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Name:
Virginia Woolf
Category:
Author
Person Summary:
Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) was an English Author and essayist,regarded as one of the foremost Modernist literary figures of the twentieth century.Among her novels included "Orlando" and "Mrs Dalloway".
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Years of Residence:
1915 - 1924
Source:
Blue Plaques
Residence Summary:
Leonard Woolf (1880-1969),English Political Theorist & his wife Virginia Woolf (1882-1941),English Novelist (Mrs Dalloway,Orlando), lived here & founded Hogarth Press here
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Address
Hogarth House
34 Paradise Road
Richmond
London
TW9 1SE
United Kingdom
Abode Summary:
Hogarth House is now known as TBP House,occupied by KeyQuest Health Services
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A public or private employer may not prohibit an employee who holds a license to carry a handgun under Subchapter H, Chapter 411, Government Code, 1 who otherwise lawfully possesses a firearm, or who lawfully possesses ammunition from transporting or storing a firearm or ammunition the employee is authorized by law to possess in a locked, privately owned motor vehicle in a parking lot, parking garage, or other parking area the employer provides for employees.
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FindLaw Codes may not reflect the most recent version of the law in your jurisdiction. Please verify the status of the code you are researching with the state legislature or via Westlaw before relying on it for your legal needs. | https://codes.findlaw.com/tx/labor-code/lab-sect-52-061.html |
Tunde Kelani gets double honours
Earlier in the day, he had received the good news from the Board of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the famous American award platform, otherwise known as the ‘Oscars’ that he had been elected a voting member.
The status enables the producer of such famous works as Saworoide, Arugba, Maami, Dazzling Mirage, among others, to vote for winning works and artistes in the prestigious annual award ceremony.
Elected in the ‘Directors’ category, Kelani was among 842 new members from 59 countries. Two other Nigerians on the list of new members are: Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje in the ‘Actors’ category, and Chinonye Chukwu in the ‘Writers’ category. There are 10 categories of members. Last year, the Academy had also elected four Nigerians — the documentary filmmaker, and co-founder/Executive Director of the iREP Documentary Film Forum, Femi Odugbemi, and three actresses — Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde and Wunmi Mosaku and Ngozi Onwurah — into its fold.
Later same day, Kelani mounted the rostrum to be conferred with the ‘Leopold Sedar Senghor Prize for African Cultural Creativity and Impact’ at the Banquet and Award ceremony of the 9th Toyin Falola Annual Conference on Africa and the African Diaspora, TOFAC.
The event held at the Babcock University in Ilishan Remo, Ogun State, which jointly held the conference (July 1-3) with the University of Texas at Austin, USA.
The letter of conferment presented to Kelani, popularly called TK, within the film industry stated: “The Léopold Sédar Senghor Prize for African Cultural Creativity and Impact is awarded to an African artist of any medium or form whose works are devoted to harnessing African cultural heritages in creative ways for social consciousness and impact. This Prize is named after the father of Negritude, the visionary poet, politician and first president of Senegal, Leopold Sedar Senghor, one of the most important intellectuals in African history.”
In conferring the award on Kelani, the co-organisers said: “We consider your achievements as a distinguished cultural ambassador, and your passion for African development and progress as noteworthy and worthy of this unique recognition, and in enhancing the pan-African spirit of the TOFAC Conference”. The letter of notification was signed by Olajumoke Yacob-Haliso, (PhD.), Conference Convener and Dean, Veronica Adeleke School of Social Sciences, Babcock University.
The award was presented to him by the Chairman of the Banquet, His Imperial Majesty Fuankem Achankeng I, — The Nyatema of Atoabechied Ruler, Atoabechied, Lebialem Southwestern Cameroon. | https://t.guardian.ng/art/tunde-kelani-gets-double-honours/ |
-In the MM setting, leverage may result in bankruptcy, but bankruptcy alone does not reduce the value of the firm.
-With perfect capital markets, bankruptcy shifts ownership from the equity holders to the debt holders without changing the total value available.
Chapter 7 liquidation
A trustee oversees the liquidation of the firm's assets.
Chapter 11
Management attempts to develop a reorganization plan that will improve operations and maximize value to investors.
Costs of Bankruptcy
-Direct: Cost of experts (advisors, lawyers, accountants, bankers)
-Indirect: Loss of customers, suppliers, employees, or receivables during bankruptcy. Firms also incur indirect costs when they need to sell assets at distressed prices
Financial Distress Costs
When securities are fairly priced, the original shareholders of a firm pay the present value of the costs associated with bankruptcy and financial distress
Optimal Capital Structure: The Trade-Off Theory
Theory: The total value of a levered firm equals the value of the firm without
The Agency Costs of Leverage: Three Types
1. Asset Substitution: Shareholders can gain by making negative-NPV investments or decisions that sufficiently increase the firm's debt
2. Debt Overhang: Shareholders may be unwilling to finance new, positive-NPV projects
3. Cashing Out: Shareholders have the incentive to liquidate assets at prices below their market values and distribute the proceeds as a dividend.
Debt Overhang Formula
Equity holders will benefit from new investment only if
NPV/I > [(betaD)(D)]/[(betaE)(E)]
Leverage Ratchet Effect
When a firm has existing debt, debt overhang leads to a leverage ratchet effect:
-Shareholders may have an incentive to increase leverage even if it decreases the value of the firm
-Shareholders will not have an incentive to decrease leverage by buying back debt, even if it will increase the value of the firm.
Motivating Managers: The Agency Benefits of Leverage
Leverage has agency benefits and can improve incentives for managers to run a firm more efficiently and effectively due to:
-Increased ownership concentration: Managers with higher ownership concentration are more likely to work hard and less likely to consumer corporate perks
-Reduced Free Cash Flow: Firms with less cash flow are less likely to pursue wasteful investments
-Reduced managerial entrenchment and increased commitment: The threat of financial distress and being fired may commit
Agency Costs and the Trade-Off Theory
We can extend the trade off theory to include agency costs. The value of a firm, inlcuding agency costs and benefits is:
vL = vU + PV(ITS) - PV(Financial Distress Costs) - PV(Agency Costs of Debt) + PV(Agency Benefits of Debt)
Optimal leverage is the level of debt that maximizes vL
Stock Price Movement from Information Asymmetry
Managers are more likely to sell equity when they know a firm is overvalued. As a result:
1. The stock price declines when the firm announces an equity issue
2. The stock price tends to rise prior to the announcement of an equity issue because managers tend to delay equity issues until after the good news becomes public
3. Firms tend to issue equity when information asymmetries are minimized
4. Pecking order hypothesis: Managers who perceive that a firm's equity is underpriced will have a preference to fund investments using retained earnings, or debt, than equity.
Capital Structure: The Bottom Line
There are numerous frictions that drive the firm's optimal capital structure. However, if there are substantial transactions costs to changing the firm's capital structure, most changes in the firm's leverage are likely to occur passively, based on fluctuations in the firm's stock price. | https://quizlet.com/40319605/chapter-16-capital-structure-the-bottom-line-flash-cards/ |
Table of Contents
When most of citizens don’t pay the Housing credits (the most expensive) due to different reasons, what should they charge to Financial Institute so it could cover the expenses in case of citizen’s default, while prices on real estate are declining? This is one of the reasons. The crisis, which has its roots in the closing years of the 20th century, became apparent in 2007 and has exposed pervasive weaknesses in financial industry regulation and the global financial system. Approximately 80% of U.S. mortgages issued in recent years to subprime borrowers were adjustable-rate mortgages. When U.S. house prices began to decline in 2006-07, refinancing became more difficult and as adjustable-rate mortgages began to reset at higher rates, mortgage delinquencies soared. Securities backed with subprime mortgages, widely held by financial firms, lost most of their value. Because investors suspected what is going to happen, instability is the one of main factors, that influence on investor’s intention to buy the stocks. Investors started to sell, which led to a strong bearish trend on the basic Indexes. The result has been a large decline in the capital of many banks and USA government sponsored enterprises, tightening credit around the world.
Bailouts and failures of financial firmsPeople queuing outside a Northern Rock bank branch in Birmingham, United Kingdom on September 15, 2007, to withdraw their savings because of the subprime crisis was a shock for a community! Several major financial institutions either failed, were bailed-out by governments, or merged (voluntarily or otherwise) during the crisis. While the specific circumstances varied, in general the decline in the value of mortgage-backed securities held by these companies resulted in either their insolvency, the equivalent of bank runs as investors pulled funds from them, or inability to secure new funding in the credit markets.
These firms had typically borrowed and invested large sums of money relative to their cash or equity capital, meaning they were highly leveraged and vulnerable to unanticipated credit market disruptions. The five largest U.S. investment banks, with combined liabilities or debts of $4 trillion, either went bankrupt (Lehman Brothers), were taken over by other companies (Bear Stearns and Merrill Lynch), or were bailed-out by the U.S. government (Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley) during 2008.Government-sponsored enterprises (GSE) Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac either directly owed or guaranteed nearly $5 trillion in mortgage obligations, with a similarly weak capital base, when they were placed into receivership in September 2008. For scale, this $9 trillion in obligations concentrated in seven highly leveraged institutions can be compared to the $14 trillion size of the U.S. economy (GDP) or to the total national debt of $10 trillion in September 2008. Major depository banks around the world had also used financial innovations such as structured investment vehicles to circumvent capital ratio regulations. Notable global failures included Northern Rock, which was nationalized at an estimated cost of ?87 billion ($150 billion). In the U.S., Washington Mutual (WaMu) was seized in September 2008 by the USA Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS). Dozens of U.S. banks received funds as part of the TARP or $700 billion bailout. Financial lenders are facing a major industry reorganization Monday that promises to change the face of banking in the United States. (From Washington, VOA's Sean Maroney reports). Early Monday, the U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers announced that it will file for bankruptcy. In a statement, Lehman said its filing for Chapter 11 in U.S. bankruptcy court will not affect its broker-dealer subsidiaries or other units. Sunday, talks aimed at stabilizing the 158-year-old investment bank ended after Bank of America and Britain's Barclays Plc decided against buying it. Lehman was once the fourth-largest investment bank in the United States. But market analyst Hugh Johnson says bad investments in real estate and other areas brought a drastic fall in the value of Lehman shares. "Lehman, like so many other investment banks and banks, really got, quite frankly, caught up in the housing bubble, but, like every bubble, the bubble ended and now we're seeing the downside of that bubble," Johnson said. On Sunday, Merrill Lynch agreed to be bought out by Bank of America for some $50 billion. Analysts say the move will result in the nation's prime lender (BA) becoming even bigger. In a separate move late Sunday, the U.S. Federal Reserve announced several initiatives to make it easier for financial institutions to get emergency loans from the U.S. central bank. Officials from 10 global banks and securities firms also announced a $70 billion loan program that the companies could use to help ease a potential credit shortage. Government and banking officials are concerned that the failure of a large institution, like Lehman Brothers, could shake confidence in the financial system and hurt the value of other firms. Politicians still getting their marching-orders from Wall Street. The leaders of Europe's four largest economies (England, France, Germany, Italy) held a meeting, where they discussed better ways to monitor the world's markets and banks. They did not, however, push to create a new regime of oversight, regulation and punitive action that would be directed at financial fraudsters and their structured Ponzi-scams. Politicians love to talk about greater transparency and watchdog agencies, but they have no stomach for establishing the hard- fast rules and independent policing organizations that are required to keep the carpetbaggers and financial hucksters from duping gullible investors out of their life savings. That is simply beyond their pay-grade. And that is why even now when the world is facing the most serious financial crisis since the Great Depression, corporate toadies like British Prime Minister Gordon Brown merely reiterate the script prepared for them by their boardroom-paymasters: If these agencies don't reform themselves, the Europeans would turn to regulatory response to enforce change. Media used to say: “The Financial Crisis has showed the World who is who and the worth of it all” And it is a real true. For instance, Lemmon brothers, that Financial Institute as many others operated with too much complicated financial instruments, and when the market is full of the same financial instruments this leads to bankruptcy of the financial companies, because they can not operate together. Historically, there is a great dependence of the whole world banking system on banking system of United States. Moreover banks of US operate with citizens, by giving the Housing Credits, and accrued loss of unpaid credits forced banks to rise the interbank rate on loans with foreign banks. Therefore, the foreign debt of other countries with US increased with the rates. Foreign Banks could not pay it, so they had to rise the rate with their Borrowers: individuals and Legal Entities, such as other banks, construction companies and other. Do you think investor would be interested to invest in a countries securities and currency when a country has this kind of problems? September 2008 was the lowest decline in world wide indexes. Stock Exchanges in Russia was stopped in operations with all of the securities. The crash was that big. So this is a good lesson for world’s further development, as this crisis became a history. US banking system will be reformed. It is what happening now. | https://exclusivepapers.com/essays/politics/u-s-banking-system.php |
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia on Saturday visited Koysha hydropower project being built around Omo River.
Pumped Storage
China Southern Power Grid's First Fully Localized Pumped Storage Station Construction Project Completed
It took only 24 months, refreshing the domestic The fastest record for special acceptance of medium-sized hydropower projects.
Electricity Transmission
Land Acquisition for Arun-III Transmission Line Starts from Nepal's Dhanusha
Land acquisition to construct a transmission line for Nepal's largest hydropower project, Arun-III, has been initiated from Dhanusha.
Hydropower Plant
All Branches of the Diversion Tunnel of The SK Hydropower Station in Pakistan are Connected
The A7a branch tunnel of the main channel of the Pakistan SK Hydropower Project, which was invested and constructed by the China Energy Construction Gezhouba Gr…
Hydropower Plant
South Africa, DRC Forge Ahead with Inga 3 Hydropower Project
The Democratic Republic of Congo recently concluded a week-long conference on the beleaguered Grand Inga 3 hydropower project.
Hydropower Plant
ALAS Group and Pike Hydropower Sign Pact for Development of Projects in Asia
It has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Pike Hydropower for collaboration in the renewable energy sector under the Nepal government's Public Private Pa…
Hydropower Plant
Construction of India-Assisted Arun-III Hydropower Project in Nepal on Fast-Track
Five Indian banks and two Nepali banks have committed to lend debts for construction of the 900 MW mega power project.
Hydropower Plant
Bukinda Small Hydropower Project in Uganda Commissioned
Sri Lankan renewable energy firm Vidullanka PLC has commissioned its Bukinda Small Hydropower Project, its second Project in Uganda.
Hydropower Plant
270 Chinese Technicians to Reach Pakistan to Resume Work on Suki Kinari Hydropower Project
At least 270 Chinese technicians to be airlifted from Chengdu, the capital of China’s southwest Sichuan province, by a special chartered plane to resume work o…
Hydropower Plant
IFC Study Assesses Human and Eenvironmental Impact of Nepal Hydropower Project
The World Bank’s International Finance Corporation has released recommendations of its Cumulative Impact Assessment of the Trishuli River Basin.
Tanzania
TANZANIA: Tanesco Appoints Three Consultants for Two Hydropower Projects
Multiconsult Norge AS, a Norwegian consulting engineering firm has recently been chosen by the Tanzania Electric Supply Company Limited (Tanesco) to provide con…
Hydropower Plant
Calls for more Better Financing and Regulation for Hydro Modernisation in South American
More investment and regulatory support is urgently needed to encourage the modernisation of hydropower projects in South America.
Hydropower Plant
Studies are Underway for Two Hydropower Projects in Burundi
Power producer Tembo Power is partnering with WK Construction to conduct detailed studies for the development phase of the 7.5MW Dama and 12MW Siguvyaye run-of-…
Hydropower Plant
Work on CPEC Hydropower Projects are in Full Swing, Experts
The concessional agreement for the 700.7-MW Azad Pattan Hydropower Project was signed last week, a breakthrough for the implementation of the project.
Hydropower Plant
Update on Development of the Tina River Hydropower Project
The Solomon Islands, home of the Tina River Hydropower Development Project, is still only one of 11 countries in the world yet to report a case of Coronavirus. | https://www.world-energy.org/search.html?keyword=hydropower%20project |
Acorn Raised Iberico Pork Shoulder Gourmet Gold, artisan made from Iberian pigs fattened on acorns and grass of the meadow ecosystem.
The artisans from Guijuelo, located in the southeast of the province of Salamanca, pay full attention to the elaboration and drying processes. The local climate favours the maturation of the Iberico hams and shoulders.
This Iberico Pork Shoulder has been selected by the name of "Gourmet Gold" for its concentration of oleic acid accumulated into its meat. Oleic acid is a type of fat that comes from the acorns and it gives a distinctive flavor to the pig shoulders.
This Acorn Raised Iberico Pork Shoulder is an elongated, stylized and thin cane, with a ripening process between 28 and 32 months in natural dryers and pantries.
When cut, it has a dark-pink/magenta colour with grease veins infiltration, shiny and smooth.
A typical product of Salamanca that offers a sweet, delicate and slightly salty flavor.
Its aroma has a unique scent. | https://www.sabordesiempre.com/en/acorn-raised-iberico-shoulder-gourmet-gold-guijuelo |
Violence in Early Modern English Writings on Ireland[Note: This is a sample annotation, showing one possibility for your web version of the analytical paper. This isn’t the only way you can put together your annotation, but it’s one example of what is possible. This also runs a bit longer than what we’re expecting from your work.]
In John Derricke’s Image of Ireland (1581), the author asserts that the 16th century population of Ireland engaged in indiscriminate acts of violence, delighting in destruction for the sake of destruction. In the second woodcut in the text, for example, Derricke’s caption reads:
They spoil, and burn, and bear away, as fit occasions serve,
And think the greater ill they do, the greater praise deserve:
They pass not for the poor man’s cry, nor yet respect his tears,
But rather joy to see the fire, to flash about his ears.
To see both flame, and smoldering smoke, to dark the crystal skies,
Next to their prey, therein I say, their second glory lies.
Edmund Spenser echoed the point in the View of the Present State of Ireland (1596). In a passage that was not included in the excerpts we read for class, Irenaeus (speaking for Spenser) asserted that Ireland:
…is a nation ever acquainted with wars, though but amongst themselves, and in their own kind of military discipline, trained up from their youths: which they have never yet been taught to lay aside, nor made to learn obedience unto the law, scarcely to know the name of law…
In both passages, indiscriminate violence is presented as something integral to Irish culture. The above quote from Spenser makes this explicit, asserting that civil customs, discipline, and obedience must be taught at an early age. The civility of the Irish, both suggest, can be judged by their willingness to subordinate themselves before the dual authority of the English crown and English laws. Thus, Derricke concludes, the mark of the Great O’Neill’s loyalty could be found in his oath to Elizabeth, “to maintain the sacred right, of such a Virgin Queen”.
Both Derricke and Spenser assert that indiscriminate violence carried out by the Irish must be met with violence carried out by English soldiers. Because the rebellious Irish operated outside the boundaries of law, they suggest, English soldiers could carry out acts that might otherwise seem excessively brutal or in violation of early modern codes of warfare. Derricke thus expresses delight in the dismembering of Irish rebels in the field: “To see a soldier toze a kern, O Lord it is a wonder/And eke what care he taketh to part, the head from neck a sunder”. Spenser strikes out in a slightly different direction, suggesting that direct violence against Irish rebels might not be necessary. Instead, in one of the most famous passages from the View, he imagines the successful conclusion of a scorched earth strategy that would have the effect of starving out the recalcitrant population. Recalling similar strategies used by English soldiers during the Desmond Rebellions, Irenaeus describes the endgame of this approach:
Out of every corner of the wood and glens they came creeping forth upon their hands, for their legs could not bear them; they looked anatomies [of] death, they spoke like ghosts, crying out of their graves; they did eat of the carrions, happy where they could find them, yea, and one another soon after, in so much as the very carcasses they spared not to scrape out of their graves. And if they found a plot of water-cresses or shamrocks, there they flocked as to a feast for the time, yet not able long to continue therewithal; that in a short space there were none almost left, and a most populous and plentiful country suddenly left void of man or beast.
Looking ahead almost a half century to the 1641 Rising, similar themes can be discerned in English writing on the conflict. The images below, sampled from James Cranford’s The Tears of Ireland, a 1642 work published in Ireland, presents horrific scenes of violence carried out by Irish rebels against English settlers :
It should be noted that much of this violence was exaggerated in the London press, which tended to publish sensationalized accounts and reflected England’s political context in the early 1640s, particularly the emerging conflict between Charles I and the Long Parliament. Recent scholarship, which draws heavily on the 1641 Depositions at Trinity College Dublin, assess the ways that these assertions were exaggerated and demonstrates some of the more complicated motives for the violence that did occur in 1641 .
The presentation of the relationship between Roman Catholicism and violence is an important difference between the late 16th century writings of Derricke and Spenser and the accounts of the 1641 Rising. Derricke and Spenser had little to say about Irish religion. For example, Derricke’s “Friar Smellfeast” (“Who plays in Romish toys the ape, by counterfeiting Paul”) can be seen as a generically gluttonous and duplicitous figure, but hardly harmful . By contrast, in the image below, Cranford presents the Irish rebels of 1641 as inherently anti-religious in specifically attacking and dismembering Protestant ministers.
The next image from Cranford identifies the source of this brutality. Cranford does not present violence as a symptom of disorder and incivility, but rather as something encouraged by active involvement of Roman Catholic clergy who “anoint the rebels with their sacrament of unction before they go to murder and rob, assuring them that for their meritorious service if they be killed [they] shall escape Purgatory and go to Heaven immediately”.
This view of the 1641 Rising extends into contemporary times. In the 1970s and 1980s, Ian Paisley invoked the 1641 Rising in his polemical speeches on the Troubles, comparing the Provisional IRA to the rebels of 1641 . Likewise, during the tense standoffs surrounding Orange Order routes in the late 1990s, marchers carried banners depicting the alleged drowning of Protestants at Portadown in 1641 and the ianpaisley.org website, which is affiliated with the European Institute of Protestant Studies, includes an essay by Dr. Clive Gillis, entitled “The Irish Rebellion of 1641: A Vicious, Unprovoked Bloodbath Engineered by Rome against Protestants” .
One of the important themes that we discussed throughout our class was historical memory and how community identities often reference stories of past events as part of a collective and usable past. This material from 1641 seems important to our discussions of Northern Ireland and Unionist commemoration. King Billy obviously takes center stage in Unionist iconography and collective memory – we saw the triumphant arches in several towns and the King William mural in the Fountain neighborhood of Derry – but 1641 seems equally important. William of Orange is a symbol of Protestant victory and suppression of Roman Catholicism. This suppression only makes sense if Catholics were perceived as a threat. The 1641 Rising provided accounts of extreme violence targeting Protestants and encouraged by the Roman Catholic Church. Understanding that view of the Rising, although it is badly distorted and problematic, does help make sense of some of the anxieties expressed by Unionist elements over the years. | https://irishstudies.sunygeneseoenglish.org/2015/06/18/sample-textual-analysis-coursepack-on-plantations-and-penal-laws/ |
More older adults receive high-risk medications than Medicare Advantage health plans report, a new study reveals.
Researchers found widespread inaccuracy in a quality measure that is self-reported by Medicare Advantage health plans. The vast majority in a sample of 172 such insurers significantly understated their rate of high-risk medication prescriptions.
[related]
The average rate of prescribing at least one of about 100 medicines deemed risky for seniors was 26.9 percent of patients over 65, according to the researchers’ calculations, compared to the 21.1 percent of patients as reported by the plans. The average plan, therefore, reported a rate that was 5.8 percentage points better than it actually was. Across the country that amounts to about 500,000 more seniors receiving high-risk medications than health plans reported, according to the authors’ calculations.
The findings, published in Annals of Internal Medicine, are based on a comparison of the rates the plans reported to the government’s Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) for 2006 and 2007 with rates the researchers calculated for each plan during the same years, using data from Medicare Part D drug claims. The researchers used a random sample of about 1,000 patients enrolled in each of those plans.
In other words, the researchers compared what the plans said about their enrollees’ receipt of high-risk drugs to their enrollees’ actual receipt of risky drugs using the same plans’ pharmacy data.
“We’re using the same sources of data that Medicare Advantage plans are supposed to be using to derive this information,” says lead author Alicia Cooper, a former Brown University doctoral student who now works for the State of Vermont.
Advantageous inaccuracy
To motivate Medicare Advantage health plans to improve health care delivery, Medicare evaluates and pays the plans based in part on dozens of quality measures such as the rate of prescribing about 100 medicines deemed risky for seniors. Plans must report their data to HEDIS. That data is also made available to consumers who can use it to determine which plans provide the best quality care.
Corresponding author Amal Trivedi, associate professor of health services policy and practice at the Brown University School of Public Health, says it was notable that 95 percent of plans erred in their own favor, and that only nine of 172 plans came within 1 percent of the rate the researchers calculated.
“We can’t say anything about motive, but the direction is important in that they underreport the use of these medications,” says Trivedi, who is also a physician and researcher at the Providence VA Medical Center. “Their stated performance is much better than their actual performance.”
In the study Trivedi, Cooper, and their co-authors ranked each plan based on its self-reported high-risk prescription rate and then on the high-risk prescription rate they calculated.
The more inaccurate a plan was in its own favor, the farther up the rankings it rose. The 18 plans that erred by more than 10 percentage points climbed an average of 49 rungs on the list based on self-reports, compared to where they ranked on the list based on calculated rates. The nine plans whose self reported rates were within 1 percent of the calculated rate ranked an average of 43 places lower on the calculated rate list than on the self-reported rate list.
“The plans that were the most accurate were the ones that suffered the greatest penalties when using the plan-reported rates,” Trivedi says.
Trivedi also noted that the inaccuracies have skewed comparisons between Medicare Advantage plans and Medicare fee for service. His team’s calculated rates show that Medicare Advantage is not decisively better, but instead that the two forms of Medicare coverage are very similar for high-risk prescription rates.
Questions about self-reporting
Cooper says she and Trivedi were motivated to look at the data not merely to learn about rates of high-risk prescribing but more generally to assess the accuracy of a self-reported, unaudited quality measure. Medicare policy and consumer choices depend on the integrity of that data.
High-risk prescribing provides a relatively easy way to assess self-reporting. The prescribing data are readily available from just a few public sources, the list of high-risk drugs is widely known, and the rules defining which patients to include are unambiguous.
“There is reason to believe that if there is inaccuracy in this relatively straightforward measure, there could be inaccuracy in other more complicated measures as well,” Cooper says.
In their paper, the researchers suggest that the government may want to increase oversight of the data reported by Medicare Advantage plans.
“Policymakers should consider routine audits of publicly reported quality measures, including the HEDIS indicator of high-risk prescribing, to ensure the validity and reliability for patients and other stakeholders,” they wrote.
The National Institute on Aging and the Health Assessment Lab provided funding for the study. | https://www.futurity.org/medicare-plans-underreport-risky-rxs/ |
As we saw in Section 2.1, the three fundamental operations on signals have the property that if their inputs are sinusoidal (and if there is more than one input, if they share the same frequency), then the output is also a sinusoid at the same frequency. The only things that might change are the sinusoid's amplitude and/or initial phase.
It's also true of many physical objects or systems that, if you apply a sinusoidal force at one point and measure the resulting motion at another, you'll also get a sinusoid of the same frequency, and that the output amplitude is proportional to the input amplitude.
This is at least one reason (perhaps the primary reason) why sinusoids are important: if you can describe a signal in terms of sinusoids, and if you know that some operation or other acts on sinusoids only by changing their amplitudes and phases, then you might be able to find what the system will do to your overall signal.
In general, a description of the makeup of a signal as sum of sinusoids is called a spectrum, and is the subject of this chapter. In the next section we'll try to make a more precise description of two possible definitions for the spectrum of a signal. In section 3.2 we'll consider how systems that preserve sinusoids--specifically, filters--affect the spectra of signals they are applied to.
The spectrum of a signal can be related to what we hear as the signal's timbre (a catch-all term that just means what a thing sounds like), and so operations (such as filters) that have predictable effects on signals' spectra can be very useful in synthesizing and processing sounds. In section 3.3 we'll take up one example of this, called subtractive synthesis.
In the field of acoustics, one sees at least two important types of spectra: real ones (usually obtained by making measurements on a digital recording) and idealized ones (that might arise, for example, in theoretical analyses of various systems or be specified out of thin air for compositional or other reasons). In either case, a spectrum can be thought of as a graph whose horizontal axis shows frequency and whose vertical axis shows the relative strength of a signal (or other thing) at each frequency.
Real, measured spectra are usually (perhaps always) represented as continuous functions of frequency. Idealized spectra are often protrayed as using only a discrete set of frequencies; we will look at this situation first.
Suppose for example we either have, or want to generate, a periodic signal whose fundamental frequency is 110 Hz. In section 2.2 we claimed (without proof and with some waving of hands about continuity requirements) that such a signal could be written as a sum of sinusoids with frequencies 110, 220, 330, and so on. Each of these components has its own amplitude and initial phase. In situations where we don't care about the phase, we can represent the signal's Fourier series graphically, for example like this:
Here the numbers , ..., represent the average power of the sinusoidal components. (Alternatively we could specify their peak amplitudes since the two are related by . I chose power instead of amplitude to make clear the parallel between this and the following picture.)
Such a spectrum is called discrete because all the power is concentrated on a discrete set, that is, a set containing finite number of points per unit of frequency. The example here is furthermore a harmonic spectrum, meaning that the frequencies where there is power are all multiples of a fundamental frequency that is within the audible frequency range (in this case, 110 Hz). This is the spectrum of a complex periodic tone (section 2.2).
A discrete spectrum could also describe a complex inharmonic tone, in which case we say that the spectrum, too, is inharmonic.
Signals or recordings that occur in nature never have discrete spectra; their spectra are continuous functions of frequency. A signal's continuous power spectrum might look as shown:
Continuous power spectra can be (and perhaps usually are) measurements of a real signal over a finite period of time (for a signal) or a finite number of sample points (for a recording). A continuous power spectrum has a physical meaning: the area under the curve over a range of frequencies (say from to is the total average power of the signal between those two frequencies. The area under the entire curve (from zero frequency to the highest possible one) is the total average power of the signal.
To put this another way: the continuous power spectrum describes how the average power of the signal is distributed over frequencies. Its units are power per frequency (for instance, watts per Hz.).
As an example, here is a segment of a sinusoid, that is, a sinusoid that is only computed for a finite amount of time. Although the true signal is a digital recording, it is labeled as if it were a signal depending on time; it has four cycles, at a frequency of one cycle per unit of time:
Here is the signal's measured power spectrum; the horizontal axis is frequency in cycles per unit time and the vertical axis is power pre frequency, normalized so that the peak is one:
There is a peak centered about a frequency of one, with width 1/2. There are other visible peaks, called sidelobes, which look a good bit smaller than the main, ``real" one. To see better what happened to our measurement, we relabel the vertical axis to show relative power in decibels, with the peak normalized to 100:
We see that, if we don't have the luxury of waiting forever, our sinusoids can look very impure indeed. In general, if we only have access to a short segment of a signal (in this example, we had only four periods of a sinusoid), so that we have nothing better to suppose than that the signal is zero outside the time window we're looking at, our attempts to measure the signal's spectrum will give us only a blurry, out-of-focus result.
Why, then, don't we just collect a very long sample of the signal? Perhaps there is a practical reason we couldn't do that, but there's a deeper consideration: real signals that might arise in music, speech, or communications often change rapidly over time and in order to try to resolve how they are behaving in time we're obliged to examine them on short time scales. And the shorter the time scale we look on, more blurred in frequenct the spectrum will become. This limitation is well known in physics-- it's caller the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle.
Conceptually, the spectrum of a signal is an average over all of time. However, it is often desirable to find out what the spectrum of a signal is over a specific duration of time, or even to split a signal up into a sequence of short recordings and measure the spectra of each of these recordings separately. In this way, for a single input sound or recording, you would get a time-dependent spectrum.
To do this, for any time you would consider a small interval of time (say, from to for some fixed interval of time ), and make up a new recording that consists only of those samples lying within the interval. (You can consider this extracted recording as being equal to zero outside the interval, exactly like the short sinusoidal burst we analyzed above.) and take the spectrum of that. The spectrum of this extracted signal is called a short-time spectrum. It depends on the choice of ; the larger the segment you analyze the more sharply you can resolve frequencies but the less precisely you can resolve features in time.
Not only is a signal's spectrum a useful descriptive device, but it is one that we have some power to modify. Probably the most important tools we have for doing this are filters. A filter, for our purposes, is a process through which we can send any signal or recording, that multiplies the spectrum of the signal by a function of frequency known as the filter's frequency response. As a block diagram it might look like this:
If is the filter's frequency response, and if you put in a sinusoid with
amplitude and frequency , the output of the filter will be a
sinusoid with the same frequency but an amplitude of
That implies that the power changes like this:
In a widely agreed-upon confusion of terminology, the gain in decibels, equal to , is often called the frequency response in decibels.
Of all the sorts of filters one could design, three specific types, low-pass, high-pass, and resonant filters, appear often. They have frequency responses as suggested here:
Low-pass and high-pass filters are often used to get rid of, or at least decrease, the amplitude of high or low frequencies, respectively.
Resonant filters have at least two interesting functions. First, they can be used to imitate physical systems, such as cavities filled with air (your mouth or your ear canal, for example). A wah-wah guitar pedal is nothing but a foot-controlled resonant filter. Second, they permit us to (approximately) pick out a portion of a signal's spectrum in order to measure it (that's how one measures spectra in the first place) or in order to be able to treat different frequencies, that might be simultaneously present in a complex sound, in independently controllable ways.
A resonant filter typically has three parameters: a peak gain, a center frequency, and a bandwidth, as shown below:
The peak gain and center frequency have precise definitions (they are the two coordinates of the point at the apex of the curve). The bandwidth is a looser notion. One often-used measure is the distance between two points on the frequency axis where the curve is a specific relative amount (often 3 decibels) lower than the peak.
Real-world sounds frequently have time-varying timbres. The most prominent example of this is the human voice, in which (as we'll see in Chapter 5) the formation of vowels and consonants is reflected in variations in the voice's short-time spectrum, which can also be heard as changes in timbre. Other musical instruments behave in the same way; for instance, brass instruments tend to sound brighter when they are played louder, and it would be desirable to be able to make electronic instruments whose sounds can change in similar (or perhaps opposing) ways.
One excellent way to do this is to start with either noise or a complex sum of sinusoids (there are many ways to come by one of these, for instance simply by playing a short recording in a loop many times per second) and apply a filter whose properties vary appropriately with time. Here, for instance, is a simple sound to begin with:
SOUND EXAMPLE: Recording of a pulse, repeated 110 times per second; 5 second duration.
Here is its measured spectrum:
If we send that recording through a resonant filter, with center frequency 880 and bandwidth about 300, we get a spectrum like this:
The center frequency or bandwidth could be varied in time. In the following sound example we vary the center frequency from 110 to about 3000 and back:
SOUND EXAMPLE: subtractive synthesis in which the sound described above is put through a sweeping filter.
One powerful aspect of this particular technique is that one isn't limited to using very simple recordings as sources. To make just one example, white noise (which we've mentioned before but haven't been able to do very much with) is an excellent starting point for subtractive synthesis. Applying exactly the same sweeping filter before to a recording of white noise gives us this:
SOUND EXAMPLE: subtractive synthesis; same filter, white noise as input.
Here is the spectrum corresponding to the one above (880 Hz. center frequency):
Some limited insight about how timbre (which is a subjective quality of a sound) might relate to spectrum (a measurable property of a signal or recording) can be gained by studying how hearing works. Hearing is in general a ferociously complicated thing that humans are unlikely ever to understand, except in essentially trivial aspects. However, the things we do pretend to understand can often suggest interesting things to try in working with computer-mediated sound.
The active element of human hearing is the part of the human body that translates mechanical motion into nerve activation. This is a tiny, coiled, worm-shaped device in the inner ear called the cochlea. Vibrations that travel down its length get stronger and weaker as they travel in such a way that different frequencies are more prominent at different locations. It is a great simplification but not a complete misrepresentation to regard this as an array of resonant filters wired in parallel. Such an array is called a filterbank. Among other things, the ear seems to estimate the short-time spectrum of incoming sounds by measuring the average power, over short intervals of time, that shows up at various points along the cochlea.
Something is known about the frequency response of the ``filters" that predict cochlear vibrations up and down its length. As a very rough indication, the bandwidths are about 100 Hz. up to a center frequency of about 550 Hz (or, equivalently, up until the lower edge of the band is 500 Hz.) For center frequencies above 550 Hz. the bandwidth is about 20 percent of the frequency of the lower side of the band (or, equivalently, 18 percent of the center frequency). If you lay filters out side to side obeying these proportions, it takes about 24 of them to fill the frequency range of human hearing. This set of frequency ranges (often specified as the 24 intervals between the 25 frequencies 0, 100, 200, 300, 400, 510, 630, 770, 920, 1080, 1270, 1480, 1720, 2000, 2320, 2700, 3150, 3700, 4400, 5300, 6400, 7700, 9500, 12000, 15500) are known as the bark scale. So 100 Hz. is one bark, 1080 Hz. is 9 barks, and so on.
A range of frequencies corresponding to one location along the cochlea (from 100 to 200 Hz, say) is called a critical band. Critical bands overlap; for instance, 110 to 210 Hz. would also be considered one. The bandwidth of a critical band is always one bark.
Measuring the short-time power spectrum of a signal arranged in Barks can offer a rough visual idea of the overall loudness and timbre of a sound. In particular, the perceived strength of a signal within a critical band appears to depend on the total power within the band. This total power then has to be converted to perceived loudness (using a conversion unit called the sone) and then all the loudnesses are added (in sones) to get the resulting overall loudness.
1. In a complex, periodic tone, how many harmonics lie between two and three octaves above the fundamental (not including the lower and upper limit)?
2. What is the interval, in half tones (twelfths of an octave), between the second and third harmonic of a complex harmonic tone?
3. A low-pass filter has a frequency-dependent gain of
4. If you send a sinusoid at frequency 100 Hz. and average power one, through the filter of exercise 3, what is the average power of the output?
5. What is the lowest-frequency pair of partials of a 1000-Hz.complex harmonic tone that lies within a critical band?
6. If two frequencies above 550 Hz. are separated by one bark, how many half-tones are they apart?
Project: Critical bands and loudness. This project tries to investigate how loudnesses of clusters of sinusoids are perceived differently when they are spaced withing a critical band than otherwise. For this experinent you should try to set yourself up with a reasonable listening environment, either using headphones or playing through a stereo (but not your laptop speaker).
Start by connecting a single ``sinusoid" object with frequency 1000 Hz. to an ``switch" object (these objects are both in the Music 170 library).
Now make another version (in the same patch) with four sinusoids tuned to 960, 980, 1000, anad 1020 Hz.. Connect all four to th input of a second ``output" so that you can turn them on and off as a group, independently of the first one.
Make a third group of objects in the same way (or just duplicate the second group) but now set the frequencies to 500. 1000, 2000, and 4000.
Now, by turning them on and off (using the onoff control on the three output objects) equalize the outputs until all three are at a comfortable (reasonably soft) listening level. (If you have to push any of the output gains past about 90 dB, you should turn up your speaker instead. On my system I'm using gain values between 50 and 70.)
Now adjust the three output gains so that, as you turn them on one at a time, you judge them to have roughly equal loudnesses. Write down the three gain values you had to use to equalize them.
Since the four frequencies are roughly at the same level on the equal-loudness contour chart (Wikipedia is your friend), the different frequencies should be less a factor than the spacing. Is it in fact nearly true (or totally false) that in the close spacing example, you ended up adjusting the comples tone so that its power was roughly equal to the power of the single 1000 Hz. tone? Is that still true when the four frequencies are spread widely (500-4000)? | http://msp.ucsd.edu/syllabi/170.13f/course-notes/node3.html |
Viviana Andrea Ferrer Cardona
Industrial upscaling feasibility assessment and identification of key performance indicators for an in-situ bio-leaching project in narrow vein sulfide ores.
Rel. Marilena Cardu, Helmut Mischo, Tobias Krichler. Politecnico di Torino, Corso di laurea magistrale in Petroleum And Mining Engineering (Ingegneria Del Petrolio E Mineraria), 2020
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Mining is fundamental to exploit an extensive range of products used in a variety of technologies in everyday life. As a result of their continuous extraction, most of the highly concentrated, superficial, and easily accessible ore deposits have been almost or entirely depleted by now. Moreover, to fulfill the needs and challenges of our society, such as green technology, renewable energies, microelectronics, and telecommunications, materials require a variety of specific elements whose global distribution is uneven and whose reserves in primary deposits are limited. These are known as “strategic elements,” and are defined by their high economic importance and vulnerability to supply disruption. Their exploitation is imperative; however, the extractive industry is nowadays facing new challenges, as our society becomes more environmentally conscious. The continuous and reliable supply of raw materials is currently affected by more complex mineralogy, lower grades, higher depths, and rigorous regulations. Moreover, the aim to reduce the environmental footprint and social impacts generated is crucial. Accordingly, conventional mining and processing methods are being highly criticized and constrained due to the large waste generation, energy consumption, and technical limitations imposed. Considering that the global trend is to move towards more sustainable development (SD), the industry’s obligation to improve conventional methods, develop new technologies, and in general, close the material loop becomes vital. Unfortunately, despite the recycling potential of these elements, new technologies, and government incentives, the recycling input rate is still not enough. For this reason, primary extraction not only will continue to be a part of the economy in the medium and long term, but also, strategic elements are not yet part of the circular economy (CE). Hence, CE principles and their implementation are starting to become more critical for the mining industry as a whole to abide by the SD requirements. Consequently, given the massive reserves of strategic metals in medium and low-grade ores, a promising way to deal with the previous issues could be applying alternative methods, such as bio-hydrometallurgy and in-situ leaching (ISL) technology. It transforms insoluble metals into an aqueous solution employing bacterial leaching; afterward, the metals are selectively separated by solvent extraction and further purified by electrolysis. Among the principal benefits, this process is advantageous, as it consists of mineral exploitation without primary waste production, that is, without rock extraction: a substantial waste reduction makes this technology valuable for present and future mining activities. To prove this idea, a framework to measure the mineral exploitation flows of mining methods based on material flow accounting (MFA) was developed and discussed in this paper. This framework is focused on CE principles and conservation of non-renewable resources. Therefore, a set of relevant material flow indicators for mining methods is implemented. Accordingly, for a defined deposit, in-situ bioleaching is compared to a conventional mining method, primarily in terms of productivity, the efficiency of recovery, and environmental impacts. Finally, the outcome of the analysis shows the benefits and disadvantages of each method related to the SD concept. | https://webthesis.biblio.polito.it/14742/ |
Thomas Alva Edison was a very prolific inventor with over 1,000 inventions. He was born in Milan, Ohio, and grew up in Port Huron, Michigan. His first invention was an electric vote-recording machine. It was patented in 1869 and used in legislative chambers. However, politicians did not want to speed up the voting process and thus, it did not do so well. Thus, Edison decided to create more useful inventions more people would want to use.
He is famous for inventing the phonograph, or record player. Edison, with the help of his assistant William Dickson, can be credited with inventing the motion picture camera and a viewer which he called the kinetoscope. He developed a new storage battery that, although unsuitable for cars, worked well for railroad and shipping applications. Edison is perhaps most famous for inventing the incandescent light bulb.
Edison was friends with Nikola Tesla. He would spend time camping with his friends Henry Ford, Harvey Firestone, and John Burroughs.
Edison is known to have said after his first 8,000 experiments failed, "Well, at least we know 8,000 things that don't work."
Check these out! | https://www.slpl.org/blogs/post/fridays-famous-inventor-thomas-alva-edison-1847-1931/ |
Set in a small town in Normandy, France in the time before the D-Day Invasion, The Baker’s Secret is a little gem of a novel about courage and resiliency.
Emma has lived in Vergers all her life and has suffered under the Nazis for the last two years. Phillippe, the young man she loves, is conscripted into the military. Her father is part of the Resistance, and is arrested. Emma, who years before had been apprenticed to the town’s master baker, Ezra Kuchen, is a master baker herself now. Ezra, along with the other Jews in the village is arrested by the occupying Nazis and it is Emma who now fulfills the daily demand for loaves of bread for the Kommandant’s office. Shrewdly, she bakes a few more loaves in secret and sustains a system of bartering among the townspeople. The bartering of survival. The circle of want. A candle. A sliver of soap. Tobacco. Bread taken to the farmer is exchanged for milk. Eggs are traded for the opportunity to siphon gas out of a German motorcycle. The fuel lets the town fisherman take a last run and bring fish into harbor for the townspeople after the Germans have taken all of the day’s catch. And on it goes. And during this time, as Emma becomes more and more the center of the survival of the town she must still care for her cantankerous grandmother, the local boy who climbs trees and spies on everyone, and the pig man, whose tear-inducing odor gives him the cover to hide hundreds of rounds of ammunition in the sty at Emma’s farm. And when the horrid and cruel German Captain Thalheim, who is forcibly housed in Emma’s farmhouse, begins to catch on to Emma’s secrets, her world starts to unravel.
To request a copy, click here.
Review by Mary Ellen Wilson, Interlibrary Loan Coordinator
The Essex Serpent (2017)
Sarah Perry
In Essex, England, during the winter of 1893, there is anxious speculation regarding persons and animals reported missing in the swirling waters of the River Blackwater. Some locals are certain it’s the return of a monstrous, legendary sea beast, but amateur naturalist Cora Seaborne believes it to be a “living fossil” – a dinosaur that somehow survived extinction.
The Essex Serpent is Cora’s story; her “shameful happiness,” at the death of her abusive husband and excitement in her newfound life as a free-spirited woman and budding scientist. Her friends, and would-be lovers, dispute her beliefs yet find themselves swept up in the passion of her quest. Readers, too, begin questioning the serpent’s existence feeling the tension anytime characters walk the shore.
The novel interlaces Victorian mores, vivid characters, and gothic mystery within a beguiling and satisfying story. It’s historical fiction at its finest.
To order a copy, click here. | https://www.patten.lib.me.us/tag/historical-fiction/ |
This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. The purpose of this study is to see if there are brain changes in people who have a retinal implant. Subjects will receive six Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans with a radiotracer on six different days. PET is a special camera that takes pictures of the movement of a radiotracer in the body. The radiotracer for this study is 18FDG, which is a radioactive sugar that is injected into the bloodstream in very small amounts and will serve as an indicator of brain circuit changes. Glucose is the sugar the brain uses for fuel.
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Whether leadership can be taught is a decades-long debate. The purpose of this descriptive quantitative research study was to better understand how leadership is taught and learned. Onehundred-and-thirty-two K-12, college, or university faculty, staff, or administrators responded to a survey questionnaire on leadership. The majority (74.54%) of participants who were leaders reported that they felt prepared for leadership positions. The majority (86.36%) of participants reported that leadership can be taught, with only 3.79% indicating that leadership is not a teachable skill. Abilities to create positive work environments, communicate to constituent groups, lead change, and supervise personnel were the top-ranked leadership competencies. Dealing with personnel matters; navigating institutional, local, and state politics; and managing complex budgets were listed as the top challenges leaders face. Participants reported that leadership can be learned through formal education, mentorship, and leadership experience. Participants emphasized the importance of human relations and communication skills for leaders.
Location
New Orleans, LA
Citation Information
Channing, Jill, "How Can Leadership Be Taught?: Implications for Leadership Educators" (2019). ETSU Faculty Works. 665. | https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works-2/665/ |
Plasmablasts generated during repeated dengue infection are virus glycoprotein-specific and bind to multiple virus serotypes.
Dengue virus immune protection is specific to the serotype encountered and is thought to persist throughout one's lifetime. Many serotype cross-reactive memory B cells isolated from humans with previous dengue infection are specific for the nonstructural and the prM structural viral proteins, and they can enhance infection in vitro. However, plasmablasts circulating in enormous numbers during acute secondary infection have not been studied. In this study, we analyzed single plasmablasts from two patients by sorting the cells for Ig sequence analysis and for recombinant expression of Abs. In contrast to memory B cells, most plasmablast-derived Abs bound to the structural E protein of dengue, and protection experiments in mice revealed that virus serotypes encountered during past infections were neutralized more efficiently than were the serotypes of the current infection. Together with genetic analyses, we show evidence that plasmablasts in dengue patients are a polyclonal pool of activated E protein-specific memory B cells and that their specificity is not representative of the serum Abs secreted by long-lived plasma cells in the memory phase. These results contribute to the understanding of the phenomenon of original antigenic sin in dengue.
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Hantaviruses (HTV), which are a part of the family Bunyaviridae, are emerging, enveloped RNA viruses, which cause hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) in Europe and Asia with up to 20% mortality rate and hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HPS) in Americas with up to 40% mortality rate (Schmaljohn et al., Emerg Inf Dis, 1997). In Europe, two main HTV cause HFRS: Puumala (PUUV) and Dobrava (DOBV), but some low pathogenic HTV are detected as well (Markotic et al., Nat Med, 1996; Markotic et al., J Med Virol, 2002; Vapalahti et al., Lancet Infect Dis, 2003).
Reservoirs for HTV are small rodents with persistent infection and no manifest of the disease (LeDuc, Rev Infect Dis, 1989). There is still a significant lack of knowledge about the immune response to HTV in humans and rodents. The strong proinflammatory response during acute infection in humans is probably responsible for viral clearance but also for a potentially fatal proinflammatory-mediated disease. The mechanisms mediating the persistence of HTV and the absence of clinical symptoms in rodent reservoirs are still mostly unknown and the lack of an animal model additionally hinders HFRS research. So far, no effective antivirals, vaccines, or immunotherapeutics exist for HFRS.
NK cells are traditionally defined as cells of the innate immune response. However, evidence collected so far suggests that specific subsets of mouse NK cells can nevertheless develop long-lived and highly specific memory to a variety of antigens (Sun and Lanier, Nat Rev Immunol, 2011). Remarkably, in a recent report Bjorkstrom and colleagues described the expansion of a subset of CD94/NKG2C+ NK cells in patients infected with hantavirus. This NK cell subset was functional and its expansion was maintained at high levels for a prolonged period of time after infection. We expect to show that HTV induce NK cell memory in patients infected with PUUV, but also that a certain response could be provoked by heterologous DOBV. Also we suspect that such memory response could be time related. Our intention as well is to identify products involved in the specific recognition of HTV infected cells by activating KIRs. In addition, we expect to show that NK cell-mediated modulation of T cell responses is at least in part responsible for HTV persistence. | http://zci-cervirvac.hr/en/work-packages/characterization-of-nk-cell-response-in-hantavirus-infected-humans-and-mice/ |
New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal.
The state of New Jersey has reached a formal settlement with the Nanticoke-Lenni-Lenape tribe of Native American Indians, resolving a three-year legal battle over the state's official position on the tribe's status.
With historic roots in southern New Jersey and the Delmarva Peninsula, the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Tribal Nation is comprised of approximately 3,000 descendants of two of the region's most widely documented indigenous groups. They remained in or returned to their native homelands after their ancestors suffered removals and forced migrations west and north to Canada.
New Jersey officially recognized the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape as an American Indian Tribe in 1982, but the status of that recognition came into question when federal agencies challenged their status with the state.
The Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Nation filed state and federal civil rights lawsuits in 2015 alleging New Jersey had provided information to U.S. General Accounting Office questioning the group's status as an official, state-recognized American Indian Tribe. The GAO advised the tribe that New Jersey does not recognize any Native American tribes.
During the lapse in official status, the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape were barred from access to federal grants and scholarships, lost contracts obtained in the past by tribally-owned businesses and lost the right to label traditional arts and crafts as "American Indian-made."
Under the $2.4 million settlement reached this week, New Jersey will affirm the tribe's historic recognition and formally notify all relevant state and federal agencies of their recognition status. New Jersey does not admit liability or wrongdoing under the terms of the settlement and the tribe does not receive federal casino gaming rights, disclaiming any interest in them.
"We hope and believe that this resolution will set the stage for the restoration of a positive, mutually respectful, and collaborative relationship between the Tribe, the State of New Jersey and the government of the United States," the tribe said in a statement of gratitude on Friday.
The tribe said former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's administration "acted to undermine our state recognition" and caused the tribe significant harm during the period its status was unresolved.
The Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Tribal Nation is headquartered in Bridgeton, Cumberland County, and the majority of its tribal citizens live in southern New Jersey. They have permanent seats on the New Jersey State Commission on American Indian Affairs and are a voting member nation of the National Congress of American Indians. | https://www.phillyvoice.com/new-jersey-nanticoke-lenni-lenape-recognition-settlement-native-american-indians/ |
Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago (AMAN) hosted Indigenous Peoples Week 2014 at Taman Ismail Marzuki, Cikini, Central Jakarta. Through the series of activities AMAN try to deliver information about the wealth of art, culture and traditions of indigenous people from different regions of the archipelago to wider public.
Storytelling
Indonesian Nature Film Society introduced the “If Not Us Then Who” project at this event by holding a film screening and discussion about the struggle of indigenous communities maintaining their forests. We showed two films, Mama Malin Su Hilang (Our Land Has Gone) and Sesepuh (The Elders).
‘Our Land Has Gone’, is a short documentary created and directed by Nanang Sujana in 2012. It tells the story of the Malind Anim tribe in the Zanegi village, Merauke, Papua, Indonesia. They are tribal hunters who rely on forests for their livelihood. The expansion of Medco Corporation nearby has meant thousands of hectares of forest have been cleared – these forest belonged to the tribe and it has had devastating consequences on the village. There are plans to convert 169,000 hectares of land to be used as industrial tree plantations through the MIFEE project (Merauke Integrated Food and Energy Estate). The film has been used to aid decision-making in the local area.
‘The Elders’, produced by AMAN, tells the story of several indigenous leaders in Indonesia who are struggling to defend their ancestral lands. It features Opung Nae Sinta Sibarani from Sugapa in Porsea, North Sumatra, Badri from Benakat in South Sumatra, Apai “Janggut” Bandi from Sungai Utik, Kapuas Hulu, West Kalimantan, Mama Aleta Baun from Mollo, East Nusa Tenggara and Datuk Ismail Zen from Sarolangun, They tell their story of the struggle against the development aggression that going on around the 80’s when the Suharto regime was still in power. Together they establish the movement of larger indigenous groups throughout the archipelago. With support from various NGOs, they formed the Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago (AMAN) on March 17, 1999.
Role of indigenous people in maintaining the balance of the global climate
Abdon Nababan, Secretary General of AMAN, opened this event, highlighting the growing relationship between indigenous people and the government. However despite the progress, there are still barriers with the implementation of national policies at community level.
“There is a new hope from the Indigenous Peoples of the Archipelago for the newly elected president Joko Widodo (Jokowi) to include the agenda of the rights of indigenous people in his vision and mission”
Abdon invited world leaders who are concerned about the food and energy crisis to learn from the lives of indigenous people who take care of the forest. A strong statement that addresses a very basic question, who should play a role in addressing the global climate crisis? If it is not us, then who is going to care for our nature? By being closer nature, perhaps the answers to global problems can be found. | https://ifnotusthenwho.me/pt-br/indonesias-indigenous-peoples-week-an-update-from-our-partners/ |
Building relationships in the workplace creates a great work environment. However, in building these relationships, there are certain things to be mindful of, such as the type of conversations you have with your colleagues. Everyone has different boundaries around certain conversations. And some of these conversations just don’t belong in the office.
Here are 5 conversations you should avoid having with your colleagues:
1 – Don’t have conversations about religion
Religion is a personal subject and one that tends to be extremely sensitive too. Steer clear of discussing your religious beliefs or giving your opinion on others’ religious beliefs or lack thereof. Discussing religion may offend your colleagues, whether they are religious or not. This does not mean you should hide your religion, but things can quickly get uncomfortable during these types of conversations, and assumptions can be made that may negatively affect your work relationships.
2 – Don’t engage in office gossip
Nothing is more toxic than office gossip. It has the potential to break relationships between co-workers and can easily have you at the centre of controversy. Engaging in office gossip is not professional conduct and will affect your work environment and how others treat you. As the saying goes, if you have nothing good to say, don’t say anything at all. If you find yourself in the middle of office gossip, try to change the subject and steer the conversation to a positive aspect of what is being spoken about.
Also read: Why empathy in the workplace matters more than you think
3 – Steer clear of political discussions
While it is important to know what is happening regarding the political affairs of the country, topics about politics are not ideal for the office. This is an extremely sensitive and personal matter that may cause divisions between employees. With everyone having their own opinions about politics and how heated such conversations can get, it’s safer to steer clear of talking politics in the workplace.
4 – Don’t discuss your salary
While you may feel comfortable with and close to your co-workers, discussing your earnings can quickly change this. Talking about how much money you earn, or how little you feel you earn, can turn your professional relationships into rivalries. It can make others feel uncomfortable and it may place them in a tough spot, because employees earn different amounts. Sharing information about how much you earn, or asking others about their earnings, can create tensions and division at work.
5 – Avoid TMI-type conversations
Personal activities such as hobbies and sporting activities are okay to share with co-workers. However, sharing the details of your binge-drinking weekend or of your intimate relationships is a definite no-no. Not only does this create a perception about you in a professional space, but it also makes others feel uncomfortable. A good way to navigate this is by limiting the things you share to fun and relatable information about your life – leave out the TMI details!
Also read: Social skills tips for succeeding in the modern workplace.
Depending on the nature of your job, you may spend the majority of your time with your co-workers. It is only natural that you will make friends and build close relationships with them. It is important, however, to remember that the office is still a professional environment regardless of how close you are to your colleagues. Be mindful of the conversations you have and steer clear of sensitive topics like religion, politics, and money, and beware of over-sharing when it comes to your personal life. And beware of office gossip; it’s not a good look – ever! | https://www.oxbridgeacademy.edu.za/blog/5-conversations-not-colleagues/ |
The Florida mayor left the Boring Company’s tunnels on a positive note.
“It was a very productive trip,” Trantalis said Feb. 21 on Twitter. “We are coming home with a lot of ideas about the commuter rail project + other ways that tunneling could be put to use in resolving our traffic congestion.”
It seems Trantalis left The Boring Company’s tunnels with a better understanding of how the startup works and what it could do for Fort Lauderdale. Trantalis and his companions invited Elon Musk’s Boring Company team to Fort Lauderdale to continue their conversation from the visit.
The mayor visited the tunnels to see the potential of one in New River. The startup estimated a tunnel in downtown Fort Lauderdale would cost between $30 million to $60 million to build.
Trantalis and other Florida officials seem open to exploring the benefits of building a transport tunnel. The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) seems to oppose the idea, and instead proposed building a 55-foot-high bridge with an estimated cost of $445 million.
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez is also in talks with The Boring Company for another tunneling project in Florida. Suarez was supposed to accompany Trantalis on his recent trip to Las Vegas and Los Angeles, but it seems Suarez could not join Trantalis, and will pay a separate visit. | https://www.autobodynews.com/index.php/southeastern/item/22207-boring-company-visit-inspires-fort-lauderdale-fl-mayor-to-explore-tunneling-to-resolve-traffic.html |
Effectiveness of a video intervention on fertility knowledge among university students: a randomised pre-test/post-test study.
Recent evidence has shown that young adults have poor knowledge about reproductive health and fertility, and that interventions are needed to increase fertility awareness. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a brief video in increasing knowledge about fertility and infertility in young adults. We carried out a two-arm, parallel-group, randomised controlled trial with a pre-test/post-test design (NCT02607761, ClinicalTrials.gov). The sample was composed of 173 undergraduates who completed a self-report questionnaire. Participants were randomly assigned to exposure or no exposure to an educational video about reproductive health and infertility (intervention group, n = 89; control group, n = 84). At baseline, participants revealed poor knowledge of infertility risk factors and fertility issues, and average knowledge of the definition of infertility. Interaction effects between group and time were found for all variables targeted in the video. Participants in the intervention group significantly increased their knowledge of fertility issues, infertility risk factors and the definition of infertility. No significant differences in post-test knowledge were observed in the control group, except for the age at which there is a marked decrease in female fertility. A short video intervention is effective in increasing short-term knowledge about reproductive health and infertility. If future research using longer intervals corroborates our findings, video intervention could be a useful tool in public health prevention campaigns.
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In the presence of foot complications resulting in pain and other symptoms, an individual’s gait, or manner of walking, can become altered, placing considerable stress and pressure on the spine, pelvis, hips, and knees. The body has the ability to compensate with posture modifications but this can often lead to limited mobility and further complications in other structures.
The feet are complex structures made of bones, joints, muscles, ligaments, tendons, nerves, and blood vessels. Both the foot and ankle function to provide protection and support to the body in relation to the spine and head posture. The feet are essential towards balancing the body’s entire weight, allowing it to walk, run, stand, and, jump. Consequently, foot complications may cause severe issues throughout the spine, hips, knees, and ankles if left untreated.
Individuals who’ve suffered a prior injury or condition, such as a twisted ankle, may often continue experiencing pain and other symptoms on the surrounding structures of the foot. This common type of injury is frequently caused when wearing high heels or by turning it over when stepping on a stone or the edge of a curb.
Bone fractures on the outside end of the ankle can occasionally occur but more often, the ligaments around the anterior and side of the ankle can tear and produce pain as well as visible swelling and bruising on the affected region. Generally, it can take 4-6 weeks to recover from a direct injury but, the ligaments can become full of scar tissue, which is non-elastic and stiff. This can increase the chance of damage or injury, often leading to further sprains. Repeated traumas can influence the mobility of the ankle and cause complications on the joint and other structures, such as the knee and spine. These can usually be experienced after long walks or jogging, especially on uneven ground, but individuals often tend to not relate a previous ankle injury as the source of their current symptoms. Chiropractic treatment can help prevent and treat chronic complications and their symptoms.
For individuals experiencing foot symptoms as a result of an injury or condition, chiropractic treatment including chiropractic adjustments, soft-tissue manipulation, electrical muscle stimulation, orthotics, and, stretches and exercises of the foot and lower extremities can be implemented to help relieve many foot complications. Chiropractic care can be effective for treating injuries or conditions such as plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendonitis, and ankle sprains, among others. Foot health is essential towards establishing the body’s proper support and balance, together with a proper spinal posture. In the presence of foot complications, chiropractic treatment can be used to achieve long lasting health. | https://www.elpasochiropractorblog.com/2016/06/foot-injury-and-its-causes.html |
Over the past few years, EALT has contributed to the Moraine Mesocarnivores Project (MMP). This project has been headed by Dr. Frances E.C. Stewart and Dr. Jason T. Fisher and has examined the responses of mammals to changes in their landscape and habitat. They aimed to find out how well a fragmented network of protected areas, private woods, and developed land supports mammal populations. The MMP ran from 2013-2018 and used a variety of methods including camera trapping and GPS collaring to study mammal movements in a fragmented landscape.
The MMP examined mammal movements in the Beaver Hills Biosphere (BHB). This area is notable because it is a fairly disturbed part of the Alberta landscape. It is comprised of native aspen parkland, some white spruce patches, periodic small waterbodies, and meadows. The patches of forest in this area are separated from continuous forest in other parts of province (such as the boreal forest to the north). The BHB is also home to high levels of development, including logging, agriculture, oil and gas development, rural residential development, and transportation infrastructure development. The forest loss here in Alberta is higher than the forest loss in the Amazon rainforest because there is so much development.
The MMP used two methods to examine how the landscape was used by mammals. One method was using wildlife cameras to examine the presence and movements of all sorts of mammals, from carnivores like coyote, fisher, and red fox, ungulates like moose, elk, and deer, to smaller mammals like weasels and squirrels. They took 137,807 photos of 15 different mammal species!
EALT uses cameras on our conservation lands to monitor wildlife species, and have found fishers on our lands using this method, like this fisher at Glory Hills and this fox at Coates.
The other method the MMP used to examine how the landscape was used by mammals was using GPS collars to study fishers, usingGPS collars on 14 fishers to study them in depth. Fishers are a very elusive small/mid-sized carnivore that is rarely seen. They rely on forested areas and feed on small mammals. The MMP used GPS collars to examine where fishers were moving and where they were spending time.
EALT had two properties within the BHB that contributed to this study. Cameras were placed at both Golden Ranches and Hicks Conservation Lands. Twenty six out of the sixty four camera traps that were deployed were on private protected land, such as land owned by EALT, the Nature Conservancy of Canada, Beaverhills Initiative, and Ducks Unlimited.
Wildlife cameras were deployed at two EALT Conservation Lands by the MMP
There were several significant results found by the MMP:
Protected areas are still important for species survival, but so is connectivity. If 70-80% of a species habitat is lost, extinction is likely to occur. But, landscape connectivity is more important than we realized. The landscape between suitable protected areas is not barren, it holds some suitability for many mammals. Animals don’t just stay in the protected areas, they also use the rest of landscape, known as the matrix, and are affected by landscape features outside of the protected area up to 5 km away.
Habitat suitability outside protected areas can vary. Mammals can use developed areas that contain some suitable habitat, but may be increasingly limited in areas of greater development. The more extensively the land is developed, the more movement of these animals may be limited.
Conservation success at a landscape level can be achieved by retaining suitable habitat within disturbed areas. For example, this could mean leaving a bit of forest present within or alongside farmers’ fields and residential developments.
Although small areas of suitable habitat within developed areas can be valuable to some mammals, some mammals within protected areas may be negatively affected by surrounding developed areas, known as “edge effects” – a well-known concept in landscape ecology. What happens outside the protected area affects what happens inside. Examples of edge effects can include noise and light pollution, or increased ability of predators to travel around the edges.
Protected areas are more valuable to wildlife when they contain more native habitat and when there are more natural features in the surrounding area. We not only need to conserve protected areas but we also need to address degradation in the surrounding landscape to be effective at conserving protected areas.
The findings of this paper are very relevant to EALT’s goals because we work to provide habitat patches in an interconnected landscape that has a heavy human footprint. Dr. Stewart’s research shows that what we are doing is valuable, but we can’t do it alone. We need the cooperation of nearby landowners to provide patches of habitat to link our protected areas, to ensure we are achieving our goals of wildlife conservation. Conservation is a community effort!
Read more about the Moraine Mesocarnivore Project here! | https://www.ealt.ca/blog/mmp |
on Tuesday 9th 2019 April 9:28 PM.
VegPlotter’s vegetable garden planning software allows you to quickly design or replicate your allotment garden. One of the features that enables this is the ability to duplicate (copy and paste) items.
If you have multiple raised beds, of all the same size, you simply need to create one bed of the correct size. Then you can duplicate it quickly by tapping [d] on your keyboard or selecting [Duplicate] from the selected item’s details menu (see screenshot below).
Creator of vegplotter.com - the simple and effective allotment / kitchen garden planning software. Give it a try.
I also blog about all of the above at theovergrownplot.com. Come and say hi. | https://vegplotter.com/blog/copy-paste-multiple-items |
GPs are usually the first point of contact in the healthcare system. The indicator on the number of people serviced by one general practitioner shows both the availability of medical staff relative to the population and the workload of doctors.
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Access to specialist physicians index
The index measures access to specialist physicians relative to the district with the best access. A lower index value points to better access. Specialist physicians include internists, cardiologists, pediatricians, surgeons, orthopedists/ traumatologists, urologists, infectionists, obstetricians/gynecologists, ophthalmologists, neurologists, psychiatrists, x-ray specialists, and others.
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Cases of hospitalization in the general hospitals
The indicator provides information on the morbidity of the population and the workload of general hospitals. It is used to measure the level of morbidity in the respective district – the higher its value is, the higher morbidity is.
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Health insured persons as share of the population
The share of persons with health insurance shows the accessibility of health services in the district; it can be used to assess the health status of the population.
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Number of beds in general hospitals
The indictor shows the number of beds in general hospitals per 1,000 people. The number of beds serves as an indicator for the material base of health care in the region.
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Infant mortality rate
The infant mortality rate shows the number of deceased infants of age up to 1 year per 1,000 live births during the respective year. A high rate indicates both shortcomings in health care and low health culture of the local population. | https://www.regionalprofiles.bg/en/methodology/healthcare/ |
Drummies explores the unique and aspirational subculture surrounding all-female teams of drum majorettes in South Africa, and how the sport empowers the young women involved.
For them, being a “Drummie” is a privilege and an achievement, indicative of success on and off the field. While there have been various debates around the archaic sense of discipline and idealised notions of femininity associated with the sport, being part of a team offers girls a sense of belonging and emboldens their self-worth. The significance of pride and confidence is stressed to the girls, which is vital in communities where opportunities for young women are often severely limited. Being “Drummies” allows these girls to excel, and their distinctive uniforms serve as a visual marker of success and emancipation from their surroundings. “With my continued investigation into this subculture, I hope that these images can communicate the pride
and confidence these girls have achieved through identifying as ‘Drummies,’ in a context where they face many social challenges. I want these images to function as a testament to the commitment and determination of these young female athletes, in a world where so many sporting opportunities are still focused on men.”
Born in 1991 in South Africa, Alice Mann is based between London and South Africa. Her practice focuses on themes around identity, femininity and empowerment, aiming to challenge pre-existing stereotypes. Her personal and commissioned work has been published internationally in media such
as New Yorker, British Vogue and The Guardian. Her acclaimed series Drummies, received first prize
for the National Portrait Gallery’s Taylor Wessing Portraiture Prize (2018), the Lensculture Emerging photographer prize (2018), and the Grand Prix at the 34th edition of the Hyères International Festival of Fashion and Photography (2019). | https://villanoailles.com/en/festivals/35e-festival-international-de-mode-de-photographie-et-daccessoires-de-mode/alice-mann |
Greenpeace Protest Targets Forestry Ministry
JAKARTA ~ Environmental group Greenpeace hung a banner reading “Stop Deforestation” on the Forestry Ministry on Wednesday and called for a moratorium on palm oil concessions on forested land.
“The Forestry Ministry is currently part of the deforestation problem. The ministry, as the state agency tasked with protecting the forests, is in fact promoting forest destruction,” Greenpeace activist Bustar Maitar said.
“This has to stop now to arrest our greenhouse gas emissions and to ensure protection of our biodiversity for future generations.”
Greenpeace accused the government of issuing palm oil plantation permits on millions of hectares (acres) of forests, even though only a fraction had been cleared and planted.
“The is a clear case of the illegal ‘land banking’ practice of purchasing land with the intent to hold onto it until such a time as it is highly profitable to sell it on to others,” Maitar said in a statement.
Greenpeace said Indonesia, the world’s biggest producer of palm oil, was destroying its rainforests faster than any other major forested country.
Tropical forest destruction is responsible for nearly 20 percent of global greenhouse gases blamed for climate change, making Indonesia the world’s third biggest greenhouse gas emitter behind the United States and China, it said.
Environmental group WWF said earlier this year that Indonesia’s Riau province alone had lost 4.2 million hectares or 65 percent of its forests in the past 25 years.
The clearing of forests and the degradation of carbon-rich peatlands over that time means the province now emits more carbon than the Netherlands, it said in a report.
A Forestry Ministry spokesman said 2 million hectares of forested land had been legally converted to palm oil plantations across Indonesia and another 2 million had been earmarked for conversion. | http://www.thebalitimes.com/2008/08/08/greenpeace-protest-targets-forestry-ministry/ |
Success Securing the Lawful Implementation of Residential Development in Pembrokeshire
IPS were instructed on behalf of our clients, to submit a Section 191 application for a Certificate of Lawful Existing Development (CLEUD) confirming that the commencement of residential development on the site at Barley Park, Begelly, Pembrokeshire was lawful. This would enable the client to complete their sale of the land and completion of much needed dwellings in the area.
Outline planning permission for residential development was approved on the site on 1st April 2014, and subsequent reserved matters approval, detailing the design, layout and development of 21 dwellings on 3rd August 2017. Evidence was submitted to discharge the necessary conditions precedent to Pembrokeshire County Council (PCC), however the Local Authority determined that insufficient information had been provided to discharge all of the conditions. Since the approval of the reserved matters detailing and submission of required conditional material to the Local Authority, development commenced on the site, including preparatory drainage works and construction of access roads.
Thus, development had commenced on site, without the full discharge of all the required conditions precedent, and it was agreed with PCC that a Certificate of Lawfulness, would be the correct approach to resolving matters pertaining to the commencement of development and in identifying those outstanding matters and details required for the discharging of residual conditions precedent.
Notwithstanding the outstanding conditions, the case presented by IPS demonstrated that the conditional requirements would not have amended or impeded the permitted form of development, in both principle, layout, scale and appearance. The commencement of the development on the 1st August 2019, was in accordance with the legal timescale requirements of the both the outline and reserved matters approval. IPS also demonstrated that none of the outstanding conditions go to the heart of the consent as defined in the legal case of R (oao Hart Aggregates Ltd) v Hartlepool BC EWHC 840 (Admin) and thus the development has been lawfully implemented.
IPS is pleased that officers at PCC agreed with the arguments presented on behalf of our client. The site at Barley Park is a suitable and sustainable location for residential development, with no constraints which would delay this site being brought forward. This is highlighted through the grant of outline permission and reserved matters and the allocation of the site in previous iterations of the Local Plan. The site and the delivery of 26 dwellings is noted in PCC’s housing land supply, and the site is immediately deliverable and available to contribute to much needed housing stock within the locality. PCC are progressing a new Local Plan and IPS will monitor this to safeguard our client’s interests. | https://www.impactps.co.uk/success-securing-the-lawful-implementation-of-residential-development-in-pembrokeshire/ |
There are different forms of calligraphy that can be found all over the world. However, Chinese calligraphy is something different. This Oriental form of art is like painting. What makes it stand out from others is that it helps in communication of an artist’s spiritual world by making use of the Chinese characters. The uniqueness of Chinese calligraphy also lies in its ability to convey moral integrity, aesthetic feeling, emotion and the character of the artist to all the readers.
Chinese calligraphy is essentially a technique which is used for writing the Chinese characters. Apart from this, it is also disciplinary branch of education and art that people need to learn. When looked upon as a discipline for education, it becomes necessary to learn about its evolution, development, technique and history. What we need to understand is that calligraphers are not just mere people with brushes in their hands who stroke the characters on a surface. They have the power of art and they inherit this art. For us, as readers, we need to evaluate this Oriental art, which perhaps will not be an task because; what lies in the essence of calligraphy of China is its thousands of years of vivid history, rich culture and popular myths.
What is interesting about Chinese calligraphy is that it was essentially and wholly and completely Chinese just like the chopstick. However, it became an unique feature of the Oriental art when the Chinese culture started spreading to Japan, Korea, Singapore and Vietnam. The uniqueness and the beauty of this Oriental art form is today recognized by the world and to specify, it is recognized by the West, whom we call to be learned. The western scholars have developed a peculiar approach towards this art form. They first learn the characters of Chinese language. They then study how these characters are constructed and it is through this that they try to understand calligraphy. It is through this understanding of calligraphy that they try to understand and learn the Oriental culture.
What the western scholars believe is that Chinese calligraphy is the oldest of any abstract art and that it is the most condensed one. People say that this art form has the dynamism which is present in dance, it has the rhythm which is present in music and it has the image which can be found in a painting. Tracing back the history, it can be found that China is not the homeland of calligraphy and nor is the East. The existence of this art form is profound and that it is a treasure, a true gem in the world of art. It has a history of 4-5 thousand years which is why, it is so rich and diverse. | https://abstract-painters.com/chinese-calligraphy-the-oriental-art/ |
Scientists and locals are baffled after a “hairy” sea creature measuring in at almost 20 feet long washed up on a shore in the Philippines this week.
Similar unidentified carcasses have been discovered on beaches in the region for years — but it’s still not entirely clear sea creature they might be.
Some locals speculate that the sea animal, known by some as a “globster,” is a new species scientists have not yet discovered, but experts remain unconvinced of the “new” finding.
The head of science and conservation for the animal charity Orca, Lucy Babey, says she’s certain the blob is the carcass of a large dead animal.
“It’s definitely a very decomposed sea creature in the later stages of decomposition,” Babey tells Newsbeat.
“Unfortunately with this animal it is far too decomposed to be able to get a confident identification on what animal it was,” she says.
Babey explains that the perceived hairs on the carcass are likely to be muscle fibers, as the animal’s body is in the later stages of decomposition.
“Other creatures could have sped up the decomposition process, but it looks like a normally decomposing carcass,” she says. | https://braincharm.com/2018/07/26/20-foot-long-hairy-sea-creature-washes-up-on-the-sea-shore-in-the-philippines/ |
International commercial mediation has numerous characteristics that distinguish it from domestic mediation. As the name implies, “international” refers to a process with at least two parties from different countries. “Commercial” narrows the subject area of the process somewhat to the business relationship between the parties. International commercial mediations are often more complex with more participants than their domestic counterparts. They also often involve culture and language differences. These cases, by their very nature, tend to be lower-volume, higher-value cases than most civil mediations. This article briefly explores some of the elements that distinguish this type of mediation from its domestic counterpart.
I. Why Mediate?
First, international commercial mediations usually (though not always) happen as a result of the parties’ dispute resolution clause, either directly or indirectly. As mediator I have been retained to mediate international commercial disputes in four ways: (1) a “med-arb” resolution dispute clause (the most common way); (2) via a dispute resolution institution, such as the ICDR (International Centre for Dispute Resolution, the international arm of the American Arbitration Association), which actively promotes mediation as an option for parties with an ICDR arbitration clause; (3) on rare occasion from the courts, when an international commercial case is being litigated there, especially when the court has a mandatory mediation program; and (4) a direct approach from one party’s attorney (this method is often problematic because the other party may come to perceive that a mediator nominated by the opponent might not be neutral). But occasionally both parties will understand that this is not really the case and agree to use mediation services. | https://arbitrationlaw.com/library/what%E2%80%99s-brewing-international-commercial-mediation-process-differences-domestic-mediation-and |
Anthropology has long shied away from examining how human beings may lead happy and fulfilling lives. This book, however, shows that the ethnographic examination of well-being—defined as “the optimal state for an individual, a community, and a society”—and the comparison of well-being within and across societies is a new and important area for anthropological inquiry. Distinctly different in different places, but also reflecting our common humanity, well-being is intimately linked to the idea of happiness and its pursuits. Noted anthropological researchers have come together in this volume to examine well-being in a range of diverse ways and to investigate it in a range of settings: from the Peruvian Amazon, the Australian outback, and the Canadian north, to India, China, Indonesia, Japan, and the United States.
Disciplines
Anthropology | Social and Behavioral Sciences | Social and Cultural Anthropology
Language
English
Permissions
Use Find in Your Library, contact the author, or interlibrary loan to garner a copy of the item. Publisher policy does not allow archiving the final published version. If a post-print (author's peer-reviewed manuscript) is allowed and available, or publisher policy changes, the item will be deposited.
Repository Citation
Jankowiak, W. R.
(2008).
Well Being, Cultural Pathology, and Personal Rejuvenation in a Chinese City: 1981- 2005. In Gordon Mathews & Carolina Izquierdo,
The Good Life: Well Being in Anthropological Perspective
Oxford (England): Berghahn Publishers. | https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/anthro_fac_articles/42/ |
12 Apr Why Consider Bankruptcy If You Can Make Your Minimum Payments?
Many people call and say they aren’t really sure if they should be talking to a bankruptcy lawyer since they are making all their monthly payments on time, and their credit rating is good.
If you are making payments and have good credit, that doesn’t mean that bankruptcy is not an option for you. If you are not able to pay more than the minimum payments, it could be a long time before you are ever able to get out of debt and it will take a lot of hard work.
Bankruptcy can help to make the goal of a debt free life possible.
First, look at whether or not you really could pay off the debt you owe over a reasonable period of time. Make a budget for your living expenses, and see what is left over. If you calculate what it would take to pay back your debts over that period and you know you can’t possibly do that, then you should at least consider bankruptcy. For example, that period might be five years, which is a typical length of debt management programs. That length of time might not suit your situation.
Think about your life in the next few years and where you will be.
- What do you want to accomplish financially in that time period?
- Are you young?
- Do you have, or are you thinking of starting a family?
- Can you support your family and pay off the debt?
- Are you ill, and facing medical expenses?
- Will you be able to pay for your medical bills and pay off your debts?
- Do you want to buy a house?
- Could you save up for a down payment?
- Are you older or about to retire?
- Will you be able to work long enough to pay off your debts, and if so, will you be able to save up for your retirement too?
- Will you be able to live on your retirement or social security if you aren’t able to save any more money?
Bankruptcy can help people get back on their feet, either by eliminating unsecured debts in a relatively fast time (Chapter 7) for those who really don’t have money left over after payment of necessary living expenses, or by setting up a 3-5 year repayment plan (Chapter 13) that you can afford.
Sometimes a reputable debt management program is a good alternative to Chapter 13, but if you seek the advice of a bankruptcy attorney she will normally tell you if she thinks that is a good option for you. The thing to look at and consider is not whether or not you can make the monthly payments on your bills, but whether or not you can pay off the debt in a reasonable amount of time. If you go through your life carrying the same debt, never paying it off, but making the monthly payments and then running it back up, you will pay several times the amount you owe in interest and never get out of debt. | https://www.bankruptcylawnetwork.com/why-consider-bankruptcy-if-you-can-make-your-minimum-payments/ |
6th Grade:
The primary focus of music in 6th grade will be on singing songs and playing instruments. Beyond singing and playing, students will learn about music in its most basic contexts and environments. This can include written and oral traditions.
I hope to challenge the students to imagine what life was like for ordinary people in different historical times, and how music played an important part in their lives.
There will be an introduction to the elements of music - what those elements mean and how they can be used by composers and listeners.
7th grade:
For the 7th graders, there will be a strong emphasis on singing songs and playing instruments.
Some primary areas of focus will be on rhythm, drums and drumming, the primacy of rhythm in music - how it is the most fundamental defining characteristic. How music is distinctly human, and how rhythm in music comes from the heartbeat.
There will be a study of rhythm in musics of the world and what makes those cultures and musical styles unique.
There will be attention to how drums and drumming was absent from Western classical music, and how that aspect evolved into the collective consciousness of our current culture.
Later in the year there will be an introduction to music production in the digital age and how computer software can be used to create music.
8th grade:
For 8th grade, there will be less emphasis on singing and playing instruments, and more emphasis on discussions of music in a variety of contexts.
First, I want the students to understand that music can have a profound and positive effect on their health and well-being. Topics including Music for therapy and healing, psychology of music including music in advertising and soundtracks will be introduced.
Overall, a goal will be to consider how music intersects with other subjects and elements of our lives. This includes music in historical contexts politically, artistically, with math and science, literature, societies and cultures. | https://www.campusms.org/music-curriculum |
Find resource information for families and children with special health care needs.
*Note, we have created a page for families to find information about available resources and supports during the COVID-19 pandemic. Please visit our COVID-19 Resources and Supports for Families page for the latest information.*
Some of these resources are specific for families and children served by the Core or Home Care Program, while others may be of interest to any family or child with special health needs. For resources specific to your area, go to the Browse by Region links on this page.
You can use the search field in the upper right hand corner to narrow your view. For example, you can search for support groups, respite, a specific topic, or by condition. Check back often for updates. If you don’t find what you need, call us at (800) 322-3722 or send us an email.
- Icon indicates condition covered by Specialized Care for Children
Education Resources
The Autism Program is an initiative that offers resource information & promotes best practice in the diagnosis, treatment and education of children with ASD.
“Educational Rights and Responsibilities: Understanding Special Education in Illinois” is a document developed by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) for parents and others that outlines the educational rights of children who have disabilities and receive special education services.
Illinois Association of Education of Young Children (ILAEYC)
The Illinois Chapter of the Association of Education of Young Children (ILAEYC or Illinois AEYC) works to enrich the quality of care and education of the young child by:
- Increasing communication among parents, caregivers and professionals involved in the care and education of young children
- Providing in-service training for the early childhood community
- Hosting opportunities for community learning
ILAEYC has chapters and volunteers throughout the state.
Family Resources
The Illinois Respite Coalition (IRC) is a not-for-profit organization of caregivers and respite providers dedicated to supporting families and ensuring access to quality respite services for the residents of Illinois. The IRC assists caregivers by connecting them to resources in their area, providing training on respite topics and having funding available for emergency respite. The IRC helps caregivers of individuals across the lifespan with any disability.
The Emergency Respite Care Program offers funding and resources to support caregivers who are not receiving any respite services and have an urgent need for respite care in the absence of any other funding source. Emergency respite care may be for an unplanned or planned event for reasons including:
- Caregiver illness (physical, mental or emotional)
- Caregiver hospitalization
- Work-related situation
- Reduction of stress level
The website gives examples of qualifying circumstances and information on how to apply.
Print or download the emergency care flyer:
For more information contact:
- The Illinois Respite Coalition at (866) ILL-RESP (455-7377)
- Statewide Coordinator Kara McCroskey at [email protected]
Almost Home Kids is a short-term, community based pediatric healthcare facility. They provide transitional care in a home-like setting to children with complicated health needs and they train families to provide care in preparation for going home. Almost Home Kids also provides respite care. They are located in Chicago and Naperville.
Maryville Children's Healthcare Center
Maryville Children’s Healthcare Center provides care to children with complex medical needs who are not yet able to go home. They also provide training for caregivers enabling them to care for the child when he/she transitions home. Maryville offers both transitional and respite care.
Medical/Health Resources
Get Covered Illinois - The Official Health Marketplace
If you are looking for health insurance for yourself or your family, or if you own a small business or lead a nonprofit organization this website is the official site in Illinois for signing up for health insurance.
Mental Health Online Screening
One of the quickest and easiest ways to determine whether you are experiencing symptoms of a mental health condition is to take a mental health screening at mhascreening.org. The screening is free and anonymous.
Taking a screen can help you to better understand what you are experiencing and get helpful resources. After that, consider talking to someone you trust about your results and seek out a professional to find the support you need.
Tracheostomy Care at Home is provided by Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago to help parents learn how to take care of their child’s tracheostomy (trach). Topics include:
- The Tracheostomy
- Tracheostomy Skin Care
- How to Suction the Tracheostomy
- How to Change a Tracheostomy Tube
Please note: This information is for informational purposes only and is not intended to substitute in any way for medical education, training, treatment, advice or diagnosis by a healthcare professional. | http://dscc.uic.edu/browse-resources/resource-directory/ |
The transfer of power on Friday from Obama to Trump went fairly smoothly. Lots of smiles, handshakes and hugs.
The one bump you probably didn’t see was the transfer that took place online. On Twitter, to be specific.
I tend to shy away from political material in this column. I also avoid talk of politics on my social media posts, holding true to the advice I offer readers.
But a mistake such as the one that happened on Twitter on Friday requires a little unpacking, regardless of how political it appears on the surface.
The fact is it wasn’t political. Leave it to Twitter users to make it political.
In case you missed it, when Twitter transferred administrative power of Twitter accounts from Obama to Trump, several unsuspecting users started screaming, albeit in 140 characters or less.
Why?
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said that about 560,000 users were automatically transferred to the accounts now controlled by the Trump administration. This included the mother-of-all-world-leader-accounts, @POTUS.
@POTUS is the official Twitter handle of the president of the United States.
Twitter quickly corrected the transfer issues.
Dorsey noted in a tweet that users who followed Obama’s new account, @POTUS44, were automatically set to follow the @POTUS handle as well.
He tweeted:
@jack: All: we investigated what happened here, and we made some mistakes (which have been corrected). Some context first.
Dorsey went on to say that the Obama administration had actually been working with Trump’s team on the best way to hand-off the accounts. In a way, the teams agreed that it was actually the “people” who owned the @POTUS account, not one individual.
As Dorsey put it:
@jack: Because @POTUS is an institutional account (not personal) they felt it only fair to transition accounts with followers intact, but 0 tweets.
The Trump @POTUS account has a little more than 14 million followers. By comparison, @POTUS44 has 14.6 million. Obama’s old @POTUS account is now nothing more than a collection of his posts as president, something akin to his presidential library of archived tweets.
If you go to @POTUS now, you’ll find only a few tweets, the first of which was posted on Friday at 2 p.m.
Dorsey went on to detail each step Twitter took to fix the transition problem:
@jack: 1. People who followed @POTUS44 (Obama Admin) after 12pET were mistakenly set to also follow @POTUS (Trump Admin)
@jack 2. Some people who unfollowed @POTUS in the past were mistakenly marked to now follow @POTUS
The switch also affected other official accounts such as @VP, @WhiteHouse, and @PressSec. Those who unfollowed those accounts in the past were mistakenly marked to now follow the new accounts.
Like any good leader, and in true Twitter fashion, Dorsey owned the mistake:
@jack: We believe we’ve corrected all accounts to reflect your follow/unfollow intent. We’re sorry for the mistakes made here, and thank you all.
Three-quarters of U.S. residents now own smartphones and nearly 90 percent are online, according to a report published last week by the Pew Research Center.
Smartphone adoption had the sharpest increase. The report shows 77 percent of Americans own smartphones, up from 35 percent in 2011.
Pew Research Center has chronicled this trend and others through more than 15 years of surveys on internet and technology use, according to report author, Aaron Smith.
It’s important to note the distinction in types of phones adopted. There’s a big difference in the terms “cellphone” and “smartphone.” Cellphones are mobile devices, but not all cellphones are “smart.”
According to the study, 95 percent of Americans report owning a cellphone of some type. One-hundred percent of the respondents in the 18-29 age group reported owning some type of cellphone.
The Pew study findings also showed a slight increase in home internet adoption in 2016. This followed a downward trend from 2013 to 2015, during which time home internet use dropped from 70 percent to 67 percent.
A drop of 3 percent may seem insignificant, and likely due to an increase in smartphone adoptions.
It’s a simple case of paying for the same thing twice. Look at it this way: if you have access to a super computer connected to a 4G network in the palm of your hand, do you need internet access at home?
Apparently some Americans still value their at home internet.
Or there could be another reason.
“Even as [internet] adoption has been on the rise, 12 percent of Americans say they are smartphone dependent when it comes to their online access,” Smith said. Smartphone dependents own a smartphone but don’t have home internet service.
“The share of Americans who are smartphone dependent has increased 4 percentage points since 2013,” Smith said. “Smartphone reliance is especially pronounced among young adults, nonwhites and those with relatively low household incomes.”
Those without high school diplomas are less likely than college grads to have internet access at home. Age, income, geographic location, race and ethnicity are all indicators of whether or not a home will have internet access.
“As of November 2016, [73 percent] of Americans indicate that they have broadband service at home,” Smith said. “But although [internet] adoption has increased to its highest level since the Center began tracking this topic in early 2000, not all Americans have shared in these gains.”
Accompanying the Pew report on connectivity is a new set of fact sheets focused on three primary research areas: internet, smartphones and social media. According to Smith, Pew plans to update the subject areas with new information as it’s collected.
The fact sheets are a “one-stop shop for anyone looking for information on key trends in digital technology,” Smith said.
Predictions are part educated guess, part soothsayer.
At the risk of shooting my credibility in the foot, I’ve never been very good at predicting anything.
Exhibit A: I once predicted that none of us would be driving our own cars in 2017. We’re still a few years from seeing that one play out.
It’s coming. I promise.
When I looked into my social media crystal ball at the beginning of 2016, I saw what the tech prophets saw: a move toward more video.
But not just any video. Streaming video.
Voila, 2016 was the year of video. From Facebook and Twitter to Instagram and Snapchat, everyone was getting into the streaming game. It was really more conjecture than seeing the future. We were already knee-deep in streaming our own content thanks, in part, to services like Periscope and Meerkat.
So while the prediction was accurate, it was akin to predicting snow for northeast Ohio in January.
There’s so much more to come with live streaming video in 2017. For example, in late 2016, Twitter introduced a 360-degree streaming service via Periscope. The ability to stream in 360-degree video capture is only available to select partners, but the service has great potential.
360 video is a chance for Twitter to avoid another “fail whale” of a year. That’s my weak attempt at saying Twitter had a lousy 2016. We used the term fail whale during the early years of Twitter when users overpowered their servers.
While Twitter is diving head first into streaming live sports with the NFL and now golf, the real growth will almost certainly be in their streaming services for users like you and me.
With this new technology, we can get a full picture of the streamer’s view. So, if the streamer is on a mountain top (with a strong 4G signal), we would get a complete view of the landscape. The best part: the viewer controls the view by simply tilting their mobile device or moving a cursor to a different part of the view.
Want to see 360 video? Check out the first-ever 360 degree video with Alex Pettitt at @Alexpettitt and Brandee Anthony at @Brandee_Anthony. Search for their “360 Sunset in Florida.” Pettit and Anthony provide great 360 video recordings, including a few from Pettitt at last week’s CES (formerly known as the Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas.
For more 360 videos, check out @ClemsonFB’s departure from their practice facility, a few days before the FBS Championship game, @Toyota’s introduction of their new concept car at CES, or chef @altonbrown in his test kitchen.
To find these and other 360 videos, search #Periscope360 on Twitter.
What’s up next in streaming media content? Your guess is as good as mine.
You can bet somebody’s working on something big for 2017.
Youngstown State University will play for the FCS championship this Saturday. I've worked at YSU for about 11 years and I'm a huge fan. Many students who have passed through my classes are also students, so I enjoy cheering them on. As a former student-athlete, I know the commitment many of them make to their studies and their teams.
Whether you’re headed to Frisco, Texas, for the game, watching it at Covelli Centre with other YSU fans, or watching at a sports bar or at home, you can watch it “together” with fans all over the world thanks to social media.
Sometimes that’s easier said than done.
Knowing the right social platforms, addresses and hashtags to use during the big game will be just as important as the content of your posts.
Case in point (and I’m a little embarrassed to admit this): Last year I posted a dozen tweets at a social media conference before I realized I was using the wrong hashtag.
It was an honest mistake. I inverted two letters. Ironically, I was tweeting out reactions to cool new social media skills. I don’t have a big ego, but I was really surprised no one was retweeting any of my posts. At the very least, someone should have been favoriting my witty one-liners.
And then I figured it out. It sounds silly, and maybe a little vain, but instead of connecting with other conference attendees, I was out on my own social media deserted island.
It was lonely.
Thanks to YSU’s sports information department, fans have a clear set of addresses and hashtags to use to connect with other fans.
“In athletics, we’re excited to use our social media platforms to give our fans information and images leading up to and at the title game,” said Trevor Parks, YSU’s sports information director.
YSU fans near and far are preparing for the big day, making travel plans, buying new clothes and memorabilia, planning parties.
Add “checking YSU’s social media platforms” to that list.
“We’ve seen a dramatic increase in our social media followers over the past month, and we hope to have a strong week to give them insight into the big game, our program, players, and coaches,” Parks added.
Parks also provided a rather comprehensive list of hashtags and platform addresses for following YSU.
For example, you can always use the tried-and-true hashtag #GoGuins (short for “Go Penguins”). Parks noted two more important hashtags:
#FCSChamp
#RoadToFrisco
I’m wondering how many YSU students will be using that last hashtag on the 22-hour bus ride to Texas.
On Twitter and Instagram, fans are encouraged to follow the @YSUsports and @YoungstownStFB and use those address when posting tweets and pictures.
Facebook users can like and follow pages for “Youngstown State Penguins” and “Youngstown State Football.”
Snapchat users should add ysusports.
Want to learn more about YSU’s opponent, James Madison University? Check out @JMUFootball on Twitter and follow them on Facebook at “JMU Football” and “JMU Sports.”
#GoGuins!
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Author
Dr. Adam C. Earnheardt is professor of communication studies the department of communication at Youngstown State University in Youngstown, OH, USA where he also directs the graduate program in professional communication. He researches and writes about communication and relationships, parenting and sports. He writes a weekly column for The Vindicator and Tribune-Chronicle newspapers on social media and society. | https://www.adamearn.com/blog/archives/01-2017 |
Roger Clemens, the larger-than-life pitcher who appeared destined for the Baseball Hall of Fame, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Washington on Thursday on charges that he lied to Congress when he said he never used performance-enhancing drugs.
Clemens became the third high-profile athlete in three years to be charged with lying about the use of banned substances and to have on-the-field accomplishments tarnished.
Marion Jones, who won five track and field medals at the 2000 Summer Olympics, served six months in prison after pleading guilty in 2007 to making false statements to federal authorities about her use of performance-enhancing drugs. Barry Bonds, baseball’s career home run leader, is scheduled for trial in March on charges that he made false statements to a grand jury about his use of performance-enhancing drugs during the investigation of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative in California.
The 19-page indictment charged Clemens, 48, with three counts of making false statements, two counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of Congress during his testimony in a nationally televised hearing in February 2008 before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
At that hearing, Clemens and his former trainer Brian McNamee contradicted each other about whether Clemens had used steroids and human growth hormone. Andy Pettitte, Clemens’s friend and a longtime teammate, provided a written statement under oath to Congressional investigators in which he said Clemens admitted to him in 1999 or 2000 that he had used H.G.H.
Days after the hearing, the Democratic and Republican leaders of the committee asked the Justice Department to open an investigation into Clemens’s testimony.
If convicted, Clemens could face up to 30 years in prison and a $1.5 million fine, but under current sentencing guidelines, a conviction would most likely bring a 15- to 21-month sentence. He would probably receive less prison time if he accepted a plea agreement.
The indictment is another blow to Major League Baseball, which is still dealing with the aftermath of the so-called steroid era, in which hundreds of players used performance-enhancing drugs without fear of penalty until the early 2000s. It also continues Clemens’s remarkable fall from grace, which included an admission that he had been unfaithful to his wife after published reports tied him to other women.
In a comment posted on his Twitter account shortly after the indictment became public, Clemens again denied using performance-enhancing drugs.
Clemens, a Texas native, became an overpowering presence with the Boston Red Sox in the second half of the 1980s, setting strikeout records and agitating hitters by throwing fastballs under their chins.
Over the next decade, however, Clemens became better even as he grew older. He racked up four more of his seven Cy Young Awards and helped the Yankees win the World Series in 1999 and 2000.
In 2004, Clemens returned to Texas, pitching three seasons for the Houston Astros. After flirting several times with retirement, he returned to the Yankees in May 2007, appearing by surprise in the middle of a Sunday afternoon game at Yankee Stadium and dramatically announcing over the stadium loudspeaker that he had rejoined the team.
But five months later, Clemens was forced to confront allegations that he had used performance-enhancing drugs after the release of a report by George J. Mitchell, the former senator appointed by Commissioner Bud Selig to investigate doping in baseball.
Clemens was the highest-profile player cited in the report, which named him, Pettitte and roughly 100 other players for ties to steroids and human growth hormone.
Clemens’s wife, Debbie, with H.G.H., at Clemens’s request.) Pettitte quickly issued a statement admitting his use of human growth hormone.
Clemens, however, was defiant and with the help of Rusty Hardin, a lawyer in Houston who shared Clemens’s brashness, began a public attack on McNamee’s credibility. Clemens went on CBS’s “60 Minutes” to deny the accusations, and in a news conference he and Mr. Hardin played a tape of a telephone conversation between McNamee and Clemens.
After several weeks of public back and forth between Mr. Hardin and lawyers for McNamee, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform summoned Clemens and McNamee to testify under oath. The committee said Clemens had questioned the credibility of the Mitchell report, which the committee had pushed baseball to compile.
Clemens swept through the halls of Congress, posing for photos with members of the committee that was investigating him and autographing their souvenirs. But that bravado worked against him, lawmakers said in interviews Thursday. He may have falsely believed that his fame would trump the testimony of Pettitte and McNamee that contradicted his own.
His chutzpah, the lawmakers said, may have led Clemens to issue outright denials when previous baseball players had evaded prosecution by using vague or equivocal language.
On Feb. 13, 2008, five months after Clemens pitched in his final major league game, he and McNamee sat a seat apart before the committee and disputed each other’s account. Responses from lawmakers broke along partisan lines, the Republicans generally siding with Clemens and the Democrats with McNamee.
Among those who testified before the grand jury were McNamee, Pettitte, David Segui — a former major leaguer who was named in the Mitchell report and has admitted using performance-enhancing drugs — and Jose Canseco, a friend and former teammate of Clemens who has also admitted using performance-enhancing drugs.
Canseco wrote a book in which he linked several high-profile players, including Mark McGwire, to the use of performance-enhancers, but he has been one of the few people to come to Clemens’s defense, saying he had no knowledge that Clemens used banned substances. One intriguing piece of evidence in the Clemens case was syringes that McNamee said he stored in his basement after using them to inject Clemens with drugs.
McNamee handed over the syringes and related drug paraphernalia to federal authorities shortly after Clemens began publicly disputing his account. The authorities tested them for the presence of performance-enhancing drugs and Clemens’s DNA. The New York Times reported last year that the tests revealed the presence of steroids. The Washington Post reported that authorities detected the presence of Clemens’s DNA.
In the Yankees’ locker room in the Bronx on Thursday, Pettitte and Derek Jeter, another longtime teammate of Clemens, declined to discuss the indictment. But Jorge Posada, who caught many of Clemens’s games as a Yankee, came to his defense. | https://www.floridacriminaldefenselawyerblog.com/clemend_lied_about_doping_indi/ |
Roger Clemens is among the first-time Hall of Fame candidates associated with performance-enhancing drugs. And his lawyers from his recent perjury trial are making their case for members the Baseball Writers’ Association of America to vote him into the Hall of Fame.
"For them to say, 'He's not getting into the Hall of Fame because I know he did it'?" co-counsel Michael Attanasio told the Los Angeles Times. "I think that's shameful."
Added lead counsel Rusty Hardin: "I would think that if a baseball writer really wanted conscientiously to cast a vote on one of the greatest pitchers of all time, go look at the evidence. See, after you read it, why the jury did it. It wasn't a crazy jury."
The jury in the federal case acquitted Clemens, but it remains to be seen whether that will sway enough of the voting members of the BBWAA. Thus far, players who have admitted to using or have been suspected of using performance-enhancing drugs have fallen well short of the required 75 percent of the vote necessary for induction.
Voting-eligible members of the BBWAA will receive their ballots in December, and the results will be announced in January.
Clemens finished his 24-season major league career with 354 wins (ninth all time), a 3.12 ERA and 4,672 strikeouts (third all time). He was an 11-time All-Star, a seven-time Cy Young Award winner and the 1986 AL MVP.
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Art of the Ancient World, C. 5000 B.c.e.–400 C.E.
Roman Art
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How did Romans make their mosaics?
Mosaics were very popular in ancient Rome and, like realistic wall paintings, were used extensively to decorate the floors of private homes and villas of the wealthy. At the heart of a Roman mosaic are tesserae, small pieces of glass and stone, often in a cube shape. The tesserae were pressed into cement, which was also used as a sort of grout in the spaces between the stones. Mosaic panels, called emblamata, were usually built off-site by the mosaic artist and then installed into a floor. Romans liked to copy famous paintings in mosaic form, which required very tiny pebbles in order to achieve the detail of a painting. A number of lost Greek paintings still exist in a Roman mosaic form. | https://www.papertrell.com/apps/preview/The-Handy-Art-History-Answer-Book/Handy%20Answer%20book/How-did-Romans-make-their-mosaics/001137026/content/SC/52caff6f82fad14abfa5c2e0_Default.html |
The City of New Brunswick has two historical committees devoted to the celebration of our local history, culture, and those figures in our past that have paved our way.
Our projects and programming aim to preserve and celebrate our historical landscape and educate residents and visitors about the rich history of the area.
New Brunswick Historical Association
The Historical Association is an advisory board that preserves and records the heritage, traditions, and landmarks of the city.
In doing so, the committee:
- Promotes research into the city’s history
- Encourages the community to celebrate New Brunswick’s rich history
- Advises city officials as to suggested policies and processes for preservation
Meetings are open to the public.
The schedule of meetings for 2018 is available here.
If you are interested in joining this 15-member committee in the future, please request an application at [email protected].
New Brunswick Historical Society
The Historical Society is a successor to the New Brunswick Historical Club that was founded in 1870.
Its purpose is to stimulate interest in and encourage the preservation of the City’s history, especially through a series of monthly programs.
Meetings are open to the public.
Upcoming events are highlighted on Facebook at New Brunswick Historical Society New Jersey.
For further information, email [email protected]. | http://thecityofnewbrunswick.org/historical-committees-2/ |
For European Heritage Day, discover Marseille’s northern suburbs as seen by local residents. “La Mer Côté Nord” is a three-day stay organised by the association Horizons en Partage and the Hôtel du Nord cooperative. Accompanied by local residents, visitors will discover little known historical and cultural attractions in areas where housing blocks and old Provençal farmhouses exist side by side.
After taking in the city centre and other major landmarks, visitors will embark on a boat tour of the commercial port where much of Marseille’s industrial and immigration history originated.
The tour will also pass through a unique urban landscape where the “villages” of the northern coastline mix with factories, housing blocks and old country estates.
For more information on the programme, prices and registration (in French), visit the Horizons en Partage website.
Hôtel du Nord has been nominated by a committee of 30 experts in tourism and sustainable development for the 5th Trophées du Tourisme Responsable (Responsible Tourism Prize) in the urban tourism category. | http://hoteldunord.coop/discover-marseilles-northern-suburbs-16-17-and-18-september/ |
Salt Lake County may pass a tough tourist-home ordinance that could put an estimated 200 tourist-home operators out of business or force them to rent their homes covertly.
The proposed ordinance bans tourist homes in Emigration, Parleys and Millcreek canyons, along the foothills and in most neighborhoods in the valley.The ordinance would also ban tourist homes in Big Cottonwood and Little Cottonwood canyons if those homes have a septic tank instead of a sewer hookup.
The 1990 tourist-home ordinance permits tourist homes in the three canyons and the foothills, said John Newell, senior planner for the county.
The Salt Lake County Planning Commission approved the new ordinance last month. The County Commission is slated to vote on it Sept. 4.
Frustrated tourist home owners urged the commission at a recent public hearing not to adopt the ordinance.
"This will force people deeper underground than they already are, and you will never get them to the surface. You will spend the next 10 years chasing them," said Robin Roller, president of Utah Lodging Association, a group of about 40 tourist home owners who rent approximately 100 homes.
Less than 100 tourist home owners in the county have the license required to rent a home out to ski parties and other tourists, Newell said. But the lack of a license isn't stopping anyone.
"We've heard stories that there are hundreds out there, like 300," he said.
Many homeowners began renting their homes out secretly to tourists after the county passed a 1990 law restricting the areas where homes could be rented to vacationers. For example, the ordinance only allows a duplex or a four-plex to be a licensed tourist rental if it's on a road that is at least 66 feet wide. Curious duplex owners tossed a measuring tape across their roads and found that most weren't wide enough.
But they rented anyway.
The county last year refused to issue any new tourist home licenses while it considered a new ordinance. The county tinkered with the old law after receiving several complains from neighbors about loud parties, narrow streets clogged with cars, piles of trash and nudity.
During the license moratorium, even more homeowners began renting their homes to tourists. One owner explained to the Deseret News that even though licenses weren't given last year, he started operating a quiet, successful tourist home that winter for the first time. He collected room tax from his guests and didn't receive a single complaint from neighbors, he said.
His home would not be legal under the proposed ordinance. He's going to rent it out anyway. "I'll continue to operate it discreetly as I did last year,"he said.
Under the old law, operating a tourist home without a license was a Class C misdemeanor. Now, it will just be a civil penalty, Newell said. "But we don't have a fee structure set up yet."
But the tourist home owners at the county's hearing don't like being outside the law. They urged the commission to either change the ordinance to allow tourist homes in some residential neighborhoods or give existing homeowners six months to get a license, even if their location doesn't meet the standards of the new or old law.
Otherwise, homeowners will continue to rent secretly. Rick Walton, vice president of Utah Lodging Association, operates a home without a license. He talked with county staff before buying his home and was told "on a busy street like that, you should be OK," Walton recounted. So he began renting to tourists.
Then he found out that his tourist home didn't meet the 1990 statute. He continued to rent it. If the proposed law passes, Walton's operation would still be illegal. His house is in an R-1 zone. The proposed law bans tourist homes in all R-1 zones, even those on busy streets like Bengal Boulevard, Fort Union Boulevard or Holladay Boulevard.
It also bans tourist homes in all planned unit developments in the duplex zones. "Period. No matter what." The old law allowed some exceptions.
The members of the lodging association want a little compassion from the county. Tourist homes that have been operating since 1990 should be grand-fathered in under the new law, even if they are in the wrong place, urged Rollins.
Walton wants more freedom than that. His home wouldn't meet the criteria suggested by Robbins because Walton's only been in business for two years. He wants the county to give existing illegal tourist home owners six months to come in and get a license, regardless of where their homes are. After those six months, new tourist-home buyers must abide by the limitations of the ordinance.
Cindy Furse, a member of a task force that studied the issue, urged the county to only let in illegal tourist-home owners if they have collected and paid room tax.
"Make them show receipts," she urged the commission. "If they are law-abiding citizens paying their taxes, perhaps they deserve a window of opportunity."
"We need to be grandfathered in," pleaded Sharon Walton, Rich Walton's wife. "We have spent a lot of time and money on our business."
Homeowners urged the county to act quickly. They are already getting calls about the upcoming ski season and need to know if they can legally rent out their homes. | https://www.deseret.com/1996/8/28/19262708/s-l-county-considers-ordinance-restricting-tourist-home-operations |
The utility model discloses a food packing box with adjustable capacity, a rectangular frame is surrounded on four side walls in a box body, a plurality of first clamping grooves are arranged on the front wall and the rear wall of the upper end of the rectangular frame at intervals along the left-right direction, and a plurality of second clamping grooves are arranged on the left wall and the right wall of the upper end of the rectangular frame at intervals along the front-back direction. The device further comprises a vertical partition plate and two transverse partition plates, the front side and the rear side of the vertical partition plate can be clamped into the first clamping grooves, sliding grooves formed in the front-back direction are formed in the left side and the right side of the vertical partition plate, sliding blocks are arranged in the sliding grooves in a sliding mode, the transverse partition plates have the telescopic function, one ends of the transverse partition plates are hinged to the sliding blocks, and the other ends of the transverse partition plates are hinged to the sliding blocks. The other end of the clamping rod can be clamped into the second clamping groove; and the areas of the multiple storage spaces can be adjusted according to actual conditions, so that the practicability and flexibility of the packaging box are improved, and a user can use the packaging box conveniently. | |
Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III has formally created the Anti-Red Tape Team at the Department of Finance (DOF) and has appointed Undersecretary Gil Beltran as its chairperson, in line with President Duterte’s very first directive for all government offices to provide fast and hassle-free frontline services to the public.
In Department Order No. 38-2016, Dominguez directed this anti-red tape team to formulate measures designed to speed up work-related processes not only at the department but also in DOF-attached agencies such as the Bureaus of Customs (BOC) and of Internal Revenue (BIR) and government-owned and –controlled corporations (GOCCs).
“The Department is committed to streamline the delivery of government services and intends to pursue this by designating employees and officials specifically for this purpose,” said Dominguez in the DOF order.
This order is in support of Republic Act No. 9485 (or the Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007), which mandates all public offices to implement measures promoting transparency, simplified procedures as well as expedite transactions in government.
RA 9485 likewise calls for effective practices aimed at preventing graft and corruption in government offices.
President Duterte ordered all department secretaries to cut red tape in ther respective offices in his first Cabinet meeting at Malacañang last June 30.
Signed last July 18, DO 38-2016 designated Beltran as the DOF’s anti-red tape czar.
Prior to his new appointment, Beltran was the head of the DOF’s Office of the Chief Economist and concurrent undersecretary for Policy Development and Management Services Group from 2008 to 2013. He has served the department since 1978.
“The main objective of the Department Order is to find ways to enable the public to transact with the Department at a faster pace at least cost,” Beltran said. “The public deserves nothing less.”
Beltran’s anti-red tape team will be composed of all members of the DOF’s Taskforce/Committee on Citizen’s Charter plus one representative each from the respective Citizen’s Charter committees of DOF-attached bureaus and agencies.
Other members of the Team may also be designated by the finance secretary, the order stated.
Based on Dominguez’s order, Beltran’s team shall review and evaluate the DOF’s Citizen Charter as well as rules and regulations regarding processes in the department, bureaus, attached agencies and GOCCs, particularly those that provide frontline services.
Dominguez ordered the Beltran-headed team to, “Review and evaluate the Department’s Citizen Charter and rules and regulations regarding processes in the Department and its bureaus, attached agencies and government-owned and –controlled corporations (GOCCs), especially those that provide frontline services.”
“The team should strictly comply with the provisions of R.A. No. 9485, improve efficiency in the conduct and delivery of services, and simplify procedures while ensuring proper controls are in place,” said Dominguez in DO 38-2016.
The Anti-Red Tape Team shall also ensure that transparency in government transactions is maintained, while preventing corruption and safeguarding integrity in the delivery of services, the secretary said in his DOF order.
The Team will also recommend measures to rationalize procedures and reengineer the existing transaction systems in the DOF and explore the use of modern communications technologies.
To automate tasks and foster transparency in all transactions within the department, the team is also mandated under this DOF order to: “Explore the use of modern communication technologies, including social media, to expedite transactions, improve efficiency in the delivery of services and receive customer feedback.”
One communications platform being considered under Dominguez’s order is the efficient utilization of social media to help expedite transactions, improve efficiency in service delivery and receive customer feedback.
The department order further states that, “The implementation of the Public Assistance Desk, No Fixer Policy and No Lunch Break Policy and such other policies that may affect the delivery of services shall also be reviewed to ensure that these are properly regulated.”
Dominguez expects the Anti-Red Tape Team to submit three-month reports at the start of each quarter, provide its program, propose next steps and applicable deadlines starting August 1.
The team shall review the report card survey and coordinate with the Civil Service Commission to improve the DOF’s ratings, and also provide final recommendations with attached drafts of proposed issuances on or before December 31, 2016.
Dominguez has called on other DOF units, bureaus, attached agencies and state-run corporations to provide assistance and other resources as needed by Beltran’s group.
“This order shall take effect immediately and all concerned shall be guided accordingly,” the secretary said. | https://www.dof.gov.ph/dominguez-creates-dof-anti-red-tape-team-appoints-usec-beltran-as-chairman/ |
Practice counting on some of the most famous sculptures in the world!
Masterpieces by world-famous sculptor Alexander Calder are used to teach quantity in this artful, read-aloud board book. One & Other Numbers accompanies artworks with a conversational and relatable text that encourages readers to notice and count various aspects of the sculptures. Calder's playful abstract shapes add to the richness of the visual arc, allowing readers to build personal connections with the art. Children will not only grow more familiar with numbers and quantity, but also with the artist and his work. This fourth title in Phaidon's "First Concepts with Fine Artists" series includes a read-aloud "about the artist" at the end. | https://shop.thebrainpossible.com/products/one-other-numbers-with-alexander-calder |
The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) has developed and launched a state-of-the-art Database Management System (DBMS). The project was funded by the Korea Africa Economic Cooperation (KOAFEC) through the African Development Bank (AfDB).
The historic launching was a virtual event on zoom and livestreamed on the PURC's Facebook page on Wednesday, June 30, 2021. Invited Dignitaries and stakeholders who participated in the event include Honourable Mrs. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, Minister of Communications and Digitalization; Dr. Kevin Kariuki, Vice President for Power, Energy, Climate and Green Growth of AfDB; His Excellency, Mr. Lim Jung-taek, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Ghana; representatives from the Ministries of Energy and Water and Sanitation; Utility Providers; Think Tanks; and the media among others.
The DBMS project was initiated as part of the Commission's efforts to streamline processes and increase the efficiency and efficacy of service, which includes several levels of contact with its various stakeholders. It also aligns with the Ministry of Information and Digitalization's development objective of technological advancement and digitalization, which is championed by the Ghanaian government. The DBMS will allow the Commission to efficiently and effectively collect and analyze utility regulatory data, engage stakeholders, handle consumer and utility complaints, and schedule and coordinate its internal activities, among other things.
The Commission is committed to improving its Database Management System (DBMS) as needed to better serve stakeholders and the general public. | https://purc.com.gh/news-det/263974058 |
As part of the current Data Protection Act, you will already have clear policies and procedures for collecting and handling data in your school. All of this will help you to prepare for the more stringent GDPR.
This checklist has been adapted from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) guidance so that it relates to your school context.
Ensure your senior team, governing body and other key people are aware that the law is changing to the GDPR. They need to be aware of the impact this is likely to have on the school and how they work. Tip: include GDPR as a fixed item on meeting agendas for governors and the senior team.
Document the personal data you hold, where it came from and who you share it with. Carry out a whole-school information audit and include pupil, parent and staff information. This includes non-electronic information such as print-outs as well as information held on memory sticks and other devices. If data is held electronically, is it password protected and encrypted? If it is held on paper, is it held securely and appropriately?
Update your procedures and plan how you will handle requests within the new timescales and provide any additional information. Rehearse a subject access request to ensure you are able to produce one within the required 40 days.
Look at the various types of data processing you carry out, identify and document your legal basis for carrying it out. This will include speaking to colleagues across the school.
The GDPR states that consent must be obtained from parents of pupils under the age of 13, over this, the child can give their own consent. Consider how and if this will work in your school.
Ensure you understand what a data breach is and that you have the right procedures in place to detect, report and investigate one. Do other people know what to do?
Familiarise yourself with the guidance the ICO has produced on Privacy Impact Assessments and how and when to implement them in your school.
Designate a data protection officer or someone to take responsibility for compliance and assess where this role will sit within your school’s structure and governance. The DPO must be impartial and can be someone from outside of the school.
If your school operates internationally, you should determine which data protection supervisory authority you come under.
At Data Protection Education, we can support your school and staff to understand their responsibilities and ensure you comply with the new regulations. We offer three levels of training and support and our gold package includes the provision of a data protection officer. Read more about the packages here or call us to talk about which package is most suitable to your school. | https://dataprotection.education/blog/19-preparing-to-be-gdpr-compliant |
Background
==========
The evidence-based medicine approach, which focused initially on clinical decision-making, has more recently been extended to policy and management decisions, where it is sometimes referred to as \'evidence-based\' or \'evidence-informed\' policy making \[[@B1]-[@B3]\]. Increasingly, the use of global research evidence is being seen as a key component of policy making processes and it has been suggested widely that health goals are more likely to be achieved by policies that are informed by rigorous research evidence \[[@B4]-[@B8]\]. The evidence-informed policy making approach suggests that research evidence from the evaluation of health care interventions, particularly evidence from systematic reviews of randomised controlled trials (RCTs), is the most robust form of evidence for informing policy decisions about the allocation of resources to services or programmes as well as decisions on how to deliver and finance these services \[[@B9]-[@B11]\]. However, there is still uncertainty about how research evidence is used by policy makers and how best to ensure that available knowledge is translated into policies and actions.
Knowledge translation - defined as the \"exchange, synthesis, and effective communication of reliable and relevant research results\" \[[@B8]\] p.140) is particularly pertinent in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), which face scarce resources as well as high disease burdens. Effective and affordable interventions are available for many of the health problems contributing to the disease burden in these countries. However, this has not led to the automatic translation of research evidence into policy-making \[[@B4],[@B12]-[@B14]\]; often these interventions are not implemented or are discarded in favour of unproven interventions.
As three publications from the World Health Organization indicate \[[@B8],[@B15],[@B16]\], growing attention is being paid to knowledge translation in global health. Studies suggest that the relationship between knowledge production (research that generates evidence) and knowledge translation is complex \[[@B17],[@B18]\] with a multitude of factors operating at the individual, organizational, systems and contextual levels \[[@B19]\].
This paper aims to contribute to understanding the process of knowledge translation in LMICs by describing the factors affecting the use of research findings, particularly findings from RCTs, in national policy development. It also explores how actors in the policy process understand the notion of \'evidence\' for decision-making. The paper focuses on policy making for two case studies: the use of magnesium sulphate (MgSO~4~) in the treatment of eclampsia and severe pre-eclampsia in pregnancy; and the use of insecticide treated bed nets and indoor residual household spraying for malaria vector control. These case studies represent two different types of interventions: a hospital or clinically based intervention for the treatment of eclampsia and a public health or community based intervention in the case of malaria control. The study explores and compares the perceptions of stakeholders involved in research and policy making in the two cases in Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
The case studies
================
MgSO~4~for the treatment of eclampsia and severe pre-eclampsia
--------------------------------------------------------------
Pre-eclampsia and eclampsia are important contributors to maternal and infant morbidity and mortality in low-income countries \[[@B20]-[@B22]\]. Strong evidence is available from RCTs of the effectiveness of MgSO~4~for women with eclampsia and severe pre-eclampsia \[[@B23]-[@B27]\]. However, there is concern that this safe, inexpensive drug may still not be available or used widely in many countries \[[@B18],[@B28]-[@B30]\]. Ensuring that policies and actions are informed by these RCT results could benefit many women.
Insecticide treated bed nets compared with indoor residual spraying for the control of malaria
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Malaria remains a major contributor to the burden of disease in low-income countries \[[@B31]\]. RCTs have demonstrated the effectiveness of insecticide treated bed nets in reducing malaria incidence in endemic regions \[[@B32]\]. However, there are still controversies regarding the sustainability of bed net programmes and their relative effectiveness compared to traditional indoor residual household spraying with insecticides \[[@B33]-[@B35]\]. Decision-makers need to assess these uncertainties in developing policies and scaling up interventions for malaria prevention.
Methods
=======
We used a qualitative case-study methodology to explore evidence uptake in the policy making process at national level \[[@B36]\]. We did not consider how policies were implemented in clinical medicine or public health but rather focused on the upstream policy making process. In each country, we undertook key informant interviews with key stakeholders (Table [1](#T1){ref-type="table"}), reviewed documents and developed timelines of key events. The regionally-based research team consisted of four researchers in Mozambique, and two each in South Africa and Zimbabwe.
######
Profile of study respondents
Country Number of respondents
----------------------------------------------------- ----------------------- ---
**Mozambique**
Government health officials 4 4
Pharmaceutical policy makers\* 5
NGOs 3
Clinicians/researchers 5 7
International/bilateral agencies 5
**South Africa:**
Government health officials 5 8
NGOs 2
Clinicians/researchers 10 4
International/bilateral agencies 1
**Zimbabwe**
Government health officials 2 4
Pharmaceutical policy makers\* 7
Pharmaceutical company representatives 3
Clinician/researchers 7 2
International/bilateral agencies 4
**Researchers based outside of the study settings** 1 3
\*Pharmaceutical policy makers sat on national bodies that determined policy.
Country selection
-----------------
These three countries were partners in PraCTiHC (Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trials in Health Care), a project funded by the European Commission. They are low- and middle-income countries, where eclampsia and malaria are important health problems and where health care systems and policies have often undergone a significant process of re-evaluation after independence or regime change. Although there are significant regional similarities between the three study countries, there are also differences in health systems and resources; in current and past policies with regard to malaria control and the treatment of preclampsia/eclampsia; and in their relationships to national and international policy networks. Including these countries helped to illuminate the similarities and differences in policy making across different settings, thereby improving the generalisability of the study findings.
Data Collection
---------------
### Document Review
We reviewed documents that provided insight into policy processes at country level. These included both formal policy documents and other official documents such as treatment guidelines, essential drugs lists, circulars, and minutes of meetings.
### Key Informant Interviews
We conducted interviews between April 2004 and March 2005, based on an interview guide that explored the policy development process. This guide was translated into Portuguese in Mozambique, and most interviews in this country were conducted in this language. English was the language used for the interviews in South Africa and Zimbabwe. Interviews took about 45 minutes. We audio-recorded each interview and transcribed the recordings in their original language.
We used a combination of purposive and snowball sampling to select key informants \[[@B37]\], based on their involvement in research or policy making for each case study (Table [1](#T1){ref-type="table"}). An iterative approach to data collection and analysis was used, with themes and issues emerging from early interviews explored further in later interviews. We stopped recruiting respondents once we felt that we had reached data saturation \[[@B37]\].
### Timelines
For each policy case study, we constructed a timeline of key events in the policy process, including important meetings and the publication of policy documents and research findings. Initially we drafted each timeline based on available documents and on our knowledge of each policy context. Each timeline was then refined using information gained from the document review and interviews. We further corroborated dates and events by searching the internet and through consultation with colleagues familiar with the events.
Data Analysis and Interpretation
--------------------------------
In order to manage the large data set generated, we used a multilayered approach to data analysis. Analysis began with the data generated from the key informant interviews. Country level researchers read and annotated each transcript and identified preliminary themes. These themes reflected issues arising from the interviews and document analyses. We then held a joint workshop where we discussed broad themes emerging across the country data, thus devising a preliminary coding scheme to guide further thematic analysis. These steps were taken to harmonize the analysis process across the study sites. It also facilitated later cross-country and cross-case study analysis. We then undertook further thematic analysis of the data, based on this coding scheme. Once coded, we grouped data extracts from each transcript together under the appropriate category. After reading and re-reading the coded data, a narrative account of the findings was developed. For the write-up, we selected data extracts illustrative of the key themes. To enhance the validity of the study, our research process included internal training of the research team, respondent validation or member checks and attention to negative cases \[[@B38]\]. In addition, we paid considerable attention to exploring similarities and differences in knowledge translation processes between the two case studies and across the three countries.
Ethical approval
----------------
The study received approval from ethics committees at the Medical Research Council of South Africa, the Medical Research Council of Zimbabwe and the Comité Nacional de Bioética para a Saúde in Mozambique (the study countries); and at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the World Health Organization (one of the research funders). After being provided with information, each respondent gave written informed consent for interview. In reporting, we have removed any potential identifiers.
Results
=======
We present the findings for each of the case studies - MgSO~4~and malaria - across the three countries. For the purposes of comparison, we have organised the findings in each section around the key issues for knowledge translation emerging from our data. These findings are also summarised in Table [2](#T2){ref-type="table"}.
######
Summary of study findings
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Factors identified as influencing the use of research in policymaking Case study 1: MgSO~4~for eclampsia Case study 2: Bed nets versus spraying for malaria **Factors found in systematic reviews to influence the use of research in policymaking**\[[@B11],[@B13]\] Comments
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
**Research evidence** High quality evidence from RCTs that supported the effectiveness of MgSO~4~as first line treatment. Head-to-head comparisons in RCTs did not find an important difference in effectiveness. \- Timeliness, perceived relevance and quality of the research\ \- The perceived relevance and quality of the research on MgSO~4~was high, whereas the evidence for bed nets was not perceived to be relevant. More weight was given to local experience than to evidence from RCTs for malaria control.\
- Trust in the research and researchers\ - Availability and timeliness of the research were not identified as important for either case.
- Availability of research summaries with clear recommendations\
- Use of jargon and only publishing for a scientific audience
**Involvement of local researchers in evidence production** Leading obstetricians in all three countries were involved in the trials. Researchers in South Africa involved in one comparative trial.\ This was not identified as an important factor in either of the reviews cited above Involvement in trials may be an important influence directly or through other routes. These other routes include champions, international networks, prior experience and the promotion of a culture of evidence-based health care.
Researchers in Mozambique were involved in bed net research.
**Prior clinical or public health experience** Prior experience in the use of specific drugs for eclampsia may explain, in part, differences in policy between the three countries. Prior experience heavily influenced support for spraying and inhibited policies favouring the use of bed nets. Policy confirmatory research The extent to which the research confirmed or challenged prior experience was important for both cases.
**Research and policy champions** Obstetrician researchers championed MgSO~4~in all three countries, but in Zimbabwe the key champion emigrated prior to development of a policy supporting MgSO~4~as the first line drug. Researchers regionally, particularly in South Africa, championed spraying, whereas researchers in Mozambique championed bed nets. Neither review specifically identified the role of champions in promoting the use of research evidence, although both found interactions and trust between policymakers and researchers to be the most commonly identified factor supporting research use. In both cases senior researchers actively advocated for specific policies. In the malaria case, researchers in South Africa and Zimbabwe advocated spraying rather than bed nets. In Mozambique, they advocated nets.
**International networks, organisations and other stakeholders** International networks that influenced MgSO4 policy were largely evidence-based, such as the Cochrane Collaboration. A wide range of stakeholders and international organizations with differing interests, including bilateral donors, (e.g. DFID, JICA), and multilateral agencies, (e.g. WHO, UNICEF and the Roll Back Malaria Partnership), influenced malaria policy in Mozambique and Zimbabwe. This was partially due to donor dependence. Neither review identified stakeholder interests or international networks as being important factors that affect the use of research, although community pressure was identified as an important factor. It is likely that international organizations play a more important role in policy development in many LMICs compared to high-income countries, due to donor dependence.
**Regional networks of policy makers and researchers** Regional networks of policy makers and researchers did not emerge as an important factor. Regional networks of policy makers and researchers emerged as a key factor influencing malaria policy. Existence of policy networks This difference between the two cases may reflect differences between public health policies, particularly for vector-borne diseases that cross borders, and policies for clinical interventions. In addition, powerful champions promoted regional networks for malaria policy and control.
**Involvement of researchers in policy making** Researchers played an important role in policy development in all three countries. Researchers played an important role in policy development in all three countries. Interactions and trust between policymakers and researchers. There was extensive interaction between researchers and policy makers in both cases, and researchers also moved between the research and policy environments. This level of interchange may be more common in LMICs than in high- income countries.
**Culture of evidence-based health care within specific health domains** This emerged as an important factor supporting the uptake of research findings for MgSO^4^, due to the strong culture of evidence-based health care in obstetrics. The culture in relationship to evidence varied for malaria, with greater emphasis on local observational evidence. Differences in malaria epidemiology contributed to this emphasis. Skill and attitudes of those receiving the research The greater focus on local conditions and evidence may be more typical for public health and communicable diseases management particularly.
**Political and bureaucratic processes** Bureaucratic processes can in part explain the failure to include MgSO~4~in the national formulary in Mozambique even though it was recommended \[[@B30]\]. Political processes at national, regional and international levels may have contributed to the continuation of policies that failed to promote the use of bed nets. \- Bureaucratic process including power and budget struggles and conflicts\ Bureaucratic processes emerged as being potentially important for MgSO~4~, whereas political processes appeared more important for malaria policies.
- Management support
**Events within the wider political environment** Although this did not emerge as an important factor, political and economic instability may have influenced policy in Zimbabwe. Political and economic changes influenced policy in several ways: through South Africa becoming influential in regional politics; through lobbying by interest groups; and with regard to ideological and political perceptions of spraying and bed nets. The political environment including political stability and community pressure. External political events can be a limiting factor, but are perhaps more important in public health than in clinical medicine.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MgSO~4~in the treatment of eclampsia and severe pre-eclampsia
-------------------------------------------------------------
### The research evidence
Landmark trials, subsequently incorporated into Cochrane reviews, have demonstrated the efficacy of MgSO~4~in the treatment of eclampsia and pre-eclampsia in pregnancy \[[@B23]-[@B27]\]. South Africa and Zimbabwe participated in these trials, which presented high quality evidence for the use of this drug as a first line therapeutic.
### Local involvement in evidence production
In all three countries, leading obstetric departments were involved in trials of MgSO~4~, and the obstetricians concerned participated in policy formulation, influencing uptake of these research findings. In particular, senior obstetricians and other researchers in South Africa and Zimbabwe were involved in the Collaborative Eclampsia and Magpie trials \[[@B26],[@B27]\]. This enhanced the credibility of the trial results within these settings:
*\"I think it \[the Collaborative Eclampsia Trial\] was presented at a number of local meetings. \... the leader in South Africa of that trial, \... he presented it at many meetings and so it was a well known research in this country and in Zimbabwe.\"*(Clinician/researcher, South Africa)
Involvement in these trials allowed local researchers to gain further experience in the use of MgSO~4~for the treatment of eclampsia and pre-eclampsia. However, respondents reported that adverse outcomes experienced by patients receiving MgSO~4~in the Collaborative Eclampsia Trial in Zimbabwe raised concerns amongst clinicians regarding its safety. This was thought to have inhibited its uptake as first line treatment for eclampsia in the country.
Respondents in Mozambique reported that a trial conducted locally in 1989 showed MgSO~4~to be superior to diazepam for the treatment of eclampsia. Although this study was never published, it was considered important in convincing obstetricians to use the drug:
*\"We developed the trial up to a certain point, but it was obvious that the patients treated with magnesium sulphate had a lower mortality, and they awoke more rapidly from comas and convulsions \...\"*(Clinician/researcher, Mozambique)
Interactions between research - both local and international - and experiential knowledge therefore influenced researcher-clinicians\' acceptance of trial findings on the effectiveness of MgSO~4~; the value attributed to them; and the uptake of these findings into policies.
### Prior practices and beliefs
While research knowledge was important in shaping policy and practice, experiential knowledge also played a key role. Based on their clinical training, obstetricians in South Africa and Mozambique tended to follow the obstetric schools that promoted the use of MgSO~4~for the management of eclampsia:
*\"I think it depended on where people studied. It depended on what people read and it depended on what people believed.\"*(Clinician/researcher, South Africa)
Because practice prior to the landmark trials was often based on MgSO~4~, many obstetricians noted that they had experienced the clinical success of the drug long before it was shown to be effective in trials:
*\"\...even in the absence of a randomised study, I think the empirical results were very convincing.\"*(Clinician/researcher, Mozambique).
Because the evidence from the later Collaborative Eclampsia Trial \[[@B26]\] was congruent with existing practice, its uptake into policy was easier.
In Zimbabwe, on the other hand, obstetricians tended, before MgSO~4~was demonstrated to be effective, to follow the British tradition of using diazepam for eclampsia management:
*\"\...the older consultants have been trained in Britain and came with what we were doing in Britain, and practising what we were doing in Britain and this has been passed on to the others in the country\....\"*(Clinician/researcher, Zimbabwe)
*\"\... diazepam has been there for as long as I have been there, even pre-independence \[before 1980\], diazepam has been used all along\....\"*(Clinician/researcher, Zimbabwe)
### Champions and lobby groups
The role of, and need for, local champions in placing issues on the policy agenda was highlighted. In all three countries, clinical champions lobbied for MgSO~4~to be included as the first line treatment for eclampsia:
*\"Yes, both \[clinicians\] in private and in public practice \[lobbied\], some as groups of researchers and others in their individual capacities\....\"*(Clinician/researcher, Zimbabwe)
Respondents in South Africa suggested that individual and organizational lobbying drew attention initially to the causes of maternal mortality, helping to place maternal and child health on the policy agenda \[[@B39],[@B40]\]. This helped to ensure that the Department of Health prioritised the development of evidence-based policies to improve maternal health. In Zimbabwe, clinical champions were also important in developing guidelines for the treatment of eclampsia. Their importance was illustrated by the fact that the emigration of the local champion for MgSO~4~, before the full acceptance of the drug was realised, was regarded by some as a cause for slowing the process of getting MgSO~4~into policy and practice for the management of eclampsia.
Lobbying and championing was not limited to the national level. Groups such as the Cochrane Collaboration influenced how local researchers and policy makers thought about evidence-based practice and policy, as we discuss below.
### Involvement in national and international research networks
In all three countries, academic obstetricians who were key to local policy development were involved in national, regional and international research networks. These networks were influential in building a culture of research and evidence-based medicine through exposing local clinicians to these ideas as they developed internationally. Directly and indirectly, these networks therefore shaped the translation of evidence into policies. For example, our data indicated that proponents of evidence-based obstetrics internationally, including several linked to the then developing Cochrane Collaboration, participated in conferences in South Africa:
*\"We actually invited \[researchers\]*\.... *attached to the Oxford Database \[the precursor to the Cochrane Library\]\.... So we were sort of, I think from the word go, when the Oxford Database became available for use, we were part of it, we were aware of it, we were using it, and I think quite a few South Africans became involved on their editorial board and as editors or reviewers, or whatever.\"*(Clinician/researcher, South Africa)
Leading international researchers also spent sabbatical periods, or developed research units, in the study countries. In Mozambique, international researchers working in the capital facilitated access to the international literature and organised scientific exchanges:
*\"\...studying abroad, having scientific interchanges not just based on the diseases here, is important. The doctors who come to work here help in training the Mozambican doctors who work with them\"*. (Clinician/researcher, Mozambique)
These networks built links to key research taking place internationally and to international policy debates on treatment. Later these networks were also important in recruiting researchers from the study countries into international trials of MgSO~4~.
### Involvement of researchers in policy making
Key to knowledge translation in the case of MgSO~4~was the interface between researchers and policy-making. In all three countries, academic obstetricians who were also active as researchers played important roles in policy development. These obstetricians worked with government officials to draft and review policies, often through expert groups. In Mozambique and Zimbabwe, they were often given policy-making responsibilities, as a researcher in Zimbabwe notes:
*\"The policy of management of eclampsia is enunciated in the EDLIZ \[Essential Drugs List of Zimbabwe\] and is a process of consultation within affiliated disciplines to arrive at compilation of the document. Obstetricians and gynaecologists contributed to this through a nominated point person who worked with the Ministry Steering Committee to draw up this document.\"*(Clinician/researcher, Zimbabwe)
Government officials also gave researchers other tasks, such as drawing up operational plans, training and supervision, which contributed to close working relationships. In Mozambique, some academic obstetricians also occupied key positions in the Ministry of Health.
In contrast, limited opportunities existed for academics to engage with government in South Africa prior to the change of government in 1994. The new government, however, prioritized maternal and child health and employed into its ranks key members of the national academic obstetric community. This created opportunities for academic engagement in this sector with key policy-making committees being chaired by academic obstetricians. A clinician researcher described this change in researcher involvement in policy-making:
*\"\...I\'ve worked in obstetrics before the new government and after, and \... before there was never the ability to talk about national policies or anything like that. Certainly afterwards \[after 1994\] there\'s been a great movement to be able to do that, to participate and to make guidelines.\"*(Clinician/researcher, South Africa)
In all three countries, obstetricians thus had ready access to policy makers and were part of tight-knit policy communities. The closeness of academic obstetricians in each country to the policy making process suggests that they were potentially key conduits for knowledge translation.
### A culture of evidence based obstetrics
Attempts have been made internationally to develop a culture of evidence-based research and practice within obstetrics \[[@B41]\]. In the study settings, a culture of basing practice on research findings preceded the availability of evidence from RCTs. We have already described how local researchers became linked into international evidence-based medicine networks. The success of these international initiatives in the study countries was clear from our interviews, with most respondents expressing strong views on the importance of using and generating evidence:
*\"\...so evidence, that sort of thing was really grasped with both hands. I think a lot of our research is clinical. So trials are our - if you want to do research -is our bread and butter \... I don\'t think there\'s any \...O & G \[obstetric and gynaecology\] academic institution which doesn\'t use Cochrane extensively.\"*(Clinician/researcher, South Africa)
Most respondents embraced strongly a culture of evidence-based medicine, believing that policies should be based on RCT findings. Since many of these clinicians were key to the policy making process, their definitions of evidence influenced strongly the sorts of information considered during policy development. Respondents placed high value on evidence from RCTs, including the international collaborative trials \[[@B26],[@B27]\]. Respondents noted that before evidence from these trials became available, other forms of research information such as the Pritchard case series on the treatment of eclampsia \[[@B42],[@B43]\] were relied upon:
*\"\... in a very famous series of cases of Pritchard, they had 300 consecutive cases of eclampsia without any maternal deaths \...with magnesium sulphate. That\'s clinical proof\...\"*(Clinician/researcher, Mozambique)
Insecticide treated bed nets compared with indoor residual household spraying for malaria vector control
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
### The evidence
Indoor residual spraying and insecticide-treated nets have been demonstrated to be effective across a wide range of settings. However, few randomised trials have compared directly the efficacy of bed nets and indoor residual insecticide spraying and their comparative cost-effectiveness depends on the context in which they are implemented. It is therefore difficult to justify one approach over another based on the available evidence \[[@B44],[@B45]\]. At the time of the study, there had also been no trials directly comparing different insecticides. In addition, long-term impregnated nets had not been widely distributed in the study settings.
### The stakeholders and international agencies
A large and diverse group of stakeholders was involved in decisions on malaria policy in the three countries. Important players included government officials; multilateral agencies (particularly the WHO and UNICEF); partnerships such as the Roll Back Malaria Partnership (which includes WHO, UNICEF, UNDP, the World Bank and a wide range of other NGOs); foundations; donors (such as the UK Department for International Development (DFID); the Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA); and the Global Fund against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria); academic and private sector institutions; NGOs (such as environmental organisations); political actors; and commercial actors (such as insecticide manufacturers). These stakeholders expressed varied and contested interests, differed in their use and interpretation of evidence, and promoted different malaria control policies, as we describe elsewhere \[[@B46]\]. Contested issues included which insecticide to use (all three countries) and whether to use nets or spraying (Mozambique). Political and commercial interests were also evident, and these interests attempted to influence both policy makers and researchers. For example, the tobacco lobby in Zimbabwe was important in the decision to stop using DDT because of fears that the pesticide would contaminate the tobacco crop.
*\" \[The\] tobacco commercial farming sector lobbied government against use of DDT because the buyers of Zimbabwe tobacco abroad were saying that, if they found traces of DDT in tobacco, they would not buy Zimbabwe tobacco.\" (*International agency, Zimbabwe)
In Mozambique, younger researchers mostly favoured the introduction of bed nets. This was because they had been drawn into international bed net research networks through their post-graduate studies overseas and through their contacts with international researchers visiting and working in Mozambique. Because of its higher malaria burden, Mozambique was more integrated than were South Africa and Zimbabwe into the international malaria research networks that had undertaken key RCTs on ITNs.
Bilateral donors, multilateral agencies, and international NGOs were important players in shaping malaria control policies, particularly through funding ITN programmes in Mozambique and Zimbabwe:
*\"\...but of course the insecticide treated nets agenda is also pushed, as you may be aware, very strongly by the bilateral donors, and other players and the UN family and so on. And so the government has accepted their advice as it were, of course to actually use nets \...Nets, to begin with, I think, were an outside sort of influence\"*(International agency, Zimbabwe)
*\"We can see that nets have become an international fashion\... there is a lot of pressure regarding them\...\"*(Government health official, Mozambique)
Pesticide and net manufacturers also lobbied for their interests and contributed to developing and shaping evidence. For example, pesticide companies had an interest in promoting insecticides other than DDT for spraying, as greater profits were to be made from newer insecticides. These companies therefore sponsored trials in both Mozambique and Zimbabwe \[[@B47]-[@B49]\].
A range of NGOs also worked to influence malaria control policies. Environmental lobby groups, both local and international, played important roles in supporting moves away from DDT in South Africa and Zimbabwe in the 1990s and in mobilising evidence for this:
*\"The international community, as you probably know, the Greenpeace people and the environmental lobbying groups started putting pressure\...we agreed in principle to try reducing the reliance on DDT mainly because of all the things that were published. So those are more or less the reasons why we moved towards reducing DDT.\"*(Government official, South Africa)
Later, the NGO \'Africa Fighting Malaria\' took on the task of lobbying for DDT <http://www.fightingmalaria.org>. This organization, apparently linked to international neoconservative groups \[[@B50]\], fiercely criticized environmentalists who had pushed for a ban on DDT \[[@B51]\].
### The role of regional networks of policy makers and researchers
Researchers and policy makers were organised into strong regional networks that were important in sharing ideas and approaches to malaria control. These networks played a key role in maintaining the emphasis on spraying in the region.
Historically, South Africa and Zimbabwe had close links and several key South African researchers and malaria control officers had been trained, and formerly held positions, at the Blair Research Institute in Harare - an important regional malaria research institution. Strong relationships later developed between South African and Mozambican researchers and implementers around the Lubombo Spatial Development Initiative (LSDI), which aimed to improve malaria control in South Africa, Swaziland and neighbouring areas of Mozambique.
### Involvement of researchers in policy making
Although policy makers may have become aware of research evidence through their own reading, respondents also identified a number of interfaces through which research entered the policy making process. Firstly, researchers were co-opted into formal government advisory committees in all three settings:
*\"\...certainly we \[in the government department\] might have the background knowledge into it but we\'re not currently working in researching malaria all the time\... So we felt that we needed to bring and call on expertise from the country to advise us on policy \... and that is the main reason why the decision was taken to put an advisory group together.\"*(Government official, South Africa)
Consequently, close relationships developed between researchers and health officials responsible for implementing malaria control. These researchers were regarded as experts and evidence uptake was mediated through them.
Secondly, researchers acted in some instances not only as advisors but also as implementers. For example, a senior researcher in South Africa was integrally involved in implementing malaria control initiatives within the LSDI. This initiative, which integrated research and implementation, helped to bring researchers and policy makers together, as one researcher involved in this noted:
*\"\...we brought service and research together. We thought, \'What\'s happening in the world? There\'s a lot of research going on but is it translating into implementation?\'. I think that you have to bring those two communities together because the one needs to feed into the other\... Over the last ten years, maybe fifteen, we\'ve really worked towards trying to bridge that gap*.\" (Researcher, Mozambique)
Thirdly, national research bodies had close links with government policy-making bodies in all three countries:
*\"I think major advantages that Blair \[the Blair Research Institute\] has made, or Blair research findings had in influencing policy, is that Blair themselves are part of the national malaria control programme, and Blair do sit in national malaria control programme committees. So the work that they do and their research findings find \[their\] way almost automatically, naturally into policy and decision making.\"*(International agency, Zimbabwe)
Knowledge translation for malaria control was facilitated through these different avenues.
### Defining \'evidence\' in the context of malaria control
In contrast to the MgSO~4~case study, there seemed to be a less visible culture of decision-making for malaria control being based on RCT evidence. Respondents were clear that, for them, what constituted research evidence went beyond RCTs and included experience, surveillance data and expert opinion. Considerable research was undertaken locally in all three countries. This research - broad in its methodological approach - was regarded as important to decision making. For example, the malaria surveillance data collected for many years in Zimbabwe and South Africa were seen as important evidence for shaping policy (see, for example, \[[@B52]\]), particularly in showing the effectiveness of the spraying approaches used in these settings. The weight of this evidence meant that RCTs were not seen as necessary to demonstrate the effectiveness of spraying:
*\"But in terms of indoor residual spraying, I think the evidence is not disputable - it\'s there to see! In the countries where indoor residual spraying is done, the number of malaria deaths are very low, but in countries where indoor residual spraying is not being done, the number of malaria deaths are so high.\" (*Government health official, Zimbabwe)
In Zimbabwe and South Africa, the international evidence from ITN trials was also seen as distant and not necessarily relevant as it was felt that the local epidemiology of the disease was different to that of the countries in which the trials were conducted:
*\"Well I know with nets, even up to now there are a lot of controversies. The epidemiology of malaria in Zimbabwe is quite different from Tanzania, is quite different from the Gambia, or where there is high para-endemicity in those areas\"*(International agency, Zimbabwe)
Although a national trial comparing bed nets and spraying was conducted in South Africa in the 1990s \[[@B53]-[@B55]\], this was stopped when a malaria epidemic demanded quick action that undermined the trial randomisation.
In addition to concerns about the local applicability of RCT evidence, many policy makers were also clear that ease of implementation and sustainability were key to their decision-making regarding malaria control options. Simply showing success in a RCT was not considered sufficient:
*\"Several randomised and controlled studies have already been undertaken which prove effectiveness in reducing mortality, but how can this ideal situation be translated into practical terms, while maintaining effectiveness?\... In practical terms and under real conditions,\... this is where questions arise. Why are there so many nets distributed, and why are there so many sprayings, and there is no positive impact? \...Research should always be done; otherwise we will not be able to know when an intervention is no longer working.\"*(Researcher, Mozambique)
*\"\... after five years of investment in the Gambia (teams, money, very high cost), when they \[the researchers\] left, it all fell apart. People need to learn the advantage of nets\...because the nets give more work. \...it is a long-term thing to create a habit*. (Policy maker, Mozambique)
Some respondents within the malaria control programme also differentiated between research, and surveillance and outbreak investigation:
\"*We have very little time for actual research. \[\...\] It\'s basic problem solving. If there\'s a small outbreak or a rise in cases in a particular area, you go there and try and evaluate and see what the reason for it is. So you can\'t study or work in one area for a particular time, which virtually rules out any kind of research.\"*(Government official, South Africa)
While research evidence was regarded as influential, many respondents saw local experience with varied approaches to malaria control as even more important. Thus, the long history of spraying in the region contributed to a preference for its continued use:
*\"Historical evidence - there was plenty\...50 years of spraying in South Africa with large areas free from malaria that previously had been malarious areas.\"*(Researcher, Mozambique)
This contributed to the delayed acceptance of bed nets in Mozambique and Zimbabwe and to scepticism towards this control approach in South Africa.
Discussion
==========
Our knowledge translation findings are similar to those synthesized by Innvær in a systematic review of research on the use of evidence by health policy makers \[[@B13]\]. Factors identified by this review, such as interaction and trust between policy makers and researchers, are consistent with our findings for MgSO~4~. Similarly, we found the political environment to be important in both the MgSO~4~and malaria cases: democratization in South Africa was a factor enabling the MgSO~4~research findings to be taken up into policy. Furthermore, the changed political environment in southern Africa after the democratic elections in South Africa in 1994 affected regional malaria policy. The importance of policy networks involving policy makers and researchers, and the influence of political factors such as local conflicts, were also highlighted as important in a more recent systematic review of factors affecting research utilisation by health policy makers and health care managers \[[@B11]\].
In our study, there were similarities across the case studies regarding the routes through which research entered the policy making process; the influence of lobby groups and champions; and the roles of national, regional and international research and policy networks. In addition, similarities were found in the use of field or clinical experience; conceptions of what constituted \"evidence\"; and the extent of local involvement in evidence production. However, the relative importance of these factors was different for eclampsia and malaria, as we discuss below.
In both Mozambique and Zimbabwe, and to some extent South Africa, the relatively small number of health care clinicians/researchers, policy makers and institutions enabled a greater degree of interaction between them and contributed to the frequent movement of researchers between the research and policy domains. This contrasts with the situation in many high-income countries, where there is often a greater breadth of health personnel and institutions and where it is therefore likely that a lower proportion of senior researchers are involved directly in policy-making.
In the case of policy for the management of eclampsia, obstetricians and researchers in all three countries tended to belong to the same national clinical and research networks and attended the same meetings and conferences. We would therefore suggest that this tightly knit, exclusive group constituted a \"policy community\" \[[@B56],[@B57]\]. These national policy communities in Zimbabwe and South Africa were linked closely to the Cochrane Collaboration, which played a particularly important role in ensuring a common conceptualisation of \"evidence\"; providing resources; and lobbying for and facilitating knowledge translation. The existence of these tightly knit national policy communities, consisting of a small number of clinicians with similar backgrounds and training, also enabled consensus regarding what constituted research evidence. As alluded to above, champions were more important for knowledge translation in the eclampsia case study than in the malaria case. We would suggest that this is because the policy communities for eclampsia management were fairly homogenous and small, being formed mainly of obstetricians. Under these circumstances, champions have considerable influence. Other studies have also suggested that such popular opinion leaders have more influence within tightly knit groups \[[@B58]-[@B60]\] and may be particularly important in influencing others to adopt new approaches, technologies and treatments.
In contrast, we identified a much wider array of stakeholders within the malaria control domain. These groups, with divergent backgrounds, opinions and interests, more closely resemble *issue networks*in which relations between actors are looser than in policy communities \[[@B56],[@B57]\]. The actors within these networks were an \"unruly mélange\" \[[@B61]\] of interest groups and political actors, often contesting existing and new interventions and championing different causes, based on ideological, political and commercial interests. In the debates regarding malaria control, which included which insecticide to use and whether or not to use bed nets or spraying, various groups were aligned with different positions. For example, there were pro- and anti-spraying groups among government officials, researchers and politicians in all three countries, and WHO regional and central offices were often on different sides of the ITN debate.
Eclampsia, as a clinical condition, therefore has a narrow \"footprint\" in the sense that the range of actors involved is fairly narrow - they are more likely to have close working relationships and to have developed a common understanding of the research \"evidence\". In contrast, malaria control has a broad \"footprint\", with a very wide range of actors with differing agendas in both the research and policy areas. This makes development of a common understanding of \"evidence\" more difficult.
Another important factor in knowledge translation was the extent of local involvement in knowledge production. Where local researchers were involved in international multi-centre studies, such as the Collaborative Eclampsia Trial \[[@B26]\], or undertook national studies, the findings were seen as having greater credibility and applicability within the country context. This can be partly explained by the need for research to be relevant to the local epidemiology of disease and to health service organization. However, familiarity with the intervention was also important and, for example, was one of the reasons why bed nets did not receive significant attention from policy makers within the National Department of Health in South Africa.
The overall political and economic context in which knowledge translation took place was also important. The change of government in 1994 in South Africa, for example, brought in a new cohort of policy makers who questioned the longstanding use of DDT for spraying. This influenced the subsequent decision to switch to the use of pyrethroid insecticides for spraying. Similarly, this change in the political context also resulted in far greater emphasis being placed on maternal and child health. This in turn, provided an opportunity to introduce national guidelines for the management of eclampsia based on MgSO~4~. Such \"policy windows\" \[[@B62]\] are important in understanding why knowledge translation took place in specific context at particular times.
In exploring the role of research evidence in policy-making, this study raises a number of methodological issues. Firstly, it draws heavily on the accounts of respondents. A strength of this approach is that the data represent the views of those closely involved in formulating the policies studied and therefore provide valuable insights into policy processes. However, we recognise that such accounts are inevitably influenced by respondents\' position at the time of the event, their position now, their relationship with the researchers, the shifts that they may have made over time between organizations and their memory of particular events \[[@B63]\]. To address this, we attempted to triangulate interview data with information from other sources. Secondly, the purposive sampling draws in part on identifying respondents through others familiar with the policymaking process, and this may have yielded a sample of people sharing similar opinions. To avoid this, we actively sought respondents with differing views and explored negative cases \[[@B38]\]. Thirdly, this study did not address policy implementation, focusing rather on policy development. Further studies are required to explore the ways in which policies for maternal health and malaria control have been implemented in the field. Fourth, this paper attempts to summarise findings across three countries and two case studies and therefore cannot do full justice to the depth of data collected in each site. More detailed reports of components of this work are available \[[@B30],[@B46],[@B64]\]. Finally, the case study approach, like many qualitative methods, has been criticized for being unable to produce generalisations. We would argue, though, that the approach allows theoretical generalisability \[[@B65]\] and provides insights into the ways in which knowledge informs policy making in \'real life\' contexts \[[@B66]\].
Key lessons learnt from the study are:
• There is openness among policy stakeholders to considering research findings. International efforts to support the use of research evidence in LMICs should therefore continue.
• Local researchers were more open to the findings of research in which they had been involved.
• Local champions are important and are a potential route for facilitating knowledge transfer. They should therefore be supported.
• National, regional and international networks appear to be very important in both shaping ideas about what constitutes evidence and in acting as a conduit for transfer of research findings. This can have both positive and negative impacts. For example, views regarding the effectiveness of spraying within policy networks operating in Zimbabwe and South Africa may have reduced openness to considering the use of bed nets.
• Context is an important filter for the translation of knowledge at local levels. Issues such as the local applicability of evidence, and the extent to which proposed policies differ from what is currently believed or the status quo, are aspects of this. Strong international evidence may therefore not always be locally accepted.
• Skills and ability to act on research evidence was present in all of the study settings. However, the capacity for absorption was limited by human and other resource constraints. For example, knowledge translation was often dependant on a few key people or on a particular array of conditions/circumstances. The process is therefore a fragile one.
Conclusion
==========
The World Health Organization has noted that \"Stronger emphasis should be placed on translating knowledge into action to improve public health by bridging the gap between what is known and what is actually being done.\" \[[@B8]\] p. xv). This study illustrates that translating research knowledge into policy and practice is a complex and context sensitive process. Interaction and trust between policymakers and researchers were important factors in the use of research in policymaking in the study settings, as were political and bureaucratic processes, policy confirmatory research and the relevance and quality of the research. Research champions and international networks were also important, though these factors have not been emphasised in systematic reviews of factors affecting policy makers\' use of evidence. Efforts to support knowledge translation in LMICs need to both take account of these factors and incorporate evaluation, so that a wider evidence base for knowledge translation in these settings can be developed.
Competing interests
===================
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Authors\' contributions
=======================
GW participated in the conception and design of the study and analysis and drafted the manuscript; SL participated in the conception and design of the study and data collection and analysis, and revised the manuscript; JC participated in the conception and design of the study and in data collection and analysis, and revised the manuscript; KD participated in data collection and analysis, and revised the manuscript; ES participated in data collection and analysis and revised the manuscript; BF participated in data collection and analysis and revised the manuscript; AM participated in data collection and analysis and revised the manuscript; SM participated in data collection and analysis, and revised the manuscript; AO participated in the conception of the study and revised the manuscript; JL assisted with analysis and revised the manuscript; CSL participated in the conception of the study and revised the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Acknowledgements
================
We wish to thank the PraCTiHC and SUPPORT project groups for their advice and support. Funding was provided by the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research (ID-3.115), German Technical Development (PN: 95.2068.5-001.00), and the European Commission funded 5th and 6th Framework Projects: PraCTiHC (Pragmatic Randomised Controlled Trials in Health Care) (ICA4-CT-2001-10019) and SUPPORT (Supporting Policy Relevant Reviews and Trials) (INCO-CT-2006-031939). The Medical Research Council of South Africa provided additional funding for the study collaborators. The study sponsors approved the study design but played no role in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; or in the decision to submit the paper for publication.
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Robert Nelson of Nelson Strategic Consulting gives some great insights in his article, How to Create Strategic-Thinking Boards – and he’s sharing it with our readers …
Transitioning a board to a strategic thinking entity requires intentionality. It is not a matter of teaching the board members to think strategically, but, rather, it is a matter of facilitating their learning by creating strategic thinking experiences. In other words, teaching strategic thinking through lectures or presentations on strategic thinking theory is trumped by engaging the board in the experience of strategic thinking. Since boards meet periodically, it is imperative that you intentionally design strategic thinking experiences into each board meeting.
If you are intentional about transitioning your board to a strategic thinking entity, the first step is to recognize that, ultimately, a revolutionary change in culture may be required. In such a scenario, it is helpful to have a clear understanding of the purpose of the transition, along with a well-articulated vision of the future state. Equally important are a solid change strategy and an execution plan.
Although the chief executive will most likely be the catalyst for the change, it is important that “champions” are identified early on in the process. Hopefully, you will be able to recruit 5 to 10 percent of your Board as champions for change, with the chairperson playing the role of chief change agent. These champions will be key influencers as you work to develop board consensus and support for the need to transition to a strategic thinking board. Likewise, the champions will be key supporters for the behavioral changes that will be needed to complete the transition.
I firmly believe if you want to change an organization, simply change the agenda. This is especially true for transitioning a board to a strategic thinking entity. Strategic issues and dialogue should be the first items on the agenda, immediately after adoption of the agenda. The strategic issues / dialogue are followed by actions the board must take and oversight issues geared to monitoring performance. The last item on the agenda should be the consent agenda that contains all of the written reports. The main objectives are to engage the board in strategic dialogue about big issues at the beginning of the meeting and minimize the time the board spends talking about the past by placing committee and other reports in a consent agenda, which is adopted at the end of the meeting.
Ample time and considerable thought should be given to determining what strategic issues are going to be placed on the agenda. It is important that the issues are truly “big” issues with strategic implications for the organization. Strategic issues can be identified through environmental scanning and by engaging in off-line discussions with members of the board and other stakeholders. A board meeting itself can also be used to identify strategic issues of import to the organization.
Although boards are often accustomed to discussing issues for the purpose of making a decision or taking action, it is important to realize that decisions don’t have to be made in conjunction with strategic dialogue. In fact, strategic agendas often contain “reflection” items. Most, if not all, of your board meeting agendas should contain strategic “reflection” items, in addition to any “action” items. These agenda items are intentionally used to carve out time for dialogue and reflection. The board agrees up front, before the dialogue begins, that no decisions are going to be made at the conclusion of the dialogue. The sole purpose of the strategic reflection items is to dialogue about the issues and reflect on them. This practice is consistent with the adage “don’t just do something, sit there.”
These decision-free strategic dialogues are excellent opportunities for the board to engage in generative thinking. And, the chairperson should guide the dialogue in a manner that engages the board in a process of inquiry. Ideally, the board members will enter and engage in the dialogue with learning mind.
Following are 19 examples of questions that can be used as tools of inquiry. They are the types of questions that drive strategic thinking.
- What would have to be true to make this work?
- What do we know about the strategic position of our organization related to this issue?
- What is happening in the environment that could impact this issue?
- Does this really align with our strategy? How?
- What are the opportunity costs associated with this issue?
- How does this reflect our priorities?
- Looking back over a period of time, what changes appear to be happening that might be associated with the issue? How have these changes impacted the issue?
- What changes in the association might be related to this issue?
- What changes in the industry may be related to the issue?
- What assumptions do we hold about this issue? Ask questions to challenge the assumptions.
- In what other ways could we handle this issue / situation?
- Why is the issue occurring? Engage Toyoda’s 5 Whys and ask the question multiple times.
- How could we get a broader perspective of the issue?
- What critical information do we need to know to solve this issue?
- What do we know we know about this issue?
- What do we think we know about this issue?
- What do we know that we don’t know about this issue?
Strategic thinking can also be practiced during action item discussions. For this to occur, it is imperative that options, not recommendations, be brought to the board. Too often, traditional boards are presented with a recommendation from staff or a committee. Strategic thinking boards are presented with multiple options to consider, rather than a recommendation. Such an approach increases the engagement of the board members and fosters strategic thinking as the options are discussed.
Pre-designating a board member to argue in opposition to an option and a board member to argue in favor of a particular option further increases board engagement and creates a richer strategic dialogue. However, prior to the arguments being presented inquiring dialogue should take place. In other words: dialogue before deliberation.
If you are going to be intentional about engaging your board in strategic thinking, you must be intentional about the type of information you provide your board. As such, considerable thought must be given to the background material that is placed in the board book. When identifying materials for your board book, ask yourself what data, information, and knowledge would be helpful to stimulate strategic discussion? What data, information, and knowledge are needed to formulate an informed decision? Do the data, information, and knowledge being provided deliver a 360-degree view of the issue at hand?
Another key opportunity to provide a strategic thinking experience is the strategy development process itself. All organizations should have a well thought out process for developing a strategy. A well-designed strategy development process in and of itself facilitates strategic thinking, presents a tremendous learning opportunity for the board and builds the strategic capacity of the board.
If you are interested in 10 additional tips for a strategic thinking board, click here.
What have you found to be helpful in transitioning a board to a strategic thinking entity
This article is re-blogged from the NSC Strategies Blog. | https://www.ezsignup.com/blog/association-management/getting-your-board-to-think-strategically/ |
Implen Journal Club | September Issue
Welcome to our September issue of the #Implen #JournalClub in 2022.
Nanomedicine Edition
In the first issue of the Implen NanoPhotometer® Journal Club: Nanomedicine Edition, the work of Wang et. al. recently published in the Chemical Engineering Journal providing an effective new approach for the treatment of malignant bone tumors is being highlighted. Malignant bone tumors are frequent and difficult to cure, which is still a major clinical challenge as the bone microenvironment provides a “barrier” for bone tumors to resist clinical chemoradiotherapy, implying that molecules targeting tumor cells alone cannot effectively target bone tumor cells.
In this study, a novel bone tumor cell-targeting nanosystem for chemo-photothermal synergistic treatment of malignant bone tumors was designed. A bone tumor cell-targeting peptide (BTTP) was covalently attached to the surface of the nanosystem. The nanosystem was constructed by hybridization of a core Mn-Co metal-organic framework and polydopamine as the shell ([email protected]). The [email protected]/DOX nanosystem could be first targeted to the bone damage interface by the bone-targeting peptide. With Doxorubicin (DOX) loaded onto the [email protected] surface ([email protected]/DOX), the nanosystem targeted bone tumor cells and effectively inhibited bone tumor growth and osteolysis and also enhanced the contrast of bone tumor (MRI). Collectively, this study suggests that targeted drug delivery for bone tumors is feasible, providing a new and effective strategy for targeted therapy of bone tumors.
For characterization of the nanosystem, of The ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectra of samples were determined by the Implen NanoPhotometer®.
The second issue is discussing the topic of cancer recurrence after surgical resection (SR), which is a considerable challenge. Guan et. al. recently published results in Nature communications that demonstrate that the SR creates an immunosuppressive environment characterized by hypoxia and high-influx of myeloid cells, fostering cancer progression and hindering PD-L1 blockade therapy with direct evidence that the local biological consequences of SR can trigger substantial outgrowth of deposited tumor cells at the resection anatomical site. In response, Guan et. al. rationally designed and developed a distinct radio- immunostimulant nanomedicine ([email protected]) with efficient tumor- homing capacity, TME-responsive drug release ability and in situ oxygen production properties that can enhance local X-ray irradiation-initiated cancer cell killing. The enhanced RT-mediated immunogenic effect results in postsurgical TME reprogramming and increased susceptibility to anti-PD-L1 therapy, which can suppress/eradicate locally residual and distant tumors, and elicits strong immune memory effects to resist tumor rechallenge. Our radioimmunotherapy points to a simple and effective therapeutic intervention against postsurgical cancer recurrence and metastasis.
The purity, concentration and integrity of RNA were evaluated with the NanoPhotometer® spectrophotometer.
Next, the Nanomedicine Edition is covering a novel, easy-to-use, UV-Vis spectroscopy-based method to accurately observe Polyoxometalate nanoparticles (POMs)- a class of compounds made up of multiple transition metals linked together using oxygen atoms, which have an increased interest in use as organo-metallic compounds for cancer therapy. This method was introduced in a recent study published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, wherein Petronek et. al. developed two POM preparations shown to have anti-cancer effects on glioblastoma cells. These preliminary results suggest that Mo-POMs (NH4)Mo7O24) and W-POMs (H3PW12O40) may warrant further investigation into their utility as adjunct cancer therapies.
All spectrophotometric measurements were carried out using the NanoPhotometer® P330 microvolume spectrophotometer instead of a normal cuvette spectrophotometer. The Implen NanoPhotometer® works by decreasing the pathlength, and thus introducing an artificial dilution factor so less sample is needed. More importantly, there is a direct measurement of the POM samples, eliminating any interference of any cuvette material.
In the last issue, we are discussing the use of a nanocomposite hydrogel for transdermal delivery of hydrocortisone in treating Psoriasis vulgaris (PV), a common chronic, incurable inflammatory skin condition with a severe impact on quality of life affecting much of the population. Kondiah et. al. published their recent work in the polymers journal in which they synthesized a thermo-responsive nano-hydrogel system loaded with an anti-psoriasis drug hydrocortisone (HCT). Results from the formulation of HCT-loaded SMS-PCL nanoparticles encapsulated with CMC showed evidence that this hydrogel can be utilized as a potentially invaluable formulation for transdermal drug delivery of HCT, with less toxicity along with improved efficacy and patient conformity. Further studies with in vivo models should be conducted to assess this as a potential novel therapeutic outlet for the treatment of inflammatory skin disease.
The samples were analyzed from the calibration curve utilizing the NanoPhotometer® NP80 UV/Vis Spectrophotometer at wavelength 245 nm to determine the concentration of HCT as well as the concentration of HCT in the release medium was assayed by UV/Vis spectrophotometry (Implen NanoPhotometer® NP80 UV/Vis Spectrophotometer.)
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One of the more complicated aspects of a negligence claim is the determination of whether the injury was a foreseeable one and, if so, whether the foreseeability of such risks outweighed the cost incurred by the defendant in attempting to prevent it. Foreseeability is sometimes considered an aspect of the duty determination in negligence claims, and sometimes found to be part of the breach component. Either way, courts have generally held that if a risk was not foreseeable, a defendant cannot be held liable for failing to prevent it. A recent case before the Tennessee Court of Appeals looked at the question of foreseeability in a school assault case and determined that the question of foreseeability was one for the jury.
In Richardson v. Trenton Special School District, the parents of a child sued the school district after their child, known here as C.N.R., was assaulted by another student in a school bathroom. Both of the children were six at the time. C.N.R.’s parents began to suspect that something was wrong when C.N.R. told them that he was afraid to use the bathroom at school, but they thought that he was just a victim of bullying. It was only after the incident was reported to a teacher, who then reported it to the principal, that the parents learned that another child was assaulting their son. While investigating the assault, the parents learned that another assault between two students had occurred earlier in the year, but in an after school program. As a result of that assault, the school changed its bathroom policy in the after school program to require that teachers accompany students into the bathroom. It did not similarly change the policy during normal school hours.
However, the school did have in place a requirement that teachers closely monitor students and “keep them in their sights.” Teachers were further instructed to monitor students in hallways and bathrooms. It was unknown, at this point in the case, what the impetus was for this policy.
Based on the prior assault and the change in after school policies, C.N.R.’s parents filed a lawsuit alleging negligence against the school district and a failure to protect students in bathrooms despite the known harm that could occur to them there. The school district moved for summary judgment, which the trial court granted. It held that it was not foreseeable that one six-year-old would assault another six-year-old in the school bathrooms. C.N.R’s parents appealed.
On appeal, the Tennessee court considered whether the school district owed a duty to its students to prevent such harm and, in conjunction with this inquiry, whether the harm C.N.R. experienced was foreseeable. It noted that a risk gives rise to a duty to act when the foreseeable probability of harm outweighs the burden on the defendant to engage in conduct that would prevent the harm. Thus, while the foreseeability of an asteroid hitting a school may be so minute, and the burden on the school to prevent such a catastrophe so great, as to eliminate any possibility of duty, other circumstances, such as preventing a student from falling down wet stairs, may be easier to address, and a duty may arise. The court further noted that the question of foreseeability is generally one reserved for the jury. Ultimately, the court determined that there were questions of fact as to whether C.N.R.’s assault or a similar assault may have been foreseeable, since the school district’s policies suggested it had dealt with prior incidents in bathrooms, or similar concerns about student safety. Accordingly, it reversed the trial court’s award of summary judgment and remanded for further proceedings.
As the Tennessee Court noted, negligence claims should rarely be resolved on summary judgment in Tennessee, since the courts strongly prefer that questions of fact go to the jury for resolution. If you are a personal injury plaintiff seeking to bring a negligence claim, this means that you have a good chance of being able to present your story to a jury as long as you can carefully and comprehensively craft your complaint. Knowledgeable Tennessee personal injury attorney Eric Beasley can help you prepare a complaint and case that clearly identifies the relevant factual issues and overcomes any summary judgment motions. For more information or to discuss the circumstances of your case, contact the Law Office of Eric Beasley today at 615-859-2223.
Related Blog Posts:
Knowledge of Hazards and the Failure to Warn, Tennessee Personal Injury Blog, July 7, 2016
Limiting the Scope of Duties Tennessee Universities Owe to Their Students, Tennessee Personal Injury Blog, June 21, 2016.
What Constitutes a Known Dangerous Condition in Tennessee, Tennessee Personal Injury Blog, June 7, 2016. | https://tennesseeinjurylawyer.net/2016/09/foreseeability-question-fact-tennessee-courts.html |
Written in 2016 as part of my Teaching Portfolio
I think the best way to approach a class isn’t by coming in to teach facts, but to share a passion. Passion for a topic is easily relayed to the students so that class is no longer just a class, but a time to explore. Because students shouldn’t be just asked to answer predetermined questions, but develop their interest by asking questions themselves. And I want students to leave my class with the ability to continue their exploration on their own. Therefore, during class, I want to students to gain the ability to problem solve and the confidence in themselves to be engaged in class and outside of class. I believe students should graduate with an education they can use, not just a piece of paper.
One of the biggest problems I see students struggle with is the ability to problem solve and think at higher levels of critical thinking. In the past they have been asked to memorize or understand concepts, but does that really stick with them long term? I believe the gap between temporarily remembering a fact for a test, and storing something long-term happens when students are able to use what they have learned. They may not keep every tiny detail and number, but they will be able to understand the process and why something happens. To do this I like to work with students using open-ended application questions. We go over the basic concepts again, making sure they understand the steps in the process. Then lead into a question, testing their knowledge on the subject. In Physiology, a lot of things in the body happen in a certain manner for a reason and understanding that, and being able to apply it to something like a disease and its symptoms shows true comprehension. That way they not only know the steps in the process but can figure out, via symptoms, what went wrong and where.
In order for students to truly open up in class and dig into the subject, I want them to gain the confidence that they are capable of understanding the material. To do that I push students to be comfortable with asking potentially ‘stupid’ questions and to be comfortable with potentially saying the wrong answer. Depending on the class size I sometimes prepare the students by saying I’ll be going down the line, asking each person a question as we go, in order that they chose to sit. I generally use easier concept questions for this manner, and emphasize that they came to practice what they are learning, and being wrong is ok. Also making sure that when a student is struggling, I break the question down to simpler steps. That way if they can answer the simple parts, it can build up their self-confidence and hopefully work their way up and attempt the original question. And if they have questions along the way, I don’t present it as something they should know, even if it is a fact covered in class several times. I’ve felt firsthand the effect of a teacher treating someone as incompetent or unintelligent. It is not effective because not remembering one fact, doesn’t gauge someone’s intelligence. For larger classes. I also like to use group work. Speaking out with possible answers to one or two people is much easier than a whole group. And when the group is called upon, they have practiced their answer and are much more confident in their response.
To help with both of these things, I try to be as transparent as I can be with my students. I let them know that just because I’m the teacher now, doesn’t mean I didn’t struggle before. With the course review sessions, I teach now, I’ve personally struggled with the concepts before, and I let them know that. For example, in the sessions, I’ll mention mnemonics that I used when I was struggling with this topic. Or explain that I had been totally wrong on my learning style for years, and help them discover how they best learn. Sometimes I perceive teachers as putting on the front that they are the expert. However, we are learning just as our students are, especially in a field constantly changing like science does. We do not know everything and I want my students to know if I don’t know something, I will find it out, and even the things I do know, at one point I did not. So if they have several questions when trying to figure out how to apply a concept to a problem, or if they might answer that question wrong, it’s alright.
In the end, I hope they graduate with an understanding of how to use what they know and find a passion for something. A student can pass their class by simply remembering facts and eventually get a degree. But a true education comes from getting in depth into their classes and having that chance to explore. In every class, I teach I plan to offer a chance to do individual work, where students can investigate a smaller topic that interests them. Perhaps they don’t find everything in a broad topic like Physiology interesting, but something sparks that interest, and I want them to find it.
I want to be a hands-on teacher. My students are working together to learn and I’m working with them as a leader. A leader that stands to the side and allows them to explore, to step in when need be. A leader that leads with enthusiasm and energy. A leader that starts discussions, not lectures, where students want to ask questions, without fear of it being a stupid question. Or to answer questions without fear of being wrong by setting and leading d a comfortable engaging classroom. | https://www.cmtallman.com/portfolio/teaching-philosophy |
While we estimate that teaching all eight lessons would require approximately 10 hours of class time, we know that the actual pacing of these lessons depends on your students and your context. These lessons can also by used individually with the understanding that the later lessons rely on students' previous knowledge of the Armenian Genocide. It is our hope that you use these lessons as a jumping off point in creating learning experiences that will engage students in the history of the Armenian Genocide and the important questions this history raises about human behavior.
Language note: While this unit is titled "The Genocide of the Armenians," the word genocide did not exist in 1915 when the Armenians were being massacred and forced on death marches. To avoid historical anachronism, the first seven lessons of this unit circumvent the use of the word "genocide" with students. The final lesson introduces students to the modern term "genocide," and to the different ways people claim or deny this term. You might choose to introduce students to the term "genocide" earlier in the unit, while informing them that the events they are learning about inspired the genesis of this term.
Something to think about: The purpose of these lessons is to help students understand a particular moment in history, the Armenian Genocide, as a way to explore core questions about human behavior. While students are asked to travel across time and space in order to connect this history to their own ideas and experiences, it would be irresponsible for students to make generalizations about a particular religious or national group that cuts across time and place. In other words, students should be strongly discouraged from seeing this history as a lesson about all Turks, all Muslims, all Armenians, or all Americans, in the same way that scholars who teach about the Holocaust are careful not to condemn all Germans or all Christians for acts committed by the Nazis and their followers.
Background
In our increasingly interconnected world it has become clear that what happens in one country affects all of us in many ways, some more visible than others. Responding to genocide, ethnic violence, and abuses of human rights stand as the primary challenges of our day. There was great hope that the end of the Cold War would usher in a new era with a blossoming of democracy and human rights; instead violence around the world makes it clear that finding the tools to prevent genocide is as urgent as ever. Historians note that in the last hundred years more human beings died through genocidal violence and state-sanctioned murder than on that era's countless battlefields.
It was no accident that the failure to prevent escalating abuses of the human rights of Ottoman minorities climaxed with the systematic deportation and mass murder of the Armenian population of the empire in World War I. While other minority groups had broken free from the Ottoman Empire, the Armenians hoped that reforms--supported by the Western powers-would bring change. Instead a new nationalism spread through the Ottoman leadership that left no place for the Christian minorities within the empire. Under the cover of World War I the genocide of the Armenians began.
In 1915 journalists, politicians, and ordinary people considered how best to respond to the accounts of "horrors" and "outrages" in Turkey's Anatolian desert. Unable to remain silent, local and national leaders challenged tradition by boldly proclaiming that responsibility for human life does not stop at national borders. Their solutions set important precedents for international law. In fact, the phrase "crimes against humanity," made famous as one of the counts at the post-Holocaust Nuremberg Trials, was first used to describe the massacres of Armenian civilians in the spring of 1915.
As the pillaging of Armenian villages continued, diplomats debated questions of national sovereignty. In the absence of military intervention, coalitions of individuals, religious groups, and voluntary associations were able to raise millions of dollars to house and feed refugees from the slaughter. While those efforts saved many, humanitarian relief alone could not stop the mass murder of women, children, and men. In the wake of the genocide, official promises to hold the perpetrators accountable faded, as did support for the new Armenian state.
To many who had followed the bloody history of Turkey's campaign against its own people, the impunity enjoyed by those who had ordered and carried out the killings was unbearable. One of them was Raphael Lemkin, a Polish Jew and a law student. Lemkin confronted one of his law school professors. He asked, "Why is the killing of a million people a lesser crime than the killing of a single individual?"1 His professor used a metaphor to explain that courts did not have any jurisdiction: "Consider the case of a farmer who owns a flock of chickens. He kills them and this is his business. If you interfere, you are trespassing." But, replied an incensed Lemkin, "the Armenians are not chickens."2 Lemkin dedicated the rest of his life to finding a way to make sure that the law would recognize the difference. In 1944 Lemkin coined the word "genocide" and later he drafted the United Nations Convention on Genocide. The convention was ratified on December 9, 1948, one day before the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Although this convention requires that its signatories take whatever steps are necessary to prevent genocide, too often the international community does little but stand by while mass killings continue in places like Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In his role as a columnist for the New York Times, Nicholas Kristoff warns readers about the consequences of silence. "There is something special about genocide," he writes, "When human beings deliberately wipe out others because of their tribe or skin color, when babies succumb not to diarrhea but to bayonets and bonfires, that is not just one more tragedy. It is a monstrosity that demands a response from other humans. We demean our own humanity, and that of the victims, when we avert our eyes."3
We hope that this series of lessons will help a new generation to understand that genocide is a threat to all of us: it is indeed a "crime against humanity."
New Edition of Holocaust and Human Behavior
We've released a new digital edition of Holocaust and Human Behavior. We're working on updating all of our content to reflect the new resources and scholarship. For now, some content on this page may reference the previous edition.
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Buildings and grounds
As our University grows, new buildings and refurbished spaces are created with a focus on sustainability through design, construction and operation.
New buildings and grounds maintenance
As Victoria University of Wellington grows we are adding new buildings and refurbishing space with sustainability in mind through design, construction and operation.
In recent years we have added several significant new buildings to our campuses such as Te Puni Village, the Alan MacDiarmid building, the Hub, the Rutherford House Annex, and Te Toki a Rata as well as undertaking several significant refurbishment projects. It is much more effective to integrate sustainability into a building at design stage rather than trying to retrofit solutions, so the major construction projects on campus are a great opportunity to improve our performance. Our standard design guidelines include criteria for energy efficiency, transport facilities, water conservation, material selections etc.
Victoria University of Wellington is largely an urban University with our three main campuses in, or bordering, the CBD. It means our campuses are very compact with limited grounds. We want to ensure that we still provide good access to nature for our students and staff and that our grounds are enriching the biodiversity of Wellington. We are introducing nature to urban spaces through the use of green walls and roofs. We also provide students with the opportunity to get hands on with nature through community gardens on campus and annual tree planting in the town belt. A Masters student recently compiled an inventory of all our trees on campus to identify endangered and pest species. This work is now informing our grounds management practices. | https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/sustainability/our-campus/buildings-and-grounds |
The present invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for determining the concentrations of lipoproteins in blood using a continuous flow analyzer.
It is well-known that total serum cholesterol is strongly correlated with the incidence of atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease. More recent studies also indicate that specific fractions of cholesterol are more closely associated with coronary heart disease than others. Recent studies have implicated LDL (low density lipoprotein) as the class of lipoprotein responsible for the accumulation of cholesterol in cells, whereas HDL (high density lipoprotein) has been shown to be important in the removal of excess cholesterol from cells. Thus, increased levels of LDL cholesterol have been associated with the greater risk of coronary heart disease, while a strong inverse relationship exists between HDL cholesterol and the risk of coronary heart disease.
In addition to LDL and HDL, several other lipoproteins have been shown to represent independent risk factors for coronary heart disease. Increased plasma concentrations of lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)], a cholesterol rich lipoprotein, has been observed in survivors of myocardial infarction. One study, which reports the relationship of levels of Lp(a) and coronary heart disease in patients who underwent coronary angiography, concluded that plasma Lp(a) appears to be a major independent coronary risk factor with an importance approaching that of LDL cholesterol or HDL cholesterol.
Increased levels of intermediate density lipoprotein (IDL) and cholesterol rich very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) are also associated with the progression of coronary heart disease. Elevation of plasma VLDL is seen in survivors of myocardial infarction, suggesting the possible involvement of this lipoprotein in the atheroschlerotic process.
Measurement of total cholesterol alone may not be adequate to identify subjects at risk for coronary heart disease. An individual with normal or near normal levels of total cholesterol may still be at risk because of low HDL levels, elevated Lp(a) levels, or elevated levels of VLDL. Moreover, the predictive power of total cholesterol for risk of coronary heart disease diminishes in men with increasing age. Therefore, assessment of the distribution of cholesterol among all the lipoproteins (a lipoprotein cholesterol profile), in addition to total cholesterol, is desirable in order to accurately assess risk for coronary heart disease.
Methods currently used to determine the concentration of cholesterol in the different lipoprotein classes can be divided into direct methods and indirect methods. In direct methods, lipoprotein cholesterol is determined by enzymatic assay of the individual lipoproteins, which are separated by ultracentrifugation, electrophoresis, or selective precipitation. The most accurate of these methods involves ultracentrifugation. However, ultracentrifugation separation methods are expensive, time-consuming, and are not practicable for clinical applications wherein multiple analyses are carried out in large numbers.
Indirect methods, as a general rule, are better suited for clinical applications than are direct methods. The most commonly used method for measurements of lipoprotein cholesterol performs multiple analyses using different aliquots of the same plasma sample. Total cholesterol (TC) is measured using a first aliquot of the sample. In a second aliquot, VLDL and LDL are removed by precipitation and the supernatant is assayed for cholesterol to provide a measure of HDL cholesterol. An estimate of VLDL is obtained by measuring the triglycerides (TG) in a third aliquot using the Friedewald formula or is measured directly after ultracentrifugal isolation of very low density lipoprotein. The LDL cholesterol concentration is not measured directly, but is calculated by subtracting the HDL cholesterol and VLDL cholesterol values from the total cholesterol.
Although this method is relatively rapid and inexpensive, there are several steps where error could be introduced. For example, accurate measurements of HDL depends on complete precipitation of apo-B containing lipoproteins. Traces of LDL in the supernatant can lead to overestimation of HDL cholesterol. Moreover, the multiple assumptions involved in the Friedewald formula make this method susceptible to error. In addition, this method does not provide a separate measure of IDL cholesterol or Lp(a) cholesterol. Instead, these values are included in the LDL cholesterol measurement.
The VAP method (Vertical Auto Profile) provides a direct method for determination of lipoprotein concentrations. The VAP method uses short spin density gradient vertical ultracentrifugation to separate the classes of lipoproteins. Analysis of cholesterol is made using an air segmented continuous flow analysis system to provide a lipoprotein cholesterol profile. The VAP method provides a direct measure of lipoprotein cholesterol using a single aliquot of plasma. However, VAP requires a relatively large sample (1.3 ml), and the equipment used in the VAP method is cumbersome, making its operation and maintenance difficult. Furthermore, this method causes overlapping of adjacent lipoprotein peaks in the cholesterol profile resulting in a substantial loss of resolution. Quantification of Lp(a) and IDL, which are not well-separated from other lipoproteins by density-gradient centrifugation becomes difficult particularly when present in small amounts.
Another method for determination of cholesterol distribution among plasma lipoproteins involves the separation of lipoproteins by high performance liquid chromotography and the on-line detection of cholesterol in the postcolumn effluent using an enzymatic reagent. This method also provides a direct measure of lipoprotein cholesterol. However, this method requires a relatively long retention period for separation of the sample. Moreover, the separation technique results in some loss of lipoproteins which could result in an underestimation of cholesterol concentration.
Accordingly, there is a need for a high rate method for direct determination of cholesterol distribution among plasma lipoproteins which is suitable for clinical applications.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
SUMMARY
NET SAVINGS $10.021.63
In the United States and in countries affected by hurricanes, tens of thousands of homes were destroyed to the passage of these atmospheric phenomena. Its ceilings, walls and even entire houses have been carried by the wind. This was dramatically seen to step Andrews, Katrina and the most recent hurricanes. Those who have been most affected are the houses that are built with wooden structure, and also those that are built with concrete block walls without the use of pillars. The weak structural condition of the houses has been the cause of the destruction of tens of thousands of homes in the United States.
Moreover, at present, the high prices of housing and the serious crisis in the real estate sector, prompts us to seek a constructive solution of houses, which through productivity, efficiency and innovation, reduce costs, the same time that improve the structural condition, so that the houses withstand earthquakes and hurricanes, and do not destroy them.
This is the solution offered by STARLUM SYSTEM.
The Starlum System provide an integral solution to build one-story houses, and for houses or buildings of various stories. It is a system that integrates efficient solutions for the construction of the foundation, the beams, pillars, walls and roofs. The combined work of these elements achieves enhancing resilience of the houses also for the developed efficiency and productivity in the constructive processes, reducing significantly the costs of the houses.
The system uses reinforced concrete with new steel structures to build the foundation, beams, pillars and upper beams. These structures are stackable inserting with each other, so that reduce the space they occupy and thus reduce the cost of transportation by about 48%. It reinforced with a novel system snap clips, which are placed with a single blow of a hammer. In many cases, especially in a single-story houses, it is not necessary to place clips snap, however, for larger houses, or multi-story, structural engineers, will determine the amount and location of the clips that reinforce snap electro welded metal structures that are part of the pillars of concrete. The walls are constructed with concrete blocks smart. The adjective intelligent they may be, because they are different from traditional blocks that are used throughout the world, and have the feature that their form and their functions efficiently solve common problems in the field, such as the union between the blocks, alignment and plumb the walls. They are blocks that fit with each other vertically and horizontally. It linked with mortar, which is placed inside the blocks and remains invisible, thereby achieves a perfect joint, in addition to the quantity of mortar used is 50% less than that used in the traditional system. The blocks have spikes, grooves and holes, which allow them to dovetail with each other, and when they are sealed with mortar, there is a powerful union that faces the seismic forces and hurricanes working compression, unlike the system traditional that work by adherence. The compressive strength is infinitely greater than the resistance by adherence. This feature gives itself a big advantage structural System Starlum versus the traditional system and other systems on the market. Another important feature of smart blocks, which is joined with the concrete pillars with steel clips from low-cost, which fulfill an important role joining them with force, align and plumb, to the effect, the blocks has standard slots, so that whenever we come together with each other these slots are in a perfect join position that allows join clips installation. The join clips are placed in all the blocks of the first row in the last row and in union with the pillars. In the middle row of blocks is not necessary to place clips, however the builder can use it to improve the resistance of the walls, as the cost of each clip, is not higher than a nail-3″. Another important feature of the Starlum System blocks is that, as the mortar join goes invisible inside the walls, it is possible to manufacture pre-painted blocks, the way they are produced and sold pavers in the market, and thus, the cost of painting and maintaining the paint houses will be reduce significantly, the period of construction of houses decreases and accordingly also reduces cost. The most novel of the blocks is the economic series, whose main advantage addition to their low weight and cost, is that it can stacking and reduce 40% of space room, as a result their transportation costs is less.
On the roofs construction of the houses, uses metal profiles of galvanized steel in the form of elongated channel and inverted. One of the innovation consist of the standardization of metal beams in a single type of profile, with the difference between them, just the length, size and thickness, depending on the effort that has to make, in addition to the main invention for the roofs are the innovative system of connectors, which are articulated and allow profiles to be joined and placed in a position from zero to 90 degrees, that is in any degree of inclination, that the architectural design of the houses what has been determined. The rotation allowing connectors, is not only vertically but also horizontally which is a tremendous advantage, since it allows the metal beams placed anywhere above the walls. The connectors designed for metal profiles are cut at right angles, namely avoiding the laborious work in factories to cut each element in its proper angle according to the position to focus on the roof. The connectors have solved this problem, so that work in the workshop only involves cutting the profiles to the extent required size, and drilling the profiles where the bolts are put to use in the assembly. In the traditional system of roof construction in the United States, are manufactured wooden beams long dimensions of great weight, which moved to the works assembled, and in each house to be built, requires the use of a crane one day to lift the wooden beams and put them in position. For the ensemble are used many brackets and angles of steel and thousands of nails. But where hurricanes go, they take all the roofs of this type. This system has shown that it is not efficient. The system Starlum use bolts ⅜″ for each union, the connectors are built with galvanized steel and aluminum structural painted electrostatic painting, in order to avoid galvanic corrosion. All metallic profiles are carried disarmed, and the assembly process is through steel bolts. The structural beams that support the main roof loads and earthquakes and hurricanes, will be assembled in the works. Not required the use of cranes or specialized workers. The system is so simple that workers can easily use it. The setting of structural steel beams in the concrete beams of the houses is done by expansion bolts. For the assembly of the roof in the works only require stairs electric drills and screwdrivers. This further reduces the cost of installation and runtime assembly profiles metal roof. In comparative analysis of costs that we have made between the traditional wooden structures for the roof which is used in the United States, compared with System Starlum considering in both cases only the cost of materials and labor including direct installation work, we demonstrate that the system Starlum reduces the cost by 51.25%.
16
In the case of buildings in which concrete pillars have to be more large of 8″×8″, we designed a new system of aluminum structural molds for pillars that makes it possible to build more than 16″×″. The ensemble of these molds is through a new system of clip snap that fits with the simple hand pressure and withdrew the same. These molds are also used for the construction of the beams of the foundation, and for the construction of the concrete slabs in the homes of more than one floor.
FIG. 1
. It is the plane in plant of lateral walls of a house commonly built in Florida.
52
6
7
8
36
39
2
9
We see the plant level a house of 52′×′ with an area of 2,102 square feet, which is one of the models built in the state of Florida, and we will take the prototype that will be analyzed in detail throughout the constructive process using the System Starlum. The plinths are 30″×30″×8″, are built with reinforced concrete with steel rods whose layout and specifications will be seen below. For the walls can be used block , whose standard size is 8″×8″×16″ combined with the block , whose standard dimensions are: 8″×8″×8″. As economical alternative, you can use blocks and who have the same dimensions and function perfectly, significantly reducing costs. In the corners, for mould the pillars can be used the concrete block , whose size standard is 8″×8″×8″. In the middle of the walls, for mould the pillars can be used the block , whose standard size is 8″×8″×2″.
FIG. 2
. It is the lateral view of the house.
6
5
2
43
41
7
8
9
1
We see the facade of the side wall of the house, which we see the plinths , the beams of concrete foundation , blocks corner , half blocks of beams , entire blocks of beams , blocks wall , the media block wall , blocks intermediate pillars , and profiles of metal galvanized steel , which is built all of the roof of the house.
FIG. 3
. It is the superior view of the roof of the house.
1
We see the distribution of all profiles metal galvanized steel roof , placed on their horizontal and vertical position. All metal profiles are in the same form, the difference between them is the length, height and thickness, which are determined according to the distance between support and according to the respective structural calculation.
FIG. 4
. It is the one model of the steel electro welded pillar.
10
13
10
10
FIG. 4
FIG. 4A
We see in plant the steel electro welded structure , square shaped, 6″×6″, which is used to build concrete pillars of 8″9×8″, the thickness of steel vertical rods is ⅜″, the stirrups are placed each 6″, and its thickness is 5.5 mm. These measures are standardized for houses of one story of the dimensions described above. According to the dimension of the houses, measures of the steel rods vary as determined by the structural calculation. It can be seen that the stirrups not cover the entire perimeter of the four steel rods and left an empty space, the reason for this novel idea is to stack the electro-welded steel structures, joint with each other and reduce costs transport by about 48%. The empty space can be filled by putting clips snap , using a hammer blow. The use of such clips snap, is a big advantage for the calculator structural Engineers, and that in some cases it is not necessary to use them when the houses are one floor and the distance between pillars is not very large, but for houses of more than one floor, or with considerable distance between pillars, they can add as many clips snaps as are necessary and put them in the correct position where the pillars bear the greatest efforts. This development does not have any constructive system in the world. To the right of , we can see , is a perspective of metallic structure electro welded , whose lower end is more elongated, in order to bend the ribs prior to their installation on plinths, as discussed below. It is very important to stress that the stirrups of all structures electro welded Starlum System have their extremes doubled B, which gives greater resistance welding has been implemented at this point because it will not work alone to resist efforts and will be helped by the stirrup.
FIG. 5
. It is the other model of the steel electro welded pillar.
11
We can see a steel structure electro welded , smaller (2″×2″), which will be used to build pillars and concrete beams 4″×4″ of foundation in homes of one story, whose distance between pillars is not greater than 12 feet. The vertical steel rods are ⅜″, and the stirrups are 5.5 mm placed each 6″. The clip snap that correspond 14, works just like the one described before.
FIG. 6
. It is the other model of the steel electro welded pillar.
12
14
FIG. 5
FIG. 5
We can see an electro-welded steel structure of triangular shape , with specifications similar to those of . It its dimensions are: 2″×2″. This structure is an economical alternative for smaller homes. It can be used to build pillars and concrete beams of 4″×4″ in concrete foundation. The clip snap, that correspond is , is the same as that used in the steel structure of .
FIG. 7
. It is the one model of the steel electro welded rectangular beam.
18
16
We can see an electro welded steel structure, rectangles with measures 4″×6″, which is used to build concrete beams 6″×8″ of the foundation, is made from 4 rods of steel ⅜″ and steel stirrups 5.5 mm. These sections are sufficient for the prototype housing construction. The corresponded Clip Snap is .
FIG. 7
FIG. 7A
10
To the left of , we can see , is a perspective of metallic structure electro welded of beam.
FIG. 8
. It is the other model of the steel electro welded rectangular beam.
19
17
18
FIG. 7A
We can see a steel structure electro welded , rectangles, smaller, 3″×5″, which is used to build the foundation beams or rafters overhead concrete 4″×7″, for the construction of economic houses. The corresponded clip snap is . In we see in perspective this kind of steel beams electro welded A.
FIG. 9
. Its the one model of the steel electro welded triangular beam.
21
17
We see a structure of electro-welded steel, triangular shape with measures 3″×8″, built with 3 rods steel ⅜″ and stirrups of 5.5 mm. Each 6″. The corresponded Clip Snap is . It is used to build the foundation beams or rafters overhead concrete dimensions of 5″×10″. It is an economical alternative to electro-welded steel structure stackable.
FIG. 10
. It is the other model of the steel electro welded triangular beam.
22
5
5
17
We see an electro welded steel structure of triangular shape , measures 3″×5″, built with 3 rods steel ⅜″ and stirrups of . mm. Each 6″. The corresponded clip snap is . It is used to build the foundation beams or rafters overhead specific 5″×7″.
FIG. 11
. It is the other model of the steel electro welded triangular beam.
23
20
We see an electro welded steel structure of triangular shape , measures 2″×5″ built with steel rods of ⅜″ and stirrups of 5.5 mm. Each 6″. The corresponded Clip Snap is . It is used to construct rectangular concrete beams of 4″×7″.
It is clear that this type of electro-welded steel structures, of form square, rectangular or triangular, can be manufactured in sizes, thicknesses and specifications according to engineers calculators required for a particular type of work. This is a very important feature that gives versatility to Starlum System.
FIGS. 12 and 13
. It is the view of stackable steel electro welded triangular and rectangular beams.
10
12
We can see as the electro-welded steel structures rectangular , and the triangular , stackable to each other, occupying less space in a ratio of approximately 48%. This is an advantage on transportation and storage greatly reduces its cost. That is why the new idea of structural steel pile up.
FIGS. 14
15
16
, and , are the steel clips.
24
25
26
We see clips , and , to be built with rod steel of ⅛″, which are used to hold, joint, aligning and plumb the concrete blocks that we will see later, whose description we can see the efficient functioning of those clips.
FIG. 17
. It is the concrete block for built pillars in the corners of the houses.
2
27
28
44
FIG. 44
Block It is used in the corner of to plank mould where are built the pillars of the houses. This block has features that are common to all blocks that are used to mold the concrete pillars, everyone has the same slot , the same holes , and the same conical spikes ( sector A). The conical spikes at the bottom of the block fit precisely into the holes that has the block that has been previously placed. These characteristics enable them to fit into each other vertically and horizontally, through clips, attach, align and plumb with block wall with speed, efficiency and low cost, as we will see later. This block has the measures Standard 8″×8″×8″.
FIG. 18
. It is the concrete block for built pillars in the middle of the walls.
9
We see the block , which is used to plank mould the intermediate pillars on the walls of houses. This block has the measures Standard 8″×8″×2″.
FIG. 19
. It is the concrete block for built pillars in the end of the walls.
31
We see the block , which is used to finish the walls that do not join together with other walls, and where it has plans to build a pillar. This block has the measures Standard 8″×8″×8″.
FIG. 20
. It is the concrete block heavy for built walls.
7
27
34
35
33
34
34
35
42
32
16
FIG. 43
We see the block , which is used to build the walls of the houses. Like blocks pillar described above, has slots , which have been located precisely, to coincide always with the other wall blocks and blocks pillar, so that they can easily set them clips steel the subject, aligned and plumb. These slots have standardized dimensions which will detail later. It is noted that the walls and of this block, they have a lower standard ¼″ unless the walls of the same block, this is for the purpose of placing just there clips union, after which it is placed mortar you do not see that goes inside of the blocks and unites them accurately and strong, forming a very strong structural knot, as the mortar compression works as we shall see later. The walls of the block has shifted inwards ¼″, in order to make a space that will be filled with mortar when the blocks join with each other. At the bottom of the walls and of the block, there are two spikes standardized that also has everyone blocks this same type ( sector ), which are used to fit all the blocks with each other and form a union very strong through the mortar. Moreover, in the same part of the block there is a slot standardized , in a circular motion, 1″½, which serves to make a space throughout the house walls, which can be placed previously, pipes of electricity, telephones, computers, cable TV, Internet and water, simplifying the construction process, and reducing their costs. This block has standard measures of 8″×8″×″.
FIG. 21
. It is the half concrete block heavy for built walls.
8
7
We see the middle wall block , which is used to lock the blocks with each other, has all the characteristics that block , and their standard measures are 8″×8″×8″.
FIG. 22
. It is the economic concrete block heavy for built walls.
36
7
33
37
38
FIGS. 41 and 42
We see the economic bloc , which has all the features of block , and has one difference because it does not has one of the side walls . This feature is very important, because in addition to reducing its weight and cost, allows stacked with each other, so as to reduce the room space and thus also reduces the cost of transportation. Moreover, in this part of the block has designed a special slots standardized and , that allow the system installed by Snap (single hand pressure), PVC support for switches and sockets system electrical and parts of the telephone systems, cable TV, Internet, etc. This is in the . Another advantage is that the empty spaces left in the walls that are built using this type of block can be sprayed with thermo-insulating substances, a condition that provide thermal protection to increase the generating blades SHEETROCK attempt to curb electricity consumption in the homes. Standard measures of this block are: 8″×8″×16″.
FIG. 23
. It is the economic half concrete block heavy for built walls.
39
36
We see the half economic bloc , which is used to lock the blocks with each other. It has all the characteristics of block , and their measures standardized are: 8″×8″×8″.
FIG. 24
. It is the concrete block heavy for built beams.
41
27
33
42
We see the block of beams , which is used to build the concrete beams going overhead the walls of the houses. It is also used to build the lintels above the gaps in doors and windows. We can look at that in the area where the slots , there's a level that this ¼ ″lower than the level of the side wall of the block—this is so that the grooves of this block where the clips are inserted, at the same height standardized having all blocks wall, and mainly, to enable fit there, the ears , which have all blocks of the wall and beams, in the case of the construction of lintels, and the walls continued above and need to be able to fit into blocks of wall to continue climbing the wall of the house. Later we will see a flow chart illustrating this issue. The standardized measures of this block are 8″×8″×16″.
FIG. 25
. It is the half concrete block heavy for built beams.
43
41
We see the middle block beam , which is used to lock the blocks. Its characteristics are similar to those of block and its measures are 8″×8″×8″.
FIG. 26
. It is the concrete block heavy for built concrete slabs in the corners.
44
46
FIG. 28
We see the block of corner , which is used to plank mould corners in the construction of concrete slabs. Its characteristics are similar to those described above pillar blocks and contain holes, conical spikes and similar grooves. Their measures are 8″×12″×8″. His height of 12″ is to cover the height of the blocks that have slab blocks who are in .
FIG. 27
. It is the concrete block heavy for built concrete slabs in the middle.
45
44
We see the middle block slab , which is used to plank mould the intermediate pillars where concrete slabs are built. Its characteristics are similar to those of block . Their measures are: 8″×12″×2″.
FIG. 28
. It is the concrete block heavy for built concrete slabs.
46
48
47
27
42
41
We see the main block , which is used to build the concrete slab. What stands out is that the side wall of Block , is 4″ in height unless the side wall ; this difference in height is necessary to block this work simultaneously: a: as block beam b: as mould of the concrete slab to be built. Its operation shall see later in the construction details of the concrete slab. It also contains the slots standardized , in which inserted steel clips join and standardized spikes on the bottom similar to the block . Their measures are: 8″×12″×16″.
FIG. 29
. It is the economic concrete block for built central pillars in small houses.
49
28
27
we see a block , which is used to build the central pillars of concrete of 4″×4″ for affordable housing smaller, with foundations for a single floor, in which the distance between pillars does not exceed 12′. This block contains holes in its top and conical spikes on the bottom, similar to those that have blocks pillar that we first met. They also have two slots standardized in which the join steel clip will be placed. Their measures are: 6″×8″×5″.
FIG. 30
. It is the economic concrete block for built pillars in the corners of small houses.
50
28
27
We see a block , which is used to build pillars of 4″×4″ in the corners of the walls of houses smaller economic bases for a single floor. This block has three holes in its upper face and three conical spikes on the bottom, similar to those described above. It also has two slots standardized , in which the join steel clip will be placed. Its measures are: 5″×8″×5″.
FIG. 31
. It is the economic concrete block for built pillars in middle of walls of small houses.
51
28
27
We see a block , which is used to build pillars of 4″×4″ in the intermediate walls of houses with smaller foundations for a single floor. Have 2 holes standardized on his face higher and two conical spikes standardized its lower side, similar to those that have all the pillar blocks. It also has two slots standardized , in which the join steel clip will be placed. The measures are: 4″×8″×1″¾.
FIG. 32
. It is the economic concrete block for built walls in small houses.
52
7
27
We see the block of wall to be used for the construction of the walls in the low-cost homes. It has all the characteristics of block , differs only in that its measures have been reduced in width. Slots and spikes have been placed so as to function correctly with any type of block pillar or wall which have to assembled. In the details of that assembly that are presented below we will see its perfect operation. The measures are: 4″×8″×16″.
FIG. 33
. It is the economic half concrete block for built walls in small houses.
53
52
We see the middle block , which is used to lock block wall, contains all characteristics of Block . Their measures are 4″×8″×8″.
FIG. 34
. It is the economic concrete block for built walls in small houses that contain lateral slots.
54
52
54
55
We see a block , which is similar to block , with the difference that the block has two additional slots cross , which were used to place steel clips of union with other blocks to build another wall in the direction perpendicular, no need to build a pillar between them. This is used to construct interior walls of houses where it is not necessary to place pillars. Their measures are: 4″×8″×16″.
FIG. 35
. It is the economic half concrete block for built walls in small houses that contain lateral slots.
56
54
54
We see a block , which is used to lock the blocks , and pull the slots join in a position symmetrical, so that clips union can function properly. Its characteristics are similar to those of block . The measures are: 4″×8″×8″.
FIG. 36
. It is the super economic concrete block for built walls in small houses.
57
36
57
We see the economic block , of this series of blocks. It has all the features and functions that block , the difference is only in its breadth. The measures block are: 4″×8″×16″.
FIG. 37
. It is the economic concrete block for built lintels and beams in small houses.
58
59
60
52
53
54
56
57
We see the block , which is used to build concrete beams or lintels going at the top of the walls, for join the pillars with each other, forming a solid structural framework. This type of beams used in smaller homes, whose distance between pillars is not greater a12′. This block contains slots ¼″ deep to put mortar between them. At its bottom contains spikes , which will allow assembled between whether or block wall , , . and . The measures are: 4″×8″×16″.
FIG. 38
. It is the economic half concrete block for built lintels and beams in small houses.
61
58
8
We see the block , which is used to lock blocks beams with blocks wall. Its characteristics are similar to those of block . The measures are: 4″×8″ x″.
FIG. 39
. It is the economic concrete block for built pillars in middle of walls that contain lateral slots.
62
We see the block , which is used to plank mould pillars intermediate, which walls in a perpendicular direction, forming a union type T. Contains 6 slots, to unite through clips steel all blocks of the walls. Its efficient operation as we will see later. It has all the characteristics of the blocks pillar (holes, slots and conical spikes). Their measures are: 8″×8″×2″.
FIG. 40
. It is the economic concrete block for built pillars that contain lateral slots in its three faces.
63
52
53
54
56
57
27
28
We see a block closed , which is used to build pillars of 8″×8″, and join them with blocks of wall , , , and . It is used for the completion of a single wall, and also to join the pillar with three walls in the form of T, for this purpose, includes 3 pairs of slots in the right direction . It also contains 4 holes in the top , and their corresponding conical spikes at the bottom. In the graphic details of the process we will see constructive later, the optimal functioning of this block. Their measures are: 8″×8″×8″.
FIG. 41
. It is the snap support.
64
36
39
57
66
65
We see the snap support of PVC , which is inserted through the mere pressure of the hand, in the slots to the effect that contain the economic blocs , and . This support includes 6 holes , properly distributed, so that they place by screws, switches, sockets, devices or telephone systems, the Internet or cable TV. Contains 4 spikes , which are used to make the adjustment type snap, whereby the support is embedded in the cracks of the blocks with simple hand pressure, and is firmly adhered.
FIG. 42
. It is the concrete block setting the snap support.
64
37
36
We see how the bracket , and the way it fits into the slots of block .
FIG. 43
. It is the concrete block of walls in lateral view.
7
27
42
32
We see the side of the block , where we can see at the top standardized location of the slots , which are used to place the clips steel union between blocks wall and blocks pillar. At the bottom we can see the spikes , which serve to this block can fit precisely into another block like that has been previously placed underneath. We can also see the slot serves for laying pipes of electrical or water systems, according to the respective prints. This figure will have all the wall blocks that have measures 8″ in its width.
FIG. 44
. It is a complete plane in plant and elevation of the concrete block of pillar.
2
44
44
We see a plane manufacturing a pillar block , with design and precise measures for a successful operation. We can see the spikes conical A, its location, its size, and can clearly understand that these spikes fit with the precision of holes B, which have all blocks of this type. Completed analysis of the wall blocks, pillars, beams and slabs, we turn now to revise the components of metal structures and connectors which are used in the construction of the roofs of the houses.
FIG. 45
. It is a section of metallic profile that is use how beams on roofs.
1
67
66
1
1
1
1
67
1
1
We see the profile of galvanized steel in channel form , which will be used for the construction of any model or design of roofs of houses or buildings. Traditional systems roof with metal structure used profiles in the form of C, or in the form of G. Our design is a profile in the form of C inverted, with two lateral elongated fins, whose length is determined by structural calculate, and depending on the charges or efforts that have to endure. As to width profile, has been standardized at ″ ½. This profile is the one most used in the manufacture of roof. There is an additional profile A, whose width is slightly larger, to fit the profile in the profile A. This will see later in the detailed of manufacturing of the structural beam roofs. All profiles are the same shape, the difference between them, is in the length of this profile, and the heights of fins A, depending on the loads they have to endure. One of the most important features is that the profiles and A forming the metal beams, always cut at right angles, which saves a lot of time in the manufacturing process, as it is not necessary to cut each profile in the angle where will join with the other profiles. This is possible because the connectors solve this problem.
FIG. 46
. It is a connector for sloping beams.
68
70
68
1
70
68
70
69
1
70
69
We see the connector which links the central beam with sloping beams. It is constructed with structural aluminum extrusion system. Contains perforations , 10 mm in diameter, which are inserted bolts galvanized steel ⅜″, which is the union between profiles metal beams forming the central and profiles that form the sloping beams. To assemble the connector , with the beam Central , the beam is inserted into the connector, and they are inserting 2 bolts ⅜″ through holes . The connector has two holes A, each will be placed bolt of ⅜″, which will serve as a pivot, working together with each of the slots , within which are inserted bolts that moving down the slot will allow the sloping beams affixed to the desired angle. Once we have placed the profile metallic , in the correct inclination, fit bolt that has been placed in the hole A and then bolt that has been placed in the slot . Thus there is a perfect fit and strong enough to withstand the efforts planned. The rotation angle start from 0° to 90°. Its operation will be seen better later.
FIG. 47
. It is a connector for horizontal beams.
71
We see the connector , which is used to attach the horizontal beams with diagonal beam core.
FIG. 48
. It is a connector for sloping beams in roofs for economic houses
70
72
1
70
We see the connector beams core, which is used for building roofs of two inclinations in affordable housing. It was built with galvanized steel. Have perforations , which are inserted bolts ⅜″ linking connector with the beam . Channels almost closed A is used to place the pivot bolt which will operate as to achieve the desired angle. It is used to unite a horizontal beam with two tilted beams.
FIG. 49
. It is a connector for joint horizontal and sloping beams in economic houses.
73
72
70
70
We see the connector , which is used to join a horizontal beam with a tilted beam. It has characteristics similar to the connector in relation to hole and slot nearly closed A.
FIG. 50
. It is a metallic profile used how tensor.
74
We see a profile metal tubular , galvanized steel, which is used as a tensor for the manufacture of structural beams.
FIG. 51
. It is a top metallic profile for roofs.
75
We see a profile of galvanized steel , which is used as a profile summit and is placed on top of the central beam to function as support of the metal plates from the roof.
FIG. 52
. It is a steel hook.
76
We see a steel rod of ⅜″ bent into a hook shape, which is used to set the metal beams in beams of concrete, in low-cost houses, which builds the roof with two slopes.
FIG. 53
80
. It is a view in plant the process of connector assembly.
80
77
78
1
1
2
79
78
FIG. 53
We see in plant, separate the components of the connector . Support has a hole 10 mm, Which will insert a bolt , ⅜″×″ /. The box has a hole alike, which will be introduced the bolt. At the bottom of , we can see the pivot assembled with the box, united by bolt of ⅜″.
FIG. 54
80
. It is a lateral view the process of connector assembly.
70
69
In side view, it can be seen that the same process of assembly. It highlights the hole by which to introduce the bolt ⅜″ which will serve as a pivot, and the slot , which insert another bolt of ⅜″ that allow to tilt the metal beams to desired angle. Adjusting the two bolts its form a strong union and stable than adequately fulfill its purpose.
FIG. 55
80
. It is an elevation view the connector assembled.
80
77
80
We see the product assembled: the connector . In this figure are 2 holes A, which will insert galvanized steel screws, to fix the connectors to the metal beams tilted.
FIG. 56
83
1
. It is a view in plant the process of connector assembly with central beam .
83
1
1
1
1
81
1
78
82
81
70
81
We see in plant the components, which the connector will be assembled, will be installed on the Central beam , and connect itself diagonal beams A, B and C. Element is a piece of aluminum structural profile of 2″ in length, is embedded in the lower end of the beam and joined by a bolt of galvanized steel ⅜″. Next we insert three boxes of galvanized steel in the element and affirms through 3 bolts of ⅜″ that are inserted in the holes that has the element .
FIG. 57
83
1
. It is a view in plant the connector assembled with central beam .
We see the elements assembled together through 8 bolts galvanized steel ⅜″.
FIG. 58
83
. It is a lateral view of process of connector assembly.
82
81
78
70
69
81
In side view, we can see how the elements are embedded in the item and joined by bolts . It observes the holes and slots that has the element .
FIG. 59
83
. It is a lateral view of connector assembled.
81
82
83
We see the elements assembled and , which has formed the connector .
FIG. 60
83
. It is an elevation of connector assembled.
83
70
83
1
69
69
We see in perspective the connector . In hole will be placed bolt of ⅜″ to serve as a pivot to achieve the downward turn of the connector from his ensemble with the beam . In The slot , will be placed on another slide bolt to be within the slot up to the desired angle. After the beams are placed in their correct position, and will adjust the bolts strong.
FIG. 61
83
1
. It is a view in plant the connector assembled with central beam and sloping beams moved.
1
83
1
1
1
We see in plant assembled beam with the connector and the diagonal beams A, B and C. We also see that the diagonal beams, can easily turn into horizontally from 0° to 90°.
FIG. 62
87
. It is a plant and lateral view of connector .
87
In front view and side can see the connector . It is a piece of an aluminum structural profile of 4 mm, in thickness, 2″ long. It contains a slot 10 mm. This connector is used to install the sloping beams in the concrete beams of houses.
FIG. 63
87
. It is an elevation of connector .
87
We see the connector in perspective and we can see that it has two holes 70 to 10 mm, through which the expansion bolts were placed, for set the sloping metal beams in the concrete beams of houses.
FIG. 64
87
. It is a lateral view of connector assembled with horizontal and sloping beams, and fixed in concrete beam.
1
87
78
87
88
78
69
87
1
We see in cut, as the inclined beam , it fits into the connector and is fixed with a bolt . We see that the connector is set in concrete beam through two expansion bolts A. Note that the slot of the connector allows the inclined beam get easily the degree tilt desired.
FIG. 65
. It is an elevation of structural aluminum mold to build concrete pillars or beams, with detail of mold corner.
90
91
94
We see the mold of structural aluminum , which is used for plank mold foundations beams, pillars and superior beams. It is constructed with structural aluminum profiles 4 mm, in thickness. Contains rectangular slots placed each 2″, where are inserted the Clips Snap , which connects the molds to each other, by simple pressure of the hands of the worker.
FIG. 66
. It is an elevation of structural aluminum mold to complete the formwork for build concrete pillars.
92
90
90
94
We see the mold which is used as an adjunct to mold , to build a quick plank mold of concrete pillars of 8″×8″. Contains rectangular slots similar to the mold , positioned precisely, so that whenever the two molds are joint, the slots coincide and can join them with Clip Snap .
FIG. 67
. It is an elevation of structural aluminum mold of formwork to build concrete slabs.
93
91
94
FIG. 67
We see a mold , which is used to build veined slabs. Contains rectangular slots , placed in a vertical position so that they can unite these molds with each other through the Clips Snap . This clip is out of scale in , enlarged, in order to be able to observe their way. Its role we see later.
FIG. 68
. It is an elevation of structural aluminum connector to assemble internal beam molds.
95
90
90
94
We see the connector , which is used to join the molds one another, when working as plank molds beam foundation and when is an plank mould a central concrete pillar of the house. Contains rectangular slots placed in a manner that match the grooves of the mold , and the beams can join through Clip Snap . It is constructed with aluminum structural 4 mm, in thickness.
FIG. 69
. It is an elevation of structural aluminum connector to assemble external beam molds.
96
90
91
We see the connector , which is used to join the molds between them when working as part of the foundation beans. It is used in the external corners of the mold beam foundation. Contains rectangular slots , which are inserted the clips Snap union.
FIG. 70
. It is an anchor to fix molds.
97
98
99
We see an anchor steel with rectangular slots and , which would be placed in bolts to stabilize the aluminum mold of the pillars of concrete.
FIG. 71
. It is a clip snap, to join aluminum molds to each other.
94
94
100
100
We see the clip Snap , widened so that we can see their form and details principal. It is constructed with hardened steel, to have the flexibility to function properly. Channels A, which are the subject firmly molds to each other. The spikes are closed when the worker pressed against the clip slot molds and allows Clip Snap rolls up to fit in the slot. Once the clip has entered, the spikes regain its position, and firmly hold the molds to each other.
FIG. 72
. It is a union of two molds through the clip snap.
94
90
92
We see in plant the operation of the Clip Snap , when it fits into the slots that have the molds and , joining them with precision and strength.
FIG. 73
. It is a joint of four aluminum molds to formwork a concrete pillar.
90
92
94
We see in plant as two molds joined with two molds , through clips snap , and make the plank mould of a concrete pillar.
FIG. 74
. It is a view in plant, of mounting the plank mould of central pillar on plank moulds of beams.
90
90
92
90
95
16
94
90
92
94
We see how it is possible to assemble quickly insurmountable and simultaneous the planks mould of the foundation beams with the plank mould of the central pillar. They are used 8 mold for plank mould the rafters of the foundation, two molds and two molds for the plank mould of the central pillar. To join the eight molds of the foundation beams uses four connectors and clips Snap . For the assembly of the two molds of pillar with the other two molds , used 32 clips Snap . (One each foot). This process does not last more than 10 minutes, which saves an extraordinary amount of labor in the construction of two-story houses, which are those that require this kind of central pillar. The structural aluminum mold can be reused thousands of times, which cost amortization is reduced to minimum quantity.
FIG. 75
. It is an elevation of mounting the plank mould of central pillar on plank moulds of beams.
FIG. 74
97
We see in perspective the process that was described in . Additionally we can see how function the anchors to stabilize molds pillars in the mold of beams prior to the casting of concrete.
FIG. 76
. It is an elevation of mounting the plank mould of corner pillar on plank moulds of beams.
90
90
92
We see in perspective the ensemble in the corners of the houses the molds of foundation beam , in conjunction with the two pillar molds and other two molds .
FIG. 77
. It is a view in plant of two traditional blocks joint with mortar.
101
89
We see in plant the traditional blocks of concrete , which are used in the construction of homes in the state of Florida and other states in the southern United States. These blocks are joined by mortar works by adherence. If the force of Hurricane applied as shown in the arrow, the mortar will resist as strong as it adhered in the blocks.
FIG. 77
A. It is a view in plant of two Starlum blocks joint with mortar.
89
If we compare in how working blocks of System Starlum, we realize that the mortar , is placed inside the blocks, and that does not work by adhesion, but by compression, as when applying the force of the hurricane, so that the blocks separating it will be necessary to break the mortar that unite them and fins of the blocks which cover. This shows that the Starlum system has a very strong structural advantage relative to traditional system.
FIG. 78
. It is a lateral view of two traditional blocks joint with mortar.
In side view, we can see the same problem.
FIG. 78A
. It is a lateral view of two Starlum blocks joint with mortar.
89
7
We can see how the mortar placed between the blocks of the Starlum System works better than the traditional system.
FIG. 79
. It is a view in plant the arrangement of aluminum molds to build concrete beams.
90
95
95
95
95
95
95
95
94
96
We see in plant the distribution of aluminum molds , which have been placed to work as plank mould of foundation beam. We can see the distribution of connectors , A, B, C and D. The difference between the five connectors Series , is due to the required dimensions slightly different in width, in order to achieve something that is difficult as between concrete beams, which have a width of 6″ will emerge a pillar of 8″×8″, keeping its dimensions. This has been achieved with five connectors, with unsurpassed speed, efficiency and lower costs. Further connectors in the series function to facilitate disarmed from the molds, after casting of concrete beams and pillars, without necessarily beating, but with the simple hand pressure by removing the Clips Snap . We see in the corners connectors functioned properly and simplifying the assembly process. Assembling all the molds beam foundation of a house like this delay is not more than 30 minutes. It is a constructive record speed and lower cost.
FIG. 80
. It is an elevation view the arrangement of aluminum molds to build concrete beams.
FIG. 81
. It is a vertical section of structural design of foundation, beams, floor and pillars for a one story house.
6
10
103
102
18
105
104
22
41
90
92
We see in court the structural design to build a house of one story, using the Starlum System. The plinth of concrete armed is the size of 30″×30″×8″, is built at a depth of 12″, is reinforced with a steel grille built with 8 rods ⅜″ in both directions (a total of 16 rods steel). On this grid of steel supports the structure of steel electro welded of concrete pillar . The beams of the foundation , are built with structures of steel electro-welded . The concrete floor has a thickness of 4″ and is reinforced with a mesh steel electro welded of 3 mm thickness. At the top of the concrete pillars will be built on top of wall a concrete beam around the perimeter of the house. This concrete beam is built with the steel beam electro welded and for plank mold used blocks . This structural design is based in monolithic work between the reinforced concrete plinths, reinforced concrete foundation beams, reinforced concrete floor, reinforced concrete pillars and reinforced concrete superior beams. The House Armed thus has adequate capacity to withstand seismic shocks and hurricanes. In this structural alternative envisaged that the pillars are built using molds aluminum and as plank mold.
FIG. 82
. It is a lateral view of setting blocks of walls.
6
106
90
90
7
89
108
41
22
88
65
We see in court side, as plinths, floor, the pillars and reinforced concrete beams have formed a monolithic whole. It is seen that to compensate for the difference in level between part of plinth and the level of land have been placed sections of wood A type T, above which placed the mold aluminum that plank mold whole the perimeter of the house. In this way can melt rapidly in a single act beams of concrete foundation, with the reinforced concrete floor. We see the placement of wall blocks and how they fit with each other accurately, leaving in its interior space to place the mortar of joint , and to place the pipes electrical, potable water, etc. At the top we see the use of block beam , which has placed inside the metal structure electro welded and has been cast concrete . On top of the concrete beam are the metal beams of the roof of the house.
FIG. 83
. It is an elevation of a constructive process a section of plinths, foundation beams, concrete floor, pillars, walls and superior beams.
31
2
7
8
41
102
18
22
109
110
105
We see in perspective a stretch wall of a house with its foundations. In this figure we used for the construction of the pillars block and block , we used for walls the blocks and and for the upper beam block . For foundation beams , we used the steel structure electro welded . For upper beams electro welded structure . For the reinforced concrete floor, we used the mesh electro welded of 3 mm. It is important to note that all the structural elements of reinforced concrete with steel electro soldier, as plinths , the pillars, beams of the foundation, the beams air and the floor , form a monolithic whole, which resist joined forces seismic and hurricanes. Obviously, this is not a mandatory structural design, and engineers calculators may at his discretion to modify the technical specifications of steel structures electro welded, which is easy to deal for resist the seismic and atmospheric conditions in their regions. The Starlum System is versatile and big adaptability.
FIG. 84
. It is an economic block of walls.
36
We see as an alternative that can be used block , which means a significant cost reduction.
FIG. 85
. It is a view in plant the joint between blocks of pillars with blocks of walls, in corners of walls.
2
7
24
25
2
7
34
7
2
10
We see a detail of the union between the pillar block with block , through the steel Clips, forming the corner of a house. Steel Clips and are inserted easily into slots that have standardized block and block . When placed mortar in the area of Block and the grooves of Block are filled, there is a very strong and resilient union at the corner of the house, which improves when concrete has been casted in pillar of corner. We see that the structure steel electro welded has been placed as a prelude to the casting of concrete.
FIG. 86
. It is a view in plant the joint between blocks of pillars with blocks of walls, in meddle of three walls.
9
7
24
25
9
7
24
7
25
88
We see a detail of the union between Block of intermediate pillar, with the blocks forming walls in three directions, through clips of steel and . We can see that block is very light, in consequence will be very economical and joins perfectly with blocks , as their slots coincide and is easy to set them clips . Blocks unite among themselves through clips . Concrete casted has consolidated the union between blocks of the 3 walls.
FIG. 87
. It is a view in plant the joint between blocks of pillars with blocks of walls, using an economic blocks for interior walls.
52
62
52
7
52
24
We see an alternative to construct interior walls of the houses, which will be very economical using the block . To this end, we have to use the pillar block , which contains slots that allow bind with the block and block . If interior walls are constructed with the blocks , these walls powerfully reinforce the anti-seismic behavior and anti-hurricane homes, without increasing the cost of construction. We see that to unite all the blocks are required to use only 6 clips . Recall that the mortar is placed in filling the slots and the inner side of the blocks of wall, consolidates strongly the join of blocks to each other.
FIG. 88
. It is a view in plant the joint between blocks of pillars with blocks of walls, in meddle of two walls.
9
4
24
We see how to build a concrete pillar intermediate, using 2 blocks and clips . Quick, easy and inexpensive.
FIG. 89
. It is a view in plant the joint between blocks of pillars with blocks of walls, in corners of walls, using economic blocks and setting sheetrock.
36
2
24
25
36
We see how to build the pillar of the corner of a house, using for the walls the economic bloc . Used block , and unites them with 2 clips and a clip . We can see how is easy to place the sheets of SHEETROCK directly to the wall without the need for metal structure. To improve the condition of thermal insulation in the walls, we can spray inside of the blocks , foam insulation or any of the chemicals or paint that fulfill this role. So the savings in metallic components of SHEETROCK be used to cover the cost of this additional protection for the walls, whose positive result will be that will reduce energy consumption in houses.
FIG. 90
. It is a view in plant the joint between blocks of pillars with economic blocks of walls, before setting sheetrock.
31
36
24
We see how to build a central pillar of a house, joining the block , with the economic block through two clips .
FIG. 91
. It is a view in plant the joint between blocks of meddle pillars with economic blocks of walls, before setting sheetrock.
9
36
24
We see how to build intermediate pillar of a house, joining two blocks with two economic blocs . We have used 4 clips .
FIG. 92
. It is a view in plant setting the support for electric and telephone system.
36
64
We see that is ease to place in the slots of the economic block , by the mere pressure of the hand, the support of the electrical system, telephone, etc.
FIG. 93
. It is a vertical section that show assemble of wall blocks itself and with beam blocks.
36
41
36
89
36
41
We see a detail of vertical assemble of blocks and how the block of the beam is embedded in the block and bind with mortar . It also sees that the block can fit easily into the block of beam , to continue to raise the wall above the concrete beam.
FIG. 94
. It is a view in plant the arrangement of pillar blocks with beams blocks.
41
24
25
2
9
31
We see in plant the placement of blocks of beam , how are assembled with each other through the clips and , and how its joined at the corners with pillar blocks , in the middle with blocks of pillar, and the end of the walls with pillar blocks . It is important to note that all the blocks together form a continuous channel, which placed the electro welded metal structures, in order to melt the concrete beam.
FIG. 95
. It is a vertical section of a two story house that show constructive details.
1
2
3
We see the cut of a segment of a two-story house, with its details - and , to see how the Starlum System function building slabs of reinforced concrete.
FIG. 96
1
. Shows detail
1
7
41
41
22
88
Shows the detail , in which we see the upper wall of the second floor constructed of blocks , which has embedded block beam , in front position and lateral position. At the Interior of Block has been placed the electro welded beam , and has been casted the concrete . This is the concrete upper beams above will be installed the roof.
FIG. 97
. It is a view in plant the joint pillar blocks with slab blocks.
46
24
25
44
We see in plant the placement of slab blocks , and his union through clips and , with pillar blocks specially designed to work in the corners of the slabs of concrete.
FIG. 98
. Shows detail two and three.
2
7
41
7
46
21
113
114
112
7
115
46
93
3
41
115
7
We see in detail , the wall of the first floor has been built with the blocks , that has been placed above blocks working as beam blocks or lintel, in this case are working as a lintel blocks. On top of this block has been placed another row of blocks . By continue has been placed the block of slab. Then they are placed steel beams electro welded , the electro-welded mesh to reinforce the concrete slab, the steel rods to reinforce the nerves of the slab , and has been casted the concrete slab . Next continue raising the wall of the second floor using blocks . We see that has been placed a wooden board between the block and the metallic mold , the board has a strip of wood, which is used as a support of the metal mold of slab. The board was fixed to the wall by cement nails. These elements of wood are needed to be able to easily remove molds after casting slab of concrete. In detail , we see that as block slab has been used block , which works perfectly. We see two panels of wood , and the walls are built with block .
FIG. 99
. Shows the function of metal molds of slabs.
93
94
115
114
We see in another court, the way as are placed metal molds of slab , as are assembled one with other through the Clips Snap A and that are supported by the boards of wood . We see the reinforcement of steel that has every nerve of the concrete slab. Other elements have been previously described.
FIG. 100
. Shows the union between two blocks to build pillars of 8″×10″.
9
31
116
We see that we can build the plank mold of a pillar of 10″×8″ uniting the block with the block , through the clip .
FIG. 101
. It is a steel clip for joint blocks.
FIG. 102
, Shows the union between two blocks to build pillars of 8″×16″.
31
24
We see that we can build the plank mold of a pillar of 16″×8″, uniting two blocks through two clips .
FIG. 103
. Shows the union between three blocks to build pillars of 16″×16″.
31
2
24
25
We see that we can build the plank mold of a pillar type L 16″×16″, joining two blocks with a block , through two clips and a clip .
FIG. 104
. Shows the union between four blocks to build pillars of 16″×24″.
31
9
24
25
We see that we can build the plank mold of a pillar type T 24″×16″, uniting three blocks with a block through two clips and two clips .
FIG. 105
. Shows the union between four blocks to build pillars of 24″×24″.
31
4
25
We see that we can build the plank mold of a pillar type + of 24″×24″ joining 4 blocks through clips .
FIG. 106
. Shows the union between four blocks to build square pillars of 16″×16″.
2
24
We see that we can build the plank mold of a square pillar of 16″×16″, using 4 blocks , united by 4 clips . For the plank mold can withstand the weight of concrete is needed to be strengthened by placing sections of wire No. 18 in the slots of the blocks and connected in iron rods of steel pillar.
Then we will make a comparative analysis between the constructive system more used in the southern of the United States and the Starlum System.
FIG. 107
. It is a plane in plant of a house of 2.102 Sq. Ft. with a lateral view of the beams and walls, using traditional constructive system in the Florida State.
52
122
121
120
We see the level of a plant in a house of 52′×′ in the form of L with 2,102 sq. Ft. In the southern of the United States, are built each year hundreds of thousands of these houses, similar to the photo, with different facades. Its structural design is not used concrete plinths neither pillars. Instead of using foundation beams , measures 12″×16″, reinforced with two steel rods ⅝″ thickness. On these beams are placed concrete blocks , 8″×8″×16″. Within blocks, each 4′, placed an iron rod of ⅝″ thickness vertically, and is filled with concrete the empty space of the block, resulting in the house instead of concrete pillars resistant, having numerous small pillars low structural strength. At the top of the wall is built a beam of concrete , 8″×16″ reinforced with two rods ⅝″ thickness. Apparently, having eliminated plinths and concrete pillars, it would mean a reduction in the cost of housing. Let us prove that this is not the case, the Starlum system reduces costs and increases strongly structural quality of housing.
FIG. 108
, It is a plane in plant of a house of 2.102 Sq. Ft. with a lateral view of the foundation, beams, pillars, walls and metallic structure of roof, using Starlum System.
6
5
88
We see the same model of house in the same area. It is built using the Starlum System, with 15 concrete plinths of 30″×30″×8″ reinforced with steel rods of ⅜″, with concrete foundation beams of 8″×8″ around the perimeter, with concrete pillars of 7″×7″, reinforced with electro welding steel structure, with concrete upper beams reinforced with electro welding steel structure.
FIG. 109
. It is a constructive detail of the corner of the house using traditional system of Florida State.
122
124
125
We can observe in detail the union at the corner of the structural elements of the housing built with the traditional system of USA. We see each foundation beam , has been placed only 2 steel rods of ⅝″ thickness, and in pillar only there is placed only one steel rod of ⅝″. Too much concrete and little steel.
FIG. 110
, It is a constructive detail of the corner of the house using Starlum System.
6
107
5
18
88
125
We see in contrast that plinths are reinforced with steel rods of ⅜″ thickness, in both directions. We see in each beam of the foundation, placed a steel structure electro welded formed by 4 rods ⅜″ thickness and stirrups steel rods 5.5 mm thickness every 6″. We see that each pillar is built with a steel structure electro-welded 6″×6″ formed with 4 rods steel ⅜″ with stirrups of 5.5 mm thickness every 6″. This union is reinforced with 4 steel squads . At first sight is that the steel used in the Starlum system is superior and performs better than the traditional system in the USA.
FIG. 111
. It is a comparative table demonstrate that Starlum System save 48.61% in concrete vs. traditional system used in the Florida State.
127
There is a table comparing the consumption of concrete between the two systems constructive and we see that the traditional system of USA 126, consumed 522.47 ft3 of concrete, as opposed to the Starlum system , which consumes 254 ft3 concrete, in consequence Starlum System save 282.55 ft3 concrete equivalent to 48.61%.
FIG. 112
128
, we see a picture of a house in Florida USA, in building process of its roof . It is noted that has many prefabricated wooden beams.
FIG. 113
, we see the wooden beams of the roof of that house, for its bottom where we can see the complexity of the assembly and its numerous metallic join pieces.
FIG. 114
130
, we see that to join a beam of wood , requires 3 metallic elements joint with many nails.
FIG. 115
131
, we see the union of one of main girder beam with other beam, which are used several steel anchors with big size .
FIG. 116
. It is an elevation that show the assembly of two connectors with central beam.
1
68
83
78
74
We see in perspective the Starlum System in assembly process of the Central beam of the roof, with the connector and the connector through bolts galvanized , and the placement of the tensor .
FIG. 117
. It is a plant of the same assembly process.
132
1
1
1
FIG. 117
We see in plant the same assembly process with the elements disarmed at the top of the figure, and the items assembled at the bottom of the . It can be seen that beams A, B and C, may revolve horizontally from 0° to 90°.
FIG. 118
. It is a lateral view of the same assembly process.
134
83
78
We can see in lateral view the same assembly process. It can be seen that beams assembled can be rotated downward, from 0° to 90°. This shift is accomplished through the connector and bolt which serves as pivot. This whole process has already been explained above, however, as we will discuss in depth the assembly of the roof, we have made this brief summary chart.
FIG. 119
. It is a frontal view that shows the assembly process of structural beam.
68
1
74
78
74
78
1
68
1
68
78
We are seeing the beginning of the process of assembling the structural beam houses. We see that the connector is embedded in the beam metal and that it fits into the tensor , we see that the union is done via bolts . Here we see the tensor already have united through bolts the beam and the connector . Then the beams side B, it will fit into the connector and will be fixed by bolts of galvanized steel .
FIG. 120
. It is a frontal view that shows the turn down of the sloping beams.
68
1
78
We see the elements are assembled, and the mechanism by which the connector allows the beams B turn downwards from 0° to 90°, using as a pivot the bolt below 78. Arriving at the desired degree of inclination, fit bolts , and the beams are strongly stabilized.
FIG. 121
. It is an elevation that shows the elements components of structural beam.
1
1
74
1
78
We see in perspective the same assembly process. Introducing the beam A, which is placed at the bottom to fit it beams B and Tensor . The beam A, has already holes for which will be placed the bolts to ⅜″ with which conducted the ensemble.
FIG. 122
. It is an elevation that shows the structural beam assembled.
135
1
74
We see assembled the structural beam , which has been mounted on the central beam of the roof . In this figure has been placed only 2 tensors , however, depending on the length of the beam, and according to the calculation structural be placed so many tensors as necessary to strengthen the beam. The home in study, required 5 structural beams like this.
Then analyze the easy process of assembling the metal structure of the roof of the house that we are considering using the Starlum system.
FIG. 123
, we see a picture of the roof of a house similar to what we are going to discuss.
FIG. 124
. It is a plane of the lateral walls of a house about we will build the roof using Starlum System.
136
We see in plant the plane of the house with their main dimensions and walls with the concrete beams on which will be mount the structure of the roof.
FIG. 125
. Shows six structural beams assembled and installed above the concrete beams.
6
135
1
135
FIG. 64
FIG. 125
We see that are assembled structural beams , on 2 central beams , following the process of assembling previously explained. To fix the metal structural beams in the concrete beams, are used connectors whose assembly was explained in . Its graphic detail appears in .
FIG. 126
. Shows part of horizontal beams installed on structural beams stabilizing the structure of roof.
1
71
137
We see that they are placed some of the beams horizontal C using the connectors and screws galvanized steel ¼″.
FIG. 127
. Shows the inclined beams installed.
1
83
80
71
We see that have been placed the diagonal beams ID and the inclined beam F, using the connectors , and .
FIG. 128
. Shows all the metallic structure of the roof installed.
1
We see that have been completed to place the remaining beams horizontal C, using connectors already cited, bringing the roof has been installed easily, without the need for skilled labor, or cranes to lift the beams as is the case with the system wooden roofs of great use and high cost in the United States.
FIG. 129
. Shows the assembly process of inclined beams with horizontal beams.
1
83
80
71
1
80
71
78
We see detailed ensemble diagonal beams ID with horizontal beams C. We see that the diagonal beams ID are assembled in the connector through bolts of galvanized steel ⅜″. We see that the beams ID have installed connectors and through galvanized steel screws ¼″. The beams C are placed on the connectors and , and are fixed by bolts of galvanized steel .
FIG. 130
. Shows the beams assembled.
We see fast and easy assembled the metal beams, forming a very strong structural framework.
FIG. 131
. Shows the assembly process of horizontal beam with diagonal and connectors.
1
80
1
78
3
8
We see the union of the diagonal beam ID with the Central beam . We see that the diagonal beam ID has placed the connectors , one of them fits into the beam and bind the two beams with bolts galvanized to /″.
FIG. 132
. Shows the beams assembled.
1
80
78
We see the assembly of the inclined beam F with the diagonal beam ID through the connector with bolts galvanized to ⅜″.
To continue we see the structural design of a economic house of 39.59 m2, which will be the most economic constructive solution and high structural quality, which we submitted as a contribution of Starlum System to solve housing shortages in the poor countries of the world. It used economic blocks of Starlum System.
FIG. 133
. It is a plane in plant of a small house that will build using Starlum System with economic line, including seven constructive details.
We see in plant the plane of a one story house of 39.59 m2. It has 2 bedrooms, a bathroom, living room, dining room and kitchen. Contains 7 construction details.
FIG. 134
1
. Shows detail of constructive process.
1
88
50
52
26
25
12
89
We see in detail , the formation of plank mold of concrete pillar in the corners of the house. We see that the pillar block joins with the wall blocks , by two clips and one clip . The steel pillar electro welded , has been placed previously. The union of the blocks before the casting of concrete is reinforced with mortar placed in the area of the blocks.
FIG. 135
2
. Shows detail of constructive process.
2
52
56
24
88
56
We see in detail , the union of block with block through the clip to form a wall sort L. To strengthen this union is put a rod steel ⅜″ and is filled with concrete the space inside of the blocks .
FIG. 136
136
. It is a cut AA of the architectural plane of the house. We see in cut the interior walls of the house, on which at the top has been built the concrete beam A that tie all pillars, and runs over all the walls.
FIG. 137
3
. Shows detail of constructive process.
3
52
54
24
54
89
52
We see in detail the formation of the corner of the house, where structurally it is not necessary to build pillars. It joins the block with the block through the clip . This union is strengthened by placing mortar in the groove of the block and in sector of Block .
FIG. 138
4
. Shows detail of constructive process.
4
51
52
2
26
52
25
88
89
12
We see in detail , the construction of a pillar that unites three walls in the form of T. The pillar block joins with the blocks through clips . The 3 blocks are joined to one another by means of 2 clips . The union of these blocks before casting concrete , is strengthened by placing mortar in the slots of the blocks and Sector of all blocks. We see that before has been placing the electro welding steel structure .
FIG. 139
. It is a plane in plant of foundation and roof of the house.
6
We see in plant the design and distribution of 11 plinths of the foundation, and next to the design of the roof of the house.
FIG. 140
5
. Shows detail of constructive process.
5
52
54
3
24
89
We see in detail , the construction of a wall type T, without pillar. The two blocks joined the block , through clips . The union is strengthened by placing mortar in the slots of the blocks and Sector each block.
FIG. 141
6
. Shows detail of constructive process.
6
49
52
2
26
89
52
12
88
We see in detail , the construction of the central pillar of the house. The pillar block joins the wall block through clips . Prior to the casting of concrete, the union of the blocks is strengthened by placing mortar in the slots of the blocks which were inserted clips and Sector of block . We see that previously has been placed the metal structure electro welded , and then has been casted concrete .
FIG. 142
7
. Shows detail of constructive process.
7
51
52
4
26
89
52
12
88
We see in detail , the construction of a pillar between two walls. The two pillar blocks , joined with the two wall blocks through clips . This union is strengthened by placing mortar in the slots of the blocks which were inserted clips, and Sector of the wall blocks . We see previously had placed the structure electro welded and then has been casted concrete .
FIG. 143
. It is a vertical section of the plinths, foundation beams, reinforced concrete floor and pillars.
6
106
12
12
105
104
23
We see in cut the structural design of the house. The plinths has measures of 24″×24″×8″, and go up to the level of the earth . Each plinth is reinforced with 6 rods of steel ⅜″ in both directions (12 in total) forming a grid on which to place the structure electro welded . As foundation beams make work the concrete floor placing structures electro welded running around the perimeter of the house and under every wall. The concrete floor is reinforced with mesh electro welded of 3 mm. thickness, with bars every 6″. On top of the wall is built a concrete beam reinforced with steel electro-welded structure which connects all the pillars and forms a structural framework that makes work monolithic whole house.
FIG. 144
. It is a vertical section that shows the assembly of blocks between itself, and blocks of superior beams.
52
108
105
106
89
58
52
58
23
88
We see the placement of wall blocks , and as we see fit easily with each other leaving a slot circular , 1″½, which can to place the pipes for electricity, the Internet, cable TV and water, avoided in this way that bite the walls after they had been lifted, to install pipes as is the custom in the South American countries. We see that the floor of the house is 4″ above the level to land . The union of the blocks is done with mortar , which goes inside the blocks, sealing and strengthening the union of the blocks with each other. We see that at the top will fit perfectly beam block with a wall block . In the beam block , introduces the electro-beam welded steel and melts the concrete . Is important to see that only in the first row the pillar blocks and wall blocks has to be plumb and align, the remaining rows are auto plumb and align when placed clips joining pillar blocks with wall blocks. As can be seen, the process is easy, fast and economical.
FIG. 145
. It is a table that contain the concrete volume need to build the house.
We calculate volumes of concrete that requires the house, and the total is 5.37 m3.
FIG. 146
, It is a perspective of the economic house.
1
72
73
138
139
140
75
76
We see from perspective the economic house that we are analyzing, and next to the elements with which the roof is constructed: , , , , , , y , with two inclinations that has this model of home.
FIG. 147
. It is a perspective of the roof for the economic house, with 5 constructive details.
1
142
We see in perspective the roof assembly, with its construction details. We see that the all structure is constructed with the steel metal galvanized profile , that roof is with metal plates galvanized .
FIG. 148
1
. Shows detail .
1
142
1
143
We see in detail assembly of the plate covered with the metal beam , through the hook .
FIG. 149
2
. Shows detail .
2
141
1
2
143
We see in detail , the join of the metal plate that serves as the summit , with the metallic central beam through hooks .
FIG. 150
3
. Shows detail .
3
1
1
72
138
We see in detail , the union of the inclined beam A with 2 horizontal beams B, using the connector , and three galvanized bolts , of ⅜″ thickness.
FIG. 151
4
, Shows detail .
4
1
1
72
1
138
1
72
138
1
75
140
76
1
51
We see in detail , the process of assembly and anchoring in the concrete pillar of the Central beam with 2 tilted beams A. We see that the connector has been assembled in the Central beam through a galvanized bolt , of ⅜″ thickness. We see that two tilted beams A, has been assembled in connector and are fit with 2 steel galvanized bolts . We see that over the central beam , has been placed the profile summit , which has been fixed with screws steel of ¼″ thickness. Finally we see that the sloping beams have been set in concrete pillar through 2 hooks of steel , which have been placed before the casting of concrete. The metal tilted beams A, are support on pillar blocks , prior to the casting of concrete.
FIG. 152
5
. Shows detail .
5
1
73
139
73
139
73
1
139
1
73
138
1
1
50
76
50
We see in detail , the horizontal metallic beam has placed connector by galvanized steel bolt . The connector and bolt we see outside the area of assembly. In this zone is not sees the connector because it's covered by the inclined beam A only we see the head of the bolt . The sloping beam A, will be fit on the connector , by a bolt of galvanized steel . This manner are joint the two metal beams and A. They support on the pillar block and set the concrete pillar through two hooks , when has been casted concrete inside the block .
Next we see as economic blocs can be used to build two-story houses. For this purpose, requires pillars with more section than 4″×4″, therefore we designed blocks that allow build larger pillars.
FIG. 153
. Shows the process of assembly between concrete pillar blocks with concrete wall blocks in the corners of the house.
2
144
52
24
10
89
52
88
We see the corner of a house with foundations for two floors. The plank mold of the pillar is built with pillar block , the pillar block , and two wall blocks , which joint through 4 steel clips . Inside the pillar has been installed the steel structure electro welded , which for more resistance, can be constructed with steel rods of greater thickness, according to the respective structural calculation. As we have seen, these blocks are reinforced with mortar placed in the grooves of the blocks and Sector of the wall blocks . The casting of concrete , makes this pillar in a structural element with sufficient capacity to resist the earthquakes and hurricanes.
FIG. 154
144
. Shows in perspective block , with all its details.
FIG. 155
. Shows the process of assembly between concrete pillar blocks with concrete wall blocks in middle of the walls.
63
52
24
63
52
24
We see as build a pillar between three walls, using the pillar block , and three wall blocks , which joint through 6 clips . We see that the slots that have the block perfectly located coincide with the grooves of the blocks , which facilitates the placement of clips efficiently and quickly.
FIG. 156
, Shows the process of assembly between concrete pillar blocks with concrete wall blocks in the end of walls.
63
52
24
We see the construction of the central pillar where a wall finishes, using the Block and a Block , which are joined by two clips steel .
FIG. 157
To conclude, in , we do a comparative analysis of cost of construction of housing for 2,102 sq. Ft, using the traditional system of the USA, compared with Starlum System. It was in this analysis excludes the cost of land and infrastructure. It has been estimated the cost of basic housing whose entries are: foundations, beams of the foundation, foundation, beams wall, upper beams and the structure of the roof, including direct labor required to run these items. The end result is as follows:
Total cost system USA: $23.186.40
Total cost Starlum system: $12.164.74
This means that for every house that is built using the system Starlum, instead of the traditional system of the USA, there is a savings of 43.22% in the cost of basic construction of the house, with the added advantage that the structural condition is higher.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For this study we have taken into consideration the system more constructive use in the State of Florida, which has eliminated plinths and pillars of concrete and used solely for the foundation beams of concrete 12″×16″ reinforced with two rods steel ⅝″ along the beams, above rest the walls that are built with concrete blocks of 8×8×16″, and at the top the entire length of the walls positioned a beam of concrete 8″×16″ reinforced with two steel rods of ⅝″. To reinforce the walls, steel rods of ⅝″ are placed in vertically placed inside the concrete blocks at a distance of 4′ along all the walls. The space inside the blocks where placed these steel rods, is filled with concrete, to serve as small pillars. Apparently, not using plinths, steel structures and concrete pillars, it would mean a saving in the cost of housing, however, we will demonstrate that this is not the case, the system Starlum using plinths, pillars and concrete structures electro welded steel, it is more economical, more efficient, and improving the condition earthquake resistant and anti hurricane of the houses well beyond the traditional system of the USA, and is more economical at 43.22%. | |
Mattel, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAT) Shares Sold by Prudential Financial Inc.
Prudential Financial Inc. lowered its stake in Mattel, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAT) by 43.0% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 49,533 shares of the company’s stock after selling 37,390 shares during the quarter. Prudential Financial Inc.’s holdings in Mattel were worth $987,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MAT. Aperio Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Mattel by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Aperio Group LLC now owns 49,335 shares of the company’s stock worth $861,000 after purchasing an additional 709 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Mattel by 16.1% during the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 28,279 shares of the company’s stock worth $493,000 after purchasing an additional 3,912 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in shares of Mattel by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 3,397,925 shares of the company’s stock worth $59,295,000 after purchasing an additional 60,356 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mattel during the fourth quarter worth about $12,136,000. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers lifted its position in shares of Mattel by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 920,260 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,059,000 after purchasing an additional 23,926 shares in the last quarter. 95.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
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Shares of Mattel stock opened at $20.51 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.05 and a beta of 1.51. Mattel, Inc. has a 52 week low of $9.93 and a 52 week high of $23.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.99, a current ratio of 1.93 and a quick ratio of 1.37. The company has a 50 day moving average of $20.67.
Mattel (NASDAQ:MAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 22nd. The company reported ($0.10) EPS for the quarter, beating the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of ($0.34) by $0.24. The company had revenue of $874.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $685.04 million. Mattel had a net margin of 4.57% and a return on equity of 89.94%. The firm’s revenue was up 47.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.61) earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Mattel, Inc. will post 0.9 earnings per share for the current year.
Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. DA Davidson increased their price target on shares of Mattel from $23.00 to $28.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 23rd. Zacks Investment Research cut shares of Mattel from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $21.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Monday, June 28th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Mattel from $19.50 to $22.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 13th. MKM Partners raised their target price on shares of Mattel from $21.00 to $23.00 in a report on Friday, April 23rd. Finally, Berenberg Bank raised shares of Mattel from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $14.00 to $25.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 21st. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. The company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $22.47.
Mattel Company Profile
Mattel, Inc, a children's entertainment company, designs and produces toys and consumer products worldwide. The company operates through North America, International, and American Girl segments. It offers dolls and accessories, as well as content, gaming, and lifestyle products for children under the Barbie, American Girl, Polly Pocket, Spirit, and Enchantimals brands; dolls and books under the American Girl brand name; die-cast vehicles, tracks, playsets, and accessories for kids, adults, and collectors under the Hot Wheels, Matchbox, CARS, and Mario Kart brand names; and infant, toddler, and preschool products comprising content, toys, live events, and other lifestyle products under the Fisher-Price and Thomas & Friends, Power wheels, and Fireman Sam brands. | |
Berkeley:University of California Press, April2019.368 pages.$34.95.Paperback.ISBN9780520300927.For other formats: Link to Publisher's Website.
Description
Persian is one of the great lingua francas of world history. Yet despite its recognition as a shared language across the Islamic world and beyond, its scope, impact, and mechanisms remain underexplored. A world historical inquiry into pre-modern cosmopolitanism, The Persianate World traces the reach and limits of Persian as a Eurasian language in a comprehensive survey of its geographical, literary, and social frontiers. From Siberia to Southeast Asia, and between London and Beijing, this book shows how Persian gained, maintained, and finally surrendered its status to imperial and vernacular competitors. Fourteen essays trace Persian’s interactions with Bengali, Chinese, Turkic, Punjabi, and other languages to identify the forces that extended “Persographia,” the domain of written Persian. Spanning the ages of expansion and contraction, The Persianate World offers a critical survey of both the supports and constraints of one of history’s key languages of global exchange.
Comments
Reading Religion welcomes comments from AAR members, and you may leave a comment below by logging in with your AAR Member ID and password. Please read our policy on commenting. | https://readingreligion.org/books/persianate-world |
Orthotopic MB49 and MBT-2 challenges were 8×104 or 1×106 cells in 50 µL Dulbecco’s Phosphate Buffered Saline (DPBS, Sigma Aldrich) into bladder, respectively, via indwelling urinary catheter in female mice under isoflurane anesthesia, as described.13 Bladder tumor growth was monitored in vivo by tumor bioluminescence and bladder weight at sacrifice. Subcutaneous tumor challenge was 2×105 MB49 cells in 100 µL DPBS in each hind flank of female mice (two tumors/mouse).14 Tumor growth was measured using Vernier calipers and volume was calculated as (length x width2)/2. Orthotopic challenge of ID8agg was 4×106 cells injected intraperitoneally into females.9 Lung tumors were generated via intravenous injection of 7×105 or 2.5×105 MB49 or MBT-2 cells, respectively,15 in 200 µL DPBS into male mice. Survival was defined as moribundity, spontaneous death, tumor volume ≥ 2000 mm3 (subcutaneous challenge), or significant weight loss from baseline (≥15% for bladder and ≥20% for lung tumors). To ensure uniform tumor size across all treatment groups, mice were occasionally excluded on first tumor measurement before randomization, if determined to be an outlier by Grubbs’ test. | https://bio-protocol.org/bio101/r9395056 |
As the world moved online seemingly overnight in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, the criticality of data centers and the unrelenting reliance on them across all walks of life became an enduring storyline of the crisis. This reality will manifest in new ways in 2021 as the data center and the information ecosystem orbiting it emerge from the pandemic with a fourth utility criticality, complete with all the expectations and responsibilities that implies. This is among the emerging 2021 data center trends identified by experts from Vertiv, a global provider of critical digital infrastructure and continuity solutions.
Data centers have long been held to high availability standards, but the shift toward utility-like status will be noticeable in two ways. First, those high expectations for network availability will extend deep into rural and remote areas, bringing critical applications to more of the population. This will increase pressure on data centers to maintain connectivity even at the outer edges of their networks. Second, any distinction between availability and connectivity will be erased, as the ability to ensure and protect connections across increasingly distributed hybrid networks becomes as much of a requirement as any traditional measure of data center uptime.
“Data centers have been moving toward public utility-type status for some time, but the pandemic has crystalized the need to establish the kinds of official guardrails that have been commonplace across other utilities,” said Gary Niederpruem, chief strategy and development officer for Vertiv. “This isn’t just about working from home, although that is part of it. More importantly, it is about supporting the digital economy in its most mission-critical forms, which include increased reliance on telemedicine and health, enhanced e-commerce, and global telecommunications and mass media.”
The pandemic effectively established a new baseline for digital infrastructure as the industry adjusts to and eventually moves beyond the global shutdown. Against this backdrop, Vertiv’s experts identified several other emerging trends to watch in 2021. They are: | https://aglmediagroup.com/vertiv-experts-foresee-utility-like-criticality-for-data-centers-in-2021/ |
United States Department of Agriculture
Across the country, people are planting trees, organizing community gardens, monitoring local ecosystems, and cleaning up nearby parks or natural areas. Those who do this work may not think of what they do as “stewardship”, however, they are indeed stewards of their local environments. Care of shared natural resources in urban areas increasingly relies on the work of environmental stewardship groups and coalitions. At the same time, land managers and other decision makers often do not understand the roles and contributions of civic stewards. Stewards themselves may also not be aware of others doing similar work in their area.
At present, no natural resource agency or organization is collecting or distributing comprehensive civic stewardship data at the local level. The Denver Stewardship Mapping and Assessment Project (STEW-MAP) will fill this gap by surveying formal and informal stewardship groups across seven Colorado counties. Based on methodology developed by the New York City Urban Field Station, the Denver STEW-MAP will paint a picture of the region’s environmental stewardship “landscape”, documenting where the many private and public sector organizations work, how they are connected, and from where they source information and tools.
STEW-MAP will enable government and civic groups alike to enhance the capacity of the stewards of our communities. This tool can support civic participation, increase neighborhoods’ social cohesion, and support requests for funding and programming. Better understanding of civic environmental stewardship in urban areas will lead to less duplication of effort and better coordinated land and resource management. By collecting, analyzing, and sharing this information, the USDA Forest Service will be able to meet its obligation to provide timely civic stewardship information to local land managers and policy makers.
The Denver Stewardship Mapping and Assessment Project (STEW-MAP) seeks to answer the question: What are the social and spatial (geographic) interactions among groups that conserve, manage, monitor, advocate for, and educate the public about their local environments? Methods include an organizational-level survey with subsequent maps and social network datasets created from survey responses. In this way, the project adds a social layer of information to biophysical information on green infrastructure (e.g., urban tree canopy, parks and open space, riparian areas) in the metro area that already exists or is being developed. It will also uncover gaps in action, knowledge, and resources, which will inform the continued development of DUFS and influence future applied research projects and priorities.
These seven counties comprise Metro Denver Nature Alliance (Metro DNA) and the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD), which invests in and connects arts and cultural organizations. The Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) includes these same counties as well as Clear Creek, Gilpin, and southwest Weld counties.
If you or your organization is interested in participating in the STEW-MAP survey, please contact us at [email protected]
Check back for updates! | https://www.fs.usda.gov/rmrs/dufs-stew-map |
Namibia
Holidays & Observances in Namibia
Namibia is a Southwestern African country between Angola and South Africa. It has an extremely diverse population filled not only with many indigenous African tribes, but also with different groups of white people of European and South African descent. This makes for unique cultural elements that vary throughout the country. Christianity is the predominant religion, so many Christian holidays are celebrated. Traditional indigenous beliefs are also popular amongst some groups, many of which combine those beliefs with Christianity.
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Note special room.
"What are Gravitational Waves telling us about Theoretical Physics "
Nicolas Yunes , Montana State University
[Host: Kent Yagi]
The recent gravitational wave observations of the collision of black holes and of neutron stars have allowed us to pierce into the extreme gravity regime, where gravity is simultaneously unfathomably large and wildly dynamical. These waves encode a trove of information about physics that is prime for the taking, including potential revelations about the validity of Einstein's theory of General Relativity and about nuclear physics in the extreme gravity regime. In this talk, I will describe some of the inferences we can make on both theoretical and nuclear physics from current and future gravitational wave observations.
To add a speaker, send an email to [email protected]. Please include the seminar type (e.g. Colloquia), date, name of the speaker, title of talk, and an abstract (if available). | https://www.phys.virginia.edu/Announcements/talk-list.asp?SELECT=SID:3417 |
The front has a glossy, smooth finish white that looks and feels excellent. It's not quite as high-end as a stainless finish, but it certainly looks sharper than a more traditional matte finish found on mid-level fridges.
Even though it's white, this fridge is surprisingly stain resistant. Fingerprints and every-day smudges show up hardly at all given the white coloring, and the smooth texture makes wiping off any stains a breeze. Unlike matte finishes, there aren't any little cracks for spills to settle into, either.
There are two sets of controls on this fridge, but both are very low-tech and easy to learn. In the fridge, right in front at the top of the compartment, is a little scale from 1 to 5 that controls that fridge's temperature. There's a button to push in order to adjust it, as well as a button that locks the water dispenser shut and a warning light notifying you when the filter needs to be changed. In the freezer is a simple switch that can be pushed up or down to select a number from 1 to 5. Both of these have a clearly labeled manufacturer's recommended setting.
The handles on this appliance are recessed into the top and bottom of the freezer and fridge doors, respectively. This means you don't have to worry about anything sticking out into your kitchen, and the handles remain large enough to offer a solid grip. Also, for those with a different kitchen orientation, the doors appear to be reversible.
There is a small spout located to the left of the fridge's temperature controls. It's colored blue, distinguishing it from the rest of the panel, and just has to be pushed on to make it work. Since it's inside the fridge, there's no spot to rest your glass on, making it a two-hand device.
The inside of the looks much like many of the other mid-level Kenmore fridges that we've tested. Both compartments, though, have a few little touches that make for some more varied and flexible storage options.
The fridge interior is broken up using a fairly traditional layout. There are four half-width shelves that mount onto the rear of the fridge using hooks. Affixed to the bottom of one of these is a deli drawer. At the bottom is a full-width shelf, and all of these are set above to matching crisper drawers.
One of the half-width shelves, positioned on the top right here, has a retractable portion that allows you to shift the front half of it back. While this blocks up some storage space on the shelf below, it also allows you to refrigerate taller items if you should need the space and don't want to actually remove a shelf.
The filter is located directly to the left of the actual water dispenser, inside the fridge compartment. It slides in horizontally, locked into place with a twist. All the directions are clearly labeled.
The 's fridge door is surprisingly flexible, and can be altered to suit almost any door storage need. At the top is a standard dairy bin, as well as an open, flat tray. It's an unusual addition, and it's declining angle and open lid makes it suitable for a plethora of options - you can stack light bagged foods without them taking up space that could be used for taller items on other shelves, or use it as a reminder spot and keep your lunch for the next day there without having to dig around for it in the morning. Under these are three identical bucket shelves than can be repositioned, and at the very bottom is a full-width fixed shelf.
The main portion of the freezer is exactly what you'd expect. A single wire shelf separates it into two sections. A bulk ice maker is found in the top left corner, and the fridge comes with an optional ice tray. If you want to move the shelf up, though, keep in mind that the ice tray only fits when the shelf is on its lowest rung.
Like many freezer doors, the has two shelves for food storage. In a twist, though, the top shelf has a very eye-catching design. Instead of being a traditional shelf, it looks almost like a wire trap that can be tipped forward, and items are then placed down into it. This is great storage for loose frozen treats like popsicles or ice cream sandwiches, as you can stack them and take advantage of the vertical space without worrying about them rolling away.
The ice maker is of a traditional kind, located in the top left corner of the freezer and operated using a single switch.
The has a full-backed metal covering. There's a removable port for any sort of repair access, as well as a panel near the bottom that covers the water port for the ice maker and water dispenser.
Unlike the front, the sides have a white matte finish instead of a glossy one.
The is by far one of the most efficient fridges we've seen, both in its class and generally speaking. Using a $0.09 per kW-h standard, we determined it would only cost $28.34 per year to operate. This is an exceptionally low amount, and a rate which is bound to save you money in the long run.
Obviously, not all fridges are created equally, and a lot of factors go into determining how much energy is used by a given appliance. For that reason, we take the amount of energy used and figure out how much of it is distributed per cubic foot of usable storage space in order to create a general standard. With that in mind, this uses just 0.05 kW-h per cubic foot of space. This is, in a word, fantastic. Most fridges can't even come close to this level of energy efficiency.
This exhibited near-perfect temperature consistency in its fridge. Over time, temperatures fluctuated less than a quarter of a degree, resulting in even temperatures ideal for food preservation. It was only near-perfect because the very bottom of the fridge was just a few degrees warmer than the rest of it, so you'll want to keep foods that need the lowest temperatures at the top.
The freezer actually ran a little cooler than is normal, with temperatures a bit bellow zero degrees Fahrenheit. The consistency over time is something to be praised, an important point given that minimized temperature change like what we saw in the means your food will be safe from freezer burn.
The 's vegetable drawers performed adequately enough, but nothing quite so attention worthy as its other performance points. On average, our test material lost 0.18 grams of water per hour. Your vegetables will remain fresh and crisp for a few days, but they won't last an unusually long amount of time.
After we pulled the plug to see how well the fridge kept food cold without power for 36 hours, items in the freezer were all still quite frozen. As long as you don't leave the door open, or have a questionable electric company, your food should be safe from short power outages.
It took one hour and 34 minutes to bring our room temperature test materials down to freezing. This isn't perfect - we've seen fridges do it in just about an hour flat - but it's better than some other models we've seen. Thawed food generally has a slightly inferior texture compared to their original quality, and efficient appliances are able to minimize the effect but cutting down on freezing time.
The has a very traditional layout. Four half-width shelves, a full width shelf under those, a deli drawer, and two vegetable drawers at the very bottom. All of these add up to a total of 11.34 cubic feet of usable space. It's not exactly expansive, but there's more than enough space for a good number of consumers. This fridge should be large and spacious enough for all but the largest of families.
Some of the fridge storage is found on its door, which contains a variety of shelves. Three of those shelves are half-width, adjustable buckets that can be rearranged to suit your storage needs. In addition is a dairy bin on the top and a full-width shelf on the bottom. The unusual addition here is found next to the dairy bin - a flat, open tray not usually seen in fridges.
The freezer actually holds a fair amount, by top-freezer standards. After removing space taken up by the ice maker, the two shelves in here can store a total 4.71 cubic feet of assorted goods. This total doesn't account for space taken up by the ice tray, since that can be removed and doesn't have to be utilized.
Door storage in the 's freezer is a bit strange. Some of it is found in a regular, run-of-the-mill shelf that runs the full width of the bottom. Above that is an unusual...cage, would be the best description. The shelf consists of a tilting wire cage that pulls forward, allowing you to slip your food in from the top. It's actually an ingenious idea, as it allows you to stack goods that might otherwise sit precariously in a normal shelf without the risk of them falling out when you open the door.
Below are the manufacturers own figures for capacity, and our own measurements for usable capacity. The manufacturers figures do not take account of the shelves, drawers and other removable features, but our measurements do account for the space these take up.
The fridge is more or less accessible, but has a few spots that can be hard to reach. Since it's a top-freezer, some of the parts furthest back might be troublesome since you'll have to stoop to reach them, and you'll want to store things under the deli drawer only as a last resort. The freezer, too, is quite open, but the drawback here is found in the funky shelf on the door. The tipping wire cage may make for interesting storage options, but if you start stacking different things and want something on the bottom, there's no way to get to it without taking everything else out first.
There are two sets of controls on this fridge, but both are very low-tech and easy to learn. In the fridge, right in front at the top of the compartment, is a little scale from 1 to 5 that controls that fridge's temperature. There's a button to push in order to adjust it, as well as a button that locks the water dispenser shut and a warning light notifying you when the filter needs to be changed. In the freezer is a simple switch that can be pushed up or down to select a number from 1 to 5. Both of these have a clearly labeled manufacturer's recommended setting.
The controls aren't quite baseline in terms of complication, but they are very simple. The buttons on the fridge's console respond well to pressing, and the green-lit number indicator is straightforward and easy to read. The freezer just has a flippable handle which is even easier, though you'll want to make sure you don't hit it and adjust the temperature with some of your food items.
The water dispenser is a bit unusual, and you may find yourself accidentally bumping it from time to time. Fortunately, that prominence makes it very easy to get to, and its simplicity makes it easy to use. If you find yourself bumping it too often, though, but want to leave it connected, take advantage of the simple water lock on the fridge's control panel.
The ice maker is of a traditional kind, located in the top left corner of the freezer and operated using a single switch.
The is about as easy to clean as your average fridge. The shelves offer some minor spill protection, but if anything drips on the retracting shelf, it'll spill right down the gap in the middle. Door shelves are more or less contained, but in the very front is found a series of small holes. They may be there to help cool air circulate, but they'll also lets small messes circulate, too. Also important to note is that the fridge shelves are only half-width, which makes them lighter and easier to manage, but shelves with rear-mounting hooks can be a bit of a pain to put back in.
This fridge is about as quiet as a fridge can get. You'll know when it's on from the typical ambient hum, but if you have other appliance going in your kitchen, it'll blend right in without making any extra noise.
Energy Efficiency
Even if you can't find the appliance on sale, this will save you a bundle in your electric bill. With a yearly operating cost of $28.34 per year and a power distribution of just 0.07 kWh per cubic foot of energy, this fridge does as good a job of keeping your electric bill down as it does keeping your food fresh.
Performance
The temperature consistency in this appliance is just short of perfect. With nearly no degree fluctuation in either the fridge or freezer, you won't have to worry about an increased rate of spoiled foods or a rapid development of freezer burn. Moisture retention is substantial, meaning your fresh produce will stay that way long enough that you shouldn't have any trouble eating it all, and the freezer manages to bring items down from room temperature in enough time to offer you thawed goods of reasonable quality.
Storage Space
This appliance isn't cavernous, and that's okay. The space is well balanced, offering plenty of room in either the fridge or freezer, and it's spacious enough that any consumer—except maybe Octo-mom—should have enough room to store anything they might want.
Usability
The uses a very traditional set up of half-width shelves and rear mounted hooks in the fridge. It's not the easiest design to customize, but you shouldn't have many hassles getting to food as long as you don't bury things in the back. The shelves are small enough to remove for cleaning without much a problem, too. Controls are straightforward and easy to use, as well, but the temperature settings have no correlation with any actual degree scale. You many want to buy a thermometer just to make sure that you're not making things too warm or two cold in there.
Meet the testers
Matthew Zahnzinger
Logistics Manager & Staff Writer@ReviewedHome
Matthew is a native of Brockton, MA and a graduate of Northeastern, where he earned a degree in English and Theatre. He has also studied at the Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin and spends most of his free time pursuing a performance career in the greater Boston area.See all of Matthew Zahnzinger's reviews
Checking our work. | https://www.reviewed.com/refrigerators/content/kenmore-79302-22-cu-ft-top-freezer-white-review |
Making a bookshelf in Minecraft plays a greater purpose than mere decoration. It’s a pivotal ingredient in crafting several items you’ll need rather shortly (hint: one is enchanting in Minecraft) and is highly recommended when building a house in-game. Moreover, it plays an exciting part in the life of villagers. You’ll see it in nearly every in-game settlement of this type. We know you’d like to get to crafting to explore its benefits. However, we ought to warn you to stock up on resources—one particular use requires over a dozen bookshelves for maximum efficiency. With that acknowledged, let’s get into how to make a Bookshelf in Minecraft.
1. Make a Bookshelf in Minecraft Survival Mode
Let’s not twiddle our thumbs when there are materials to gather. Lots of them, if you are crafting what we presume. Here’s all you need to know:
Materials needed to create a Minecraft Bookshelf
You must collect the following materials to craft a Bookshelf in Minecraft:
- 3x Book
- 6x Wood Plank
Seems simple, right? Though we’ll make a full guide on the first material, here are two things to keep in mind:
- Wood Plan refers to any type. To clarify, you can not only use 6x of either Spruce Plank, Dark Oak Plank, Jungle Plank, Oak Plank, Birch Plank, Warped Plank, Crimson Plank, or Acacia Plank but also mix any together in a recipe.
- To craft a single Book, you need to collect 3x Paper and 1x Leather.
Recipe to make a bookshelf in Minecraft
Got the aforementioned items ready and itching to get into it? Sure thing—making a Bookshelf within Minecraft works like this:
- As you might have guessed, you must create, place, and use the Crafting Table first.
- Now that the crafting menu is open, you must arrange the materials in the following order:
- First row. Place Wood Plank in all three empty boxes (Wood Plank, Wood Plank, Wood Plank)
- Second row. Put Book in all three empty slots (Book, Book, Book)
- Third row. Identical to the first row.
Important. We intentionally kept the number vague. That’s because, like all stackable items in the game, you can place 1 or up to 64 of each item at once. Minecraft will determine how many Bookshelves you can craft based on your arrangement, with a maximum of 64 at once.
- Followed our instructions for creating a Minecraft Bookshelf closely? If so, you’ll see 1 to 64 Bookshelf items appear in the singular empty box on the right-hand side.
- Drag the Bookshelf to any slot on your hotbar or inventory.
- You finished crafting a Bookshelf and can now use it as you see fit.
2. Add a Bookshelf using Minecraft Creative Mode
Don’t feel like going through the trouble of gathering all the necessary items? Are you, perhaps, an admin on a single-player world or a multiplayer server? If the answer is yes, you don’t have to. Instead:
- Switch to Creative Mode (type /gamemode creative) and head over to your inventory.
- Click the compass icon in the top right corner, and search for “bookshelf”.
- Drag the Bookshelf item to your hotbar.
- You can now place Bookshelf infinitely unless you switch back to Survival Mode.
3. Adding Bookshelves via Minecraft command
The problem with the method above is that you’ll need to spend some time stacking the item, so it converts into Survival Mode. You can save yourself the time and effort of switching and stacking. Utilize a /give command for Bookshelf in Minecraft like this:
- Are you using Java Edition version 1.8 or later, or any version released besides the one below? Here’s what to enter:
/give @p bookshelf 1 0
- Playing on an older Java Edition, particularly from 1.13 to 1.8? The command is a tad different:
/give @p bookshelf 1
The number “1” signifies the number of items you’ll acquire. Replace it with a number from 1 to 64.
4. Trade for a Bookshelf
Discovered a village in Minecraft, or decided to breed villagers? Either of the two works, because it means you won’t need to craft or use methods 2 or 3. Instead, you can interact with novice-level librarians and do the following based on the game version:
- Java Edition: There’s a 50% chance one will sell you 1 Bookshelf for 9 Emerald.
- Bedrock Edition: You have a 2⁄3 (66.67%) chance of one asking 9 Emerald for 1 Bookshelf.
5. Find Bookshelves in the Minecraft world
The final way to acquire a Bookshelf comes down to luck and your equipment. After all, the last two places are crawling with powerful hostile mobs. You can find Bookshelf in these places:
- Village: Depending on the village size and layout, you can find a few or lots of Bookshelves inside regular houses and or village libraries.
- Stronghold: Underground structures that contain an end portal can also have one or two massive libraries. They’ll be split between standalone pillars and pillars embedded in walls. One-level libraries will have 161 Bookshelves total, whereas those with a balcony can have 233.
- Woodland Mansion: Rooms in Woodland Mansions have a chance to generate a varying number of Bookshelves.
Note. Unlike many blocks in-game, you can break down a Bookshelf empty-handed, but this will require 2.25 seconds. We suggest using an Axe of any quality to drastically cut down collection time. | https://www.gamesbap.com/make-bookshelf-in-minecraft/ |
Over the past week, two big things have happened on the terrorism front. First, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that victims of several Iranian-sponsored terrorist attacks could collect money from the Central Bank of Iran. According to CNN:
The Supreme Court ruled Wednesday in favor of victims of terrorism and their families in a 6-2 split, clearing the way for them to collect nearly $2 billion from the central bank of Iran. The court decided Congress had not exceeded its authority when it passed a law aimed specifically at securing such restitution. “(The law) provides a new standard clarifying that, if Iran owns certain assets, the victims of Iran-sponsored terrorist attacks will be permitted to execute against those assets,” Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, writing the majority. “Applying laws implementing Congress’ policy judgments, with fidelity to those judgments, is commonplace for the Judiciary.”
The Islamic Republic of Iran, a country whose regime has neither apologized nor shown remorse for the hundreds of Americans who it and its proxies targeted and kill, has reacted with predictable outrage. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, for example, denounced the Supreme Court ruling and promised that the United States “would be held accountable.”
At the same time, the Obama administration is proceeding in its efforts to declassify the 28 pages of the Congressional Joint 9/11 Report that reportedly delve deeper into Saudi involvement in the most devastating terrorist attack ever on U.S. soil. Make no mistake; that declassification is about 15 years overdue. A bill is now working through Congress that would allow 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia for the role of its officials in that day’s horrendous terrorist attacks. To this, law professors Curtis Bradley and Jack Goldsmith have penned an op-ed arguing against such measures. They write:
But the bill’s potential for harm extends far beyond bilateral relations with one ally. It would also violate a core principle of international law, and it would jeopardize the effectiveness of American foreign aid and the legitimacy of the United States’ actions in the war on terrorism. A nation’s immunity from lawsuits in the courts of another nation is a fundamental tenet of international law. This tenet is based on the idea that equal sovereigns should not use their courts to sit in judgment of one another. Many nations have tacitly agreed to limit immunity in specified contexts, such as when they engage in certain commercial activities. But apart from those exceptions (or where a binding treaty or Security Council resolution otherwise dictates), international law continues to guarantee immunity, even for alleged egregious crimes. No nation benefits more from this arrangement than the United States. It conducts far more diplomatic, economic and military activities abroad than any other nation. Were the sovereign immunity rule to weaken, the United States would be subject to many more lawsuits in foreign courts than any other nation and would become an attractive and high-profile target for politicized litigation designed to contest its foreign policy.
Bradley and Goldsmith make valid points, but 9/11 was no mere theoretical dispute over foreign policy. This was not Saudi vehicles parking illegally or paying maids below minimum wage. Rather, it was a deliberate attack on U.S. territory and the U.S. economy.
It is true that other countries might respond in kind to the United States, though most respectable countries would have far more to lose than gain from such actions, and the United States can afford to ignore less than respectable countries, think the Zimbabwes, Venezuelas, and North Koreas of the world. At the same time, it is worth considering the opposite: What is the cost of not holding to account those who perpetrated or facilitated an attack in the heart of New York City?
This was a conundrum at the heart of “Sovereignty Solution,” a book co-authored by Anna Simons, Joe McGraw, and Duane Lauchengco. They proposed generally that governments should be responsible for their citizens and note that sovereignty is both an honor and a responsibility. When a citizen of a country perpetrates an attack, then that country has a choice: shield its citizen or hold them to account. If a Belgian citizen sought to strike at the United States, Brussels would likely cooperate with the United States to bring that person to justice, even waiving diplomatic immunity if need be. When Iranian or Saudi elements sponsor terrorism, Tehran and Riyadh should have the same choice: Join with the United States to bring the perpetrators to account or shield them. If the latter, then the government of the country should assume responsibility. Sovereignty Solution is, of course, far more complicated but it really has been one of the most insightful and provocative books on statecraft of the decade
In the Supreme Court victory for victims of terrorism and their families over the Islamic Republic of Iran, the court deferred to Congress. Perhaps Congress and, more broadly, the White House should then work more to protect and advocate for American victims of terror rather than for those who shield the terrorists. If a country does not want to risk the consequences of its citizens attacking the United States, then it should damned sure put mechanisms in place to make sure that the money is expends on radicalism isn’t used for that purpose and that it doesn’t distribute diplomatic passports without recognition of the consequence of their recipients engaging in an act of war.
The United States should not treat Saudi Arabia unfairly, but if Saudi Arabia truly did wish to be an ally, it would recognize that it is their responsibility to bring to justice those of its employees or civil servants who contributed materially or in services to that fateful day. | https://www.commentary.org/michael-rubin/saudi-arabia-protect-terror-sponsors/ |
the Horticulture industry.
“We have called for an Agricultural Visa, an amnesty or visa status resolution for undocumented workers
who are at particular risk of exploitation, and a National Labour Hire Licencing Scheme. We have called for a
rigorous approach to enforcement from the appropriate agencies,” said Ms Emma Germano, VFF
Horticulture President.
“We have called upon the supermarkets to abandon their ‘down, down’ pricing strategies and to make
ethical sourcing something that is not just words but actions. We have called for transparent supply chains
that enable farmers to be paid the true value of their produce.
“Unfortunately there is nothing new about the allegations made about underpayment of wages and
exploitation of vulnerable workers in the horticulture industry. We have long called for a united and holistic
approach to this complex problem.
“The examples presented by the National Union of Workers (NUW) should be seen as another call to the
Federal Government to take urgent action to address systematic labour challenges.
“There is no question that the unions have a role to play in supporting workers and giving them a voice, but
it is disappointing that this information has not been referred through the correct channels, such as the Fair
Work Ombudsman.
“The VFF supports the highest of employment standards being met across all commodities, and those who
fall short should face the appropriate consequences.
“The NUW suggested in their report that the supermarkets must fix underpayment of farm labourers. We agree
that the supermarkets need to support growers paying fair wages, but it is not the role of the supermarkets to
regulate the industry. We need a solution that is driven by industry, supported by all supply chain partners, and
backed by Government with a simple, practical regulatory framework.
“We must have all the stakeholders in the supply chain working together to create a meaningful solution.
There is nothing to be gained from playing the blame game. We are all in this supply chain together,” said Ms
Germano.
Media Contacts:
Emma Germano, VFF Horticulture Group President, 0423 774 477
Heather Smillie, Stakeholder, Media & Officer, 0400 874 589
About the VFF
The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) is dedicated to representing the interests of farmers and making a
positive difference to their businesses and communities. We strive to create an environment for our
members, our farmers, that enables profitable, safe, sustainable production to ensure an enduring social
licence in a community that respects and values the sector. | http://www.vff.org.au/vff/Media_Centre/Media2019/NUW-worker-survey-findings-unfortunately-nothing-new.aspx |
Startup founders have many obstacles to overcome on the path to building a successful business. Establishing a brand, developing a strong team, securing funding, responding to competition, and scaling up are just a few examples of the challenges they face. Fortunately, because of innovative technology, even the least experienced aspiring entrepreneurs no longer have to go it alone.
Tech offers all kinds of tools and resources for founders, including mentorship, networking opportunities, crowdfunding, and access to new customers. There is something for founders of all backgrounds at every step of the way -- from first hire to initial public offering -- empowering them to expand their businesses, create jobs, and make their life-enhancing ideas a reality. | http://technet.org/newsletter/promoting-entrepreneurship-and-startup-growth |
Harvard Business Review Culture is not the culprit When Organizations Are in Crisis, It’s Usually Because the Business is Organizational Behavior | HuffPostTap here to turn on desktop notifications to get the news sent straight to you.Research Guides: Organizational Behaviour: Articles & News<cite class=”sb_crmb”>Over competitive work environment, politics or favoritism at work place can adversely affect the employees work efficiency.What is Organizational Behavior? – Definition and History Video embedded · Organizational behavior is the study of both group and individual performance and activity within an organization. Internal and externalArticle Critique Of Organizational Behavior Free EssaysArticle Critique Of Organizational Behavior. Organizational Behavior: Article Critiques Have you ever wondered why individuals act and react the way they do?Types of Organizational Behavior in the Workplace | Chron.comThe Workplace Communication website defines organizational behavior as how employees act as individuals within the company and how they interact as …Smartphones in the workplace: Changing organizational · PDF filePitichat 1 Smartphones in the workplace: Changing organizational behavior, transforming the future Thiraput Pitichat Claremont Graduate UniversityOpen access academic research from top universities on the subject of Organizational Behavior and TheoryOrganizational Behavior – Management – Oxford …Organizational behavior (OB) is the study of human behavior in organizational settings, of the interface between human behavior and the organization, and of the List of books and articles about Organizational Behavior Organizational behavior is a field of social science which studies how people interact in the workplace. Organizational behavior examines personal and group behavior Journal of Organizational Behavior – All Issues – Wiley <cite class=”sb_crmb”>14/09/2015 · Organizational Behavior is the study and application of knowledge about how people, individuals, and groups act in order to build better relationships by Organizational Behavior Academic Area | Stanford …<cite class=”sb_crmb”>Faculty in the organizational behavior area are dedicated to advancing research, teaching, and practice regarding the management of organizations.
Journal of Organizational Behavior Management
617021
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At a time when debate is beginning about a national Medicare-for-all plan and other approaches to expanding coverage through public programs, this month’s KFF Health Tracking poll examines Americans’ early opinion on a range of options under consideration.
The poll finds majority support for four different approaches:
77 percent of the public, including most Republican (69%), favor allowing people between the ages of 50 to 64 to buy health insurance through Medicare;
75 percent, including most Republicans (64%), favor allowing people who aren’t covered by their employer to buy insurance through their state’s Medicaid program;
74 percent, including nearly half of Republicans (47%), favor a national government plan like Medicare that is open to anyone, but also would allow people to keep the coverage they have if they want to; and
56 percent, including nearly a quarter of Republicans (23%), favor a national plan called Medicare-for-all in which all Americans would get their insurance through a single government plan.
Views Shift Significantly When People Hear Arguments For and Against Medicare-for-All
This month’s poll also probes attitudes after hearing common arguments for and against a national Medicare-for-all plan that could play a role in a future legislative debate. The results show how the public’s attitudes can shift significantly depending on what arguments people hear.
Medicare-for-all starts with net favorability rating of +14 percentage points (56% who favor it, minus 42% who oppose it). This jumps to +45 percentage points when people hear the argument that this type of plan would guarantee health insurance as a right for all Americans. However, views turn negative and net favorability falls to -44 percentage points when people hear the argument that it would lead to delays in some people getting medical tests and treatments.
Partisans Have Different Health Priorities for Congress Except All Agree on Lowering Drug Prices
The poll also gauges the public’s health care priorities for Congress.
When asked to choose a top priority, Democrats rank ensuring the Affordable Care Act’s protections for people with pre-existing conditions first (31%), ahead of other priorities such as passing Medicare-for-all (20%), and lowering prescription drug costs (20%).
Independents rank preserving the ACA’s pre-existing condition protections as Congress’ top health priority (24%) along with lowering prescription drug costs (20%). Repealing and replacing the ACA ranks as a top priority for Republicans (27%) along with lowering prescription drug costs (20%).
When Democrats were asked whether their party’s new House majority should focus on improving and protecting the ACA or passing a Medicare-for-all plan, half (51%) say the ACA and nearly four in 10 (38%) choose Medicare-for-all.
Most Unaware of a Federal Judge’s Ruling that Would Invalidate the Entire ACA if Upheld
The poll finds that less than half (44%) of the public are aware of a December ruling by a federal judge in Texas that the ACA is invalid and should not be in effect.
The judge ruled in favor of a challenge filed by Republican state attorneys general that the entire law is invalid because Congress eliminated the tax penalty for not having health insurance. The ACA remains in effect pending an appeal by Democratic state attorneys general.
When told that the ruling deemed the ACA was invalid and should not be in effect, more Americans disapprove (51%) than approve (41%) of the ruling, with a sharp partisan split mirroring the public’s overall views of the law.
Designed and analyzed by public opinion researchers at the Kaiser Family Foundation, the poll was conducted from January 9-14, 2019 among a nationally representative random digit dial telephone sample of 1,190 adults. Interviews were conducted in English and Spanish by landline (285) and cell phone (905). The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points for the full sample. For results based on subgroups, the margin of sampling error may be higher.
| |
10 Nov Assignment 1 is the first phase of a project that
Assignment 1 is the first phase of a project that you will complete, in stages, during the term. You will begin by selecting a specific biotechnology that you would like to cover through the entire project. It can be an established technology, such as genetically-modified crops, or an emerging technology, such as CRISPR. The choice of biotechnology is up to you, but consider selecting something that relates to your major, career, or personal interests.CRJ students might consider an established or an emerging biotechnology for crime scene investigation. BUS students might consider a technology that will provide an opportunity to explore bringing new biotech products and services to market or the ethical considerations around marketing biotech to consumers.Choose one magazine or newspaper article that covers the specific technology that you will use throughout the project. It must be a recent article (no more than four years old). For instance, if you choose genetically-modified crops as your biotechnology, then you would need to select one recent article about genetically-modified crops for this assignment.Some biotechnologies that you may want to consider include: Genetically modified crop plants Genetically modified microorganisms (such as yeasts and bacteria for industry) Genetically modified animals Personal genomics for humans (also called personalized medicine or precision medicine) Gene therapy CRISPR Emerging forensic uses of DNA (such as facial prediction) Databases for DNA fingerprintingWrite a one to two (1-2) page paper in which you:1. Summarize the article in one (1) or more paragraphs, using your own words. Be sure to identify the article using an in-text citation in the body of the paper, as well as a reference in the reference section.2. Identify which biological concepts from the course and / or text are relevant to the topic covered in the article. Citing the course text, discuss the ways in which this course does (or doesn’t) provide background information to help you understand the article and the larger issues surrounding it.3. Explain why the article caught your attention. Relate the article to your life and to issues that are important to you. Discuss how or if the scientific knowledge about the topic covered in the article affects you directly or indirectly.4. Discuss your opinion on how research on this topic should be funded. State whether you think taxpayer monies should support research on this topic or whether such research in this area should be funded by the private sector. Rate the importance of research on this topic, relative to other areas of research.
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Frequently asked questions about the Canada Post Community Foundation
Applications from registered charities, school programs or community organizations are invited annually to apply for funding for projects consistent with the Foundation’s objective to provide support for initiatives that benefit children.
Timelines and process
To be eligible for funding from the Canada Post Community Foundation, your organization must:
- be a registered charity with a Canadian Charitable Registration Number OR a registered non-profit organization with a valid B/N business registration number OR a school (as defined by the education act in each province) OR an unregistered community organization OR a community library OR a registered Canadian amateur athletic association
- have a volunteer board of directors/organizing committee (this does not apply to schools and community libraries). Paid employees can be used to deliver programming but the board of directors must be made up of unpaid positions; payment for expenses incurred by the directors is acceptable.
- have a detailed plan for the project being submitted (except for Signature Grant applications)
- have a budget for the project being submitted (except for Signature Grant applications)
- have:
- independent audited financial statements in the case of all Signature Grant applications
- at a minimum, a Review Engagement Report for grant applications from $15,001 to $25,000
- at a minimum, a Notice to Reader – Compilation Engagement for grant applications from $5,001 to $15,000
- the organization’s financial statement/plan for the current year at a minimum for grant applications of up to $5,000.
NOTE: If you don’t provide the correct financial documentation according to the grant amount you are requesting, your application will automatically be declined. Audited financial statements, Review Engagement Reports and Notices to Reader/Compilation Engagement reports are independent, professional exams of an organization’s financial records, conducted by an accounting professional and using a common set of standards and reviews.
Applications open on Friday, March 1 and close at noon (Ottawa time) on Friday, April 5, 2019. We will accept applications during this period only, via our online system. No extensions will be granted.
We will notify all organizations by August 2019. In light of the large number of applications we receive, we are unable to provide individual feedback or application support.
The application you submit initially will be treated as your organization’s final application. No further applications or additional information will be accepted.
Funding recommendations
Up to 3 Signature Grants of $50,000 each could be awarded.
Project funding from the Foundation will not exceed $25,000 per grant.
Grants to schools, school/parent organizations, daycares, sports teams, playground and all recreation facility initiatives (pools, ice rinks, skateboard parks, etc.) will not exceed $5,000 each. Grants to unregistered organizations will not exceed $5,000 each.
The Canada Post Community Foundation has $1.15 million available to grant in the 2019 grant cycle.
Signature Grant and project grant applications must align with the Foundation’s focus on community-based, front-line activities that benefit children.
The application should demonstrate that a need will be met and that there is little or no duplication or competition with existing services; in other words, the project should either be unique or complementary.
Projects must have a realistic plan, with resources, including any other funding sources, being commensurate with objectives.
Projects must involve capacity-building or the creation or expansion of services, rather than the maintenance of existing services. Expansion may include augmentation of a service, addition of a service or inclusion of a new geographic territory. Capacity-building activities could also include hiring and/or training staff; or covering costs directly related to the delivery of a program, such as mileage, facilities rental, communications activities; or the purchase, construction or addition of new equipment or facilities.
Finally, a project’s expected outcome should address community needs and be measurable.
National organizations seeking general funding may apply for Signature Grants. However, organizations seeking general funding through project grant applications are deemed ineligible.
Signature Grant applicants should demonstrate a proven track record of delivering successful programing that improves the community or individual circumstances for children and youth at a national level.
Consider the following when determining the amount you apply for:
- The type of organization you are
- The financial documentation you have
- The amount required for your organization’s activity
In 2018 we received over 1,100 applications, totalling over $14 million in funding, of which 112 projects were funded, totalling almost $1.2 million in funding.
Yes. Last year’s evaluation does not carry over to this review year. All submissions will be newly evaluated.
My organization received funding last year. Can we apply for another grant this year?
Yes, provided your organization has started its previous project and that the request is for a different project.
Application form
Organizations may submit a maximum of 3 applications. Any additional applications will be ineligible. The Foundation will not fund more than 1 project per applicant during any given grant cycle. Signature Grant applicants may also apply for up to 2 project grants in the same grant cycle.
Recipients of a 2017 Signature Grant aren’t eligible to apply for a Canada Post Community Foundation Signature Grant in the 2019 granting cycle. However, they may continue to apply for project grants.
Please choose the sector that’s most closely related to your organization. Your answers to the other questions in the application will provide us with the required information.
Multi-year funding is not available.
The application you submit will be treated as your organization’s final application and no further applications or additional information will be accepted. If key fields are missing or blank in the application form, your organization may be ineligible for funding. It is critical to ensure the application has been correctly completed before it is submitted.
Depending on the grant amount you are requesting, yes. Learn more here. Be sure to attach the appropriate financial documents to match the grant amount requested in your application. If you don’t supply the correct financial documentation, your application will automatically be disqualified.
The Foundation recognizes that many smaller organizations can’t afford to have their financial affairs audited regularly. The Foundation has a responsibility to the customers and employees who donate the funds that contribute to the Foundation grants to ensure there is proper due diligence and review given to both the project and the organizations that apply for funding.
When we developed the funding criteria for the Foundation, we provided a tiered approach to the grant requests and supporting financials required. Grants of up to $5,000 require only a minimal amount of financial documentation (project budget and financial statement for the current year). Grants in higher amounts require increasing financial review documentation, up to independent audited financial statements for Signature Grant rant requests. We believe this approach is fair and provides granting opportunities to the most organizations while still maintaining our commitment to Canadians who support us.
No. Nevertheless, we would like to be made aware of any affiliation grant applicant board members may have to the Canada Post Community Foundation to ensure full transparency among our Board of Trustees when applications are reviewed. An affiliation between organizations applying for grants and a Foundation trustee is not given any consideration, either way, during the evaluation process.
Yes. Save your application at any point and log out. Print or record your user ID and password before you exit the form. When you log back in, your draft application will be saved and you can pick up where you left off.
Yes. Once you have completed the form, you will be able to print a full copy before you submit the proposal.
No. You will no longer be able to view or otherwise have access to your application once it is submitted.
When you submit the application you will receive an automated email to your primary contacts’ account, indicating that the application has been submitted.
If you have any technical difficulties, click "Need help?" in the top right hand corner of the screen. This will open a short form in which you can enter your name, telephone number and email address and a brief description of your problem. You will be contacted either by telephone or email within 1 business day. | https://www.canadapost.ca/web/en/kb/details.page?article=community_foundation&cattype=kb&cat=generalinquiries&subcat=generalinformation |
Last month, social justice advocates gathered outside of the Federal Communications Commission to speak out. Aja Taylor with Bread for the City — a direct service organization in Washington, D.C. — stopped us in our tracks with this question: “Can you imagine being on the wait list for subsidized housing for eight years, but miss your opportunity because when your name finally comes up, no one can reach you?”
It is stories like these that reinforce my belief in the fundamental connection between communications justice and social justice. Communication is a human right —a tool that connects us to our communities, helps to disclose injustice, and facilitate innumerable aspects of modern life.
Many of us could not conceive of even 4 or 5 hours without access to a mobile phone or the internet. Nevertheless, low-income people and people of color are the least likely to have access to a reliable internet connection.
The support structures that assist low-income families cannot work unless those in need have functional means of communication. Doctors monitoring children with fragile health, employers who can offer an extra shift to a struggling worker, nutrition support programs like SNAP which must confirm income eligibility — all these must be able to communicate with a low-income person, often within limited timeframes. Our collective and individual economic well-being is dependent on communications tools.
New data shows the dramatic extent to which people must go into debt to maintain that vital connection. A recent report from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) found that more than 1 in 5 consumers had telecommunications-related collections on their consumer report in the past five years. Communications-related debt accounts for more than 1/5 of all debt collection revenue and is the third-largest kind of debt, after medical debt and credit card debt.
Not only is this data alarming, but like many other safety nets, the federal government's only program to support affordable communications is under attack. The federal Lifeline program provides a financial subsidy to eligible low‐income people to help them afford telephone and broadband internet service. In many cases this program can provide a no-cost mobile phone provided by the private sector via products such as SafeLink, Assurance Wireless, and Access Wireless.
But the current Chair of the Federal Communications Commission is proposing to cut off almost 70 percent of the households that use this program by cutting off the companies with the most popular and affordable Lifeline products. Not only that, but he is proposing to cut off support for voice service outside of rural areas and impose ineffective and administratively complex budget caps and mandatory co-pays which will particularly harm thehe most vulnerable on the program, including seniors and people with disabilities.
Lifeline is a small program with a huge impact. The dangerous proposals appear to have been delayed by widespread push-back so far, but strong voices will be needed to persuade the FCC to eliminate these proposals for good. The number of groups supporting Lifeline and the resources to explain the problem are tremendous and we need others to make their voices heard.
A strong moral response now could fend off these cruel proposals. Individuals can sign a petition or make a call . And everyone can help #SaveLifeline on social media. If your congregation is moved to help, the National Digital Inclusion Alliance is a resource to find a local organization in your community.
The voices of people of faith and moral conscious can make a difference to this program and to the connective tools that will bring economic security to millions of people in the United States. We need to ensure that we do not become a society divided between the “information rich” and “information poor,” leaving struggling people without the tools to succeed in modern society.
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Compare US Marine Corps vs NEH BETASee how NEH vs. US Marine Corps compare on employee ratings, job openings, CEO approval, business outlook and more.
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A life and death matter : evaluation of a training program for emergency medical services providers
Herbert-Pemberton, Carol
;
University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Management
Share :
URI:
https://hdl.handle.net/10133/587
Date:
2002
Keywords :
Emergency medical personnel -- Training of -- Alberta -- Evaluation
;
Employees -- Training of -- Alberta -- Evaluation
Supervisor(s) :
Williams, Bernard
Abstract:
The effectiveness of a legislated training program for emergency medical services (EMS) practitioners in Southern Alberta was evaluated in three communities. The theoretical guide for the research was the Kirkpatrick Training Evaluation Model (1959; 1975; 1996; 1998), which evaluates training programs at four levels- reaction, learning, behavior and results. The research design involved analyses of patient care reports, and interviews with EMS practitioners, allied professionals and patients. Findings indicated positive outcomes at all four levels of the Kirkpatrick model. The results indicated that the training program has resulted in improved EMS delivery by trainees who positively transferred newly acquired skills and knowledge. Accordingly, it was concluded that the legislated training standards have created positive outcomes, and it was recommended that funding for the training program should continue. It was also concluded that the training program has helped to develop a positive learning environment in the three EMS agencies studied.
Description:
xi, 118 leaves : ill. ; 28 cm.
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A few months ago, I wrote about the announcement of a new digital full flow from Cadence. In that piece, I focused on the machine learning (ML) aspects of the new tool. I had covered a discussion with Cadence’s Paul Cunningham a week before that explored ML in Cadence products, so it was timely to dive into a real-world example of the strategy Paul described. Since then, I also covered a position paper from Cadence on Intelligent System Design, which provides more details on advanced technology and ML for EDA.
The new digital full flow from Cadence is called iSpatial. Beyond ML, it also features unified placement and physical optimization engines that Cadence describes as an industry first. That’s a lot of integrated functionality. Questions that come to mind include:
How does the use model for a new tool like this compare to the prior generation?
How is the workflow different, and what are the benefits of doing things a new way?
I had the opportunity recently to explore these questions with Vivek Mishra, corporate VP, product engineering and Kam Kittrell, senior product management group director in the Digital & Signoff Group at Cadence. I was treated to a detailed tour of the use model for iSpatial and some actual results.
Vivek started our discussion by explaining that a key benefit of a flow like this is superior forward visibility (for the front-end synthesis team). We explored this statement further.
The front-end design team needs to know the power, performance and area of a given design iteration. This information drives optimization, and before iSpatial, the front-end team needed to wait for a completed design iteration from the back-end team to know these results. That could take many days.
Instead, with the iSpatial flow, the front-end design team gets meaningful and actionable information very quickly on things like overall performance, size and power as well as details on items such as routing congestion, critical path delays and clock insertion delays. The information is also presented in a format that is familiar to the front-end design team, avoiding the need to get an interpretation of the data from the back-end team. This contributes to efficiency as well as quality of results.
So, the integrated iSpatial flow minimizes turnaround time and maximizes efficiency for design iterations. But there’s more—the flow can reduce the overall number of design iterations as well. This is one application of ML. In this case, the tool will “learn” from prior design iterations and apply that knowledge in the form of suggestions for the next design iteration. Vivek provided some examples, things like modified pin placement to avoid DRC errors or a different choice of cell library elements that will improve performance. These suggestions are provided in the form of scripts that can be run to implement the various suggestions. This technology can actually help reduce design iterations by avoiding errors, which is headline news from a schedule perspective. Cadence calls these learning and optimization techniques “ML outside”.
There’s another ML use model which applies the technology to the core algorithms to optimize the results achieved. Cadence calls this “ML inside”. I explored some examples of these techniques with Vivek as well. Delay calculation was one we discussed. This is a very iterative and time-consuming process, requiring simulation. ML can optimize this process to increase both the speed of results as well as accuracy. Synthesis mapping is another example, where the best choice for a given implementation can be “learned” to avoid additional iterations.
Kam provided some more color on “ML inside” techniques at Cadence. Consider that many EDA algorithms are iterative in nature and the starting point for those iterations can impact the time to a converged result, or even if there is convergence at all. Finding the right starting point is something of a pattern-matching problem, and ML is quite good at those kinds of tasks.
As a final point, I asked about actual results on real customer designs. Kam reminded me that some detailed statistics were shared in the original press release, an unusual level of detail for a press release actually. MediaTek reported, “… we were able to automatically and quickly train a model of our CPU core, which resulted in an improved maximum frequency along with an 80% reduction in total negative slack. This enabled 2X shorter turnaround time for final signoff design closure.”
Samsung Electronics reported, “(iSpatial) enabled us to achieve 3X faster design turnaround time by quickly iterating on RTL, constraints and floorplan while improving total power by 6%. Furthermore, Cadence’s unique ML capabilities allowed us to train a model of our design on Samsung Foundry’s 4nm EUV node, which helped us further achieve a 5% performance improvement and 5% leakage power savings.”
Kam further mentioned that on several advanced customer designs, a double-digit total negative slack (TNS) improvement, often 50 percent or more, was achieved. On these same designs, power was improved by 1 to 3.5 percent. If you consider that a design team could spend months looking for a three percent power improvement, these numbers are quite impressive. Kam also explained that design groups using older technology nodes are also seeing benefits from the new flow in terms of reduced design iterations and a more finely tuned methodology.
At this point, I felt like I had seen the future (of chip design). You can learn more about the Cadence suite of digital design and signoff products here.
Share this post via: | https://semiwiki.com/artificial-intelligence/287783-the-future-of-chip-design-with-the-cadence-ispatial-flow/ |
This paper evaluates Sen’s critique of Rawls in The Idea of Justice. It is argued that Sen and Rawls are simply at cross-purposes over the predicates “ideal” and “non- ideal”. Sen’s critique has two components: one diagnostic and one normative. The diagnostic component claims that a “transcendental institutionalist”, such as Rawls, assesses institutions to the exclusion of individual motive; furthermore, he does so from the standpoint of an ideal or “perfect” theory of justice. The normative component claims that the theorist of justice ought, rather, to compare two specific social states via the method of pair-wise comparison without the assumptions of “ideal theory”. The linchpin of the overall argument that connects the two components is this: assume that pair-wise comparisons can be made only if one presupposes the underlying ideal of that social state than which none other is better. This assumption would be analogous to a “chain fallacy”: the scope confusion involved in arguing from “every chain has an end” to “there is an end to all chains”. Sen attributes this fallacy to Rawls: the putative assumption that the method of pairwise comparison is a local instance of the application of the content of a “perfect” theory of justice. Any local and specific appeal to the “more just than” relation between two social states depends on the idea of the “identification of a possibly unavailable perfect situation that could not be transcended”. [Sen, 2009, p. 9] His conclusion is that dropping the goal of formulating a theory of “perfect” justice allows one to proceed with the method of pairwise comparison alone. The goals of Sen’s approach to justice are “enhancing” justice or “removing” injustice with no role for utopian speculation.
This paper demonstrates that Sen’s critique both rests on flawed assumptions and is normatively unacceptable in its own right (independently of issues about Rawls exegesis). Sen’s account reveals a mistake about the use of the terms “ideal” versus “nonideal” in Rawls’s own use. These terms refer to the assumption that a theory is implemented with full compliance or with less than full compliance; it is hard to see how comparisons of social states in terms of justice could dispense with this distinction. Rawls adds further distinctions: between non-compliance that is deliberate and voluntary or non-compliance that it the product of natural limitations or unfortunate circumstance. Nothing here implies that “ideal” is a predicate of the content of Rawls’s two principles; the word “perfect” is used for the relation between those principles and the institutional arrangements that express them. Sen has undoubtedly identified an issue here: Rawls takes it to be important to a theory of justice that it reflexively explain the possibility of its generating support for itself over time. There is a question as to whether these functional criteria are intrinsic, or extrinsic, to Rawls’s process of “construction”. If these criteria are intrinsic to the process, then G A Cohen complained that Rawls was tainting the content of justice. But, on the extrinsic reading that I favour, when one asks the question of whether the theory is feasible under ideal conditions (where full compliance is assumed) or non-ideal conditions (where it is not), this issue is wholly distinct from the truth or falsity of the principles of justice thus applied. Rawls’s functional criteria are not determinative for the truth of the two principles; one can agree with that point while not agreeing with Cohen that this leads to Platonism. So it is not appropriate for Sen freely to substitute, as he does, the word “perfect” for the word “ideal” in his characterization of the content of the two principles that make up justice as fairness.
This use of “perfect” instead of “ideal” maneuvers Rawls into a position where his view can be characterized by Sen as committed not to a transcendental account of justice, but to a transcendent one, specifically, a form of Platonism of justice of the kind explicitly endorsed by Rawls’s critic, Cohen. If “ideal theory” is not “perfect theory” then Sen’s putative methodological innovation can be explained as one aspect of what Rawls would call imperfect compliance theory. The method of pairwise comparison is not a method that Rawls cannot endorse. So it cannot be true that the contrast between “transcendental institutionalism” and “realization-focused comparison” is “quite momentous”. [Sen, 2011, p. 7] Furthermore, there are Rawlsian reasons to reject Sen’s alternative of working within non-ideal theory alone without the normative goal of formulating a realistically utopian view. A. John Simmons has argued that Sen’s restrictive comparativist methodology has untoward consequences in setting ourselves appropriate normative goals in the theory of justice. As Simmons notes, all of Rawls’s adjustments in non- ideal theory are with the overall and integrated goal of pursuing justice as a whole. I examine this problem in the specific case of the claim that we ought to retreat from welfare state capitalism and endorse a property-owning democracy instead. I contrast a Rawlsian view on that issue with one recently put forward by Ingrid Robeyns, where Robeyns puts Sen’s methodology to use. It is argued that Robeyns strategy illustrates the pitfalls of restricting oneself to comparativist claims alone in the theory of justice.
April 12, 2013 Workshop on Free Market Fairness, Tilburg UniversityPosted: October 11, 2012 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a comment
A one day workshop at Tilburg University on the themes arising from John Tomasi’s book, Free Market Fairness, Princeton University Press, 2012. Professor Tomasi will give the keynote address after a discussion of the main theses of his book by political philosophers from the Netherlands, the UK, the USA and Switzerland.
Academics and postgraduate researchers are welcome to attend: there will be a registration fee of 40 euros that covers lunch and beverages over the course of the day. (If you do not require either beverages or meals – there are catering venues on campus – and you are a student or staff member of a university in the Netherlands, attendance is free.)
If you plan to attend please e-mail a.thomas [at] uvt.nl
Venue: The Ruth First Room
09:30 – 10:00 Alan Thomas (Tilburg) ‘Rawls and Tomasi on Robust Economic Liberty’.
10:00 – 1o:15 Discussion of paper 1
10:15 – 10:45 Waheed Hussain (Wharton School, U Penn) ‘Self-Authorship and Recognition in a Market Democracy’.
10:45 – 11:00 Discussion of paper 2
11:00 – 11:15 Coffee break
11:15 – 11:45 Ryan Muldoon (U. Penn) tbc.
11:45 – 12:00 Discussion of paper 3
12:00 – 12:30 Ingrid Robeyns, (Rotterdam) tbc.
12:30 – 12:45 Discussion of paper 3
12:45 – 14:00 Lunch at Tilbury Restaurant (on campus)
14:00 – 14:30 Martin O’Neill (York) ‘Justification, Reciprocity and Maximin: Saving Justice from Neoclassical Liberalism’.
14:30 – 14:45 Discussion of paper 4
14:45 – 15:15 Lisa Herzog, (Goethe University, Frankfurt) ‘Preaching to the Lockean Choir? Human Motivation and the Feasibility of Economic Utopias’.
15:15 – 15:30 Discussion of paper 5
15:30 – 15:45 Coffee Break
15:45 – 16:15 Thad Williamson (Jepson School of Leadership Studies) ‘Exploitation of labor, positional goods, and political economy: three challenges to/for Free Market Fairness’
16:15 – 16:30 Discussion of paper 6
16:30 – 17:30 Keynote Lecture, John Tomasi (Brown University)
17:30 – 18:00 Round Table Discussion: The Market Democratic Research Programme
19:00 Conference Dinner, Meesters Restaurant
Ethics Research Group: Sander Voerman Tuesday October 23 15:00 – 17:00Posted: October 2, 2012 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a comment
‘Moral Disagreement and Human Psychology’
Room Dante Building 119
Intuitively, moral discourse involves moral disagreements: situations such that when A says “doing X is right under circumstances C,” B can contradict A by saying “X is not right under C.” This implies that there is a certain kind of objectivity to moral judgment, but what kind? According to Michael Smith, A gets his judgment right if and only if all conceptually possible agents get it right when approving of X under C and wrong when disapproving of X under C, regardless of how their contingent psychological attitudes might differ from those of A. By contrast, what I call “relationalist” accounts analyze the truth conditions of a moral judgment in terms of such contingent attitudes of the agent making the judgment. Smith argues that such accounts fail to account for the objectivity required to explain moral disagreements. In this paper I defend relationalism against Smith. On the account I have developed elsewhere, the truth conditions of moral judgments involve opaque volitional attitudes of an agent that this agent herself can be mistaken about. Thus, A and B might both have such attitudes in support of doing X under C, which A is getting right and B wrong. I argue that this explains their disagreement if A and B assume, as part of the conversational implicature of their judgments, that their opaque attitudes are the same. I examine two types of reasons for making such an assumption. The first is when species-wide attitudes are involved as a matter of common human psychology. This makes moral judgments just as objective as judgments about human physiology such as “the heart is located in the left side of the body.” I speculate why certain basic moral values might be shared in this species-wide sense. The second type of reason applies in situations where A and B share a cultural background that may be constitutive of the attitudes at stake. This implies that the attitudes will not be shared cross- culturally, which may seem to imply an unattractive cultural relativism. However, I will argue that relativism is usually understood in a transparent sense, and that my opaque relationalism is a much more plausible alternative. Furthermore, I will argue that the absence of shared attitudes may even be plausible in certain intra-cultural cases. Thus, if we must choose between saving m loved ones or n strangers, with m<n, the vaguely determinable m/n ratio at which one should start saving the strangers might not even be shared intraculturally, let alone species-wide. | https://ethics-socialphilosophy.com/2012/10/ |
The Community Association for West Hampstead is a community led organisation set up to improve the quality of life of everyone living in the West Hampstead area.
The West Hampstead Community Centre is a fabulous hub for the community to come together and take part in a range of fun and exciting activities from street dance to social groups or art classes.
The Older Peoples’ Outreach Project aims to help people remain active, healthy and independent. The project works in partnership with GP’s, district nurses, residential homes and sheltered housing units to try and locate those people who may be becoming lonely or isolated.
There is currently a new class being offered for children which will be all about building confidence, getting to know each and having fun with drama. Students will create improvisations and mime, work with scripts, learn technique, play drama games and develop the voice. All this will improve listening, confidence, spontaneity and the imagination. Drama is extremely important for developing language skills and concentration.Time: Age 4 – 6 at 4.00pm to 4.45pmAge 7 – 11 at 5 to 5.45pmAge 12 – 16 at 5.45pm to 6.30pm
Other classes include street dance and ballet and for adults there is a tea dance for the over 50s, creative photography, Pilates and art classes. For more information visit www.westhampsteadcc.org.uk
“Community centres are a vital part of everyday life and can provide a strong support network,” says Sanjay Virdi, manager at the West Hampstead branch of lettings agent Edmund Cude. “We are very fortunate that we have one that offers support and activities for a wide range of people living in West Hampstead.”
Special offers from independent local businesses
Would you like an instant property valuation? | https://www.portico.com/blog/our-news/west-hampstead-community-centre-hosts-new-class |
Olin Co. (NYSE:OLN) – Research analysts at Piper Sandler issued their Q3 2021 EPS estimates for Olin in a research note issued to investors on Monday, September 13th. Piper Sandler analyst C. Neivert expects that the specialty chemicals company will post earnings of $1.94 per share for the quarter. Piper Sandler currently has a “Overweight” rating and a $70.00 target price on the stock. Piper Sandler also issued estimates for Olin’s Q4 2021 earnings at $1.63 EPS, FY2021 earnings at $7.40 EPS, Q1 2022 earnings at $1.56 EPS, Q2 2022 earnings at $1.96 EPS, Q3 2022 earnings at $2.06 EPS, Q4 2022 earnings at $1.85 EPS and FY2022 earnings at $7.41 EPS.
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OLN has been the subject of a number of other reports. Alembic Global Advisors reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $65.00 target price on shares of Olin in a research report on Monday, August 23rd. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Olin from $46.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 30th. UBS Group raised Olin from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $45.00 to $62.00 in a research report on Tuesday, June 15th. Zacks Investment Research lowered Olin from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $45.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, July 21st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Olin from $63.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 29th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $56.47.
OLN opened at $48.49 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $46.60 and a 200 day moving average of $44.02. Olin has a 52-week low of $11.51 and a 52-week high of $52.01. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.63. The stock has a market cap of $7.78 billion, a P/E ratio of -40.41, a PEG ratio of 0.13 and a beta of 1.37.
Olin (NYSE:OLN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 26th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.77. Olin had a positive return on equity of 28.77% and a negative net margin of 2.36%. The company had revenue of $2.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.12 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned ($0.76) EPS. Olin’s revenue was up 79.0% compared to the same quarter last year.
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 10th were paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 9th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.65%. Olin’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -59.26%.
In related news, COO James A. Varilek sold 34,728 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.22, for a total transaction of $1,778,768.16. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Scott D. Ferguson sold 3,000,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.45, for a total value of $148,350,000.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 11.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.
A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC grew its stake in Olin by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 27,819 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,286,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares during the last quarter. Profund Advisors LLC grew its stake in Olin by 4.5% during the 2nd quarter. Profund Advisors LLC now owns 8,009 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $371,000 after purchasing an additional 343 shares during the last quarter. CWM Advisors LLC grew its stake in Olin by 3.1% during the 2nd quarter. CWM Advisors LLC now owns 11,550 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $534,000 after purchasing an additional 350 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning grew its stake in Olin by 7.9% during the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 6,906 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $319,000 after purchasing an additional 504 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Total Clarity Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Olin during the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.82% of the company’s stock. | |
The debate to nail down the long overdue Do Not Track (DNT) standard continued at the W3C Tracking Protection Working Group face-to-face meeting in Sunnyvale last week. Despite a less hostile tone in the room, there seemed to be no clear path forward towards agreement regarding the core issue of ensuring that the standard provides users with enough privacy protection to justify its existence. With the group set to begin winding down in July, there is a lot of uncertainty about whether a consensus standard can be reached with such a short time frame, and if no consensus standard emerges, what will happen next.
What is "Do Not Track"?
Do Not Track is an optional feature that users can enable in their browsers. Once you turn it on, your browser sends a signal to websites that you do not want to be tracked. But what websites must do in response is an open question, and the subject of much debate within the W3C's standard-setting Tracking Protection Working Group, of which I am a member.
How Privacy Protective Is the Proposed Standard Going To Be?
We think that a DNT standard must provide enough privacy protection to users to justify its existence. If the standard is too weak, users who enable DNT in their browsers will only be getting the guise of privacy, which we think is worse than having no standard at all and no expectation of increased privacy. For those who haven't been following the details, the chart below provides a barometer of where we think the debate sits right now:
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Intuitively, users who we've talked to want Do Not Track to provide meaningful limits on collection and retention of data. From the user's perspective, sending the DNT browser signal to websites should indicate: don't keep any records of my information, and collect the bare minimum amount of information required to provide me with the service that you are offering. The real world is more complicated, and this ideal is very hard to achieve when the details of how web technology functions are considered. EFF and other user advocates participating in the W3C have gone to great lengths to ensure that our DNT proposals have been technically realistic, and have offered many compromises in building proposals that are privacy protective but simultaneously considerate towards the engineering realities of the current web.
Although many different perspectives are represented in the working group and some participants have been friendly to privacy advocates' concerns, the predominant representation from industry -- especially the advertising industry -- has offered very little in response to these concessions, and continues to insist that "Do Not Track" actually ought to mean "Pretend Not To Track", with only superficial changes to how data is handled. While we encourage all efforts to improve the way that user data is minimized and kept secure, these measures cannot supplant meaningful limits on the collection and retention of user data, which are central to any DNT standard.
The Danger of a Standard That Is Too Weak
In order to build a solid foundation of trust between users and advertisers, we must encourage advertisers to explore robust technological solutions where advertising and user privacy can co-exist peacefully. With a weak DNT standard in hand, advertising industry players will be able to signal to legislators and regulators that they have solved the privacy problems related to online tracking, but will have little incentive to depart significantly from the status quo. At best, this will be a very shaky and temporary compromise, unlikely to be accepted by users in the long run. The advertising industry will likely move as a block to uniformly implement largely superficial changes to adhere to the standard, without feeling enough pressure to do anything more. Instead, if we have a strong but fair standard, that would force companies to compete on privacy, and create incentives to explore the many viable privacy protective advertising technologies that exist today, creating a path towards a world in which user privacy and industry profit are not at odds.
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Strategies for meaningfully involving users in the development of an intelligent power wheelchair
While it is known that power wheelchairs can positively impact on well-being, self-esteem, pain, activity and participation, health professionals who evaluate and train patients to use this technology report that it sometimes cannot be provided to individuals with cognitive, visual and motor problems. Over the past few years, technological advancements have allowed the development of wheelchairs that can drive themselves semi-autonomously according to a predetermined path and avoid obstacles.
Our multidisciplinary research team, consisting of researchers in the fields of rehabilitation (physical and occupational therapy), engineering and computer science, has been developing a prototype of an intelligent power wheelchair which could move around safely without requiring the individual to control it.
Our team sought user input in order to inform the development process. In order to do this, we had to define in the first place who the users were. We had to identify the relevant informants who would impact on eventual intelligent power wheelchair use. Second, we had to develop a strategy to elicit meaningful feedback regarding a technology that was still being developed and could not yet be used by the informants.
Identifying relevant informants
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A first group of relevant informants that we identified were the intended future users of the intelligent power wheelchair. Many individuals who currently use power mobility devices have neurological or musculoskeletal disorders which are degenerative in nature. Hence, while they may be able at this time to use their power wheelchair effectively, they may have difficulties in the future should their condition deteriorate.
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Caregivers of power wheelchair users were also considered to be relevant informants. In their role as caregivers, they assist wheelchair users in activities during which the wheelchair is used, and may need to increase or decrease the level of assistance provided with a different mobility device.
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Additional intended users are those who are currently not eligible to receive a power wheelchair because of significant visual, cognitive or motor deficits, but who could potentially use the technology if it were available. Although extremely relevant, to date these informants have not been included in our studies. An important issue our team needs to address in order to include these participants in future studies is how to identify such individuals who could benefit from the new technology, but who are not currently using existing power mobility devices.
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Another group of informants is health professionals who assess the need for and capacity to use wheelchairs since patients do not acquire wheelchairs without having them prescribed by their health professional. In Quebec, Canada, this is often done by an occupational therapist in technical aids departments in rehabilitation centers.
To date, the perspectives of twelve current power wheelchair users, five caregivers and ten health professionals have been collected through one-on-one interviews, and the analysis is currently underway.
Strategy to elicit meaningful feedback
When planning the interviews, the team had to consider how to elicit meaningful feedback regarding a technology that could not physically be experienced by the informant. Based on the experiences of studies in the field of telerehabilitation, the research team opted to make a short video that would demonstrate the intelligent power wheelchairs capabilities. While the team did consider describing the technology during the interview, it was felt that this would not provide sufficient information to the informant for them to share their perception of the relevance, safety and usefulness of the wheelchair’s features. Moreover, it was not possible to let the informants use the current prototype safely in an open setting such as the shopping mall — the context for which the wheelchair was being developed and within which we wanted to obtain feedback. Hence, a video was produced by having an actual power wheelchair user use a prototype of the intelligent power wheelchair in a shopping mall.
Several activities were filmed during which the wheelchair’s features were made obvious, such as stopping when there is a moving obstacle such as a person; going around a stable obstacle such as a trash can; following a person that is accompanying the wheelchair user; and following a predetermined path such as directing the wheelchair to go to the bank. For an example of the wheelchair features, you may watch this earlier version of the video that was developed.
The video was shown to the study participants during the interviews. Prior to showing the video, participants were asked to describe how the current wheelchair was used, what difficulties were experienced and what they believed an intelligent power wheelchair would be able to do. Interestingly, we found that the video reminded wheelchair users of familiar situations in where the intelligent power wheelchair would have been useful to them, or difficult situations that they did not think to mention in the first part of the interview and then elaborated on once they viewed the video. Furthermore, at times participants would laugh out loud while watching the videos and make comments such as "That happens all the time", such as when encountering people texting who were not looking where they were going. This confirmed that the video presented realistic situations and gave an accurate portrayal of what the wheelchair could do.
Our research team continues to develop the intelligent power wheelchair and is committed to continuing to include the users’ input throughout the process.
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Research team: Paula Rushton, Robert Forget, Louise Demers, Joelle Pineau, Richard Gourdeau, François Routhier, Evelina Pituch, Paula Stone.
Funding sources: CRIR-PSI, RQRV, NSERC.
For more on the subject
Have a look at our User involvement dossier.
|Author :||Dahlia Kairy, Ph.D. | http://www.hinnovic.org/involving-users-dev-intelligent-wheelchair/ |
Welcome to MyOrbit Network, a group of professionals, consultants and industry experts, who are available to share experiences, insights and knowledge with other companies. Someone who has handled a problem is likely to be able to help you if you are facing the same problem. Business problems occur with all kinds of industries and most business problems have been faced by somebody else and that’s the concept behind MyOrbit network.
Today, we have 250+ professionals who are part of the MyOrbit Network, and new members are joining every month. Each member has experience in different industries and business functions. Our members are not listed anywhere on this website, and their contact information remains confidential except to the person seeking a consultation from them. To join us please submit the form below and you will be added to our database. If there is an inquiry for consultation that matches any of your expertise areas, then we will send you an email seeking a reply for 1-2 questions if you are interested for that particular consultation, and based on your reply, the matching happens between a consultation request and the various experts in our network. In the Areas of Expertise, please list all areas you can consult on. Each person can have a range of areas. For example, the areas can be listed as: Business Planning, Tax, Accounting, SAP ERP, Sales Force CRM, Retail Supply Chain, Biotech, Contracts, etc. The more clarity of you can give here, the better. And if you want to update your areas of expertise in future, that can be done over email.
Please submit this form to join us and start benefiting from the various opportunities (Full-time Work / Part-time Work / Consulting Opportunities by Phone / Freelance Projects) that we will share with our members. Thanks. | http://myorbit.net/network/ |
Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2018 Week 5 Hansard (9 May) . . Page.. 1708 ..
Amendment agreed to.
Original question, as amended, resolved in the affirmative.
Energy—efficiency
MS ORR (Yerrabi) (4.34): I move:
That this Assembly:
(1) notes that:
(a) climate change is a challenge we must respond to through moving to renewable energy while improving energy efficiency of our built environment;
(b) the transition to a sustainable future is beneficial to everyone in our community but must also be accessible to everyone in our community; and
(c) the ACT Government is already undertaking a range of initiatives that improve the sustainability of our community and also assist more vulnerable people within our community, including:
(i) achieving higher energy efficiency for public housing dwellings through the Public Housing Renewal Program;
(ii) funding the Low Income Home Energy Efficiency Program which supports 1 000 households per year through draught proofing, in-house education and projects such as the Curtain Retrofit Project and appliance replacement programs;
(iii) a pilot program in 2017 which gave 200 public housing tenants access to more efficient heating and cooling systems under the Energy Efficiency Improvement Scheme;
(iv) supporting the current trial of a 400-home "virtual power plant" in the ACT and investigating opportunities to create a larger virtual power plant in the future;
(v) the Solar for Low Income Program which supports vulnerable households to install rooftop solar panels through a subsidy and interest free loan. In 2017-18 over 200 households will receive solar panels and an average household receiving solar will reduce energy costs by up to $900 per annum; and
(vi) Actsmart Home Energy Advice Service workshops which provide tailored support for people of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds; and
(2) calls on the ACT Government to:
(a) continue to support everyone in our community particularly the most vulnerable Canberrans by improving energy efficiency in lower income and public housing; and
(b) explore further measures which could improve the sustainability of our city and enhance the wellbeing of our community. | http://www.hansard.act.gov.au/hansard/2018/week05/1708.htm |
The French poet Michel Deguy once wrote that, “Poetry, like love, risks everything on signs.” In a similar sense, the problem with abstract art is that it’s abstract. Any piece of art that an abstract artist begins work on necessarily has to be finished by the many viewers who look at it, changing its meaning with each fresh perspective.
That’s the struggle that abstract painter Leslie Smith III is dealing with in his first solo show at downtown’s beta pictoris gallery, As I Remembered. A professor at the University of Wisconsin’s art department, Smith admits to an unfashionable desire to have his personal inspiration bleed through to the viewer, creating fascinating, inventive tensions in his work.
Smith works almost entirely in blues, oranges, and shades of gray, but As I Remembered is anything but simple or remote. The unusual shapes of the canvases, the dance between strict geometric figures and impressionistic blurs, and the color and interplays of light lurking under coats of black paint all give the sense that the paintings are somehow reaching out to the audience. Though never overtly political, Smith’s paintings do challenge the viewer to make up his or her mind on their meaning.
Even though it can seem faintly unbalancing for the viewer, the exhibition can be soothing, too. Like former beta pictoris artist Pete Schulte, Smith’s darker works are often warm, inviting and human, and the show as a whole has internal callbacks that make it feel like the paintings are in dialogue with each other. For instance, a study of different orange shapes in Honest Boy, a playful not-quite-Cubist representation of Pinocchio, is mirrored across the gallery in the massive Lay Away, which features vivid orange figures clawing out of a black canvas — or being sucked into the quagmire.
The dialogue is rooted in a sense of character and scene, as Smith creates dramas out of the power dynamics of human relationships. His messages are subtle and very much open to interpretation, but they’re undeniably present, lurking beneath each surface diversion in Smith’s paintings, many of them rooted in emotional pain.
Smith’s work reveals a profound, but nuanced, sense of control, whether it’s exploring the domination to which people subject one another, or whether it’s Smith’s own yearning to be understood. Rather than inklings of suggestions of ideas, he wants to communicate exactly what he (or his characters) were experiencing when he painted each work, transporting the viewer to an emotional prism where Smith’s memories are recreated in stunning games of shape and color.
beta pictoris gallery is located at 2411 2nd Ave. N. As I Remembered will be on display through March 21. Gallery hours are Wednesday-Friday 1-4 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m.-3 p.m., and the show is free. For more information, call (205) 413-2999. | https://weldbham.com/blog/2014/03/13/dont-let-me-be-misunderstood/ |
The Grains Are Rough Here is a suite of 8 videopoems (13 mins 20 sec, 2021) that explores sense of place between Barcelona and Melbourne.
The videopoems study the translocal complexities embodied in experiences of migration and transition, while tracing everyday routines at home and in the streets of Barcelona. Starting with an inward-looking and personal perspective, the videopoems slowly provide more context to the realities of Barcelona, asking questions not only about the personal migration journey, but also questioning attitudes towards a migrant ‘other’.
Even though the suite follows a narrative of a day in Barcelona, it was informed by other places, such as Singapore and Mae Sot. Incorporating video and audio elements from several places is intended to surprise the viewer, causing them to question the narrative presented by the poet – are these videopoems presenting a physical place or are memories of past experiences distorting the representation of place?
The videopoems allude to these instances of translocal influence through imagery and sound, sometimes making visible (or audible) the overlapping place-times that informed the writing of the poems. The combination of text, aural and visual elements enabled the exploration of translocal layers of experience (through experimenting with the juxtaposition of image and sound, for example) while the text of the poem ostensibly follows the narrator through Barcelona’s streets. Sense of place is vital to this suite of videopoems, which explores the way past experiences influence the way we see our current localities.
Screenings
- The videopoem suite premiered at On the Move Poetry Festival in Canberra, Australia
- Screening at Tranås at the Fringe – International Arts Festival, Tranås, Sweden
It is currently on offer for videopoetry and short film festivals. | https://clairerosslynwilson.com/portfolio/the-grains-are-rough-here/ |
Civil Court in Bangkok Blocks Thai Prime Ministers Media Gag Order
A Civil Court in Bangkok on Friday ruled in favour of the media by issuing an injunction suspending the Prime Ministers regulation restricting freedom of speech and threatening internet censorship.
The court said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s restrictions went against the law. The court also issued an English-language announcement of its decision.
“Considering that Section 9 of the Emergency Decree on Public Administration in Emergency Situations B.E. 2548 (2005) (No. 29) provides Prime Minister no authorization to suspend internet services provision, Article 2 of the Regulation authorizing the suspension of internet services provision against the Internet Protocol address (IP address) of which the user has disseminated the information not compatible with the Regulation is in contrary to the law,’’ the announcement said.
The court said it had examined and assessed the witnesses and the documentary evidences and decided to issue the injunction.
“It is in the view of the Court that, considering the existence of several legal instruments establishing the measures concerning illegal dissemination of information and the government’s capability to educate people, develop a public better understanding and examine false information, the suspension of the enforcement of such Regulation does not pose any obstacle to public administration in emergency situations and public interest,’’ the the statement said.
Court Ruled Regulations Illegal
The injunction came after the Human Rights Lawyer Alliance and 12 media companies filed a complaint against Gen Prayut, also head of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration.
They want the revocation of the 29th regulation, which empowers the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) to cut internet access of social media users posting content that may frighten people.
The petition listed three arguments. First, the ban of content “which may frighten people” is ambiguous and may run against criminal law principles.
Second, the regulation empowers the NBTC to check and block access to the internet, which is illegal. The emergency situation decree in effect now does not allow blocking communications among people. Only the serious emergency situation decree allows it, but it was not in effect today.
Third, it runs against Section 35 of the constitution which endorses freedom of the press. If the government wants to block content, it needs to do so by piece — it may not block an entire platform or channel such as a certain IP address.
Media outlets that signed the petition included The Reporters, VoiceTV, The Standard, The Momentum, The Matter, Prachatai, Dem All, The People, Way Magazine, Echo and Plus Seven. | |
This article was written by our Youth Advisory Committee member, Nyassa, as part of a series of articles to promote the 2021 Coolminds Summer Check-In, “Art with Heart: Exploring Mental Health Through Creativity and Self-Expression”. This one-day event took place on August 14th (Saturday). To find out more, please visit our event page here: https://www.coolmindshk.com/en/event/coolminds-summer-check-in-2021/
Yuyu Kitamura’s ‘Invited In’ explores her reflections on the struggles of teenagers to connect with others during such a time where social isolation barricades many to build relationships. Making the most of our opportunities and the ability to be living to one’s fullest comes with many new limitations during the times of Covid-19. Online platforms are some of the only opportunities to stay connected, being a lifeline to continue cultivating relationships – but only if one is extremely mindful of what these platforms are capable of. Annie’s journey with Emmy exposes the deception and artificiality that can occur through online relationships, and how this has a profound impact on one’s mental health.
The thought experiment of Eternal Recurrence posed by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche in one of his most eminent books, The Gay Science:
“What, if some day or night a demon were to steal after you into your loneliest loneliness and say to you: ‘This life as you now live it and have lived it, you will have to live once more and innumerable times more; and there will be nothing new in it, but every pain and every joy and every thought and sigh and everything unutterably small or great in your life will have to return to you, all in the same succession and sequence—even this spider and this moonlight between the trees, and even this moment and I myself. The eternal hourglass of existence is turned upside down again and again, and you with it, speck of dust!”
Would you not throw yourself down and gnash your teeth and curse the demon who spoke thus? Or have you once experienced a tremendous moment when you would have answered him: ‘You are a god and never have I heard anything more divine.’ If this thought gained possession of you, it would change you as you are or perhaps crush you. The question in each and every thing, ‘Do you desire this once more and innumerable times more?’ would lie upon your actions as the greatest weight. Or how well disposed would you have to become to yourself and to life?”
This thought experiment became known as the experiment of Eternal Recurrence, illustrating Nietzsche’s attitude in which his fundamental perceptions of life are based on a balance between tragedy and enjoyment. In essence, what Nietzsche is proposing in this thought experiment is a hypothetical situation in which you would be forced to relive your life over and over again endlessly. Every moment, as meaningful or insignificant as they may be, would be exactly the same. The question posed by this situation is as follows: Would this be something that we could endure? Are we truly satisfied with the life we are currently living so much to the point that we would be willing to live it insurmountable times more?
These considerations in regards to positive psychology are highly potent in understanding and overcoming mental health struggles. Mental health issues such as depressive disorders are often linked to long term life dissatisfaction, which can exacerbate misconstrued perceptions of one’s surroundings in addition to their relationships and self esteem. Nietzche’s assertion in the hypothetical scenario of eternal recurrence allows us to deconstruct our responses to negativity and adverse situations through prompts for reframing our mindsets – ultimately allowing us to live life more fulfillingly in the future.
What this particular experiment is trying to make us realize is that in order to achieve contentment in its fullest form possible, we must choose wholeheartedly what we think and where we find and create meaning in life. From those places, all the smallest, perceptibly trivial moments will be treated with significance and we will be able to cherish our time on what we deem to be important. In addition to emphasizing the positive aspects of life, one could consider: Are there any possible steps we could take in our lives to make us feel increasingly satisfied to relive our experiences? This could be as small as improving convenience in our everyday routines, or it could be to take advantage of life-changing opportunities available to us. Similarly to adding meaning to significant aspects of our lives, it is also crucial to take further opportunities to participate in things we may have overlooked in the past. When factors like fear of change or perceiving consequential obstacles restrict our desire to take chances, Nietzche’s question can be interpreted as a reminder to make the most of our opportunities.
While the premise of a demon forcing us into an impenetrable cycle of recurrence can seem absurd and irrational, in reality, we may also be placed in situations where we lose the ability to wield full control over our lives and make decisions. Many around the world are living in conditions of fear, danger and oppression by society. Others may be suffering from physical and mental afflictions that restrict fundamental aspects of one’s lives. Although it seems simple to prompt one to make the most of their experiences, these hindrances barricade many from doing so, whether it be on a mental or physical level. Keeping a sense of gratitude if we are not in these situations, as well as having an awareness of those that are, Nietzche’s thought experiment can allow us to reflect on how we create the most fulfilling lives for ourselves.
“The higher we soar, the smaller we appear to those who cannot fly” (Nietzsche). Ultimately, it is impossible to be completely satisfied with what we do. Naturally, we improve ourselves based on personal dissatisfaction, and the root of this dissatisfaction is dependent on our place in time and space – specific to each individual. However, forthcomings do not necessarily have to be considered as imperfections, as their incorporation into our lives and learnings from overcoming them are critical in self-improvement and being more conscious in future situations. Through the lens of dealing with a mental health struggle, reconciling with one’s life in the present and maintaining a positive world view can be extremely difficult. Whether it be insecurity in oneself, catastrophizing the trivial or worrying about our relationships, we must recognize that perfection is essentially unattainable. The purpose of this experiment is not to evoke a moral crisis, but to make one more accepting and mindful of interpretations of their surroundings, interactions and judgements. Doing so would give the same amount of satisfaction as taking that extra step further to make the “right” choice.
In the words of Nietzsche: “To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering.” We must find our own balance, and find what systems in our lives bring the most happiness. Nietzsche believed in the concept of Amor Fati – a love of one’s fate. We must learn to love even the most undesirable situations; that is a power that is just as important as developing the “perfect” and most satisfying lives. At the same time, why sell away our precious time to mediocrity and conformity? Before fate strikes us, we must guide it to give us the most desirable outcome. Only we can find compromise between the two, and in doing so will cultivate a balanced world view.
So now, what are you going to do to live more consciously? If this life will be an endless cycle of recurrence, would you have done anything differently? | https://www.coolmindshk.com/en/eternal-recurrence-check-in-2021/ |
For Natural Born Artists, There’s Only One Sustainable Option—A Life Lived True
If you visualize life as an inspired canvas, you can paint in any strokes you see fit, be it free-forming color, shades of gray or splashed brilliance. When you hold the brush with confidence and bravely let it speak from the heart, the inevitable creation of your own personal truths will surface.
“I definitely feel like I can be more of an individual here, which I haven’t felt in New York or Boston or anywhere else really,” says Rebecca, an artist who’s found home inside Los Angeles’ unique and flourishing creative community. “It’s really big, but there’s a lot of space to be filled.”
Perhaps that’s because diversity is a way of life in the City of Angels. What sets you apart is not a source of shame, but something to be embraced, nurtured and explored. The members of this artistic collective are categorically unable to be anybody but themselves, which is a beautiful thing. Their brand of self-possessed conviction makes LA a mecca for these resilient and resourceful dreamers. For humans, like Rebecca, who can’t help but be artistic.
Don’t mistake their cerebral demeanor for timidity, these risk takers are forces to be reckoned with, inevitably drawn to their creative craft, and capable of expressing meaning with every step they take. By trusting the passion of their inner voices, artists in this supportive community often give their souls articulation through a variety of mediums.
Think Miranda July, an award-winning filmmaker, author, musician and actor. Her participatory art speaks volumes in a multitude of imaginative languages. And by refusing to put boundaries on her freedom of expression, her creative voice becomes filled with insight inaccessible through ordinary means.
The same can be said of creative vortex Andy Warhol, who infused everything he put his mind to with wonder, and whose art invited a shift of perspective for an entire generation. By unabashedly being true to himself, he continues to inspire others in the artistic subculture to pursue that which fills their lives with meaning.
“Be yourself,” Rebecca explains. “I think people really appreciate individualism, and it’s rare, but if you are your authentic self, then no one can ever copy that.”
This frame of reference seeps into their external manifestations of selfcare, be it in their sense of style, which is singular, often an extension of their art, and can include a “signature” look. Whether it’s how they wear their hair, an accessory, or if they cover their skin with ink, their appearance is a direct reflection of their sensibilities. It’s thoughtfully thoughtless, as cutting-edge barber Julius “Julius Cesar” Arriola aptly surmises: “Today’s visual artists deliver a confident look. They choose to be different without forcing it too heavy.”
Whether hosting art shows in downtown lofts near Little Tokyo or browsing the collections at LACMA, MOCA or the Getty Center, this community folds into the fabric of Los Angeles seamlessly. And with free admission and an avant-garde program of films, music and dance that includes conversations between artists of differing specialties, the Broad Museum is helping to curate this next generation of creatives.
Meanwhile, for those who prefer to head outdoors for their inspiration, they need look no further than Echo Park Lake and its blossoming fountains and lotus flowers. The revived boathouse, now home to locally-sourced and sustainable Beacon Café, provides nourishment, like green eggs and spam, that is as inventive and out of the box as the community it feeds.
“Everybody here has their own unique style, which I love,” says Rebecca. “I think people in LA are more open to new ideas, the kinds of ideas that eventually migrate to other cities.”
To join us on this exploration of LA’s subcultures, visit www.baxterofcalifornia.com in addition to following us @baxterofca. | https://www.baxterofcalifornia.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-baxter-US-Site/default/Blog-ShowArticle?aid=1384 |
CIOs are under more pressure than ever before when it comes to cybersecurity concerns, especially now that many or even all of the staff in their organisation are working from home, perhaps using unfamiliar software and hardware as they try to do their jobs on lockdown.
The array of devices and applications that they have to take responsibility for has been rapidly expanded by the coronavirus crisis, and criminals have been keen to exploit any organisations thrown off-balance by the rapidly changing circumstances, which means taking a fresh look at what IT security really means. Tech analyst HFS Research recently reported that 56% of enterprises expect to increase their security spending in response to COVID-19.
"The threat landscape changes on a daily basis," says Simon Liste, chief information technology officer at the Pension Protection Fund (PPF). "We've had to shift our approach so that we recognise that information security is not about 'if' you get hit but 'when' you get hit. Understanding that shift in terms of technology, culture and leadership has been hard – and not just for the PPF, but for a lot of organisations."
Liste says he's fortunate to have a strong technical background and, from his previous roles as a technical engineer and analyst, believes he's developed a good understanding of cybersecurity concerns. Here's four areas he believes IT leaders should focus on to create an effective security strategy.
1. Get buy-in from the senior leadership team
Liste says it's crucial the board understands the importance of cybersecurity. "At board level it's on the agenda at all times, especially in the position we find ourselves in right now with COVID-19," he says.
Set up by the Pensions Act 2004, the PPF protects millions of UK people who belong to defined benefit pension schemes. If their employers go bust, and their pension schemes cannot afford to pay what they've promised, the PPF pays compensation for their lost pensions.
"We have a responsibility to our internal colleagues and our external members to make sure that the data we've got is secure," he says. "Because of the role we fulfil as an organisation, we need to protect the intellectual property that we have."
Since joining the PPF in February 2018, Liste has worked with the board to help develop their awareness of cybersecurity threats. The effort has paid off.
"They really get the critical role of information security to our organisation," he says. "And they're continually evolving their understanding, so they know that security isn't just about dealing with external threats."
2. Focus on continually honing your processes
When he became CIO at the PPF, Liste brought the management of cybersecurity back in-house after it had previously been outsourced to an external provider. He was keen to take back control of IT management decisions and he's developed an information security and privacy department.
"We don't just do a standard annual check of our systems; instead, we're constantly evaluating our estates," he says. "Cybersecurity is about trying to keep on the front foot all the time, but it's also about understanding you can't find a silver bullet that sorts everything. That just doesn't happen, so you need an ethos of constantly checking and challenging."
As part of his internal management of cyber-defence systems, Liste has established an information security committee, which helps to coordinate IT security initiatives at the executive level and ensures the value of – and risk to – data is established and recognised.
The organisation adheres to industry best practices, including ISO 27001, which is the international information security standard. The PPF is also looking at the Cyber Essentials Plus information assurance scheme operated by the National Cyber Security Centre.
"What's important is the mechanism around applying the right processes," says Liste. "You need to think about a range of key questions: how can you identify, how can you monitor, how can you manage, how can you recover, and how can you be proactive?"
3. Layer your security partners – and test them, too
Liste says insourcing IT has allowed his team to disaggregate the support model and spread provision across a series of suppliers, which helps to reduce the level of potential risk.
"Don't put all your eggs into one basket," he says. "There's often a debate around cost-appropriate security solutions, but I don't think you can sacrifice costs when it comes to security. It's not a financial decision – it's more around identifying what's absolutely fundamentally critical in terms of the data you need to protect."
Liste says the PPF uses cloud-based, perimeter gateway services and also more traditional enterprise firewalls. He advises other CIOs to try and spread risk at the hardware level and use different providers for different areas of IT infrastructure, such as servers and desktop PCs. He says the PPF's main security partner is a "top-five global specialist".
"A good security partner has intelligence – they can interrogate what's happening on your network, and what traffic's going in and out, but they also know what's going on outside your corporate environment in a place like the dark web," he says.
Liste is impressed with the level of expertise he receives, but he advises other CIOs to take nothing for granted. He refers to his main partner as his "blue team", but he also employs a "red team" of ethical hackers to regularly test the approach his main security partner is taking.
"That's to see if they can break the services and the recommendations that have been made," he says. "We're just trying to layer the way we're protecting people and data, and the interaction between people and data as well."
4. Engage with the rest of the business
Liste has gone to great lengths to strengthen security awareness at the board level and to build security capability within the IT department. Yet he says it's crucial to recognise good security is a whole-organisation effort. When it comes to creating education programmes, he says CIOs should be prepared to lean on the expertise of other functional heads.
"A good collaboration with your learning and development team, your communications team and your training team is absolutely critical," he says. "You need to work with these experts to make sure you're constantly updating and engaging with people and educating them around the evolution of the cybersecurity risk."
Liste says structured internal education and awareness programmes are the best way to teach staff across the organisation about potential risks. But he also says that training development shouldn't stop at the enterprise firewall, particularly as most staff are currently working at home due to social distancing.
"We don't limit our approach to corporate education," says Liste. "We also talk about awareness at home, which is obviously crucial right now, and we talk about the risk of phishing and being aware of the text messages that tempt you to click on links. We say that the secure practices our people apply at work should be carrying on 24/7."
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USDA Announces $16.2 Million to Support Socially Disadvantaged and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers
USDA Announces $16.2 Million to Support Socially Disadvantaged and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers
Oct 14, 2019
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced on Oct. 7 that it will issue $16.2 million in grants to provide training, outreach, and technical assistance to underserved and veteran farmers and ranchers. This funding is available through the USDA’s Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers Program (also known as the 2501 Program), managed by the USDA Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement (OPPE).
“All farmers and ranchers deserve equal access to USDA programs and services,” said Mike Beatty, director of the USDA Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement. “2501 grants go a long way in fulfilling our mission to reach historically underserved communities and ensure their equitable participation in our programs.”
The 2501 Program was created through the 1990 Farm Bill to help socially disadvantaged farmers, ranchers, and foresters, who have historically experienced limited access to USDA loans, grants, training, and technical assistance. The 2014 Farm Bill expanded the program’s reach to veterans. Grants are awarded to higher education institutions and nonprofit and community-based organizations to extend USDA’s engagement efforts in these communities. Projects funded under the 2501 Program include — but are not limited to — conferences, workshops, and demonstrations on various farming techniques, and connecting underserved farmers and ranchers to USDA local officials to increase awareness of USDA’s programs and services while filling the needs for increased partnerships.
Additionally, Alcorn State University will continue to administer the Socially Disadvantaged Policy Research Center (The Center) with a $525,000 grant funded under this program. The Center specializes in policy research impacting socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers in order to make policy recommendations that will improve their success.
Since 2010, the 2501 Program has awarded 484 grants totaling $119.5 million.
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Shooting Hunger West Tennessee is set for Friday, June 26, 2020 at the Carroll County Shooting Sports Park located at 680 McAdoo Cemetery Road in Huntingdon, Tennessee. | https://www.ourcoop.com/News/Company-News/USDA-Announces-$16-2-Million-to-Support-Socially-Disadvantaged-and-Veteran-Farmers-and-Ranchers |
This session will offer educators the opportunity to learn about how to differentiate instruction with technology-supported evidence-based English Language Arts (ELA) and math strategies, while considering digital accessibility needs, to improve learning outcomes for all students. Grounded in the principles of UDL, educators will learn how to develop lesson plans and teaching strategies that integrate technology tools with evidence-based practices to address the learning needs of all students. Educators will learn about the three principles of Universal Design for Learning, and how to translate those principles into practice to create the conditions for student engagement and motivation. Each of the ELA and math teaching strategies participants will explore during the content-specific small group session includes:
This four-part presentation was originally delivered at the Texas Assistive Technology Network - Region 4 Conference.
Resources developed by the CTD SEA and LEA Technical Assistance Team, led by American Institutes for Research. | https://www.ctdinstitute.org/library/2018-05-21/integrating-technology-classroom |
Jhpiego is a key partner in the USAID-funded President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) IMPACT Malaria project contributing to the country’s National Malaria Control Strategic Plan 2014-2020 and beyond. The project will operate over a five-year period.
The Ghana Country office of Jhpiego Corporation is currently looking for a passionate individual to fill the following position: Clinical Advisor, Accra
Job Summary
Serve as team leader for malaria service delivery activities and provide relevant technical leadership, with a focus on improving and scaling up malaria management for both children and adults at the facility level.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Liaise with the relevant GHS departments in charge of malaria service delivery including the Institutional Care Division (ICD), National Malaria Control Program (NMCP), and Family Health Division (FHD) – and with Regional and District Health Management Teams (R/DHMTs) to ensure effective execution of malaria case management supportive supervision and health worker training
- Coordinate closely with local and international partners, including UN agencies and INGOs, and build and maintain excellent working relationships with the GHS and other key stakeholders implementing malaria service delivery and child health initiatives in Ghana
- Develop detailed annual and quarterly work plans in collaboration with project staff and the GHS at national, regional and district levels
- Coordinate with the Impact Malaria M&E teams and GHS/HMIS to ensure that the malaria case management database is regularly updated and the project monitoring data is collected, analyzed and used regularly and with good quality
- Identify best practices, and support the introduction and scale-up of innovative technical interventions in malaria service delivery in close consultation and collaboration with GHS
- Plan and coordinate with the National ICD and NMCP to conduct regular (quarterly) program reviews involving the R/DHMTs, MalariaCare staff, other GHS staff and relevant stakeholders
- Conduct regular field visits in collaboration with key GHS staff, seek feedback and follow up on recommendations
- With technical support, identify operations research questions, participate in protocol development and support and supervise research activities
- Assist in the assessment of training needs and in the design and implementation of appropriate measures to address those needs
- Represent Impact Malaria in malaria case management forums with relevant partners. Participate in national, regional, and international forums to present experienc
Required Skills or Experience
- Medical Doctor with an advanced degree in Public Health, International Development, or related field preferred
- Demonstrated experience working with government and public health officials at every level
- A minimum of five years’ experience at the regional or central level, specifically supporting or implementing malaria service delivery activities and other aspects of community medicine
- Ability to advise, lead and manage technical assistance teams and multi-partner collaborative projects
- Program planning, implementation and monitoring and evaluation skills
- Ability to work both independently and as part of a multi-disciplinary team in a fast paced environment with multiple competing deadlines and tasks
- Well balanced professional able to see the big picture and keep track of necessary detail
- Critical thinker with flexible and innovative problem solving skills
- Strong training, mentoring, coaching and interpersonal skills
- Computer literacy in MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook
- Excellent oral and written communication skills in English required
- Ability to travel up to 30 percent in-country
MODE OF APPLICATION
Qualified persons are required to send their Curriculum Vitae (CV) and application letter to:
- Deadline for the submission of applications: January 28, 2020
- Please note that given the likely high volume of applications, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
NOTE:
UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE SHOULD AN APPLICANT PAY MONEY TO ANYONE IN GETTING A JOB WE HAVE PUBLISHED
WhatsApp & Telegram Job Alert
To get daily Job Alerts on Whatsapp, Join Our WhatsApp Group via the link below. | https://newsnowgh.com/clinical-advisor-jhiego-job/ |
Halloween 😭 NOT happy
I am a Christian. Should I celebrate Halloween?
For me, God’s answer is a resounding NO.
This morning, upon opening my computer to read the day’s headlines, the following article popped up under the heading “Religious Revival” on NBC.Think. I’ve included a link, but encourage you to read this post before you follow it to read the article.
Why paganism and witchcraft are making a comeback !By Antonio Pagliarulo, author of the forthcoming “The Evil Eye: The History, Mystery, and Magic of the Quiet Curse”
On a recent trip to Salem, Massachusetts, I overheard the same question: Is magic really real? For me, the answer is yes.
This weekend the world is celebrating Halloween. Even Christians are getting involved in “Trunk or Treat” or “Harvest Festivals” on Church campuses. The rest of the world, at least here in the U.S., are throwing “Halloween” parties, brawls and bashes. This weekend at least 153 people were killed and dozens more hurt in an apparent crowd surge at packed Halloween festivities in the South Korean capital of Seoul, local officials say. The crush took place in the nightlife district of Itaewon. Google says, “Today, Americans spend an estimated six billion dollars annually on Halloween, making it the country’s second-largest commercial holiday after Christmas.”
Halloween’s origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in). The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago, mostly in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France, celebrated their new year on the first of November. It was believed that on that day, the souls of the dead returned to their homes, so people dressed in costumes and lit bonfires on the night before, commonly known as Allhalloween, or All Hallows’ Eve, to ward off evil spirits. It is considered a powerful turning point in the wheel of the year, signifying the cycle of life, death and rebirth.
Halloween is the time when people who follow ‘new-age’ teaching release and let go of negative and lower energies that hold them back and celebrate the new energy that will eventually take its place. New Age is a range of spiritual or religious practices and beliefs which rapidly grew in the Western world during the 1970s. Although analytically considered to be religious, those involved in it typically prefer the designation of spiritual or Mind, Body, Spirit and rarely use the term New Age themselves. It has been described as a buffet style religion where one can pick and choose the tenants preferred from any religion, including an eclectic range of beliefs and practices based on Buddhism and Taoism, psychology, and psycho-therapy; paganism, clairvoyance, tarot and magic. Essentially, one can create a custom-made belief system. Part of that system encourages the use of Psychotropic drugs, which New Age recommends taking in order to help practitioners interact with the spirit world. New Agers call it channeling, but it’s actually demon possession. Other practices encouraged include belief in reincarnation, astrology, psychics and the presence of spiritual energy in physical objects like mountains or trees.
People who follow Wicca are called “Wiccans“. For them, Samhain marks the New Year and is the most important Sabbat. It’s the time to remember the ancestors, and the time to celebrate the harvest and all that has been accomplished over the year. The word “wicca” means “witch” in Old English. Before the name “Wicca” was adopted, the religion was sometimes called simply “the craft”. Wicca is now used as an umbrella term for many different paths that have branched off from original practices.
The founder of the church of satan, Anton LaVey, is quoted as saying. “by dressing up, either by wearing a costume or coloring oneself for Halloween, is tantamount to worshipping the devil.”Anton LaVey, the founder of the church of Satan
Anton LaVey, the founder of the church of Satan, himself declared that by dressing up, either by wearing a costume or by coloring oneself in celebration of Halloween, signifies that you allow Satan to own you. He further said that when you adopt these pagan practices, you subconsciously dedicate yourself to the devil. He took joy in Christians who take part in the tradition, saying: “I am glad that Christian parents let their children worship the devil at least one night out of the year. Welcome to Halloween.”
LaVey’s statement is corroborated by a former Satanist, John Ramirez, who said that when you dress up even as an angel or a mermaid for Halloween, “you give the devil the legal rights to change your identity.” Ramirez further warned that there’s a much darker reality in Halloween beyond costumes and candy. The former Satanist turned Christian pastor said in an interview on CBS News (October 20, 2018): “I was a general to the kingdom of darkness in witchcraft. I would sit with the devil and talk to him like I’m talking to you today. It was that kind of communication. It was that kind of relationship”
What Does God Almighty Have to Say?
Scripture does not speak at all about Halloween, but it does give us some principles on which we can make a decision. In Old Testament Israel, witchcraft was a crime punishable by death (Exodus 22:18; Leviticus 19:31; 20:6, 27). The New Testament teaching about the occult is clear. Acts 8:9-24, the story of Simon, shows that occultism and Christianity don’t mix. The account of Elymas the sorcerer in Acts 13:6-11 reveals that sorcery is violently opposed to Christianity. Paul called Elymas a child of the devil, an enemy of righteousness and a perverter of the ways of God. In Acts 16, at Philippi, a fortune-telling girl lost her demon powers when the evil spirit was cast out by Paul. The interesting matter here is that Paul refused to allow even good statements to come from a demon-influenced person. Acts 19 shows new converts who have abruptly broken with their former occultism by confessing, showing their evil deeds, bringing their magic paraphernalia, and burning it before everyone (Acts 19:19). | https://contentmentcottage.com/2022/10/30/halloween-%F0%9F%98%AD-not-happy/ |
As they develop, they accumulate mass from the clouds around them and grow into what are known as main sequence stars. Particularly massive stars may evolve to a , characterised by spectra dominated by emission lines of elements heavier than hydrogen, which have reached the surface due to strong convection and intense mass loss. The least luminous stars that are currently known are located in the cluster. Though there are many forms of matter in outer space; such as planets, suns and meteors - the major … ity of it is filled with nothing. See also Palmer, Jason February 22, 2008. When the metallicity is very low, however, the minimum star size seems to be about 8. A black body is an object that absorbs 100 percent of all electromagnetic radiation that is, light, radio waves and so on that falls on it.
Rigel Rigel is the brightest star in the constellation Orion and the seventh brightest star in the night sky. For most stars, the mass lost is negligible. Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics. In a neutron star the matter is in a state known as , with a more exotic form of degenerate matter, , possibly present in the core. Since iron nuclei are more than any heavier nuclei, any fusion beyond iron does not produce a net release of energy. Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics. The accidents were not a result of incompetence, nor of an apathetic view of safety.
Rigel: Also known as Beta Orionis, and located between 700 and 900 light years away, Rigel is the brightest star in the constellation Orion and the seventh brightest star in the night sky. With these parameters, astronomers can also estimate the age of the star. When something is pulled into a black hole, the process is more like being pulled into like a fish being reeled in by an angler, rather than being pushed along like a rafter inexorably being dragged over a waterfall. Using 3-D models that characterize atmospheres going back, forward and to the sides, researchers found atmospheric conditions quite different from those predicted by 1-D models that capture changes only going from the surface straight up. The brightest star in the night sky is between 200 and 300 million years old.
However, this finding suggests that the most common type of the star in the galaxy may provide many more cosmic neighborhoods to search for planets that may be like our own. Historically, the most prominent stars were grouped into and , the brightest of which gained proper names. The disks of most stars are much too small in to be observed with current ground-based optical telescopes, and so telescopes are required to produce images of these objects. It is the fourth brightest star in the night sky, after Sirius, Canopus and Alpha Centauri. Their low temperature also means that they burn through their supply of hydrogen less rapidly. They are mainly used as the in-game currency to purchase Gold Rings or use the Spin when the free Daily Spin or video to obtain a free spin are both unavailable. If the distance of the star is found, such as by measuring the parallax, then the luminosity of the star can be derived.
Red Star in Orbit was Oberg's tale of the Soviet space program as it was then known. In spite of the apparent immutability of the heavens, were aware that new stars could appear. Some scientists also apply the term to brown dwarfs, which aren't actually stars. Giant stars have much larger, more obvious starspots, and they also exhibit strong stellar. Proceedings of a workshop held in Paris, France, December 4—8, 1995. These photons interact with the surrounding plasma, adding to the thermal energy at the core. Good targets The odds of intelligent life arising may be better on planets around orange dwarfs than sun-like stars, given the extra time available for it to evolve.
The most massive stars last an average of a few million years, while stars of minimum mass red dwarfs burn their fuel very slowly and can last tens to hundreds of billions of years. A main sequence star may have a mass between a third to eight times that of the sun and eventually burn through the hydrogen in its core. The New Cosmos 5th ed. They end their lives when their cores collapse and they explode as supernovae. The fragmentation of the cloud into multiple stars distributes some of that angular momentum.
If all the Red Star Rings are collected in an Act, one giant Red Star Ring will hover over the and a new will be unlocked. Binary stars The post—main-sequence evolution of binary stars may be significantly different from the evolution of single stars of the same mass. The only exception is a faint image of a large star cluster containing hundreds of thousands of stars located at a distance of one billion light years —ten times further than the most distant star cluster previously observed. Therefore, they never undergo shell burning, never become , which cease fusing and become and slowly cool after exhausting their hydrogen. Alpha Centauri B is an orange subgiant with 90. Planets form from the material left over in a disk after their star has been created.
The simplest and most common multi-star system is a binary star, but systems of three or more stars are also found. The faintest red dwarfs in the cluster were magnitude 26, while a 28th magnitude white dwarf was also discovered. These shells are much than their parent stars. This is where atoms of hydrogen are fused into atoms of helium; this process releases lots and lots of heat. They start out as regular stars, but they grow to such an enormous size that their heat is spread out across a much larger surface area. However, compared to many of the other stars discovered in the Universe our central stars is very small. Surface temperature is approximately 18,500 K. | http://ipsumdomus.com/red-star-in-space.html |
Results from a sub-analysis of the impact of age on the safety and efficacy of lenvatinib in patients with radioiodine-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer (RR-DTC) in the randomized double-blind placebo-controlled phase III SELECT trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01321554) showed that lenvatinib significantly increased progression-free survival (PFS).
Lenvatinib is a multiple kinase inhibitor against VEGFR1, VEGFR2, and VEGFR3.
In this study, 392 patients were stratified by age (65 years and younger or older than 65 years) and received 24 mg/day lenvatinib (n=261) or placebo (n=131). In both study arms stratified by age, median age in the younger group was 56 years and median age in the older group was 71 years.
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Both the younger and older groups experienced significantly improved PFS with lenvatinib (20.2 months) vs placebo (3.2 months) (hazard ratio [HR], 0.19; 95% CI, 0.13 to 0.27; P <.001) in the younger group and with lenvatinib (16.7 months) vs placebo (3.7 months) (HR, 0.27; 95% CI, 0.17 to 0.43; P <.001) in the older group.
Overall survival (OS) improved in older patients receiving lenvatinib (HR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.31 to 0.91; P =.020). Younger patients receiving lenvatinib experienced significantly improved overall response rates (72% vs 55%, P =.0038), longer time to first dose reduction (3.7 vs 1.5 months), and lower percentage of grade 3 or higher treatment-related adverse events (67% v 89%; P <.001) compared with older patients receiving lenvatinib.
Although higher toxicity was observed in older patients receiving lenvatinib, they still experienced improved PFS. Treatment crossover was allowed after progression of disease, yet the OS benefit remained in older patients receiving lenvatinib. These results suggest that lenvatinib is efficacious, with a tolerable safety profile in patients of any age with RR-DTC. | https://www.oncologynurseadvisor.com/home/cancer-types/head-and-neck-cancer/lenvatinib-improves-os-pfs-in-radioiodine-refractory-differentiated-thyroid-cancer-in-all-older-patients/ |
Combine cherries and brandy in small bowl; let soak until cherries soften, 1 to 2 hours. Drain (reserve brandy for another use).
Step 2
Preheat oven to 375°F. Combine bread pieces and almonds in processor. Using on/off turns, blend until mixture resembles very coarse crumbs. Spread crumb mixture evenly on rimmed baking sheet. Bake until crumb mixture is light golden and crisp, about 16 minutes. Transfer crumb mixture to medium bowl; toss with melted butter. Set aside. Maintain oven temperature.
Step 3
Mix 1 1/2 cups hot water and honey in 2-cup measuring cup. Combine drained cherries, brown sugar, lemon juice, lemon peel, cinnamon, nutmeg, sea salt, and cloves in large bowl; stir to blend well. Add pear cubes and toss to coat.
Step 4
Butter 9x9x2-inch metal baking pan. Sprinkle 1/3 of crumb mixture over bottom of prepared baking pan. Spread half of pear mixture over crumb mixture. Top with 1/3 of crumb mixture, then remaining pear mixture. Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture evenly over. Pour water-honey mixture over.
Step 5
Cover pan tightly with foil and bake 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake uncovered until crumb mixture is golden brown on top and pear filling is bubbling thickly at edges, about 45 minutes longer. Remove from oven and cool at least 20 minutes. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool completely, then cover and chill. Rewarm uncovered in 300°F oven 15 to 20 minutes.
Step 6
Serve warm with vanilla ice cream. | https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/pear-almond-and-dried-cherry-brown-betty |
About Company :
GE Healthcare Recruitment “Software Engineer” for B.E/B.Tech/M.E/M.Tech graduates,Bangalore
We holistically combine your present state-of-the-art architecture with our world class services to take your business to the next level of excellence. Our team is comprised of some of the industry’s most widely recognized and talented individuals who have acquired extensive knowledge in developing both traditional and agile methodologies.
Description :
- Work closely with product/systems team to understand product requirements and flow it down to embedded software requirements
- Understand requirements, conduct necessary analysis, simulations, develop and evaluate software as applicable
- Develop and test the software tools required for testing and integrating the X-ray Generator at engineering, manufacturing and system level
- Fix software issues observed in products install base, as part of field failure analysis
- Work on different types of projects like Advanced Technology Development (ATD), New Product Introduction (NPI), Design Transfer, Productivity and Reliability projects
- Embedded software development using C, C++ etc., adhering to SDLC
- Develop low level device drivers, board support packages, hardware diagnostic and debug software, production test software etc.
Eligibility : | http://www.fresherstask.com/ge-healthcare-hiring-freshers-as-software-engineer-on-mar-2016-bangalore/ |
Suffering in silence for someone creates problems. Getting the credit you deserve helps the relationship or keeps you from wasting your time.
Do you suffer in silence for anyone? Do you find it helps the relationship?
It happens in business, but I’ll illustrate it with a classic case where two people suffer in silence for each other is a marriage where both parties think they work and contribute more to the relationship than the other. You can substitute a relationship between manager and report or among teammates if you prefer. Say one of the spouses works long hours and earns more money and the other takes care of the house more. The first might think the other spends their money without valuing the sacrifices they make being away from home. The second might think the other doesn’t contribute their time to the relationship like they do.
You can see how each would resent the other and feel slighted themselves. Imagine the first one had to work late a lot for a project. A few nights coming home late and missed dinners might lead to a fight where both felt they contributed more and other devalued their contribution. Each suffered in silence and the other penalized them for it.
If you feel you’re suffering in silence, you’re creating problems, or at least you could solve your problems and get more credit or stop wasting your time.
I don’t mean get credit to make yourself look good. If you’re doing something you don’t like and you’re doing it for someone else, make sure they know it. Remember the most important points about mental models: we all view the world through our unique mental models so nobody sees the world the same. You can expect others will see what you consider your sacrifice differently.
What to do instead
The standard tactic is to make sure you communicate what you’re doing so others value it. I recommend starting with recognizing you may have different mental models. If you consider your working late sacrificing your time for your spouse but your spouse sees it as neglecting the relationship, saying you had to work yet longer will obviously trigger different values. You’ll value it positively while your spouse will value it negatively. Most people’s first stab at communication wouldn’t help in that situation.
The same situation could happen among teammates doing different types of work on a project, playing a sport, or in any other team context. Someone working for a manager could trigger similar situations.
I recommend first making yourself aware you might see things differently, meaning you might value things differently. This recognition alone can keep your emotions from getting intense even if you don’t agree on values.
Once you’ve made yourself aware, I recommend not trying to change the other person’s perspective, only trying to share yours. I haven’t found trying to make someone else agree effective. At the same time, do your best to understand the other person’s perspective.
If both people understand each other, the difference in perspective could lead from both condemning each other to both valuing and celebrating each other. Arguments complicate that transition. Understanding and supporting each other facilitate it. If you’re fighting I recommend feedforward. Feedforward works insanely well in such situations. If you’re not fighting, I recommend the Confirmation Cycle I describe in “How to make someone feel understood: confirm and let them correct you.”
Once you understand each other and have confirmed you both feel understood, get credit for your contribution. Tell the other person what you’re doing and what it means to you. If you work late, now that you know you both understand working late means to you that you’re making sure the rent gets paid and there’s food to put on the table, you benefit everyone by sharing you’re doing so. That way, instead of suffering in silence you’re getting the credit you deserve. The other person can do the same about their contribution. That recognition gives you both the chance to understand and give instead of judging and demanding.
Keep in mind the other person might understand you but not value your contribution. Maybe they think the relationship could make do with less income. If you’re open to their opinion, you might find the sacrifice not worth it either. Then you can keep yourself from wasting your time on something the other person doesn’t value.
Making sure you get the credit you deserve doesn’t give you extra time in the day if you’d both prefer more time together, but it does enable you to feel better about it and understand each other better.
In the end, suffering in silence for someone creates problems. Getting the credit you deserve helps the relationship or keeps you from wasting your time. | https://joshuaspodek.com/suffering-silence-someone-creates-problems-getting-credit-deserve-helps-relationship-keeps-wasting-time |
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Article type: Research Article
Authors: Beglinger, Leigh J.a; b; *; 1 | Adams, William H.c; 1; 2 | Fiedorowicz, Jess G.a | Duff, Kevind | Langbehn, Douglasa; 2 | Biglan, Kevine | Caviness, Johnf | Olson, Blaira | Paulsen, Jane S.a
Affiliations:
[a] University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA |
[b] St. Luke’s Rehabilitation Hospital, Boise, ID, USA |
[c] Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA |
[d] University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA |
[e] University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA |
[f] Mayo Clinic Scottsdale, Scottsdale, AZ, USA
Correspondence:
[*]
Correspondence to: Leigh Beglinger, St. Luke’s Rehabilitation Hospital, 600 N. Robbins Rd, Boise, ID 83702, USA. Tel.: +1 208 385 3003; [email protected]
Note: LJB and WHA contributed equally to this manuscript.
Note: Statistical analysis William Adams, MS and Douglas Langbehn, MD, PhD conducted the biostatistical analyses for the study.
Abstract:
Background: In Huntington disease (HD), cognitive changes due to disease-progression or treatment are potentially confounded by “practice effects” (PE) — performance improvement from prior exposure to test materials.
Objective: A practice run-in (“dual baseline”) was used in an HD cognitive trial to determine if PE could be minimized and evaluate performance trajectories over multiple visits.
Methods: Non-depressed adults (N = 36) with mild to moderate HD-related cognitive deficits participated in a clinical trial to examine the efficacy of citalopram to enhance cognition. Cognitive tests were administered at three visits (2 weeks separating each visit), before active treatment randomization. Some tests were also administered at screening. Therefore 3–4 pre-treatment repetitions were available. We examined test improvement using repeated-measures ANOVAs with planned pairwise comparisons.
Results: Despite the practice run-in and use of alternate test forms, results indicated ongoing improvements over at least three test sessions on all three UHDRS cognitive tests. Trails A and B showed improvements between the third and fourth session, which suggests that one pre-baseline visit may not be effective in reducing practice on this important and commonly used test.
Conclusions: Overall, 7 out of 13 variables showed some degree of short-term PE, even after multiple sessions and alternate forms. Tests assessing processing speed and memory may be particularly confounded by ongoing PE across at least 2–3 sessions. Practice run-in periods and alternate forms may help minimize the impact of such effects in HD clinical trials but awareness of which tests are most susceptible to PE is important in clinical trial design.
Keywords: Huntington disease, neuropsychological assessment, cognitive disorders/dementia, practice effects, Clinical Trial Registry: Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT00271596
DOI: 10.3233/JHD-150159
Journal: Journal of Huntington's Disease, vol. 4, no. 3, pp. 251-260, 2015
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IOS Press, Inc. | https://content.iospress.com/articles/journal-of-huntingtons-disease/jhd150159 |
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