mechanic in the cargo hold. "Until the integration of the cameras we would debrief our work with an aircrew debriefing system with which we could only hear what occurred in the flight and not see what happened in the cargo hold". The "Nocturnal Birds" and "Leaders of the Night" squadrons that operate the "Yas'ur" (CH-53) Transport Helicopters from Tel-Nof AFB received a number of new camera kits. Now, after completing each sortie, the mechanics unload the footage from their cameras and when they debrief, watch it with the rest of the crew. "The challenge in debriefing the cargo hold in the transport helicopter division is instilling the change made as a result of the watching the video footage", shared Master Srgt. Adir. "Thanks to these debriefs, we understood that there are better ways to do many things and after watching, we could point at things we needed to improve". "Debriefing with the cameras is much more effective. You can clearly hear and see everything happening in the cargo hold", testified Master Srgt. Adir. "Another advantage is that the aircrew members who sit in the cockpit and do not see what happens behind them in real time, are exposed to our activity and receive a more complete image of our missions". ̶З̶в̶у̶к̶о̶в̶о̶й̶ ̶б̶а̶р̶ь̶е̶р̶ рубеж в 315 км/ч был достигнут 19 октября. По словам разработчиков, вертолет использовал 2,5 двигателя, так что 315 - это не предел. During a flight test on Oct. 19, 2016, the CH-53K King Stallion helicopter achieved a 170 knot flight - with power to spare. 315 км/ч - очень часто указывают как максималку для более старых моделей. Если нет никаких конструкционных ограничений, то вполне возможно, что разгон именно до 315 км/ч - хитрый рекламный трюк, что бы в дальнейшем, когда разгонят еще быстрее, показать преимущество нового вертолета. Лично я надеюсь что это еще не предел, законцовки лопастей не зря же они такими сделали. The USMC's much needed replacement for the notoriously unreliable CH-53E Super Stallion heavy-lift helicopter has had its fair share of issues. But now as the CH-53K accelerates its flight testing, its price tag is what's most concerning—costing a projected $122 million per helicopter. Yes, this is nearly the same unit price as the F-35B, the Joint Strike Fighter variant intended to replace the Marine Corps Harriers and and hundreds of their Hornets. The thing is, the USMC, once known for "getting more done with less," has been aiming to have its air arm transform into an all high-end, "silver bullet"-technology equipped force. Case in point, the backbone of their helicopter fleet isn't even a helicopter at all, it's a tilt-rotor airplane—the MV-22 Osprey. Although the King Stallion's price tag may seem outrageous, the USMC has spent tens of billions of dollars equipping itself with an all Osprey medium-lift "helicopter" fleet. Each Osprey, even after hundreds have been built, costs roughly $72 million each, and whereas the King Stallion is an absolutely necessary procurement item, the Osprey was a luxury the USMC chose to pursue. The service could have bought roughly three medium-lift helicopters for same price of a single MV-22. DoDBuzz.com reports that the decades-old CH-53E Super Stallion, the progenitor of the CH-53K, cost roughly $41 million in today's dollars. But considering the capability that the CH-53K brings to the table and how badly it's needed—not to mention the high cost of an Osprey—its price tag is a little easier to swallow. Just like most new military aircraft, the first examples cost the most, with the unit cost usually dropping fairly dramatically as the system enters full rate production. In total, the USMC looks to buy 200 CH-53Ks. Lieutenant General Gary Thomas stated that the cost per King Stallion will drop below $89 million once the helicopters enter full rate production around the turn of the decade—that is, if everything goes as planned. А почему в свое время на вооружение Хель Хаавир приняли именно CH-53D, а не СН-47? Быть может, проводились исследования какие-то? http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com...clines-turkish-pakistan-f-16-training-deal-ki Филиал Lockheed Martin, Sikorsky награждён контрактом на поставку первой очереди LRIP (Lot 1) в кол-ве двух Super Stallion CH-53K, Корпусу морской пехоты США (USMC) на 304 млн долл. Фирма должна поставить машины к 2021 году с запасными частями и поддержкой, работы будут выполняться в Стратфорде, штат Коннектикут. Программа Министерства обороны США базируется на 200-х вертолётах CH-53K, при этом USMC намерен иметь восемь боевых эскадрилий, одну учебную эскадрилью и одну резервную для поддержки эксплуатационных требований. Новое большое видео. Надо брать? 16 мая 2018 года Sikorsky поставила КМП США первый из 200 тяжелых транспортных вертолетов CH-53K. King Stallion будет готов к войсковой эксплуатации в 2019 году. Морские пехотинцы проведут оценку логистической поддержки и материально-технического обеспечения.	http://www.waronline.org/fora/index.php?threads/%D0%94%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B3%D0%BE%D0%B6%D0%B4%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%BD%D1%8B%D0%B9-%D0%A1%D0%9D-53%D0%9A-%D0%B8-%D0%BC%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B7%D0%B0%D1%86%D0%B8%D1%8F-%D0%B8%D0%B7%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B8%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D1%85-ch-53d-%D0%AF%D1%81%D1%8A%D1%83%D1%80.335/page-4
An Overview of Cubist Cubist is a tool for generating rule-based predictive models from data. Whereas its sister system See5/C5.0 produces classification models that predict categories, Cubist models predict numeric values. This short tutorial introduces Cubist's capabilities and explains how to use the system effectively. In this tutorial, file names and Cubist input appear in blue fixed-width font while file extensions and other general forms are shown highlighted in green. We will illustrate Cubist using a simple application -- modeling automobiles' annual fuel cost using data published in 2008 by the US Department of Energy and the US Environmental Protection Agency. Each data point concerns one automobile and the attributes or properties capture (possibly) relevant information as follows: Each case has a target attribute or dependent variable -- here the estimated annual fuel cost to run the automobile -- and the other attributes provide information that may help to predict this value, although some automobiles may have unknown values for some attributes. There are only twelve attributes in this example including the target attribute, but Cubist can deal with thousands of attributes if necessary. Cubist's job is to find how to estimate a case's target value in terms of its attribute values -- here, to relate annual fuel cost to the other information provided for the automobile. Cubist does this by building a model containing one or more rules, where each rule is a conjunction of conditions associated with a linear expression. The meaning of a rule is that, if a case satisfies all the conditions, then the linear expression is appropriate for predicting the target value. A Cubist model thus resembles a piecewise linear model, except that the rules can overlap. As we will see, Cubist can also construct multiple models and can combine rule-based models with instance-based (nearest neighbor) models. Every Cubist application has a short name called a filestem; we will use the filestem fc2008 for this illustration. All files read or written by Cubist for an application look like filestem.extension, where filestem identifies the application and extension describes the contents of the file. Here is a summary table of the extensions used by Cubist (to be described in later sections): names description of the application's attributes [required] data cases used to generate a model [required] test unseen cases used to test a model [optional] cases cases to be modeled subsequently [optional] model rule-based model produced by Cubist [output] pred actual and predicted target values for any test cases [output] All files for an application must be kept together in one directory but several applications can share the same directory. The first essential file is the names file (e.g. fc2008.names) that defines the attributes used to describe each case. There are two important subgroups of attributes: The value of an explicitly-defined attribute is given directly in the data. A discrete attribute has a value drawn from a set of nominal values, a continuous attribute has a numeric value, a date attribute holds a calendar date, a time attribute holds a clock time, a timestamp attribute holds a date and time, and a label attribute serves only to identify a particular case. The value of an implicitly-defined attribute is specified by a formula. (Most attributes are explicitly defined, so you may never need implicitly-defined attributes.) Names, labels, and discrete values are represented by arbitrary strings of characters, with some fine print: Tabs and spaces are permitted inside a name or value, but Cubist collapses every sequence of these characters to a single space. Special characters (comma, colon, period, vertical bar `\|') can appear in names and values, but must be prefixed by the escape character `\'. For example, the name "Filch, Grabbit, and Co." would be written as `Filch\, Grabbit\, and Co\.'. (However, it is not necessary to escape colons in times and periods in numbers.) Whitespace (blank lines, spaces, and tab characters) is ignored except inside a name or value and can be used to improve legibility. Unless it is escaped as above, the vertical bar `\|' causes the remainder of the line to be ignored and is handy for including comments. When used in this way, `\|' should not occur inside a value. The first important entry of the names file identifies the attribute that contains the target value -- the value to be modeled in terms of the other attributes -- here, fuel cost. This attribute must be of type continuous or an implicitly-defined attribute that has numeric values (see below). Following this entry, all attributes are defined in the order that their values will be given for each case. The name of each explicitly-defined attribute is followed by a colon `:' and a description of the values taken by the attribute. The attribute name is arbitrary, except that each attribute must have a distinct name, and the name case weight is reserved for setting weights for individual cases. There are eight possibilities: continuous The attribute takes numeric values. date The attribute's values are dates in the form YYYY/MM/DD or YYYY-MM-DD, e.g. 1999/09/30 or 1999-09-30. Valid dates range from the year 1601 to the year 4000. time The attribute's values are times in the form HH:MM:SS with values between 00:00:00 and 23:59:59. timestamp The attribute's values are times in the form YYYY/MM/DD HH:MM:SS or YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS, e.g. 1999-09-30 15:04:00. (Note that there is a space separating the date and time.) a comma-separated list of names The attribute takes discrete values, and these are the allowable values. The values may be prefaced by [ordered] to indicate that they are listed in a meaningful order, otherwise they will be taken as unordered. For instance, the values low, medium, high are ordered, while meat, poultry, fish, vegetables are not. If the attribute values have a natural order, it is better to declare them as ordered so that this information can be exploited by Cubist. discreteN for some integer N The attribute also takes discrete values, but the values are assembled from the data itself; N is the maximum number of such values. (This is not recommended, since the data cannot be checked, but it can be handy for discrete attributes with many values.) ignore The values of the attribute should be ignored. label This attribute contains an identifying label for each case, such as an account number or an order code. The value of the attribute is ignored when models are constructed, but is used when referring to individual cases. A label attribute can make it easier to locate errors in the data and also helps with cross-referencing of results to individual cases. If there are two or more label attributes, only the last is used. The name of each implicitly-defined attribute is followed by `:=' and then a formula defining the attribute value. The formula is written in the usual way, using parentheses where needed, and may refer to any attribute that has been defined before this one. Constants in the formula can be `?' (meaning unknown), `N/A' (meaning not applicable), numbers (written in decimal notation), dates, times, and discrete attribute values enclosed in string quotes `"'. The operators and functions available for use in the formula are The value of an implicitly-defined attribute is either numeric or true/false depending on the formula. This example includes one implicitly-defined attribute, displacement per cylinder (displ/cyl). This is a numeric attribute since its value is a ratio of two explicitly-defined numeric attributes. The value of a hypothetical attribute small := cylinders = 4 and class = "CAR". would be either t or f since the value given by the formula is either true or false. If the value of the formula cannot be determined for a particular case, the value of the implicitly-defined attribute is unknown. For example, consider a car with a value `?' for the cylinders attribute. The displacement per cylinder cannot then be calculated, so the implicitly-defined attribute displ/cyl would also have an unknown value. interval then represents the number of days from d1 to d2 (non-inclusive) and gap would have a true/false value signaling whether d1 is at least a week before d2. The last definition is a slightly non-obvious way of determining the day of the week on which d1 falls, with values ranging from 1 (Monday) to 7 (Sunday). Similarly, times are stored as the number of seconds since midnight. If the names file includes start: time. finish: time. elapsed := finish - start. the value of elapsed is the number of seconds from start to finish. Timestamps are a little more complex. A timestamp is rounded to the nearest minute, but limitations on the precision of floating-point numbers mean that the values stored for timestamps from more than thirty years ago are approximate. If the names file includes An optional final entry in the names file affects the way that Cubist constructs models. This entry takes one of the forms attributes included: attributes excluded: followed by a comma-separated list of attribute names. The first form restricts the attributes used in models to those specifically named; the second form specifies that models must not use any of the named attributes. Excluding an attribute from models is not the same as ignoring the attribute (see `ignore' above). As an example, suppose that a numeric attribute A is defined in the data, but background knowledge suggests that only the logarithm of A should appear in models. The names file might then contain the following entries: . . . A: continuous. LogA := log(A). . . . attributes excluded: A. In this example the attribute A could not be defined as ignore because the definition of LogA would then be invalid. The same pattern could be used if the goal was to model the log of A rather than the value of A itself. In this case the target attribute would be given as LogA and the exclusion of A would be necessary to prevent the value of A being used in the model for LogA. The second essential file, the application's data file (here fc2008.data), provides information on the training cases that Cubist will use to construct a model. The entry for each case consists of one or more lines that give the values for all explicitly-defined attributes. Values are separated by commas and the entry for each case is optionally terminated by a period. Once again, anything on a line after a vertical bar is ignored. (If the information for a case occupies more than one line, make sure that the line breaks occur after commas.) Of course, the value of predictive models lies in their ability to make accurate predictions! It is difficult to judge the accuracy of a model by measuring how well it does on the cases used in its construction; the performance of the model on new cases is much more informative. The third kind of file used by Cubist is a test file of new cases (here fc2008.test) on which the model can be evaluated. This file is optional and has exactly the same format as the data file. In this application the 1,141 cases have been split randomly 70%:30% into data and test files containing 800 and 341 cases respectively. Another optional file, the cases file (e.g. fc2008.cases), has the same format as the data and test files. The cases file is used primarily with the public source code described later on. Once the names, data, and optional files have been set up, everything is ready to use Cubist. The general form of the Unix command is cubist -f filestem [options] This invokes Cubist with the -f option that identifies the application name (here fc2008). If no filestem is specified using this option, Cubist uses a default filestem that is probably incorrect. (Moral: always use the -f option!) There are several options that affect the type of model that Cubist produces and the way that it is constructed. In this section we will examine each of them, starting with the simpler situations. The first part identifies the version of Cubist, the run date, the options with which the system was invoked, and the attribute that contains the target value. Now we come to the training data. Some attribute values might be missing; if so, Cubist replaces them by the most probable values. Missing values of continuous attributes are replaced by the mean of the known values for that attribute, while the replacement for missing discrete values is the most frequent attribute value. Any such replacements are noted on the output. Here valves/cyl is the only explicitly-defined attribute whose value is missing for some cases in fc2008.data; those cases are given the average value (a rather unrealistic 3.46667). The same values are also used to replace missing values in any test cases, although the messages are not repeated. Cubist constructs a model from the 800 training cases in the file fc2008.data, and this appears next. A model consists of a list of rules, each of the form if conditions then linear formula A rule indicates that, whenever a case satisfies all the conditions, the linear formula is appropriate for predicting the value of the target attribute. (If two or more rules apply to a case, then the values are averaged to arrive at a final prediction.) Although the order of the rules does not affect the value predicted by a model, Cubist presents them in decreasing order of importance. The first rule makes the greatest contribution to the model's accuracy on the training data; the last rule has the least impact. Each rule also carries some descriptive information: the number of training cases that satisfy the rule's conditions, their target values' mean and range, and a rough estimate of the expected error magnitude of predictions made by the rule. Within the linear formula, the attributes are ordered in decreasing relevance to the result. Let's illustrate all this on Rule 1 above. There are three conditions: class in {CAR, VAN} displ <= 4.6 fuel in {R, D, C} Among the 800 training cases there are 142 that satisfy all three conditions; their fuel costs range from $884 to $2801 with an average value of $1896.50. Cubist finds that the target value of these or other cases satisfying the conditions can be modeled by the formula The formula predicts a constant value for these cases. In rules like this, the constant value may differ from the mean, which may appear odd! This is not an error -- under the default option settings, Cubist attempts to minimize average error magnitude, and so uses the median target value of the cases covered by the rule rather than the mean. This can be altered by invoking the option for unbiased rules, described later. The next section covers the evaluation of this model shown in the second part of the output. Before we leave this output, though, the final line states the elapsed time for the run. For small applications such as this, with only a few training cases and a handful of attributes, a model is produced quite quickly. Model construction can take much longer for larger applications with many thousands of cases and tens or hundreds of attributes. The progress of Cubist on long runs can be monitored by examining the last few lines of the temporary file filestem.tmp (e.g. fc2008.tmp). This file displays the stage that Cubist has reached and, for most stages, gives an indication of the fraction of the stage that has been completed. Models constructed by Cubist are evaluated on the training data from which they were generated, and also on a separate file of unseen test cases if this is present. (Evaluation by cross-validation is discussed elsewhere.) Results on the cases in fc2008.data are: The average error magnitude is straightforward enough. The relative error magnitude is the ratio of the average error magnitude to the error magnitude that would result from always predicting the mean value; for useful models, this should be less than 1! The correlation coefficient measures the agreement between the cases' actual values of the target attribute and those values predicted by the model. Usually, as in this example, the results cover all training cases. When there are more than 20,000 of them and composite models (see later) are used, the evaluation covers only a random sample of 10,000 training cases and this fact is noted in the output. For some applications, particularly those with many attributes, it may be useful to know how individual attributes contribute to the model. This is shown in the next section: The first column shows the approximate percentage of cases for which the named attribute appears in a condition of an applicable rule, while the second column gives the percentage of cases for which the attribute appears in the linear formula of an applicable rule. The second entry, for example, says that displ is used in the condition part of rules that cover 92% of cases and in the formulas of rules that cover 98% of cases. Attributes for which both these values are less than 1% are not shown. If a test file is present, Cubist produces a summary similar to that for the training cases: In its default mode, Cubist tries to minimize the average absolute error of the values predicted for new cases. As a consequence, the rules that Cubist generates may be biased -- the mean predicted value for the training cases covered by a rule may differ from their mean value. Suppose, for instance, that we have to summarize the values 1, 2, and 12 by a single number. If we choose the mean value 5, the average absolute error over these values would be 14/3. Choosing the median value 2, however, the average absolute error becomes 11/3. Even though it gives lower absolute error, the choice of 2 is biased since the prediction (2) is lower than the mean of the values (5). The option -u instructs Cubist to make each rule approximately unbiased, with the downside that average absolute error is usually slightly higher. This option is recommended for applications where the training cases have a preponderance of a single target value (such as zero) because unbiased rules tend to give a finer gradation of predicted values. When the fuel cost application is run with the option for unbiased rules, the only effect is to change the constant in the formula for each rule and the rule's estimated error. The rule that shows the greatest difference is The constant term in the formula changes from 3652.1 to 3555.3 and the estimated error is greater. This shows that the original rule was strongly biased towards higher values. For this application, unbiased rules have a slightly greater error of 153.1 on the unseen test cases. Finally, because cases can be covered by different numbers of rules, the use of unbiased rules does not guarantee that the entire model is unbiased. For some applications, the predictive accuracy of a rule-based model can be improved by combining it with an instance-based or nearest-neighbor model. The latter predicts the target value of a new case by finding the n most similar cases in the training data, and averaging their target values. Cubist employs an unusual method for combining rule-based and instance-based models. Cubist finds the n training cases that are "nearest" (most similar) to the case in question. Then, rather than averaging their target values directly, Cubist first adjusts these values using the rule-based model. Here's how it works: Suppose that x is the case whose unknown target value is to be predicted, and y is one of x's nearest neighbors in the training data. The target value of y is known: let us call it T(y). The rule-based model can be used to predict target values for any case, so let its predictions for x and y be M(x) and M(y) respectively. The model then predicts that the difference between the target values of x and y is M(x)-M(y). The value of x predicted by neighbor y is adjusted to reflect this difference, so that Cubist uses T(y)+M(x)-M(y) instead of y's raw target value. (This is described in more detail in the paper "Combining instance-based and model-based learning", Proceedings of the Tenth International Conference on Machine Learning, pages 236-243, Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, San Francisco, 1993.) The option -i instructs Cubist to use composite models of this type. Alternatively, the option -a allows the decision regarding which kind of model to use -- rule-based or composite -- to be left to Cubist itself. In the latter case, Cubist derives from the training data a heuristic estimate of the accuracy of each type of model, and chooses the form that appears more accurate. The derivation of these estimates requires quite a lot of computation, so leaving the decision to Cubist can result in a noticeable increase in the time required to build a model. Now for the value of n, the number of nearest neighbors to be used. The option -nneighbors sets the number directly; the allowable range is from 1 to 9. If the value is not specified in this way, Cubist will choose an appropriate value in the range. To continue the illustration: when Cubist is allowed to choose a model type on the basis of the 800 training cases and the number of nearest neighbors is not specified, it opts for a composite model using a single nearest neighbor. The rule-based model itself is unchanged, but the composite model gives different results on the training and test cases, the latter being The performance of the composite model on the test cases in fc2008.test thus improves upon that of the default rule-based model, average error magnitude falling from 152.6 to 101.1. Nearest neighbor models are adversely affected by the presence of irrelevant attributes. All attributes are taken into account when evaluating the similarity of two cases and irrelevant attributes introduce a random factor into this measurement. As a result, composite models are most effective when the number of attributes is relatively small and all attributes are relevant to the prediction task. In addition to the composite rule-based/nearest neighbor models discussed above, Cubist can also generate committee models made up of several rule-based models. Each member of the committee predicts the target value for a case and the members' predictions are averaged to give a final prediction. The first member of a committee model is always exactly the same as the model generated without the committee option. The second member is a rule-based model designed to correct the predictions of the first member; if the first member's prediction is too low for a case, the second member will attempt to compensate by predicting a higher value. The third member tries to correct the predictions of the second member, and so on. The recommended number of members is five, a value that balances the benefits of the committee approach against the cost of generating extra models. The option -Cmembers causes Cubist to construct a model committee and specifies the number of committee members. When this option is invoked with five members, the results show a smaller improvement than that obtained with composite models: Committee models are of most benefit when the initial model is reasonably accurate, so they are more useful for fine-tuning good models than for overcoming the deficiencies of poor models. Finally, committee models can be used in conjunction with composite models. Cubist employs heuristics that try to simplify models without substantially reducing their predictive accuracy. In some applications, however, it might be desirable to generate more concise models -- for instance, when the models must be very easy to understand. Of course, over-simplified models usually have lower predictive accuracy so there is a trade-off between simplicity and utility. The complexity of a model can be controlled by restricting the number of rules that it may contain (the default value being 500 rules). The option -rrules sets the maximum number of rules that may be used in a model. For the fc2008 application, setting the maximum number of rules to 5 gives a simpler model: The extrapolation parameter controls the extent to which predictions made by Cubist's models can fall outside the range of values seen in the training data. Extrapolation is inherently more risky than interpolation, where predictions must lie between the lowest and highest observed value. The option -eextrapolation sets this extrapolation factor in the form of a percentage. Each rule records the highest and lowest target value of the training cases satisfying that rule's conditions. When the target value of a new case is predicted using the rule, the value computed from the linear formula may fall outside this range. The extrapolation parameter limits the degree to which new values can lie above or below the values seen in the training data, expressed as a percentage of the range (the default being 5%). For example, the lowest target value among the 142 training cases covered by Rule 1 above is 884 and the highest is 2801. The range is therefore 1917 and, under the default extrapolation limit of 5%, the value predicted by this rule for a new case cannot be lower than 788.15 (884 - 95.85) or higher than 2896.85 (2801 + 95.85). Any computed value that lies outside these bounds is changed to the nearer bound. If the linear formula associated with Rule 1 were to predict a value of 600, say, then this would be adjusted to 788.15. Extrapolation may be constrained even further in two situations. When all the training cases covered by a rule have target values greater than or equal to zero, the rule will never predict a value less than zero. This restriction prevents Cubist from making silly predictions such as negative fuel costs. Similarly, when a rule covers cases whose target values are all less than or equal to zero, the predicted value from the rule will never be positive. Even though Cubist is relatively fast, building models from a large number of cases can take an inconveniently long time. Cubist incorporates a facility to extract a random sample from a dataset, construct a model from the sample, and then test the model on a disjoint collection of cases. By using a smaller set of training cases in this way, the process of generating a model is expedited, but at the cost of a possible reduction in the model's predictive performance. The option -S x has two consequences. Firstly, a random sample containing x% of the cases in the application's data file is used to construct the model. Secondly, the model is evaluated on a non-overlapping set of test cases consisting of another (disjoint) sample of the same size as the training set (if x is less than 50%), or all cases that were not used in the training set (if x is greater than or equal to 50%). As an example, suppose that the application's data file contains 100,000 cases. If a sample of 10% is used, the model will be constructed from a sample of 10,000 cases and tested on a disjoint sample of 10,000 cases. Alternatively, selecting sampling with 60% will cause the model to be constructed from 60,000 cases and tested on the remaining 40,000 cases. By default, the random sample changes every time that a model is constructed, so that successive runs of Cubist with sampling will usually produce different results. This re-sampling can be avoided by the option -I seed that uses the integer seed to initialize the sampling. Runs with the same value of the seed and the same sampling percentage will always use the same training cases. As we saw earlier, the performance of a model on the training cases from which it was constructed gives a poor estimate of its accuracy on new cases. The true predictive accuracy of the model can be estimated by sampling, as above, or by using a separate test file; either way, the classifier is evaluated on cases that were not used to build it. However, this estimate can be unreliable unless the numbers of cases used to build and evaluate the model are both large. If the cases in fc2008.data and fc2008.test were to be shuffled and divided into new training and test sets, Cubist would probably construct a different model whose accuracy on the test cases might vary considerably. One way to get a more reliable estimate of predictive accuracy is by f-fold cross-validation. The cases (including those in the test file, if it exists) are divided into f blocks of roughly the same size and target value distribution. For each block in turn, a model is constructed from the cases in the remaining blocks and tested on the cases in the hold-out block. In this way, each case is used just once as a test case. The accuracy of a model produced from all the cases is estimated by averaging results on the hold-out cases. The option -Xf runs such a f-fold cross-validation. For example, the command cubist -f fc2008 -X 10 selects 10-fold cross-validation. After reporting on the model produced at each fold, the output shows a summary like this: The file filestem.pred once again contains a case-by-case record of the actual and predicted values on the unseen cases. As with sampling above, each cross-validation run will normally use a different random division of the data into blocks, unless this is prevented by using the -I option. The cross-validation procedure can be repeated for different random partitions of the cases into blocks. The average error from these distinct cross-validations is then an even more reliable estimate of the error of the model produced from all the cases. A shell script and associated programs for carrying out multiple cross-validations are included with Cubist. The shell script xval is invoked with any combination of Cubist options and some further options that describe the cross-validations themselves: F=folds specifies the number of cross-validation folds (default 10) R=repeats causes the cross-validation to be repeated repeats times (default 1) +suffix adds the identifying suffix +suffix to all files +d retains the output from every cross-validation If detailed results are retained via the +d option, they appear in files named filestem.oi[+suffix] where i is the cross-validation number (0 to repeats-1). A summary of the cross-validations is written to file filestem.res[+suffix]. As an example, the command xval -f fc2008 -a R=10 +new runs ten complete 10-fold cross-validations (and so constructs 100 models in all), allowing Cubist to choose between rule-based and composite models, and gives the following results in file fc2008.res+new: Since a single cross-validation fold uses only part of the application's data, running a cross-validation does not cause a model to be saved. To save a model for later use, simply run Cubist without employing cross-validation. By default, all training cases are treated equally when a model is constructed. In some applications, however, it may be desirable to assign different importance to the cases. Cubist achieves this by recognizing an optional attribute that gives the weight of each case. The attribute name must be case weight and it must have numeric values. The relative weight assigned to each case is its value of this attribute divided by the average value; if the value is undefined ("?"), not applicable ("N/A"), or is less than or equal to zero, the case's relative weight is set to 1. The case weight attribute itself is not used in the model! To illustrate the idea, let us suppose that we wish our model to be relatively more accurate on cars rather than other vehicle types. We might add a case weight attribute of type continuous to fc2008.names and add an extra value to each case in the .data file, 5 for cars and 1 for other vehicles. This means that the importance of a training case for a car is five times that of cases for other vehicle types. Cubist will now attempt to minimize weighted error, so cars should have more influence on the new model. (Note: we must also add an extra value to each case in the .test file, since we have increased the number of attributes. This value is not used.) The initial model gives an average absolute error of 161.0 for the cars in the unseen test cases. With the case-weighted model, this error drops to 153.1. A cautionary note: The use of case weighting does not guarantee that the model will be more accurate for unseen cases with higher weights. Predictive accuracy on more important cases is likely to be improved only when cases with similar values of the predictor attributes also have similar values of the case weight attribute, i.e. when relatively important cases "clump together." Without this property, case weighting can introduce an unhelpful element of randomness into the model generation process. Linux users who have installed a recent version of Wine can invoke a slightly simplified version of the user interface of the Windows version. The executable program gui starts the graphical user interface whose main window has five buttons: Locate Data invokes a browser to find the files for your application, or to change the current application; Build Model selects the type of model to be constructed and sets other options; Stop interrupts the model-generating process; Review Output re-displays the output from the most recent model (if any), saved automatically in a file filestem.out; and Cross-Reference shows how cases in training or test data relate to (parts of) a model and vice versa. The graphical interface calls Cubist directly, so use of the GUI has minimal impact on the time taken to construct a Cubist model. Please note: Cubist should be run for the first time from the command-line interface, not the GUI. The first run installs the licence ID; after that has been done, Cubist can be used from either interface. The most recent model generated by Cubist is saved in file filestem.model. Free C source code is available to read these model files and to make predictions with them, enabling you to use Cubist models in other programs. As an example, the source includes a program sample.c that reads a saved model file and then prints the value predicted by the model for each case in a cases file. This sample program is intended to illustrate methods for interacting with the model. The program expects to find the following files: filestem.model, the model file generated by Cubist. filestem.names, the names file as it was when the model was generated. filestem.data, the training data (required only if the model is a composite instances-and-rules model). filestem.cases, the cases for which predicted values are required. This file has the same format as a .data file, except that the value of the target attribute can be unknown (?). There are several options that control the format of the output: -ffilestem identify the application (required) -p show the saved model -e show estimated error bounds for each prediction in the form +-E -i for composite models, show each nearest neighbor and its distance from the case The optional error bounds are estimated heuristically so that the absolute error should be less than E for about 95% of cases. A summary at the end of the output shows the actual percentage of cases whose true value is known and lies within the given bounds. As an example, we use the original model for fc2008 and copy the .test file into fc2008.cases. When the -e option is selected, the (abbreviated) output looks like this: The asterisk in the first column of the Bugatti case indicates that its value for one or more of the attributes used in the model lies outside the range observed in the training data, so the predicted value is suspect. (It has 16 cylinders, whereas none of the training cases has more than 12.) Click here to download a gzipped tar file containing the C source code. Please see the comments at the beginning of sample.c for information on compiling the program.
Over the last year, some municipalities have begun to take action to protect tenants against the wave of renovictions and demovictions that are pushing low-income people out of their homes and communities. This is an encouraging development, since provincial government has done very little to address this issue. How does does the City of Vancouver's tenant protections stack up against other municipalities? [Download Printer-friendly PDF Copy] Tenant Relocation Policy A formal process that forces landlords who want to redevelop their property to help re-house their tenants and/or compensate them for having to leave Penalizing Renovictions Policies, such as fines, that discourage landlords from “renovicting” tenants in bad faith in order to raise rents on a suite Right of First Refusal Landlords must offer a renovicted/ demovicted tenants the right to return to their suite after work is complete - ideally at a similar rent as before Vacancy Controls Limited annual rent increases (rent control) is tied to the unit, instead of the tenant Rental Only Zoning Designating parts of a city so that any new development must be for rental housing Provincial (applies to all municipalities in B.C.) Limited; - Four month Notice to End Tenancy for Renoviction/Demoviction - Two month Notice to End Tenancy for Landlord use of property - Final month is rent-free - No moving costs, no relocation assistance. No; - Landlords must only give four months' notice (on proper form) to end tenancy for demolition, renovation or repair, or conversion. Tenants have 30 days to dispute the notice Limited; - Only applies if building containing 5 or more units - Landlords must offer this if renovicting or demoviction, but they do not have to offer an affordable rent; New rent can be determined by the landlord No; Annual Allowable increases set by the Residential Tenancy Branch are only tied to a tenancy. If a tenant moves or is evicted, landlord has no limit on rent increases No; In 2018 the Province gave municipal governments the authority to enact rental only zoning, but the province cannot legislate local zoning laws Vancouver Limited; - Compensation for tenants to leave ranges from 4-24 months rent, depending on the length of tenancy - Assistance relocating tenant to comparable unit in size and rent in the same neighbourhood - Does not apply to renovations involving building permits (small scale reno’s) Limited; - Collaboration with provincial Residential Tenancy Branch to penalize illegal behaviour - Landlord must disclose of scope of work to to city to provide clarity on whether the unit must be vacated - Notifying tenants of their rights in cases where a building is sold Limited; Limited; - Vacancy controls will apply to 20% of the units in new private rental developments that are built under the Moderate Income Rental Housing Pilot Project (MIRHPP) - These vacancy controlled suites are priced at rents meant to be affordable to household incomes of $30-$80K Limited; - Preservation of existing rental stock is ensured through 1:1 replacement under Rate of Change bylaw and RHS ODP - Only applies to about 78% of the rental housing stock. Rentals along arterials excluded. No affordability requirement for replacement units. Yes; - Applies to buildings with 5 or more units - Offers a rent "top up" on a privately owned unit during reno's or construction. Upper limit of top up determined by CMHC median rent +30%: $1545 for a one-bedroom and $1840 for a two bedroom. - Moving expenses of $900 1 Bdrm and $1400 for 2 Bdrm Yes; (Further analysis required to enforce through Business Licenses) Yes; - Priority placement in unclaimed replacement units on other properties - Applies to tenants evicted up to 24 months prior to rezoning application submittal (which means all of the people displaced through developer buyouts will be eligible) Limited; On new private rental developments only. Yes; - New developments must have 20% of their units as rental. - Density offsets can be used to achieve affordability of 20% below CMHC - 1:1 replacement of rental units lost in demolition New Westminster Yes; - Landlord must also provide alternate accommodations for the tenant during the renovations Yes; - Fine ranging from $500 - $1000 for eviction without permits; eviction without relocating tenant; failure to provide relocation agreement; failure to provide relocation documentation or an excessive rent increase - Following renovations, Landlord must allow the tenant to return to the renovated unit without a rent increase, (beyond provincial annual increase) No Yes; - Currently applies to 6 properties 12 city-owned properties - Ban on strata conversion (turning rental buildings into condos) Port Coquitlam Yes; Yes; Yes; - Applies to buildings with 5 or more units - Landlords who require their tenants to vacate a unit for renovations must provide alternative accommodation and let tenants move back in without a rent increase.	https://www.vancouvertenantsunion.ca/municipal_protections
###### Strengths and limitations of this study - To the best of our our knowledge, this systematic review will be the first to comprehensively synthesise and quantify the impact of maternal mental health disorders on stillbirth and infant mortality. - Databases will be searched without time restrictions and independent evaluation will be employed. - The methodological quality and the risk of bias of included studies will be evaluated using validated tools. - The potential limitation of this review could be the heterogeneity of studies in exposure of interest and restriction to studies in English language. Introduction {#s1} ============ Perinatal death (stillbirth and neonatal death) remains a tragedy for many families around the world, including those in high-income countries, but because the risk factors are not fully understood,[@R1] the rates of perinatal mortality, particularly stillbirth, have declined only slowly.[@R4] Prenatal maternal mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression are important public health concerns because of their high prevalence and their links to both short-term and long-term adverse obstetric and child outcomes.[@R5] Maternal mental health disorders are one of the potential risk factors for stillbirth and infant mortality.[@R7] Meta-analytical evidence[@R10] has confirmed associations between maternal depression and anxiety and preterm birth and low birth weight, the leading causes of perinatal mortality. Potential mechanisms linking maternal mental health disorders and perinatal morbidity and mortality may involve altered intrauterine environment and behavioural pathways. Women with mental health disorders are more likely to have poorer health seeking behaviour and are more likely to misuse illicit substances and drugs, which may further affect their health and capacity to manage all aspects of their pregnancy.[@R12] The intrauterine mechanisms are suggested to operate through disrupted placental functions because of hormonal changes (eg, cortisol), inflammatory response and physiological response.[@R14] However, the limited extant studies do not provide a consistent picture on the associations between maternal mental health disorders and stillbirth and infant mortality,[@R13] mainly because of the small numbers and/or because they measured different aspects of maternal mental health. Meta-analysis is a valuable approach to resolve inconsistencies across studies and provide high level of evidence, but, to the best of our knowledge, there are no recent systematic reviews and meta-analyses, which comprehensively evaluate the impact of mental health disorders on stillbirth and infant mortality risk. We found only one systematic review,[@R15] which evaluated the effect of maternal psychotic disorder on stillbirth risk, but not other common and less severe mental health disorders. The review was not specific to disorders occurring in the prenatal period and the authors acknowledged that all review studies (n=6) had important methodological limitations such as insufficient statistical power and not being population based. Moreover, several papers[@R7] have been published in the area after this review. Given the high prevalence of maternal mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression, up-to-date and comprehensive evidence is required to inform policies and practice, and identify research gaps on the associations between prenatal maternal mental health disorders and early life mortality. Objectives {#s1-1} ---------- This study aims to summarise the available evidence on the associations between prenatal maternal mental health disorders and stillbirth and infant mortality. Methods and analysis {#s2} ==================== Search strategy {#s2-1} --------------- This systematic review and meta-analysis will adhere to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines.[@R20] Systematic searches will be conducted in four databases (Medline, Embase, PsycINFO and Scopus) from their inception to December 2019. This will be limited to studies published in English language and in humans only, with no restriction on the year of publication. Free texts and medical subject headings terms related to maternal mental health disorders and early life mortality (stillbirth and infant mortality), tailored to each database, will be used to identify the relevant literature. The reference lists and citations of the retrieved articles will also be checked manually for additional studies. Authors of individual studies will be contacted for additional information if required. The search strategies and terms for each database are included as an [online supplementary appendix A](#SP1){ref-type="supplementary-material"}. 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-036280.supp1 Eligibility criteria {#s2-2} -------------------- ### Inclusion criteria {#s2-2-1} Original cross-sectional, case control, cohort or intervention studies will be included in the systematic review if they examined the association of any prenatal maternal mental health disorder (occurring prior to or during pregnancy) and stillbirth or infant mortality. We will include stillbirth (death of a fetus at 20 or more weeks of gestation or as defined by individual studies) and infant death (death of a liveborn baby in the first year of life). The association should be presented as odds ratios or relative risks estimates or there should be sufficient information to calculate either of these estimates. In addition, individual studies should include at least one stillbirth/infant mortality case in both exposed and unexposed groups. ### Exclusion criteria {#s2-2-2} Correspondence, theses, reviews, editorials, case-only studies and conference abstracts will be excluded. Animal-only studies will also be excluded. If there are multiple publications reporting on the same cohort of women, the most recent and/or the largest by sample size will be included. Studies where it is unclear if the onset of the maternal mental health disorders was prior to birth will be excluded to minimise reverse causality. Data extraction {#s2-3} --------------- All citations will first be imported into an EndNote library and duplicates will be removed. All records will be screened by their titles. All abstracts that pass the title screening will be uploaded to Rayyan (a systematic review application) and will be reviewed by two independent reviewers (AAA and HDB) based on the inclusion criteria. The full documents of the eligible abstracts will be further examined by the same authors. Finally, the data on the list of authors, country and years of publication, study population, design, exposure and outcome assessment, association/s as well as confounders adjusted for will be extracted into a standardised Excel sheet. The data will also be extracted on other relevant characteristics such as maternal age, infant sex, birth weight and gestational age. At all stages, reviewers involved in the review will have face-to-face meetings to assess and resolve any disagreements on the review. Any unsettled disagreement will be resolved by other members of the research team (CCJS and VAM) who have expertise in the epidemiology of perinatal mental health issues and will not be involved in the independent review process. Quality and risk of bias assessment {#s2-4} ----------------------------------- The Newcastle--Ottawa quality assessment scales[@R21] will be used to assess the methodological quality of included studies. The tool assesses three major areas of a case control or cohort study, which includes the selection of the study groups, the comparability of the groups and the ascertainment of either the exposure (for case control studies) or the outcome of interest (for cohort studies). The overall scores range from 0 to 9, with low (scores between 1 and 4), medium (scores between 5 and 7) or high quality (scores between 8 and 9) grading. The risk of bias for each study will be assessed following the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations) approach.[@R22] Two of the authors (AAA and HDB) will perform the independent quality and risk of bias appraisals. Funnel plots, a graphical illustration of effect estimates against their measure of precision (eg, SE), will be used to examine the risk of publication bias. In the absence of heterogeneity and bias, studies with high precision are plotted near the top of the funnel, whereas studies with low precision are spread evenly on the bottom sides of the true effect, with the spread narrowing among larger studies with greater precision. Hence, asymmetry in funnel plots in the absence of heterogeneity may suggest possible publication bias, but when a small number of studies are included, it may be hard to differentiate an asymmetric plot occurring because of publication bias from that due to chance.[@R23] As a result, an alternative robust meta-analytical technique will be considered to detect and evaluate the risk of publication bias.[@R24] Data synthesis {#s2-5} -------------- A systematic narrative synthesis will be conducted to describe the available studies, and when sufficient data are available, random-effects meta-analysis will be conducted for each child outcome (stillbirth, neonatal death and infant mortality) separately and collectively as a composite variable. Accordingly, pooled estimates with 95% CI will be calculated.[@R25] Between-study heterogeneity will be tested using Cochran's Q test and will be further quantified using the index of heterogeneity squared (I^2^) statistic.[@R26] The between-study heterogeneity will be considered as low (I^2^≤25%), moderate (I^2^≤50%) or substantial (I^2^≥75%). If there is evidence of significant heterogeneity, the sources of this will be explored through meta-regression and subgroup analyses. Additionally, a range of sensitivity analyses, for example, based on stillbirth definition, maternal mental health disorder definition, types and severity, data collection period (year), design and quality of included studies, will be considered. All the statistical analyses will be performed using STATA V.15 (StataCorp, College Station, Texas, USA). Patient and public involvement {#s2-6} ------------------------------ Patients and the public will not be involved directly in the design and conduct of the review. Ethics and dissemination {#s2-7} ------------------------ As we will only analyse publicly available published data and we will not directly involve individuals, ethical approval is not required for this review. This systematic review protocol will be registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews. The findings of this review will be disseminated through publication in a peer-reviewed journal and scientific conferences and meetings. Effort will also be made to circulate findings through newsletters and media releases. Discussion {#s3} ========== This systematic review and meta-analysis will comprehensively quantify the impacts of prenatal maternal mental health disorders on the risk of stillbirth and infant mortality. The findings will provide important information essential for practitioners and policymakers, identify research gaps in the literature and provide a foundation for future studies in this area. Strengths and limitations {#s3-1} ------------------------- To the best of our knowledge, this systematic review will be the first to comprehensively synthesise and quantify the impact of both severe and more common forms of prenatal maternal mental health disorders on stillbirth and infant mortality. The other strengths of this systematic review include the use of several databases with no time restrictions and use of independent screening and evaluation. However, the review is anticipated to have some limitations. These include heterogeneity between studies in the exposure of interest and restriction to studies in English language, which may exclude important literature and compromise generalisability. Supplementary Material ====================== ###### Reviewer comments ###### Author\'s manuscript Contributors: AAA, HDB and CCJS conceived the study and developed the search strategy. AAA drafted the protocol and tested the search strategies in consultation with a librarian. RM, BMF, SWW and VAM provided advice on the protocol. All authors critically revised the protocol for methodological and intellectual content and have read and approved the final manuscript. Funding: This research work is supported by funding from an Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Project Grant (APP1127265), which funds AAA, CCJS and HDB. BMF is funded by an NHRMC Project Grant (APP1098844). The funding bodies had no part in either the study design, conduct, analysis or interpretation of this study. Competing interests: None declared. Patient and public involvement: Patients and/or the public were not involved in the design, or conduct, or reporting, or dissemination plans of this research. Patient consent for publication: Not required. Provenance and peer review: Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.
For over 50 years, the Peel District School Board has celebrated public education and accomplishments of staff, students and school communities during its annual Education Week. This year, as Peel communities face school closures due to COVID-19, the board will celebrate Education Week virtually, from April 20 to 24. “Through education, we have the privilege and opportunity to be able to inspire joy and optimism—even from a distance,” says Director of Education Peter Joshua. “During these challenging times, I have seen educators and support staff, in every role, lead with their whole hearts to support student success and well-being. And at home, families are adapting to a constantly evolving world, while supporting their children to learn from a distance. This deserves to be celebrated. Although we are not able to celebrate Education Week as we have in the past, it’s important—now more than ever—to recognize the role each one of us plays in public education, to celebrate the partnerships between school and home, and to promote all the ways our schools and worksites inspire success, confidence and hope.” The theme for this year’s week-long focus on education is We Inspire. Throughout the week, the board will recognize Peel students, staff and community members by sharing inspiring stories, creations and profiles on its social media channels. To join in, members of the Peel community can follow @Peelschools and #WeInspire on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and are encouraged to: Recognize Award of Distinction recipients – More than 750 individuals – staff, students, volunteers and community members – will be honoured with Awards of Distinction for their exemplary contributions to schools and/or worksites. Take a moment to congratulate recipients for their contributions to public education in Peel. Share words of gratitude – Send a ‘thank you’ to recognize those who inspire you using #WeInspire digital cards and gratitude cards created by students at Hillside Sr. Public School and Heart Lake Secondary School. Showcase inspiring artwork and performances – Artwork created by students and staff will be showcased throughout the week. If you’re interested in sharing your artwork, tag @Peelschools on social media or submit it to [email protected] so it can be shared through Share the Smile and the board’s social media accounts.	https://peelregionreview.com/celebrating-achievements-during-education-week/
William the Conqueror, who reigned as King of England from 1066-1087, established the original curfew law, which required that citizens extinguish all candlelight and fires by eight o’clock each evening. It’s believed the law got its name from the French phrase “couvre few,” which translates to “cover fire”. Today, “curfew” is a more generalized law that regulates the time at which people should be off the public streets, and can also be used to restrict the operating hours of businesses. Because curfew laws are not outlined in the Federal Constitution, they are regulated by local governments and can vary widely by state, county, or municipality. Set by state and local governments, juvenile curfew laws are intended to restrict the hours during which minors are allowed to be out in public. After the designated time, anyone under 18 years of age is prohibited from being on the streets or patronizing a business. The purpose of juvenile curfew laws is to prevent criminal activity and protect the health and welfare of minors. Instances in which juvenile curfew laws are waived: If a minor is in violation of curfew law, some common reprecussions include: Depending on the jurisdiction, parents can sometimes be fined or otherwise held accountable for their children’s curfew violations. Local governments often choose to activate curfew laws during certain times of year or when the crime rate has increased. During calmer times when the law is not actively enforced, officers may choose to issue a verbal warning or escort the minor home rather than issuing a ticket or arresting the violator. \|If you are in need of legal assistance, consult with a Civil Rights Attorney in your area to recieve a free case review. \| During times of crisis, catastrophe, or natural disaster, the government may choose to enact emergency curfews that set restrictions for all citizens. Some historical reasons for emergency curfews have included hurricanes, blizzards, wildfires, public riots, and dangerous fugitives. When an emergency curfew is put into place, the local government typically specifies certain conditions. For instance, citizens may still be permitted to travel to and from critical job duties or for emergency reasons. In some cities, business curfew laws restrict the operating hours of certain public establishments, such as grocery stores, restaurants, and liquor stores. These laws are typically enacted in areas with high levels of crime, loitering, and otherwise disorderly conduct. Local governments can choose to activate business curfews for selected time periods in response to criminal activity and large crowd size. If you believe your rights have been violated, speak to a Civil Rights attorney who can help you with your situation. Need a lawyer? Start here.	https://www.lawfirms.com/resources/civil-rights/civil-rights-basics/curfew-laws.htm
On October 6, the Goldsmiths Prize announced its selection of groundbreaking novels by British and Irish writers. The £ 10,000 prize, organized in association with the New statesman, celebrates fiction which “breaks the mold and expands the possibilities of the romantic form”. Leone Ross is on the shortlist with her first novel in 22 years. Ross’s This day of heaven, an exuberant work of magical realism that spanned 15 years, is one of six shortlisted books for the 2021 Goldsmiths Prize. Ross’s third novel – after the Orange Prize All the blood is red (1996) and orange laugh (1999) – follows a pair of cursed lovers during a day in a fictional archipelago in the Caribbean. Ross, who was born in England, raised in Jamaica and is a lecturer in creative writing at the University of Roehampton, is joined on the shortlist by two early novelists. Rebecca Watson, deputy editor of the arts at the Financial Time, has been preselected for small scratch, a wildly experimental book that also takes place over a day and penetrates the mind of a protagonist living as a result of sexual assault. The reader dwells in her thoughts as she does administrative tasks at his desk, typography skipping across the page in rhythm, like verses. The other first shortlisted novelist is Natasha Brown, who worked for a decade in financial services. At 100 pages, Assembly is the shortest novel on the list. Powerful and tense, he follows a black British woman as she prepares to attend a garden party at her white boyfriend’s family estate. The goldsmith’s award judge and New statesman collaborating writer Johanna Thomas-Corr described Assembly as “a small but dazzling take on the British elite and their poisonous relationship to immigration, work and sex politics”. Isabelle Waidner is the only author of this year’s shortlist to have ever been nominated for the award: We are made of diamonds was on the shortlist in 2019. Their third novel Sterling karat gold follows Sterling after their arrest one morning. The book, surreal but prescient, acts as an investigation into the effects of state violence on gender non-conforming people, the working class and black people. Also nominated is Case 19, the second book by Claire-Louise Bennett, who grew up in Wiltshire, lives in Ireland and in 2013 received the first Mock exam Price of the news. Bennett’s anonymous protagonist brings together memories of his time at school and university, telling a hallucinogenic tale where certainty and uncertainty collide to become one and the same. It’s an ode to reading and an exploration of the capricious nature of storytelling. A shock by Keith Ridgway, born in Dublin, author of Hawthorn & Child, completes the shortlist. Novelist and goldsmith judge Kamila Shamsie called it “an in-between novel that keeps the reader off balance to a surprising, intelligent, and at times odd effect.” “These books are unabashedly singular and are not afraid to take risks; side by side, they represent the most exhilarating fiction of the year, ”said memory and fiction writer Nell Stevens, who is this year’s judge chair. Alongside Thomas-Corr and Shamsie, the jury is completed by Fred D’Aguiar, novelist, poet and professor of English at the University of California at Los Angeles. Content from our partners The announcement of the shortlist follows a talk, “My Study Hates Your Study,” given online by Lucy Ellmann, winner of the 2019 Goldsmiths Prize for Ducks, Newburyport. Previous award winners include Mr. John Harrison, for The sunken earth begins to rise again, Eimear McBride, for A girl is a half-formed thing, and Ali Smith, for How to be both. Authors were invited to present readings online, hosted by the Goldsmiths Writers’ Center, on October 20. The prize winner will be announced at an online ceremony on November 10. This person will then appear online at Cambridge Literary Festival November 18. The pre-selection of the 2021 Goldsmith Prize in its entirety: - Claire-Louise Bennett, Case 19 (Cap Jonathan) - Natasha Brown, Assembly (Hamish Hamilton) - Keith Ridgway, A shock (Picador) - Leone Ross, This day of heaven (Faber & Faber) - Isabelle Waidner, Karat sterling gold (Peninsula Press) - Rebecca Watson, small scratch (Faber & Faber).	https://anthony-montgomery.com/list-of-goldsmiths-prize-2021-winners-the-six-most-avant-garde-novelists-writing-today/
Overview Bossman is a modern-day ragged interpretation of a decorative font, which was common several decades ago. To appreciate why this font was called Bossman, you must put on your heavy Jamaican accent and say: Dis font are de ruler! This font is BOSS, mon! When using Bossman at larger point sizes, you are likely to type words which use two or more of the same vowel characters. You might find that your design will look more dynamic if you use alternate versions of the duplicate letters. Because the accent characters in this family are slightly different from their unaccented root characters, you can use them whenever you require alternate vowels. Other alternate characters include theletters N, n, S, s, Z and z. After typing the accent character, in your page layout or illustration program, you can then draw a white box and place it over top of the unwanted accent. When using Bossman at smaller point sizes, the Light version is recommended because it is more legible. Although the light version of Bossman is not a whole lot lighter than Bossman Dark, its counters and non-sealed interior spaces (i.e. the spaces inside of some characters, such as the hole in the 0) are considerably wider than those on the dark version. These help the characters to be more distinguishable and legible at smaller point sizes. Therefore, if you are using Bossman to print a block of smaller text, it is recommended that you use the Light version for this purpose.. In the PC version of this font family the style names are slightly different from those used in the Mac versions. But the fonts are otherwise identical.	https://www.fonts.com/font/typeart-foundry-inc/bossman/story
With each year that passes, thousands of employees retire from Bank of America to begin another chapter of life. Our retirees take the experience, skills, network and relationships gained during their tenure with them into retirement. And while the priorities and to-do lists may change, we want to help our retirees stay connected to Bank of America through Retiree Resources. Our quarterly newsletter, available on Retiree Resources, offers the latest news about the company, including our continued commitment to responsible growth, client and customer developments, local community connections and special retiree-focused content. Retirees can also access available benefits and programs from Retiree Resources. Those include similar options available to employees, such as: - Health coverage options - Banking and investing offers - Travel and product discounts - Retirement savings plans - Rehire job opportunities - Local volunteering opportunities Last year, our retirees volunteered more than 36,000 hours, both giving back to local communities and continuing to make connections.	https://about.bankofamerica.com/en-us/what-guides-us/retiree-resources.html
Tracklist: Here and Now 05:32 Spiralling Inzio/Concetto 05:04 Unconscious 06:58 D.H. 04:03 Through the Trees 05:23 Prayer for Peace 03:33 Joker and Wild 04:54 Alternative Facts 06:47 Exodus 05:39 Consider the flexible triangle, the jazz trio. There’s something special, even elemental about this most intimate of musical geometric figures to permit a far-ranging conversation. It can vibrate and shape shift and still stick together despite the push and pull of disparate forces in each corner. All that comes through wonderfully in this second meeting of Sandro Dominelli with bassist Chris Tarry and guitarist Rez Abbasi. The path of Dominelli’s music has been heavily infused by Latin American and Eastern cultures. A talent for intuitively feeling the rhythmic structure of the music and an interest in creating new intricate and culturally-influenced rhythms sparked a long standing career in music practice and composition. Through The Trees enjoys a subtly creepy undertone. Here And Now speaks of the zen way to live in the moment. Spiralling is about maintaining control in the face of chaos, while Joker And Wild is about letting loose. D.H. pays tribute to a jazz master, loosely inspired by a bass figure from Dave Holland. Ernest Gold’s theme from the 1960 film Exodus takes a circular melodic motif, bringing the trio’s journey to a majestic close.	https://anyjazz.com/sandro-dominelli-here-and-now-2018/
In general, I’m more of a non-fiction than a fiction reader. It’s not that I object to fiction, or genres like sci-fi or fantasy; it’s the writing style that pushes me away. Writers trying to impress you with their command of language, their so-called imagination, or their dense, baroque descriptions. Not that these things affect all fiction, nor that they can’t affect non-fiction, but it happens much less often. For film, the situation is different. Making a good documentary is difficult. Many of them fail to find a good rhythm, a narrative thread, or engaging interview subjects. Also, some documentarists seem to think that tackling an important topic excuses them from needing to make a good movie. On the other hand, fiction films can be easy to digest, the descriptive element shifted from language to cinematography and soundtrack. When documentaries are successful, though, they can be among the best of films. You see in them characters and plots that a fiction film cannot pull off. Reality can beat fiction. I was reminded of that when watching my latest documentary discovery: The King of Kong. I’ve seen some good films in the last months, but The King of Kong had me jumping in my seat. Since documentaries aren’t that well known, here’s a few I recommend highly: - The King of Kong: yes, it’s about men playing video games, but trust me, watch it. - The Fog of War - The Thin Blue Line: film noir which happens to be a documentary. - Food Inc.: the best environmentalist documentary I’ve seen. - Crumb Does anyone have more recommendations?	https://lost.silvela.org/2010/02/14/non-fiction/
Zytron - CAS # 299-85-4 Information provided on Zytron (299-85-4) is for reference only and is subject to change. There is no warranty of accuracy or completeness of any information contained herein. ALS Environmental does not sell chemicals, but offers analytical lab testing to determine the presence of various elements and chemical compounds. ALS Environmental may or may not offer testing for the specific analyte listed on this page. Please contact us for the latest tests available. Chemical Name: Zytron Chemical Formula: C10H14Cl2NO2PS CAS Number: 299-85-4 Synonyms: Phosphoramidothioic acid, (1-methylethyl)-, O-(2,4-dichlorophenyl) O-methyl ester;Phosphoramidothioic acid, isopropyl-, O-(2,4-dichlorophenyl) O-methyl ester;Dow 1329;DMPA (Herbicide);ENT 25647;K 22023;O-(2,4-Dichlorophenyl) O-Methyl isopropylphosphoramidothioate;O-(2,4-Dichlorophenyl) O-methyl N-isopropylphosphoramidothioate;Dmpa;Dowco 118;(1-Methylethyl)phosphoramidothioic acid O-(2,4-dichlorophenyl) O-methyl ester;Isopropylphosphoramidothioic Molecular Weight: 314.169 <-- Search more chemicals Suggestions? If you have ideas for improvement, we would enjoy hearing from you. Please contact the webmaster here. *CAS Registry Number is a Registered Trademark of the American Chemical Society.	http://www.caslab.com/Zytron_CAS_299-85-4/
To coincide with the start of the school holidays we have resumed work on our design-led heritage restoration project at Marchbank School in Darlington. The school was designed by renowned architect Alfred Waterhouse (1830-1905) whose Victorian Gothic buildings include the National History Museum and Manchester Town Hall. Marchbank is a great example of what could be called his signature style, being highly detailed and using terracotta bricks and tiles, his work on many university British buildings giving rise to the expression “red-brick university”. It is a great honour to be trusted to refresh the facade of this historically important building. So far, we have rebuilt one of the original 2m high chimneys and used traditional masonry methods incorporating heritage lime mortar and handmade terracotta ridge tiles to repair several areas of the roof. We have also been tasked with repairing – and in the end, recreating – a large, very detailed stained glass window, using traditional glasswork skills and a great deal of time and attention to detail, but we are very pleased with the result. Following a significant period of neglect and incorrect finishing to past repair works, the original balconies were showing significant signs of damage. Accordingly, we are recreating the balconies almost from scratch using bespoke bricks and tiles accurate to the original specifications, to ensure that the building is finished to a standard Mr Waterhouse himself would be proud of.	https://news.mccarrickconstruction.co.uk/2019/07/marchbank-school-a-heritage-renovation-project/
- Smaller quantities are used for disinfection and other purposes. - The product is used to bleach sugar, as well as for construction and disinfection purposes. - They are not, however, to be used in the disinfection of instruments, nor where any large abraded surface would favour absorption. - His system for the disinfection of sewage and similar matter by the electrolysis of chlorides, or of sea-water, has been tried, but for the most part abandoned on the score of expense. - Sickly animals should be at once isolated, and their cages and enclosures disinfected, whilst as a matter of routine the enclosure in which any animal has died should be cleansed, and according to the results of post-mortem examination, which should be made in every case, appropriate measures of disinfection employed.Advertisement - Local authorities may require premises to be cleansed and disinfected; they may order the destruction of bedding, clothing or other articles which have been exposed to infection; they may provide proper places for the disinfection of infected articles free of charge; they may provide ambulances, &c. In the case of a person found suffering from infectious disease who has not proper lodging or accommodation, or is lodging in a room occupied by more than one family, or is on board any ship or vessel, such person may by means of a justice's order be removed to a hospital; a local authority may pay the expenses of a person in a hospital or, if necessary, provide nursing attendance; any person exposing himself or any other in his charge while suffering from infectious disease, or exposing infected bedding, clothing or the like, is made liable to a penalty. - Where any part of the country appears to be threatened with or is affected by any formidable epidemic, endemic or infectious disease, the Local Government Board may make regula tions for the speedy interment of the dead, house-tohouse visitation, the provision of medical aid and accommodation, the promotion of cleansing, ventilation and disinfection, and the guarding against the spread of disease. - Of these the first is called general expenses, and it includes the expense of the establishment and officers of the council, of disinfection, providing of conveyance for infected persons, and the expenses of highways. - HiBiSCRUB can be used as an antiseptic handwash on the ward and for pre-operative surgical hand disinfection and pre and post-operative skin antisepsis. - Prompt cleaning and disinfection with dilute bleach of any area contaminated by vomit.Advertisement - Used animal cages should be rendered non- infective by disinfection, fumigation or heat treatment (steaming or autoclaving ). - Additional Disinfection To prevent recontamination of trays during handling, the use of residual acting disinfectant in the rinse water is recommended eg. - Ultraviolet disinfection gives the water a final ' polish ' under high powered lamps to kill any remaining viruses. - Ultra violet disinfection is currently being installed at Luxulyan sewage treatment works to increase the standard of treatment. - After our system puts the greywater through the filtration and disinfection processes, it can safely be used for flushing toilets and for irrigation systems.Advertisement - Autoclaves provide heat disinfection through the use of steam and pressure to kill germs and bacteria in even the smallest areas of your equipment you couldn't possibly reach yourself. - It takes about 10 minutes to do the disinfection, depending on the product used. - Koch has suggested that the disinfection of malarial persons by quinine would have the desired effect, but other authorities of greater experience do not consider it practicable. - Again terminal disinfection would be an essential part in preventing the carry-over of pathogens from one batch to the next.	https://sentence.yourdictionary.com/disinfection
This course explores art through art history. The course covers the art of the Prehistoric times, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome and Pompeii, Early Christian & Byzantine, Romanesque & Gothic, and the Italian Renaissance. Students will create studio projects based on the cultures and art of these different time periods. Students will be able to use and manipulate a variety of art mediums: clay, paint, drawing materials, and mixed media. Students will also be required to recall a handful of images and terms from each era. This class is great for students who want to improve their art skills in all mediums and learn a little art history in the process. Credit: 0.5 Length: (1) Trimester Grade Level: 9, 10, 11, 12 Prerequisite: None Cum Laude Points: 0 Career Cluster(s):	https://www.trempvalleycoop.com/courses/course-description-page/~board/course-description/post/art-survey-i
One of the initiatives of the Manurewa Cluster has been to set up learning communities across the three schools (Manurewa High School, Manurewa Intermediate School and Manurewa Central School). These communities of 2-3 teachers from each school meet together once or twice per term for a block of about two hours as a professional learning community. Within the community meetings staff share ideas, resources and strategies in order to improve student engagement and learning with and through ICT. There is also a leadership group composed of all three Principals, plus the director of the contract Daniel Wilson, and the cluster Facilitator Audrey Harvey. The cluster has found that in order for these learning communities to succeed a set agenda is essential, that covers five key focus areas: Although staff in the learning communities cover the spectrum of students from Year 1 to 13, they are often amazed at just how many resources and strategies can be applied from one school to another. For example Manurewa High School has found literacy resources applied in the lower year levels particularly effective in engaging students at junior secondary level. It is hoped that the transferral of skills will also assist students as they transition from one school to another. Visits to various classrooms in the three schools are often included in the community meetings, with staff reporting that the visits reinforce learning by observing students in context. Another positive effect of the programme has been the increased interaction between staff in the three schools. Staff freely make themselves available to assist in other schools when requested (for example assisting with learning groups within the schools). The learning communities have led to other ways of collaboration, for example sports events have been held between staff at the various schools, and the high school has assisted the intermediate school with resources (computers), and infrastructure planning. The increased communication between the three schools promises on-going benefits for all involved. * literacy strategies through ICT * the effective use of Interactive Whiteboards to promote learning * ways to engage students through blogs and wikis, particularly in the primary and intermediate schools * effective ways to communicate and engage students through learning management systems The school Principals’ also feel more confident in being pedagogical leaders in the use of ICT and appreciate being able to share together in a non-threatening environment that encourages personal reflection and growth. The Manurewa Cluster comprises Manurewa High School (decile 2, 1926 students), Manurewa Intermediate School (decile 1, 753 students) and Manurewa Central School (decile 3, 510 students). Where: South Auckland ICT-PD Cohort: 2009 This has been a very rewarding summary to read - in terms of pan-sector sharing of knowledge, skills and resources. It must be comforting for the students to know that there a clear links as they move between the schools. It has been exciting to read and view how the there have been increased in student engagement and achievement across all three schools. I'm interested to learn more about how teachers have used ICTs to enhanced literacy outcomes as well. Thank you for sharing.	https://vln.school.nz/resources/view/57841/three-heads-are-better-than-one-how-the-manurewa-cluster-work-together-collaboratively-through-learning-communities
--- abstract: 'We investigate an imbalance between the sensitivity of the common state measures–fidelity, trace distance, concurrence, tangle, von Neumann entropy and linear entropy–when acted on by a depolarizing channel. Further, in this context we explore two classes of two-qubit entangled mixed states. Specifically, we illustrate a sensitivity imbalance between three of these measures for depolarized (i.e., Werner-state like) nonmaximally entangled and maximally entangled mixed states, noting that the size of the imbalance depends on the state’s tangle and linear entropy.' author: - 'Nicholas A. Peters' - 'Tzu-Chieh Wei' - 'Paul G. Kwiat' bibliography: - 'noise.bib' date: 'July 21, 2004' title: Mixed state sensitivity of several quantum information benchmarks --- Because the outcome of most quantum information protocols hinges on the quality of the initial state, pure maximally entangled states are often the optimal inputs. However, decoherence and dissipation inevitably decrease the purity and entanglement of resource states, yielding partially entangled mixed states. The most common measure used to benchmark a starting state resource is the fidelity [@jozsa94], as used e.g., in entanglement purification [@bennett96b; @kent98] and optimal mixed state teleportation [@vv03]. Likewise, the success of these procedures is often judged using the fidelity of the output state with some target, as is the case, for example, in quantum cloning [@gisin97]. Recently it was found that, for the specific case of maximally entangled mixed states [@ih01; @vad01; @munro01] (MEMS), using the fidelity to compare an experimentally produced state and a target state was a less sensitive way of assessing experimental agreement than comparing the tangle [@wooters98; @coffman00] and the linear entropies [@bose00] of those states [@peters04]. Because one needs to understand the best way to benchmark states for quantum information protocols, here we examine the fidelity for more general entangled two-qubit mixed quantum states and note its behavior in relation to the common state measures of linear and von Neumann entropy, tangle and concurrence, and trace distance. After some general calculations for depolarized states, we consider explicitly two classes of two-qubit entangled states acted on with depolarizing channels: nonmaximally entangled states and maximally entangled mixed states. The effect of a depolarizing channel is to make the states we study similar to the Werner states (an incoherent combination of a pure maximally entangled state and completely mixed state) [@werner; @footnotewerner], which have been realized with polarized photons [@zhang02; @barbieri04]. These two classes of states were chosen because they allow us to study mixed state entanglement for states of current interest, and also to understand how these states change under uniform depolarization. Such a uniform depolarization model is applicable to many examples of real experimental decoherence. General sensitivities of measures ================================= Before considering specific examples of entangled mixed states, we examine general sensitivities for several measures using generic depolarized density operators. The depolarized $N$-level system ($N=2$ for a qubit, $N=4$ for two qubits, etc.) is $$\rho\rightarrow \rho'=(1-\epsilon)\rho + \frac{\epsilon}{N}\openone_N, \label{petrho}$$ where $\epsilon$ is the strength of depolarization. Fidelity -------- For direct comparison of two mixed states, e.g., $\rho_t$ and $\rho_p$, for target and perturbed states, respectively, we first discuss the fidelity introduced by Jozsa [@jozsa94]: $$F(\rho_t,\rho_p)\equiv \left\| {\rm Tr}\left(\sqrt{\sqrt{\rho_t}\rho_p\sqrt{\rho_t}}\right) \right\|^2. \label{fidelity}$$ In the simpler case of two pure states $\|\psi_t\rangle$ and $\|\psi_p\rangle$, $F$ reduces to $\|\langle \psi_p \|\psi_t \rangle\|^2$. It is also important to note that some researchers, as in [@nc00], use an amplitude version of the fidelity: $f\equiv\sqrt{F}$. In either case, the fidelity is zero for orthogonal states and one for identical states. Because we wish to consider small perturbations in the fidelity, the “amplitude version” $f$ should be less sensitive because it lacks the square. We consider a generic state $\rho$ with eigenvalues $\{\lambda_i\}$, depolarized by $\epsilon$. The amplitude fidelity $f$ between the output state $\rho'$ and the input $\rho$ is $$\begin{aligned} f(\rho,\rho')&=&{\rm Tr}\sqrt{(1-\epsilon)\rho^2+\frac{\epsilon}{N}\rho}\\ &=&\sum_{i}\sqrt{(1-\epsilon)\lambda_i^2+\frac{\epsilon}{N}\lambda_i}.\end{aligned}$$ We assume $\epsilon$ is small such that $\epsilon \ll N\lambda/\|1-N\lambda\|$, where $\lambda$ is the smallest nonzero eigenvalue. Thus, we can expand the above expression to second order in $\epsilon$: $$\begin{aligned} &&f\approx\sum_{\lambda_i\ne0}\lambda_i\left\{ 1+\frac{1}{2}\left( \frac{1\!-\!N\lambda_i}{N\lambda_i} \right)\epsilon -\frac{1}{8}\left(\frac{1\!-\!N\lambda_i}{N\lambda_i}\right)^2\epsilon^2\right\} \nonumber\\ \!\!\!\!\!\!\!\!\!\!&&=1-\left(\frac{1}{2}-\frac{n_\otimes}{2N}\right)\epsilon-\sum_{\lambda_i\ne0}\frac{\lambda_i}{8}\left(\frac{1\!-\!N\lambda_i}{N\lambda_i}\right)^2\epsilon^2+{\cal O}(\epsilon^3),\nonumber\\&& \label{Fexpand}\end{aligned}$$ where $n_\otimes$ is the number of nonzero eigenvalues of $\rho$. When $\rho$ is of full rank (i.e., $n_\otimes=N$), the first order term vanishes, and the fidelity is sensitive only to second order in the small depolarizing parameter. If $\rho$ is not full rank, $f$ [is]{} sensitive to first order, but becomes less so as the rank becomes higher. Squaring the result (\[Fexpand\]) in fact gives the [same]{} order of sensitivity for $F$. Trace distance -------------- Another possible measure used to compare two states is the trace distance [@nc00], given by $$D(\rho_t,\rho_p)\equiv\frac{1}{2}{\rm Tr}\|\rho_t-\rho_p\|. \label{trace_distance}$$ Evaluating the trace distance using (\[petrho\]) gives $$\begin{aligned} D(\rho,\rho')=\frac{1}{2}\sum_i \mid\lambda_i-\frac{1}{N}\mid\epsilon.\end{aligned}$$ Here the $1/N$ term comes from the $N\times N$ mixed state ($\openone_N/N$) used to depolarize $\rho$ to create $\rho'$ (\[petrho\]). Thus, we see that the trace distance is always [linearly]{} sensitive to the strength of depolarization, except for $\rho=\openone_N/N$, i.e., the fully mixed state. Consequently, the difference between two similar states will in general be less apparent when using $f$ (or $F$) than when using $D$. Linear entropy -------------- To quantify the mixedness of a given state $\rho$, we first consider the linear entropy ($S_L$), which is based on the purity, and for an $N$-level system is $$S_{\rm L}(\rho)\equiv\frac{N}{N-1}[1-{\rm Tr}(\rho^2)]. \label{generalline}$$ The linear entropy is zero for pure states and one for completely mixed states, i.e., $S_L=1$ for the normalized $N$-qubit identity $\openone_N/N$. The change in the linear entropy under a depolarizing channel is: $$\begin{aligned} \Delta S_{\rm L}\equiv S_{\rm L}(\rho')-S_{\rm L}(\rho)=(2\epsilon-\epsilon^2)(1-S_{\rm L}). \end{aligned}$$ Therefore, the linear entropy is always linearly sensitive in $\epsilon$, except when $S_{\rm L}(\rho)=1$, namely, when $\rho$ is the fully mixed state $\openone_N/N$. Thus, the linear entropy is, in general, more sensitive to the depolarizing channel than the fidelity, as was previously shown for the specific case of any depolarized linear pure [single]{}-qubit state [@pwk04]. Von Neumann entropy ------------------- Another frequently encountered entropy measure is the von Neumann entropy: $$S_{\rm V}(\rho)\equiv-{\rm Tr}\left(\rho \ln \rho\right).$$ Using (\[petrho\]) and evaluating $\Delta S\equiv S_{\rm V}(\rho')-S_{\rm V}(\rho)$ to first order gives $$\begin{aligned} \Delta S&\approx&-\frac{n_0}{N}\epsilon\,\ln\,\epsilon+ \\ &&\epsilon\left(1-S_{\rm V}(\rho)-\frac{n_\otimes}{N}+\frac{n_0}{N}\ln N- \frac{1}{N}\sum_{\lambda_i\ne0}\ln\lambda_i\right)\nonumber,\end{aligned}$$ where $n_\otimes$ ($n_0$) is the number of nonzero (zero) eigenvalues of $\rho$, and $n_\otimes+n_0=N$. When $\rho$ is not a full rank matrix (i.e., $n_0\ne0$), the von Neumann entropy is, to leading order, sensitive in $\epsilon\ln\epsilon$ (stronger than order $\epsilon$). As the rank become higher, this $\epsilon\ln\epsilon$ sensitivity decreases. When $\rho$ is of full rank (i.e., $n_0=0$ and $n_{\otimes}=N$), the von Neumann entropy is linearly sensitive in $\epsilon$ unless $S_{\rm V}=-\frac{1}{N}\sum_i\ln\lambda_i$, which is again possible only when $\lambda_i=1/N$, i.e., for the fully mixed state $\rho=\openone_N/N$. Concurrence and Tangle ---------------------- Here we examine two ways of quantifying the entanglement of a system, restricting our attention to two-qubit states. We will first derive the variation of the concurrence for an entangled state acted on by a depolarizing channel, then use this to find the result for the tangle, which is the concurrence squared. ### Concurrence The concurrence is given by [@wooters98] $$C(\rho)\equiv max\{0,\sqrt{\lambda_1}-\sqrt{\lambda_2}-\sqrt{\lambda_3}-\sqrt{\lambda_4}\},$$ where $\lambda_i$ are the eigenvalues of $\rho\tilde{\rho}$ in non-increasing order by magnitude. Here we define $\tilde{\rho}\equiv(\sigma_2 \otimes \sigma_2)\rho^{\ast}(\sigma_2 \otimes \sigma_2)$ with $\sigma_2= \left( \begin{array}{cc} 0 & -i \\ i & 0 \end{array} \right)$. Suppose {$\lambda_{i}$} are arranged in non-increasing order, and the state $\rho$ is entangled, so that $C(\rho)=\sqrt{\lambda_1}-\sqrt{\lambda_2}-\sqrt{\lambda_3}-\sqrt{\lambda_4}$. (If $\rho$ is unentangled, $\rho'$, which has additional noise, is still unentangled.) To find the concurrence of $\rho'$, we have to evaluate the eigenvalues of the matrix $$\rho'\tilde{\rho'}=(1-\epsilon)^2\rho\tilde\rho+\frac{\epsilon}{4}(1-\epsilon)(\rho+\tilde\rho)+\frac{\epsilon^2}{16}\openone_4.$$ We can treat the last two terms as perturbations and evaluate the eigenvalues to leading order: $$\lambda_i'\approx(1-\epsilon)^2\lambda_i+\frac{\epsilon}{4}(1-\epsilon) \langle\rho+\tilde\rho\rangle_i+\frac{\epsilon^2}{16},$$ where $$\langle\rho+\tilde\rho\rangle_i\equiv\langle\lambda_i\|(\rho+\tilde\rho)\|\lambda_i\rangle.$$ For $\epsilon<\lambda$, where $\lambda$ is the smallest nonzero value of $\{\lambda_i\}$, we have, to leading order, $$\sqrt{\lambda_i'}\approx (1-\epsilon)\sqrt{\lambda_i}+\frac{\epsilon}{8\sqrt{\lambda_i}}\langle\rho+\tilde\rho\rangle_i.$$ Hence, the change in concurrence ($\Delta C\equiv C(\rho')-C(\rho)$), is given by $$\begin{aligned} \Delta C&\approx&-\sum_{\lambda_i=0}\sqrt{\frac{\epsilon}{4}(1-\epsilon)\langle\rho+\tilde{\rho}\rangle_i+\frac{\epsilon^2}{16}} -\epsilon\, C(\rho) \nonumber \\ && +\frac{\epsilon}{8} \left(\frac{\langle\rho+\tilde\rho\rangle_1}{\sqrt{\lambda_1}} -\sum_{i=2,\lambda_i\ne0}^4\frac{\langle\rho+\tilde\rho\rangle_i}{\sqrt{\lambda_i}}\right).\end{aligned}$$ The variation of concurrence is thus at worst first order in $\epsilon$ except for the unlikely case that $$\begin{aligned} C(\rho)=\frac{\langle\rho+\tilde\rho\rangle_1}{8\sqrt{\lambda_1}} - \sum_{i=2,\lambda_i\ne0}^4\frac{\langle\rho+\tilde\rho\rangle_i}{8\sqrt{\lambda_i}},\end{aligned}$$ when $\rho$ is of full rank. ### Tangle To characterize a state’s entanglement, one may also use the tangle [@wooters98; @coffman00], i.e., the concurrence squared: $$T(\rho)~=~C(\rho)^2.$$ Using the result for variation in concurrence, the variation of tangle can now be expressed as $T'-T\approx 2 C\Delta C$. Thus, the tangle is also typically sensitive in the first order to depolarizing perturbations. In summary, we have thus far shown that, under the influence of a small depolarizing channel, the fidelity is not as sensitive as the change in trace distance, linear entropy, von Neumann entropy, concurrence, and tangle. Next we shall illustrate this fact for specific states and investigate the situation for larger depolarization and for variable entanglement. Investigation for specific states ================================= The first state we consider is similar to the classic Werner state, but we allow [arbitrary]{} entanglement through the use of a variable nonmaximally entangled pure state component in addition to the mixed state dilution: $$\rho_1(\epsilon, \theta)\equiv(1-\epsilon)\|\Psi(\theta)\rangle \langle \Psi(\theta)\|+ \frac{\epsilon}{4}\openone_4,~~{\rm with} \label{rho1}$$ $$\|\Psi{(\theta)}\rangle\equiv\cos{2\theta}\|00\rangle+\sin{2\theta}\|11\rangle, \label{entangledeq}$$ where the parameter $\theta$ controls the entanglement and $\epsilon$ the mixedness. We choose this parameterization for simplicity and because the entropy and the entanglement of the state are somewhat uncoupled from each other. In this case, the concurrence is $C(\rho_1(\epsilon, \theta))=\max\{0, 2(1-\epsilon)\cos 2\theta\sin 2\theta-\epsilon/2\}$ (assuming $\cos2\theta\sin2\theta\geq0$) and the linear entropy depends only on epsilon, $S_L(\rho_1(\epsilon, \theta))=2\epsilon-\epsilon^2$. In a similar way, we depolarize a maximally entangled mixed state (MEMS) according to $$\rho_2(\epsilon, r)\equiv(1-\epsilon)\rho_{MEMS}(r)+ \frac{\epsilon}{4}\openone_4, \label{rho2}$$ where the MEMS, using the parameterizations of concurrence (or equivalently tangle) and linear entropy, is given by [@munro01] $$\begin{aligned} \rho_{MEMS~I}&= \bordermatrix{ & \cr &\frac{r}{2} &0 &0 &\frac{r}{2} \cr &0 &1-r &0 &0 \cr &0 &0 &0 &0 \cr &\frac{r}{2} &0 &0 &\frac{r}{2} \cr} ,&\frac{2}{3} \leq r \leq 1, \label{memsI} \nonumber \\ \rho_{MEMS~II}&= \bordermatrix{ & \cr &\frac{1}{3} &0 &0 &\frac{r}{2} \cr &0 &\frac{1}{3} &0 &0 \cr &0 &0 &0 &0 \cr &\frac{r}{2} &0 &0 &\frac{1}{3} \cr} ,&0 \leq r \leq \frac{2}{3}; \label{memsII} \nonumber \end{aligned}$$ the parameter $r$ is the concurrence of the MEMS. ![Constant fidelity curves for the maximally entangled state $(\|00\rangle+\|11\rangle)/\sqrt{2}$ (star, upper left corner). Also shown are the Werner state curve (dotted line) and, bounding the gray region of nonphysical entropy-tangle combinations, the MEMS curve, which is solid for $\rho_{MEMS~I}$ and dashed for $\rho_{MEMS~II}$. The (horizontal) constant fidelity curves below the Werner state curve are swept out by comparing the starting state with states of the form $\rho_1(\epsilon, \theta)$, equation (\[rho1\]), while the (nearly vertical) curves above the Werner state line are generated by varying the parameters of $\rho_2(\epsilon, r)$ given by equation (\[rho2\]). For comparison, the pure product state $\|00\rangle$ (lower left corner) has fidelity of 0.5 with this target.[]{data-label="bellFcalc"}](testfig2.eps){width="8.6cm"} With these parameterizations, we may map out constant fidelity curves between a target state and a perturbed state in the linear entropy-tangle plane (we choose these particular measures for calculational simplicity and because ($\ref{rho1}$) and ($\ref{rho2}$) cover the entire physically allowed region of the plane). It is our purpose to use these curves to gain insight as to how the entanglement and mixedness may vary over a constant fidelity curve and how this variation may in turn depend on the amount of entanglement and mixedness. To do this, we calculate the fidelity between a target state $\rho_1(\epsilon_t, \theta_t)$ and a perturbed state $\rho_1(\epsilon_p, \theta_p)$. Specifically, the parameters $\epsilon_p$ and $\theta_p$ are varied to create perturbed states of all possible tangle and entropy values as long as the perturbed state has a given fidelity with the target. Likewise, the process is repeated for $\rho_2(\epsilon_t, r_t)$, but instead varying the parameters of $\rho_2(\epsilon_p, r_p)$. ![Constant 0.99-fidelity curves for several starting MEMS, plotted as stars. The constant fidelity curves are calculated by comparing the target state with $\rho_2(\epsilon, r)$ where $\epsilon$ and $r$ are varied to give different tangles and linear entropies. The dark gray regions are 20000 points per initial MEMS, corresponding to numerically generated density matrices that have fidelity of 0.9900 or higher with the target.](petersfig2copy.eps){width="8.6cm"} \[memsFcalc\] In the pure, maximally entangled limit, both (\[rho1\]) and (\[rho2\]) reduce to the maximally entangled state $\|\phi^+\rangle\equiv(\|00\rangle+\|11\rangle)/\sqrt{2}$. Therefore, this is a natural state with which to start our discussion. Because (\[rho1\]) and (\[rho2\]) occupy different regions of the entropy-tangle plane, it is not surprising that we need to use both equations to map out the constant fidelity curves for $\|\phi^+\rangle$, as shown in Fig. \[bellFcalc\]. The horizontal curves in the region bounded above by the Werner state curve, are traced out by computing the fidelity of $\|\phi^+\rangle$ with (\[rho1\]). This fidelity is $F=(1+\sqrt{T})/2$ and, surprisingly, does not explicitly depend on the depolarization of the perturbed state. The maximal fidelity of any two-qubit state with maximally entangled pure states was found by Verstraete and Verschelde [@fv02] to be bounded above by $(1+\sqrt{T})/2$. The two-qubit states (\[rho1\]) saturate this bound (as does any two-qubit pure state). Any entangled state that saturates this bound apparently has $F>1/2$, thus allowing concentration of entanglement via the BBPSSW scheme [@bennett96b] without requiring local filtering [@hhh97]. Another consequence of this simple fidelity expression is that, when comparing (\[rho1\]) with $\|\phi^+\rangle$, the fidelity by itself cannot distinguish between pure nonmaximally entangled states and Werner states of the same tangle. For example, both the nonmaximally entangled pure state $\rho_1(0, 11.25^\circ)$ and the Werner state $\rho_1(0.19525, 22.5^\circ)$ have tangle equal to 0.5, and each has fidelity 0.854 with $\|\phi^+\rangle$. To trace the curves above the Werner state line, we calculate the fidelity of $\|\phi^+\rangle$ with equation (\[rho2\]). In this case, the analytic expression for the fidelity does not provide much insight, so we only present numerical results, yielding the nearly vertical curves shown in Fig. \[bellFcalc\]. Notice that the vertical curves scale nearly the same as the horizontal curves. Thus, when comparing $\|\phi^+\rangle$ with states created using (\[rho1\]) and (\[rho2\]) that each separately have the same fidelity with $\|\phi^+\rangle$, the linear entropy and tangle for (\[rho1\]) and (\[rho2\]) change by about the same amount when the fidelity changed. So both (\[rho1\]) and (\[rho2\]) display approximately the same fidelity insensitivity. Next we consider the effect of depolarizing target maximally entangled mixed states (MEMS). In this case, we calculate the 0.99-fidelity curve for several target states, shown as stars in Fig. \[memsFcalc\]. Note that the 0.99-fidelity curve encloses a much larger area for any of the MEMS targets than it does for the $\|\phi^+\rangle$ calculation (Fig. \[bellFcalc\]). We attribute this to the fact that depolarizing a pure state changes the fundamental character (as measured with the fidelity) of the state more than does depolarizing an [already]{} mixed state. Also shown in Fig. \[memsFcalc\] are the results of a numerical Monte Carlo simulation, where we assumed an ideal starting state, then calculated the predicted counts one would expect to measure in an experiment if there were no measurement noise or fluctuations. These ideal counts are then perturbed in a statistical way to give a variation one might expect in an experimental measurement for a total collection of $\sim$2000 counts [@footnotesimulation]. Note that the sizes and shapes of the simulation and the constant fidelity curves are similar but not identical. As the simulation is random, it behaves somewhat like a depolarizing channel, adding uniform noise (explaining some of the similarity); however, random fluctuations are not enough to mimic the extreme changes along the MEMS curve, as the MEMS density matrices posses a very specific form. ![Constant fidelity curves for a nonmaximally entangled mixed state ($\rho_2(\epsilon=0.225,\theta=11.57^\circ$)) compared with states calculated by varying $\epsilon$ and $\theta$. In the case of this mixed entangled state, the constant fidelity regions are surprisingly large: for example, a 0.9 fidelity with this starting state could arise from a nearly pure entangled state or from an unentangled near fully mixed state. The 0.9 and higher fidelity region covers $\sim$60$\%$ of the physically allowed region of the linear entropy-tangle plane.[]{data-label="mixedFcalc"}](petersfig3.eps){width="8.6cm"} The two previous cases dealt with states that have the highest entanglement values, i.e., they are bounded by the edges of the physically allowed regions of the entropy-tangle plane. To investigate the behavior “on the open plane,” we examine an entangled mixed target state that is a specific example of (\[rho1\]): $$\begin{aligned} \rho_{1}(\sim0.225,\sim11.57^\circ)=\cr \bordermatrix{ & \cr &0.7113 &0 &0 &0.2800 \cr &0 &0.0564 &0 &0 \cr &0 &0 &0.0564 &0 \cr &0.2800 &0 &0 &0.1760 \cr}, \label{expampleMS} %\nonumber\end{aligned}$$ which is shown as a star in Fig. \[mixedFcalc\]. Note that the 0.99-fidelity region is much larger than for any of the previous target states, including the MEMS. This result is particularly astonishing when viewed in light of what is typically considered “high fidelity” experimentally for entangled states: 0.9 to 0.99 depending on the particular two-qubit implementation (although some [single]{} qubit fidelities have been reported at the 0.999 level [@peters03]). Consider the 0.9-fidelity curve in Fig. \[mixedFcalc\]. This level of fidelity with the target states could mean one has a nearly pure maximally entangled state ($S_L\cong 0.07, T\cong 0.79$) or a nearly completely mixed unentangled state ($S_L\cong 0.85,T=0$). The extreme insensitivity of the fidelity for the target state (\[expampleMS\]) is consistent with equation (\[Fexpand\]), which indicates that fidelity sensitivity drops off as the rank of a state increases. In this case (\[expampleMS\]) has rank four while the MEMS have either rank two or three (and the maximally entangled pure state $\|\phi^+\rangle$ is rank 1); thus (\[expampleMS\]) exhibits larger constant fidelity curves than the MEMS or $\|\phi^+\rangle$. In addition, we conjecture that this effect may be further exacerbated because the addition of symmetric noise to an already highly mixed state (which has a symmetric form) changes the character of the state less than for a MEMS (which has an asymmetric form). In summary, we have shown an imbalance between the sensitivities of the common state measures–fidelity, trace distance, concurrence, tangle, linear entropy and von Neumann entropy–for two classes of two-qubit entangled mixed states. This imbalance is surprising in light of the fact that orthogonal states which have zero fidelity with one another may have the same entanglement and mixedness; thus, one might have expected the fidelity to be a [more]{} sensitive means to characterize a state than quantifying state properties like entanglement and mixedness. Here we have shown an opposite effect. Specifically, we have investigated several examples at different locations in the entropy-tangle plane, where the trend shows progressively larger 0.99-fidelity regions as the state becomes more mixed and less entangled. We also have shown that, at least for maximally entangled target states, the fidelity is insensitive when comparing between Werner states and nonmaximally entangled states of the same tangle. This work has important ramifications for benchmarking the performance of quantum information processing systems, as it reveals that the usually quoted measure of fidelity is often a remarkably poor indicator, e.g., of the entanglement in a state, on which the performance of quantum information systems often depend. This may have consequences, for example, for determining the limits of fault tolerant quantum computation [@klz98], and it may be beneficial to include other benchmarks in addition to/instead of fidelity when characterizing resources needed for various quantum information protocols. The authors would like to thank Mike Goggin for comments useful in refining this manuscript. This work was supported by the National Science Foundation (Grant number EIA-0121568), and the MURI Center for Photonic Quantum Information Systems (ARO/ARDA program DAAD19-03-1-0199).
Environmental Studies Student Association (ESSA) The Environmental Studies Student Association is the Undergraduate Course Union for Environmental Studies students at the University of Victoria. The group focuses on linking social networking with environmental activism among the campus and off-campus community. ESSA meets regularly to organize a wide variety of events and projects such as ecological restoration work-parties, charity fundraisers, careers nights, ethnobotanical nature walks, print publications (ESSENCE), and other fun activities throughout the academic year. ESSA provides engaging volunteer and job references to the undergraduates of Environmental Studies, and best of all, friendships that last long after graduation.	https://www.uvic.ca/socialsciences/environmental/undergraduate/student-association/index.php
This vacancy is open at Stage 4 - External Recruitment. The job is based at Foss House in York and the post holder will cover part of Yorkshire. Background Information on Unit Forest Services are the Governments forestry experts. We advise nationally and locally on how to unlock the full potential of woodlands and the forestry sector to protect, improve and expand England's valuable woodland assets. The Yorkshire and North East Area contains over 212,000 hectares of woodland ranging from important habitat networks of Ancient Woodlands through to large productive conifer forests. In the North East the predominant woodland type is conifer (64.5%) whereas in Yorkshire and The Humber broadleaves form the most significant component (41.5%). This diverse range of woodland types extends over 4 National Parks and 3 Areas of Outstanding National Beauty. The urban woodland resource is also important and focussed in the city regions of Sheffield, Leeds and Newcastle. The Area Team operates from the Defra Office (Kings Pool) in York with a further office located with the Environment Agency in Newcastle (Tyneside house). The Woodland Officer role represents Forest Services front-line woodlands and forestry expert. It involves ensuring the delivery of Government forestry policy through the effective use of advice, incentives and regulations. The role involves engaging with woodland owners, agents and stakeholders to provide appropriate advice and the enforcement of forestry and tree health regulations. Tree health is a key part of the work of Forest Services with a initial outbreak of Phytophthora ramorum being recorded in the North York Moors in 2015 and we are working with partners to respond to the ongoing expansion of Chalara dieback of ash. The Area team has a number of established partnerships focussed on specific issues including working with the Environment Agency on our Woodlands for Water programme, working with Natural England on the joint delivery of Countryside Stewardship and supporting the sector through the Roots to Prosperity growth programme. In addition we are working ever closer with the Environment Agency and Natural England as we align our work to effectively deliver Defra objectives. The post will operate within the Yorkshire and Humber area and will operate from the Defra Office (Foss House) York with regular travel required across the area. The post reports to Sam Cooper (Field Manager). Purpose of the Job The Woodland Officer role acts as the key front line forestry and woodland expert and is responsible for the delivery of Government forestry policy through the effective use of advice, incentives and regulations. The post also requires engagement with appropriate local partnerships and work with key stakeholders such as National Parks, AONB's, and local authorities, Historic England, Environment Agency and Natural England. Key Work Areas Team Working Maintain good working relationship with colleagues, including admin hub. Support the overall work of the team ensuring the effective delivery of our vision and culture and help to meet our local and national Health and Safety priorities. Play an active role in the wider work of the Area team through team meetings and, for example, by supporting WO colleagues and sharing expertise. Seek to support the wider work of Forest Services by offering individual specialist knowledge to project working or seeking development opportunities where these can be sustained. Enabling Activity Advocate government policy on forestry, good forestry practice and the benefits that woodlands provide. Work with appropriate local partners and stakeholders in delivering forestry policy representing the Forestry Commission at local level. Incentives Process applications for grant aid (Countryside Stewardship and Woodland Creation Planning Grant) and amendments, and review woodland management plans, ensuring compliance with UK Forestry Standard and scheme rules and procedures. Take opportunities to optimise delivery of benefits and obtain good value for money. Deal with grant claims, particularly for legacy schemes, making inspections as appropriate. Regulations Ensure effective delivering of forestry and plant health regulations. Administer delivery of felling licences and Environmental Impact Assessment procedures in accordance with legislation and guidance. Respond to and investigate alleged breaches of the felling and EIA regulations and take appropriate action as required. Support plant health activity, working with FC Plant Health, Forest Research colleagues and APHA accordingly, promoting biosecurity, helping to monitor plant health and issuing statutory plant health notices as required. Experience Essential - Experience and understanding of forestry and woodland management. Desirable - Experience of supporting integrated land / woodland management. - Experience of delivering forestry incentives and regulations. Person Specification Experience and Professional/Technical Expertise Essential - Degree/Higher Diploma in forestry/land management/countryside management and/or significant related experience in forestry / woodland / tree management. - Competent IT user with experience of MS Office. Desirable - Membership of (or working towards) a relevant professional institute (e.g. Institute of Chartered Foresters). - Evidence of maintaining Continuous Professional Development. Changing and Improving Consider and suggest ideas for improvements, sharing this feedback with others in a constructive manner. Help colleagues, customers and corporate partners to understand changes and why they have been introduced. Making Effective Decisions Examine complex information and obtain further information to make accurate decisions Explain clearly, verbally and in writing, how a decision has been reached Leading and Communicating Display enthusiasm around goals and activities ' adopting a positive approach when interacting with others Confidently handle challenging conversations or interviews Managing a Quality Service Explain clearly to customers what can be done Ensure that levels of service are maintained ' flag up risks or concerns including health and safety in order to meet customer requirements Promote adherence to relevant policies, procedures, regulations and legislation, including equality and diversity and health and safety Delivering at Pace Take ownership of problems in your area of responsibility Check your and your team's performance against outcomes, make suggestions for improvement or take corrective action when problems are identified Related jobs Woodland Officer, Oban £29,401 to £32,486 per annum ,	https://hijobs.net/job/44095/woodland-officer-yorkshire
A new literary geography: Establishing a digital atlas of Wales and its borderlands The Literary Atlas is an exercise in what literary geographers call deep mapping. It will contain not only geographical references to real and imagined places in Welsh fiction, but also historical, cultural, and sociological information about these localities. The Literary Atlas will be augmented with filmic, photographic and audio material, academic and critical commentaries, excerpts of books, and author interviews. The Literary Atlas will provide virtual tours of the locations used in novels, and directions so that these tours can also be walked in practice. In doing so it will enhance our understanding of the relationships between literary textuality and geography. The project has three broad aims: - Encourage the critical and active reading of fictional narratives - Promote an understanding of how literature can help strengthen individual and community identity - Enhance cultural tourism The project team Professor Jon Anderson Professor in Human Geography, Director of Recruitment and Admissions Professor Scott Orford Professor in Spatial Analysis and GIS, Director of Postgraduate Taught Studies Support This research was made possible through the support of the following organisations:	https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/research/explore/find-a-project/view/1189742-a-new-literary-geography-establishing-a-digital-atlas-of-wales-and-its-borderlands
If you notice the development of a hump at the base or in the neck, you may be focusing on how strange it looks and thinking that this is due to poor posture. This hump in the neck is sometimes referred to as the “widow’s hump” or “humped back” and is medically known as thoracic kyphosis. “This bump typically affects the area of the spine called the upper thoracic spine,” says Dr. James E. Dowdell III, MD, spinal surgeon at the Hospital for Special Surgery. “When you have this condition, your head appears to be protruding because your upper thoracic spine has an excessive curvature.” If you have a bump in your neck you may experience symptoms such as back pain or stiffness, fatigue, tight hamstrings, and rounded shoulders. And although Dr. Dowdell finds that everyone has a natural curve in their spine, there are certain reasons and causes that you can make that curve worse. What Causes Thoracic Kyphosis? While several factors can play a role in the formation of the hump, one thing stands out from the others. “The most common cause of the hump is poor posture,” says Dr. Dowdell. “Unfortunately, this becomes a chicken-and-egg scenario as poor posture puts more pressure on the spine, which can worsen the curvature, further exacerbating the existing poor posture.” Related: Try These 12 Exercises For Bad Posture Other causes are: - Osteoporosis (bone disease): “This can change the shape of bones (wedging of vertebrae) if they are not strong enough,” says Dr. Dowdell. “This wedging of the vertebra creates kyphosis in the thoracic spine.” - Arthritis: “Arthritis in the lower neck area can cause the head to automatically lean more forward to keep the arthritic areas in a more comfortable position,” says Dr. Rahul Shah, MD, a specialist in orthopedic spine and neck surgery with Premier Orthopedic Spine Associates in Vineland, New Jersey. This leaning forward creates a cascade of changes that make the hump more noticeable. - Scheuermann’s kyphosis: While the normal curvature of the spine is between 20 and 40 degrees, a congenital problem called Scheurmann’s kyphosis creates a curvature between 45 and 75 degrees, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. - Muscle weakness: When the muscles in the upper thoracic spine aren’t strong enough, it puts extra pressure on the spine, which can contribute to the development of that curvature, which Dr. Dowdell is now more common due to office work / computers / smartphones. - Aging: As you age, you may lose significantly more mass in the vertebrae of the spine (either in the neck or in the chest bones), which can lead to postural changes that can accentuate the hump, says Dr. Shah. - Additional tissue storage through additional fat storage: This can be caused by certain drugs, steroids, conditions like Cushing’s syndrome, and obesity, notes Dr. Shah. Related: How to Correct Front Head Posture, or “Nerd Neck” How to fix breast kyphosis “In my opinion, the most important thing about the hump is identifying the cause,” notes Dr. Shah. “If someone has a bump, I would recommend checking with your doctor to determine the underlying cause so that the solutions have a high chance of working.” Lifestyle changes are the mainstay of treatment. These can include: - Physical activity. “Regular cardiovascular exercises, back strengthening exercises, and yoga can help,” says Dr. Dowdell. “A prescription for physical therapy can also be offered to guide this treatment, including attention to good posture and proper ergonomics.” - A back support. “If your condition is more advanced at a young age, you may even be prescribed braces to keep your condition from getting worse,” says Dr. Dowdell. - Painkiller. “If the pain is severe, the drug of choice is usually an anti-inflammatory drug,” says Dr. Dowdell. - Adjust medication. “For example, if you have a bump due to fatty tissue deposits, various medications can help, or even consider removing the tissue directly during surgery,” says Dr. Shah. - Treatment of underlying diseases. “This is also important to prevent further deterioration – osteoporosis is the main disease that can worsen kyphosis if left untreated,” says Dr. Dowdell. - Spinal surgery. “Only in severe cases of kyphosis would surgery be offered. Sometimes kyphosis can contribute to compression of the spinal cord and possibly even cause problems with organ (lung / heart) dysfunction if the kyphosis is severe enough. In these situations, surgery can be done to reduce the curvature of the spine. This would be spinal fusion surgery. Related: For Perfect Posture, Try This Workout Tips for preventing breast kyphosis There are a few ways to prevent the hump in the neck in the first place. There are four things to keep in mind: Practice correct posture “This prevents further stress on your spine and reduces the likelihood of degeneration and deterioration of your hump,” says Dr. Dowdell. “For every inch your head protrudes, your spine experiences 10 pounds of extra force.” For example, carry something heavy with your arms outstretched or pulled away from you, and then carry the same thing with your arms close to your body. “Your muscles tire faster when your arms are far from your body,” says Dr. Dowdell, and the same goes for your neck. a practice “Exercises that are aimed directly at strengthening the neck and upper chest muscles can be helpful in maintaining the integrity of the neck muscles and maintaining a horizontal view,” says Dr. Shah. “Lifting weights or doing other strength training exercises can help increase bone density over time. Yoga can also help with posture, alignment, and flexibility. “ Focus on bone health “If you have osteoporosis, make an appointment with an endocrinologist to improve your bone health and take calcium or vitamin D,” says Dr. Dowdell. In addition to supplements, eating a healthy, balanced diet high in calcium and vitamin D also helps keep your bones strong, notes Dr. Shah. Healthy now newsletter Get good vibes and health tips straight to your inbox! Customize your workspace According to Dr. Shah, do not hang forward or around your shoulders even when you are sitting at a keyboard or watching TV on the couch. “Optimizing your workplace is also ideal; Trying to keep your head level with the pelvis and not bending your neck forward is a good place to start, ”says Dr. Shah. Next up: the best sleeping position to avoid back and neck pain sources We understand how important it is to choose a chiropractor that is right for you. It is our belief that educating our patients is a very important part of the success we see in our offices.	https://www.americanchiropractors.org/neck-pain/heres-what-causes-that-hump-in-the-neck-and-what-to-do/
Interested in the medical field but not sure about med school, or not enthusiastic about taking lots of physics and math? You should consider majoring in Health Promotion and Health Equity. HPHE student Jordan Gao gave us the details of this fascinating field of study. To an outsider, HPHE may seem no different from the vast span of other medically-minded majors, but Gao explained what sets them apart. “I feel like a lot of medical majors are a lot more focused on research...HPHE covers that, but it’s set apart because it focuses on outreach, on day-to-day ways people can improve their wellbeing. It’s very hands-on,” she said. Students who graduate with a degree in HPHE can go into the field right away, with no need for a lengthy study at med school followed by a residency. This major is within the Kinesiology department in the School of Education, a placement that correlates directly with its goals. Kinesiology, as a department, focuses on health education. “We’re not so much focused on science and research as we are on education — teaching the general public about available resources,” Gao said. “Academia and research can be hard to break into, it’s inaccessible.” HPHE majors can choose a variety of elective specialties. Gao chose “Social Determinants of Health,” which explores how identity can affect wellbeing. “As a queer POC living in suburban Wisconsin, I grew up very cognizant of how socioeconomic disparities that come with being a minority are super evident in the system and directly impact access to healthcare, mental health resources or even community resources like a gym,” she explained. HPHE majors have a variety of career options in hospitals, clinics and nonprofits. There are also federal positions available. In the short term, Gao is interested in working as an EMT. In the long-term, she’d like to get involved in outreach programs and create better infrastructure for marginalized communities to get access to healthcare. Gao emphasized that she personally wants to work in a lower-income community rather than an affluent area. “I feel like the general idea is that low-income areas are high crime, poverty ridden places and that the healthcare workers there receive low pay for a very demanding job, and that’s just not true,” Gao said. “These places need healthcare workers.” Those interested in HPHE can consult the undergraduate guide for an overview of the requirements: https://guide.wisc.edu/undergraduate/education/kinesiology/health-promo-health-equity-bs/#text.	https://www.dailycardinal.com/article/2021/09/stem-major-spotlight-health-promotion-and-health-equity?ct=content_open&cv=cbox_latest
The Terciated Land The realm of Faerie is known as the Terciated Land, a region of the universe where magic is everywhere and the peoples are forever on the brink of war. The Dreadworld is a place of blood and dark pacts, while, above the clouds, the creatures of the light revel in their mastery of magic and plot the domination of the world of mortals. The lands of Faerie set unevenly upon the shadow of the mundane world, sometimes extending through into the mortal realm. There are many standing stones on Weirth that are still magically bound to Faerie, and their power and influence can be used by those on both sides of the Veil. Reaching Across Space and TimeA portion of the great White Tower in Elleneffera reaches across time and space to co-exist with the realm of Faerie, while other portions ripple through space, intersecting with the Prime Material plane in many temporary locations (though temporary to the Fae could mean 200 years!). Other known breakthrough locations include the great Pyramid of Zygaria, the Fallen Wheel of the Gods, the Temple of the Sun (in Lemuria), the drowned city of R'lyeh and any number of magical megaliths that exist in both realms at the same time. Powerful Magic-Users that have passes through the Test are said to have knowledge of a third realm attached to the lands of the Fae, but these are likely just stories from the hearth. Map CloudlandsBright, sunny days and warm, exotic nights are the rule, for the weather is nearly always perfect. The gardens and vineyards flourish at all times, for there are no seasons as humans know them. Men and women dress in pastel tunics and robes, with leafy wreaths upon their heads, golden sandals upon their feet. Men wear their hair cut very short, while the women wear long braids - pigtails for the singles, a single braid for those who are married, and a sporty topknot for the Warriors (men and women alike). - Type - Dimensional, Pocket - Included Locations - Underworld(Picture of a dark forest?) The lands below the clouds are dark and dismal, with frequent rain and an almost eternal mist or fog. The peoples of the underworld are dour and joyless (many of them are undead!). The air is quiet and pregnant with mystery and a sense of dread. The permanent cloud cover is dark and ominous, blocking out the sun. It is always twilight in the Underworld. Any music is dull and toneless. The food is bland and dry. Colors are muted, robbed of life by the darkness. Ladies wear long dresses, leggings or tights, and drab tunics for the men. Boots are most common, calf- to knee-high, as the ground is often mud or standing water. Men wear their hair long, sometimes gathered in the back, while women never cut their hair and pile it high upon their heads.	https://www.worldanvil.com/w/world-of-weirth-hdbbstephen/a/the-terciated-land-article
Posted by John Kleeman Tests and surveys are very different. In a test, you look to measure participant knowledge or skill; you know what answer you are looking for, and generally participants are motivated to answer well. In a survey, you look to measure participant attitude or recollection; you don’t know what answer you are looking for, and participants may be disinterested. Writing good surveys is an important skill. If you’re interested in how to write good surveys of opinion and attitude in training, learning, compliance, certification, based on research evidence, you might be interested in a webinar I gave titled, “Designing Effective Surveys.” Click HERE for the webinar recording and slides. In the meantime, here’s a sample survey question. How many errors can you spot in the question? There are quite a few errors. Try to count the errors before you look at my explanation below!! I count seven errors: - I am sure you got the mis-spelling of “quality”. If you mis-spell something in a survey question, it indicates to the participant that you haven’t taken time and trouble writing your survey, so there is little incentive for them to spend time and trouble answering. - It’s not usually sensible to use the word “always” in a survey question. Some participants make take the statement literally, and it’s much more likely that webinars are usually excellent than that every single one is excellent. - The question is double-barreled. It’s asking about material AND presentation quality. They might be different. This really should be two questions to get a consistent answer. - The “Agree” in “Strongly Agree” is capitalized but not in other places, e.g. “Slightly agree”. Capitalization should be equal in every part of the scale. You can see these four errors highlighted below. Is that all the errors? I count three more, making a total of seven: - The scale should be balanced. Why is there a “Slightly agree” and not a “Slightly disagree”? - This is a leading or “loaded” question, not a neutral one, it encourages you to a positive answer. If you genuinely want to get people’s opinion in a survey question, you need to ask it without encouraging the participant to answer a particular way. - Lastly, any agree/disagree question has acquiescence bias. Research evidence suggests that some participants are more likely to agree when answering survey questions. Particularly those who are more junior or less educated who may tend to think that what is asked of them might be true. It would be better to word this question to ask people to rate the webinars rather than agree with a statement about them. Did you get all of these? I hope you enjoyed this little exercise. If you did, I explain more about this and good survey practice in our Designing Effective Surveys webinar, click HERE for the webinar recording and slides.	https://www.questionmark.com/how-many-errors-can-you-spot-in-this-survey-question/?lang=en_GB
Our research investigation in governance has been directed at articulating some conceptual underpinnings of politics globally based on clear epistemological, phenomenological and hermeneutical principles. This is where we believe Deep Dialogue would make a significant difference. Integrating dialogue in governance can help challenge commonly held assumptions about socioeconomic, political and security issues. Equally, it is important to bring leaders and decision-makers together to identify fundamental questions about governance processes, and set challenges for future dialogue and inquiry at local, national, international and global level. Currently, our team is exploring (1) the different kinds of dialogue practices, (2) how deep dialogue might be integrated in international processes, (3) the features of structural peace that nurture the potential of deep dialogue within institutions, between peoples, groups and communities, and at international diplomacy levels. Given that these processes tend to involve people insofar as they occupy a well-defined role for a state or a state-like organisation and given that deep dialogue involves or aims for a transformative understanding between persons as such, what practices are most helpful in transcending roles, allegiances and positions? Additionally, the GHFP has interest in identifying key features of international and trans-national diplomacy and what part dialogue plays in ensuring openness, harmony and concerted effort for global common good.	https://ghfp.org/research/governance/?shared=email&msg=fail
Can we bring the advantages of an elementary school strategy for building a classroom community to the higher grades? Morning meetings are a nearly ubiquitous feature in elementary classrooms. Students gather on a rug to discuss the calendar, the weather, the news, and how they’re feeling as the day begins. It’s a wonderful system for building community and trust and for setting the stage for a day full of learning. But can that work when you’re a teacher who starts the day three, four, seven, or eight times? Middle and high school students need classrooms that hinge on community and trust just as much as elementary students do—can we replicate the outcomes of the morning meeting in a way that makes sense developmentally and logistically in higher grades? How do morning meetings help classroom communities develop? When students first gather at the beginning of the year, the most immediate need is gathering knowledge—new names, news from the summer, and current interests, as well as who you are as a teacher and what the class is going to be like. Students are also figuring out whether they’re going to be with people who like them and whom they like. Morning meetings help create an environment of increasing trust in a classroom. As students become more aware of who is in the room, they need to learn how to communicate with one another. What are the expected norms and processes for discussion? Next they learn how to cooperate, like how to not get in one another’s way as they work toward a common goal. As they gain skill in cooperation, they cross over into collaboration—a shared investment in the success of all members of the community. At each of these stages, they face conflict and successes and build the trust necessary to move to the next level. In upper grades, what should we do to focus our opening instructional moves on the deliberate creation and maintenance of a learning community, without sacrificing valuable instructional time? First, we have to recognize that we’ll get more out of our students if they feel safe, supported, and known well in our classrooms. The time spent building community will come back to us exponentially in fewer behavior issues and better student engagement. Knowledge: Use names. Make sure you know your students’ names and that they know one another’s names. I’m always amazed to find that kids who have sat side by side for years don’t know one another’s names. Require them to use names in responding to one another. Ask students to respond to an opening prompt with a piece of information about themselves, some news or insight that they can share with a partner. Keep the stakes low here (favorite band, worst movie ever, plan for surviving the zombie apocalypse, etc.). Be sure that you respond to the prompt as well—let students get to know you. Build a classroom culture filled with rituals and traditions that make your class different from others, like greeting students with a handshake at the door, putting a silly question on the board at the start of class, or keeping a silly piece of classroom decor—I was partial to a plaster rooster and an upside-down Christmas tree. Be sure students know you like them. And create space for them to know one another through (appropriate) humor. Communication: Take the time to articulate what you mean by a quality discussion (or better yet, arrive at a description as a class). Build a T chart with specific expectations about what it looks and sounds like when people are communicating effectively, and use that chart to assess the quality of the communication processes as students move through review material in the earliest days of the class. Offer feedback about what you see and hear. You could also get students’ feedback—consider recording the class at work and then showing the recording to students so they can look for good examples of quality communication processes. Cooperation: You can build and reinforce cooperation skills with traditional community builders, or do so through academic work—whatever makes the most sense to you. In either case, be sure to articulate what quality cooperation looks and sounds like, and then ask students to demonstrate it. Take the time to reflect together on the process and results. Collaboration: When the class is at a collaborative stage, your job becomes maintenance. Use Google Class to take a quick survey at the start of class, focusing on a topic of the day—this can be a serious topic, but it doesn’t have to be. Ask students to give feedback on their homework, to talk about how they approached a project, or to comment on the outcome of the big game the night before. But what about when conflicts arise? Just remember: Kids want to be safe, just like we want to be safe. They want to be known and liked. They know they’ve been let down before—by their teachers and by their peers. Their peers will have to earn their trust, and teachers need to facilitate that. That means setting clear expectations about classroom behavior, including responding to put-downs and unkind words. Such words are harbingers of the next level in the group’s development. See them as such—lean into conflicts and refuse to let kids off the hook. If you stand your ground, insist on the behavior you want to see, and keep your sense of humor, you’ll get there.	https://www.edutopia.org/article/morning-meetings-middle-and-high-school
Kraków, 4 – 6 April 2019 Keynote speakers: Fred Burwick (UCLA), Mary Jacobus (University of Cambridge), and Juliette Wells (Goucher College). Organisers: Institute of English Studies, Jagiellonian University in Kraków; Polish Society for the Study of European Romanticism. Deadline for submissions extended to 20th January 2019 ‘Great spirits now on earth are sojourning’, wrote Keats in 1816. While his sonnet celebrates the originality of his contemporaries and the historical significance of his times, it also points to deep interest in ‘the hum of mighty works’ in all the fields of human activity – to which “the nations” ought to listen. In her book Romantic Interactions, Susan Wolfson defines ‘interaction’ as the way in which writers define themselves as ‘authors’ in relation to other authors. Although Romantic writers tend to assert their individuality, this assertion often takes the form of positioning themselves in connection to other authors and literary texts. Keats’s poem suggests not only interactions between poets, artists and social thinkers in the same language, but also the idea of international appreciation and interaction. Our conference builds on Wolfson’s idea by broadening the subject to explore the interactions of Romantic authors within the wider scope of European and American culture. We are interested in exploring Romantic writers’ interactions with their contemporaries, the culture of the past, and their interactions across the arts and sciences. Submissions: We welcome papers on various forms of interactions which involve the production and reception of literary texts in the Romantic period. Papers may explore topics including, but not limited to: - literary ‘interactions’ among Romantic writers; interactions between poetry and fiction - interactions with the culture of the past - intercultural interactions - transatlantic interactions - intertextuality, influence, anxiety of influence - interactions across the arts, and across the arts and sciences - Romantic afterlives We invite submissions in the following formats: - Proposals for 20-minute individual papers (250 – 300 words) by 7 January 2019. Applicants should include a brief biographical note of up to 150 words. - Proposals for complete sessions of three 20-minute papers (250-300 word abstracts for each paper with a brief rationale for the session) by 7 January 2019. Submissions should be sent to [email protected]. Notifications of acceptance will be sent out by 20 January 2019. We also invite submissions to panel sessions: 1. RÊVE – ROMANTIC EUROPE: THE VIRTUAL EXHIBITION 2. GERMAN ROMANTICISM AND ITS (CULTURAL) INTERACTIONS WITH PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE For details of the sessions, see the attached document. The conference is organized in Krakow, a UNESCO city of literature, which truly celebrates ‘the great spirits’ of the Romantic Age with the statue of Adam Mickiewicz in the centre of the medieval Market Place and the mound built in honour of Tadeusz Kościuszko on the outskirts of the city. With its historic monuments, vibrant cafés and lively academic and literary communities, Kraków attracts visitors from all over the world, and was recently home to Nobel Prize winning poets Czesław Miłosz and Wisława Szymborska. The language of the conference is English.	http://pase.edu.pl/2019/01/14/romantic-interactions/
Capital Community College (CCC) and the San Juan Center (SJC), thanks to the support from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving (HFPG), are teaming up with El Show de Analeh, CH18 Univision, to provide an educational and empowering series to the Latino community about the electoral process, as well as general awareness about their local government. As a secondary goal, this partnership is aiming to provide opportunities for students at CCC to gain work... Communication Students On the Air as Part of Unique Community Partnership Students of Capital’s Communication Media degree program are building their resumes with production experience on “El Show de Analeh,” a Spanish-language talk show that focuses on issues in the Latino community. The program,which began in 2007, is hosted by... UConn \| Qualtrics Survey Information Guess who can bring about change in your community. Walk over to the closest mirror. Who do you see? No, this isn't a joke. You can bring about the change you desire. What's the next step? The answer is civic engagement. Civic engagement explains how individuals or groups try to influence, change, or address public issues that affect their communities. These can include different ways to participate in politics to influence government institutions. Civic engagement can also include ways in which individuals and groups can work with civic organizations like churches or community-based organizations to secure resources to improve community members' lives. Civic engagement can take many forms. People can join political parties, elect leaders, and vote in general elections for candidates representing their interests. They can organize groups of people to fix problems in their communities or demand that local, state, or federal governments solve problems. Civic engagement is about mobilizing people to try to solve public health, education, and other types of issues affecting their communities. Stay tuned to this section for more information on how anyone of any age can advocate for change.	https://www.analehtvshow.com/events-and-educational-resources
Washington DC – The political action committee of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, the Progressive Action PAC (PAPAC), released the following statement endorsing Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton for President: “For decades, progressives in Congress have worked together to level the playing field for working families. We have fought to increase wages, to protect American jobs, preserve our environment, spread diplomacy and expand health care. “Hillary Clinton shares our ideals and has worked to improve the lives of Americans her entire adult life – as an activist, a litigator, a First Lady, a Senator, and then a Secretary of State. Members of PAPAC unite behind her now, and we will work to ensure Secretary Clinton is the next President of the United States. “We believe the Democratic Primary has strengthened Secretary Clinton as a candidate and we thank Senator Bernie Sanders for raising critical issues in the course of the campaign. Both Democratic candidates prioritized people, the environment, and a fair economy in the course of their debates and public messages. We all benefit when good candidates compete with each other over how to make the lives of Americans better – which is a far cry from the divisive and ugly Republican contest which revolved around exclusion, insult and division. “Secretary Clinton is committed to ending money in politics, stopping bad trade deals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership, raising the minimum wage, lowering prescription drug prices and creating a debt free future for every student. These proposals have already inspired millions of voters. Making them the cornerstone of her campaign will inspire these voters to turn out in November. “We encourage Senator Sanders, a founder of the Progressive Caucus, to continue his fight for the American working class of all backgrounds, and to continue to drive voter turn-out, especially in down ballot races. “We urge progressive activists across America to support Secretary Clinton for president, join the fight to defeat Donald Trump, and unite for a fairer, greener, and more peaceful future.” The Congressional Progressive Caucus was founded in 1991 and is co-chaired by Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) and Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN). ### FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 12, 2016 Progressive Action Pac Sends Open Letter to Next President of the United States Washington DC–Earlier today, the Progressive Action PAC – the political arm of the Congressional Progressive Caucus – sent an open letter to the candidates running for President of the United States. In the letter, Members of the Progressive Action PAC asked candidates of both political parties to commit to building upon President Obama’s legacy of improving the lives of federal contract workers through establishing a “White House Office of Good Jobs”, and implementing a Model Employer Executive Order. The text of the letter is below, and a signed copy of the letter can be found here: http://www.actprogressive.com/images/041216PAPACLetter.pdf Signers include: Rep. Keith Ellison, Rep. Raúl Grijalva, Rep. Mark Pocan, Rep. Barbara Lee, Rep. Ruben Gallego, Rep. Mike Honda, and Rep. Jan Schakowsky April 12, 2016 Candidates for the Office of President of the United States: We write to request your support for raising the wages and living standards of Americans by committing to build upon President Obama’s legacy of bold executive action on behalf of federal contract workers. In the face of an obstructionist Congress, President Obama has used his executive power to raise the minimum wage for federal contract workers to $10.10 an hour1, crack down on federal contractors who violate federal wage and safety statutes2, extend paid leave benefits3, extend worker protection from discrimination4 and advance equal pay. Together, these actions are helping turn back the tide of rising income inequality – a phenomenon the President has called the “defining issue of our time.” Yet, we can and must do more. Specifically, we call on the next president to establish a “Model Employer Executive Order” aimed at ensuring that federal contracts go to employers who provide their workers with good wages and benefits, and the opportunity to form a union. We also call on you to establish a “White House Office of Good Jobs” that would ensure that the $1 trillion the government spends on contracts, loans, and grants each year are going to private sector corporations that treat their workers with dignity. The federal government has a major presence in the private-sector economy. Federal contracts and grants directly support 10.5 million private-sector jobs, while private employers who receive these funds employ an additional 20 million workers5. This spending gives the government leverage over the employment standards of one-in-five U.S. workers. By harnessing the purchasing power of the federal government, we can ensure that taxpayer dollars are being used to underwrite good jobs. When a worker’s take home pay covers the needs of his or her family, we see increased economic growth, increased tax receipts, and reduced spending on social safety net programs. Private sector contractors also benefit from these policies through productivity gains and reduced employee turnover. Implementing a Model Employer Executive Order and a White House Office of Good Jobs are effective approaches to make progress on income inequality. Through a Model Employer Executive Order, the federal government would provide a contracting preference for corporations that provide their workers with good wages, good benefits, and remain neutral during union organizing campaigns. Similarly, a White House Office of Good Jobs would have a broad mandate to deliver economic benefits to working Americans by promoting good job standards wherever federal agencies impact private-sector employment through their spending or regulatory activities. The Office would work hand-in-hand with the National Economic and Domestic Policy Councils, as well as cabinet departments, to ensure that procurement, grant-making, and regulatory decisions encourage appropriately paid jobs, collective-bargaining rights, and responsible employment practices. This new office will ensure that your commitment to restoring the middle class is reflected across agencies with diverse leadership, mandates, and internal cultures. We believe that the Office for Faith Based and Community Based initiatives provides a strong model for this type of office. Our nation has a proud history of ensuring that federal tax dollars incentivize sustainable work. In 1931, Congress passed the Davis-Bacon Act to ensure that the construction of our physical infrastructure also helped build up the middle class. In 1965, President Johnson issued Executive Order 11246 to outlaw racial discrimination in federal contracting. Now it’s your chance to make history. President Obama has made tremendous progress with his bold executive action. It’s up to the next President to finish the job. Sincerely, Rep. Keith Ellison Rep. Raúl Grijalva Rep. Mark Pocan Rep. Barbara Lee Rep. Ruben Gallego Rep. Mike Honda Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee Rep. Jan Schakowsky Rep. David Cicilline 1. Executive Order 13658, Establishing a Minimum Wage for Federal Contractors 2. Executive Order 13673, Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces EO 3. Executive Order 13706, Establishing Paid Sick Leave for Federal Contractors 4. Amends Executive Order 11246, Equal Employment Opportunity 5. Lew, Daley and Robert Hiltonsmith,“Underwriting Good Jobs,” Demos, available at http://www.demos.org/sites/default/files/publications/UnderwritingGoodJobs_2.pdf ### FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 22, 2016 Randolph lands game-changing endorsement from the Congressional Progressive Caucus The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) has endorsed Susannah Randolph in the race for CD-09 adding to the long list of progressive leaders and groups backing her campaign. The CPC is the largest Democratic caucus on the hill with nearly 70 members and has tremendous impact on legislation and political actors in Congress. This endorsement signals to primary voters that Susannah is the strongest Democrat in the race. Randolph has already received endorsements from both Co-Chairs on the Caucus, Congressman Keith Ellison and Congressman Raul Grijalva as well as Vice-Chair Congressman Mark Pocan. “Susannah is a true Progressive Democrat with a lifelong commitment to grassroots organizing and helping Democrats win,” Ellison said. “I am proud to support her campaign and I look forward to working with her in Congress to build the bench of Progressive, Democratic candidates.” “As a community organizer who has dedicated her career to protecting our environment, Susannah knows how to be a strong advocate for our natural resources and our community,” said Grijalva. “She will fight for those without a voice and that makes me proud to endorse her campaign.” “As a community advocate, Susannah knows how to get things done for the hardworking families of Central Florida,” said Pocan. “In Congress, she will continue to fight for progressive values and stand up for our middle class and I look forward to working with her.” “I am honored beyond words to have the support from the Congressional Progressive Caucus,” said Randolph. “I plan to be the strong Progressive voice that Central Florida needs in Congress and I look forward to working with the members of the CPC to fight for Progressive values and build a strong bench of Progressive Democrats.” Randolph also has the support from The Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) and Democracy for America (DFA), which named her as part of the “Elizabeth Warren-wing” of the Democratic Party. Among others supporting Randolph are: Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chairs Congressman Keith Ellison and Congressman Raul Grijalva and Vice-Chair Congressman Mark Pocan; Congresswoman Lois Frankel; Congresswoman Diana DeGette; Congresswoman Pat Schroeder; Orange County Comptroller Martha Haynie; House Democratic Leader Mark Pafford; St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman; Former-Orange County Mayor Linda Chapin. ### FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 18, 2016 Congressman Keith Ellison applauds inclusion of Progressive Action PAC candidates in DCCC “Red to Blue” program MINNEAPOLIS—Congressman Keith Ellison released the following statement today on the inclusion of Progressive Action PAC endorsed candidates Morgan Carroll (CO-06) and Angie Craig (MN-02) in the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s “Red to Blue” program: “The fact that two Congressional Progressive Caucus endorsed candidates have been included in the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s Red to Blue program proves what we’ve known all along: progressive values are winning values. “Angie Craig and Morgan Carroll are not only strong candidates, they are strong progressives. I know they will both be fierce advocates for hardworking American families, and I look forward to working with them in Congress.” ### FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 21, 2015 Congressional Progressive Caucus Endorses Angie Craig For Congress The 72 United States Representatives in the CPC comprise the largest single caucus within the House Democratic Caucus Eagan, MN— Angie Craig, who is seeking the DFL endorsement in Minnesota’s open Second Congressional District, today announced the endorsement of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Craig’s endorsement was among the first of the cycle for the Congressional Progressive Caucus.	http://www.actprogressive.com/press/
PHILADELPHIA — An automated alert system between hospitals could reduce the spread of life-threatening bacteria and streamline placement into contact isolation, according to data presented at IDWeek 2014. Marc Rosenman, MD, of the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis, and colleagues built a regional network to deliver inter-hospital alerts whenever a patient with a history of gram-negative, multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO) is admitted. The system was able to correct Health Level 7 version 2 formatting, aid infection preventionists in superbug identification, process patient hospitalization status across separate institutions and send email alerts upon admittance of a patient with a documented history. Over 12 weeks, the alert network sent notifications to five different hospital systems that comprised 21 hospitals. Email alerts were generated for 105 patients, 36 upon hospital admission and 69 with ED visits only. For 25% of patients, the admitting hospital system was different from the one where the gram-negative MDRO culture was drawn and recorded. The organisms that led to alerts included extended-spectrum beta-lactamase–producing Escherichia coli (84%), carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (7%), Pseudomonas (5%), Acinetobacter (4%) and other organisms (1%). Cultures were drawn from urine (76%), blood (8%) and other sources (16%) such as wounds, bronchoalveolar lavage, sputum and bile. “The amount of cross-over between hospitals — by patients colonized or infected with gram-negative superbugs — is striking,” the researchers wrote in the abstract. “Timely alerts may hasten placement into contact isolation and thereby may help reduce the spread of life-threatening bacteria.” — by Dave Muoio For more information: Rosenman M. Abstract 330. Presented at: IDWeek 2014; Oct. 8-12, 2014; Philadelphia. Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.	https://www.klimik.org.tr/2014/10/14/idweek-2014-direncli-bakterilerin-hastaneler-arasinda-yayilmasini-onlemek-icin-otomatik-alarm-sistemi-gelistirildi/
As with Stayman everyone (I exaggerate only slightly) plays transfers over 1NT. However, these common features mask an infinity of differences. Many pairs play only red- When transfers were first introduced it was in the American game where the strong no trump held sway. It was not desirable to play a weak take- From this historical situation have arisen two common misconceptions:- i) that transfers are a kind of weak take- ii) that the purpose of transfers is to ensure that the strong hand becomes declarer. These are, indeed, two important aspects of transfer bids, but they fall far short of the whole story. The principle strength of transfer bids is their versatility. With a weak hand you can transfer and then pass - They give you two bids for the price of one. So, the idea that a transfer is little more than a form of weak take- As for transferring the declarer play to the stronger hand, this is little more than a side bonus. (Apart from anything else, the argument about the strong hand declaring is persuasive when responder is extremely weak, but when responder holds anything in the way of values the disparity is much less pronounced facing a weak no trump.) Another common by- This is rarely the correct option on a weak hand. Are you really certain that you can make two more tricks? With a poor seven- With a stronger hand you will be with the majority if you choose to retain the six- Note that when you adopt any transfer system you will lose your weak take- Fear not - Putting your system together are probably the most common implementation of the concept in everyday club play. In this section (improvers’ methods), as we encounter transfer bids for the first time, I shall recommend what I call Following that there will be a complete page of examples showing how four- There is much to be said for mastering this versatility before trying more advanced variations.	http://mjbridge.info/responder/page54.html
7 Actions Of The Selection Creating Refine Generally, the selection making process helps supervisors and various other company specialists solve troubles by taking a look at different selections and making a decision on the very best option to take. Using a detailed strategy is actually an efficient method to make considerate, educated choices that possess a good impact on your company’s short- and long-term objectives. Your business decision making process is commonly divided in to seven steps. Managers might take advantage of a number of these steps without discovering it, however gaining a clearer understanding of finest process may improve the efficiency of your decisions. Measures of the Choice Creating Process The complying with are actually the seven vital actions of the decision creating procedure. Identify the selection. The very first step in making the ideal decision is actually identifying the concern or chance as well as determining to address it. Determine why Click This Link decision will create a variation to your clients or fellow staff members. Compile details. Next off, it is actually opportunity to compile info in order that you may make a decision based upon simple facts and data. This demands creating a value judgment, calculating what details pertains to the selection handy, in addition to just how you can get it. Ask your own self what you require to understand in order to create the correct choice, then actively seek any individual that requires to become included. ” Supervisors choose a stable of info to clarify their choices once they have actually identified a problem that calls for a selection. Managers may find to establish potential reasons for a trouble, the individuals and procedures associated with the issue and also any type of restraints positioned on the decision-making procedure,” Chron Local business points out. Identify alternatives. It’s time to identify the a variety of remedies at your fingertip once you possess a clear understanding of the problem. It is actually likely that you have various alternatives when it concerns creating your selection, so it is vital to come up along with a variety of options. This assists you identify which procedure is actually the very best way to obtain your purpose. Examine the evidence. Within this measure, you’ll need to “review for workability, desirability and reputation” to know which substitute is actually well, according to administration specialists Phil Higson and also Anthony Sturgess. Supervisors need to become capable to analyze advantages and disadvantages, after that pick the choice that possesses the greatest odds of effectiveness. It might be actually useful to choose a trusted consultation to gain a brand-new point of view on the issue at hand. Opt for amongst substitutes. When it is actually time to create your choice, ensure that you comprehend the threats entailed with your decided on option. You may also select a combination of choices since you totally grasp all relevant info and prospective dangers. Do something about it. Next off, you’ll require to create a plan for application. This includes identifying what sources are called for as well as getting support coming from staff members and also stakeholders. Acquiring others onboard along with your choice is a vital part of performing your program efficiently, therefore be prepped to deal with any questions or worries that might emerge. Assessment your selection. A crucial yet often-overlooked step in the decision creating process is examining your decision for performance. Inquire your own self what you did well as well as what may be boosted next time. ” Even the most knowledgeable business owners can easily learn from their blunders … be ready to conform your planning as required, or to shift to another prospective option,” Chron Local business details. If you discover your choice failed to work out the method you organized, you may desire to revisit a number of the previous steps to identify a far better choice. Common Challenges of Decision Creating Although following the steps outlined above will definitely aid you make a lot more reliable choices, there are some mistakes to look out for. Listed here are common obstacles you might face, in addition to absolute best practices to help you avoid all of them. Possessing certainly not enough or very a lot details. Collecting pertinent information is crucial when moving toward the choice creating process, yet it is crucial to determine just how much history details is actually really called for. “An overload of relevant information may leave you confused and misguided, as well as prevents you coming from following your instinct,” according to Corporate Wellness Publication. Additionally, relying upon one solitary source of relevant information can easily lead to predisposition and misinformation, which can have tragic effects down free throw line. Misidentifying the issue. Oftentimes, the problems bordering your selection will certainly be apparent. There will certainly be actually opportunities when the selection is actually complicated as well as you may not be certain where the principal issue is located. Perform detailed research study and talk with interior specialists that experience the trouble firsthand so as to reduce this. It will save you time and resources down the road, Corporate Health Magazine mentions. Insolence in the result. Even if you observe the steps of the selection creating procedure, there is actually still a chance that the end result won’t be actually specifically what you desired. That is actually why it is actually therefore essential to determine a legitimate choice that is actually possible as well as conceivable. Being actually overconfident in an unlikely outcome can easily lead to unfavorable end results. Decision making is actually a critical capability in the business place of work, specifically for supervisors and also those in leadership settings. Adhering to a rational method like the one laid out here, together with understanding typical problems, may help make certain both considerate selection creating and also favorable end results.	https://virtualnewsfit.com/2022/07/21/7-actions-of-the-selection-creating-refine/
Starring: James McAvoy, Helen Mirren, Christopher Plummer, Paul Giamatti, Anne-Marie Duff. About: "The Last Station" is a captivating story about the great Russian writer Leo Tolstoy and the last year of his life. The film depicts the most interesting and dramatic period of Leo Tolstoy’s life. What led the great writer to leave his home, not long before his death, and spend his last hours in a stationmaster’s house in the remote station of Astapovo? Was he fleeing from his tormented life, driven by a burning desire for peace and quiet? Or was he escaping from his wife, who had come to mean everything to him? How did Tolstoy understand the concept of “love”, something he yearned for all his life, and longed to see in others? What was it like to carry the burden of being a prophet and a teacher and at the same time a husband and father?	https://ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com/28120566.html?thread=3590473462
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwire - Feb 26, 2013) - Threshold Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: THLD) today announced that Barry Selick, Ph.D., Threshold's Chief Executive Officer, will present a company overview at Cowen and Company's 33rd Annual Health Care Conference at 2:10 p.m. ET on Monday, March 4, 2013. A live webcast of the presentation will be available under Webcasts in the Investors section of www.thresholdpharm.com. A replay of the presentation will be archived on the site for 30 days. About Threshold Pharmaceuticals Threshold is a biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of drugs targeting Tumor Hypoxia, the low oxygen condition found in microenvironments of most solid tumors as well as the bone marrows of some hematologic malignancies. This approach offers broad potential to treat a variety of cancers. By selectively targeting tumor cells, we are building a pipeline of drugs that hold promise to be more effective and less toxic to healthy tissues than conventional anticancer drugs. For additional information, please visit our website (www.thresholdpharm.com). Forward-Looking Statements Except for statements of historical fact, the statements in this press release are forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the potential therapeutic uses and benefits of its product candidates. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that can cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. Potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, Threshold's ability to enroll or complete its anticipated clinical trials, the time and expense required to conduct such clinical trials and analyze data, issues arising in the regulatory or manufacturing process and the results of such clinical trials (including product safety issues and efficacy results). Further information regarding these and other risks is included under the heading "Risk Factors" in Threshold's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, which has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 2, 2012 and is available from the SEC's website (www.sec.gov) and on our website (www.thresholdpharm.com) under the heading "Investors." We undertake no duty to update any forward-looking statement made in this news release. Contact Laura Hansen, Ph.D. Senior Director, Corporate Communications Threshold Pharmaceuticals Phone: 650-474-8206 E-mail: [email protected] Contact Laura Hansen, Ph.D.	http://www.marketwired.com/press-release/threshold-pharmaceuticals-announces-presentation-webcast-cowen-companys-33rd-annual-nasdaq-thld-1761221.htm
A city known for failing to preserve its heritage buildings, Kitchener is currently going along with plans to demolish most of a downtown Queen Street building in favour of yet another ugly, soulless highrise development, of which there are already many rising to mar the skyline. The result of poor decision making, the destruction of the historic built environment is the fault of poor planning and policy failures at the provincial level, much of it influenced by the political sway of wealthy developers. The same lack of importance placed on protecting older buildings is at play with efforts to protect old steel bridges in the townships. Our negligence has a long history, one at odds with what’s seen in other countries, particularly across the pond. The old city centres and architectural gems are the mainstay of tourism in Europe. Likewise, neighbourhoods with meticulously kept old homes are always in demand by homebuyers. But that didn’t happen by accident, nor was the preservation of such areas a foregone conclusion. Today we take it almost as self-evident that heritage buildings should be protected, that aesthetic appeal and craftsmanship trump the standard fare now offered up by architects and builders. Our take on the conservation of the built environment didn’t just appear, however, but evolved over years and decades and even centuries. For those concerned with conservation, there’s a concerted effort to protect and restore heritage buildings, a practice that’s particularly prevalent in Europe. On this side of the pond, there’s been an increase in awareness of heritage matters. Ontario, for instance, has plenty of intact main streets that date back to the mid-19th century. The buildings may not be as old as those found in Europe, but they could someday take on more significance. That is, of course, if we take steps to preserve and maintain them – far too often, we haven’t and we don’t. In this region alone, there are numerous examples of lovely old building knocked down due to neglect and ignorance. To be sure, some of the buildings that disappeared needed to go. Others weren’t anything special. But all too often progress for progress sake saw old, character-filled structures fall to make way for ugly buildings (think about Kitchener’s old city hall making way for a failed urban shopping mall). Or, perhaps even more insultingly, for a vacant, weed-filled lot. That history is especially problematic in Kitchener and Waterloo, where the built environment is generally ugly or, at best, neutral. There are a few nice older buildings that have survived overzealous demolition – the Walper Hotel and the CIBC bank across the road in Kitchener, for instance, examples we can agree on – but there’s no real brilliant architecture, no grand mansions or other notable specimens that can be found in other places. Instead, they’re working-class cities that relied on industry. What K-W did have was lots of factories, though many of those were knocked down before we realized what those elsewhere figured out long ago: people like old buildings, and the factories of yore make great conversions into funky offices and lofts. That kind of reuse of old buildings – factories turned lofts, old rowhouses becoming trendy restaurants – is destined to become, well, a thing of the past given the ugly, poorly built structures that have been the norm for most of the postwar period. Like so many things today, architecture is disposable. Look around at the newer buildings: do you really think they’ll be here in a century? As is the case with electronics, clothing and cars, for instance, the buildings are typically made on the cheap, intended to be discarded as they quickly wear out or suffer the fickleness of fashion and trendiness. That’s an issue for the aesthetics of the city, but also erases history and often proves harmful to the environment. Writing for the UW Heritage Resources Centre blog heritage architect Catherine Nasmith makes the case that Ontario has things backwards in allowing older buildings to be demolished rather than protecting them. “Shouldn’t conserving built resources for cultural or environmental reasons be the rule, not the exception? In a better world we would re-use buildings whole, or at least carefully deconstruct and recycle building materials,” she writes. “The much larger societal issue is that wasting buildings is extraordinarily bad environmental practice, one that is being recognized in other jurisdictions as part of ever more pressing climate change issues. Demolition creates a staggering amount of waste, accounting in Ontario for 20-30% of municipal landfill. Depending on what source you quote, no matter how energy efficient the new building, it takes about 50 years of energy savings to pay down the debt to the environment created by the creation and transportation of construction materials.” Older buildings, made of simple, workable materials – steel, wood, bricks and glass – can be made to last, and are much friendlier to the environment. That provides for cleaner living, the absence of the materials found in today’s sick buildings. And the structures are more durable, making them a better choice for the environment that continually demolishing and replacing them. In a 2017 case study prepared for the Ontario Heritage Trust, Olivia Ashton of Carleton University notes the environmental issues at play with the conservation of heritage buildings. “The several misconceptions surrounding old buildings include anything from being considered too drafty to that they require more energy to operate and heat. Perhaps this explains why older buildings are often overlooked when studying green construction because it is believed that new buildings are the way to a sustainable future. However, in retrospect, existing buildings are inherently more energy efficient – thanks to durable materials, operable windows, and natural lighting, to name a few. The adaptive reuse of an existing building, deters demolition, avoiding massive amounts of debris from ending up in landfills, thus decreasing land and air pollution,” she writes.	https://observerxtra.com/2021/07/15/weve-learned-nothing-from-past-mistakes-about-heritage-buildings/
This course introduces students to Chinese civilization and culture from the multiple perspectives of geography, history, philosophy, language, literature, religion, art, people, society, and general ways of life. Major concerns will include, but are not restricted to, forms of material and spiritual culture that have developed and changed through China’s continuous traditions; individual and collective values that underlie social life, political organization, economics systems, family structure, human relationships, and individual behavior; and the rationales that have made Chinese culture what it is. The course is taught in English. Chinese 314 is reserved for majors, who will do substantial portions of the work for the course in Chinese.	https://catalog.rhodes.edu/chin/314
This article focuses on the importance of budgeting. Category Archives: GPUG How to Build a Corporate Performance Management Solution This article discusses CPM and examples of effective strategy, goals, planning, and analysis. The Best Way to Improve Your Organization’s Internal Processes This article focuses on the importance of process improvements and KPIs. Cloud Budgeting for Microsoft Dynamics GP This article will zoom in on your options for modern, robust budgeting in the cloud for Microsoft Dynamics GP. Continue reading Coming Back from Microsoft Dynamics User Group Summit 2017: Fixin’ to Hit the Trail Running This article recaps the countrifried Microsoft Dynamics User Groups Summit in Nashville October 10-13, 2017. Continue reading Using Corporate Performance Management for Digital Transformation: Engaging Customers and Empowering Employees, Part 1 The blog article is the first part in using Corporate Performance Management (CPM) for digital transformation. Continue reading Why Move Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A) to the Cloud? This article explores financial planning and analysis in the cloud for your CPM strategies. In the budgeting and forecasting realm, Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A) is becoming more and more relevant. Most mid-sized and large companies have dedicated professionals in FP&A roles due to the constant evolution of finance and the reach across the enterprise. If you are not familiar with FP&A, this article will cover the benefits of cloud for your finances and hopefully, answers any questions you may have regarding to FP&A and the cloud. Continue reading Cloud-based BI Solutions for Banking This article will focus on Cloud-based Business Intelligence Solutions for Banking. Why do I love my iPod Classic? – I got my 80GB iPod Classic around 2007. I was able to load all 14,000 songs from my library onto it. I created several playlists that helped me organize the songs. One playlist consisted of heavy metal that got me amped up before going to the gym. Another playlist contained acoustic folk songs that were for the morning after a late night of fun. Continue reading How to Prepare for Your First Financial Reporting Implementation This article will discuss the process of preparing for a successful financial reporting implementation. In the modern business realm, you cannot avoid financial reporting. Whether it is a homegrown Excel process, a legacy software program, an independent software vendor (ISV), or a native enterprise resource planning (ERP) report writer, every company is doing it. Investing in your first modern reporting tool typically means automated financial statements, accessible collaboration, modern security, and self-service analytics. Don’t worry if it sounds like gibberish to you. In this article, we will discuss preparing for your first reporting implementation so you are able to select the best reporting tool to navigate your organization in managing and analyzing data. My Prediction: Convergence between Business Intelligence and Corporate Performance Management Vendors in the Mid-Market This article will focus on the demand for convergence of Business Intelligence and Corporate Performance Management tools and why this benefits mid-market companies. The latest release of the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Business Intelligence strengthened my conviction that the market will see consolidation between the Business Intelligence/Visualization (BI) and Corporate Performance Management (CPM) vendors. Gartner classifies them in separate quadrants because the respective tools are evaluated differently during the sales process. Furthermore, BI tools usually sell into marketing and sales teams while CPM targets finance and accounting professionals. Consequently, there has been limited Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) in the space. Note that this article assumes readers are familiar with the basic definitions to focus on a narrative explaining the demand for their convergence.	https://www.solverglobal.com/blog/category/gpug/
Introduction to GRI Standards 2021 – What are the Changes for Reporting Companies? On October 5, 2021, GSSB released its revised GRI Universal Standards, which will come into effect in January 2023. Reflecting comments and feedback received from a global consultation, the revised standards emphasize the importance of sound environmental and social due diligence along the value chain to identify, prevent and mitigate negative impacts and enhance a company’s positive contributions. In doing so, the revised standards integrate responsible business concepts in alignment with UN and OECD instruments. This webinar will help companies to better understand the updates of GRI Standards 2021 compared to GRI Standards 2016 that might affect their non-financial reporting. Join ELEVATE’s experts on non-financial reporting, Katie Yewdall and Beat Grueninger on November 30th, and Marcela Romero Merino on November 11th, 2021, for a brief introduction to GRI’s revised reporting standards that will cover the below topics: - What are the major changes? - What do the revised standards mean for the organization’s next reporting cycle? - Where can you find more information about the GRI Standards 2021? Katie, Marcela, Beat will lead you to the major changes of the GRI Standards 2021 compared to GRI Standards 2016 and will point out the importance of a sound impact assessment as well as supply chain due diligence to fulfill GRI’s reporting requirements. For Marcela’s webinar in Spanish please click here, for Beat’s webinar in Portuguese please click here.	https://www.elevatelimited.com/engage/webinars/gri-intro-english/?utm_campaign=GRI%20Webinar&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=180509633&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_Gt3cPP_etOIlhPO645aZMYv9HTDFkhNObR2lGDt7oDulCnph1A7xMcWSxgDkN3M6YsWkjOVgY09xt-0wklZS4b3Ol7A&utm_content=180509633&utm_source=hs_email
The invention discloses a hydrogen production reactor taking extruded honeycomb ceramic as a reforming reaction channel. The hydrogen production reactor comprises a shell, an extrusion type honeycomb ceramic piece, a gas inlet end cover, a gas outlet end cover, a heating gas inlet pipe and a heating gas outlet pipe. The extrusion type honeycomb ceramic piece is arranged in the shell, the heating gas channel is arranged between the shell and the extrusion type honeycomb ceramic piece, the heating gas inlet pipe and the heating gas outlet pipe which are arranged in the radial direction and communicated with the heating gas channel are arranged on the side wall of the shell, the two ends of the shell are connected with the gas inlet end cover and the gas outlet end cover respectively, an inner cavity of the gas inlet end cover is used as a reformed gas inlet chamber, and an inner cavity of the gas outlet end cover is used as a reformed gas outlet chamber. The hydrogen production reactor has the characteristics of simple structure, low manufacturing cost, few parts, large specific surface area of the catalyst carrier and the like, and can improve the energy utilization rate, improve the hydrogen production efficiency and reduce the operation failure risk; and the hydrogen production reactor is detachably connected, so that the hydrogen production reactor is convenient to maintain and replace.
Escalating violence in Northeast and North Central Nigeria has necessitated the deployment of a heightened security presence across the region. While security forces have a mandate to maintain peace, their officers have been implicated in widespread human rights abuses against civilians. These abusive practices have eroded public confidence in the security sector, alienated security forces from the citizens they are charged to protect, and thwarted the effectiveness of their mandate. Collaborative efforts by CSOs, media actors, communities, security forces, and local and state governments are needed to prevent such violations and address the causes, drivers, and consequences of human rights abuses to find solutions that not only de-escalate the violence but ensure that security actors preserve lives, protect human rights, dignity and freedom. Search, in co-collaboration with its partners Initiative for Justice Development and Peacebuilding in Nigeria (IJDPN) and Foundation for Justice, Development and Peace (FJDP) is implementing a 24-month project in response to the challenges and opportunities outlined above in Adamawa and Benue states. 2. Goal and Objectives of the Project The overall goal of the proposed project is to promote collaborative multi-stakeholder engagement and advocacy processes to reduce human rights abuse by police forces in Benue and Adamawa State. The project pursues two specific objectives : 1. To strengthen the capacity of target CSOs, media, and community stakeholders to advance evidence-based Human Rights monitoring, reporting, and constructive advocacy. 2. To foster collaboration around increased accountability between target security forces, government authorities, civil society actors, and local communities. Requirements of Consultant Deliverables Search expects the following deliverables from the external consultant(s) as they correspond to the timeline and budget : The report :	https://neuvoo.com.ng/view/?id=82f1b9bfb7b2
- Demonstrate cost-effectiveness at the target price even though: a) The SMC comparator was different to the clinical trial comparator, rendering indirect comparison infeasible b) Primary and secondary endpoints of the clinical trial were not used in clinical practice Respecting the technical: - Global decision tree model developed by an external agency had two core issues - Did not allow for long-term extrapolation or comparison to the SMC comparator, and - Relied on clinical measures not relevant to clinical practice. Delivering the practical: - We recommended a new modelling approach via a Markov model based on: - Treatment satisfaction rather than disease severity (treatment satisfaction was the only clinical measure assessed in clinical practice and experts validated this) - The Model facilitated long-term extrapolation, capturing treatment benefits over a longer period - In addition to a base case using ITT data, subgroup analyses were conducted considering patients using both the study treatment and comparator concomitantly; both scenarios demonstrated cost-effectiveness. - The product was recommended by the SMC at the target price submitted - The adapted model reduced ICERS substantially from the previous global model - The cost-effectiveness analysis was subsequently published in the European Health Economics Journal Acronyms: SMC, Scottish Medicines Consortium; ICERS, Incremental Cost-Effectiveness Ratios; ITT data, Intention-To-Treat data.	https://www.fiecon.com/en/case-study-4
Hyatt named Teacher of the Year At Lockhart School for 2017-2018 Photo courtesy of Lockhart School Tracy Hyatt, a Learning Specialist at Lockhart School, has been named the school’s Teacher of the Year for 2017-2018. Here she is presented with a plaque and flowers by Principal Jerry Wood in recognition of her being named Teacher of the Year. LOCKHART — A Learning Specialist who calls her fellow faculty members her “school family” is the Lockhart School Teacher of the Year. In a statement released Friday, Lockhart School announced that Tracy Hyatt has been named its Teacher of the Year for 2017-2018. The press release included the following statement from Hyatt. “I have worked in Union County School District for two years,” Hyatt said. “I serve at Lockhart Elementary Middle School as a Learning Specialist, and I am loving every minute of it! I am so lucky to be able to work with some of the greatest teachers I have ever met.” Hyatt’s statement also included her educational and professional background. ”I received my Bachelor of Arts degree in Special Education from Clemson University in 1995, and Masters of Education in School Counseling from Winthrop University in 2002,” Hyatt said. “With 21 years of teaching, my classroom experiences include teaching resource and inclusion models, LD self-contained, 7th grade math and Honors math, and counseling in a middle school. I have experience in the public, private, and charter school systems.” Hyatt also spoke about how happy she was to be part of the faculty at Lockhart School and thanked her family for the love and the support they have given her over the years. “I’m glad to call the faculty at Lockhart Elementary Middle my ‘school family,’ Hyatt said. “I also appreciate the love and support of my family at home, including my husband and three children. Keven and I have been married for 20 years. We have three wonderful children: MaKenzie, a Senior at The University of Alabama; Garrison, a Freshman at Clemson University; and Sara Grace, a high school sophomore.“ Photo courtesy of Lockhart School Tracy Hyatt, a Learning Specialist at Lockhart School, has been named the school’s Teacher of the Year for 2017-2018. Here she is presented with a plaque and flowers by Principal Jerry Wood in recognition of her being named Teacher of the Year. http://www.uniondailytimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/web1_Lockhart-Teacher-of-the-Year.jpgPhoto courtesy of Lockhart School Tracy Hyatt, a Learning Specialist at Lockhart School, has been named the school’s Teacher of the Year for 2017-2018. Here she is presented with a plaque and flowers by Principal Jerry Wood in recognition of her being named Teacher of the Year.
Tens of thousands of Catholic women are doing what so few official church 'leaders' have done as this abuse crisis spins out of control. Many Catholics will not miss the sad and appropriate fact that during the month of September, we remember the seven sorrows of Mary, Jesus’ mother. The seven scenes from her life remind us that the world’s sins could only be forgiven if she lost her son. She and all the women in today’s Catholic church mourn the loss of innocence and growth of corruption evident in the most recent abuse scandal. But despite what many critics of the church may claim, Catholic women are not powerless, downtrodden, or ignored. In recent weeks, several groups of Catholic women have made public calls for answers and change in the church following the evidence of abuse, cover up, and claims that Pope Francis is not ridding the church of abusers as he has said he would. A beautifully written letter to the pontiff has already been signed by more than 42,000 women. The letter, written by the Catholic Women’s Forum, asks Pope Francis to respond to a list of specific questions about the scandal and to stand up and act as the church’s shepherd, as he is called to do. The letter is slated to be sent to Pope Francis this week. Whether it will change anything is (almost) beside the point. Tens of thousands of women coming together to express outrage, disappointment, and to call for change in such a respectful way is unusual. The letter, shared via social media, proves the power and desire of Catholic women to make changes in the church. “Please do not turn from us,” the authors write. “…We are faithful daughters of the church who need the truth so we can help rebuild. We are not second-class Catholics to be brushed off while bishops and cardinals handle matters privately. We have a right to know.” These are not the words of a forgotten sector of the faith. These are the words of powerful, hurting women who will do anything to bring justice and true faith where it has been lost. Indeed, signatures on the letter bear witness to the wide array of Catholic women seeking change on behalf of those hurt and the church they love. They are teachers, mothers, lawyers, businesswomen, writers — public figures and private ones — all daughters of the same faith, all women seeking to restitch the ripped fabric of our church. Obviously, women are not the only ones willing and able to change the culture of abuse and corruption in the church. A similar letter for men is being circulated online by Catholic Men United and as of publication had gathered more than 8,000 signatures. But since the scandal was perpetrated and covered up by men, many women may feel that they are the ones to make change. They, like Mary, have seen evil and will lead seek to protect the innocent in the future. This letter is a big first step. Another online movement calls on Catholic women to participate in atonement for sin in the church. The “Sackcloth and Ashes” movement was created by several well-known Catholic bloggers and writers, including Kendra Tierney, Bonnie Engstrom, Haley Stewart, and others, and has spread through social media with the hashtag #sackclothandashes. Announced in late August, the 40-day effort, named after what sinners in the Bible donned to pay penance for their sins, proves that no one who believes in Jesus Christ is too good to apologize or to repent for his or her sins. Did the women involved in this demonstration of repentance commit these crimes? No. But that doesn’t mean they can’t mourn, pray, and seek to change their own hearts. After all, it is the example of the mournful Mary, whom Catholics honor during the month of September. By setting an example of prayer and repentance, others may decide to follow. Some of the greatest leaders have changed hearts and minds not with powerful words, but with powerful examples. These women (and men, the movement is not limited to one gender) seek change through changing themselves, and that is sharp tool. In his 2013 letter “Evangelii Gaudium” (The Joy of the Gospel), which the Catholic Women’s Forum letter quotes back to him, Pope Francis wrote: The Church acknowledges the indispensable contribution which women make to society through the sensitivity, intuition and other distinctive skill sets which they, more than men, tend to possess. I think, for example, of the special concern which women show to others, which finds a particular, even if not exclusive, expression in motherhood. I readily acknowledge that many women share pastoral responsibilities with priests, helping to guide people, families and groups and offering new contributions to theological reflection. Indeed, women throughout history have changed the church for the better. St. Catherine of Siena famously convinced Pope Gregory XI to move the seat of the church back to Rome from Avignon, France, where popes had fled due to scandal. If one woman (granted, a saint and doctor of the church) can convince the pope of something like that, there’s hope for a letter 35,000-women strong to move Pope Francis to action. The women who signed the letter to Francis and the countless others participating in the #sackcothandashes movement are doing what so few official church “leaders” have done as this crisis spins out of control. Some priests and bishops have made statements calling for change and their efforts should not be ignored, particularly that of Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò. But these women humbly ask for answers. They don’t make accusations, they repent of their own sins, and they pray for those who are suffering. Their actions may not be noticed by much of the public, but their effect is no less important.
Does boiling beef soften it? How long should I boil beef to make it tender? Rush the cooking process and the beef will be tough and chewy. Follow this tip: For really tender meat, cook the stew low and slow, for approximately two hours. Does boiling meat make it tough? The word “boiling” is deceptive, though, since meat really shouldn’t be boiled. … After browning the meat and adding liquids, bring to a light simmer then reduce the heat so that it is just bubbling every now and then. This will give you the most tender meat; true, hard boiling will make meat stringy and tough. Does meat get softer the longer you boil it? Match the cut to the cooking method But the longer you cook connective tissue, the more it softens and becomes edible. To be specific, muscle tends to have the most tender texture between 120° and 160°F. What happens to meat when you boil it? When you cook meat, the temperature goes up. As the temperature reaches 40C/105F, the proteins begin to denature. … The shrinking collagen will have pushed out most of the ‘free’ water that makes the meat juicy. This process will happen even if the meat is completely covered by water or other liquid while you cook it. How do you make beef chunks tender? You can pound the beef chunks with a meat mallet to tenderize them. Making beef chunks tender requires using low heat in a slow cooker or searing the meat in a heavy skillet in liquid. You can also use a meat tenderizer to create a less chewy meat. Why you shouldn’t boil meat? Boiling meat will eventually braise down the connective tissue, but it poses a few problems. 1. the presence of tons of water will wash away all of the melted collagen, so you waste all your flavours and texture, and 2. Why is boiling meat bad for you? Nutrients can also be lost during the process of cooking meat. The extent to which this occurs is strongly influenced by the cooking method. What’s more, heating meat to high temperatures for long time periods can lead to the formation of harmful compounds that may increase disease risk. Does meat get hard before tender? Cooking meat does not make it tough, it gets more tender. Meat does get dry at higher temperatures, time does not matter that much. Does meat get more tender the longer you pressure cook it? All Cuts of Meat Can Become More Tender in a Pressure Cooker This is where a pressure cooker really starts to shine. Because of the high-pressure environment created inside the cooker, meat (like everything else you may want to throw into your pressure cooker) can cook extremely quickly relative to other methods. How do you cook meat until it falls apart? Add the stock pot and enough boiling water to come a third of the way up the meat (rinse out the frying pan with it to collect any residual flavour). Transfer the meat to the oven, cover with a lid and cook for 6 hrs turning once or twice during cooking, until really tender. Is chewy meat undercooked? Overcooking can make your meat dry but undercooked meat can be quite chewy. Don’t be afraid of an instant-read meat thermometer and pull your meat when it’s ready. For naturally tender cuts like beef tenderloin, that can be as rare as 125ºF, whereas tougher cuts like brisket should be cooked to 195ºF.	https://paleozonerecipes.com/chickens/does-boiling-meat-soften-it.html
At South Kirkby we believe language development is vital throughout the journey of life. In an ever-changing world, learning a foreign language is key to aiding cultural capital and gaining the knowledge and skills for success as a global citizen. Through support from Dane Royd School, we employ a language specialist to teach Mandarin Chinese in our school. This teacher is bi-lingual and is native to the country of the language taught. Mandarin Chinese is taught from Year 3 and throughout the school to Year 6, so that children leave South Kirkby with a wide curricular understanding of the Country of China and the confidence to speak Mandarin as a language. To support our language learning we believe it is important to have opportunity to develop intercultural understanding. Throughout the year, our language learning encompasses traditions, celebrations and key events within Chinese culture. Oral performances in class and in front of larger audiences enables our children to develop their confidence in speaking Mandarin Chinese.	https://www.skacademy.org.uk/curriculum/languages
Short Interest in Frequency Electronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:FEIM) Rises By 66.7% Frequency Electronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:FEIM) was the target of a large increase in short interest in the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 4,000 shares, an increase of 66.7% from the January 15th total of 2,400 shares. Currently, 0.1% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 11,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.3 days. FEIM traded up $0.25 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $9.79. 3,585 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,370. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 3.10 and a current ratio of 5.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $85.54 million, a PE ratio of -10.76 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $9.83 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $10.71. Frequency Electronics has a 1 year low of $9.04 and a 1 year high of $12.63. Get Frequency Electronics alerts: Frequency Electronics (NASDAQ:FEIM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 12th. The communications equipment provider reported ($0.54) earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $9.09 million during the quarter. Frequency Electronics had a negative return on equity of 13.16% and a negative net margin of 17.05%. In other news, Director Edenbrook Capital, Llc acquired 35,771 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 13th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $9.42 per share, with a total value of $336,962.82. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Stanton D. Sloane acquired 8,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 16th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $9.41 per share, for a total transaction of $75,280.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 22,000 shares in the company, valued at $207,020. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last three months, insiders purchased 78,818 shares of company stock valued at $750,145. 37.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders. Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of FEIM. Shufro Rose & Co. LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Frequency Electronics by 11.5% in the 4th quarter. Shufro Rose & Co. LLC now owns 31,651 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $323,000 after buying an additional 3,254 shares during the last quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Frequency Electronics by 6.7% in the 3rd quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 41,417 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $498,000 after buying an additional 2,600 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Frequency Electronics by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 200,037 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $2,278,000 after buying an additional 2,790 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Royce & Associates LP boosted its holdings in shares of Frequency Electronics by 7.9% in the 4th quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 711,624 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $7,266,000 after buying an additional 52,008 shares during the last quarter. 45.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. TheStreet downgraded shares of Frequency Electronics from a “c-” rating to a “d+” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. ValuEngine raised shares of Frequency Electronics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Frequency Electronics Company Profile Frequency Electronics, Inc designs, develops, manufactures, and sells precision time and frequency control products and components for microwave integrated circuit applications. It operates through two segments, FEI-NY and FEI-Zyfer. The FEI-NY segment offers precision time, frequency generation, and synchronization products and subsystems used in communication satellites, terrestrial cellular telephone, or other ground-based telecommunication stations; and other components and systems for the United States military.
ITV detective drama Grantchester is returning for its sixth season, which will come as no surprise to loyal viewers — the drama has all the ingredients of a cosy British crime series, including much-loved complex characters and, of course, the leafy countryside. Set in 1958, the sixth season kicks off with an episode filmed at a fictional British holiday camp, Merries, before returning the action to the titular Cambridgeshire village Grantchester. Like Midsomer Murders and other crime series, the beautiful English landscape provides a backdrop for multiple crimes. But where is the drama filmed, and is the village Grantchester a real-life location? Grantchester resumed production back in October 2020, and PBS (the home for Grantchester in the US) celebrated the news with a compilation video of cast members’ experiences of adapting to their COVID-safe working environment while filming. Grantchester is filmed in various picturesque locations, including in and around the village of Grantchester itself. Other filming sites are dotted across the Cambridgeshire area, including the nearby city of Cambridge, and various Cambridge University spots, like The King’s College campus. Speaking ahead of season six, Tessa Peake-Jones, who plays Mrs Champan, said: “I think the viewers love the 1950s, it gives some of the audience a chance to reminisce on that time. It’s colourful, the costumes are beautiful, Grantchester itself and Cambridge, the buildings and the scenery are so picturesque. She continued: “The production made it feel like such a safe and secure place, it didn’t matter how impractical the protocols were, it just felt great to know we were filming something that would bring happiness to the audience. It also made us realise that entertainment was a real source of escapism for people during lockdown.” Asked about season six holiday camp Merries, Robson Green revealed that the camp wasn’t real at all, but entirely designed by the Grantchester production team. “I was receiving phone calls from the production team who weren’t on set asking ‘Where is that place, I want to take my kids there!’ and that’s testament to the design team, they made it look amazing.” He continued: “Although we were filming outside of Grantchester, it really is our happy place. I love filming there for all of the space it has, it’s always good to be there and before we even start filming I always want to know if we will be filming in Grantchester even if sometimes it’s only for a couple of days, and if it’s for a few weeks it’s such a joy!” Is Grantchester a real place? Yes, Cambridgeshire village Grantchester is a real location, and can be found two miles away from Cambridge itself. The ITV series Grantchester mainly films on location in and around its namesake. Eagle-eyed viewers will note that Grantchester’s church, Church of St Mary and St Andrew, features prominently in the TV series. According to the church’s website, the oldest parts of the building date back to the 14th century.
The Jackal & Hide: Our full report Previously Pangolin Khwai Camp, The Jackal & Hide was acquired by Natural Selection in late 2018.The camp overlooks expansive grassland, located in the 2,000km2 Khwai Private Reserve – which in itself borders Botswana's Moremi Game Reserve to the south and Chobe National Park to the east. Previously Pangolin Khwai Camp, Natural Selection have recently added this to their expanding portfolio. The Jackal & Hide is made up of 8 tents with a mixture of twins and doubles. We have not had chance to stay overnight yet, we had a very quick visit in March 2019, and very much liked what we saw. Khwai Private Reserve (NG19) incorporates some of the most diverse habitats in northern Botswana and the Okavango Delta. Riverine woodland and open floodplains flank the river and attract herds of plains game, along with the predators that hunt them. Away from the river and Delta lagoons, the environment changes to mopane woodland dotted with open grasslands which, together with the abundance of water, draw herds of elephant (best in the dry season from around July to October), and buffalo. Like many reserves around the Okavango Delta, The Jackal & Hide is located in a former hunting concession. Hunting was still allowed in the north of the concession until 2014, when it finally ceased. Thus the wildlife here was limited and skittish, while the thick mopane bush away from the river and its lush riverine forest made it difficult to track, especially in the earlier months of the year. The good news is that wherever hunting has stopped in the Okavango region, we've seen wildlife sightings turned around within two or three years, and thankfully this is happening around the concession. The results are beginning to show. While the game viewing here isn’t quite as good as at some other camps in the Delta or Moremi, and the wildlife can feel a bit sparse at times on a game drive, we anticipate this continuing to improving with time. On previous visits to the nearby Sable Alley in May 2017, we had good sightings of wild dog, and more recently we spent time watching two male lions sleeping in the afternoon heat, and followed leopard tracks to fresh pelican kills (although sadly no leopard). We also saw elephant, hippo, red lechwe, sable antelope, waterbuck, zebra and giraffe amongst others, as well as a juvenile scops owl, with a personable and knowledgeable guide who made what we did see very interesting. Our view We are very excited to see this new property, it's certainly another great option in the Khwai Private Concession. We've had a very quick whizz through the camp, but will endeavour to revisit and stay as soon as possible. So watch this space. Botswana expert Geographics - Location - Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana - Ideal length of stay - We'd suggest a stay of two or three nights at The Jackal & Hide, perhaps combined with their fly camp, SkyBeds, or other camps in more watery parts of the Okavango Delta, and possibly also in the Makgadikgadi Pans area. - Directions - Access to the Jackal & Hide is usually via light aircraft to Banoka airstrip, from where it’s about a 15-minute drive to the camp. For most of the year it's also possible to reach the camp by road from Maun, a half-day drive that does open up possibilities for those who don't want to fly – especially when linked to camps such as Meno a Kwena, which is also accessible by vehicle. - Accessible by Food & drink - Usual board basis - Full Board & Activities Children - Attitude towards children - Children of six years plus are welcome at The Jackal & Hide, but please note that children aged 6–12 are accommodated on game drives only in a private vehicle, which will be at an extra cost. - Property’s age restrictions - No children under six years The minimum age for any mokoro (dug-out canoe) activity is 13 years. - Generally recommended for children - We think The Jackal & Hide is best suited to older children as the lack of more regular wildlife sightings might lead to younger children becoming a bit bored. - Notes - The camp is unfenced and dangerous wildlife can wander through at any time. The tented chalets and main buildings are all raised off the ground on decks, with open railings, and only a section of the paths to the chalets are raised with the remainder being on sandy paths. There is no fence around the pool either. Children need to be closely supervised by their parents/guardians at all times. Health & safety - Medical care - The nearest doctor is in Maun. All management and guides are first-aid trained and there is a nurse on call (via radio) 24 hours a day. Medical evacuation is available in case of emergency, but please note that it is only possible to fly out of camp during daylight hours as the bush airstrips do not have any lighting at night. - Dangerous animals - High Risk - Security measures - Guests are escorted to their rooms after dark as dangerous wildlife is known to wander through the camp. A safety briefing is given on arrival. 'Fog horns' are provided in the chalets to attract attention in case of emergency. - Fire safety Activities 4WD Safari Birdwatching Mokoro Sleeping under the stars Extras - Disabled access - Laundry facilities - A laundry service is included at Sable Alley. Laundry is collected in the morning and usually returned the same day, weather permitting. Washing powder is provided in the bathroom for you to wash smalls, which will not be handled by the staff. - Money - There is a safe in each room. No exchange facilities are offered. - Accepted payment on location - Visa and Mastercard are accepted, as are cash payments in US dollars, euros, GB sterling, South African rand and Botswanan pula. Other lodges in Moremi Game Reserve Alternative places to stay in this same area. Private Mobile The Botswana Private Mobile Safari has no fixed location; it's exclusive to your group and comes with a top professional guide. Expect comfortable camping, great food, and a superb wildlife experience wherever you decide to go. Xigera Safari Lodge Located deep in Botswana's Okavango Delta, Xigera Camp normally focuses on mokoro excursions and motorboat trips, with 4WD game drives when water levels permit. Xakanaxa Xakanaxa Camp is a well-established traditional camp beside a huge lagoon within the Moremi Game Reserve, with access to some superb game viewing. Khwai Tented Camp Khwai Tented Cap offers a traditional African safari experience, in very comfortable tented accommodation, in a fantastic game area north of the Moremi Game Reserve. Machaba Camp Overlooking the Khwai River to Moremi Game Reserve beyond, the classic Machaba Camp combines comfort with excellent game viewing. Sable Alley Smart, independent and well-run, Sable Alley overlooks a beautiful, hippo-filled lagoon within the diverse Khwai Private Reserve. Okuti Okuti Camp has an innovative design and offers game drives and boat trips in a beautiful, game-rich part of Moremi Game Reserve. Mombo Camp Mombo is one of Botswana's most exclusive safari camps, set in a beautiful, remote location within the Moremi Game Reserve and with exceptional game densities. Chief's Camp Chief's Camp is situated on Chief's Island, within the Okavango Delta's Moremi Game Reserve. Experience one of Botswana's top game-viewing areas by 4WD and mokoro. Little Mombo One of Botswana's top safari camps, Little Mombo stands on the north side of Chief's Island, in the heart of the Okavango Delta's Moremi Game Reserve. Little Machaba Overlooking the Khwai River and Moremi Game Reserve beyond, Little Machaba is a classically designed camp with very comfortable tents in a great game-viewing area. Hyena Pan Fairly rustic, and relatively inexpensive, Hyena Pan overlooks a natural waterhole that attracts an almost constant parade of animals. Camp Moremi Camp Moremi lies within the Moremi Game Reserve, in one of the best locations for game viewing in Botswana. Skybeds Situated in a private reserve close to Moremi Game Reserve, Skybeds offers a simple yet wonderful opportunity to sleep under the stars and watch wildlife from your bed. Sango Safari Camp Sango offers comfortable tented accommodation, without some of the frills often found in Botswana's camps, with an area that's scenic and gets excellent, consistent game sightings. Khwai River Lodge Khwai River Lodge is a luxurious and well-equipped safari camp, on the northern edge of Moremi Game Reserve. This area isn't exclusive, but it is beautiful and has excellent game. Tuludi Tuludi is a brand new luxury camp, within the Khwai Private Reserve, built on a site under giant leadwood trees and overlooking the Okavango Delta floodplains.	https://www.expertafrica.com/botswana/moremi-game-reserve/the-jackal-and-hide/in-detail
While tax reform visions have changed the tax on profits realized from the disposition of real estate, investors still seek escape hatches from the capital gain tax. Tax-deferred exchanges permit the disposition of property often with the taxpayer receiving significant cash but without the payment of any tax. Functionally, an exchange is a bridge over the normally taxable event of moving from one property to another. This course alerts the practitioner to the different planning opportunities that surround exchanging. Participants will be able to identify, analyze, and handle effectively the complex tax problems that arise under 1031. This understanding will be directly applied to the structuring and audit survival of multi-party and delayed exchanges. Instructor Learning Objectives Upon successful completion of this course, participants will be able to: Chapter 1 - List tax law changes that influence exchanges. - Cite the tax treatment of assets in each category. - Compare exchanges with installment sales using a cost benefit analysis. - List issues that can be resolved or facilitated by using a like-kind exchange. Chapter 2 - Cite the conceptual changes made to §1031 by the TRA '84, the TRA '86, the Revenue Act of 1987, and the RRA '90. - Identify instances where the IRS may assert an unintended mandatory application of §1031. Chapter 3 - Cite the three elements §1031, differentiating such a transaction from a sale. - List five excluded property types and contrast them with qualified property types, explaining how time and taxpayer intent can affect characterization. - Differentiate §1031 from the old §1034. - List the statutory exclusions from §1031 and identify the types of property that are specifically excepted. Chapter 4 - Contrast and compare 'boot' with like-kind property. - Define taxable boot. - Compare realized gain and recognized gain. Chapter 5 - Differentiate mortgage boot from property boot. - Identify issues related to the taxation of boot. Chapter 6 - Identify the two basic types of property received in an exchange. - Compare the tax treatment of nonrecognized losses under §1031 with the gain or loss treatment of any boot. Chapter 7 - Calculate a taxpayer's basis in acquired property. Chapter 8 - Name the six depreciation requirements of regulations affecting recovery periods and depreciation methods. - Distinguish between land and depreciable improvements. - Identify recapture provisions. Chapter 9 - Determine the holding period of acquired property, characterized gain, or loss recognized in an exchange. - List ways to cash out one or more partners out as part of an exchange by a partnership. - Identify the proper tax forms to report an exchange. Chapter 10 - Determine if an exchange is completely tax-deferred. - Identify how to balance multiple party exchanges using the in and out test determining net boot. - Identify the basic computation figures necessary to economically balance an exchange. Chapter 11 - Cite the mechanics of a basic two-party and three-party exchange. - Identify the transactional flow of a traditional three-party 'Alderson' exchange. - Compare and contrast the three-party 'Baird Publishing' exchange with an 'Alderson' exchange. Chapter 12 - Distinguish delayed exchanges from delayed closes. - Identify at unresolved issues for delayed exchanges. Chapter 13 - Identify the purpose of a longtime exchange technique called 'warehousing.' - Cite the procedural aspects of reverse exchanges under R.P. 2000-37. Chapter 14 - Compare an accommodator to an intermediary. - Identify associated exchange complications of a sale and lease-back transaction. Choose Your Preferred Format Online Access Get immediate access to a robust collection of learning and reference materials, allowing you to dive deep into the information you need. Our self-study materials are authored by top-quality, industry experts who focus on helping you grasp concepts quickly using real-life examples. Download your CPE to any device, and take it with you so you can learn when and wherever you want. Complete your CPE with an online exam, and enjoy instant grading with the option to print your certificate immediately upon passing. Hard Copy Our self-study materials are authored by top-quality, industry experts. You’ll receive a bound notebook of all the course materials, shipped to you within one business day. In addition, you’ll also have full online access. Each self-study package includes a robust collection of learning and reference materials to help you cover the information efficiently and put it into practice immediately. Self-Study Video Experience high-quality instruction with our Self-Study Videos, available to you 24/7. With more than 80+ videos currently in the Western CPE Self-Study Video library, you can see and hear our expert instructors deliver the information you need in a dynamic way that allows you to immediately apply your learning. Unlike a live course or webcast, you can complete the course on your own time, playing and pausing as needed. Self-Study Videos allow you to complete your CPE requirements on your own time.	https://www.westerncpe.com/course/concepts-and-mechanics-of-exchanges-self-study/
some pitfalls. Emerging market countries have seen unbridled development over the last couple of years. They’ve transformed into economic powerhouses to accelerate global growth. High investor returns, rapid industrialization, multiple international trade agreements and pacts, substantial labor pools, job opportunities and untapped resources in these markets have made them frontrunners in generating business opportunities. Projections from the International Monetary Fund and World Bank show that the GDP growth rate for emerging markets and developing economies has increased from 4.1 percent in 2016 to 4.5 percent in 2018 and is expected to reach 4.7 percent by 2019-2020. (See Global Economic Prospects: The Turning of the Tide? World Bank Group, June 2018.) Emerging markets have outpaced many developed markets, and the potential of future growth remains fairly bright. With soaring business confidence, many emerging regions have extensive opportunities available for global organizations that are looking to invest, develop and expand their operations. As per the World Bank report, some of the fastest growing nations in 2018 included Ethiopia, India, China, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Philippines, Cambodia and Laos. However, these markets have their own set of challenges: market volatility, geopolitical risks, weakening currency and fluctuations, complex local laws, cultural sensitivities and infrastructure concerns. The reality is that global multinational corporations entering, investing and expanding in emerging markets will have to be aware of relevant regulations, be familiarized with local complexities and implement global leading practices to tackle fraud and corruption risks. A man gets a 30-year prison sentence for a Ponzi scheme; a woman is accused of Social Security fraud after her husband's death; and alleged members of the cybercriminal group, REvil, are arrested. Fraudsters love a good crisis. Governments worldwide established procurement procedures during COVID-19, but quick actions to save lives often bypassed standard safeguards. Here’s how government agencies during future disasters can limit and/or prevent rampant corruption and fraud. View the Issue Digital Edition Log in Multi-award-winning investigative journalist Dan McCrum overcame many roadblocks while investigating the Wirecard fraud scandal for the Financial Times. Watch him discuss how he brought this important story to light. View the video.	https://www.fraud-magazine.com/article.aspx?id=4295004234

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