Financial Planning

The Envision® planning process

Combining goal-based advice with sophisticated statistical modeling, the Envision process creates an effective, easy-to-understand method for you to prioritize and achieve important life goals. Ultimately, the Envision process helps you live the one life you have the best way you can, without undue financial sacrifice or overexposure to risk.

Source: Results are based on a survey conducted online by Harris Poll from June-August 2014 among 616 investors with Financial Advisor relationships. Results are not representative of other client experiences or indicative of future success or performance.

Video of Envision

How the Envision process works

Define major life goals – We sit down together to begin exploring your goals and dreams and discuss any concerns you have about being able to achieve them.

Ideal and Acceptable goals – Throughout your conversations, you’ll examine your ability to achieve your goals in multiple scenarios, starting with the ideal and the acceptable. The ideal scenario represents your goals and dreams in a "perfect world." The acceptable scenario represents the compromises you could make to your ideal goals and still feel comfortable with your life.

Prioritize goals – To explore as many of your ideal goals as possible, we encourage the use of our Envision Priority Cards. This interactive activity helps ensure that we are on the same page, working together to achieve those goals you value most.

“Stress test” goals – To determine the level of confidence you can achieve with your ideal and acceptable goals, the Envision technology stress tests each scenario 1,000 times. During each of these 1,000 iterations, your goals will be subjected to simulated random market returns (up years, down years, flat years, etc.) to help you determine how likely you are to achieve your goals.

Making a recommendation – Once we have an understanding of your ideal or acceptable goals, he or she will also create a recommended scenario for you that will incorporate the goals you value most while potentially deemphasizing some of your lower priority goals.

Implement allocation – Based on your goals, dreams, concerns, risk tolerance, and financial circumstances, we can propose an investment mix to help you achieve those goals.

Monitoring progress (the “Dot”) – Your Envision plan will create a benchmark unique to your goals and circumstances as a way to track progress along the way. This information will update each night and is available on your statements and online.

New goals and priorities – Change can present challenges, whether it happens in your own life or in the world around you. If your goals or financial circumstances change, or the markets fluctuate, it is easy to update your Envision plan to account for the changes and measure the impact it has on your ability to stay on track.

A key component - the Target Zone

Once you’ve decided on your ideal and acceptable goals, the Envision process "stress-tests" them against historical market simulations. Your personal "Target Zone" is based on the results and helps us allocate your assets in a manner suitable to your objectives. Better yet, it provides an investment “sweet spot” and helps instill confidence in your likelihood of achieving your goals.

The graph to the left helps visualize your Target Zone. Each tested investment scenario (ideal, acceptable, or recommended) is given a numerical result, which is plotted on the graph. A result in the following ranges typically reflects:

How do you interpret your plan result? Thanks to the balancing effect of the Target Zone, there’s no need to aim for an Envision plan result of 100 — or even 90, for that matter. Anything above your target range (greater than 90), though indicating high confidence in reaching some of your high-priority goals, could also indicate you’re assuming more risk than necessary or sacrificing some goals at the expense of others. Conversely, you don’t want a plan result so low (below 75) that you end up experiencing a lack of confidence in your ability to achieve your goals.

Charting your progress

The Envision Target Zone also serves as a foundation when your goals or priorities change, or when life events create a need to re-evaluate how changes affect your goals and priorities. With the "Dot," we can update you on your progress as frequently as you want – monthly, quarterly, or annually.

Elements of the Envision presentations and simulation results are under license from Wealthcare Capital Management, LLC. ©2005-2016 Wealthcare Capital Management, LLC. All rights reserved. Wealthcare Capital Management, LLC is a separate entity and is not directly affiliated with RAO Wealth Partners, Summit Brokerage Services or First Clearing.


Flightline Safari

Soar Above It All!

The Flightline experience includes the use of safety equipment, an orientation, a brief interpretive tour, and a flight on our two zip lines. First, the Fledgling run prepares you for your ultimate Flightline experience. Once “fledged,” you’ll be taken to the final launch platform. You will experience breathtaking views of the San Diego Zoo Safari Park and of the large animal enclosures below as you “fly” approximately two-thirds of a mile, landing safely near our campground at the Park’s Kilima Point.


What File Format is My USB Flash Drive?

Hard drives and storage devices typically have a format that dictates how files are stored on them. In many cases this might not matter for your needs, but occasionally the format of a device like a USB flash drive cna matter.

But before you go out and buy a new device, it’s helpful to check a flash drive that you already have to determine if it is the right format. The steps in our guide below will help you determine the file format of a USB flash drive that you have connected to your computer.

Check the File Format of a USB Flash Drive

The steps in this article will show you how to find the file format of a USB flash drive that you have connected to your Windows 7 computer. If you are checking the file format because you want to connect the flash drive to a device that requires a particular format, then you can read this article to learn how to format a USB flash drive.

Step 1: Connect the USB flash drive to a USB port on your computer.

Step 2: Click the Windows Explorer icon in the taskbar at the bottom of your screen.

click the windows explorer icon

Step 3: Click the flash drive in the column at the left side of the window.

click the usb drive in the left column

Step 4: Right-click the selected flash drive, then click the Properties option at the bottom of the menu.

click the properties option

Step 5: Check to the right of File system to see the current format of the flash drive. In the example image below, the format of the flash drive is FAT32.

check the format to the right of file system

Do you need additional USB storage, but a flash drive doesn’t provide enough space? Consider a portable hard drive to give yourself the option of multiple terabytes of storage.

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vintage t rex t-shirt


What if someone told you that being a “cat lady” is not simply a stereotype of someone in love with all of their precious cats? Well, as it turns out, there are many ways that having a cat could actually affect how you behave and can contribute to changes in your brain. It’s possible that your cat’s poop or litter box could be doing exactly that. According to a new study, a parasite known as Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii), which is sometimes found in cat poop and has previously been cited as a potential cause for sickness and negative behavioral changes, might actually make some people more daring and successful. Does this mean all you have to do is get a cat to feel like you’re on top of the world?

Still, past studies and health issues have shown that cat poop can cause a range of different reactions in people. We rounded up some ways that your kitty’s litter box, or your cat’s poop itself, could be affecting your health, and got the scoop from experts.

You could become more courageous thanks to cat poop.

Researchers who conducted a study published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B in July found that people infected with the Toxoplasma gondii parasite (T. gondii) are more likely to major in business and open their own businesses than those who have not been infected, according to NBC News. The scientists for the study also found that the parasite makes rats less afraid of cats, and could reduce the fear of failure in humans as well. Ultimately, the results of the study into T. gondii found that the parasite could be affecting neurotransmitters in our brains and hormones like testosterone, making us more impulsive and less afraid of taking risks.

Who needs Felix Felicis when you have a cat?

Cat poop could lead to rage.

A study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry in 2016 showed a link between T. gondii and a rage disorder known as intermittent explosive disorder.

The study, which looked at participants who had been infected by T. gondii, found a growing body of evidence suggesting that while it isn’t responsible for rage, the parasite can trigger infection that seriously alters brain chemistry in the long-run, making people angrier and more impulsive. However, it’s been disproven that the parasite can lead to more serious disorders like schizophrenia, which it was once thought to increase the chances of.

While the 2016 study didn’t prove total causation, it did find that those with intermittent explosive disorder were twice as likely to have been infected by the parasite found in cat feces, compared with those not experiencing the mental condition.

People experiencing the disorder linked to cat poop showed aggressive behavior, although the behavior is not always necessarily present in patients.

Pregnant women are not allowed to scoop litter because it’s dangerous.

Weirdly enough, cat poop poses a high risk to pregnant women more than most other people. Why? According to CNN, that same parasite, T. gondii, can seriously affect the fetus if a woman is infected while she’s pregnant. Women who are currently pregnant are usually advised against changing cat litter or going near cat poop during pregnancy. “Most people who get toxoplasmosis are unaware they've been affected since they may not show symptoms. Some people may get body aches or a low grade fever. However, people with a compromised immune system and pregnant women are in the most danger,” Dr. Natasha Bhuyan, a physician from One Medical who practices family medicine, told Teen Vogue. “Pregnant women can transfer their infection to the fetus during pregnancy. When the infant is born, they may not initially show symptoms of congenital toxoplasmosis, but symptoms can appear months later. Infants can experience seizures, hearing loss, and even developmental disabilities from toxoplasmosis.”

Cat poop could actually affect your memory… Say what?

Apparently, doctors have suggested that T. gondii could also affect memory and other cognitive functions in people who weren’t sick and had no previous issues with their brains. Younger people don’t necessarily have to worry too much, primarily because it’s only been found that T. gondii affects memory in infected seniors and people with more vulnerable central nervous systems. However, people who were infected have been found to have lower performance in verbal memory tests in regards to immediate recall, delayed recognition, and recall from long-term memory, according to a study published in 2014 in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity .

You could come down with “cat-scratch disease”

This isn't necessarily poop-related, but it's a risk with cats regardless. Also known as Cat-Scratch Disease (CSD) is a bacterial infection that humans can contract from cats infected with Bartonella henselae bacteria. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), most people in the United States are not at risk of coming down with the bacterial infection but the agency states that the infection can be “severe” for patients with immunocompromised conditions like AIDS.

The symptoms of CSD can include but are not limited to bumps and blisters, swollen lymph nodes, fatigue, headaches, low fevers, body aches, loss of appetite, weight loss, or a sore throat. Yikes. Talk about paying the price for some cuddles!

Litter boxes can cause overexposure to ammonia causing headaches or pneumonia.

This one also isn't totally poop-related, but it is poop-adjacent. Litter boxes that aren’t cleaned regularly enough can contain buildups of urine and feces, resulting in dangerous ammonia fumes. Ammonia, which is a toxic gas, can cause serious breathing issues and other problems. The ammonia can cause irritation of the bronchial membranes in your lungs, and lead to lots of coughing, as well as severe injury to the tissues in your trachea and lungs. Symptoms can also include feeling lightheaded and minor headaches. While it will mostly affect the cat, it can also affect humans, so if you have a cat, you’ll want to be sure to clean that box pronto.

Overall, you're not at too much of a risk, experts say.

“Luckily, I have not had any patients get sick from cat feces as they take precautions, especially in pregnancy. I warn my patients with cats to be careful when changing the litter. It's also best to keep your cats indoors, feed your cat canned or dried food, avoid giving your cat raw meat, change the litter daily, and keep outdoor litters covered to discourage stray cats,” says Dr. Bhuyan.

While these are all ways that cat poop and the toxins in it could affect you, it’s also important to note that most people remain totally unaffected. In fact, while more than 60 million people in the U.S. are infected with T. gondii, it typically doesn’t cause any symptoms, according to the CDC. People with healthy immune systems are fully capable of avoiding developing symptoms and infections, and won’t feel any negative impact from cat poop. Still, it’s worth it to know what the possibilities are, and to make sure that you’re being safe and hygienic when handling your kitty and the litter box.

Related: Your Cat’s Poop Might Be Why You’re So Mad


Ballet Barre

ballet barre

ballet barreBallet Barre is designed to give you a leaner, stronger and more sculpted body.

It improves balance, coordination and after just two weeks you will start to see the results and feel your confidence increase!

Ballet Barre is designed for everybody, and every shape and size is welcome.

Oba Noakes is a qualified personal trainer. If you have any questions or would like to join a session, contact Oba on 07720 266 683 or email [email protected].


Hormone therapies

Both oral contraceptives prescribed for birth control and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) prescribed during the menopause contain the female hormone oestrogen. Oestrogen and HRT can cause blood to clot more easily by affecting the balance of the coagulation system, putting patients taking these therapies at increased risk of developing a VTE.

The influence of specific types of combined oral contraceptives on the risk of thrombosis remains one of the most important safety issues for these drugs. It is also known that for women who also have a specific thrombophilia, the risk of VTE is further increased.

For post-menopausal HRT users, studies show a twofold to fourfold increased risk of VTE and the risk appears to be highest in the first year of use.


✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* my review of Macbeth’s tragic protagonist *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

I’m going to write about Macbeth’s descent into madness, and the effect of mental instability on other characters in Macbeth. My question is, how did the imagery in the story symbolize how Macbeth and other characters slowly descended into madness over the course of the novel?  There are people who will have a rather simplistic, and incorrect answer for this question, saying; “That’s obvious. Macbeth was just mentally unstable to begin with.” Their argument is limited by its assumption that Macbeth had little to no development as a character from the beginning to the end of the story- especially how he was affected by his violent actions. This statement is provably false due to the tone shift revolving around Macbeth’s character as the story progresses. As the plot of the story develops, Macbeth seems to as well- slowly declining in sanity as aforementioned. When Macbeth is getting ready to murder the king, one of the first signs of Macbeth’s disassociation with reality can be observed. In that scene, Macbeth begins speaking to an illusion of a bloody dagger. In scene in act two, scene one consists of Macbeth exclaiming “Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible? To feeling as to sight? Or art thou but a dagger of the mind, a false creation, Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain?” (Shakespeare). An initial glance at this excerpt most likely conveys the message-  that the witches had sent the magical dagger to cheer Macbeth on from afar; however, within the context of Macbeth’s character, that might not be exactly so. In regards to the mental state of Macbeth, as well as the outcome of this situation- this example of his behavior seems to highlight the first delusion that Macbeth commonly experiences later on. Later on in the story, Macbeth inevitably kills King Duncan, as well as his former good friend, Banquo for suspecting him of treason. After Macbeth sends his assassins after Banquo and his son in order to disrupt the witch’s prophecy- Macbeth holds a dinner party to avoid public suspicion. Soon after all of Macbeth’s guests arrive, the “murderers” return with news of their ambush. Since the murderers attack Banquo and his son in an isolated area in the forest, they managed to kill Banquo; but were unable to get to his son, Fleeance (who escaped). Hearing this, and knowing that the witch’s prophecy stated that he would be overthrown by Fleeance, Macbeth remained in shock and in anger as he tried to deal with the situation. Even Though Macbeth was probably paranoid and terrified beyond belief, he had to keep himself together in order to look stable in front of all of his esteemed guests. Despite his best efforts, Macbeth ends up being enveloped in his own delusions once more. In this scene Macbeth “sees” the ghost of Banquo, and states; “For the blood-boltered Banquo smiles upon me” (Shakespeare). This statement from Macbeth shows that he becomes so paranoid and fearful of the world around him that he loses touch with reality, and spirals into mental instability- truly experiencing all of his delusions. All in all, Macbeth’s descent into madness can be represented by all of the disturbing imagery that Macbeth is reflecting upon due to all of his regretful and violent actions coming back to haunt him.

CC BY-SA 4.0 Macbeth: a Tale of Madness by Katarina is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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What’s So Trendy about Ebay Clone Script

Shopping plays an important role in every household as there need to be many things depending on that shopping. The shopping of the goods and other groceries will help the families to run a smooth and tidy life in the society. People used to buy the stuff from the nearby grocery stores and other general stores but these methods had drastically changed in the past few years due to the advent of the internet and online shopping. Online shopping is very easy to shop the items that a person wishes to purchase and it is very reliable to buy products online as the service providers incorporate a robust payment gateway for the purchased items and sometimes COD (Cash on Delivery) makes the people more satisfied when compared to other modes of purchases and payments.

Going Online

Online shopping has a lot of benefits such as time management, easy to avail the offers and many more. This evicts a lot of inconvenience and other threats that are associated with it. For the millennial, it has become a boon to purchase the items from their home and get it delivered to the home no matter how busy the purchaser is, as long as they are available in their home to receive the item it’s all good. Due to the advent of Clone technology among the website and e-commerce applications it is very much easier to build an application like that without much work and this is gaining a lot of popularity among the entrepreneurs who are aspiring to start up a new online business, and the clone scripts are predominantly much easier to develop an application when it comes to e-commerce and other services as well.

Clone Scripts

Clone Scripts helps to make the job done very easily that is without much toil, and obviously, there would be a lot of difference between building a clone script application and an application from the scratch. When it comes to cost and expenses, still clone scripts and cloned applications beat the market down and making way for the startups and entrepreneurs. It very easy to develop a clone scripted application, at least when compared to the applications that are built from the scratch. This evicts the work done by the developers to the half and cuts the expense of developing the app drastically. This is where the clone scripts gain popularity.

Due to these simplicities, clone scripts are more welcomed by entrepreneurs as they don’t have to invest a lot of money on that. Clone scripts have a huge advantage that is customization, while when going for new applications it is not much easier to customize the application as there needs to be a lot of time to be invested in the development, whereas in the clone scripts it is much easier to customize it according to the users’ requirements, as the development doesn’t need to be done from the scratch, the other phases of development can be done in a lesser time. This helps the development team to focus on the extra features as the app is a clone of another application that works perfectly. Clone apps are coded in scripts, which are the top benefits of going for a clone script application that are, time-saving, quality, robustness, interactive, alluring design and the prominent advantage is providing the user to edit and alter the design and functions of the application with such an ease by changing and altering the scripts, which is pretty easier than the mainstream development. These are the reasons that the clone scripts are fast catching up the trend.

customer service software


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1st Shivam Cargo Packers and Movers. is an India based “ Packers and Movers Comapany" organization that can help you with the services at local as well as national level i.e. relocation, moving, transferring your goods at the requisite location across India. We are packers and movers of household goods and have been able to service customer to their satisfaction.


About Kyrgyzstan Run
Главная » About Kyrgyzstan Run

Languages: The main official language is Kyrgyz, though Russian has also been recognized as an official language. Many business and political affairs are carried out in Russian, though Kyrgyz is very widely spoken across the country and is now the language of parliament. Uzbek, though not an official language, is prevalent in the southern part of the country. Kyrgyz is written with a modified Cyrillic alphabet. Students have the option of going to Russian, Kyrgyz, or Uzbek schools.

Kyrgyz is a Turkic language, and is mostly closely related to Kazakh and Karakalpak, and more distantly related to other Turkic languages, like Turkish, Uzbek, Turkmen, and Uighur. Many people in Kyrgyzstan are bilingual or multilingual.

Religion: Roughly 80% of the population is non-denominational Muslim, with another 15% following Russian Orthodoxy, and the rest following other religions. However, religious beliefs are not particularly prevalent in daily life, and instead are part of the culture and are tied to ethnicity and tradition. Religion, particularly Islam, is starting to play a larger role in public and political life, especially as interest grows in religion and spirituality after independence from the atheist Soviet Union. The government of Kyrgyzstan is secular, though it does monitor and impose some restrictions on religious organizations. Read more…

Form of Government: Kyrgyzstan is a unitary parliamentary republic.

Governmental Bodies: Kyrgyzstan’s parliament is called Jogorku Kenesh, and the chief of state is the president, while the prime minister is the head of the government.

Currency: The Kyrgyz som (KGS) is the official currency, and it divides into 100 tyiyn. Banknotes in circulation are in denominations of 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1000, and 5000 som, while coins are in denominations of 1, 3, 5, and 10 som. Tyiyn are rarely seen and used. Read more…

State Symbols: Kyrgyz Flag, Kyrgyz Emblem

Kyrgyz Flag: The flag features a yellow tunduk with 40 rays of sun spiraling around it on a red background. The tunduk is traditionally the circular top portion of a yurt, and symbolizes the home and the universe. The rays of sun represent the 40 tribes of Kyrgyzstan.

Kyrgyz Emblem: The emblem features a hawk beating its wings in front of a panorama of the Tian Shan and a rising sun. The most prominent color is light blue, which traditionally signifies courage and generosity.

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Limitations on capital development in rural areas

Experimental visualization of narrower problems
Other Names:
Lack of agricultural community funds
Restricted capital resources in small communities
Lack of local capital
Lack of rural financial surplus
Limited accumulation of rural capital
Limited local availability of capital reserve

Current trends in the world's economy are increasingly demanding that local economic units and communities should sustain their own populations. However, the complexity of present-day society renders relatively large and rapid investments of money and pooled resources necessary in order to begin community development, and to start-up and expand business and services in both private and public sectors. In contrast to the trend for effective income realization to require ever larger units employing substantial capital for specialized production, the limited capital of small farms and businesses at the village level forces a fragmented, marginal level of production.

There is a wide disparity of economic resources among landowners, tenant farmers and farm labourers in rural agricultural communities and the day-to-day marginal cash flow pattern is one which most small farmers find hard to break. This pattern reinforces the habit of purchasing for immediate needs which prevents long-range planning or budget management. Banking services are remote and not generally utilized by those with small sums to save; and with unclear land ownership, the collateral required for loans is difficult to secure. Obtaining such loans can be a time-consuming process and often the money may not be secured at an appropriate time when it is most needed. Added to this, the amount of capital obtained is often inadequate to secure the full complement of equipment or technical aid in order for the the additional investment to be a profitable venture. Capital funds needed for initial development of essential services are therefore often inaccessible. Sporadic sources of outside capital are an unstable funding base, but residents find it difficult to develop ways and means of mobilizing their own investment capital.

[Developing countries] The growth of national and international corporations in the last 40 years has created enormous concentrations of capital throughout the world. Developing villages have begun to experience the impact of the interchange of these funds, but have little or no way to participate in it. In fact, they often experience more goods and services going out than coming in, thus crippling a solid financial base. Despite the proximity of credit sources, the community experiences difficulty in attracting capital for business development due to high interest rates, lack of understanding of rules and regulations and inconsistent means of repayment. The generation of capital within the community is restricted by low wages of workers and the almost immediate out-flow of resources to the city for purchase of goods and services. It is increasingly evident that unless the flow of money is reversed towards the village, there can be little significant economic development as a self-sustaining community.

As a result, rural communities in developing countries are experiencing the strain of carrying a greater financial burden as they participate more and more in the money economy. Bartering and in-kind wages to farm workers are being replaced by money wages, so that land owners need more capital on hand, while at the same time local credit lines and banking are only just beginning to be effective. While village economy requires diversified crops and the introduction of new cash crops, the necessary risk capital is simply not available. Most of the population continues to exist at the subsistence level, working for low wages, or farming just enough land to provide for the family. Most of the money earned from marketing goods, from government purchases or from wages, is spent in the market towns or farther away, taking money out of the community and bringing little back. Small shops bring little money into the community since goods are purchased at retail prices in the towns and resold locally at only a small profit margin. Since the only significant transport of goods takes place between towns and cities, the cost of transport to villages is disproportionately high. This results in an even higher cost of living for residents who already have a lower income than people in the larger towns. They are permanently aware of not having enough money and of never seeing any real change.

Many people are employed outside their home villages; they come to the village only at weekends, and most of their earnings remain in the city. Residents purchase almost all personal and household goods and services outside the village on a small scale limited by what one person can carry. People are motivated to sell quality food which they need for their families and to purchase supplies outside their villages, further draining local capital and reducing employment alternatives within the village. These spending patterns continue the cycle of money out of local circulation and inhibit buildup of financial reserves that could be used as collateral to float loans or build up credit. Limited capital restricts local processing, so products are marketed as inexpensive raw materials; and the absence of local markets forces dependence on costly middleman services in order to allow goods to reach outside markets. People come to feel there is no hope for money or investment.

The economies of many rural communities have suffered for years because of the absence of new money. The necessity for rapid social and economic development requires direct, predictable access to available sources of capital, and they urgently require methods which will enable them to use available capital creatively and to generate new capital advantages. Because past economic ventures may have proved unrewarding, further attempts at local initiative tend to be discouraged. This loss of incentive in the face of the obvious capital needs creates an overwhelming burden on many communities and prevents residents from seeking new skills which would lead to higher income.

Problem Type:
D: Detailed problems
Related UN Sustainable Development Goals:
Date of last update
22.05.2019 – 16:41 CEST


Fight the Power Word, Kill

no we're not the same 'cause we don't know the game

header photo

Water Margins & Dragons

Being an exploration of why D&D is surprisingly good for playing games in the setting of The Water Margin, and how you can do some specific, quite simple things to do so.

Above: your D&D party, yesterday.

The Water Margin 水滸傳 is a classic adventure novel almost certainly mostly written, in vernacular rather than classical Chinese, by shi Nai'an 施耐庵 in the 14th century. It tells the tales of 108 outlaws who get involved in various escapades, duels, jailbreaks, robberies, rebellions against the Song dynasty (on both sides) and so on. They eventually congregate in a stronghold on Liangshan, a mountain surrounded by a large marsh that was largely beyond the reach of government control: the ‘water margin’ of the title.

It’s an ancestor of wuxia, which is a 20th-century genre, but it’s not the same thing. One way you can tell is because I like The Water Margin, whereas wuxia is, to me, what happens when The Water Margin is ruined by nerds. It’s the D&D 5e of Chinese adventure fiction: things get over-systematised. The jianghu becomes a set of formalized secret societies and martial artists rather than the more diverse ‘soft counterculture’ it traditionally represented. Categorising things and making lists is, to be fair, a longstanding Chinese cultural tradition, but wuxia creates order where The Water Margin depicts... well, kind of a mess. Except in the later, universally acknowledged as less good, chapters.

Backstory: setting a Hearts of Wulin episode in the Against the Cult of the Reptile God village, it occurred to me that much of the D&D material wasn’t that useful for HoW (although quick side note: you can benchmark NPCs’ tier by comparing their level/HD to the recommended levels on the module cover, and that works pretty well). And I found myself reminded of the bit in The Water Margin where two of the heroes run a Sweeney Todd-style inn where visitors sometimes end up in the dishes.

The village temple became, to my mind, the same temple from which the idiot official releases the 108 spirits in The Water Margin (spoiler alert for chapter 1 of a novel written in the 14th century).

The why:

The Water Margin heroes are, in many cases, murderhobos. Frequently accompanied by comrades who despair of their impulsive, destructive antics as they kind of forget to do the adventure. In other words, they are D&D PCs.

They’re also generally able to recognize other members of the jianghu, often after a short brawl. In other words, they know who the PCs are.

Once I decided to run Reptile God in Song-era China, things started to fall into place - as I started reskinning things, more things proved to be apt for The Water Margin

D&D clerics aren’t much like anything in Arthuriana or LotR - but what do Taoist priests legendarily do? Disable the undead with talismans and banish demons with peach-wood swords.

It is abundantly clear that D&D spells just sound cooler when you talk about them as if they’re mystical martial arts things.

Rolling up magic items for the pre-gens, I got a pair of boots that let the wearer travel 100 leagues in a day or whatever. Strikingly similar to the novel’s “Heavenly Traveller” Dai Zong, who has magic boots that etc. and so on.

The how:

Fighters, thieves and clerics stay basically the same.

Magic users are like no user of magic in The Water Margin, much as their lack of Tolkien or Western folkloric parallels has historically anguished D&D enthusiasts of a certain stripe. But once you rename them “Martial Artists” it falls into place again. Fighters are your big, bruiser types, always ready for a brawl, while the martial artists are not so physically tough but dedicate long practice sessions to esoteric techniques. Spell memorization also explains why they only ever seem to do their most impressive moves once per fight.

Finally, when creating pre-gens, I gave each character an appropriate nickname from the less well-known Water Margin heroes, but left the name itself blank for players to decide on.

Cards for players' special abilities, equipment and agendas

Link to Google Docs version for easy printing

Priestly blessings

Healing Benediction (1)

Place your hands on a living, wounded creature to restore 1d6+1 points of damage.

Detect Evil (1)

Detect evil thought or intent in any creature or evilly enchanted object. Note that poison is neither good nor evil.

Duration: 6 turns. Range: 120'.

Spirit Light (1)

Cast light in a circle 30' in diameter, not equal to full daylight. Duration: 12 turns plus your level.

Protection from Evil (1)

This spell serves as an armour protecting you from various evil attacks, adding a +1 to all saving throws and AC versus evil opponents. Duration: 12 turns.

Ritual of Purification (1)

This spell will make spoiled or poisoned food and water safe. The quantity subject to a single ritual is approximately that which would serve 12 people.

Mystic Techniques

For martial artists, who replace magic users.

Burning Palm Technique 波動掌 (1)

A blast of flame shoots from your hands, 30’ long and 15’ wide at the end. Any creature caught in it takes 1 point of damage per level of the caster. Flammable materials catch fire; they may be put out in 1 round by dousing, beating, etc.

Bewitching Melody 魔笛 (1)

Range: 120’

When you play a whimsical tune on your flute, erhu or pipa, you can bring a single human or humanlike creature entirely under your sway. The victim may make a saving throw to throw off the enchantment at regular intervals determined by its Intelligence score.

Body Lightness 輕功 (1)

Range: caster

Duration: caster level in turns

Negates damage from falling.

Cloud-Ascending Ladder 梯雲縱 (1)

Range: touch    Duration: 1 turn

Subject gains the ability to leap 30’ in any direction, including horizontally to essentially run at super speed. One jump may be made per level and must be done within the duration.

Tempest Pear Blossom Darts 暴雨梨花针 (1)

A casket of magical needles that fly unerringly true, striking for 1d6+1 damage. Range is anywhere within the caster’s vision, but at 70’ or further the target may save for half damage.

Lightning Palm Strike 閃電掌 (1)

The mystic’s touch deals 1d8 points of electricity damage plus 1 point per character level.

Melody of Tranquility 安静魔曲 (1)

Range: hearing     Duration: 4d4 turns

When you play an eerie but soothing tune on your flute, pipa or erhu, it causes any creature of 4HD or less in a 10’ radius to fall irresistibly into a magical slumber.

Pierce the Barriers of Thought 檢測思想  (2)

Range 60’     Duration 12 turns

When you brew a special potion and inhale its steam, you can detect and understand the thoughts of any intelligent creature within range.

Mystic Veil 隱形 (2)

You turn invisible! The effect ends when you attack someone or something, take damage or decide to stop being invisible.

Friend of Night 創造黑暗（2）

Range: 120’    Duration: level x 2

By performing mystical gestures, you cause a point or object to radiate total darkness to a 15’s radius. Non-magical light cannot illuminate the area.

Equipment packages

(1 per PC)

Peach-wood sword (for driving away demons)

Incense & burner

Sword (1d6)

Lamellar armour (AC 7)

Writing brush and paper

Tea set

Book of poetry

Spear (1d6)

Just enough rope

Dagger (lowest of 2d6)

Grappling hook

Sack of trade goods

Wine jug

Peach-wood sword (for driving away demons)

Incense & burner

Writing brush and paper

Tea set

Book of poetry

Reasons for being in the village

Players: Choose 1 and pass the rest on

GM: Give secret signs for informants to the thief, bandit, evil sect member.

Imperial envoy: sent to summon the temple’s Grand Master to stop a plague in Kaifeng.

Army deserter: coming to stay with your aunt to hide from a vengeful superior officer. Your aunt is the wife of (choose one): a famer (house 22), the constable (2), a tavern keeper (6)

Student of the esoteric arts: You have come to study with the Grand Master of the temple here.

Bandit: you’re scouting the village in preparation for a raid for supplies and treasure.

Thief: word is that the legendary Cloudbringer Sword 载云剑 is hidden somewhere near the village.

Filial child: you are coming home to visit your beloved family. Your father is (choose one): a famer (house 22), the constable (2), a tavern keeper (6)

Evil sect member: you are bringing a message from your superior in the Lizard Sect, which can only be delivered into the hands of the Reptile Cult Master.

Lawful sect member: you are bringing a message from your superior in the Wudang Clan, which can only be delivered into the hands of the Purity Sect Master.

Go Back


Tag Archives: rent property

Tenant Conflict: 3 Common Issues Landlords Face

Rent property

Failure to pay rent

To prevent any conflict, it’s essential for landlords to have a clear payment system in place. A common system is to simply establish that the rent is due on the first of every month, and it is considered late if unpaid after the fifth. You should have a specific late fee in the lease that is due after the fifth.

Try to contact the tenant both in writing and over the phone, giving them a chance to explain their situation. If you get a hold of them, you can decide how to handle the issue. If you don’t hear from them, give the tenant a certain amount of time to pay the rent plus the rate fee — perhaps a week or ten days. After this period of time, you may be able to start the eviction process.

When you put this process in place, be sure to stick to it every time. You should also contact a lawyer to ensure that you are fully compliant with landlord-tenant law.

Property damage

In most cases, landlords are responsible for the general upkeep of a rental property. You replace an appliance if it breaks, call a professional to have the gutters cleaned, etc. However, this is not always the case: if a tenant causes damage to your property, they may be responsible for paying for repairs.

Since it can be tricky to prove that a tenant has caused damage, it’s always essential to take photos before anyone moves into the unit. Then you can differentiate wear and tear from actual damage. For example, if the unit already had an old faulty window before the tenant moved in, they are likely not responsible when it gets stuck.

However, they may be responsible for broken glass or physical damage to the window frame. The same goes when tenants pour cooking grease down the drain and cause a clog. You may discover these problems when the tenant moves out, in which case you can likely deduct the repair cost from their security deposit. Again, it’s always best to get a lawyer’s professional opinion on these matters.

Lease violations

Many landlords need to deal with tenants who violate lease agreements. A lease is a legal document, so there are consequences when a tenant breaks the rules outlined in the agreement. Some of the most common lease violations include unauthorized animals and the presence of additional tenants who are not on the lease. They may also have entered an unapproved sublet agreement and there is someone else living in the house or apartment.

To handle these issues, be sure that you clearly outline what happens if a tenant violates the terms in their lease. You might allow a certain period of time for the tenant to correct the issue: if they have not removed the pet or unauthorized tenant from the property, you may have grounds for eviction.

Remember that it is also best to consult a lawyer when a lease violation or tenant conflict occurs. If you take steps to evict an occupant, you want to make sure that you are in compliance with the law. The best way to handle any landlord-tenant issues is to have a clear process in place.

When you stick to your system, you can approach each conflict efficiently and logically. Doing so protects both your property and reputation as a landlord.


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A journey through history, through the dream that led to the first creation. The meticulous work of the craftsmen of the Modenese atelier allows to recover the deep soul of the car: with extreme attention to every detail, it starts from the original shape, retrieving the materials, the designs and the skins. Like a sculpture. No bolt or screw is left out during the restoration activity: each component is observed, examined and restored in order to return to the perfect and original blend of art and technology. With the mission of preserving the story, Pagani Rinascimento brings back the unique emotion and the experience of beauty in a custom-made dress.


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Acta Cirurgica Brasileira

versão On-line ISSN 1678-2674

Acta Cir. Bras. vol.27 no.1 São Paulo jan. 2012

Renal histology and immunohistochemistry after acute hemorrhage in rats under sevoflurane and ketoprofen effect1

Histologia e imuno-histoquímica renais após hemorragia aguda em ratos sob efeito do sevoflurano e cetoprofeno

Francisco Sobreira Guedes JrI; Deyvid Santos da CruzII; Marcela Marcondes Pinto RodriguesIII; Leopoldo Muniz da SilvaIV; Renée Laufer AmorimV; Pedro Thadeu Galvão ViannaVI; Yara Marcondes Machado CastigliaVII

IFellow MSc degree, Postgraduate Program in Anesthesiology, UNESP, Brazil. Main author: responsible for conception, design, intellectual and scientific content of the study
IIAnestesiologist, UNESP, Brazil. Helped surgical procedures
IIIFellow PhD degree, Postgraduate Program in Veterinary Medicine, UNESP, Brazil. Acquisition and interpretation of data
IVFellow PhD degree, Postgraduate Program in Anesthesiology, UNESP, Brazil. Acquisition and statistically interpretation of data
VAssistant Professor, Veterinary Medicine and Zootecny, UNESP, Brazil. Critical revision
VIFull Professor, Department of Anesthesiology, UNESP, Brazil. Critical revision
VIIFull Professor, Department of Anesthesiology, UNESP, Brazil. Tutor: supervised all phases of the study and manuscript writing

PURPOSE: To investigate the influence of intravenous nonselective cyclooxygenase inhibitor, ketoprofen (keto), on kidney histological changes and kidney cytokines, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1 (IL-1), levels after hemorrhage of 30% of volemia (three times 10%, intervals of 10 min) in rats.
METHODS: Under sevoflurane (sevo) anesthesia, sevo and sevo+keto groups (10 rats each) were instrumented for Ringer solution (5mL/kg/h) administration and mean arterial pressure (MAP) evaluation, plus keto (1.5mg/kg) administration in sevo+keto group in the beginning of anesthesia. Rectal temperature was continuously measured. The baseline data of temperature and MAP were collected at the first hemorrhage (T1), the third hemorrhage (T2) and 30min after T2 (T3). Bilateral nephrectomy was achieved for histology and immunohistochemistry.
RESULTS: In both groups, temperature and MAP diminished from initial values. Hypothermia was greater in sevo group (p=0.0002). Tubular necrosis was more frequent in sevo group (p=0.02). The studied cytokines were equally present in the kidneys of both groups.
CONCLUSION: Ketoprofen was more protective to the rat kidney in condition of anesthesia with sevoflurane and hypovolemia, but it seems that TNF-α and IL-1 were not involved in that protection.

Key words: Ketoprofen. Hemorrhage. Kidney. Cytokines. Necrosis. Rats.

OBJETIVO: Investigar a influência do inibidor não-seletivo da ciclooxigenase, cetoprofeno (ceto) intravenoso, em alterações histológicas e dos níveis das citocinas renais - fator α de necrose tumoral (TNF- α) e interleucina 1 (IL-1) – após hemorragia de 30% da volemia (10%, três vezes, em intervalos de 10 min).
MÉTODOS: Sob anestesia com sevoflurano (sevo), os grupos sevo e sevo+ceto (10 ratos cada) foram preparados cirurgicamente para leitura de pressão arterial média (PAM) e administração de solução de Ringer (5 mL/kg/h) e de cetoprofeno (1,5 mg/kg), no início da anestesia, no grupo sevo+ceto. Mediu-se temperatura retal continuamente. Os valores de temperatura e PAM foram observados antes da primeira hemorragia (T1), após a terceira hemorragia (T2) e 30 min após T2 (T3). Realizada nefrectomia bilateral nos dois grupos para análise histológica e imuno-histoquímica.
RESULTADOS: Nos dois grupos, temperatura e PAM diminuíram com relação aos valores basais. Hipotermia foi mais acentuada no grupo sevo (p=0,0002). Necrose tubular foi mais frequente no grupo sevo (p=0,02). As citocinas estiveram igualmente presentes nos rins dos dois grupos.
CONCLUSÃO: Cetoprofeno foi mais protetor no rim de rato durante anestesia com sevoflurano e hipovolemia, porém parece que TNF- α e IL-1 não estão envolvidas nessa proteção.

Descritores: Cetoprofeno. Hemorragia. Rim. Citocinas. Necrose. Ratos.

Hemorrhagic shock is defined as a failure of adequate tissue perfusion resulting from a loss of circulating blood volume. Poor blood supply to the tissues ultimately affects every cell in the body and organ dysfunction will quickly develop if tissue perfusion fails. Maintenance of circulating blood volume is one of the most important homeostatic mechanisms that is mandatory to support. Untreated or inadequately treated hemorrhagic shock will ultimately result in serious consequences for the patient. Limited or inadequate restoration of circulating volume will give rise to profound inflammatory changes. Inflammatory cytokines are liberated within the circulation also during resuscitation and membrane injury occurs in many cells1.

During anesthesia for surgery in which is predicted loss of low blood volume, the occurrence of abrupt and significant hemorrhage may restrain the prompt correction of hemorrhage source and recovery of normal circulating blood volume may not be possible either with blood components or colloids/crystalloids. While replacement of blood loss is not achieved, which could be the state of the body organs and systems? The kidneys will be under prostaglandins (hemorrhage) and anesthetics (surgery) effects and, in some cases, also with a preemptive analgesia with a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), such as ketoprofen. As NSAIDs also have analgesic, antipyretic, and nonselective cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibition properties2, the conditions of the kidneys concerning inflammation and histological injuries under these compounds are unknown.

Because these issues were not yet clarified, researches are required to study kidney response when the organ has an ischemic/hypotensive injury under the action of inhalational anesthetic, that may be protective3 or not4, and of a NSAID, presupposed as an aggressive agent, but showing promising results in some situations5.

The aim of this study was to evaluate changes produced by acute hemorrhage, not followed by adequate volume resuscitation, in renal histology and immunohistochemistry of rats under the action of sevoflurane and ketoprofen.

This study was performed in accordance with the guidelines of the Ethics Committee in Animal Experimentation of the Botucatu Medical School, UNESP. Twenty adult Wistar rats were randomly divided into two groups of 10 rats each: sevo+keto group and sevo group; all rats were anesthetized with sevoflurane and subjected to 30% blood volume loss. The rats in the group sevo+keto received ketoprofen intravenously. The animals were housed in a transparent bell made of inert material and injected with 4% sevoflurane with a total flow of 1 L/min of O2 and 1 L/min of air from an Ohmeda vaporizer (USA). After the induction, the anesthetic concentration was decreased to 2.5% and an appropriate non-rebreathing mask system was used; the rats maintained spontaneous breathing in the oxygen/air/sevoflurane mixture. The rectal temperature was monitored and maintained between 35.5ºC and 37.5ºC with a compressor-heater system.

The right internal jugular vein was dissected and cannulated with a 24 GA venocath; rats received 5 mL/kg/h of a lactated Ringer solution for replacement of negligible losses using an Anne® infusion pump (Abbott, USA)5,6. Immediately after, group sevo+keto received ketoprofen, 1.5mg/kg. The left carotid artery was dissected and cannulated with a 24 GA venocath to monitor the mean arterial pressure (MAP) using the Datex Engstron recording device (Finland). Sixty minutes after ketoprofen administration in the group sevo+keto and the corresponding time in the group sevo, the animals from the two groups underwent 30% blood volume loss through the carotid artery, which was performed three times every ten minutes. At each hemorrhage time point, 10% of the total blood volume was withdrawn, total blood volume been calculated as 6% of the body weight7.

After the last hemorrhage, the rats remained anesthetized for another 30 minutes, a bilateral nephrectomy was conducted, both kidneys were removed and immediately sectioned along the longest axis, and the animals were euthanized with potassium chloride, 19.1%. The kidneys were stored in separate vials for immunohistochemical and histological analysis in a Duboscq-Brazil solution (120 mL formaldehyde, 30 mL acetic acid and 2g picric acid), for a minimum of 12 hours and a maximum of 36 hours; they were then transferred to a solution of 70% ethanol. Finally, coded numbers identified the kidneys. Slices with fragments from both kidneys were prepared by fixing in paraffin and then staining with hematoxylin/eosin. Histology was evaluated and based on the following criteria: vascular ectasia, vascular congestion, tubular dilation, tubular degeneration, necrosis, and inflammatory cells. Tubular necrosis was diagnosed by identifying nuclear necrosis and cytoplasmatic debris. Findings were attributed scores corresponding to the injury importance level: zero (0) absence of injury, one (1) mild injuries, two (2) moderate injuries, and three (3) intense injuries.

For the immunohistochemistry reactions, 4 µm-thick sections from paraffin embedded material were collected on a histological slide previously treated with (3-Aminopropyl) triethoxysilane (Sigma A 3648). The sections were deparaffinized in 2 xylene washes of 30 and 20 minutes, respectively, at room temperature, dehydrated in alcohol for 5 minutes, and then washed with distilled water. Next, the sections were subjected to antigen retrieval in a 96°C water bath with pre-heated TRIS EDTA pH 9.0 solution for 30 minutes. After this period, the sections were washed in distilled water and then treated with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) for 20 minutes to block endogenous peroxidase. The sections were washed in distilled water in two TRIS pH 7.5 washes for 5 minutes and incubated with normal rabbit serum for 20 minutes at room temperature. Next, the sections were incubated with antigen-specific primary goat anti-rat TNF-α (R&D Systems AF 510-NA) and goat anti-rat IL-1 antibodies (R&D Systems AF 501-NA), diluted 1:100 in diluent specific for the antibodies with background reduction (DAKO Cytomation – S 3022) for 18 hours at 4°C. The slides were washed in buffer solution, two washes for five minutes each. After this period, they were incubated with secondary biotinylated rabbit anti-goat antibody (Southern Biotech 6160-08), diluted 1:200 for 30 minutes at room temperature in humidified chambers, and washed in two washes of TRIS pH 7.4 for five minutes. The slides were incubated with complex streptoavidin peroxidase (Dako Cytomation K 0377), diluted 1:200 at room temperature for 30 minutes in a humidified chamber and washed in TRIS (two washes) for five minutes. For reaction visualization, the sections were treated with DAB chromogen (DAB Dako Cytomation K 3468) for five minutes and were then washed in TRIS and distilled water. The sections were counterstained with Harris hematoxylin for three minutes, washed in water for ten minutes with subsequent alcohol dehydration, cleared in xylene, and mounted on slides with Permount synthetic resin. The analysis was conducted on all the sections at a magnification of 20X and 40X, establishing an average for the stain intensity observed on the kidney slides of all the animals: up to 25% of the field, 26 to 50% of the field, 51 to 75% of the field, and 76 to 100% of the field. For the negative control group, the primary antibodies were omitted. Positive signal was detected as brown staining with a cytoplasmic and cellular membrane pattern.

The studied attributes were as follows: rat weight, rectal temperature, mean arterial pressure, histological analysis of the kidney, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-1 (IL-1) cytokines immunostaining in the kidney. The temperature and mean arterial pressure were studied in time points T1, coincident with the first hemorrhage, T2, coincident with the third hemorrhage, and T3, which occurred 30 minutes from the third and last hemorrhage and immediately before the euthanasia of each animal.

Statistical analysis

The Friedman test was used to compare body weight between groups, as well as rectal temperature and mean arterial pressure values between groups at the same time point. The Mann-Whitney test was used to compare the results of intensity of cytokine staining and histological analysis in the kidney between groups and the Wilcoxon test to compare right and left kidneys results inside a group. Significance level was set at p<0.05.

The animal weights (g) did not differ between sevo+keto group and sevo group, and were, respectively, 459±40 and 421±105. For sevo+keto group, the rectal temperatures (°C) were 37.1 ± 1.0 (T1), 37.9 ± 1.1 (T2) and 37.5 ± 1.0 (T3), while for sevo group, the rectal temperatures were 35.7 ± 0.9 (T1), 35.7 ± 1.0 (T2) and 35.7 ± 0.7 (T3). There were significant differences between the two groups with respect to moments (p<0.003, 0.0002, and 0.0002, respectively) (Figure 1). There was a significant decrease in the mean arterial pressure (mmHg) for both groups, respectively for sevo+keto and sevo groups: 95.7 ± 12.1 (T1), 50.6 ± 20.9 (T2), and 58.8 ± 18.7 (T3) (p<0.001) and 99.0 ± 15.0 (T1), 55.4 ± 21.0 (T2), and 67.3 ± 22.7 (T3) (p<0.002) (Figure 2).

Table 1 shows median, 25th and 75th percentiles of the change intensity scores and significances of the studied variables in the histological analysis: vascular ectasy, vascular congestion, tubular dilation, tubular degeneration, tubular necrosis and presence of inflammatory cells. Left kidneys of sevo+keto group had significantly more vascular ectasy than left kidneys of sevo group, and right kidneys of sevo group had significantly more tubular necrosis than right kidneys of sevo+keto group (Figure 3). With respect to renal expression of the TNF-α and IL-1 of the two groups, Table 2 shows median, 25th and 75th percentiles of the change intensity scores and significances. There was expression of the two cytokines in the kidneys of all studied animals but there was not difference between groups (Figure 3).

In this study, the clinical situation of routine anesthesia for surgery with acute nonexpected hemorrhage, not followed by prompt blood volume resuscitation, combined to the use of preemptive analgesia with a NSAID, a potential prostaglandin inhibitor, was intentionally mimicked. In this situation, during anesthesia, the vasoconstriction that follows hemorrhage will cause damage to the kidneys.

The rectal temperature reported in this study was lower in the sevo group and the mild hypothermia observed would be protective to the organ, significantly minimizing the kidney injury severity8. However, in this group necrosis was significantly higher than in sevo+keto group, what suggests some protective effect of ketoprofen. Administration of supportive fluids to lessen hypotension was intentionally withheld in this study in order to mimic possible clinical situations

According to the classification of hemorrhage1, our rats are in class III, the condition when shock is well established and a critical phase is reached, with a drop in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, as seen in this study. The increase in MAP at the end of the experiment may reflect a physiologic response to hemorrhage and decreased circulating volume.

Although the severity of hemorrhage is related to the percentage of total blood volume lost, the duration of the shock is also of significant importance9. Resuscitation should begin as early as possible; so, hypoperfusion in intervals greater than six to 12 hours likely cannot be reversed completely with subsequent hemodynamic optimization10. As a decrease in circulating blood volume provokes homeostatic response to maintain blood flow to the brain and heart, other organs, like the kidneys, can be damaged.

It is known that low perfusion conditions, as is the case of hemorrhagic shock, produce widespread cellular hypoxia, triggering systemic inflammation1. Depending on the degree of the hypotensive insult, the kidney may manifest acute spasm of the preglomerular arterioles that leads to acute tubular necrosis. In our study, necrosis occurred in both groups, but was more intense in sevo group, even with the mild hypothermia seen in these animals, known to be protective to the kidneys. These findings may suggest a protective role of ketoprofen against renal aggression.

Immune response following hemorrhagic shock is characterized by an early proinflammatory cytokine release such as interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1, or TNF-α, which appears immediately after the injury11. The kidney is an endocrine organ that regulates and produces many substances, such as cytokines, and so, is capable of producing TNF-α in response to multiple trauma and ischemia/reperfusion injuries, and also through its own TNF-α up-regulation mechanism or through its own IL-1 released. Biologically IL-1 and TNF-α are closely related, although their structures and receptors are distincts12. These cytokines can modulate renal hemodynamics and probably mediate clinical and laboratory manifestations of some renal diseases13. In this study, the presence of cytokines TNF-α and IL-1 were significantly high after hemorrhage, but without differentiation between groups.

When hypovolemia occurs, norepinephrine, angiotensine II, and antidiuretic hormone act to maintain blood pressure and preserve perfusion in important vascular beds. These substances stimulate vasoconstriction in relatively less important vascular beds, such as splanchnic circulations14. Acute tubular necrosis (ATN) is part of a spectrum of manifestations of renal hypoperfusion, being the result of severe and prolonged hypoperfusion15. In our study both groups presented tubular necrosis, but sevo+keto group showed lower scores. Knowing that hypothermia protects from ischemic injuries, this lighter degree of necrosis of sevo group might be due to the hypothermia presented by these animals, which was more important than that of the sevo+keto group. In this way, ketoprofen may have protected the kidneys against the hypoperfusion.

Further experiments will be necessary to elucidate the involvement of ketoprofen in the histological changes of rat kidney after acute hemorrhage.

Ketoprofen exhibited a protective effect on rat kidney in situation of anesthesia with sevoflurane and hypovolemia after acute hemorrhage, although it seems that TNF-α and IL-1 are not involved in this protection.

1. Garrioch MA. The body's response to blood loss. Vox Sang. 2004;87(Suppl 1):574-6.         [ Links ]

2. Nathan C. Points of control in inflammation. Nature. 2002;420(6917):846-52.         [ Links ]

3. Zaugg M, Lucchinetti E, Spahn DR, Pasch T, Schaub MC. Volatile anesthetics mimic cardiac preconditioning by priming the activation of mitochondrial K(ATP) channels via multiple signaling pathways. Anesthesiology. 2002;97:4-14.         [ Links ]

4. Obal D, Dettwiler S, Favoccia C Rascher K, Preckel B, Schlack W. Effect of sevoflurane preconditioning on ischemia/reperfusion injury in the rat kidney in vivo. Eur J Anaesthesiol. 2006;23:319-26.         [ Links ]

5. de Souza Silva M, Castiglia YM, Vianna PT, Viero RM, Braz JR, Cassetari ML. Rat model of depending prostaglandin renal state: effect of ketoprofen. Ren Fail. 2006;28(1):77-84.         [ Links ]

6. Diego LAS, Marques CD, Vianna PT, Viero RM, Braz JR, Castiglia YM. Glibenclamide effects on renal function and histology after acute hemorrhage in rats under sevoflurane anesthesia. Ren Fail. 2007;29(8):1029-45.         [ Links ]

7. Erni D, Banic A, Wheatley AM, Sigurdssonn GH. Haemorrhage during anaesthesia and surgery: continuous measurement of microcirculatory blood flow in the kidney, liver, skin and skeletal muscle. Eur J Anaesthesiol. 1995;12:423-9.         [ Links ]

8. Delbridge MS, Shrestha BM, Raftery AT, El Nahas AM, Haylor JL. The effect of body temperature in a rat model of renal ischemia/reperfusion injury. Transplant Proc. 2007;39:2983-5.         [ Links ]

9. Lomas-Niera JL, Perl M, Chung CS, Ayala A. Shock and hemorrhage: an overview of animal models. Shock. 2005;24:33-9.         [ Links ]

10. Pieracci FM, Biffl WL, Moore EE. Current Concepts in Resuscitation. J Intensive Care Med 2011. [Epub ahead of print]         [ Links ].

11. Oberholzer A, Oberholzer C, Moldawer LL. Cytokine signaling-regulation of the immune response in normal and critically ill states. Crit Care Med. 2000;28(4 Suppl):N3-12.         [ Links ]

12. Dinarello CA. Proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines as mediators in the pathogenesis of septic shock. Chest. 1997;112:321S-9S.         [ Links ]

13. Balat A. Kidney is in trouble with mediators. Bosn J Basic Med Sci. 2010;10 Suppl 1:S29-36.         [ Links ]

14. Thadhani R, Pascual M, Bonventre JV. Acute renal failure. N Engl J Med. 1996;334:1448-60.         [ Links ]

15. Mehta RL, Pascual MT, Soroko S, Savage BR, Himmelfarb J, Ikizler TA, Paganini EP, Chertow GM; Program to Improve Care in Acute Renal Disease. Spectrum of acute renal failure in the intensive care unit: the PICARD experience. Kidney Int. 2004;66:1613-21        [ Links ]

Yara Marcondes Machado Castiglia
Faculdade de Medicina Botucatu-UNESP
Depto. Anestesia
Rubião Júnior, s/n
Caixa Postal 530
18618-970 Botucatu - SP Brasil
Tel./Fax: (55 14)3811-6222

Received: August 24, 2011
Review: October 25, 2011
Accepted: November 21, 2011
Conflict of interest: none
Financial source: none

1 Research performed at Experimental Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Botucatu School of Medicine, Sao Paulo State University (UNESP), Brazil.


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Nowadays, writing review papers is the pursuit of development in many areas of life, work, environment, health and on many other levels. One can say more that the review work itself is nothing more than enabling us what we have mentioned above, namely our arguments or opinions on a specific issue in this respect.

What language must the review paper be written in?

When writing a review essay, a specialized, professional and relevant language is used and most importantly, relevant in terms of field, topic and even specific recipients. Here it is very important to maintain a certain pattern of action, which in the case of review works makes obvious sense, at the same time allows us to create it in the most adequate and optimal way.

Therefore, if we are going to write a review paper, then we should prepare for it and be aware that its creation is not a matter of a few or several days, but sometimes months or years.

Are we responsible for what the review paper contains?

Each review work must be fully our authorship, although on the other hand we can present opinions or opinions of other people, cite information that may be very accurate in her case. Therefore, we have a range of possibilities, knowledge on which we can base and, above all, prove our point, whether the sense of creating a work, sometimes a conviction, that what it contains is worth analyzing and paying special attention.

Often, review papers are an introduction to further research, observation and even conducting experiments, like the first step to look at some issues and issues from a completely different perspective. Therefore, if we want to create a specialist, typically demonstrative work, we should remember what is extremely important in her case, and additionally take into account everything that is simply necessary in the world. Review work assumes conviction, proof, presentation or inclusion and realization that many of our words are the most accurate and not miss the new or most important assumption.

Writing a review paper is not something simple, obvious or easy, we must use it to convince other people that we can be right about a given topic. It is worth remembering important issues and issues, and thus look at the review paper as one which has not only a specific sense, but can prove our point in its own way. In addition, it is a collection of reliable research, information, suggestions, messages, observations and any knowledge. The above steps are must be followed steps to write a review paper successfully.

How To Write Review paper

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How fresh is the documentation?

I noticed that a lot fo Debian documentation is quite old, or at least
they do exist solutions to some problems that are newer (and easyer)
than the ones that are reported in Debiabn documentation.

I think that could be a nice thing to report the date of writing (or
modification) of each piece of documentation, so one can figure out
how is fresh the documentation he found.

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Governance , Legislation & Litigation , Privacy

Personal Data Protection Bill on Hold - Again

Latest Version of Measure to Be Reviewed Following Strong Objections
Personal Data Protection Bill on Hold - Again

The long-awaited personal data protection bill, which was expected to be cleared by the Indian Parliament this year, has been put on hold yet again following serious concerns raised about recent changes in the proposal. It's been referred to a joint parliamentary committee for further review.

Opponents of the heavily revised bill argue that it would compromise citizens' right to privacy. They claim that the latest version of the bill would give the government "snooping powers."

The committee could submit a report on the bill before the budget session of the Parliament in early 2020.

The revised bill, which was presented to the Parliament on Wednesday, was opposed by the majority of the leaders, who said it had been substantially changed from what was recommended by the 10-member Srikrishna Committee, which had prepared the original draft. That committee was headed by B.N. Srikrishna, former chief justice of the Supreme Court of India.

The bill in its current form states that in certain situations when the government believes it's necessary to protect the integrity of India or security of the state, the government could exempt its agencies from the legislation's rules that govern the processing of personal data.

The latest version of the bill also largely would eliminate data localization, which many in Parliament had supported. Many have accused the government of bowing to the pressure of U.S. corporations that have opposed data localization, which would require them to store Indians' data on servers located in India.

"It is good that the bill has been referred to a joint Parliamentary committee," says Vicky Shah, a Mumbai-based cyber lawyer. "The bill presented in the Parliament is only 40 percent of what was proposed by the Srikrishna Committee. It needs to be reviewed again so that we don't compromise the privacy of citizens as well as do not give unnecessary power to the government."

In July 2018, the committee led by Srikrishna submitted its draft bill to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology with a goal of creating a powerful data protection law. That draft was finalized after a year of consultations with various stakeholders.

Joint Committee

It's not yet clear who will serve on the joint committee that will review the revised bill.

"The question is what changes will be suggested and whether the government will agree to those suggestions," says Dinesh Bareja, COO at Open Security Alliance.

"At a time when privacy is gaining momentum everywhere, it is surprising that as a nation we are still nowhere close to understanding the concept of privacy. When the government is taking steps to justify snooping, we can't really expect much on privacy."

Criticism of Revised Bill

Srikrishna opposed some of the new proposals in the heavily revised bill and asked for feedback from various stakeholders.

"The bill in its present form is dangerous and can turn India into an Orwellian State," he says. "They have removed the safeguards. That is most dangerous. The government can at any time access private data or government agency data on grounds of sovereignty or public order. This has dangerous implications. I have always believed that there should be an independent judicial oversight on government access." (See: Data Protection Bill: The Data Fiduciary's Role)

Government snooping on personal data has been a cause of concern in India, especially since it was reported that Pegasus software was used by the government to spy on certain WhatsApp communications.

Summary of Provisions

Here's a summary of three of the revised bill's key provisions:

Exemptions for Government: The revised bill's most controversial provision would exempt the government from the legislation's rules governing the processing of personal data if the government believes that's necessary to protect the integrity of India or the security of the state. The bill extensively broadens the exemptions granted to the government from these and other data protection obligations, giving rise to significant concerns for citizens' privacy.

For instance, Section 35 gives the government wide powers to exempt itself from the protections guaranteed to citizens under the bill. This section empowers the central government to exempt "any" government agency from "all or any" provisions of the act with regard to processing of specified personal data. The government can also take such a step if it is satisfied that it is "necessary or expedient" to do so in the interest of sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of the state, friendly relations with foreign states and public order.

Section 36 of the bill gives sweeping powers to the government. It allows the processing of personal data in the interests of "prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of any offense or any other contravention of any law for the time being in force by removing the requirements of legality, necessity and proportionality."

Data Localization: The current bill would dilute data localization requirements. Those requirements would vary for different categories of data. "Personal data" of Indians could be stored anywhere, with no localization requirement. But for "sensitive personal data," a mirror copy would need to be stored domestically, and "critical personal data" would need to be processed and stored only in India.

The original draft of the bill called for more broadly mandated data localization. For "non-critical data," it would require storage of a mirror copy in India.

WhatsApp, Mastercard, Visa and other companies had opposed the mandate saying it would make India an "unfeasible market."

But Srikrishna told ISMG that data localization is needed to help law enforcement investigate cyber incidents as well as protecting the privacy rights of Indian citizens. "We have seen multiple cases where for years a simple case could not be closed because required data is stored on servers which are located beyond our borders," he said.

Consent Manager: The revised bill introduces the concept of a "consent manager," some sort of agency that would manage the process of obtaining individuals' consent for data usage. The bill defines a consent manager as "a data fiduciary which enables a data principal to gain, withdraw, review and manage his consent through an accessible, transparent and interoperable platform."

About the Author

Suparna Goswami

Suparna Goswami

Associate Editor, ISMG

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Lecture: Music psichology

A music psychology workshop will be given by the psychologist Doctor Guillermo Dalia, who specializes in music psychology and has been working with musicians for over 25 years.

He has been helping them overcome various problems such as stage fright and stress and thus greatly improve their performance. Guillermo Dalia is a faculty member of several conservatories and universities where he teaches courses for master’s and postgraduate programs on the subject of musical psychology. He also participates in various seminars and conferences held in many universities and orchestras around the world.

This is a unique opportunity for students and professional musicians to gain experience and knowledge on the subject of musical psychology and thus acquire important tools to improve their performance.


‘Ad Astra’ Review: Slow-Burning, But Beautiful

Ad Astra has a great deal of resemblance to First Man. Both films take the 2001: A Space Odyssey approach, emphasizing the beauty, grandeur and inconceivable scale of space, as well as the immense isolation.

Both tell small-scale stories of men leaving Earth to break free from family trauma, more comfortable on the surface of empty alien worlds than in their living rooms. Both star quietly charismatic actors playing emotionally damaged men who perform extraordinarily well under pressure.

And from the look of Ad Astra’s box office, both films are underappreciated. It’s a great shame because Ad Astra is another fantastic performance from Brad Pitt, following Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

Ad Astra is set sometime in the near future, and depicts a society that has focused on colonization of space, allowing the standard of living to stagnate. Initially, the plot sets up a vaguely apocalyptic scenario, but refreshingly, the looming threat is never the focus; this is an opportunity for Pitt’s character, Roy, to connect with his father, saving the world a mere afterthought.

Roy is highly successful, but completely isolated, mistrusting of everyone he meets. A voiceover allows us to connect with Roy to a greater degree, as he never forms a close connection to another character, never spills his thoughts mid-conversation.

Roy might be yet another action hero with daddy issues, but it’s impossible not to root for him - Brad Pitt is far too likable. Too many sci-fi stories rely on lengthy exposition, or become overly engrossed in the details of their own world, but Ad Astra excels at subtle worldbuilding, painting a bleak picture without spelling it out.

This isn’t exactly a dystopia, but the Futurama-esque scene in which Roy travels to the moon and enters a grim, concrete structure filled with Subway sandwiches and Starbucks coffee is profoundly depressing, because that’s exactly what we would build there. Although, the sight of Applebees was pushing it too far - millennials are “killing it,” after all.

As Roy’s journey through our solar system becomes increasingly haunting and surreal, Roy’s personal experience takes priority over plot twists. That’s great, until the third act, where the thin line between philosophical musing and pretentiousness is crossed.

Roy’s journey grows slightly melodramatic, his anti-gravity escapades become less believable, but the polished craftsmanship of the film remains.

The story emphasizes personal reflection over exploration, the endless journey into the unknown an individual and societal obsession. The quest for knowledge is also a quest for meaning, and unlike 2001, it is unlikely to be found in the vacuum of space.

Ad Astra is a beautiful film, from beginning to end, and should absolutely be seen on the big screen; existential angst never looked this good.

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In response to criticism from developers, the city unveiled changes to a proposed open space rule at the Kuna City Council’s Jan. 7 meeting.

Why the change?

The original proposal would have required new subdivisions to provide anywhere from 3% to 25% open space, which can include anything from parks and walking paths to swimming pools and tennis courts. After being introduced at the council’s Nov. 19 meeting, concerns arose surrounding the economic pressures that would face large developers and the costs that would be passed down to homeowners.

To address those criticisms, the city changed the proposed rules to be less extreme in what they asked of the smallest and largest developments.

What’s different in the new version?

Changes to the proposed rule would require smaller developers to make 7% of their new projects open space, rather than the originally listed 3%. The largest developments, on the other hand, would only be required to have 12.5% open space in new subdivisions rather than 25%. Developments with less than seven homes would now be exempt from the requirements.

The new version of the requirement is simpler, too. Instead of splitting subdivisions into 39 different sizes and assigning them separate open space requirements, the updated rule would group subdivisions into 12 categories based on number of homes. The new requirement, like the previously proposed one, would call for an extra half of a percent of open space for every 50 additional homes in a development. Any project with more than 550 homes would meet the rule’s cap, needing only 12.5% percent open space. This is a substantial shift from the old rule, which continued to increase open space requirements as subdivisions exceeded 2,000 homes.

“We received a lot of comment from different folks on the fact that they felt that (the original proposal) was too much and not enough in other areas,” said Mayor Joe Stear. “I think (city staff) did a really good job of changing this around so that it’s something that is more reasonable.”

New public testimony

At the council’s Nov. 19 meeting, council members agreed to keep written testimony open to the public in hopes of discussing input on Jan. 7. However, most of the letters the council received referenced the first draft of the open space rules, because the public hadn’t seen the updated version yet.

To give the public a chance to digest the rule change, oral testimony will be reopened at the council’s Jan. 21 meeting.

Public testimony is also being pushed back again so that the Kuna school board could discuss the policy at its Jan. 14 meeting and submit input to the council.

What do developers want?

The most recent round of written testimony was targeted at the old version of the ordinance, but one developer had lingering concerns, suggesting that any ordinance requiring open space based on subdivision size would cause problems.

“We agree with city staff that one form of good development is to have more open space in higher-density housing developments, and by contrast allow less open space in low-density areas,” wrote Dan Richter, president of the Building Contractors Association of Southwestern Idaho, in a letter to council.

“With bigger backyards, less open space is needed and often less utilized. … With higher-density housing areas, more open space helps to meet the needs of the residents. It is our experience that the best way to achieve this goal for an adequate and proper balance of open space is to calculate the required percentage of open space based on the zoning and not the number of units in a development. This way, regardless the parcel size, all development is treated equally, and the desired amount of open spaces is created,” Richter’s letter said.

Basing requirements on the density of a development rather than on the number of homes in it would be Richer’s preference. Still, he offered that, if the city does move forward using the same house-per-subdivision grouping, he’d rather have requirements ease up on large developments and become stricter for small developments. His proposal for doing so, which would require somewhere between 4% and 12% open space, is nearly identical to the city’s new plan.

Richter wasn’t alone in his suggestion.

Councilwoman Briana Buban-Vonder Haar asked city staff why both versions of the open space rules are based on the number of homes in a subdivision, rather than on the density of a development.

“There’s the argument that if you have an … R-4 subdivision, the lots are like a third of an acre. The argument would be, they don’t need a park also because they can already run around on their own lots,” said Buban-Vonder Haar. “That subdivision might need less open space than an apartment complex where nobody has their own yard.”

City Response

City staff argue that the new rules will still increase the portion of parkland in denser developments.

“What we looked at … is a tiered system based on your impact,” said city planner Jace Hellman. The more dwelling units you build, she said, “the more open space you should be responsible for.”

That way, dense developments would naturally be forced to include an adequate amount of open space, said Hellman. For example, a 50-acre development with 300 homes would be required to provide more open space than a development of the same acreage containing only 150 homes.

Give input

The public may submit written testimony to the council until 8 a.m. Jan. 16. Stakeholders will also have their first chance to make oral remarks since November; oral testimony will be reopened at the council’s Jan. 21 meeting to allow people to respond to the updated proposal and discuss the school board’s stance.

Since the city is revising an existing proposal, a new legal notice announcing the edits to the public was not issued, said City Attorney Bill Gigray.

The Jan. 21 meeting, when council will consider the ordinance’s third reading, starts at 6 p.m. at Kuna City Hall.

Blake Jones is the reporter for Kuna Melba News. You can reach him at

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Dr Helena Helmby

Associate Professor
Helena.Helmby [at] lshtm.ac.uk

Helena Helmby completed her PhD at Stockholm University in 1998. The subject of her thesis work was various aspects of immune regulation during malaria infection. She then moved to Manchester University where she studied T cell regulation and development of mucosal immunity during intestinal nematode infections. She joined the LSHTM in 2002 on a Wellcome Trust Career Development Fellowship followed by a RCUK Fellowship in Helminth Immunology in 2006, and a Lectureship in 2011.

Helena's main research interest is to study the effects of intestinal worm infection on the immune system. Intestinal dwelling nematodes are amongst the most common infections of man and approximately one in five of the world's population harbours at least one species and most infections are in developing countries. Intestinal worm infections are recognized as one of the world’s most important causes of physical and intellectual growth retardation in children. An understanding of nematode-induced immune activation is essential for the development of vaccines that can stimulate protective immunity while avoiding pathological consequences.

The main focus of Helena's work is to increase our understanding of mechanisms of immune regulation and resistance and how chronic worm infections may alter immune responses to unrelated infections. She is particularly interested in the role intestinal worm infections may have on anti-malarial immunity. In addition she is interested in various aspects of nutrition and maternal immune responses in relation to helminth infections.


National Bank of Greece was established in 1841 and was the first bank to be set up in the Modern Greek State, going on to play a key role in the economy of Greece throughout its 177-year history. Today NBG heads one of the largest financial groups in Greece, playing a key role in the efforts to support the Greek economy and the economic and social transformation of the country.

With an extensive branch and ATM network comprised of over 423 branches and 1,463 ATMs, NBG covers the entire geographical area of Greece, while it has also developed state-of-the-art e-channels, including Mobile and Internet Banking. Today, NBG's international network includes 65 units, while the Group employs some 9,845 employees (as at 30 September 2019).