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Can Anxiety Disorder Aggravate Sleep Apnea
Having sleep apnea and anxiety can make the CPAP treatment;more difficult;for the patients.
Developing fear wearing the CPAP mask can determine the patient to avoid using the CPAP consistently. In this situation, sleep apnea will worsen in time, causing;many complications.
For some people, even without the fear for wearing a CPAP mask, the treatment for sleep apnea can be difficult because of the risk of developing;insomnia.
Anxiety or depression can contribute to;insomnia, which you can say is a curse for a person with sleep apnea. Being very tired, but without the possibility to sleep, will make your body even weaker than before.
For more info related to insomnia in people with sleep apnea, see the question about sleep apnea and insomnia.
Furthermore, the panic attacks or;nightmares;from your sleep when you stop breathing can affect the mood of the following day, as;Michael Schredl;mentions in his researches.
The recurrent anxiety attacks can lead to;anticipatory anxiety . And, according to Reiss’ expectancy theory, this fear of anxiety can be a risk factor for;panic disorder.
In other words,;having anxiety;will affect negatively your treatment for sleep apnea, causing insomnia symptoms and other anxiety feelings in the future. Breaking this cycle is possible by having a good night sleep – sleeping without having apnea episodes.
How Are Sleep Apnea And Depression Linked
Our brains are the most functional, important organs in the human body. Vital functions dim when the health of the brain is jeopardized by a lack of sleep. While research is not yet able to directly link sleep apnea to depression, there is an unmistakable link between patients who have reported both sleep apnea problems and depression.
One of the leading causes of depression is a lack of sleep and a decline of oxygen to the brain. Sleep apnea causes both of these symptoms, and so, researchers have identified the link between mental illness and sleep disorder. Anxiety is another illness that shows substantially increased symptoms when the body is deprived of vital rest and must operate at a high function for great lengths of time without adequate recovery.
Connecting Anxiety Depression And Sleep Deprivation
This year, at the annual meeting for the Society for Neuroscienceresearchers found that in healthy adults, sleep deprivation can worsen symptomsof anxiety. These conditions can form a dangerous perpetual cycle. Researcher atthe Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston,Cliff Saper described this relationship as a two-way interaction the sleeploss makes the anxiety worse, which in turn makes it harder to sleep.
A study presented at the conference this year observedanxiety levels in 18 healthy people following a night of good rest or stayingawake. They had each of the participants take anxiety tests the next morning.Their findings showed that the people whose anxiety levels were 30 percenthigher were those who were sleep deprived.
Various studies have also showed a correlation between people with depression and anxiety;as well. The chances of getting depression is significantly higher when an anxiety disorder exists. In fact, about half of people with severe depression also have anxiety. This shows that these two mental illnesses can become more prevalent when a person isnt getting the quality of rest that they need.
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What Can Sleep Apnea Patients With Depression Do Next
There is some good news when patients who are suffering from both sleep apnea and depression seek help from sleep experts. Addressing the symptoms and complications of sleep apnea allows patients to get treatment from certified doctors. A priority is placed on restoring a sleep schedule, which allows people suffering from depression to see some relief, and often complete relief from past symptoms. While some sleep apnea patients suffer from depression that is not linked to a sleeping disorder, patients who complained of both illnesses found an improved reaction when they had begun to address their sleeping disorder with a professional sleep specialist.
Do People With Sleep Apnea Have Panic Attacks
Scientists studied the relationship between sleep apnea and anxiety. They discovered that anxiety and mood disorders, are;psychiatric disturbances;that are often found in patients with insomnia and sleep apnea.
It’s no wonder that many people with obstructive apnea have daytime anxiety or panic attacks and nightmares during the night.
Some CPAP users even have anxiety using their CPAP mask during sleep, pulling their mask off.
If you have sleep apnea and anxiety, you’ll find in this article tips and exercises to treat your problem.
In this page you’ll learn:
- Types of anxiety in patients with sleep disorders,
- Anxiety symptoms – How to know if you have anxiety,
- Why sleep apnea causes anxiety,
- Sleep apnea and nocturnal panic attacks,
- Can anxiety disorder aggravate sleep apnea?
- Treatment for sleep apnea anxiety.
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Treating Sleep Apnea In Nashville
Both of the dentists at Devine Dentistry can perform an airway evaluation to detect the presence of a sleep breathing disorder such as sleep apnea. From there, we can treat your disorder by addressing the root causewhatever is blocking your airwaythrough oral appliance therapy. Drs. Brian Devine and Russell Mack can provide you with a custom-made mouthpiece, made from high-quality materials and designed for a snug, comfortable, and effective fit in your mouth. When worn, one of our oral appliances guides your lower jaw forward, helping you maintain an open airway all night long.
Anxiety and depression can ruin your life. So can sleep loss. If youre getting proper rest, you have a better chance of overcoming your anxiety disorder and reclaiming the life you want. Get screened for a sleep breathing disorder today by calling the office of Devine Dentistry today at 269-4209 if you live in the areas of Belle Meade, Green Hills, and Nashville, TN.
Sleep Debt Can Cause Unusual Anxiety Problems
Sleep debt can cause increased anxiety even in those that do not experience anxiety regularly. When you dont get enough sleep, several issues affect your body that can ultimately lead to trouble with anxiety and stress. But sleep debt can particularly affect those that already have anxiety, making it harder to cope with symptoms.
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Treatment Helps Both Conditions
If youre feeling constantly fatigued, having trouble concentrating, and experiencing mental health issues, sleep apnea may be the cause. Seeking a sleep test for diagnosis can be the first step on the path to getting effective treatment.
When sleep deprivation is the cause of mental health concerns, treatment for sleep apnea can reduce or eliminate the effects of these disorders. With a CPAP machine or convenient oral appliance, both your sleep apnea and mental health can improve.
Anxiety And Lack Of Sleep
Before fully answering the question, can lack of sleep cause anxiety, its important to understand the two-way connection between sleep and your mental/emotional state. Some people dont qualify for an anxiety disorder diagnosis, but still feel anxiousness that at least occasionally interferes with their ability to get a good nights sleep. In other cases, a diagnosable anxiety disorder produces significant symptoms of insomnia or other sleep disturbances. However, not all anxious people or people with anxiety disorders experience disruptions in their ability to get decent rest. Resources Anxiety and Depression Association of America: Sleep Disorders National Sleep Foundation: The Complex Relationship Between Sleep, Depression and Anxiety Sleep Health Foundation: Anxiety and Sleep
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What Might Explain The Link Between Sleep Apnea And Depression And Anxiety
If your sleep is interrupted repeatedly during the night, you might experience a change in brain activity and neurochemicals that can worsen your mood, according to the NSF.
When you have an OSA event, you not only receive low oxygen but also have carbon dioxide retention, and carbon dioxide buildup makes your blood acidic, says Dr. Dyken. As this blood flows to your brain, your brain centers recognize that youre not breathing and release neurotransmitters that trigger a microarousal so you take a breath.
The problem is that you can have hundreds of these microarousals every night with apnea. The neurotransmitters in your brain are depleted when you wake up, Dyken explains, and during the day you feel run-down and sleepy, and you lack energy to do the things that might protect you from developing depression and anxiety.
The Infinite Loop Between Sleep Apnea And Anxiety
Do you have anxiety because of sleep apnea and sleeplessness, or are you experiencing sleep apnea and lack of sleep because of your anxiety? This is a chicken-or-the-egg type of question.;
During a sleep apnea episode, the brain receives a sort of a panic signal, which jolts the body awake to resume breathing. The sudden wake up prevents you from receiving uninterrupted sleep and reaching all of the sleep stages, getting your body into what is known as sleep debt. Sleep debt makes it more difficult for your brain to cope with stress.
Also, when sleep is disrupted consistently, it can alter brain activity as well as the neurochemicals which affect your thinking pattern and mood. The hindered sleep prevents the healing or recovery of your body from day-to-day stresses. In other words, if your brain were a computer processor, being in sleep debt would be like having a bunch of apps running in your head, and none work as well or as fast as they should because there are too many open.
Over time, that stress will increase your heart and blood pressure rates and will lead to additional physiological health issues. The more stress you feel because of sleeplessness, the more likely you are to have a panic attack.
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Raw Honey: A Natural Antioxidant
Saving the sweetest for last!
Pure natural raw honey follows the rest of this super food list with its antioxidant profile, however it also contains antibacterial and anti fungal properties.
Raw honey contains antioxidants called phenolic compounds, and certain types contain just as many antioxidants as fruits and vegetables.
Raw honey can help the body kill-off unwanted bacteria and fungus as it naturally contains hydrogen peroxide, which is a strong antiseptic. Raw honey also contains phytonutrients, commonly found in plants, which provides both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits.
Aside from these wonderful benefits, raw honey can also aid with digestive issues, however this typically varies person to person.
The Relationship Between Sleep Apnea And Stress Panic Attacks And Chest Pains
Recent data confirms that there is an association between Obstructive Sleep Apnea and anxiety. In its more serious forms, those with anxiety disorders will have elevated blood pressure, chest pains, and even panic attacks.
This is where the connection to sleep apnea comes in. Those key symptoms of sleep apneainsomnia, fatigue, sleeplessness, and irritabilitymay also trigger elevated blood pressure, chest pains, and panic attacks.
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Is It Common In Adults
Both children and adults can experience sleep anxiety. However, with kids, they may be scared of thing such as the dark or imaginary monsters. In this case, experts say parents can help by not building up fears, introducing a night light, avoiding scary tv shows or movies, or providing a comfort object such as a blanket or stuffed toy.
How To Sleep With Anxiety
Sleep problems are extremely common for those struggling with anxiety. Ideally, youll need to focus on reducing your anxiety and stress in general so that youre less consumed by the negative thoughts and experiences, and can drift off to sleep more easily.
There are tips and strategies you can use to get more rest with anxiety. Consider the following:
Mental distractions can also be beneficial, especially for heavy sleepers. Some people find that turning on radios, podcasts, or television sets, and putting the volume as low as possible so that you can barely make out the words can be helpful. Your mind tries to listen to the distraction, causing it to stop focusing on the stressful thoughts, and ultimately youre able to fall asleep.
This solution does not work for everyone, however.
Another important thing that you can do is to create a bedtime routine. It can be difficult to go through your daily activities and then get into bed and just turn everything off. By giving yourself an hour before you want to fall asleep to go through the same motions every night you train your brain and your body to prepare for sleep. This in turn can make it easier to both fall, and stay asleep.
Unfortunately, these tips are likely not enough. You still need to stop experiencing anxiety so that sleep comes much more naturally.
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Anxiety And Sleep Apnea
Anxiety does cause many physical symptoms, and some of those symptoms do occur while you sleep. From tooth grinding to muscle tension to nighttime anxiety, there are countless examples of physical symptoms that affect you while you sleep, so it’s possible that sleep apnea is one of them.
According to most available research, it’s unlikely that anxiety causes sleep apnea. There have been some studies in the past that have linked apnea to a stress response, so it’s possible that there is some small link between anxiety and the development of sleep apnea, but it appears to be unlikely.
Sleep Apnea Deprives You
People with sleep apnea can wake up hundreds of times per night and not even realize it. When you cant breathe, your body will wake you momentarily to resume airflow. But these moments are so short that you may not be conscious enough to remember them.
Theyre not so short that they dont impact your sleep, though. People with sleep apnea are often consistently deprived of restful sleep, which is an effect that worsens physical and mental health.
How Is Depression Treated
While depression can have dramatic effects on a persons sleep and overall quality of life, it can be treated. After working with a doctor or mental health provider to understand the type and severity of depression, treatment may include:
- Counseling: Depression can be treated effectively with several types of counseling, including cognitive-behavioral therapy and interpersonal therapy . CBT for insomnia is a type of CBT that focuses on managing chronic insomnia.
- Medications: Antidepressants are an effective treatment for depression. These prescription medications usually take time before they begin to improve symptoms and patients may need to try several antidepressants before finding the right fit. A doctor or psychiatrist can discuss the appropriateness of these medications and recommend a specific type.
- Brain stimulation therapies: When medications and other approaches are not effective, some people with depression consider electroconvulsive therapy or other, more recent types of brain stimulation like repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation and vagus nerve stimulation . These treatments can be effective but are only provided under the guidance of a trained professional.
Treatment often isnt limited to just one of these approaches; in fact, combining medication and psychotherapy has shown higher rates of improvement than one approach alone.
Types Of Anxiety In People With Sleep Disorders
Many people ask themselves if there is any link between;sleep apnea and anxiety, for example:
- Is it possible for sleep apnea to cause depression and anxiety?
- I have suffered from generalized anxiety disorder for many years, and now I began to think that i have sleep apnea, because of the symptoms like:;feeling tired;during the day and can’t concentrate properly as i can’t sleep at night thinking and;worrying;about death. Is it my worry, or I have sleep apnea?
Anxiety is one of the most common;mental problem;associated with sleep disorders. It’s not unusual that if you have anxiety disorder, you will also have sleep disturbances, like insomnia.
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Other Tips To Manage Your Sleep Apnea And Related Depression And Anxiety
Your doctor and mental health professional may also recommend a combination of psychotherapy and medication to manage your depression symptoms, according to the NSF. But if you have sleep apnea, you should avoid sedating medications, such as tricyclic antidepressants, which may make apnea worse, according to the NSF.
Your mental healthcare provider may also recommend cognitive behavioral therapy, which involves targeting the thoughts that lead to depressive feelings and changing the behaviors that may make depression worse, according to the NSF.
Other lifestyle habits that can ease the symptoms of sleep apnea and depression include:
- Sticking to a regular sleep schedule and waking up around the same time each day
- Seeking out sunlight
- Avoiding too much caffeine or alcohol
- Asking friends and family for support
Its true that sleep apnea and depression can be difficult to manage. But the good news is that with the right sleep apnea treatment and, if necessary, depression or anxiety treatments both conditions should improve.
Does Anxiety Cause Sleep Apnea
OSA is a common cause of anxiety, but we cant be 100% sure that;anxiety causes sleep apnea;or not. Most researchers come to the point that stress can disturb good sleep which can eventually aggravate sleep apnea. Still, its important to note that while;anxiety and sleep apnea;often go together, one doesnt necessarily cause the other. However, even a basic correlation between anxiety and sleep apnea, you can see people who are anxious by nature suffer sleep deprivation.
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How Does Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Treat Sleep Anxiety
CBT is a form of psychotherapy, or talk therapy. It teaches you how to change your behavior by changing the way you think. Its a common treatment for people with anxiety. A special form of CBT called cognitive behavior therapy for insomnia focuses on helping people who have insomnia. This therapy can take anywhere from six to 12 weeks to produce results.
During CBT or CBTI, you may learn to:
- Avoid behaviors or environmental factors that trigger your anxiety or make sleeping difficult.
- Better understand how sleep and anxiety affect your brain and the rest of your body.
- Change negative or inaccurate thinking about bedtime or sleep.
Your therapist may teach you how to sleep with anxiety by using biofeedback. Biofeedback trains you to control your bodys functions. You learn to relax your muscles, regulate your breathing, lower your heart rate and focus your attention. Your therapist might use special sensors to measure these bodily functions, or they may give you exercises, such as deep breathing and meditation, to do at home. | <urn:uuid:ec77e0be-0807-4c52-9560-d109ca6fcdb1> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.sleepingfix.com/can-sleep-apnea-cause-anxiety-and-depression/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572127.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815024523-20220815054523-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.936216 | 3,910 | 2.703125 | 3 |
The Church's Year
The Introit of the Mass is a fervent prayer; which may be said in every necessity and adversity:
INTROIT Bow down thine ear, O Lord; to me, and hear me: save thy servant, O my God, that hopeth in thee: have mercy on me, O Lord, for I have cried to thee all the day. Give joy to the soul of thy servant: for to thee, O Lord, I have lifted up my soul. (Ps. IXXXV.) Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
COLLECT Let Thy continued pity, O Lord, cleanse and defend Thy Church: and because without Thee it cannot abide in safety, govern it ever by Thy gift. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, who with Thee liveth and reignest in the Unity of the Holy Ghost, God world without end. Amen.
EPISTLE (Gal. V. 25, 26.; vi. I-Io.) Brethren, If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let u5 not be made desirous of vain-glory, provoking one another, envying one another. Brethren, and if a man be overtaken in any fault, you, who are spiritual, instruct such a one in the spirit of meekness, considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so you shall fulfil the law of Christ. For if any man think himself to be something, whereas he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. But let every one prove his own work, and so he shall have glory in himself only, and not in another. For every one shall bear his own burden. And let him that is instructed in the word, communicate to him that instructeth him, in all good things. Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for what things a man shall sow, those also shall he reap. For he that soweth in his flesh, of the flesh also shall reap corruption: but he that soweth in the spirit, of the spirit shall reap life everlasting. And in doing good, let us not fail: for in due time we shall reap, not failing. Therefore, whilst we have time, let us work good to all men, but especially to those who are of the household of the faith. | <urn:uuid:18cef28a-dba9-4836-b4e7-5424307b9759> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | http://www.paulstramer.net/2017_09_17_archive.html?m=0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571987.60/warc/CC-MAIN-20220813202507-20220813232507-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.953618 | 521 | 2.0625 | 2 |
Insert the Checkered Flag 🏁 into Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint or Outlook. Plus other alternatives available in modern Microsoft Office like icons or stock images.
As its name suggests, the Checkered Flag emoji 🏁 shows a flag with a black-and-white checkerboard pattern. It’s often used to represent vehicle racing, challenges, or accomplishments.
How Checkered Flag 🏁 looks in different fonts.
Here’s some examples of how Checkered Flag 🏁 looks in common Office fonts. Only Segoe UI Symbol font shows a true ‘flag’ on a pole.
Other Checkered Flag choices in Office
If the different checkered flag symbols or emoji aren’t right for you, there are other possibilities within modern Office.
Insert | Icons then search for ‘checkered flag’ or just ‘flag’ to see two options.
Insert | Pictures | Stock Images also has some checkered flag options.
Checkered Flag 🏁 codes
These are the important code numbers or values you’ll need to enter the Checkered Flag or 🏁
Decimal: 127937 Hex: 1f3c1
Web: 🏁 or 🏁
(web codes aren’t used in Microsoft Office, we’ve included them for the sake of completeness.)
Word and Outlook
The Checkered Flag 🏁 emoji does NOT have an inbuilt shortcut in Word.
Use the standard Word Alt + X symbol shortcut 1f3c1 + Alt + X
Once in a document you can copy it to AutoCorrect and make your own shortcut.
Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook
Insert | Symbols | Symbol and look for the Checkered Flag emoji.
In Windows there are several shortcuts to enter the Checkered Flag 🏁 emoji into any program, but they use a numeric keypad, not the number row above the letters.
Alt + 127937
Window 11/10 Emoji Panel
The Windows 11/10 Emoji Panel has the Checked Flag emoji. Use Win + . (period/fullstop) to open the panel.
Choose the Emoji tab (the second of the top row icons). To find the flag, scroll down the list, or you can search for the name in the search box.
Windows Character Map
The Windows Character Map does not have the checkered flag emoji.
MacOS and Office for Mac inserting characters
On a Mac, to enter the Checkered Flag 🏁 emoji:
- Command + Control + Spacebar shortcut to open the Character Viewer.
- Search for “Checkered Flag “and the Viewer should find the emoji you need.
Despite the name Character Viewer, the Apple system tool will also insert characters into any program, including Office for Mac.
Thumbs Down👎emoji in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook
Thumbs Up👍emoji in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook
Rolling on the Floor laughing 🤣 emoji in Word, Outlook, Office
Face with rolling eyes 🙄 emoji in Word, Outlook, Office | <urn:uuid:0836b09a-5405-4c76-a8d6-90a8826d42bd> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://office-watch.com/2022/checkered-flag-word-excel-powerpoint-outlook/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571719.48/warc/CC-MAIN-20220812140019-20220812170019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.755894 | 680 | 2.296875 | 2 |
Don't bother asking for a selfie with former President Obama
Former President Barack Obama is well aware social media helped him get elected to the highest office in the land, but he has a warning against it.
More than 10 months after leaving the Oval Office, the ex-commander in chief began the inaugural Obama Foundation Summit on Tuesday in Chicago. It brought together entrepreneurs, artists, up-and-coming leaders and officials for a brainstorming session on the issues facing the nation.
Obama wasn't interested in staring at any of their cellphones.
"For Michelle and myself, this seems trivial but it's not -- no selfies," Obama said. "Now I say this because, one of the weird things about being president is I found people were no longer looking me in the eye and shaking my hand, because they approached me either like this or like this (mimics taking a selfie). And it seems trivial, but it's not."
Obama then elaborated that while social media is an "amazing tool," it can block real conversations and holds people back from listening to each other.
"I would not have been elected president had it not been for young people organizing in states all across the nation," Obama said. "But if it is blocking you from having a conversation or seeing somebody and recognizing them and listening to them because you are so busy trying to get a picture, then you are in some ways contributing to what separates us, rather than trying to break through."
Hundreds of leaders from 60 countries are in Chicago for the event, which features sessions and a Wednesday evening concert with Chance the Rapper and Gloria Estefan.
The foundation says the event is one of many it plans in the coming years. The foundation is raising money for the Obama Presidential Center, which is planned in Chicago. | <urn:uuid:dd9e5551-3a6f-4e77-a1d2-49d66c4da720> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.wlwt.com/article/dont-bother-asking-for-selfie-with-former-president-obama/13134357 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572127.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815024523-20220815054523-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.978913 | 367 | 1.710938 | 2 |
Cold weather is MORE depressing to people than a terrorist attack, claim scientists
- Study looked at the language of 2.4 billion Facebook posts and 1.1 billion tweets
- They counted the number of words expressing positive or negative emotion
- Cold weather made people as gloomy as 2015 mass shootings in San Bernardino
- Tweets were slightly more depressed than the anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York
A cold, drizzly day is enough to dampen anyone's mood.
Now, scientists claim the impact of cold weather may be far worse than we realise.
According to a study of 3.5 billion social media posts, sub-zero temperatures are found to be more depressing to the public than the anniversary of 9/11.
They also make people as gloomy as the 2015 mass shootings in San Bernardino, in which 14 people were killed.
Scroll down for video
According to a study of 3.5 billion social media posts, sub-zero temperatures are found to be more depressing for the public than the anniversary of 9/11
Analysis with the Linguistic Inquiry Word Count sentiment analysis tool looked at 3.5 billion social media posts and found sub-zero temperatures rival a mass shooting for levels of public sadness
However, cold temperatures aren't seen as bad as the 2014 earthquake in the San Francisco bay or the catastrophic 2015 floods in South Carolina in 2015.
This is according to analysis of 2.4 billion Facebook posts and 1.1 billion tweets by Americans between the years 2009 and 2016.
The research was conducted by Dr Patrick Baylis, of the Vancouver School of Economics in Canada, and Dr Nick Obradovich, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Dr Baylis and Dr Obradovich used software to analyse the language of billions of social media posts.
They looked for the number of words expressing either positive emotion (such as 'love' or 'nice') or negative feelings ('ugly' or 'nasty').
Each post received a score for both positivity and negativity.
Undesirable weather made people almost as gloomy as the 2015 mass shootings in San Bernardino, when 14 people were killed. Similarly, a cloudy day made people 62 per cent as upset as when South Carolina was ravaged by floods throughout 2015 (pictured)
For example, the tweet 'Last night I was able to rest my wine glass on my belly #madeit #blessed', received a mark of 6.7 for positivity and zero for negativity
The tweets were then compared to weather conditions at that time through local records of temperature, precipitation, humidity, and cloud cover.
Dr Obradovich said: 'We conducted the largest ever investigation into the relationship between meteorological conditions and the sentiment of human expressions.
'We find that how we express ourselves is shaped by the weather outside.
'Adverse weather conditions - hot and cold temperatures, precipitation, added humidity, and increased cloud cover - reduce the sentiment of human expressions across billions of social media posts drawn from millions of US residents.'
In particular, experts found that rain was associated with a more negatively expressed sentiment.
The study found positive expressions increase up to 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees F), but stops short and declines as the temperature goes over 30 degrees (86 degrees F).
Days with a humidity level of 80 per cent or higher were associated with negative expressions, as were days with a high amount of cloud cover.
The experts acknowledged their analysis was conducted on individuals who self-select into participation in social media - and results may not apply to the older generations who are less common users.
The researchers said that while the analysis tool used is 'imperfect', the study can act as a proxy for underlying human emotional states.
Dr Baylis said: 'Given the ubiquity of our exposure to varying weather conditions, understanding the influence they may have on our emotional states is of high importance.
'Understanding our emotional states is of high importance, here we provide a window into this relationship.'
The findings were published in the journal PLOS One.
WHAT IS SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER (SAD)?
Seasonal Affective Disorder is a mood disorder that links the mental well-being of a person with the seasonal weather conditions.
Sufferers of this condition experience normal mental health but can experience depressive episodes throughout winter.
SAD is sometimes known as 'winter depression' because the symptoms are more apparent and tend to be more severe during the winter.
- There are several symptoms of this disorder which can include:
- Constant low moods
- Increased irritability
- Feeling lethargic (lacking in energy) and sleepy during the day
- Craving carbohydrates and gaining weight
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- Salman Rushdie airlifted to hospital after being stabbed in the neck | <urn:uuid:71da5ffa-dad1-4993-9b48-4d5b7dede899> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5659549/Cold-weather-depressing-people-terrorist-attack-claim-scientists.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571719.48/warc/CC-MAIN-20220812140019-20220812170019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.944578 | 1,166 | 2.140625 | 2 |
12 – 15 inches
13 – 16 pounds
12 – 14 years
Tan, Fallow, Reddish brown
Active families, Active seniors or singles
Loyal & loving, Protective, Active, Intelligent
The Norwegian Lundehund, also referred to as the Lundie or Norwegian Puffin Dog, is one of the rarest and most unusual dog breeds available. With six toes on each foot, a distinct fox-like appearance, and an easy-going personality, the Norwegian Lundehund makes an exceptional companion for anybody seeking a very special breed.
If you’re considering bringing a Norwegian Lundehund into your home, here is everything you need to know about this unique little dog.
Norwegian Lundehund Puppy – Before You Buy…
With only 350 Norwegian Lundehunds in the United States and a mere 1,400 worldwide, the Norwegian Lundehund is an extremely rare breed. This is why it is especially important to ensure that you are buying a Norwegian Lundehund puppy from a reputable, high-quality breeder.
Due to the scarcity of the breed, many bad breeders may try to make a quick buck by selling Norwegian Lundehund puppies at very affordable costs. Despite the appealingly low price tag, you may be paying more down the road. This is because puppies from low-quality breeders, including puppy mills and backyard breeders, may be afflicted with a myriad of health and behavioral problems.
A puppy mill is a large-scale, commercial dog breeding operation that gives little to no concern about the welfare of its puppies or adult breeding dogs. Much like a puppy mill, backyard breeders aren’t concerned with the health or happiness of the dogs they’re producing.
Because of the poor living conditions of these facilities, many dogs from puppy mills will develop extreme phobias and fears, compulsive behaviors such as pacing or hoarding their food, and altered mental functioning, including difficulty leash and house training.
Moreover, dogs from puppy mills can have many health problems, including mites and mange, blindness and deafness, and respiratory issues.
If you purchase a Norwegian Lundehund from a puppy mill, you could end up paying thousands of dollars in training and vet bills. Your new puppy may also be traumatized for life, no matter how much love and affection you give him.
This is why it is so imperative to purchase your Norwegian Lundehund puppy from a trustworthy source.
There are several different ways you can go about finding a good breeder. You can either ask close friends or relatives for their recommendations or talk to owners at a local dog show. Additionally, you can ask a trusted pet care professional, such as a vet, trainer, or groomer, for referrals.
Norwegian Lundehund Cost
Because of the rarity of this breed, Norwegian Lundehund pups will cost more than other dog breeds. If you buy this dog from a trustworthy breeder, plan on spending upwards of $2,000 for a puppy.
Keep in mind, however, that you will also need to buy all of the essentials for your new pooch. This includes a crate, bedding, puppy food, toys, and more. In fact, you can end up spending as much as $2,000 during the first year of dog ownership.
Is your budget ready to accommodate a puppy?
3 Little-Known Facts About the Norwegian Lundehund
1. They have six toes.
The Norwegian Lundehund has six toes on each foot. Four of the toes point forward and two turn inward, much like your thumb. Those two extra toes do serve a purpose. They help to provide more grip when the Norwegian Lundehund is venturing over the slippery and snowy terrain of his Norwegian homeland.
2. They can close their ears.
That’s right! The Norwegian Lundehund can close his ears to protect his inner ear canal. This helps him to keep dirt and debris out of his ears when he digs into a deep burrow of snow.
3. He’d excel at gymnastics.
The Norwegian Lundehund is a super flexible breed and can bend his body in ways a lot of other breeds cannot. For example, he can actually touch the back of his head to his spine.
Norwegian Lundehund Temperament & Intelligence
Before you bring a Norwegian Lundehund puppy home with you, it’s important to educate yourself about his temperament and intelligence to see if he would be a good fit for your kids or other household pets.
You’re actually in for a treat with the Norwegian Lundehund! This is a very happy, easy-going, and playful breed that gets along with just about everyone. However, Norwegian Lundehunds can be protective over their human pack, so it is important to begin socializing your pet from day one. This breed can also be quite shy towards strangers and other dogs they don’t know. To ensure your Norwegian Lundehund is outgoing and sociable, it’s important to expose him to as many different people and pets as possible starting from an early age.
Not only are Norwegian Lundehunds friendly, but they’re super smart too. Your dog will easily pick up on basic tricks and responds well to praise. He can be prone to stubbornness, so using positive reinforcement training techniques would work best with this breed.
Are Norwegian Lundehunds Good for Families?
Yes! The Norwegian Lundehund makes a superb family pet, even for families with young children. It is essential to educate both your kids and your new pup about how to behave around one another. Teach your children that it is never okay to take away a dog’s food while he is eating. They should also understand how to move correctly around the new puppy. For instance, they should never use quick or sudden movements around the dog. Also, always keep a close eye on your children and the puppy when they are playing together to make sure everyone is safe.
Do Norwegian Lundehunds Get Along with Other Pets?
Your Norwegian Lundehund is quite the little social butterfly and loves being around people and other pets. As we mentioned before, this breed can be somewhat shy and timid around new faces, so it’s a smart idea to socialize your Norwegian Lundehund with other dogs from the get-go.
Things to Know When Owning a Norwegian Lundehund
Owning a dog is a huge commitment of time, energy, and love. Before you bring a new Norwegian Lundehund puppy home, it’s wise to know everything he’ll need to thrive.
Food & Diet Requirements
Your Norwegian Lundehund will do well on a high-quality, grain-free kibble. The diet should accommodate your dog’s age, activity level, and weight. Some Norwegian Lundehunds can be prone to obesity, so never over-indulge him with tasty treats and table scraps. You should supply your pet with clean, fresh water at all times.
The Norwegian Lundehund has a high activity level and needs plenty of time to move around and play. You should provide about 60 minutes of physical activity for your pet every day. This can be divided into three 20-minute walks around the neighborhood, a game of fetch in the backyard, or playtime in your living room.
Since Norwegian Lundehunds are highly intelligent, yours will need a lot of mental stimulation to keep boredom at bay. Keep your dog’s mind occupied by enrolling him in a weekly agility course, teaching him difficult tricks, or giving him toys that keep him on his toes, such as a doggy puzzle.
The Norwegian Lundehund is a very smart breed and is quick to learn. They are eager to please and learn best when they are praised. This is why positive reinforcement training methods work so well with this breed.
Since your Norwegian Lundehund can sometimes be stubborn, consistent training is critical. Keep his attention with short, exciting training sessions where he is constantly engaged.
Because the Norwegian Lundehund can be shy, it’s very important to socialize yours from an early age. Expose him to a variety of new sights and sounds every day. Take him to the dog park to meet unfamiliar dogs and people to guarantee a tolerance towards strangers later in life.
While Norwegian Lundehunds are fairly low-maintenance when it comes to their grooming needs, they do shed a lot. Minimize the mess by brushing your dog with a firm bristle brush every day to remove dead or loose hair. Trim his nails monthly and brush his teeth daily.
Health and Conditions
While the Norwegian Lundehund is a relatively healthy breed, they can develop some health issues later in life. One of the most common health problems the Norwegian Lundehund can suffer from is a digestive order known as Lundehund syndrome. This disorder may be the result of a grain allergy. Dogs afflicted with this medical issue cannot absorb certain types of nutrients.
To keep your Norwegian Lundehund healthy, routine vet care, a grain-free diet, and daily exercise are all essential.
Male vs. Female
Male Norwegian Lundehunds can be a bit bigger than females. However, both genders generally have the same disposition.
Final Thoughts: Norwegian Lundehund
If you’re on the prowl for a unique breed brimming with personality, the Norwegian Lundehund may be perfect for you. Smart, active, and friendly, the Norwegian Lundehund is great with both kids and other pets.
It’s important to buy your Norwegian Lundehund from a reputable dog breeder to guarantee you’re getting a healthy, happy puppy. Never buy a dog from a puppy mill or backyard breeder, no matter how attractive the low price tag might be.
Be sure to socialize your Norwegian Lundehund with strangers and new dogs from an early age and to feed him high-quality, grain-free food.
Your Norwegian Lundehund will provide your family with love and protection for many years to come.
Featured Image Credit: Irine and Andrew, Shutterstock | <urn:uuid:7c81f723-181e-4410-8086-61c5ac06c215> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.hepper.com/norwegian-lundehund/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571097.39/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810010059-20220810040059-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.945159 | 2,145 | 1.703125 | 2 |
June is Juice Celebration Month and I’m back once again, in collaboration with the Canadian Beverage Association, to discuss some of the benefits of 100% fruit juice.
In my first article, entitled The Three Biggest Myths About 100% Fruit Juice, I looked towards population data to correct a number of common misunderstandings about 100% fruit juice and the health of those who consume it.
What I didn’t do in that piece, which I will do today, is define exactly what is meant by the term 100% fruit juice and to explore specifically the various vitamins, minerals and nutrients that products in this category have to offer.
Let’s get right to it.
So What Is 100% Fruit Juice?
The term 100% fruit juice refers to products that are directly squeezed from fruit or made from juice concentrate (100% juice from which the water has been extracted) that is reconstituted with water.
From the data I’ve seen both locally and globally it does indeed appear that orange juice is the most popular of 100% juice products and is among the most heavily researched in the scientific community.
It also is the product that you may be most likely to see on your local grocery store shelves being fortified with important nutrients such as Vitamin D and calcium.
In fact, A 2010 study out of the American Journal Of Clinical Nutrition demonstrated that Vitamin D fortified orange juice may be as effective as Vitamin D supplementation when it comes to maintaining optimal levels – a very important consideration in Canada where Vitamin D is certainly a nutrient of public health concern.
But what else does orange juice, as a representative of the 100% fruit juice family, bring to the table?
Let’s find out.
The Nutritional Value Of Orange Juice
One of the misconceptions that affects perceptions around 100% fruit juice is that it lacks functional utility for the betterment of our health.
I attempted to refute that notion in my first Juice Month article, but will explore it further here.
A 2008 study out of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry looked at the effects of once daily cup of 100% orange juice and found that, over a 3 week period, the circulating levels of multiple antioxidants and vitamins ( vitamin C, folate, flavonoids, caretonoids) all increased.
In fact, data out of the USA suggests that citrus fruit juice is the primary contributor to dietary flavonoids (a family of antioxidant compounds) and that 100% orange juice drinkers tended to have higher dietary flavonoid intake.
More recently, Advances In Nutrition published a systematic review & meta-analysis demonstrating that 100% orange juice consumption had the potential to reduce certain bodily inflammatory markers such as hs-CRP and IL-6.
Given how quickly some people are to erroneously identify fruit juice as “inflammatory” and the role that bodily inflammation plays in health and disease, these findings are certainly both positive and intriguing.
But it doesn’t end there.
Orange Juice & Blood Pressure
High blood pressure, in addition to being a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and stroke, is one of the most common reasons why people in Canada are prescribed medication.
Orange juice, although often thought of exclusively for its Vitamin C content, brings many other unique nutritional compounds to the table ( some of which I discussed in the previous section!).
These compounds, including a very good amount of potassium, may have a unique role to play in blood pressure management.
In fact, oranges are one of the few foods that contain the bioactive flavonoid compound known as hesperidin which has been demonstrated to contribute to orange juice’s blood pressure lowering potential.
Findings like these are the tip of the iceberg in terms of our scientific understanding of the very specific health benefits of various fruits and their juices – keeping in mind that orange juice is just one of many.
In today’s article I’ve used one of the most popular and well researched varieties of 100% fruit juice, orange juice, to demonstrate the unique and quantifiable benefits that these products can offer to the average Canadian.
In light of misunderstandings and stigma around 100% fruit juice consumption, it is important for health professionals like myself to contribute to a better understanding of the actual value these products have and to remove any fear or guilt around their use.
I hope you enjoyed reading today’s piece as much as I enjoyed researching and writing it.
Until next time,
Andy De Santis RD MPH | <urn:uuid:ed5d45c4-3f13-4280-b827-68d835d0c39f> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://canadianjuicecouncil.ca/the-health-benefits-of-100-fruit-juice-orange-andy-the-rd/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572286.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20220816090541-20220816120541-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.952436 | 928 | 2.5625 | 3 |
Submit your answers in the same Word document with your answers saved. Name the file as follows: “Surname_Nameâ€.
You must include references in APA format, three years or less.
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Read and answer only the document attached in word
ENG 1102 – Test: Reading comprehension of “Distillationâ€.
Name:____Jesus Villafuerte____________________________ Date:_________________
Assignment Instructions for “Distillation†(pages 132 to 140).
1) Read the following:
a. “Before You Read†on page 132
b. “Distillation†by Hugo Martinez Serros (pages 133 to 140).
2) As you read “Distillation†answer the questions listed below.
3) Answer “Making Meanings†1 to 8 on page 143.
4) Answer “Reading Check†“a†to “e†on page 143
5) Complete page 145 “Grammar Linkâ€
a. Read “Verbs make it Vivid†(pg. 145)
b. Complete “Try It out†(pg. 145)
c. Complete “Which Word?†(pg. 145)
Terms to know before you read:
Metaphor: is a comparison of two things essentially different but with some commonalities; does not use “like†or “as,†e.g. “Her smile was ice.â€
Allusion: a reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art to enrich the reading experience by adding meaning.
Dynamic characters are those who undergo change as a result of the story’s action.
Static characters do not change they remain the same throughout the story.
1) There is a metaphor on page 134 (hint: near the top of the second column “…crossing that would reach…all that it enveloped.â€) Write the metaphor below. _____________________________________________________________________________2) Making inferences: Why is there an absence of garbage in the neighborhood on page 135? _____________________________________________________________________________3) Making inferences: Why are the boys still and silent on page 136? _____________________________________________________________________________4) Dynamic Characters – on page 136: How does the word glows suggest that the narrator has grown or changed since the time of these events? “Years have changed this are in many ways, but that landscape, like a photo negative glows in memory’s light.†__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________5) Imagery – on page 138: What creature does the father resemble here? “With a powerful jerk he pulled it up his back and over his head, held out his arms like wings, and we instinctively darted under.†_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 6) Symbolism – on page 140: The wounds that the father sustains in protecting his children reinforce what type of symbolism? Can you think what allusion this could reference? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 7) Dynamic and static characters: Is the character of the narrator dynamic or static? Explain your reasoning. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________8) Use each “Words to Own†located at the bottom of each page in a sentence. ___________________________________________________________________ | <urn:uuid:cd71f4f8-6de0-42ab-8734-ee95794b2b2d> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://academicwritersweb.com/submit-your-answers/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572286.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20220816090541-20220816120541-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.797565 | 836 | 3.046875 | 3 |
“Videogame stories are where interactivity meets cinematography, decisions change destinies and players become poets. How do games tell better stories than other media, and where do they fall short?”
Featured in Issue 4:
Going Stealth: When life becomes a game of stealth. Hitman: Blood Money and Gender Passing.
Isolation: When you open your eyes, you are near the shore…
Only in Dreams: Who is dreaming in Link’s Awakening: the character, or the player?
Man of Silicon: Why does the world’s greatest hero appear in the world’s worst games?
Killing is Charmless: How L.A. Noire makes violence boring.
Nier Death Experience: A game where the ending changes every time you play.
Rand’s Rapture: What happens if we play Bioshock from the perspective of Objectivism?
Go Tell The World: The best games stories don’t describe characters; they describe worlds.
The Breaking of the Bat: The Arkham series are great Batman games, but are they great Batman stories?
Worlds Apart: Silent Hill gives insight into the different worlds our lives can occupy.
Featuring the work of Samantha Allen, Ed Smith, Oscar Strik, Julian Williams and Alan Williamson.
Whenever you purchase the magazine, you’ll receive a link to download a PDF, ePUB and MOBI (for Kindle). Please don’t forget to create an account so you can access your purchases in the future. | <urn:uuid:eaa55d5d-5579-43fa-9dd5-900fa5fed1ae> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://fiveoutoftenmagazine.com/downloads/issue-4-storytellers/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572127.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815024523-20220815054523-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.855446 | 327 | 1.6875 | 2 |
Research Centres & Groups
Research is a core dimension of activity at the Munster Technological University. In collaboration with a wide range of organisations including Higher Education Institutions, Industry, State and Voluntary Bodies, MTU is involved in research that contributes to supporting:
- Regional and National Industry.
- The National and EU knowledge economy and Innovation Base.
- Enhanced quality of life within Irish society.
- Quality research postgraduate education.
- Quality undergraduate and taught postgraduate teaching and learning.
Each of the Research Centres and Groups listed below are specialists in their area of expertise and thrive on solving research problems which make a difference. Please explore our centres and groups for further information and contact details should you wish to get in touch.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
BIOEXPLORE research focuses on developing and applying the best platform technologies available to detect and treat both human and animal related diseases.
- Website: research-groups/BioExplore
- Email: firstname.lastname@example.org
CAPPA research focuses on the next generation of photonic devices, materials, and applications.
- Website: https://www.cappa.ie/
- Email: email@example.com
Clean Technology research focuses on promoting evidence-based sustainability.
- Website: https://ctc-cork.ie/
- Email: firstname.lastname@example.org
MTU Cork School of Music research involves investigating technical, creative, historical, and pedagogical aspects of musical practices and musical repertoires.
- Website: https://csm.cit.ie/
- Email: email@example.com
MTU Crawford College of Art & Design research takes place across the disciplines of Fine Art, Applied Art, Art Education, Art Therapy, Visual Design and Media Communications.
- Website: https://crawford.cit.ie/research/
- Email: firstname.lastname@example.org
Ed Tech and E-learning research focuses on the impactful interaction between technology and learning.
- Website: https://tel.cit.ie/about-us
- Email: email@example.com
Halpin research focuses on opportunities in the global maritime domain.
- Website: https://halpincentre.com/
- Email: firstname.lastname@example.org
Hincks research focuses on entrepreneurship in all its forms.
- Website: https://hincks.cit.ie/about-us
- Email: email@example.com
MeSSO research focuses on mechanical and energy systems and applications.
- Website: https://messo.cit.ie
- Email: firstname.lastname@example.org
Nimbus research focuses on Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS)and Internet of Things (IoT)applications
- Website: https://nimbus.cit.ie/
- Email: email@example.com
NutRI research focuses on Food Innovation, Food Microbiology and Public Health Nutrition.
- Website: https://biologicalsciences.cit.ie/nutri
- Email: firstname.lastname@example.org
The Process Innovation Engineering Research Group (PiERG) research focuses on providing solutions to the Pharma Engineering sector through its combined expertise in the development of predictive models and industrial pharmaceutical processing.
- Website: www.cit.ie/PiERG
- Email: email@example.com
Ríomh research focuses on the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help solve some of our most pressing Cybersecurity challenges.
- Website: https://cs.cit.ie/riomh
- Email: firstname.lastname@example.org
The Enterprise Engagement and Experiential Learning Research Group (E3LRG) focuses on viewing the workplace as a valid and valuable centre for learning.
- Email: email@example.com
The Health Exercise and Sport Research Group (HEx-Spo) research focuses on exercise and sports performance optimisation.
- Email: firstname.lastname@example.org
The Space and Astronomy Research and Policy Group (SARP) at Blackrock Castle Observatory focuses on public engagement and research through astronomy and space.
- Website: https://www.bco.ie
- Email: email@example.com
The Sustainable Infrastructure Research & Innovation Group (SIRIG) research focuses on sustainable infrastructure developments.
- Website: sirig
- Email: firstname.lastname@example.org
The V-LINC research group focuses on enhancing regional competitiveness through ecosystem mapping, analysis, and evaluation.
- Website: vlinc
- Email: email@example.com | <urn:uuid:7b74f743-e1c7-4084-b1db-96affbe8296a> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.cit.ie/research.centres-groups | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571987.60/warc/CC-MAIN-20220813202507-20220813232507-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.817264 | 1,023 | 1.695313 | 2 |
How to test and repair small engine ignition system problems?
Is there no spark in the engine of your lawn mower, snow blower or outdoor power equipment? Follow this guide to test your ignition system - including coil, switch & module - to identify any problems and troubleshoot repairs.
If you know your specific problem, jump down to the section for step-by-step instructions.
How Do Ignition Systems Work in Small Engines & Lawn Mowers?
Servicing Spark Plug Problems
How to Test the Ignition Coil in Your Small Engine
Testing & Replacing a Stop Switch
Ignition Module Failure
How To Inspect the Flywheel & Key
WARNING: Always read the engine and equipment manual(s) before starting, operating, or servicing your engine or equipment to avoid personal injury or property damage. See an authorized dealer or contact Briggs & Stratton if you are unsure of any procedure or have additional questions. Find all Engine Safety Warnings
The ignition system is the starting system for your small engine. Whether you start the engine with a pull rope or the turn of a key on an electric start motor, you're relying on the ignition system to produce a spark inside the combustion chamber.
Small Engine Ignition Parts
- Flywheel with magnets
- Coil or Armature
- Push Button starting or Pull Cords (depending on your engine type)
- Spark Plug Lead
- Spark Plugs
When you start your lawn mower or small engine, you turn the flywheel and its magnets pass the coil (or armature). This creates a spark. The ignition system coordinates the timing so that the spark will ignite the air-fuel mixture in the combustion chamber just as it reaches maximum compression in each engine cycle- thus, maximizing the engine’s power.
Once the engine is running, the flywheel keeps rotating, the magnets keep passing the coil and the spark plug keep firing based on a specific timing.
Types of Ignition Systems
- Solid-state systems: the more modern option, these systems use a tiny transistor in the coil or armature to close the electrical circuit that travels through the spark plug lead to the spark plug(s).
- Breaker point systems: used on engines made before 1980, these systems use a mechanical switch instead of a transistor to close the electrical circuit used to produce a spark.
Common Flywheel Problems
If you are experiencing ignition timing issues, this is most often due to a sheared flywheel key. You can also test the flywheel magnets for any potential issues.
For information regarding this, please visit our Inspecting the Flywheel and Key FAQ.
Common Spark Plug Problems
- The required spark plug gap and voltage can vary depending on temperature, altitude and your engine settings.
- Old, damaged or fouled spark plugs can also require service or replacement
Stay clear of any rotating, moving parts, or other hazardous areas whenever attempting to start the engine or equipment.
The coil is probably the easiest thing to check and therefore the first thing to check when embarking upon ignition system troubleshooting.
Testing the Coil or Armature
- Step 1: Clip one end of the spark tester (service part number 19368) to the ignition cable and the other grounded to the cylinder head as shown below.
- Step 2: Spin the flywheel rapidly (at least 350 RPM) and watch for spark in the tester window.
If the spark jumps the tester gap, your ignition coil is working fine. If not, it needs to be replaced.
Engine quits while running? Hook the tester up between the ignition cable and the spark plug and start the engine. When it stops, monitor the window.
Common Mistakes When Testing Coils
- Be sure to unhook the coil from the equipment wiring harness as well as the engine's wiring harness and use the spark tester. Many a technician is fooled into replacing a good coil because the coil grounding lead was shorting out against a piece of sheet metal.
- DO NOT attach the tester to the spark plug for this test. The engine may start. Without the grounding lead installed, you won't be able to turn it off.
Replacing Ignition Coils or Armatures
An ignition armature must be set at a precise distance from the flywheel. Your engine repair manual will provide the proper gap for your engine. Common armature gap ranges are .006 - .010" and .010 - .014". Armatures are often packaged with a shim to assist in setting the gap. Index cards of the proper thickness also work well.
- Unhook the spark plug wire and secure it, removing any batteries, if equipped.
- Remove the old ignition coil (armature) mounting screws.
- Then, disconnect the stop switch wire from the flywheel brake and remove the coil.
- Attach a replacement coil from the original engine manufacturer, using mounting screws.
- Then, push the coil (armature) away from the flywheel and tighten one screw.
- Turn the flywheel so the magnets are on the opposite side from the ignition coil (armature).
- Place the appropriate shim between the rim of the flywheel and the ignition armature. While holding the shim, turn the flywheel until the magnets are directly adjacent to the armature
- Loosen the tight screw so the magnets pull the ignition armature against the flywheel and shim. Then, tighten both mounting screws and rotate the flywheel until the shim slips free.
- Reconnect the stop switch.
Additional questions? Please consult a Briggs & Stratton Service Dealer for conversion kit and installation.
Safety Warning: Stay clear of any rotating, moving parts, or other hazardous areas whenever attempting to start the engine or equipment.
- Step 1: Insert the spark plug lead on one end of a spark tester and attach the tester's alligator clip to ground, such as an engine bolt (see image below).
- Step 2: Place the equipment stop switch control in the OFF or STOP position. If the engine is not connected to the equipment, ground the stop switch wire to the cylinder.
- Step 3: Attempt to start the engine using the rewind cord or key (if equipped).
There should be no spark. If a spark appears, inspect the stop switch for damage. Consult your authorized service dealer if you find a faulty switch.
- Step 4: Place the stop switch control in RUN or START position.
If the engine is not connected to the equipment, make sure the stop switch wire is not grounded.
- Step 5: Attempt to start the engine.
A spark should be visible in the tester. If no spark appears, check for broken wires, shorts, grounds or a defective stop switch.
Once you have confirmed that the stop switch is working, reconnect the spark plug lead.
If your ignition start or push button start needs replacing, consult a Briggs & Stratton dealer near you.
Because the ignition module is electronic and does not utilize moving components, it is normally one of the most reliable part of the engine. When it does fail, it is usually due to heat caused from improper wiring of the ground wire to battery voltage.
If the engine does not produce spark, other areas of the ignition system should be checked before focusing on the ignition module as source of failure (see above).
If no fault is discovered in the above mentioned areas, the ignition module itself may need to be examined. To best determine the cause of failure, please consult an Authorized Dealer. | <urn:uuid:5e0027fd-74c7-4987-8720-dec8bb8b3dc8> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.briggsandstratton.com/eu/en_gb/support/faqs/browse/ignition-system-theory-and-testing.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572127.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815024523-20220815054523-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.876165 | 1,558 | 2.46875 | 2 |
Andrea Baxter, owner and trainer at Twin Rivers Ranch in Paso Robles, California and member of the USEA Young Event Horse Committee, has been an avid participant in the USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) and Future Event Horse (FEH) classes from their inception. “I've been a longtime supporter of the program, not only as a committee member, but as a rider,” she said. “I've shown multiple horses each year in both the FEH/YEH programs that I have bred, bought for myself and for resale, and client’s horses.”
In 2017, the USEA FEH Program introduced a new 4-year-old division. This division was designed to give young horses who are not quite ready to compete in the USEA YEH 4-year-old division an opportunity to participate in the USEA Young Horse Programs.
Baxter admitted that she wasn’t sure about the idea of the FEH 4-year-old division when it was first proposed, but she began to better understand the value behind it last year when she had a horse in her program who wasn’t the right fit for the YEH 4-year-old division. “There are definitely two different paths for 4-year-olds to go down, neither of which is wrong or right, it just depends on timing,” she observed. “The 5-year-old path is much more straightforward in its purpose, but a 4-year-old can chime into the program at any point and learn to go with the flow.”
In the FEH 4-year-old division, horses demonstrate their gaits under saddle at the walk, trot, and canter before being stripped of their tack to have their conformation evaluated. Additionally, 4-year-olds also exhibit their skill over fences at the FEH Championships during the free jump portion of competition. The jump chute for the free jump competition contains a ground pole followed by three obstacles that may be set as high as 2'9", 3'3", and 3'7" in front, 3'9" in back, respectively. Horses are allowed to go through the chute up to five times, beginning with all poles on the ground and increasing gradually in height, allowing the horse do display their scope, technique, and willingness over fences. Click here to check out the complete rules for the FEH classes.
In comparison, the YEH 4-year-old class has a structure more similar to a traditional horse trials. The competition has two portions: the dressage test and the jumping test. During the dressage test, YEH 4-year-old horses perform a specially formulated test designed to allow the horse to demonstrate their training and gaits. The jumping test is derby style, containing exactly five show jumps and 10 cross-country jumps where each jumping effort is judged on a scale of 0-3. Click here to view the jumping specifications for the YEH classes. Horses complete the jumping test by showing off their gallop for the judges. At the YEH Championships, horses are stripped of their tack following the dressage test to be evaluated on their conformation.
This year, Baxter competed young horses in both the YEH and FEH 4-year-old divisions. “Melkenna [the horse I competed in the YEH 4-year-old Championships] was very slow to start as she needed mental time off and rebreaking from the track," Baxter said. "Once all that happened, she progressed flawlessly and the YEH 4-year-old Championships were an easy goal for her. That being said, she is 4 years old and ready to go Training level, but honestly there is no need to rush her. A horse with that much quality and ability should easily step up to the 5-year-old ask next year. I would say she's almost too ahead of the game, so I will try to keep myself from doing much with her next year. Ideally she will aim for a Training Three-Day by the end of next year and the YEH 5-year-old Championships.”
The FEH 4-year-old division first demonstrated its value to Baxter when she took on two 4-year-olds that came to her in the late spring that were just learning the basics of steering and contact. “Being able to aim them at a class that was low key and a great first experience was awesome,” she said.
The FEH 4-year-old division continued to be valuable this year for Baxter’s homebred stallion, Coronado. “Being a young stallion adds a whole other chapter to my responsibility to him, my staff, and myself. In order to keep him managed the best, it was not in his interest to have others handling him as a barely started 4-year-old while I was on the road competing [my upper level horse] Indy 500 at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event and the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials. Once I got home from England, I was able to put a couple good weeks on him and the FEH class seemed like a perfect fit for him.”
“It's a mere test to see how they handle the atmosphere of a show,” Baxter elaborated. “All they need to do is walk, trot, and canter in a ring, show off their gaits, and remain calm. It's important to remember that a talented young horse with a good mind learns very quickly and the size of the jumps is the easy part. They need to develop their basic training tools and body strength first and foremost. Once you have those things on track, the rest comes much quicker than we realize.”
“Having done both FEH and YEH this year with two totally different horses, I expect to have both of them at the YEH 5-year-old Championships next year. I don't consider Coronado to be behind the curve having only done the FEH 4-year-old Championships. If anything, Melkenna may be ahead of the curve, as the 5-year-old Championship is going to seem ages away for her.”
“These young horses need to develop their bodies and their minds,” Baxter concluded. “Both paths are great experience and exposure, regardless of which one your horse is ready for. The most important thing to remember is to keep them happy in their job. If they are bored with flatwork, adding in jumping to keep them interested is a great thing. If they are started late or need extra time to develop, the flat class aspect of the FEH is a great opportunity to expose them in a positive way to horse show life.”
About the USEA Future Event Horse Program
The USEA introduced the Future Event Horse (FEH) Program in 2007 as a pilot program in response to the popularity of the already established USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) Program. Where the YEH program assesses 4- and 5-year-old prospective event horses based on their performance, the FEH program evaluates yearlings, 2-year-olds, and 3-year-olds for their potential for the sport based on conformation and type. Horses are presented in hand and divisions are separated by year and gender. At the Championships, 3-year-olds are also required to demonstrate their potential over fences in an additional free-jump division.
New in 2017 was the FEH 4-year-old division, designed for youngsters not quite ready for the rigors of the Young Event Horse program. These horses are presented under saddle at the walk, trot, and canter before being stripped of their tack and evaluated for their conformation. Additionally, 4-year-olds also participate in the free-jump divisions at Championships to show their potential over fences. Click here to learn more about the Future Event Horse Program.
About the USEA Young Event Horse Program
The Young Event Horse (YEH) Program was first established in 2004 as an eventing talent search. Much like similar programs in Europe, the YEH program was designed to identify young horses that possess the talent and disposition to, with proper training, excel at the uppermost levels of the sport. The ultimate goal of the program is to distinguish horses with the potential to compete at the three- and four-star levels, but many fine horses that excel at the lower levels are also showcased by the program.
The YEH program provides an opportunity for breeders and owners to exhibit the potential of their young horses while encouraging the breeding and development of top event horses for the future. The program rewards horses who are educated and prepared in a correct and progressive manner. At qualifying events, youngsters complete a dressage test and a jumping/galloping/general impression phase. At Championships, young horses are also evaluated on their conformation in addition to the dressage test and jumping/galloping/general impression phase. Click here to view the jumping standards and specifications.
Finding a penny on heads is pretty lucky, but finding a Penny that has a mane, tail, and talent to boot? Now that’s grounds for an eventing prospect. Mix a little luck and a lot of experience with the right opportunity and that’s the exact recipe that Area VII eventer Jacqueline Cameron found herself smack dab in the middle of in April 2021.
With less than 20 days remaining until the United States Eventing Association American Eventing Championships (AEC) presented by Nutrena Feeds at Rebecca Farm, to date over five hundred entries have been received. Entries for the event close on August 16, 2022. Those entrants in the AEC championship divisions this year are qualifying under the requirements that have been in place for the last several years. However, for those intending to compete at the 2023 AEC in Kentucky, the USEA Board of Governors have approved a strengthening to the qualification requirements.
The USEA Board of Governors (BOG) concluded a productive two days of the August BOG meeting on Wednesday, August 9th in Dulles, Virginia led by USEA President Max Corcoran. All but four BOG members were able to attend in person this year. Many key items related to eventing in the U.S. were discussed at great length including safety, membership strategies, competition procedures, visibility of the sport, and more over the course of the two-day gathering.
Are you following along with the action from home this weekend? Or maybe you're competing at an event and need information fast. Either way, we’ve got you covered! Check out the USEA’s Weekend Quick Links for links to information including the prize list, ride times, live scores, and more for all the events running this weekend. | <urn:uuid:e9842e4e-8810-492a-b8ac-ba3967788052> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://useventing.com/news-media/news/compare-and-contrast-the-future-event-horse-vs-young-event-horse-4-year-old-divisions | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572127.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815024523-20220815054523-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.977059 | 2,240 | 1.554688 | 2 |
Rate of Covid-19 on the increase in Edenderry Area
The rate of Covid-19 is on the increase in Edenderry Area in Offaly again this week.
The figures are contained in the updated 14-day incidence rate for Covid-19 by Local Electoral Area for the two-week period from March 9 to March 22.
The rate has also increased in the Edenderry Area and now stands at 377.8 cases per 100,000. This time last week the rate stood at 300.1 and two weeks ago it was at just 161.3. There have been 88 new cases in the Edenderry Area in the last two weeks.
The rate for Offaly stands at 451.5 cases per 100,000 with the rate for Tullamore at 754.5 cases per 100,000 and the rate for Birr at 204.1 cases per 100,000.
The rate for Ireland stands at 158.1 cases per 100,000 as of Friday.
Subscribe or register today to discover more from DonegalLive.ie | <urn:uuid:29cb2303-7392-479e-a730-ecc92e0f85a4> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.offalyexpress.ie/news/home/620521/rate-of-covid-19-on-the-increase-in-edenderry-area.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572127.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815024523-20220815054523-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.944566 | 222 | 1.554688 | 2 |
Voters in Cuyahoga County, which includes Cleveland and its suburbs, approved Issue 18, which increases the tax on cigarettes by 30 cents per pack in order to fund arts programs, including the performing arts in the county. The measure is expected to raise $20 million a year, all of which will be used to support the arts.
Two years ago, Cuyahoga County voters rejected a proposed property tax increase that would have provided funding for the arts. According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, a decision was made to tax smokers because other types of taxes were deemed to be politically risky: "Issue 18 was the county cultural industry's second attempt in recent years to win voter support for public funding. In March 2004, voters defeated a proposed property-tax increase to benefit economic development including arts and culture. Arts and elected leaders decided to pursue public support this year through a cigarette-tax increase after other types of taxes, including property, real-estate conveyances, food-and-beverage and general sales, were rejected as inadequate or too politically risky."
In explaining their decision to propose a tax on cigarettes, Issue 18 supporters wrote: "Northeast Ohioans have clearly shown that they do not want new additions to their property taxes."
The advertisements for Issue 18 boasted: "If you don't smoke, you won't pay anything for Issue 18."
The Rest of the Story
This is very bad public policy. I think it is a great example of a truly regressive tax.
The costs of the policy are borne entirely by smokers, who represent a disproportionately lower-income and lower-education group. The benefits of the policy, however, accrue primarily to upper-income and higher-education groups.
This is a classic example of tax the poor to benefit the rich. And I think it's inappropriate.
If higher income people want more arts in their communities, then that's great. But the costs of those programs should be borne by those higher income folks. Raising property taxes to support such programs makes perfect sense. The wealthiest citizens will bear a proportionately higher share of the costs and will accrue a corresponding proportionately higher share of the benefits. That's fair.
But asking the poor to pay for programs so that people who are more well-off can enjoy the arts is unfair.
What's interesting is that supporters of Issue 18 readily admit that they are funding the arts on the backs of smokers. And they readily admit that the reason they are picking on smokers is because they don't have the courage to take on any political risk.
What it amounts to is: I'm not willing to risk losing any votes from the wealthy, so I'm going to help my political career by putting a higher tax burden on those who can least afford it, but who have the least political power.
According to the Plain Dealer article, the only groups which opposed Issue 18 were Philip Morris and Citizens Against New Taxes. Well you can add my name to that list. I'll stand alongside Philip Morris on this one. And I think it's unfortunate that apparently no anti-smoking or public health groups in Ohio opposed this initiative.
If you are going to tax cigarettes in order to raise revenues that will be used for programs whose benefits will accrue largely to smokers, then that's one thing. But to use smokers to raise funds for programs that the government should be funding anyway is wrong. To do so in order to avoid having to take on political risk by taxing wealthy people is disgusting.
A 30 cent per pack tax increase is not going to be enough to get smokers to quit. Perhaps some will cut down slightly. But the overall health benefits of the proposal will be minimal. The costs, however, could be quite high. There are many smokers, especially those who are poor, who pay a significant proportion of their income for cigarettes, sometimes at the expense of healthier food. Because of the addictive power of cigarettes, most of these smokers will not quit, despite the tax increase. They will just pay a higher proportion of their income for the cigarettes. They will be hurt by the tax increase.
But supporters of Issue 18 are OK with hurting the poorest and most addicted smokers. Because the richest citizens of the greater Cleveland area will benefit by being able to enjoy their operas, ballets, and concerts.
How many inner-city Cleveland residents or poorer residents of other cities and towns do you think will be able to take advantage of the increased support for the arts? Well take a look at next Friday's Cleveland Symphony concert, which features Mitsuko Uchida performing Mozart's piano concertos (K. 450 and K. 537), as well as a performance of Schoenberg's Chamber Symphony Number 1 (to be honest, I could live without the Schoenberg piece).
If you want to sit in the orchestra or lower balcony seats, you're talking $61 a pop. Mid-balcony seats are $50 each. Upper balcony (nose-bleed) seats are a bargain at $34 per head. There's sure going to be a lot of socioeconomic diversity at that concert.
And suppose you are not too well off economically and you want to send your kid to the Karamu Performing Arts Theater for their youth performing arts program this year. For your kid to get to go to one class every two months, you pay $225. For a mere one class per month, you pay $360. Youth dance ensemble and youth performance theater classes are $300 a head.
In my view, anti-smoking groups should have been on the front lines opposing this regressive tax proposal. Taxing the poor to benefit the rich is not consistent with the social justice paradigm that is supposed to be the basis for all public health action. | <urn:uuid:a9337ec6-4b60-47e4-9df2-8cdf20609086> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://tobaccoanalysis.blogspot.com/2006/11/cuyahoga-county-approves-cigarette-tax.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571987.60/warc/CC-MAIN-20220813202507-20220813232507-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.975027 | 1,179 | 2.015625 | 2 |
Amendment of O. Reg. 230/08 (Species at Risk in Ontario List) in response to COSSARO report received December 18, 2010
Ontario Regulation 230/08
Ontario Regulation 72/10
Bill or Act:
Endangered Species Act
Summary of Decision:
Amendments will be made to Ontario Regulation 230/08 (Species at Risk in Ontario List)
October 1, 2010
Summary of Proposal:
The Endangered Species Act, 2007 (ESA) provided for the establishment of the Committee on the Status of Species at Risk in Ontario (COSSARO). COSSARO sits as an independent committee that is responsible for classifying species at risk based on established criteria. In accordance with the ESA, COSSARO may at any time submit a report to the Minister of Natural Resources regarding species that have been assessed and classified.
Where a report submitted to the Minister identifies the need to amend the SARO List, the ESA requires that the regulation (Ontario Regulation 230/08) be amended within three months.
On December 18, 2009 the Minister of Natural Resources received a report from COSSARO. The Ministry of Natural Resources will proceed with the corresponding amendments to Ontario Regulation 230/08 by March 18, 2010. These amendments will result in the addition of three new Endangered species to the SARO List, and the uplisting of one species on the SARO List from Threatened to Endangered. COSSARO also reviewed the status of four species whose classification on the SARO List will not change. One newly assessed species was separated into two populations which were classified as not at risk.
In accordance with the provisions of the ESA the species and habitat of species newly listed as or changed to Endangered or Threatened is automatically protected once the amended regulation is filed. In addition, the ESA requires the preparation of recovery strategies within one or two years depending on whether the species is listed as Endangered or Threatened. Habitat regulations must be prepared within two and three years respectively for Endangered or Threatened species.
Species at Risk Biologist
Ministry of Natural Resources
300 Water Street
Robinson Place South Tower
March 18, 2010 | <urn:uuid:a3f68ac2-c7ad-4f1b-bbbd-0e01a957963c> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.ontariocanada.com/registry/view.do?postingId=4363 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571987.60/warc/CC-MAIN-20220813202507-20220813232507-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.916638 | 524 | 2.328125 | 2 |
How many times do we make a goal and then forget about it?
Or maybe we don’t forget about our goal, but the craziness of life takes over and crowds out the important habits we were developing to aid us in achieving our goal.
A couple of years ago my kids had a “penny wars” fundraiser at school. The kids were encouraged to bring in pennies and spare change (and you better believe they accepted paper money and checks too).
Students could add the money they brought to their class’s jar or they could use it to “bomb” other classes (bombs are deducted from the other class’s total).
It sounds like a small fundraiser, but it raised thousands of dollars for the small school!
The motivation and enthusiasm of the kids was incredible.
Do you know what all the hype was about?
The winning class got an ice cream party. And got the penny wars trophy for a year.
My kids were begging for extra chores to earn money to bring to school for penny wars. Begging to do chores! Now that’s serious motivation!
Besides earning money for penny wars, my kids each had their own individual savings goal. My (then) 6-year-old son, for example, had his heart set on buying a remote control helicopter. He was excited about saving up for it, but I remember noting that that goal didn’t have him begging for extra chores like penny wars did.
The funny thing was, if you asked him if he’d rather have an ice cream party or a helicopter, he’d choose the helicopter, hands down.
Then why was he begging for chores to earn money for penny wars instead of the remote control helicopter fund?
Simple. The penny wars goal was constantly in his face.
In your face!
He got excited about it every day at school for two weeks. All the discussion at school got him fired up and encouraged. His teacher and classmates reminded him daily. It was at the top of his mind.
On the other hand, he never had any reminders or encouragement to save up for a helicopter (though he did eventually save up for and buy one!).
Money can be hard to hang onto. If your financial goals aren’t in your face, it’s easy to give your money to less important priorities that are in your face.
Often it’s those small expenses that satisfy current cravings that end up getting our dollars.
What can you do to keep your financial goal in your face and constantly on your radar?
Maybe for you it’s a colorful debt reduction chart on the fridge where you color a square each time you put a certain amount of money toward knocking out your debt.
You might have pictures of that dream vacation you’re saving up for placed strategically throughout your house.
Maybe you have a sticky note on your credit card reminding about your goal every time you attempt to use it.
With positive, in-your-face reminders and encouragement, you’re much more likely to make the choices that will help you reach your goal.
In fact, sometimes in-your-face reminders that aren’t postivie can be motivating too.
When we were paying off debt, the sacrifices we were making were a constant reminder of our goal. For example, when we were living in my in-laws’ unfinished basement while we paid off our debt, we had a step-up bathroom. My super tall husband could not even stand up straight in the shower, a daily reminder to not derail our debt payoff.
I wouldn’t suggest going our of your way to fabricate negative reminders, but if they’re there, you may as well use them to your advantage. Generally, positive reinforcement is the route I prefer to take.
Whatever you choose to do, find some way to keep your goal in front of your face.
I would love to hear what you’re doing to keep focused and motivated on your financial goals!
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- 3 useful printables to organize your plan | <urn:uuid:aa55d818-beea-4aa5-9b68-a0fa63d882c2> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.sixfiguresunder.com/keep-your-financial-goals-on-your-radar/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572127.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815024523-20220815054523-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.970351 | 924 | 2.1875 | 2 |
One way to avoid digital eyestrain is to use lenses with a special coating designed to filter blue lightBlue light is all around us—in sunlight, LED and fluorescent light, and digital devices. But with remote work and learning becoming the norm in the last year, more people are complaining about eyestrain, headaches, blurry vision, dry eyes and even neck and shoulder pain. These are all warning signs of digital eyestrain.
Digital eyestrain is a group of eye and vision-related problems that is caused by prolonged use of digital devices. It happens because digital screens emit blue light and have unique characteristics and high visual demands, which makes our eyes work harder.
Good thing there is ScreenShield lens coating.
ScreenShield is a special lens coating designed to filter blue light that comes from digital devices. Blue light lenses can be clear or can have yellow tints; yellow tints are known to offer more protection and increased comfort.
Available with or without an eyeglass prescription, ScreenShield lenses can be worn by both children and adults. It also filters ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun. Prolonged exposure to UV light is linked to sight-threatening eye conditions such as cataracts, retinal damage and other eye problems.
In addition to wearing ScreenShield lenses, you could blink more frequently, use lubricating eye drops, sit an arm’s length away from your screen, and practice the 20-20-20 rule. The 20-20-20 rule means that you have to look at an object 20 feet away for 20 seconds for every 20 minutes spent looking at a digital screen.
Get your eyes checked to confirm if you have digital eyestrain. Asian Eye has clinics in Rockwell, Makati; TriNoma; SM MOA; and Commercenter Alabang. (Story/Photos by: Charizze Henson) | <urn:uuid:1c3bc797-c6bf-479e-9e82-bd2b1211fcf7> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://lopezlink.ph/component/content/article/36-lifestyle/lifelong-wellness/9237-blue-light-and-your-eyes.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572127.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815024523-20220815054523-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.933451 | 386 | 2.59375 | 3 |
Just as the triceps are often viewed as the poor cousin of the biceps, I’m afraid to say that the hamstrings tend to get the same lack-of-respect in comparison to the quads – particularly by non-competitive bodybuilders.
But, not only are the hamstrings a powerful and important muscle group in their own right – particularly for sports – but leaving them underdeveloped will take a good amount of size from your upper leg. So, when you are measuring your thighs, piling on extra weight on for your squats, and wondering why your legs are growing so slowly, you may want to look to the back of the leg.
Anyway, lecture over… now we’ll take a look at some of the most effective hamstring exercises.
Straight Leg Deadlifts
Forget about using a lot of weight for this exercise by comparison to regular dead lifts. I advise staring off very light indeed. Anyway, the approach is simple. Using two overhand grips – unlike the regular deadlift – safely lift a barbell from the floor and come into a standing position, barbell at arms length below and in front of you, with the legs almost locked out.
Now, keeping the legs stiff and arms straight (not bent!) bend forward at the waist until your torso is almost parallel with the floor. Once in this position, straighten up again keeping your legs straight, and when at the top, stand straight – shoulders back – as you would at the top of a regular dead lift.
If using Olympic weights, with the ‘high’ plates, you may need to stand on a block to perform this, to prevent the weights hitting the floor before you’ve gone parallel.
Lay flat on your stomach on a leg curl machine, with your legs straight, and heels placed under the cushioned leaver.
Ensuring you keep your upper body flat on the bench (holding onto something below the bench helps) curl the lever up as far as possible using your hamstrings, giving a little squeeze at the top. Now, lower the weight slowly.
Standing Leg Curls
This exercise is used to train both hamstrings independently of each other.
Standing with your heels flush against the padded lever cushions – feet flat on the floor – and keeping yourself as steady as possible, curl one leg up and behind you as high as you can go, giving a squeeze at the highest point, and slowly lower. For the sake of stability continuing to work one leg, you need to work one leg at a time for each set, e.g.: left leg for whole set, right leg for whole set – set one complete. | <urn:uuid:34fb8a23-d303-4c24-9c5c-1aed1edf37bc> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://buildingmuscle.org/exercises-for-the-hamstrings-deadlifts-and-curls/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572286.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20220816090541-20220816120541-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.942672 | 551 | 2.046875 | 2 |
The vehicle telemetry data capture and processing company The Floow has received £190,000 funding from The Road Safety Trust to advance approaches for assessing elderly drivers’ fitness to drive.
It says. as the driving population aged over 60 continues to grow, existing testing capabilities face challenges requiring some drivers to be approved or disqualified without seeing how they drive. Existing driving assessments are costly and judge a person’s driving in a single test in unfamiliar vehicles and locations thus only partially understanding day-to-day real-world driving risk.
The Road Safety Trust, dedicated to achieving zero deaths and serious injuries on UK roads, funded over £1million to eight organisations across the UK for technology-focussed road safety projects. Fit2Drive is one of these projects. It seeks to repurpose technology from telematics Insurance to better understand the day-to-day behaviour and fitness to drive of elderly drivers.
This project brings together leading vehicle risk monitoring expertise alongside clinicians (Sheffield Teaching Hospital), academics (University of Sheffield), elderly drivers and carers themselves (coordinated by NIHR MedTech cooperative ‘Device for dignity’) and importantly UK testing centres (Driving Mobility). This unique collaboration will undertake an innovative telematics clinical trial seeking to understand both older elderly risk behaviours and how new technology could help make fitness to drive processes more cost effective, fairer and safer for all.
“The Fit2Drive project is unique globally in bringing together driver monitoring, clinical assessment, driver assessors, and elderly drivers themselves,” commented Sam Chapman, Chief Innovation Officer at Floow. “This will help gather new knowledge of elderly drivers’ risk alongside testing for new approaches supporting improved fitness to drive assessments. This has strong potential to make not just elderly drivers and our roads safer but also enable safe elderly drivers to maintain freedom to drive for longer”.
“We really welcome the project from Floow as it has a clear link to how technology can be used to improve road safety and in turn help us work towards our vision of zero deaths and serious injuries on UK roads,” added Sally Lines, Chief Executive of Road Safety Trust.
The project will be centred on a testbed location surrounding Sheffield City Region and will start live testing of new fitness to drive assessment approaches from January 2022.
(Picture – Yay Images) | <urn:uuid:7d82a01e-78bb-48af-9a1c-b90787a7692a> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://highways-news.com/new-technologies-developed-for-assessing-elderly-drivers-road-safety/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571987.60/warc/CC-MAIN-20220813202507-20220813232507-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.93413 | 483 | 1.601563 | 2 |
This article was written by David Page, who has retired from policing and teaches an intelligence module for a Masters in a very different field, fraud investigation, at Coventry University. He is an observer of insurgency, intelligence, terrorism and strategy. David is a long-serving member of the IISS and RUSI. He is a forum moderator at Small Wars Journal.
Northern Ireland and violence, whether criminal or political, remains a public issue. Dr William Matchett served with the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) for 30 years. He mainly worked in Special Branch, the RUC’s intelligence department. Matchett then became a police adviser in Afghanistan and Iraq, among other places. He adapted his doctoral thesis to write Secret Victory: The Intelligence War That Beat the IRA. It is available via the Secret Victory website as well as through all good outlets.
As the title of his work suggests, Matchett’s book is about intelligence, the missing dimension of The Troubles in Northern Ireland (1969-1999). He argues that without considering the role of intelligence we have an incomplete picture of events and the factors involved. The book addresses the history of The Troubles and advances the theory that the ‘neglected cure’ to the Irish insurgency was intelligence.
For many politicians, and notably for the Provisional Sinn Fein, the 1998 Good Friday Agreement (which led to a peace settlement in 1999) was a successfully negotiated compromise between the paramilitaries, Ulster political parties and the British and Irish governments. Matchett argues strongly that this was not the case. Instead, by the early 1990s, the Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) had ‘run out of road’ and needed a face-saving exit. Half the IRA was in jail and most of the rest were fugitives living in the Irish Republic (p. 8).
Matchett’s argument is that a rule of law approach was an important factor in eventually bringing the insurgency in Ireland to a close. This approach saw strict enforcement of criminal law (not internment without trial and not a ‘shoot to kill’ policy for suspected terrorists). Convictions led to long periods of imprisonment for many terrorists and others. This is not to neglect the role of the British Army, who had primacy over the police for seven years (1969-1976). 30,000 soldiers served in 1972, and this figure had only dropped to 15,000 by 1998. The police service, meanwhile, grew from 3,000 to 13,000 over the same period, reflecting the strategy of criminalising terrorism (p. 146). In 1986, Special Branch had 640 officers or 5 per cent of the force (p. 206).
The best weapon in the counterterrorism armoury, however, was the intelligence war conducted by Special Branch. The beginning of the end was the PIRA attack on Loughall police station on 8 May 1987. The PIRA attack was identified long before it occurred, thanks to a Special Branch intelligence operation. The Special Air Service (SAS) ambushed the hostiles, killing eight hardened active terrorists. The PIRA remained totally unaware of the fact that Special Branch had extensive intelligence about the attack. The book’s description of the event is missing many key details, but this is inevitable given the nature of intelligence work. Thanks to the work of Special Branch, although attacks still happened, 85 per cent of mainland UK attacks were prevented (p. 219).
There is a mass of detail in the book. I would draw your attention to the fact that 60 per cent of gathered intelligence came from agents, 20 per cent from technical sources (covert cameras and listening devices to name two known options), 15 per cent from surveillance activities and 5 per cent from routine policing and open sources (pp. 22, 98). It is extremely rare in counterterrorism campaigns to see the contribution of the various methods available being broken down and publicly quantified in this way.
The extensive intelligence gathering techniques employed meant that arrests occurred 96 per cent of the time (p. 23). The specialist uniformed support unit known as E4 Headquarters Mobile Support Unit (HMSU) had an impressive record: 99.5 per cent of covert operations confronting armed terrorists resulted in arrests (p. 220). PIRA volunteers knew in a year’s time they would behind bars or dead.
The SAS, who dominated covert operations along the Irish border from 1986 to 1992, killed 21 of PIRA’s top operators during that period (p. 231). In 1997, in South Armagh – the heart of ‘bandit country’ – the SAS and E4 HMSU arrested a PIRA sniper team, who were ‘hands on’ a .50 calibre rifle. Matchett argues cogently that ‘agents [and the intelligence they provided] were the decisive factor’ in ending the insurgency. Eventually surveillance, armed response and tactical coordination were added to these human intelligence resources – a combination that forced the PIRA to capitulate (p. 112).
Much has been written on ‘suspect communities’. Today, the phrase is often applied to Muslim communities in the UK. Matchett argues that what emerged in Ireland, under the leadership and strategy of the PIRA, were ‘counter-societies’ that harnessed subversion and political militancy to accompany and support terrorism (pp. 69-71). The aim was to make Irish Nationalist areas hostile to policing and therefore ungovernable.
The criminalisation policy – convicting terrorists under the rule of law – was supported by a policy known as Ulsterisation. This policy aimed to expand locally recruited security forces, providing Northern Ireland with a local Army unit, the Ulster Defence Regiment (part-time and full-time), civilian search teams at city centre entry controls and a larger RUC (including part-time and full-time reservists).
Eventually the criminalisation policy led to the PIRA recognising the criminal justice system and having to defend their actions under public scrutiny in criminal courts – minus juries, due to the potential for jury intimidation (p. 157). Behind the scenes, seven reports were made by senior British Security Service (MI5) authors on the strategy and tactics used in the intelligence operation against the PIRA. The importance of these reports may be judged by the fact that, even today, they remain secret (p. 163).
There are chunks of the book which are controversial, such as the alleged ‘shoot to kill’ period in the early 1980s when it was strongly suspected that terrorist suspects were being shot on sight by the British Army and the RUC. The criminal investigations that followed this period were officially obstructed.
The book concludes in the late 1990s, as peace was being negotiated. In my view, the lack of information this book offers about the later years of the insurgency reflects the dominant public narrative and the official British government version of events – that the PIRA came to the negotiating table as they changed their strategy, not because they were forced to the table by the intelligence war. Of course, many of the tactics used against the PIRA remain relevant – alas – both in Northern Ireland (against those who still use terrorism) and further afield. Therefore, it is too early even today to place more information in the public domain. | <urn:uuid:334688ec-679d-4907-ac63-69be997cefc5> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://shieldblog.com/2018/06/26/book-review-secret-victory/comment-page-1/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572127.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815024523-20220815054523-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.96716 | 1,515 | 2.21875 | 2 |
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- Produce light by passing current through a thin coil of wire called a filament. As the wire heats, it becomes white hot and emits visible light. Vacuum filled.
- Use for general and task lighting around the house.
- Wattage indicates the amount of electric power used by a bulb to produce light. Generally, the greater the wattage, the greater the light output. Some bulbs produce more light per watt than others.
- Standard household bulbs have an average life of 750 to 1,000 hours, which can be lengthened or shortened by the treatment they receive. For example, a 120V bulb operating on a 125V circuit may produce more light but won’t last as long as one on a 120V circuit.
- Underwriters Laboratories (UL) tags on fixtures designate the maximum allowable wattage. A mercury or fluorescent system is typically limited to a single bulb size.
- Long-life bulbs may last longer than ordinary bulbs, because they have heavier filaments that do not burn out as quickly. However, these bulbs do not produce as much light as standard bulbs.
- Manufacturers disclose average light output (in lumens) and average bulb life (in hours) on package labeling.
- The filament vaporizes as a result of current flowing through it, and generally, the bulb “burns out.” Three-way bulbs lose two light levels when one filament burns out because two filaments are used in the bulb separately for two of the levels and together for the third.
- Bulb designations denote size and shape. The figure following the bulb shape letter designation is the bulb’s maximum diameter in eighths of an inch. Thus, A-19 would mean an A-shaped bulb with a diameter of 19 x 1/8", or 2-3/8".
- Most standard bulb envelopes are made of lime glass, but bulbs that must withstand greater heat are made of harder, heat-resistant glass. Hard-glass envelopes are used in many high-wattage bulbs and in bulbs recommended for outdoor use where there is danger of thermal shock from condensation.
- No related posts found. | <urn:uuid:3926436d-2574-4573-98dc-e5ed826dddb0> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | http://merchantservices.planitdiy.com/blog/2011/02/28/incandescent-bulbs/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572127.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815024523-20220815054523-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.926214 | 460 | 3.5625 | 4 |
A variety of pathophysiological mechanisms lead to bone loss. The decreased bone mass results in an increased risk of fractures, which are the sole clinical manifestation of osteoporosis. Thus, it is not surprising that osteoporosis should be seen as a complex, multifactorial chronic disease that may progress silently for decades until characteristic fractures result late in life. Because there are no symptoms until fractures occur, relatively few people are diagnosed in time for effective therapy to be administered. Consequently, a large number of individuals experience the pain, expense, disability and decreased quality of life caused by these age-related fractures. This important public health problem will worsen in the future as the population ages, unless suitable interventions can be devised. Preventing excessive bone loss is the only action that can be taken now to reduce fractures in the future, and the following chapters describe clinical strategies for identifying and treating those believed to be at greatest risk.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Obstetrics and Gynecology | <urn:uuid:6110e342-16e1-4db7-9008-f6db35bd273b> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://mayoclinic.pure.elsevier.com/en/publications/1-epidemiology-of-osteoporosis | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572127.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815024523-20220815054523-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.935592 | 203 | 2.671875 | 3 |
A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is a legal tool that enables you to grant another person (known as the ‘Attorney’) legal authority to manage your affairs if you are unable to do so.
Having an LPA in place is an essential precaution. It is important to understand if you were ever unable to deal with your own affairs, nobody has an automatic authority to make decisions on your behalf. It is not even possible for your spouse or your children to step into the breach if there is no LPA.
You can only set up an LPA when you have mental capacity. Once capacity is lost it is too late! In those circumstances an application for a Court of Protection Order would need to be made. This can be a long, complex and expensive process.
Don’t think if you make an LPA now you suddenly give up control immediately. You choose when your attorney can deal with your finances and under what circumstances. Making an LPA is one aspect of putting your affairs in order to protect you and your family.
At TMJ we offer a free initial appointment to discuss LPA’s and advise on what would be appropriate in your circumstances. We carry out this work on a fixed fee basis.
There are two types of LPA, Property and Financial Affairs LPA and Health and Welfare LPA. Each type covers different decisions and separate forms have to be completed for each (see icons below). | <urn:uuid:44062175-954d-4689-b50c-42ef28206671> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://tmjlegal.co.uk/services-for-people/lasting-powers-of-attorney | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572127.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815024523-20220815054523-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.955306 | 296 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Your community is where you live, work and play. It gives you comfort and stability, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make changes for the better. If you’re hoping to get more engaged in your neighbourhood, here are some tips to get started.
Support local organizations: Whether it’s buying your groceries at farmers’ markets, checking out the plays and sculptures of local artists, or shopping and dining at small businesses, use your dollars to show your neighbours that they matter.
Volunteer your time: This can be a meaningful way of getting more involved, while also giving back. Find something you’re passionate about and donate whatever time you can, whether it’s an hour every month or a day every week. Your local library, retirement home or animal shelter are all great places that need your help.
Suggest new ideas: Whether it’s building a new park as an alternative to screen time for the local kids or creating a new bus route that’s sorely missing and would help your morning commute, try generating interest in an initiative the whole neighbourhood can get behind. Use census data and Statistics Canada’s online tools to help your community leaders make informed decisions when they’re planning their budgets and allocating resources.
Organize an event: Think about where your community could use some help, and then plan an activity that could make a difference. If people are feeling a bit down after a long winter, a community picnic in the spring could help cheer everyone up. If a treasured historical building needs repairs, a fundraiser could help restore and preserve it.
Plan a clean-up: Kids and adults alike can take pride in tidying up a local park or green space in preparation for warmer weather. Make this activity fun by playing music and having local restaurants donate food and drinks for participants.
Find more information at www.statcan.gc.ca/census. | <urn:uuid:6b776b02-7fcd-4eb3-9e85-13c7b6089aad> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://raquelblackwell.com/5-tips-for-improving-your-neighbourhood/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572127.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815024523-20220815054523-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.924247 | 399 | 1.96875 | 2 |
International Martisor takes place in Romania every year at the beginning of spring, on March 1. Martisor has become a symbol of friendship, appreciation, respect, and love. Giving people the talisman called ‘Mărțișor’ or ‘Marț,’ a red and white little mascot with a hanging tassel, is an old custom. It is believed that the wearer will be strong and healthy for the year to come. Both men and women wear it pinned to their clothes, close to the heart, until the last day of March, when they tie it to a fruit-tree twig.
History of International Martisor
Some ethnologists believe that ‘Mărțișor’ has a Roman origin while others believe it has a Daco-Thracian origin instead. New Year’s Eve was celebrated on March 1 as ‘Martius’ in Ancient Rome. The month was named in honor of the god Mars, the god of war who was also an agricultural guardian and who ensured nature’s rebirth. The red and white colors used for Mărțișor may be considered to be colors of war and peace.
New Year’s Eve was also observed on March 1 by the Thracians. They named the month after the god named Marsyas Silen, the inventor of the ‘fluier,’ a traditional musical instrument similar to the pipe. Thracian spring celebrations had connections to fertility and the rebirth of nature. Daco-Romanians still celebrate the agrarian New Year in spring in some parts of the world. In these areas, the first days of March are considered days of a new beginning.
Ancient Roman tradition stated that March was the perfect time to embark on military campaigns. Within this context, the red string of Mărțișor symbolizes vitality. The white string symbolizes victory. Red is considered to be the color of fire, blood, and a symbol of life, which is also associated with the passion of women. Red and white are also complementary colors present in traditional Daco-Romanian folklore.
International Martisor timeline
Martisor’s first celebrations start about 8,000 years ago.
Romania gains independence and becomes a sovereign state.
A Bulgarian writer named Nikolay Raynov publishes literary work that links this Bulgarian tradition to Khan Asparukh.
The celebration of Martisor is toned down due to the global pandemic.
International Martisor FAQs
Do children participate?
Yes. Children have received ‘martisoare’ from their parents since the end of the nineteenth century.
Who has popularly received Martisor?
As ‘martisor,’ the Mayor of Constanta, Radu Mazare, received a baby kangaroo he named ‘Boogie.’
Are goats used in Martisor?
As a child, Anamaria Prodan, a football club manager, received a goat wearing a ‘martisor’ at its neck.
International Martisor Activities
Learn about Romania
You can learn more about the country by doing some research. You’ll find out more about its people and culture.
You can visit the country to experience their culture in person. There are many activities that you would enjoy in Romania.
Share the holiday
You can share the holiday with people you know. You can do this online or share it in person.
5 Interesting Facts About Martisor
It is agriculture related
Martisor originated in agricultural practices since Romans celebrated it at the beginning of Spring.
Mars protected the environment
Romans believed in the god Mars, who was responsible for the protection of the fields and the flocks.
It represents harmony
Combining the two-color strings of Martisor symbolizes harmony.
Animals are included
The celebration is called ‘Martenita’ in Bulgaria, and even animals receive ‘martisoare.’
There are legends
One of the Martisor legends says that a dragon kidnapped the sun for three seasons until winter when a brave man confronted the dragon.
Why We Love International Martisor
It maintains tradition
The holiday is an old tradition that has been passed on for many years. It keeps the younger generation in tune with their culture.
It makes people happy
Giving and receiving a Martisor makes people happy. It is a tradition of love and appreciation.
It brings unity
The holiday helps people with similar beliefs to come together for a common purpose. It creates love and unity in the community.
International Martisor dates | <urn:uuid:d58e01c1-7cd7-4342-82fe-59c026c15fc7> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://nationaltoday.com/international-martisor/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571719.48/warc/CC-MAIN-20220812140019-20220812170019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.948497 | 1,049 | 2.765625 | 3 |
Alexander Mankin, director of the Center for Biomolecular Sciences in the UIC College of Pharmacy and professor of medicinal chemistry and pharmacognosy. Courtesy of Roberta Dupuis-Devlin, University of Illinois at Chicago
Research from the University of Illinois at Chicago suggests bond duration, not bond tightness, may be the most important differentiator between antibiotics that kill bacteria and antibiotics that only stop bacterial growth.
While both types of antibiotics are used to treat a variety of bacterial infections, bactericidal antibiotics – those that kill bacteria – can be taken for shorter periods, are associated with a lower risk of infection recurrence and often cure the infection much better than bacteriostatic antibiotics.
“Bacteriostatic antibiotics work by slowing the growth of bacterial cells while the individual’s immune system fights the infection,” said Alexander Mankin, lead author of the study and director of the Center for Biomolecular Sciences in the UIC College of Pharmacy. “Often, this is enough to treat an infection; but if the immune system is not strong enough, the infection may persist.”
Unfortunately, not much is known about why the sometimes-similar antibiotic molecules interact differently with bacteria in the body.
Mankin and his colleagues looked at one class of antibiotics called macrolides, which work by binding to the ribosome of the bacteria to stop protein synthesis. However, while macrolide antibiotics are all structurally similar and act on the same molecular target (the ribosome), some are bactericidal and others are bacteriostatic.
Using a new technique developed by Maxim Svetlov, a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Mankin and Nora Vázquez-Laslop, an associate professor in the center, the researchers studied the differences between the bacteriostatic and bactericidal macrolides. The technique makes it possible to analyze how tightly the drugs interact with the ribosome and to measure the speed with which the antibiotics can disconnect from the target.
“Researchers usually think that it is the tightness of the drug’s binding to the ribosome that makes the difference between an antibiotic that kills bacteria and one that only slows bacterial growth,” Mankin said. “Therefore, we were surprised to find that tightness of the drug binding does not define the ability of the drug to kill bacteria.
“Instead we understood that bactericidal drugs dissociate from the ribosome at a significantly slower rate,” Mankin said.
The presence of an extended side chain in the structure of the antibiotic functions “like an extra hand to hold on to the ribosome; it allows the drug to bind for a longer period,” says Mankin.
The findings, published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, offer a new and previously unexplored possibility.
“The results of this study suggest that when we talk about the mechanism of antibiotic action, we need to talk about more than ‘how tight’ a drug binds,” Mankin said. “We also need to talk about kinetics and the rate of a drug’s disassociation from the ribosome.”
In addition to improving outcomes for individuals who need antibiotic treatment, particularly for patients who are immunocompromised, understanding the difference between bacteriostatic and bactericidal antibiotics may also help to address the problem of rising antibiotic resistance in society.
“If we can understand these mechanisms, we may be able to reduce the rate at which antibiotic resistance develops and repeat infections occur,” Mankin said.
Sveltov and Vázquez-Laslop are co-authors on the paper. A grant from the National Institutes of Health (RO1 GM106386) supported the study.
Source: University of Illinois at Chicago | <urn:uuid:e40de9e4-332c-4676-b466-8bfab11f8401> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/teaching-antibiotics-be-more-effective-killers | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572127.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815024523-20220815054523-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.939269 | 807 | 3 | 3 |
Illiteracy prevents many South Africa’s from achieving their full potential. Without the skills required for reading and writing these citizens are doomed to a life of manual labour and cannot become truly productive members of their communities. Illiteracy results in both low self esteem and low productivity, both of which have negative effects on social structure and business productivity. If South Africa is to become a competitive force in the global economic environment and build a better life for all its people then adult basic education programs must be aggressively rolled out across the country. Only when these programs are a fact of life for business can we expect real growth, both for our citizens and for the country itself. | <urn:uuid:35e5c06f-b6e4-4080-9f98-25ce4724ff51> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://eee.co.za/wiping-out-illiteracy/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572127.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815024523-20220815054523-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.957984 | 134 | 2.21875 | 2 |
There is something big and mysterious hovering on the edge of the solar system3 min readReading Time: 3 minutes
Scientists have detected the presence of an unknown object lurking at the edge of the universe! This object might be 10 times the mass of the Earth. Its gravitational pull is warping the orbits of dwarf planets and similar bodies, and causing them to tilt their axes, all at the same angle.
What is warping?
Warping occurs when an object is bent or twisted out of shape by the action of heat and dampness. In space, it happens because of gravity.
Anything that has mass, is matter. And all matter has gravity. Gravity pulls on everything that has mass and warps it. By ‘it’ we mean space and time, the very fabric of the universe. This is why time slows down in certain pockets of space!
Sourced from NASA
The odds of the occurrences of the bent axes across all the celestial bodies are a meagre 0.007%, which is pretty slim! So, scientists are certain that there is ‘something else’ that is causing this warping and bending.
The ‘something else’
A new planet?
Is there another planet joining our solar system?
There are many speculations as to what this unknown object could be. A leading theory suggests that it could be the ninth planet of the solar system, a status that was enjoyed by Pluto until it was relegated to the status of a dwarf planet in 2006
Owliver’s Obscure Observations:
Did you know that you would age slower on the moon?
But just by a tiny mark. Following Albert Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, a clock on the surface of the moon should run about 1/300.000,000 of a second slower than an identical clock here on Earth.
Mathematical models suggest that the planet has a stretched out orbit which at its closest point to the sun is still 300 times the distance between the sun and the Earth. At its furthest point, its distance from the sun is 600 times the distance between the sun and the Earth. This possibility will mean that the object is cold and icy like the planets Uranus and Neptune.
A primordial blackhole?
With gravity being the only evidence, another possibility comes forth. The unknown object could be a primordial blackhole— blackholes that were formed at the time of the Big Bang. It was a time when mass and energy were all over the place, a celestial moment chaotic enough to make a large planet squeeze into the a tiny space from where even light cannot escape. If this is the case, then the object would have 10 times the mass of the Earth but it will be the size of a mere orange! This will make it even more difficult to identify.
What makes a dwarf planet different from a planet?
It is a matter of size. As dwarf planets are smaller, their gravitational pull is not strong enough to accumulate everything in their orbits. These planets are smaller in size than Earth’s moon.
The problem with the search is that unlike other searches, here scientists are looking for a particular object. They are not looking for a certain kind of object. In this case, a search across a sample of the space will lead the researchers to find something, even if the object is rare and the sample, wide. But with the unknown object, there’s only a tiny portion of the sky that has it, making it doubly difficult to locate. Also, existing telescopes do not comply with the magnitude of the search.
But this will change with the Vera Rubin telescope, which will be ready in the next few years.
Until then this guessing game continues…
Sourced from The Swaddle. | <urn:uuid:cc41a99b-2102-4b46-97a9-1385ca9d92f7> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.owliverspost.com/there-is-a-mysterious-object-in-our-solar-system/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571097.39/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810010059-20220810040059-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.949221 | 781 | 3.28125 | 3 |
Cambodia’s largest microfinance institution, Prasac, underwent a shuffle in shareholders this week as part of a multimillion dollar deal with one goal in mind: to transform into a licensed commercial bank.
Prasac will attempt to join a small club of microfinance institutions (MFIs) that have transitioned into licensed commercial banks, in what has become a recent trend in an industry started more than two decades ago in Cambodia to provide socially minded loans to help the poor generate income.
Three former MFIs—Acleda, Sathapana and Camcapital—have already transitioned from exclusively offering microloans into banks offering a diverse range of services, while Hattha Kaksekar Limited (HKL) has signaled its intention to follow suit.
For Prasac, as with the others, the move to a commercial bank is meant to pave the way for a robust operation capable of serving clients with more assets, placing less emphasis on small loans to rural clients.
The Bank of East Asia (BEA) invested about $78 million to purchase 21 percent of Prasac with plans to focus on their customers who do business in Cambodia as China’s Belt and Road Initiative gains traction here, Peter Yuen, head of strategic partnerships and financial institutions for the bank, said in an email.
“Cambodia is expected to be a favorite destination for Chinese enterprises when they adopt the ‘Go Out’ strategy and expand along the belt and road countries,” he said. “BEA, with its unique presence in Greater China, could play an active role in enabling such trade and investment flows between the two locations on an end-to-end basis.”
The transition from an MFI into a bank is neither quick nor cheap. In Channy, president of Acleda, said the institution invested at least $4 million and spent about two years obtaining a commercial banking license.
BEA will assist the transition process by taking a role in Prasac’s governance, offering resources, such as sharing risk management and treasury management techniques, and referring the bank’s current customers to Prasac, Mr. Yuen said.
Sri Lankan conglomerate Lanka Orix Leasing Company took majority control of Prasac in the deal with BEA, purchasing an additional 48 percent of the company, adding to the 22 percent it already owned. Prasac Staff Company holds the remaining 9 percent of shares.
Chou Ngeth, senior consultant for Phnom Penh-based Emerging Markets Consulting, said new investments from foreign financial giants would accelerate the already rapidly developing banking market.
“There is a good opportunity to bring in new expertise to make the sector more sophisticated,” Mr. Ngeth said in an email.
HKL, Cambodia’s fourth-largest MFI, also proposed to become a commercial bank last January after one of Thailand’s largest banks purchased the institution, though the company has not yet completed the transition.
The transition has recently become more difficult, after the National Bank of Cambodia installed an annual interest rate ceiling for MFIs, said Mr. Channy of Acleda, explaining that investors were unlikely to take an interest in institutions with marginal profits.
“The investors give money to us to make profits, and they would not do that if they can’t make profit, and putting interest rate to 18 percent would make MFIs not earn profits,” Mr. Channy said in an email.
The relatively high annual interest rates charged by MFIs—up to 20 or 30 percent in some cases—is generally justified by the high price of setting up operations in remote areas and overseeing a portfolio full of small and high-risk loans.
Yun Sovanna, general secretary of the Cambodia Microfinance Association, said in an email that the process of converting from an MFI to a commercial bank was a natural progression as they matured.
“When an institution meets a certain level of growth, they need to diversify,” he said, adding that the question was whether these banks continued to lend to lower economic tiers as they grew.
“Some primary banking activities need a commercial banking license to operate,” Mr. Sovanna said. “What needs to be emphasized is whether or not the MFI-converted-bank would keep their double bottom-line mission, which focuses on social elements.” | <urn:uuid:9b92e43c-9222-4a62-b73c-722b992e0a0f> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://english.cambodiadaily.com/news/cambodias-largest-mfis-eye-future-as-commercial-banks-126859/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572127.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815024523-20220815054523-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.957701 | 921 | 1.5 | 2 |
Power Point presentation, 7 slides, Explaining with examples how to calculate the surface area of cubes and cuboids, based on KS3 National curriculum.
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Label: photofrin- porfimer sodium injection, powder, for solution
- Category: HUMAN PRESCRIPTION DRUG LABEL
- DEA Schedule: None
Updated September 11, 2006
If you are a consumer or patient please visit this version.
- N/A - Section Title Not Found In Database
PHOTOFRIN® (porfimer sodium) for Injection is a photosensitizing agent used in the photodynamic therapy (PDT) of tumors and of high-grade dysplasia (HGD) in Barrett’s esophagus (BE). Following reconstitution of the freeze-dried product with 5% Dextrose Injection (USP) or 0.9% Sodium Chloride Injection (USP), it is injected intravenously. This is followed 40−50 hours later by illumination of the tumor or HGD in BE with laser light (630 nm wavelength). PHOTOFRIN® is not a single chemical entity; it is a mixture of oligomers formed by ether and ester linkages of up to eight porphyrin units. It is a dark red to reddish brown cake or powder. Each vial of PHOTOFRIN® contains 75 mg of porfimer sodium as a sterile freeze-dried cake or powder. Hydrochloric Acid and/or Sodium Hydroxide may be added during manufacture to adjust the pH to within 7.2-7.9. There are no preservatives or other additives. The structural formula below is representative of the components present in PHOTOFRIN®.
The cytotoxic and antitumor actions of PHOTOFRIN® are light and oxygen dependent. Photodynamic therapy with PHOTOFRIN® is a two-stage process. The first stage is the intravenous injection of PHOTOFRIN®. Clearance from a variety of tissues occurs over 40-72 hours, but tumors, skin, and organs of the reticuloendothelial system (including liver and spleen) retain PHOTOFRIN® for a longer period. Illumination with 630 nm wavelength laser light constitutes the second stage of therapy. Tumor selectivity in treatment occurs through a combination of selective retention of PHOTOFRIN® and selective delivery of light. Cellular damage caused by PHOTOFRIN® PDT is a consequence of the propagation of radical reactions. Radical initiation may occur after PHOTOFRIN® absorbs light to form a porphyrin excited state. Spin transfer from PHOTOFRIN® to molecular oxygen may then generate singlet oxygen. Subsequent radical reactions can form superoxide and hydroxyl radicals. Tumor death also occurs through ischemic necrosis secondary to vascular occlusion that appears to be partly mediated by thromboxane A2 release. The laser treatment induces a photochemical, not a thermal, effect. The necrotic reaction and associated inflammatory responses may evolve over several days.
Following a 2 mg/kg dose of porfimer sodium to 4 male cancer patients, the average peak plasma concentration was 15 ± 3 mcg/mL, the elimination half-life was 250 ± 285 hours, the steady-state volume of distribution was 0.49 ± 0.28 L/kg, and the total plasma clearance was 0.051 ± 0.035 mL/min/kg. The mean plasma concentration at 48 hours was 2.6 ± 0.4 mcg/mL. The influence of impaired hepatic function on PHOTOFRIN® disposition has not been evaluated.
PHOTOFRIN® was approximately 90% protein bound in human serum, studied in vitro. The binding was independent of concentration over the concentration range of 20−100 mcg/mL.
The pharmacokinetics of PHOTOFRIN® was also studied in 24 healthy subjects (12 men and 12 women) who received a single dose of 2 mg/kg PHOTOFRIN® given via the intravenous route. The serum decay was bi-exponential, with a slow distribution phase and a very long elimination phase. The elimination half-life was 415 ± 104 hours (17 ± 4.3 days). The Cmax was determined to be 40 ± 11.6 mcg/mL and AUCinf was 2400 ± 552 mcg•hour/mL. Women had a lower Cmax and a higher AUC. The clinical significance of these differences is unknown. The Tmax was approximately 1.5 hours in women and 0.17 hours in men. At the time of intended photoactivation 40-50 hours after injection, the pharmacokinetic profiles of PHOTOFRIN® in men and women were similar.
Clinical studies of PDT with PHOTOFRIN® were conducted in patients with obstructing esophageal and endobronchial non-small-cell lung cancers, in patients with early-stage radiologically occult endobronchial cancer, and in patients with high-grade dysplasia (HGD) associated with Barrett’s Esophagus (BE). In all clinical studies, the method of PDT administration was essentially identical. A course of therapy consisted of one injection of PHOTOFRIN® (2 mg/kg administered as a slow intravenous injection over 3−5 minutes) followed by up to two non-thermal applications of 630 nm laser light. Light doses of 300 Joules/cm (J/cm) of diffuser length were used in esophageal cancer. Light doses of 200 J/cm of diffuser length were used in endobronchial cancer for both palliation of obstructing cancer and treatment of superficial lesions. For the ablation of HGD in BE, the light dose administered was 130 J/cm of diffuser length using a centering balloon (for details, see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION). In all cases, the first application of light occurred 40−50 hours after PHOTOFRIN® injection.
For treatment of esophageal and endobronchial cancer, debridement of residua was performed via endoscopy/bronchoscopy 96−120 hours after injection, after which any residual tumor could be retreated with a second laser light application at the same dose used for the initial treatment. Additional courses of PDT with PHOTOFRIN® were allowed after 1 month, up to a maximum of three courses. For ablation of HGD in BE, a second laser light application of 50 J/cm of diffuser length without a centering balloon could be given 96-120 hours after the PHOTOFRIN® injection for untreated areas ( "skip" areas). Additional courses of PDT with PHOTOFRIN® were allowed after 3 months, up to a maximum of three courses.
Photodynamic therapy with PHOTOFRIN® was utilized in a multicenter, single-arm study in 17 patients with completely obstructing esophageal carcinoma. Assessments were made at 1 week and 1 month after the last treatment procedure. As shown in Table 1, after a single course of therapy, 94% of patients obtained an objective tumor response and 76% of patients experienced some palliation of their dysphagia. On average, before treatment these patients had difficulty swallowing liquids, even saliva. After one course of therapy, there was a statistically significant improvement in mean dysphagia grade (1.5 units, p < 0.05) and 13 of 17 patients could swallow liquids without difficulty 1 week and/or 1 month after treatment. Based on all courses, three patients achieved a complete tumor response (CR). In two of these patients, the CR was documented only at Week 1 as they had no further assessments. The third patient achieved a CR after a second course of therapy, which was supported by negative histopathology and maintained for the entire follow-up of 6 months.
Of the 17 treated patients, 11 (65%) received clinically important benefit from PDT. Clinically important benefit was defined hierarchically as a complete tumor response (3 patients), achievement of normal swallowing (2 patients went from Grade 5 dysphagia to Grade 1), or achievement of a marked improvement of two or more grades of dysphagia with minimal adverse reactions (6 patients). The median duration of benefit in these patients was 69 days. Duration of benefit was calculated only for the period with documented evidence of improvement. All of these patients were still in response at their last assessment and, therefore, the estimate of 69 days is conservative. The median survival for these 11 patients was 115 days.
TABLE 1. Course 1 Efficacy Results in Patients with Completely Obstructing Esophageal Cancer
- CR+PR, CR = complete response (absence of endoscopically visible tumor), PR = partial response (appearance of a visible lumen).
- Eight of the 17 treated patients did not have assessments at Month 1.
- Week 1 or Month 1.
- Patients with at least a one-grade improvement in dysphagia grade.
- Dysphagia Scale: Grade 1 = normal swallowing, Grade 2 = difficulty swallowing some hard solids; can swallow semisolids, Grade 3 = unable to swallow any solids; can swallow liquids, Grade 4 = difficulty swallowing liquids, Grade 5 = unable to swallow saliva.
EFFICACY PARAMETER PDT
OBJECTIVE TUMOR RESPONSE * (% of patients) Week 1 82% Month 1 35%† Any assessment‡ 94% IMPROVEMENT § IN DYSPHAGIA (% of patients) Week 1 71% Month 1 47% Any assessment ‡ 76% MEAN DYSPHAGIA GRADE ¶ AT BASELINE (units) 4.6 MEAN IMPROVEMENT¶ IN DYSPHAGIA GRADE (units) Week 1 1.4 Month 1 1.5 MEAN NUMBER OF LASER APPLICATIONS (units) 1.4
Two randomized multicenter Phase III studies were conducted to compare the safety and efficacy of PHOTOFRIN® PDT versus Nd:YAG laser therapy for reduction of obstruction and palliation of symptomatic patients with partially or completely obstructing endobronchial non-small-cell lung cancer. Assessments were made at 1 week and at monthly intervals after treatment. Table 2 shows the results from all randomized patients in the two studies combined. Objective tumor response rates (CR + PR), which demonstrate reduction of obstruction, were 59% for PDT and 58% for Nd:YAG at Week 1. The response rate at 1 month or later was 60% for PDT and 41% for Nd:YAG.
TABLE 2. Efficacy Results from Studies in Late-stage Obstructing Endobronchial Cancer − All Randomized Patients*
- Statistical comparisons were precluded by the amount of missing data at Month 1 or later (e.g. for tumor response, PDT 28% missing, Nd:YAG 38%) .
- CR+PR, CR = complete response (absence of bronchoscopically visible tumor), PR = partial response (increase of ≥50% in the smallest luminal diameter); for completely obstructing tumors, any appearance of a lumen).
- In patients with atelectasis at baseline.
EFFICACY PARAMETER PDT
(% of Patients)
(% of Patients)
OBJECTIVE TUMOR RESPONSE † Week 1 59% 58% Month 1 or later 60% 41% * ATELECTASIS IMPROVEMENT‡ n=60 n=71 Week 1 35% 18% Month 1 or later 35% 20%
Patient symptoms were evaluated using a 5- or 6-grade pulmonary symptom severity rating scale for dyspnea, cough, and hemoptysis. Patients with moderate to severe symptoms are those most in need of palliation. Improvements of 2 or more grades are considered to be clinically significant. Table 3 shows the percentages of patients with moderate to severe symptoms at baseline who demonstrated a 2-grade improvement at any time during the interval evaluated.
TABLE 3. Efficacy Results from Studies in Late-stage Obstructing Endobronchial Cancer − Clinically Significant Improvements in Patients with Moderate to Severe Symptoms at Baseline* CLINICALLY SIGNIFICANT SYMPTOM IMPROVEMENT † PDT
(% of Patients)
(% of Patients)
ANY SYMPTOM n=89 n=89 Week 1 25% 29% Month 1 or later 40% 27%* DYSPNEA n=60 n=68 Week 1 15% 18% Month 1 or later 23% 13% COUGH n=63 n=65 Week 1 6% 9% Month 1 or later 24% 8% HEMOPTYSIS n=24 n=31 Week 1 58% 29% Month 1 or later 79% 35%
In a separate retrospective analysis, patients were individually evaluated to identify those patients whose benefit to risk ratio was most favorable, i.e., those who obtained clinically important benefit with minimal adverse reactions. Clinically important benefit was defined as one of the following:
- A substantial improvement in pulmonary symptoms at Month 1 or later (dyspnea ≥2 grades, hemoptysis ≥3 grades, cough ≥3 grades or increase in FEV1≥40%);
- A moderate improvement in symptoms at Month 2 or later (dyspnea 1 grade, cough 2 grades, hemoptysis 2 grades or increase in FEV1 ≥ 20%); or
- A durable objective tumor response (CR or PR maintained to Month 2 or longer).
Thirty-six (36) of the 99 PDT-treated patients (36%) and 23 of the 99 Nd:YAG-treated patients (23%) received clinically important benefit with only minimal or moderate toxicities of short duration. Thirty-four of 99 PDT-treated patients demonstrated improvements in 2 or more efficacy endpoints (dyspnea, cough, hemoptysis, sputum, atelectasis, pulmonary function tests of FEV1 or FVC, Karnofsky Performance Score or tumor response) and 29 patients had improvements in 3 or more. The median duration of documented benefit in the 36 patients was 63 days. In these patients with late-stage obstructing lung cancer, median survival was 174 days in PDT-treated patients and 161 days in Nd:YAG-treated patients. The efficacy of PHOTOFRIN® PDT was also evaluated in the treatment of microinvasive endobronchial tumors in 62 inoperable patients in three noncomparative studies. Microinvasive lung cancer is defined histologically as disease, which invades beyond the basement membrane but not through or into the cartilage. For 11 of the 62 patients, it was clearly documented that surgery and radiotherapy were not indicated. These 11 patients were all inoperable for medical or technical reasons. Radiotherapy was not indicated due to prior high-dose radiotherapy (7 patients), poor pulmonary function (2 patients), multifocal multilobar disease (1 patient), and poor medical condition (1 patient). As shown in Table 4, the complete tumor response rate, biopsy-proven at least 3 months after treatment, was 50%, median time to tumor recurrence was more than 2.7 years, median survival was 2.9 years and disease-specific survival was 4.1 years.
TABLE 4. Overall Efficacy Results in Patients with Superficial Endobronchial Tumors
- Not included are an additional 18 patients (6 patients not eligible for surgery or radiotherapy) who had complete tumor responses which were documented earlier than 3 months after treatment.
- The upper limit of the confidence interval could not be estimated due to an insufficient number of patients whose tumors recurred (Time to Tumor Recurrence) or who died (Survival).
PDT EFFICACY PARAMETER n=11 n=62 COMPLETE TUMOR RESPONSE, BIOPSY-PROVEN AT 3 MONTHS
Number of Patients (%) 3 (27) 31 (50)* TIME TO TUMOR RECURRENCE IN PATIENTS WITH COMPLETE RESPONSE Number of Patients (%) with Recurrences 1 (33) 11 (35) Median Time to Tumor Recurrence >2.7 years [95% Confidence Interval] [1.6,—†] SURVIVAL Number of Patients (%) who Died of Any Cause 4 (36) 32 (52) Median Survival 2.9 years [95% Confidence Interval] [2.1, 5.7] DISEASE-SPECIFIC SURVIVAL Number of Patients (%) who Died of Lung Cancer 3 (27) 22 (35) Median Disease-Specific Survival 4.1 years [95% Confidence Interval] [2.5, —†]
High-Grade Dysplasia in Barrett’s Esophagus
The safety and efficacy of PDT with PHOTOFRIN® in ablation of HGD in patients with BE was assessed in one controlled clinical study and two supportive studies.
A multicenter, partially blinded, randomized, controlled study was conducted in North America and Europe to assess the efficacy of PDT with PHOTOFRIN® for Injection plus omeprazole (PHOTOFRIN® PDT + OM) in producing complete ablation of HGD in patients with BE compared to control patients receiving omeprazole alone (OM Only). A total of 485 patients with the diagnosis of HGD were screened for the study; 208 (43%) were randomized to treatment, 237 (49%) were excluded because the diagnosis of HGD was not confirmed and 40 (8%) did not meet other screening criteria or declined toparticipate in the study. The high patient exclusion rate re-enforces the recommendation by the American College of Gastroenterology that the diagnosis of HGD in BE should be confirmed by an expert GI pathologist. Patients were centrally randomized in a 2:1 proportion to receive PHOTOFRIN® PDT + OM (138 patients) or OM Only (70 patients). All patients underwent rigorous systematic quarterly endoscopic biopsy surveillance. Four-quadrant jumbo biopsies at every 2 cm of the entire Barrett’s mucosa were obtained at each follow-up visit (every three months or six months if four consecutive quarterly follow-up endoscopic biopsy results were negative for HGD). All histological assessments were carried out at a central pathology laboratory and read by pathologists blinded to the treatment administered.
A total of 208 patients who had biopsy-proven HGD in BE were enrolled in the study. Of those, 199 patients were considered evaluable: 130 of 138 (94%) patients randomized to the PHOTOFRIN® PDT + OM group and 69 of 70 (99%) randomized to the OM Only group had no esophageal invasive cancer, suspicion of esophageal invasive cancer, lymph node involvement, or metastases, and had received at least one PHOTOFRIN® PDT course or one week of OM treatment, respectively. The mean age was 66 years (38 to 89 years) in the PHOTOFRIN® PDT + OM group, and 67 (36 to 88) in the OM Only group. The patients in both treatment groups were predominantly male (85%), Caucasian (99%), and former smokers (64%). These characteristics are typical of patients with HGD. Patients randomized to the PHOTOFRIN® PDT + OM treatment received up to three courses of treatment separated by at least 90 days. Each course consisted of intravenous administration of 2.0 mg/kg of PHOTOFRIN® followed 40-50 hours later by a 630 nm laser light dose of 130 J/cm of diffuser length delivered using a centering balloon. A second laser light dose of 50 J/cm of diffuser length could be administered without a centering balloon 96-120 hours after the injection of PHOTOFRIN® for treatment of "skip" areas. Since centering balloons are up to 7 cm in length, patients with more extensive HGD were treated with two or three courses. Both the PHOTOFRIN® PDT treatment group and the control group received 20 mg of omeprazole BID to decrease reflux esophagitis.
The primary efficacy endpoint was the Complete Response rate (CR3 or better) at any one of the endoscopic assessment time points. The CR3 or better response was defined as the complete ablation of HGD and referred to as a composite of the following three response levels.
- CR1 − Complete replacement of all Barrett’s metaplasia and dysplasia with normal squamous cell epithelium;
- CR2 − Ablation of all histological grades of dysplasia, including patients with indefinite grade of dysplasia, but some areas of Barrett’s epithelium still remain; and
- CR3 − Ablation of all areas of HGD but with some areas of low-grade dysplasia with or without areas which are indefinite for dysplasia, or areas of Barrett’s metaplastic epithelium.
There were five secondary efficacy endpoints:
Quality of Complete Response, which consisted of two parameters:
- CR1 response (complete replacement of all Barrett’s metaplasia and dysplasia with normal squamous cell epithelium); and
- CR2 or better response (a composite endpoint of complete ablation of all grades of dysplasia and of CR1 response as defined above);
- Duration of CR;
- Time to Progression to Cancer;
- Time to Treatment Failure (a composite endpoint of progression to cancer and other therapeutic intervention for HGD); and
- Survival time
Table 5 presents the overall clinical response for both treatment groups in the intent-to-treat (ITT) population whose response was CR3 or better at any one of the evaluation time points. Overall, PHOTOFRIN® PDT + OM was effective in eliminating HGD in patients with BE. The proportion of responders was significantly higher in the PHOTOFRIN® PDT + OM group than in the OM Only group (77% versus 39%, respectively; p < 0.0001).
Table 5. Complete Response Rates After a Minimum Follow-Up of 24 Months in the ITT Population Treatment Groups Responders PHOTOFRIN ® PDT + OM OM Only p-value* Numbers of patients N 138 70 CR3 or better† n 106 27 Proportion (%) 0.768 (76.8) 0.386 (38.6) < 0.0001 95% CI (0.689, 0.836) (0.272, 0.510)
The quality of response in the PHOTOFRIN® PDT + OM group was significantly better than that measured in the OM Only group at all response levels (p<0.0001). Seventy-two (52%) patients in the PHOTOFRIN® PDT + OM group achieved a CR1 response as compared to only five (7%) patients in the OM Only group. Eighty-one (59%) patients in the PHOTOFRIN® PDT + OM group achieved a CR2 or better response as compared to ten (14%) patients in the OM Only group. The probability of maintaining a complete response (CR3 or better) by the end of the follow-up period was 53% in PHOTOFRIN® PDT + OM group and only 13% in OM Only group.
The time to patients’ progression to cancer was significantly longer in the PHOTOFRIN® PDT + OM group than in OM Only group (see Kaplan-Meier plot below).
At the end of the follow-up, patients in the PHOTOFRIN® PDT + OM group had an 83% chance of being cancer-free compared to 53% chance among patients in the OM Only group (p=0.0014). Durability of cancer risk reduction beyond two years has not been demonstrated.
At the end of the follow-up, the proportion of patients’ progression to cancer was statistically lower in the PHOTOFRIN® PDT + OM group than in the OM Only group: 13% (18 of 138 patients) versus 28% (20 of 70 patients), p=0.0060. Progression to cancer was related to complete response status. Patients who did not have a complete response had a greater risk of progression to cancer than patients who achieved a CR3 or better response, both in the PHOTOFRIN® PDT + OM group (38% vs. 6%) and in the OM Only group (44% vs. 4%). Patients who progressed to cancer after a complete response had mostly a CR3 response. No CR1 patients had progressed to cancer during the follow-up period.
Eighteen (13%) patients in the PHOTOFRIN® PDT + OM group and 22 (31%) patients in the OM Only group had another therapeutic intervention for HGD. Patients who experienced a progression of HGD to cancer, or who underwent therapy for HGD other than specified in the treatment arm were discontinued from the study. A disproportionate percentage of patients were discontinued from the OM Only group during the course of the study. By the end of the follow-up period, 81 (59%) patients in the PHOTOFRIN® PDT + OM group and 28 (40%) patients in the OM Only group remained in their respective treatment arms.
Median survival time could not be estimated for either group, because very few (3) patients died during the study period.
Complete response was influenced by the following factors: treatment with PHOTOFRIN® PDT + OM (vs. OM Only), single focus of HGD (vs. multiple foci), and prior omeprazole intake of at least 3 months (yes vs. no). Complete response was not influenced by the duration of HGD, length of BE, nodular conditions, gender, age, smoking history, and study center’s size.
Two uncontrolled, supportive studies were conducted that were physician-sponsored, single center Phase II trials. Both studies included patients that had low-grade dysplasia (LGD), HGD and early adenocarcinoma. All HGD in BE patients were treated with PHOTOFRIN® PDT and omeprazole.
The first study enrolled 99 patients (44 with HGD); the purpose of this study was to determine the required light dose to produce effective results. The second study enrolled 86 patients (42 with HGD), who were randomized to receive either PHOTOFRIN® PDT with prednisone or PHOTOFRIN® PDT without prednisone to determine whether steroid treatment would reduce the incidence and severity of esophageal strictures.
A CR3 or better response was demonstrated in 93% of 44 patients with HGD in the first study and in 95% of 42 patients with HGD in the second study after a minimum follow-up of 12 months. A CR2 or better response was achieved in 82% of patients in the first study and in 91% of patients in the second study. A CR1 response occurred in 57% of patients in the first study and in 60% of the second study. Progression to cancer during the above follow-up period occurred in 18% of patients in the first study and in 7% of patients in the second study. No reduction in the incidence or severity of esophageal strictures was found in the prednisone group in the second study.
INDICATIONS AND USAGE
Photodynamic therapy with PHOTOFRIN® is indicated for:
- Palliation of patients with completely obstructing esophageal cancer, or of patients with partially obstructing esophageal cancer who, in the opinion of their physician, cannot be satisfactorily treated with Nd:YAG laser therapy.
- Reduction of obstruction and palliation of symptoms in patients with completely or partially obstructing endobronchial non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
- Treatment of microinvasive endobronchial NSCLC in patients for whom surgery and radiotherapy are not indicated.
- Ablation of high-grade dysplasia in Barrett’s esophagus patients who do not undergo esophagectomy.
PHOTOFRIN® is contraindicated in patients with porphyria or in patients with known allergies to porphyrins.
Photodynamic therapy is contraindicated in patients with an existing tracheoesophageal or bronchoesophageal fistula.
Photodynamic therapy is contraindicated in patients with tumors eroding into a major blood vessel.
Photodynamic therapy is not suitable for emergency treatment of patients with severe acute respiratory distress caused by an obstructing endobronchial lesion because 40 to 50 hours are required between injection with PHOTOFRIN® and laser light treatment.
Photodynamic therapy is not suitable for patients with esophageal or gastric varices, or patients with esophageal ulcers >1 cm in diameter.
Following injection with PHOTOFRIN® precautions must be taken to avoid exposure of skin and eyes to direct sunlight or bright indoor light (see PRECAUTIONS, General Precautions and Information for Patients).
If the esophageal tumor is eroding into the trachea or bronchial tree, the likelihood of tracheoesophageal or bronchoesophageal fistula resulting from treatment is sufficiently high that PDT is not recommended.
Patients with esophageal varices should be treated with extreme caution. Light should not be given directly to the variceal area because of the high risk of bleeding.
Patients should be assessed for the possibility that a tumor may be eroding into a pulmonary blood vessel (see CONTRAINDICATIONS). Patients at high risk for fatal massive hemoptysis (FMH) include those with large, centrally located tumors, those with cavitating tumors or those with extensive tumor extrinsic to the bronchus.
If the endobronchial tumor invades deeply into the bronchial wall, the possibility exists for fistula formation upon resolution of tumor.
Photodynamic therapy should be used with extreme caution for endobronchial tumors in locations where treatment-induced inflammation could obstruct the main airway, e.g., long or circumferential tumors of the trachea, tumors of the carina that involve both mainstem bronchi circumferentially, or circumferential tumors in the mainstem bronchus in patients with prior pneumonectomy.
High-Grade Dysplasia (HGD) in Barrett’s Esophagus (BE)
The long-term effect of PDT on HGD in BE is unknown. There is always a risk of cancer or abnormal epithelium that is invisible to the endoscopist beneath the new squamous cell epithelium; these facts emphasize the risk of overlooking cancer in such patients and the need for rigorous continuing surveillance despite the endoscopic appearance of complete squamous cell reepithelialization. It is recommended that endoscopic biopsy surveillance be conducted every three months, until four consecutive negative evaluations for HGD have been recorded; further follow-up may be scheduled every 6 to 12 months, as per judgment of physicians. The follow-up period of the pivotal study at the time of analysis was a minimum of two years (ranging from 2 to 3.6 years).
General Precautions and Information for Patients
All patients who receive PHOTOFRIN® will be photosensitive and must observe precautions to avoid exposure of skin and eyes to direct sunlight or bright indoor light (from examination lamps, including dental lamps, operating room lamps, unshaded light bulbs at close proximity, etc.) for at least 30 days. Some patients may remain photosensitive for up to 90 days or more. The photosensitivity is due to residual drug, which will be present in all parts of the skin. Exposure of the skin to ambient indoor light is, however, beneficial because the remaining drug will be inactivated gradually and safely through a photobleaching reaction. Therefore, patients should not stay in a darkened room during this period and should be encouraged to expose their skin to ambient indoor light. The level of photosensitivity will vary for different areas of the body, depending on the extent of previous exposure to light. Before exposing any area of skin to direct sunlight or bright indoor light, the patient should test it for residual photosensitivity. A small area of skin should be exposed to sunlight for 10 minutes. If no photosensitivity reaction (erythema, edema, blistering) occurs within 24 hours, the patient can gradually resume normal outdoor activities, initially continuing to exercise caution and gradually allowing increased exposure. If some photosensitivity reaction occurs with the limited skin test, the patient should continue precautions for another 2 weeks before retesting. The tissue around the eyes may be more sensitive, and therefore, it is not recommended that the face be used for testing. If patients travel to a different geographical area with greater sunshine, they should retest their level of photosensitivity. Conventional UV (ultraviolet) sunscreens are of no value in protecting against photosensitivity reactions because photoactivation is caused by visible light.
Ocular discomfort, commonly described as sensitivity to sun, bright lights, or car headlights, has been reported in patients who received PHOTOFRIN®. For 30 days, when outdoors, patients should wear dark sunglasses which have an average white light transmittance of <4%.
If PDT is to be used before or after radiotherapy, sufficient time should be allotted between the two therapies to ensure that the inflammatory response produced by the first treatment has subsided before commencing the second treatment. The inflammatory response from PDT will depend on tumor size and extent of surrounding normal tissue that receives light. It is recommended that 2 to 4 weeks be allowed after PDT before commencing radiotherapy. Similarly, if PDT is to be given after radiotherapy, the acute inflammatory reaction from radiotherapy usually subsides within 4 weeks after completing radiotherapy, after which PDT may be given.
As a result of PDT treatment, patients may complain of substernal chest pain because of inflammatory responses within the area of treatment. Such pain may be of sufficient intensity to warrant the short-term prescription of opiate analgesics.
Patients with endobronchial lesions must be closely monitored between the laser light therapy and the mandatory debridement bronchoscopy for any evidence of respiratory distress. Inflammation, mucositis, and necrotic debris may cause obstruction of the airway. If respiratory distress occurs, the physician should be prepared to carry out immediate bronchoscopy to remove secretions and debris to open the airway.
Esophageal strictures as a result of PDT of HGD in BE are common adverse events. An esophageal stricture was defined as a fixed lumen narrowing with solid food dysphagia and requiring dilation.
Regardless of the indication, esophageal strictures were reported in 122 of the 318 (38%) patients enrolled in the three clinical studies. Overall, esophageal strictures occurred within six months following PDT and were manageable through dilations. Multiple dilations of esophageal strictures may be required, as shown in Table 6. Special care should be taken during dilation to avoid perforation of the esophagus.
TABLE 6. Esophageal Dilations in Patients with Treatment-related Strictures Number of Dilations Number of Patients with Strictures, N=122 Percentage of Patients with Strictures 1 − 2 Dilations 38 31% 3 − 5 Dilations 33 27% 6 − 10 Dilations 26 21% > 10 Dilations 25 20%
A high proportion of patients who developed an esophageal stricture received a nodule pre-treatment prior to developing the event (49%) and/or had a mucosal segment treated twice (82%). Therefore, nodule pre-treatment and re-treating the same mucosal segment more than once may influence the risk of developing an esophageal stricture.
Prior to initiating treatment with PHOTOFRIN® PDT, the diagnosis of HGD in BE should be confirmed by an expert GI pathologist. Photodynamic therapy with PHOTOFRIN® should be applied by physicians trained in the endoscopic use of PDT with PHOTOFRIN®, and only in those facilities properly equipped for the procedure.
Avoidance of Pregnancy
Women of childbearing potential should practice an effective method of contraception during therapy (see Pregnancy).
There have been no formal interaction studies of PHOTOFRIN® and any other drugs. However, it is possible that concomitant use of other photosensitizing agents (e.g., tetracyclines, sulfonamides, phenothiazines, sulfonylurea hypoglycemic agents, thiazide diuretics, griseofulvin, and fluoroquinolones) could increase the risk of photosensitivity reaction.
PHOTOFRIN® PDT causes direct intracellular damage by initiating radical chain reactions that damage intracellular membranes and mitochondria. Tissue damage also results from ischemia secondary to vasoconstriction, platelet activation and aggregation and clotting. Research in animals and in cell culture has suggested that many drugs could influence the effects of PDT, possible examples of which are described below. There are no human data that support or rebut these possibilities.
Compounds that quench active oxygen species or scavenge radicals, such as dimethyl sulfoxide, β-carotene, ethanol, formate and mannitol would be expected to decrease PDT activity. Preclinical data also suggest that tissue ischemia, allopurinol, calcium channel blockers and some prostaglandin synthesis inhibitors could interfere with PHOTOFRIN® PDT. Drugs that decrease clotting, vasoconstriction or platelet aggregation, e.g., thromboxane A2 inhibitors, could decrease the efficacy of PDT. Glucocorticoid hormones given before or concomitant with PDT may decrease the efficacy of the treatment.
Carcinogenesis, Mutagenesis, Impairment of Fertility
No long-term studies have been conducted to evaluate the carcinogenic potential of PHOTOFRIN®. In vitro , PHOTOFRIN® PDT did not cause mutations in the Ames test, nor did it cause chromosome aberrations or mutations (HGPRT locus) in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. PHOTOFRIN® caused <2-fold, but significant, increases in sister chromatid exchange in CHO cells irradiated with visible light and a 3-fold increase in Chinese hamster lung fibroblasts irradiated with near UV light. PHOTOFRIN® PDT caused an increase in thymidine kinase mutants and DNA-protein cross-links in mouse L5178Y cells, but not mouse LYR83 cells. PHOTOFRIN® PDT caused a light-dose dependant increase in DNA-strand breaks in malignant human cervical carcinoma cells, but not in normal cells. PHOTOFRIN® was negative in a Chinese hamster ovarian cells (CHO/HGPRT) mutation test. In vivo, PHOTOFRIN® did not cause chromosomal aberrations in the mouse micronucleus test.
PHOTOFRIN® given to male and female rats intravenously, at 4 mg/kg/d (0.32 times the clinical dose on a mg/m2 basis) before conception and through Day 7 of pregnancy caused no impairment of fertility. In this study, long-term dosing with PHOTOFRIN® caused discoloration of testes and ovaries and hypertrophy of the testes. PHOTOFRIN® also caused decreased body weight in the parent rats.
Pregnancy: Pregnancy Category C
There are no adequate and well-controlled studies in pregnant women. PHOTOFRIN® should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus.
PHOTOFRIN® given to rat dams during fetal organogenesis intravenously at 8 mg/kg/d (0.64 times the clinical dose on a mg/m2 basis) for 10 days caused no major malformations or developmental changes. This dose caused maternal and fetal toxicity resulting in increased resorptions, decreased litter size, delayed ossification, and reduced fetal weight. PHOTOFRIN® caused no major malformations when given to rabbits intravenously during organogenesis at 4 mg/kg/d (0.65 times the clinical dose on a mg/m2 basis) for 13 days. This dose caused maternal toxicity resulting in increased resorptions, decreased litter size, and reduced fetal body weight.
PHOTOFRIN® given to rats during late pregnancy through lactation intravenously at 4 mg/kg/d (0.32 times the clinical dose on a mg/m2 basis) for at least 42 days caused a reversible decrease in growth of offspring. Parturition was unaffected.
It is not known whether this drug is excreted in human milk. Because many drugs are excreted in human milk and because of the potential for serious adverse reactions in nursing infants from PHOTOFRIN®, women receiving PHOTOFRIN® must not breast feed.
Systemically induced effects associated with PDT with PHOTOFRIN® consist of photosensitivity and mild constipation. All patients who receive PHOTOFRIN® will be photosensitive and must observe precautions to avoid sunlight and bright indoor light (see PRECAUTIONS). Photosensitivity reactions occurred in approximately 20% of cancer patients and in 68% of high-grade dysplasia (HGD) in Barrett’s esophagus (BE) patients treated with PHOTOFRIN®. Typically these reactions were mostly mild to moderate erythema but they also included swelling, itching, burning sensation, feeling hot, or blisters. In a single study of 24 healthy subjects, some evidence of photosensitivity reactions occurred in all subjects. Other less common skin manifestations were also reported in areas where photosensitivity reactions had occurred, such as increased hair growth, skin discoloration, skin nodules, increased wrinkles and increased skin fragility. These manifestations may be attributable to a pseudoporphyria state (temporary drug-induced cutaneous porphyria).
Most toxicities associated with this therapy are local effects seen in the region of illumination and occasionally in surrounding tissues. The local adverse reactions are characteristic of an inflammatory response induced by the photodynamic effect.
A few cases of fluid imbalance have been reported following the use of PDT with PHOTOFRIN® in patients with overtly disseminated intraperitoneal malignancies. Fluid imbalance is an expected PDT treatment-related event.
A case of cataracts has been reported in a 51 year-old obese man treated with PHOTOFRIN® PDT for HGD in BE. The patient suffered from a PDT response with development of a deep esophageal ulcer. Within two months post PDT, the patient noted difficulty with his distant vision. A thorough eye examination revealed a change in the refractive error that later progressed to cataracts in both eyes. Both of his parents had a history of cataracts in their 70s. Whether PHOTOFRIN® directly caused or accelerated a familial underlying condition is unknown.
The following adverse events were reported over the entire follow-up period in at least 5% of patients treated with PHOTOFRIN® PDT, who had completely or partially obstructing esophageal cancer. Table 7 presents data from 88 patients who received the currently marketed formulation. The relationship of many of these adverse events to PDT with PHOTOFRIN® is uncertain.
TABLE 7. Adverse Events Reported in 5% or More of Patients* with Obstructing Esophageal Cancer
- Based on adverse events reported at any time during the entire period of follow-up.
Number (%) of Patients
Patients with at Least One Adverse Event 84 (95) AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM Hypertension 5 (6) Hypotension 6 (7) BODY AS A WHOLE Asthenia 5 (6) Back pain 10 (11) Chest pain 19 (22) Chest pain (substernal) 4 (5) Edema generalized 4 (5) Edema peripheral 6 (7) Fever 27 (31) Pain 19 (22) Surgical complication 4 (5) CARDIOVASCULAR Cardiac failure 6 (7) GASTROINTESTINAL Abdominal pain 18 (20) Constipation 21 (24) Diarrhea 4 (5) Dyspepsia 5 (6) Dysphagia 9 (10) Eructation 4 (5) Esophageal edema 7 (8) Esophageal tumor bleeding 7 (8) Esophageal stricture 5 (6) Esophagitis 4 (5) Hematemesis 7 (8) Melena 4 (5) Nausea 21 (24) Vomiting 15 (17) HEART RATE/RHYTHM Atrial fibrillation 9 (10) Tachycardia 5 (6) METABOLIC & NUTRITIONAL Dehydration 6 (7) Weight decrease 8 (9) PSYCHIATRIC Anorexia 7 (8) Anxiety 6 (7) Confusion 7 (8) Insomnia 12 (14) RED BLOOD CELL Anemia 28 (32) RESISTANCE MECHANISM Moniliasis 8 (9) RESPIRATORY Coughing 6 (7) Dyspnea 18 (20) Pharyngitis 10 (11) Pleural effusion 28 (32) Pneumonia 16 (18) Respiratory insufficiency 9 (10) Tracheoesophageal fistula 5 (6) SKIN & APPENDAGES Photosensitivity reaction 17 (19) URINARY Urinary tract infection 6 (7)
Location of the tumor was a prognostic factor for three adverse events: upper-third of the esophagus (esophageal edema), middle-third (atrial fibrillation), and lower-third, the most vascular region (anemia). Also, patients with large tumors (>10 cm) were more likely to experience anemia. Two of 17 patients with complete esophageal obstruction from tumor experienced esophageal perforations, which were considered to be possibly treatment associated; these perforations occurred during subsequent endoscopies.
Serious and other notable adverse events observed in less than 5% of PDT-treated patients with obstructing esophageal cancer in the clinical studies include the following; their relationship to therapy is uncertain. In the gastrointestinal system, esophageal perforation, gastric ulcer, ileus, jaundice, and peritonitis have occurred. Sepsis has been reported occasionally. Cardiovascular events have included angina pectoris, bradycardia, myocardial infarction, sick sinus syndrome, and supraventricular tachycardia. Respiratory events of bronchitis, bronchospasm, laryngotracheal edema, pneumonitis, pulmonary hemorrhage, pulmonary edema, respiratory failure, and stridor have occurred. The temporal relationship of some gastrointestinal, cardiovascular and respiratory events to the administration of light was suggestive of mediastinal inflammation in some patients. Vision-related events of abnormal vision, diplopia, eye pain and photophobia have been reported.
Obstructing Endobronchial Cancer
Table 8 presents adverse events that were reported over the entire follow-up period in at least 5% of patients with obstructing endobronchial cancer treated with PHOTOFRIN® PDT or Nd:YAG. These data are based on the 86 patients who received the currently marketed formulation. Since it seems likely that most adverse events caused by these acute acting therapies would occur within 30 days of treatment, Table 8 presents those events occurring within 30 days of a treatment procedure, as well as those occurring over the entire follow-up period. It should be noted that follow-up was 33% longer for the PDT group than for the Nd:YAG group, thereby introducing a bias against PDT when adverse event rates are compared for the entire follow-up period. The extent of follow-up in the 30-day period following treatment was comparable between groups (only 9% more for PDT).
TABLE 8. Adverse Events Reported in 5% or More of Patients with Obstructing Endobronchial Cancer
- Follow-up was 33% longer for the PDT group than for the Nd:YAG group, introducing a bias against PDT when adverse events are compared for the entire follow-up period.
Number (%) of Patients BODY SYSTEM/
Within 30 Days
Patients with at Least One Adverse Event 43 (50) 33 (38) 62 (72) 48 (56) BODY AS A WHOLE Back pain 3 (3) 1 (1) 3 (3) 5 (6) Chest pain 6 (7) 6 (7) 7 (8) 8 (9) Edema peripheral 3 (3) 3 (3) 4 (5) 3 (3) Fever 7 (8) 7 (8) 14 (16) 8 (9) Pain 1 (1) 4 (5) 4 (5) 8 (9) CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM Dysphonia 3 (3) 2 (2) 4 (5) 2 (2) GASTROINTESTINAL Constipation 4 (5) 1 (1) 4 (5) 2 (2) Dyspepsia 1 (1) 4 (5) 2 (2) 5 (6) PSYCHIATRIC Anxiety 3 (3) 0 (0) 5 (6) 0 (0) Insomnia 4 (5) 2 (2) 4 (5) 3 (4) RESPIRATORY Bronchitis 9 (10) 2 (2) 9 (10) 2 (2) Coughing 5 (6) 8 (9) 13 (15) 11 (13) Dyspnea 15 (17) 7 (8) 26 (30) 13 (15) Hemoptysis 6 (7) 5 (6) 14 (16) 7 (8) Pleural effusion 0 (0) 0 (0) 4 (5) 1 (1) Pneumonia 5 (6) 4 (5) 10 (12) 5 (6) Pneumothorax 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 4 (5) Respiratory insufficiency 0 (0) 0 (0) 5 (6) 1 (1) Sputum increased 4 (5) 5 (6) 7 (8) 6 (7) SKIN & APPENDAGES Photosensitivity reaction 16 (19) 0 (0) 18 (21) 0 (0)
Transient inflammatory reactions in PDT-treated patients occur in about 10% of patients and manifest as fever, bronchitis, chest pain, and dyspnea. The incidences of bronchitis and dyspnea were higher with PDT than with Nd:YAG. Most cases of bronchitis occurred within 1 week of treatment and all but one were mild or moderate in intensity. The events usually resolved within 10 days with antibiotic therapy. Treatment-related worsening of dyspnea is generally transient and self-limiting. Debridement of the treated area is mandatory to remove exudate and necrotic tissue. Life-threatening respiratory insufficiency likely due to therapy occurred in 3% of PDT-treated patients and 2% of Nd:YAG-treated patients (see WARNINGS and PRECAUTIONS).
There was a trend toward a higher rate of fatal massive hemoptysis (FMH) occurring on the PDT arm (10%) versus the Nd:YAG arm (5%), however, the rate of FMH occurring within 30 days of treatment was the same for PDT and Nd:YAG (4% total events, 3% treatment-associated events). Patients who have received radiation therapy have a higher incidence of FMH after treatment with PDT and after other forms of local therapy than patients who have not received radiation therapy, but analyses suggest that this increased risk may be due to associated prognostic factors such as having a centrally located tumor. The incidence of FMH in patients previously treated with radiotherapy was 21% (6/29) in the PDT group and 10% (3/29) in the Nd:YAG group. In patients with no prior radiotherapy, the overall incidence of FMH was less than 1%. Characteristics of patients at high risk for FMH are described in WARNINGS and CONTRAINDICATIONS.
Other serious or notable adverse events were observed in less than 5% of PDT-treated patients with endobronchial cancer; their relationship to therapy is uncertain. In the respiratory system, pulmonary thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, and lung abscess have occurred. Cardiac failure, sepsis, and possible cerebrovascular accident have also been reported in one patient each.
Superficial Endobronchial Tumors
The following adverse events were reported over the entire follow-up period in at least 5% of patients with superficial tumors (microinvasive or carcinoma in situ) who received the currently marketed formulation.
TABLE 9. Adverse Events Reported in 5% or More of Patients* with Superficial Endobronchial Tumors
- Based on adverse events reported at any time during the entire period of follow-up.
Adverse Event Number (%) of Patients
Patients with at Least One Adverse Event 44 (49%) Photosensitivity reaction 20 (22%) Coughing 8 (9%) Dyspnea 6 (7%) Edema 16 (18%) Exudate 20 (22%) Obstruction 19 (21%) Stricture 10 (11%) Ulceration 8 (9%)
In patients with superficial endobronchial tumors, 44 of 90 patients (49%) experienced an adverse event, two-thirds of which were related to the respiratory system. The most common reaction to therapy was a mucositis reaction in one-fifth of the patients, which manifested as edema, exudate, and obstruction. The obstruction (mucus plug) is easily removed with suction or forceps. Mucositis can be minimized by avoiding exposure of normal tissue to excessive light (see PRECAUTIONS). Three patients experienced life-threatening dyspnea: one was given a double dose of light, one was treated concurrently in both mainstem bronchi and the other had had prior pneumonectomy and was treated in the sole remaining main airway (see WARNINGS). Stent placement was required in 3% of the patients due to endobronchial stricture. Fatal massive hemoptysis occurred within 30 days of treatment in one patient with superficial tumors (1%).
High-Grade Dysplasia (HGD) in Barrett’s Esophagus (BE)
Table 10 presents adverse events that were reported, regardless of the relationship to treatment, over the follow-up period in at least 5% of patients with HGD in BE in either controlled or uncontrolled clinical trials.
Table 10. Treatment Emergent Adverse Events Reported in ≥5% of Patients Treated with PHOTOFRIN® PDT in the Clinical Trials on High-Grade Dysplasia in Barrett’s Esophagus*
- Includes all HGD patients in the Safety population from PHO BAR 01 (N=133), TCSC 93-07 (N=44), and TCSC 96-01 (N=42)
- Includes all HGD patients in the Safety population from PHO BAR 01 (N=69)
- Includes patients with Barrett’s metaplasia, indefinite dysplasia, LGD, and adenocarcinoma at baseline in the Safety population from TCSC 93-07 (N=55) and TCSC 96-01 (N=44)
- In the controlled clinical trial, an esophageal stricture was defined as a fixed lumen narrowing with solid food dysphagia which required dilations. In the uncontrolled clinical trials, an esophageal stricture was defined as any dilated esophageal narrowing.
- An esophageal narrowing was defined as an undilated esophageal stenosis.
NOTE: Adverse events classified using MedDRA 5.0 dictionary, except esophageal strictures/narrowing.
Treatment Groups BODY SYSTEM/ Adverse Event HGD*
PDT + OM
Patients with at Least One Adverse Event 217 (99) 51 (74) 99 (100) 316 (99) GASTROINTESTINAL 180 (82) 25 (36) 87 (88) 267 (84) Nausea 61 (28) 5 (7) 63 (64) 124 (39) Esophageal Stricture§ 85 (39) 0 37 (37) 122 (38) Vomiting 72 (33) 4 (6) 35 (35) 107 (34) Dysphagia 50 (23) 1 (1) 27 (27) 77 (24) Esophageal Narrowing¶ 60 (27) 4 (6) 16 (16) 76 (24) Constipation 45 (21) 5 (7) 9 (9) 54 (17) Abdominal Pain (Upper, lower, NOS) 32 (15) 4 (6) 8 (8) 40 (12) Diarrhea 22 (10) 7 (10) 6 (6) 28 (9) Esophageal Pain 15 (7) 0 9 (9) 24 (8) Hiccup 18 (8) 0 1 (1) 19 (6) Dyspepsia 12 (5) 3 (4) 6 (6) 18 (6) Odynophagia 13 (6) 0 4 (4) 17 (5) Eructation 11 (5) 0 4 (4) 15 (5) GENERAL and ADMINISTRATION SITE CONDITIONS 135 (62) 17 (25) 66 (67) 201 (63) Chest Pain 71 (32) 8 (12) 40 (40) 111 (35) Pyrexia 47 (21) 3 (4) 13 (13) 60 (19) Chest Discomfort 14 (6) 1 (1) 21 (21) 35 (11) Pain 17 (8) 2 (3) 7 (7) 24 (8) Fatigue 13 (6) 2 (3) 0 13 (4) SKIN and SUBCUTANEOUS TISSUE 120 (55) 8 (12) 29 (29) 149 (47) Photosensitivity Reaction 101 (46) 0 16 (16) 117 (37) Rash 14 (6) 3 (4) 7 (7) 21 (7) Pruritis 13 (6) 1 (1) 1 (1) 14 (4) RESPIRATORY, THORACIC and MEDIASTINAL 67 (31) 21 (30) 22 (22) 89 (28) Pleural Effusion 25 (11) 0 15 (15) 40 (13) Dyspnea 16 (7) 3 (4) 4 (4) 20 (6) INFECTIONS and INFESTATIONS 58 (26) 22 (32) 8 (8) 66 (21) Sinusitis 11 (5) 3 (4) 2 (2) 13 (4) Bronchitis 10 (5) 3 (4) 2 (2) 12 (4) METABOLISM and NUTRITION 53 (24) 9 (13) 16 (16) 69 (22) Dehydration 24 (11) 2 (3) 8 (8) 32 (10) Anorexia 6 (3) 2 (3) 8 (8) 14 (4) NERVOUS SYSTEM 51 (23) 14 (20) 11 (11) 62 (19) Headache 17 (8) 6 (9) 2 (2) 19 (6) INJURY, POISONING and PROCEDURAL 42 (19) 10 (14) 19 (19) 61 (19) Post Procedural Pain 16 (7) 1 (1) 14 (14) 30 (9) Sunburn 8 (4) 0 6 (6) 14 (4) MUSCULOSKELETAL and CONNECTIVE TISSUE 46 (21) 18 (26) 9 (9) 55 (17) Back Pain 15 (7) 4 (6) 1 (1) 16 (5) Arthralgia 10 (5) 6 (9) 1 (1) 11 (3) INVESTIGATIONS 41 (19) 5 (7) 14 (14) 55 (17) Weight Decreased 17 (8) 2 (3) 3 (3) 20 (6) Body Temperature Increased 8 (4) 0 8 (8) 16 (5) PSYCHIATRIC 37 (17) 8 (12) 4 (4) 41 (13) Insomnia 11 (5) 3 (4) 1 (1) 12 (4) Depression 10 (5) 3 (4) 0 10 (3) Anxiety 10 (5) 1 (1) 0 10 (3) VASCULAR 25 (11) 6 (9) 4 (4) 29 (9) Hypertension 10 (5) 1 (1) 0 10 (3)
In the PHOTOFRIN® PDT + OM group, severe treatment-associated adverse events included chest pain of non-cardiac origin, dysphagia, nausea, vomiting, regurgitation, and heartburn. The severity of these symptoms decreased within 4 to 6 weeks following treatment.
The majority of the photosensitivity reactions occurred within 90 days following PHOTOFRIN® injection and was of mild (69%) or moderate (24%) intensity. Almost all (98%) of the photosensitivity reactions were considered to be associated with treatment. Fourteen (10%) patients reported severe reactions, all of which resolved. The typical reaction was described as skin disorder, sunburn or rash, and affected mostly the face, hands, and neck. Associated symptoms and signs were swelling, pruritis, erythema, blisters, itching, burning sensation, and feeling of heat.
The majority of esophageal stenosis and strictures reported in the PHOTOFRIN® PDT + OM group were of mild (55%) or moderate (37%) intensity, while approximately 8% were of severe intensity. The majority of esophageal strictures were reported during Course 2 of treatment. All esophageal strictures were considered to be associated with treatment. Most esophageal strictures were manageable through dilations (see PRECAUTIONS).
In patients with esophageal cancer, PDT with PHOTOFRIN® may result in anemia due to tumor bleeding. No significant effects were observed for other parameters in patients with endobronchial carcinoma or with HGD in BE.
There is no information on overdosage situations involving PHOTOFRIN®. Higher than recommended drug doses of two 2 mg/kg doses given two days apart (10 patients) and three 2 mg/kg doses given within two weeks (1 patient), were tolerated without notable adverse reactions. Effects of overdosage on the duration of photosensitivity are unknown. Laser treatment should not be given if an overdose of PHOTOFRIN® is administered. In the event of an overdose, patients should protect their eyes and skin from direct sunlight or bright indoor lights for 30 days. At this time, patients should test for residual photosensitivity (see PRECAUTIONS). PHOTOFRIN® is not dialyzable.
Overdose of Laser Light Following PHOTOFRIN® Injection
Light doses of two to three times the recommended dose have been administered to a few patients with superficial endobronchial tumors. One patient experienced life-threatening dyspnea and the others had no notable complications. Increased symptoms and damage to normal tissue might be expected following an overdose of light. There is no information on overdose of laser light following PHOTOFRIN® injection in patients with esophageal cancer or in patients with high-grade dysplasia in Barrett’s esophagus.
DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION
Photodynamic therapy with PHOTOFRIN® is a two-stage process requiring administration of both drug and light. The first stage of PDT is the intravenous injection of PHOTOFRIN® at 2 mg/kg. Illumination with laser light 40−50 hours following injection with PHOTOFRIN® constitutes the second stage of therapy. A second laser light application may be given 96-120 hours after injection, preceded by gentle debridement of residual tumor (see Administration of Laser Light). In clinical studies on esophageal and endobronchial cancers, debridement via endoscopy was required 2-3 days after the initial light application. Standard endoscopic techniques are used for light administration and debridement. Practitioners should be fully familiar with the patient’s condition and trained in the safe and efficacious treatment of esophageal or endobronchial cancer, or high-grade dysplasia in Barrett’s esophagus using photodynamic therapy with PHOTOFRIN® and associated light delivery devices.
For the treatment of esophageal and endobronchial cancer, patients may receive a second course of PDT a minimum of 30 days after the initial therapy; up to three courses of PDT (each separated by a minimum of 30 days) can be given. Before each course of treatment, patients with esophageal cancer should be evaluated for the presence of a tracheoesophageal or bronchoesophageal fistula (see CONTRAINDICATIONS). In patients with endobronchial lesions who have recently undergone radiotherapy, sufficient time (approximately 4 weeks) should be allowed between the therapies to ensure that the acute inflammation produced by radiotherapy has subsided prior to PDT (see PRECAUTIONS, Use Before or After Radiotherapy). All patients should be evaluated for the possibility that the tumor may be eroding into a major blood vessel (see CONTRAINDICATIONS).
For the ablation of high-grade dysplasia in Barrett’s esophagus, patients may receive an additional course of PDT at a minimum of 90 days after the initial therapy; up to three courses of PDT (each injection separated by a minimum of 90 days) can be given to a previously treated segment which still shows high-grade dysplasia, low-grade dysplasia, or Barrett’s metaplasia, or to a new segment if the initial Barrett’s segment was >7 cm in length. Both residual and additional segments may be treated in the same light session(s) provided that the total length of the segments treated with the balloon/diffuser combination is not greater than 7 cm. In the case of a previously treated esophageal segment, if it has not sufficiently healed and/or histological assessment of biopsies is not clear, the subsequent course of PDT may be delayed for an additional 1-2 months.
PHOTOFRIN® should be administered as a single slow intravenous injection over 3 to 5 minutes at 2 mg/kg body weight. Reconstitute each vial of PHOTOFRIN® with 31.8 mL of either 5% Dextrose Injection (USP) or 0.9% Sodium Chloride Injection (USP), resulting in a final concentration of 2.5 mg/mL. Shake well until dissolved. Do not mix PHOTOFRIN® with other drugs in the same solution. PHOTOFRIN®, reconstituted with 5% Dextrose Injection (USP) or with 0.9% Sodium Chloride Injection (USP), has a pH in the range of 7 to 8. PHOTOFRIN® has been formulated with an overage to deliver the 75 mg labeled quantity. The reconstituted product should be protected from bright light and used immediately. Reconstituted PHOTOFRIN® is an opaque solution, in which detection of particulate matter by visual inspection is extremely difficult. Reconstituted PHOTOFRIN®, however, like all parenteral drug products, should be inspected visually for particulate matter and discoloration prior to administration whenever solution and container permit.
Precautions should be taken to prevent extravasation at the injection site. If extravasation occurs, care must be taken to protect the area from light. There is no known benefit from injecting the extravasation site with another substance.
Administration of Laser Light
Esophageal and Endobronchial Cancer
Initiate 630 nm wavelength laser light delivery to the patient 40−50 hours following injection with PHOTOFRIN®. A second laser light treatment may be given as early as 96 hours or as late as 120 hours after the initial injection with PHOTOFRIN®. No further injection of PHOTOFRIN® should be given for such retreatment with laser light. Before providing a second laser light treatment, the residual tumor should be debrided. Vigorous debridement may cause tumor bleeding. For endobronchial tumors, debridement of necrotic tissue should be discontinued when the volume of bleeding increases, as this may indicate that debridement has gone beyond the zone of the PDT treatment effect.
The laser system must be approved for delivery of a stable power output at a wavelength of 630 ± 3 nm. Light is delivered to the tumor by cylindrical OPTIGUIDE™ fiber optic diffusers passed through the operating channel of an endoscope/bronchoscope. Instructions for use of the fiber optic and the selected laser system should be read carefully before use. OPTIGUIDE™ cylindrical diffusers are available in several lengths. The choice of diffuser tip length depends on the length of the tumor. Diffuser length should be sized to avoid exposure of nonmalignant tissue to light and to prevent overlapping of previously treated malignant tissue.
Photoactivation of PHOTOFRIN® is controlled by the total light dose delivered:
- In the treatment of esophageal cancer, a light dose of 300 J/cm of diffuser length should be delivered. The total power output at the fiber tip is set to deliver the appropriate light dose using exposure times of 12 minutes and 30 seconds.
- In the treatment of endobronchial cancer, the light dose should be 200 J/cm of diffuser length. The total power output at the fiber tip is set to deliver the appropriate light dose using exposure times of 8 minutes and 20 seconds. For noncircumferential endobronchial tumors that are soft enough to penetrate, interstitial fiber placement is preferred to intraluminal activation, since this method produces better efficacy and results in less exposure of the normal bronchial mucosa to light. It is important to perform a debridement 2 to 3 days after each light administration to minimize the potential for obstruction caused by necrotic debris (see PRECAUTIONS).
Refer to the OPTIGUIDE™ instructions for use for complete instructions concerning the fiber optic diffuser.
High-Grade Dysplasia (HGD) in Barrett’s Esophagus (BE)
Approximately 40-50 hours after PHOTOFRIN® administration light should be delivered by a X-Cell Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) Balloon with Fiber Optic Diffuser. The choice of fiber optic/balloon diffuser combination will depend on the length of Barrett’s mucosa to be treated (Table 11).
TABLE 11. Fiber Optic Diffuser/Balloon Combination*
- Whenever possible, the BE segment selected for treatment should include normal tissue margins of a few millimeters at the proximal and distal ends.
Treated Barrett’s Mucosa Length
Fiber Optic Diffuser Size
Balloon Window Size
6-7 9 7 4-5 7 5 1-3 5 3
Light Doses: Photoactivation is controlled by the total light dose delivered. The objective is to expose and treat all areas of HGD and the entire length of BE. The light dose administered will be 130 J/cm of diffuser length using a centering balloon. Based on the pivotal clinical study, acceptable light intensity for the balloon/diffuser combinations range from 200-270 mW/cm of diffuser.
To calculate the light dose, the following specific light dosimetry equation applies for all fiber optic diffusers:
Table 12 provides the settings that will be used to deliver the dose within the shortest time (light intensity of 270 mW/cm). A second option (light intensity of 200 mW/cm) has also been included where necessary to accommodate lasers with a total capacity that does not exceed 2.5 W.
TABLE 12. Fiber Optic Power Outputs and Treatment Times Required to Deliver 130 J/cm of Diffuser Length Using the Centering Balloon
- as measured by immersing the diffuser into the cuvet in the power meter and slowly increasing the laser power. Note: No more than 1.5 times the required diffuser power output should be needed from the laser. If more than this is required, the system should be checked.
3 5 270 1350 480 8:00 5 7 270 1900 480 8:00 7 9 270 2440 480 8:00 200 1800 650 10:50
Short fiber diffusers (≤ 2.5 cm) are to be used to pretreat nodules with 50 J/cm of diffuser length prior to regular balloon treatment in the first laser light session or for the treatment of "skip" areas (i.e., an area that does not show sufficient mucosal response) after the first light session. For this treatment, the fiber optic diffuser is used without a centering balloon, and a light intensity of 400 mW/cm should be used. For nodule pre-treatment and treatment of skipped areas, care should be taken to minimize exposure to normal tissue as it is also sensitized. Table 13 lists appropriate fiber optic power outputs and treatment times using a light intensity of 400 mW/cm.
TABLE 13. Short Fiber Optic Diffusers to be Used Without a Centering Balloon to Deliver 50 J/cm of Diffuser Length at a Light Intensity of 400 mW/cm
- as measured by immersing the diffuser into the cuvet in the power meter and slowly increasing the laser power. Note: No more than 1.5 times the required diffuser power output should be needed from the laser. If more than this is required, the system should be checked.
Required Power Output
1.0 400 125 2:05 1.5 600 125 2:05 2.0 800 125 2:05 2.5 1000 125 2:05
A maximum of 7 cm of esophageal mucosa is treated at the first light session using an appropriate size of centering balloon and fiber optic diffuser (Table 11). Whenever possible, the segment selected for the first light application should contain all the areas of HGD. Also, whenever possible, the Barrett’s esophagus (BE) segment selected for the first light application should include normal tissue margin of a few millimeters at the proximal and distal ends.
Nodules are to be pretreated at a light dose of 50 J/cm of diffuser length with a short (≤ 2.5 cm) fiber optic diffuser placed directly against the nodule followed by standard balloon application as described above.
Repeat Light Application
A second laser light application may be given to a previously treated segment that shows a "skip" area, using a short, ≤ 2.5 cm fiber optic diffuser at the light dose of 50 J/cm of the diffuser length. Patients with BE >7 cm, should have the remaining untreated length of Barrett’s epithelium treated with a second PDT course at least 90 days later.
The treatment regimen is summarized in Table 14.
TABLE 14. High-Grade Dysplasia in Barrett's Esophagus of > 7 cm
- Discrete nodules will receive an initial light application of 50 J/cm (using a short diffuser) before the balloon light application.
Procedure Study Day Light Delivery Devices Treatment Intent PHOTOFRIN® Injection Day 1 NA Uptake of photosensitizer Laser Light Application Day 3* 3, 5 or 7 cm balloon (130 J/cm) Photoactivation Laser Light Application (Optional) Day 5 Short (≤ 2.5 cm) fiber optic diffuser (50 J/cm) Treatment of "skip" areas only
PHOTOFRIN® (porfimer sodium) for Injection is supplied as a freeze-dried cake or powder as follows:
NDC 58914-155-75 — 75 mg vial
PHOTOFRIN® freeze-dried cake or powder should be stored at Controlled Room Temperature 20−25°C (68−77°F) [see USP].
Spills and Disposal
Spills of PHOTOFRIN® should be wiped up with a damp cloth. Skin and eye contact should be avoided due to the potential for photosensitivity reactions upon exposure to light; use of rubber gloves and eye protection is recommended. All contaminated materials should be disposed of in a polyethylene bag in a manner consistent with local regulations.
PHOTOFRIN® is neither a primary ocular irritant nor a primary dermal irritant. However, because of its potential to induce photosensitivity, PHOTOFRIN® might be an eye and/or skin irritant in the presence of bright light. It is important to avoid contact with the eyes and skin during preparation and/or administration. As with therapeutic overdosage, any overexposed person must be protected from bright light.
WYETH-AYERST LEDERLE PARENTERALS, INC.
Carolina, Puerto Rico 00987
Axcan Scandipharm Inc.
Birmingham, AL 35242
For inquiries call Axcan Scandipharm Inc. at:
September 29, 2005
INGREDIENTS AND APPEARANCE
porfimer sodium injection, powder, for solution
Product Information Product Type HUMAN PRESCRIPTION DRUG Item Code (Source) NDC:58914-155 Route of Administration INTRAVENOUS Active Ingredient/Active Moiety Ingredient Name Basis of Strength Strength porfimer sodium (UNII: Y3834SIK5F) (porfimer - UNII:M15H03K69B) 2.5 mg in 1 mL Inactive Ingredients Ingredient Name Strength hydrochloric acid (UNII: QTT17582CB) sodium hydroxide (UNII: 55X04QC32I) Packaging # Item Code Package Description Marketing Start Date Marketing End Date 1 NDC:58914-155-75 30 mL in 1 VIAL Labeler - Axcan Scandipharm Inc. | <urn:uuid:e72b35fa-0bab-4ca6-9b0a-f97d7c6f5645> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=f5fdda24-da7d-4e61-936e-9d1a55056b82 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572127.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815024523-20220815054523-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.91825 | 16,927 | 1.789063 | 2 |
More than 250 people from around the United States gathered for the virtual event “Women in Tech: Finding Your Path.” The Tech Interactive and Miss CEO co-hosted the event and the Intuitive Foundation helped to present it. The program began with a discussion between Miss CEO founder Nita Singh Kaushal and educator, author and parent Esther Wojcicki about navigating careers in tech. The second half of the program connected more than 125 teens with women STEM professionals in breakout sessions. During these sessions, students could ask questions and get advice.
“Over the past year, I’ve learned how STEM intersects with so many areas I’m interested in. It has a place for all people,” said Tia Quon, Tech Student Board member and junior at Notre Dame High School. “Events like these are so important because they give students time to reflect, connect and share our perspective to create a better world.”
Encouraging future STEM leaders
This annual event marks the capstone of the Girls at The Tech program. The program’s mission is to build a pipeline of opportunities for girls that nurture their interest, boost their skills and solidify their confidence in STEM. It engages girls and their families in STEM activities and the annual youth engineering program The Tech Challenge. It also provides professional development for educators focused on inclusion and engineering design.
“The traditional career model was you went to college, chose a major, got a job, worked there forever and then retired. Today, the majority of people don’t do that — they have multiple jobs and paths,” said Wojcicki. “I want girls to constantly be learning, believe in themselves and ask difficult questions. When they try what’s fun and are allowed to be independent, they’ll never lose sight of their goal.”
About The Tech Interactive
The Tech Interactive is a family-friendly science and technology center in the heart of downtown San Jose. Our hands-on activities, experimental labs and design challenge experiences empower people to innovate with creativity, curiosity and compassion. The Tech is a world leader in the creation of immersive STEAM education resources. Its goal is to develop the next generation of problem-solvers locally, nationally and globally. We believe that everyone is born an innovator who can change the world for the better. Visit thetech.org.
Read about how female STEM leaders have changed the world! | <urn:uuid:76c0b799-fa6d-4216-9a98-a922accc1cf1> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://lionessmagazine.com/the-tech-convenes-top-stem-professionals-to-advise-young-women-on-career-paths/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572127.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815024523-20220815054523-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.958697 | 508 | 1.992188 | 2 |
NEW PRODUCTS – Barcode Reader/Scanner Module – CCD Camera in USB and PS/2
NEW PRODUCT – Barcode Reader/Scanner Module – CCD Camera – USB Interface – Decode nearly any kind of 1D (striped) barcode in your project using this adorable compact barcode scanner. We’ve looked all over for a small, light, low-power module that can be easily integrated. This OEM scanner has a little camera inside that takes 100 photos per second, instead of using a ‘scanning mirror’ assembly. This means its less likely to get damaged or out of alignment.
This all in one module is the simplest we could find. On the end is just a USB cable, plug it into any computer (or microcomputer such as BeagleBone, Raspberry Pi, etc) and it will show up as an HID keyboard. When a barcode is scanned, the raw data is decoded, parity-checked and spit out as if they were typed on a keyboard.
Like all barcode scanners, you can do some basic configuration by powering it up and ‘scanning’ in special barcodes in the manual. For example you can change the delay between ‘typed’ characters, or what the terminating character, if any, should be. Check the download tab for the printable manual. If you’d like to set up the scanner to be different than the default, print it out on plain white paper and scan each ‘configuration’ code. The config will be saved to non-volatile memory so you only have to do it once.
This reader will read a wide variety of barcode standards. The most common ones such as CODE39 and UPC are supported out of the box. To enable some of the rarer standards, check the manual as you may have to ‘scan configure’ to enable it.
NEW PRODUCT – Barcode Reader/Scanner Module – CCD Camera – PS/2 Interface – This all in one module is the most microcontroller-friendly we could find. It is powered over 5V and instead of a USB port, it has a PS/2 interface and acts like a ‘keyboard’. In fact, its designed to be a ‘pass through keyboard wedge’ device for point-of-sale terminals. What’s nice about PS/2 is that it uses a single connector for power and data, and uses two data pins. When a barcode is scanned, the raw data is decoded, parity-checked and spit out as if they were typed on a keyboard.
Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand. | <urn:uuid:db74e817-5d72-4ca9-b110-493f3d8af35e> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://blog.adafruit.com/2013/01/15/new-products-barcode-readerscanner-module-ccd-camera-in-usb-and-ps2/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572286.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20220816090541-20220816120541-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.898369 | 742 | 1.773438 | 2 |
East Grinstead To Heathrow Distance
Distance between East Grinstead and Heathrow is 6981 KM
(kilometers) and 208.53 meters. East Grinstead is 4337.9 miles away from Heathrow.
East Grinstead and Heathrow Location
East Grinstead is located in the United_Kingdom state of England at the longitude of -0 and latitude of 51.1. Heathrow is located in the USA state of Florida at the longitude of -81.3 and latitude of 28.8.
East Grinstead direction from Heathrow
East Grinstead is located nearly east
side to Heathrow. East Grinstead To Heathrow road map direction from google will be integrated.
Time difference between East Grinstead and Heathrow
Time difference between East Grinstead and Heathrow is 5.4213333333333 decimal hours (5 : 25 : 16.800000000006
). East Grinstead universal time is 12.001333333333 UTC and Heathrow universal time is 17.422666666667 UTC. East Grinstead is behind Heathrow 5 hours and 25 Minutes and 16.800000000006 seconds.
Travel distance from East Grinstead
Traveling distance are available for the following cities East Grinstead to Crawley distance
, East Grinstead to Gatwick Airport distance
, East Grinstead to Heathrow distance
, East Grinstead to London distance
, East Grinstead to Woking distance
, East Kilbride to Aberdeen distance
East Grinstead To Heathrow Travel Time
Travel time from East Grinstead To Heathrow will take 174 hours and 31.81 minutes if the vehicle keep an average speed of sixty kilometer per hour. Travel time by walk may take around 872.7 hours if you continuously walk at the speed of 6KM.
East Grinstead Heathrow information Note:
All information in this page about East Grinstead and Heathrow are approximate details. It is crow flies distance so the above travel information may be differ from motor road distance.
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Reference:Distance between East Grinstead and Heathrow | <urn:uuid:db51fdb4-180c-4372-9832-00cccd4a04d0> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | http://distance4.com/distance/East_Grinstead/Heathrow | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572286.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20220816090541-20220816120541-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.841283 | 547 | 1.9375 | 2 |
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines cancel culture as “the practice or tendency of engaging in mass cancelling as a way of expressing disapproval and exerting social pressure.”
This is nothing new; we see numerous examples of what we now call “cancel culture” in history. We cancelled people we disapproved of during witch hunts. The aristocracy was also brutally cancelled during the French Revolution. During the Cold War, many were unjustly accused of being communists. It is difficult to find a time in history when cancelling did not happen.
In the age of social media, we have seen a new era of cancel culture emerge. We still use one-word definitions to confine those we disagree with, no matter where we lie on the political spectrum, but the most stinging and damning accusations today seem to come from the far-left.
This topic has been studied thoroughly by John McWhorter of Columbia University, who has published the book Woke Racism. He uses the example of Leslie Neil-Boylan, the former head of nursing at the University of Massachusetts to illustrate his point. She stated that not only do black lives matter, all lives matter in healthcare. She was not against the Black Lives Matter movement, she was pointing out the importance of equality for all in her field, regardless of race. In her statement she was trying to acknowledge the frequent mistreatment of African Americans in the healthcare system, but that didn’t seem to matter to her accusers. Neal-Boylan’s career was derailed and she was cancelled.
This is a case where cancel culture not only resulted in a competent person being fired from their job, it did nothing to improve the healthcare system in the United States. It can even be argued that it made things worse by stifling honest dialogue.
There is an alternative to being cancelled, but it has a price. Beginning in 2016, Jordan Peterson, a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto, was met with protests wherever he went because he expressed concern over the impact Bill C-16, which amended the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code with regard to gender expression and gender identity. He was labelled a misogynist and a sexist; he was called transphobic and even a Nazi.
Peterson refused to be defined by these terms and sought out opportunities to debate and argue his perspectives in a respectful manner. It turns out that Peterson is not a right-wing extremist nor a hatemonger. He is an intellectual who values free speech and honest dialogue. He demonstrates that we can respectfully disagree with one another. This is precisely the type of discourse that is needed to solve the complex problems being faced by the world in 2022.
We all benefit from honest discourse. The challenge is that these discussions require a certain amount of patience and humility. There is not a person who walks the earth who has complete understanding of the truth. Acknowledging that one may be wrong not a sign of weakness, it is a demonstration of wisdom.
By engaging in discourse, we are able to move forward as a society in the best way possible. When challenged in an honest debate, those who embrace hateful, dishonest and overly simplistic views will either be debunked or begin trying to intimidate those who disagree with them. Cancel culture plays right into the wheelhouse of those who are angry, fearful, manipulative, and insecure by shutting down honest discussion. This is a truth that we who consume media must be mindful of.
We live in an imperfect world inhabited by imperfect human beings. If we are accountable to ourselves in seeking truth, if we are honest and humble with one another we will find the answers to the problems we face. No one needs to be cancelled and those who reject this ideal will end up canceling themselves.
Gerry Chidiac is a Prince George writer. | <urn:uuid:304bf2e2-648c-4e20-986f-e2d1194e7285> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.squamishchief.com/highlights/opinion-cancel-cultures-latest-era-as-cruel-as-ever-5296496 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572127.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815024523-20220815054523-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.971162 | 782 | 2.859375 | 3 |
A soil quality management issue unique to tree nurseries is the removal of soil off site with sale of the ornamental trees and shrubs, which are harvested with a balled and burlapped (B and B) root ball. The amount of soil removed with B and B harvest and sale has been estimated as much as 5 cm per year. One piece of evidence that has been used to estimate soil loss during B&B tree harvest is the volume of the holes left behind. However, the soil balls wrapped for B and B removal are generally densely permeated with tree roots, leading some to assume that much or most of the ball removed consist of roots rather than soil. There is a dearth of published data on this soil removal or published methods that will allow for reliable calculation of soil being removed from individual enterprises.The main conclusion from this study is that a balled and burlapped (B and B) root ball consists almost entirely (99%) of soil and that the tree roots take up only a negligible portion of the mass and volume. Our results show that in fact the volume of the hole left behind is a reasonable estimate of the volume of soil removed. | <urn:uuid:45f7867b-c8e6-43d3-bc5d-24ae9a05179a> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://extension.umd.edu/resource/assessing-extent-soil-loss-nursery-tree-root-ball-excavation | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572286.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20220816090541-20220816120541-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.979339 | 236 | 3.1875 | 3 |
By: Teisha Lowry Cox
Today, a lot of people think that going to the gym is their answer to weight loss and living a happy and healthy life. Lashing it out at the gym is not necessarily the answer.
The biggest hurdle is overcoming “inactivity” which is affecting more and more people than ever before. Sedentary work life and sitting behind our technology is a huge problem and has been dubbed as “the biggest public health problem of the 21st century”.
From personal experience: I use to think my gym membership was the answer to my high consumption of donuts and cookies followed by nasty homogenised milk, but now…working in the industry for the last eight years, I have certainly changed my perspective on intense training and self-depreciation.
At my own studio, we interpret functional and primal exercises that work to achieve an individual’s goal. Not only do they make working out fun and interesting but it also restores function to the whole body – including your brain. Your body moves synergistically together and safely because you are generally using your own body weight as your apparatus rather than heavy weights and machines but rather creates a sense of self-awareness. This means exercise becomes productive rather than lazy and movement is utilising the whole body rather than isolating muscles and joints…which in everyday life we need functionality.
These days, many of us lack good balance or correct motor skills, from birth our bodies are growing and getting stronger from the simple caveman movements such as crawling, walking and running after our catch of the day, in primal terminology they are known as reptilian and dog crawling.
So what are primal movements? These are movements developed over thousands of years from the caveman days; these are based on key movements we as humans utilised to survive. Even though our lifestyle and environment have changed these exercises allow you to move and develop these into your daily tasks…such as squats, yes squats! With the proper instructor, you can perform this simple exercise so it impacts your whole body and not just your booty.
To restore one’s body to its peak potential you don’t need crazy weights and full on aerobic exercise classes. You can do it yourself at home by watching the millions of Youtube videos (which are free) or if you’re stuck on where to start, just start walking and focus on your breathing! Seriously, walking is so underrated. If you really want to work on this movement stuff, finding functional personal trainers who are far more advanced in this area and work from a holistic POV. Private sessions are a great way to start, and once you have your foundations down, you could probably step it up or other group classes and other activities.
A real functional studio is not CrossFit and nor are the instructors yelling over the top of trance music, there should be no machines, cross trainers, weight machines and there should only be a few free weights, TRX suspension training and the use Olympic style exercises, resistance bands, large dynamic movements and a strong focus on core function and pelvic floor activation – that’s when you know you’ve found a proper functional training center. And they should assess your posture before you start any program! | <urn:uuid:256383f6-4ab5-4931-afc3-4126fae61207> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.athletessociety.com.au/2017/08/26/why-you-dont-need-a-gym/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571719.48/warc/CC-MAIN-20220812140019-20220812170019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.957019 | 659 | 1.796875 | 2 |
When you take a photograph from a digital digital camera of, say a good looking pastoral scene, and straightaway view it on the computer, or in print, what you see would be a subdued picture of the scene, removed to some extent from the fact that your eyes beheld while shooting. Just lately I led nature-based mostly workshops and created several positive artwork photography sequence, which incorporates abstract underwater nudes, at Breitenbush Hot Springs. Choose whether to display Pinterest pin button with the gallery images or not. Choose whether to have a preload for particular variety of gallery pictures first or have them all loaded and solely then displayed in the slide present of the gallery.
You’ll also discover a mixture of photos ranging from vintage photography to the most contemporary and trendy photography in these galleries. Whether you’re a eager photographer or a budding beginner, or simply enjoy admiring other folks’s creations, you may love what’s on supply at London’s high photographic galleries. Ditner has worked on exhibitions for the International Heart of Photography and the New Museum in New York, the Gwangju Biennale in South Korea, and the Ryerson Picture Middle in Toronto.
The gallery options work by greater than 50 renowned photographers and likewise represents a select group of contemporary and emerging photographers. Select whether or not to display Google+ share button with the gallery photographs or not. Choose the gallery image title font color. Any further Photograph Gallery E-commerce add-on enables customers to promote digital photographs and prints.
The Photographers’ Gallery always packs a punch. We invite artists who would like to be part of Soho Photograph Gallery to submit a portfolio for review. Outline the border with for the individual gallery pictures. You can use this selection so as to add several types of watermarks on your gallery photographs. The collection also contains sturdy examples from the custom of road images, together with works by Lewis Hine, Robert Frank, Helen Levitt, and Garry Winogrand, and notable images of battle and social upheaval by Larry Burrows, Dorothea Lange, W. Eugene Smith, and Charles Moore.
Allow clients to download their pictures straight out of your skilled gallery. If you happen to’re a photography fan, there’s certain to be a gallery or pictures assortment to inspire you. 6.3.12 Proper, left buttons border style. One of the earliest specialised images galleries in London, Hamiltons , founded in 1977, affords novel views on a few of the giants of twentieth century and contemporary photography. | <urn:uuid:36beb868-ab96-4dc8-bfc5-6cf974294d41> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | http://www.nomeessentado.com/exhibiting-high-quality-artwork-photography-modern-painting-sculpture-works-on-paper.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572286.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20220816090541-20220816120541-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.905137 | 526 | 1.53125 | 2 |
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has welcomed the 'reported commitment' by North Korea towards denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.
Bracing for an unprecedented meeting with US President Donald Trump, North Korea's reclusive dictator Kim made a secret trip to Beijing to seek Chinese President Xi Jinping's backing while pledging support for denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.
"The secretary-general welcomes the reported commitment by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to denuclearisation," a statement issued by the UN Chief's spokesman, Farhan Haq read on Wednesday.
"The secretary-general views the latest positive developments as the start of a longer process of sincere dialogue, leading to sustainable peace and denuclearisation on the Korean Peninsula," it said.
Answering questions on Guterres' response to the crucial meeting in Beijing, Haq told reporters here that the secretary-general hoped that all of the recent positive signals would help to lead towards the peaceful denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.
"Ultimately, we want to make sure that all of these steps can lead to sustainable peace and the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula in line with the resolutions of the Security Council," Haq said.
Kim undertook the surprise two-day visit to Beijing, his first known trip abroad since taking power in 2011. Chinese news agency Xinhua quoted Kim as telling Xi that "the friendship between North Korea and China that was personally created and nurtured together by former generations of leaders from both our sides is unshakable".
Following the meeting, US President Donald Trump tweeted that North Korea's reported commitment showed that the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula could be possible.
"For years and through many administrations, everyone said that peace and the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula was not even a small possibility. Now there is a good chance that Kim Jong-un will do what is right for his people and for humanity. Look forward to our meeting!," Trump said in a tweet.
"Received message last night from XI JINPING of China that his meeting with KIM JONG UN went very well and that KIM looks forward to his meeting with me. In the meantime, and unfortunately, maximum sanctions and pressure must be maintained at all cost!," he said.
Lindsey Ford, Director for Asian Security at Asia Society, said the Kim-Xi meet was a "stunning about-face for a relationship that had been overtly frosty in recent years.
"It shows degree to which both leaders felt need to seize the tactical initiative before their meetings with Trump and Moon (Jae-in)," she said. | <urn:uuid:c523f84c-a5cf-4535-a4be-f763fe17a05b> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://english.newsnationtv.com/world/news/un-chief-welcomes-commitment-by-n-korea-to-denuclearisation-194234.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572127.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815024523-20220815054523-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.971113 | 541 | 1.664063 | 2 |
Outdoor Cats – Advice For Cat Owners and Proud Gardeners
Cats like to roam. They like to be able to explore their territories, have some leisurely sunbathing spells when it’s warm and chase leaves when autumn arrives. Most people enjoy the company of cats going about their business, but some are less than thrilled. Not everyone likes cats, and they like it even less when their neatly kept gardens are affected.
It’s often assumed that cats can easily be turned into indoor pets. It’s certainly safer in certain areas, such as cities with lots of traffic, to keep your feline companion inside the house. Some cats don’t even want to venture outdoors; they’re quite contented snuggling up in front of the fireplace, so long as there are toys and interesting hiding places around for their entertainment.
In dangerous areas (dangerous to cats, at least), the average lifespan of an indoors feline is dramatically higher than the average lifespan of an outdoorsy cat. This stands to reason. Busy roads claim many victims, and there’s the risk of other wild animals, unsuitable food and a myriad of places for a cat to get stuck or hurt.
However, not every cat is contented with a safe, peaceful existence. That is why, especially in quieter areas and in the countryside, many people will allow their felines to explore the outdoors. There are risks, of course, but there are health benefits for the cats as well, like sensory and mental stimulation, and plenty of exercise.
Some cats are adopted as adults, and if they’ve been an outdoors cat all their lives, it’s difficult for them to adjust to such a big change. Some have a restless nature and get depressed when unable to roam.
The decision on whether or not to allow your cat out is down to you and the circumstances around you. You know best about the nature of your feline and the risks present in your immediate area.
If you do have an outdoors cat, I recommend getting them neutered/spayed. A neutered cat tends to stay closer to the home, which is helpful. It will also prevent unexpected kittens, either in your home or someone else’s!
There is the risk that not everyone will be thrilled about your cat’s outdoors adventures. Unfortunately, some people express their discontent in terrible ways, causing harm to felines and subsequent grief to owners.
Cats don’t acknowledge borders. They don’t understand that someone’s meticulously kept flowerbeds have not been placed there for digging and rolling around in. It can be helpful to have a chat with your neighbours and see how they feel about wandering cats.
There are ways to discourage cats from gardens. Cayenne pepper and mustard seeds are said to deter cats, but they can also deter other small mammals. Lemon-thyme, geranium and lavender are said to be unpopular with cats. Used tea leaves can be placed onto the garden soil to deter felines.
Most cats don’t like water, and a sprinkle from a water bottle won’t harm them but will very likely chase them away!
And odd but apparently effective solution is the use of lion or tiger droppings (available from some zoos). Dissolve a lump into a watering can and spray it around the garden.
Placing a length of hosepipe amongst your plants can help, because cats might confuse it for a snake and stay clear!
There are sprays for sale, but please make certain to check the ingredients, because some are harmful to cats and other wildlife. And whilst some people recommend the use of mothballs, they are toxic, so I certainly would not recommend them.
It really is best to communicate with your neighbours (and possibly share these tips). Many neighbours will welcome cats, but it’s advisable to make certain. Besides, if they welcome your feline, they’re more likely to keep an eye out for them which decreases the risks of the outdoors. | <urn:uuid:0c66a77a-eef8-403c-a32f-16efd417a686> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://castlemanager.net/outdoor-cats-advice-for-cat-owners-and-proud-gardeners.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572127.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815024523-20220815054523-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.955939 | 838 | 1.890625 | 2 |
Teaching would be easy if there were clear recipes you could follow every time. The Ingredients for Great Teaching explains why this is impossible and why a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work. Instead of recipes, this book examines the basic ingredients of teaching and learning so you can use them wisely in your own classroom in order to become a better and more effective teacher. Taking an approach that is both evidence-based and practical, author Pedro de Bruyckere explores ten crucial aspects of teaching, the research behind them and why they work like they do, combined with everyday classroom examples describing both good and bad practice. Key topics include: • Teacher subject knowledge • Evaluation and feedback • The importance of practice • Metacognition • Making students think This is essential reading for teachers everywhere.
Chapter 10: Have a Vision (And It Doesn’t Matter Which One)
Have a Vision (And It Doesn’t Matter Which One)
This chapter will explore the following questions:
- Why is it important for a school and a team to have a vision?
- Why is the actual nature of the vision then less important?
Imagine a school that has been constantly written about for more than two years. A school that people visit almost every day to see what the school is actually doing. A school that has both fanatical supporters and opponents. This school is called Michaela and it is in North London. Just mentioning the name of the headmistress, Katharine Birbalsingh, is enough to raise furious debate in British educational circles.
Your first thought might be that Michaela is a school ... | <urn:uuid:409c9931-6b88-481a-8fa8-e94f4be8e3f7> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://sk.sagepub.com/books/the-ingredients-for-great-teaching/i1264.xml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572127.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815024523-20220815054523-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.951827 | 346 | 3.546875 | 4 |
Starting iOS 14 users can change an app’s photos access permissions and choose to only give an app access to selected photos. In this tutorial you will learn how to change an app’s photos access permission and add or remove previously selected photos. iOS 14 brings many privacy focused features to iPhone and iPad.
Go along with the step by step guide to understand how to trust an app on iPhone: 1. After canceling the above pop-up, go to the 'Settings' app on your iPhone or other iOS device and click the 'General' tab. 2. You will find various options, tap on the 'Profiles', 'Device Management' or 'Profiles & Device Management' tab under the 'General' tab. First, tap Settings > iTunes & App Store and confirm the Apple ID used there. Then use that Apple ID to log into the Manage your Apple ID page. Make sure that your date of birth is correct. The Ask to Buy feature is part of Family Sharing. The family organizer can turn it off with these steps: Turn on Ask to Buy.
. The Verdict. Permissions for iPhone is a very handy application for people who want to find out which apps have access to their accounts. You could manage permissions for each service on its own without the app, of course, but ‘Permissions’ brings it all into a single place, and makes managing your permissions an efficient and streamlined process, and a lot more likely. Because apps that request access to the microphone on your iPhone (or iPad, or iPod Touch) should pop up a dialog box indicating that it needs access and requesting permission. My guess is that when you first launched the guitar tuner app it did just that but you interpreted it to mean something else and said “no”.
Toggle app permissions on or off Step 1 Open you iPhone's settings The exact position of this will depend on your home screen layout, but it looks like the above icon. Step 2 Open Privacy settings.
To check your apps’ permissions on Android, go to Settings >> Apps >> Select the app you want to check >> then tap Permissions. Here you’ll see all.
When you test any web application on iOS or Android devices, the permission pop-ups appear in the form of Allow/Block, Continue/Deny, etc options. To handle such pop-ups, irrespective of the options pressented, you can switch to NATIVE_APP context and use locators (by xpath, id, or css) to either allow or block the pop-ups.
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Open "Settings" from the home screen of your iPhone or iPad. In the settings menu, scroll down and tap on "General". Next, scroll down and head over to "Profiles & Device Management" as shown below. Tap on the developer name that's listed here to proceed further. Now, you'll be able to see the app that's tied to the developer.
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Tap “Location Services” at the very top of the list. Tap a listed app that has a widget, such as Weather. Now choose between the available options to manage widget location access. The following options are available: Never: Neither the widget nor its app have access to your location. Ask Next Time: Put up a permission prompt the next time.
3. TruthSpy. TruthSpy is another powerful iPhone spy app that is easy to set up on target phone. It is compatible with most smartphones, and so it integrates perfectly with iOS devices. TruthSpy monitors devices by regularly extracting data from the target phone and transmitting this data to the user’s device.
How to Track a Phone Without Them Knowing. Frequently Asked Questions. List of the Best Phone Tracker Apps w/o Permission. Comparing Top Undetectable Cell Phone Tracking Apps. #1) mSpy. #2) Cocospy. #3) eyeZy. #4) Hoverwatch. #5) GEOfinder.
Android & iOS Permissions Granted. Device owners can enable their camera by tapping the “Open Settings,” if they receive the aforementioned notification. In these cases, the app directs the user to the settings where they can toggle an icon to grant the app permission to use the camera. Another method is to manually navigate to the same.
Go Settings in your Android Device. As the very first thing, you will need to go settings in your Android device. Under settings, you may select Open "Settings" and click "Apps and Notifications". Step 2. Open Android Permission Controller Application. Under Apps and Notifications, you should locate permission manager.
With Apple's new iOS 14.5, apps have to seek your permission to track you. Tech writer Geoffrey Fowler takes us through what to tap, and two privacy settings to change immediately. Why? Because.
To manage permissions on phones running Android 6.0 or later: • Go to Android phone Settings app > Apps & Notifications (depending on your device, this may look different) > Signal > App Permissions (depending on your device, this may look different) > Turn permissions on.
Go along with the step by step guide to understand how to trust an app on iPhone: 1. After canceling the above pop-up, go to the 'Settings' app on your iPhone or other iOS device and click the 'General' tab. 2. You will find various options, tap on the 'Profiles', 'Device Management' or 'Profiles & Device Management' tab under the 'General' tab.
A Google engineer has demonstrated it is possible for a malicious iOS app to spy on a user, with a proof of concept app capable of photographing or recording from both iPhone cameras without the.
outdoor swivel bar stools | <urn:uuid:e61b3bd0-f4af-458e-85bb-91b04e926d05> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://ezwy.trend-store.pl/app-permissions-iphone.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571987.60/warc/CC-MAIN-20220813202507-20220813232507-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.893724 | 1,222 | 1.65625 | 2 |
Ernst Wilhelm Nay
"I live the adventure of the white canvas." (EWN, 1953)
Ernst Wilhelm Nay was a master of colour and its movement on canvas. Starting from a representational early work influenced by Expressionism, he developed abstract groups of works after the Second World War that dealt with the effect of colour and form on canvas: This includes groups of works such as "Hekate Bilder" (1945-1948), "Fugale Bilder" (1949-1951), "Rhythmische Bilder" (1952-53), "Scheibenbilder" (1954-62) and "Augenbilder" (1963-64). His "Späte Bilder" (1965-68), painted in clear colours and outlines, complete the circle to the beginning of his career with their reminiscences of representationalism. He also dealt scientifically with the subject of colour. In 1955 he published "Vom Gestaltwert der Farbe", which met with a great response in the art world. He understood his works as "flat art," without foreground or background, with the aim of making the colour surfaces oscillate: positive colours strive forwards, negative colours recede. Nay's equally virtuoso works on paper can be understood as his "diaries", which allow exciting conclusions to be drawn about his working methods and development and document his high artistic standards. | <urn:uuid:457e6b56-414a-427d-b305-64562c36cfd7> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://ausstellerverzeichnis.art-karlsruhe.de/vis/v1/en/exhibitors/art22.72114?oid=97&lang=2&_query=&f_type=prodinfo&f_prod=art22.01&f_area=mkh4&_sort=date_asc | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572127.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815024523-20220815054523-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.942476 | 301 | 2.78125 | 3 |
5 December 2008
HEBRON: Settlers attack Palestinians after Israeli military forcibly evacuates Occupied House
by Donna Hicks
On Thursday 4 December 2008, Israeli military and law enforcement forcibly evacuated Israeli settlers from the Occupied House, called the House of Peace or House of Contention by settlers, located between the Israeli settlement Kiryat Arba and Hebron’s Old City. Israeli courts had ordered its evacuation pending resolution in another court of competing claims on the legality of the building’s sale to the settlers.
Around 3:00 p.m., settlers threw large building blocks, planters full of dirt and plants, clothing, hot water, and other articles down into Old City’s market area from the Israeli settlement enclave of Avraham Avinu—endangering Palestinian shopkeepers and others working and walking in the alley beneath—while an Israeli soldier watched from an adjacent roof,
Palestinian families on Tel Rumeida, above the Muslim cemetery, reported that they were barricading themselves in their homes as Israelis from the settlement enclave there threw rocks at the doors and windows and hit the doors with their gun butts. Settlers burned some of the carpets in the mosque on Tel Rumeida, set fire to four cars parked next to the mosque and to trees near the Qurtuba Girls School, across Shuhada Street from the Beit Hadassah settlement enclave.
By late afternoon, Israeli authorities had declared Hebron and the southern West Bank a closed military zone in order to keep settlers from other parts of the West Bank from getting into Hebron to reinforce the local settlers | <urn:uuid:23581c74-5253-4992-b744-99402930371d> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://cpt.org/2008/12/05/hebron-settlers-attack-palestinians-after-israeli-military-forcibly-evacuates-occu | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572286.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20220816090541-20220816120541-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.96289 | 327 | 1.578125 | 2 |
In the past year at Google, CEO Sundar Pichai has focused on one thing: making Google smarter. The company has reoriented itself as an AI enterprise, and today at Google I/O—the company’s annual developer conference—we saw that plan in action. Google is harnessing its AI to power self-driving cars, surface smartphone apps before you ask for them, and make voice assistants that sound indistinguishable from humans. There were also updates to Android, Google Lens, Maps, and News—but the most important things Google is doing are invisible, happening underneath the surface of the products people use every day. If you missed Google’s big show, read everything you need to know right here. | <urn:uuid:e7e05c05-f255-4a5c-a495-74c13bad7435> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.wired.com/gallery/everything-google-announced-io-2018/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572127.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815024523-20220815054523-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.94597 | 150 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Ok, so you’ve gone gluten-free. Yay, you for getting healthy!
When you say you’re avoiding gluten you are probably drowned in sentiments like that one because the automatic assumption is that going gluten free also means dieting in the traditional sense of lowering calories, fat, etc. to lose weight and/or get in shape.
While gluten free diets can definitely help with this many people simply do it because it is making them feel sick.
If you find yourself in this category then you have likely bemoaned the lack of good candy and snack foods that are gluten free.
Sometimes you really just need that good, quick snack fix or sugar rush and you’re in luck because there are some great products available for gluten free snack foods and candy!
Gluten Free Cookies
Ahh, cookies. Whether soft and chewy or light and crispy, there is something so satisfying and comforting about these informal desserts.
Even better, they can easily be made gluten free and still taste like the “real” thing. Oftentimes, the only real reason there aren’t gluten free versions of cookies is because the ingredients to make them are more expensive.
This means you can make them at home or try one of these options if you’re not inclined to spend time in the kitchen:
Enjoy Life Soft Baked Gluten Free Cookie:
These gluten free cookies are soft and fluffy. They are also free of dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, egg, soy, fish and shellfish along with being free of gluten.
Buying a variety pack online can save you money and give you a chance to try all the flavors including:
- Double Chocolate
- Chocolate Chip
- Gingerbread Spice
Each 2 cookie serving has only 120 calories and 9-10 grams of sugar depending on the flavor.
Sweetened with a combination of cane sugar, molasses, date paste and fruit juice these make an attractive alternative to other cookies which often contain high fructose corn syrup and other lower quality ingredients.
So, yes these are healthier but they are not DIET food in the weight loss sense.
There are plenty of other gluten free cookies out there but Enjoy Life’s are one of the best we’ve found.
They are also the best when it comes to addressing multiple allergies and dietary concerns.
Gluten Free Snack Bars
Snack bars can really save you on a busy day when you just don’t have the time to stop for a full meal.
Unfortunately most includes some kind of wheat or oats that make them a bad idea for anyone with a gluten sensitivity.
You can make your own kind of trail mix and blend it together with honey to create a bar but this can be messy and takes time you might not have.
KIND brand products are especially good for gluten free snackers on the go.
Their website states: “Yes, all KIND products are gluten-free. Our products are tested for gluten and meet FDA’s proposed requirement of 20ppm (0.002%) of gluten.”
KIND savory and sweet varieties have a bit of sweetness combined with savory ingredients so they are not exclusively a dessert and can be eaten more as a snack.
KIND Bars, Dark Chocolate Nuts & Sea Salt, Gluten Free:
This flavor of KIND bar is absolutely chock full of crunchy nuts, savory sea salt and decadent drizzles of dark chocolate.
While not an option for anyone with a nut allergy, these are still great for gluten free snackers and with 7 grams of protein and only 5 grams of sugar, these provide a well-balanced energy boost in between meals. BONUS: All KIND ingredients are GMO-free.
Gluten Free Candy
While many candies may not have gluten as a direct ingredient, they are processed in a facility that handles gluten products that can cross contaminate.
Many products won’t be expressly labeled gluten free either which can be a real problem during parties and events where candy is being passed out and you want to partake but don’t have the original bag it came in.
Sometimes it’s Gluten Free and Sometimes it Isn’t: To make matters worse, some candies may be gluten free most of the time, but during busy holiday seasons alternate facilities may be used which will present a cross-contamination risk.
Mars Chocolate, for example, is not a gluten free company but they are committed to labeling their products accurately and warning when there could be gluten present.
You will notice that during certain times of year there is a gluten warning on certain Mars Chocolate products and other times there aren’t.
Here are a few candies that are most likely to be gluten-free but still check the label when possible:
- Plain M&Ms (in any color): These actually meet the more stringent standards for gluten-free certification, however, seasonable M&M flavors are, typically, not gluten free and neither are pretzel M&Ms.
- Almond Joy and Mounds: All varieties of these coconut-filled, Hershey brand candy bars are gluten free.
- Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar: Only the plain 1.55 oz. size is considered gluten-free along with the 1.45 oz. size Hershey’s Milk Chocolate with Almonds Bar.
- Laffy Taffy (including Laffy Taffy Rope)
- Wonka Lik-M-Aid Fun Dip
For a complete and up-to-date listing of what is and what isn’t gluten free in the candy world, visit the VeryWell.com Gluten-Free Candy List.
Savory Gluten Free Snacks
Potato chips and corn tortilla chips are naturally gluten free because they aren’t made from wheat but some brands still pose a cross-contamination risk.
Once again, label reading is your friend but here is a short list of savory snacks that are considered gluten free according to their manufacturer:
- Frito Lay: Frito Lay has a pretty extensive list of gluten free products for the U.S. market. Products sold in other countries may have slightly different ingredients and manufacturing facilities.
- Cape Cod Potato Chips: All varieties meet USDA standards for gluten-free products.
- Eatsmart Naturals: Eatsmart has a range of chips that don’t have gluten ingredients but only one is certified as being gluten free and that is their Garden Veggie Crisps.
For a complete and up-to-date listing of what is and what isn’t gluten free in potato chips, visit here, https://www.verywell.com/gluten-free-potato-chips-562455 | <urn:uuid:0fdf36e9-3af8-4107-b750-893bb12dd7da> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.glutenfreewire.com/gluten-free-snacks-and-candy/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572127.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815024523-20220815054523-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.931035 | 1,437 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Last week I posted a view that I consider to be the biblical view of the person and the soul, but which I readily acknowledge may not (in fact is likely not) the majority view. As way of brief summary, let me say that my view is essentially that the bible does not ever actually describe anything that might be considered an immaterial soul. You are not distinct from your physical body in the way that would mean the one who is really ‘you’ is simply inhabiting your body, and the ‘you’ (which we would call a soul) will one day eject from this physical body. I maintain that such an idea comes not from biblical revelation, but from Platonism, and that there is no evidence that the pre-Christian Hebrews nor that the Church prior to the second century ever entertained such an understanding of theological anthropology (the theological view of humanity, and by extension, discussion of the soul). In fact, I went on to claim that the evidence we do have for the views of the ancient Hebrews and pre-second century Christians was that there isn’t a soul that is distinct from our physical self.
I would now like to extend that conversation. I will first briefly note what this might mean for using the term ‘soul,’ which I acknowledge has a long history, a good portion of which may not necessarily be connected to platonic dualism. Then I would like to continue the discussion to see what this might mean (if it is in fact the accurate view) for our understanding of life after death. Or, phrased differently, according to my view, where would I say that our loved ones are right now? But first, let me talk briefly about the term ‘soul’ and how we might use it constructively or to affirm past theological discussion, even if we reject the “traditional” platonic understanding of it as an immaterial thing.
So what do I mean by soul, then?
For the sake of brevity, we might simply consider that the soul is another way of talking about identity. This is not the same as the so-called “emergent” thesis, because the emergent view of the soul still maintains the existence of an immaterial thing. According to the emergent view of the soul (which has no connection to the emergent church), the soul arises out of our physical self in the same way that software can emerge from computer hardware (which might be transferable), or a song emerges from instruments. In these views there is still an immaterial thing (information or a song) that is distinct and separate from the physical object.
In contrast, by speaking of the soul in terms of identity, we are saying that the soul is the defining characteristic of your physical body. So, while an emergent view of the soul indicates that the soul is not tied to any particular body once it emerges (or possibly any body), an identity view of the soul, as I’m giving it, says the soul must be tied to your particular body. What this does do, unfortunately, is complicate matters with identity, especially given the fact that our cells are constantly dieing and being replaced, and that even the very atoms seem to have a remarkable amount of changeover. However, these problems are not unique to this view of the soul. Instead, this particular view (of the soul as our identity) simply eliminates the intervening problem of such problems and focuses on the actual problem (i.e. if your brain is transplanted to another body and a different brain is in your body; or even more complicated, your brain is divided and put into two bodies: which resulting person is you. On other views of the soul, the problem would be which body does the soul interact with (or is it divided) in addition to the problem of identity).
What about those who have died? Where are they now?
Now, with regard to the second half, what do we do with life after death. Essentially, we are left with three different options:
- What is usually termed soul sleep (and odd name given the actual content of the position) is one espoused by Martin Luther (among others). It indicates that for the person who dies, from their perspective they lose consciousness. Their next conscious moment is the final day of history when all the dead are raised. So from our perspective they would be unconsciously in the ground awaiting resurrection and the transformation of their bodies, but from the perspective of the person who dies they go to sleep and immediately wake up for the general resurrection. This has the advantage of suggesting that people wake up in heaven with all their other believing relatives and friends, rather than “waiting” on them. It has the disadvantage, of course, of not being quite as comforting to those of us left behind. Our hope would need to be more future in orientation than immediate, it seems.
- Option 2 is a fairly recent one, and I first read about it in an article by philosopher Dean Zimmerman (formerly at Notre Dame, currently at Rutgers). It is, in some ways, built upon the “soul sleep” model and posits that at death a small physical particle (or “seed”) is transported to God and it is from this that we are recreated. Now, one direction it is not usually taken (which I don’t see why it couldn’t be taken this way) is that the “seed” is transformed at that point in time. This would be one possible way to speak of us being in heaven with God. The clear problem (and likely why it has not been seriously taken this direction) is that this would be problematic when we move to speaking of the final resurrection of the dead. In the popular dualistic model people can argue that are immaterial souls are reunited with our resurrected bodies, but in a “seed” model where one is recreated in heaven immediately following death makes the later resurrection of your body moot.
- The final option, and the one which I tend to lean towards, takes into account the two very different structures of time: our experience of time as discreet sequenced events (i.e. each event is entirely distinct from the ones before and after it), and God’s experience (as the immanent Trinity) or eternity (or the absence of time). Since God’s time is not bound by the non-irreversibility of time we are able to say that God exists both now and in the future at the end of history. From the perspective of God in his eternal self, then, the resurrection of the dead is occurring. Thus, from one account of time, our bodies lay in the ground awaiting the resurrection of the dead. But on the other account of time, all of those who have already died are already present with the LORD. So in one manner of speaking we may very truly say that our brothers and sisters in Christ who have died are already present with God. Not only that, but when we really consider the nature of eternity, we can even say that they are not only present with God already, but they are present with our resurrected selves as well (as well as all of their descendents who have followed Christ in faith). It’s a bit odd to think about, but it nevertheless remains that in a very real sense we are already with our “dearly departed” in heaven.
Well, mine may not be the most popular view, and I’m certainly aware that I may be completely wrong. Still, I know mine is a minority view and I’d love to know what you think. There was a good bit of conversation last week and I think it would be good to have that again this week. | <urn:uuid:f0910b42-7e8a-42cd-b835-23e769dca2dd> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://why-theology.com/2012/10/02/continuing-the-discussion-about-souls/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573876.92/warc/CC-MAIN-20220820012448-20220820042448-00072.warc.gz | en | 0.97312 | 1,602 | 2.078125 | 2 |
Voting rights groups have banded together for new legal challenges against GOP-backed voter suppression moves in Kansas. Recently, the state’s GOP legislature overruled vetoes from Kansas Democratic Governor Laura Kelly and enacted a slew of changes to the administering of elections in the state, including a ban on out-of-state organizations sending mail-in ballot applications to Kansas voters. Mail-in voting advocates have used such a strategy in the past as part of an effort to increase participation in the electoral process.
A new federal lawsuit against the ban on that involvement in the Kansas electoral process by out-of-state organizations was brought by the Campaign Legal Center on behalf of groups including VoteAmerica and the Voter Participation Center. Another lawsuit challenging the same provision of the new rules was recently filed in Shawnee County — which includes Topeka, the state capital — by groups including the League of Women Voters of Kansas, Kansas Appleseed, and Loud Light.
That Shawnee County case also targets a new penalty for returning certain numbers of other voters’ mail-in ballots and a new criminalization of giving “the appearance of being an election official,” no matter the intent of the mistakenly identified individual. Volunteers involved in voter outreach could be susceptible to criminal charges under that rule change. As Loud Light founder Davis Hammet observed, volunteers on the ground in Kansas have already been mistakenly identified as election officials in past circumstances.
Offering a broader denunciation of the new election rules under consideration, the Shawnee County case reads, in part, as follows:
‘In most instances, the Legislature relied on little more than vague references to concerns about elections integrity or fraud that was rumored to have occurred in other states. Yet, no legislator pointed to even a single instance of fraud precipitating the need for these drastic changes.’
Other states where court challenges to recent GOP-backed voter suppression moves have already emerged include Florida and Georgia. There’s never been any evidence of systematic election integrity problems with the way that elections were conducted last year, but this reality has not stopped Republican leaders from attempting to enact — and in some cases successfully putting into place — suppressive new voting restrictions that, in the real world, do little besides make it more difficult to cast a ballot. | <urn:uuid:0bd0e5f1-ea3b-4133-8c49-78de3c1638cb> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://bipartisanreport.com/2021/06/21/federal-lawsuit-revealed-to-stop-gop-voter-suppression-nonsense/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572127.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815024523-20220815054523-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.956058 | 463 | 1.867188 | 2 |
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Re: OpenSSL - Any good tutorials (or cook-books) available?
> From: Patrick Welche <prlw1%cam.ac.uk@localhost>
> Date: Sat, 24 Aug 2013 08:28:31 +0100
Patrick Welche wrote:
> On Fri, Aug 23, 2013 at 02:10:05PM -0700, Paul Goyette wrote:
> > I don't think I need anything fancy, just need to provide a secure
> > channel between my local machine(s) and a remote imaps server, so
> > that the server can authenticate me without sending a clear-text
> > password on the wire.
> > Suggestions, anyone?
> When talking of IMAP, SASL springs to mind (security/cyrus-sasl) - any
Paul G, etc
Here's how I got SASL 1 then SASL2 working on both client & server.
That was on FreeBSD not NetBSD but I can't imagine much difference.
Lots of URLs on that page common to *BSD & beyond.
Julian Stacey, BSD Unix Linux C Sys Eng Consultant, Munich http://berklix.com
Reply below not above, like a play script. Indent old text with "> ".
Send plain text. No quoted-printable, HTML, base64, multipart/alternative.
Main Index |
Thread Index | | <urn:uuid:bbc52be3-32da-431a-9e79-7569f132c080> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://mail-index.netbsd.org/netbsd-users/2013/08/24/msg013200.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571987.60/warc/CC-MAIN-20220813202507-20220813232507-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.780652 | 388 | 1.5 | 2 |
The future of water and energy: some links that provide solutions and challenges
Professor J. A. (Tony) Allan School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London and King’s College London email@example.com ECG Bulletin July 2009
Introduction:the invisible features of water and energy supply. The provision of water and energy services is not well understood by users. The global impacts of water and energy and their synergies are not even well understood by those who manage these resources. Users, managers and policy-makers do not take into account a range of invisible – natural and economic – processes, which underlie the supply of water and energy. In addition, some scientists who analyse the use and sustainability of water and energy resources have also neglected the invisible features of water and energy. The invisibles have not been recognised to be part of the underlying fundamentals that bring natural resource security.
Invisible features of water supply. In the water sector, the issues which have been economically and politically invisible are first, soil water, secondly virtual [embedded] water and thirdly economic development plus the international trade that it enables. All these interacting invisibles in the water cycle – in the environment, in agriculture, in the economy and in trade – have enabled local water scarcities to achieve a degree of water and food security.
Invisible features of energy supply. Energy is potentially as invisible as water in the economy but energy – whether gathered from the forest, hewn from the ground or pumped as oil and gas – has always involved evident toil and treasure. Society has always been aware of the costs of providing energy. Although it has at the same time been very bad at getting price signals to capture the value of non-renewable energy resources. Both water and energy are usually and significantly massively under-priced.
Utilization of water and energy. The major use of water in our economies is in the production of food. Ninety per cent of the water an individual or an economy needs is used to provide food. Water consumption per head – which is almost all renewable water – has not changed very significantly since the beginning of industrialisation two hundred years ago. Consumption of energy per head has on the other hand increased by orders of magnitude per head since the beginning of industrialisation. These increases in energy consumption have been possible through the use of dirty non-renewable energy.
The total use of water resources has also increased in the recent past. But this increase is because world population has trebled in the past 50 years not because the use per head has risen significantly. The increase in the use of energy on the other hand is mainly because of the high levels of energy use per head of the rich billion people in the world. They have demonstrated the worrying scale of a society’s appetite for energy in a more equal and industrialised world. While water use per head has not risen significantly the appetite for energy use per head has been shown to be as much as 200 times pre-industrial levels.
The role of virtual water. The role of virtual water ‘trade’ in ameliorating water scarcity is possibly the most significant invisible commodity. Virtual water ‘trade’ is economically invisible and more important it is politically silent. Energy is a much more visible natural resource as the energy market is the biggest element of global trade by value. Society is aware of many of the costs of developing energy resources and has accommodated to paying for coal, oil and gas and for electrical energy. However, not until recently has it begun to acknowledge the toxic environmental consequences and costs of the way dirty non-renewable energy has been utilised.
Politicization of water and energy sources. Both water and energy are strategic resources and they can be very easily politicised. The visibility of the value of energy and its asymmetric distribution enhances its strategic significance and its tendency to cause armed conflict. Competition for energy causes wars. Democratic states go to war over oil and gas. Super-powers have used the global reach of their companies and the supportive influence of their military power to gain control of the energy market in the past. They are discovering the challenges of retaining that control. It is in the nature of international politics that the powerful players can obscure the energy component of conflict in a soup of complex conflictive issues.
Water does not cause armed conflict although it is a major source of inter-state conflict short of war in many parts of the world. The invisibility of the environmental processes – namely soil water, and of economic processes – that is trade, that bring solutions to the water scarce obscures the outcomes of mismanaging water. It is easy for knowledge to be constructed that deludes water consumers and politicians responsible for water allocation. Water users and water managers enjoy the relief that the invisible environmental and economic solutions bring them. Anxiety over water scarcity has been easily back-grounded. As a consequence water scarce societies have not been helped to reverse their extravagant and polluting ways of managing water resources.
Water scarcity. Despite the spectacular amelioration of water scarcity by the invisible trade in food commodities, there are hotspots on every continent where water resources are scarce and the environmental services of water have been very seriously impaired. The Yellow River in China in most years does not reach the sea. The Colorado in the United States and Mexico, the Nile the Middle East, the Aral Basin rivers in Central Asia, the Indus in South Asia and the Murray in Australia scarcely reach the sea. Groundwaters are dangerously depleted in every Middle Eastern country as well as in dry tracts of all the other continents.
Energy scarcity. The shadow of energy scarcity is even more alarming. Anxiety over the supply of the very flexible and undervalued fossil energy resources – especially oil and gas – was palpable in the summer of 2008. This anxiety has proved to be easily back-grounded with the arrival of the global financial and credit crises of 2009. Oil price spikes affect rich and poor directly and they can have serious and unfathomable knock-on effects when they cause price spikes in other key commodities as occurred in 2007-2008. The price of traded food staples increased sharply in 2008 with serious impacts on poor communities world-wide.
Managing energy and water: three synergies. Nature’s energy and Nature’s water resources are linked by society’s economic systems. Society’s futures are dependent on how its engineers and markets manage them. There are three important synergies that must be handled effectively to meet the needs of society. There are also two important outcomes that must be avoided to ensure that the environment can provide essential atmospheric services and water environment services. The three synergies are:
energy from water
water from energy, and
economic diversification plus trade.
The two outcomes that must be avoided are:
the poisoning of the atmosphere in using and managing energy, and
the degradation and exhaustion of surface and groundwaters.
The three synergies are clean energy managing solutions that will first, provide water for society. Secondly, is the synergy that will provide clean energy for society without destroying the environment. The third synergy is the political economy, which through its diversified livelihoods and international trade can bring water and energy security.
The first synergy is the production of energy with water – e.g. hydropower and bio-energy. Hydropower is generally clean, although it has other environmental and social impacts. Bio-energy is only appropriate in water-rich environments such as Brazil. In almost all other circumstances its green benefits are purchased at a very high cost by the water environment.
The second synergy is the manufacture of water with clean energy – e.g. desalination. At present, desalinated water is produced with dirty fossil fuel. It will be possible to produce clean solar energy that will convert salt water to usable water without a major carbon footprint. The third synergy involves the already tried and tested global systems of diversified economies enabling the ‘import’ of water intensive commodities – especially food. These three synergies can counteract future water and energy scarcities without damaging either the atmosphere or our water resources.
Future technologies. There is no single way out of the business-as-usual environmental tragedy. The three proposed synergies have to be established. The mix of technologies will vary. Solar thermal energy is the clean energy generation solution highlighted here. But solar voltaic, wind, tide and other clean strategies will contribute to solutions. Clean renewable solar thermal energy distributed by a new high voltage DC transmission could meet most of the existing energy demands as well as help to meet the strategic demands for high quality water. The use of precious renewable fossil energy could be massively reduced if renewables were to be mobilised. The extraordinary qualities of flexibility and storability of non-renewables must be properly evaluated.
Water and energy security. The example of renewable solar thermal helps us think about the complex and interrelated issues of water and energy security. It will also be necessary to identify and address the behavioural (consumption) challenges that face society in the water and energy sectors. Solar thermal energy helps us see the connections between our energy and water futures. Such knowledge will help in the discussion about the behavioural, economic and technical challenges of a clean and secure water and energy future.
An epigrammatic conclusion. It is possible to capture the importance of society’s consumption behaviour in achieving clean and sustainable natural resource futures. Our water consumption options can be understood in the following rhyme: ‘Down from five to two point five’ (Allan, 2008). Non-vegetarians consume about 5.0 cubic metres of water per day. Vegetarians only use about 2.5. Even a shift to 3.5 cubic meters per day would suffice. The atmosphere could be enhanced by a similar change in diet. ‘Down from seven to save the heavens.’ (Pachauri, 2008) The joint IPCC 2000 Nobel Laureate was commenting on the impact of methane from ruminants on the atmosphere. He was suggesting a meat-free day per week.
By such healthy personal consumption and a range of clean technologies we shall be able to match the demands of a future global population of eight to nine billions with its much higher energy demands. The main problems are and will be society’s consumption preferences.
Allan, A. (2001). The Middle East Water Question: Hydropolitics and the Global Economy, I. B. Tauris, London.
Allan, J. A. (2009). Energy and water: interdependent production and use and mutuality of impacts, In Mason, M. and Mor, A, eds., Renewable Energy in the Middle East: Enhancing Security through Regional Cooperation, Springer, Berlin. In press.
Easter. K. W.; Rosegrant, M. W.; Dinar, A., eds. (1998). Markets for Water: Potential and Performance, Kluwer Academic, Norwell, MA.
Falkenmark, M.; Lundquist, J.; Widstrand, C. (1989). Macro-scale water scarcity requires micro-scale approaches: aspects of vulnerability in semi-arid development, Natural Resources Forum, 13(4), 258–67.
Hoekstra, A. Y. and Chapagain, A. K. (2007). Globalization of Water: Sharing the Planet’s Freshwater Resources, Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford.
Rogers, P. (2008), ‘Running out of water: a six point plan to avert a global crisis’, Scientific American, August 2008, pp 27-35.
Barnaby, W. (2009), ‘Do nations go to war over water?’, Nature, 458, 282-283.
Professor J. A. (TONY) ALLAN School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London WC1H 0XG & King’s College London, Strand, London WC2R 2LS E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.org
This article is based on a presentation by Professor Allan at the ECG’s 2009 Distinguished Guest Lecture and Symposium ‘The Future of Water’.
The Stockholm Water Prize Sculpture, which was awarded to Professor Allan, the Stockholm Water Prize Laureate for 2008
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St. Mary’s turns 50
‘We have a unique cathedral, literally: the first church built to be a cathedral after the Second Vatican Council.’
By Archbishop Salvatore Joseph Cordileone
In the lifespan of an average person, 50 years would be well along life’s journey, but still well within what we call “middle age.” At this age, those who live life well have been able to learn from their life experiences and yet still have much of life ahead of them to benefit from these lessons. In Church time, though, 50 years is quite young, almost comparable to a newborn baby!
We have the great grace this year of celebrating the 50th birthday of our Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption (delayed one year due to the COVID pandemic). This jubilee year celebration brings together both perspectives of time: our cathedral is still new, yet it is already beginning to show that it can stand the test of time with its design, concept and art. It is at once contemporary and timeless. This is the mark of all true great works of art: reflecting the contemporary culture in which it was created and yet transcending that culture to inspire all future generations with its beauty.
We have a unique cathedral, literally: the first church built to be a cathedral after the Second Vatican Council. The newly arrived Archbishop at the time, Joseph T. McGucken, advised his architects that he wanted “a cathedral that would accommodate large numbers of people; one that would enable even large crowds to surround the altar; and a structure that would be a statement that God is present in beauty in the earthly city.”
In building this edifice, then, the fifth Archbishop of San Francisco was building on his predecessor of a century earlier, the first Archbishop of San Francisco, the Dominican Joseph Sadoc Alemany. › In building the first St. Mary’s Cathedral, Archbishop Alemany constructed the tallest building in San Francisco at the time, not only to minister to the spiritual needs of the city’s inhabitants but also to serve as a major educational and cultural center, including hosting sacred music programs with full orchestra. From the start, our cathedral has fulfilled her vocation of being a center and focal point of the life of her community.
The cathedral, of course, is the bishop’s church, as it houses the “cathedra,” the bishop’s chair which symbolizes his teaching authority. More completely, as chief shepherd of his local church and successor to the apostles, the bishop serves as pastor, teacher and priest in the midst of his people. This is his vocation, and so it is also the vocation of his cathedral, a vocation that centers on unity. As the bishop is the focal point of unity for the many parishes and communities making up his diocese and linking them with the universal Church by virtue of his communion with other bishops and the successor of St. Peter, the bishop of Rome, so the cathedral is to serve as a central gathering place for the local community for prayer, formation, fellowship and service.
This points to another call of the cathedral especially pertinent to the modern age, and in particular here in the United States: the vocation of hospitality, that is, to be a place of gathering for people of all backgrounds and all faiths, to come together in prayer and solidarity at times of crisis and at times of rejoicing, a common gathering space for the entire community. Every cathedral, however modest, has this vocation. But it has been customary whenever possible to embellish cathedrals with beautiful art and make them centers of the finest liturgical music. This is wholly fitting to their purpose as places of worship. According to the Second Vatican Council, the liturgy is celebrated to glorify God and sanctify his people (SC 10), and music and art play an essential role in this regard. Our Catholic faith is inherently incarnational: a sacramental vision of reality has always inspired us to build beautiful churches and fill them with solemn and joyful music. We do not neglect the needs of the poor to do this, and cathedrals have also been traditionally centers of social service. But uplifting places of prayer are themselves a notable gift to the poor.
We are blessed to inherit the legacy of a cathedral that lives up to this vocation: a place of beauty in sight and motion and sound (including the Sunday concert series which continues the original vision of Archbishop Alemany, as well as the bright and gifted St. Brigid school choir), a sacred space which by its design takes the soul up to heaven while reminding us that we are in the world to sanctify the world, a place for the wider community to gather to collaborate on issues of common concern, a place of service to the poor and homeless (exemplified especially in our cathedral’s participation in the San Francisco Interfaith Council’s winter homeless shelter program).
In this jubilee year, we give thanks that St. Mary’s Cathedral has been true to her vocation of service, teaching, hospitality and – the ultimate purpose of it all – sanctification. And she even gives us a reminder of this last point when we leave her sacred space. It is seen, yes, as one exits from the main doors, serving as a reminder to the worshippers of who they are called to be as they go back out into the world. For as they finally turn to leave, the panel above the doors, now seen from inside, reveals something unexpected: the side figures are no longer men and women climbing a hill, as is seen from the outside of the cathedral. Instead, with light streaming through the glass, one now clearly sees a golden chalice, the embodiment of the Eucharist, and in the cup of the chalice, there appears the ascended Christ, returning to his Father in glory.
May the Blessed Virgin Mary, our mother gloriously assumed into heaven, intercede for us, that, helped by the grace of her divine Son, we may, like her, live lives pleasing to him, and one day come to share the fullness of his glory.
Happy birthday, St. Mary’s! | <urn:uuid:8840c5a6-6f66-4b80-9622-7b94ab19992d> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://sfarchdiocese.org/st-marys-turns-50/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572127.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815024523-20220815054523-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.974765 | 1,284 | 1.789063 | 2 |
In some patients with type 1 diabetes the dose of insulin needed to achieve euglycemia is significantly decreased soon after diagnosis. remission, Testosterone levels cell subsets, regulatory cells, Compact disc25+ non-Treg 1. Launch Type 1 diabetes is certainly a modern heterogeneous autoimmune disease triggered by the devastation of insulin secreting -cells by Testosterone levels cells. Many sufferers have got a period of improved blood sugar control after medical diagnosis shortly. The incomplete Evacetrapib remission period is certainly the period during which sufferers still react to low amounts of insulin (<0.5U/Kg body weight) to achieve euglycemia [1C4]. This incomplete remission period, called the honeymoon vacation period also, is certainly adjustable, long lasting from several weeks to more than a total season [5C6]. Clinical research recommend that immunotherapy is certainly most effective if began early post-diagnosis [7C10] at a period when sufferers generally possess better left over -cell mass. This might end up being described if healing involvement decreases or prevents down the ongoing devastation of the staying -cells, or enhances ongoing systems to improve -cell mass and hinder autoimmunity. -cell mass preservation outcomes in great blood sugar control that can in convert further decrease -cell harm by restricting blood sugar toxicity. It is certainly realistic after that to recommend that sufferers with a lengthened period of improved blood sugar control and incomplete remission might end up being especially reactive to therapy. Nevertheless, to time there is certainly no method to foresee which recently diagnosed sufferers will move on to possess a lengthy or brief period of incomplete remission. This preliminary research was designed to check whether the resistant cell profile at medical diagnosis correlates with duration of incomplete remission in recently diagnosed sufferers with type 1 diabetes. The resistant cell subsets tested consist of Compact disc4+ na?ve, storage and regulatory (Treg) cell subsets, and Compact disc25+ Compact disc127hwe cells. To measure incomplete remission both insulin dosage and HbA1c are mixed in a regular formulation to offer a one worth, the Insulin Dosage Adjusted A1c (IDAA1c). The IDAA1c worth shows the quality of blood sugar control. An IDAA1c worth identical to or much less than 9 is certainly provided to suggest incomplete remission . Our data present that of the cell subsets examined, the relatives regularity of Compact disc4+ storage cells, turned on Treg cells and Compact disc4+ Compact disc25+ Compact disc127hwe cells are many linked with duration of incomplete remission significantly. Especially, both activated Treg CD25+ and cells CD127hi cells are CD4+ storage cells. The predictive worth of Compact disc25+ Compact disc127hi cells, but not really various other cell subsets, is certainly improved when mixed with either the HbA1c highly, C-peptide or IDAA1c amounts in medical diagnosis. Compact disc25+ Compact disc127hi cells perform not really exhibit Foxp3, the transcription aspect for Treg cells [14C17], neither perform they exhibit LAG-3 and Compact Evacetrapib disc49b, indicators that recognize Tr1 regulatory cells , suggesting that they are neither Treg nor Tr1 cells. Nevertheless, Compact disc25+ Compact disc127hi cells exhibit a high thickness of Compact disc44 and the Compact disc44 alternative sixth is v6, signaling through which promotes phrase of Foxp3, IL-2, TGF- and IL-10 [12C13] all critical requirements for the function and advancement of Treg [14C21] and Tr1 . These data highly recommend that the relatives regularity of Compact disc4+ storage cell subsets that are linked with resistant control can foresee duration of remission in sufferers with Testosterone levels1N, and guarantee additional analysis in a acceptance research with a huge cohort of sufferers. 2. Methods and Materials 2.1 Individual population Archived peripheral bloodstream mononuclear cells (PBMC) from 9 feminine and 10 male newly diagnosed type 1 diabetic sufferers had been attained from TrialNet Ancillary Research. Sufferers Mouse monoclonal to 4E-BP1 had been between 9 and 16 years of age group and signed up in the placebo groupings of TrialNet scientific studies. Two PBMC examples from each individual had been examined, one used at base (within 3 a few months of medical diagnosis) and one 3 a few months afterwards. Evacetrapib The scholarly study was blinded. Clinical variables had been examined at base and at 3 once again, 6, 9, 12, 18, and 24 a few months post-baseline. 2.2 Healthy subject matter inhabitants Whole bloodstream from healthy contributor was attained from the Regular Bloodstream Donor Plan at The Scripps Analysis Start (TSRI). Individual Topics protocols and permission forms had been analyzed and accepted by both TSRI IRB and San Diego Biomedical Analysis Start (SDBRI) IRB. Entire bloodstream was gathered in heparin and prepared within 2 hours. PBMC had been singled out using regular strategies and either utilized or iced in liquefied nitrogen instantly, as indicated for each test. 2.3 Measurement of general remission and -cell function using C-peptide and IDAA1c AUC A regular formula, HbA1c (%) + (4 insulin dosage (U/kg per 24 hours), is used to take into accounts both insulin necessity and HbA1c levels in a one worth, the Insulin Dosage Altered A1c (IDAA1c). An IDAA1c identical to or much less than 9 signifies the incomplete remission period. | <urn:uuid:19469844-d109-42f4-bc1a-d11e4a53dc30> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | http://movd2016.org/in-some-patients-with-type-1-diabetes-the-dose-of-insulin/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571246.56/warc/CC-MAIN-20220811073058-20220811103058-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.933521 | 1,182 | 2.453125 | 2 |
Back on Jul 29, 2004, Khalilur Rahman had gone missing when a speedboat capsized in the river Padma, along with 10 other people on board.
Only one person survived the accident, a man named Abdul Kuddus, who later described how the boat sank.
For the next six months, whenever Yunus and the family heard about an unidentified body surfacing in other districts like Chandpur, Shariatpur or even Bhola, they rushed to areas to find out if somehow Khalilur’s body turned up or not.
Out of desperation, and to some extent denial, the family even published a missing person’s report in newspapers.
The newspaper article even led Yunus and the family to jail in Barishal, where they located a prisoner who was spitting image of Khalilur, but not him.
There are thousands of families like Yunus’s who had lost their loved ones in the Padma and the completion of Padma Bridge project not only brought out some painful memories for them but also instilled some hopes that no family will have to experience the pain they endured.
“After [the accident], I've been in trauma for ages. Even a couple of months ago, when I had to cross the river [Padma] by speedboat, I had a panic attack,” he said.
Death on the Padma while travelling by boat had become one of the most common phenomena in Bangladesh.
In recent memory, at least 26 people were killed when another moving speedboat crashed onto an anchored ship in Madaripur’s Kathalbari water terminal area on May 3 last year.
The most horrible one took place on Aug 4, 2014, when at least 49 people were killed and 50 others went missing as a launch named Pinak-6 capsized in the river.
Kohinoor Rahman from Madaripur’s Shibchar lost her brother, sister-in-law, and a nephew and niece in that incident.
Kohinoor's brother, Mizanur Rahman, owner of a garments factory in Mirpur, was travelling back to Dhaka after spending the Eid holidays with his family.
The preparations for the opening of the bridge made Kohinur remember her brother and his family.
“I'd never have to carry such a life-long pain if the bridge was there at the time,” she said.
“At least the bridge is about to be opened. Perhaps some of the pain will dissipate. Most importantly, movement will become easy.”
Ambulance drivers on both sides of the river are real witnesses to how people have suffered for ages to transport their ailing relatives to a clinic or hospital on the other side of the river.
Mosharraf Hossain from Shariatpur’s Naria Upazila has been working as an ambulance driver for the last 30 years.
“I don’t even remember how many times I've seen someone inside the ambulance dying while waiting to cross the river." he said. "The delay in crossing the river cost numerous lives."
Ambulances usually get privileges ahead of other vehicles to board the ferries. But the main issue was the availability of the ferries.
“With the opening of the bridge, we never have to wait for ferries anymore,” Mosharraf said. The seasoned ambulance driver, however, urged the government to reduce the tolls for ambulances to cross the bridge.
The toll for crossing ambulances has been fixed at Tk 1,300.
“I do some pro bono driving for people in financial hardship. But the massive toll might make it harder for me to provide the same services for people in need,” he said.
[Writing in English by Adil Mahmood, editing by Biswadip Das] | <urn:uuid:8714cbb0-f106-442e-8320-32f240beda2f> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2022/06/25/crossing-the-padma-was-sometimes-a-matter-of-life-and-death.-no-more | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572286.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20220816090541-20220816120541-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.973908 | 809 | 1.546875 | 2 |
Mud Baron is a member of the Board of Directors of the Collaborative for High Performance Schools which has thousands of schools that subscribe to its green schools guidelines. He is also a Master Gardener via the offices of the University of California Cooperative Extension. From 2006 to October, 2009 he was the School Garden Program Specialist for the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). He was the LAUSD's only fulltime school garden specialist working with all 1100 campuses. He was the Green Policy Director for the LAUSD, working with the office of LAUSC Board member Margueritte P. LaMotte from 2009 to 2011.
In 2008 he approached the Debbie Levin, President of the Environmental Media Association, about the EMA and its celebrities supporting the organic school gardens program he oversaw in Los Angeles. In 2008/2009 EMA agreed and signed on its first corporate partner. Then in the summer of 2009 EMA partnered with the Kellogg Garden Products Company, a firm primarily in the business of selling sewage sludge, unlabeled, as "compost." Mud Baron warned EMA at the time that Kellogg products contained sludge, and must be kept off the organic gardens.
Kellogg Garden Products Sells Unlabeled Sewage Sludge Products
(IERCA) is a sewage sludge treatment plant in Rancho Cucagmonga, California. It was created and is operated by the Inland Empire Utilities Agency and the Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County. The IERCA treats sewage sludge from municipal waste treatment plants in San Bernardino County in California. It is the "nation's largest indoor composting facility," according to the IERCA website. The IERCA creates and markets SoilPro "biosolids compost," which is treated sewage sludge, and markets it to retail stores, backyard gardeners and other consumers. For example, SoilPro is sold to southern California gardeners in Kellogg Garden Products like Amend, Topper, Gromulch, and Nitrohumus.
According to a marketing case study of Kellogg sludge products:
- "Over the years, Kellogg has been a credible brand for selling products with biosolids as a main ingredient. Kellogg’s sanitation district partners had the wisdom to let Kellogg experiment with mixing other ingredients with the biosolids, which improved the compost and the composting process. This improvement resulted in more effective soil amendment products. These products were sold through specific markets and for specific applications, including top dressing lawns or products specifically designed for planting trees or shrubs. Biosolids became a valuable ingredient in Kellogg’s plan to help the customer create a beautiful landscape or garden.
- "Kellogg’s brand and success stem from multiple marketing activities including building strong sales channels, being known for on-time delivery, educating customers in the stores, training store employees, and other resources that provide information about the nature and health of soil. Company officials are credible soil health experts as demonstrated by their focus on quality, education programs, and the fact that they have specialized product lines. These sales and marketing skills and Kellogg’s brand loyalty are valuable assets to Kellogg and its sanitation district partners."
Articles and Resources
Related SourceWatch articles
- Jill Richardson, "I Never Promised You an Organic Garden," La Vida Locavore May 3, 2011
- The Inland Empire Regional Composting Authority Receives Honors from the American Academy of Environmental Engineers®, Inland Empire Utilities Agency, April 29, 2010.
- Inland Empire Regional Composting Authority: About Us IERCA Website Accessed April 11, 2011.
- Kellogg Garden Products: 80 Years of Marketing and Branding, Utility Branding Network for Water and Waste Water Agencies, 2008.
- Mud Baron, Affidavit about EMA school garden program, May 2, 2011.
- Jill Richardson, I Never Promised You an Organic Garden, La Vida Locavore, May 3, 2011. | <urn:uuid:86025875-15fd-43c6-99d5-c238efef199e> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Mud_Baron | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572127.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815024523-20220815054523-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.941728 | 851 | 1.570313 | 2 |
WEBINAR: The Icelandic Turf House - More Than a Human Story. Environmental Lunchtime Discussion
How can architecture form new human-nonhuman relations, cohabitation, ecosystem thinking and doing? Anthropologists Tinna Grétarsdóttir and Sigurjón Baldur Hafsteinsson talk on the socio-material entanglements and multispecies relations of the Icelandic turf house.
Photo: Untitled. 2018. Hannes Lárusson, Hildigunnur Sverrisdóttir, Sigurjón B. Hafsteinsson and Tinna Grétarsdóttir.
How can Icelandic turf house architecture be of value in “hold[ing] open space in the world for other living beings” (van Dooren 2014: 5) in pandemic times when communities and ecosystems are sinking deeper into devastation. In the early twentieth century, the turf house, the home of Icelanders for more than a millennium, was considered an obstacle to progress and was brutally eradicated. Advocating for renewed interest in this vernacular architecture, Grétarsdóttir and Hafsteinsson speculate about the loss of the turf house ontology and the human and nonhuman distributed agencies and dependencies embedded in it.
Challenging human-centered approaches to architecture, they approach the turf house as superorganism, consisting of complicated root systems, soil, fungi, microbes, plants, lichens, stones, wood, insects, humans, cows, sheep, etc. As such reflecting upon the turf house socio-material entanglements, multispecies relations, time and space as essential elements for creating architectural complexes of an interdependent and growing coexistence. The research is grounded in an interdisciplinary approach of art and science and will affect thinking on how future architecture can become accountable for forming new human-nonhuman relations, cohabitation, ecosystem thinking and doing.
About the speakers
combining research and art. She has researched, published and curated exhibitions
About the event series
The OSEH Environmental Lunchtime Discussion series consists of short, 10-15 minute presentations by invited guests, followed by a discussion. We invite speakers from a wide variety of fields, both academic and beyond. The presentations are accessible and are aimed at anyone with an interest in environmental issues. All are welcome. | <urn:uuid:f77d035e-81c6-4dfd-856e-33515de4f7ba> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.hf.uio.no/english/research/strategic-research-areas/oseh/news-and-events/events/lunchtime-discussions/turfiction | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572127.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815024523-20220815054523-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.905316 | 483 | 2.53125 | 3 |
What Is Data Acquisition Toolbox?
Data Acquisition Toolbox™ provides apps and functions for configuring data acquisition hardware, reading data into MATLAB® and Simulink®, and writing data to DAQ analog and digital output channels. The toolbox supports a variety of DAQ hardware, including USB, PCI, PCI Express®, PXI®, and PXI Express® devices, from National Instruments® and other vendors.
The toolbox apps let you interactively configure and run a data acquisition session. You can then generate equivalent MATLAB code to automate your acquisition in future sessions. Toolbox functions give you the flexibility to control the analog input, analog output, counter/timer, and digital I/O subsystems of a DAQ device. You can access device-specific features and synchronize data acquired from multiple devices.
You can analyze data as you acquire it or save it for post-processing. You can also automate tests and make iterative updates to your test setup based on analysis results.
Data Acquisition Toolbox provides apps and functions for configuring data acquisition hardware, reading data into MATLAB and Simulink, and writing data to DAQ analog and digital output channels.
With Data Acquisition Toolbox, you can bring data directly into MATLAB from hardware for immediate analysis.
Toolbox functions give you the flexibility to control all standard DAQ subsystems, including analog input, analog output, counter/timer, and digital I/O.
You can make analog measurements from MATLAB in units of voltage and current, or read data directly in units of vibration, strain, pressure, and temperature from select sensors. With counters and timers, you can count edges, measure frequency, pulse width, or quadrature encoder position, and generate pulse trains.
You can also synchronize data acquisition and generation across multiple devices. And you can acquire your data in the background to either analyze it as you acquire it or save it for post-processing.
Once your data is in MATLAB, you can leverage MATLAB’s wide array of analysis tools. Preprocess signals with smoothing, denoising, and outlier removal. Apply filters, perform measurements, and build predictive models of your data. Then automate your entire test procedure in the MATLAB environment.
The toolbox provides apps which let you interactively configure and run a data acquisition session without writing code.
The Analog Input Recorder app provides an interface to configure analog input channels, preview signals, and record analog input data.
With the Analog Output Generator app, you can configure output channels, define signal data, and generate analog output signals.
These apps allow you to generate equivalent MATLAB code to automate your acquisition in future sessions.
The toolbox supports DAQ hardware in a variety of form factors from popular vendors like National Instruments, Measurement Computing, and Data Translation. It also supports popular educational hardware like the Digilent Analog Discovery platform, as well as multichannel audio acquisition from Windows sound cards.
For a deeper dive into these and other product capabilities, explore the related videos and examples linked off the Data Acquisition Toolbox product page.
You can also select a web site from the following list:
How to Get Best Site Performance
Select the China site (in Chinese or English) for best site performance. Other MathWorks country sites are not optimized for visits from your location. | <urn:uuid:6ba4e32a-9459-4dea-b5f4-588f7a83338a> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://ch.mathworks.com/videos/what-is-data-acquisition-toolbox-1568366218837.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572127.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815024523-20220815054523-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.850861 | 690 | 2.03125 | 2 |
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — The federal government has announced $27 million in funding for three projects to improve public services and protect waters in St. John’s, Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove and surrounding communities in Newfoundland and Labrador.
In St. John’s, new wastewater infrastructure will improve municipal services in the Goulds area and help protect Shoal Bay and the harbour. In addition, there will be ditching and erosion control measures taken along the Motion Bay Road extension in Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove.
The federal government is spending $9.8 million, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is contributing $7.4 million and the municipalities are providing a total of $9.8 million, stated a release.
The federal funding comes from the Green Infrastructure Stream of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program.
“The Town of Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove is pleased to be partnering with the provincial and federal governments to protect our watermain for our residents. This collaboration will complete the Watermain Protection Project on Motion Bay Road Extension for the residents of Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove,” said Mayor of Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove Ron Doyle in a statement. | <urn:uuid:cb7fbb39-f955-4df2-9399-4192ea03fde8> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://canada.constructconnect.com/dcn/news/infrastructure/2022/07/feds-fund-three-water-projects-in-newfoundland | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572286.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20220816090541-20220816120541-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.90354 | 253 | 1.914063 | 2 |
Browse your local newspaper or other local publications for articles that focus on public health issues at the local, state, and/or national level. For example, reports or articles that discuss a train collision, an earthquake in California, the dedication of a new park in your neighborhood, an outbreak of the flu in Texas, low-cost child immunization clinics, or a free traveling mammogram program for low-income women are all examples of public or community health issues.
- Locate two examples of community or public health issues from a local publication, magazine, or newspaper. The examples you select should focus on completely different topics – for example, select one article that discusses a new park and another article that focuses on plans for a new coal-fired power plant.
- Write a one paragraph summary of each article. Include a proper reference to the source of the article.
- Include an additional paragraph that explains why you consider these articles to be public or community health.
- Your original post should consist of complete sentences and include three paragraphs.
- Reply to at least two of your online colleagues’ posts with reflective questions, substantive comments, or relevant personal experiences.
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A capitalist society is the type of society that most of the people live in, especially in the Western part of the world; it is based on privately owned assets and businesses, and defined by the fact that it is the consumer who decides what products he/she needs.
An industrial society is how our society could have been defined up until a few decades ago, when information and its exchange started to gain more momentum and importance; however, industry is still the main basis of our world, and it ensures the survival of an increased population.
Rural development is very important from a social and economical point of view, especially in remote areas where people still live like hundreds of years ago, employing primitive farming methods and struggling to find drinking water, and where education is lacking.
The best sustainable development definition is to say that it is a type of human development where gathering the resources of human needs is done without disturbing the environment and its natural systems, so that these human needs can be satisfied for future generations as well.
In order for a region to prosper it requires a certain economic environment which needs to be regulated by the appropriate policy makers. This requires small taxes as well as funding for new businesses. Furthermore supporting local small business can help them develop which will eventually lead to more jobs. | <urn:uuid:6742878f-0793-42e0-b26a-3ad7ca3d7dda> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.bloglet.com/tag/economy/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571246.56/warc/CC-MAIN-20220811073058-20220811103058-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.965678 | 258 | 3.171875 | 3 |
How One Illinois Teacher Uses Art To Empower Students
In highly politicized times such as these, teachers are often warned to remain neutral in the classroom. But at a public primary school in Kewanee, Illinois, one art teacher is showing kids it’s their duty to speak out about injustices.
Kewanee is in Henry County, about a two-and-a-half-hour drive west of Chicago. According to the US Census Bureau, the town has about 12,500 residents, about 85 percent of which are white, over 10 percent are Latino and about five percent are black.listen to the story
The art room at the town’s Central Elementary School sits at the end of the hall, past the front entrance. It’s about the size of a basketball court, though much more colorful, and it feels like the hub of the school, with students popping in and out in between classes.
Marc Nelson, the 38-year-old art teacher, has a casual teaching style. On a recent Wednesday, he gave an introduction for the day’s objective and then let the kids work collaboratively and discuss amongst each other.
The students worked on tablets, writing summaries and adding final touches to their "People's History" projects, which highlight marginalized figures from the near and distant past.
The 13- and 14-year-old students focused on people and events that illustrate the diversity in American life. People like feminist icon Betty Friedan and Ellen Ochoa who was the first Latina to go to space, and events like the Stonewall Riots, a major milestone of the LGBTQ liberation movement.
The project is just one of many ways Nelson has taught the kids about humanitarian causes and social justice. He’s used a variety of media, from digital posters to music and movies, to comic books like politician and civil rights activist Jim Lewis’ Marchseries which he reads to his students.
"I want to show kids what art is really about,” Nelson says. “When you talk to any artist, they're not just going to talk about their obsession with cadmium orange. They're going to talk about something that inspires them.”
In his own time, Nelson creates artwork depicting lives ravaged by warfare and shares them onsocial media. He has earned international attention for his work. His latest focus is oil paintings of children and other victims of the war in Syria. Some of those pieces, depicting the bloodied and wounded, are currently being created in the classroom, where students can follow along with his progress.
Nelson also connected his class via Twitter with two young Syrian sisters namedNoor and Alaawho have an active account detailing what they’ve witnessed and begging for the carnage to stop.
Last year, his students made a stop-motion animated movieabout the life of the sisters. The film detailed aspects of their lives, like their desire to walk to school without the threat of violence. That film is narrated by Central Elementary School eighth-grader Myracle Sharrow.
At one point, she says on behalf of the girls, "We love school. One day our friend was killed with her mother while walking to school." Sharrow says she still communicates with Noor and Alaa on a near daily basis and showed me their messages on her phone. The two sisters are now refugees in Turkey, where they no longer face daily bomb threats.
Sharrow says getting to know the sisters and working on the film was inspiring. “I've never met anybody that has gone through any of that, (who) was scared to go to school,” she says. Sharrow says the experience also opened the door to conversations about the war with her family.
The school's principal, Jason Anderson, says so far there hasn't been backlash about Nelson bringing up these types of topics as part of his curriculum.
Anderson says he appreciates that Nelson, "Really helps the kids understand what's out there in this world. We're 78 percent low income.” Anderson says connection with various types of people and political issues, "Gives them a sense of, hey, you know what, we're not alone. We're all in this together … it gives them an idea of what's out there.”
Nelson’s interest in human rights was sparked as a child, when his grandfather told him about his own experience as a refugee, leaving his home of Northern Ireland for the United States. “I grew up with his story of fleeing a conflict zone,” says Nelson.
Social media and the internet made current events more visible than ever, but art has long been used as a tool to draw attention to and educate about social justice and other activist causes.
Rebecca Zorachis the Mary Jane Crowe Professor in Art and Art Historyat Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where she teaches on the intersection of art and politics. She’s explored social-justice centered art created in Chicago, especially by artists of color, including those active in theBlack Arts Movementin the city in the 1960s and ‘70s.
Zorach says of the work Nelson is doing, "It's a really good lesson for those kids in ideas about freedom of expression. And if they should run into questions of censorship or controversy, that's also a really good lesson in freedom of expression."
While there has yet to be conflict brought up by Nelson’s teaching style, he says the junior-high-aged kids he teaches are naturally interested in controversial, politically charged topics.
"We came back from Thanksgiving break, and a lot of my students had seen videos of the tear gassing," says Nelson, referencing viral photos and videos depicting women and children being attacked near the US/Mexico border. “And of course the images that were sticking in their mind were of kids.” Nelson says some of his students are themselves immigrants from Mexico and Central America.
"So I showed them the images, we talked about what's going on, we talked about using language in a certain way, the way we paint people with words is really important," says Nelson. "I'm not trying to push a political agenda, I'm trying to push a human agenda, trying not to dehumanize people."
Nelson is also furthering his own education. He’s enrolled in a master’s program at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, where he has designed his degree to focus on storytelling and its ability to cultivate empathy – especially for people who have been designated as "other" by the larger society.
"After working on projects over the years with my students, the more we would tell stories visually, whether through comics or film, I noticed that my students would respond emotionally, they would become interested in what they're reading, they would basically be cultivating empathy," says Nelson. "I'm working on a project right now with refugee centers, and we're trying to design the project as we speak."
For Nelson, the "human agenda" means getting to know what his students worry about in their own lives.
13-year-old Petra Petty is a budding activist. She has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair. After having problems getting into the school’s gym, she approached the principal about how to improve the school’s accessibility. She also successfully urged a local park to add a swing for those in wheelchairs.
"When you're not handicapped, you don't think about that type of stuff," says Petty.
She says it’s her art teacher, Mr. Nelson, who bolstered her confidence to speak out, having brought up issues like theAmericans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in class. "I would like to speak for people who are afraid to," says Petty.
For Nelson, it’s a real-life example of putting into practice his lessons to be a voice for the unheard, and showing that speaking publicly about injustice, even – and sometimes, especially – through art, is empowering.
Copyright 2019 NPR Illinois | 91.9 UIS | <urn:uuid:3a74daac-0b9f-48f8-b86c-78a17fade17e> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.tspr.org/tspr-local/2019-02-04/how-one-illinois-teacher-uses-art-to-empower-students | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572127.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815024523-20220815054523-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.982316 | 1,674 | 3.15625 | 3 |
II. — 6. Fannius. Quite true, Laelius; a better man or a greater than Africanus never lived. But you ought to consider that the eyes of all are turned upon you, and men both style and think you Wise. This title was a little While since bestowed upon Marcus Cato, and we know that Lucius Acilius was in the time of our fathers called. The Wise. Each however was so styled in a somewhat different manner Acilius was the Wise because he was reputed to be skilled in civil law; Cato, because he had experience in many things. Many stories used to be related of his wise foresight, his resolute action, and his shrewd answers, alike in the senate and in the forum and therefore by the time he reached old age he had already acquired the surname, so to speak, of the Wise.
|Categoria||Lingua Straniera - Inglese| | <urn:uuid:08678659-13d1-4237-909d-82bc86e2f8f1> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://forgottenbooks.com/it/books/CiceroDeAmicitia_10250759 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571719.48/warc/CC-MAIN-20220812140019-20220812170019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.96392 | 273 | 2.5625 | 3 |
“Our Steel and Aluminum industries have been decimated by decades of unfair trade and bad policy with countries from around the world. We must NOT let our country, companies and workers be taken advantage of any longer. We want free, fair, and smart trade.” – President Trump
Last Thursday, in a meeting with industry executives, President Trump announced he would formally sign the trade measures and promised they would be in effect “for a long time.” The White House has been on the brink of announcing steel and aluminum tariffs several times in the past eight months, including in June. In recent days, the President appears to have grown impatient for action. The tariffs – 25% on steel and 10% on Aluminum – cover two materials that are the lifeblood of the construction and manufacturing sectors. The announcement was greeted with fury within key US trading allies such as Canada, Mexico, and Australia, as well as rival China. It also caused concern across global stock markets. The threat of a trade war with China and higher goods prices led to a sharp sell-off in Wall Street on Thursday, causing Asian markets to follow on Friday. AK Steel Holdings was up 2.8%, US Steel Corp was up 2.3% and Nucor rose 1%. However industrial stocks such as Boeing fell as traders feared the tariffs would hit manufacturers. The Dow Jones industrial average ended down 420 points.
The tariffs appear to have divided industries, workers, and policymakers. American manufacturers of steel and aluminum pressed the White House to take action against cheap imports, which they say hurt their ability to compete. On the other hand, companies that use steel and aluminum in their products say tariffs would raise their costs, decrease profits and force them to raise prices or lay off workers.
So, what actually is 232 and what are we, at Pacesetter hearing in the marketplace?
What is Section 232?
According to the Department of Commerce website, Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 (19 U.S.C. §1862) authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to conduct comprehensive investigations to determine the effects of imports of any article on the national security of the United States. Section 232 investigations include consideration of:
- domestic production needed for projected national defense requirements;
- domestic industry’s capacity to meet those requirements;
- related human and material resources;
- the importation of goods in terms of their quantities and use;
- the close relation of national economic welfare to U.S. national security;
- loss of skills or investment, substantial unemployment and decrease in government revenue; and
- the impact of foreign competition on specific domestic industries and the impact of displacement of any domestic products by excessive imports.
Section 232 requires that the Secretary notify the Secretary of Defense that an investigation has been initiated. The Secretary also consults with the Secretary of Defense regarding methodological and policy questions raised in the investigation and can seek information and advice from other government agencies.
The Secretary’s report to the President, prepared within 270 days of initiation, focuses on whether the importation of the article in question is in such quantities or under such circumstances as to threaten to impair the national security. The President can concur or not with the Secretary’s recommendations, and, if necessary, take action to “adjust the imports of an article and its derivatives.” In addition, the Secretary can recommend, and the President can take, other lawful non-trade related actions necessary to address the threat.
Since 1980, the Commerce Department has conducted fourteen Section 232 investigations. Past investigations and remedies have included the following:
- Integrated Circuit Ceramic Packaging – 1992
- Defense provided research and development funding for industry
- Antifriction Bearings – 1988
- Implementation of Buy American restrictions on super precision bearings for jet engines and miniature and instrument precision bearings for guidance systems
- Metal Cutting and Forming Machine Tools – 1986
- Voluntary restraint agreements with multiple countries on imports and an aggressive domestic industry competitiveness action plan
The Department of Commerce found that the quantities and circumstances of steel and aluminum imports “threaten to impair the national security,” as defined by Section 232.
The reports are currently under consideration by the President, and no final decisions have been made with regard to their contents. The President may take a range of actions, or no action, based on the analysis and recommendations provided in the reports. Action could include making modifications to the courses of action proposed, such as adjusting percentages.
The President is required to make a decision on the steel recommendations by April 11, 2018, and on the aluminum recommendations by April 19, 2018.
Key Findings of the Steel Report:
- The United States is the world’s largest importer of steel. Our imports are nearly four times our exports.
- Six basic oxygen furnaces and four electric furnaces have closed since 2000 and employment has dropped by 35% since 1998.
- World steelmaking capacity is 2.4 billion metric tons, up 127% from 2000, while steel demand grew at a slower rate.
- The recent global excess capacity is 700 million tons, almost 7 times the annual total of U.S. steel consumption. China is by far the largest producer and exporter of steel and the largest source of excess steel capacity. Their excess capacity alone exceeds the total U.S. steel-making capacity.
- On an average month, China produces nearly as much steel as the U.S. does in a year. For certain types of steel, such as for electrical transformers, only one U.S. producer remains.
- As of February 15, 2018, the U.S. had 169 antidumping and countervailing duty orders in place on steel, of which 29 are against China, and there are 25 ongoing investigations.
Recommendations of the Steel Report:
Secretary Ross has recommended to the President that he consider the following alternative remedies to address the problem of steel imports:
- A global tariff of at least 24% on all steel imports from all countries, or
- A tariff of at least 53% on all steel imports from 12 countries (Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Egypt, India, Malaysia, Republic of Korea, Russia, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam) with a quota by product on steel imports from all other countries equal to 100% of their 2017 exports to the United States, or
- A quota on all steel products from all countries equal to 63% of each country’s 2017 exports to the United States.
Each of these remedies is intended to increase domestic steel production from its present 73% of capacity to approximately an 80% operating rate, the minimum rate needed for the long-term viability of the industry. Each remedy applies measures to all countries and all steel products to prevent circumvention.
The tariffs and quotas would be in addition to any duties already in place. The report recommends that a process be put in place to allow the Secretary to grant requests from U.S. companies to exclude specific products if the U.S. lacks sufficient domestic capacity or for national security considerations. Any exclusions granted could result in changed tariffs or quotas for the remaining products to maintain the overall effect.
What are we hearing in the marketplace?
As Manager of World Sourcing, Bill Feier works with mills, trade organizations and more. Here is what he is seeing and hearing in the market :
Steel prices are currently at a 7 year high. That makes it hard to blame imports for price erosion. Steel prices are up 30% from January 1, 2018.
China exported 50 million tons of steel in 2107 versus 150 million tons annually a few years ago.
This tariff play will effect pricing more than tonnage (foreign vs. domestic). In other words, they expect imports to keep coming in, but at a higher price, with allows the domestic mills to raise their prices (again).
Idled Furnaces. The domestics are trying to figure out what to do about putting melt capacity back. It will take 12 weeks and $10 million to put a furnace back on line. They don’t want to do it if market demand settles after 1 or 2 years.
Between the Ashland and Granite City furnaces, the Big River ramp up, Stelco in Canada coming back on line, and around 10% of unused capacity at mini-mills, that 10 million tons of (domestic) annual capacity could come into our market which still leaves plenty of room for imports.
Due to past trade cases, there has been stagnant demand in the USA as manufacturers chose to import sub-assemblies or move fabricating plants outside the US.
The proposed tariffs have no time frame. They will stay in place until the president decides differently. The tariffs could disappear as quickly as they occurred. The tariffs on imported solar panel frames and washers and dryers (from Korea) have a 3-year limit.
7.5 million to 9 million tons of slabs get imported annually to ATI, AMUSA, CSI, NLMK, etc. Trump “probably” won’t tax these.
Tubers in the USA will most likely get hit the hardest with price increases.
Canada (the largest supplier of aluminum to the USA) and Mexico most likely will have limited exposure to tariffs.
Hot Roll prices are expected to hit $900 per ton by the 2nd half of 2018, but Timna Tanners of Bank of America expects pricing to come down to “reasonable” of $700 per ton sometime in 2019.
There were 2.3 million auto industry jobs in 2000. 2.2 million jobs in 2009. 3 million jobs in 2017. These jobs need to be protected. The tariffs are a negative.
$3000 of every vehicle cost of production with 89% of it in steel and 11% in aluminum. Tariffs might increase the unit cost by $150-$200. Automakers have 3-year rolling contracts so higher prices might not go totally into effect for 2 years or more. Automakers are global. They can manipulate their output and it might not benefit the USA.
10% of the cost of making a washer or dryer at Whirlpool is steel. They agree on annual contracts so they will be somewhat protected from short-term price spikes. On the other hand, Electrolux announced they were shelving a $250 million expansion plan in the USA due to the tariff announcement.
.1% (a tenth of one percent) of jobs in the USA are in steel and aluminum. Who cares? Other than creating a little inflation, the 232 case will not affect a significant percentage of jobs in the US. In 2009 Obama did the same thing with rubber tires imported to the US. It raised the price of tires, but the market absorbed it. Based on stock market reaction this week, Trump might soften his stance. There is also our NAFTA neighbors to consider.
As National Sales Manager, Jeff Terrell is in touch with many of our customer and has gotten their take on 232. Here are a few of their comments on what 232 might mean.
“Trump needs to re-think all this. There’s not enough capacity in the US to support the demand. This absolutely could cause American companies to move their operations to another country and not face new tariffs on their products. This is totally opposite of trying to protect American jobs.” – Mid-size OEM in the Midwest.
“The biggest concern I have is retaliation from other countries regarding trade. Other countries could follow the US and claim that it’s a “national security” issue and cause serious international trade problems.” – Mid-size OEM in the Midwest
“Unfortunately, the announcement will only decrease any positive growth by raising cost for US manufactures. We all know there’s a major problem with China right now but the president should have had a more equal solution. Not every country is dumping steel in the US.” – Large OEM in the Southeast
“Putting tariffs on steel imports is only going to raise prices and in the end is going to cost jobs. It’s shortsighted and benefit only the steel mills. The domestic steel mills have already raised prices because of 232. We’re going to get hit with higher prices regardless if we buy foreign or domestic. Maybe this could all work if Trump put a “cap” on domestic steel prices.” – Mid-size OEM in Texas
“We honor our contracts. Our profits are going to take a major hit because of these tariffs. It’s going to help all the steel mills but everybody else gets hurt. I heard there’s like 150,000 mill employees but over 7 million employees in manufacturing that use metal.” – Mid-size OEM in the South East
“I feel the impact will be minimal because my product is farther downstream. From what I understand, the domestic steel mills have been unfairly taken advantage of for many years now. I feel the tariffs will help correct the situation and put everyone (foreign and domestic) on a more even playing field. Everyone wants to buy domestically and I think this will help.” – Small OEM Mid-West
“I feel like Trump’s heart is in the right place but he’s just doesn’t know the negative effect this could potentially have on manufacturing in our country. There’s NO WAY we can pass 25% price increases on to our customers. I think he’s going to rethink his announcement and not make it so broad. I sure hope so.” – Mid-size OEM in the Southeast
There remain a lot of specific details that need to be finalized before the “final” verdict is announced. There is certainly serious lobbying going on from countries and companies who want exemptions. We may be surprised when that final announcement is made. We’ll all find out this week, if and when the president officially signs the paperwork.
*Disclaimer: All observations and opinions expressed above are comments from individuals in the marketplace and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Pacesetter Associates. | <urn:uuid:afc4c8fd-ec88-4b2a-a7d8-f15f5a026d38> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://teampacesetter.com/blog/section-232-trade-expansion-act-1962-need-know/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572127.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815024523-20220815054523-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.952869 | 2,920 | 2.1875 | 2 |
Blistering is a common coating failure, and for many years, the causes and mechanisms of blistering have been studied to characterize and determine the effects on coating performance and underlying substrates. These studies have led to a better, but still incomplete, understanding of blistering and its effects on a substrate, such as corrosion. Several different blistering mechanisms have been identified, including osmotic, electrostatic and solvent- or gas-induced blistering, as well as blisters from anodic and cathodic reactions. Typically, more than one of these mechanisms will contribute simultaneously.
As seen in the April 2020 Edition of the Journal of Protective Coatings and Linings (JPCL) and on Paintsquare.com
These studies have also found that the risk that blisters pose to the underlying substrate varies greatly, often with the predominant blister mechanism, which can be related to coating type and exposure. In areas where aesthetics are not important, the general view has been that blisters are not ideal, but as long as they are intact, they still provide some protection to the substrate and are not necessary to repair right away. In a recent study, it was determined that this is not always the case1 and that the substrate below a blister may be more prone to pitting in certain exposures.2 This suggests a need for a better understanding of how to evaluate blistered coatings when considering repairs.
PREVENTING COATING BLISTERING
While blistering may be a common coating failure, in most cases, it can be mitigated by following well-known surface preparation and coating application guidelines. The mechanisms for blister formation suggest the appropriate prevention methods.
The first step of prevention is to ensure that the substrate is clean of contaminants that could lead to osmotic blistering (Fig. 1). The typical contaminants that lead to osmotic blistering are salts, especially in marine environments, which remain on the surface through incomplete surface preparation and cleaning or redeposit on the surface between cleaning and painting. Surface preparation includes processes such as abrasive blast-cleaning, waterjetting, power-tool cleaning or a combination of these to remove all coating and corrosion products in an area to be painted. This should then be followed by a solvent wash to clean off any residual salts or other contaminants. Finally, before coating application, QA tests should be performed to ensure that the surface is free of contaminants.
Fig. 1: Schematic illustration of rust formation in solvent-induced blistering.
COURTESY OF THE AUTHORS UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED
For salts, the common QA method is the patch cell (Bresle) test, in which a known quantity of deionized water is added to a patch to cover a known area of the surface. After a set amount of time, the water is removed from the patch and put into a conductivity meter to determine the conductivity. The higher the conductivity, the more ionic species there are on the substrate. These could be salts or other ions, but either could support osmotic blistering.
Several studies have determined 3 μg/cm2 (30 micro-siemens/cm) as an acceptable level of salt contamination to significantly lower the chance of coating failure, including blistering, in immersion services.6 For atmospheric service, this limit is 5 μg/cm2 (70 micro-siemens/cm).6 These values have been widely accepted in the industry, including by the U.S. Navy and within the SSPC Good Painting Practices manual. A single test only gives the contamination level of a small area, so sufficient testing should be performed to give confidence that the entire area is clean.
Once an area has been properly cleaned, it should be coated as soon as possible. If an extended period of time is expected between preparation and coating, the area should be isolated as well as possible through containment. When time comes to paint, the area should be solvent-washed again and surface salt testing repeated. If contamination levels are found to be too high, the area may need to be completely re-prepared before coating application.
Cleaning is not the only necessary step to give the best chance of avoiding blistering. The coating application itself is also important. Coating formulations, cure characteristics and protection mechanisms all vary greatly from paint to paint. For this reason, it is necessary to follow the manufacturers’ directions when applying paints. This includes everything from mixing to time allowed for curing before service.
Improper mixing and application methods can lead to blisters through gas entrapment. Improper mixing ratios may affect the coating’s ability to release solvent during the cure process, leading to blistering as well. This can also result from applying coatings at thicknesses beyond the intended film build or top-coating before the solvent has had a proper amount of time to release. If a coated area is put into service, especially immersion service, before the solvent has completely diffused from the coating, there is an increased chance solvent-induced blistering will occur.
EFFECT OF BLISTERS ON THE SUBSTRATE
There are several ways in which blistering can affect the corrosion of the substrate. While blisters formed by cathodic polarization can weaken adhesion of a coating, they will typically have little effect on the underlying substrate. The cathodic reactions produce hydroxide at the substrate, which can contribute to the delamination and growth of the blister.3,7 Yet, the pH of water found in these blisters is usually alkaline at values around 10–11.4 At this pH, steel is normally passive and does not corrode. Typically, if a cathodic blister is opened, bright, uncorroded steel will be found underneath. Therefore, these blisters are not considered a risk to the substrate.
On the other hand, anodic blistering will certainly have corrosion products forming below the coating. Anodic blistering usually begins below a pore or microdefect in the coating or next to a macrodefect like a scribe or crack in the coating.3,4 In the case of blistering at small defects or pores, corrosion will begin where oxygen and ionic species, often salts like NaCl, are able to pass through the coating to the substrate and initiate corrosion. As corrosion product builds up, the pore or defect will become blocked, once again making the coating film semipermeable to the surroundings.3,4,8 The corrosion products then react with incoming oxygen, making the area under the pore oxygen-deficient. The whole area below the pore becomes anodic, and cathodic reactions at the surrounding perimeter begin to disbond the coating. This process supports continued osmosis and electroosmosis to bring water and ionic species into the blister, and the blister growth continues. If an anodic blister is opened, a ring of black-red rust will be found on the underside of the dome and surrounding the central anodic area. Figure 2 illustrates the formation of anodic blisters at microdefects.
Fig. 2: Anodic blistering at a pore or microdefect
Anodic blistering along a scribe happens similarly, but through a different initiation. In this case, oxygen, water and ionic species can pass under the coating through weak and damaged points in the coating along the scribe. This allows micro-corrosion cells that naturally form below the coating to change into anodic sites and form blisters through the anodic blister mechanism above.3,8 A Naval Research Lab study found that corrosion under blisters next to scribes showed deeper pitting than boldly exposed steel.2 This is likely due to the area under the blister working as the anode to a larger cathodic area spread throughout the surface. Values of pH in anodic blisters are slightly acidic or neutral.
In the case of solvent entrapment, the substrate is not affected by blistering. However, a blistered coating is a weakened coating and more susceptible of sustaining ionic permeability and other electrochemical factors leading to more aggressive corrosion conditions. Eventually, corrosion can form under these blisters, but it is typically through usual corrosion mechanisms not due to the blistering.4
RISK CONSIDERATIONS: INSPECTION AND MAINTENANCE OF BLISTERED COATING
The U.S. Navy and other industries use ASTM D714 to rate blisters based on size and density.9 In the Navy, judgement based on this rating determine which blisters are acceptable, and which are unacceptable. Larger and more dense blisters are more unacceptable; there is no consideration of mechanisms. Unacceptable blistering is considered coating failure—just the same as damaged and openly corroding areas.
A major risk of blistering is whether the blisters will break during continued service, resulting in open corrosion and potential damage to the substrate. A recent study of the blistering of in-service, high-solids tank and void coatings was performed to determine blister characteristics that could correlate to coating failure through blister breakage.1 This program was a follow up to a short-term lab study, which found that once blisters form, they stabilize and do not tend to grow or break over time.10 The recent study tested these findings by inspecting four ship tanks for blistering after six-to-nine years of service. Each tank had five, 8-inch by 10-inch areas marked off for blister inspection. Each area was then covered with a sheet of transparent grid paper, and the inspector marked blisters (broken or intact) and corroded areas. One to three years later, depending on the ship, the tanks and areas were reinspected to determine changes in the blistering.1, 11 Table 1 breaks down the inspection timelines of each of the tanks. Figure 3 shows examples of initial blister conditions found in the tanks, as well as an example of the transparencies used to record blister locations.11
Table 1: Age of Tanks at Initial and Final Blistering Inspections
A primary finding was that during service, many initially intact blisters broke, exposing the substrate to the environment and allowing open corrosion.1, 11 Also, the blister propensity for failure (“breaking”) showed variance from tank to tank, but within a given tank, blister failure was similar from area to area.
Fig. 3: Examples of blistering areas at first inspection
The relatively large amount of blister breakage—up to 45% of the areas inspected in the worse tank1, 11—directly opposes the findings of the short-term lab testing that saw no blister breakage.10 This significant amount of blister breakage in the tanks could be the result of a few factors. Coating age could play a role in the likelihood of blisters breaking. It may be that as the coatings age and fatigue, they become more brittle. At a certain point, they may no longer be elastic enough to grow with changes in pressure related to the flow of water into and out of the blister, and the blistered coating cracks as a result. As a coating ages, the risk of blisters breaking may increase. If it is a contributing factor, the lab exposure may not have been long enough to show results representative of coatings in a real immersion setting. Additionally, the test conditions may not have accurately represented the environment of in-service coatings. The tanks’ service conditions may have been more severe in terms of humidity, time of wetness or physical stress, leading to more broken blisters.
Service environment may explain the difference in blister failure between tanks, as well. Each tank may have been exposed to a unique environment for different amounts of time. The tanks with more blister failure may have had higher times of wetness, more frequent wet/dry cycles, had more aggressive fluid in them, or may have been exposed to significant periods of high humidity. Blisters in the most corrosion-prone areas should be prioritized for repair over those in less corrosive areas. Similarly, differing physical stresses like fluid flow, foot traffic and debris movement may vary the degree of blister breakage between tanks. A lower quality of surface preparation and poor coating application may have been performed in one tank compared to another, resulting in more surface contamination and undercoating corrosion. This could lead to more blisters breaking as well. Blister characteristics such as size did not indicate a higher likelihood of blister breakage.
It can be expected that, for the most part, a tank will have a similar surface preparation, coating application and environment throughout. This would explain why there was a similar amount of blister breakage from area to area within a given tank. Some exceptions could be if a tank is only filled halfway, blisters above the waterline would be less likely to break than those below, or an area that is hard to reach for surface preparation may show more blister breakage than those in easy-to-clean areas.
Perhaps the clearest sign of blisters at a greater risk of breaking or causing damaging corrosion is the extent of coating damage in the vicinity of the blistering. Blistering near open corrosion is a sign of activity under the coating, and these blisters are often anodic. Not repairing these blisters may lead to damaging pitting corrosion. Additionally, if the open coating is repaired and the blistered coating is left as found, even more current may come from the anodic area, increasing the corrosion rate. Blisters near active corrosion on open surfaces should not be ignored and should always be repaired.
These factors are important as coating maintenance funds are limited. Often, decisions must be made on which blistered areas should be repaired and which can be left with the least risk. The biggest economic factor in determining when to repair problematic blistering is the incremental cost to repair blistered areas. If the area is easily accessible, can be inspected regularly, and can be repaired without difficulty, then it is not as important to repair a blistered coating right away. This decision can be reinforced by opening a few blisters to attempt to determine what mechanism is causing the blistering and if there is major damage to the substrate below the blister. If the substrate seems to be mostly undamaged, then these areas can be touched up and the rest of the blisters left intact until the condition of the entire area worsens or the blisters begin to break.
If there are many years of service before the next maintenance availability, more significant consideration should be given to blistering. Blisters form for a reason; they are a product of some underlying issue or weakness in the coating. Therefore, they show the coating is at a higher risk of failing in the future and causing damage to the structure, if corrosion is not already occurring. In cases where there is extensive blistering with many existing broken blisters, experience suggests that blisters will continue to break, and active corrosion will continue in these areas. Such blistering should be repaired as soon as funds allow.
If minimal blistering is found adjacent to planned rework areas, it may be prudent to additionally repair the blistered areas, as the funds have already been invested to mobilize and prepare to paint in the area. It should be noted that touch-up repairs typically do not last as long as a full repair and repaint, so reinspections should take place at the next availability where touch-up is performed.
Each blistering mechanism has different effects on the substrate underneath—but all blisters are a sign of poor performing coating. Blistered coating can lead to increased pitting damage below an intact blister and is at a higher risk of breaking and causing open corrosion to a substrate. The findings of this ship tank blister inspection project suggest that further investigation into additional factors—beyond blister size and density—may be beneficial for evaluating blistered coating. Service environment and coating age may be important factors to investigate. For the most part, proper surface preparation, good painting procedures and timely repair of damaged coating should significantly reduce the risk for blistering.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Michael Kibler is a Staff Engineer at Elzly Technology Corporation and has worked in the corrosion and protective coatings industry for two years. He graduated from Virginia Tech in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering. He is an SSPC-certified NAVSEA Basic Paint Inspector (NBPI) and a NACE-certified Shipboard Corrosion Inspector.
Patrick Cassidy is a Senior Engineer with Elzly Technology Corporation who has been working in the corrosion and coatings industry for over 10 years. He has been involved in a diverse number of programs including coatings research, field investigation and application of corrosion control products. Cassidy is an SSPC-certified NBPI and Thermal Spray Inspector, a NACE-certified Shipboard Corrosion Inspector, and has completed additional training in NAVSEA Cathodic Protection Design.
Jay Ong is the Corrosion and Coatings Engineering Branch Head with the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division, where he has been employed for almost 10 years. He holds a B.S. and M.S. in chemical engineering from Villanova University and an M.S. in engineering and industrial management from Drexel University. He is an SSPC-certified NBPI and a NACE-certified Coating Inspector (Level III).
- Kibler, M., P. Cassidy, O. Ramos and J. Ong, “Coating Blister Growth Field Inspection,” NSWC Carderock Division, 2019.
- Cassidy, P., J. A. Ellor, J. Wegand, J. Martin, P. Slebodnick and J. Tagert, “Evaluating Material Loss of Steel Under Protective Coatings in Marine Environments,” U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, 2017.
- Needham, W. “White Paper: Blistering of Coating Systems in Ship Tanks,” NSWC Carderock Division, 2012.
- Funke, W. “Blistering of Paint Films and Filiform Corrosion,” Progress in Organic Coatings, Vol. 9, pp. 29–46, 1981.
- Bi, H. “Corrosion Protection by Paint – Cathodic Disbonding,” University of Oxford, England, 2010.
- Appleman, R. B. “The Effect of Soluble Salts on Protective Coatings,” SSPC Good Painting Practice Manual, Volume 1, Chapter 2.8, pp. 119–138.
- Cayuela, F. and M. Morcillo, “Cathodic Blistering on Marine Coatings Under Total Immersion Conditions,” PCE 2000 Conference and Exhibition, Genoa, Italy, 2000.
- Nguyen, T. and J. W. Martin, “Modes and Mechanisms of Degredation of Epoxy-Coated Reinforcing Steel in a Marine Environment,” Building Materials Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology.
- ASTM D714, “Standard Test Methods for Evaluating Degree of Blistering of Paints,” ASTM International, 2009.
- Needham, W., S. Policastro, S. Lawrence and R. Rayne, “Technical Report: Blistering of Coating Systems in Ship Tanks,” Naval Surface Warfare Center, 2014.
- P. Cassidy, J. Ong and W. Needham, “Evaluating Coating Blistering in Ship Tanks and Voids,” MegaRust 2017, Newport News, VA. | <urn:uuid:147f9dc9-8454-49bf-b965-93880416ebea> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://elzly.com/coating-blister-failures/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572286.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20220816090541-20220816120541-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.945414 | 4,048 | 3.1875 | 3 |
Ethiopia has only one public In-vitro fertilization (IVF) center which was opened one year back. The aim of the study is therefore to determine predictors of the outcome of IVF in the only and newly opened public fertility center in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The study is conducted in the public IVF center in Ethiopia between; April 01, 2019, to March 30, 2020. A retrospective cross-sectional study design was employed. All IVF clients meeting the inclusion criteria were included in the analysis.
There was a total of 199 couples included in the study. The clinical pregnancy rate was found to be 30.1%. The odds of getting pregnant is 61% less among participants with female partners age ≥35 years, AOR 0.39, CI 0.18-0.83 with a p-value of 0.015. Good responders ((≥4 oocytes retrieved) accounts for 152(76.4%) of the cases. Age of female partner, day 3 Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH), and Antral Follicle Count (AFC) count ≥5 were significantly associated with good ovarian stimulation response with a p-value of 0.050,0.002 and 0.005 respectively.
Even though near two-third of the study participants did not know their exact date of birth, the reported age of female partner <35 years is associated with both good ovarian response and occurrence of pregnancy emphasizing its importance for clinical decision making. Day 3 FSH and AFC ≥5 were associated with good ovarian stimulation response. Therefore, we recommend the combination of female partner age, day 3 FSH, and AFC ≥5 to predict ovarian response in low resource settings, since variables can be readily available without much cost to patients. Furthermore, we would like to recommend follow up studies with better sample size and prospective cohort design to appropriately compare the different predictors of ovarian response in our setting to develop evidence-based set up specific IVF protocols and guidelines
Keywords: Pregnancy rate, IVF, Resource limited setting, Predictors, Infertility, Ethiopia | <urn:uuid:83e5e5d5-335d-4bfd-aa56-bd59cde92d59> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://ejrh.org/index.php/ejrh/article/view/493 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571719.48/warc/CC-MAIN-20220812140019-20220812170019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.946993 | 458 | 1.554688 | 2 |
Students are investors. From Pre-K to university, the time spent in the classroom is an investment in a student’s future. Investing in education starts early in life, but young people may be less prepared when it comes to financial investments and saving.
While budgeting may sound simple (don’t buy things you can’t afford), planning for a financially stable future isn’t always as straightforward. Spinnaker has compiled some ways students can prepare for their financial future while continuing to invest in their education.
Who doesn’t want to get money? Scholarships are a special way for students can receive some extra cash, and they’re not only for the students with 4.0-grade point averages. The University of North Florida (UNF) provides an extensive list of Foundation Scholarship opportunities students can apply for. Some applications require students to meet specific criteria and write essays, while others let students apply quickly with a general application.
Organizations independent of UNF also provide unique scholarship opportunities. The Jax Federal Credit Union (JFCU) offers a $1,000 scholarship toward tuition for full-time students in the Fall 2022 semester. Applicants must meet certain criteria and write an essay on the importance of saving, a financial lesson they’ve learned, or how credit unions serve younger audiences. The deadline to apply is June 4.
Having a separate account from the one used for paying bills can let students put money aside for later. A savings account is a simple, low-risk way to begin keeping money for later.
“When you first get started, I always recommend starting a budget,” said Tyler Ferguson from the JFCU. “Figure out what your finances are on a monthly basis and subtract that from your net income and start forcing yourself to save even if you have to do a small amount.”
Getting into the habit of setting money aside is a great way to prepare for the future, Ferguson said. Saving $10 a week may not sound like much, but Ferguson explained that starting a habit of saving lets students build a financial safety net for themselves that they can continue to build as their incomes get higher.
Ferguson invited students to open a $10 savings account at JFCU.
CDs and Money Markets
For students who can commit to not withdrawing some of their money for an extended time, investing in certificates of deposits (CDs) and money markets (MMAs) are ways to earn extra money while saving.
“Time is your best friend,” UNF professor of economics Dr. Lian An said.
Dr. An explained that both CDs and MMAs produce higher interest rates than regular savings accounts but sometimes have fees for withdrawing money or require a larger sum of money to set up. Dr. An recommended CDs because they tend to have fixed interest rates, but acknowledged that students who can’t sacrifice the money they deposit into a CD for an extended amount of time do not use them because there are withdrawal fees if the money is taken out too early.
“Time in the market beats timing the market,” Dr. An explained, meaning that the more time investors let their investors grow, the more money they will accumulate.
Dr. An stressed that trying to find the perfect times to buy and sell stocks is not as profitable as holding on to investments long term. She also explained that students should not invest in the stock market with money that they can’t afford to lose.
“Just be mindful of what you’re putting into [the stock market] because it is something that you aren’t guaranteed,” Ferguson advised.
While making money investing in the stock market isn’t guaranteed, Dr. An explained that if students do their research and invest in reliable stocks that tend to grow over long periods of time, they are more likely to earn money from their investments. She advised against newer investments such as cryptocurrency because they can be more volatile than established stocks.
“Avoid trying to become rich overnight,” Dr. An said.
Investing your time
Learning a new skill or trade is something that can’t be taxed or spent. Dr. An said that by investing in education, students can prepare for their financial futures.
Although education sometimes requires taking out loans, the knowledge gained in class can help students later in life.
Learning outside of class is also valuable, Dr. An explained. She described that the cheapest way people can continue to invest throughout their lives is to keep learning.
For more information or news tips, or if you see an error in this story or have any compliments or concerns, contact [email protected] | <urn:uuid:040ba4d2-06a6-432b-94b1-cfbabbf046fa> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://unfspinnaker.com/96669/features/ways-to-save-for-next-semester-and-beyond/?print=true | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572127.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815024523-20220815054523-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.953399 | 986 | 2.59375 | 3 |
On Robot Chicken, 3D printers are primarily used for custom heads, some body parts and various accessory props. “Every episode uses around five celebrity heads,” Kastelic explains. “We make them by hand or with 3D printers.
- 1 Is Robot Chicken animated or stop motion?
- 2 How long does it take to make one Robot Chicken episode?
- 3 Is Robot Chicken made with toys?
- 4 Is Robot Chicken digital?
- 5 How many episodes does Robot Chicken have?
- 6 How many seasons does Robot Chicken have?
- 7 Is the Robot Chicken scientist Rick?
- 8 Who created Robot Chicken?
- 9 Is Robot Chicken bad?
- 10 What Robot Chicken episode is Star Wars?
Is Robot Chicken animated or stop motion?
Robot Chicken is an American adult animated stop motion sketch comedy television series, created and executive produced for Adult Swim by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root.
How long does it take to make one Robot Chicken episode?
It goes to our set and puppet department, which builds everything. After that, it gets lit and set up on stages. Then our animators do the shots frame by frame. Tom Sheppard (current director of Robot Chicken): From beginning to end, it takes us about six months to shoot the whole season of 20 episodes.
Is Robot Chicken made with toys?
About half of the stuff in Robot Chicken is modified toys that already exist, and the rest is made from scratch. Root estimates that about 50 percent of the characters in Robot Chicken are modified from existing action figures, like the Street Sharks pictured above. The rest are built from the bottom up.
Is Robot Chicken digital?
The adult animation network announced on Wednesday the production of digital short spinoff series based on characters from “Rick and Morty,” “Robot Chicken,” “Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell” and “Aqua Teen Hunger Force.” Each mini-series will consist of eight to 10 episodes and will be available globally on Adult
How many episodes does Robot Chicken have?
16 years ago Seth Green decided to take his love of action figures and combine it with one of his major passions: stop-motion animation. The idea for Cartoon Network’s late-night animated series “Robot Chicken” was born and the animation world suddenly changed.
How many seasons does Robot Chicken have?
The show ended after 12 episodes and returned to Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim in 2005 as Robot Chicken. In the first episode (“Conan’s Big Fun”), Conan O’Brien was featured, but he was instead voiced by Seth MacFarlane.
Is the Robot Chicken scientist Rick?
The series follows the misadventures of cynical mad scientist Rick Sanchez and his good-hearted but fretful grandson Morty Smith, who split their time between domestic life and interdimensional adventures.
Who created Robot Chicken?
It is created by Tom Root, the “Robot Chicken” head writer, and Matthew Senreich, a “Robot Chicken” co-creator. The other “Robot Chicken” creator, Seth Green, will be an executive producer and provide the voice of the villain.
Is Robot Chicken bad?
Funny — but not for kids. This show is very violent and contains many amounts of sexual content in its skits. Many dolls couples are seen in bed together. So, Robot Chicken, while very funny, is not for younger children and is meant for edgy teens.
What Robot Chicken episode is Star Wars?
“Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II ” is a 2008 episode of the television comedy series Robot Chicken, and the sequel to the Annie Award winning “Robot Chicken Star Wars”, which aired as a one-off special during Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim block on November 16, 2008. | <urn:uuid:82ded389-0a8b-4aac-9289-aeeabb4749de> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://ssrr2019.org/robot/how-do-they-make-robot-chicken-episodes-question.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571987.60/warc/CC-MAIN-20220813202507-20220813232507-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.94754 | 828 | 1.695313 | 2 |
The Secret to a Happy Life Isn't Money or Success, According to the 'Warren Buffett of Japan'
Money, cars, mansions, success—these are all things that are supposed to make us happy. Sure, there are reports that study the correlation of happiness and money—down to the exact dollar—but these studies mistake happiness for contentment, stability, or simply, the lack of financial stress.
It's not money that makes us really, truly happy, especially if you're chasing it 24/7.
“There is no end in the money game,” according to the late Japanese entrepreneur and investor Wahei Takeda, also known as the Warren Buffett of of Japan. In an CNBC article, Takeda's protege Ken Honda shared how the late investor compared the money game to baseball: "Even if you're in the bottom of the ninth inning, that doesn't guarantee a win."
So what is the secret to a success and wealth? A mentality that isn't obsessed about it. According to one of the most successful investors of his time, the key to an abundant and happy life is something called "maro," short for "magokoro," which means a sincere heart. Live with an upright life with pure intentions, says Takeda, and you'll discover inner contentment and gratitude. Instead of always chasing the game and always wanting and asking for more, pay your success forward and let your generosity lead to prosperity.
A very Japanese philosophy, yes, but you can't deny Honda and Takeda have a point. Don't live your life obsessed over money when you can't take it with you to the grave.
Don't forget to subscribe to the Esquire Philippines YouTube channel.
Esquire Philippines is now on Quento. | <urn:uuid:a3e47c56-0cfc-4b65-8daf-1c071ee7a21a> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.esquiremag.ph/money/movers/money-happiness-success-takeda-a00304-20210528?ref=article_next_featured | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572127.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815024523-20220815054523-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.959951 | 367 | 1.890625 | 2 |
For a while now, there have been serious conflicts and festering wounds in our region. Last week, we added yet another one to this list. Following the attacks launched by Armenia, Azerbaijan took action and one by one started re-capturing its territories which were occupied 27 years ago. Allow me to drop a quick note: We must stand with Azerbaijan in it its rightful fight and intervention to the end. However, this is not just a reflection of our “Two states, one nation” motto, but a necessity of international law, human rights and democracy.
THIS TIME THE LOSERS ON THE BATTLEFIELD AND LOSERS AT DIPLOMACY ARE DIFFERENT
The continuation of Armenia’s systemic attacks on civilians residing on Azerbaijani lands took on a new dimension when the Azeri administration decided to launch a military initiative against the 27-year occupation of Karabakh. If we were to make a comparison, it’s only natural that Armenia and Prime Minister Pashinyan lost against the Azeri army and in the face of Aliyev’s experience and power. In this case, it is crystal clear who the loser on the battlefield is. But the real loser, with their false claims at the diplomacy table and their lie-based policies is the Armenian diaspora. It is time for some Western leaders who are under the influence of the Armenian diaspora to put on their thinking hats. Because it is such that Armenia, the lies and occupation of which they turn a blind to, is committing war crimes by directly targeting civilians.
WHY IS ARMENIA ATTACKING GANJA?
Ganja is the second biggest city in Azerbaijan. However its significance doesn’t end there. It is the crossing point of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline, the Trans-Anatolian gas pipeline and the Baku-Supsa natural gas pipelines. The E-60 highway connecting Europe to China and the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway pass through this city as well. In summary, Ganja is of strategic value in terms of both China’s Belt and Road Initiative and for the EU’s energy supply security. Azerbaijan currently supplies the EU with 5 percent of its gas. Furthermore it is of strategic importance in terms of diversifying resources. Hence, Armenia’s missile attacks both threaten the EU’ energy supply security and China’s trade, which was already dealt a blow with the coronavirus pandemic. The latest in a series of examples is Armenia’s attack conducted two days ago on the BTC oil pipeline.
Additionally, let’s reiterate one thing. Ninety-five percent of Georgia’s natural gas and one-third of Greece’s gas passes through Azerbaijan. If this flow is suspended or if a prolonged repair is in question due to damage, these countries’ administrations may have to make explanations to their citizens as to why they have remained silent in the face of Armenia’s occupation and attacks.
EYES ON CENTRAL ASIA
The world's economic center of gravity is shifting rapidly from the West to the East. Turkey has become the hub for this transformation. Meanwhile, things are heating up along the corridor from Turkey to Asia. It seems as though Azerbaijan will step-by-step physically liberate Karabakh from occupation and tensions will thaw along the corridor as Baku engages in diplomacy together with Turkey. However, if we delve a little deeper into things, this won’t serve Russia and the U.S. in terms of their perspectives on China. In this respect, some of the proxy wars will move to Central Asia. As we interpret the current events in Afghanistan, Kashmir and finally in Kyrgyzstan, we cannot disregard this situation. | <urn:uuid:d75f583b-f343-4d37-a3df-10f77471e8e4> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://wa-piri-yenisafak-en.azurewebsites.net/en/columns/levent-yilmaz/why-armenia-poses-a-threat-to-us-chinese-interests-2047618 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572127.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815024523-20220815054523-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.951413 | 833 | 1.53125 | 2 |
The existence of physics beyond the standard model (BSM) is established with the observation of neutrino flavor oscillations. Germanium detectors with their excellent energy response and sub-keV sensitivities provide a unique tool to probe a class of BSM scenarios. The TEXONO Collaboration has been pursuing these studies experimentally, complemented by adaptation of advanced atomic physics theory techniques to derive neutrino interaction cross-sections at atomic-scale energy. We will present highlights of the studies on neutrino electromagnetic interactions as well as constraints on sterile neutrinos, axions and dark photons . Additional subjects along these lines will also be discussed.
1. A.K. Soma et al., Nucl. Instrum. Meth. A 836, 67 (2016).
2. H.T. Wong, The Universe 3 22, 2015.
3. J.-W. Chen et al., Phys. Rev. D 90, 011301(R) (2014); J.-W. Chen et al., Phys.Rev. D 91,013005 (2015).
4. J.-W. Chen et al., Phys. Rev. D93, 093012 (2016); S.K. Liu et al., Phys. Rev. D 95, 052006 (2017); S. Bilmus et al, Phys. Rev. D 92, 033009 (2015). | <urn:uuid:b21f01ad-3b34-4a7a-9191-4156b8195566> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://indico.cern.ch/event/686555/contributions/2970909/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571097.39/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810010059-20220810040059-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.806137 | 304 | 1.882813 | 2 |
Soft Tissue Grafting
Longer teeth or exposed roots can look unsightly. Exposed root surfaces may increase your sensitivity to hot, cold or sweets. There may also be an increase of risk for cavities when root surfaces are exposed. Tissue graft can be used to cover roots or develop gum tissue which is absent due to excessive gum recession. A soft tissue gum graft can reduce further recession and bone loss. In some cases, it can cover exposed roots to protect them from decay and improve the aesthetics of your smile. | <urn:uuid:8d0af7db-ac3d-4898-a3a4-fa7af888b69d> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.brandonperio.com/services/cosmetic-gum-procedures/soft-tissue-grafting/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572127.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815024523-20220815054523-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.947797 | 108 | 2.046875 | 2 |
|Place of origin||Italy|
|Region or state||Sicily|
|Main ingredients||fried pastry dough, ricotta filling|
Cannoli (Italian: [kanˈnɔːli]; Sicilian: cannola [kanˈnɔːla]) are Italian pastries consisting of tube-shaped shells of fried pastry dough, filled with a sweet, creamy filling usually containing ricotta—a staple of Sicilian cuisine. They range in size from 9 to 20 centimetres (3+1⁄2 to 8 in). In mainland Italy, they are commonly known as cannoli siciliani (Sicilian cannoli).
In English, cannoli is usually used as a singular, but in Italian, it is grammatically plural; the corresponding singular is cannolo (Italian: [kanˈnɔːlo]; Sicilian: cannolu [kanˈnɔːlʊ]), a diminutive meaning 'little tube', from canna, 'cane' or 'tube'. This form is uncommon in English.
Some food historians place the origins of cannoli in 827–1091 in Caltanissetta in Sicily, by the concubines of princes looking to capture their attention.
Author Gaetano Basile merged this legend with other historical traditions to determine that cannoli come from the Palermo and Messina areas and were historically prepared as a treat during Carnival season, possibly as a fertility symbol. The dessert eventually became a year-round staple in Poland.
Some similar desserts in Middle Eastern tradition include "Zaynab's fingers" (أصابع زينب), which are filled with nuts, and qanawāt (قنوات), deep-fried dough tubes filled with various sweets, which were a popular pastry. The dish and the name may originate from the Muslim Emirate of Sicily. The minne di Sant'Agata or minni di virgini, cream-filled half spheres with icing and fruit are shaped like a roll in honour of St Agatha. Feddi dû cancillieri ("chancellor's slices") are similar cream and apricot jam-filled almond cookies.
Cannoli World LLC is known to provide the largest amount of cannoli varieties in America. | <urn:uuid:0bd78dd2-feaa-4b74-a0d8-e658dae235be> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://db0nus869y26v.cloudfront.net/en/Cannoli | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572127.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815024523-20220815054523-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.907697 | 546 | 2.359375 | 2 |
EYE-DAS is an organization dedicated to helping the visually impaired in the San Gabriel Valley. Membership is open to any adult with impaired, partial, or no vision. Sighted individuals are welcome.
EYE-DAS encourages those with visual problems to become more independent and lead a more productive and satisfying life.
What does EYE-DAS mean?
EYE-DAS, an acronym for EYE Diseases Are Serious is pronounced “Ida’s” in honor of Ida Fracasse who founded the organization with her husband Joe in 1975. EYE-DAS has been serving the visually impaired community since 1975. We provide members with resources, ongoing education, current information, problem sharing and social activities in order to enable independence and to improve quality of life.
What do we do?
We Provide our members with:
- Social Activities
- Resources, education, & information on vision
- Vision enhancement technology e.g., Close Circuit Television (CCTV) Reading Devices
EYE-DAS welcomes individuals with all types of visual impairments.
- Macular Degeneration
- Diabetic Retinopathy
- RP (Retinitis Pigmentosa)
- Eye Injuries
- ROP-Retinopathy of Prematurity
- Vascular Diseases (Stroke)
- Cancer of the Eye
- Optic Nerve Disorders
- Cornea Deterioration
EYE-DAS Foundation welcomes your financial support. | <urn:uuid:6a5abfd5-59c8-40a2-8ec7-c1328b0d97a4> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | http://eye-das.org/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572286.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20220816090541-20220816120541-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.84961 | 339 | 2.21875 | 2 |
A Mid-Century Gem
“Sequoia National Park is 56km from Visalia and its 1.2 million annual visitors provide a steady but transient trickle of traffic downtown. In July 2021, a new hotel gave them a reason to linger a little longer. The Darling, built in 1935, is housed in the former county courthouse and kept its original terrazzo flooring and prewar façade. But when the current owners took it over it had been abandoned for almost 15 years. “This place was in really bad shape,” says co-owner Matt Ainley from inside the lobby. “I’d driven by it my whole life saying, ‘Too bad it’s not very well taken care of.’” Ainley, a civil engineer by trade, had no previous hotel experience but was driven by a desire to preserve a unique piece of Visalia’s history and restore it to its former art deco elegance. The rooms boast 3.6 metre-high ceilings and there’s an outdoor pool in which to while away a lazy afternoon. But the showstopper is the rooftop bar with unobstructed views towards the snow-flecked sierras. It’s a stark contrast to the building’s past but from a local’s point of view, it’s undoubtedly an upgrade.
The 32 rooms at this mid-century gem pay tribute to the building’s former life as the Tulare County courthouse; head to the rooftop bar for stunning views of the Sierras.” | <urn:uuid:99e8d3ce-97fa-4812-866e-c73cca02b9db> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.thedarlingvisalia.com/monocle/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572127.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815024523-20220815054523-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.971572 | 330 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Anyone who likes to have fun – or enjoys collecting a lot of wine – knows that at least a few good bottles are available when the company calls. But there are things you need to consider before installing a complete wine bottle pegs in Melbourne system.
Wine is a volatile drink that spoils easily, so it is important to store it properly. Understanding how wine is stored is also important when purchasing a new wine peg. If you are in a store that looks too hot, understanding how to store wine can help you decide whether to buy it. The two most important factors affecting wine and damage are temperature and storage location.
Store it in a cool and dry place
Because the wine is soaked in grape juice, the soup spoils easily if it is not stored at the right temperature. When the temperature rises above 80, your wine can start to “chew”, and if the wind stays there too long or above 90 degrees, it will get worse. A quick and the most effective way to find out if a wine is “bought” by heat is to smell it. If the wind smells of baked fruit and raisins, it will probably return due to the heat.
Think, for example, of a plastic bottle of apple juice. If you leave apple juice in your hot garage, the bottle will start to expand, and as the juice is cooked, it will start to have repellent properties. Even if the wine is stored in a glass bottle, you can’t see the bottle expanding with heat; the same thing with apple juice happens with wine. That’s why temperature is so important.
Do not place bottles near heat sources such as radiators and never in places without access to a cooling source or a garage or un-ventilated cellar. Put the bottles of wine in the fridge if you want to keep them safer.
Always store wine on its side
You may think that because you see wine directly in stores, it is the right way to store it But, this is not the appropriate way to store wine. While the cork does a lot to protect the wine from its oxygen frenzy, if the wind is right, the liquid will not stay in constant contact with the cork, causing the bottle to seal and add more oxygen to absorb the wind. Keeping the wind in constant contact with the cork holds the seal and protects the wind. You can arrange this with a wine table or a tailor-made wine shop at home.
This is why when you walk into a store that is not only hot but also sells bottles that sit in an upright position for a long time, you can get a great combination. Instead of paying for a nice bottle of wine, you can buy a wine rack. If you notice this, slowly leave the store and find another place to buy.
Finding a reliable dealer of wine pegs is very important. There are many suppliers of wine pegs in Australia, but Wine Rack Factory is considered the most appropriate and trusted dealer of top quality wine pegs. | <urn:uuid:c04ea8ab-557a-4285-9a79-12e2d3f083f8> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://cmeblogspot.com/how-to-store-wine-with-wine-bottle-pegs-in-melbourne/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572286.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20220816090541-20220816120541-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.956867 | 622 | 1.84375 | 2 |
Participants establish a shared foundational understanding of effective and responsive teaching practice in tertiary education informed by contemporary adult learning theories, frameworks and principles. Drawing on their experiences and evidence-based research, participants address the critical elements of quality teaching and learning promoted by the VU Block model; studying one subject at a time guided by active, collaborative, engaged and flexible strategies to enhance education for all students. Participants will apply those elements to specific disciplines or fields of study, and link theory and practice through a range of interactive activities. They will explore a variety of physical and online teaching and learning contexts and modes of delivery for diverse student cohorts. To further develop participants’ teaching practices, they will engage in observation of active teaching and learning techniques, and provide collegial, constructive feedback through structured peer review. Participants will also justify the selection and application of relevant teaching frameworks by creating purposeful lesson plans, putting it all into practice for a small group micro-teach. Primarily online self-paced, this unit has two optional Saturday morning workshops providing valuable opportunities for peer learning and networking The final assessment takes place in week 4.
On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
Links to recommended readings for this unit will be provided to students via VU Collaborate.
This unit is studied as part of the following course(s): | <urn:uuid:d1a63c96-b7eb-4b3b-88b8-6f621ea995d7> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.vu.edu.au/units/AET6001 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571987.60/warc/CC-MAIN-20220813202507-20220813232507-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.935582 | 271 | 3 | 3 |
More than a year ago, the world was shocked by Chinese biophysicist He Jiankui’s attempt to use CRISPR technology to modify human embryos and make them resistant to HIV, which led to the birth of twins Lulu and Nana.
Now, crucial details have been revealed in a recent release of excerpts from the study, which have triggered a series of concerns about how Lulu and Nana’s genome was modified.
How CRISPR works
CRISPR is a technique that allows scientists to make precise edits to any DNA by altering its sequence.
When using CRISPR, you may be trying to “knock out” a gene by rendering it inactive, or trying to achieve specific modifications, such as introducing or removing a desired piece of DNA.
Gene editing with the CRISPR system relies on an association of two molecules. One is a protein, called Cas9, that is responsible for “cutting” the DNA. The other molecule is a short RNA (ribonucleic acid) molecule which works as a “guide” that brings Cas9 to the position where it is supposed to cut.
The system also needs help from the cells being edited. DNA damage is frequent, so cells regularly have to repair the DNA lesions. The associated repair mechanisms are what introduce the deletions, insertions or modifications when performing gene editing.
How the genomes of Lulu and Nana were modified
He Jiankui and his colleagues were targeting a gene called CCR5, which is necessary for the HIV virus to enter into white blood cells (lymphocytes) and infect our body.
One variant of CCR5, called CCR5 Δ32, is missing a particular string of 32 “letters” of DNA code. This variant naturally occurs in the human population, and results in a high level of resistance to the most common type of HIV virus.
The team wanted to recreate this mutation using CRISPR on human embryos, in a bid to render them resistant to HIV infection. But this did not go as planned, and there are several ways they may have failed.
First, despite claiming in the abstract of their unpublished article that they reproduced the human CCR5 mutation, in reality the team tried to modify CCR5 close to the Δ32 mutation.
As a result, they generated different mutations, of which the effects are unknown. It may or may not confer HIV resistance, and may or may not have other consequences.
Worryingly, they did not test any of this, and went ahead with implanting the embryos. This is unjustifiable.
The mosaic effect
A second source of errors could have been that the editing was not perfectly efficient. This means that not all cells in the embryos were necessarily edited.
When an organism has a mixture of edited and unedited cells, it is called a “mosaic”. While the available data are still limited, it seems that both Lulu and Nana are mosaic.
This makes it even less likely that the gene-edited babies would be resistant to HIV infection. The risk of mosaicism should have been another reason not to implant the embryos.
Moreover, editing can have unintended impacts elsewhere in the genome.
When designing a CRISPR experiment, you choose the “guide” RNA so that its sequence is unique to the gene you are targeting. However, “off-target” cuts can still happen elsewhere in the genome, at places that have a similar sequence.
He Jiankui and his team tested cells from the edited embryos, and reported only one off-target modification. However, that testing required sampling the cells, which were therefore no longer part of the embryos - which continued developing.
Thus, the remaining cells in the embryos had not been tested, and may have had different off-target modifications.
This is not the team’s fault, as there will always be limitations in detecting off-target and mosaicism, and we can only get a partial picture.
However, that partial picture should have made them pause.
A bad idea to begin
Above, we have described several risks associated with the modifications made on the embryos, which could be passed on to future generations.
Embryo editing is only ethically justifiable in cases where the benefits clearly outweigh the risks.
Technical issues aside, the researchers did not even address an unmet medical need.
While the twins’ father was HIV-positive, there is already a well-established way to prevent an HIV-positive father from infecting embryos. This “sperm washing” method was actually used by the team.
The only benefit of the attempted gene modification, if proven, would have been a reduced risk of HIV infection for the twins later in life.
But there are safer existing ways to control the risk of infection, such as condoms and mandatory testing of blood donations.
Implications for gene editing as a field
Gene editing has endless applications. It can be used to make plants such as the Cavendish banana more resistant to devastating diseases. It can play an important role in the adaptation to climate change.
In health, we are already seeing promising results with the editing of somatic cells (that is, non-heritable modifications of the patient’s own cells) in beta thalassemia and sickle cell disease.
However, we are just not ready for human embryo editing. Our techniques are not mature enough, and no case has been made for a widespread need that other techniques, such as preimplantation genetic testing, could not address.
Yet, no consensus has emerged.
It is important these discussions move in unison to a second phase, where other stakeholders, such as patient groups, are more broadly consulted (and informed). Engagement with the public is also crucial.
Correction: this article originally described RNA (ribonucleic acid) as a protein, rather than a molecule. | <urn:uuid:9c4d8270-abe1-49ba-aeba-bea231618e0e> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://theconversation.com/chinas-failed-gene-edited-baby-experiment-proves-were-not-ready-for-human-embryo-modification-128454 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573876.92/warc/CC-MAIN-20220820012448-20220820042448-00072.warc.gz | en | 0.965344 | 1,231 | 3.265625 | 3 |
Bradley & Fletcher No.: 2273
|The Pink-barred Sallow occurs in broadleaved woodlands and heathland where there are willows and sallows. Initially the larvae feed on the catkins of sallows and poplars and later on herbaceous plants such as docks. The adults’ bright colours become a cryptic camouflage against the yellowing leaves of autumn.||
More detailed information on this species can be found on the Hantsmoths website. | <urn:uuid:3f5b5776-1cf2-4c7a-9923-5795bf734ad6> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://hantsiow-butterflies.org.uk/moth.php?species=togata | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572127.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815024523-20220815054523-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.93799 | 101 | 2.25 | 2 |
In this thought experiment, apply what you have learned about virtual networks in this chapter. You can find answers to these questions in the Answers section at the end of this chapter.
Your management team has named you as the lead architect to implement the first cloud deployment in Contoso’s history. There is a new web based application that runs on IIS Server using a SQL database that they want implemented in Azure.
During a meeting with the application vendor and your manager, you have gained a better understanding of the implementation needs and Contoso’s requirements. The application must run on Azure VMs and the SQL server needs to be implemented as an Always on Availability Group cluster. The vendor has told you that the application supports multiple web front ends for high-availability. Your manager has mentioned multiple times how important security is given this is the first cloud installation. During the conversation, she made it clear that the Azure implementation should be secured using a multi-layered approach using firewall rules, and that it must be deployed using a web application firewall (WAF).
At the end of the meeting your manager also mentioned that as a part of this project you should implement a permanent low latency connection between your primary datacenter and Azure, as there are many follow-on projects after this one. It is also important to have all servers be able to communicate using their host names and not IP addresses as well because it must support authentications to your Active Directory domain controllers. The onsite network is a class A 10.0.0.0/16 Network, but you do have access to 8 class C public addresses provided by your network service provider and registered in your company’s name with the ARIN.
Given that the solution required VMs, the configuration will require a VNet. What should you consider with respect to the address space of the VNet? What address space will you use? Also, what subnets should you create to support the requirements? What are the CIDR ranges for these subnets?
Where would each tier of the application be deployed using the subnets that you have defined? How will you secure these subnets and VMs?
What type of connection will be created between your on-premises datacenter and Azure? How will DNS Services be implemented?
What is the basic architecture for the application? | <urn:uuid:dcc6c6ae-76fa-4485-ac46-7dc0034a006b> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.microsoftpressstore.com/articles/article.aspx?p=2873369&seqNum=5 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571987.60/warc/CC-MAIN-20220813202507-20220813232507-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.949969 | 489 | 3.046875 | 3 |
A low-intensity conflict (LIC) is a military conflict, usually localised, between two or more state or non-state groups which is below the intensity of conventional war. It involves the state's use of military forces applied selectively and with restraint to enforce compliance with its policies or objectives.
The term can be used to describe conflicts where at least one or both of the opposing parties operate along such lines.
Low-intensity conflict is defined by the US Army as:
... a political-military confrontation between contending states or groups below conventional war and above the routine, peaceful competition among states. It frequently involves protracted struggles of competing principles and ideologies. Low-intensity conflict ranges from subversion to the use of the armed forces. It is waged by a combination of means, employing political, economic, informational, and military instruments. Low-intensity conflicts are often localized, generally in the Third World, but contain regional and global security implications.
The manual also says:
... successful LIC operations, consistent with US interests and laws, can advance US international goals such as the growth of freedom, democratic institutions, and free market economies. ... US policy recognizes that indirect, rather than direct, applications of US military power are the most appropriate and cost-effective ways to achieve national goals in a LIC environment. The principal US military instrument in LIC is security assistance in the form of training, equipment, services and combat support. When LIC threatens friends and allies, the aim of security assistance is to ensure that their military institutions can provide security for their citizens and government. ... The United States will also employ combat operations in exceptional circumstances when it cannot protect its national interests by other means. When a US response is called for, it must be in accordance with the principles of international and domestic law. These principles affirm the inherent right of states to use force in individual or collective self-defense against armed attack.
This section possibly contains original research. (June 2011)
As the name suggests, in comparison with conventional operations the armed forces involved operate at a greatly reduced tempo, with fewer soldiers, a reduced range of tactical equipment and limited scope to operate in a military manner. For example, the use of air power, pivotal in modern warfare, is often relegated to transport and surveillance, or used only by the dominant side of conflict in asymmetric warfare such as a government forces against insurgents. Artillery and multiple rocket launchers are often not used when LIC occurs in populated areas. The role of the armed forces is dependent on the stage of the insurrection, whether it has progressed to armed struggle or is in an early stage of propaganda and protests. Improvised explosive devices are commonly used by insurgents, militias and sometimes government forces such as barrel bombs in low intensity conflicts. The majority of casualties in low intensity conflicts tend to be resulting from small arms and improvised explosive devices.
Intelligence gathering is essential to an efficient basis of LIC operation instructions. Electronic and signal gathering intelligence, ELINT and SIGINT, proves largely ineffective against low-intensity opponents. LIC generally requires more hands-on HUMINT methods of information retrieval.
In the first stages of insurrection, much of an army's work is "soft" – working in conjunction with civil authorities in psychological operations, propaganda, counter-organizing, so-called "hearts and minds." If the conflict progresses, possibly into armed clashes, the role develops with the addition of the identification and removal of the armed groups – but again, at a low level, in communities rather than throughout entire cities.
Myanmar (Burma) has regularly conducted limited low-intensity military campaigns against the independence movement of the Karen people in an area of southeast Burma (roughly corresponding to a Burmese administrative region called the Kayin State), which has actively pursued independence since January 1949. While allegedly limited and low-intensity in that the territories occupied in force by central government forces are returned (as they cannot be held permanently as yet) at the end of the offensives (with the stated, but sometimes unstated, purpose of weakening the opposition and independence movements), human rights organizations and national governments outside of Burma question the veracity of, and sometimes outright refute, these claims.
The governments of Sudan have also engaged in limited military offensives (analogous to Burma's "annual dry season offensives") against various armed opposition and independence movements, which have often escalated into full-scale warfare, particularly in the south and Darfur, but also until recently in the east. These military actions (First Sudanese Civil War and Second Sudanese Civil War) have, over time, continued to ravage the areas in dispute and contribute greatly to the poor conditions in those regions as well as the various human rights violations that have occurred (and in some cases are still occurring) there.
German occupation of FranceEdit
German occupation of Western Europe during World War II, notably the occupation of France, shared many aspects with more recent cases of LIC, such as the "Hearts and minds" stage early on, establishment of puppet governments, strong propaganda aimed at isolating resistance movements, and support to domestic friendly forces (such as the Milice in France).
German occupation of PolandEdit
In Poland from 1939 to 1945 there was a strong partisan movement. Partisan forces (mainly AK and BCh organizations), although less numerous than the German army, organized a strong resistance movement; in the years 1941-44 a successful action was carried out against the expulsion of Poles from the Zamość region. Besides, the "Polish underground" destroyed hundreds of German transports of military supplies throughout the war. In Poland there was also a secret order and many non-military resistance organizations like "Zegota" which helped thousands of Jews save their lives. When the Red Army entered Poland in 1944, the Poles wanted to support them in the fight against the Germans, but the Soviets betrayed them, even though during Operation Tempest, the partisans significantly accelerated the Russian attack, the Russians arrested or killed thousands of members of the Polish Underground State, not they also helped the Warsaw Uprising. In total, throughout the war, hundreds of thousands of people (even 700,000) served in the ranks of the Polish underground, and even every six Pole help polish partizants but partizantes did not have more than 50,000 firearms.
The conflict, known as The Troubles, was primarily political and nationalistic, fuelled by historical events and state sanctioned oppression of Irish Catholics. It also had an ethnic or sectarian dimension but despite use of the terms 'Protestant' and 'Catholic' to refer to the two sides, it was not a religious conflict. A key issue was the status of Northern Ireland. Unionists and loyalists, who descended from colonists who arrived during the Ulster Plantation, were mostly Ulster Protestants and wanted Northern Ireland to remain within the United Kingdom. Irish nationalists and republicans, who were mostly Irish Catholics, wanted to end the Partition of Ireland, leave the United Kingdom and reunite with the 26 counties that had formed the Republic of Ireland following partition. The main participants in the Troubles were republican paramilitaries such as the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) and the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA); loyalist paramilitaries such as the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and Ulster Defence Association (UDA); British state security forces such as the British Army, Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), Ulster Defense Regiment, MI5, and lesser known groups like the Force Research Unit; and political activists. The security forces of the Republic of Ireland played a smaller role. Republicans carried out a guerrilla campaign against British forces as well as a bombing campaign against infrastructural, commercial and political targets. Loyalists attacked occasionally republicans/nationalists, but focused primarily on the wider Catholic community in what they described as retaliation. At times, there were bouts of sectarian tit-for-tat violence, as well as feuds within and between paramilitary groups. The British security forces undertook policing and counter-insurgency, primarily against suspected republicans. This included the internment without trial of anyone accused of being, or supporting, Republicans. Investigations also revealed significant collusion between British state forces and loyalist paramilitaries, and furthermore loyalist paramilitaries such as the Glenanne gang included serving members of the Ulster Defense Regiment and Royal Ulster Constabulary.
Guerrilla warfare: the main challenge to low-intensity warfareEdit
Low-intensity warfare's main opponent is the guerrilla, or irregular fighter. This opponent may be state sponsored, or private non-state actors driven by religious or other ideology in urban, semi-urban and rural areas. Modern guerrilla warfare at its fullest elaboration is an integrated process, complete with sophisticated doctrine, organization, specialist skills and propaganda capabilities. Guerrillas can operate as small, scattered bands of raiders, but they can also work side by side with regular forces or combine for far-ranging mobile operations in squad, platoon or battalion sizes or even form conventional units. Based on their level of sophistication and organization, they can shift between all those modes as the situation demands, as guerrilla warfare is flexible, not static.
Guerrilla tactics are based on intelligence, ambush, deception, sabotage, and espionage, undermining an authority by long, low-intensity confrontation. It can be quite successful against an unpopular foreign or local regime, as demonstrated by the Vietnam War. A guerrilla army may increase the cost of maintaining an occupation or a colonial presence above what the foreign power may wish to bear. Against a local regime, guerrillas may make governance impossible by terror strikes and sabotage or even a combination of forces to depose their local enemies in conventional battle. Those tactics are useful in demoralizing an enemy and raising the morale of the guerrillas. In many cases, guerrilla tactics allow a small force to hold off a much larger and better equipped enemy for a long time, as in Russia's Second Chechen War and the Second Seminole War fought in the swamps of Florida, United States. Guerrilla tactics and strategy are summarized below and are discussed extensively in standard reference works such as Mao's On Guerrilla Warfare.
Three-phase Maoist modelEdit
Mao's theory of people's war divides warfare into three phases. In the first phase, the guerrillas gain the support of the population by attacking the machinery of government and distributing propaganda. In the second phase, escalating attacks are made on the government's military and vital institutions. In the third phase, conventional fighting is used to seize cities, overthrow the government, and take control of the country. Mao's seminal work On Guerrilla Warfare, has been widely distributed and applied, nowhere more successfully than in Vietnam, under the military leader and theorist Võ Nguyên Giáp. Giap's People's War, People's Army closely followed the Maoist three-stage approach but with greater emphasis on flexible shifting between mobile and guerrilla warfare, and opportunities for a spontaneous "general uprising" of the masses, in conjunction with guerrilla forces.
Guerrilla organization can range from small local rebel groups with a few dozen participants to tens of thousands of fighters, deploying from tiny cells to formations of regimental strength. In most cases, there is a leadership aiming for a clear political objective. The organization is typically structured into political and military wings, sometimes allowing the political leadership plausible deniability of military attacks. The most fully elaborated guerrilla warfare structure was seen by the Chinese and Vietnamese communists during the revolutionary wars of East and Southeast Asia.
A simplified example of this more sophisticated organizational type, which was used by revolutionary forces during the Vietnam War, is shown below.
Types of operationsEdit
Guerrilla operations typically include a variety of attacks on transportation routes, individual groups of police or military, installations and structures, economic enterprises, and targeted civilians. Attacking in small groups and using camouflage and often captured weapons of that enemy, the guerrilla force can constantly keep pressure on its foes and diminish its numbers and still allow escape with relatively few casualties. The intention of such attacks is only military but also political in aiming to demoralize target populations or governments or by goading an overreaction that forces the population to take sides for or against the guerrillas. Examples range from chopping off limbs in various internal African rebellions to the suicide bombings of Palestine and Sri Lanka to sophisticated maneuvers by Viet Cong and NVA forces against military bases and formations.
Surprise and intelligenceEdit
For successful operations, surprise must be achieved by guerrillas. If the operation has been betrayed or compromised, it is usually called off immediately. Intelligence is also extremely important, and detailed knowledge of the target's dispositions, weaponry, and morale is gathered before any attack. Intelligence can be harvested in several ways. Collaborators and sympathizers usually provide a steady flow of useful information. If working clandestinely, guerrilla operatives may disguise their membership in the insurgent operation and use deception to ferret out needed data. Employment or enrollment as a student may be undertaken near the target zone, community organizations may be infiltrated, and even romantic relationships struck up in intelligence gathering. Public sources of information are also invaluable to the guerrilla, from the flight schedules of targeted airlines, to public announcements of visiting foreign dignitaries, to US Army Field Manuals. Modern computer access via the World Wide Web makes harvesting and collation of such data relatively easy. The use of on the spot reconnaissance is integral to operational planning. Operatives will "case" or analyze a location or potential target in depth- cataloging routes of entry and exit, building structures, the location of phones and communication lines, the presence of security personnel, and a myriad of other factors. Finally, intelligence is concerned with political factors such as the occurrence of an election or the impact of the potential operation on civilian and enemy morale.
Relationships with the civil populationEdit
Relationships with civil populations are influenced by whether the guerrillas operate among a hostile or friendly population. A friendly population is of immense importance to guerrillas, providing shelter, supplies, financing, intelligence, and recruits. The "base of the people" is thus the key lifeline of the guerrilla movement. In the early stages of the Vietnam War, American officials "discovered that several thousand supposedly government-controlled 'fortified hamlets' were in fact controlled by Viet Cong guerrillas, who 'often used them for supply and rest havens.'" Popular mass support in a confined local area or country, however, is not always strictly necessary. Guerrilla and revolutionary groups can still operate by using the protection of a friendly regime, drawing supplies, weapons, intelligence, local security, and diplomatic cover. The Al Qaeda organization is an example of the latter type, drawing sympathizers and support primarily from the wide-ranging Muslim world, even after American attacks eliminated the umbrella of a friendly Taliban regime in Afghanistan.
An apathetic or hostile population makes life difficult for guerrillas, and strenuous attempts are usually made to gain their support. They may involve not only persuasion but also a calculated policy of intimidation. Guerrilla forces may characterize a variety of operations as a liberation struggle, but that may or may not result in sufficient support from affected civilians. Other factors, including ethnic and religious hatreds, can make a simple national liberation claim untenable. Whatever the exact mix of persuasion or coercion used by guerrillas, relationships with civil populations are one of the most important factors in their success or failure.
Use of terrorEdit
Terror is used to focus international attention on the guerrilla cause, liquidate opposition leaders, extort cash from targets, intimidate the general population, create economic losses, and keep followers and potential defectors in line. The widespread use of terror by guerrillas and their opponents is a common feature of modern guerrilla conflicts, with civilians attempting to mollify both sides. At times, a civil population may be the main targets of guerrilla attacks, as in Palestinian operations against Israeli civilians, or Israeli and local allies operations against Palestinian refugee civilians during the Lebanon conflict like the Sabra and Shatila massacre. Such tactics may backfire and cause the civil population to withdraw its support or to back countervailing forces against the guerrillas .
Guerrillas must plan carefully for withdrawal once an operation has been completed or if it is going badly. The withdrawal phase is sometimes regarded as the most important part of a planned action, as getting entangled in a lengthy struggle with superior forces is usually fatal to insurgent, terrorist or revolutionary operatives. Withdrawal is usually accomplished using a variety of different routes and methods and may include quickly the scouring of the area for loose weapons, the cleaning-up of evidence, and the disguising as peaceful civilians. In the case of suicide operations, withdrawal considerations by successful attackers are moot, but such activity as eliminating traces of evidence and hiding materials and supplies must still be done.
Guerrillas typically operate with a smaller logistical footprint than to conventional formations, but their logistical activities can be elaborately organized. A primary consideration is to avoid depending on fixed bases and depots, which are comparatively easy for conventional units to locate and destroy. Mobility and speed are the keys; wherever possible, the guerrilla must live off the land or draw support from the civil population in which it is embedded. In that sense, "the people" become the guerrilla's supply base. The financing of terrorist or guerrilla activities ranges from direct individual contributions (voluntary or non-voluntary) to the actual operation of business enterprises by insurgent operatives to bank robberies and kidnappings to the complex financial networks that are based on kin, ethnic and religious affiliation used by modern jihadist/jihad organizations.
Permanent and semi-permanent bases form part of the guerrilla logistical structure, which are usually located in remote areas or in cross-border sanctuaries that are sheltered by friendly regimes. They can be quite elaborate, such as in the tough VC/NVA fortified base camps and tunnel complexes encountered by US forces during the Vietnam War. Their importance can be seen by the hard fighting sometimes engaged in by communist forces to protect those sites. However, when it became clear that defense was untenable, communist units typically withdrew without sentiment.
Guerrilla warfare is often associated with a rural setting, which was indeed the case with the definitive operations of Mao and Giap, and the mujahadeen of Afghanistan. Guerrillas, however, have successfully operated in urban settings, such as in Argentina and Cyprus. In both cases, guerrillas rely on a friendly population to provide supplies and intelligence. Rural guerrillas prefer to operate in regions providing plenty of cover and concealment, especially heavily forested and mountainous areas. Urban guerrillas, rather than melting into the mountains and jungles, blend into the population and also depend on a support base among the people. Rooting guerrillas out of both types of areas can be difficult.
Foreign support and sanctuariesEdit
Foreign support in the form of soldiers, weapons, sanctuary, or statements of sympathy for guerrillas is not strictly necessary, but it can greatly increase the chances of an insurgent victory. Foreign diplomatic support may bring the guerrilla cause to international attention, putting pressure on local opponents to make concessions or garnering sympathetic support and material assistance. Foreign sanctuaries can add heavily to guerrilla chances, furnishing weapons, supplies, materials, and training bases. Such shelter can benefit from international law, particularly if the sponsoring regime is successful in concealing its support and in claiming plausible deniability for attacks that are by operatives based in its territory.
The VC and NVA made extensive use of such international sanctuaries during their conflict, and the complex of trails, way-stations and bases snaking through Laos and Cambodia (the famous Ho Chi Minh Trail) was the logistical lifeline that sustained their forces in South Vietnam. Another case in point is the Mukti Bahini guerrillas, who fought alongside the Indian Army in the 14-day Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971 against Pakistan, which led to the independence of Bangladesh. In the post-Vietnam era, al-Qaeda also made effective use of remote territories, such as Afghanistan under the Taliban regime, to plan and execute its operations. That foreign sanctuary eventually broke down with American attacks against the Taliban and al-Qaeda after operatives pulled off the September 11, 2001 attacks.
Guerrilla initiative and combat intensityEdit
As they can choose when and where to strike, guerrillas usually have the tactical initiative and the element of surprise. The planning for an operation may take weeks, months, or even years with a constant series of cancelations and restarts, as the situation changes. Careful rehearsals and "dry runs" are usually conducted to work out problems and details. Many guerrilla strikes are not undertaken unless clear numerical superiority can be achieved in the target area, a pattern typical of VC/NVA and other "people's war" operations. Individual suicide bomb attacks offer another pattern, typically involving only the individual bomber and his support team, but they too are spread or metered out based on prevailing capabilities and political winds.
Whatever approach is used, the guerrilla holds the initiative and can prolong his survival by varying the intensity of combat. Attacks are spread out over quite a range of time, from weeks to years. During the interim periods, the guerrilla can rebuild, resupply, and plan. During the Vietnam War, most communist units, including mobile NVA regulars using guerrilla tactics, spent only a few days per month fighting. While they might be forced into an unwanted battle by an enemy sweep, most of the time was spent in training, intelligence gathering, political and civic infiltration, propaganda indoctrination, construction of fortifications, or foraging for supplies and food. The large numbers of such groups striking at different times, however, gave the war its "around-the-clock" quality.
Low-intensity counter operations or counter-guerrilla warfareEdit
The low-intensity fighter or guerrilla can be difficult to beat, but certain principles of counter-insurgency warfare are well known since the 1950s and 1960s and have been successfully applied.
The widely distributed and influential work of Sir Robert Thompson, counter-insurgency expert in Malaysia, offers several such guidelines. Thompson's underlying assumption is that of a country minimally committed to the rule of law and better governance. Numerous other regimes, however, give such considerations short shrift, and their counterguerrilla operations have involved mass murder, genocide, starvation as well as the massive spread of terror, torture and execution. The totalitarian regimes of Stalin and Hitler are classic examples, as are the lesser but comparable measures of dictatorships fighting "dirty wars" in South America. Elements of Thompson's moderate approach are adapted here:
- A viable competing vision that comprehensively mobilizes popular support. There must be a clear political counter-vision, which can overshadow, match, or neutralize the guerrilla vision. That can range from granting political autonomy to economic development measures in the affected region. The vision must be integrated approach, involving political, social, and economic and media influence measures.
- Reasonable concessions where necessary. Action also must be taken at a lower level to resolve legitimate grievances. It may be tempting for the counter-insurgent side simply to declare guerrillas "terrorists" and to pursue a harsh liquidation strategy. Brute force, however, may not be successful in the long run. Action does not mean capitulation, but sincere steps, such as removing corrupt or arbitrary officials, cleaning up fraud, or collecting taxes honestly can do much to undermine the guerrillas' appeal.
- Economy of force. The counter-insurgent regime must not overreact to guerrilla provocations, which may indeed be what the guerrilla seeks to create a crisis in the civilian morale. Police level actions should guide the effort and take place in a clear framework of legality, even if under a state of emergency. Civil liberties and other customs of peacetime may have to be suspended, but again, the counter-insurgent regime must exercise restraint and cleave to orderly procedures. Clear steps must be taken to curb brutality and retaliation by the security or "freelance" forces.
- Big unit action may sometimes be necessary. If police action is not sufficient to stop insurgents, military sweeps may be necessary. Such "big battalion" operations may be needed to break up significant guerrilla concentrations and split them into small groups that can be controlled by combined civic-military action.
- Mobility. Mobility and aggressive small unit action is extremely important for the counter-insurgent regime. Heavy formations must be lightened to aggressively locate, pursue, and fix insurgent units. Huddling in static strongpoints simply concedes the field to the insurgents, who must be kept on the run constantly by aggressive patrols, raids, ambushes, sweeps, cordons, etc.
- Systematic intelligence effort. Every effort must be made to gather and organize useful intelligence. A systematic process must be set up to do so, ranging from casual questioning of civilians to structured interrogations of prisoners. Creative measures must also be used, including the use of double agents or even bogus "liberation" or sympathizer groups to help reveal insurgent personnel or operations.
- Methodical clear and hold. An "ink spot" clear and hold strategy must be used by the counter-insurgent regime, which divides the conflict area into sectors and assigns priorities between them. Control must expand outward like an ink spot on paper, systematically neutralizing and eliminating the insurgents in one sector of the grid, before proceeding to the next. It may be necessary to pursue holding or defensive actions elsewhere while priority areas are cleared and held.
- Careful deployment of mass popular forces and special units. Specialist units can be used profitably, including commando squads, long range reconnaissance, "hunter-killer" patrols, defectors who can track or persuade their former colleagues like the Kit Carson units in Vietnam, and paramilitary style groups. Strict control must be kept over specialist units to prevent the emergence of violent vigilante-style reprisal squads that undermine the government's program. Mass forces include village self-defence groups and citizen militias organized for local defence and security.
- Foreign assistance must be limited and carefully used. Such aid should be limited to material and technical support and small cadres of specialists. Unless that is done, the foreign helper may find itself "taking over" the local war and being sucked into a lengthy commitment, thus providing the guerrillas with valuable propaganda opportunities. Such a scenario occurred with the United States in Vietnam.
Low-intensity operations consist of the deployment and use of soldiers in situations other than war. For states, these operations are usually conducted against non-state actors and are given terms like counter-insurgency, anti-subversion, and peacekeeping. Violent non-state actors often conduct low-intensity operations against states, often in insurgencies.
- Divide and rule
- Fourth-generation warfare
- Guerrilla warfare
- Grey-zone (international relations)
- Irregular warfare
- Michael G. Vickers
- Military operations other than war
- New Wars
- Political warfare
- Reagan Doctrine
- Violent non-state actor
- Merkava Mark II & LIC models - Israel's main battle tanks optimized for urban warfare and low intensity conflicts
- Blank, Stephen (1991). Responding to Low-Intensity Conflict Challenges. Montgomery: Air University Press. pp. 223–236. ISBN 978-0160293320.
- Steenkamp, Willem (1983). Borderstrike! South Africa into Angola. Durban: Butterworths Publishers. pp. 6–11. ISBN 0-409-10062-5.
- United States Department of the Army (5 December 1990), Field Manual 100-20: Military Operations in Low0Intensity Conflict, GlobalSecurity.org
- "Assad 'dropped 13,000 illegal barrel bombs on Syria in 2016', watchdog says". Independent.co.uk. 11 January 2017.
- Smith, Andrew (May 2011). Improvised Explosive Devices in Iraq, 2003–09: A Case of Operational Surprise and Institutional Response. ISBN 9781257785186.
- Dheer, Ajay; Jaiprakash; Sharma, HK; Singh, Jasdeep (2003). "Evolving Medical Strategies for Low Intensity Conflicts – A Necessity". Medical Journal Armed Forces India. 59 (2): 96–9. doi:10.1016/S0377-1237(03)80047-3. PMC 4923775. PMID 27407476.
- Saraswat, V (2009). "Injury patterns in low intensity conflict". Indian Journal of Anaesthesia. 53 (6): 672–7. PMC 2900077. PMID 20640095.
- Barzilai, L; Harats, M; Wiser, I; Weissman, O; Domniz, N; Glassberg, E; Stavrou, D; Zilinsky, I; Winkler, E; Hiak, J (2015). "Characteristics of Improvised Explosive Device Trauma Casualties in the Gaza Strip and Other Combat Regions: The Israeli Experience". Wounds. 27 (8): 209–14. PMID 26284374.
- Mao, op. cit.[full citation needed]
- People's War, People's Army, Võ Nguyên Giáp
- "Insurgency & Terrorism: Inside Modern Revolutionary Warfare", Bard E. O'Neill[full citation needed]
- Inside the VC and the NVA, Michael Lee Lanning and Dan Cragg[full citation needed]
- Glasser, Steve Coll and Susan B. (7 August 2005). "Terrorists Turn to the Web as Base of Operations" – via www.washingtonpost.com.
- Encyclopædia Britannica, 14ed, "guerrilla Warfare" pp. 460–464
- "Defeating Communist Insurgency: The Lessons of Malaya and Vietnam", Robert Thompson[full citation needed]
- G.V. Brandolini (2002). Low-intensity conflicts. CRF Press, Bergamo, 16 p.
- Asprey, Robert. War in the Shadows, ISBN 0-595-22593-4
- British Army (ed.). Land Operations, Volume III, Counter Revolutionary Operations, 1969.
- Buffaloe, David. Conventional Forces in Low-Intensity Conflict: The 82nd Airborne at Firebase Shkin, Afghanistan , October 2004.
- Hammes, Thomas X.. The Sling and the Stone, Zenith Press, 2004. ISBN 0-7603-2059-4
- Mikulaschek, Christoph, Saurabh Pant, and Beza Tesfaye. 2020. "Winning Hearts and Minds in a Civil War: Governance, Leadership Change, and Support for Violent Groups in Iraq", American Journal of Political Science. doi: 10.1111/ajps.12527.
- van Creveld, Martin. The Transformation of War. The Free Press, 1991. ISBN 0-02-933155-2 | <urn:uuid:ba5d5ca0-d7a6-47c5-8113-eada3cbe9ab3> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low_intensity_conflict | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572127.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815024523-20220815054523-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.935371 | 6,533 | 3.5 | 4 |
Synonyms for regard
This thesaurus page is about all possible synonyms, equivalent, same meaning and similar words for the term regard.
English Synonyms and Antonyms
An attachment is a feeling that binds a person by ties of heart to another person or thing; we speak of a man's adherence to his purpose, his adhesion to his party, or to anything to which he clings tenaciously, tho with no special tenderness; of his attachment to his church, to the old homestead, or to any persons or objects that he may hold dear. Affection expresses more warmth of feeling; we should not speak of a mother's attachment to her babe, but of her affection or of her devotion. Inclination expresses simply a tendency, which may be good or bad, yielded to or overcome; as, an inclination to study; an inclination to drink. Regard is more distant than affection or attachment, but closer and warmer than esteem; we speak of high esteem, kind regard. Compare ACQUAINTANCE; APPENDAGE; FRIENDSHIP; LOVE; UNION.
Attachment of a true man to his friends; attachment to a leader for his nobility of character; the attachments between two persons or things; attachment by muscular fibers, or by a rope, etc.
Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and Antonyms
(usually preceded by `in') a detail or point
"it differs in that respect"
attentiveness, heed, regard, paying attentionnoun
paying particular notice (as to children or helpless people)
"his attentiveness to her wishes"; "he spends without heed to the consequences"
regard, wish, complimentsnoun
(usually plural) a polite expression of desire for someone's welfare
"give him my kind regards"; "my best wishes"
a long fixed look
"he fixed his paternal gaze on me"
esteem, regard, respectnoun
the condition of being honored (esteemed or respected or well regarded)
"it is held in esteem"; "a man who has earned high regard"
a feeling of friendship and esteem
"she mistook his manly regard for love"; "he inspires respect"
respect, esteem, regardverb
an attitude of admiration or esteem
"she lost all respect for him"
see, consider, reckon, view, regardverb
deem to be
"She views this quite differently from me"; "I consider her to be shallow"; "I don't see the situation quite as negatively as you do"
ensure, project, interpret, look, experience, get word, visualise, deal, affect, assure, image, fancy, run across, go steady, learn, debate, depend, run into, discover, escort, turn over, examine, pick up, visit, reckon, consider, study, forecast, come across, cypher, get a line, weigh, get wind, figure, estimate, take care, calculate, control, ascertain, insure, attend, suppose, date, realize, check, meet, go out, witness, count on, take, moot, catch, construe, find out, see, bet, visualize, picture, find, work out, go through, opine, view, count, think, hear, deliberate, guess, compute, envision, determine, take in, encounter, believe, watch, involve, look at, conceive, see to it, cipher, understand, imagine, realise
look at attentively
involve, affect, regardverb
connect closely and often incriminatingly
"This new ruling affects your business"
bear upon, call for, impress, touch, involve, see, consider, strike, dissemble, sham, take, move, reckon, touch on, imply, pretend, require, affect, necessitate, postulate, demand, impact, ask, bear on, view, need, feign
Dictionary of English Synonymes
Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated Words
Words popularity by usage frequency
How to use regard in a sentence?
There is no' sell' signal as far as I'm concerned, the divergence is certainly something to make a note of, in terms of your positioning in the transportation sector, but I don't see it as a message in regard to the broader market.
It’s public record that information was not forthcoming with regard to particular aspects of this aircraft, that will have to change.
My distant cousin received an out of the blue message through Ancestry’s messaging portal from a family in Germany, it turns out that this was in regard to my uncle, Herb Harms, who died on Aug. 16, 1944, when his plane was shot down.
A person whom Mark had small regard for, said: Mark, I recently chanced to pass by your house. To which Mark dryly replied: And may you always continue to do so.
If it's helpful to the consumer to know that American Airlines has one policy with regard to middle seats and Delta another, then we want to show that in the Kayak display.
Translations for regard
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- považovat, ohledCzech
- [[olla]] [[johonkin]] [[päin]], yksityiskohta, kiinnittää huomiota, arvostaa, ottaa huomioon, koskea, huomiointi, olla [[jonkin]] [[puolella]], katsella, [[pitää]] [[jonakin]], suhde, katsoa, huomioidaFinnish
- ce qui concerneFrench
- aire, suimScottish Gaelic
- 관련, 주목하다Korean
- kōtua, matihereMāori
- beschouwen, achting, respectDutch
- aktelse, respekt, betraktning, Når det gjelderNorwegian
- wzgląd, szacunek, respektPolish
- que diz respeito, consideraçãoPortuguese
- забо́та, что касается, взгляд, внима́ние, уваже́ниеRussian
- що стосуєтьсяUkrainian
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- English (English) | <urn:uuid:1c2e6534-d6bc-42df-9580-cc12d05c3b09> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.synonyms.com/synonym/regard | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571987.60/warc/CC-MAIN-20220813202507-20220813232507-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.837106 | 2,282 | 2.109375 | 2 |
1. Cyclanthera pedata (Linnaeus) Schrader, Index Sem. Hort. Acad. Goett. 1831: 2. 1831.
小雀瓜 xiao que gua
Momordica pedata Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 2: 1009. 1753.
Plants annual. Stem robust, multibranched, glabrous. Petiole 5-15 cm; leaf blade 5-pedatisect, leaflets elliptic or elliptic-lanceolate, median leaflet 7-16 × 2-6 cm, base cuneate, margin dentate, apex acuminate; lateral leaflets 5-14 × 2-4 cm. Tendrils 2-fid. Male flowers in a panicle; peduncle 10-23 cm, 20-50-flowered; pedicels filiform, 4-10 mm; calyx tube cupular, ca. 2 × 3-4 mm; segments linear, ca. 2 mm; corolla yellow; segments ovate-triangular, 1.5-2 × 2-2.5 mm, puberulent; filaments connate; anthers circular, 1.5-2 mm. Female flowers: calyx and corolla as in male flowers; ovary 2-3 mm; style 0.5-0.7 mm. Fruit narrowly oblong to narrowly elliptic, 5-7 × 2.5-3 cm, setose, apex acuminate, 8-10-seeded. Seeds black, suboblong, 10-12 × 7-8 mm, margin dentate. Fl. and fr. May-Oct.
Cultivated. Xizang, Yunnan [cultivated in tropics of New and Old Worlds, not known wild].
The fruit is used as a vegetable. | <urn:uuid:dfa11838-3c7b-4599-b27c-aafa4cb47d77> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200022622 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572127.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815024523-20220815054523-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.72515 | 387 | 1.976563 | 2 |
Despite its glitches, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is among the airlines to offer a rare service of carrying the deceased people to their home free of cost. As compared to many of the leading airlines in the world’s aviation industry who charges a hefty amount to passengers for transporting coffins to the home country, PIA has set a humanitarian example of assisting and sharing the pain of the bereaved families.
Pakistan International Airlines, which is desperately in need of cash inflows to pull its marginal profits, refrain from adding agony to the pain of the family by providing free service, which otherwise costs additional expense of thousands of dollar if transported by any other airline.
PIA’s empathetic staff share the pain of the family and try to ease the worries of the family by playing its part.
Costs Incurred in Transporting the Coffin
Transporting the coffin to home country through air service is the most cost-incurring phase, for expats living abroad, in the entire funeral process. International airlines usually charge up to $10,000-15,000, such costs are usually unplanned and unexpected for the families to bear.
For instance, the cost of repatriating a body from Dubai, which the home to millions of Pakistanis, ranges between Dh20,000 to Dh30,000. The costs, however, varies depending on the destination- the average cost to Asia is Dh15,000, while Africa can be up to Dh35,000.
All the business, economy executive passengers of PIA will be provided a complimentary stay at the recently acquired properties by IHIG in Narran, Burbank, and Balasko.
The paperwork can take up to an extra two weeks if the person died out of the hospital. All the bodies that are transferred by air have to be embalmed. They have to be hermetically sealed to be able to fly. Bodies can be transported either in a metal-lined casket costing about $500-700 depending upon the size or in a bio-sealed aluminum bag at about $300.
Airlines charge at a flat rate per kilogram, based on the weight of the casket or bag, and the body itself.
Pakistan International Airlines offering an unmatched service has recently recorded a surge in its profits. The national carrier has recorded a 45% increase in the profit estimated to be Rs63 million.
PIA: On the Trajectory to Regain Lost Glory
The latest restructuring of Pakistan International Airlines under the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan has started reaping benefits. Measures have been taken to increase efficiency, timeliness, and service to the passenger, which resulted in the confidence of customers on PIA.
Prime Minister Imran Khan has also given a nod to purchase the additional aircraft to expand the fleet, while PIA has restored its flight on many of the suspended routes including direct flights to London from Sialkot.
Low-income Pakistanis can't afford to send the dead bodies of their loved ones to Pakistan from USA after PIA closed its New York operations. PIA was bringing dead bodies to Pakistan free of cost: @nushmiya in @Muqabil92 @KlasraRauf @AmirMateen2 @sarwatvalim pic.twitter.com/2Al0qnB1u5
— Kismat Khan (@KismatZimri) May 22, 2018
The airline has recently collaborated with the International Hospitality Investment Group (IHIG) to promote tourism in the country. A deal that will offer lucrative benefits to its customers.
PIA CEO Air Marshall Arshad Mahmood Malik and IHIG-UK Chairman Alun Richards signed a memorandum on Tuesday at PIA head office. All the business, economy executive passengers of PIA will be provided a complimentary stay at the recently acquired properties by IHIG in Narran, Burbank, and Balasko. This is the first time PIA has decided to go out and co-brand with an international company. | <urn:uuid:b4480f80-5172-4bcd-b5b9-832647f2e19f> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.globalvillagespace.com/pia-is-only-airline-in-world-transporting-deceased-free-of-charge/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572908.71/warc/CC-MAIN-20220817122626-20220817152626-00072.warc.gz | en | 0.952483 | 835 | 1.6875 | 2 |
Dermot Egan (left), Healthy Offaly coordinator, and Cllr John Carroll, Cathaoirleach, at the launch of last year's Longest Day Challenge (picture, Offaly County Council)
COVID-19 has had a serious impact on the roll-out of a programme to make Offaly people healthier, a council district meeting was told.
However, Dermot Egan, Healthy Ireland Offaly coordinator, said action had nonetheless taken place across a number of fronts under the State-funded scheme.
A Healthy Offaly Plan was adopted for the county in 2018 by the Offaly Local Community and Development Committee and a 'Healthy Offaly Team' was established in March of that year with a €247,000 budget.
The Healthy Ireland Fund supports initiatives in areas such as mental health, physical activity, nutrition, sexual health tobacco and alcohol misuse and the development of spaces and places for health and wellbeing, Mr Egan told a meeting of the Edenderry Municipal District.
A programme aimed at young people, 'Fit Schools', with a €36,000 budget, was scheduled to take place in up to 10 primary schools in the county but it had to be suspended soon after its start because of Covid-19 restrictions and instead a printed physical activity resource is being produced for schoolchildren.
“Covid-19 has had a significant effect on our actions. Changes have had to be made to some of these actions,” said Mr Egan.
A community food growing initiative in rural areas, with a target spend of €19,600, had to be largely deferred and the money was reallocated to meals on wheels support across 15 communities from two kitchens, one in Kilcormac and another in Shinrone.
Another €23,700 was allocated to a “Grow it yourself” and healthy eating scheme, both supporting the sustainability of existing groups and setting up new ones.
There are also “social farming” programmes for people with disabilities, including people with mental health issues.
The original programme also included a water sports activity plan but because of Covid-19 it was replaced with a “Communities Together Yet Apart” project where weekly social gatherings – with social distancing – took place in 38 housing estates.
“There was activities like bingo and quiz evenings... it was very useful social interaction, very responsibly run.”
This part of the programme, which also promotes cycling and walking on designated routes, cost €15,400.
Mr Egan said €30,000 was allocated for “community engagement”, which primarily focussed on promotion, merchandising and the creation of a Healthy Offaly webpage on the County Council website.
The “Longest Day Challenge” was an important part of the engagement when all across Offaly people of all ages and fitness levels undertook a daily physical activity from June 1-20 to get themselves active through action like walking, running, cycling and kayaking.
Mr Egan said the programme's community mental health projects were “very, very important”. With a total budget of €62,000, funding was provided to Clara and Tullamore Family Resource Centres to roll out “mental health wellness” programmes for disadvantaged families and to support therapeutic physical activities.
There were also “fear less” workshops for children and teenagers experiencing anxiety, Mojo programmes for men and €30,000 worth of small grants for 15 groups delivering mental health and wellbeing initiatives in their communities.
“We're at a stage now where a lot of our actions are well progressed or finalising,” said Mr Egan.
Reacting to his report, Cllr Robert McDermott, Fianna Fail, said an expansion of “grow your own” would be welcome.
Cllr Mark Hackett, Green Party, said his family had taken part in the Longest Day Challenge himself and it had been very successful.
Cllr Hackett also asked if it would be possible for locally grown food products on sale at the Tullamore Market be used in the meals and wheels programme.
Mr Egan said the food options would be examined and he also told Cllr Noel Cribbin, Fine Gael, that “great crowds” had taken part in the Communities Together Yet Apart in the estates.
“It's very heartening to see that people are very much engaging. People are very keen to get involved in any sort of initiative at the moment in these days of social isolation,” said Mr Egan.
The Healthy Offaly Team comprises Dermot Egan (coordinator), Aine Brummell (Offaly County Childcare Committee), Anthony O'Prey (HSE/Offaly Local Development Company), Brian Pey (Offaly County Council) Bridie Costello-Hynes (Offaly Public Participation Network), Clodagh Armstrong and Josephine Rigney (HSE), Gillian Cunningham (Laois Offaly Education and Training Board), Kieran Shaughnessy (Offaly Library Service), Olivia Murphy (Offaly Sports Partnership), Sarah Kennedy (chair, Offaly Local Development Company).
Subscribe or register today to discover more from DonegalLive.ie | <urn:uuid:7b2648aa-ff3f-4ca2-ac23-58bb3e9c639a> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.offalyexpress.ie/news/home/625171/healthy-offaly-plan-doing-well-despite-covid-19-impact.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572127.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815024523-20220815054523-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.969095 | 1,096 | 1.914063 | 2 |
- Open Access
A national survey of Rett syndrome: behavioural characteristics
Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders volume 7, Article number: 11 (2015)
The aim was to gain a UK national sample of people with Rett syndrome (RTT) across the age range and compare their characteristics using a variety of relevant behavioural measures with a well-chosen contrast group.
The achieved sample was 91 girls and women, aged from 4 to 47 years, of whom 71 were known to be MECP2 positive. The contrast group (n = 66), matched for age, gender, language and self-help skills, comprised individuals with six other syndromes associated with intellectual disability. Parental questionnaire measures of RTT specific characteristics, impulsivity, overactivity, mood, interest and pleasure, repetitive behaviour and self-injury were administered.
Hand stereotypies, breathing irregularities, night-time unrest and anxiety or inappropriate fear were commonly reported among the RTT sample. Problems of low mood were also reported as common. However, mood and interest and pleasure were no lower than found in the contrast group. In addition, self-injury was lower than in the contrast group and was associated with factors found to predict self-injury in other groups of people with severe intellectual disabilities.
There is variability in the manifestation of problem behaviours potentially associated with the syndrome across individuals, with some more severely affected in most areas than others. Some of this variability appears to be underpinned by genetic mutation.
Rett syndrome (RTT) is a genetic disorder that causes severe cognitive and physical impairments. In its classic form, it appears to affect almost exclusively females, with an incidence of up to one in every 10,000 live female births. Its cause is most often a mutation in the methyl-CpG binding protein-2 (MECP2) gene, located on the X chromosome at Xq28 . However, although a MECP2 mutation is found in most cases of the classic form, RTT remains a clinical rather than a molecular diagnosis. MECP2 mutations have not been found in all cases of RTT, and mutation has been found in individuals who do not meet the clinical diagnostic criteria for classic or variant RTT .
Neul et al. described revised diagnostic criteria. Classic RTT requires apparently normal psychomotor development in the first 6 months of life followed by a period of regression, which is not due to brain injury secondary to trauma, neurometabolic disease or severe infection, and involves partial or complete loss of acquired purposeful hand skills and language, gait abnormalities and the development of stereotypic hand movements, followed by stabilization or even some degree of recovery. An important aspect of the regression is a period of social withdrawal or impaired communication. Atypical RTT requires a similar period of regression and subsequent stabilization/recovery, at least two of the above four behavioural manifestations and the presence of at least five (out of 11) supportive criteria. Other variant forms have also been described .
The presence of certain behavioural features in the main or supportive diagnostic criteria suggests that RTT syndrome has a definable behavioural phenotype. The most evident characteristics of a RTT behavioural phenotype are the development of repetitive hand stereotypies, such as wringing, clapping or washing hands, together with a loss of functional hand use . Additional potential aspects are social withdrawal, autistic features, bruxism, breathing abnormalities (deep breathing, apnea, hyperventilation, valsava manouvre) and sleep disturbances [5,6]. Table 1 lists behaviours mentioned as occurring either frequently or fairly frequently in five surveys of RTT. Hand stereotypies appear to be pervasive when assessed. Teeth grinding, sleeping difficulties and night-time laughing, screaming, anxiety or inappropriate fear, problems in mood regulation, breathing abnormalities and self-injury may also be expected in the majority or substantial minority. Mount et al. reported that repetitive hand movements, breathing problems, signs of fear/anxiety, screaming, crying and laughing at night-time, repetitive mouth/tongue movements and facial grimacing were more frequently reported in a RTT group than a contrast group comprising individuals with severe or profound intellectual disabilities.
However, the existing literature has some limitations. First, RTT is rare and survey sizes are necessarily small. There is a need for further research to increase the evidence base. Second, there is a greater representation of children than adults in existing surveys. There is a need for further research on the behavioural characteristics of adults and on developmental trajectory into adulthood. Third, studies lack well-matched contrast groups in comparison to which a distinctive behavioural phenotype might be established. Fourth, certain behaviours, such as impulsivity, overactivity and withdrawal have received relatively less research attention. Impulsivity and overactivity are important to explore in those with severe or profound intellectual disability for their association with self-injury and aggression . Depression in RTT has never been researched. Its assessment in this group is a challenge due to characteristic profound intellectual disability and the associated inability to self-report feelings and emotions. One approach is to assess the presence of abnormally low mood and lack of interest [13,14].
The purpose here was, therefore, to gain a UK national sample of people with Rett syndrome across the age range, use a variety of relevant behavioural measures and compare their characteristics with a contrast group, controlled for gender, age, language and functional ability.
Before commencing the study, ethical approval was granted by the Research Ethics Committee for Wales (Application number: 09/MRE09/50).
The survey methodology is described in greater detail in Cianfaglione et al. . In brief, families were recruited through the British Isle Rett Syndrome Survey (BIRSS), an on-going database now maintained by AC at Cardiff University. Families (308) with a daughter or son with RTT were approached and 126 (40.9%) returned a consent form. Questionnaire packs were then distributed and families were contacted first by telephone and then by letter if they had not returned the questionnaires within 2 months from receiving them. Ninety-three families returned completed questionnaires (30.2% of the original 308, 73.8% of those who consented to take part). Ninety-two participants with RTT were female and one was male. The male participant was excluded from the final sample. One participant passed away during the study and was not included in the analysis.
The achieved sample comprised 91 girls and women with a diagnosis of RTT, of whom 80 (87.9%) lived at home and 11 (12.1%) lived in out of family placements. The sample was skewed towards people living in the family home as another research aim was to investigate the well-being of parents caring for a child with RTT (although this survey sought to include only individuals living with their parents, the information on the BIRSS database was not entirely up-to-date and a minority no longer did so). Ages ranged from 4 to 47 years with a mean of 20.5 years: 43 participants were children and 48 adults. Sixty nine had classic RTT (75.8%), 19 atypical RTT (20.9%) and three a MECP2-related disorder (4.3%). Seventy one were known to be MECP2 positive (78.0%): 52 in the classic group and 16 in the atypical group in addition to the three with MECP2-related disorder. Diagnosis of RTT was made by a pediatrician in 42.9% of cases, a clinical geneticist in 26.4%, by both a pediatrician and clinical geneticist in 3.3% and by another professional in 25.3% (this information was missing for the remaining 2.2%). Median age of diagnosis was 3.0 years (range, 1 to 39 years). Diagnosis occurred most commonly between 2 and 4 years of age.
Regression was reported in 87 (95.6%). In one case (1.1%), the mother was not sure if the child had had a regression and, in 3 others (3.3%), all with MECP2-related disorder, they reported that the child did not have a regression. Mean age of regression was 18.9 months (range, 6 to 84 months; SD 11.75): 15 (16.5%) had a regression before 12 months, 49 (53.8%) between 12 and 18 months, 18 (19.0%) between 19 and 36 months and 5 (5.5%) after 36 months (including, one participant who had a late regression at 7 years).
The Cerebra Centre, University of Birmingham, has gathered behavioural data over many years on individuals with intellectual disability associated with a variety of genetic syndromes other than RTT [16,17]. Access to these data enabled a contrast group (n = 66) to be selected that closely matched the RTT sample. Groups were matched on (a) gender, (b) chronological age, (c) mobility, (d) the self-help skills of feeding, washing and dressing and (e) use of words. The latter was a key matching criterion and only individuals with no verbal ability were included. Hence, the three individuals in the RTT sample with preserved verbal ability were excluded from the comparison made to the contrast group, reducing the RTT group to 88 for this aspect of the analysis. In other respects, all participants were female. On average, the RTT sample were 20.3 years old (SD 10.2; range, 4 to 47 years) and the contrast group 15.0 years old (SD 10.0; range, 4 to 45 years). Fifty percent of the RTT group were mobile independently compared to 53.0% of the contrast group. Just a third of the RTT sample (37.5%) could feed themselves with help compared to 68.2% of the contrast group. No-one in either the RTT sample or contrast group could feed themselves independently or wash or dress themselves either independently or with help.
The contrast group comprised individuals with Cornelia de Lange syndrome (N = 26, 39.4%), Angelman syndrome (N = 25, 37.9%), Cri du Chat syndrome (N = 5, 7.6%), 1p36 deletion syndrome (N = 7, 10.6%), Smith Magenis syndrome (N = 2, 3.0%) and Prader Willi syndrome (N = 1, 1.5%).
Families were asked to complete two questionnaire packs. One questionnaire pack related to the person with RTT, covering their early development, current skills, health and behavioural characteristics. The second questionnaire pack related to various aspects of family experience. It is some of the first set of measures that are of concern here. Most of the chosen measures had been developed and used by the Cerebra Centre in their research. However, the first two measures listed below were RTT specific and were, therefore, not available for the contrast group.
Simplified severity score
In the simplified severity score , information was requested about six features of RTT (sitting, walking, hand use, speech, epilepsy and spine deformation). Each domain is scored from 0 to 3, where 0 indicates a normal situation, 1 indicates impaired ability to sit and walk, reduced hand use, some words, epilepsy is controlled with medication and scoliosis is mild; 2 indicates that the abilities to sit, walk, use hands and speak are lost, epilepsy is uncontrolled and scoliosis is severe; 3 indicates that the individual never acquired the abilities to sit, walk, use hands and speak, status epilepticus occurs and scoliosis has been operated upon. The severity score evaluates the overall severity of the syndrome and indicates domains that are considered to influence evolution and severity in the long term. However, it is not sensitive to progression of the syndrome over time. The maximum score is 18. Cases with a score less than 9 are considered mild or less severe.
Rett syndrome behavioural questionnaire
The Rett Syndrome Behavioural Questionnaire (RSBQ) is a 45-item checklist developed to assess behavioural and emotional characteristics of RTT. Items are rated 0 to 2, where 0 indicates that the behaviour is not true, 1 sometimes true and 2 often true. The scale is divided into eight subscales: General Mood, Breathing Abnormalities, Hand Behaviours, Repetitive Face Movements, Body Rocking and Expressionless Face, Night-time Behaviour, Fear/Anxiety and Walking/Standing. High internal consistency has been reported for the total score (>0.90) and eight subscales (0.60 to 0.79), with good inter-rater and test-retest reliability scores (total score, >0.80; subscales, 0.60 to 0.79) .
The Activity Questionnaire (AQ) is an informant-based questionnaire that measures the frequency of impulsivity and overactivity behaviour in children and adults with intellectual disabilities, with or without verbal communication and mobility. It contains 18 questions (for example, Does your child wriggle or squirm about when seated or laying down? Does your child find it difficult holding still?) rated on a five-point Likert scale, where 0 indicates never or almost never, 1 some of the time, 2 half of the time, 3 a lot of the time and 4 always or almost all the time. Behavioural features are clearly described and the respondent is asked to rate the frequency of each behaviour in the last 4 weeks. The scale is divided into three subscales: Overactivity, Impulsivity and Impulsive Speech.
Immobile and non-verbal individuals are scored differently from those who can walk and/or speak. Scores on the Impulsivity subscale for non-mobile individuals are pro-rated to compare with those for mobile individuals. Good internal consistency, item level inter-rater reliability score ranges of 0.31 to 0.75 (mean 0.56) and test re-test reliability score ranges of 0.60 to 0.90 (mean 0.75) have been reported across the subscales .
Mood, interest and pleasure questionnaire short-form
The Mood, Interest and Pleasure Questionnaire Short-Form (MIPQ-S) assesses mood, interest and pleasure levels in individuals with severe and profound intellectual disability. It contains 12 items scored using a five-point Likert scale based on the respondents’ observation of the participant in the last 2 weeks. High scores indicate positive mood and high interest and pleasure. There are two subscales: Mood and Interest and Pleasure. Scores up to and including 15 and 6 (≤18 years) and 13 and 6 (>18 years) have been identified as being abnormally low and scores equal to or above 24 and 23 (≤18 years) and 24 and 21 (<18 years) as being abnormally high for the two subscales, respectively . Inter-rater and test-retest reliability scores have been reported as good (0.85 and 0.97 respectively) as has internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha coefficient Total = 0.88, Mood = 0.79, Interest and Pleasure = 0.87) .
Repetitive behaviour questionnaire
The Repetitive Behaviour Questionnaire (RBQ) is a 19-item informant-based scale used to assess repetitive behaviour in individuals with intellectual disability. It has five subscales: Stereotyped Behaviour, Compulsive Behaviour, Restricted Preferences, Repetitive Use of Language, and Insistence on Sameness. However, the Repetitive Use of Language and Restricted Preferences subscales cannot be scored for individuals with no language as items require the person to be verbal. The frequency of behaviour on each item is scored on a five-point Likert scale (0 to 4). Two scoring systems can be applied for verbal (total score range, 0 to 76) and non-verbal individuals (total score range, 0 to 60). Items that are dependent on the person being verbal can be excluded when comparing verbal and non-verbal individuals. Clinical cut-offs for each subscale are reached if the individual scores three or more on at least one item (that is, a behaviour occurs ‘once a day’ or ‘more than once a day’). Inter-rater reliability scores ranging from 0.46 to 0.80 at item level and test-retest reliability scores ranging from 0.61 to 0.93 at item level have been reported . The following internal consistency coefficients have been reported: full-scale level > .80, the stereotyped behavior and compulsive behavior subscales both > .70, restricted preferences, repetitive speech and insistence on sameness subscales .50, .54 and .65, respectively .
Challenging behaviour questionnaire
The Challenging Behaviour Questionnaire (CBQ) is an informant-based scale that assesses the presence and frequency of self-injury and aggressive behaviour. Respondents are asked to rate the presence of self-injury and aggression in the last month and to specify the topography of the self-injurious behaviour (hitting self, bites self, slap, bangs head, pulls hair or skin, rubs or scratches self, inserts finger or objects in self). Psychometric properties of the scale are considered to be good with inter-rater reliability coefficients ranging from 0.61 to 0.89 .
For a few participants, some questionnaire items were missing even after attempting to complete them by contacting the respondents by telephone or using relevant information provided in response to another question. Guidelines from questionnaire manuals were employed for pro-rating missing data. Where the missing items were part of a scale or subscale, the mean for the scale/subscale was substituted, providing that 75% of items were scored for the MIPQ and AQ, 65% of items in each subscale were rated for the RBQ and 90% of items were rated for the RSBQ. Having done this, one case was excluded from the analysis of both the RSBQ and AQ and two from the analysis of the MIPQ due to missing data.
Total and subscale mean scores for the RSBQ, AQ, MIPQ and RBQ were calculated. Two sets of analyses were then pursued: (a) testing to establish differences between the RTT sample and the contrast group, and (b) exploration of variation within the RTT group in relation to clinical severity (more vs. less severe) and mutation groups. Although data on the MECP2 mutation were available, six broad categories were created to avoid subgroups being too small: Missense (n = 23, 25.3%), Early Truncating (n = 26, 28.6%), Late Truncating (n = 7, 7.7%), C-Terminal (n = 13, 14.3%), Large Deletion (n = 2, 2.2%) and No Known Mutation (n = 20, 22.0%). Disregarding the last category, the remaining five categories were then combined into two broader mutation groups: (a) Early Truncating and Large Deletion, and (b) Missense, Late Truncating and C-Terminal, in line with the findings of Neul et al. . Cross tabulation with associated chi-squared tests, non-parametric Mann–Whitney U tests or Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance with post hoc Mann–Whitney U tests together with non-parametric (Spearman) correlations were used to explore differences between groups and relationships between variables.
Behavioural characteristics of the RTT sample
The percentage occurrence of potentially characteristic behaviour in this RTT sample is also given in Table 1, alongside findings from the five previous surveys mentioned in the introduction. Hand stereotypies were almost universal (99%). Teeth grinding (58%), sleeping difficulties and night-time laughing (64%), anxiety or inappropriate fear (73%), low mood/changeable mood (77%), breath holding (63%) and hyperventilation (77%) were reported among the majority.
Table 2 sets out RSBQ total and subscale scores. Means were generally near half of the maximum scores possible and ranges were broad. As Table 3 shows, there was a high degree of positive intercorrelation between all RSBQ subscales other than the Walking/Standing domain. RSBQ scores were not significantly associated with the simplified severity score, except in the case of the Walking/Standing domain where scores were higher among those with less severe clinical characteristics (U = 319.50, z = −5.676, P < .001). RSBQ total and subscale scores were also not significantly associated with mutation categories as initially set out. However, there were significant differences in two of the three stereotypy domains between the two broader mutation groups. Scores for Hand Behaviours and Repetitive Face Movements were greater among those with Early Truncating or Large Deletion mutations compared to those with Missense, Late Truncating or C-Terminal mutations (U = 415.5, z = −2.220, P < .05 and U = 415.0, z = −2.340, P < .05). Mean score for Hand Behaviours for the former was 9.1 (SD 1.86) compared to 7.8 (SD 2.39) and for Repetitive Face Movements was 3.2 (SD 1.79) compared to 2.3 (SD 1.82).
Overactivity and impulsivity
The RTT group had significantly lower total AQ scores than the contrast group as well as significantly lower Impulsivity and Overactivity subscale scores (see Table 4). Significantly lower scores were also found for the Impulsivity subscale analysed separately for immobile and mobile participants. Within the RTT sample, those with less severe clinical characteristics had higher total AQ scores (U = 409.0, z = −4.663, P < .001) and higher Overactivity (U = 608.5, z = −3.204, P < .005) and Impulsivity subscale scores (U = 354.5, z = −5.257, P < .001), with mean scores of respectively 19.3 (SD = 12.75), 10.5 (SD = 6.83) and 8.8 (SD = 7.45) compared to 7.7 (SD = 6.67), 6.0 (SD = 4.48) and 1.7 (SD = 3.38). There was a significant difference in Impulsivity subscale scores across broad mutation groups. Those with Early Truncating or Large Deletion mutations had a lower score (mean = 2.8, SD = 5.26) than those with Missense, Late Truncating or C-Terminal mutations (mean = 7.9, SD = 7.57) (U = 324.0, z = −3.403, P < .001).
Mood, interest and pleasure
There were no significant differences between the RTT and contrast group on the MIPQ-S either in total or in relation to its Mood or Interest and Pleasure subscales (see Table 5). Within the RTT sample, there were also no significant total or subscale differences across clinical severity categories (severe/mild) or across mutation groups, either as originally constituted or the two broader categories. Seven children and one adult (15.6% and 2.2%, respectively) had abnormally low mood.
There were significant differences between the RTT sample and contrast group on the RBQ in all but the Insistence on Sameness subscale (see Table 6). The contrast group had higher scores on the Stereotyped Behaviour and Compulsive Behaviour subscales and the RBQ total score. Four of the 19 items of the RBQ were not assessed as they were not relevant due to the participants’ lack of language. Moreover, on a further nine items, fewer than 10% in either group reached the clinically significant threshold. Occurrence of a clinically significant level of behaviour was greater in the contrast than RTT group in relation to five of the remaining six items: Object Stereotypies (74.2% vs. 19.3%), Body Stereotypies (62.1% vs. 30.7%), Attachment to Objects (34.9% vs. 12.5%), Repetitive Phrases (19.7% vs. 4.5%) and Preference for Routine (22.7% vs. 14.8%) Only Hand Stereotypies occurred at a clinically significant level more frequently among the RTT group (RTT = 80.7%, contrast = 71.3%).
Within the RTT group, there were no significant RBQ total or subscale differences across clinical severity categories or across mutation groups.
Self-injurious behaviours were reported among 24 of the RTT group (28.2%, data available for n = 85) and 18 of the contrast group (45.0%, data available for n = 40). All topographies were more common in the contrast group, except for rubbing or scratching self (see Table 7). Within the RTT sample, the most common topographies were rubbing or scratching self, hitting self with part of the body and biting self. Sample participants who self-injured differed from those who did not in levels of overactivity (U = 451.50, z = −3.328, P < .001) and impulsivity (U = 484.50, z = −2.886, P < .005). Self-injury was also associated with mild clinical severity: 19 of the 24 individuals who self-injured had severity scores less than 9; 35.8% of those with mild severity were reported to self-injure compared to 16.7% of those in the severe category (χ 2 (1) = 4.94, P < .05).
In this paper, we have presented behavioural data on 91 girls and women with RTT. The behavioural characteristics of all but three who had preserved language were compared to a contrast group with a range of other genetic conditions matched for gender, age, language and daily living skills. The RTT sample was drawn from a national database and was reasonably large for a study of RTT. All families whose children met the criteria were invited to participate. In particular, both children and adults were represented, the latter being the slight majority. However, the sample was skewed towards those living in the family home as an additional research purpose was to investigate the relationship between child characteristics and parental well-being. The 11 participants in out-of-family placements were, on average, older than those living in the family home (mean, 28.0 years vs. 19.5 years), albeit that the two groups were similar in age among the adults: almost all of the children lived with their parents. In addition, the two groups were similar in diagnostic distribution (82% classic vs. 75%), mean age of regression (18.5 months vs. 19.3) and mean severity score (9.0 vs. 8.5).
The response rate was low and it is not possible to assess the representativeness of the achieved sample. However, the age distribution was similar to a recent all-age, large sample (n = 983) study of gastrointestinal and feeding problems . Moreover, over three-quarters of the sample had a positive mutation in the MECP2 gene. Not all individuals in the sample had been tested, but in only one case diagnosed with classic RTT was a MECP2 mutation not found. This is consistent with the literature that a mutation in the MECP2 gene can be found in over 90% of cases with Classic RTT . Consistent with other studies, the most common age of regression was between 12 and 18 months.
A further weakness of the study is that the comparison to the contrast group could only be achieved in relation to measures that had already been administered in relation to the other syndrome groups in studies conducted by the Cerebra Centre. Therefore, this study does not contain comparative data on certain RTT specific issues relevant to a potential RTT behavioural phenotype. Findings in this survey do support previous studies that hand stereotypies were almost universal and that breathing irregularities, night-time unrest, anxiety or inappropriate fear and low or changeable mood were common. However, in general, we cannot comment on their frequency relative to the contrast group.
It is possible to be more definitive about hand stereotypies as comparison of repetitive behaviour between the RTT sample and the contrast group provides further evidence for their characteristic occurrence. Hand stereotypies were the only area found to be more common among the RTT group. In other respects, stereotypic and compulsive behaviour were greater among the contrast group. However, even in relation to hand stereotypies, it should be noted that these were found among over two-thirds of the contrast group and in an equally high proportion to the RTT sample among those in the contrast group with Angelman syndrome (80%). Hence, one could conclude that hand stereotypies are characteristic of people with the degree of intellectual disability found in the two groups in this study, while it may be the particular form of hand stereotypy that is diagnostic of a particular syndrome: such as hand wringing in RTT and hand flapping in Angelman syndrome .
Overactivity and impulsivity were not characteristic of RTT, with scores on both AQ subscales below those found for the contrast group. Moreover, despite low or changeable mood being commonly reported in RTT, the RTT group did not differ from the contrast group with respect to either mood or interest and pleasure. A low, albeit possibly clinically important, proportion of the RTT group was found to have abnormally low mood.
Self-injury was reported only in a minority of the RTT sample and in a lower proportion than in three previous surveys (Table 1). It was also found to be less common when compared to the contrast group. The most frequent category of self-injury reported among the RTT group was rubbing or scratching self. This topography is compatible with their low level of functional hand use. Self-injury in the RTT sample was associated with overactivity and impulsivity, a finding consistent with the predictors of self-injury in certain other syndromes and in autistic spectrum disorders [16,27-29]. Overactivity and impulsivity were in turn associated with mutation group, occurring less among Early Truncating mutations and Large Deletions, which are associated with greater severity of disability. This would suggest that self-injury would occur more among individuals with severity scores in the mild range and this was found to be the case.
The ranges in the RSBQ total and subscale scores found for this RTT sample were wide and indicate that there is variability in the manifestation of the behavioural phenotype across individuals. For example, variability in Hand Behaviours and Repetitive Face Movements subscale scores were related to mutation group, with greater severity being associated with Early Truncating and Large Deletion mutations. However, the strength of positive association between the majority of subscales suggests the tendency for some individuals to have relatively high problem levels in all areas while others will generally have relatively low problem levels.
Mount et al. and Robertson et al. report RSBQ means for child samples. Findings for this child and adult sample differ from the Mount et al. survey in certain respects. Scores for the total scale and for the Breathing Abnormalities, Body Rocking and Expressionless Face, Night-time Behaviour and Fear/Anxiety subscales were similar. Subscale scores for General Mood, Repetitive Face Movements and Walking/Standing were significantly lower (respectively t = 3.27, 2.20, 2.33, df = 227, P < .01, .05, .05) while that for Hand Behaviours was significantly higher (t = 2.85, df = 227, P < .01). Where differences existed, the means given in Robertson et al. were closer to those reported here for all subscales other than Repetitive Face Movements.
In conclusion, this study provides further evidence in support of hand stereotypies, breathing irregularities, night-time unrest and anxiety or inappropriate fear being part of a RTT behavioural phenotype, although only the former was tested against its occurrence in a contrast group and, even here, the conclusion may need to be limited to a particular form of hand stereotypy. Problems of low mood were also reported as common. However, mood and interest and pleasure were no lower than found in the contrast group. In addition, self-injury was lower than in the contrast group and was associated with factors found to predict self-injury in other groups of people with severe intellectual disabilities. Moreover, there is variability in the manifestation of problem behaviours potentially associated with the syndrome across individuals, with some more severely affected in most areas than others. Some of this variability appears to be underpinned by genetic mutation.
Ethical approval was provided by the Research Ethics Committee for Wales, Cardiff, Wales, UK.
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This project was funded by the NISCHR Social Care Studentship scheme. We would like to thank the families and individuals who agreed to take part and the Rett UK for their support of the study and the BIRSS database.
NISCHR had no involvement in the writing of this paper or the decision to submit the paper for publication.
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
RC conducted the study and wrote the first draft as part of her PhD research. AC, MK and RH were academic supervisors or mentors to RC and have commented on the manuscript; CO, JM and MH provided the contrast group data and have commented on the manuscript. DF conceived the study, was the main supervisor of RC, conducted analyses not in RC’s doctoral thesis and co-ordinated the writing of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Cianfaglione, R., Clarke, A., Kerr, M. et al. A national survey of Rett syndrome: behavioural characteristics. J Neurodevelop Disord 7, 11 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1186/s11689-015-9104-y
- Intellectual disabilities
- Rett syndrome
- Behavioural characteristics
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With about 10% of the global population living with a disability of some sort, there are many individuals in need of wheelchairs, and tires for wheelchairs are able to provide a great deal of mobility and assistance. Disabilities are often related to so many other problems, including the fact that they tend to make about 70% less annually than those without disabilities, along with the fact that about 20% of the world’s poorest individuals have disabilities. Considering the care and equipment needed by those with disabilities, this is a great challenge.
Mobility for the Disabled
Many individuals need a wheelchair to get around on a daily basis. Some additional features for these wheelchairs are needed for some people. These may include anything from special tires for wheelchairs to calf straps or other special additions including side guards for wheelchairs, and much more. Even beyond the wheelchair, there are other self-care items like the shower chair for rehab, folding wheelchairs, and more.
Tires for Wheelchairs Needed in the United States
At this point, about 3.6 million Americans over the age of 15 use a wheelchair. That means the need for special items such as calf straps for wheelchairs, footrests for wheelchairs, tires for wheelchairs, and others must be replaced regularly. With these additional costs, it is troublesome to believe that these individuals tend to earn so much less than others.
Personal Care Services
Other programs help to serve disabled individuals, whether they are in permanent need of care or are facing rehab from an injury. There is often a great challenge for every disabled person, no matter whether it is temporary or permanent, especially if they are not able to get the income and health insurance that is needed for their daily care. Home health aides and other services are able to provide veteran services, disability services, elderly care, adult day care, in-home day care, and much more. Even more than caring for the person in need of regular or special care, there are the specialty tires for wheelchairs that can help provide the perfect transportation needed on a daily basis.
While there are many disability centers that can provide wonderful care for those in need, it is important that the millions living with the need for wheelchairs are able to keep the proper equipment for daily mobility. | <urn:uuid:5773e753-8e85-42df-980d-e77cef0cdc5a> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://healthybalanceddiet.net/make-sure-that-disabled-individuals-receive-proper-care-with-special-tires-for-wheelchairs/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571097.39/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810010059-20220810040059-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.968521 | 463 | 2.140625 | 2 |
Kung Hai Fat Choy, Happy Chinese New Year! Tomorrow marks the start of the Year of the Dog, or to be more precise, the Brown Earth Dog. The dog was the first species that humans domesticated, and thanks to this long bond with humans, dogs are uniquely accustomed to our behaviors. What creative inspirations can we obtain from “man’s best friend” to help us flourish in the coming 12 months?
Being of Value
Compared to other animals, dogs have developed a strong influence on human society because of both their practical usefulness and the emotional companionship they offer. Dogs serve a wide range of practical roles: hunting, herding, guarding and protection, pulling loads, assisting the police and military, rescuing people in emergencies, aiding the disabled individuals and in other therapeutic roles.
Moreover, dogs are loyal companions who can light up the day with their playful enthusiasm, sincere affection and emotional sensitivity towards their two-legged friends. As the humorist Josh Billings noted: “A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.”
Wouldn’t you enjoy doing business with someone who is helpful and at the same time fun to be with? So, ask yourself: How close are we with our customers? How intimately do we know their true wants and needs? How can we become more useful for our core customers? What other roles may we perform for them to make ourselves more useful? How can we design better emotional experiences for the users of our products and services? How can we better satisfy both the functional and emotional wants and needs of our customers?
Breeding Out Meaningful New Ideas
Humans have selected certain dogs to breed with each other, due to particular physical and behavioral characteristics that support desired functional roles. This selective breeding has led to the hundreds of modern breeds that are classified into certain dog types (such as companion dogs, guard dogs, or herding dogs). These types vary greatly in size, character and behavior and functional roles — from the tiny Chihuahua to the tall Great Dane, or from the stubbornly-dopey Bulldog to the energetically intelligent Border Collie. By the way, did you know that most dog breeds are only a few hundred years old?
The breeding process is similar to the approach taken by a classic creativity technique, Morphological Matrix. So in the Year of the Dog, how can you engage in morphological thinking?
First, create a matrix listing all the morphologies covered by your value offerings. Such categories might be: product features (functional and emotional benefits), service types, customers types, related promotional activities, etc.). Then, list elements under each category (B2B, B2C, NGOs in the customer category, for example), and add as many new elements as possible into each (don’t forget that we’re in the digital age). Finally, ask yourself: How to create meaningful new product and service “breeds” by connecting certain desired features and elements?
Being a Smart Dog
Are dogs intelligent creatures? If you’ve ever owned a dog, you’re likely to nod affirmatively. While breeds vary in intelligence, dogs can perceive information, retain this as knowledge, and later apply it to solve certain problems. They can also learn to respond to different body postures and voice commands. But how do dogs fare when compared to other canines?
Although dogs and wolves share a lineage, there are noticeable differences between the two species. Free-roaming wolves have longer teeth, bigger skulls and also bigger brains than their domesticated fellow canines. Moreover, experiments have shown that Australian dingos outperform domestic modern dogs in non-social problem-solving.
Likewise, researchers have found that when presented with an unsolvable variation of an original problem solving task, socialized wolves tried to find a solution themselves, while dogs looked to a human for help. Domestic dogs seem to have “outsourced” more advanced problem-solving to humans, which is convenient but makes them highly dependent.
Many multinational and large corporations today outsource internal competencies and certain functional roles to outside suppliers. While outsourcing has reduced headcount and —to some extent— overhead costs, it has also led to an organizational brain drain.
The situation is comparable to a dog turning to humans to “do the thinking for us”, “solve our problems on our behalf” and “tell us what to do”. But just as a dog is dependent on the smarts of others, so do companies depend on the intelligence of their outsourcing partner. So, ask yourself: “What problem areas and functional roles are so important for our business that we should “insource” the ability again? What topics do we want to resolve by ourselves to control our fate?”
Dogs are often plagued by parasites such as fleas, ticks, mites, and worms. Parasites live in or on another organism and obtain nutrients at the host’s expense. While they typically don’t cause severe harm, they steadily impair health, energy and performance levels.
Just as you want to keep your dog parasite-free, you may use the Year of the Dog to rid your business of parasitic elements. Ask yourself: Who has benefited from us and derived monetary nutrients at our expense without returning an adequate benefit? Such freeloaders may be suppliers and service providers, advisors and lobbyists, and maybe even certain managers and staff. Investigate how much benefit each derived from you, and what you really got in return. If you notice a gross mismatch, clean out the parasite.
Chinese astrology tends to ascribe characteristics and behaviors observed in an animal of the Chinese Zodiac to sum-up personality traits of people born in the corresponding year. People born in the Year of the Dog are said to be loyal and honest, amiable and kind, responsible and prudent, lively and courageous. Due to having a strong sense of loyalty and sincerity, dogs will do everything for a person —or business— who cares for them.
Who are key members of your company or team who have loyally and responsibly worked for you for a long time, and contributed to the success of your business? Who are your long-term customers who loyally continue buying from you? Who are other loyalists who have served your cause as loyal suppliers, advisors, advocates, opportunists and cheerleaders? In the Year of the Dog, think about ways to say “Thank you” to these loyal, dependable and sensible companions.
Learning From Abraham Lincoln’s Dog
Let’s end with a little riddle relating to dogs. Here’s a question of the famous US president Abraham Lincoln: “How many legs does a dog have if you call his tail a leg?” Think about this question for a moment, then settle on a number.
Got it? Say it out loud. Now here is “Honest” Abe’s answer: “Four. Calling a tail a leg doesn’t make it a leg.”
Nowadays, people are very quick at attaching labels at people or things (this even happened before Donald Trump popularized “fake news”). But notice that, for example, calling something going on that affects your business a problem doesn’t mean that it’s really a problem, or that it is the real problem your business faces. So in the Year of the Dog, ponder these questions: What things are we labeling or framing in ways that prevent us from noticing what’s really going on? What uncomfortable realities do we shy away from —or label as “fake news”— so that we can continue staying in our comfort zone? What are the real problems we’re facing and should tackle in the next 12 months? And aren’t these real problems rather opportunities to make a giant leap into a better future?
Are you ready to get creative in the Year of the Dog? Why don’t you enrol your team in of our Thinkergy training courses?
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For a roundup of our work over the past year, here's our Christmas Newsletter for 2021! From all the team, a very Merry Christmas and all the best for the New Year.
Over the past few weeks, many people have taken their first steps back to activities like going to the cinema or visiting a gallery, or looking further ahead by booking theatre tickets for later in the year.
As part of the return of these kinds of activities, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe is back this August (albeit a bit smaller than usual), and there are opportunities to explore brain health. For those not quite ready to get along to a dark, and often very warm, venue, there are also options to watch online from wherever you are.
For the third year, the work of some of our recent Psychology graduates has been showcased by “Research the Headlines”, a blog that “addresses the way in which research is discussed and portrayed in the media”. Professor Alan Gow from the Department of Psychology tells us why he uses that approach as one of his assessments.
“We often think about research-informed teaching, in which our own and others work might shape how we approach key topics and issues in our courses. There are different ways research-informed teaching can help students engage with a topic, especially in highlighting current trends or new questions being tackled. As well as research informing my teaching, there’s something I might call “engagement-informed” practice that I’ve been using in the 4th Year course, Psychology of Ageing.
“In any course, we want to ensure that our students not only get a firm grasp of their topic but that they develop a range of skills that might be relevant after they graduate. So, one of the pieces of coursework is designed to help develop their abilities in communicating their specialised knowledge. The task is to describe an original research report exploring how lifestyle affects brain health in a manner accessible to non-experts, as well as evaluating the media coverage of that. This month, Research the Headlines again showcased some of that work.”
Research the Headlines is a blog from members of the RSE Young Academy of Scotland (YAS) which discusses research and the media to help the public understanding of research and the process that takes this from “lab to headline”. Many of the Research the Headlines contributors use the ideas in their teaching. In the Psychology of Ageing coursework, a key aim of the “brain blogs” is to explain the important concepts and take-home messages, and to highlight issues in interpretation either in the media report or the underlying research.
The Research the Headlines “brain blog” showcase included the work of two students, both recent graduates in Psychology at Heriot-Watt:
- Can Certain Foods Really Improve Our Brain Function as we Age? by Izzy Aitken (https://researchtheheadlines.org/2021/07/07/brain-blog-showcase-2021-students-research-the-headlines/)
- Occupational experiences may be associated with poorer memory and smaller memory structures within the brain, by Hayley Syme (https://researchtheheadlines.org/2021/07/09/brain-blog-showcase-2021-occupational-experiences-may-be-associated-with-poorer-memory-and-smaller-memory-structures-within-the-brain/)
Next month, Professor Alan Gow will be returning to the Fringe as part of Edinburgh Beltane's Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas. Marginal Brain Gains, part of Marginal Gains & a Hacked Toothbrush, is on August 22nd (2.30pm) live from the Stand Comedy Club in Edinburgh, with options to attend in person or watch online. A short trailer and brief show description are below, and you can follow updates on the show's development via Twitter using the hashtag #MarginalBrainGains. Tickets are available from thestand.co.uk (in person or online options).
Marginal Gains & A Hacked Toothbrush: Two top academics, two dangerous ideas and your host comedian Susan Morrison. Professor Alan Gow (Heriot-Watt University) is looking for the simple things that could help us stay sharp as we age. And Garry Scobie (The University of Edinburgh) reveals how and why criminals are targeting you, your home, even your toothbrush – and how to fight back!
Edinburgh Business School at Heriot-Watt University have launched an Executive Education course on Diversity and Inclusion, saying "There is a requirement in today’s market for increased awareness amongst teams and organisations of the issues around gender, age, disability, and health at work. The aim of this course is to provide detailed support on how to accommodate differences and sensitivities in the workplace, and how to make reasonable and responsible adjustments going forward.
This masterclass comprises three one-hour online as-live workshops via Teams/Zoom/Adobe Connect focusing on:
- Gender, ethnicity, and women’s health.
- Disability in the workplace.
- Age in the workplace."
Professor Alan Gow hosts the “Ageing at work” session, with workshops on disability, health and gender led by Professor Kate Sang and Professor Heather McGregor. You can watch a taster of the "Ageing at work" session here https://youtu.be/P7Jv1pUWJ6s.
Find out more about the Diversity and Inclusivity Masterclass here https://www.hw.ac.uk/ebs/short-courses/diversity-and-inclusivity-masterclass.htm.
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Often times we do things in the dark, that is, when no one else is looking and think it’s okay because who’s going to know. When we’re home or off by ourselves thinking we’re safe because no one sees us. But it’s these very words and actions that the Lord sees and warns us against.
“Woe to those who seek deep to hide their counsel far from the Lord, and their works are in the dark; they say, ‘Who sees us?’ and, ‘Who knows us?’” (Isaiah 29:15)
But this is a path that leads to death and hell.
“‘Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.’ But he does not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of hell.” (Proverbs 9:17-18)
Nothing is hidden from the Lord, not even a curse said under our breaths, or what we fantasize while looking at something in the privacy of our homes.
The Bible says, “God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:14)
In other words, those things we do in secret will not remain secret for long.
“Judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts.” (1 Corinthians 4:5)
“For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.” (Luke 12:2-3)
Those who think they can evade judgment, along with the guilt and shame by being secretive about it, will eventually find out something quite different.
But don’t despair, there is hope, and it comes through confession and repentance.
“He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” (Proverbs 28:13)
Wednesday Evening Bible Study | <urn:uuid:e1f0a864-8977-4e5e-b4b0-0ec6b32453e9> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.mesquitelivingwaters.com/2019/08/14/secret-sins/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571987.60/warc/CC-MAIN-20220813202507-20220813232507-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.951231 | 535 | 1.960938 | 2 |
Whether it’s time to build that recreational room you’ve always imagined, or your family simply needs more space, a home addition can add more living area, enjoyment and value to your property. Building an addition to your home is often
Canada’s commitment to tackle climate change is evident in its programs to decrease overall dependence on fossil fuels and reduce carbon emissions. The housing and construction industry has been particularly identified as one area that can have an immediate impact.
The BC Energy Step Code encourages homeowners to invest in more efficient home upgrades and products that can save money by reducing long term operating costs. | <urn:uuid:7ae73f31-a8af-431b-98b4-7c68ddade273> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.coastessential.com/blog/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571987.60/warc/CC-MAIN-20220813202507-20220813232507-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.960303 | 124 | 2.109375 | 2 |
The smallest group in Celtic society was the Fine. A fine is an extended family group that included grandparents and parents and their kids, and could include aunts, uncles, cousins and their kids. The individual was not important. The fine was a unit, and was treated like one person. Everything belonged to the fine. A person could not break the law. If a member of a fine broke the law, the fine was responsible. By the same token, there was no such thing as individual glory. The fine was victorious.
The next step up was the clan. Each clan was made up of several fines. In some cases, a fine would be so large that it was a clan in itself. You were part of a clan for life and beyond. Clans went back many generations.
Each clan had a leader. You did not inherit leadership from your father. Any male could be chosen as long as he had a blood relationship to the clan. Each clan expected certain things of their leaders. Leaders had to be strong warriors. They had to be able to work out disagreements with other clans and conduct trade and raids on neighboring clans. Most importantly, they had to be rich enough to throw really good festivals.
The Celts were loyal to their clans:
Clans stuck together. Members of a clan supported each other. That is one of the major reasons the Celts never developed an empire. To have an empire, you need a central government, with one leader who ruled all the people. The ancient Celts would never had allowed this. Their loyalty was to their fine and to their clan.
Inside each clan, there were three major groups of people.
At the top were the nobles, which included warrior leaders and landowners.
At the bottom were the common people, the peasants.
Whatever their position in society, all people lived well. Everyone in Celtic society belonged to a clan. Everyone belonged to a fine. And everyone had a job to do. | <urn:uuid:9ba0eabd-34f9-477c-bc03-551a1d85b2dd> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://celts.mrdonn.org/clans.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572127.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815024523-20220815054523-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.993926 | 414 | 3.890625 | 4 |
Smart Energy Access and Women Empowerment: A Case Study of Chitandika Village in Zambia
Keywords:Smart Energy, Smart Energy Access, Women Empowerment, Rural Areas
Smart energy access provides numerous advantages in rural areas such as economic development and improved livelihood. Despite the efforts by energy companies to supply to rural areas, women still face a range of constraints in their ability to participate in energy activities. Therefore, this study sought to analyze the goals of access to smart energy on women empowerment from the energy company perspective, assess the extent to which access to smart energy has contributed to empowerment and to establish the challenges faced by women in accessing smart energy with the intent of outlining strategies for future implementation. The study used a qualitative thematic analysis approach. The data was collected through structured, open-ended interviews with 20 women respondents with access to energy in chitandika village and 1 in-depth interview with the key energy expert. The study found that access to smart energy in chitandika village had a positive effect on women empowerment as it provided several benefits for the women. Additionally, the study established general and specific challenges that women face in accessing smart energy. Furthermore, it was established that the key strategies for implementing smart energy access on women empowerment were gender mainstream in energy projects, understanding women’s energy needs and demands, promoting productive use, supporting credit, and saving schemes and promoting skill development. | <urn:uuid:117a8a24-0af1-43d4-b685-dd0dfd9137e9> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.ijemr.net/ojs/index.php/ijemr/article/view/3 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571719.48/warc/CC-MAIN-20220812140019-20220812170019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.940481 | 312 | 2.46875 | 2 |
All of us at the Hahn Horticulture Garden join the Virginia Tech community in mourning the loss of Dr. T. Marshall Hahn. In addition to large physique size and spinning complex net pattern, the yellow garden spider possesses specific functions, that make it really easy to recognize. To me a garden with out people is dead, and individuals have brought The Alnwick Garden to life and restored its soul. Typically, the center of the garden would have a pool or pavilion Certain to the Islamic gardens are the mosaics and glazed tiles employed to decorate the rills and fountains that had been constructed in these gardens. I also go vertical instead of planting a garden out (like a traditional garden in the ground, which needs far a lot more land), I go up. Grown in secret and revealed at The Alnwick Garden this Christmas, the Paradise Tree, bearing its magical fruit.
As a Friend of The Garden you support the development of this extraordinary garden and, as a element of The Garden loved ones, get exclusive discounts, offers and priority booking for events. I’ve tried possessing a easy garden a couple of instances, but turns out my thumb is no where near green. The black and yellow garden spider prefers to spin its web in gardens, meadows, fields, shrubs, in between tall grasses and tall plants.
Examples include trellis , arbors , statues, benches , water fountains , urns , bird baths and feeders, and garden lighting such as candle lanterns and oil lamps The use of these items can be component of the expression of a gardener’s gardening personality.
Gardening also takes spot in non-residential green areas, such as parks, public or semi-public gardens ( botanical gardens or zoological gardens ), amusement and amusement parks , along transportation corridors, and around tourist attractions and garden hotels In these circumstances, a staff of gardeners or groundskeepers maintains the gardens.
The garden was developed and constructed by Chinese landscape architects and gardeners following the Taoist principles of ‘Yin-Yang’ and the 5 opposite elements—earth, fire, water, metal and wood. Share the secret of the Chinese Garden each and every day of the year, except Good Friday and Christmas Day. | <urn:uuid:11b646e5-b5f9-4e43-8f4d-4df97b2cbba0> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.kentuckyshadowchasers.com/helmsley-walled-garden-come-and-discover-our-relaxing-garden-2.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571719.48/warc/CC-MAIN-20220812140019-20220812170019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.930393 | 469 | 1.882813 | 2 |
As a result, the global demand for aluminium is skyrocketing, driven by the growth of the transportation and automobile industries and the rise of advanced technologies.
Key fact: The global consumption of aluminium is expected to grow from 64.2 million metric tons in 2021 to 78.4 million metric tons by 2029
To meet this demand, aluminium mining is also growing. The primary source of aluminium is bauxite ore. Obtained by strip mining, this process erodes soil and destroys wildlife habitats. The extraction process of transforming raw bauxite into aluminum also poses several environmental challenges.
Extracting aluminium from bauxite ore requires high amounts of energy and resources. The refinement process also produces a toxic byproduct called red mud, which contains heavy metals and is highly corrosive.
Key fact: The global bauxite mining market is projected to grow at a value CAGR of 6.6% and reach a value of around US$20,661 Mn by the end of 2026
Supports manufacturing industries
Explore solutions for Rising Global Demand for Aluminium
A scenario-based planning solution that uses AI to root out supply chain inefficiencies
What industry-specific challenges are you facing right now? Talk to us so we can find proven solution to help you. | <urn:uuid:a0c5fa5b-52db-429c-adb3-4500b82a6b09> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.axora.com/themes/rising-global-demand-for-aluminium/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572127.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815024523-20220815054523-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.908471 | 280 | 2.4375 | 2 |
Plan focuses on So. Indiana homeless problem
More than two years after Jeffersonville and Clarksville leaders formed a community task force to help find solutions to tensions stemming from city sweeps of downtown homeless camps near Interstate 65, a new plan is taking shape to help those experiencing homelessness.
The plan, which is currently in draft form, includes strategies aimed at ending homelessness in Clark, Floyd and Harrison counties by 2025, said Melissa Fry, director of Indiana University Southeast's Applied Research and Education Center.
Fry said the full plan will be completed following final public forums this month. It will also include an analysis summarizing the current state and needs of the homeless in Southern Indiana.
The plan's overarching goals currently include:
• The community service system will be well coordinated to address needs efficiently and effectively with clear connections between diverse community institutions and human services
• Diversify funding sources for the community services system that prevents and responds to homelessness
• Minimize the amount of time that individuals and families spend homeless by providing effective case management and planning for ongoing need
• Empower individuals and families to obtain appropriate housing and services
• Decrease the percent of the population ages 20 to 35 with less than a high school diploma or equivalency to 6 percent or lower by 2025
• Increase access to education, training and re-training necessary to obtain gainful employment
• Produce local jobs that will allow working people of varied skill levels to support themselves and remove barriers to employment
• Improve health and address physical and behavioral health to improve stability
Jeffersonville city leaders funded the ambitious $30,000 study.
One of the possible plan recommendations is rectifying the lack of a day shelter, a place where the homeless could get off the streets to warm up, shower or eat a meal. Currently, the homeless frequent area libraries, as well as regular meal spots provided by area churches through Jesus Cares at Exit 0 homeless ministry and Guilt Edge Baptist Church, which offers meals at the King's Table.
Exit 0 director Paul Stensrud has been among the most vocal advocates for a day shelter, among other homeless issues, in recent years.
Barbara Anderson, who runs Southern Indiana's only emergency homeless shelter, Haven House, believes there's also room for a day shelter. Haven House currently has just over 100 residents, about 15 to 20 over it's intended capacity.
"My biggest concern is the plan needs to be honest about what it's going to cost," said Anderson, who also is secretary of the National Coalition for the Homeless.
Indianapolis has the Hoosier state's only current day shelter, which has an annual budget of about $400,000. While Southern Indiana's homeless population is much lower than in the state capital, Anderson said it would require a significant community investment since it may not obtain much in federal or state grants.
For example, 40 percent of the $2 million allocated to the state through the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development's Homeless Emergency Solutions grant is set aside for "rapid re-housing," meaning only 60 percent of it is available for shelters. And most of HUD's Continuum of Care grants are roughly between $15,000 to $23,000, Anderson said.
"People would have to step up in a real way," said Anderson, adding she hopes local leaders will also step up to put the plan into action.
Anderson said she has a stack of local homeless studies that have been drafted at various times since 1989, at least five other plans totaling about $267,000.
"It's been done to death and not one time has it come off anyone's desk to do anything with," she said.
Reporter Charlie White can be reached at (812) 949-4026 or on Twitter @c_write.
Two final forums are scheduled to gather input on the current Southern Indiana homelessness plan:
•February 11, 6:30 until 8 p.m., New Albany-Floyd County Public Library
•February 18, 6 until 7:30, Jeffersonville Township Public Library
To learn more, go to https://www.ius.edu/arec/community/presentations.php | <urn:uuid:7d3049f3-30dd-4408-84b3-3dbf4a4469bd> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/indiana/2015/01/31/plan-focuses-indiana-homeless-problem/22647099/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571246.56/warc/CC-MAIN-20220811073058-20220811103058-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.957727 | 856 | 2.078125 | 2 |
When the Diamonds Were Gone: A Jewish Refugee Comes of Age in America in the 1940s by Julian Padowicz
After a grueling and dramatic escape from occupied Poland in 1939, at age eight, Julian and his mother arrive in America in 1941 with big plans. Julian’s beautiful, former socialite mother Barbara wants to write a memoir and regain her former social position. Julian just wants to fit his war-damaged psyche into the American way of life. As Barbara climbs her social ladder, she succeeds in opening for herself doors that few manage to open. In the process, she slams in Julian’s face the very doors that other parents struggle to open for their children.
Source: Jewish Book Council | <urn:uuid:bd580f16-7f79-4c62-be94-de0d2c45f737> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://jewishbookworld.org/2015/07/when-the-diamonds-were-gone-a-jewish-refugee-comes-of-age-in-america-in-the-1940s-by-julian-padowicz/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572286.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20220816090541-20220816120541-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.966644 | 147 | 3.21875 | 3 |
After I suggested that St. Bernard of Clairvaux was the most influential saint of his time, I received quite a lot of reader mail and comments suggesting that his influence in his time will be surpassed by Blessed Pope John Paul II in this past century—quite an extraordinary claim, given that he passed just a few years ago and has yet to be even formally declared a saint.
Here’s why readers think John Paul the II merits such a distinction:
■ Downfall of communism: One reader writes: “He brought down the Soviet Union; he brought many people including me … back to the faith. I know what Bernard did but I think JP surpassed him buy a mile. Bernard persuaded people to go on Crusade but he didn’t cause the collapse of Islam whereas JP not only encouraged Solidarity but brought about the collapse of the system that was oppressing people.” To any skeptics out there—this is no exaggeration. For any questions about how influential John Paul II was in bringing an end to communism, perhaps even exceeding the role of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher, I recommend the documentary, Nine Days that Changed the World.
■ Extraordinary public witness to faith: Another reader summed it up pretty well in the comments section: “His influence goes well beyond his absolutely compelling personal odyssey from actor/athlete to intellectual, to resistance against fascists, to underground seminarian, to priest, to academic and mystic, to bishop, to Council father, to Pope, and his personal example of forgiving his would-be assassin, and his public decline and suffering in faith.”
■ Post-Vatican II confusion: As compelling as that all is, the (same) reader added, we also have to consider John Paul II’s role in bringing the Church back from the brink of the chaos of the so-called post-Vatican II “spirit”—a “monumental feat in of itself.”
■ Theology of the Body: “And if all that weren’t enough, he articulated a counter ideology to the enlightenment dualism which has led to the moral chaos which is otherwise destroying our culture,” the reader continued. “His Theology of the Body is the light which will guide the church in her mission to counter the cultural darkness of our day.”
■ A universally recognized force for good: John Paul II would have been a “world power” no matter what he ended up doing for a living, wrote another reader. As a priest, bishop, and then a pope, John Paul perhaps went further than he ever could in a secular calling, becoming a “force for good that pretty much everyone recognized,” the reader said—no small feat indeed in our highly secularized world.
I am compelled to agree: John Paul II is an excellent candidate to be considered the most influential saint of his time.
And I’ll mention two more reasons of my own:
■ Transformed the papacy: John Paul II absolutely transformed the papacy, demonstrating that, like the faith it exists to defend and preserve, it’s an institution that is at once both ancient and ever new. John Paul II showed that the papacy is an institution that is not only relevant in the era of globalization and information technology—if not more so than in recent past centuries—but also directly meaningful to the everyday spiritual lives of the faithful. He redefined what a Pope is expected to do and how’s he’s supposed to carry himself in the public eye. And he achieved near-universal popularity and respect on the world stage, while vigorously standing by some of the Church’s most controversial and unpopular teachings (contraception, abortion, chastity).
■ Steps towards communion with Eastern Orthodox: The Vatican and the Russian Patriarch are taking small steps towards improving their relationship, but those could become giant leaps forward toward renewing communion between Catholicism and the Eastern Orthodox. This may be many decades down the road, but if it happens, the first steps were taken during the papacy of John Paul II and so he should be credited having the vision to set that process in motion.
But I’m inclined to give history a chance to render its verdict. My guess is the verdict will be in the affirmative, but only time will tell.
Coming next week…. other saints readers nominated as the most influential of their time. | <urn:uuid:686b4256-7aec-47d1-8fde-620b13868799> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://catholicexchange.com/was-john-paul-ii-the-most-influential-saint/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571719.48/warc/CC-MAIN-20220812140019-20220812170019-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.965226 | 910 | 2.203125 | 2 |
NC State Researchers Win $7 Million in Specialty Crops Grants
Three NC State University research and Extension projects aimed at improving specialty crops production have won more than $7 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
The NC State projects are among 19 selected nationwide to help specialty crop growers face a range of challenges, according to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
The largest of the NC State projects, at $3.7 million, will help U.S. farmers manage the invasive brown marmorated stink bug in specialty crops. Accidentally introduced into the United States from Asia, the stink bug causes severe economic damage on a range of fruits, vegetables and tree nuts, including peaches, apples, pears, tomatoes and pecans.
Principal investigator Dr. Jim Walgenbach, of the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, said the project will focus on developing long-term sustainable control methods revolving around biological control. Chemical control strategies have provided short-term relief for producers but have negatively affected beneficial insects, leading to secondary pest outbreaks.
A second grant of $3.3 million will fund research and Extension efforts aimed at using grafted plants to enhance resilience in the vegetable industry, particularly in solanaceous crops such as tomato, eggplant, peppers and cucurbits such as watermelon, cantaloupes and cucumbers.
Grafting is the practice of joining the part of a desirable plant that grows above the ground to a rootstock that can confer increased resistance to pests or other stresses like heat and drought while increasing yield and enhancing fruit quality.
Project leader Dr. Frank Louws, also of the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, said that recent research has greatly expanded the capacity to produce and use grafted plants. The new project, which will include nine cooperating institutions, will build on that capacity by integrating grafting technologies into major industries, including seed, robotics and nursery propagation companies.
The Center for Integrated Pest Management, which Louws directs, won and will manage the grant.
Stationed at NC State’s Plants for Human Health Institute in Kannapolis, Dr. Massimo Iorizzo of the Department of Horticultural Science will lead the third project. The planning grant of $47,000 will fund a survey of stakeholders – growers, nurseries and processing industries – to determine their needs in future cranberry and blueberry varieties. It also will fund a collaborative meeting of leading cranberry and blueberry researchers from across the country to discuss genomic approaches to breeding.
Iorizzo is also co-principal investigator on another $3.7 million USDA NIFA grant to develop genomic tools for the development of new carrot varieties with improved quality and productivity.
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the three NC State grants were part of $36.5 million provided to institutions nationwide for research and extension work facing farmers growing fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture and nursery crops, including floriculture.
“Investing in cutting-edge research helps uncover solutions to keep their operations viable and ensures Americans have access to safe, affordable and diverse food options,” he said.
— D. Shore | <urn:uuid:50db0415-47d9-4b0e-b5db-68f0b9eb555d> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://cals.ncsu.edu/news/nc-state-researchers-win-7-million-in-specialty-crops-grants/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572286.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20220816090541-20220816120541-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.929801 | 679 | 2.328125 | 2 |
With over 350,000 digital health applications available worldwide, there’s no shortage of options when it comes to individual health data tracking.1 However, accurately interpreting this data to address specific questions and create an effective health plan can be a challenge. Individuals within the Quantified Self community have established a systematic approach to self-tracking and self-research called Personal Science. Through Living Health Lab, we aim to extend the personal science process to anyone with access to a smartphone.
Living Health Lab will be an open source tool that helps individuals notice a health problem, identify possible contributing or alleviating factors, and test any causality. The process will be guided by the individual’s goals and what phase of their Health Journey they are in. They will also be encouraged to designate a health buddy (e.g., a partner, clinician, or friend) to accompany them in their explorations and analyze findings together.
Our goal is to make Living Health Lab available to anyone who asks “How can I pursue a healthier life?”, as a tool that empowers every patient, supplements the care of all medical providers, and promotes a holistic approach to healthcare. This resource will be an open source design project that is freely shared with the public. As we are still in the early stages of the design process, we would welcome any feedback: please reach out to us at email@example.com.
Chronic pain is a condition that affects over 50 million adults in the United States.2 For many, managing chronic conditions is a difficult process that involves a complex jumble of biological, physical, emotional, mental, social, and cultural factors. With more than 350,000 health and wellness-related applications available to download worldwide, patients can easily monitor their health, yet very few of these services help patients with chronic health problems interpret their data or offer insights to improve everyday health.1
Out of all chronic pain patients, one in three individuals faces frequent limitations in daily life due to the severity and frequency of their symptoms.2 These patients often undergo repeated attempts to manage their conditions. This can mean frequent visits to the doctor’s office and ER, several trials of different medications, and multiple days of missed work due to disability, all of which take a toll on their interpersonal relationships, financial stability, and overall quality of life.3 Members of a community called Quantified Self found inspiration in this disheartening cycle through a self-tracking approach now known as personal science: they became “active investigators” of their own health.4 This method encourages patients to seek answers to their own difficult health questions and concerns through five key actions of self-research5:
In our review of published work in the fields of personal science and self-tracking, we found that this approach has helped individuals with specific chronic conditions, including patients with Parkinson’s disease in identifying personalized sleep and medication routines to improve symptoms of rigidity,6 patients with irritable bowel syndrome in determining possible food triggers,7,8 and patients trying to understand and better manage their migraines.9 Living Health Lab’s mission is to build on this research and broadly apply the process of personal science to patients with all types of health conditions, habits, and concerns. It will help anyone with a smartphone discover how to improve their day-to-day health through guided, thoughtfully-designed explorations.
Living Health Lab is an open source project in the early stages of the design process. In Stage 1, we completed an initial round of research into existing health trackers and personal science, defined our design principles based on research, began visualizing the patient experience, and explored key challenges. We will continue to update this feature as we move through each stage.
The following design principles are based on findings and reflections from the Quantified Self and broader self-tracking communities, combined with lessons from our own experiences designing for patients. These principles serve as a compass as we begin designing and prototyping Living Health Lab.
Storytelling is a powerful tool to represent the patient experience. Here we use Patty’s Story as a way to begin conceptualizing and defining the Living Health Lab service. This is just one illustration of how an individual could discover Living Health Lab and begin taking ownership of their health through the service.
Tracking a wide range of factors without clear goals runs the risk of overburdening; this is why it is critical to ensure that each exploration is designed to closely align with patient goals. Setting up the right exploration is no simple task. With so many different health concerns and questions, there is no one-size-fits-all exploration. Researchers Munson et al. explore how crafting the exploration around the patient’s goals leads to the best results.10 These goals can be distinct from those of their doctor or the intentions of the tool’s designers, and they can change over time as the patient learns more. Additionally, patients may need support to clarify and define their goals, as their goals may initially be undefined or unachievable. Through simple questions, Living Health Lab will direct individuals toward the self-tracking strategy that best aligns with where they are in their own “Health Journey.”
We propose the Health Journey as a general framework for how an individual can shift from a lack of awareness of a health problem to finding healthy habits to manage that problem daily. Our research is only just beginning, and we want to recognize that this framework would not have been possible without the research that’s already been done—we are particularly grateful to those in the Quantified Self as well as all the researchers in the patient self-tracking space for their foundational work.4,10,7,8
The Health Journey consists of three phases: Notice, Investigate, Test. Each phase uses personal science, but the exploration design and analysis method depend on which phase the patient is in. Explorations within each phase serve different purposes. For example, if the patient is in the Investigate phase, Living Health Lab will help them set up an observational study to investigate relationships between factors and visualize the results through correlation analysis. However, if Living Health Lab analyzes a patient’s goals and directs them to the Test phase, they will instead conduct a self-experiment to create space for practicing new habits and assess whether this results in meaningful change. Living Health Lab will set up an exploration that aligns with the patient’s goals and uses the appropriate self-tracking strategy, guiding each individual through their own research study to gain insight into patterns, associations, and discoveries surrounding their health.
Any given individual is more likely to reach their tracking goal if it fits easily into their life. A purposeful, well-defined exploration reduces the burden by keeping tracking focused. While factors like mood or symptom reporting may need to be manually reported, other data can be automatically gathered. With the patient’s consent, Living Health Lab can gather data from their phone, wearables, smart devices, health apps, and more. Living Health Lab will likely suggest automated options wherever possible and limit manually reported factors to minimize the tracking burden.
Living Health Lab can also reduce the tracking burden by providing timely insight and options as the user sets up their exploration. As they choose what to track, they will be given an estimate of how many minutes tracking will take daily to prevent overcommitment. The individual can also designate the duration of the exploration, with options ranging from one to three weeks. We hope to reduce the tracking burden and make health explorations feasible for many people. However, we also will need to validate this hypothesis and develop additional measures through user testing.
Living Health Lab will use multiple approaches to make the experience accessible to a wide range of patients. Assuming that the individual has no prior knowledge of science or statistics, Living Health Lab will infuse clear science tips and ways to learn more, provide clarity into the process, and integrate animation and other visual aids to support understanding. Additionally, content should be written at a fifth-grade reading level.11 Balancing thorough patient education with simplicity is a primary challenge that we acknowledge.
Living Health Lab can become a space for patients to engage in activities that strengthen their knowledge, skills, attitudes, and confidence in managing their health. The Health Journey framework supports a progression from noticing to testing new habits, which leads to valuable insight and meaningful behavior change. Much of the value of the personal science process comes from the patient’s own reflection, drawn out by good questions and bolstered by the support of others. However, Living Health Lab will also need to provide insight into the data to help patients avoid incorrect conclusions and make sense of what they have tracked. Any analysis that Living Health Lab provides must be clear without over-reaching. We recognize that this balance will be a key challenge to overcome.
Even when an exploration doesn’t produce clear findings or show a correlation between factors, an individual can still come to new realizations about their Health Journey. Wolf et al. found that “ancillary benefits include deeper learning about a health topic; generation of new ideas for improving their own care; productive engagement with clinicians; and providing a sense of agency while dealing with the stress of disease and treatment.”5 Regardless of the results for any given exploration, a person can still learn in the process. Ultimately, the goal is for Living Health Lab to help patients see their health and take action to improve their day-to-day health.
At this stage in our project, we have reviewed existing research to identify potential exploration design, analysis, and visualization approaches for the three phases of the Health Journey. Our next steps will be to continue our research and pursue promising avenues through light testing. Take a look at the Appendix to learn more about the study designs, analysis approaches, and visualization methods that we hope to build upon.
We believe this empowered approach to managing one’s health is beneficial for every human. Initially, we plan to target those living with chronic conditions that can make everyday life difficult, like fibromyalgia, arthritis, and migraines. Research has shown those with chronic conditions are often the most motivated to start the tracking process as any insight can directly affect their day-to-day health.7 Patients who are highly motivated to answer their health questions and have much to gain may be the easiest to reach, but many others could also benefit from Living Health Lab:
Living Health Lab will be a collaborative tool for patients and their doctors as they “identify new trends, hypothesize about symptom contributors, generate action plans, and identify new information needs” for chronic condition management and healthy lifestyle promotion.9 This type of collaboration is most successful when both parties share their clearly defined goals. Access to high-quality, patient-generated data might free up the office visit to discuss more targeted concerns as patients come in to share their findings and receive personalized interpretation and direction.12 We see the opportunity for Living Health Lab to facilitate higher levels of patient engagement in their healthcare and make it easier for providers to obtain data on their patients’ day-to-day health.
Living Health Lab will guide people in identifying and understanding their unique, necessary lifestyle changes and the ideal way to implement them. Lifestyle changes could prevent one out of every three premature deaths related to heart disease, stroke, and chronic lung disease.13 “Eat better,” “Move more,” and “Smoke less” are just a few of the most common generic lifestyle recommendations. Though accurate, simply dispensing this advice is rarely sufficient in effecting change. So how can we set people up for success in each person’s unique context? Providing concrete, actionable steps based on their lived experience is the key. Living Health Lab takes the recommendation to eat better and prompts the individual to determine the specifics of what that looks like for them. These guided self-tracking strategies give structure to the process of watching, measuring, and investigating choices. Living Health Lab will show people how capable they are of taking control of their own health.
We hope to serve everyone from the student in a high school health class to the retiree trying to improve their heart health to the single parent struggling with their newborn’s skin sensitivities. Living Health Lab reaches those with medical diagnoses and extends to everyone who asks “How can I pursue a healthier life?” Some will ask that question on their own, while others will be advised by their doctor, nurse, or others on their care team. Living Health Lab can be an extension of those conversations as it leads people to explore their own health and seek answers.
As an Open Source Health Design project, Living Health Lab content will be available to the public for free use under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Transparency affords us the benefits of external input and engagement. By making all research, design, and ultimately code publicly available, we hope to spread good ideas and accelerate innovation for the public good.
We are in the early stages of design and funding will be a vital component for continuing this project. If you’re interested in contributing, partnering, sponsoring, or simply sharing feedback, please reach out to us at firstname.lastname@example.org. | <urn:uuid:0bc2f627-fb80-4a1a-96be-ea5ec0552dab> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://goinvo.com/vision/living-health-lab/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572286.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20220816090541-20220816120541-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.948016 | 2,712 | 2.546875 | 3 |
The battle to build more affordable housing in wealthy areas of Chicago in an effort to combat the city’s deep economic and racial divides by curtailing aldermanic power will face a crucial test on Tuesday amid an ongoing federal probe of the deeply entrenched practice.
The Chicago City Council’s Zoning Committee is scheduled to vote Tuesday on a proposal to build 297 apartments on vacant land near O’Hare Airport, a crucial test of whether the City Council has any desire to confront the role its decades-old tradition of giving aldermen the final say over housing developments in their wards has played in fueling segregation in Chicago.
As the 19 committee members weigh their vote, which could send the proposal to the full City Council on Wednesday, all 50 members of the Chicago City Council have until Friday to respond to 10 questions posed by federal officials probing whether aldermanic prerogative has created a hyper-segregated city rife with racism and gentrification.
A letter to alderpeople from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development dated Dec. 1 is the first public acknowledgment that federal officials are pursuing a civil rights complaint filed in November 2018 against the city by the Chicago Area Fair Housing Alliance, a coalition of groups that have urged city officials to take steps to desegregate the city and provide more affordable housing.
The letter was first reported by the Chicago Tribune.
Patricia Fron, the co-executive director of the alliance, said she was hopeful that the public acknowledgment of the federal probe would encourage City Council members to approve the apartment complex at 8535 W. Higgins Road amid a cluster of hotels and office mid-rises along the Kennedy Expressway and steps away from the CTA Blue Line.
That vote would come over the vehement objections of Ald. Anthony Napolitano (41st Ward), who has opposed the development and urged his colleagues to uphold aldermanic prerogative and defer to him and the opinions of homeowners in Edison Park and Norwood Park on Chicago’s Far Northwest Side, where more than 80% of residents are white.
Napolitano has said the Higgins corridor, on the border between Chicago and Park Ridge, should remain focused on attracting businesses rather than residents. In addition, Napolitano — the only member of the Chicago City Council has blasted the complex as too dense for the Far Northwest Side.
“Chicago’s political culture needs to change,” Fron said, adding that federal action may be needed to lift the pressure alderpeople feel to defer to their colleagues and follow the largely unwritten practice of aldermanic prerogative.
In 2017, the Zoning Committee rejected a similar proposal from developer Glenstar and upholding aldermanic prerogative.
Michael Klein, the co-founder of Glenstar, told WTTW News he was optimistic that the vote set for Tuesday will have a different result.
“We’re very hopeful,” Klein said.
The proposal heads to the Zoning Committee with the support of key officials in Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration — and perhaps Lightfoot herself, who campaigned for mayor in 2019 by promising to end aldermanic prerogative and build more affordable housing for Chicago’s struggling working and middle classes.
Department of Housing Commissioner Marisa Novara pointedly told the Plan Commission in August that if they deferred to Napolitano, they would be upholding the system that made Chicago into one of the most segregated cities in the United States.
Because the Glenstar development needs special permission to build apartments on land where current rules require only office space to be constructed, it must set aside at least 30 units, or 10% of the total number of apartments, for low- and moderate-income Chicagoans.
Instead, the development will set aside 59 units, double the requirement, and officials will forego options to pay a fee instead of building the units or building them elsewhere. The rest of the units will be marketed at $1,600 per month for a studio and $2,000 per month for a one-bedroom, officials said.
Studio units set aside as affordable would rent for as little as $653, according to the developer.
The development’s chances of approval are likely slim unless the mayor backs it with full-throated and public support as an issue of economic justice and racial fairness.
Aldermanic Prerogative Fight
More than two years after Lightfoot took office, progress on her central campaign promises to root out aldermanic prerogative has advanced only in fits and starts, pushed to the back burner by one crisis after another and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Even after Lightfoot rolled back the ability of alderpeople to block — or green light — licenses and permits in their wards, a majority of the Chicago City Council repeatedly brushed back Lightfoot’s attempts to give department heads and commissioners more authority.
Lightfoot has made no attempt to propose changes to the city’s zoning code, where the heart of aldermanic power lies — and she has no clear path to convincing alderpeople to scale back their power.
The federal probe may serve to remind alderpeople of what is at stake with votes like the one on tap Tuesday, Fron said.
“We have tried to remind alderpeople that an investigation was ongoing,” Fron said, adding that she was hopeful that the letter from federal investigators will spur alderpeople to reconsider their approach to aldermanic prerogative and affordable hoisting. | <urn:uuid:383974a9-c748-4bed-9aa2-60a203fb115b> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://news.wttw.com/2021/12/13/affordable-housing-showdown-set-amid-federal-probe | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571987.60/warc/CC-MAIN-20220813202507-20220813232507-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.958364 | 1,151 | 1.757813 | 2 |
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