Patient-Centric Pharmaceutical Strategies Drug Companies Allocate Broad Range of Responsibilities to Dedicated Teams

Nachrichtenquelle: Marketwired
01.09.2016, 14:17  |  440   |   |

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC--(Marketwired - September 01, 2016) - Patient centricity is no longer a buzzword in the pharmaceutical industry. The industry's transition away from brand-focused messages has meant that drug manufacturers have started to incorporate the patient voice as early as drug discovery and now implement patient-focused initiatives throughout a product's lifecycle.

A new benchmarking study, published by Cutting Edge Information, found that 61% of surveyed pharmaceutical companies have formed internal dedicated teams to oversee patient-centric engagements, including shaping overall strategy for specific initiatives. In fact, 68% of surveyed companies also assign these teams to identify unmet needs and contribute to developing new patient-centric initiatives. None of the surveyed drug companies reported that they did not contribute to individual initiatives.

According to the study, Patient-Centricity 2.0: Communication Strategies to Boost Patient Engagement, regional differences in patient-centric strategy development began to emerge when examining how companies actually implement their activities. Among dedicated US groups, 89% work on delivering patient-centric programs while just 44% of surveyed European, Canadian, and Australian groups do so. This broad scope of responsibility reflects the position and experience that dedicated groups possess.

"The members of these dedicated patient-centric groups are crucial to determining the success of these initiatives," said Adam Bianchi, senior director of research at Cutting Edge Information. "Many individuals who join dedicated teams come from marketing backgrounds and have hands-on experience with products. That level of experience brings knowledge of commercial strategy that allows these teams to design programs that identify with current priorities."

Additional team members with market research or business development backgrounds contribute to patient-centric initiatives. Individuals with these backgrounds are well equipped to determine programs' effectiveness and make sure that initiatives are meeting patient needs.

Patient-Centricity 2.0: Communication Strategies to Boost Patient Engagement, available at, explores different types of patient-centric programs and various drug companies' experiences to develop best practices. The report's aggregate data and individual profiles on patient-centric programs provide insights on a wide range of programs. The study is designed to help pharmaceutical company executives:

  • Increase awareness of - and improve strategy and planning for - patient-centric initiatives.
  • Determine best-fit structures for disseminating patient-centric messages.

Elio Evangelista
Senior Director of Commercialization
Cutting Edge Information

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Backyard Design Guide for You

Love to add practical and stylish touches to your outdoors? Listed here are for you great designs involving patios, paths, showers, fire pits, and more.

Space to unwind

Use a sleek stone fireplace and large pavers, and turn a small lawn between garage and house into a "decompression chamber". You will find it ideal for unwinding after a long day of work or during your weekends. If you have a reasonable extent of outside space, you can try out this idea.

Striking steps

Lay, in a mix-and-match pattern, stone steps to create a very strong focal point. Plants with different colors and characters can help you create magical visual interest. To beautify the terraced stoned steps, use flora such as rusty-hued Carex testacea, plum Heuchera, green kniphofia, ‘Karl Foerster’ grass, and the like.

Transforming a driveway

Transform the unused area of a driveway into a beautiful, curved path of concrete pavers. Leave enough space for a lush green garden bed on the side.

Gravel path

Use both desert rose and coarser gray-colored gravel to make a path stand out: it would be inviting enough for visitors to just follow its course. To add to the beauty, install small wooden bridges across the gravel course.

A walk of meditation

You can create a sacred haven for meditation, by laying a winding path encircling a central planting island. Use crunchy pea gravel to offer texture to the path, while plants can be used to add beauty and color.

Drainage solutions in style

Mix different-sized rocks with gravel to add character to large areas. This method solves problems related to drainage as well. Create a wonderful gravel path, bordered on the right with a variety of flowering plants and ferns.

Let it overlap a constellation of flat, large stones that create a passage over a seasonal stream flow. Let water run from a pipe hidden under the river rocks of the channel to a catchment pond close by.

Old-world kitchen garden

Turn a dull outside space into a kitchen garden. Use antique showpieces and surround them with pots of herbs and vegetables. Create a gravel path with an attractive circular stone border to add to that old-world look.

Pond-side retreat

Cover the upper patio and the main walkway with dry-laid flagstones. Let it lead to a path of natural steppingstones connecting the upper patio to a smaller one. Let it be closer to the house that oversees a pond.

Gravel path and modern fountain

Surround beautifully a modern fountain with gravel; it is extremely versatile and works perfectly well. You can try out this idea in larger spaces too.

There is no reason why you should keep your outdoor spaces dull and boring. There are several ideas for you try out, and add to those spaces character, texture and beauty. You can and should definitely create a more enticing space for you and your family.


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This Week In History

The New Capital – May 11, 330 AD

The city of Byzantium was founded in the 7th Century BC as part of the Greek colonial expansion. Byzantium had the benefits of a large seaport in the form of the Golden Horn, as well as being positioned on the way between Europe and Asia for trade by land, and the Black and Mediterranean Seas for trade by water.

In 324 AD, Constantine the Great founded on the site of the still-existing city of Byzantium, and began construction of what would be called Konstantinoupolis. Rome was too distant from the frontiers of the empire, so Constantine set about plans to make some drastic changes. Over the next six years, the city grew until on May 11, 330 AD, Constantine officially dedicated Constantinople the new capital of the Roman Empire.

Constantine the Great, mosaic in Hagia Sophia, c. 1000

The city was divided into 14 regions to emulate Rome. However, at first, the new capital did not have all of the same official positions, such as praetor, quaestor or tribunes. There were senators, but they didn’t have the same powers as those in Rome. It also lacked a lot of the government agencies which dealt with public works, such as temples, aqueducts, etc., and the monumental task of creating all of the new buildings was done in haste. Pieces of buildings were gathered from temples around the empire and brought to the new capital. The same went for great works of Greek and Roman art.

At the center of what was old Byzantium, a new square was constructed and called the Augustaeum. The new Curia was built in a basilica on the east side. On the south, the Imperial Palace was built, with the imposing entrance known as the Chalke, and a suite known as the Palace of Daphne. On the west was the Milion – a vaulted monument from which distances were measured across the Eastern Empire.

Nearby the square was the Hippodrome for chariot racing. It was the sporting and social center and existed as part of Byzantium. Constantine had it renovated and when finished could hold 100,000 spectators. Estimates are the Hippodrome was 1,476 ft long and 427 ft wide. Initially, the chariot races were between four teams, each sponsored by a different political party within the senate. Some of the races became so heated that rival factions broke out into riots within the city.

Also nearby was the famed Baths of Zeuxippus. The Baths were renown for the numerous mosaics, along with the 80+ statues of famous people, such as Homer, Julius Caesar, Plato and Aristotle.

From the Augustaeum ran a street called the Mese, literally translated to “middle street”. It ran up the First Hill and Second Hill, passing the Praetorium. It passed through the Oval of Constantine, which contained a second senate house, as well as a high column surmounted by a statue of Constantine as Helios with a crown of seven rays and facing east. The road continued on to the Forums Tauri and Bovis, until rising the Seventh Hill and through the Golden Gate of the Constantinian Wall.

To commemorate the move of the capital and the dedication of the new city, special issues of coins were minted. The bronze issues are common, with a great many of collectible varieties among their few types. The silver fractional issues are scarcer, but available, and the silver multiples and gold pieces are true works of art that were given out as presentation pieces and rarely come to market.

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Thursday, 29 November 2018

Observing a 170% conversion of battery energy into work

The basis of the Ringwood Energy Recycler circuit used in these tests is not particularly unusual - it's a simple blocking oscillator and it has a work-efficiency of approximately 85% (quantifiable-work performed for total energy supplied)

Fig. 1 - Circuit with current feedback to supply battery

Unquantified losses include resistive heat-loss in the switching transistor & diode, coil windings, and transistor biasing

The switching circuit operates at approx 67 kHz, in 2 half-cycles: a `Drain` step, followed by a `Recharge` step

Fig. 2 - Current paths in the system

The battery capacity can be characterised by discharging it using a resistor with a known value, over the terminal-voltage range 4.2V to 3.45V

Using a battery with 3 NiMH cells of 750mAh rated capacity, a fully charged battery supplied a 268 ohm (measured) resistor with an average power of 14.4mA x 3.86V for 42.5 hours, converting a total of 8504 Joules of energy

When the discharge resistor is replaced with the preliminary circuit (ie. the feedback diode is connected to a spare battery which is not the supply battery, but similar construction) the quantifiable work consists of two parts:-
 - converting 3105 Joules to illuminate some LEDs
 - recharging the spare battery by using 4238 Joules of energy which is being temporarily stored in the circuit as a by-product of the oscillator operation

The circuit provides this quantifiable work for a total of 30.5 hours, drawing an average of 20.1mA at 3.86V to draw a total of 8603 Joules (approximately matching the total energy, 8504 Joules, converted by the nominal 270 ohm resistor)

In this mode, the circuit draws the total energy available and converts this to 7343 Joules of quantifiable work, giving a quantifiable-work efficiency of 85%

When the feedback diode is re-connected to the supply mode (see Fig. 1), the circuit will operate for almost twice the duration of the conventional, non-feedback mode - the circuit now operates for a total of 60.5 hours, whilst drawing the same real average power, 20.1mA at 3.86V,  (compared to 30.5 hours duration for the non-feedback mode) with the loads remaining the same values

[The circuit can operate at the same power drain for longer because it is constantly re-charging its supply with a proportion of the energy which has been input - the actual supply current drained is pulsed, with an average of 20.1mA, whilst 10mA av. is recharged back into the battery, being interleaved each cycle similar to time-division-multiplexed operation (see Figs. 2 & 3), resulting in a 'virtual' current drain from the battery of (20.1mA - 10mA) = 10.1mA av.]

Fig. 3 -  Bipolar current pulses in supply connection (blue trace)

The total energy drawn by the circuit is now 16898 Joules

The efficiency of the oscillator circuit compared to its total energy drawn hasn't changed essentially:
 the quantifiable work has increased to 14566 Joules, and these values give an efficiency of 14566 / 16898 = 86%

The overall system efficiency for quantifiable work from the original energy in the battery, however, is now 14566 / 8504 = 170%

The total system efficiency for conversion of energy in the whole system (battery + circuit) now becomes: 16898  / 8504 = 199%

The system is recycling its input energy by a factor of 1.99

The 'feedback to supply' mode has extended the duration for circuit operation and enabled the amount of useful energy available for the LEDs to be approximately doubled compared to the 'no feedback' arrangement

Although the total work converted by the switching circuit LEDs, on their own, remains less than the original supply of energy, and the energy converted by those circuit LEDs matches that of a passive resistor-driven LED arrangement (6159J vs. 6169J), the 'With-Feedback' current arrangement still enables the circuit to produce a level of light output slightly greater than the passive DC-drive arrangement (146 Ft-candles vs 140 approx.) but for approximately 34% longer duration (60.5 hours vs. 45 hours)

This resulting system behaviour provides a worthwhile gain, which has been enabled by the 200% conversion to system work (16898J) of the original store of energy in the battery (8504J)
Fig. 4 - Blue trace: Battery discharge profile (No energy feedback);
Red trace: LED drive level (DC volts)

Fig. 5 - Blue trace: Battery discharge profile (With energy feedback);
Red trace: LED drive level (DC volts)


Kenneth Rexroth

Resistance Vol. 6, No. 1 (May 1947)

Communalism: from its origins to the 20th century - Kenneth Rexroth

Who Is Alienated From What?

A 1967 article examining the 'alienation' that the Situationists and other revolutionaries of the time were re-focusing on, as a driving force in modern life, as the irrationality of capitalism worked its way from impoverished communities to 'high culture'.

Poetry and Money

An essay by anarchist Kenneth Rexroth looking at the publishing industry, the Beat movement which he was influential in, and art-as-business.

The Demagogic Process

Rexroth, an anarchist influential on the Beat movement, writes about the global conflict of the Vietnam war era, the internal politics of the USSR, and the composition of the student and Black power movements at the time- focusing on how they related to the established Left, the mainstream population, and "displaced" people.

Black Writers, Black or White Readers

A short essay by American anarchist Kenneth Rexroth on racism, tokenization, and the recuperation of dissent.

Rexroth, Kenneth, 1905-1982

Kenneth Rexroth

A short biography of poet, anarchist and pioneer of the Beat movement Kenneth Rexroth.


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SIBE - Sociedad de Etnomusicología

IASPM 2020 Torun, Polonia, 18-20 junio

"Regional experiences and external influences:reclaiming identities by popular music in the digital era"

Regional experiences and external influences: reclaiming identities by popular music in the digital era

 Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń and International Association for the Study of Popular Music

Toruń, Poland

June 18-20, 2020

The main objective of the conference is to exchange the experiences of studying popular music regional scenes. Such panorama tends to functionally and structurally reflect the specific and diversified character of cultural regionalism itself, including music and its social functions. We shall examine local popular music scenes in three varied but overlapping perspectives located mainly in the fields of musicology, sociology, anthropology, literary studies, cultural studies, political science, but we do not limit the academic areas of research. Thus, the experts of the enumerated fields covering the research on popular music are welcome.

Abstracts of approximately 500 words should be emailed to:

Deadline for abstracts: March 31, 2020

Notification: April 30, 2020


United States v. Livingston ( 2010 )

  •                                                                   NOT PRECEDENTIAL
                            UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
                                 FOR THE THIRD CIRCUIT
                                            NO. 10-1078
                                 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
                             DONOVAN ANTHONY LIVINGSTON,
                          On Appeal from the United States District Court
                                   For the District of Delaware
                              (D.C. Crim. No. 1-08-cr-00079-001)
                              District Judge: Hon. Sue L. Robinson
                         Submitted Pursuant to Third Circuit LAR 34.1(a)
                                       December 14, 2010
                                (Opinion Filed: December 15, 2010)
                                    OPINION OF THE COURT
    STAPLETON, Circuit Judge:
           Donovan Anthony Livingston was convicted of re-entering the United States after
    having been deported, in violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1326(a) & (b). Livingston appeals three
    of the District Court‟s pretrial rulings, arguing that it erred in: (1) dismissing his
    collateral challenge, pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 1326(d), to his deportation proceedings; (2)
    denying his request to dismiss the indictment based on what he contends was prima facie
    evidence of derivative United States citizenship; and (3) denying his request to dismiss
    the indictment on statute of limitations grounds. Livingston also challenges his sentence,
    arguing that it did not reflect a rational application of the factors proscribed by 18 U.S.C.
    § 3553(a). We will affirm.
            Livingston was born in Jamaica on April 21, 1961. He is a citizen of Jamaica. His
    biological father is not listed on his birth certificate, and his mother was not a United
    States citizen at the time of his birth. His mother did, however, marry a United States
    citizen in 1969, and she became a naturalized citizen in 1979. Meanwhile, Livingston
    was admitted to the United States as a lawful permanent resident in 1976, so that he could
    live with his mother and stepfather.
            Several years later, Livingston was convicted of numerous criminal offenses in
    Delaware. Accordingly, he was issued an order to show cause and notice of hearing
    charging that he was subject to deportation. An arrest warrant from the Immigration and
    Naturalization Service (“INS”) issued, and he was taken into custody on October 17,
            On January 10, 1995, notice was sent to Livingston‟s counsel that the deportation
    hearing was scheduled for June 15, 1995. On June 14, 1995, one day before the hearing,
    counsel filed a motion to withdraw as counsel, stating that Livingston had not responded
    to her correspondence regarding continued representation. Counsel did not send a copy
    of her motion to Livingston. At the June 15 hearing, the Immigration Judge (“IJ”)
    granted counsel‟s motion to withdraw, and, given that Livingston did not appear and had
    made no application for relief from deportation, ordered him deported in absentia.
           On September 27, 1995, Livingston, represented by new counsel, filed a motion to
    reopen the proceedings and stay his deportation. Just over a month later, however, for
    reasons that are unclear from the record, Livingston, again through his new counsel, filed
    a motion for execution of the June 15, 1995 deportation order, thereby withdrawing his
    motion to reopen and stay deportation. In this motion, Livingston stated that his rights
    had been fully explained to him, that he understood that he was voluntarily waiving any
    right to examine the evidence against him and to present his own evidence, that he
    conceded that he was deportable, and that he waived any rights he may have had to apply
    for relief from deportation. The IJ granted the motion, and Livingston was deported to
    Jamaica on November 11, 1995.
           Livingston thereafter re-entered the United States, and on January 11, 1999, he
    was detained by agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”). These agents
    suspected that Livingston was not a United States citizen, and so they called INS. The
    INS agent spoke with Livingston by phone, and Livingston told the agent that his name
    was Darnell Robinson. Livingston was fingerprinted, but in part based on this false
    identification, he was released. Four days later, INS obtained the fingerprints from DEA,
    determined that they matched Livingston‟s, and discovered that he had been deported.
           On August 24, 1999, while still at large, Livingston was indicted by a grand jury
    in the District of Delaware for illegal re-entry after deportation, in violation of 8 U.S.C. §
    1326(a) & (b). In March 2000, the FBI opened an investigation designed to locate and
    apprehend him. After approximately three years, and following a conversation between
    the FBI and one of Livingston‟s friends, the FBI agent in charge of the investigation
    received a phone call from a blocked number, and the caller, who spoke with a Jamaican
    accent, told the agent to stay away from the friend. The agent was convinced that the
    caller was Livingston, and so the agent urged him to surrender. Between March 2003
    and November 2007, the agent spoke with this caller on the phone approximately twelve
    times. Each time, the agent urged him to surrender, and each time, the caller refused.
    The agent testified that he has since spoken with Livingston on numerous occasions, has
    become familiar with his voice, and is certain that the caller was in fact Livingston.
    Meanwhile, on December 15, 2006, the District Court dismissed the 1999 indictment “in
    the interests of justice.”
           In November 2007, law enforcement officers in Nassau County, New York
    arrested Livingston, and it was discovered that the FBI agent‟s phone number was saved
    in Livingston‟s cell phone. The officers called the agent, and the agent told them to hold
    Livingston. A few months later, the FBI took custody of Livingston, and on May 15,
    2008, a grand jury in the District of Delaware again indicted him on one count of illegal
    re-entry into the United States.
           Livingston pled not guilty but then failed to file any pre-trial motions before the
    deadline set by the District Court. Nevertheless, shortly before trial, he raised three
    issues, arguing that: (1) his deportation was based on constitutionally defective
    proceedings; (2) he was a derivative citizen of the United States and therefore not subject
    to an illegal re-entry charge; and (3) the indictment was filed after the five-year statute of
    limitations had run. The District Court ruled that: (1) Livingston was provided with
    constitutionally adequate due process during his deportation proceedings; (2) he was not
    a derivative citizen of the United States; and (3) the statute of limitations issue would be
    submitted to the jury. Following a three-day trial, the jury found Livingston guilty of the
    illegal re-entry charge. On the statute of limitations issue, the jury returned a special
    verdict, finding that “the statute of limitations was tolled by [Livingston‟s] fugitive status,
    so that this case is not barred by the statute of limitations.”
           At sentencing, the Probation Office calculated an advisory Guidelines range of 92
    to 115 months, resulting from a total offense level of 24 and a criminal history category
    of V. The District Court denied Livingston‟s motion for a downward departure but sua
    sponte removed two criminal history points, which lowered the Guidelines range to 77 to
    96 months. The Court then sentenced Livingston to 77 months‟ imprisonment.
    Livingston now appeals.1
           Livingston contends that the District Court erred in denying his collateral
    challenge to his deportation proceedings. “We review the District Court‟s determination
    precluding [a defendant] from collaterally attacking his deportation de novo.” United
    States v. Charleswell,
    456 F.3d 347
    , 351 (3d Cir. 2006) (citing United States v. Torres,
    383 F.3d 92
    , 95 (3d Cir. 2004)). However, “[w]e also review the District Court‟s factual
          The District Court had jurisdiction over this case pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 3231.
    We have jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1291 and 18 U.S.C. § 3742.
    findings for clear error.” Id. (citing United States v. Perez,
    280 F.3d 318
    , 336 (3d Cir.
           In order to successfully collaterally attack his deportation, an alien must show that
    “first, he „exhausted any administrative remedies that may have been available to seek
    relief against the [deportation] order;‟ second, „the deportation proceedings at which the
    order was issued improperly deprived the alien of the opportunity for judicial review;‟
    and, third, „the entry of the order was fundamentally unfair.‟” Richardson v. United
    558 F.3d 216
    , 223 (3d Cir. 2009) (citing 8 U.S.C. § 1326(d)). Livingston does not
    argue that he exhausted his administrative remedies. Instead, he contends that he is
    excused from the exhaustion requirement because he never received the notice of hearing
    in his deportation proceedings, because the notice was sent only to his counsel, and she
    withdrew her representation and never informed him of the hearing date.
           Assuming Livingston is excused from the exhaustion requirement, he still cannot
    prevail, because the proceedings did not improperly deprive him of the opportunity for
    judicial review. Rather, he deprived himself of that opportunity when he withdrew his
    motion to reopen his proceedings. While Livingston alleged in his motion to dismiss the
    indictment (and alleges in his briefing here) that his criminal counsel spoke to his
    immigration counsel, and immigration counsel stated “that he neither remembered filing
    a motion to withdraw, nor did the signature on the motion resemble his signature,”
    Appellant‟s Br. at 28, Livingston provided no affidavit from immigration counsel nor any
    other evidence to support his suggestion that the motion to execute the deportation order
    was false or fraudulent.
           Accordingly, based on the record, it was not clear error for the District Court to
    have found that Livingston voluntarily waived his opportunity for judicial review of his
    deportation order. See United States v. Cerna,
    603 F.3d 32
    , 40 (2d Cir. 2010) (stating
    that whether a defendant waived his right to further review of his removal order is an
    issue of fact subject to clear error review). Thus, because Livingston failed to meet the
    second prong of 8 U.S.C. § 1326(d), the District Court did not err in precluding him from
    collaterally attacking his deportation.
           Livingston argues also that he derived his United States citizenship prior to the
    date of his deportation order, and so the District Court erred in refusing to dismiss the
    indictment for this reason. “We exercise plenary review over [a defendant‟s] derivative
    citizenship claim, as it presents a pure question of statutory interpretation.” Jordon v.
    Attorney Gen.,
    424 F.3d 320
    , 328 (3d Cir. 2005) (citing Tavarez v. Klingensmith,
    372 F.3d 188
    , 189 n.2 (3d Cir. 2004)).
           Livingston contends that he is entitled to derivative citizenship through his
    stepfather, a United States citizen by birth, pursuant to the current version of Section
    320(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. 8 U.S.C. § 1431. Livingston‟s argument
    is unavailing, because “[t]he law applicable is that in effect at the time the critical events
    giving rise to the claim for derivative citizenship occurred,” Morgan v. Attorney Gen.,
    432 F.3d 226
    , 230 (3d Cir. 2005) (citing Minasyan v. Gonzales,
    401 F.3d 1069
    , 1075 (9th
    Cir. 2005)), and “[t]he relevant times are the date of the child‟s birth, the time of the
    child‟s entry into the United States, and the date of the parent‟s naturalization.” Id.
    (citing Bagot v. Ashcroft,
    398 F.3d 252
    , 257 n.3 (3d Cir. 2005)). Livingston was born in
    1961, he entered the United States in 1976, and his mother was naturalized in 1979. At
    all of these times, a former version of Section 320(a) was in effect, and it provided that:
                  A child born outside of the United States, one of whose
                  parents at the time of the child‟s birth was an alien and the
                  other of whose parents then was and never thereafter ceased
                  to be a citizen of the United States, shall if such alien parent
                  is naturalized, become a citizen of the United States, when –
                  (1) such naturalization takes place while such child is under
                  the age of sixteen years; and
                  (2) such child is residing in the United States pursuant to a
                  lawful admission for permanent residence at the time of
                  naturalization or thereafter and begins to reside permanently
                  in the United States while under the age of sixteen years.
    8 U.S.C. §1431(a) (1952).
           It is clear that Livingston is not entitled to derivative citizenship under this version
    of Section 320(a), the version that is applicable to him, because he cannot show that at
    the time of his birth either of his parents was a citizen of the United States. His mother
    did not become a citizen until 1976, and his father is not listed on his birth certificate.
    Thus, the District Court did not err in denying Livingston‟s motion to dismiss the
    indictment on derivative citizenship grounds.2
              The Government argues that Livingston‟s claim of derivative citizenship is
    properly treated as a motion to collaterally attack his deportation order, and so because
    Livingston cannot mount a collateral attack due to his waiver of his opportunity for
    judicial review, his derivative citizenship claim fails. Because we have determined that
    the derivative citizenship claim itself fails on the merits, however, we need not address
    the issue of the proper treatment of the claim.
           Livingston next contends that the applicable statute of limitations should have
    barred this criminal action, and therefore the District Court erred in refusing to dismiss
    the indictment. We exercise plenary review over whether counts of an indictment should
    have been dismissed for violating the statute of limitations. United States v. Bornman,
    559 F.3d 150
    , 152 (3d Cir. 2009).
           A five-year statute of limitations applies to most federal crimes, including illegal
    re-entry. 18 U.S.C. § 3282(a). We have held that illegal re-entry is not a continuing
    offense, but rather is committed “when [the alien‟s] presence is first noted by the
    immigration authorities.” United States v. DiSantillo,
    615 F.2d 128
    , 137 (3d Cir. 1980).
    Here, the Government concedes that Livingston was known to be in the United States,
    and therefore committed the offense of illegal re-entry, at the latest in August 1999, when
    he was originally indicted. Thus, the May 2008 indictment, the one at issue here, was
    certainly outside the five-year statute of limitations. However, the Government contends
    that the statute was tolled between 1999 and November 2007.
           Federal law provides that “[n]o statute of limitations shall extend to any person
    fleeing from justice.” 18 U.S.C. § 3290. To invoke the tolling statute, the Government
    must show, by a preponderance of the evidence, that “the accused concealed himself with
    the intent to avoid arrest or prosecution.” United States v. Gonsalves,
    675 F.2d 1050
    1052 (9th Cir. 1982) (internal quotation and citation omitted); see also United States v.
    856 F.2d 896
    , 900 (7th Cir. 1988) (“[T]he government must show that
    Marshall left Illinois with the intent to avoid arrest or prosecution by a preponderance of
    the evidence.”). The requisite “intent may be inferred where the defendant fails to
    surrender to authorities after learning of the charges against him.” Marshall, 856 F.2d at
           The record shows that in January 1999, Livingston identified himself to DEA and
    INS agents as Darnell Robinson, an alias he conceded he made up when he returned to
    the United States. In addition, Livingston admitted that while he worked in the United
    States from 1999 to 2007, he did not file taxes in his real name “[b]ecause of my
    situation.” Finally, the FBI spoke to Livingston by phone on at least twelve occasions
    between March 2003 and November 2007, and on each of these calls, Livingston was
    told that he was wanted by law enforcement. Livingston refused to turn himself in. The
    foregoing is sufficient to support the finding, by a preponderance of the evidence, that
    between 1999 and 2007, Livingston was concealing himself from the authorities with the
    intent to avoid prosecution.3
           Livingston argues that his assertion of derivative citizenship shows that he
    believed he was a citizen and thus would have had no motive to conceal himself.
    However, Livingston did not assert his derivative citizenship claim until just before trial,
    and in fact, he did not raise such a claim when he moved to reopen his deportation
    proceedings in 1995. Thus, the assertion of derivative citizenship in the District Court
    does not show that he believed himself to be a citizen during the period from 1999 to
              Livingston argues that the statute of limitations issue should have been decided
    by the District Court instead of being submitted to the jury. However, Livingston himself
    argued to the District Court that the jury should resolve the statute of limitations issue,
    and so “if there was any error at all, it was invited error and cannot now be a basis for
    reversal.” United States v. W. Indies Transp., Inc.,
    127 F.3d 299
    , 311 (3d Cir. 1997)
    (internal quotations and citations omitted).
    2007. In light of the foregoing, the five-year statute of limitations was tolled during the
    period from August 1999 to November 2007, and thus the May 2008 indictment was
           Finally, Livingston challenges the 77-month term of imprisonment imposed by the
    District Court. We engage in a two-step review of this sentence. First, we ensure that the
    District Court committed no significant procedural error, “such as failing to calculate (or
    facts, or failing to adequately explain the chosen sentence – including an explanation for
    any deviation from the Guidelines range.” Gall v. United States,
    552 U.S. 38
    , 51 (2007).
    “Second, if we determine that there has not been a significant procedural error, we review
    the ultimate sentence imposed to determine if it was substantively reasonable under an
    abuse of discretion standard.” United States v. Brown,
    595 F.3d 498
    , 526 (3d Cir. 2010)
    (citing United States v. Wise,
    515 F.3d 207
    , 218 (3d Cir. 2008)).
              Livingston contends that the Government could have simply proceeded with the
    original indictment, instead of having it dismissed and then filing the one in May 2008.
    While this is true, we fail to see how this bears on whether the statute was tolled between
    1999 and 2007. In addition, Livingston contends that his counsel was ineffective in
    failing to raise the statute of limitations issue in a timely pre-trial motion or in a post-trial
    motion for judgment of acquittal, and had counsel done so, the District Court would have
    granted either motion instead of submitting the issue to the jury. However, we have
    determined that the statute of limitations argument fails, and so even if counsel were
    ineffective for failing to file a formal pre- or post-trial motion, Livingston cannot show
    that “but for [his] counsel‟s unprofessional errors, the result of the proceeding would
    have been different.” Strickland v. Washington,
    466 U.S. 668
    , 694 (1985).
           Livingston does not contend that the District Court committed procedural error.
    Rather, he argues that his sentence was substantively unreasonable “in that it did not
    reflect a rational application of the § 3553(a) factors,” because the Court did not give
    “appropriate weight” to certain of his mitigation arguments. Appellant‟s Br. at 30, 32.
    However, “[t]he decision by the Court . . . not to give such mitigating factors the weight
    that [the defendant] contends they deserve does not render [his] sentence unreasonable.”
    United States v. Lessner,
    498 F.3d 185
    , 204-05 (3d Cir. 2007) (citing United States v.
    478 F.3d 540
    , 546 (3d Cir. 2007)).
           The record shows that the District Court considered Livingston‟s mitigation
    arguments concerning his residence in the United States, his family, and how much time
    had passed since he committed the crimes prompting his deportation, and decided that:
    (1) while he did reside in the United States for a long period of time, he did not take
    advantage of opportunities to remain in the country legally, instead choosing to engage in
    “serious criminal conduct;” (2) while he argued that he was a caretaker for his family, “it
    is really unclear how you‟ve made your living for the past decade;” and (3) while his
    crimes occurred more than fifteen years before sentencing, he had not “taken
    responsibility for any of the [criminal] conduct of record.” App. at 632-33. This was a
    rational application of the § 3553(a) factors. “That we might have exercised our
    sentencing discretion differently, and we do not suggest that we would have done so, is
    irrelevant.” Lessner, 498 F.3d at 205 (citing United States v. Cooper,
    437 F.3d 324
    , 330
    (3d Cir. 2006)).
           In short, “[a]s long as a sentence falls within the broad range of possible sentences
    that can be considered reasonable in light of the ' 3553(a) factors, we must affirm.”
    Wise, 515 F.3d at 218. Nothing in this record convinces us that Livingston‟s sentence
    was substantively unreasonable, especially in light of the fact that the District Court
    removed two of Livingston‟s criminal history points, thereby lowering the applicable
    Guidelines range, and then sentenced him at the low end of the adjusted range.
           In light of the foregoing, we will AFFIRM the judgment of the District Court.


News Briefs

  Adar 4, 5780 , 29/02/20

US and Taliban sign 'peace agreement' to end fighting in Afghanistan

The US and NATO allies have agreed to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan within 14 months if the details of a "comprehensive peace agreement" signed by the US and Taliban is upheld, BBC reported.

US President Donald Trump said the US is "working to finally end America's longest war and bring our troops back home."

Other archived news briefs:Feb 29, 06:30 PM, 2/29/2020


Poly's Treasure

Poly the Parrot is no bird brain, he is actually one smart cracker. He can find a pre-chosen color chest and then also helps find a fabled lost treasure, including actual gold coins and jewels. A great prop for larger stage shows, the smaller party or library shows.

(Includes all props and treasure for final production.)

$135 plus shipping


Collaborating Authors

Artificial Intelligence in Home Automation

If asked about the two buzzwords in business circles today, they are artificial intelligence and automation. When both are combined together, just imagine about the changes brought in your daily life. In this article, we focus on the changes because of artificial intelligence in home automation. As a human, you have always welcomed new technological innovations with open arms. And in recent times, you can control the smart electronic devices by apps via mobile phones and artificial intelligence application gadgets.

Smart Home technology: Making life easier with automation - JAXenter

Since the invention of the modern computer, electronics have perforated our lives to an extraordinary extent. As electronics become cheaper and more advanced, their presence becomes even more prolific. One of the newer and most intriguing emerging markets in modern electronics is in home automation. Home automation is not a new idea, but it is quickly becoming a popular tool; creating powerful solutions to solve routine everyday tasks. Artificial intelligence (AI), also becoming a powerful presence in technology, has been swiftly dominating the home automation market.

Smart Living: Here's How IoT and AI are Set to Revolutionize the Way We Live and Work

Smart Homes were in the past viewed as a luxury, with their primary purpose being to serve as a show piece for the owners. This reality has changed substantially, both because of the development of newer technologies like Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), and also because of simultaneously occurring social changes that are occurring in our everyday lives. The confluence of many socio-economic factors in conjunction with the evolving technologies may serve as the break out recipe, for Smart Living to significantly increase their presence and get integrated into our daily lives. IoT stands for'Internet of Things' and refers to the technology that enables devices to communicate over the internet, so that they can either be controlled remotely or can send information about their status to a remote user. These are usually electrical devices that range from simple lighting, fans, ACs, Washing Machines, Refrigerators etc. within homes to more heavy electrical devices that exist in buildings such as Pumps or Fire panels.

Artificial Intelligence: The Growth Factor for Budding Entrepreneurs in Home Automation Industry

The entrance of the world into the digital age has overhauled almost all the aspects of life, out of which one of the most noticeable evolution is – 'the Smart Homes of New Age'. Automation, which is termed as a method, technique, or arrangement of operating or controlling a procedure by electronic gadgets and reducing human interference to a minimum, has risen as a new industry vertical in the last two decades. Gone are the days when someone has to check the house twice before leaving so that no lights, fans, or appliances are left switched on. It's the age of automation, where relay modules, sensors, and automated systems will take care of the optimal usage of electricity and all devices. Moreover, the past years have witnessed AI evolving as a technology for developing automatic systems and making decisions using case-based reasoning.

The 10 Insanely Useful Internet Of Things Products You Must Try! -Big Data Analytics News

Internet of Things (IoT) is the next frontier in technology and the core component bringing industrial revolution across the globe. It is entirely redefining how we use apps, devices and how people interact and connect with each other. It is turning everyday objects into data collecting gold. Internet of thing (IoT) is gaining the foothold in the international lexicon of technology. The term IoT can be defined as the growing number of objects that can connect to the internet and communicate with each other.


Expertise I Consulting I Management

Whats new about the Russian space center “Vostochniy”?

Here is our youngest and most promising cosmodrome. You can see the entire infrastructure of the facility. But, characteristically, there are endless forests around it. Wildlife. About all the cosmodromes in the world are arranged in the same way.The device of the cosmodrome depends on the type of rocket that takes off from it. Absolutely everything is sharpened under it. Our oldest and largest Soyuz rocket, the P7 family, is taking off from the “Vostochniy”. Accordingly, the starting table is “Gagarinsky.” That is, the same as at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Plesetsk and In Kuru (South America).Usually after the verticalization of the rocket, it is still a few days on the starting table for numerous checks. All this time people work on open areas next to it. Let’s just say it’s hard work. Especially when the wind blows in the cold. The rest of the infrastructure of the cosmodrome in one way or another has to do with the maintenance of the rocket at the launch. source

Hashtag#russia2020 Hashtag#russiahiddenchampions

Admin - 10:32:11 | Kommentar hinzufügen


Name this moth or butterfly

Asked July 27, 2019, 9:35 AM EDT

While hiking at the Howard County Nature Conservancy, I spotted these two insects in the grass. Are they moths or butterflies? Could you tell me the common name as well as the scientific name? How can I tell whether an insect is a moth or a butterfly? Thank you! Virginia

Howard County Maryland

1 Response

This looks like an Eastern Tailed-Blue (Cupido comyntas). It is one of Maryland's most common butterflies.

Butterflies usually close their wings when they are resting whereas moths lay their wings open. Butterflies have long, thin antennae. In many moths, they are shorter and look feathery.


DPA Rated Contracts Have Some Caveats.

Author:Levy, Fred

The Defense Production Act allows the executive branch to apply a priority rating to its contracts, which would require them to be prioritized over any competing obligations, including prior commercial commitments. Contractors should be aware of how the legislation may apply to them.

The Defense Production Act, also known as the DPA, is a Korean War-era statute that provides the president with various authorities to regulate U.S. industry for the purpose of "shap[ing] national defense preparedness programs and tak[ing] appropriate steps to maintain and enhance the domestic industrial base." National defense is defined quite broadly. In addition to encompassing military-, energy- and national security-related activities, it also includes emergency preparedness activities under the Stafford Act. Although the law has not broadly been invoked in response to a public health emergency to date, it may be deployed in response to the COVID-19 epidemic.

The authority of the executive branch to apply a priority rating to its contracts is commonly used through the Defense Priorities and Allocations System.

The executive branch may allocate or control materials, services and facilities in any manner deemed necessary or appropriate to promote the national defense. This authority is quite broad and even covers technical data that may be necessary for technology transfer. However, the allocations authority may only be used for wage or price controls if accompanied by a joint resolution of Congress.

The DPA also provides several additional authorities which can provide encouragement and funding to develop and promote critical national infrastructure. These include: purchasing or making purchase commitments of industrial resources or critical technology items; making subsidy payments for domestically produced materials; purchasing and installing equipment for government and privately owned industrial facilities to expand their productive capacity; and issuing loan guarantees and direct loans.

The Defense Production Act requires that to use prioritization or allocations authority in the civilian marketplace, the president must make findings as to the scarcity of material and the need to invoke the prioritization or allocations authority. A President Obama-era executive order and existing regulations required the department invoking DPA authority to make the required findings and submit them to the president for approval before exercising the authority.

To continue reading


Impure Monster (イムピュルモンスター Imupyuru Monsutā) is a kind of Monster Card. They appear in Yu-Gi-Oh! D-ZERO and Yu-Gi-Oh! D-ZERO II. Impure Monsters were introduced in Starter Deck D-ZERO, though their functions and use have changed since Starter Deck D-ZERO 2017 Q2. These cards resided in the Extra Deck starting from Starter Deck D-ZERO until Love Unbound. In Structure Deck S: Revival of Hiro, they were relocated to have their own Deck Zone, the Impure Deck. As they cannot exist in the hand or Main Deck, and now (except for Pendulum Monsters) Extra Deck, any card effects that would place them in any of those locations would otherwise place them in the Impure Deck.

As of the Master Rule 4, Impure Monsters, except Impure Pendulum Monsters that were then Special Summoned from the Extra Deck, must be Special Summoned to a Main Monster Zone, as they are not treated as being Special Summoned from the Extra Deck.

These cards are somewhat similar to Pendulum Monsters in appearance. The upper half is whatever colour of the kind of secondary monster it is (yellow for Normal Monster for example), but with a crimson bottom.

Negative Levels

Unlike most other monsters, non-Xyz Impure Monsters' Levels use negative numbers to determine their power range. Because they're Negative Levels, they are treated as having Levels below 0. Likewise, certain effects that would affect a monster and/or its Level will have the opposite effect (e.g. if "Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand" would banish an Impure Monster with its effect, it would instead lose ATK and DEF because the monster's original Level is a negative number). The lower the negative number, the more powerful the monster is.

Impure Materials

Like Xyz Monsters, non-Xyz Impure Monsters have their Materials neatly stacked underneath the monster in face-up Attack Position. Most Impure Monsters require the player to "delete" their Materials to activate effects, making them limited in use, much like detaching for Xyz Monsters.

Xyz Impure Monsters instead use Xyz Material if the Impure Material Xyz Monster has Xyz Materials. The Xyz Monster in this case is flipped face-down Attack Position to distinguish it from its Xyz Materials. Starting from Starter Deck 2017: Reloaded-onwards, Xyz Monsters lose their Xyz Materials when used as Material. Likewise, they will no longer be flipped face-down.

In Yu-Gi-Oh! D-ZERO II, they appear as Truth-Seeking Balls that float behind the monster (in a sigmoidal formation if there are more than 2).


Living Planet Index

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Galaxy structure in the low-redshift universe
This parallel session aims to bring together multiple observational techniques (e.g. IFU spectroscopy, visual morphology, photometric decomposition) within the field of low-redshift galaxy structure in order to give insight into the mechanisms responsible for galaxy evolution.

Studying the spatial structure and kinematics of galaxies in large, low-redshift surveys allows us to compare how internal and external processes play a role in the evolution of the galaxies we observe today. The components in a given galaxy have formed over a range of times and through different mechanisms, and evidence of these processes are recorded in their stellar populations.

We aim to bring together observers of the low-redshift universe to spark discussion and collaboration on the following topics:
- The kinematics of low-redshift galaxies and how this can be related to more traditional morphologies.
- The physical processes that may have contributed to the spatial structure of low-redshift galaxies and their components.
Rebecca Kennedy, Ross Hart
A6, B7. Tuesday 4:30pm, Wednesday 9am


Log in

Cathedral of Aroden

From PathfinderWiki

The Pathfinder Lodge in Andoran's capital of Almas is known as the Cathedral of Aroden, Almas Cathedral, or simply the Almas Lodge,[1] and was once a church to the god Aroden. After a scandal bankrupted the local church, the Pathfinder Brackett was able to buy the large three-story building at a very cheap price. He became its venture-captain, a post he still holds.[2] The Almas Lodge is located in the resident East Hill district, along the Avenue of the Gods.[1]

Its great size makes it the logical place to hold large scale gatherings of pathfinders, and its dozens of guest rooms rank among the finest lodgings in Almas. Its library is second only to the Grand Lodge in Absalom, and is also renowned for its assistant librarians – homunculi created by the head librarian Wystron Telfyr in his laboratory in one of the cathedral's towers. The creatures are so popular that some pathfinders employ Wystron to create homunculus pets for them. The other tower has been taken over by Wystron's apprentice, Greudemoffit, who has converted it into a meteorological station and is attempting to predict the weather. The vault beneath the cathedral holds the lodge's most valuable items, and there are also secret passages that connect the cathedral to various city sites. The cathedral's bells are still operational, and Brackett uses them to send coded messages to his agents in the city.[2]

The larger Golden Cathedral was built long ago to replace the cathedral when it was no longer able to serve the expanding numbers of the faithful.[1]

The lodge is known to possess a powerful druidic lorestone known as the granite sphere, rescued from the Verduran Forest in 4709 AR. It contains a vast repository of druidic knowledge of the Verduran, lycanthropes and other shapechangers, and rituals to force a person's bestial nature to the surface, although no one at the lodge has learned how to access it.[3][4]

For additional resources, see the Meta page.


Net enrolment rate, lower secondary, both sexes (%) in Middle income was reported at 68.36 % in 2018, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Middle income - Net enrolment rate, lower secondary, both sexes - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2020.

Please Paste this Code in your Website
 middle income net enrolment rate lower secondary both sexes percent wb data

Total number of students in the theoretical age group for lower secondary education enrolled in that level, expressed as a percentage of the total population in that age group. Divide the number of students enrolled who are of the official age group for lower secondary education by the population for the same age group and multiply the result by 100. NER at each level of education should be based on enrolment of the relevant age group in all types of schools and education institutions, including public, private and all other institutions that provide organized educational programmes.

Middle income | Education


Coronavirus vaccine search runs on horseshoe crab blood

A horseshoe crab shares the coastline with red knots at Delaware’s Mispillion Harbor.
Credit: Gregory Breese/USFWS

Testing for dangerous bacteria called endotoxins in vaccines and other medicines has long relied on a component in horseshoe crab blood. That includes the search for a vaccine for COVID-19. Just when an alternative to the test seemed to be on the brink of acceptance, the group U.S. Pharmacopeia, which issues quality standards, announced that it still needs more study, a decision that could delay an alternative for years.

“It is crazy making that we are going to rely on a wild animal extract during a global pandemic,” Ryan Phelan, the head of the nonprofit Revive and Restore, told the New York Times. Her group supports a synthetic alternative using genetic technologies.

Declines in horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus) can affect migratory birds that rely on their eggs. The Atlantic population of red knots (Calidris canutus) has fallen due in part to overharvesting of horseshoe crabs for the biomedical industry and commercial fishing bait, making them less resilient to environmental changes.

Unusually cool water temperatures in the Delaware Bay this spring prevented many horseshoe crabs from spawning, resulting in the lowest count of red knots there since counts began. Some 20,000 red knots arrived, but most moved on after they were unable to find food, the Times reports.


Friday, July 3, 2020

Brain health slider Brain health
Expert advice on brain health, including brain aliments such as dementia, how to keep your brain healthy and brain training advice.

Brain health guide

As we get older, it’s important to take good care of our brains. Just as our bodies require extra TLC in later life, our brains will benefit from the same treatment.

Keeping your brain in good condition will help protect you against the risk of vascular death and ischemic stroke and also reduce your vulnerability to brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Not only that, but your mental health will get a boost too.

In this guide

How do our brains change as we age?

Our brains age just as our bodies do. But, while you may notice the outward effects of aging from your 30s and 40s, it can take longer to notice the changes that are taking place internally.

As we age, our brains shrink in size, start to slow down and find it harder to adapt to change. But there’s good news. The brain is resilient, and with the right care and conditions, it can continue to stay attuned and alert.

Why do we need to keep our brains healthy?

Factors such as diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, vascular disease, high cholesterol, smoking, stress, and lack of physical and mental activities can all contribute to a decline in brain health and make us more vulnerable to brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

According to Age UK, we can all benefit from better brain health, even those with a family history of mental decline in later life. It says that genes only account for 24% of the change in thinking skills across our lifetime, so there’s lots we can all do to boost how our brains function.

Regardless of your DNA, leading a healthy lifestyle will give you the best chance of warding off brain diseases and keeping your mind sharp in your later years.

Brain health in numbers

  • Genes only account for 24% of the change in thinking skills across our lifetime.
  • One in 14 people over the age of 65 are living with dementia.
  • Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia, affecting over 520,000 people in the UK.

Brain health facts and figures

  • Good brain health plays an important part in helping to reduce vulnerability to brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
  • Lifestyle factors including diet, exercise and mental stimulation can help to significantly improve on our brain health.

Common brain health aliments

It can be difficult to know when cognitive changes are a normal part of the aging process and when its something more serious. Here are some of the most common brain health conditions explained.

General brain decline

Our cognitive skills change gradually throughout our lives, with a small decline as we get older. This is known as ‘normal cognitive aging’ and it means that our short-term memory, reasoning and the speed at which we can process information are all affected. So, while we know more than younger people, it may take us longer to complete tasks or figure things out.

As our brains are all unique, this process affects us all in different ways, and to varying degrees. Some people experience a more severe decline than the norm, and a lucky few may even find their cognitive skills improve with age!

Dementia is a term used to describe a range of diseases and conditions that affect the brain. These include Alzheimer’s, vascular dementia and frontotemporal dementia. Depending on which part of the brain is affected, symptoms may include memory loss, problems with language, difficulties solving problems, and changes to mood and behaviour.

The likelihood of developing dementia increases with age, with one in 14 people over the age of 65 affected. However, it can affect younger people too, and there are over 420,000 people in the UK living with dementia.

Alzheimer’s disease

This is the most common form of dementia, affecting over 520,000 people in the UK. Alzheimer’s affects the connections between the nerve cells in the brain until they eventually die. It’s a progressive disease, so as time goes on it affects more parts of the brain, making symptoms increase and worsen.

Symptoms generally start off mild, with difficulties recalling things or retaining new information. As time goes on, memory problems will start to affect day-to-day life and speech, vision, concentration and orientation may also be affected.

Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson’s also causes problems in the brain that progress over time. It’s caused when the nerve cells that usually make dopamine die off. This means that people with Parkinson’s don’t have enough dopamine, the chemical responsible for regulating movement in the body. As a result, Parkinson’s can have a huge impact on a person’s ability to control movement and lead to involuntary shaking, slower movements and stiff muscles.

Brain food advice

Medicines and brain health

Certain medication, particularly a group of drugs known as ‘anticholinergics’, can cause memory and thinking problems. Anticholinergics are used to treat many conditions and medication includes antihistamines, benzodiazepines, some antidepressants and muscle relaxants.

Older people who have been taking several different anticholinergics over a long time are more likely to experience side effects. It’s important to remember that everyone responds differently to medication, and that many are life saving. If you have concerns, don’t just stop taking the drugs – always talk it through with your doctor.

Keeping your brain healthy

Many of the lifestyle factors that we have control over – such as what we eat, how active we are and the mental activities we carry out – can have a significant impact on our brain health.

There’s no single magic remedy, but research shows that it’s best to take a range of the following steps to keeping your brain functioning well.

Physical exercise

When we exercise it improves blood flow and stimulates chemical changes in the brain – these help to improve memory and thinking, enhance learning and even boost our mood. And, exercise is proven to help you sleep better and reduce anxiety, which both contribute to a healthier brain.

Aim to fit some activity into each day, such as swimming or yoga, or something more spontaneous like walking or gardening. Try to get a mix of exercise, from aerobic activity to get your heart rate up to stretching and balancing. For inspiration, read our article exercises that can boost the brain.

Eating well is one of the best ways to put your body in good shape to fight off obesity, diabetes and heart disease, which can all strike harder in older age. But did you realise that a healthy diet will also keep your brain in shape.

Eat food rich in nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, and flavonoids to maintain your thinking skills. On the flip side, high levels of saturated fat found in butter, palm oil, dairy and meat are linked to thinking skills decreasing in older age.

As a general rule, follow a balanced diet, high in fruit and vegetables and low in saturated fats. For more ideas, read our article on brain food to boost brain health.

Social interaction and engagement

Studies show that people who spend time with others and stay connected to their community experience the slowest rate of memory decline. An engaged social network helps to improve memory, reduce stress, ward off depression, keep you mentally stimulated and give you a support network to rely upon.

This is easier for some people than others, depending on your situation. If you don’t have a rich network of friends and family nearby, consider getting involved in local groups, trying volunteering or starting a new hobby to help you meet people.

Sleep and relaxation

Sleep helps your mind to rest and revive – we need enough sleep to allow our mind to de-stress and maintain good cognitive function. It can also reduce build-up of beta-amyloid plaque in the brain, an abnormal protein associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

Aim for seven to eight hours – research shows that this is optimum amount for better brain health (and better physical health) in older people. Try not to worry if your sleep changes as you get older, though. It’s normal for sleep to become lighter and to wake in the night or early in the morning.

If your sleep is badly disturbed and it’s affecting your day-to-day life, you may be experiencing insomnia. Our insomnia guide takes you through the symptoms and gives advice on improving your quality of sleep.

Brain training guides

Brain health FAQs

What are good brain exercises?

Activities to challenge the brain, such as crosswords, Sudoku puzzles and special computer games, are all worth trying. Taking up new activities and continuing your hobbies is the best way to keep your brain exercised.

Do brain exercises really work?

Some research shows it can improve some aspects of memory and thinking, but no studies have shown that brain training actually prevents dementia.

What foods boost brain power?

The fatty acid DHA in oily fish has been linked to better brain function. Dark green vegetables such as spinach, kale and broccoli are packed with vitamin E, folic acid, B6, B12 and iron, which have positive effects on brain health. Other foods to feed your brain include eggs, tomatoes, blueberries and wholegrains.

Brain training exercises

Enjoy doing a crossword or Sudoku puzzle? Many people use these ‘brain training’ games to help keep their minds alert in older age and the good news is, it’s probably worth it. While there’s no evidence that brain training will prevent dementia, studies have found that cognitive training can help improve some aspects of memory and thinking, especially from middle-age onwards.

But it’s not just games that help – learning new things is equally as important. That’s because our ‘brain reserve’ – which helps the brain adapt and respond to changes – gets a boost when we learn new skills, try new activities, and embrace new interests. So, stay interested and your brain will benefit!

Read our guide on 12 ways to boost your brain for more unusual ideas to try.

Did you know?

Brain processing speed peaks at around age 18, then declines from then on, while our ability to read other people’s emotions peaks around age 45. Our vocabulary hits its peak around age 70.

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The diary

So, who is ‘Dear Kitty’?

‘Dear Kitty’ is the fictional character Anne Frank addressed many of her diary letters to. But where did the character of Kitty come from? We know more about her than you might think. Here you can read who Kitty really was and how, in Anne’s imagination, she was part of a larger circle of friends.

‘Dear Kitty’ made her first appearance in Anne's diary on 22 September 1942. By then, Anne had been in hiding in the Secret Annex for two months. Although life in hiding was not easy, the people there slowly developed new routines. For Anne, writing in her diary became an important part of her routine.

Kitty is Anne’s favourite imaginary friend

Anne wrote that she wanted 'to correspond with someone' and invented several fictional characters (Kitty, Pop, Phien, Conny, Lou, Marjan, Jettje, and Emmy) to do so. In Anne's fantasy, these characters formed a circle of friends. She started with Jettje and Emmy, and then the name Kitty appeared. Anne addressed her as ‘Dear Kitty’, ‘My darling Kitty’, and ‘Dearest Kitty’.

Anne’s imagination was very lifelike. She had preferences for some of the characters and Kitty rose to first place straight away: ‘Dear Kitty...I like writing to you most, you know that don’t you, and I hope the feeling is mutual. Jettje and Emmy received the occasional letter and Anne wrote: ‘Jacqueline isn’t really part of the group’.

‘Jacqueline’ was Jacqueline van Maarsen, Anne's friend at the Jewish Lyceum. She wrote her two farewell letters, after which no more letters were addressed to Jacqueline. It is unclear why Jacqueline wasn’t ‘part of the group’.

Anne takes Kitty from a book

Although Kitty is best known for Anne's diaries, Anne did not invent the character herself. Originally, Kitty was a character in the popular Joop ter Heul series, written by Cissy van Marxveldt.

These books for girls revolved around the adventures of Joop ter Heul and her friends. Kitty Francken - Anne wrote Franken (!) - was one of those friends. She was cheerful and humorous, as well as naughty and cheeky. There was this time when Cissy van Marxveldt's Kitty smuggled a children's piano into the classroom and played on it during class. She was expelled for a week.

Anne had started reading the Joop ter Heul books before going into hiding and finished the whole series in the Secret Annex. Some of the books were written in the form of letters, which may have inspired Anne to use the same format for her diary.

At first, Anne writes to Pop more often than to Kitty

Although Kitty was to become Anne's most important imaginary friend, during the first half year in the Secret Annex, she addressed most of her letters to others. ‘Pop’, for instance, got nine letters, while Kitty received only eight. Pop was another girl from Cissy van Marxveldt’s books.

In all, Anne wrote her letters to three types of characters: real people (such as her school friend Jacqueline van Maarsen), characters from the books of Van Marxveldt (Kitty, Pop, Phien, Conny, and Lou), and characters she had made up herself (Marjan, Jettje, and Emmy).

Kitty is ‘a nice 14-year-old girl’

In October 1942, Anne fantasised about skating and playing in a film with Kitty in neutral Switzerland. She described Kitty as ‘a nice 14-year-old girl’ and said that they were becoming ‘close friends’. Out of all the characters from her club, Kitty was the one who slowly but surely emerged as Anne's best friend.

When exactly Anne decided to address her letters only to Kitty is unclear, because her diaries from 1943 have not survived. Only a rewritten version of that year is available. In her next diary, from 22 December 1943 onwards, Anne consistently addressed her letters to Kitty. By then, her other fictional friends had dropped out of the picture.

  1. Netherlands Institute for War Documentation, The diary of Anne Frank: the revised critical edition (New York, NY: Doubleday, 2003), A-version, 22 September 1942.


Lehrstuhl für Tierökologie und Tropenbiologie

Veranstaltung: Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology 1/2
Veranstaltungsnummer: 0611001
ECTS: 10
Sprache: Deutsch/Englisch
Prüfungsart: Klausur

Dozenten: Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter, Jochen Krauß, Peter Biedermann, Andrea Holzschuh, Marcell Peters, Brigitte Fiala, Emily Poppenborg Martin, Alice Claßen, Alexander Keller

Lerninhalte: The students will acquire deep knowledge of ecological theories and up-to-date research issues in field of Animal Ecology. They will be qualified to interpret scientific work and apply the acquired knowledge to the solution of current environmental risks. The students will be qualified to recognize tropical habitats at their exceptional positions at biosphere and will be able to explain their importance to our ecosystem. They will be competent to the consequences of interventions in tropical systems and are capable of evaluate associated conservation related questions. They will also gain detailed knowledge of a wide range topics of biological characteristics and structural properties of tropics. In the seminar, the students will obtain skills to investigate, present, and discuss up-to-date publications in deep thematic areas of tropical biology.

Animal Ecology (Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology)

(only in winter semester)
Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter, Jochen Krauß, Andrea Holzschuh, Marcell Peters, Emily Poppenborg Martin, Brigitte Fiala, Alexander Keller

This module consists of lecture and seminar. In the lecture, an overview of the theoretical foundations and current issues in Animal Ecology will be given. Topics focus on biodiversity and ecosystem functions, multi-trophic interactions and food nets, Evolutionary Ecology, Chemical Ecology, Tropical Ecology, Agricultural Ecology, and global change. In the seminar, recent scientific publications within the topics mentioned above will be presented and discussed. It can be chosen as B-version under “additional courses” for 5 ECTS (only lecture no seminar).

Tropical Biology (Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology 2)

(only in summer semester)
Brigitte Fiala, Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter, Marcell Peters, Alice Claßen

The module deals with structure and biology of tropical habitats and of tropical communities. It consists of a lecture and a seminar. The lecture has a focus on the global importance of tropical systems, e.g. in regard to biodiversity, scientific theories, ecosystem goods and ecosystem functions such as the dynamics of the biosphere. Main characteristics of the tropics are compared to temperate zones. Subjects are e.g., diversity, habitats, climate, evolution, characteristics of tropical organisms, complex biotic interactions (mutualisms, herbivory and predation), ecosystem services pollination and seed dispersal, as well as threats to tropical systems (land use change, climate change, overexploitation) and conservation issues. The seminar allows in-depth discussion of (additional) current topics concerning tropical biology. The participants will present new papers complemented by own literature research and have the opportunity to practise their oral performance.

Required examinations: written examination with grades (one hour) (einstündige benotete Klausur) and oral presentation in the seminar (without grades)


Modern Slavery Reporting: Case Studies of Leading Practice

This briefing provides examples of good practice found in the thousands statements made under the UK Modern Slavery Act. It aims to inform government and investor engagement with companies around modern slavery.

Read the Full Report        Modern Slavery Registry

The UK Modern Slavery Act (the Act) is the first law that requires companies, from around the world, to report annually on the actions that they are undertaking each year to tackle modern slavery in their operations and supply chains. This reporting requirement looks to increase transparency on companies’ efforts to identify and mitigate their modern slavery risks, and their improvement over time. Statements made under the Act provide stakeholders - including investors, business partners, prospective talent, and civil society - with the information that they need to assess which companies are mitigating their risks, and which appear reckless.

However, transparency, whilst necessary, is insufficient on its own to protect vulnerable workers from forced labour. The company should demonstrate due diligence to mitigate risks and ensure that there is remedy when mistakes are made. Equally, stakeholders should use the information provided in modern slavery statements to challenge and encourage companies to take bolder steps to eliminate slavery from their operations and supply chains.

The purpose of this briefing is to provide examples of good practice found in the thousands of compliance statements now available on our Modern Slavery Registry and our benchmarking of the FTSE 100 companies’ statements. The briefing also highlights serious gaps where few or no companies are performing well. We hope that the best practice and gap analyses will encourage informed engagement with companies by investors, civil society, and governments; and facilitate informed reflection within companies regarding their next steps to eliminate modern slavery from their operations and supply chains.


An Introduction to programming an Atmega microcontroller

Benjamin Reh

This document an introduction into the programming of an Atmega microcontroller. It is separated into the fi rst part guiding like a tutorial for beginners and a second part which is a reference book to the functions provided in the basis. The examples and explanations provided are neither exhaustive nor complete. The only aim of this document is to lower the burden of getting started. Only a basic knowledge in C is required.

Debugging Serial Buses in Embedded System Designs

Many embedded system designs utilize serial buses such as I2C, SPI , USB, RS-232/422/485/UART, CAN, LIN, FlexRay and I2S/LJ/RJ/TDM. Learn how to quickly and efficiently debug today’s serial buses with the powerful trigger, decode, and search capabilities of the MSO/DPO Series.

Design and Implementation of the lwIP Stack

Adam Dunkels

LwIP is an implementation of the TCP/IP protocol stack. The focus of the lwIP stack is to reduce memory usage and code size, making lwIP suitable for use in small clients with very limited resources such as embedded systems. In order to reduce processing and memory demands, lwIP uses a tailor made API that does not require any data copying. This report describes the design and implementation of lwIP. The algorithms and data struc- tures used both in the protocol implementations and in the sub systems such as the memory and bu®er management systems are described. Also included in this report is a reference manual for the lwIP API and some code examples of using lwIP.

Beginning Microcontrollers with the MSP430 - Tutorial

Gustavo Litovsky

From the Preface: I decided to write this tutorial after seeing many students struggling with the concepts of programming the MSP430 and being unable to realize their applications and projects. This was not because the MSP430 is hard to program. On the contrary, it adopts many advances in computing that has allowed us to get our application running quicker than ever. However, it is sometimes difﬁcult for students to translate the knowledge they acquired when studying programming for more traditional platforms to embedded systems.

Embedded Touchscreen Handbook

Jonathan More

I want to add a touchscreen to my embedded product. Where do I start? That question is common nowadays. Most manufacturing companies are seeing the value – maybe the necessity – of touch screen technology. Many of them don’t have a long-term or close association with the technology, yet they expect their embedded engineers to handle the project successfully and on a tight schedule. These engineers often have questions... - How much am I going to have to learn to get the job done? - I’ve heard that LCD suppliers were not like other suppliers. But, how so? - What don’t I know that could shift the project from “exciting” to “doomed.” You have choices: Probably the three major questions that crop up when you need to add an LCD touch screen to your product are these: - Should I use a full-blown, embedded operating system, like Windows CE, CE Linux or QNX? - How much work does it take to develop an in-house LCD system from scratch? - Do I have other options? The answer to the first two questions is a resounding “maybe,” (depending on what you need to accomplish). The answer to the third question is, probably “yes.” In most cases, there is another option. Who should read this? If you are an embedded engineer who is thinking of adding a touch screen to your product, and if: - You need to know what is involved in adding color touch controls to your product. -You need to understand the risks (both known and hidden) involved in LCD technology. - Your main area of expertise is not LCD technology. - You don’t want to re-focus your time to acquire color LCD technology expertise. If you find that any of the statements above voice your concerns, you may find this paper worth reading.

Interrupt handling in an ARM processor

Andrew N.Sloss

This document is going to guide you at every step as you sit down to design the interrupt handling in software for an ARM system.

A Multithreaded Real-time Robot for Embedded Design Space Exploration

Yue Ma

This thesis introduces an autonomous robot platform for real-time scheduling exper- imentation and benchmark suite to evaluate real-time optimizations and apply modern task scheduling methods. It makes two contributions. First, it presents a reference hardware and software design for a line-following, obstacle-avoiding and maze-solving robot. This robot is based on a small commercially-available product. The software is structured as a multithreaded real- time system for use in evaluating scheduling approaches for cost-sensitive and resource- constrained applications. Second, it provides a detailed design space exploration showing the costs (processor speed and memory) of di erent scheduling approaches (static vs. dynamic and non-preemptive vs. preemptive). It also measures and analyzes each task's timing information and explores the mini- mum microcontroller clock speed under di erent scheduling approaches.

An Embedded Object Approach to Embedded System Development

Tero Valliu
1 comment

Topics in Secure Embedded System Design

Nachiketh Potlapall


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What is the Appropriate Tire Pressure in Summer?

Pulished on May. 26, 2020

As a Skid Loader Tires Manufacturer, share with you. When I was a kid, I instructed my bike to tell me that the temperature in summer was high, and the tires could not be too suffocated, which could easily cause the tire to puncture. After owning their own car, many people still retain the habit of lowering tire pressure in summer. For fear of accidentally getting a flat tire on the high speed, the scene would be out of control instantly.

Telehandler Tires

Telehandler Tires

Is this really the case? Is high tire pressure really easier to puncture than low tire pressure? According to a report released by NHTSA, the tire pressure is lower than the standard value of 25%, and the probability of a flat tire is tripled; above 25%, the probability of a flat tire is doubled. This conclusion subverts the perception of many car owners.

Why is the tire blowout probability of low tire pressure twice that of high tire pressure?

If the tire pressure is too low, the area of contact with the ground will become larger. On the one hand, the friction coefficient between the tire and the ground will increase. Large, when the tire rolls to the top, the cord will return to its original position under the action of elasticity and tension, which will deform the inner ply and accelerate fatigue, and cause structural damage in severe cases.

When the tire pressure is high, the overall rigidity is enhanced. Although there will be no frictional overheating and excessive buckling, bulging or flat tires may occur when colliding with severe bumps, high temperatures, and sharp objects. If you only consider the normal driving factors, the tire pressure will be more likely to cause a flat tire when driving at high speed!

High tire pressure may not save fuel

Many people think that high tire pressure is more fuel-efficient than normal tire pressure. In theory, right! Because it is generally believed that the tire pressure is high, the friction area between the tire and the ground is reduced, and the friction force is reduced to save fuel. The editor has also seen the actual measurement of whether high tire pressure is fuel-efficient, and the conclusion is that high tire pressure is fuel-efficient. But this conclusion is contrary to daily perception of using a car.

Of course, the difference in fuel consumption of 0.15 L / km may be that traffic lights wait more and wait less, even headwinds and headwinds will cause this difference. But no matter from which aspect you understand, this test can draw a conclusion that is not a conclusion: high tire pressure may not save fuel, at least not much difference from normal tire pressure.

Improper tire pressure affects the life of the tire

Normal Skidsteer Tires standard inflation pressure between 2.2-2.8bar (cold tire pressure) correct tire inflation pressure. Under no-load conditions, ordinary cars are generally around 2.3 bar, and off-road tires are 2.5 bar.

Too high or too low tire pressure will cause shortened tire life.

Our company also has Telehandler Tires for sale, please contact us.


New research finds “significant associations” between a person’s optimistic disposition and their sleep quality.
happy person waking up
New research suggests that optimistic people are likelier to sleep better.

Sleep deprivation is a major public health concern.

In fact, around 30% of adults in the United States do not get the amount of sleep that is optimal for health.

Also, up to 70 million people in the U.S. have a sleep disorder.

A number of things can help improve sleep, such as getting a new mattress, limiting late evening alcohol consumption, exercising regularly, and strictly using the bedroom for rest.

New research suggests that there may be another ingredient that could help sleep, though it may be more difficult to obtain than a new mattress: an optimistic disposition.

The study, which appears in the journal Behavioral Medicine, finds that optimists tend to sleep better. This is a finding that builds on previous studies that have suggested that optimists have better cardiovascular health.

Dr. Rosalba Hernandez, an assistant professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign School of Social Work, is the lead author of the new research.

Studying sleep and optimism

Dr. Hernandez and team examined 3,548 participants, ages 32–51, who took part in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study.

The participants were non-Hispanic white and African American adults living in Birmingham, AL, Oakland, CA, Chicago, IL, and Minneapolis, MN, among other U.S. regions.

To assess the participants’ optimism, the researchers asked them to express their agreement with a series of 10 statements using a five-point Likert scale, ranging from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree.”

Statements included positive ones (such as, “I’m always optimistic about my future”) and negative ones (such as, “I hardly expect things to go my way”). The resulting survey score ranged from 6 to 30, with 30 being the most optimistic.

As part of the CARDIA study, the participants reported on the quality of their sleep twice, 5 years apart, mentioning the number of hours they slept regularly and any symptoms of insomnia.

Some participants also filled in the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, and they wore activity monitors that objectively measured how long they were sound asleep for and how restless they were during the night.

To assess the link between optimism and sleep quality, the researchers applied multivariate regression analyses.

Optimists 74% less likely to have insomnia

The study revealed that each increase in “standard deviation” — that is, the standard distance between two data points — correlated with a 78% increase in the odds of better sleep quality.

Participants with higher scores were also more likely to sleep for 6–9 hours each night and 74% less likely to have insomnia.

“Results from this study revealed significant associations between optimism and various characteristics of self-reported sleep after adjusting for a wide array of variables, including sociodemographic characteristics, health conditions, and depressive symptoms,” says Dr. Hernandez.

“The lack of [healthful] sleep is a public health concern, as poor sleep quality is associated with multiple health problems, including higher risks of obesity, hypertension, and all cause mortality,” she adds.

Dispositional optimism — the belief that positive things will occur in the future — has emerged as a psychological asset of particular salience for disease free survival and superior health.”

Dr. Rosalba Hernandez

Although the findings are purely observational, the study authors speculate on a possible mechanism that may explain them.

“Optimists are more likely to engage in active problem-focused coping and to interpret stressful events in more positive ways, reducing worry and ruminative thoughts when they’re falling asleep and throughout their sleep cycle,” concludes Dr. Hernandez.


Research Highlights

Magnetic nanosensor for detecting urea in human blood

doi:10.1038/nindia.2017.158 Published online 22 December 2017

Researchers have invented a fast, sensitive optical sensor that can be used to detect urea in human blood and various environmental samples1.

Urea, a major organic waste product of living organisms including humans, is excreted through the urine. An excessive level of urea is potentially harmful because it can break down DNA and protein molecules, triggering diseases such as diabetes, kidney failure and sepsis.

Existing methods for detecting urea cannot efficiently monitor urea concentrations in a wide range of biological and environmental samples.

To make a fast-response, versatile urea sensor, scientists from the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalapakkam in India, led by John Philip, made an oil-in-water magnetic nanoemulsion using iron oxide nanoparticles, polymers, a surfactant and water. They then explored the nanoemulsion’s potential to sense urea in a solution.

The magnetic nanoemulsion selectively detected urea even in the presence of positively charged interfering ions that are usually found in human blood, such as calcium and sodium.  The nanoemulsion detected urea very rapidly, about 100 times faster than conventional crystal-based sensors.

It is possible to tweak the concentration of the oil droplets in the nanoemulsion, making it exhibit a colour change in the presence of urea. This, in turn, helps detect urea with the naked eye.  The urea sensor is non-enzymatic and can detect urea in a wide range of samples, says principal researcher Philip.

1. Zaibudeen, A. W. et al.  Magnetic nanofluid based non-enzymatic sensor for urea detection.Sensor. Actuator. B. Chem. 255, 720-728 (2018)


environmental impact assessment

An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is the process of examining the anticipated environmental effects of a proposed project on the environment. An EIA is prepared during the design phase of a project to ensure competent authorities consider environmental impacts before permission for the project is granted. If the likely effects are unacceptable, design measures or other relevant mitigation measures can be implemented to reduce or avoid those effects.

ORS provides efficient management of the EIA process, through initial screening, scoping, alternative evaluations and Environmental Impact Statement preparation.


In Singapore, every company has to have at least one director. In some cases, a company can have more than one director and this is very common. Every company requires at least one of the director to be a resident director. A resident director is a director whose normal place of residence is in Singapore. This means that this individual is living in Singapore. He or she can be a Singaporean, a Singapore Permanent Resident or a foreigner with a valid Employment Pass or EntrePass that is tagged to that particular company.
How a director should act
The director has a fiduciary duty to the company. Therefore, the director is expected to act in the best interests of the company and to prevent any possible conflicts of interest which may arise. If there are conflicts of interest, the director has the responsibility to disclose these conflicts to the rest of the company, namely the shareholders.
Statutory requirements under the Companies Act and compliance with the Company Constitution
The director is required, under the Companies Act, to ensure that the company complies with the Companies Act and the Constitution of the Company. Here are some of the statutory requirements which directors have to ensure that the company adheres to.
1) The holding of the Annual General Meeting
2) The Filing of Annual Returns
3) Keeping of Statutory Registers
4) Registering an address
5) Reporting changes in company officers like directors, secretaries, auditors and managers to the registrar
6) Reporting changes in shareholding
7) Reporting changes in the Register for Directors’ Shareholding
The directors have a responsibility to ensure that the changes and filings done are in accordance with the Constitution of the Company as well as the Companies Act.
Here is an article about the importance of complying and some examples of directors who have been charged in court:

The importance of complying with the Constitution and the Companies Act

Yours Sincerely,
The editorial team at Singapore Secretary Services


27 Pages

Metal-Cutting Processes

WithStuart C. Salmon

Metal cutting may take the form of a number of production and manufacturing processes. Metal cutting operations have been performed as far back as the Greek and Roman era. The skills of the metal worker during those times were kept secret and held tightly to the chest. The concepts and designs for metal cutting machines were founded in the apparatus and mechanical schemes of early wood cutting lathes. Real-world metal cutting operations are made in three dimensions, described by the term oblique cutting, where the cutting edge is inclined at an angle to the direction of cut, thus facilitating a sideways curl to the chip. That third dimension complicates the theoretical modeling process, so a simplification was made to make the analysis only two dimensional, described by the term orthogonal machining, where the cutting edge is at right angles to the direction of cut.


You are in: All categories > Furniture > Tables

Table 4' (121cm) Round (5121) £6.95

Click on an image to view a larger version
Our 4' round table seats 6 persons.
Recommended cloth size -
88" circular = 20" drop
108" circular = To the floor
(Measurements are approximate and based on our table height of 30")
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tusk is worth 10 points in the game of Scrabble

Definitions for the word, tusk
(n.) A projecting member like a tenon, and serving the same or a similar purpose, but composed of several steps, or offsets. Thus, in the illustration, a is the tusk, and each of the several parts, or offsets, is called a tooth.
(n.) A toothshell, or Dentalium; -- called also tusk-shell.
(n.) One of the elongated incisor or canine teeth of the wild boar, elephant, etc.; hence, any long, protruding tooth.
(n.) Same as Torsk.
(v. i.) To bare or gnash the teeth.

5 words found in the Scrabble word, tusk

3 letter words

suk 7
tsk 7
uts 3

2 letter words

us 2
ut 2

Scrabble letter values
A is 1 points
B is 3 points
C is 3 points
D is 2 points
E is 1 points
F is 4 points
G is 2 points
H is 4 points
I is 1 points
J is 8 points
K is 5 points
L is 1 points
M is 3 points
N is 1 points
O is 1 points
P is 3 points
Q is 10 points
R is 1 points
S is 1 points
T is 1 points
U is 1 points
V is 4 points
W is 4 points
X is 8 points
Y is 4 points
Z is 10 points

WordUnscrambler.net Information