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of criteria which are used to assess the level of importance attached to each domain theme in the overall measurement of deprivation. As each index uses different indicators and domains, the weights applied to aggregate domain scores are different. |
The City of Talisay used to be an Agustinian estate in 1648 but only became a municipality in 1849 with Silverio Fernandez as its first gobernadorcillo and Pedro Labuca as capitan. Some accounts trace the origin of its name from Magtalisay trees abounding in areas while others claim origin of the name from a town in Sp... |
Talisay served as haven of colonial forces. During World War II, the city served as the center of guerilla intelligence operations for the Philippine residence movement in Cebu. The returning American forces made their historic landing in the beach of Talisay on March 26, 1945 - an event that marked the eventual surren... |
commemorated by the provincial government of Cebu. On December 30 2000, Talisay became a component city by virtue of Republic Act 8979. To promote and sustain environmental balance, economic stability and social equity for the welfare of its empowered citizenry An environmentally sustainable Aqua City with a happy empo... |
Mapping the disease Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD) is one of only three recorded cancers that can spread like a contagious disease. The cancer is passed from devil to devil through biting. The live tumour cells aren’t rejected by the animal’s immune system because of a lack of genetic diversity |
among Tasmanian devils. For this reason, cases continue to occur in areas where the disease had not previously been recorded. As at February 2011, there has been an 84% decline in average sightings of devils across Tasmania during the annual spotlight surveys. In the north-east region, where signs of DFTD |
were first reported, there has been a 96% decline of average sightings. While the majority of diseased populations studied have shown a standard response to DFTD (loss of abundance, loss of older age classes, females breeding earlier), there is a population that has been studied for the past 5 years |
by a PhD student that is showing a different pattern of responses to the disease. Although DFTD has spread through this population at the same rate that it is spreading elsewhere, abundance throughout the population has not plummeted, the full age structure is still intact and tumours appear to grow |
slower, regress and take longer to kill the animal. The STDP, in collaboration with UTas, will begin trapping a neighbouring and similar population to determine whether this atypical response occurs in more than one population and whether it is the disease or the devil population that is different. Disease front |
and DFTD distribution as at June 2012 The STDP continues to monitor devil populations across Tasmania to determine how far DFTD has spread and the impact that it is having. The disease now affects 75% of the state. In November 2011 STDP staff and volunteers spent 10 days in the |
forestry coupes around Takone for this annual activity. 65 animals were caught during the trip, including 63 devils and 2 spotted tailed quolls. There were 38 new devils and 25 recaptured devils. The 63 devils were made up of 37 females and 26 males. More than half of the females |
were lactating. Three devils were caught with tumours consistent with DFTD, and were given a DFTD score of 5. All 3 animals tested positive. It seems that the disease is moving further into the population but prevalence (0.05%) is still very low, suggesting the fairly recent arrival of the disease |
into the area. The disease front trapping work supports a range of activities including planning for saving populations, managing diseased populations and monitoring any changes in the disease. Disease front and DFTD distribution - 2010 Following the success of the ‘snapshot' surveys conducted in 2009 to find the weste... |
of DFTD (see below), further surveys were conducted in October and November 2010 to update our knowledge on where the disease front currently lies. Some lessons were learnt about the efficacy of snapshot-type surveys in areas of varying devil abundance, so the surveys this year were concentrated in an area |
to the west of the Murchison Highway, between Wynyard in the north and just below Waratah in the south where devil abundance was high. Areas of low devil abundance will be targeted with the use of remote-sensing cameras. Four teams conducted 7-day trapping trips, following the same protocol used in |
2009. All animals caught with a possible DFTD tumour had the disease confirmed using histology. A total of 234 individual animals were caught and inspected for DFTD, with 8 animals confirmed with the disease. A single animal with a high probability of carrying DFTD was located 5km due-west of the |
most westerly confirmed disease from 2009, but this could not be confirmed. Unfortunately this animal was located at the most westerly extent of the front, suggesting that the disease may have moved as much as 7km in the past year. The Program hopes to set sentinel cameras on the disease |
front in the coming months so that disease spread on the front can be monitored throughout the year. Locating the western extent of Devil Facial Tumour disease - 2009 During September and October 2009, surveys were conducted in western Tasmania with the objective of locating the western extent of Tasmanian |
devil facial tumour disease (DFTD). Knowing the location of the disease ‘front' is essential to inform other management projects aimed at preserving the species in the long term, including the potential fencing off of disease free areas and the development of free range captive enclosures. Prior to these focused trips, |
there had been no intensive, focused trapping trips to find the location of the disease front. Six teams surveyed sites between Burnie in the north and Kelly basin in the south. A roving veterinary team responded to reports of potential disease in captured animals, and collected biopsies and blood samples |
for confirmation of the disease. As the principle aim of these trips was to catch as many unique animals as possible, it was decided to use a ‘snapshot' technique where traps would be moved to a new site each day to maximise the number of new devils caught and reduce |
the number of re-captures. In sites of high devil abundance two nights trapping maximised the chances of catching any possible diseased animals. Likewise, in sites of very low devil abundance trapping was extended to two nights to maximise chances of catching any devils in the area. Prior to the beginning |
of the disease front trips, two 5-day reconnaissance trips were conducted to determine the best areas to locate transects. Map 1 indicates the locations of traps deployed by each team. A total of 231 individual Tasmanian devils were captured and inspected for presence of devil facial tumour disease. Of these |
at least thirteen devils have been confirmed as diseased by histology. Three devils were captured by remote cameras clearly showing signs of what appeared to be DFTD - however these cannot be confirmed by histology. The most western extent of DFTD recorded in this survey was approximately 15km west of |
the last known location of DFTD (Surrey Hills, recorded in 2008). However, the high prevalence of DFTD at Surrey Hills in 2008 suggests that DFTD will have been present further to the west at that time, and the distance travelled from 2008 to 2009 would not have been as great |
as 15km. The current most westerly point of confirmed disease is just to the east of the Murchison Highway. To date no confirmed cases of DFTD have been recorded west of the Murchison Hwy. There was an obvious gradient of devil abundance from the north to the south, with 50 |
devils caught by one team in the north and 11 by another team over the same period of time in the south. The very different habitat and the difficulty of access in the southern regions makes it difficult to catch devils and even harder to locate the disease. Our ‘snapshot' |
All Property Taxes Real, Public Utility and Tangible Personal Property Taxes Assessed Value and Taxes Levied for Taxes Payable in Calendar Year 1988, by County Table PD-30 shows total assessed value of, and taxes levied on, real, public utility personal, and tangible personal property for taxes payable in calendar year... |
1987, but payable in calendar year 1988. Special assessments were also levied in tax year 1987 and payable in calendar year 1988. In contrast, personal property taxes (excluding public utility personal property) are levied and payable in the same year - in this case 1988. Total taxes levied on the three categories of p... |
application of "tax reduction factors" and are prior to subtracting the 10 percent property tax rollback for all real property, the 2.5 percent rollback for residential real property, and the homestead exemption deduction. Among all Ohio counties, Cuyahoga County had the highest property value ($14.8 billion of which r... |
Quantum Teleportation Leaps to New Distance Record A new record of roughly 60 miles has been set in the field of qubit transmission. "This is just a transmission method, so it could have wide utility, though I expect the cost will initially make it best for huge data streams," said |
analyst Rob Enderle. "Something like this could turn us into a SaaS world." Scientists in China have transmitted quantum bits, or qubits, over a record distance of 97 km, or roughly 60 miles. This is more than six times the distance of the previous record of 16 km, set by |
another team of Chinese researchers in May of 2010, as reported in Nature.com. The results represent a step toward the establishment of a global quantum network, and the methods used in the experiment could be utilized for satellite-based quantum communications, the scientists said. "This is just a transmission method,... |
it could have wide utility, though I expect the cost will initially make it best for huge data streams," Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group, told TechNewsWorld. This technology "could end up changing much of the world" because it's both potentially higher bandwidth and lower latency, approaching zero, |
and these factors "could drive massive computer centralization on a world scale and force a massive shakeout of security, networking and computer companies," Enderle continued. "Something like this could turn us into a SaaS (Software as a Service) world." The Theory Behind the Experiment The latest experiment demonstra... |
of an independent unknown state between two optical free-space links 97 km apart with multi-photon entanglement. Quantum teleportation is a process for transmitting information using quantum physics to, in effect, encrypt the data transmitted. It's also known as entanglement-assisted teleportation. In quantum teleporta... |
encode qubits. The encoded beam of light, which is described as quantum entangled, is split into two and transmitted. When a qubit at one receiver is observed and take a defined form, the other half of the qubit at the other receiver takes the same defined form. Quantum entanglement results |
when particles such as photons or electrons interact physically and then become separated but remain in the same quantum state. A quantum state is a set of mathematical variables, including position, momentum and spin, that fully describes a quantum system. What the Researchers Did The researchers used an ultra-bright ... |
photon source based on Type-II spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC). The SPDC process involves using a non-linear crystal to split photons into two. Those photons in a pair whose polarizations are perpendicular to one another are termed "Type II" photons. In an SPDC apparatus, a strong laser beam, called the "... |
beam, is directed at a beta-barium borate (BBO) crystal. That's exactly what the researchers did. This generated the beam of light, which was split and sent across Lake Qinghai in China. |
Even with these advances, the fuel cell wouldn’t come on instantly, and turning it on and off with every short trip in the car would cause a lot of wear |
and tear, reducing its lifetime. Instead, it would be paired with a battery pack, as a combustion engine is in the Volt, Wachsman says. The fuel cell could then run |
more steadily, serving to keep the battery topped without providing bursts of acceleration. The researchers achieved their result largely by modifying the solid electrolyte material at the core of a |
solid-oxide fuel cell. In fuel cells on the market, such as one made by Bloom Energy, the electrolyte has to be made thick enough to provide structural support. But the |
thickness of the electrolyte limits power generation. Over the last several years, researchers have been developing designs that don’t require the electrolyte to support the cell so they can make |
the electrolyte thinner and achieve high power output at lower temperatures. The University of Maryland researchers took this a step further by developing new multilayered electrolytes that increase the power |
output still more. The work is part of a larger U.S. Department of Energy effort, over the past decade, to make solid-oxide fuel cells practical. The first fruits of that |
effort likely won’t be fuel cells in cars—so far, Wachsman has only made relatively small fuel cells, and significant engineering work remains to be done. The first applications of solid |
oxide fuels in vehicles may be on long-haul trucks with sleeper cabs. Equipment suppliers such as Delphi and Cummins are developing fuel cells that can power the air conditioners, TVs, |
and microwaves inside the cabs, potentially cutting fuel consumption by 85 percent compared to idling the truck’s engine. The Delphi system also uses a design that allows for a thinner |
electrolyte, but it operates at higher temperatures than Wachsman’s fuel cell. The fuel cell could be turned on Monday, and left to run at low rates all week and still |
Museum Collections - Mesoamerica - Maya (Before A. D. 1520) - Artifact #3 WHO: Maya culture WHEN: Late Classic Period, A.D. 550-800 WHAT: This vase (tall dish form) features a |
seated jaguar. The jaguar was an important symbol of power to the ancient Maya. The jaguar, as the most powerful and feared animal in the jungle, was the natural symbol |
for the authority of Maya rulers. HOW: Hand-formed earthenware, polychrome slip decoration. MUSEUM: Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art. G83.1.140 Zoomify Interactive: To see an image of this artifact that you |
Okra is heat loving crop, originating in North Africa, where it was been cultivated for centuries. Okra was introduced to Brazil in 1658 and entered North America with the slave trade. Okra should be used the same day as harvested or frozen. Fresh okra should be stored below 45°F, otherwise chilling injury and decay wi... |
curries and stews, where they have thickening effect. Okra forms an integral part of many Cajun and Creole recipes. In some countries okra is dried (bamia) for long-term storage. Southern Fried Okra 5 C. okra sliced 1/2 inch thick 1/2 C. flour 1/2 C. cornmeal 1 T. bacon grease salt and pepper to taste Combine flour and... |
Shake, coating well. Add bacon grease to a skillet and slowly fry the okra for 30 - 45 minutes over low heat and okra is golden brown. Season with salt and pepper. |
Identity theft occurs more frequently in the United States than people want to believe. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, identity theft and identity fraud are referred to as "all types of crime in which someone wrongfully obtains and uses another person's personal data in some way that involves fraud or dec... |
compiles a report every year for identity theft complaints in the United States. These complaints increased more than 78 percent between 2009 and 2011. With identity theft becoming an increasing problem, Professor Duanne J. Thompson, the acting program chair of Criminal Justice at Argosy University, Atlanta, offers som... |
theft: 1. Protect your identity like you would protect your house. 2. Don't give out sensitive information such as Social Security information. In most states it is illegal for a business to ask for your Social Security number for transactions. 3. If purchasing on the Web, make sure you know who you are buying from and... |
secure. 4. Don't fall for phishing scams. Legitimate websites will never ask for your password or account information. If in doubt contact the vendor before you send your information. Thompson also says that consumers should be aware that they have a right to have one free credit report from every credit clearing house... |
least once a year. In some states, consumers are allowed a free credit report at least twice a year. Consumers should look at the information from their reports and ensure that the information is correct and accurate. They should look specifically at each credit statement every month for suspicious fraudulent activity.... |
if they find themselves victims of identity theft. Thompson suggests to first notify your credit vendor that your card has been compromised and that there is an individual acting as you. Consumers should then call their local police department and file a report. Afterward, gather as much information as possible about y... |
investigator in the case. Once the police report is obtained, file an identity theft claim with all three credit clearing houses (Equifax, TransUnion and Experian). All three credit clearing houses will require a copy of the local police report and all the information you have supporting the theft. With the rise of onl... |
banking, consumers must be more vigilant about their identity as these trends lead to more and more avenues for identity theft criminals. The best way a consumer can protect their identity to simply be smart and be aware of their financial records. GateHouse News Service |
Exclusive: Medical Experts Explain How to Treat Spinal Defect Before a Child Is Even Born Editor’s Note: This is the second in a five part series where The Blaze has |
looked into a newer treatment for children diagnosed with spina bifida. While most would have the hole exposing his or her spine closed after birth, more than a decade ago |
surgeries that were considered controversial at the time began where the hole was closed in utero in the hopes of reversing some of the disabling effects of the disorder. The |
first results of a federally funded human trial were released in 2011, showing the success seen in the new treatment thus far. We’ve talked to families who had the elective |
surgery before it ever entered a formal human trial and those who more recently have had the surgery since the period trial ended. We’ve timed this series to specifically run |
close to Glenn Beck’s Restoring Love as the parents of children who underwent the surgery, many of whom still have some disability, want the world to know the blessing of |
celebrating differences. Dr. Scott Adzick, the Department of Surgery Chief at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), says the best decision he ever made was to head to the University |
of California-San Francisco 30 years ago in order to be on the cutting edge of fetal medicine. Adzick wanted to research surgery before birth and San Francisco was the mecca |
at the time. “I was frustrated taking care of babies with life-threatening problems, and when the baby was born, we were too late,” he said. It was out of this |
frustration of not being able to treat disorders early enough that Adzick and a few others decided they wanted to operate on the fetus through the mother’s womb as a |
treatment — a treatment specifically for spina bifida. At the time, fetal surgeries were reserved for only babies in life-or-death situations. Spina bifida wasn’t necessarily life threatening to the infant, |
but still very debilitating — and research prior to actually beginning the surgeries on human fetuses showed they could be a benefit. Spina bifida is a congenital disorder that occurs |
when the backbone and spinal canal do not close. What causes spina bifida varies, but it can be genetic or result from low levels of folic acid early in pregnancy. |
The most severe and most common cases of spina bifida where the hole doesn’t close in the lower half of the spine, known as myelomeningocele, occurs in 1 in every |
800 infants. More than 1,500 babies are born with spina bifida in the United States each year, making it the most common birth defect of the central nervous system. It |
is estimated 64 percent of fetuses diagnosed with spina bifida are aborted. With myelomeningocele, the membranes and the neural tube will protrude from the back forming a sack. A nurse |
described it as looking about the size of a small mellon. The mother can learn of the condition around 18 to 22 weeks, generally when the she goes in for |
her an ultrasound. Watch this video from CHOP explaining what spina bifida is: The treatment — still the most common treatment for those with the disorder today — is closure |
of the hole after birth. More often than not, depending on the child’s “lesion level” — the location where the spinal canal failed to close in the womb — the |
child would have hydrocephalus (water on the brain) and could require a shunt (a pump that would drain the fluid from the brain). They could be paralyzed from the waist |
down or, if they’re lucky, could walk with a walker or braces on their legs. They frequently don’t have proper nerve formation for normal bowel and bladder function and would |
need to be catheterized first by the parents and at an older age by themselves. Before fetal surgery could even be considered to correct the spines of human fetuses, research |
was done to define what Adzick called the disorder’s “natural history.” Essentially, this means tracking the disorder back to when it begins to form and what occurs in the womb |
after the hole fails to close. A husband-and-wife team, Dr. Martin Meuli and Dr. Claudia Simmen-Meuli, conducted reviews of aborted fetuses that had myelomeningocele and found the exposed spinal cord |
would go through varying degrees of injury within the womb, which was the cause of the symptoms after birth. Dr. G.M. Hutchins, who was also involved with these initial reviews, |
with the Meuli’s conducted an experiment using fetal sheep, where the fetal lamb’s spine was exposed in the womb, creating a spina bifida-like defect. At birth, the lambs exhibited similar |
symptoms to children with myelomeningocele. In some lambs though, were operated on again to correct the lesion. Adzick, who was also involved in this research, said the results on lambs |
that had the spinal correction were “phenomenal.” “There was some distortion but they were remarkably protected,” he said. In this video, Adzick and other doctors explain how fetal surgeries came |
about: After these findings and strict procedural regulations, Adzick and others began offering this as an option for parents who wanted to prevent some of the effects of the most |
severe forms of spina bifida. Eventually, a clinical trial was instituted to establish if there was in fact a significant benefit in the outcome of those with spina bifida who |
had fetal surgery compared to the more traditional, after-birth treatment. Three hospitals were involved in the trial: the CHOP, Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the University of California-San Francisco. The |
Management of Myelomeningocele Study (MOMS) was a randomized trial that began in 2001 where some fetus underwent fetal surgery while others had the traditional treatment after birth. Watch an overview |
video from CHOP on the study here. Just last year, after 10 years, the trial stopped accepting patients because those evaluating the data found they had enough information to show |
that fetal surgery was more successful at reducing the need for a shunt, reversing the Chiari malformation and other more minor effects. “In spite of an increased risk for preterm |
birth, children who underwent surgery while in the uterus did much better, on balance, than those who had surgery after birth,” Alan E. Guttmacher, M.D., director of NICHD, which funded |
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